Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23
Journal of Discourses,
Volume 23
2
DISCOURSE BY ELDER H. W. NAISBITT.
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, May 15th, 1881.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE PREACHING AND PRACTICE OF THE GOSPEL--VISITATIONS OF ANGELS,
ETC.
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 376, JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES, VOL. XXII.)
2
there have been larger opportunities for the acquisition of the
knowledge which pertains to the designs of the Creator. I think
that all thoughtful men and thoughtful women have felt within
themselves that there were a great many problems in regard to
human existence upon which they would like to have light and
intelligence, they would like to understand and to have a surety
as to whether a man was anything more than a mere animal in
creation, whether it was his destiny only "to eat and to drink,
for to-morrow we die," or whether his existence was of a
continuous character; whether after having laid down this
tabernacle of flesh he would be privileged to enjoy again the
associations which have been agreeable to him on earth, whether
the family circle would be burst asunder, or whether continuing
to exist he would be divested in a great measure of the
temptations which seem to influence him on the right hand and on
the left, and which appear to lead so many thousands of the human
family down to degradation and death. It appears to me that there
are questions in connection with all these things that thousands
would like to solve, and questions which really never can be
solved by the ordinary wisdom and knowledge which pertain to the
educational facilities of mankind. Now, in reading these
prophecies concerning the future angelic visitations that are to
take place in the history of mankind, I have no doubt that those
who have pondered over these prophecies have thought that in
these visitations they would find the key which should unlock the
past, the present and the future, and be of great value in the
salvation of the human family--salvation from ignorance, from
sin, and from death. These are the things which men everywhere
need. They need to be saved from themselves; they need to be
saved from each other; they need to be saved in regard to the
future, according to the Scriptures, and the generally received
notions of the Christian world.
3
Now, this angel that was to come in the latter times was declared
to be one who was to bring the everlasting Gospel in order that
it might be preached among all nations. Now, the everlasting
Gospel, whatever that may mean, is something that is divine in
its character. It is not conjured up by cunning and designing
men. God was its author; in fact the Scriptures say that His Son
Jesus was the "author and finisher" of the Christian faith on
earth. Whenever, therefore, the revelation of that Gospel comes
it must give man an account of his origin, of the necessity of
the circumstances of the present, and something of his future.
There is one thing that strikes the reader as being very peculiar
in regard to this angel coming to the human family. It is implied
upon the surface, and in its depths also, that there would be no
necessity of sending the Gospel if the children of man had the
Gospel already, this would be superfluous. Then when this angel
comes is he to come to Christendom, or is he to come to
heathendom? Is he to come to men that have not heard of Jesus,
know nothing of God, know nothing of the way of salvation, or is
he to come to the Christian world. If he is to come to heathendom
it of course would be to bring salvation, the redemption of the
soul and body of man; but if he is to come to Christendom it
would almost seem to imply that amid them even the Gospel of
redemption was unpreached or misunderstood, for in all the
creations of our God there does not appear to be anything of an
unnecessary character, there are no steps taken in His government
that are inapplicable to the existing condition of things; but
the fact that an angel was to come in "the dispensation of the
fulness of times" naturally implies that the Gospel would not be
at that time preached on the face of the earth. Now this is
rather an awkward conclusion to arrive at when all Christendom is
said to be doing so much in regard to the building of churches,
the teaching of religion, the payment of ministers, the sending
of the so-called Gospel to the heathen, and the furnishing of
Bibles to all the nations of the earth. And on reflecting upon
the visits of this angel a man would naturally enquire, if this
angel is going to bring the Gospel, in what does the Gospel
consist, and as a necessary consequence he would also begin to
enquire as to what the records say which have come down to us
from ancient times. He would look into the New Testament; he
would read the sayings of those whose names have become historic;
he would read the sayings of the Great Teacher, who was sent from
heaven, even Jesus Christ the righteous; and he would read the
acts and doings in that book of His successors the Apostles, and
of the primitive church, and from this record he would endeavor
to find out what the Gospel was as preached in ancient times, and
after he had done this he would begin to contrast the Christian
organizations with which he was surrounded, the theories which
Christians hold, the doctrines which they teach and put them side
by side in parallel columns with the teachings of the ancient
Church. He would institute comparisons and so would show a desire
to understand the necessity for this angel coming expressly from
heaven to "preach" the everlasting Gospel unto them that dwell
upon the earth, and to every nation and kindred and tongue and
people." And in taking the New Testament for his guide, in
pondering the acts and teachings of Jesus and his Apostles, he
would begin to understand that there was method and order in
connection with that Gospel; that it consisted of a series of
principles, of ideas, and thoughts and practices, which were
intended to work out some desired end. Hence it was said that the
Gospel in ancient times "was the power of God unto salvation." It
was an important thing, it was something of value; it was
something calculated to affect a man's interests in time and in
eternity, it was "the power of God unto salvation;" and I do not
think that in any other recognized record are we so likely to
find a portrayal of that Gospel in its purity and original
simplicity as in the record called the New Testament. When we
come to search that, we realize that Jesus professed to be the
Son of God. He encouraged his followers to exercise faith in his
Father, and in regard to his works he told them that he "did
nothing of himself, but that which he had seen the Father do that
did he," and that which he did before his Apostles, and which he
commanded them to do, was according to the commandments which he
had received of the Father. I think the Christian world will be
willing to acknowledge that this faith in God was a principle
which was calculated to enhance the welfare of the human family.
It was calculated to infuse high and lofty thoughts into the man
or woman who accepted it; faith in the existence of God, faith
that they were his children; faith that he was alive to their
interests; faith that he was able to teach them the purpose of
their existence, and the design that he had in their creation,
faith that he was able to hear and answer their prayers. And the
man who enjoyed this faith in God after he had been taught it was
a man who was likely not only to feel higher conceptions in
regard to humanity, so far as he himself was concerned, but there
would be bound to spring up in his heart feelings, growing out of
this, in regard to his brother-man, and to his sister, woman; he
would be bound to look upon them with more regard for their
interests, well-being and salvation upon the earth, than he would
have done without this conception. He would be interested in the
moral, mental and spiritual condition of his neighbor; he would
be interested in imparting to his neighbor the truth, and thus
the spirit of faith in God would begin to spread and exercise a
salutary influence wherever it was felt among those who received
it.
6
And Jesus was not satisfied only with teaching this faith in God,
but he realized that there would grow out of it these or
similarly certain principles of action with regard to the conduct
of those who received it. A man would begin to realize that
inasmuch as he was a child of God, that he had in many respects
been unworthy of that position, that he had been guilty of many
acts both of commission and omission that were derogatory to such
origin, and he would naturally begin to repent, to be sorry for
having committed himself in this way and not to be sorry only,
but to lay everything of this character aside in order that he
might stand approved of God His Heavenly Father. Hence there
would grow out of faith the spirit of repentance for past sins,
and then it was found that there was an ordinance in the Gospel
by which through divine appointment, a man was enabled to receive
the "remission of his sins," consequent on the sacrifice that was
to be offered on Calvary. That ordinance of the Church, as
established by Jesus, was the ordinance of water baptism for the
remission of sins. This was one of the principles of the Gospel,
one of the principles of salvation, one of the steps in the
educational process of those who submitted themselves to the
authority of the Great Teacher, Jesus Christ. Now there is a vast
diversity of opinion in the Christian world in regard to baptism,
but this diversity we need not stop to consider. We can take the
New Testament, and see what is laid down there upon the subject.
Some think baptism unimportant. Christ, however, evidently
thought it important. In speaking to Nicodemus, he said, "Except
a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God." And when he commissioned his Apostles to
preach the Gospel, they went forth among the people, "baptizing
them in water, confessing their sins." Indeed, there are
illustrations in abundance of this fact, that will be familiar to
all the students of the New Testament. The great Apostle Peter,
who appeared to have been the master spirit of the Church on the
day of Pentecost, when men began to inquire what they should do
to be saved, answered the inquirers in this way, "Repent and be
baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost." This was the ancient order; this was the order
established by Jesus, and the presumption is beyond dispute that
if it was necessary for any one single member of that primitive
church, or for any of the Apostles, or for Jesus himself to be
baptized in water, it was necessary for the whole. Hence the
irresistible conclusion is, that every member of the primitive
church was baptized, "buried with him by baptism unto death, that
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." This was
one of the doctrines of the ancient church, and the next doctrine
that followed it in the programme and system of the Gospel was
the giving of the Holy Ghost. Now the scriptures tell us that
"the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit
withal." In every land and clime, in all conditions of the human
family, of every color, among the most highly civilized as among
the most degraded, there is given to every man this measure of
the spirit of God to profit withal, and it is in accordance with
his obedience to the measure received of that spirit that he will
be rewarded in the future. But in the Christian church there
appears to have been an order that went in advance of this
universal gift of the spirit. It was called "the gift of the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands." Hence those who are familiar
with the New Testament will realize that when men were baptized
they were afterwards confirmed by "the laying on of hands," and
upon that confirmation they received the Holy Ghost. This Holy
Ghost in them was the power of God. It opened up their minds, it
informed their reason, enlarged their capacity, and enabled them
to comprehend, as the scriptures say, the past, present and
future. It was a grand gift, and one essential to salvation. To
one man it gave the spirit of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge; to another faith; to another the gift of healing; to
another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another
discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues, etc.
It was to them the fountain of divine intelligence and power. And
these manifestations followed the believer everywhere. It
harmonized all the conflicting thoughts and ideas that they might
have had in regard to God, in regard to the institutions with
which they were surrounded, in regard to the duties devolving
upon them, in regard to their destiny in the future. It made them
one in Christ Jesus. They were baptized by one baptism, and they
enjoyed one spirit. They were rich in the unity of the faith. And
when men were thus baptized and received this spirit it was not
expected that they should stand strictly upon their own
individuality. They were not left to wander abroad to the right
and to the left, but there appeared to have been in the primitive
times a good deal of what we see in our own day. An organization
grew up. They formed what was called a church. It is called in
the New Testament, in some places "the Church of God," in other
places it is called "the Church of Christ." It was a church
composed of those who had thus been baptized, and thus received
of the Holy Ghost. They were united together for self-defense.
They were united in order that they might be taught by the
authorities of that church. They were not taught by strangers or
by men who had never passed through the same gateway and received
the same spirit as themselves, but according to the New Testament
they were taught by Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and
Evangelists, men who were engaged in the ministry of the Lord
Jesus Christ. These officers were "set in the church," according
to the New Testament, for the edifying of the body, for the
training of the members, until they all came to the unity of the
faith and to the full stature of men and women in Christ. Now,
that was a glorious age. I have heard good men and women, ever
since I heard anything, wish that they had lived in those
primitive times. They have said how glad they would have been to
have the privilege of even touching the hem of the Savior's
garment, witnessing his miracles, hearing his teachings, and to
have been obedient to the principles which he taught. Men and
women have said that they would have been glad to have lived in
the Apostolic age; that they would have belonged to the primitive
church; that they would have been in their glory to share in its
trials and persecutions, to have enjoyed its spirit, to have
received of its blessings, and to have acquired the knowledge and
intelligence which accompanied the Priesthood that had control of
that special church. I believe there are thousands everywhere
to-day--men who are Elders, Deacons, Superintendents of Sunday
Schools, teachers in Sunday Schools--who, on reading the history
of the past feel that they would have been glad to have lived in
the primitive times and seen the leaders and apostles of that
church. Well, now, these feelings are natural. We realize the
glory and blessing which belong to that ancient order. But it
appears that this order in a great measure has become obsolete;
it has passed away, it is not to be found anywhere in the form in
which it existed anciently. There may be a church that has faith
in God; there may be many churches that include repentance, that
practice baptism; some may have faith in baptism for the
remission of sins; there may be here and there men who believe in
the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; but in
its beautiful primitive order it is nowhere to be found among the
children of men.
6
Now, in regard to the angel that should "fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that
dwell on the earth," it is only reasonable to suppose that when
the Gospel is restored, it will be restored with all its ancient
power, blessings, ordinances, Priesthood, and everything that
gave it grandeur and glory in the primitive times. But now the
query is, Has this angel come? If he has not, are the children of
men looking for him? Is there any anticipation in the midst of
the Christian world of his appearance? I think not. But here
among a small section of men and women in the Rocky Mountains,
gathered from all the nations of the earth, there is an
understanding that this angel has come, and should not the world
be pleased at the assumption; for if they are delighted in
reading the account of this angel's probable visitation, why not
take comfort and delight in the thought that angelic visitation
may again become general or partial, as the case of necessity may
require. Here, then, we have a little nucleus of men and women
who say this angel has come in the 19th century, in the
"dispensation of the fulness of times;" that he has brought with
him and given to those who are preaching it, the "everlasting
Gospel" as it existed in the ancient times; that in their
practice they are in the habit of exercising faith in God; that
they have repented of their sins; that they have been baptized in
water for the promised remission; that they have laid aside their
follies; that they want to free themselves from error and from
all unrighteousness; that they have again identified themselves,
as did the ancient Christians, with the Church, possessing within
itself the ancient organization, the ancient Priesthood, the
ancient authority to teach, to lead, and to govern and control,
until all the obedient come again to the unity of the faith. Now
if the Christian world take joy and satisfaction in reading
ancient history or prospective history; if there are thousands of
longing hearts in every denomination who say they would have
rejoiced to have lived in the ancient times, to have listened to
the teachings of the authorities of the primitive church, and to
have shared in its blessings, etc.; what should be the thought
when they hear again from men passing to and fro in the nations
of the earth declaring that the ancient order has been restored;
what should be the thought of men of intelligence, men of
reflecting minds, men that know the merits and demerits of the
Christian world should not these hearts leap for joy when they
hear that the Gospel has been thus restored in all its ancient
glory?
7
The Latter-day Saints testify--it is a standing testimony to the
nations--that this angel spoken of by John, the Revelator, has
come to the human family, that he has brought with him the
ancient Gospel, and that all those who are willing to accept
their testimony, to exercise faith in God, to lay aside their
dead works, their foolish notions and their false traditions, to
divest themselves of the errors of the ages, and to be baptized
and receive the power of the Holy Ghost, that they shall be as
full of assurance as were the Saints in ancient times. For this,
the Gospel of the kingdom neither was nor is a cunningly devised
fable, nor was it something got up by the craftiness of men, but
the obedient realized and know that it is "the power of God unto
salvation;" it has come to them not in word only but in power and
in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance; and there are thousands
throughout the length and breadth of the Territory, thousands
throughout the United States, the islands of the sea, and
throughout the nations of the earth, that rejoice in this Gospel.
They are ready to testify that they know that God lives, that
Jesus was the Savior of mankind, that the Gospel in all its
pristine purity and beauty has been restored, and that in our own
day all the blessings and privileges necessary for a complete
salvation are offered to mankind. This may seem a reflection upon
the intelligence of ages that are past and gone. But it is not
so. I presume that there are thousands and millions who have
passed away, that did the best they could, they lived up to the
light they had, they sought to please God in their daily walk and
conversation; but the Elders of Israel take the liberty of
pointing out "a more acceptable way," and they are free to
testify and speak of their own knowledge that God has restored
the Gospel and prepared the way for the salvation of all who are
willing to give obedience to that which has been revealed.
7
May God enable us to appreciate the day of our salvation and live
according to his design, that we may be saved in his kingdom, is
my prayer, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Erastus Snow, February 5th, 1882
Erastus Snow, February 5th, 1882
REMARKS BY ELDER ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered at Logan, Sunday Afternoon, February 5th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE INDIANS--THE INFLUENCE OF THE ELDERS AMONG THEM IN THE
INTEREST OF
PEACE, ETC.
8
I am asked to occupy the few minutes yet remaining: If the Spirit
gives me liberty I will pursue the train of thought that has
passed through my mind while Brother Richards has been speaking
upon the spirit that has gone abroad upon the remnants of the
house of Israel who occupy this land, the American Indians whom
we understand to be the descendants of the Nephites, the
Lamanites, the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites who formerly
possessed this land, whose fathers we have an account of in the
Book of Mormon. Those who are most familiar with their history,
and with the history of our settlements in these mountains for
the last thirty years--the manner in which we have sent out our
colonies to locate upon the land of the Lamanites: the manner in
which we have treated with them to obtain their consent and
approval to occupy and improve the land which they claim; the
manner in which we have moved among them to maintain ourselves
and to build the towns and cities which are now inhabited by our
people throughout this mountain region: the manner in which we
have sent out missionaries in advance of our colonies to open up
the way, carrying with them the spirit of the holy Gospel, the
spirit of peace, the spirit of love and brotherhood, to endeavor
to impress them with the belief that we were not men of blood,
but that we were a people who cherished and cultivated the spirit
of peace; the course we have taken when difficulties would arise
between them and our settlements, which occasionally would occur
through the indiscretion of thoughtless and selfish men, to
settle the same in a friendly, peaceful way, thereby avoiding
bloodshed and war; and the spirit in which we have chastised them
when it became necessary to do so, not in malice nor revenge, but
as a father would chastise his wayward child, and then as soon as
possible pour into their wounds the oil and the wine to heal them
up again--those, I say, who are best acquainted with our labors
in this direction will best appreciate the results.
8
I have had much experience during the last twenty years in this
direction; and have, by means of the spirit of the Gospel,
averted much war and bloodshed.
8
Wherever our colonies have been sent in advance, their influence
has been felt for good--not alone to them, not only has it tended
to establish confidence and a bond of friendship between the
natives and our colonies, but it has also tended to restrain the
uprising in their hearts to war against the white race, and has
thus promoted peace to our General Government, the
misrepresentations and the lying of our enemies to the contrary
notwithstanding.
8
We know there are to-day, as there always have been, men who are
suspicious and full of green-eyed jealousy, ever ready to
misrepresent the purest motives of the best people on the earth;
and acts of loyalty and honesty and commendation are construed to
be those of conspiracy and wickedness. And we know too that among
this class of vilifiers and defamers are many of the clergy, some
of whom have come among us as followers of the meek and lowly
Jesus, to bring to us glad tidings: but being wolves in sheep's
clothing they do the work of their master, and, therefore, they
scatter broadcast lies and defamation. And many newspaper
scribblers, who are ever ready to pander to popular sentiment,
whether it be right or wrong, who know not the facts in the case,
take up and republish to the world the untruths and
misrepresentations of the wicked men who are seeking notoriety at
the expense of truth and justice.
9
The history of Utah Territory gives the lie to all these
misrepresentations. There is no part of the American continent
that has been peopled and redeemed from its desolated condition
with so little bloodshed as Utah. There is no other State or
Territory where the general government has expended so little
money or so little force, or where so few lives have been lost in
settling a country and maintaining peace with the Indians as
Utah. To-day the American nation is indebted for the spirit of
"Mormonism" that has been diffused through this mountainous
country in the maintenance of peace, and the saving to the nation
of millions of treasure as well as thousands of lives.
9
And the wisdom of the Lord, through His servant Brigham Young, in
sending colonies into Arizona, and on the several branches of the
Colorado, also into the San Juan country, as well as on our
eastward borders, may be witnessed to-day in the influence that
is exerted by our people to check the spirit of war and bloodshed
among the Navajoes and the Utes and the Apaches. The wars that
have troubled the country during the last four or five years in
Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, have been, to my certain
knowledge, greatly mitigated by the presence of our colonies on
their borders, and by the labors of our missionaries among the
Indians. During those years I have spent considerable time in
visiting those colonies, and have, therefore, been brought in
contact with many of the nations of the different tribes when
they have been visiting colonies and missionary stations. And so
has Elder Woodruff and some others of the Quorum of the Twelve.
And I am a witness to this fact, that in every instance where the
influence of our missionaries and our colonies has been exerted
upon these fallen people, their chiefs have been imbued with the
spirit of peace, and they in turn have exerted their influence on
the side of peace to allay the uprising of their more
bloodthirsty brothers. And when they have been almost on the
point of joining distant warlike bands engaged in hostilities
against the Government, and have come to us to know our views and
to seek our counsel, our advice has always been in the interest
of peace, in the spirit of kindness; we have always taught them
to restrain their hostile feelings, and have portrayed to them
the benefits of peace, forbearance and longsuffering, and advised
them to endure what they considered wrong rather than to attempt
to redress their wrongs in their feeble, helpless condition, by
taking up arms against the strong and powerful government of the
United States; and besides, that it was displeasing to God our
heavenly Father, that they should shed the blood of man. Such is
the character of the teachings and counsels of our leading men of
the various settlements to the Indians, and of our missionaries
who are sent among them.
9
And I have had the testimony, during the last two years, of many
of our presiding Elders and Indian missionaries--and they are
men, I know, whose word may be relied upon, and who are
themselves, I know, the true friends of the Indians, and are
laboring for their welfare--they assured me that had it not been
for this influence, the young men of the Navajoes would have been
fighting with the Utes in Colorado during the last war, and that
many more of the Apaches would have been on the war-path with the
late Victorio in New Mexico.
10
And here let me say, the last outbreak of the Apaches last fall,
was forced upon them by the foolish and ruthless procedure of
some of the officers at Camp Apache, greatly to the disgust of
every thinking man acquainted with the affairs of that country.
It was no more nor less than an attempt to make a great national
affair out of a little, harmless, religious enthusiasm that
sprang up among that tribe. Once in a while the Indians become
very much excited over some local prophet; and it was merely an
event of this nature that led to the late Apache war; the
interference of the troops to quell their religious enthusiasm.
And I want to say that a general war all through these eastern
mountains and Arizona was imminent last September and October,
and have no doubt would have broken out, had it not been for the
presence and influence of our colonies extended along their
immediate borders, which are presided over by careful, wise men,
and their intercourse and labors among the Indians; and for the
conservative influence of those chiefs and leading Apaches that
Brother Woodruff visited and preached the Gospel to two years
ago, and whom I and some half dozen of our brethren visited and
labored with three years ago last summer, which had the tendency
to restrain the uprising of their more hot-headed brethren and of
quelling it. They did more than all the troops from California,
New Mexico and Eastern Arizona in bringing about peace.
10
The influence of those friendly Indians, who had listened to the
counsels of our missionaries and our leading men in that country,
and to Brother Woodruff, who went through the mountains to hunt
up the bands that had hidden, and who were procuring ammunition
and otherwise preparing for war--I say, their influence was felt
for good, as was fully attested by their success in bringing the
hostiles in by hundreds in the vicinity of Cooley's ranch and
elsewhere, and in allaying the warlike spirit among the Indians
generally around Camp Apache; and thus in a quiet way bringing
about peace and preventing a general war.
10
I know these things are true. I was posted every day, being at
the time on the Little Colorado, and in company with President
Jesse N. Smith, who was in communication with our brethren on the
borders of those hostile Indians, who had messengers going and
coming every day to and from them bearing counsels of peace; and
I know that the prayers of our people ascended to the Father in
the interest of peace, that the counsels of peace might prevail
among them; and I know too that our prayers, together with the
good influences that had been exerted, did prevail on behalf of
the Saints of that region of country. And I know and can testify
that the influence of our interpreters and discreet Indian men
and missionaries, whom we have located on the San Juan River,
between the Navajoes and the Ute reservations, who have been
there during the last three years, as also those on the south of
the Navajoe reservation, and between the Navajoes, and the
Apaches on the various branches of the Little Colorado, I know
that their influence and the effect of their teachings and
counsels upon the Lamanites is in the interest of peace between
the white race and the Indians of that country.
10
I feel it a pleasure to be able to speak knowingly of these
things, and hope that this spirit of peace may extend throughout
the land. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, November 9th, 1881
John Taylor, November 9th, 1881
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the St. George Tabernacle,
Wednesday Evening, November 9th, 1881.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE SETTLING OF SOUTHERN UTAH--BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE, ETC.
11
I feel pleased to have the opportunity of again meeting with you.
There are many things that if I had time, I should like to talk
about. However, there were one or two statements, that I made
yesterday, which I will further explain. In speaking of the
position of the people and of their settlements in this southern
country, I then stated that President Young did not make any
mistake in laying out a city here, nor in building a Temple here;
that it was quite as important a move as any that could have been
made in the interests of the Church and kingdom of God upon the
earth. If I were to enter into the details of that move I should
speak of it perhaps in a two-fold capacity; but I will speak for
a short time, at least, upon some of the leading features
associated with the position that we occupy here in these valleys
of the mountains.
11
We are quite a long distance from the outside world. It is true
there are railroads and more are being made; and it is right
there should be. That is their part of the business. In this way,
and in many instances, they are assisting us to build up the
kingdom of God, but they don't know it. If they did they would
not like to do it.
14
The position that we occupy in these valleys of the mountains, is
a very peculiar one. When we came up here the first place that
was designated was Salt Lake City. President Young said that he
had a manifestation that that was the place. There was a valley,
a very good valley, a comparatively rich valley, a valley that
was well watered, a valley that could be irrigated without much
labor, where the streams were quite easy of access and where a
small community could easily raise their sustenance; and this we
did. Now, had we landed in a place like this at first, it would
have been more difficult, people would have become more
discouraged, and some of them felt very much discouraged as it
was--some going to California because everything looked so
forbidding. Yet others thought it would be a pleasant place to
reside in, a place where a living could be as easily obtained as
in most other places, except we go to some of the rich lands of
Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, etc. But there were other circumstances
associated with these things that would have made it difficult
for us to sustain ourselves even in those places. For instance we
lived in a rich land back in Missouri. Everything there seemed to
grow at a very rapid rate, everything increased very fast. I have
heard some people tell such big stories about the productiveness
of that country that I have sometimes been afraid to tell what I
myself knew of it, for fear that people would not believe me. For
instance, I have seen fields of corn that a regiment of soldiers
could ride into and they would be out of sight; and I have seen
beans grow where corn has been planted where the corn stalks have
served as bean poles; and I have seen pumpkins and squash grow
among them, three crops growing the same year and at the same
time. That country, nevertheless, has many drawbacks. In that
country we were very unhealthy. We were subject to what is called
fever and ague every year; in fact, in the spring we used to
think we did well if we didn't happen to die off in the fall. Why
could we not stop there? Because the land was too good, and we
were easy of access to men desirous to possess our property, and
they told us to move on, and we had to go. We had to leave
Missouri, and I suppose God intended to try the Saints, to let
them pass through certain kinds of experience and place them in a
position that they would have to lean on Him. Some of the people
rebelled against these things in their feelings. Among the rest,
I remember being much shocked at the remarks of Sidney Rigdon
after he had been imprisoned with the Prophet Joseph in Richmond
jail, as well as many others. I visited them in jail, and Sidney
Rigdon made a remark soon after he got out, to the effect that if
God did not care anything more about us than He seemed to do,
that if He allowed us to be hauled around as we had been, he did
not care about serving such a God. That is, he found the trials
were heavier for him than he was capable of bearing,
notwithstanding that he had seen the Lord and had had visions
pertaining to the celestial, terrestrial and telestial kingdoms,
in which he had seen the position of men in the future, and the
purposes of God regarding the nations of the earth, and had borne
testimony of it in connection with Joseph Smith, as we find
recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Yet when trials
came his knees faltered, and the knees of many others have
faltered in the same way. Now, we talk about lands, good rich
land. Why did we not stay in Missouri? Because people would not
let us. It was just so in Illinois. Why did we leave there?
Because, as I have heard Brother George A. Smith say, we left
because we could not help ourselves; at least, that was the
purport of his saying. I think the Lord was very merciful to us
in Salt Lake Valley. I believe we landed just in the right place.
The people commenced to establish themselves; they began to find
that they could raise crops there, and that the land was very
productive. We stayed there for a while and began to make little
settlements and little excursions out into the surrounding
country. The people had all kinds of difficulties. I remember
once, in Bountiful, there were three or four families went up to
settle there, and they felt that there was not enough water, and
that they could hardly get along. They got to quarreling about
water rights, as we do sometimes. I do not know of much
quarreling down here; I do not think you have as much water to
quarrel over as they had. Afterwards President Young was moved
upon to begin to make settlements in other places. We had now
obtained a foothold. We had a place where we could raise all the
grain necessary for our sustenance, where we could raise sheep,
cattle, etc. We pushed out to Ogden on the one hand and to Provo
on the other, and then occupied some of the best places in Salt
Lake Valley, in Utah Valley, and on the Weber. We began to
increase; more immigrants came in, and others began to come from
above. Things went on. A Temple was started there, but it seemed
to progress very slowly; as well it might when we consider the
substantial nature of the building. When we started, we had
nothing but wagons to haul the rock on, and they were very big
rock, if you remember. Those rocks had to be hauled about 17
miles in those wagons, and owing to the liability of the wagons
to break down, this work gave us a great deal of trouble. To-day,
and right along for a number of years past, since the railroad
has been built, it is not uncommon to bring in some three or four
car loads at a time, delivering the rock in the Temple yard. Then
it was thought best to commence down here. Why? Let me tell you
some other things and show you about the settlements north and
south, and especially south. If you remember, Brother Geo. A.
Smith, as much as 25 years ago--I don't remember exactly how
long--came down and made a settlement at Parowan, and another at
Cedar--and here is Brother Henry Lunt present, who was one of
that number. He came to Cedar at that time, and they tried to
start iron works at that place. And then Brother Joseph Horne and
some others were sent down to see if cotton could not be raised
in this district of country in the hope that something could be
done whereby we might produce the raw material for the
manufacture of our clothes, and they stayed a little while
somewhere not far from here, some five miles south on the Santa
Clara, I am told. There was a rich little settlement up there.
Some time after, a great deal of it was washed away. I remember
the struggles Brother George A. used to have. He labored under
difficulties, being so very heavy, and not as active as most men;
but he was a man of great energy. He would come down here and
bring a few men, and would settle them down and go back again. By
and by he would bring some more down, all that he could pick up
that would volunteer. By the time he came down again, he would
find half of the others had gone. They did not want to stop. They
thought the land was set up on edge and had never been finished,
and they had all kinds of notions. Then he would return to the
city, and drum up a few more recruits, and take them down; and by
the time he got here he would find that a good many of those he
left had also gone. Finally, they became weeded out and left,
until he got a lot of folks who, if they had considered it a duty
to go on to a barren rock and stay there until they should be
instructed to leave, would have done it. It needed just such an
element to come to this country. What Brother Snow said here,
referring to the sad fact of there being such a number of widows
in this place whose husbands had gone to their graves through
having worked themselves to death, was perfectly true; but, then,
we don't want to cry about it. We may as well laugh as cry about
the past. You have done a great deal of hard work. In coming down
from Pine Valley we found immense dugways in the most forbidding
places, and it has required all the perseverance, energy,
intelligence and faith of even those men who were capable of
living on a dry rock--it required the combined energy of the
whole to accomplish these things, and a good deal of faith too.
14
Still President Young urged forward the people; Brother Geo. A.
Smith and Brother Erastus Snow urged them forward, and others
urged them forward, and there was a general feeling to build up
this southern country. Finally it was found that our Temple in
Salt Lake City would take such a long time to build, it was
thought best to erect one down here. Why? Because there was a
people living here who were more worthy than any others. Who were
more worthy of the blessings of a Temple than those who had
displayed the self-abnegation exhibited by the pioneers of the
south? God inspired President Young to build a Temple here
because of the fidelity and self-abnegation of the people; and,
furthermore that there might be an asylum here for those living
further south to be administered to in the holy ordinances of
God. I speak this for your credit--not that all of you are of
that class, but let those that are worthy take the credit, and
those that are not, need not take it. This Temple was built and
we went into it, and a great many thousands of people have been
administered to, and for, within its walls. People have
administered for themselves and for their progenitors. Over
150,000 people, Brother McAllister says, have been administered
for in this Temple. Don't you think it is worth while building a
Temple where such a work can be done? If life is worth anything,
if salvation is worth anything, if the life of our friends and
brethren with whom we shall be associated in the kingdom of God,
is worth anything, then I think a good work was done in the
building of this Temple. In other words, it was a wise move. Why?
Because it helped to sustain this part of the country. Means were
brought from other places down here to supply the people with
means and labor, thus it has been a blessing both to the living
and the dead. You men who comprehend things aright, you would not
take in exchange anything that could be conferred upon you for
the blessings you have received in that Temple.
15
There were then blessings of a temporal nature, as well as of a
spiritual nature, connected with the labor performed in the
building of that house. There was another thing. In establishing
the kingdom of God it was necessary that there should be a strong
place somewhere here between the land south and the land north.
It was necessary that there should be a foothold here all through
these valleys of the mountains between Salt Lake City and north
of Salt Lake City clear away, as you have heard President Young
say, on the backbone of the American continent. And why? We make
remarks sometimes, but I always like to get at the bottom of
them. Why is it better for us to be here than to be somewhere
else? If we had been in Missouri we should have been mobbed and
robbed long ago. If we had been anywhere in Central America or
South America where we could have been reached, our Christian
friends would have come there and stolen what we had from us.
But, furthermore, President Young, who was governed by the
inspiration of the Spirit of God in leading the people forth in
the way he did, expected that these railroads that are now coming
would come along. Years ago I expected the same thing, because I
saw them at work here, and clear away into Mexico. I had it
manifested to me, and Brother George Q. Cannon here has heard me
speak about the matter. Didn't you Brother Cannon? (Brother
Cannon: Yes, sir.) At that time I was very sick. I told President
Young of some things that I then believed would take place, among
the rest was this railroad building. And if there had not been
some pretty strong places, such as a settlement on Salt Creek, a
settlement at Beaver, a settlement at Parowan, a settlement down
here, etc., we never would have been able to carry out the will
of God, and we should have been in a different position with
regard to other settlements further south than we are to-day. Now
your young men are beginning to say, they want room. There is
plenty of room south. Here is Brother Snow, who has been working
like a beaver, and there are others, who are doing the same,
establishing settlements in the various valleys south, in
Arizona, in Colorado, and all through this southern country,
until we now occupy, as I have stated in other places, some 800
miles of country in a direct line, running north and south.
15
What did we have when we left Nauvoo? Not much. Any property to
spare? I think not. I think many of us would have gone without
shoes, without clothing, unless God had interposed in a
miraculous manner in sending down--I was going to say, a shower
of clothing. You remember that Brother Kimball prophesied at a
certain time that clothing would be as cheap here as in the East.
Regarding this some people felt a good deal like the man did when
Elijah prophesied about a measure of meal being sold for so much.
Says one man; if the heavens were to open this could not happen;
but it did happen; and the other happened that Brother Kimball
talked about. When the gold fever burst out, people brought
clothing by the wholesale and sold it for a mere song, and let
you sing the song; until the wants of the people were all
supplied. Who supplied them? These men. Did they want to do it?
No, it was the Lord who controlled these matters. He started up
this feeling which brought the people here, and they acted more
like crazy men than any I ever saw. They were ready to give us
their goods almost for nothing. The Saints at that time in Salt
Lake City were supplied with all the necessaries of life brought
by traders whom they knew nothing about, and they traded off
their cattle and their horses and anything these people could
pack away. Here was a manifestation of the work of the Lord, of
the will of God, and the protecting care of our heavenly Father
over His Saints.
15
As I told you yesterday we have traveled among the Saints and
found thousands of happy homes, good farms, good gardens and
orchards, cattle, sheep, horses, etc., and that the people
generally are now in a very prosperous condition. What has it
originated from? We certainly did not bring it about. God has
blessed our labors on the land and increased the water for our
sake.
16
Now, having said so much upon this subject I will turn to our
political position. We have already made in Salt Lake City
numbers of very nice places. You have also got some very
beautiful buildings here. I am sorry to see so much saleratus yet
in the land; I wish you had a little easier times; but while I am
inclined to sympathize with you, yet I do not want my sympathy to
overcome my judgment about matters of this kind.
16
Now, we have really the foundation for a prosperous State. We
started with nothing a little while ago. I think we have made
pretty well at it. You have had hard times; still you are living
and thriving: there are none of you naked or without shoes, hats
or bonnets. You seem to be provided with a great many of the good
things of this life. You seem to be doing tolerably well. I know
very well that you have a hard struggle to make two ends meet; I
understand it. But there is one advantage you have--no one will
want to steal away your place from you; will they? (Laughter.) I
do not think they would want to carry it off. I do not think they
would want to drive you away because of your extraneous wealth;
consequently, you are free from this trouble. That is not the fix
of the nations of the earth. Go to some of the nations to-day and
look at their condition. Take England for instance; they are
prospering very well, but look at the trouble they have had in
Ireland. They have tried to benefit that people in one way or
another, but they seem to spurn those benefits, and are inclined
to stir up commotion which is not unlikely to end in bloodshed.
We are not troubled in that way. In Russia, look at the horrible
condition they are in. They have secret societies, as spoken of
in the Book of Mormon. They are engaged in all kinds of plots,
plans and calculations. They have tried to kill their present
Czar, after having assassinated his father. There seems to be a
feeling of uneasiness and trouble among the nations. Then again,
in Turkey, they have had a great deal of trouble there. It has
leaked out lately that the Sultan, who was said to have died a
natural death, was strangled, and they have lately been
prosecuting his assassins. There are terrible forebodings among
the nations of the earth because of troubles that seem to be
threatening them. Here we have had our own President killed, and
a little while ago President Lincoln was assassinated, and there
seems to be a spirit of that kind rampant, and it will grow worse
and worse. Not long ago in Pittsburgh there was a shocking state
of things, where they burnt up and destroyed property to the
amount of three millions of dollars or more. We have apparently
prosperous times. There is now a lull in the storm, but it is
only a lull to burst out more violently by and by. You will see
it. There are elements at work to uproot the government and
destroy the foundation of society, and to take away the rights of
men and pull down the bulwarks of this government, and scatter to
the four winds the principles by which it has been governed, and
to let loose the wildest passions of men. These are some of the
things that are taking place. These are the elements that are at
work to-day. They are running around, and through, and among the
people almost everywhere. And it will not be long before there is
trouble again in the United States. These inflated times will by
and by bring about a great reaction, and then there will be
trouble and difficulty; and so these things will continue to
increase.
17
Now, we are here in the tops of the mountains, far away from
these things. We are here learning the laws of life and the
principles of truth, and we are here as saviors upon Mount Zion,
operating in the interests of humanity, sending forth
missionaries to the nations of the earth, gathering people
together; and when they are gathered together, we build temples
and administer in them. We are here, forming closer connections
with the heavens, with God our Heavenly Father, with Jesus the
Mediator of the New Covenant, and with the ancient Apostles,
Prophets and men of God. We are here participating in some of the
greatest blessings that ever were conferred upon mankind since
the world was formed. We are here as those that God has selected
from the nations of the earth, that He may plant among us the
principles of eternal truth, and that we may operate with Him and
with the Priesthood behind the vail in the interests of all
humanity that have ever lived upon the face of the earth. We are
a blessed people if we could only comprehend our position. And we
need not be too anxious about the affairs of the world. Men of
wealth, men of standing, men of position, men who stand in high
places, are beginning to tremble and quake everywhere. They are
looking forward with terrible forebodings to something that they
fear is coming upon the earth. They do not know what it is, but
it will burst upon them and their forebodings will be realized.
17
But we will look at this matter again. Could we be in a better
place? I think not. Let me show you the reason for that. We are a
very small people, and we are in the midst of a very large
people. We occupy these valleys among these rugged mountains, and
we dwell in deserts, and in many of the most forbidding places.
We see people living in little places, on little streams of water
trickling along, and perhaps all of it would go through an inch
pipe without much pressure, and they are professing to farm and
raise fruits, vegetables and vines in such places, wrenching
their living from the barren desert soil. And they do live, but
it is hard sledding, and there is a great deal of it here. Now
then, go over the ground we have traveled to get here, say
starting from Utah County to Juab, from Juab to Fillmore, from
Fillmore to Beaver, from Beaver to Parowan, and so on down
through here, and among these rocks where little settlements are
placed, and up and down your rivers, how very, very few
comparatively they are. Yet what an extent of land, is there not?
We occupy the country it is true; but I tell the people sometimes
that our mountains have very large feet, and that our deserts
occupy very large tracks of land. But wherever there is a
habitable place, Latter-day Saints are living on it, and
consequently living in these little places they control the
mountains and the country. Is not that a fact? And suppose we did
not have these little forbidding, barren places, the little
springs and little rivulets that come along reminding one of
oases in the deserts--if we did not have them we could not have
the country, but we have them and God has given us possession of
them. If we had not possessed these narrow valleys and defiles
they would have been in the possession of bands of Gadianton
robbers, who would have preyed upon the people and their
property, as "cowboys" and guerillas are now doing in Arizona.
But our possessing them gave strength and protection to our more
important settlements.
17
We have paid for what we have got. I expect your land is all
entered here?
17
Answer--Yes, sir.
18
You have paid for the land then, and you have paid for it up here
in Pine Valley. There is a big mountain between, and you own that
in the bargain, and all those sand ridges and rough places,
including Jacob's Twist are thrown in for nothing. You own the
country here and there and all the way through. How far is it
from these mountains to Kanab?
18
Answer.--About 80 miles, sir.
18
The most of it is mountainous. But there are little places here
and there which enable you to control all of it; the mountains
are thrown in as chips and whetstones. It is the same all the way
from here to Nephi; there are little places here and there; we
own them and have got our titles for them, and we are the owners
of the soil and the mountains are thrown in. So that owing to the
small quantity of land we have been compelled by circumstances to
go into Idaho, Arizona and Colorado. We cannot hide from
ourselves that these things give us some political rights in
these places; but who are we injuring, whose political or
religious liberties are infringed upon by us? Nobody's! If we
live on and conquer those forbidden districts we ought not to be
begrudged the limited influence that those positions naturally
award us; and while we do not interfere with others and their
political arrangements, we think we ought to possess that meagre
share that these forbidding circumstances place in our
possession.
18
There is another remarkable thing. Who is it that we are to thank
for this? The Lord. Did he inspire Brigham Young in these
things--to occupy these places! Yes. Is it right for us to occupy
them? Yes. Is it right for us to build temples? Yes. Is it right
for us to administer in them? Yes. Is it right for us to seek to
establish the kingdom of God on the earth? Yes. Is it right for
us to seek wisdom from God to do it? Yes. That is what we have
been doing for a great many years and we are doing it to-day.
Here is Brother Cannon. He is going to Washington as our
representative in the general government. Only think about it.
Here is a Territory several hundred miles long and I do not know
how wide. Let me see (the speaker turning and addressing himself
to President Cannon) George, how many representatives have they
in Congress?
18
Answer: 293 representatives and 9 delegates.
18
And then there is the Senate?
18
Answer: 76 members.
19
And we, a little people in the valleys of these mountains, right
in the tops of these mountains, in the midst of 50 millions of
people, all the representation we have is just one delegate, and
he has not a right to vote! And yet what have they done to us?
Not much. Have they been plotting against us? Yes, they have. Are
they seeking to injure us to-day? Yes. Who? All classes of men,
and especially the religious kind. Our feeling is to save people,
not to curse them. It must be a miserable feeling for men to have
when they are seeking to destroy their fellow-men, yet they are
doing it. It is because they have not the intelligence to cope
with the principles that God has revealed to us, that they want
to drag the strength of the government to put down by arms that
which they have not the power to do by argument or on any just or
regular principle. I would be ashamed if I were one of them; I
would be ashamed if I could not do something else besides praying
to destroy a few, weak people in the tops of the mountains of
Utah, far away from everybody, and pretending that we are so
awfully corrupt that they are afraid we shall demoralize them.
God save the mark! They themselves are killing off their own
children by tens of thousands and by hundreds of thousands before
they are born. That is the feeling that is growing up among them.
It is adultery, fornication, lasciviousness that is undermining
the constitutions of the people. They are rotting by thousands
and tens of thousands, and they will come here and preach
morality to us. We do not want them. We tell them to go among
their own lepers and cleanse their own social evils, sweep out
their own Augean stables, and purify themselves from their own
corruptions, and then come and talk purity to us. That is what I
would say to those people. We understand them as well as they
understand themselves, and for that reason we do not want any of
that kind of hypocrisy here.
20
Now, then, we come to ourselves. We are here. Could we have been
placed in any better position than we are to day? No. What has
been the object of God for sometime? In the first place He
operated upon Columbus to come and find this land. He then
operated upon the Puritans and other men in England and other
places to come to this land, and many of them were good,
honorable, high-minded, virtuous people. The grandfathers and
grandmothers of this nation were not murderers; they did not
murder infants; they were honorable people who cherished human
life, and considered it a blessing to have a large posterity and
to take care of them. The spirit of the early fathers was, if
their land was poor they could raise men. What are they doing
now? Raising murderers and murderesses. From among those people
and from Europe and other parts the Saints have been gathered.
The Lord is gathering them together, and His kingdom is spreading
and growing, and it is our privilege to grow and expand with it,
and we should be true to ourselves, be true to our religion, be
true to God, and operate in the interests of humanity. We could
not find a better place for Latter-day Saints than in these
valleys of the mountains, nor in those rugged parts further
south. We expect to go on and to increase and seek to the Lord
for his guidance, protection and sustenance, while we must learn
to do right and observe his laws and keep his commandments. The
kingdom of God is onward. It is accelerating in its speed. God
has called the First Presidency, the Twelve, High Priests,
Seventies, Elders, Bishops, High Councilors, Priests, Teachers
and Deacons--he has called upon them to devote themselves to him.
He expects us to be willing in the day of his power. He expects
us to be true to our integrity, and having taught us eternal
principles, he expects that we shall have the law of God written
in our hearts and be valiant for the truth and for God. God and
all the intelligences that he is surrounded with are on our side
and are enlisted in our protection and for the sustenance of this
people; and for the rolling forth of his work, and the
accomplishment of the objects that he designed in the
introduction of the Gospel in the last days, even in the
dispensation of the fulness of times, when he would gather all
things into one. Being called to live in a land like this, in the
midst of rugged mountains and barren deserts we will sing, "For
the strength of the hills we bless thee, our God, our fathers'
God;" for the wisdom Thou hast displayed we praise Thee, O God,
our fathers' God. And we will be true to God, to our religion and
will keep our covenants; we will maintain strict integrity to our
vows which we have vowed in sacred places; we will follow the
guidance of the Holy Priesthood, and God will lead us from
strength to strength, from victory to victory, from power to
power, until the kingdom of God shall be established, and no man
can stay its progress to-day, God being our helper. Let us go to
him and put our trust in him, and all will be well with us in
time and through all eternity.
20
Brethren: God bless you, and prosper you in all your journeyings,
and enable you to accomplish your object, and frustrate all the
designs of your enemies, and let all the congregation say, Amen
[the congregation responded, Amen.] May God bless this people.
Hold on a little longer, for this motto which I see in your house
will be fulfilled, "After the cloud there will be sunshine."
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, December 11, 1881
John Taylor, December 11, 1881
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, December 11, 1881.
Reported by John Irvine.
TRAVELS OF THE FIRST PRESIDENCY AND THE TWELVE--TEMPORAL AND
SPIRITUAL
CONDITION OF THE SAINTS--THEIR EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS--TEMPLE
BUILDING, ITS
OBJECT--ORGANIZATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ITS DUTIES--THE GATHERING
AND
GENERAL DUTIES OF THE SAINTS OF GOD, THEIR ULTIMATE DESTINY.
21
I am pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with and
addressing the Saints in this place. Since our last Conference I
have traveled a great deal among the Saints in different parts of
the Territory, in part accompanied by some of my counsel and the
Twelve. Personally within a short time I have visited all the
leading settlements of the Saints both north and south, east and
west, and it may not be uninteresting to you to hear a brief
statement of the position which the Saints occupy in their
various locations and settlements; because we all of us feel more
or less interested in the welfare of all. It was in view of this
that I felt a desire to visit the Saints at their own homes, to
associate with them at their own firesides, or at least to meet
them in their public assemblies. It has been very interesting to
myself and accompanying brethren to find out the true position
which the Saints occupy, to know what their standing is in
relation to their religious views and sentiments, and also to
ascertain their moral status and how they conduct themselves not
only religiously but socially. And then another thing that we
felt desirous to understand was the true educational condition of
the Saints; and what they were doing to enlighten the minds of
the youth and to train them in the right paths, and how far
literature, science and those principles of intelligence which
are calculated to exalt and ennoble men when under proper
influences, prevailed among our people, and in what manner they
deported themselves in regard to all these things. We have felt
the more desirous to do this because many of the Saints live far
from the seat of the Presidency of the Church. I suppose so far
as we have been in this Territory, in the adjoining Territory of
Idaho, in some portions of Wyoming, and in other portions south,
that we have not traveled less than from 500 to 600 miles in a
direct course north and south, besides visiting nearly all the
prominent settlements east and west, and our feeling and
impressions after visiting the whole of the Saints in all of
their locations are to us very interesting and encouraging. So
far as the temporal position of the people is concerned, they
seem to be in possession of a reasonable share of the good things
of life; their habits of industry and perseverance, their
self-abnegation, the desire to comprehend and sustain correct
principles, together with the blessing of the Almighty, have
tended to promote their welfare in a temporal point of view.
22
We do not find so many very wealthy people as there are in some
communities, but our people, so far as our observation goes (and
we have had a pretty fair opportunity of investigating all these
matters), are second to none in regard to the comforts,
conveniences and necessaries of life; and perhaps there is no
place nor people (at least, none that I have any knowledge of,
and I have traveled quite extensively myself in the world), that
are better situated as a whole than are the Latter-day Saints in
this and the adjoining territories, nor where more of the people
dwell in their own homes. We find thousands upon thousands of
happy homes, and the people that inhabit them are sober,
industrious, frugal and God-fearing, feeling a strong desire to
observe the laws and keep the commandments of the Lord; and
notwithstanding the many aspersions cast upon them by wicked and
designing men, they nevertheless evince a strong desire to
observe the laws and institutions of the land. We find them in
possession generally of good houses, farms, orchards, gardens,
and in many instances, of cattle, sheep, horses, and all the
appliances of life which tend to promote comfort in a social and
family capacity. We find, too, that this season has been a very
prosperous one, with very few exceptions, throughout the length
and breadth of the Territory. The Lord has blessed our labors,
exceedingly, and I presume that the crops, as a general thing,
have been increased at least 20 to 25 per cent, I think we should
be quite safe in saying 20 per cent; and this, of course, tends
to make existence more pleasant and agreeable, and to enable the
people to more easily struggle in the battle of life in its
various forms and phases. In addition to this we find that they
are generally seeking to live their religion and to keep the
commandments of God. And the various organizations which you have
among you here, in this city, prevail throughout all the
settlements of the Saints with very few exceptions, very few
indeed. We find that the Relief Societies which are so active and
energetic among you here and which are operating so creditably in
looking after the interest and welfare of the female portion of
our society, also exist all over the Territory, and that there is
a creditable zeal and intelligence without that obtrusiveness
which we see among many--a desire to promote the well-being of
those with whom they are associated, and to make themselves
useful in all the affairs of life; and we feel whenever we find a
disposition of this kind, to appreciate it. We find, also, that
our Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual Improvement Associations
prevail almost everywhere, and that there is a desire to elevate
the youth and lift them up from the sloughs of ignorance and
darkness, and to implant within their minds true and correct
principles, putting them in possession of a knowledge of science,
literature, and the arts, and cultivating those principles that
are calculated to elevate and ennoble mankind, as well as to
correct their morals and govern them in their religious pursuits.
We find, also, that their Primary Associations are attended to
with the same vigilance that they are around us here, and that
the most wise, prudent and intelligent ladies are selected for
the purpose of supervising their movements and in "teaching the
young idea how to shoot." We find, also, that throughout the
Territory our Sunday Schools receive that attention which we
consider all such institutions ought to merit and do merit, and
that the best of men and women are selected for their teachers,
who, as we see, take an interest in the welfare of our rising
posterity.
22
It is not for me to enter into all particulars; I merely wish to
give a brief outline of these matters. All of these institutions
that I have referred to are in a very creditable position; are
managed with great care, and many of your old neighbors who used
to live here in the city, both men and women, and who were known
as high-minded, honorable persons--we find mixed in the various
societies throughout the settlements and organizations, exerting
an influence which is truly interesting to all who feel desirous
to promote the welfare of Zion and the building of the kingdom of
God upon the earth. Then, again, in regard to our scholastic
affairs, we find that there is very great progress being made in
our common schools, or rather what are termed our district
schools. We find that a more intelligent class of teachers is
being employed, and that with the operations of the normal
department of the University, with the Brigham Young Academy in
Provo, and other institutions of learning, they are telling very
favorably upon our youth, and as better teachers are obtained,
there seems to be a greater desire manifested among the people to
acquire intelligence of every kind. From the best information
that I am able to obtain, I suppose there are at least thirty
normal students turned out every year. They are prepared in our
University and in the other scholastic institutions referred to,
and as these teachers, coming from their own counties and
peoples, return to their several homes, properly qualified as
instructors, they do a great deal of good among the community.
23
In relation to other matters, such as the building of
Temples, they are also progressing very favorably. I need not say
anything about the one we are building here; you are all
acquainted with that. The one which is being built in Logan is
now covered in. A large force of carpenters are engaged in
finishing the interior department thereof, and another year will
count very favorably in the work on that structure. It is a
beautiful building, and stands in a very imposing position on an
elevated plateau in Cache County, near Logan. About 200 miles
from that, in the south, in Sanpete County, there is another
Temple being built. That also occupies a very eligible position.
A very large amount of labor has been performed in preparing the
site. The point of a mountain has been removed, and a great
amount of labor has been expended on the walls which surround the
Temple, forming nearly a semi-circle. There are three terraces
elevated one above another, the same as the gallery may be
elevated above the lower part of this house; they surround the
Temple, being wider, of course, at the lower part and narrower as
they approach towards the Temple. A very large amount of means
and labor have been expended in preparing these terraces and also
in preparing the Temple. The Temple itself is a beautiful
structure. They expect to have the walls up to the square in
another season. I think they have built up the wall this year
some 28 feet. It is built of beautiful white rock--or at least
very light, clear rock--and is hewn on the outside where the
joints come together, and presents a very beautiful and
creditable appearance. It is interesting, too, to find how
strongly the feelings of the people are drawn out in relation to
these edifices. They seem to think that no sacrifice is too great
to accomplish the object which they have in view; indeed in both
of these Temple districts they seem to take very great pride in
prosecuting this labor. I was informed that the superintendent
was a little short of means a short time ago at the Manti Temple,
and he asked if he must slacken the labor. They told him no, he
was to proceed with it, and I think in a very short time a number
of people from different parts subscribed 7,000 bushels of wheat
to assist in the construction of the Temple, and there seems to
be, generally, a strong desire for the accomplishment of this
work.
26
The religion that we have espoused, connects time with eternity,
heaven with earth, this world with the next, and while the Lord
has revealed unto us what is termed a new Gospel, and hence it is
called the new and everlasting Gospel--new indeed to the people
of the world, but everlasting so far as God is concerned and the
interests of mankind both living and dead; for God is interested
in the welfare of all humanity that has ever lived, that now
lives, or that ever will live. He is, we are told, the God of the
spirits of all flesh, and he has introduced principles which have
been made known to us for the benefit of all. The principles that
we are associated with reach back into eternity and forward into
eternity. They are not the ideas, the theories or notions of men,
they emanate from the Almighty. And in regard to the ideas which
have been developed pertaining to the past, the present and the
future, none of us can claim ourselves to be the founders or the
originators of any one idea associated with the Church and
kingdom of God, neither was Joseph Smith, neither was Brigham
Young, neither are any of the Twelve, nor is anybody that now
exists or has existed; all of these things come from the Lord.
And having proceeded from him he has dictated the whole matter
from first to last. We did not receive our ideas from any
theologian, from any scientist, from any man of renown, or of
position in the world, or from any body or conclave of
religionists, but from the Almighty, and to him we are indebted
for all life, all truth, and all intelligence pertaining to the
past, pertaining to the present, or pertaining to the future.
Therefore we feel our dependence upon him. Neither are we
indebted to any man for any doctrine that we have received, nor
for the organization of our Church, nor for the Holy Priesthood,
whether it be the Melchizedek or the Aaronic; all of these
proceed from the Almighty, and if he had not given them we should
have been as ignorant of them as others are, for they do not
generally comprehend the law, the word, the will, or the design
of the Almighty; for no man knows the things of God but by the
Spirit of God; and if the Father did not reveal them we should be
very ignorant indeed, as are the rest of mankind pertaining to
these matters. But the time having come to introduce what is
termed, the "dispensation of the fulness of times," when God
would gather together all things in one, whether they be things
in heaven or things on the earth, it became necessary, because of
the ignorance of men, because they did not comprehend God, nor
his laws, nor the principles of eternal truth, that men should be
taught of the Almighty, that God should be their instructor, and
hence he introduced through the medium of the Holy Priesthood
that had existed heretofore upon the earth, those principles
which are calculated to bless and exalt the human family, prepare
them to carry out the word and will of God, and to accomplish
those purposes which he had designed from before the foundation
of the world. Hence he organized the First Presidency and the
Twelve, he organized the Seventies, he organized Elders, Priests,
Teachers, and Deacons, he organized Bishops and High Councils and
all the various adjuncts associated with the organization of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And why, it may be
asked, should these institutions be introduced in our midst? For
certain obvious reasons when we reflect upon this all-important
matter. Having revealed his will to man, to Joseph Smith, as he
had done to other men in former ages, it was necessary that that
will should be made known to all nations, kindreds, tongues and
people, that men might be informed of the things that he revealed
for the salvation and exaltation of humanity. Hence the Twelve
were set apart. For what purpose? That they might introduce the
Gospel to the nations of the earth, and preach the principles of
life as they emanate from God. Then the Seventies also were
ordained until we now have upwards of seventy times seventy. What
is their business? Under the direction of the Twelve, to preach
the Gospel to the nations of the earth. Are they doing it? Yes.
Have they been doing it? Yes. And the Twelve? Yes, for these
many, very many years, and are still doing it. We still feel the
same responsibility devolving upon us to spread forth that light,
that truth, and that intelligence which has emanated from God our
heavenly Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ. And these men are
going forth bearing precious seeds, even the seeds of eternal
life, and when the people believe the Gospel what do they do?
Their testimony to the people is that God has spoken, that the
Gospel has been restored; they explain what the Gospel is; they
call upon the people to repent and to be baptized in the name of
Jesus for the remission of sins, promising that the obedient
shall receive the Holy Ghost. Do they baptise them? Yes. Do they
lay on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost? Yes. Do the
people receive the Holy Ghost? Yes, and you here to day are my
witnesses in relation to these things, and you know what I say is
true. And what will the Holy Ghost do? It takes of the things of
God, and shows them unto us; it brings things past to our
remembrance; it leads us into all truth and shows us things to
come. Does it do that? Yes, and it is because of this principle
that the Latter-day Saints feel as they do; having partaken of
the Holy Ghost and tasted the powers of the world to come, and
having received a hope that enters within the vail, whither
Christ the forerunner is gone, and knowing to-day that they are
the sons of God, and that they have rights and privileges
pertaining not only to time but to eternity, they feel to act and
operate under the directions of that spirit. And being partakers
of that spirit, there is a communication opened between them and
their heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, and being
inspired by that spirit, their prayers ascend unto the God of the
whole earth; they learn to place their confidence in him and to
obey his laws; and then having been baptized into one baptism,
they all partake of the same spirit--that is, those who are
living their religion, observing the laws of God and keeping his
commandments, and who have not grieved the Spirit of God, whereby
they are sealed to the day of redemption. Then, that same spirit
that brought them into the Church and led them to obey the laws
of God, led them to gather together as we are here to-day. It is
a false idea entertained by many very ignorant men that we gather
men together on some kind of emigration principle. The people get
the principle of gathering in their own hearts by the Spirit of
God, and that draws them here. There needs no argument, no
influence, no power of suasion, or anything of the kind to bring
them here. Their desire, when they receive the Gospel, is to come
to Zion. And why? That they may learn more fully of the laws of
life. As the scriptures say--"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 to Zion?" "I will give you pastors
according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and
understanding." Hence we have come together as we are here in
this city and in this Territory. Our object is to fear God, to
observe his laws, to magnify our calling, to fulfil our destiny
upon the earth, and to operate with those who are behind the vail
in the interests of humanity, to lay aside our selfishness, our
covetousness, our evils of ever kind whatever they may be, and to
purge ourselves from unrighteousness, that we may be fit
receptacles for the Holy Ghost and be prepared to do the will of
God on earth as it is done in heaven. I know a great many men
object to us doing this. No matter; with God's help we will try
to do it; no matter what the opinions and ideas, the feelings and
theories of men are. God has laid on us a mission, and in the
name of Israel's God we will fulfil it, and let all Israel say
Amen. [The congregation responded aloud, Amen]. We will try and
carry out what God has given us to do, no matter what men's
theories, opinions or ideas may be. We are here, then, for that
purpose. And we feel that God is our heavenly Father; we feel
that we are his children; we feel that we are doing his work by
his assistance, we feel, too, that he is engaged just as much as
we are, and a thousand times more, in carrying on this work, and
therefore we feel easy and satisfied in our minds and know that
all is well. God our heavenly Father, Jesus the Mediator of the
new covenant, the ancient patriarchs and prophets and men of God
who have lived upon the earth years and years ago, Adam the
Father of mankind, and Noah, another great father, and Abraham
the father of the faithful, and all the Prophets, Apostles and
men of God who have lived upon the earth are interested as we are
in the welfare of humanity and in seeking to introduce and carry
out the word and will of God which he designed before the world
rolled into existence or the morning stars sang together for joy.
God will accomplish his work and we will try and help him do it.
It needs the co-operation of all these men who have held this
Priesthood, who administer in time and in eternity--it needs the
co-operation of all those and of the Gods in the eternal worlds
to assist us in the labors in which we are engaged. Therefore,
God has introduced the system of things that we have been
speaking of for the purpose of gathering together a people who
would listen to his voice, and they are the only people on the
earth to-day who will listen thereto, and then it is as much as
the bargain for many of us to do it. God expects to have a people
who will be men of clean hands and pure hearts, who withhold
their hands from the receiving of bribes, who will swear to their
own hurt and change not, who will be men of truth and integrity,
of honor and virtue, and who will pursue a course that will be
approved by the Gods in the eternal worlds, and by all honorable
and upright men that ever did live or that now live, and having
taken upon us the profession of sainthood, he expects us to be
Saints, not in name, not in theory, but in reality. And then he
expects us to do just what we are doing, that is, to build
Temples, and to preach the Gospel to an unthankful world. Have we
done it? Yes, we have. I have done it. I have traveled thousands
of miles to preach this Gospel without purse or scrip, trusting
in God. Did I ever lack anything? No. Here is Brother Woodruff,
and many other men who have done just the same thing. High
Priests, Seventies, Elders, and others have gone forth to the
world, bearing the precious principles of eternal life, and have
returned again, as the Scriptures say, bringing their sheaves
with them. What are we doing besides? Building our Temples. What
for? That we may have places to enter into that are dedicated to
the God of the whole earth.
27
The world have forgotten that God is the fountain of all truth,
the source of all intelligence, of everything that is calculated
to elevate and exalt mankind; but we will give to God all the
glory. We are seeking to build up the Zion of our God. And shall
we accomplish it? With the help of the Lord we will. Will we all
do right? No, many will fall by the wayside as they have done;
but the work of God will go on and prosper and increase, and the
Lord will be with Israel if they will only cleave to the truth,
obey his laws and keep his commandments. Are all good? No, you
know that many of us do many things that are far from right. Let
me say unto you that our only safety is in obedience to the laws
of God. You need not fear the clamor that is now being raised
against us, nor any of this nonsense, this spite of the world;
you need not fear the illiberality of religionists who are
clamoring to deprive you of your liberties, you need care nothing
about that.
27
You all know that they are proclaiming falsehoods against us, and
that we are misrepresented by them. No matter, they are in the
hands of God, and we are in the hands of God; and while we seek
to maintain righteous principles, virtue, purity, and the laws of
the land, we can afford to leave them in the hands of God, and
let him be their judge. Let us be for God, for righteousness, for
virtue, for purity, for truth and integrity, and if our enemies
prefer to wallow in their iniquities, and lend themselves to vice
and falsehood, we can stand these things if they can, it is
better to suffer than do wrong. The Lord will judge both them and
us, and all will be well with those who cleave to the truth. We
need not be troubled about their intrigues and mendacity. God
will protect the right and will save and bless and deliver us
despite their mendacious assertions, if we fear him, observe his
laws, and keep his commandments. They, nor any other men, nor any
power, can go further than God permits them, and when he says
stop, they must stop. He will control all things according to the
counsels of his own will. It is for us to be willing to obey his
laws, to preserve our bodies and spirits pure, to cleave to
righteousness, to honor the Lord our God, that we may always have
his spirit to be with us. And if we are faithful by and by, it
will be said of us, Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things and I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
27
May God bless you and lead you in the paths of life, in the name
of Jesus, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, March 5th, 1882
John Taylor, March 5th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at the Assembly Hall,
on Sunday Afternoon, March 5th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE DISPENSATION OF THE FULNESS OF TIMES--RESTORATION OF THE
GOSPEL--DUTIES
OF THE PRIESTHOOD--THE FUTURE OF ZION--INCONSISTENCY OF THE
SAINTS'
PERSECUTORS--INCIDENTS OF CHURCH HISTORY, ETC.
28
We are living in peculiar times; we are operating in an eventful
era; we are associated with a peculiar dispensation, and we have
a labor to perform which in many respects differs from that of
all other ages or times. The dispensation that we are connected
with is called in Scripture the dispensation of the fulness of
times in which, it is recorded, God will gather together all
things in one, whether they be things on the earth or things in
the heavens. There are ideas associated with this dispensation
that are in many respects distinct, and dissimilar from those
that have been enunciated and proclaimed in former ages and
dispensations; and inasmuch as the present dispensation is to
embrace everything that has been connected with all past
dispensations--all the prominent features as well as the minor
ones that characterized the Church and kingdom of God in former
days, that were essentially necessary to its growth and
development--must re-appear in connection with the work of God in
this our day. If the manifestations and developments of other
dispensations have been made known to us, we have had revealed to
us doctrines, theories, organizations and systems that have
existed among the whole of them; because it is emphatically the
dispensation of the fulness of times. If they had anything that
was peculiarly characteristic in the days of the ancient
Patriarchs, we have the same revealed to us. If they had anything
prominent and important in the dispensation of Noah, we have it,
and if Noah was called upon to preach the Gospel to the world in
his day, before its destruction, so are we.
29
If in the Abrahamic or Mosaic dispensations God revealed
important principles, we have a clear knowledge of those things
made known to us, and the reasons, the whys and wherefores,
pertaining to them. If they had anything among the ancient
Prophets and men of God, we have the same principles developed.
If in the days of Jesus they had manifestations, revelations,
doctrines or organizations, those things are made known to us. Or
if the people upon this continent, to whom God revealed his
will--either the people that came from the Tower of Babel, or
those who came from Jerusalem during the reign of Zedekiah--if
anything was revealed to them, we have had it revealed unto us.
And this is why certain things exist pertaining to organizations,
etc., referred to by Brother Hatch.
29
We have here on the ceiling of this building pictured to us,
Moroni making known to Joseph Smith the plates, from which the
Book of Mormon was translated, which plates had been hidden up in
the earth; and in connection with them was the Urim and Thummim,
by which sacred instrument Joseph was enabled to translate the
ancient characters, now given unto us in the form of the Book of
Mormon; in which is set forth the theories, doctrines,
principles, organizations, etc., of these peoples who lived upon
this continent. People talk about their disbelief regarding these
things. That is a matter of no moment to us. I do not intend to
bring any argument upon this question, caring nothing about what
people believe. We know certain things, and knowing them we
regard them as matters of fact. If we were to take the world and
its ideas and theories, we should find that there is hardly one
person in every thousand who believes the Bible. The Christian
world professes belief in the Bible; that is, they believe it
when shut, but not when open. Consequently, I do not propose this
afternoon, at least, to address myself to infidels, whether they
go under the name of Christian or any other name. I am speaking
of certain principles to a people who believe them to be true;
and I wish to refer more particularly to some events associated
with the dealings of God with his earthly children.
30
When John was on the isle of Patmos, certain things were revealed
to him that were to transpire in the last days, and he prophesied
of them. While wrapped in prophetic vision, gazing on the
purposes of God as they were to be unfolded in later times, among
other things he saw an angel flying in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on
the earth, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people; saying
with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour
of his judgment is come. This was a declaration made by this
ancient Apostle and Prophet of God while banished for his
religion, as certain men to-day would, if they could, banish us.
We now declare to the world that this part of the visions of John
has been fulfilled; that the angel has come and appeared to man
upon the earth, conferring upon him this heavenly charge, namely,
the responsibility of opening up a new Gospel dispensation; and
we declare that God himself took part in it, and that Jesus, the
Mediator of the new covenant, accompanied him, both of whom
appeared to Joseph Smith, upon which occasion the Father,
pointing to the Son said, "This is my beloved Son, hear him."
Following this the Gospel was to be preached to every nation.
What Gospel? The same Gospel that was preached to Adam, and to
the Patriarchs and men of God of every age; the Gospel of
salvation and deliverance from sin through the atonement of Jesus
Christ, the resurrection from the dead, life immortal and all the
blessings associated therewith. And when this Gospel was first
proclaimed in this age, who knew anything about it? Nobody; it
was not and had not been among men for centuries. The world of
mankind had been left without direct communication from the
heavens, and as a natural consequence while grovelling in the
dark, they followed the devices and desires of their own hearts;
they were governed by man-made systems, and bowed to the dictum,
to the notions, the theories and follies of men. There was no
Apostle, no Prophet, no inspired men of God, holding His Holy
Priesthood to say, Thus saith the Lord, this is the way, walk ye
in it.
31
In connection with this I may allude to an incident in my
personal experience, to show the state of the world religiously
some forty or fifty years ago. Not being then acquainted with
this Church, a number of us met together for the purpose of
searching the Scriptures; and we found that certain doctrines
were taught by Jesus and the Apostles, which neither the
Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, nor any of
the religious sects taught; and we concluded that if the Bible
was true, the doctrines of modern Christendom were not true; or
if they were true, the Bible was false. Our investigations were
impartially made, and our search for truth was extended. We
examined every religious principle that came under our notice,
and probed the various systems as taught by the sects, to
ascertain if there were any that were in accordance with the word
of God. But we failed to find any. In addition to our researches
and investigations, we prayed and fasted before God; and the
substance of our prayers was, that if he had a people upon the
earth anywhere, and ministers who were authorized to preach the
Gospel, that he would send us one. This was the condition we were
in. We knew all that the Methodists knew then, and all that they
know now. We knew all that the Presbyterians knew then, and all
that they know now. We knew all that the Episcopalians knew then,
and all that they know now. We knew all that the Roman Catholics
knew then, and all that they know to-day; for we made ourselves
conversant with the doctrines and examined them thoroughly, as
well as the theories of all men who pretended to have knowledge
of Gospel light. We prayed earnestly; and in answer to our
prayers, the Lord sent us Elder Parley P. Pratt, who gives an
account of this in his auto-biography which has been published
since his death. Brother Pratt, in relating the circumstances,
says that Brother Heber C. Kimball came to his house one night
after he had retired; that Brother Kimball requested him to get
up, which he did, and then began to prophecy to him. He told him
there was a people in Canada who were seeking for a knowledge of
the Gospel, and they were praying to God to send them a minister
who should reveal to them the truth. Brother Kimball then
commissioned him to repair to Canada, telling him that the Lord
would bless him and open up his way. Just previous to that time
the Saints had been engaged in building the Temple in Kirtland,
Ohio, and were all very much embarrassed as to means, Brother
Pratt with the balance having devoted everything he had to spare
for that purpose. Among other things that Brother Kimball told
him was, that where he was going he would find means to relieve
himself, and that many of the people would embrace the Gospel,
and that it would be the means of introducing the Gospel to
England. And furthermore, said he, your wife who is now childless
shall have a son. In the course of time she did have a son, and
they named him Parley. I do not know but that he may be present;
but I was going to say, I knew him before he was born.
[Laughter.]
31
I speak of this to show that there was at that time nobody, of
whom we had any knowledge, from whom we could obtain any
information with regard to the Gospel of the Son of God, or that
could teach us the doctrines Jesus and His Apostles taught, as
contained in the Scriptures. Brother Pratt came and found us, and
he came in answer to our prayer; at least, that is my faith in
regard to the matter. And were all these things accomplished?
Yes: I was baptized myself and others, and I baptized many others
in that country; and it was the means also of sending the Gospel
to England. John Goodson, who apostatized long ago, John Snyder,
a good, faithful man who was one of the committee of the Nauvoo
House, and who died in the 17th Ward of this City, Isaac Russell,
and Joseph Fielding, uncle to Brother Joseph F. Smith, were of
our number, embraced the Gospel, and were afterwards called to
accompany Brother Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde to England for
the purpose of opening up the work in that land; and I was the
first person that wrote a letter to England on the subject of the
Gospel; I did it at the request of Brother Fielding, who got me
to write for him to a brother and brother-in-law of his who were
ministers in England. These were the men that helped to introduce
the Gospel into England in that early day. I speak of this for
the information of many of you.
32
When Brother Pratt came to me I was, perhaps, as well read in the
letter of the Bible as I am to-day, and as soon as he commenced
to talk about Prophets, I said, Yes, we believe in them. And he
talked about Apostles and I remarked, Yes, we have been looking
for such men, but we cannot find them. He talked about the
organization of the Church as it was anciently; and about the
gift of tongues and the gift of healing, etc., and we were
delighted with his message, it was something we were seeking for,
and it was all new to us. We had heard rumors about the Mormons,
just as people hear rumors now-adays of us; and the rumors we
heard were not of the most complimentary character, any more than
are those that are circulated about us to-day, or those that were
circulated about Jesus and the former-day Saints. You know, the
pious, hypocritical clergy of that day put the Savior down as the
vilest creature that ever lived, and influenced the populace
against him; for said they, if he heals the sick, give God the
glory, for we know that this man is a sinner; and when he cast
out devils, this same class attributed it to the power of
Beelzebub, the prince of devils; and they spoke of him as being a
bastard, and cast all manner of reflections upon him. The Savior
in speaking to his disciples gave them to understand that
inasmuch as they had persecuted him, they would also persecute
them; and said he, further, when they persecute you in one city,
flee to another; and he also told them to be exceeding glad when
they were persecuted for righteousness' sake. What, to be lied
about by adventurers and political demagogues who seek to rob and
plunder you? Yes; that is a good and favorable sign. If we were
guilty of the infamies that they seek to lay at our door, that
would be another matter. But whilst we are not as good as we
might be, we do know that what they say and publish to the world
about us, which has had a tendency to arouse the feelings of the
general public against us, are infernal falsehoods. "Blessed are
you 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," etc. In this we but share the lot of the
honorable of other ages, the men of God who stood the abuse of
their fellow-man, and who, in many instances, were persecuted
much worse than we are. Our present assailants have not learned
how yet; but they are trying upon a small scale to introduce the
inquisition, and may, by and by, in some degree, succeed in
carrying out their nefarious objects. This is their work, if they
can stand it we think we can. There are thousands of honorable
men who will look down with contempt upon all such unprincipled
and mendacious efforts.
33
After the Lord had spoken to Joseph Smith, and Jesus had
manifested himself to him, and after Moroni had revealed to him
the hidden plates containing the history of the ancient
inhabitants of this continent, which, in the wisdom of God, have
been translated into our own language in the form of the Book of
Mormon, and which, in connection with the Bible, is to be the
means of confounding false doctrines, the one being corroborative
of the other in principle and doctrine and in relation to the
designs and purposes of God--after this it was necessary that the
Priesthood held by men in former days should be restored in these
latter days, that people now, as men in those days, might be
authorized to act in the name of the Lord. Hence John the
Baptist, who held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, came and
laid his hands upon the heads of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery,
using these words: "Upon you, my fellow-servants, in the name of
Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys
of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance,
and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this
shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi
do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." After
having been ordained to this Priesthood which is after the order
of Aaron, it was necessary that they should have another
Priesthood which is after the order of Melchizedek, and after the
order of the Son of God. And consequently Peter, James and John
came and conferred that Priesthood. Why did they come? Because
they were the last who held the keys of that Priesthood. After
this order of Priesthood was introduced, the organization which
we possess to-day was gradually effected, which is as full and
complete, perhaps, as ever existed upon the earth. How perfect it
was in the days of Enoch we are not told, but everything that
they had revealed to them pertaining to the organization of the
Church of God, also pertaining to doctrine and ordinances, we
have had revealed to us, excepting one thing, and that is the
principle and power of translation; that, however, will in due
time be restored also. And if they in their day built a Zion, we
have one to build in our day, and when this shall be done and
everything is in readiness, the Zion which the people of Enoch
built and which was translated, will descend from above, and the
Zion of the latter days which this people will build, will ascend
by virtue of this principle and power, and the former and the
latter-day Zion will meet each other, and the dwellers in both
will embrace and kiss each other, so we are told in the
revelations of God.
33
We are indebted to no one excepting God, our heavenly Father, for
the organization which we possess; and as a little circumstance
with regard to its practical working occurs to me, I will mention
it. Among other places, we sent to Bear Lake a copy of the form
of petition which we are now presenting to Congress. I think it
was on Wednesday that it was sent out from here, and on Saturday
night it was returned with thousands of signatures. That is the
way we do things here. In a few days we had some fifty thousand
signatures, and I presume before this there are some ten or
twenty thousand more from the more distant settlements. What does
it manifest? Union and sympathy one with another, all testifying
to one thing, which I was very glad to see. People have said that
we know that polygamy is not a principle of our religion; but
here are petitions signed by some seventy or eighty thousand, all
of whom testify to their faith in regard to this principle. I
think the testimony of seventy or eighty thousand persons living
right among it, and most of whom are born in it, ought to be as
strong as that of a few quidnuncs who know little or nothing
about it.
33
The Gospel was then revealed, what for--for you and me, or for
this man and that man? No; it was for the benefit of the world;
it was in the interests of humanity; and it was to be proclaimed
to every nation, kindred, people and tongue, by men commissioned
of God to do so. That duty belongs to the Twelve especially, to
either do so in person or see that it is done. I have traveled
myself tens of thousands of miles, and so have my brethren,
visiting the nations of the earth in their most prominent cities
declaring to them the principles of the Gospel as God has
revealed them. And could we find men upon the earth that could
successfully oppose us? I declare before God I never found one,
taking the Bible as a standard; neither can any one be found to
day that can do it, and that is the trouble.
36
In that day, we are told, the meek shall rejoice in the Lord; and
the poor among men shall rejoice in the holy one of Israel. God
has had his people scattered among the nations, and his testimony
was to go forth to all lands; and it becomes the duty of the
Twelve, the Seventies, the High Priests and Elders to carry this
message and present it to them in the spirit of the Gospel, not
to cram the truth down the throats of men, as certain individuals
would cram their peculiar views down our throats. But when we
were sent forth we were sent to teach, and not to be taught. We
could not learn anything from them about the Gospel, for they did
not know it. They could not teach us, hence the Lord in sending
out the first Elders, told them they were sent to teach and not
to be taught. We went in the midst of opposition and persecution,
mobbings and drivings, and were subjected to every insult,
indignity and infamy that wicked and corrupt men could invent,
and we have put up with such things all the time, and many have
had to lay down their lives in the conflict, and they will, as
others formerly did, when the time comes, gain a better
resurrection. And we are still struggling on, in the face of a
general opposition, trusting in our God to sustain us, while we
shall continue to sow the precious seed of the everlasting
Gospel, and maintain in our own midst the principles of life
eternal, and freedom, liberty and equality to the human race. And
our sons who have grown up are now doing what we have done; and
they too are full of the Spirit, full of life, light and
intelligence, having, as we had and still have, the interests of
humanity at heart, as they move among the people as messengers of
life and salvation. Our course is onward; and are we going to
stop? No. Zion must be built up, God has decreed it and no power
can stay its progress. Do you hear that? I prophecy that in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. For Zion must and will be built up
despite all opposition, the kingdom of God established upon the
earth in accordance with the designs and purposes of God. That is
true, and you will find it to be true if you live long enough,
and if you die you will find it to be true; it will make no
difference. "But shall we not be persecuted?" Yes, and does not
Jesus say, Blessed are ye when men revile you and persecute you,
etc.,--would you be deprived of that blessing. "But we have had
enough of it." O, have you? no matter, you will have to put up
with it. "But," say you, "have we not certain constitutional
rights?" Yes, on paper, but when you get through with them, the
paper does not amount to much; it is like pie-crust, easily
broken. We do not pay much attention to these things. Honorable
men will be governed by constitutions, and laws, and principles,
but dishonorable persons will not. Therefore, we have to do the
best we can, taking a righteous course that we may be entitled to
the blessings of God. "What will be the result of this?" I care
nothing about what the result may be, it is a matter of very
little importance to me. "Do you expect such things?" Yes, and
have done for years; I have never expected anything else
associated with the Gospel. When I first embraced it I considered
it a life-long affair; and when I came to look at it squarely in
the face, if I could have satisfied my conscience by getting
along without it, I would have done so; but I could not, and I
apprehend that many of you have been in the same situation. I
believed it was true, and so did you; and after I was baptized
and had hands laid upon my head for the reception of the Holy
Ghost, I knew it was true by the operations of the Holy Spirit
upon my heart. And this is the common experience of all Saints.
Some people seem to think that we are going to throw away our
religion at the "drop of the hat." I do not know of any such
feeling among this people. There have been men who learned to
endure things quite as bad as those which afflict us. My mind
runs back to Daniel who was a man that feared God. There was a
set of political plotters in his day--and probably a fair share
of religious ones associated with them--who conspired against
him, for Daniel was a man of God in great favor with the king;
and the only way they could accomplish their plans was by laying
a trap to catch him through an edict of the king. They did it by
getting the king to issue a proclamation that no man should ask a
petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of the king,
that if he did he should be cast into the den of lions. This was
done expressly to catch Daniel, but the king was not made
acquainted with the secret. Their request was granted and the
decree established by the king's signature, which then could not
be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which
altered not. When Daniel heard of this, we are told that he went
into his house, and the windows of his chamber being open towards
Jerusalem, he bowed down before his God, and prayed and gave
thanks to him, as aforetime, three times a day. He did not
falter, although he knew the nature of the decree and the laws
which governed it; but he knew too that the God whom he served
was able to deliver him. They watched him, of course, and finally
complained against him; and he was adjudged guilty of violating
the law. The law had to take its course, although the king, when
the thing was made known to him felt very sorrowful, and set his
heart on Daniel to deliver him. He did not feel like some feel
towards us; although there have been praiseworthy efforts made by
a few to maintain constitutional principles, and we recognize
them as the sentiments and feelings of honorable men, who wish to
see correct principles maintained in our land. There was no
appeal in Daniel's case; or as a certain class of Christians
to-day would say, "Daniel had to go." They cast him into the den
of lions. The king went to the den early the following morning,
feeling much concerned about him, and he cried out, "O Daniel,
servant of the living God, is thy God whom thou servest
continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?" Daniel spoke
up and said, "O King, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel,
and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me."
Now, he dared to do that which showed there was some manhood in
him. We have another example in the three Hebrew children, who
refused to bow down to a golden image that had been set up. Shall
we call it monogamy? [Laughter.] The conditions were that if they
did not bow down to this golden image, they should be cast into a
burning fiery furnace. They did refuse to obey this royal decree,
saying, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the
burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand,
O King. But if not (said they), be it known unto thee, O King,
that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship thy golden image
which thou hast set up." This, of course, was considered a great
indignity on their part to refuse to bow down to this God. These
three men were cast into the furnace and their persecutors in
their animus and religious zeal, heated it to such a
degree--evincing in this respect the same feeling we see
manifested toward us in a different form--that the men who cast
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into the furnace were themselves
destroyed by the flames. And it seems the King himself was
curious to look into the furnace to know of their fate, and in
doing so, to his astonishment, he beheld four persons in the
midst of the flames, one of whom appeared to be like unto the Son
of God. Nebuchadnezzar then called to these three men to come
out, which they did; and even the smell of fire was not found
upon their clothing, nor was a hair of their heads singed. Such
was the faith of those young men, and such their conduct that all
honorable men could approve and appreciate the nobility of their
course, and even the Gods could admire them; and their integrity
to God was the means of their being promoted to the favor of the
King, and to distinction in the land. Let us hope that the
descendants of those people in these days, in the trials that
they have to pass through, which are now being enacted in Russia,
in Europe, and in other places, and apparently commencing in this
land, may be found as true to their integrity as were these noble
examples of manhood and faith in God.
36
But to return to the Christians' idol. The pious, zealous,
religious and hypocritical in our day, uniting with political
demagogues, have set up a God for us to worship, which they
boastfully represent as the embodiment of everything that is pure
and virtuous, embodying the enlightenment and civilization of the
nineteenth century. Their god is overlaid with gilt and tinsel,
but inside it is pregnant with the social evil with its twin
adjuncts feticide and infanticide. Like a great Moloch it is
crushing out female virtue, trampling upon innocence, and
prostituting and destroying millions of the fair daughters of
Eve. Yet this loathsome, filthy, debauched, degraded monster is
held up for our veneration and worship by its corrupt Christian
devotees as the essence of everything that is great and grand,
noble and praiseworthy; and we are called upon to fall down and
worship this loathsome monster under the threat of
unconstitutional pains and penalties, and the violation of every
principle of liberty and protection guaranteed under the
Constitution.
36
Shall we worship this unnatural, lascivious Moloch? Shall we bow
down before the shrine of this fetid, corrupt and debauched
monster? No! We will worship the Lord our God, yield obedience to
his behests, and, if we are faithful, live our religion and keep
his commandments, the God whom we worship will deliver us out of
the hands of our enemies, and we shall triumph over all our foes.
36
There have been men living nearer our own times who could meet
the inquisition with its fagot, rack and thumbscrew, and in the
midst of their sufferings could commit themselves in all serenity
and calmness into the hands of God; and we can surely do the
same. If the rulers of this nation can afford to tamper with the
sacred rights of the people guaranteed by the Constitution of
this great nation, and ruthlessly tear down the temple of freedom
erected at the cost of so much blood and treasure, instead of
anticipated glory, they will bring destruction upon the nation
and ruin and infamy upon themselves. The sacred bulwarks of
freedom once tampered with, the floodgates of anarchy and
confusion will be thrown open and dissolution and ruin will
follow in their train in rapid succession. It is for us to
sustain and maintain the principles guaranteed in that sacred
palladium of human rights--the Constitution of the United States,
and to contend inch by inch in every legal and constitutional
manner for our own rights and human freedom, leaving misrule,
anarchy, violations of law and the trampling under foot of the
rights of man and constitutional guarantees to religious fanatics
and clamoring demagogues; and if they can afford to tamper with
those sacred guarantees, we certainly can afford to have them do
it. It is for us to seek more exalted ideas, to abide by
constitutional law, to maintain inviolate the principles of human
freedom, and to contend with unwavering firmness for those
inalienable rights of all men--life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness; and to seek continually to our God for wisdom to
accomplish so great, noble and patriotic a purpose.
37
One of the first things I ever heard preached by the Elders of
this Church was that the world would grow worse and worse,
deceiving and being deceived. Should we be surprised at its
coming to pass? Another thing that I have heard from the
beginning is, that people would persecute us, commencing with
neighborhoods and villages, and then it would extend to cities
and counties, and then to States, and then to the United States,
and afterwards to the world. We have got about fifty millions of
people on our backs now--and it is a pretty heavy load to carry,
too; but the Lord will see us through. We are acting in the
interests of humanity: we are proclaiming salvation to a fallen
world, and in this we are carrying out the word and will of God
made known and manifested directly to us. We are warning the
people of their position, and we will continue to send forth our
missionaries for this purpose until God says, it is enough. And
if they persecute us in one city, we will do as Jesus told his
disciples, we will flee to another, searching out the honest in
heart. Persecution has been our lot from the beginning, and it
has followed us to this day. I am reminded of a circumstance that
occurred in Missouri, which I will mention to show the kind of
feeling that Joseph Smith was possessed of. Some 25 years ago, in
Far West, a mob--one of those semi-occasional occurrences--had
come against us with evil intent, placing themselves in position
to give us battle; and there were not more than about 200 of us
in the place. We had one fellow who was taken with a fit of
trembling in the knees, and he ordered our people to retreat. As
soon as Joseph heard this sound, he exclaimed, "Retreat! where in
the name of God shall we retreat to?" He then led us out to the
prairie facing the mob and placed us in position; and the first
thing we knew a flag of truce was seen coming towards us. The
person bearing it said that some of their friends were among our
people for whose safety they felt anxious. I rather think it was
a case in which the wife was in the Church but not the husband,
and the mob wished these parties to come out as they, he said,
were going to destroy every man, woman and child in the place.
But these folks had a little "sand" in them, as the boys say;
they sent word back, that if that was the case they would die
with their friends. Joseph Smith, our leader, then sent word back
by this messenger, said he, "Tell your General to withdraw his
troops or I will send them to hell." I thought that was a pretty
bold stand to take, as we only numbered about 200 to their 3,500;
but they thought we were more numerous than we really were, it
may be that our numbers were magnified in their eyes; but they
took the hint and left; and we were not sorry. (Laughter.) The
Lord, through simple means, is able to take care of and deliver
His people, but they must put implicit faith and confidence in
Him; and when they are crowded into a tight place they must not
be afraid to make sacrifice for the sake of maintaining the
truth, and all will be well with us whether living or dying, in
time or in eternity.
38
Well, what shall we do? We will serve the Lord; we will live our
religion; we will be true to our covenants, keep his commandments
and be one, and we will sustain one another, and not sustain men
among us who have it in their hearts to cut our throats; let them
alone to pursue their own course, and let them draw their
sustenance from their own kith and kin; and let us pursue the
even tenor of our way, operating together as a band of brethren;
and if any have sinned, let them sin no more; and inasmuch as
this people are found faithful to God and true to themselves and
their fellow-men, I will risk the results of what our enemies may
do to injure us. We are in the hands of God, and this nation is
in His hands, and he will do with us and them according to the
pleasure of His will.
38
Brethren and sisters, God bless you, and God bless the honorable
of the earth, and may the wrath of the wicked be made to praise
Him, and the remainder may He restrain. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Morgan, December 18, 1881
John Morgan, December 18, 1881
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOHN MORGAN,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, December 18, 1881.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE SOUTHERN STATES MISSION--FAITHFULNESS OF YOUNG
ELDERS--OPPOSITION TO
THE TRUTH--GRADUAL SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL--CHANGES IN RELIGIOUS AND
POLITICAL
SENTIMENT--HARD TIMES IN THE SOUTH--VICE AND DEGRADATION--THE
COLORADO
SETTLEMENTS.
38
It is a very pleasant thought that we, as Elders, have when
traveling abroad preaching the Gospel, to look forward to the
time when we shall have the privilege of again meeting with our
friends and loved ones in the valleys of the mountains, to again
share their love and to partake of the spirit of those who
compose the body of this Church.
39
During the past summer and until a few days I have been engaged
in missionary labor, chiefly in the Southern States. Our labors
there have been, as have been the labors of the Elders in other
missions, crowned with a certain degree of success. We have
realized the blessings of God upon us in all our labors in the
midst of the people, for which we feel to rejoice and give thanks
and praise to him. The brethren who have gone from the different
parts of the Territory to labor in the mission have as a general
thing, enjoyed good health; and they are felling well, as a rule,
temporally and spiritually; and especially the younger brethren
who have gone forth bearing the glad tidings of salvation. There
has been evinced a feeling that certainly is most praiseworthy, a
desire to emulate the example set by their fathers in preaching
the principles of eternal truth, often under unpleasant
circumstances. Because, however much the work of God may progress
and be received abroad there is, as there has been, and doubtless
will be, a spirit of opposition which has to be met by every
Elder in the performance of his duty. It is true our young
brethren have the benefit of the experience of their fathers and
of men prominent in the Church, to encourage them, and which is
highly appreciated by them, but after all they have to get the
experience for themselves, in order that they may know what their
fathers know, and that they may be able to stand shoulder to
shoulder with them. I have scarcely found an exception among the
scores of young men who have been called from the different
avocations of life to go forth and proclaim the Gospel, but what
they were worthy bearers of glad tidings.
39
There is an idea entertained by the pious world, whose sympathy
for fallen humanity is so great as to be exercised towards us,
that the old and gray-headed of the "Mormon" people, "you can do
nothing with, they having becoming fossilized in their religious
ideas and petrified in their faith; but the young may be induced
to depart from the faith of their fathers." This, however, has
not been the experience we have had in the Southern States
mission with our young Elders. On the contrary, we have found
their faces set like flint toward the building up of the kingdom
of God, and the proclaiming of the principles of truth. It often
occurs in our missionary labors that Elders are called upon to
pass through trying circumstances, but I do not remember of a
single instance in which a young Elder flinched from the
performance of his duty. They have always been ready and willing
to add to the extent of their ability and strength in carrying
out any measures thought necessary for the good of the cause,
even to the risking of their lives. And I am led to believe from
what I have witnessed in the young men who have come under my
observation, that the great majority of our young people, growing
up in these mountains have planted in their hearts the principles
of truth, by which they will be governed in their lives. And in
this connection there is this peculiarity. In our travels in the
South we often meet with families who were once members of the
Church, who during the trying times of Missouri and Illinois, or
at some other time in the history of the Church, had stopped by
the way-side--and where they stopped temporally they stopped
spiritually; the cessation of their temporal work was the
milestone that marked their spiritual resting place--but
notwithstanding this falling away on the part of the parents, we
found, as a general thing, that in the hearts of their children
there was a love for the principles of eternal truth; and that if
an elder was known to be in their vicinity they would send for
him and make themselves known to him, and open their doors to
him, and ninety-nine times out of a hundred they would ask to be
baptized. This being true of the children of such families, who
are isolated from the body of the Church, we might reasonably
expect that the youth of Zion will be found true and faithful to
the precepts of truth taught to them, through the force and
benefit of example they receive from their parents who are
members of the Church.
40
In our labors we at times meet with considerable opposition, but
we notice that it, in the long run, instead of working to our
injury, results in good. And what is true in the South in this
respect is doubtless the case elsewhere. That which our enemies
inflict upon us in the hope of breaking us up or weakening our
position is, through an overruling providence, turned to result
in good by bringing the honest in heart, the Israel of God, to a
knowledge of the truth. The widespread feeling of opposition that
exists toward us throughout the United States, arguing from past
experiences, may be set down as a good omen for the future. But
notwithstanding this general hubbub which the people seemingly
have to indulge in semi-occasionally, we find in traveling and
moving among the people very many upright noble men and women,
and we find them belonging to various churches and religious
bodies; and then we meet with others who are not connected with
any sect or denomination, and who are seeking for truth let it
come from where it may. And this class, in my opinion, is not
small throughout the United States; in fact, I might with safety
say, that there are thousands of such people who have not heard
the sound of the everlasting Gospel, there being vast districts
of country occupied by hundreds of thousands of peoples who do
not know whether the Latter-day Saints believe in God or not,
whether they accept the Bible or reject it, people who are
totally ignorant in regard to our views; and among these there
are many thousands of the honest in heart. We find that the
spirit of opposition that we have to meet, as a rule, culminates
in violence; and that the more success we have in baptizing
people, the more bitter the feeling manifested toward us by our
opponents.
40
We are, doubtless, traveling in the Southern States Mission, by
way of making converts as fast as it would be prudent. If our
labors should be crowned with any greater success, that is, to
any considerable extent, the opposition would be correspondingly
more ripe, and the consequence would be, we would have a bigger
row on our hands than we would care to face.
41
We find a great many prominent, leading men in our travels who
are willing to act fairly and honorably by us; men who use their
influence with their friends in our behalf by endeavoring to
place in their minds correct ideas in relation to us and our
situation. To illustrate this idea, I will relate an incident
that occurred during the summer. The Legislative Assembly of one
of the States, Missouri--whose members had been urged on by
sectarian bigotry, had a bill introduced that it was supposed
would act against the "Mormons" in that State. Some of the
distinguished citizens, honorable, fair-minded people, said to
certain of the legislators: "You pass that bill and one-half of
the State will become Mormons; that will evidently be the result.
Why? Because the moment you adopt such measures you are in the
wrong, let them be what they may." There are many men of that way
of thinking who have moral courage sufficient to speak their
minds; and the influence of such men is felt for good. And here
let me say to the credit of the press that, bitter as the
opposition is, we scarcely ever find a daily newspaper of any
prominence but what will open its columns for us to vindicate our
course. And in addition to what I have said in alluding to the
class of people who are liberal and cosmopolitan in their views,
we find such people ever ready and even anxious to learn in
regard to our religious belief. And notwithstanding the fact that
among this class are found men of learning and deep research, men
who are looked up to by their fellow-men, strange as it may seem
to a people who keep pace with the age, we find the great
majority of them much astonished when they learn that we believe
in the Bible, and that we take the teachings of that Book to
substantiate our doctrines. Among this class who are so
uninformed as to our theological status are Congressmen,
governors, legislators and others of distinction and character.
41
We find also in the ordinary walks of life honest-hearted people.
We find them in the churches and out of the pale of the church.
We meet with men belonging to the sects of the day who say, "If
we have not got the truth, we wish to obtain it." And we meet
with others who do not belong to any religious denomination who
say, We have examined the doctrines taught by the different
churches; they will not do. Now we are willing to investigate
what you teach. But, then, we cannot help but notice this kind of
expression in their faces: "Can any good thing come out of
Nazareth?" Can any good come out of Utah? This, of course, is
owing to the widespread misunderstanding in regard to our
religious views.
41
The newspapers to-day are teeming with articles in regard to the
Latter-day Saints. We are written about by editors and special
correspondents; local editors gather up items respecting us and
our labors among the people of their vicinity; reporters appear
to be greedy for an interview with a "Mormon;" ministers preach
about us from their stands, and lawyers have to allude to us from
the forum; and to such an extent is this spirit and feeling
indulged by the people of all grades and classes, that to-day
"Mormonism" is a living question in the United States. Recently
some politicians endeavored to work up an issue, and make a live
question out of the tariff, and it was rather amusing to witness
after their exertions how slow the public were to take the bait.
And especially amusing did such efforts appear to those who watch
with a lively interest the progress of this latter-day work
called "Mormonism," in view of the fact that if a couple of
"Mormon" Elders go into a town, almost without any effort on
their part to make themselves known, the whole town is stirred
up. In my opinion the "Mormon" iron is red-hot, and it is a
proper time for the Elders to beat it into shape.
42
We observe changes taking place in the minds of the people
continually. Indeed, I can notice marked changes in the people of
the United States during the past six years. For instance, quite
recently I listened to a sermon preached by one of the
distinguished ministers of the United States, the Rev. Henry Ward
Beecher, and was very much surprised to hear him enunciate an
idea like this: "What shall be done with all the thousands and
millions of the human family who knew not, even of the existence
of the Bible. Shall they perish?" "No," said he, "not if my God
reigns in the next world." But, continued he, "what shall be
done? They will have the Gospel preached to them in the spirit
world." Another minister, the Rev. Dr. Thomas, of Chicago, of the
Methodist Church, made similar assertions; but he was not as
strong as Mr. Beecher, and they therefore excommunicated him from
the church. But Beecher could make it, and no one dare say nay.
So we find religious ideas undergoing a change, until there is
scarcely a religious denomination to-day but what has done what
the Pharisees of old did--put new wine into their old sectarian
bottles, and the probable result will be, as Jesus said, their
bottles will burst. They are endeavoring to patch their old
sectarian clothes with pieces of new cloth, and the result will
be that they will be obliged to keep patching in order to keep
the garment together. And thus their religious ideas are drifting
to and fro.
42
And what is true with regard to their religious views is also
true with regard to their political ideas. I had an excellent
opportunity recently to witness a remarkable change in public
sentiment. Public sentiment, you know, is a very strong argument
in the minds of some people. "Why, public sentiment is against
you," they say. I remember listening to Gov. Bross, of Illinois,
who spoke in front of the Townsend House, one night, some years
ago. The foundation of his argument was that thirty-five millions
of people in the United States were opposed to us; that in short,
public sentiment was opposed to us. I had my mind directed to the
fickle nature of public sentiment quite recently in Nashville,
Tennessee. Some 25 years ago a certain race of people were held
in slavery there. Slavery was an adjudicated question at that
time. But it was claimed by the opponents of slavery that if a
negro and his wife could be taken out of Missouri through
Illinois, that they were entitled to their freedom because they
were then upon free soil. It was, however, decided in the Supreme
Court of the United States, by Chief Justice, Roger B. Tanney,
that black men had no rights that a white man was bound to
respect, that, in fact, they were chattel property. And the
people of the United States almost en masse applauded the
decision, a few only dissenting, they being what were called
abolitionists. Wendell Phillips, a distinguished orator,
undertook to lecture in Boston against slavery, and learned as
Boston was, educated as Boston was, the noted lecturer was egged
off the platform, having to make his escape from the mob.
43
Twenty-five years have gone by since Phillips was mobbed, and now
for the contrast. Some four or five weeks ago I boarded a through
passenger car at Nashville, Tenn., to Cincinnati, there were
seated in the car some 25 ladies and gentlemen. After I got
comfortably seated alongside a person who proved to be a
Christian minister of the Campbellite persuasion, and an editor,
we perceived a little difficulty at the car-door. On
investigation we learned that a negro woman held a first-class
ticket, and demanded admittance to a seat in this, a first-class
car. She was entitled to a seat there, having procured a ticket,
according to the provisions of the civil rights bill; but the
rules of the railroad company would not permit it. The manager
was sent for, and after some conversation with the colored woman,
addressing himself to the passengers already seated in the car,
he said: Ladies and gentlemen, will you please take seats in the
car to the rear. We did so. It proved to be a smoking
second-class car. He then admitted the old negro woman, who
occupied our car. After we had taken in the situation and were
re-seated, addressing myself to the gentleman whose acquaintance
I formed on entering the car, I said, "Mr. Editor, twenty-five
years ago, had a man dared to do what this negro woman has done,
you would have hung him to a lamp-post. Now, I will dare say,
there is not a paper in the city of Nashville that will venture
to write one line, in condemnation of this piece of impudence."
He acknowledged there was not. And why this change? Public
sentiment had revolutionized in a quarter of a century. The negro
slave of Phillip's day is the sovereign citizen of to-day.
43
These are revolutions that are occurring among the children of
men that are of a serious nature. And what is true in a political
sense, is true in a religious sense. It is a very common
observation among the people everywhere that we are not taught
religiously what we were twenty-five years ago, or ten years ago.
They are drifting to and fro religiously as well as politically.
43
Another feature associated with this: About forty years ago a
number of our Elders traveled through the Southern States--it may
have been in 1844. And as they journeyed along, they scattered
all over the country tracts and books, setting forth our faith
and doctrines. And to-day it is not unfrequent, on our going into
a neighborhood and talking to the people, that they will say,
"Our minister has been preaching that." Ah, indeed. Well, can we
see him? O, yes; we will ask him to come and see you." On our
conversing with him, we have found that he has a Voice of Warning
hidden away in his saddle pockets, which he had been reading, and
believing some of its pages, he had been preaching some of the
principles of the Gospel to his own congregation, which they
would believe, and receive without even "a grain of salt." This
willingness on the part of the people to receive principle, good
or bad, from the lips of their own minister, reminds one of the
same state of things that existed in the days of the Savior, as
indicated by these words: "Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for
ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are
entering to go in."
43
It is a self-evident fact; it is a truth patent to the most
casual observer that the teachings of Joseph Smith have
revolutionized the religious world. And the spirit that is
working this change is growing and extending, until to day there
is inquiry upon the right hand and the left.
43
As a general thing those who receive the Gospel in the Southern
States are to be from what are termed the middle classes, people
who are the owners of small possessions which, when sold, realize
them sufficient to provide themselves a suitable outfit and take
them to their emigrating point. There have been some instances,
however, when their possessions have been sold, even where they
possessed good homes, that the proceeds of the sale have been
insufficient to emigrate them. This has been due, in part, to the
peculiar circumstances by which they have been surrounded. In the
first place a terrible war devastated their country; and since
that time they have been under carpet-bag rule. And the
consequence is, in many places property has depreciated, life has
been insecure, laws have been trampled under foot, and little
progress has been made.
44
The people living in Utah can scarcely sense the true situation
of the Southern States people. There has been a dreadful drouth
this summer. I suppose the majority--I may say the entire South
has not raised sufficient grain to bread themselves to the first
of April. The corn yield will not, it is said, exceed four
bushels to the acre, and the cotton crop may be a little rising
of one-third the usual harvest. The result will be more or less
suffering among the poorer people this winter. Wages are very
low. A man can be employed, a strong, able-bodied man, either
white or colored, for from $6 to $8 per month including board;
and from $10 to $12 when they board themselves. Flour is 5
dollars per 100 pounds, and other provisions in proportion. I
noticed that dry goods were as high in Nashville as they were in
our settlements in Colorado. Wages are at such a low figure that
it seems almost impossible for the people to live, when they
depend upon day's wages for a living. In addition to this there
seems to be a wasting away of the earth, a weakening in its
strength, affecting its ability to produce abundantly. Fields
that a few years ago yielded good crops, are bordering on
sterility to-day. There are hundreds and thousands of acres of
land that formerly were very prolific have to-day become
"commons," covered with edge grass and sassafras bushes. And it
is talked about by the landowners, and commented upon by the
people generally; and they believe that something is wrong, but
what it is or where it is, they do not know.
44
Monopolies and corporations have also a tight grip upon the
people. Where there are iron works, where there are railroads,
where there are factories, they are owned by a few men, and these
few men hold such power, that the people cannot make any move and
succeed in it, that would be opposed to the interest of the
monopolists. And to-day, it is one of the strongest points of
opposition that we have to meet in that mission in preaching the
Gospel. Laboring men say, If I take you to my house and receive
you as my guest, these men who own this property will turn me
out; these men who employ me in their factory will drive me away,
my family will suffer, as I have nothing laid up. Under the
circumstances, they have not the faith sufficient to meet the
issue, and consequently our labors are not crowned with that
success, as they evidently would be if the people enjoyed their
liberty. But even under these circumstances, many do receive us
and proclaim openly their faith.
44
In addition to this, all experience that opposition which is as
old, doubtless, as the preaching of the truth; and this comes
from the clergy. And here let me say, that the opposition we meet
with from that quarter, to a great extent, has its foundation in
Salt Lake City. There walk the streets of our city men who
produce and feed the flame of prejudice that exists to-day in the
United States; men who profess to be the friends of their
fellow-men; men who come here with a smile on their faces
pretending to do us good, pretended followers of the meek and
lowly Savior. These are the characters that send these infamous
lies abroad in regard to the Latter-day Saints. They are
prejudicing the mind of the people of the United States against
our missionaries and against the truth. When I have visited the
cities where these men came from who have come to Utah as
reformers, I have been deeply impressed, and deeply moved at the
condition of their society contrasted with that of this people.
45
Some time last summer I had business in Louisville,
Kentucky, connected with our emigration, and was detained there
two or three days, having nothing particular to do but to walk
around the city and see what was to be seen of interest. And in
walking the streets of that city I thought that in all my travels
I had never before seen such evidences of wickedness, corruption
and degradation. There are portions of that city that seem to
have become corrupted to such an extent, that Sodom and Gomorrah
would have blushed at the mention thereof. Men and women could be
seen in the most beastly state of drunkenness, and little
children, bearing the marks of the lowest degradation--waifs of
society, growing up as hoodlums, with no sense of the difference
between right and wrong excepting that which nature itself has
planted there, to furnish future material for the gallows. I
thought in contemplating the scene that presented itself in the
streets of the city of Louisville, ay, even at noon-day, to say
nothing of that which the recording angels are obliged to look
upon in the darkness of the night--I thought of the reformers who
come to Utah fresh from such haunts of vice and corruption, and
then I thought of you, my brethren and sisters; and you can
better imagine my feelings than I can describe them.
46
I went to one of their hospitals and sought an introduction to
one of the physicians; on learning who I was he expressed himself
pleased to meet me, and proffered his own services to accompany
me over the building, which I gladly accepted. On passing through
the different wards I saw sights that I trust my eyes shall never
be called to look upon again. He opened his book in which was
recorded the names of the patients who had been admitted during
the past twelve months, and I had the curiosity to ask him to
tell me the nature and character of the disease of these people.
He informed me that three-fourths of all cases were, what is
termed venereal disease. This is not hearsay; these are facts
that exist of which the records testify. And from the windows of
this hospital, this living monument of the morals of Louisville,
Kentucky, was pointed out to me the residence of one of these
"reformers" of the Latter-day Saints. And in conversation with
one of these "reformers" who had been here, whose acquaintance I
had formed when he was here--he recognizing me while traveling in
a railway car, and came and shook hands with me, and sat down
alongside of me--he asked me "how our friends were getting along
in Utah." "Whom do you mean," said I, "by our friends?" I mean
the ministers who have gone there," he replied. They are, I
think, getting along in their way pretty well. What have they
done? They have established whiskey shops! they have imported
houses of prostitution, and they have brought hoodlums into our
midst, and they thrive under their spiritual care. They have
caused sorrow on the hearts of fathers and mothers, by ruining
the prospects of sons and daughters whom they have led astray
from the paths of honor and credit. Now is not that glorious work
to be engaged in! Do you not congratulate yourselves in having
been connected with men whose object and labor has been to turn
men and women from the truth, from bearing the fruits of morality
and righteousness, and failing in that to join hand in hand,
heart and soul, with those whose mission is to introduce into our
midst the seeds of ruin and decay, to deprive and demoralize your
fellow-men. Certainly it is a noble calling to be engaged in.
Think of it! Latter-day Saints. Here are men engaged in the work
of trying to lead our sons and daughters astray, and they are
bold enough to publish boastfully to the world that they would
rather see our young people frequent dens of iniquity, saloons,
gambling houses and houses of prostitution, than that they should
adhere to the "Mormon" faith. Strange as it may seem, with all
the enlightenment of this the Nineteenth Century, with our
glorious constitution, and our declaration of the rights of man,
and the boasted civilization of to-day, officials of the
government of the United States will back men up in this damnable
work. It may be that an Elder abroad devoting his time and
ability to the conversion of souls would feel this more keenly
than those who are in the midst of it every day.
46
These are some of my meditations as an Elder in the missionary
field.
46
Our brethren and sisters who have emigrated to the State of
Colorado, are succeeding fairly well; they have their fields
fenced in, and they harvested a pretty fair crop this year. The
Railroad Companies have been kindly disposed to them, offering
them assistance in various ways, by way chiefly of affording them
employment at remunerative wages, and seeking after them, in fact
to do their work in preference to others. They have their
organizations--the Seventies, Elders, Priests, Teachers and
Deacons' Quorums; they have their young people's Mutual
Improvement Societies organized; and I had the pleasure of
attending one of their meetings in the meetinghouse which the
people built two and a half years ago. I remember attending one
of the first meetings that was held in that house, and there were
present not more than 27 all told, and said to them that in the
course of four or five years this same house will not hold the
people; and to-day it is entirely too small, in fact it would not
comfortably seat the young people of Manassa. The first location
was made there in the spring of 1878. Since then some two or
three settlements have been organized besides; our brethren in
that quarter are spreading out and wresting from the barren
wastes comparatively comfortable homes. Their associations with
the Mexicans are cordial. While they have been kindly disposed
towards our people, our brethren have acted honorably towards
them, and hence mutual good feelings exist between them. I also
spent a few days with our brethren who are locating Sunset,
Brigham City and St. Joseph. They have had rather a bad year, as
to crops, on account of high waters, the Little Colorado flooding
the valleys, and destroying to a great extent their crops. But
the building of the railroad in their borders has, through
Brother John W. Young, the contractor, furnished them with labor,
and it will continue, I understand, for some 12 or 18 months yet,
so they will not suffer so much as they otherwise would, in
consequence of the loss of their crops.
47
As Elders traveling without purse or scrip, proclaiming the
principles of eternal truth, we need the faith and prayers of the
Saints in our behalf, for the devil, it would seem is even more
determined now than ever to put it into the hearts of wicked and
bigoted men to oppose and, if possible, hinder us in the
performance of our duty. And one item that comes to my mind I
will mention. I have noticed when abroad that if anything in the
world would cheer and encourage an Elder when far from home, it
is to receive word from his family that they were cared for, and
did not want for the necessaries of life. And there is nothing
that will weaken an Elder so effectually and so discourage him in
his labor as to receive word from those whom he holds near and
dear, to the effect that they are in need of the necessaries of
life, that they are unpleasantly situated, that the house they
live in does not afford them sufficient protection from the
inclemencies of the weather. In one or two instances Elders have
come to me to relieve their minds of such a burden, and, as I
say, there is nothing that I have witnessed that so effectually
unfits a man for missionary labor as the receipt of such
intelligence. Therefore, in behalf of those who have left their
all to proclaim to their fellow-men the principles of eternal
truth, let me solicit the good offices of their friends at home,
in behalf of such families who may not be so well prepared to
live during the absence of husband and father. Any little
attention shown them under such circumstances not only does good
to the family, but is appreciated by him whom duty has called
elsewhere; and often, under trying circumstances, the knowledge
of such kindnesses, cheers and encourages him, and makes
comparatively easy labors that would otherwise be hard to bear.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, April 9th, 1882
John Taylor, April 9th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at the General Conference,
on Sunday Afternoon, April 9th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE GOSPEL'S RESTORATION--ITS PRIESTHOOD AND PRINCIPLES--THE
SAINTS
MISREPRESENTED--THE "MORMON" WAR--COMPARATIVE STATISTICS--THE
IMPENDING
JUDGMENTS OF GOD--DUTIES OF THE SAINTS--A WARNING TO THEIR
OPPRESSORS--THE
WICKEDNESS OF THE WORLD--EXHORTATION TO RIGHTEOUSNESS.
48
In attempting to address the congregation this afternoon, I trust
that all will be as quiet as possible. It is extremely difficult
to make the congregation hear in this place, especially in so
large an assembly, when there is the least confusion. While I
address you, I wish to speak such words as shall be interesting,
edifying and instructive, and I desire an interest in the prayers
of the faithful, that I may be able to do so intelligently, that
we may be the better for our coming together.
48
I am aware of the position that we occupy to-day. I feel that I
am surrounded by a large number of intelligent men and women, and
while I am addressing you, I am also addressing the world, for
the remarks I make will be reported and published to the world.
Therefore, I am desirous to advance such sentiments as will be in
accord with the enlightenment of the Latter-day Saints, with the
intelligence of the 19th century, and with the principles that
have emanated from God.
48
Any intelligence which we may possess and which we may be able to
impart, is not of ourselves, but of God. It did not originate
with us; it did not originate with Joseph Smith, with Brigham
Young, with the Twelve Apostles, nor was it received from any
institution of learning, nor of science, either religious,
political, or social. Our philosophy is not the philosophy of the
world; but of the earth and the heavens, of time and eternity,
and proceeds from God.
48
A message was announced to us by Joseph Smith the Prophet, as a
revelation from God, wherein he stated that holy angels had
appeared to him and revealed the everlasting Gospel as it existed
in former ages; and that God the Father and God the Son had also
appeared to him: the Father pointing to the Son, said, "This is
my beloved Son, hear ye him." Moroni, a prophet that had lived on
this continent, revealed unto Joseph the plates containing the
Book of Mormon, and by the gift and power of God he was enabled
to translate them into what is known as the Book of Mormon. That
book contains a record of the ancient inhabitants who dwelt upon
this continent, a part of whom came from the tower of Babel at
the time of the confounding of tongues, and another part came
from Jerusalem in the time of Zedekiah, king of Judah, 600 years
before the advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This book
contains a record of the dealings of God with those people; it
contains a record of their worship, of their wars and commotions,
of their righteousness and iniquity, and of the coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ unto them, and of His preaching unto them the
same Gospel that was taught on the continent of Asia, attended by
the same ordinances, the same organization and the same
principles.
49
I shall not attempt to bring any proof with regard to these
matters to-day; I am simply making statements, the truth of which
you Latter-day Saints know, as it would be impossible to enter
into all the details in a short discourse. Suffice it to say,
that the Father having presented His Son to Joseph Smith, and
commanded him to hear Him, Joseph was obedient to the heavenly
call, and listened to the various communications made by men
holding the Holy Priesthood in the various ages under the
direction of the Only Begotten. He and Oliver Cowdery were
commanded to baptize each other, which they did. John the Baptist
came and conferred upon them the Aaronic Priesthood. Then Peter,
James and John, upon whom was conferred, in the Savior's day, the
keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood came, and conferred that
Priesthood upon them. Then Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah,
Elias, and many other leading characters mentioned in the
Scriptures, who had operated in the various dispensations, came
and conferred upon Joseph the various keys, powers, rights,
privileges and immunities which they enjoyed in their times.
49
Again, Joseph was commanded to preach this Gospel and to bear
this testimony to the world. He was taught the same principles
that were taught to Adam, the same principles that were taught to
Noah, to Enoch, to Abraham, to Moses, to Elijah and other
Prophets, the same principles that were taught by Jesus Christ
and the Apostles in former times on the continent of Asia,
accompanied with the same Priesthood and the same organization,
only more fully, because the present dispensation is a
combination of the various dispensations that have existed in the
different ages of the world, and which is designated in the
Scriptures as the dispensation of the fulness of times, in which
God would gather together all things in one, whether they be
things in heaven or things on earth. Therefore, whatever of
knowledge, of intelligence, of priesthood, of powers, of
revelations was conferred upon those men in the different ages,
was again restored to the earth by the ministration and through
the medium of those who held the holy Priesthood of God in the
different dispensations in which they lived.
49
Under the direction of the Almighty, Joseph organized a church;
and when people were called upon to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, to repent of their sins, to be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and to have hands laid
upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost, those who did
believe and obey received the attendant blessings. Then the
various offices of the Priesthood began to be conferred upon men
who believed, and in due time the quorum of the Twelve was
organized, whose commission was to proclaim this Gospel to every
people, to every nation, to every kindred, to every tongue. Then
a quorum of seventy Elders was selected, known by the name of
Seventies; and we now have some 76 times 70 of those Elders.
50
A First Presidency was also organized to preside over the whole
Church in all the world. Then there were High Priests ordained
whose office was principally to preside as well as to preach the
Gospel. Then there were Elders, Priests, Teachers and Deacons;
and this organization was given by direct revelation, by which
the Church has been governed from that time until the present.
Bishops were also appointed whose position in the Church was
clearly defined by the word of the Lord. Then High Councils were
organized for the adjustment of all matters of difficulty, for
the correction of incorrect doctrine, for the maintenance of
purity and correct principles among the Saints, and for the
adjudication of all general matters pertaining to Israel. This
was the testimony and this is our testimony to-day to the nations
of the earth. The Lord stood at the head as instructor, guide and
director; and the Elders were told to go forth and to preach the
Gospel to every creature, because confusion, disorder,
sectarianism and the theories of men had been substituted for the
word and will, and the revelation, law and power of God. These
Elders were told that we approached the latter times, when God
would have a controversy with the nations, and the message which
they had to proclaim was that which was described by John when
wrapped in prophetic vision upon the Isle of Patmos. Among other
great and important events he said, "I saw another angel fly in
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto
them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred,
and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God and
give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come." This
was the commission given by the Lord to the Latter-day Saints.
This is the mission we have been trying to carry out from that
time to the present; and I myself have traveled tens of thousands
of miles without purse or scrip, trusting in God, to teach these
holy principles, and so have many of my brethren by whom I am
surrounded.
50
When we started we were told that we were not sent to be taught,
but to teach. Why? Because the world was not in possession of the
principles of life, and therefore could not teach them. We went
in obedience to the direct command of God to us through his
servant Joseph, and we have spread forth the Gospel among the
nations. And is there anything unreasonable about it? No. Is it
true? Yes. Is it scriptural? Yes. Is it philosophical? Yes. And I
say to-day, not by way of boasting, because we have nothing to
boast of (I have no intelligence but what I am indebted to God,
my heavenly Father and my brethren for,) that while I have
traveled through various parts of the United States and the
Canadas, also in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France,
Germany, and different parts of the earth, among the wise and
intelligent as well as the poor and ignorant, among all classes
of men--I have stood in their halls and talked with their
professors, ministers, legislators, rulers, divines, judges and
wise men of every class, grade and position in life--but I have
never met with a man who could gainsay one principle of the
Gospel of the Son of God, and I never expect to; because truth,
eternal truth, as it emanates from God, cannot be controverted.
51
And what is the nature of the Gospel? It is the same as that
taught on the day of Pentecost by the Apostles, when they cried
out to the multitude, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." That was the testimony which
they bore to the people. That is the testimony which the Elders
of this Church bear. There is something about this that is
reasonable, that is intelligent, and that is susceptible of
proof. It was a very fair proposition for the Apostle to make,
promising the people who would obey the requirements which the
Gospel imposes upon its adherents, that they should receive the
Holy Ghost. And what should this do for them? It was to cause
their old men to dream dreams and their young men to see visions,
it was to make their sons and daughters prophecy, it was to bring
things past to their remembrance, to lead them into all truth,
and to show them things to come. This proposition was not alone
of a religious nature, but it was also strictly philosophical.
The farmer sows oats or wheat, or plants corn, and what does he
expect? He expects oats, wheat or corn, as the case may be, and
nothing else. There are laws and principles in nature, in the
vegetable, the animal and the mineral kingdoms, as well as in all
the works of God, that are true in themselves and they are
eternal. There are such metals as gold, silver, copper or iron,
each possessing certain distinctive elements which they always
did possess; and the different bodies in their chemical relations
possess principles that are always true to unchangeable laws. It
is so also in regard to all the elements by which we are
surrounded, and also in regard to the heavenly bodies. Because of
these unchanging laws, we know precisely when the sun will rise
and when it will set. We know when certain planets or comets will
appear and disappear. All their movements are undeviating, exact
and true according to the laws of nature.
51
Now here is a principle of the Gospel that will admit of as
strong evidence as anything in nature. What is it? "Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost." Or in other words, sow wheat and you reap wheat; plant
corn and you gather corn. It was a bold position to take. I
remember that on these points I questioned the Elder who brought
the Gospel to me. I asked, What do you mean by this Holy Ghost?
Will it cause your old men to dream dreams and your young men to
see visions; will it bring to pass the scripture which saith: And
on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those
days of my Spirit, and they shall prophecy? Yes. Will it give you
the permeating influence of the Spirit of the living God, and
give you a certain knowledge of the principles that you believe
in?
51
"Yes," he answered, "and if it will not, then I am an impostor."
Said I, That is a very fair proposition. Finding the doctrine to
be correct, I obeyed, and I received that Spirit through
obedience to the Gospel which gave me a knowledge of those
principles which I simply believed before, because they were
scriptural, reasonable and intelligent, according to that
scripture which saith, "If any man will do His will, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself."
52
I was ordained an Elder by the proper authorities, and I went
forth to preach this Gospel. Other Elders went forth as I did to
the civilized nations, preaching the same doctrine and holding
out the same promises. Some of them were not very learned; some
were not very profoundly educated. We send a singular class of
people in our Elders. Sometimes a missionary is a merchant,
sometimes a legislator, a blacksmith, an adobe maker, a
plasterer, a farmer, or common laborer, as the case may be. But
all under the same influence and spirit, all going forth as
missionaries to preach the Gospel of light, of life and of
salvation. They have received the treasures of eternal life, and
they are enabled to communicate them to others; and they hold out
the same promises. You who hear me this afternoon, as well as
thousands upon thousands of others, have listened to those
principles, you have had held out unto you those promises; and
when you obeyed the Gospel, you received this same spirit; and
you are my witnesses of the truth of the things that I now
proclaim in your hearing, and of the Spirit and power of God
attending the obedience to the Gospel, and you will not deny it.
This congregation will not deny it. When you yielded obedience to
the laws of God, obeyed His commandments, were baptized for the
remission of your sins and had hands laid upon you for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, you did receive it; and you are
living witnesses before God. This is a secret that the world does
not comprehend. Its people have not obeyed it and they do not
know it; and the things of God, say the scriptures, no man
knoweth but by the Spirit of God; and this Spirit has imparted to
us that intelligence and that knowledge. This people have in
their possession a hope that enters within the vail, whither
Christ, our forerunner, has gone. They are living and acting and
operating for eternity. God is their Father, and they know it.
Some people think we are a set of ignorant boobies, who do not
know what we are talking about, and they try to overrun the faith
of the Latter-day Saints by sophistry, falsehood and folly.
Whilst the fact is, we are in possession of the principles of
eternal life, and are operating for eternity; and then we are
operating to build up the Zion of God, where righteousness can be
taught, and where men can be protected, and where liberty can be
proclaimed to all men of every color, of every creed and of every
nation.
52
Being placed in communication with God, the sophistry, nonsense
and dogmas of men have no influence upon us. We are built upon
the rock of revelation, as Peter was, and on the same principle.
Said Jesus to him, "Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?"
The answer was: "Some say thou art one of the Prophets; some say
thou art the Elias who was to come," etc. "But whom say you that
I am?" Peter answered and said: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of
the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona,
for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my
Father which is in heaven; and I say also unto thee, that thou
art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church, and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What rock? The rock
of revelation--upon the intelligence communicated by the Holy
Ghost to those who obey the Gospel of the Son of God; by this,
men shall know for themselves, and stand as the rock of ages,
invulnerable, immovable and unchangeable. That is the position
which we the Latter-day Saints occupy.
52
This, then, is the religious part of the question. What do we
believe in? We believe in purity, in virtue, in honesty, in
integrity, in truthfulness and in not giving way to falsehood; we
believe in treating all men justly, uprightly and honorably; we
believe in fearing God, observing His laws and keeping His
commandments. Do we all do it? No, not quite. I wish we did. But
a great majority of the Latter-day Saints are doing this; and if
there are those that are not, let them look well to their path,
for God will be after them, and their brethren will be after
them, for God cannot look upon sin with any degree of allowance.
And as we are here for the purpose of building up Zion, He
expects that we will be upright and honorable in all our dealings
with one another and with all men.
53
One part of the Gospel is that we should be gathered together to
a land that should be called Zion. Have we been doing this? Yes.
Some people are very much opposed to it. Have we injured anybody
by gathering in this way? Is this indeed the land of the free,
the home of the brave, and the asylum for the oppressed? Cannot
the people of this nation afford to listen to the principles of
truth, and allow men who are fearing God to assemble together to
worship Him according to the dictates of their own consciences?
Have we violated any law of the United States in thus gathering
together and in thus worshiping our God? Not that I know of. Have
we been opposed to the United States? No! no! no! we never have,
and we are at the defiance of all men to prove anything of the
kind. There are falsehoods set afoot by low, degraded,
unprincipled men. We believe that the Constitution of the United
States was given by inspiration of God. And why? Because it is
one of those instruments which proclaims liberty throughout the
land, and to all the inhabitants thereof. And it was because of
those noble sentiments, and the promulgation of those principles
which were given by God to man, we believe that it was given by
the inspiration of the Almighty. We have always esteemed it in
this light, and it was so declared by Joseph Smith. Did we do any
wrong in coming here in the way we did? I think not. Did we
transgress any of the laws of the United States? I think not. Did
we transgress any of the laws of the nations we left? I think
not. We gathered together simply because we were told there was a
Zion to be built up. And what was that Zion? The term means the
pure in heart. In connection with our gathering, I would remark,
that a short time ago, at one of our public celebrations, there
were twenty-seven nationalities represented. This is in
accordance with the scripture which says: I will take them one of
a city and two of a family, and bring them to Zion. And I will
give them pastors after mine own heart, that shall feed them with
knowledge and understanding. This is what we find in the
Christian Bible, and there is certainly no harm in believing the
Bible. The Christians send their Bible missionaries among us to
circulate it, and we are always glad to receive the Bible and be
governed by it.
54
Now, then, being gathered together, we necessarily required some
kind of social relations with each other, for when we came here
we brought our bodies with us as well as our religion, and we
brought our wives and families with us as well as our religion;
and we needed to cultivate the earth and build houses, and plant
orchards, and vineyards, and gardens, and attend to the common
affairs of life. And then as we began to increase we began to
open and build farms, hamlets, villages and cities. Is there
anything wrong in this? No. Finally, when we came here we
petitioned for a State government, the people held a convention
and a constitution was framed, and forwarded to Washington.
Congress refused our application for a State, but they gave us a
Territorial form of government and named the Territory Utah; and
strange to say, how men and nations change, they are trying to
interfere with us because of our polygamy, and at that time the
government appointed a polygamous governor, Brigham Young. People
change in their sentiments and views; I suppose they call it
progress. Apostle Orson Pratt, whom you all knew, as soon as that
revelation was made public, went down to the city of Washington,
and there published the doctrine of plural marriage and also
lectured upon it. The paper he published was called The Seer,
which many of you brethren remember very well. They were not in
ignorance in relation to these matters. It was then well
understood by the nation that these were our sentiments, and that
President Young was a polygamist.
54
But passing on. Sometime after that, we had some United States
officials sent out here, who were not polygamists, but one of
them went so far as to show us what beautiful civilization they
had where he came from, and he left his wife at home and brought
with him a strumpet and took her on to the bench with him, to let
the people see how intelligent and enlightened the people were in
the United States. However, fortunately for him, there was no
Edmunds bill then. Still, we were not much edified. It might be
according to some people's system of ethics; it may be considered
beautiful or aesthetic by the admirers of this fast and
progressive civilization; but we could not appreciate it, and the
consequence was, that the people felt indignant, they looked upon
him as a profligate, and that he had defiled and disgraced the
ermine. These were the sentiments of the people then, and they
are yours to-day, for you have never been taught anything else.
He and some others went back to Washington, and reported that the
"Mormons" were in a state of rebellion; that they were a very
wicked people, very corrupt and very depraved, almost as bad as
some of our truth-telling ministers make us out to be, for some
of them are not very notorious for telling the truth, nobody
believes them here; but then they have reverend put before their
names and that, of course, covers--what is it? a multitude of
sins. And therefore, the mendacious stories that they tell and
circulate are received as actual truth by thousands of blind,
ignorant, bigoted people, who, doubtless, are far more sincere
and far more honest and pure in their lives than these specimens
of fallen humanity who, in the garb of sanctity, manufacture
falsehoods and prepare them specially for the vitiated taste of
the age.
54
But to return; judges and other officials were sent here, and
suffice it to say, we did not like their civilization; and, then,
they were not much enamored with ours, because whatever we may be
in the estimation of the world generally, we are utterly averse
to anything like licentiousness and debauchery; and, if there is
any among us, we are indebted to our Christian friends for it,
and to our Christian judges for maintaining and protecting it in
our midst. We have no affiliation with such things; they cannot
exist among us as a people, only by the force, the power and
influence of this federal Christianity that has been introduced
among us. Until these people came into our midst we had no house
of ill-fame; and a lady could travel as safely in our streets at
any time of night as in the day; we had no occasion to lock our
doors to prevent thieves from preying upon us; we had no
drunkenness, ribaldry or blasphemy in our streets; all these
things have been introduced among us by our good, kind, pure,
pious Christian friends, and in scores of our remote settlements
where this civilization has not penetrated, they are free from
these vices to-day.
55
Now we will go back to the statement of these men. They were
believed in Washington. What did they state? Among other things
they said that we had burned the United States library, and the
court records, and that a dreadful state of anarchy was in
existence; and instead of the United States sending out a
commission to enquire into these matters they took the statement
of a Lothario and his associates, and sent out an army to destroy
us. And these troops were reduced to gnawing mules' legs about
the vicinity of Bridger, refusing salt when we sent it to
them--for we would have done them good, notwithstanding they came
as our enemies. I remember writing a letter to one of the
officers who had a letter of introduction to me, and forwarded it
by a messenger; I told him that I was very sorry, that as a
United States' officer, as an honorable man, he should be placed
in the situation he was then in; because he could not help it, as
an officer, any more than we could, as he was operating as a
servant of the government under military rule and had, therefore,
to obey orders. And that while we esteemed him and other officers
as patriots and highminded, honorable men, who had exhibited
their patriotism and bravery in Mexico and other places, and
while we heard of their excellent military equipments, we did not
like the idea of their trying the temper of their steel upon us.
I told him that republics which reflected the voice of the people
were in many instances excitable and erratic, and that I looked
for a reaction in public opinion, and that when that change came
I expected the difficulties that the government had placed us in
would be done away, and that then I would be glad to extend to
him that courtesy in our city that one gentleman should extend to
another, and would then be happy to see him. But we could not
meet then of course; they could not come to us, and we could not
very well go out to them.
55
So that the Latter-day Saints may know the truth or falsity of
the allegations made by Judge Drummond, I will have the official
statement of Governor Cumming, who came out with the army, read
to this congregation.
55
It would be unfair and disingenuous to blame one administration
for the acts of another, yet when we see a disposition to listen
to the same kind of popular clamor that then existed, we cannot
but notice a great similarity of circumstances.
55
[Elder L. John Nuttall then read the following extracts from the
official statement of Governor Cumming, which was dated Great
Salt Lake City, April 15th, 1858:]
55
"Since my arrival I have been employed in examining the records
of the Supreme and District Courts, which I am now prepared to
report as being perfect and unimpaired. This will, doubtless, be
acceptable information to those who have entertained an
impression to the contrary.
55
I have also examined the Legislative Records and other books
belonging to the office of Secretary of State, which are in
perfect preservation.
55
* * * * *
55
The condition of the large and valuable Territorial Library has
also commanded my attention: and I am pleased in being able to
report that Mr. W. C. Staines, the librarian, has kept the books
and records in most excellent condition. I will, at an early day,
transmit a catalogue of this library, and schedules of the other
public property, with certified copies of the records of the
Supreme and District Courts, exhibiting the character and amount
of the public business last transacted in them."
56
Thus it appears that the allegations made by our enemies were
false, and the army was sent out under false representations, and
their own Governor furnishes the evidence for their own
refutation. Yet we were subjected to the indignity and outrage of
having an army sent among us, predicated upon these false
statements.
56
From the above and other similar actions manifested towards us as
a people we have learned in the sad school of experience, and by
the things that we have suffered, the excitability of the
populace, and the unreasonable, savage and relentless feelings
that frequently possess the people in their antagonism towards
us, to be very careful, in all our acts among men, not to excite
that feeling of hate which seems to be implanted in the human
bosom against the principles taught by the servants of the Lord
in all ages of the world.
57
Our mission is and always has been peace on earth and goodwill to
man, to all men. We have in our midst Baptists, Methodists,
Presbyterians, Roman Catholics and all kinds of "ites." Does
anybody interfere with them? Not that I know of. Yet there was a
man, a professed minister in Sanpete County--[addressing
President Canute Peterson of Sanpete Stake] Brother Peterson, did
you not have a man in your Stake who got up a sensation by
publishing far and wide that he had to preach the Gospel in
Sanpete with a revolver on his desk, to prevent the "Mormons"
from interfering with him--was not that the purport of his
statement? [President Peterson: Yes, sir.] Do you know the man?
[Ans.: Yes, sir.] Is he there yet? [Ans.: No, sir.] [Laughter.]
Others have stated lately that we were in a state of sedition,
and that in our different counties there were armed bodies of men
prepared to fight the United States. The person that made and
published this last statement was, as I understand, also a
minister, one of these reverend gentlemen. Do any of you know his
name? [A voice: Sheldon Jackson.] I am told it was one Sheldon
Jackson; a reverend gentleman with a big R, a pious man, of
course, and therefore what he says must be true. [Laughter.] We
have a set of people that seem to be prowling about; I suppose,
however, they are as necessary as anything else; I do not know
but what they are. We have a species of birds called buzzards,
whose natural tastes are for any kind of nauseous food; nothing
suits them better than to gorge on carrion. Like them, these
defamers are fond of trying to root up something against our
people here. They themselves fabricate all kinds of notions and
opinions, similar to the above that I have mentioned, that
everybody here knows to be false, and they circulate them, and
they have fanned the United States almost into a furore. People
generally are ignorant of what these men and women are engaged
in. They think these persons are honorable men and women; and
they get up a lot of stories about some poor woman or some poor
girl who has been crowded upon by her husband, and that in this
state of polygamy there is the most abject misery, and the
greatest distress that can be found anywhere. Are they true? Some
individual cases may be true. Some of our men do not treat their
wives right, and then some wives do not treat their husbands
right. We do not all do right by a great deal. I wish we all did
right. But supposing we were to go down to the places where these
people hail from, to the slums of Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati,
Philadelphia, New York, and other cities, beginning, say, in New
York, with the gilded palaces of 4th and 5th Avenues, and trace
the thing down to Five Points, and then go through other cities
in the same way, and what would we find there? Do you not think
one could get up something as dirty and filthy as the most
foul-minded person can get up about us? A thousand times more so.
57
They say we are an ignorant people. We admit that we are not so
very intelligent, and we never boast of our learning or
intelligence; but then, they should not boast of theirs either.
However, we can compare favorably with them any day; and while
they have had millions of the public funds to sustain their
educational establishments, we have been despoiled, plundered and
robbed over and over again, yet we are prepared to compare notes
with them on education, and also on virtue, honesty and morals,
any way they can fix it. And I would be ready to say, as one said
of old, Thou fool, first take the beam out of thine own eye, that
thou mayest see the more clearly to take the mote out of thy
brother's eye.
57
We will have read some figures for the information of the
brethren who come from a distance, who may not be acquainted with
these matters.
57
[President Taylor then called upon his secretary, Elder L. John
Nuttall, to read some extracts from a work published by an
ex-United States official in New York City, which were as
follows:]
57
Before citing from the still incomplete census reports of 1880,
let us take that of 1870 and compare Utah and Massachusetts, the
new theocracy with the descendants of an old
theocracy--priest-ridden Utah with "cultured" Massachusetts, also
adding the District of Columbia, which has the enlightening
presence of the American Congress to add to its advantages, and
is under its direct government.
Comparative Statistics from Census of United States 1870.
School Illiteracy. Paupers. Insane Convicts. Printing Church
Attendance. (can't read and and Edifices.
or write, Idiotic. Publishing
10 years establish-
and upwards.) ments.
Utah 35 1 1 6 5 3 14 1 9
District of
57
"From statistics contained in the Report of the Commissioners of
Education for 1877, it is shown that in the percentage of
enrolment of her School population, Utah is in advance of the
general average of the United States, while in the percentage in
actual daily attendance at school, she still further exceeds the
average of the whole Union.
57
In 1877, when the school population of Utah numbered 30,792,
there was invested in the Territory in school property the
creditable sum of $568,984, being about eighteen and one-half
dollars per capita of the school population.
57
In contrast with this, take the amount per capita of their school
population, which some of the States have invested in school
property: North Carolina, less than $0 60; Louisiana, $3 00;
Virginia, about $2 00; Oregon, less than $9 00; Wisconsin, less
than $11 00; Tennessee, less than $2 50; Delaware, less than $13
00.
57
In respect to the amount, per capita, of her school population,
which Utah has invested in school property, she exceeds several
other Southern and Western States, is in advance of the great
States of Indiana and Illinois, and I believe in advance of the
general average of the entire Union.
58
Thus, in the matter of education, Utah stands ahead of many old
and wealthy States, and of the general average of the United
States in three very important respects, namely, the enrolment of
her school population, the percentage of their daily attendance
at school, and the amount per capita invested in school property.
58
From the census of 1880 I have compiled the following:
58
COMPARISON OF ILLITERACY.--The United States & Utah Territory:
58
Utah.
143,963
4 ,851
3 .37
8 ,826
6.13
142,423
Total white population over 10 years of age who
8,137
Percentage of white population who cannot write,
5.71
58
Of all the States and Territories in the Union there are but
thirteen showing a lower percentage of total population who
cannot read, Connecticut having the same 3.37. The rest range all
the way up 32.32. per centage of total population in South
Carolina.
58
We will now produce some evidence with regard to crime, etc.,
drawn from official sources:
58
The population of Utah by the census of 1880 is about 144,000,
divided as follows:
Mormons 120,283
Gentiles 14,155
Apostate Mormons 6 ,988
Josephites 8 20
Doubtful 1 ,717
23,680
-------
Total 1 43,963
58
"It will be seen that the "Gentiles" constitute only ten percent
of the population, yet from this small minority are taken the
incumbents of nearly every position of influence and emolument.
They have the Governor, with absolute veto power, Secretary,
Judges, Marshals, Prosecuting Attorneys, Land Register, Recorder,
Surveyor-General, Clerks of the Courts, Commissioners, principal
Post-office Mail Contractors, Postal Agents, Revenue Assessors
and Collectors, Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Indian
Agencies, Indian Supplies, Army Contractors, express, railroad
and telegraph lines, the associated press agency, half the jurors
in law, but at least three-fourths and always the foreman in
practice, in fact, every position not elective.
58
Last winter there was a census taken of the Utah penitentiary and
the Salt Lake City and County prisons, with the following result:
In Salt Lake City there are about seventy-five Mormons to
twenty-five non-Mormons. In Salt Lake County there are about
eighty Mormons to twenty non-Mormons. In the city prison there
were twenty-nine convicts, all non-Mormons; in the county prison
there were six convicts, all non-Mormons. The jailor stated that
the county convicts for the five years past were all anti-Mormons
except three.
59
In Utah we have seen that by the United States Census the
proportion of orthodox Mormons to all others is as eighty-three
to seventeen. In the Utah penitentiary there were fifty-one
prisoners, only five of whom were Mormons, and two of the five
were in prison for imitating Father Abraham in their domestic
menage, so that the seventeen per cent "outsiders" had forty-six
convicts in the penitentiary, while the eighty-three per cent
Mormons had but five! The total number of Utah lockups, including
the penitentiary, is fourteen; these aggregated one hundred and
twenty-five inmates. Of these one hundred and twenty-five, not
over eleven were Mormons, several of whom were incarcerated for
minor offences and polygamy; while if all the anti-Mormon
thieves, adulterers, blacklegs, perjurers, murderers and other
criminals who are at large, were sent to prison, the Mormons
claim that their prisons could not hold them.
59
In 1878 a Mormon publication made the following boastful
statement:
59
Out of the twenty counties of the Territory, most of which are
populous, thirteen are, to-day, without a dram-shop, brewery,
gambling or brothel-house, bowling or billiard-saloon, lawyer,
doctor, parson, beggar, politician or place-hunter, and almost
entirely free from social troubles of every kind; yet these
counties are exclusively 'Mormon;' and with the exception of a
now and then domestic doctor or lawyer, the entire Territory was
free from these adjuncts of civilization (?) till after the
advent of the professing Christian element, boastingly here to
'regenerate the Mormons,' and to-day every single disreputable
concern in Utah is run and fostered by the very same Christian
(?) element. Oaths, imprecations, blasphemies, invectives,
expletives, blackguardism, the ordinary dialect of the
"anti-Mormon," were not heard in Utah till after his advent, nor
till then, did we have litigation, drunkenness, harlotry,
political and judicial deviltries, gambling and kindred
enormities.
59
This is what the Mormons assert. Let us see how the case stands
to-day, and what the facts attest.
59
Out of the two hundred saloon, billiard, bowling alley and pool
table keepers, not over a dozen even profess to be Mormons. All
of the bagnios and other disreputable concerns in the Territory
are run and sustained by anti-Mormons. Ninety-eight per cent of
the gamblers of Utah are of the same element. Ninety-five per
cent of the Utah lawyers are Gentiles, and eighty per cent of all
the litigation there is of outside growth and promotion.
59
Of the two hundred and fifty towns and villages in Utah, over two
hundred have no "gaudy sepulchre of departed virtue," and these
two hundred and odd towns are almost exclusively Mormon in
population. Of the suicides committed in Utah, ninety odd per
cent are non-Mormon; and of the Utah homicides and infanticides,
over eighty per cent are perpetrated by the seventeen per cent
"outsiders."
59
The arrests made in Salt Lake City from January 1, 1881, to
December 8, 1881, are classified, as follows:
Men .......................... 782
Women ........................ 200
Boys ......................... 38
-----
T otal ...................1,020
Mormons, Men & Boys ..... 16
" Women .......... 6 169
Anti-Mormon-Men & Boys .. 65
" Women ..........194 851
-----
T otal ...................1,020
59
A number of the Mormon arrests were for chicken, cow and water
trespass, petty larceny, etc. The arrests of anti-Mormons were in
most cases for prostitution, gambling, exposing of person,
drunkenness, unlawful dram selling, assault and battery, attempt
to kill, etc.
60
If the seventy-five per cent Mormon population of Salt Lake City
were as lawless and corrupt as the record shows the twenty-five
per cent anti-Mormons to be, there would have been 2,443 arrests
made from their ranks during the year 1881 instead of the
comparatively trifling number of 169 shown on the record; while
if the twenty-five per cent anti-Mormon population had as
law-abiding and upright a record as the seventy-five per cent
Mormons, instead of the startling number of 851 anti-Mormon
arrests during the year, there would have been but 56 made."
61
I give these statements of facts for the information of the
brethren who are here from a distance; but, then, they know them
as facts; that is, they know how these soi disant regenerators
act, but many of them do not know what their civilization is
here, and what is sought to be introduced among us, and the
infamous statements circulated concerning us. We are ready, as I
said before, to compare notes with them or the people of this or
any nation at any time. And then again, we ought to be more pure
and virtuous than they, for we do profess to be the Saints of the
Most High God. With this view, when this Edmunds bill was being
canvassed, and there was a prospect of its passing--although we
thought at first it was impossible that such a concern could pass
through Congress; but when we saw the falsehoods that were being
circulated, the furore that was being raised and fanned by
religious fanatics and political demagogues, petitions were
gotten up by the people here, one of them representing the male
class, another our Relief Societies, another our young men, and
another our young ladies' Improvement Societies. All of them
represented that we were a virtuous people--that polygamy was a
religious institution; and the young people asserted that it had
been taught to them by their parents from their youth up, and
that the principles of purity, virtue, integrity and loyalty to
the government of the United States had been instilled into their
minds and hearts since their earliest childhood; and further,
that they had been taught and understood that chastity was their
greatest boon, far above jewels or wealth, and more precious than
life itself. In a few days we had 165,000 signatures, and they
were forwarded to Washington. The request was that Congress would
not act as the government had before--first send out an army and
then send commissioners to inquire, but that they would send
commissioners first to inquire into the facts of the case. But
they did not choose to listen. In fact, there has been a great
furore in the United States in relation to these matters, and
that has originated to an extent through our Governor. Now I am
very much averse to talking about official men; I do not like to
do such things. They ought to be honorable men; the most
charitable construction I could put upon his acts would be to say
that his education had been sadly neglected, and that he was not
acquainted with figures. He might have learned to read and write
perhaps, but I would question his having gone so far as
arithmetic; because he did not apparently know the difference
between 1,300 votes and 18,500 votes. It does denote a lamentable
absence of a knowledge of the rudiments of a common education;
but then, a man should not, perhaps, be blamed for that which he
does not know. And, indeed, it would seem that some of our
lawmakers in Washington are not educated. With all due respect to
them, with these facts before them and condemned throughout the
United States, they did not think it was any crime for a man to
be thus ignorant, or they would not have sent him back again. We
hope the Commissioners will be better educated, that they will be
men who can tell the difference between 1,300 and 18,500. Now we
may be very ignorant--and we do not boast much of our
intelligence, but when such people perpetrate such palpable,
flagrant outrages, we have to resort to a political phrase in
order to express our disgust towards them by saying, "There is
something rotten in Denmark." I have to be a politician as well
as everything else.
61
Still, in the midst of these things, what are you going to do? Do
the very best we can. Are you going to rebel? That would please
our enemies, but we do not have much of that spirit in us. We
feel to sympathize with people who have not better judgment than
to adopt so suicidal and dishonorable a course as that which has
been pursued towards us. Yet notwithstanding this, we are
unshaken towards the principles of our government and believe
that we have got the best on the earth, these evils arising from
the corruptions of men and maladministration. It is said that
error and falsehood will run a thousand miles while truth is
putting on its boots, but truth ultimately will triumph, as
according to the old adage, "Truth, crushed to earth, will rise
again." And what will you do? Contend for constitutional
principles, or lie down and let the vicious, the mendacious and
unprincipled run over and overslaugh you?
63
We have peacefully, legally and honorably possessed our lands in
these valleys of the mountains, and we have purchased and paid
for them; we do not revel in any ill-gotten gain. They are ours.
We have complied with all the requisitions of law pertaining
thereto, and we expect to possess and inhabit them. We covet no
man's silver or gold, or apparel, or wife, or servants, or
flocks, or herds, or horses, or carriages, or lands, or
possessions. But we expect to maintain our own rights. If we are
crowded upon by unprincipled men or inimical legislation, we
shall not take the course pursued by the lawless, the dissolute
and the unprincipled; we shall not have recourse to the dynamite
of the Russian Nihilists, the secret plans and machinations of
the communists, the boycotting and threats of the Fenians, the
force and disorder of the Jayhawkeers, the regulators or the
Molly Maguires, nor any other secret or illegal combination; but
we still expect to possess and maintain our rights; but to obtain
them in a legal, peaceful and constitutional manner. As American
citizens, we shall contend for all our liberties, rights and
immunities, guaranteed to us by the Constitution; and no matter
what action may be taken by mobocratic influence, by excited and
unreasonable men, or by inimical legislation, we shall contend
inch by inch for our freedom and rights, as well as the freedom
and rights of all American citizens and of all mankind. As a
people or community, we can abide our time, but I will say to you
Latter-day Saints, that there is nothing of which you have been
despoiled by oppressive acts or mobocratic rule, but that you
will again possess, or your children after you. Your rights in
Ohio, your rights in Jackson, Clay, Caldwell and Davis counties
in Missouri, will yet be restored to you. Your possessions, of
which you have been fraudulently despoiled in Missouri and
Illinois, you will again possess, and that without force, or
fraud or violence. The Lord has a way of His own in regulating
such matters. We are told the wicked shall slay the wicked. He
has a way of His own of "emptying the earth of the inhabitants
thereof." A terrible day of reckoning is approaching the nations
of the earth; the Lord is coming out of His hiding place to vex
the inhabitants thereof; and the destroyer of the Gentiles, as
prophesied of, is already on his way. Already the monarchs of the
earth are trembling from conspiracies among their own people;
already has one Czar of Russia been destroyed and another holds
his life by a very uncertain tenure through the perpetual threats
and machinations of an infuriated populace; already have the
Emperor of Germany, the King of Italy, the Queen of England, the
King of Spain, the Sultan of Turkey, and many others of the
honorable and noble rulers of the earth had their lives
jeopardized by the attacks of regicides; already have two of the
Presidents of this Republic been laid low by the hands of the
assassin; and the spirit of insubordination, misrule, lynching,
and mobocracy of every kind is beginning to ride rampant through
the land; already combinations are being entered into which are
very ominous for the future prosperity, welfare and happiness of
this great Republic. The volcanic fires of disordered and
anarchical elements are beginning to manifest themselves and
exhibit the internal forces that are at work among the turbulent
and unthinking masses of the people. Congress will soon have
something else to do than to proscribe and persecute an innocent,
law-abiding and patriotic people. Of all bodies in the world,
they can least afford to remove the bulwarks that bind society
together in this nation, to recklessly trample upon human freedom
and rights, and to rend and destroy that great Palladium of human
rights--the Constitution of the United States. Ere long they will
need all its protecting influence to save this nation from
misrule, anarchy and mobocratic influence. They can ill afford to
be the foremost in tampering with human rights and human freedom,
or in tearing down the bulwarks of safety and protection which
that sacred instrument has guaranteed. It is lamentable to see
the various disordered and disorganized elements seeking to
overthrow the greatest and best government in existence on the
earth. Congress can ill afford to set a pattern of violation of
that Constitution which it has sworn to support. The internal
fires of revolution are already smouldering in this nation, and
they need but a spark to set them in a flame. Already are
agencies at work in the land calculated to subvert and overthrow
every principle of rule and government; already is corruption of
every kind prevailing in high places and permeating all society;
already are we, as a nation, departing from our God, and
corrupting ourselves with malfeasance, dishonor, and a lack of
public integrity and good faith; already are licentiousness and
debauchery corrupting, undermining and destroying society;
already are we interfering with the laws of nature and stopping
the functions of life, and have become the slayers of our own
offspring, and employ human butchers in the shape of physicians
to assist in this diabolical and murderous work. The sins of this
nation, the licentiousness, the debauchery, the murders are
entering into the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth, and I tell you
now, from the tops of these mountains, as a humble servant of the
living God, that unless these crimes and infamies are stopped,
this nation will be overthrown, and its glory, power, dominion
and wealth will fade away like the dews of a summer morning. I
also say to other nations of the earth, that unless they repent
of their crimes, their iniquities and abominations, their thrones
will be overturned, their kingdoms and governments overthrown,
and their lands made desolate. This is not only my saying, but it
is the saying of those ancient prophets which they themselves
profess to believe; for God will speedily have a controversy with
the nations of the earth, and, as I stated before, the destroyer
of the Gentiles is on his way to overthrow governments, to
destroy dynasties, to lay waste thrones, kingdoms and empires, to
spread abroad anarchy and desolation, and to cause war, famine
and bloodshed to overspread the earth.
64
Besides the preaching of the Gospel, we have another mission,
namely, the perpetuation of the free agency of man and the
maintenance of liberty, freedom, and the rights of man. There are
certain principles that belong to humanity outside of the
Constitution, outside of the laws, outside of all the enactments
and plans of man, among which is the right to live; God gave us
the right and not man; no government gave it to us, and no
government has a right to take it away from us. We have a right
to liberty--that was a right that God gave to all men; and if
there has been oppression, fraud or tyranny in the earth, it has
been the result of the wickedness and corruptions of men and has
always been opposed to God and the principles of truth,
righteousness, virtue, and all principles that are calculated to
elevate mankind. The Declaration of Independence states that men
are in possession of certain inalienable rights, among which are
life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This belongs to us;
it belongs to all humanity. I wish, and the worst wish I have for
the United States, is, that they could have liberality enough to
give to all men equal rights, and, while they profess to have
delivered the black slaves, that they strike off the fetters of
the white men of the South, who have been ground under the heel
of sectional injustice, and let them feel that we are all
brothers in one great nation, and deliver all people from tyranny
and oppression of every kind, and proclaim, as they did at the
first, liberty throughout the land and to all people. That is the
worst wish I have for them. And when I see them take another
course I feel sorry for it. I would like if I had time to talk a
little upon constitutional rights; I would like a little to
discuss the unconstitutionality of that Edmunds bill; but it was
ably done by many senators of the United States, and by others in
the House of Representatives. Very able done; and I honor the men
who maintain such sentiments. It is true that most of them
apologized and said that they were as much opposed to polygamy as
anybody. Well, that is a matter of their own; they have a right
to their opinions as much as I have a right to my opinion. Would
I deprive them of that right? No, I would not. I preach the
Gospel to the world. What is it? Force, tyranny and oppression?
No: it is all free grace and it is all free will. Is anybody
coerced? Did anybody coerce you, Latter-day Saints? Are any of
you forced to continue Latter-day Saints if you do not want to?
If you think you are, you are all absolved to-day. We know of no
such principle as coercion; it is a matter of choice. The
principle that I spoke of before--that is, men receive the Holy
Ghost within themselves, is the cementing, binding, uniting power
that exists among the Latter-day Saints. What right have I to
expect that members of the House of Representatives or the people
of the United States should advocate polygamy? They would not
understand it. Nor would it be reasonable for us to expect it at
their hands; but what I admired in those Senators and Members was
their fealty to the government, to the Constitution and the
maintenance of the freedom and the inalienable rights of man, of
every color, creed and profession.
65
I will relate a little conversation that I had with President
Hayes, when he was here, on the subject of polygamy. I said to
him, we are not generally understood by the people of the world,
by the outsiders; and I can look with very great leniency upon
the action of members of the House of Representatives and the
Senate, the governors, and others who have expressed strong
indignation against this principle. From your standpoint, you
think we are a corrupt people; you think it is a part or portion
of the thing you call the social evil, that permeates all classes
of society, and is sapping the foundation of the life of so many
throughout the land. You think that we are trying to introduce
something that is encouraging licentiousness and other kindred
evils among the people, and to legalize these things by
legislative enactment and otherwise, and trying to popularize and
make legal those infamies. I continued, that is a false view to
take of the subject. Mr. President, I have always abhorred such
practices from the time I was quite young; when I have seen men
act the part of Lotharios, deceiving the fair sex and despoiling
them of their virtue, and then seeing those men received into
society and their victims disgraced, ostracised and esteemed as
pariahs and outcasts, I could not help sympathising with a woman
that was seduced. I looked upon the man who seduced her as a
villain; I do so to-day. Said I, when Joseph Smith first made
known the revelation concerning plural marriage and of having
more wives than one, it made my flesh crawl; but, Mr. President,
I received such evidence and testimony pertaining to this matter,
scriptural and otherwise, which it was impossible for me as an
honest man to resist, and believing it to be right I obeyed it
and practised it. I have not time now to enter into all the
details; but in regard to those honorable gentlemen in the Senate
who maintained the principle of constitutional rights and who
declare, as I declare to-day, that that instrument which was then
gotten up was unconstitutional in several particulars, I could
not expect them to advocate my religion; it is not their
business, but is mine and yours. They can take what religion they
please; we do not wish to force our religion nor our marital
relations upon them, nor have we ever done it, nor could we do it
if we wished, for this principle is connected with the Saints
alone, and pertains to eternity as well as time, and is known to
us by the appellation of "celestial marriage." It does not belong
to them, nor does it pertain to all of our own people. None but
the more pure, virtuous, honorable and upright are permitted to
enter into these associations. Now I speak to the Latter-day
Saints, who are acquainted with what I say. If I state untruths,
tell me, and I will consider you my friends, and the friends of
this community. Should we preach the doctrine of plurality of
wives to the people of the United States? No; you know very well
that it is only for honorable men and women, virtuous men and
women, honest men and women who can be vouched for by those who
preside over them, and whom they recognize as their Presidents;
it is only such people as these that can be admitted to
participate in this ordinance. You know it. I know it, you
Presidents of Stakes know it and the people know it. There are
any number of people in this Territory who are good people in
many respects, but who cannot come up to that standard. That is
the position we occupy in relation to this principle.
65
If the United States were to ask us if we could give to them the
same ordinance, we would say, No; no, we cannot. Why can you not?
Because it is a religious ordinance, as I have stated; because it
connects men and women together for time and for eternity;
because it associates people of this world in the next; because
it makes provision for our marital associations in the other
world, and that while we have our wives here we expect to have
them in eternity; and we believe in that doctrine that reaches
beyond time into eternity. Others make their marital relations to
end in death; their covenants last only till death does them
part. Ours take hold of eternity, they enter into the eternal
state of existence, and contemplate an eternal union of the sexes
worlds without end.
65
We believe in the resurrection of the dead and the life in the
world to come; and not only in the resurrection of the male, but
also of the female. We believe also in eternal unions, union on
earth and in heaven. And as the heavens declare the glory of God,
and the stellar universes roll on according to eternal laws
implanted in them by the Deity, and perform their revolutions
through successive ages, so will man progress and
increase--himself, his wives, his children--through the
eternities to come. Who is injured by this faith? Cannot a great
and magnanimous nation afford the privilege to enjoy these
principles without passing bills of pains and penalties for the
belief and enunciation of such divine, ennobling and Godlike
principles?
65
Man is a dual being, possessed of body and spirit, made in the
image of God, and connected with Him and with eternity. He is a
God in embryo and will live and progress throughout the eternal
ages, if obedient to the laws of the Godhead, as the Gods
progress throughout the eternal ages. Is it a thing incredible in
this generation that God shall raise the dead? Is it a thing
incredible that the finest and most exalted ties and sympathies
of humanity, sanctified by family relations--pure undefiled love,
should continue in the resurrection?
66
We have no fault to find with our government. We deem it the best
in the world. But we have reason to deplore its
maladministration, and I call upon our legislators, our governors
and president to pause in their career and not to tamper with the
rights and liberties of American citizens, nor wantonly tear down
the bulwarks of American and human liberty. God has given to us
glorious institutions; let us preserve them intact and not pander
to the vices, passions and fanaticism of a depraved public
opinion.
66
Cannot the enlightenment, civilization and statesmanship of the
nineteenth century in this great American nation find a more
worthy object than to fetter human thought, to enslave its own
citizens, to forge chains for the suppression of human progress,
to bind in Cimmerian darkness the noblest aspirations of the
human soul, to tear down the pillars of the temple of liberty, to
inaugurate a system of serfdom and oppression, and to copy after
Egypt, Russia, and the late practices of this nation in enslaving
and brutalizing humanity, tearing to pieces that great palladium
of human rights, the Constitution of the United States? Can they
afford to do this? If there are supposed wrongs, can they not
find a legal and constitutional way of correcting these wrongs?
Surely the tearing down of the bulwarks, the very temple of
freedom, will not aid them in the solution of this, to them,
vexed question, for if they tear away the strongholds of society,
they themselves will perish in the ruins.
67
But with regard to those not of us, I will tell you what I
believe about the matter. I believe it would be much better for
them to have even polygamy in their state of existence than this
corroding, corrupting, demoralizing and damning evil that
prevails in their midst. We look upon it that polygamy is the
normal condition of man; but that has nothing to do with Mormon
plurality of wives, or what is termed "celestial marriage." I
would state also, that when we speak of its being the normal
condition, it has so existed throughout all ages. And when we
talk about polygamy, I have read the speeches of men in Congress
when speaking about the Mormon position, telling us that the
British in India put down suttee, which is the burning of widows
on the funeral pile of their husbands; casting children into the
Ganges, etc.--that the British put that down by force of law. But
the British, if my memory serves me right, have about two hundred
millions of polygamists under their jurisdiction, and they can
afford to treat them right and to give them the protection of
law; but our free government cannot. And when we talk about the
suttee, that is the destruction of life, while polygamy means the
propagation of human life. One tends to destruction and death,
the other to the propagation of life. I will guarantee to-day,
without fear of contradiction, that there is more of the suttee
in the United States to-day pertaining to infants than there ever
was in India among the same number of population. It has become
unfashionable in the east for women to have large families. I
have heard remarks like this: one lady was asked, How many
children have you? One or two. Is that all? What do you take me
for, do you think I am a cow? Why no, you are not a cow, for cows
do not murder their offspring. What a terrible tale is here told!
What a horrible state of affairs is here exhibited. And I am told
that some of these iniquities are being introduced here. I tell
you, in the name of God, if you do we will be after you. I am
told of physicians who are acting as they do in the east--as the
butchers of infants. Let us look after these things, you Bishops,
and if you do find it out, bring them up. As God lives we will
not permit such infamies in our midst; you will not commence your
fashionable murders here. And I will say now, Wo to this nation
and to the nations of Europe, or any people among any nation,
that sanctions these things. Have you not read that no "murderer
hath eternal life abiding in him?" What shall be thought of those
unnatural monsters, the slayers of their own offspring? This
revolting, unnatural, damnable vice may be fashionable, but God
will require this crime at their hands. Wo to men and to women
that are licentious and corrupt, depraved and debauched, and
especially wo, tenfold wo, to the murderers of helpless
innocence. I tell you this in the name of the Lord. If these
things are not stopped, God will arise and shake the nations of
the earth and root out their infamies.
67
Now then what shall we do?
67
We do not wish to place ourselves in a state of antagonism, nor
to act defiantly, towards this government. We will fulfil the
letter, so far as practicable, of that unjust, inhuman,
oppressive and unconstitutional law, so far as we can without
violating principle; but we cannot sacrifice every principle of
human right at the behest of corrupt, unreasoning and
unprincipled men; we cannot violate the highest and noblest
principles of human nature and make pariahs and outcasts of
highminded, virtuous and honorable women, nor sacrifice at the
shrine of popular clamor the highest and noblest principles of
humanity!
67
We shall abide all constitutional law, as we always have done;
but while we are Godfearing and law-abiding, and respect all
honorable men and officers, we are no craven serfs, and have not
learned to lick the feet of oppressors, nor to bow in base
submission to unreasoning clamor. We will contend, inch by inch,
legally and constitutionally, for our rights as American
citizens, and for the universal rights of universal man. We stand
proudly erect in the consciousness of our rights as American
citizens, and plant ourselves firmly on the sacred guarantees of
the Constitution; and that instrument, while it defines the
powers and privileges of the President, Congress and the
judiciary, also directly provides that "the powers not delegated
to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to
the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the
people."
68
I have heard it boasted by British statesmen, that as soon as a
slave planted his foot on British soil, his fetters were broken
and he was a free man. It is the proud boast of Americans that
her flag floats for all; and while Congress claims the right of
dominion and legislation over territories, with that same right
is associated the right of manhood, freedom and American
citizenship. We need have no fears, no trembling in our knees,
about these attempts to deprive us of our God given and
constitutional liberties. God will take care of His people, if we
will only do right. I am thankful to say that you are doing
pretty nearly as well as you know how. There are many things
among us that are wrong, many things that are foolish, but
generally you are seeking to fear God and keep His commandments.
Now, treat your wives right, but do not subject yourselves to the
infamous provisions of the Edmunds' act more than you can help,
avoid all harsh expressions and improper actions, act carefully
and prudently in all your social relations. Be wise as serpents
and harmless as doves. A gentleman in Washington told another,
who related it to me, in answer to the question, What will the
"Mormons" do with their wives and children when this bill passes?
he was told: Turn them out in the streets as we do our harlots. I
say in the name of God we will not do any such thing, and let all
Israel say Amen. [The vast congregation, amounting to from 12,000
to 14,000 persons, responded Amen.] We will stand by our
covenants, and the Constitution will bear us out in it. Among
other things, that instrument says that Congress shall make no
law impairing the validity of contracts. You have contracted to
be united with your wives in time and in eternity, and it would
not do for us to break a constitutional law, would it?
[Laughter.] Others may do it, but we cannot. We cannot lay aside
our honor, we cannot lay aside our principles; and if people
cannot allow us freedom, we can allow freedom to them and to all
men. We will be true to our wives and cherish them and maintain
them, and stand by them in time, and we will reign with them in
eternity, when thousands of others are weltering under the wrath
of God. Any man that abuses his wife, or takes advantage of this
law to oppress her, is not worthy of a standing in the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; and let the congregation say
Amen. [The immense congregation responded by a loud Amen.]
68
Now, what will we do in our relations with the United States? We
will observe the law as we have done, and be as faithful as we
have been. We will maintain our principles and live our religion
and keep the commandments of God, and obey every constitutional
law, pursuing that course that shall direct us in all things.
68
Brethren and sisters, God bless you and lead you in the paths of
life, and give you wisdom; be calm and quiet; all is well in
Zion. You need not be under any fears about anything that may
transpire, as though some strange thing had happened. We have met
such things before; we can meet them again. God has delivered us
before. He will deliver us again, if we put our trust in Him and
remain true to the covenants we have made with Him. Our trust is
in God. You have heard me say before, Hosanna, the Lord God
Omnipotent reigneth; and if this congregation feels as I do we
will join together in the same acclaim. Follow me.
68
[The speaker then repeated and was followed by the congregation:
Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to God and the Lamb, for ever and ever
worlds without end, Amen, Amen and Amen.]
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / Joseph
F. Smith, April 9th, 1882
Joseph F. Smith, April 9th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH,
Delivered at the General Conference,
on Sunday, April 9th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE LAWS OF GOD AND THE LAWS OF THE LAND--THE SAINTS AN OBEDIENT
AND
LAW-ABIDING PEOPLE--THEIR PERSECUTIONS PRODUCTIVE OF
PROSPERITY--THEIR PAST
AND PROSPECTIVE EXPERIENCE AND EVENTUAL TRIUMPH.
F. Smith
Nearly all the brethren who have spoken at this Conference have
referred to the circumstances in which we, as a people, are now
placed; and it would seem unnecessary for me to make any further
reference to this all-prevailing subject with which the people
generally are more or less familiar, and in which we necessarily
are considerably interested. But while the brethren who have
spoken have merely referred to some of the sayings of the Prophet
Joseph, and to items in the revelations through him, to the
Church, I feel impressed to read in the hearing of the
congregation one or two passages from the revelations previously
referred to. I will, therefore, call the attention of the
congregation to a verse or two in the revelation given in 1831,
which will be found on page 219 of the Doctrine and Covenants:
F. Smith
"Let no man break the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the
laws of God hath no need to break the laws of the land.
F. Smith
Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until He reigns
whose right it is to reign, and subdues all enemies under His
feet.
F. Smith
Behold, the laws which ye have received from my hand are the laws
of the Church, and in this light ye shall hold them forth. Behold
here is wisdom."
F. Smith
The following I quote from a revelation given December, 1833,
page 357:
F. Smith
"According to the laws and the Constitution of the people which I
have suffered to be established and should be maintained for the
rights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy
principles.
F. Smith
That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to
futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto
them, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the
day of judgment.
F. Smith
Therefore it is not right that any man should be in bondage one
to another.
F. Smith
And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this
land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very
purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood."
F. Smith
Again, in a revelation on page 342:
F. Smith
"And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the
land, it is my will that my people shall observe to do all things
whatsoever I command them.
F. Smith
And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that
principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges,
belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.
F. Smith
Therefore I, the Lord, justify you and your brethren of my
Church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law
of the land;
F. Smith
And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than
these cometh of evil.
F. Smith
I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and
the law also maketh you free;
F. Smith
Nevertheless, when the wicked rule, the people mourn;
F. Smith
Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for
diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to
uphold; otherwise, whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.
F. Smith
And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil
and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which
proceedeth out of the mouth of God;
F. Smith
For He will give unto the faithful, line upon line, precept upon
precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith;
F. Smith
And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, or my name's sake,
shall find it again, even life eternal;
F. Smith
Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in
my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things,
whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you
may be found worthy;
F. Smith
For if ye will not abide in my covenant, ye are not worthy of
me."
F. Smith
This, as I understand it, is the law of God to the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in all the world. And the
requirements here made of us must be obeyed, and practically
carried out in our lives, in order that we may secure the
fulfilment of the promises which God has made to the people of
Zion. And it is further written, that inasmuch as ye will do the
things which I command you, thus saith the Lord then am I bound;
otherwise there is no promise. We can therefore only expect that
the promises are made and will apply to us when we do the things
which we are commanded.
F. Smith
We are told here that no man need break the laws of the land who
will keep the laws of God. But this is further defined by the
passage which I read afterwards--the law of the land, which all
have no need to break, is that law which is the Constitutional
law of the land, and that is as God himself has defined it. And
whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil. Now it seems
to me that this makes this matter so clear that it is not
possible for any man who professes to be a member of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to make any mistake, or to
be in doubt as to the course he should pursue under the command
of God in relation to the observance of the laws of the land. I
maintain that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has
ever been faithful to the constitutional laws of our country. I
maintain also, that I have a right to this opinion, as an
American citizen, as one who was not only born on American soil,
but who descended from parents who for generations were born in
America. I have a right to interpret the law in this manner, and
to form my own conclusions and express my opinions thereon,
regardless of the opinions of other men.
F. Smith
I ask myself, What law have you broken? What constitutional law
have you not observed? I am bound not only by allegiance to the
government of the United States, but by the actual command of God
Almighty, to observe and obey every constitutional law of the
land, and without hesitancy I declare to this congregation that I
have never violated, nor transgressed any law, I am not amenable
to any penalties of the law, because I have endeavored from my
youth up to be a law-abiding citizen, and not only so, but to be
a peacemaker, a preacher of righteousness, and not only to preach
righteousness by word, but by example. What therefore have I to
fear? The Lord Almighty requires this people to observe the laws
of the land, to be subject to "the powers that be," so far as
they abide by the fundamental principles of good government, but
He will hold them responsible if they will pass unconstitutional
measures and frame unjust and proscriptive laws, as did
Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, in relation to the three Hebrew
children and Daniel. If lawmakers have a mind to violate their
oath, break their covenants and their faith with the people, and
depart from the provisions of the Constitution where is the law
human or divine, which binds me, as an individual, to outwardly
and openly proclaim my acceptance of their acts?
F. Smith
I firmly believe that the only way in which we can be sustained
in regard to this matter by God our Heavenly Father is by
following the illustrious examples we find in holy writ. And
while we regret, and look with sorrow upon the acts of men who
seek to bring us into bondage and to oppress us, we must obey
God, for He has commanded us to do so; and at the same time He
has declared that in obeying the laws which He has given us we
will not necessarily break the constitutional laws of the land.
F. Smith
I wish to enter here my avowal that the people called Latter-day
Saints, as has been often repeated from this stand, are the most
law-abiding, the most peaceable, long-suffering and patient
people that can to-day be found within the confines of this
republic, and perhaps anywhere else upon the face of the earth;
and we intend to continue to be law-abiding so far as the
constitutional law of the land is concerned; and we expect to
meet the consequences of our obedience to the laws and
commandments of Godlike men. These are my sentiments briefly
expressed, upon this subject.
F. Smith
Now I desire to read another passage in a revelation given in
1834, which will be found on page 364 of the Doctrine and
Covenants, commencing at the first verse:
F. Smith
"Verily I say unto you, my friends, behold I will give unto you a
revelation and commandment, that you may know how to act in the
discharge of your duties concerning the salvation and redemption
of your brethren, who have been scattered on the land of Zion.
F. Smith
Being driven and smitten by the hands of mine enemies, on whom I
will pour out my wrath without measure in mine own time;
F. Smith
For I have suffered them thus far, that they might fill up the
measure of their iniquities, that their cup might be full.
F. Smith
And that those who call themselves after my name might be
chastened for a little season with a sore and grievous
chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the
precepts and commandments which I gave unto them.
F. Smith
But verily I say unto you, that I have decreed a decree which my
people shall realize inasmuch as they hearken from this very
hour, unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give
unto them.
F. Smith
Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail
against mine enemies from this very hour.
F. Smith
And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord
their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to
prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my
feet, and the earth is given unto the Saints, to possess it for
ever and ever.
F. Smith
But inasmuch as they keep not my commandments, and hearken not to
observe all my words, the kingdoms of the world shall prevail
against them.
F. Smith
For they were set to be a light unto the world, and to be the
saviors of men.
F. Smith
And inasmuch as they are not the saviors of men, they are as salt
that has lost its savor and is thenceforth good for nothing but
to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.
F. Smith
But verily I say unto you, I have decreed that your brethren
which have been scattered shall return to the land of their
inheritances, and build up the waste places of Zion."
F. Smith
It is somewhere written as the word of God, that the enemies of
the people of God can do nothing against but for Zion. Now let us
review for a few moments the history of the Church, and see how
far the acts of the enemies of this people have gone towards
nullifying those words.
F. Smith
When Joseph first looked upon the face of the Father and the Son
in 1820, until the Book of Mormon was translated and published to
the world in 1829, his enemies did not cease their efforts to
destroy him; they sought his life continually; they blackened his
character; they maligned and proscribed him, and his name was
cast out as evil among all men. But mark you, at the beginning of
this period Joseph was a lad of a little over fourteen years of
age; and during the nine years of persecution he was but a boy;
he had no vast congregation as we see before us this morning to
sustain, encourage, or cheer him in his ministry and labors. He
stood alone in the world, friendless and despised, cast out,
maligned and persecuted on every hand. But did the work cease?
Did his enemies prevent him from performing the mission which he
had been sent to accomplish? They tried and they did their
utmost. They not only made frequent attempts to imprison him
under the law, but they made several attempts to take his life,
and thus stop the progress of the work in which he was engaged.
They spared neither pains nor means, nor did they shrink from
hypocrisy, falsehood and misrepresentation to accomplish their
purposes; but they signally failed, and he continued to steadily
pursue his course, and performed his work, translated the plates,
published the Book of Mormon, and in 1830 organized the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to the law of the
land.
F. Smith
When the Book of Mormon was published and the Church organized,
did they cease their endeavors? did the hatred of the world
diminish? did the wicked stop their persecutions? did they
refrain from slandering, misrepresenting, and otherwise
attempting to obstruct the progress of this work? No, they did
not, but on the contrary, as the work developed, as the Church
increased in numbers and began to spread on the right and on the
left, the feeling of hatred, animosity, bitterness and
persecution increased proportionately, and as the Church became
stronger, her enemies became more numerous and gained strength.
But notwithstanding, we moved on; built a Temple in Kirtland,
Ohio, from whence we colonized Jackson County, Missouri. We were
afterwards driven into Clay, Caldwell and Davies's Counties,
Missouri, where we founded new colonies. Like the snowball
starting from the summit of the mountain which gathers not only
in bulk but in velocity, so did the work of God increase in the
midst of the opposition, persecution and hatred of the world. In
the midst of all the powers that were exerted to stop it, it
moved right on. But did they succeed in expelling our people from
Jackson County, and finally from the State of Missouri? Yes, they
drove the Saints from their homes, deprived them of their rights
as citizens and freemen, murdered many of them in cold blood,
while others they confined in dungeons feeding them on the flesh,
(as those heartless wretches themselves boasted) of their own
brethren; and they dispersed the people, as they supposed, to the
four winds of heaven, rejoicing in the belief that they had
finally consummated the destruction of the "Mormons." But like
the phoenix rising form the ashes of its supposed destruction,
they gathered like swarms of bees in Illinois, founded a city,
and built another Temple, which cost a million dollars--the most
beautiful structure in the Western States at that time; and they
continued to thrive. Here they gained something which they never
possessed before, a city charter granted to them by the State
government of Illinois. They soon became notable for their union
and their tenacity to the principles which they had espoused, for
their faith in God and in His servant the Prophet, for their
unconquerable, irrevocable will to prosecute what they knew to be
the work of God, and to accomplish, so far as in their power lay,
His purposes and designs, concerning this great latter-day work.
F. Smith
In all these vicissitudes and during all the persecutions of
fourteen years which were as ceaseless against the Prophet Joseph
as the forces of nature are endless, did they diminish the
numbers of Saints? Did they break the Saints to pieces? Did they
destroy them? No; you know they did not, and it seems that our
enemies themselves are fully aware of this fact. But when they
thought they had torn up "Mormonism" by the roots and cast it out
to dry up and wither under the parching, blighting influence of
hostile public sentiment, behold, they had only transplanted the
tree into new and better watered soil. Instead of destroying our
confidence in the promises of God to us, it had the tendency to
strengthen our faith, to increase our knowledge and experience,
thus fitting and preparing us for the future that lay before us.
F. Smith
Finally they succeeded in taking the life of the Prophet and that
of his brother; and they shed the blood of our honored President
who sits here to-day upon this stand. They thought then they had
accomplished their hellish work, they thought then the head and
front, or root and branch of "Mormonism" was destroyed. But was
it? No; it only made us stronger in faith and more united in
purpose. "The blood of the martyrs became the seed of the
Church."
F. Smith
They next drove us from our homes in Nauvoo. I remember the
circumstances, although at the time I was but a lad. I also
remember my thoughts on the day the mob besieged the City of
Nauvoo. My widowed mother had been compelled a day or two
previously to take her children and ferry them, in an open flat
boat across the Mississippi river into Iowa, where we camped
under the trees and listened to the bombardment of the city. We
had left our comfortable home with all the furniture remaining in
the house, together with all our earthly possessions, with no
hope or thought of ever seeing them again; and I well remember
the feelings I had when we made our camp on the Iowa side of the
river. They were not feelings of regret, sorrow or
disappointment, but of gratitude to God, that we had the shelter
of even the trees and the broad bosom of the "father of waters"
to protect us from those who sought our lives; I felt to thank
God that we still possessed our lives and freedom, and that there
was at least some prospect of the homeless widow and her family
of little ones, helpless as they were, to hide themselves
somewhere in the wilderness from those who sought their
destruction, even though it should be among the wild, so-called
savage, native tribes of the desert, but who have proved
themselves more humane and Christlike than the so-called
Christian and more civilized persecutors of the Saints.
F. Smith
After the expulsion of the Saints from Nauvoo, and from the State
of Illinois, our enemies thought surely the "Mormons" are now
broken up, and that this would be the last of "Mormonism." But it
is strange how hard we are to kill; it would seem that we object
to being killed: there is something dreadful in the thought of
being destroyed--annihilated. We naturally recoil from such a
doom and seek to preserve and perpetuate our existence. The fact
is, we think we have a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit
of happiness," so long as we do not interfere with the rights of
others; we therefore most decidedly object to being demolished;
we do not like nor do we intend to be destroyed. Not that we
presume to be able to defend ourselves unaided by divine power,
against our numerous and unrelenting foes; but knowing in whom we
trust, and the nature of the work in which we are engaged, we are
not slow to believe, neither are we afraid to openly maintain
that we were born to live and to uphold truth, to defend virtue,
to establish righteousness, and to stand by the right, and by the
help of God we intend to fill the measure of our creation.
F. Smith
Let us follow the wanderings of the Latter-day Saints across the
plains to these mountain valleys, and look at our condition
to-day compared with our condition in Illinois, Missouri, Ohio,
or New York, or compared with our condition at any period of our
existence as a church. What do we see to-day? We see the promises
of God made on certain conditions fulfilled; and that is an
evidence to me that the majority of the people have complied with
the conditions, although many may not have done as they should
have done. We have prevailed thus far, in accordance with the
word of God. And what of the future? So far as the ultimatum of
this work is concerned, there is no man in Israel who has a spark
of the inspiration of the Almighty in his heart who does not know
just as well as he knows that God lives or that he himself lives,
that it will be triumphant. But I do not suppose it would be
wisdom in God to show us all the vicissitudes and changes, the
trials and persecutions through which we may have to pass in
order to reach this consummation, because if He did we might get
fainthearted before we were prepared to enter into that trial. We
may have to be driven again. I do not say we shall be driven; I
do not believe we shall--but what has been done may be done
again. And supposing we were driven again, what would be the
result? Is it not fair to presume--have we not good grounds to
believe from the experience of the past, that if we should be
again driven and despoiled of our homes, we should rise up
somewhere else, many fold greater and more numerous than we are
now? The enemies of God can do nothing against, but much for, the
work of God. Is it not written that the God of heaven has set His
hand for the last time to establish His kingdom upon the earth,
never more to be thrown down, and no more to be left to another
people? Are we not assured by the word of God, ancient and
modern, that its destiny is onward and upward, until the purposes
of God concerning this great latter-day work are consummated?
This seems to be a point difficult for many to comprehend; but
when comprehended it is a key to the whole matter. What God has
decreed cannot be annulled by the learning, wisdom, wealth,
power, numbers or cunning of man! There is no power beneath the
celestial kingdom that can stop or impede its progress one iota.
Its destiny is onward and upward--man may fail, but the purposes
of God will not. All His enemies, combined with the cunning and
perfidy of the infernal spirits by which they are moved to hate,
hound, and pursue him unto death, failed, signally failed, even
in the crime of murdering him, to prevent Joseph Smith from
accomplishing his mission; he filled his destiny and sealed his
testimony with his blood. And his blood is upon this nation and
upon all the nations that have consented to that terrible deed
inasmuch as they do not repent of their sins and obey the Gospel
of salvation which is being preached unto them.
F. Smith
My childhood and youth were spent in wandering with the people of
God, in suffering with them and in rejoicing with them. My whole
life has been identified with this people, and in the name and by
the help of God it will be to the end. I have no other
associations or place of abode. I am in this respect like Peter
when the Savior, on seeing the people turn away from Him, asked
him, Will ye go also? Said Peter, Lord, if I leave Thee whither
can I go, Thou hast the words of eternal life. We have nothing
else to do save to keep in the narrow path that leads back to God
our Father. That is the channel He has marked out for us to
pursue, and it is our duty to press on; we cannot turn aside, we
cannot switch off; there is no side track, it is a "through
train" and its destiny is already fixed and mapped out. We have
got to meet opposition as it presents itself, battling against it
with the weapons of truth which God has placed in our hands. And
we must make up our minds that this world with all its pleasures
is as dross compared with the excellency of the knowledge of God.
He intends to try us and prove us, and He has a right to do it,
even to the death if need be, and only those who endure to the
end, who will not flinch, but will maintain their integrity at
the risk and sacrifice of their all, if need be, will gain
eternal life, or be worthy of the reward of the faithful.
F. Smith
I am thankful to God that circumstances are as well with us as
they are. He has delivered His people thus far and blessed them
from the beginning. His word has been fulfilled concerning them,
and will be fulfilled from this time henceforth until His
purposes shall be accomplished with regard to them, providing
they keep his commandments, which, that they may do, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Wilford Woodruff, March 26, 1882
Wilford Woodruff, March 26, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, March 26, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
MAN'S FREE AGENCY--THE GOSPEL RESTORED--OPPOSITION TO GOD'S
WORK--INCREASE
OF WICKEDNESS--THE WORLD WARNED OF RETRIBUTION--THE SAINTS
EXHORTED TO
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
76
I feel disposed to read a few verses from section 43 of the
Doctrine and Covenants, a book containing the revelations of God
to the Latter-day Saints, communicated through the prophet Joseph
Smith.
76
(The speaker then read the whole of the section, commencing at
the 17th verse.)
77
There is one thing I wish to say to the congregation, and I would
say the same to the whole world if I had the power--it is this: I
have heard the Prophet Joseph Smith say on several occasions when
speaking on the agency of man, and the liberty and rights of men,
that if he were emperor of the earth, having control of the whole
human family, he would give every man, woman and child the right
to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience,
leaving them to be responsible alone to their Creator for their
individual acts. These are my sentiments, and they are the
sentiments of this people to-day, and have been from the
beginning of the organization of this Church, and I trust will be
to the end of time. And this we believe to be a principle
emanating from heaven; and while we accord this right to our
fellow-men, and while we declare it to be a heaven-born right
guaranteed unto all American citizens through the Constitution of
our country, we claim the exercise of the same right ourselves;
and we claim this right and privilege under the Constitution
under which we live, and we claim it by the laws of God to man.
And whenever any people rise up and attempt to make war upon the
rights of men because of their religion, they go beyond their
right, they transcend their own powers, whether their power be
derived either from God or man.
77
You may wish to know why I make these remarks. I will tell you.
Because God himself grants this right to every human being upon
the earth irrespective of race or color; it is part of the divine
economy not to force any man to heaven, not to coerce the mind
but to leave it free to act for itself. He lays before His
creature man the everlasting Gospel, the principles of life and
salvation, and then leaves him to choose for himself or to reject
for himself, with the definite understanding that he becomes
responsible to Him for the results of his acts.
77
It is upon this principle that we as Latter-day Saints assert our
rights and endeavor to enjoy our privileges. And we are accorded
this right in accepting the Gospel dispensation in which we live,
and in believing in the Old and New Testaments, the records of
God's people who lived in what is called the old world, as well
as in the Book of Mormon, the history of the ancient inhabitants
of our land, which records are in harmony with each other,
bearing witness of the one great Head and of the Gospel which He
taught in Jerusalem and Judea, and which His Apostles preached
after He left them. It is, in fact, the same Gospel that has been
taught to man in every age and dispensation, as there is but the
one Gospel, and that Gospel is adapted to the wants and
conditions of all men. It is the Gospel of Truth, and truth alone
can make us free, free from sin and from the power of the
adversary. And this is the Gospel which we have received, and
which we take the liberty of preaching to our fellow-men.
78
I do not suppose that there has been any dispensation upon the
earth in which a greater variety of evidence, or important
evidence of the divinity of the latter-day work has been given
than that which is occurring, and that will continue to occur
until the second coming of the Son of Man. There is no man upon
the earth who believes in the literal fulfillment of prophecy as
contained in the Old and New Testament, but who must in his heart
believe that the God of heaven will in the latter days set His
hand to perform a great work and a wonder in the earth; that He
will call forth His Church out of the wilderness of darkness and
establish it upon the foundation of Apostles and Prophets with
Christ Jesus as the chief corner stone. There is no man who
believes in the Revelations of St. John who does not believe in
his heart that in the last dispensation the angel as seen and
described by John in his vision, will fly through the midst of
heaven having the everlasting Gospel to commit to man again upon
the earth, and that this Gospel is to be preached in plainness
and power to every nation, kindred, tongue and people upon the
whole earth. There is no man that believes in the literal
fulfillment of the revelations of God through the Prophets who
does not believe that the Lord will in the latter days gather a
people together out of every nation under heaven; and that He
will also gather the dispersed of Judah--the Jews--that have been
trodden under the feet of the Gentiles for the last 1,800 years
for shedding the blood of the Messiah.
78
I wish to bear my testimony to all men within the sound of my
voice and those to whom my words shall come, that we are living
in that dispensation of God to man that every Prophet and Apostle
that has ever breathed the breath of life has pointed to. I bear
my testimony that God, in fulfillment of the Revelations of St.
John, has sent the heavenly messenger to communicate to man the
everlasting Gospel. And why did the Lord reveal to John that this
would be done? Because the "falling away" spoken of by Paul had
already commenced; because John in his exiled condition sensed
keenly that the Church would be overcome and driven from the
earth, and by way of encouragement to him and information to all
who would believe his word, the Lord showed him what should take
place in the future. The Jews had rejected the Messiah, they had
crucified the Lord of life and glory and they had also persecuted
and taken the life of the Apostles and others who were left to
represent his cause; and John only was left, and they tried to
take his life; but, in consequence of the promise he had received
from the Savior prior to his death, they could not do it: and
hence they exiled him on this island--called Patmos. When they
rejected the Gospel, they rejected it in all its power and glory,
its blessings, its gifts and graces, and also the ordinances of
the Holy Priesthood--Aaronic and Melchizedek. With regard to
Priesthood we differ from the Christian world. We believe there
is no man in heaven or upon earth that administers in the
ordinances of the Gospel without the Priesthood, and we defy the
whole world to point to a single passage of scripture from the
time of father Adam down to Jesus Christ, showing that any man
had power to administer in any of the ordinances of the Gospel
without the Priesthood. And we say as Paul said, in referring to
this delegated power of heaven, that "no man taketh this honor to
himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron:" and he was
called of God through Moses with whom he communicated. Therefore
men cannot legally and authoritatively go forth to preach the
Gospel until they are sent; and men cannot hear the word and be
converted by the same unless they hear it through the mouth of a
preacher who is sent, and who has power to administer in the
ordinances of the Gospel.
79
The Lord has established his Church and his kingdom; and we have
been laboring now fifty years and upwards in carrying out the
instructions which he has revealed unto us in connection with
this work. And as men were formerly, so we have been commanded to
go forth and call upon men to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and to repent and be baptised for the remission of their sins;
and as they were authorized, so have we been authorized to say to
all men who comply with these requirements, that they shall
receive the Holy Ghost. But say the Christian sects, these things
are no longer necessary, these outward ordinances are not now
essential to salvation. We believe they are. In this, of course,
we differ from them, and we have a perfect right to. Jesus
himself went to John when he was baptizing in Jordan, and
requested baptism of him. John demurred, thinking himself
unworthy, but Jesus satisfied him by saying, "Suffer it to be so
now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he
suffered him."
79
Baptism by immersion is one of the ordinances of the Gospel, and
the law had to be complied with, and hence Jesus set the example.
But the Jews, as a nation, rejected him and his teachings; and
the Apostles were commanded to turn to the Gentiles. I say
Gentiles--we are all Gentiles in a national capacity; and the
same Gospel that was taught to the Jews was preached to the
Gentiles. It never varied one iota; it was sent to them with all
its gifts and graces, its priesthoods, powers and ordinances
without any change whatever. And Paul in warning the Gentiles,
told them to take heed and fear lest they fall, through the same
example of unbelief; for if God spared not the natural branches,
which were the Jews, why should he spare them who were the wild
branches grafted into the olive tree. We all understand that the
blindness in part which happened to Israel and which, Paul said,
should continue until the fulness of the Gentiles come in, did
befall the churches which had been built up by the Apostles, and
that the Gospel, with its gifts and graces, its Prophets and
Apostles, has long since ceased to exist among men. The Gentiles
fell through the same example of unbelief, until to day a man is
looked upon as a deceiver who will rise up and declare himself a
believer in the same Gospel that Jesus and his Apostles preached.
Paul told the people in his day that God hath set in the Church
first, Apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly, teachers, after
that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues; and they were for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, for the
perfecting of the Saints, until all come to a perfect man in the
stature of Christ. But the Christian world do not believe in
these things; they say they are done away, as not being needed.
We believe differently, and we have a right to; we say the Lord
has restored the Gospel as it was preached to the Jews and the
Gentiles by Jesus and the Apostles, and we know whereof we speak.
Joseph Smith received the ministration of angels, in fulfilment
of the revelations of St. John, and we know it. He received the
keys of the Holy Priesthood under the hands of John the Baptist,
and under the hands of Peter, James and John, and from that day,
through the preaching and administrations of the Elders of this
Church, God has given a testimony to hundreds of thousands, of
the truth of this work. We believe this, and we have received the
testimony for ourselves of its divinity.
80
In looking upon this congregation assembled in this beautiful
building, I am reminded of the mercy and goodness of God to us as
a people. On the 24th of July, 1847, I came here in company with
the pioneers. At that time Utah was a barren desert, there was no
mark of the white man, everything was wild and barren. To-day you
may travel thousands of miles through this country, and you find
towns and cities, farms, gardens and orchards, temples, and
tabernacles, and schoolhouses, and large congregations of the
people, and hosts of children. And where did all these people
come from, and what prompted them to come here? You came from
your native lands, from the different civilized nations, impelled
by the spirit of the gathering which God has restored in
connection with the Gospel; and you came in fulfilment of the
prophecies of Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and David, and others of
the Prophets who have spoken of you. The question that arises in
the minds of persons who pass through our country and see the
labors of this people is, are we the dupes of impostors? Was
Joseph Smith a deceiver? There is a way to test this, and we have
tested it to our satisfaction. The great promise made to us when
we first heard the preaching of the Elders of this Church was,
that if we obeyed certain requirements of the Gospel, we should
receive the Holy Ghost; and this same promise is extended to the
world of mankind by our Elders who are still proclaiming these
glad tidings of great joy. If that promise had fallen we, my
brethren and sisters, would not have been here to-day; and Utah
would doubtless be as barren as it was when we found it in '47.
There is no question in our mind, as to the divinity of the work
in which we are engaged. The Christian world questions it. This,
of course, we cannot help.
80
I want to say to the Latter-day Saints, you are living in an
important and interesting time in your history, a time when the
principles of the everlasting Gospel are being brought
prominently before the world, and it is but natural that they
should find their opposite in misrepresentation and persecution.
Jesus himself, together with every servant of God of every age,
while endeavoring to bless and save mankind through teaching
correct principles, made themselves unpopular and became the
subjects of hatred and persecution. And there is no doctrine so
unpopular to-day as the principles of life and salvation as God
has revealed them; and there are none so unpopular as those who
believe in and practice the same. Truth revealed from heaven for
the salvation of mankind always was unpopular, and always will be
so long as the world exists in its present state. Men do not want
truth, and therefore they reject it, and they reject it to-day
for the same reason that men rejected it formerly, because they
love darkness rather than light. If the Latter-day Saints expect
to become popular in this day and generation, they will find
themselves greatly mistaken. There is a warfare going on between
truth and error, and this warfare will continue until He shall
reign whose right it is to reign.
80
I also want to say to the Latter-day Saints, you should exercise
faith in God; you should make yourselves acquainted with the
revelations of God, and with the promises He has made to His
people, fully believing that all will come to pass as He has
spoken it. And each man claiming a standing among this people
should do his duty to the trust committed to our charge. Our
responsibility is great before God and man. Any people into whose
hands is committed a dispensation of the Gospel has a great
responsibility. And Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and the Twelve
Apostles, would have been under condemnation and would have
rendered themselves liable to the curse of God if they had not
gone forth into the world and borne record of this work. Paul was
placed in the same position and he sensed it, as is inferred from
these words: "Woe unto me if I preach not the Gospel." And this
is our position to-day in relation to the world.
81
I have been with this Church almost from its organization, and
have passed through the various scenes of its early history. I
have seen its rise and progress, and have witnessed the power of
God manifested in behalf of this people; and I want to bear my
testimony that the God of heaven has, in fulfilment of the
prophecies, set His hand to establish His Church and kingdom in
the earth, which means no more and no less than His rule and His
government, and that He will accomplish it, and there is no power
upon the earth or under the earth that can stay the progress of
Almighty God. But notwithstanding this, we expect to meet with
opposition, with the hatred of the world; this, in fact, is the
legacy of the Latter-day Saints. Said the Savior to his Apostles,
I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates
you; if you were of the world, the world would love you as its
own. It hated me before it hated you. And what are we going to
do? We are going to trust in God. I have no fears myself; I have
never had since I heard the first Gospel sermon by the Elders of
this Church; for I know that God lives, and that he has set his
hand to establish his kingdom, and it will continue to grow and
increase until it shall fill the whole earth. He has called upon
us to proclaim to the whole world the Gospel of Christ, and we
are doing it as fast as circumstances and wisdom permits; and we
promise all men what the first Elders promised us, that is, if
they yield to the requirements they shall know for themselves
whether this work is of God or man. Is there, I ask, any man or
set of men dare make such promises to their fellow-men? I answer,
nay; neither could we do it, did we not know that God would back
up the word by imparting the Holy Ghost. He has done so from the
beginning, and these people can bear me witness.
82
The question may be asked, What about the course our government
is taking with us? Whatever our nation does or may do, it will be
held responsible before God; and every emperor, king and ruler
will be held responsible for the use they make of the power
committed into their hands. The Lord inspired the men that framed
the Constitution of our country, and has guarded the nation from
its foundation, in order to prepare free people in which to
establish his kingdom. Columbus was inspired of God to persevere
as he did to discover this continent, and thus prepare the way
for a class of people upon whom the Spirit of the Lord moved to
follow; and when they were oppressed hard enough they declared
themselves independent, and by the help of God they established
and have maintained the government which God gave our
forefathers, which is one of the best constitutional governments
ever known among men. One of its chief and prominent
characteristics is its guaranty of religious liberty, permitting
every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own
conscience. This is a sacred right granted by God himself to all
men; and when the rulers or legislators of any land undertake by
enactments of law to step between man and his God, they by that
act become responsible, and must sooner or later be made to
answer for interfering with a divine law. This is the light in
which we regard the position of our own nation in the steps they
have recently taken against us, as a people. However, if I were
to express my feelings to Congress and the leading men of our
nation, and to our enemies and the whole Christian world, I would
say, do not weep for us--and we are sensible of the fact that
they will not--but rather weep for yourselves and your children,
for as sure as the Lord lives the evils that men seek to bring
upon us, will return in due time upon their own heads, heaped up,
pressed down and running over. For it is an eternal law, and a
law by which we are governed, that what measure we mete, shall be
measured back to us again. Our nation knows not what awaits it;
the Christian world knows not what awaits it, and the blind
guides that lead the people cannot tell them, and the result will
be that both the people and their guides will fall into the ditch
together.
82
I will say another thing. The Lord never did bring judgment upon
any people of any generation until he raised up prophets to warn
them of the impending danger. You may read the history of the
great and ancient cities of Tyre and Sidon, Nineveh and Babylon
and other cities that were built to defy all time and every power
but that of God; but when they were ripened in iniquity they were
cut off, the Lord raised up men to warn them and to call upon
them to repent; but when they rejected them the Lord brought
judgment upon them and they were cut off in their sins. And so it
will be with our nation and all others, when they shall be fully
warned and they reject the message that is sent to them. The
heavens are full of judgment, and as the prophets have said, they
will commence at the House of the Lord and then go to the nations
of the earth. These things are beginning to make themselves
manifest and the righteous and pure in heart can see it.
83
I want to see the Latter-day Saints live their religion, keep
their faith and do their duty, and trust in God. And if men
persecute you for the sake of your religion, what can you do? You
can go to God, and make your wants known to him; and that is our
duty as Latter-day Saints. And as to our nation, they, as well as
we, are in the hands of God; and I have nothing to say about
them. God will deal with them; and what they sow they will reap,
and he will deal with us upon the same principle. The history of
the ancient inhabitants of this land, as it has come down to us
through the mercy and goodness of God, fully testifies to this
principle; as long as they did what was right the blessings of
God followed them, but after they became disobedient and wicked
the hand of God rested upon them. At times when I reflect upon
the great change that has taken place in our own land in the
morals of the people during my time, I feel in my spirit to mourn
and to fear as to the consequences. I was between 20 and 21 years
of age before I heard of a murder having been committed in the
whole of the New England States. The first murder that was
committed in our land from the time I could remember until I
gained my majority, was committed in New Haven; and I well
remember how the news of it shocked all New England. What effect
has such news upon the people of the same region to-day?
Throughout the whole of Christendom to-day, murder, whoredom,
blasphemy, and their kindred evils and vices are indulged in, and
unbelief reigns in the hearts of men. Men profess to believe in
the Bible; but confront them with the doctrines and prophecies it
contains, and they will at once either raise a doubt as to their
real meaning or they will openly deny them; and the few that
accept the literal meaning of God's word, and confess him and
acknowledge him in all things, do it at the risk of their
reputation, and some of them, even of their rights as American
citizens. What the result of all this will be is already written;
and it will come to pass as sure as the Lord hath spoken it.
83
I rejoice in the Gospel of the Son of God as he has revealed it
in this our day; I rejoice in the organization of the church and
kingdom of God, and in the revelations of heaven. I read them
with a great deal of interest, for I know they are true; and,
therefore, I look forward with assurance to their fulfilment in
the earth. We have but a little time to spend on earth even
though we live to be a hundred years of age, and we have no time
to waste. We should live in such a manner that the Spirit and
blessing of God may attend us; and then when we cease our labors
here we shall pass hence to continue them in the same cause of
salvation and redemption, and all will be well with us. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Erastus Snow, April 7, 1882
Erastus Snow, April 7, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Friday Afternoon, April 7, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE LAST DISPENSATION--THE SAINTS' RELIGION PRACTICAL--HOSTILITY
TO GOD'S
WORK--DIVISIONS IN SECTARIAN CHURCHES--UNITY OF THE SAINTS--EARLY
HISTORY
OF UTAH--"MORMON" THRIFT AND ENTERPRISE--THE ONE-MAN POWER--GOD'S
PEOPLE A
FREE PEOPLE--INCREASE OF CORRUPTION--THE SAINTS HOPEFUL.
84
I regard the mission of the Latter-day Saints as the most
important that has fallen to the lot of man because we, as the
people of God, live in the most important period of the world's
age--the dispensation of the fulness of times, in which the God
of heaven has set his hand a second time to recover his people,
the house of Israel; to lay the foundation of the fulfilment of
the promises made to the fathers through Moses and the Prophets,
and to bring to pass the covenants made with Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, and those made with Joseph the son of Jacob, concerning
his seed. The Book of Mormon gives a brief history of a portion
of the house of Joseph who came to this land from Palestine,
their native land; and it not only gives an account of this
people but it foretells their future. A great future lies before
this people in connection with the Latter-day work.
84
Our mission is not a mission of blood; it is not a mission of
war, of strife or contention, but a mission of peace on earth and
good will to men; a mission to bring life and salvation unto the
children of men who will receive it; a mission to make known the
things that God has revealed for the happiness, glory and
exaltation of his children, both in this world and the world to
come. And what God has revealed to us, which we call our
religion, is not only theoretical but eminently practical. It
could not be otherwise and be the Gospel of life and salvation. A
religion that is exclusively theoretical, that is merely a matter
of faith producing no legitimate works or fruits of that faith is
dead. There are many dead forms of religion in the world; and as
a matter of course they are without force and effect. But the
Gospel of the Son of God revealed anew from heaven in our age and
time, and which his people have espoused, is a living faith,
producing in its votaries its legitimate fruits--love, joy, peace
and good works. I am sorry to say, however, that we are not all
examples of that living faith to the extent that God requires at
our hands. In this respect it is with us as it was with others
who preceded us; some of the seed has fallen by the way side,
producing little effect in them that received it; some has fallen
in stony places, and as anciently, such rejoice for the time
being, but alas! when tribulation or persecution arises, they
having not much depth of soil, are easily uprooted. Some again
has fallen among thorns, and the cares of the world and the
deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes
unfruitful. But blessed are those who break up the fallow ground
of their hearts, thereby preparing themselves by suitable
reflection, meditation, humility and prayer, overcoming the evil
that is in them by the good, that the seed when sown, may take
deep root and spring forth and bear precious fruit, some thirty,
some sixty, and some one hundred fold, according to the depth of
the soil and the strength and cultivation of the mind.
84
I said our religion was eminently practical, as true religion
cannot be separated from true practice. It teaches us to visit
the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, and to keep
ourselves unspotted from the world; it teaches charity and love
one toward another, and to assist to bear each other's burdens,
and be one in Christ Jesus. Just before the Savior was offered up
upon the cross he prayed to his Father in behalf of his disciples
and those who should believe on him through their ministrations,
that they might be one with him as he was one with the Father.
85
Now it is quite a fine thing in the estimation of the Christian
world to preach about Jesus and his doctrines; but when it comes
to practice it is quite another thing. One of the main objects of
the Latter-day Saints is to become united, both spiritually and
temporally. The clergymen of America who have been foremost in
working up the late furore against the "Mormon" people, who have
met in solemn conclave and dictated resolutions and gotten up
memorials to Congress, and who have traveled and visited the
noted cities as lecturers, among whom may be mentioned the
celebrated Parson Newman and the celebrated--what shall I
say?--well, Mr. Schuyler Colfax, and others, have aroused the
nation and moved the members of Congress to hostile legislation
against the Latter-day Saints. Their general declaration has been
that polygamy--though polygamy was the war-cry--was not to be
dreaded like "Mormon" unity. They term it priestly influence, or
the influence of the "Mormon" hierarchy. In reflecting upon this
declaration which was freely expressed on numerous occasions
during last winter and spring, in the tirades made against the
Latter-day Saints, it has caused some curious reflections. What
would have been the result if the Methodists, the Presbyterians,
the Baptists and all the prominent denominations of America, had
been true disciples of Christ, and had come under that rule laid
down in the Savior's prayer--if they had all become one in Christ
as he was one with the Father? What would have been the result?
Methinks things would be very different in the history of
American government from what we now see. We will refer, for
example, to the condition of things prior to the late civil war,
and about the time the republican party incorporated in their
platform at the Philadelphia convention in 1856, the celebrated
plank known as the twin relics--in which they pledged themselves
to exterminate the twin relics, slavery and polygamy. What was
the condition of the religious sects of America at that time?
Those who are familiar with the history of those times will
remember that preparatory to that great struggle which resulted
in the great civil war, there had been a complete separation and
two distinct organizations of all the prominent sects of America.
The Methodist church was divided into the Methodist church north
and the Methodist church south; the Presbyterians were divided
into the Presbyterian church north and the Presbyterian church
south; the Baptists, the Campbellites and the other various sects
were divided in like manner, the Mason and Dickson line, as it
was called, was the line of division between the churches north
and the churches south; and substantially the same line marked
the boundary between the southern confederacy and northern States
during the war, for the division commenced in the churches, and
it was the various religious sects of America that worked up the
war. They divided one against another, and brought on the war.
And when the Northern and Southern armies were marching against
and slaying each other by hundreds of thousands, every regiment
and division of the army on both sides were encouraged by the
prayers and preaching of their respective chaplains of the
various sects on both sides, each praying for the success of
their arms, that each side might succeed in using up the opposite
side.
86
Now imagine them, for a moment, to be the true disciples of
Christ, Ministers of the true and everlasting Gospel holding
power and authority from him. What would have been the result if
the Lord had heard the prayers of the religious elements of these
two contending parties? The only thing we can think of as
expressing the idea, is the old fable of the Kilkenny cats,
which, it is said, fought each other and devoured each other all
but the tails, and they began to jump at each other. From the
results one would suppose that the Lord heard the prayers on both
sides to a considerable extent. But it is too serious a matter to
be treated in a jocose style. And, yet, one can hardly resist the
temptation, it is so ludicrous to see people professing the same
holy religion, to be followers of the meek and lowly Jesus and
his righteousness, and preachers of his Gospel arrayed on each
side, stirring up the people to war, urging them on, and praying
to the same God for the success of each others' arms. Now, I ask,
is this an ensample of Christian unity such as the Savior prayed
for, when he asked the Father that all that should believe on him
through the words of his disciples might become one even as he
and the Father were one?
86
The Latter-day Saints, as I have before remarked, are far from
being as yet what the Lord requires them to be. But that spirit
which accompanies the fulness of the Gospel, and which the
Latter-day Saints have received through the preaching of the
Gospel and through obedience to its requirements, has so far made
their hearts as one, causing them to see eye to eye, and to
gather together upon this land of Joseph, that they might learn
more fully the ways of the Lord and walk in his paths, and
cultivate the Christian unity which the Savior prayed for. And
this appears to be the head and front of our offending. Polygamy
is ostensibly the cry; but what reflecting man that is posted in
the history of the times, believes that this has a particle of
influence upon our statesmen? They admit, according to their own
showing, that there is more immorality, depravity, whoredom, and
the terrible consequences of the social evil in one of the great
cities of the Union in a single year than has been in Utah ever
since it has been founded. They know this full well. They know
that we are a people of energy, of industry and honest labor, a
people who do not labor with a view and desire to build ourselves
up at the expense and ruin of our neighbors; but a people who
labor to gather from the elements around us, producing the
comforts of life for ourselves and families. They recognize in us
a people who have planted a flourishing commonwealth in the heart
of the great American desert, and made it possible to populate
the surrounding Territories.
87
In 1847 the standard of the American nation was planted on this
Temple block. I assisted in planting it; and many around me
to-day participated in those early scenes. At the same time the
country lying west of the Sierra Nevada and between it and the
Pacific Coast, was held under the American flag by the Mormon
Battalion, who under General Kearney captured the State of
California from the Mexican government and held it for the United
States government until this country was ceded to the United
States by treaty on the 22nd of February, 1848. The stars and
stripes were planted between the Rocky Mountains on the east and
the Sierra Nevadas west by "Mormon" colonies, and west to the
Pacific coast by the "Mormon Battalion," and the country held for
the American government. We proceeded to the establishment and
organization of civil government. This great basin country
between the mountains was incorporated into the State of Deseret,
a provisional government was organized for the State of Deseret,
a republican constitution was framed and adopted by the people;
the country was divided into counties and precincts, local
government was organized, laws adopted and delegates sent to
Congress to ask for admission into the Union. At the same time
the gold hunters were flocking to California after the "Mormon
Battalion" revealed the first gold which they brought to light
while dragging Captain Sutter's mill race. Some of the men are
still in our midst who brought about these results, who first
revealed to the astonished world the gold of California, and who
raised the first furore, which resulted in thousands flocking to
the Pacific coast. And, mark you, the first colony of settlers
upon that Pacific coast after the capture of that country through
the valor of the "Mormon" Battalion, was a "Mormon" colony
shipped from the New England States, who took with them a
printing press, and planted their feet upon the shores of San
Francisco, and there issued the California Star, in 1847, which
was the first publication in the English language west of the
Rocky Mountains--the first free press hailing the American flag
and proclaiming American liberty, the principles of free
government; and at the same time we planted a free press in this
city, whence was issued the DESERET NEWS, proclaiming those
principles to all the world.
87
Both California and Deseret presented themselves at the same
time, through their delegates, knocking at the door of Congress,
praying for admission into the Union. The prayer of California
was accepted; that of Deseret was rejected.
87
Jesus had occasion to ask this question of the Jews: If a son
shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will ye give him
a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? It
might ill become me perhaps, to apply these words to our national
government; but the facts are that when we presented ourselves as
the State of Deseret, precisely on equal footing with that of
California, with equally a democratic government and republican
constitution, both of which States had been organized out of the
old Mexican States of Upper California, and which had been
recently captured from the Mexican government, and presented
themselves to Congress on equal footing; one was accepted, the
other rejected. Instead of granting to Deseret a State
government, Congress gave us a territorial form of government
under the Organic act of 1850. It is true it extended to us
certain rights of self-government, but to a limited extent. We
had the right of representation in the Legislative Assembly, but
those rights were clipped by the absolute veto of a Federal
Governor; nor, indeed, is the absolute veto of a Federal Governor
the only veto held over the Territorial Legislature, Congress
itself reserving to itself a right to annul the acts of the
Legislative Assembly, though receiving the signature of the
Governor. But if the Governor chooses to withhold his signature
no matter how wholesome or necessary the measure, it cannot
become law, nor would he be, under the Organic Act, required to
assign any reason for it. The mere whim of a man, a stranger to
our country who has but little, if any, practical knowledge of
our needs, and who himself is not a tax-payer, probably may
deprive a whole community of people of their legal rights. Such
is the territorial form of government, not of all Territories,
for with the exception of Utah and New Mexico, this absolute veto
power does not exist on American soil. Other Territories as well
as the States, and the United States, may, through a two-thirds
vote of their legislature, pass any measure over the veto of its
executive.
88
But what does this signify? It says to us, "we are not
willing to trust you with the rights and privileges of
self-government in common with other American citizens; and it is
deemed advisable that we should hold this check upon your
legislature." But notwithstanding we have been shut out from
Statehood, we have prospered and grown into a flourishing
community of people.
88
On several occasions we have renewed our efforts by appealing to
Congress for the rights of self-government; but on every occasion
we have been put off. But we have continued to prosper, and yet
we have received no aid from the general government in
establishing and maintaining schools, as other portions of the
country have. We have built our school-houses and maintained our
schools, and educated our children as best we could. And here let
me say that Utah will compare favorably in educational matters
with any portion of the United States, even the older and richer
States; and while the number of children is three times that of
other populations, yet, they are all enjoying the benefits of a
common school education at least; and as the higher schools are
being established the facilities for more extensive education are
accessible.
88
We have opened up farms and established towns and cities over
this vast country, of 500 miles in extent. We have established
mills and have produced the various cereals and vegetables and
fruits, and raised the beef and mutton, and the wool to supply
our factories, and cotton, to manufacture to a considerable
extent, the clothing that we wear; and we have manufactured to a
considerable extent our farming implements, and yet we are under
the necessity of largely importing manufactured goods. And,
to-day, Utah enjoys prosperity equal, if not superior to any
other Territory, and, indeed, some of the Western States.
88
Now these are facts patent to the world. And with such facts can
they in their inmost souls look upon this people as a vicious
people, or as a wicked, licentious people, as a people who are
influenced by worldly considerations and fleshly lusts? Are these
the works of the licentious and dissolute? We invite the people
of the United States to attend our Sabbath School Unions and
attend the public gatherings of the people where they congregate;
we invite their statesmen and honorable men and women of all
classes to come and visit us and learn facts as they exist,
instead of swallowing greedily the malicious calumnies and
misrepresentations set afoot concerning us by those who know
little or nothing about us; or if they have known anything about
us, they have sold themselves to the Devil long since, and they
are of their father the Devil, who was a liar from the beginning,
and his works they will do; and when honest people come among us
we ask them not to sit themselves down and allow themselves to be
corralled by the lying hypocrites that are fanning the flame of
persecution, and never come in contact with the people they
desire to know and understand. Why is it that honorable men
should act as though they were ashamed to learn the truth? Why is
it they do not come and hear and see for themselves both sides?
89
We are accused of disloyalty. We are accused of being governed by
priestcraft, and that we are subjects of the one-man power. Here
we would pause and respectfully say, in the language of
Scripture, "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine
own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brother's eye." Where, I would ask, could we look for a
more decidedly marked expression of the one-man power than in the
case we have recently had in Utah, in which the Governor gave the
certificate of election to the man for whom the insignificant
number of 1,300 votes was cast, withholding it from the rightful
representative of the people for whom 18,000 votes were recorded?
The persistency with which he and his friends, the enemies of
this people, have sought to fasten this fraud upon the people in
this Territory, not to say anything about the one-man power
provided for in the organic act! A federal governor, a stranger
sent among us with an absolute veto, possessing the power to wipe
out the doings of a whole session of the people's
representatives!
89
I will further direct attention to all reflecting men to the
scenes in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
United States when the Edmunds' bill was put through under what
is called the gag law of the previous question, cutting off
amendments and limiting debate. I will appeal to every honest
man--if there be an honest politician in the land--by asking, Who
among them possesses the freedom of speaking and acting only in
obedience to the party lash, and what Senator or Representative
dare try to air his sentiments or vote contrary to the dictum of
his party leaders? Shame upon them when they talk about the
exercise of one-man power in Utah! If there is a people upon the
earth that exercise greater freedom of speech or action than the
Latter-day Saints, I hope and pray that we may grow until we
become their equals at least.
89
Every principle in our holy religion tends to freedom, or in the
language of the New Testament, the Gospel is the perfect law of
liberty. The reason that it is so is, because it lifts the
spirits of man above the law, or, in other words, it teaches him
to work righteousness and thereby escape the penalties of the
law, and enables him to enjoy that perfect freedom which God has
ordained for all flesh--the freedom to do right, but there is no
liberty to do wrong without incurring the penalty of that
wrong-doing, therefore, every one who does wrong must accept of
the consequences of that wrong, and may expect to suffer the
penalty either in time or in eternity. The Gospel then extends to
us the freedom to do right, and the laws of our common country
used to extend this right and privilege to its citizens. This was
declared by the fathers in the famous Declaration of
Independence, and which was consolidated by the fathers of the
Constitution of our country, which was one of the fruits of their
great struggle.
90
This famous declaration enunciated the doctrine that "all just
powers of government are derived from the consent of the
governed;" and upon this principle are the institutions of our
country founded; and it is only through the guarantees of this
fundamental doctrine underlying our institutions that there can
be any freedom. This declaration of the fathers embodied in that
celebrated instrument, signed on the 4th of July, 1876, is the
embodiment of the principles of civil and religious liberty, such
freedom as God has ever taught and sought to establish among his
children from the beginning of the world. And whenever there has
been a people who have listened to the voice of God, they have
been made free, and oppression has been a stranger to them. The
careful student of the Bible will at once perceive that
everything which God sought to establish among his people, tended
to freedom and the enjoyment of the common rights of humanity.
Never did ancient Israel enjoy as free and happy a government as
under the reign of the judges, from the time Moses led them out
of Egyptian bondage until they clamored for a king. For 430 years
they triumphed over their foes, and they dwelt in peace and
unity, and love and freedom existed, and every tribe was a
commonwealth managing its own local affairs, while they all
sustained a central power which counseled and directed them; and
their rulers were judges inspired of God, were prophets, seers
and revelators, who judged in righteousness, and exercised no
control over the liberties and consciences of men. The same
principle is observed in reading the history of the American
continent. The Book of Mormon is replete with testimony in this
direction. And during the palmy days of the Nephites there was no
king among them; and that long and happy period that preceded the
coming of the Savior, and for hundreds of years that followed
during the reign of the judges among the Nephites, liberty and
freedom and happiness prevailed. And although they had at one
time in accordance with their pronounced and persistent desire, a
king--King Benjamin and King Mosiah--yet, these were kings more
in name than in fact; they were only patriarchs or fathers among
their people, and the term they apply to them might quietly have
a tendency to cause them to augment power to themselves and to
exercise oppressive jurisdiction over the people, and foreseeing
this King Mosiah beseeched the people to abolish the office, and
establish and maintain free government, and elect their chief
judge or governor by the voice of the people. He reasoned and
explained to them the dangers which would result to them by
having a ruler who was not elected by the people. When Israel
began to fall into darkness and transgression, in the days of
Samuel, and they clamored for a king to lead them to war and thus
be like the Gentile nations around them, it grieved Samuel the
Seer to his heart; and he besought the people to desist from
their determination, and he warned them of the dangers that would
follow, telling them that it would lead to oppression and
tyranny, and that taxes would be levied and heavy burdens would
be laid upon the people grievous to be borne, and that it would
finally lead to war, bloodshed and bondage. But they would not
listen. And when the prophet inquired of the Lord what he should
do, he answered and said to Samuel: "Hearken unto the voice of
the people in all they say unto thee: for they have not rejected
thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over
them."
91
Furthermore, the Book of Mormon tells that God will cause a free
government to be established upon this land in the latter-days,
and inasmuch as the people will serve the Lord they shall forever
be a free people. And in the Doctrine and Covenants is contained
a revelation which was given to the Latter-day Saints in the
early history of the Church, commanding us to uphold and maintain
the principles of freedom and liberty, as claimed by our fathers
and consolidated in the Constitution of the United States, and in
which is written this remarkable declaration: "Let no man break
the laws of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God has no
need to break the laws of the land;" and we are further told that
we should uphold and maintain that law which is the
Constitutional law of the land; for, the Lord said, the
Constitution was established by wise men whom he raised up for
that purpose, after the land had been redeemed by bloodshed. This
doctrine was taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, in the early
days of this people, and cannot be separated from the religion we
have embraced; and by the help of the Lord we mean to maintain
those principles to the end, notwithstanding that some of our
American statesmen wax wanton in their feelings and tyrannical in
their acts and expressions, while religious bigots and political
demagogues are undermining the foundations of our American
institutions. They commence to-day upon Utah; but it is not the
first time. From the time the declaration was made in
Philadelphia by the republican party there have been divers
departures from those principles embraced in our American
Constitution. Had the people of America listened to the voice of
the Lord through the Prophet Joseph Smith, they would have long
since freed their slaves in an amicable, an honorable and
economical manner without the shedding of blood. But they
disdained the counsels of the Lord. The Prophet Joseph published
his views in pamphlet form on the powers and duties of the
national government on the then much-mooted question of slavery,
in which he treated upon the compact of the United States as
between the North and South on this question of slavery; and
proposed an easy and honorable plan of settling the question
without violating that compact or encroaching upon the rights of
each other; and that was, to negotiate with the Southern States
for the gradual emancipation of their slaves, the consideration
to be met by the national treasury, and fixing a time after which
all children should be born free, thus providing for a gradual
emancipation, and that they might not feel that they were robbed,
and by their being gradually emancipated they would have been
prepared gradually for free government and free labor, and thus
the ill and unpleasant consequences would have been measurably
averted, at least, of turning loose a horde of uncultivated
people, who were totally unprepared for American citizenship. Had
they listened to this proposition, less than a tenth part of the
cost of the war would have freed all the slaves, and that too
without bloodshed, and the utter devastation of the Southern
States would have been spared.
92
But we have seen it. And following the war has been inaugurated
an era of degeneracy in public morals, degeneracy in politics and
religion, a degeneracy in the minds of our statesmen which has
shown itself in a desire on their part to tamper with the sacred
rights of man, to tamper with every part of the government, not
even excepting the Supreme Court, which, up to the time of the
civil war, was looked upon by the American people as almost
beyond temptation, and beyond the probability of being corrupted
or bribed. But alas! the Supreme Court itself has been tampered
with. And for many years, almost from the commencement of that
effort to break down the barriers of the Constitution and to
settle this vexed question of slavery by violence--from that time
politicians have sought to sustain themselves in violent,
revolutionary and unconstitutional measures by foisting into the
Supreme Court partisans who are already imbued with extreme
political notions and ideas, whose carrying them with them on the
bench has resulted in many decisions which after ages will
greatly deplore and point out as the stepping stones to the
destruction of our free institutions. But it remains for the
Congress of the United States in 1882 to strike the blow at human
freedom which places a vast people who have enjoyed their freedom
in part only for 35 years in these mountains, at the disposal of
a returning board to be sent here by the President. This is the
object of the Edmunds' bill. Its framers, its advocates and
supporters scarcely expect anything from it toward the
extinguishing of polygamy; but they do expect from it the
transfer of our flourishing Territory into the hands of the
enemies of the "Mormon" people. And they expect to disfranchise
whom they will, and decide who may vote and who may hold office,
who may become members of the Legislature, etc., and vice versa;
and then dictate what laws they shall make, and then dictate how
the people shall be taxed to pay their salaries and expenses,
unless forsooth, Congress shall, according to the recommendation
of President Arthur, reconsider that part of the law and make
provision for their salaries.
92
It is not my purpose to attempt to foretell the consequences of
this class of legislation. We shall all see for ourselves; but if
our neighbors, our Gentile friends can stand it we can; and if
our nation can stand it we can; and if our statesmen and the
people who elect them and countenance their acts can stand it, we
can; and if merchants, miners, bankers, agents, speculators,
etc., among us can stand it, we can. If the taxes should be
doubled up, and burdens put upon the people, and they can stand
their share of it, we can stand ours, because we are used to it,
and they are not. If they can confine themselves to one woman I
know we can. (Laughter.) The proof of the pudding you know, is in
the eating. We do not intend to be worried; we have already
passed through many very trying places, and we still expect to
find an outlet. I am reminded often of our experience when
traveling through some of the narrow gorges in our mountains; it
often appears that our road has come to an end against a
mountain, but when we get close up to it, we find a turn, and we
keep traveling; and this is sometimes often repeated in a day's
travel, until, at last, our road opens out and a broad, beautiful
valley is in sight, which never fails to bring feelings of relief
to the weary traveler, especially if he is not familiar with the
road. Such has been our experience in the pilgrimage of life up
to the present time, and we confidently expect that He who has
led us, through His Holy Priesthood, will continue to open up our
way, and He will do so if we keep our covenants with Him. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / George
Q. Cannon, November 20th, 1881
George Q. Cannon, November 20th, 1881
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, November 20th, 1881.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
PEACE AND PROSPERITY OF THE SAINTS--GROWING IMPORTANCE OF THE
CHURCH FROM
ITS ORGANIZATION--THE WORK OF GOD AND NOT OF MAN--GOD'S BLESSING
UPON THE
RIGHTEOUS; HIS CURSE UPON THE UNRIGHTEOUS--THE LIBERTY OF THE
GOSPEL--THE
SAINTS PRESERVED FROM WAR AND BLOODSHED--THEIR UNION AND
UNIVERSAL
GOODWILL.
93
There is a passage in the Book of Mormon which has suggested
itself to my mind, which I will read. It contains the words of
Alma unto his son Helaman, and were among the last words which he
spoke unto him. They will be found recorded on page 368 of the
new edition, namely:
93
"And it came to pass that after Alma had said these things to
Helaman, he blessed him, and also his other sons; and he also
blessed the earth for the righteous' sake;
93
And he said, Thus saith the Lord God: cursed shall be the land,
yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people,
unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe;
and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and
the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon
sin with the least degree of allowance.
93
And now when Alma had said these words he blessed the Church,
yea, all those who should stand fast in the faith from that time
henceforth."
93
President Cannon then continued: In rising to speak unto you this
afternoon, my brethren and sisters, I do so with a desire in my
heart that that which I may say may be prompted by the Spirit of
God, and may be for your edification and comfort as well as my
own. I am glad to have this opportunity of meeting with you--not
so much for the privilege of speaking as of being here.
94
Some of us, as you know, have been traveling considerably of
late, visiting the various settlements, and I believe President
Taylor and party, when they return to this city, will have
completed the entire round of the Territory and of all the Stakes
outside of Arizona--that is so far as Utah and Idaho are
concerned. We have found the people in a very prosperous
condition and feeling exceedingly well. In almost every
settlement the crops have been larger than they have been known
to be before. And the people are prospering in their temporal
circumstances and of course are feeling well, and I believe I do
not overstate the matter when I say that they are as attentive to
their duties generally as I have ever seen them. Good health has
generally prevailed. I think probably we have had more sickness
in this city and neighborhood than in any other part of the
Territory. The people are increasing and spreading abroad, taking
root in the land. In the southern part of the Territory they are
not prospering to so great an extent as they are in the middle
and northern part, owing to various causes. Still there is an
excellent feeling throughout all these settlements, and they are
looking hopefully to the future.
94
I have often thought in looking at the calmness and serenity of
the people, and the peace which prevails in their hearts, and in
their habitations and settlements, that it is not among the least
wonderful features of this organization that a people, who are so
much maligned, attacked and threatened as are the Latter-day
Saints, should be found living so undisturbed by these things and
apparently enjoying themselves as they do. There is scarcely a
week passes, or has passed for years in which there have not been
some threats uttered and circulated against us. "Terrible things
going to be done with the Mormons; we are going to have them all
disposed of now; we shall have this Mormon question all settled,
and the problem so thoroughly solved that it will never require
to be meddled with again."
95
Threats of this character have been in circulation now for years,
and every time they have been alluded to it seemed to those who
made them as though their plans would be likely to be successful.
In the case of any other people it would repress all energy and
development, it would frighten everybody, and, in fact, no one
would want to live in a community that was in such constant
jeopardy. But so far as my observation has extended the people,
as I have remarked, are full of peace and quiet, undisturbed by
the prospects for the future. In fact they feel quite happy and
rejoice that they are counted worthy to have their names cast out
as evil. It is one of the most remarkable features connected with
this work that a people so few in number, naturally so quiet and
inoffensive, molesting no one, interfering with no one's peace or
enjoyment, threatening no one, minding their own business,
peacefully pursuing their varied pursuits, should create such a
stir in the world as we are doing. It might be thought that the
150,000 people who live in the Territory of Utah, would be such
an insignificant people and so utterly beneath the notice--so far
as numerical strength is concerned--of the world at large, that
they might be permitted to pursue the course which is marked out
for them without interference and without so much agitation
respecting them. But I was told yesterday by a federal official
who had just returned from the east--and I suppose it is
true--that there was no subject to-day that seemed to have the
importance in men's minds that Utah had, and that wherever he
went, when it was known that he was from Utah, everybody wanted
to talk with him about its affairs and its people. Newspaper
reporters were after him to find out what he could tell them
about us, and I am informed that members of Congress and other
leading men are making the "Mormon question" a special study. I
hope they will thoroughly investigate it while they are at it; I
think the investigation will prove profitable to them, if it is
only done in the right spirit; but the object, I suppose, in
making it a special study is to do something, to deal with its
imaginary evils, to devise some plan that will reach this system
that appears to be so hateful. Well, now, I call this a
remarkable feature of this work. I think it is exceedingly
wonderful that so small a people--a people whom every one must
admit who visits this country, are peaceful--should create such a
disturbance in the earth and be the cause of so much thought, so
much writing and speech making. And it has not been the case in
Utah alone, that is, since the Latter-day Saints came to Utah,
but it has been a peculiarity of this work--the work of God--from
the day of its inception in these last days until the present.
And what is still more remarkable, it was predicted that this
would be the case about it when it first started and before it,
in fact, had an organization.
95
Doubtless the most of you remember that when Joseph Smith was
visited by an angel of God when he was quite a youth, it was said
to him by the angel that his name should be known for good and
evil throughout the earth, and most wonderfully has that
statement been fulfilled in his case and in the case of all those
who have embraced the everlasting Gospel. This was said before
the Church was organized; it was published directly after the
organization.
95
Doubtless you are all familiar--or most of you are--with the
letters of Oliver Cowdery to W. W. Phelps, in which this was
published among the earliest writings that were sent forth by
this Church, and when to all human appearances there was not the
least probability of it being fulfilled, except a man should have
the spirit of revelation to discern the future. But when the
Church was organized it created a sensation in the
neighborhood--it attracted attention--men's minds were drawn
towards it. As it increased the excitement spread, and among the
earliest predictions that I remember hearing, connected with this
work, was, that it had called forth the attention of townships
and of counties and of States, and it was said of it, that it
should spread until it would attract the attention of the United
States and of the world. This was one of the earliest predictions
that was uttered connected with the work, and it was also
predicted concerning it, that its missionaries should go to every
land and to every people, and carry the glad tidings of
salvation, and should be the means of gathering out of every
nation, kindred, tongue and people, the honest in heart, who
should gather together in one place, and should be known by the
name of Zion. I often think of this. The wonderful manner in
which this people called Latter-day Saints dwelling in Utah have
been gathered together is a subject of never-ceasing interest to
me.
96
Before the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, Joseph Smith received revelations which he
said were revelations from God. They are now embodied in this
book, which we call the Book of Doctrine and Covenants and among
the earliest of these revelations is found a statement given by
the Lord Jesus Christ, through Joseph Smith, to the effect that
he intended to bring forth and establish Zion, and that He would
gather together the people who would obey His Gospel. This
prediction is particularly note worthy, because at the time when
the first of these revelations was given, there was no such
organization as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
upon the earth; it did not have an existence; and in the
September following its organization--that is five months
afterwards--another revelation was given, in which it was stated
still more plainly who were to be gathered, and the purposes for
which they were to be gathered, and this, too, before there was a
place designated as a place of gathering. I have often said that
if the Prophet Joseph Smith had no other evidence to show to the
world of the divinity of his mission, and of his prophetic
office, than that revelation alone, it was sufficient in and of
itself to establish it; for this reason; that at the time it was
uttered, as I have said, there was no organization of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; there was no gathering
place; no person had ever witnessed such a proceeding as a people
belonging to one church gathering together and dwelling together
in one organization. There was nothing of the kind known; there
was no organization among the children of men that could have
given a hint of the possibility or probability of such a great
event taking place. If other churches had done the same, then it
might have been thought that the Prophet Joseph Smith could
easily have predicted that the people that he would be the means
of gathering together, might do so also. But there was no
accessible record extant of the gathering together of any people
in this manner at the time that Joseph proclaimed this principle.
Yet he, inspired of God, dared to make this statement to the
world, and to publish it, and to-day, we who are here are living
witnesses of its fulfilment--not of its complete fulfilment, but
sufficiently to make it one of the strangest events that has ever
been witnessed among men. There have been many circumstances
surrounding the people which have been of such a character as to
operate against their gathering. It is not long since a Secretary
of State issued a circular to the nations of Europe to check this
very business of gathering. I do not suppose that he knew that
Joseph Smith had made such a prediction, or that God had inspired
him to give such a revelation, or that he ever imagined for a
moment that the word of God was recorded upon this subject; but
he thought it would be a good thing to stop the immigration of
"Mormons." Mobs have also done their part to accomplish the same
end, by endeavoring to break up the community and scatter its
members and frighten those who had not gathered, so that they
might be deterred from coming. But notwithstanding all these
influences which have been operating from the
beginning--commencing as I said in a township, then spreading to
a county, afterwards to a State, and to States, and then the
Secretary of State of our nation taking the matter in
hand--notwithstanding all these influences which have been
operating to check the gathering of the people together, they
have gathered as we see them to-day, and are still gathering,
because God has said they should, and there is no earthly power
that can prevent their gathering together, though it need not
surprise you if more thorough measures than ever have been should
be taken to prevent the Saints from obeying this command.
97
When the Elders of this Church first went out, they went out
without the ordinary advantages that men who call themselves
ministers possess. They were men selected from the various
avocations of life. Joseph Smith himself was a farmer. He was not
a man that was schooled for the ministry. He had had no education
to fit and qualify him as men are ordinarily supposed to be
qualified in these days who teach their fellow men what is called
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did not go to a theological
seminary. But inspired of God, having been ordained of God to the
everlasting Priesthood (that authority that had been withdrawn
from the earth in consequence of the wickedness of men; and been
restored to the earth and bestowed upon him by angelic agency) he
stood up in the midst of his fellow-men and proclaimed the truth,
and by the power of God he was the means of bringing many to its
knowledge; and, as I have said, inspired of God, he selected
others and laid his hands upon them, that being the ordination
necessary to qualify them to preach the word of God. They were
taken from the plow, they were taken from the blacksmith's shop,
from the mechanic's bench, from the counting room, and from all
the vocations of life in which they were found; they were taken
and were thus ordained and sent out to preach the Gospel, without
purse and scrip, without salary, without that which the world had
considered necessary--an education, an education suited to the
calling. In this way they went forth and preached the Gospel--not
in men's wisdom, not in their own strength, but calling upon God
in the name of Jesus to bestow His Holy Spirit upon the people
and to carry their words by that spirit to their hearts, and to
help them find the honest, the meek, and the humble. This is the
way in which they went. They could not glory in man. They could
not take glory to themselves, for there was nothing about them in
which they could glory. And the result was that wherever they
went they met honest-hearted people--people who were waiting to
receive their message; and these people as soon as they were
baptized were seized with a desire to gather together with the
people of God, without knowing what God had said upon the
subject.
99
Now, when God does a work he does it in his own way, and he is
determined--he always was apparently from all we read--to have
the glory of that work. If a man were to go forth qualified by
education and preached by the power of education and of learning,
who is it that gets the glory? Why, you will find it everywhere
that man is glorified. If there is a fluent preacher, if there is
a successful orator in what is called the Christian Church, he
gets the glory of it, and he gets a salary in proportion to it.
Commencing, as some of them have done, to preach in humble
places, the fame of their oratory has spread, and they have had
calls to the ministry from other places, such calls being
accompanied by an increase of salary, and a man goes from one
place to another according to the addition he receives in his
salary until he becomes noted as many are to day. The fame of
their oratory goes throughout the United States. Who is it that
gets the glory for this? Why, it is the men themselves, and they
get the salary, too. They not only get the glory of men, but they
get their pay. Man's education is praised, the college where he
received it receives credit for it according to the ability that
he may display, and God is very little thought about in the
matter, and certainly the Holy Ghost gets no credit, for it is
supposed that the Holy Ghost has nothing to do with it. Well,
now, God has taken a different method in our day, and he is
showing forth his power. He is taking the meek and the lowly and
the humble men who are desirous to keep his commandments, and he
is making them mighty through his power. But they cannot give any
glory to any one but the Almighty for this. Let a man attempt to
travel without purse and scrip, as the Elders of this Church have
done, and as the ancient Apostles did, and if he is successful he
is successful through faith, through his reliance upon God
through keeping his commandments, through being humble, meek and
lowly of heart, and if he reaches the hearts of the honest, the
only way he can hope to do it is by having the Spirit of God, and
having that power accompanying his words. He cannot do it in any
other way. And who is there in this Church that gives Joseph
Smith the glory of this work? Yet it is the most wonderful
organization ever beheld among men. There is nothing like it.
There is no limit to the power connected with it; there is no
limit to the union connected with it; there is no limit to the
capacity for expansion connected with it. You may expand it and
make it as wide and broad as you please, and the organization is
equal to it. If it only consisted of six members it answered the
purpose; if it consisted of six thousand it answered the purpose.
If it were to consist of six millions it would answer the
purpose; if it should embrace the whole world it would be found
equal to the necessity. No man can look upon the organization of
this Church and examine it in its details without being
wonderfully impressed--if he be a man who does not give glory to
God--with the ability of the man who framed it; but if he be
disposed to give glory to God, he cannot examine it without
praising God in his heart for giving so wonderful and so simple
an organization on the earth for a church. But though this is the
case, who is there that gives any glory to Joseph Smith? Who is
there that gives any glory to Brigham Young? I have been told
repeatedly that we do not honor our men enough, we do not give
them praise enough; but it is a fact, the people look behind the
instrument. Joseph Smith was a man; yet we have been falsely
accused of worshiping Joseph Smith in the place of the Savior,
and the same has also been said of Brigham Young. But the true
feeling is to look behind Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to the
Power who raised them up, to that Being who gave them all their
gifts and endowments, who inspired them and who made them perform
the work that they did. And when Elders in this Church are
successful there is very little disposition to give them the
glory or the praise therefore. The praise is given to God, who is
the author of these blessings and of the gathering of this people
together. The world say it was the shrewdness of Joseph Smith
that first suggested this, and that it was the executive ability
that Brigham Young had that carried it out. They do not recognize
God in it; it was Brigham Young. But, my brethren and sisters,
you know who it was. You know that it was no power of man that
could have touched your hearts and made you desire to leave your
homes and come to Zion. This makes every man and woman in this
Church, who comes from the nations of the earth, a living witness
for himself and for herself, not depending upon the Elders, for
the Elders could not do this, they could not offer the
inducements, but every man and every woman becomes an interested
person, a witness himself and herself to the truth of these
things, and especially to the doctrine of gathering. Why the
desire is so strong and has been in the hearts of the people that
if it were necessary they would walk on foot any distance to join
the gathered Saints. If they could walk on the water they would
do it. They would push hand-carts across the plains if they could
not come across in any other way, carrying their packs on their
backs. Why? Because the Spirit of God was poured out upon them,
and it filled their hearts with this desire that I said is
irrepressible. They could not be content to stay away.
100
In this way God has built up this Church. It did not, as we have
often heard, depend upon one man. Men thought if they killed
Joseph Smith they would destroy the keystone; that his existence
was the means of upholding the work and giving it solidity. But
he was killed, and still the work prospered, and it will prosper
if every man that is now in position in the Church should be
killed or should die. The testimony of Jesus is in the hearts of
the people. You travel throughout the Territory, and call the
people together and ask them: "What influence brought you here?"
Every one who is an adult, and has retained the faith, will tell
you that it was the Spirit and power of God. No other influence
nor power could have done this but that. Well, now, men will
fight it, men are fighting it. It is strange to-day to see people
who call themselves religious, advocating all manner of means to
be brought against this people to destroy them. To shed their
blood is thought to be justifiable; the killing of people in
order to destroy an organization that they think is so full of
menace; and yet we are told in the Bible--and we have been taught
it from childhood, that the righteous never persecute the wicked,
but it has always been the case that the wicked persecute the
righteous; and we are told by the Savior himself that his
followers should be hated of all men, and that men in seeking to
kill them would think they were doing God's service. It was not
the Apostles of Jesus who persecuted the wicked, it was not the
righteous who hated them and who sought their destruction. There
were no petitions went out from the humble followers of Christ
against the Pharisees and against the religious sects of that day
to have them destroyed, to have governmental aid to assist them
in extirpating their heresies; nothing of this kind has ever been
witnessed, but here we find to-day the professedly righteous, the
ministers, advocating the most dreadful measures. Why I heard
here a few days ago from one of our returned missionaries that
the sermon of a notorious preacher in the East, delivered some
time since, in which he advocated the wiping out of the
Latter-day Saints by the use of arms and cannon and weapons of
war--I was told that the sermon when it reached England was
re-printed and distributed gratuitously at the doors of the
churches. People rejoiced over it, thought it an excellent
scheme, and yet you tell those people they are not Christians and
they would be shocked, feel insulted and think themselves
terribly abused by such a statement, and at the same time were
rejoicing over the prospect of the Latter-day Saints being killed
and the system being broken up by violence.
101
How shall we feel respecting these matters? I have said that the
people, so far as my observation has extended throughout this
Territory, were rejoicing and feeling contented. How shall we
feel? Shall we be disturbed? The man or woman who entered into
this Church who was old enough to understand these matters, and
expected anything different to this, was not properly informed.
When I became old enough to understand the character of this work
I made up my mind that it might cost me everything before I got
through. I did not know what might be involved in it, what
consequences; but I knew that others who had started out for
salvation had been slain, and that Saints of God in every age
have had to lay down their lives for the truth and that my Lord
and Master Jesus Christ, had been crucified, and if I expected to
live and reign with Him, that I must also be prepared to endure
all things. The salvation that God has promised unto us is worthy
of all this, or it is worth nothing. If we cannot sacrifice
everything there is upon the face of the earth, that men hold
dear to them then we are unworthy of that great salvation that
God has promised unto the faithful. The man that cannot bring
every appetite into subjection to the mind and will of God, that
cannot forego everything of this kind, and that is not willing to
sacrifice houses and lands, and father and mother, wives and
children and everything that men hold dear to them, is unworthy
that great salvation that God has in store for His faithful
children. When I hear people say that they are Latter-day Saints,
and will drink with the drunken; when I hear men talk about being
Latter-day Saints who will not conquer their appetites, and will
not bring them in subjection to the mind and will of God, I think
very little of their professions. If we value this salvation as
we should, there is nothing that will stand between us and it. We
may love our wives as we love our own lives; we may love our
children as we do ourselves; we may be willing to step between
death and our wives and children and say, "If any be killed, let
us be killed; if there is to be any hardship, let us endure it;"
we may have this feeling, but at the same time we must love the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the cause that He
established, better than we do our wives and our children, better
than we do our own lives. There is nothing upon the face of the
earth that we should love as we do the Gospel. God requires this
of us. Therefore, if we are Latter-day Saints, what difference
does it make what is brought against us? Suppose armies should be
launched against us; suppose the measures urged by some so called
divines, should be carried out; will it make any difference in
regard to us and our future? Shall we be disturbed because of
these threats being fulminated against us? Not in the least; for
the reason that God is our Father--He stands at the head, and not
one hair of our heads shall fall to the ground without His
notice. Nothing can occur that He does not take cognizance of. He
watches over us as well as the rest of the human family, and He
will overrule everything for our good. We should, therefore, be
the happiest people--as I fully believe we are--on the face of
the earth. We maybe persecuted, maligned and threatened, it ought
not to make the least difference to us in regard to our
enjoyment. Our trust should be in something higher than man.
There is one Being whom we call our Father, and that is God, whom
we should fear; we should hold Him in reverence and be so afraid
that we would never do anything to offend Him or to grieve His
Holy Spirit. But as for man! What is man? What is there about man
that we should fear him? We have seen men in the plenitude of
their power array themselves against the work of God, and they
have passed away one after another; but the work of God lives and
will live. Opposers may fight it, rave against it; organizations
may be formed for the purpose of crushing it, but they will pass
away just as sure as God has spoken and as we live. This work
that God has established will roll forth. The power connected
with it cannot be crushed. Men may apostatize, as many have done,
but it will not affect the work. The three witnesses of this Book
of Mormon, from which I have read--Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer
and Martin Harris--two of them are now dead--testified all their
days that an holy angel came and showed them the plates from
which this book was translated--even they fell away. They
disagreed with the Prophet Joseph, and fell away from the Church,
one of them at least, because of unchastity, the cause most
fruitful above all others of apostacy. When a man indulges in
unchaste desires or practices he cannot stand in this Church, he
will apostatize sooner or later unless he repents. One of the
witnesses--Oliver Cowdery--upon whose head, with that of Joseph
Smith, the hands of John the Baptist were laid, upon whose head,
in company with Joseph Smith, the hands of Peter, James and John
were laid, even he fell away from this Church, and yet he never
denied his testimony of the truth of this work, nor did Martin
Harris. David Whitmer, the only surviving witness, is in the same
condition. He, too, fell away from the Church during Joseph's
lifetime, and became Joseph's enemy; but he never denied the
truth of his testimony connected with the Book of Mormon, and
still bears testimony to it to-day. These men, it might have been
supposed, would have shaken the Church. Oliver Cowdery had the
idea, notwithstanding the revelations he had received, that when
he fell away the Church would receive a great shock. There were
twelve men chosen as Apostles from the midst of the people, and
of these twelve six fell away from the Church and ranged
themselves against the Prophet of God. They were determined to
destroy the work if they could. This reminds one of the parable
of the ten virgins. There were five wise and five foolish;
one-half of them were unprepared to go out and meet the
bridegroom. So with the Apostles, half of them fell away. But did
the Church stop? no; and if all the Apostles had apostatized it
would not have arrested the onward progress of this work, for God
has spoken concerning it, and His word will be fulfilled. And
shall we fear man? Shall we fear earthly organizations? Shall we
fear threats? Shall our knees tremble and our hands and our
hearts falter because men array themselves against the work of
God? If we do, then we mistake entirely its character. No such
feeling enters into the heart of any faithful man or woman
connected with this Church.
103
Now, my brethren and sisters, the Lord has made great promises
unto us. I have read you one from this Book of Mormon. This land
is a blessed land unto all the inhabitants of the earth who will
act righteously, but is and will be cursed to those who will not.
There is a curse and a blessing upon the land. No nation can
prosper in this land that works unrighteousness, and it is a
painful thing to say that our own nation, unless it repents, will
meet with disasters sooner or later. It pains us to say this, but
it is true. God has said it. It will be true about us. This land
can only be blessed to us if we work righteously. Let us turn
round and oppress the weak and do wrong, and God will curse the
land to us. There will be trouble in the land among the
inhabitants of the earth as long as they work wickedness, just as
sure as God has spoken. There has been no nation prospered as our
nation has. No government was ever framed by man that is so
strong and so good and well adapted to the happiness of human
beings as our government is. There never was a better instrument
framed for the happiness of man than the Constitution of the
United States. The men who framed it were inspired of God. The
men who fought the battles of the Revolution were the same.
Washington was inspired of God; he was sustained by the almighty
arm of God; and the defeats that the mother country received were
in accordance with the plan of God. This land was kept for this
purpose. For centuries it was hidden from all the nations of the
earth. It was not until the 15th century that God inspired
Columbus to go forth and seek a passage across the Atlantic, and
land upon some of the islands adjacent to this continent. His
track was followed by others. All this was in the mind of God. We
have it all plainly stated to us in this book (the Book of
Mormon), and the reasons for it, the best possible reasons that
could be given. It is said that the Norwegians had visited this
country and that the stone tower at Newport is evidence of it.
The Scandinavian antiquarians claim that it was thus discovered;
but if so, it was not peopled. It remained hidden until the 15th
century, and there was good reason for it. This land would have
been overrun by other nations had it been discovered earlier, and
there would have been no place for that which we now behold. But
God preserved it; and He has said in the Book of Mormon, that so
long as the inhabitants of this land serve the God of the land,
who is Jesus Christ--they shall prosper and no nation shall have
power over them. The Lord has also said that there shall be no
kings upon this land. The attempt of Maximillian is an evidence
of the truth of it. Backed as he was by the power of France and
Austria, particularly by France, he was killed for his attempt;
for the Lord has said there shall be no kings upon this land, and
that it shall be a land of liberty unto the inhabitants thereof
as long as they serve the Lord. And the prosperity that has
attended the land thus far is due to this blessing. Those who
contended for liberty in early days were men who desired to serve
the Lord. They may have been mistaken in many things, but they
were zealous in this and devoted to it, and many of them were
willing that every human being should have the rights that they
contended for themselves. But this is all changed to-day. There
is a great change. You and I cannot worship God as we desire,
without being in danger. We are told that it is because we are
polygamists. Why, the earliest privations which we had to contend
with, the scenes which are seared in the memories of these aged
people, and these of middle age, were all passed through by us
when polygamy was not known. When we chose to worship God, and
said He was a God of revelation to-day, the same as He was 1800
years ago. There were men then, and there are men to-day, who
would destroy us because we exercise that belief. Hence, I say,
prosperity cannot attend a people who will trample upon liberty
in that manner, and the party that arrays itself against the work
of God cannot prosper.
103
When men have power and do right they will be sustained; but when
they do wrong they go against the eternal principles of justice
and against God. There are many thousands of men who know that
Utah has not been fairly treated, but they have not the courage
to say so, because with many who hold office it might cost them
position. Visitors come here and are impressed with what they
see, but many of them yield to the force of public opinion and
say what they do not believe in their hearts. Thus it is that the
tide of calumny has swelled and there is no one to throw
obstacles in its way; we have endured its full force as it has
rolled upon us, and must still stand up and endure it. Although
it is so painful, it is not without profit; it teaches us many
valuable lessons. I hope it will have a good effect upon us. I
suppose it is to chasten us and to keep us humble, and if it will
teach us to be liberal and not to oppress others, I shall be
glad: liberty for every man in the land and every woman--liberty
to the fullest possible extent for all, as long as they do not
trespass upon the rights of their fellows. If a man wishes to
worship an idol or an animal, a bull, a calf, a dog, or a serpent
or anything else--liberty to do so as long as his worship does
not interfere with the rights of his fellows. If he wishes to
worship the God of Heaven, all right, he should not be interfered
with. God has blessed the land in the words that I have read in
your hearing, and if we were driven out of it, in five years it
would return to its original desolation. This land of desolation
God has changed into a fruitful field, because of the blessing on
the land, and as long as the Latter-day Saints live righteously
the land shall be blessed to them. The climate will be
ameliorated; the soil will be fertilized; fruits will grow as
they have done in this valley.
104
When we first came here I remember the thoughts of many. They did
not believe that we could raise any fruit here, and the man who
first set out peach stones was laughed at because of the idea he
entertained that they would grow. Very few believed they would
grow. And to-day where can you find a better land for fruit than
this? I suppose when we came many thought if we could raise bread
enough, it would be as much as we could do, there being frost
every month of the year. But now it is so charming a place that
many covet it. When they got up that raid against us a few years
ago, I was credibly informed that there were certain men here who
actually went round and selected the places they would occupy!
They indicted Brigham Young, Daniel H. Wells, and others for
alleged crimes, and the hope was that we would scare away from
here and then places could be had for the choosing.
104
But we came here to stay, here we expect to stay, and here we
shall stay as long as we do right. And we shall not only stay
here, but we shall spread abroad, and the day will come--and this
is another prediction of Joseph Smith's--I want to remind you of
it, my brethren and sisters, when good government, constitutional
government--liberty--will be found among the Latter-day Saints,
and it will be sought for in vain elsewhere; when the
Constitution of this land and republican government and
institutions will be upheld by this people who are now so
oppressed and whose destruction is now sought so diligently. The
day will come when the Constitution, and free government under
it, will be sustained and preserved by this people. This is
saying a great deal, but it is not saying any more than is said
concerning the growth of this work, and that which is already
accomplished. I have just turned to the revelation upon this
subject, which says:
104
"And it shall come to pass, among the wicked, that every man that
will not take his sword against his neighbor, must needs flee
unto Zion for safety. And there shall be gathered unto it out of
every nation under heaven; and it shall be the only people that
shall not be at war one with another."
105
This revelation was given on the 7th of March, 1831. We have
already beheld and are now beholding its fulfilment: the
righteous are being gathered and they are coming with songs of
everlasting joy: and this was given before there was a gathering
place, and only eleven months after the Church was organized. And
it is a remarkable fact that to-day--I do not say it out of any
improper feeling--our hands as a people, by a singular
providence, are free from the blood of our fellow-men. We were
driven out of this land. Our enemies were not content to let us
remain in the States, on the land that we had purchased, they
would not permit us to occupy the homes we had built, but
compelled us to leave, and we came to the Rocky Mountains. And
when the civil war broke out President Lincoln sent a
communication to Governor Young, asking him if he could send
troops to guard the continental highway and preserve it from the
attacks of Indians. He responded by sending out companies of
cavalry. They spent the time in guarding the mail route against
the Indians, and thus, as I have said, our hands to-day as a
people, are free from the blood of our fellow-citizens by this
singular providence, through the acts of our enemies. Had we
remained in the State of Illinois, or in Missouri, we should have
been compelled--unless we had chosen to occupy a very anomalous
position--to have taken sides in this fratricidal war, a war
which Joseph Smith in the year 1832, predicted would take place.
The revelation was printed in 1850--though known to the church
long before--stating that the war should commence between the
north and south, at South Carolina. I suppose there is not a boy
who has been brought up in this community who did not know of the
revelation years before it was published, and, still longer,
before it was fulfilled. I know I was taught concerning this
revelation, when a boy, and I knew the time would come when there
would be a bloody war between the north and south and that it
would commence in South Carolina. Did it commence there? Yes.
Joseph Smith predicted it 28 years before it occurred. And in the
manner to which I have alluded, we were driven out and occupied a
position where, though we did not go to war, our loyalty to the
Union could not be questioned, for we responded to every call
that was made upon us. Though we deplored the war, and did all we
could by our preaching, counsels and warnings to avert it, we
were true to our obligations; and yet at the same time--though we
have men among us who took part in the war--as a people our hands
are clean from the blood of our fellow-men. Our Church has not
been divided into a church north and a church south. It is a
church that belongs to the whole people of the north and of the
south, and there are no sectional heart-burnings in our midst.
God in his providence had made this a place of refuge from the
north and from the south. They can come here without
heart-burnings and without prejudice; no civil broils, no
disunion; they have nothing to remember or forget connected with
us. It is a church that is adapted to all. The black man is
welcome, and he is entitled to the rites of the Gospel, though
the Lord has shown that to his race the Priesthood is forbidden.
The red man, and the yellow man and every man of every race and
of every kindred and of every tongue, has a right in this Church
and will be received into it and have place in it, just as sure
as God has spoken. And we shall be preserved from future broils
and disunion when they break out; we shall stand in places where
we can maintain our loyalty and our truthfulness and our honor,
and at the same time not interfere with the rights of any human
being.
105
I have talked longer than I intended to. It is probably the last
opportunity I will have of addressing you for some little time. I
expect to leave for Washington before another Sunday comes. I
desire earnestly in my heart that I may have your faith and
prayers. I have felt greatly strengthened by the knowledge that I
have had your faith, your confidence, and your prayers, and I go
out now hoping I shall still have these, for they are more
valuable to me than anything else. I should go weak indeed if I
did not have the faith and prayers and confidence of my brethren
and sisters. I do not believe there is another representative in
the world, it may be said--and certainly not in our nation--who
has more cause for thanksgiving in this respect than I have. I
know I am backed and sustained by my entire constituency; I know
I have their love and affection; I know their hearts go with me,
and their feelings and affections are always towards me; I know
in almost every household prayers are offered in my behalf; it
gives me strength; and when I am assailed and when our people are
assailed and our Territory, it gives me strength to know we are
united, and that when I am in Washington, though I may be
alone--which I am in one sense of the word--I have an influence
and a power attending me, in consequence of this, that others do
not have. God has preserved us, and he will preserve us and
overrule evil for good. I feel hopeful and cheerful: this is a
blessing God has given unto me. In the midst of the darkest hours
I have always felt exceedingly cheerful: fear has been taken away
from me.
106
I pray that you may be blessed exceedingly of the Lord; that His
Holy Spirit may be poured out upon you; that peace may be given
unto you and union fill your hearts: I ask this in the name of
Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Franklin D. Richards, April 8, 1882
Franklin D. Richards, April 8, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE F. D. RICHARDS,
Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Saturday Morning, April 8, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE LORD'S WORK--WARFARE NOT REQUIRED OF THE SAINTS--AN
OVERRULING
PROVIDENCE--CORRUPTION AND PERJURY IN HIGH PLACES--VIOLATION OF
THE
CONSTITUTION--FALSE ACCUSATIONS AGAINST THE SAINTS--WORDS OF
COMFORT AND
EXHORTATION.
106
The greatly increased numbers of Israel, and the greatly
diversified and multifarious necessities which are occurring, and
which increase like the branches upon a great tree, call upon us
each and all, to seek continually for the mind of the Lord, that
in all our varied ministrations, labors and duties, we may
perform the same acceptably to him and profitably to all of his
children; not only to the Saints but to the inhabitants of all
the earth, inasmuch as they will hearken to his word.
106
We have a vast number of witnesses and evidences of the mercy,
the favor and blessing of God unto us, as a people, as well as to
ourselves individually and as families, it being the privilege of
all who live faithfully in Christ Jesus to see and acknowledge
the hand of God in all things throughout their checkered lives.
106
This morning I am reminded of some choice, precious promises
which the Lord has made to us in the dispensation in which we
live, having a peculiar application unto us, though like
blessings may have been promised to people in former generations,
those now referred to were given especially to the Saints of the
last days. There is one very significant saying in the
revelations, you will find it in the Doctrine and Covenants,
section 103, beginning at the 19th verse. It is as follows:
106
"Therefore let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you, as
I said unto your fathers, mine angel shall go up before you, but
not my presence, but I say unto you, mine angel shall go before
you, and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the
goodly land."
107
Here is a very definite and positive assurance that this work is
His, that he is particularly to figure in it himself; that he has
not entirely committed it, even to angels; as represented in the
parable, so beautifully expressed in the Book of Mormon, where
the husbandman calls upon his servants to come and help him to
prune his vineyard for the last time; we are given to understand
that so we are called to be helpers to the Lord our God, to prune
his vineyard for the last time.
107
We should not allow the cares or corruptions of the world to lead
us to forget that the work in which we are engaged is the Lord's
work; we should never forget that the work to which all are
called, God has undertaken to direct Himself; especially as it
was commenced in former dispensations, but, for obvious reasons,
remains to be consummated and perfected in the dispensation of
the fulness of times in which we live. The Lord has also told us
specifically in his revelations that it is his business to
provide for his people. Most encouraging words--calculated to
increase confidence in the hearts of all those who walk by faith
before him.
107
Furthermore, he has condescended to tell us in the revelations
given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, "For behold I do not
require at their (the Elders) hands to fight the battles of Zion;
for as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil. I
will fight your battles." Doctrine and Covenants, section 105,
verse 14.
107
One after another passages might be repeated relating to the
designs and purposes of God, all going to show that he has not
let out the work to be done by chance or to be controlled by
others, but that he will direct it himself.
107
Have we not evidence of these facts? We have as pointed and
conclusive evidence of these things, already before us, as the
Apostle Paul had when he told the Hebrews that, through faith the
worlds were framed by the word of God; through faith Abraham,
when he was called to go out into a place which he should
afterwards receive for an inheritance, obeyed; by faith he
sojourned in the land of promise, etc. Let us look at two or
three prominent features of our history for evidences of his
divine favor in overruling affairs for our welfare according to
the counsels of his own will.
107
In former times there was much destruction of life and a great
deal of contention between the enemies of God's work and his
people. The latter have at different times gone forth, and that
by the holy command of heaven, to mortal combat. The Lord has
told us in his revelations of the last days concerning the laws
which governed warfare in the days of Abraham, of Lehi and Nephi,
etc., which are detailed very minutely in the Doctrine and
Covenants. He says:
107
"Behold this is the law I gave unto my servant Nephi, and thy
fathers Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham, and all mine
ancient prophets and apostles.
107
And again, this is the law that I gave unto mine ancients, that
they should not go out unto battle against any nation, kindred,
tongue or people, save I, the Lord, commanded them. (Doctrine and
Covenants, sec. 98, verse 32, 33.)"
107
For an account of the laws that justify warfare the Saints can
read this section from the 23rd verse to the end.
108
In those days there was more contention or mortal combat
permitted and required, in order to maintain the rights of God's
people and establish righteousness before his face, when
idolatrous and all manner of worship, except that of the true and
living God, prevailed among the nations generally. But it is not
given unto us that we should contend with weapons of war; that
inasmuch as we serve him, he will fight our battles for us. How
has he done this? Have we forgotten how he managed to keep us out
of the late terrible fratricidal war, when our great country was
divided in a sanguinary struggle? How did he graciously regard
us? It was by telling us to arise and go hence.
108
Some of you well remember in what haste we gathered our little
remaining substance in Nauvoo, leaving our homes in the winter
season, and how we crossed the river on the ice. History attests
the fact that we left none too soon to escape the dire necessity
of taking up weapons of war against our fellow-man. The great
reason why David was not allowed to build a house to the Lord,
was because he had been a man of blood. He had commenced to
gather his thousands of talents of gold and silver together, and
was ready to build, but the Lord told him he should not, that he
had been too much a man of war, had shed too much blood; but that
he might get the materials together, and that Solomon, his son,
should build a temple to his name. It is plainly to be seen, in
the wisdom of God, that the Saints are not to take that course;
but on the contrary, the Lord requires of them that they preserve
to themselves pure hearts and clean hands to build His Temples.
Was not this a great and wonderful manifestation of his loving
kindness, was it not a demonstration to a great people of his
tender mercy in preserving us from that fratricidal strife that
arose in the nation. Where is the heart that cannot be thankful
for this? Here is one great, we may say, worldwide demonstration
of his kindness and goodness to provide for his people, and to
preserve them from dire calamities, the direst of calamities that
overtake the human family. Let us then sense the feeling and
spirit of the ancient prophet. Isaiah when speaking of the
judgments of the latter days, that the watchmen should lift up
their voices and speak comforting words to Zion. And what should
they say? "Thy God reigneth." That is the word to us, brethren
and sisters. "Thy God reigneth." Let us learn to know and sense
it, put our trust in him, and learn that it is he that builds up
nations, and it is he that levels them to the dust; that it is he
that raises up and makes rulers and people to become mighty in
the earth, and that it is he that permits them to go down into
insignificance, shame and contempt.
109
How has it been when our enemies in our midst, in violation of a
sacred principle of the Constitution, have said that we should
not bear arms, which we had been wont to do in celebrating the
anniversary of our national independence, and for our own
protection in this new and Indian country, and that too in
accordance with a provision of the Constitution; when we
submitted in silence to this indignity, what has been wrought out
in our behalf? As if the heavens took momentary record of it,
from that day to this the enmity that has existed among the
unprincipled, low and degraded Lamanites upon our borders has
been hushed to silence; the manner in which we have dealt with
them has been felt for good. Terrible wars have been prevented by
the influence of the Latter-day Saints among them, until to-day
it is not necessary that any, in this region of country, should
have arms to protect themselves unless it be from professed
friends. Is there no God in this? Look all around us, God has
made even our adversaries to be at peace with us. He has made the
blessings of peace to be multiplied around us, until the very
occasion for weapons of defence is removed. The wicked had no
sooner forbidden us to bear arms when God in his tender mercies
and parental solicitude removed the very occasion of defence,
leaving us at peace with all around us. The glorious tidings,
"peace on earth and good will to man," have come sounding to us
through the ages, and they are being echoed and re-echoed to us
by the voice of those who hold the keys of the kingdom, and we
see it not only in word but in power and demonstration of truth.
109
These are none other than the blessings of God unto us, my
brethren and sisters. We ought to think of these things; we ought
to acknowledge in gratitude this dispensation of his providence;
and we should make it our business to sanctify ourselves before
him; yea, let the man that has taken to his cups depart from
them; and let he who has drunk of the spirit of the world, and
who fraternizes with the ungodly, turn from the error of his
ways, wash himself from the filth of unrighteousness and purify
himself before God, and call upon his name that he may forgive
and extend his pardoning favor. It is to be deplored that there
are so many that are so easily to be civilized by this damning
"civilization" that has come among us; it is an occasion of
sorrow to the Latter-day Saints that so many are so easily drawn
away to affiliate with the ungodly. When we remember the mercies
and blessings of God to us, it is a fitting time to turn and seek
his face and favor afresh, and renew our covenants before him,
and become worthy in his sight.
109
I might enumerate many other instances of the goodness and mercy
of God unto us, how he fed the suffering Saints with quails on
the banks of the Mississippi, how he sent gulls to rid us of the
crickets when they threatened us with starvation here.
109
I must refer to the time when the Lord permitted the United
States to send an army to Utah. It was told to us that there were
a million of bayonets in the States ready to be turned toward
Utah. We did not count them, but we know the details of their
coming and how the soldiery arrived here. They came with their
mouths full of ribaldry, full of threatenings, full of animus and
destruction towards President Young, his family, the Apostles,
and towards all that were immediately associated with them,
threatening to hang them like Haman upon a tree. But God in his
mercy before they got here very much cooled their ardor; and when
they arrived they came as harmless as any 4th of July
celebrators. They marched in quiet through our streets, no man
daring to commit an indignity as they passed.
110
Our Heavenly Father sanctified this to our good, for while they
scattered much means among us, scarcely an act of hostility was
committed, and, when the time of terrible destruction came they
marched away to the violence of death. Is not the hand of God to
be seen in this? If so, should we not acknowledge with
thanksgiving his mercy in thus making us the objects of such
care. We ought to bestow the best efforts and energies of our
lives to build up his kingdom, establish his righteousness, and
make him our friend for time and eternity.
110
I would not dwell too lengthily upon these things, although they
show the divine goodness and tenderness. Is there a loving father
that deals more affectionately with his children than this? Could
the Lord deal more lovingly with us? It is to be feared that his
tender mercies are so abundant, and we become so used to them as
to grow ungrateful.
110
A few words in regard to the fundamental law established for the
guidance of the people of this great nation, called the
Constitution of the United States, that instrument was framed by
our forefathers, who purchased the power to do so with their
blood; they were men who went into the revolutionary war pledging
their lives, their fortunes, their sacred honor, and placed
everything they possessed upon the altar of liberty. The
Constitution they adopted has been admitted by European statesmen
to be the grandest palladium of human rights known upon the
earth. The flag of our nation has commanded respect in every part
of this habitable globe, whether on land or sea.
110
All representatives and officers of the government, state or
national, from the highest to the lowest, lift up their hands to
heaven and swear that they will observe that Constitution and the
laws of the nation or State, as the office may require, to the
best of their knowledge and ability, so help them God. When
Congress so far descends as to make special laws, and send forth
its legislative missiles to us bearing the odor, power, and
character of attainder, and ex post facto laws; when they can
provide, directly or indirectly, for conviction without trial by
jury; when they frame and pass measures having for their object
the deprivation or spoliation of rights common to all citizens,
and that in direct opposition to the provisions of the
Constitution, as appears on the face of the Edmunds' bill, they
themselves violate that oath of office which they took before God
and their country. They may, standing in high places, think that
it does not become citizens to question their acts; but citizens
of this Republic are the sovereigns of the nation; and when the
Constitution was created it was provided that every power not
granted by that instrument was retained by the people. Public
men, in the true spirit of the Constitution of our government,
are the servants of the people, put in office to administer the
will of the people as defined in that instrument.
110
When men in high places forget themselves, and in violation of
their oaths dictate or forbid what shall or what shall not be
observed as religious rites, they become amenable to the higher
laws, and will have to answer to the charge of perjury to an
immortal court, from whose decisions mortals have found no mode
of appeal by any bill of exceptions.
111
The principles upon which our government is founded are most
excellent, and to all intents and purposes most satisfactory. The
great and learned Webster, Clay, and their contemporaries,
considered them a standard of liberty--far above that of any
other country upon our globe; something that every American had
cause to be proud of. If the American nation will be governed by
its doctrines, it will extend to the whole human family the
precious boon of liberty, and will make this land in reality an
asylum for the oppressed of all nations. But we have come to a
time when Congress has undertaken to dictate our ethics, to
declare what we may or may not accept as tenets of religion. This
is a right or power that is not conveyed in the Constitution; but
on the contrary, Congress is expressly prohibited from making any
law establishing any form of religion or preventing the free
exercise thereof; this right of worshiping God according to the
dictates of one's own conscience is the right of every American
citizen.
111
Aside from what may be pronounced legal, there is an equity side
of the court to which all God-fearing people have recourse. One
principle of which the courts of the nation seem to have taken no
consideration, but which the Latter-day Saints cannot afford to
pass unnoticed, is this: Wherein it is given in the Constitution
that the States shall make no law to impair the obligation of
contracts. I wish to ask the people, not in the legal sense, but
in the sense of equity, of righteousness and eternal truth, if
the marriage relation is not to all intents and purposes a
contract? Do we not enter into a covenant, a contract, an
agreement with our wives. Yes; not only a contract, an agreement
of a civil nature, as it is regarded in the world, but our
contracts are of a higher order, of a more sacred nature
extending as they do in perpetuity from time into eternity. Now,
if it is a violation of States rights to pass a law impairing the
obligation of contracts in common financial matters, is it not a
graver and more serious violation of the Constitution to pass a
law impairing the obligation of contracts as between man and
wife? It is laid down by the most eminent law writers of our
country that properly maintained marital relationship is the true
basis of all human society; it needs the solemn covenants of
husband and wife to be taken into account, and then what follows?
The reasons why contracts and faith in them should not be
violated is because of vested rights that accrue under those
contracts; and have you any vested rights, my brethren and
sisters, under the contracts that you have made with your wives
and husbands, have you not acquired under those covenants and
contracts the most precious of vested rights--those of sons and
daughters given you in the flesh? These are possessory rights,
the value of which bear no comparison with any thing that can be
called goods or chattels. We look upon the increase of our
families, as the foundation of our eternal dominion, we cannot
but look upon any hand impairing the obligation of these
contracts as striking at the very root of our prosperity. Our
children are our vested rights growing out of these holy
relations, rights not only of a temporal but of an eternal, and
finally immortal character, and of the highest possible
consideration.
111
I apprehend while I talk upon this subject, that it is very
improbable that the courts of the world would regard these
matters in any such light, but they are matters which pertain to
the laws of the living God before whose court we shall all appear
and our rights be vindicated; those who have undertaken to
deprive us of these rights will also appear and on such a writ of
errors as will bring them effectually within the jurisdiction of
the court.
112
The Lord has given unto us these rights, which we are
learning to appreciate, but which the world know nothing of. Is
it to be wondered at that they do many things, as did those who
slew the Savior, concerning whom he said, "They know not what
they do?"
112
The rulers of our land have undertaken to set snares for our
feet, to bring us into subjection to the political will of the
Republican party to teach us how to promote party discord, be
oppressed with heavy taxes and become burdened with debt. Let us
put our trust in the living God, and see that while we violate no
law of man unnecessarily, that we do not violate any of the laws
of God, so that we may be entitled to His protection and that his
blessing may abide with us.
112
Not desiring to occupy too much time, I would exhort my brethren
and sisters to renew their diligence in trying to honor the Lord
by keeping his commandments, remembering our obligations to each
other; that we continue preaching the Gospel to the nations,
gathering the honest in heart who receive the word through the
ministrations of the Elders; and inasmuch as this is God's work
we have no need to fear. There are those who dwelt here in
1848-9, who for days and weeks, scarcely tasted bread. Those who
have passed through these scenes will never fear anything that
may come upon us again. I often think of the peculiar
circumstances of the Savior when upon the earth, who when Herod
the Great sent word to him, inquiring who this Jesus of Nazareth
was; the answer of the Savior being, Go tell him that the birds
of the air have nests, and the foxes have holes, but the Son of
Man hath not where to lay His head. Think of it my friends; He by
whom the worlds were created, who gave the law upon Mount Sinai;
He who communicated with the brother of Jared, directing him to
cross the sea and people this continent; He who was and is our
great Ruler came and dwelt in the flesh, instead of making
himself the possessor of houses and lands and earthly substance,
had not where to lay His head. And after passing through a life
of sorrows he was tried for His life, when the judge washed his
hands, saying, he found no fault in Him. The fact was He was
above the law, He was without sin, and of the things of which
they tried to convict him he was not guilty, wherein he said he
was the Son of God, which they, in their blind ignorance, looked
upon as blasphemy.
112
Now, we are charged with blasphemy, because we believe and
declare that the holy Priesthood has been restored to us from
heaven. It is made blasphemy to believe that Peter, James and
John were sent from heaven to earth to ordain Joseph and Oliver,
and because, as they had been instructed to do, they ordained
others to the same Priesthood, and then commissioned them to go
to all the world and preach the Gospel. This is put forth and
published as one of the blasphemies that we believe in which has
made us to incur the displeasure and wrath of this self-righteous
generation. While we contemplate that the Prophets of God have
been slain, their blood ruthlessly shed, and the nation has never
made an expression to exculpate themselves from the act, they
have never even expressed their disapproval of it, but, on the
contrary, multitudes have said, they were glad of it, but that
they disliked the way in which it was done.
113
While this is upon the nation and until they wash their hands of
it, we can but look upon them with sorrow and apprehension and
dread for thus acquiescing in breaking and overriding the
fundamental laws of the land; for if these things can be
inflicted upon us they can be done to others. And they have been
to others. Do you not recollect when the army came here, it was
the nation's first effort against the "Mormons," against what
they were pleased to term a "twin relic"--polygamy; and having
extirpated the "twin relic" of the south--slavery, which was
deemed necessary to secure the triumph of the republican arms,
now the attack is made again upon the people representing the
remaining "relic." They and we are in the hands of God, and it
becomes us to move on in all our duties quietly, peaceably and
prayerfully. The nation, of course, can cause us a great deal of
bodily and mental suffering if God permits. They have already
shown what they are capable of doing by their deprivations and
arbitrary rule in the south; and we have every reason to believe
they would do as much for us were it the pleasure of the Almighty
to permit them.
113
The few men now sitting in Congress, from the Southern States,
who had the manhood and the moral courage to protest against the
measure, which has since become a law, aimed directly at our
liberty and rights, knew from experience the effects of military
law, and those usurpations which have tended to ruin their
country after the desolation caused by the war. They had been
through the furnace, they could feel anew the burnings of the
fire, and they could see the grief into which we are to be
crowded.
113
The question with us is, are we sufficiently devoted to the
interests of the kingdom of God to enable us to confidently
believe, without a doubt, that he will sustain us in all that we
may be called upon to pass through? If we are he certainly will
not permit any more to come upon us than we can endure and that
will be for our good; because he is that God who is nearer to us
than a friend or a brother.
113
He had told us that those who kept his commandments had no need
to break the laws of the land. We made no law nor passed any
ordinance contrary to the laws of the land; the law-makers of the
nation made the law which brought us in conflict with our
government; and, therefore, we must look to him to overrule this
conflict, and trust that he will do better for us than we know
how to ask or even to think for ourselves; provided, we pursue
the path of duty faithfully and steadfastly.
113
I pray that we may so take consideration of our ways that we
shall not feel vindictive to those who are vindictive towards us;
but, on the contrary, rise above such a feeling upon the more
elevated platform which was introduced by the Savior, in which he
taught his disciples to do good to them who despitefully used and
persecuted them. This is a lesson that we have not fully learned.
114
May the Lord bless and prosper all who seek to do his will, and
may his mercy be multiplied to all nations until the ends of the
earth shall see the salvation of our God, and until the kingdoms
of this world become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ;
may we live and our generations after us to perform efficient and
faithful service in bringing about his purposes. Oh, that our
enemies might see the error of their ways, repent as in dust and
ashes and place themselves in a condition to receive the favor of
God, and thereby escape the terrible judgments that must sooner
or later overtake those who wilfully battle against the truth.
114
It remains for us to continue to bear our testimony to the world,
to build our Temples, in which to perform the work for ourselves
and our dead, essential to salvation and exaltation in his
kingdom, and to build up a Zion to the glory of God. That this
may be our determined purpose to a faithful consummation, I
humbly pray, in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / George
Q. Cannon, April 3, 1881
George Q. Cannon, April 3, 1881
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, April 3, 1881.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
MODERN FULFILLMENT OF ANCIENT PROPHECY--RISE OF JOSEPH THE
PROPHET--ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST--PERSECUTIONS OF
THE
SAINTS--THEIR UNDYING FAITH IN GOD--THE WORLD PROVING JOSEPH
SMITH A
PROPHET--SATAN BUSILY AT WORK--THE GOSPEL OF LIBERTY AND
HUMANITY.
114
It is with great pleasure that I meet with you, my brethren and
sisters, in Conference to-day. And though in some respects I am
not feeling very eager to address so large a congregation as has
assembled this afternoon, still we all know that if we can get
the influence and assistance of the Spirit of the Lord, there is
no difficulty in speaking or advancing such thoughts and
suggestions as are suitable.
114
It seems to me that of all men I ought to be most thankful. I
certainly feel exceedingly happy in being in your midst, in
beholding your faces, in sharing in your meetings, in partaking
of your spirit; I am thankful I have this privilege, for such I
esteem it.
115
I have been absent, as you all know, for some sixteen weeks.
During my absence I have enjoyed myself very much, that is,
considering the circumstances. I have had excellent health, and I
do not know that I ever felt better in my life, under the
circumstances, than I have during the past winter. Of course
there has been considerable discussion upon our cause and
question, and considerable has been said about us; but so far as
my individual feelings have been concerned, I have not been
disabled, not for a single second. There is an excitement about
this warfare, and the consciousness that victory will eventually
perch upon our banners and that we are on the winning side, that
makes such a contest pleasurable. I know this, that when
everything is still--when the stream is quietly flowing along
without a ripple--I begin to be uneasy. I expect you do. We have
been accustomed now for so many years--in fact it may be said
from the beginning--to contending with the turbulence of the
elements; to battling with angry waves, that it seems to be the
natural condition for us to be in. At any rate, we know when this
is the case that somebody is a little disturbed about us, and
that some think it necessary to be stirring up opposition against
us. With the activity which prevails at home in the various
departments of the work, the zeal that is being manifested among
the Saints by the leading men in the various Stakes of Zion: with
the labors of the home missionaries, the Young Men's and Young
Women's Mutual Improvement Associations, the Relief Societies,
the Sunday Schools, and the various organizations which have
taken shape in our midst, together with the union of the people,
and the sending of missionaries abroad in such numbers: with all
these things at work, tending to consolidate the people, to make
them of one heart and one mind, to preach the principles of
truth, to declare to the inhabitants of the earth the salvation
of our God, and to leave them without excuse for rejecting the
truth; I say, with all these activities at home and abroad,
together with the building of Temples--a great work which
devolves upon us as a people; with all these things, it is no
wonder to me that opposition should be fierce, and that there
should be a great deal of talk about the "Mormons." We have been
taught from the beginning that this would be the case; the
earliest teachings that I can remember were to this effect,
leading me forward, as you were led forward, to anticipate just
such things, just such a warfare as that in which we are
involved. Year by year, as this work develops, as the purposes of
God unfold, do we see the literal, the definite fulfillment of
the predictions that were uttered years and years ago concerning
the work of God.
116
The Prophet Joseph Smith's name has been known for good and evil
among all the inhabitants of the earth, being regarded by some as
a man divinely inspired, a prophet of the living God, his words
treasured up as the words of a prophet should be; and by others,
he is looked upon as an imposter, an ignoramus, a man in fact too
bad to live. This Joseph Smith, who is thus known and has this
repute among various people, is gradually being lifted up and
made prominent, and through his being lifted up and made
prominent the name of our God, whose servant he was, is being
glorified. Thus Joseph Smith, whose predictions were uttered
fifty years ago, and from that time down until he sealed his
testimony with his blood nearly 37 years ago--this Joseph Smith
is being proved to be a prophet, not by the Latter-day Saints
alone--for we are doing comparatively little towards the
vindication of his prophetic views, of this divine calling; for
we are a feeble people; we are a people few in number, but the
inhabitants of the earth, numerous as they are, by their words
and acts, are establishing the divinity of his mission and
proving that he is the man that we have testified he was from the
beginning.
116
To me the ways of the Lord are very wonderful when I thus
contemplate them. How wonderful are the Lord's works! How
wondrous are His doings in the midst of the inhabitants of the
earth! How strangely, and by what singular means he brings to
pass his great and glorious purposes, using men, using nations,
using governments, as seems good to him, to effect his divine
purposes! Those of us who have been brought up in this Church,
who can remember the days that are past, the days of our
weakness, the days of our oppression, the days when we were a
broken and a peeled people, can call to mind how unlikely it was
that the teachings we have received concerning this work would
ever be fulfilled. We had faith that they would be. But it
required the eye of faith and a heart of faith to see or to
comprehend that they would be, as they have been, developed
through the years that have intervened until the present time.
The fulfillment of these teachings and predictions has brought to
us confirmation of our faith; brought to us more and more with
the greatest impressiveness the truth of that which we were told,
and which, as I have said, was so unlikely to be fulfilled.
116
In the beginning, this work, before it was an organized body,
that is when it was in its embryo, when but a few men had any
knowledge concerning the purposes of God connected with it,
excited hatred and brought forth contention. An obscure young
man, without worldly influence, without advantageous
surroundings, declared that God had again spoken from the heavens
and that angels had again descended to the earth; testified that
the Church of Christ was about to be re-established with its old
powers, and that the everlasting Gospel, the old plan of
salvation was to be again restored in its original purity, and
with it the old authority, the everlasting Priesthood, by means
of which men and women could be inducted into the Church of God
by the administration of the old ordinances, and receive the gift
of the Holy Ghost, with its attendant powers and blessings. The
mere declaration of these things by a young man who was thus
obscure, without influence, without the prestige of education or
birth, immediately excited a fever in the neighborhood; an
excitement was aroused, and men began to persecute him; they
began to tell lies about him; they began to bring false charges
against him. There was a restlessness begotten that could not be
accounted for upon natural principles, or upon anything they
could see with their natural eyes; it was entirely unaccountable.
His family was calumniated; he was calumniated and slandered;
every act of his life was turned over and made evil of, and
charges of wrong-doing were hurled against him of which he was
entirely innocent, and for which there was not even the color or
semblance of truth.
117
On next Wednesday, fifty-one years will have elapsed since the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. It
then consisted of six members. Not very numerous; you can count
them on your fingers. It might be thought that so insignificant a
body of people would escape attention. Not so, however. The whole
countryside was aroused. A terrible thing had taken place. This
Joseph Smith had dared to organize a Church. He had found some
gold plates, had a "golden Bible." He had been a money digger;
and he had done a great many things, and at last his audacity had
culminated in the organization of a church. As I have said the
whole countryside was in a flame.
117
"We cannot endure this; it is a disgrace to our city, our
country, our township, to let such a vile fellow as he palm his
impositions on the public. We must put a stop to it."
117
The result was, accusations, criminal accusations. Joseph Smith
was brought before officers of the law upon every conceivable
complaint. The papers heralded his disgrace throughout all the
neighborhood, as far as they had circulation, determined to lie
him down. There are certain fabulous attributes incorrectly
ascribed to the creature called the octopus--or devil-fish. It is
said that when it wants to devour its victims, it ejects an inky
substance that fills the whole water around so that it can the
more easily capture its prey. It was something in this manner
that the press and pulpit endeavored to stifle the truth and to
destroy those who testified that they had received it. The whole
country was filled with every kind of slander. Human imagination
was racked to invent stories. They said that Joseph Smith had
tried to establish his divine calling by attempting to walk upon
the water, with cunningly arranged planks placed a short distance
beneath the surface of the water, but that, fortunately, he had
been detected in his imposition. They said he had tried to raise
the dead, and that the man whom he tried to raise nearly died,
because the apparatus which he had arranged for him to get air
became accidently deranged. There was no end of stories told by
ignorant people, vile people, deluded people, wicked people, and
even by men who called themselves ministers of the Gospel. You
cannot think of anything that was not told, that was not sworn
to--any number of witnesses could be obtained to testify to the
truth of these falsehoods. At the same time it was said it would
only be a little while until the system of which he was the head
would burst up. "We have only to wait a while and it will
disappear." But it did not disappear.
117
The Elders went forth regardless of the slanders, regardless of
the falsehoods, regardless of the calumnies, preaching the word
of God, preaching it in the spirit and power of God. Regardless
of all these things they went--persecuted, derided, their names
cast out as evil. Men considered it almost a disgrace to talk to
them; if they received them into their houses their neighbors
looked upon them as though they were entertaining lepers. "What,
have you got a 'Mormon' in your house? Do you know what these
people are?"
118
Traveling without purse or scrip, as their predecessors had done
in primitive days of Gospel purity, from town to town, from
village to village, from hamlet to hamlet, bearing all kinds of
insults and persecutions and hardships, they traveled the land,
lifting up their voices everywhere where they had the
opportunity, testifying in all humility that God had again spoken
from the heavens; that God had again restored the truth in its
ancient purity and power; that God had restored the ordinances of
the Gospel as they once existed upon the earth; and declaring
unto the inhabitants of the earth that God is a hearer of prayers
and that he will answer their petitions when they call upon him
in faith. Thus they went, traveling through the United States and
Canada, and afterwards crossing the ocean to the Old World,
proclaiming there the same truths. A strange thing to be heard in
Great Britain--Great Britain! who had been sending out her
missionaries by thousands to the remotest parts of the earth; who
considered herself as dwelling in the blaze of Gospel truth, and
occupying the foremost rank among civilized and enlightened
nations! A strange thing for men from the wilds of America to
come and preach to them the truth of heaven, to tell them the
contents of their Bible. Presumptuous as it seemed, the Elders,
nevertheless, did this. They had received the dispensation of the
Gospel, and, like Paul, they felt it would be woe unto them if
they did not preach it. And they went from land to land until
every continent, almost every land, has been visited by them.
119
While the missionaries were thus engaged, the work at home did
not cease. Persecution at home was not arrested. Mobs continued
to gather together as they had done before the Elders crossed the
ocean; and it was not then the cry that "these Mormons were
introducing patriarchal marriage, which we think hurtful to our
civilization;" that was not the charge. In the early days the
charges urged against the Saints when they went out West to the
limits of the Republic, were, that they believed in anointing and
in laying hands upon the sick; that they believed in revelation;
that they believed in prophets; that they listened to the
counsels and teachings of those prophets. Was not this very
dangerous? But this was not all. It sounds very queer in these
days to think that one of the gravest charges made against the
Latter-day Saints by the mob that drove them from their homes in
Jackson County was that they were Yankees and abolitionists!
Designing men, seeking for pretexts that would answer the purpose
of inflaming the minds of ignorant people, seized and used this
as a good ground upon which to base designs for expulsion.
Missouri was a slave State, and the Latter-day Saints were in the
main New England people; they who were not were from New York,
Pennsylvania and other middle States. But they were known as
Yankees, and, as their enemies asserted, abolitionists--a
suitable people to be pounced upon and driven out. They were
driven out from Jackson County, and finally, to get rid of them,
Lilburn W. Boggs, governor and commander-in-chief of the militia
of the State of Missouri, issued an exterminating order,
threatening the Latter-day Saints with extermination unless they
left the State. There was one alternative left to them if they
remained in the State--apostacy. But Missouri's favor was not so
desirable to the Latter-day Saints as the favor of their God, and
they chose to abandon their homes and they marched out of the
State as best they could. Now, during all these years, and
subsequently, when we were being mobbed, plundered, and driven,
the Latter-day Saints had an abiding faith, based upon the
revelations that God had given through brother Joseph Smith, that
the day would come when we should be a great people, when our
virtues would be recognized, when our patriotism would be
vindicated, when our loyalty to truth and to the principles of
virtue and of good government, of pure republicanism would be
established and the work of God with which we are connected
become universal. Brother Joseph had predicted this. The Elders,
the Saints, the people old and young believed it with all their
hearts. The hatred of mobs, the burning of houses, the
destruction of property, the expulsion from homes never weakened
their confidence in the truth of these predictions, and their
eventual fulfillment. That feeling had been implanted there by
the Almighty; the Spirit of God had borne testimony to it in
their hearts, and they never doubted it. Hated by a township,
they foresaw the time when they would be hated by a county; hated
by a county, they foresaw the time when they would be hated by a
State; hated by a State, they foresaw the time when they would be
hated by men who constituted a party who, it might be said, were
the representatives of the nation; hated by a nation, they
foresaw the time when they would be hated by other nations,
until, as I have said, their loyalty to truth, to virtue, to good
government, to good order and everything that is pure, holy and
God-like, would be vindicated and established in the eyes of all
men--by the nations at large, as well as their fellow-citizens.
119
How unlikely a thing to have been when there were but six persons
composing this church! Yet the revelations given previous to that
organization, the word of God as it has come down to us embalmed
in that sacred book which contains the revelations given through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, foretells in plainness just such
results as these that I have alluded to. The spirit of this work,
its character, the results which should follow it were plainly
mapped out beforehand as though all the events connected with it
had already taken place and were written by the pen of the
historian, instead of that of the prophet. The historian can
delineate with no greater accuracy (though he may give more
details) when he writes the history of this people and the
results of the labors of the elders of this Church, than it has
been written for half a century.
120
The inhabitants of the earth, contrary to their will, and despite
their wishes, are contributing to establish the prophetic calling
of Brother Joseph Smith, and to fulfill the revelations of God
given through him. Hated as he has been; despised as he has been;
derided as he has been, this is the result of their actions. The
destiny of this people has been clearly foretold. Here are men
whom I see around me, whose heads are whitened with years, whose
bodies are frail and trembling, and women, too, who have been
connected with this Church from its earliest days, who know of
the truth of what I am stating, who know that there is nothing
that they behold to-day that they did not behold by the spirit of
prophecy and with the eye of faith years and years ago. And many
things that are yet unfulfilled, that yet remain in the womb of
time, to be yet brought forth. The destiny, as I have said, of
the people, is written in heaven, it is enrolled in the archives
of eternity. God has spoken it; the eternal fiat has gone forth,
and it will never be revoked. We play our part; we figure as
actors in these scenes. By and by others will come; the column of
humanity will march on; the column from the eternal worlds will
continue to descend. Myriads of the just are watching with, I
might say, eagerness, the development of this work and they are
doing their part, and unborn myriads are looking forward to the
future of this work, small as it is to-day, insignificant as it
is to-day. It is no enthusiasm or fanaticism that inspires these
words; but it is the plain truth not half told; it is merely to
hint of that which will be. For this is the work of the eternal
Jehovah, the work spoken of by all the holy prophets since the
world began; the great work that is to prepare the earth and its
inhabitants for the coming of the Son of God. Who that reads this
sacred book, the Bible, does not know that Prophets and Apostles,
Seers and Revelators--all looked forward to the time when a great
work should be done in the earth? They predicted it, they dwelt
upon it, in inspired strains. Poets, too, who never laid claim to
inspiration, have looked forward to the "golden age," have dwelt
with delightful language and, it may be said, with inspired pen,
upon that great time that should come in the history of our race.
120
It is true as I have said, that from the beginning calumny and
slander of every conceivable kind have been circulated concerning
this work. It is so to-day. It goes the rounds of the country,
and is believed in by the great masses of the people. The
Latter-day Saints are looked upon by many as guilty of every
conceivable crime. Their true characters are so bogged by
misrepresentation, that strangers almost come into our borders as
though they were about to enter a den of thieves--that is,
strangers who do not know better. Murder, outrage, robbery,
perjury, villainy of every kind is attributed to this people. Why
should such a world-wide notoriety be given to a people who
number no more than we? Why should such lengths be gone to in
falsifying an innocent people? It might be thought that we, being
so insignificant numerically, might escape notice; or at least
such prominent notice; it might have been thought in the
beginning that Brother Joseph Smith and his compeers would have
escaped notice. It might be thought that when they were few in
numbers and their influence did not extend beyond a township,
that they might have escaped notice. But no, the world has seemed
determined in a way that to the natural eye seems unaccountable,
to uplift this people to importance, to give them a world-wide
reputation, to advertise them throughout the earth. And why is
this? The Latter-day Saints ought to understand it, and many of
them do understand it. You know the powers that are at work--the
same powers that blackened the Son of God, that made him appear
so hideous that men in crucifying him thought they were doing God
service--and were perfectly willing to have all the consequences
fall upon them and their children; the same influence that caused
an Isaiah to be sawn asunder, that caused a Daniel to be thrust
into the lion's den, and that caused the death of nearly all of
the prophets, and that produced the martyrdom of eleven of the
Twelve Apostles, according to tradition; it is that same
influence that never rested until every inspired man was
destroyed from the face of the earth, that is still busy. This
Satanic power has kept at work slaying the servants of the
Almighty, including the holiest being that ever trod the
earth--the Son of God.
121
Is it not astonishing that the world cannot see these things?
Think of the long list of martyrs, coming down through the ages
from Abel; the best and the holiest men killed by their fellows,
not because they thought them virtuous, not because they thought
them holy, not because they looked upon them as pure; but because
they were considered too dangerous to be suffered to live.
121
I wonder when I know that this has been the case that the world
cannot see to-day, that the same spirit is abroad in the earth.
It is not usual for wicked people to kill wicked people, that is,
in the way the prophets and apostles were killed.
122
Here is a feeble people in these mountains who have come here
fleeing from persecution, carrying with them when they left their
native States and launched forth into an untrodden and unknown
wilderness, a love for the principles of liberty for which their
fathers, many of them, had fought. Notwithstanding their
persecutions and the vile treatment they had received at the
hands of their fellow-citizens, they did not allow that feeling
to dominate in their hearts; but loving the flag, the stars and
stripes; loving the republic; loving the institutions of freedom,
loving the Constitution, loving the laws, and carrying with them
that love into the heart of the wilderness, and there laying the
foundation of a great commonwealth they sought for admission as a
State, and to have in that State every human right fully guarded
and civil and religious liberty secured for people of every
creed, and of no creeds, not seeking for alliance with Mexico,
whose land they occupied, not seeking alliance with Great
Britain, who was their neighbor on the north; not seeking
alliance with the wild races, or endeavoring, or seeking to set
up an independent republic, but their hearts going back fondly to
the home of their fathers, to the land which their fathers had
helped to redeem and make free, to the Constitution upon which
the government of the land was founded, to the flag for which
their fathers had fought and bled, they showed to the world that
persecuted as they might be, hated as they might be, despised as
they might be, and driven as they might be, they could not
extinguish within them the love of liberty, the love of true
republicanism. This was the testimony which this people bore to
the inhabitants of the earth; and it might be thought, as I have
said, that the people who had done this, working with unceasing
toil to reclaim the waste places and make them habitable and
beautiful and a fit abode for themselves and their children;
sending out missionaries at untold sacrifice to the nations of
the earth to proclaim the Gospel and gather in the honest from
their own land and from the remotest nations of the earth; doing
this for years, until gradually, as we see, the stately structure
of a great commonwealth rises up around us; law executed; liberty
preserved; the utmost freedom extended to every human being
throughout the length and breadth of these mountain valleys; life
and property as secure here as they ever were in any of the
States of the Union; strangers coming in here before the railroad
was built, weary and foot-sore, received with hospitable
kindness. This tabernacle, after it was erected, and before this
was erected, the old tabernacle, and before that was erected, the
bowery, opened to preachers of every denomination, men of every
creed united to proclaim their tenets, to give us their views;
women protected throughout this land with such sacredness that
they, old or young, beautiful or homely, could traverse every
valley and pass through every town north and south, night or day,
without hearing a word that would be improper, without ever
witnessing a gesture that would annoy them; emigrants with their
wagons coming in and leaving them in town unguarded, and not a
thing harmed or taken;--I say, it might be thought, viewing and
witnessing these results--the virtue, the temperance, the good
order, the frugality, the industry, the enterprise, the
liberality, the honesty of the people, that somebody would think
and say:
122
"What do all these attacks mean? Why is this crusade being waged
against a people of this kind. Surely fifty millions of people
with all the advantages of the age--the press, telegraph wires,
pulpit, day and Sabbath schools, the wonderful improvements that
are being brought out,--everything in fact, in their power,
including the wealth of the world at their command, surely these
fifty millions of people should suffer a few thousands of people
in Utah, to dwell in some degree of peace without constantly
urging on the dogs of war against them; without hounding on every
vile fellow in the nation to rob them and to engage in crusades
against them, with the assurance that they will be justified in
doing so."
123
But no, this is not to be; it is not thus written; it is not the
destiny of this people. We would never be the people God intends
and designs us to be if we were to be let alone. The warfare must
go on; it is an unceasing one; the powers are arrayed one against
another, with God on one side and the Adversary on the other. The
devil is not going to relinquish his ground. He has tried
falsehood from the beginning, and tried it successfully in many
instances. It has been said of him that he was a liar from the
beginning; and it is certain he has not lost his old
characteristics. He has succeeded by means of murder many times
in the history of our race. He has contrived by this agency to
maintain his foothold in the earth for a long time. He thinks,
like men think who steal things and keep them for a long time,
that he is the owner of the stolen property. The man who jumps
another man's land or claim, the longer he possesses it, the more
assured he becomes that he ought to have it. Satan is imbued with
this same idea; and he has recourse to the old method of
warfare--lying; and lies are being circulated until the ear is
tired listening to them. Every conceivable falsehood! Then he
supplements lies with violence, and even murder has been resorted
to. He thinks, if he can kill a man that puts an end to him; if
he can kill a people that destroys them and their influence. But
this time it is another sort of a work. God has spoken concerning
this work; this is the last work that the Prophets or the
Apostles have called the dispensation of the fullness of times.
There was to be a time when Satan should have to recede inch by
inch, step by step. That time has come. The column of the
righteous, of the true is pressing onward; there is an
irresistible power behind it. It will go forward gathering into
its ranks the honest and virtuous from every nation; just as sure
as we live this will be the case. It will gather people from
every nation. It seems like a very strange thing to say, but on
all proper occasions I say it with a great deal of pleasure, at
home and from home, that I have been taught form early life that
the day would come when republican institutions would be in
danger in this nation and upon this continent, when, in fact, the
republic would be so rent asunder by factions that there would be
no stable government outside of the Latter-day Saints; and that
it is their destiny as a people, to uphold constitutional
government upon this land. Now, a great many people think this is
a chimera of the brain; they think it folly to indulge in such an
idea; but the day will come nevertheless. There are those in this
congregation who will witness the time that the maintenance of
true constitutional government upon this continent will be
dependent upon this people, when it will have to be upheld by us.
123
We are battling all the time for human rights. We did so in the
States before we were driven out; we have done so throughout
these mountains, and are doing so to-day, contending for our
rights. Even before the great tribunal of our nation, Congress,
the contest is going on; for attempts are constantly being made
to wrest from us our liberties, as citizens; and we are standing
our ground as best we can, pleading for our rights, pleading for
liberty of conscience, pleading for that freedom which belongs to
the country, which God has guaranteed through the Constitution;
not for ourselves alone, but for every creed, for every member of
the human family. We do not want liberty for ourselves alone; we
desire every man to have it: liberty for Ingersoll, and all who
believe as he does; liberty for the followers of Mohammed and all
who believe in the Koran; liberty for Beecher and for those of
his way of thinking; and even Talmage who has talked so badly
about us, we would have him enjoy liberty; yes, and permit him to
say what he pleases about us, to take what view he pleases of our
belief and practices, and to tell everybody what he thinks about
them. We would give him the utmost liberty to do this, and every
other man, to say what they please about us or about anybody
else, as long as they do not interfere with the rights and the
liberties of the people against whom they are opposed, protesting
always, however, that men in criticising others, should confine
themselves strictly to the truth, or be held responsible to the
laws for slanders and falsehood. All sects and all people should
have this liberty, that is, liberty of conscience, liberty of
speech and liberty of the press, as long as it does not
degenerate into license, and interfere with the rights of others.
We claim this for ourselves; we contend for it, and we shall
contend for it until it is gained.
123
Now, my brethren and sisters, I forgot that it is Sunday; I do
not know, however, but what this is as good Gospel as I can
declare; it is the Gospel of humanity; it is the Gospel of truth.
And I hope that you will ever be true to these principles. It
makes no difference really whether you will or not, so far as
this great work is concerned; but it is a glorious reflection to
know that we are striving to accomplish these ends.
123
When I look at the wonderful deliverance that has been wrought
out for us, it is a subject of amazement to me. Still our enemies
continue to plot and get up machinations. It is all right, let
them have their agency, let them do as they please; it ought not
to disturb us or cause us a moment's uneasiness. Let them do as
they please as long as they keep hands off.
123
I pray God to bless you and fill you with His Holy Spirit, and to
bless His servants who may address us during this Conference, in
the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Wilford Woodruff, May 14, 1882
Wilford Woodruff, May 14, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday, May 14, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE--MAN ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD--THE FALL OF ADAM
AND EVE
PREORDAINED--REDEMPTION AND RESURRECTION--THE GOSPEL IN ANCIENT
AND IN
MODERN TIMES--FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY--A FALSEHOOD
REFUTED--PATRIARCHAL
MARRIAGE--ITS PURITY AND ITS ETERNAL PURPOSE.
124
I feel disposed to read a chapter in the Bible; the chapter that
I shall read contains, perhaps, a stronger chain of truth
concerning life and death, the fall and redemption of man, the
redemption and resurrection of the dead, than any other I know of
in the Bible.
124
The speaker then read the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians, and
said:
124
Before proceeding to make any remarks upon this chapter, I wish
to say that there is no person who knows, before entering this
building, who is going to address the assembly, and, therefore,
we have no prepared sermons to deliver, it may be a miller, or it
may be a mason, it may be a carpenter, or it may be a farmer, a
lawyer, a merchant, or otherwise; this practice is peculiar to
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the tendency
is to make the speaker, whoever he may be, depend upon the spirit
of inspiration to guide his thoughts and dictate his remarks.
And, as a general thing if God, through this means, gives us
nothing to say, we can say nothing to instruct the people.
125
I have often expressed my views with regard to the position we
occupy before heaven and earth, before God, angels and men, and
the views of Jesus and His Apostles and Elders, as they have come
down to us, give a key to what I wish to say upon this subject.
If there is an Emperor, a King, a President, a ruler of any
nation or people, whether a monarchy, kingdom or republic--that
takes away from any of his subjects or fellow-citizens the right
to worship God according to the dictates of their own
consciences, he deprives them of a right which the God of heaven
has guaranteed unto them. These are the sentiments of the
Latter-day Saints. We believe in giving to all men freedom,
freedom in spirit and action; we believe in religionists of every
creed and faith enjoying the liberty to worship God according to
the dictates of their own consciences, which right is guaranteed
unto them by God Himself; and the man or set of men that would
deprive their fellows of this God-given right, assume a
responsibility that they must answer for before the bar of God.
If I had the power and control of the whole world I would never
think of depriving any man, woman or child of this natural, this
inherent right, whether their religious views were true or false.
Can you find from history that God at any time forced any man to
heaven or hell? No, you can not. And we as Latter-day Saints
claim this right and privilege for ourselves to worship God, to
believe in God, and to believe in the records of divine
truth--the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants
and the Revelations of God.
125
A public speaker, a teacher of the people is held responsible
before God and his fellowmen for the doctrine he teaches; if he
teaches any other gospel than that laid down in the Bible and
taught by the ancient Prophets and Apostles he is under
condemnation, no matter who he may be. Paul realized this fact so
keenly that he, in speaking about it on once occasion, said:
"Though we or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be
accursed;" and he repeats this sentiment two or three times over.
126
I wish to say a few words on one of the verses I have read, the
22nd: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive." The world, more or less, has found a great deal of
fault with Mother Eve and with Father Adam, because of the fall
of man; what I have to say with regard to it, I express as my own
opinion. Adam and Eve came to this world to perform exactly the
part that they acted in the garden of Eden; and I will say, they
were ordained of God to do what they did, and it was therefore
expected that they would eat of the forbidden fruit in order that
man might know both good and evil by passing through this school
of experience which this life affords us. That is all I want to
say about Father Adam and Mother Eve. Adam fell that man might
be, and men are that they might have joy; and some have found
fault with that. It has been said that God commanded Adam to
multiply and replenish the earth; and it has been said that Adam
was not under the necessity of falling in order to multiply and
replenish the earth, but you will understand that the woman was
deceived and not the man; and according to the justice of God she
would have been cast out into the lowly and dreary world alone,
and thus the first great command could not have been complied
with unless Adam had partaken of the forbidden fruit. We
acknowledge that through Adam all have died, that death through
the fall must pass upon the whole human family, also upon the
beasts of the field, the fishes of the sea and the fowls of the
air and all the works of God, as far as this earth is concerned.
It is a law that is unchangeable and irrevocable. It is true a
few have been translated, and there will be living upon the earth
thousands and millions of people when the Messiah comes in power
and great glory to reward every man according to the deeds done
in the body, who will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, from
mortality to immortality. Nevertheless they must pass through the
ordeal of death involved in the change that will come upon them.
The Savior himself tasted of death; He died to redeem the world;
His body was laid in the tomb, but it did not see corruption; and
after three days it arose from the grave and put on immortality.
He was the first fruit of the resurrection. There was no prophet,
no saint or sinner, from the days of Father Adam to the days of
Jesus that ever rose from the dead through the keys and power of
the resurrection. Although we read of some who were restored to
life, but this was not what is termed the resurrection.
126
With regard to redemption, Paul said: All the children of Adam
are redeemed from the fall by the atoning blood of Jesus, and all
infants are redeemed as well as other people. There is no infant
or child that has died before arriving at the years of
accountability, but what is redeemed, and is therefore entirely
beyond the torments of hell, to use a sectarian term. And any
doctrine, such as the sprinkling of infants or any religious rite
for little children is of no effect whatever neither in this
world nor in the world to come. It is a man-made doctrine, and
therefore not ordained of God; and I will defy any man to find in
any of the records of divine truth any ordinance instituted for
the salvation of little innocent children; it would be
unnecessary on the face of it, and the only thing that can be
found is where Jesus took the little ones in his arms and blessed
them, which is and would be perfectly right to do according to
the order of God. But the sprinkling of infants or the doctrine
that infants go to hell under any circumstances, is a doctrine
ordained of man and not of God, and is therefore of no avail and
entirely wrong and displeasing in the sight of God. So much about
the infants. I will say again they are redeemed by the blood of
Jesus Christ, and when they die, whether of Christian, Pagan or
Jewish parentage, their spirits are taken home to God who gave
them, and never go to suffer torments of any kind.
127
Another subject I wish to say a few words upon: "In Christ all
are made alive." Since the day that sin entered into the world
men have been held accountable for their own acts, and it has
been known upon this earth from the day, at least, that Cain slew
his brother Abel. And sin has presented itself in different
grades; there are murder, blasphemy, lying, stealing, whoredom,
and abominations of many different forms, which have followed man
from generation to generation. For there was a power that dwelt
upon the earth in the form of thousands and millions of fallen
spirits, one-third of the hosts of heaven, which had been cast
out of heaven with the devil in the great rebellion, who remain
in that condition and who do not possess tabernacles, and they
make war upon the Saints of God, wherever or whenever they are
found upon the earth, and upon all men; they seek to destroy the
whole human family, and have done so from the beginning until the
present day, and they have not ceased their labors, nor do they
intend to while Satan remains unbound. All the children of men
who arrive at the years of accountability are guilty of sin, all
being inclined to do evil as the sparks are to fly upwards. "What
shall we do to be saved" was the cry of the people who heard the
preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost, and the same may be
said to be applicable to all men in every generation. The answer
would be, obey the law of the Gospel. This is the safe means
given for the salvation of the human family. The law of God, the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, which Gospel contains the laws of God; it
contains the ordinances, it contains the commandments, and any
man that breaks them is guilty before God. And I will here say,
as I wish to be understood by all men, that our faith is, there
never has been but one Gospel upon the earth, though to-day there
are six hundred three score and six different religious faiths,
all more or less diverse one from another; but there is but the
one true and everlasting Gospel, and never will be any more, and
it is the same Gospel that was taught to Adam, to Noah, to
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Patriarchs, and which Jesus and the
Apostles preached; it never did vary in the least in one single
instance, nor never will. And I say, if we teach any other Gospel
than that which was taught by Jesus and His Apostles, we teach a
false Gospel and shall be under condemnation before God, angels
and men.
127
What is the Gospel as taught by Jesus himself? The very first
principle was faith in the Messiah; this was the first principle
ever taught to man. When Adam, after being driven from the garden
of Eden, went to Adam-ondi-Ahman to offer sacrifice, the angel of
the Lord asked him why he did so. Adam replied that he did not
know, but the Lord had commanded him to do it. He was then told
that the blood of bulls and goats, of rams and lambs should be
spilt upon the altar as a type of the great and last sacrifice
which should be offered up for the sins of the world. The first
principle, then, ever taught to Father Adam was faith in the
Messiah, who was to come in the meridian of time to lay down his
life for the redemption of man. The second principle was
repentance. And what is repentance? The forsaking of sin. The man
who repents, if he be a swearer, swears no more; or a thief,
steals no more; he turns away from all former sins and commits
them no more. It is not repentance to say, I repent to-day, and
then steal to-morrow; that is the repentance of the world, which
is displeasing in the sight of God. Repentance is the second
principle.
127
I have heard many men say, no ordinances are necessary, that
belief only in the Lord Jesus Christ is necessary to be saved. I
have not learned that myself from any revelation of God to man,
either ancient or modern. But on the contrary, faith in Christ,
repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins were taught by
patriarchs and prophets and by Jesus Christ and His Apostles.
Baptism for the remission of sins is an ordinance of the Gospel.
Says one, baptism is not essential to salvation. Jesus not only
taught it but rendered obedience himself to that requirement, not
that He was baptized for the remission of sins--but, as He said,
"to fulfill all righteousness," thus in this, as in all other
respects giving the example for all who follow. When these
principles of the Gospel are complied with a man is then a fit
subject to receive the Holy Ghost; and this holy gift is bestowed
to-day as it was anciently, by the laying on of hands by men
possessing the authority to administer in the ordinances of the
Gospel. These are the first principles of the Gospel which we
Latter-day Saints believe in and teach to our fellow-men.
127
Joseph Smith received the ministration of Angels, and he by
revelation organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and he was taught by those who ministered unto him what
to teach to the people, which was the everlasting Gospel.
130
Again, men received the Holy Ghost through the imposition of
hands, after being baptized for the remission of sins. The Holy
Ghost was imparted in that way, according to the promise of those
who preached the Gospel. Joseph Smith when he organized this
Church in 1830, organized it by revelation; and while we had
hundreds of churches and systems and religions, not a single
denomination upon the earth at that time preached the Gospel as
taught by the ancient prophets and apostles, or had a church
organized on the earth, with Prophets and Apostles, or with signs
following the believers as in ancient days. Can you tell of one?
I never heard of one until I heard the Elders of this Church
preach the Gospel and set forth the order of God. When God
commanded Joseph Smith to go forth and organize the Church, what
authority had he to do so? None at all until he was ordained
under the hands of those who had held the keys of the Priesthood
upon the earth. And I will say to this assembly in the days of
Jesus Christ, he taught these principles to the Jews; he brought
the Gospel to the Jews, and established his kingdom among them,
and it came with all its gifts, graces and powers: the sick were
healed; devils were cast out; the gifts were manifested among
them. But the Jews rejected him, and they finally put him to
death,--He and His Apostles. He came to His own Father's house
but He was not received; and then, according to command, this
Gospel went to the Gentiles--we are all Gentiles in a national
capacity, we are not Jews, the Jews are another class of men;
they put the Savior to death, and have suffered for 1800 years in
consequence,--they have been trodden under the feet of the
Gentiles even until the present day. Those that took part in that
deed and those who sanctioned it, said, Let His blood be upon us
and our children after us. The Gentile Judge was willing to
release Him because he could find no fault in Him; but the
feeling and sentiment of the Jews was, "Crucify him! Crucify
him!" What infidel is there, no matter who he is, who does not
believe in God, let him read the revelations of heaven and see
the fulfillment of prophecy from the beginning of Genesis to our
day, and he will see them fulfilled to the very letter. There is
nothing that has been predicted by Jesus or the Apostles, but
what has already been fulfilled to the very letter as far as time
will admit, and what has not will be. When, I say, the Gospel was
preached to the Gentiles, it went to them in all its power, its
beauty and glory, Priesthood and ordinances as it was offered to
the Jews. And Paul, in writing to the Romans, told them not to be
highminded, but to fear; for if God spared not the natural
branches, who were the Jews, because of their unbelief, how could
he be more merciful to the unnatural branches, who were the
Gentiles? Has there been the true Church of Christ upon the earth
since the Apostles were slain? Can you find a Church upon the
earth organized as it was in that day? No, not one. The Gentiles
followed the example of the Jews in their unbelief, and in
putting to death those who bore the holy Priesthood; and instead
of the Church of Christ has sprung up every kind of Church during
the last 1,800 years. But in these the last days, God has again
restored the everlasting Gospel; and any man who believes the
Bible must believe the fulfillment of revelation, and he cannot
believe in the fulfillment of prophecy without believing that God
would send again to the earth angels to deliver that Gospel. And
why send an angel for this purpose? Because the Gospel was taken
from the earth in consequence of the unbelief of the Gentiles,
and the powerful opposition that was brought against the
comparative few who represented it. And in fulfillment of the
revelation of St. John, John the Baptist came to Joseph Smith and
conferred upon him, after a period of preparation on his part,
the Aaronic Priesthood, which authorized him to preach and to
baptize for the remission of sins, and to administer the
sacrament, but not to lay on hands for the reception of the Holy
Ghost. In due time, however, Peter, James and John appeared to
him also and conferred upon him the Melchizedek order of
Priesthood and Apostleship, which gave him the power to organize
the kingdom of God upon the earth. These are truths whether the
world believes them or not. It makes no difference; it is the
work of Almighty God, and he is the originator of it. How is it
with the Elders of Israel? God has called men from the plow, the
hammer and anvil, from the carpenter's bench, etc., unlearned and
weak mortals, and they have been sent out to the world to bear
record of this new and everlasting Gospel restored in our day.
And what have they said to the Methodists, the Baptists, and all
other religionists and classes of men. God Almighty has given
unto me a dispensation of the Gospel and I offer it to you; he
that believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and that I am his servant
having His Gospel message to declare to all those to whom I am
sent, and repents and is baptized for the remission of his sins,
shall receive the Holy Ghost. This has been the purport of the
message we have borne to men and nations for the last fifty
years. And now if God has nothing to do with this, how is it that
we have been able to gather together thousands and tens of
thousands from about all nations under heaven by the simple
proclamation of the Gospel-message? How long would it be before
Joseph Smith or any other man who would go forth bearing the
message that we do, and making the promises that we make, would
be found out to be an imposter unless the promises he made were
genuine and looked upon in such a way as to give entire
satisfaction to those who hearkened to his word? The whole secret
of our success as far as making converts is concerned is, that we
preach the same Gospel in all its simplicity and plainness that
Jesus preached, and that the Holy Ghost rests upon those who
receive it, filling their hearts with joy and gladness
unspeakable, and making them as one; and they then know of the
doctrine for themselves whether it be of God or man. And this
Gospel of Christ which we offer is what has led this Church from
its first organization until to-day. And, as I have often said,
had it not been for the Gospel revealed to us, we might have
labored until we were as old as Methusaleh, and Utah to-day would
have been as barren as it was in 1847, when we first came to
these valleys. At that time we found a barren desert, yes, as
barren as the desert of Sahara, with no mark of the Anglo-Saxon
race. But travel through Utah to-day, and we find houses and
cities, gardens and orchards, meeting-houses and tabernacles and
school-houses and dwellings, with the blessing of God attending
the labors of the people; and a community of people from almost
every nation taken from the various sects and parties, and they
are here through the inspiration of Almighty God, and I know it.
We have not had power of ourselves to influence any man or woman
with regard to these things. They have been influenced by the
testimony of Jesus Christ, and by the Gospel of the Son of God.
These are principles by which all men are saved. All men are
saved by and through the blood of Jesus Christ, through obedience
to the Gospel.
130
I realize our condition and the position occupied by this
generation. I know we are looked upon as a bad people, and we are
considered a very ignorant people. There never were more epithets
heaped upon Jesus Christ and the Apostles than upon the
Latter-day Saints. Why is this? Are we so much worse than the
world? No, we are not. What then is the matter? The Lord Almighty
has set His hand to gather His people, and to build up his Zion
and to establish his Church in these the last days; and the world
do not like the doctrine we teach, as it lays the axe at the root
of the tree, and consequently we have been persecuted from the
time that this Church was organized until to-day; and the
persecution will continue more or less until He reigns whose
right it is to reign, until the Lord Jesus Christ comes in the
clouds of heaven to reward every man according to the deeds done
in the body.
130
Now I want to say to the Latter-day Saints, we are called to a
certain work, and we have been called of God, and we, as Elders,
have gone forth whithersoever we were sent, taking our lives in
our hands, traveling hundreds and thousands of miles without
purse or scrip. I have waded swamps and swum rivers, and have
asked my bread from door to door; and have devoted nearly fifty
years to this work. And why? Was there gold enough in California
to have hired me to do it? No, verily; and what I have done and
what my brethren have done, we have done because we were
commanded of God. And this is the position we occupy to-day. We
have preached and labored at home and abroad, and we intend to
continue our labors, by the help of God, as long as we can have
liberty to do it, and until the Gentiles prove themselves
unworthy of eternal life, and until the judgments of God overtake
the world, which are at the door. Does this generation know what
awaits them? Does our own nation? No, the world is ignorant of
what must, sooner or later, befall them.
131
Here is the Christian world professing to believe the Bible, can
you show me wherein any of the predictions of the prophets,
whether those of Jonah to the city of Nineveh, or those of Isaiah
to Israel, or to Tyre and Sidon and other ancient cities and
peoples, have fallen unfulfilled? No, there is no man can point
to a single prophecy of the servants of God that has failed in
its fulfillment. Does not the Christian world know that the Bible
is full of revelation pointing to this day and age of the world?
Let them read the revelations of St. John given him while upon
the Isle of Patmos and they will know what judgments await this
generation before the coming of the Son of Man. There is a work
for somebody to perform. But when we undertake to declare in all
seriousness that God has anything to do with the work in which we
are engaged they will laugh you in the face, and the reason is,
they have departed from God and are entirely unable to comprehend
his ways or his purposes; and instead of believing the plain and
literal meaning of the word of God, they spiritualize it to suit
themselves. Daniel was prepared to enter the den of lions; the
three Hebrew children were not afraid of the fate that awaited
them; the Apostles were valiant for the truth and shrank not from
death for its sake, and why could those men and others under
similar circumstances stand by their convictions without
flinching? Because, in the first place, they had the truth and
they knew it for themselves; and in the second place, the Holy
Ghost, the Comforter, sustained them as that power alone can in
all the trying scenes through which the people of God are called
to pass. And this is so to-day. What the Latter-day Saints have
done by way of preaching the Gospel under all kinds of
difficulties, building up cities and subduing waste lands, and
establishing themselves in the earth, they have done by the
revelations and commandments of God to them.
131
I will say a few words concerning a certain principle, and why I
say it is because we cannot help looking at the signs of the
times as they appear to-day. I was reading in the NEWS last
evening a speech reported to have been made by Joseph Smith, son
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, in which he accuses us of pursuing
an entirely different course from that of his father; that his
father had nothing to do with the endowments which form a part of
our religious faith; and that his father had nothing to do with
the patriarchal order of marriage; and he accuses our bishops of
polluting the women of their several wards so that they are not
fit for wives. This last accusation is so palpably false and so
utterly mendacious as to be entirely unworthy of our notice, and
I believe I ought to apologise to this congregation for referring
to it at all. But it shows how weak must be the hope and faith of
men who pretend to be teachers among the people when they descend
to traduce the character of innocent men by wilfully lying in the
hope of bolstering up and establishing their own peculiar cause.
And with regard to the others: I wish to say, that Joseph Smith
utters falsehoods when he says what he is reported to have said
about his father: for I bear record to this congregation, and I
ask our young people to bear it in mind after I am gone, that
Joseph Smith first made known to me the very ordinances which we
give to the Latter-day Saints in our endowments. I received my
endowments under the direction of Joseph Smith. Emma Smith, the
widow of the Prophet, is said to have maintained to her dying
moments that her husband had nothing to do with the patriarchal
order of marriage, but that it was Brigham Young that got that
up. I bear record before God, angels and men that Joseph Smith
received that revelation; and I bear record that Emma Smith gave
her husband in marriage several women while he was living, some
of whom are to-day living in this city, and some may be present
in this congregation, and who, if called upon, would confirm my
words. But lo and behold, we hear of publication after
publication now-a-days, declaring that Joseph Smith had nothing
to do with these things. Joseph Smith himself organized every
endowment in our Church and revealed the same to the Church, and
he lived to receive every key of the Aaronic and Melchizedek
priesthoods from the hands of the men who held them while in the
flesh, and who hold them in eternity.
132
I feel to say to the Latter-day Saints everywhere, brethren and
sisters, do good and you will reap good; what you sow you will
also reap. What our nation sows that it will also reap, and what
it measures to others will be meted back to it heaped up, pressed
down and running over. I have peculiar feelings in reflecting
upon the condition of our own nation. Here are the Methodists and
Presbyterians and others all combining to use their influence
religiously and politically to put down "Mormonism," which they
say is an abomination in the land, and a great stain upon our
nation's escutcheon. "O, my God," I feel to say, "I would our
nation could see and understand things as they really are." I
want to ask a question. When the sixth angel sounds his trump
revealing the secret acts of men to an assembled world, which
will include us, what will be the feelings of the present
generation and the rulers and leading men and women of our nation
as well as those of other nations, and the leaders of the
Christian world when that angel declares unto all those who have
condemned and cried against the Latter-day Saints, especially
those who have taken a leading part, saying, "You yourselves are
defiled with women, and your own acts which are recorded on high
will rise in judgment against you. I say to this nation, and
especially to those who are actively engaged in bringing about a
crusade against us under the cloak of religion, "Sin lies at your
own doors, and what you measure unto us will, according to the
eternal law of retribution, be meted back to you, and you cannot
escape it." We declare to all men that the God of heaven
commanded Joseph Smith to introduce and practice the patriarchal
order of marriage, including the plurality of wives. And why?
Because it was the law given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob for
certain purposes; that holy men might have their wives and
children with them in the morning of the first resurrection in
their family organization to inherit kingdoms, thrones,
principalities and powers in the presence of God throughout the
endless ages of eternity. Ladies and gentlemen, the Latter-day
Saints are not the people you think they are; they are not guilty
of the crimes and wickedness they are accused of, but on the
contrary, they are as a people, free from the sins and
abominations of this generation. We are represented as being a
community of adulterers, and as being murderers. We are no more
guilty of such crimes than were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. What
God has revealed unto us, and that which we know ourselves to be
right and true, we cherish and revere; and the covenants that we
have entered into in consequence of the revelations of God to us,
we hold sacred. Our wives and children we love and respect, and
we could no more deny them their claims upon us as husbands and
fathers, than we could deny our God.
133
Another thing, there is no man that has ever lived who can claim
a wife or child in the resurrection unless he and she were
married and sealed by divine authority by a man delegated of
heaven to perform the ordinance of marriage. All contracts not
ordained of God entered into by men, end with this life, and are
therefore without binding effect in the world to come. And herein
is the difference of the position of the Latter-day Saints and of
the Christian world with respect to the married state. The nature
of our marriage covenant is sacred and binding both for time and
eternity, and I would just as soon think of denying my God as to
sever the relationship existing between me and my wives and
children. Our plural wives and our children are just as dear to
us as the one wife and the children of the Gentiles are to them;
and what is more, we have married our wives by command of God,
and by authority of His Holy Priesthood, which has been restored
again to earth; and if we prove faithful and true to Him and to
one another, we shall claim our wives and children in the world
to come. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / George
Q. Cannon, November 14, 1880
George Q. Cannon, November 14, 1880
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered at the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, November 14, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
HOW THE GOSPEL IS PREACHED BY THE ELDERS--VALUE OF THE TRAINING
THEY
RECEIVE--HISTORICAL COMPILATION OF EXPERIENCES OF THE ELDERS
WOULD BE
INTERESTING--PROSPECTS OF THE RISING GENERATION--FAITH OF THE
ANCIENTS
RESTORED--FULFILLMENT OF THE DESTINY OF THE CHURCH CANNOT BE
HINDERED--THE
SAINTS PURIFIED BY TRIAL.
133
It is exceedingly pleasing to me--and I have no doubt it is to
all the Latter-day Saints--to hear the testimony of the servants
of God who have gone forth as missionaries to the nations of the
earth, and have returned bearing a faithful testimony concerning
the work of God, and giving their experience in declaring the
word unto the people.
134
The labors of the Elders of this Church are, in some respects,
the most extraordinary of all the labors of the children of men
with which I am acquainted. The preaching of what is called the
Gospel is not uncommon. There are thousands upon thousands of men
who profess to be ministers of life and salvation, and to be
servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, who devote their lives to the
proclamation of those principles which they esteem necessary to
salvation. But it is not a common thing for men to go forth,
putting their trust in God and relying upon him for that
sustenance which is necessary to enable them to live and to
perform their missions. We have missionaries of various
denominations who have come here, as they say, to enlighten us,
to dissipate our errors, to put us on the right path, and to
point out to us a better plan of salvation than that which we
possess. But they come here because they are paid to come. They
make their living by coming. It is a profession like that of the
physician or surgeon, who comes here to administer to our
physical ailments. In this respect the Elders of this Church
differ from all others. They go out without purse and scrip,
relying upon the Lord, putting their trust in him, devoting their
time, their energies, and the ability that God has given unto
them for the purpose of enlightening their fellow-men concerning
that which they know to be the truth. I do not know any greater
evidence than this that men could give to their fellow-men of
their sincerity. And when men go forth in this way they are very
likely to live so that the spirit of the mighty God of Jacob will
be with them, they are likely to feel after it, to seek in faith
to obtain God's blessing. When a man is hungry, when he is
without money, when he has no friends, he is very apt to feel
after some Being that has power; if he has any faith in God he is
very apt to exercise it, and by the constant exercise of that
faith, if he did not know before he went upon his mission that
God lives, that God is near, that he hears and answers prayer, he
would be very likely to learn these things before a great while,
and so become strengthened in his faith so that he would ask,
believing when he did ask that he would receive the very thing
that he desired. God in his mercy has commanded his people to
take this course. He has commanded his Elders to go forth and
preach his Gospel, not for a salary, not for hire, not for the
sake of enjoying pleasant times and the favor of mankind, but
that they may be the means in his hands of saving the world and
of bearing such a testimony to the world concerning this Gospel,
that it will be left without excuse, at the same time promising
his servants that he would raise up friends to them that they
should have their needs supplied. It is one of the most
remarkable things connected with this Church, that from the day
it was founded until the present time no man has gone forth
called of God to proclaim the Gospel in faith, but he has
returned bearing testimony that God has opened his way, that God
has fed him, that God has clothed him, that God has put it into
the hearts of people to assist him, that he has traveled by sea,
traveled by land, traveled amongst strangers in lands where
strange languages were spoken--yet at no time has he ever lacked
for food, raiment, or any of those things which were necessary to
enable him to accomplish the mission upon which he had been sent.
135
As a people, brethren and sisters, we do not appreciate the value
of this training. I am satisfied that we ourselves scarcely
comprehend the blessing there is in such educational conditions.
In an age of almost universal skepticism it is of the utmost
value to us as a people that we should receive the training that
our Elders get when they go abroad among the nations of the earth
preaching the Gospel. Without it we should lack opportunities of
testing the Lord, of being tested ourselves in regard to our
faith, of proving to our own satisfaction that God lives, and
that God hears and answers prayer, and that he does interpose in
behalf of the humble, the weak and the insignificant when they
approach him in faith in the name of Jesus and ask for this
interposition. A perusal of the journals of the Elders of this
Church who have kept daily record of that which they have endured
and witnessed, and the various incidents of their missions would
be as interesting as the acts of the Apostles in the New
Testament; for God has manifested Himself in the most
extraordinary manner in their behalf. Many of this people, before
they heard of the organization of the Church, read the acts and
teachings of the Apostles and of the Savior, and also Paul's
Epistles, and their souls yearned for a day of such power upon
the earth. Many who are here to-day, many thousands throughout
this Territory, who are now connected with this Church, have
wished that they could have lived at a time when these acts were
being performed, when such men as are described in the New
Testament had an existence upon the earth. But the history of the
Elders of this Church--the miracles and manifestations of God's
power which they have witnessed and been the instruments in
performing--would make a book far larger than any record we have
handed down to us.
135
To-day, the existence of God may be said to be only known by
personal experience, to comparatively few people. Thousands
throughout Christendom think they know, because of their
traditions, that God lives and that Jesus is the Son of God.
Their fathers, their mothers, their priests, their school
teachers, have indoctrinated them with the idea that there is
such a Being as God, and that Jesus his Son is the Savior and
redeemer of the world, and they fancy they know and understand
these things. But how many are there who can testify, by personal
experience that they know that God lives? How many can say that
they have asked for and received, through imploring in the name
of Jesus, the very blessings that they desired and needed?
Comparatively few people out of the masses that live upon the
earth. Hence it is that God has removed himself far from them,
and they say there is no use in calling upon God, there is no use
in inculcating a belief that he will hear and answer prayer, that
he will interpose in behalf of individuals, or that he will
suspend--to use another phrase--great natural laws to accomplish
certain results. Yet God does not suspend natural laws when he
interposes in behalf of his people. We are told in the New
Testament that Jesus ascended in the sight of certain individuals
into heaven. The law of gravitation apparently may be said to
have been suspended, or the law which confines bodies to the
earth--the law by which we are governed; but the Savior
understood a higher law; he understood laws by which he could
accomplish this, and at the same time not interfere with the
general law that governs human bodies, and so in all these
matters God can interpose his power; he can hear and answer the
prayers of those who are humble and seek unto him. He can give
unto them the desires of their hearts in a way that is his own;
He can operate by unseen influences upon men's minds, and lead
them to do certain things that will result in the fulfillment of
the desires of others, concerning which they have offered their
prayers unto the Lord. In this respect the Latter-day Saints
occupy, so far as I know a unique position.
136
Brother Nicholson remarked that he could see among the young men
who had gone forth to preach of late years, a wonderful zeal, and
growth in faith. This will be more and more the case. The
agencies that are now at work in our midst, our Sunday
Schools--the scholars of which number upwards of thirty
thousand--our Young Men's and Young Women's Associations--the
members of which are numbered by thousands--are doing a vast
amount of good. The young are being trained in the reading of the
Scriptures. And who can read the Scriptures without believing
that God is, and that he hears and answers prayers? What is there
in the Bible to lead a reader to believe that faith shall not be
exercised to-day as much as at any time in the world's history,
or that revelation from God shall not be enjoyed to-day as much
as 1800 years ago? He who reads the Bible and believes in the
equality of man, believes in the justice of God, and his
unchangeable character, that he is the same yesterday, to-day,
and forever, will have faith spring up in his heart concerning
the possibility of having knowledge from God, and of God's
speaking, of sending his messages to the earth to-day as well as
he did in ancient days. I do not believe that a child can be
found who, if the New Testament be given to him or to her, and he
or she read it without the bias which comes from the
interposition of friends and the comments of teachers, will not
have faith in God, and will not desire to know why it is that God
does not work miracles in these days, and why God's power is not
manifested now as it was in ancient days. These inquiries will
naturally spring up in their hearts, and their desire to share in
these blessings will be as natural to them as any other thoughts
would be. Certainly, they will have no idea unless they are
taught it, that these gifts and blessings are no longer to be
enjoyed by men upon the earth. It is false teaching that
generates such ideas in the mind of the children of men, not the
Bible itself, not the New Testament, not anything that is written
within either of those books, but they are ideas that come from
outside of the Bible. But it is said if these things have not
ceased, if it was not the will of God that they should cease, why
is it that we do not have these manifestations now as they had in
ancient days? Why is it that God does not speak now? Why is it
that angels do not minister unto men now? Why is it that the Holy
Ghost is not poured out now? Why are there no persons possessing
the gift of healing, and other manifestations of the power of
God? Why is it that Christendom has been for ages without these
blessings and gifts in their midst?
137
These are very reasonable inquiries, and the answer to them is to
be found in the history of the Church, in this fact: that mankind
would not permit a servant of Jesus to live in their midst who
did such things, from the days of himself and his apostles down
to the days of the restoration of the Gospel in its purity to the
earth. Inspired men have not been permitted to live in their
midst. Even men who professed to have a little light, who did not
profess to have received revelation, but who claimed that it was
their privilege to seek unto God and to find him and obtain
knowledge from him, to a certain extent, were persecuted unto
death. Read the history of the various reformed churches from the
days of the Apostles down until the present time, or to within
fifty years, and you will find that this has always been the
result. Mankind have been determined that a reformed religion,
and certainly revelation from God, should not be introduced in
their midst. They would not have it. We have seen it in our own
age, in this enlightened nation, occupying the foremost rank of
all the nations of the earth, prominent for liberty, and for the
freedom of its government, laws and institutions.
138
Joseph Smith, the Prophet of God, did not arrogate to himself any
superiority over his fellows, but he said that every man might be
a prophet of God, might have the testimony of Jesus Christ, if he
would live for it. He did not go among the people and say, "I
have been chosen and elected to be something superior to all the
rest of you; I have received blessings which no other man can
receive." This was not his doctrine nor his teaching, but he said
that every man that would obey the Gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and have the ordinances administered to him by one having
authority, should receive the Holy Ghost, and that would make him
a prophet, it would fill him with the Spirit of God, which is the
spirit of prophecy; and because he declared this, because he
declared the equality of man before God, because he contended
that the souls of men in the nineteenth century were as precious
in the sight of God as they were in the first century of the
Christian Era, or at any time anterior to that era; because he
declared that God was the same in these days as he was in ancient
days; because he declared that God was not a God who made
distinction among his creatures; that he did not manifest light
to one generation and refuse it to another who were equally
faithful in seeking for it--because he declared these doctrines
in this nation and in this age his life was sacrificed. Our
existence to-day in these mountains, the existence of Utah as a
Territory in its present form, is due to religious intolerance,
and is due also to the fact that a community has grown up who
contend for religious equality before God, who claim that they
are as good as their fathers in the sight of God, who contend
that, however weak and fallible they may be, they at least are
the children of God, and the heavens are open to them, if they
have equal faith, as they were to their fathers who lived 1,800
or 2,000 or 3,000 years ago. Utah became an organized territory
because of this fact; that there had been begotten in the hearts
of the people the feeling to seek after God as their fathers did,
to seek for him that they might find him and obtain knowledge
from him for themselves, not content to read of the blessings, of
the powers, and gifts, and of the ordinances of salvation that
were extended to others, thousands of years ago. The mere reading
of these things would not satisfy this people. Nothing short of
the actual realization of the blessings would satisfy the
yearnings of their soul. And they stand to-day as a living
protest against religious intolerance, and in favor of the old
faith that existed upon the earth thousands of years ago, seeking
for the old paths, teaching their children that God is the same
to-day that he ever was, and that they must seek unto him as they
did in ancient days to obtain knowledge of him and from him. And
we began in this way: The Lord commanded us to go without purse
or scrip--a good way of testing us to see whether our desires to
know him were real or not--to go out in the midst of a cruel and
unfeeling world, opposed to us, opposed to the ideas we
entertained, priests feeling as they did in ancient days, that
their craft was in danger. "Why," said they, "here are men who
will destroy all our creed. We shall have no pay for our
preaching if this becomes popular, our profession will be
destroyed," and from the day that proclamation was made to the
present time the strongest opponents of this Church and of this
people have been men who preach for hire, and whose creeds have
been in danger by the proclamation of these truths. To-day
religious conventions cannot be held without "Mormonism" being
introduced and advanced as something against which the power of
the nation should be directed.
139
The Lord has been with us and has helped us or we could not have
done what has been done. It has been his blessing, it has been
the manifestation of his power, that has shielded and upheld this
people. His word has gone forth concerning this work. It will not
return unfulfilled. Commencing with six members, this Church has
increased until it is a power in the earth, and there is no
nation which has not heard of this strange people living in the
midst of the Rocky Mountains. The ideas we have taught are
revolutionizing the earth, silently and slowly in some respects,
but nevertheless as thoroughly. We are few in number, but the
power and influence of the ideas which we advocate wield a power
that we here do not fully understand. This will increase. As I
have said to you and to others, the qualities that are possessed
by the Latter-day Saints will never die. They cannot die unless
you kill the people themselves. Talk about destroying this work!
When you destroy the Church of Christ, and virtue, union,
industry, frugality and temperance from the face of the earth,
the world will destroy "Mormonism," as it is called. But a people
with such qualities as we exhibit, as God has developed within
us, cannot be killed. Ideas have been begotten and given birth to
that will continue to grow and increase until they fill the whole
earth, because they are true and divine. If there were only half
a dozen men left alive who had this organization and held these
principles, they would continue to grow and gather adherants and
spread on the right hand and on the left. The principles are
indescribable in their character. A faith has been begotten, a
faith been born that will continue to live and increase and
spread abroad, from the very fact that it is true, and truth
always finds a lodgement in the hearts of the honest. There is no
way to destroy this unless those who entertain a belief in it are
destroyed. That can be done, but it is not likely to be done. It
was done in the days of the Apostles, for the reason that the
churches were scattered abroad, here and there. They were
surrounded by their enemies. Satan had power in the earth. The
Apostles were slain one after another. Every man that raised his
voice in favor of divine revelation from God, or contended for
the equality of man before God, and the unchangeableness of God,
was slain. The Church was scattered abroad. Paul built up
branches throughout Asia Minor. Other Apostles built branches of
the Church wherever they could find a place where the people
would receive the truth. But they were surrounded by adverse
influences, and the Apostles and Saints were not allowed to live.
And we in this day would be destroyed if we were alone, if these
influences were left to operate against us. You surround a few
people by multitudes who are actively hostile and aggressive
against them, and how difficult it is for them to maintain their
foothold! This was the condition of the churches in the days of
the Apostles. They were scattered abroad throughout Europe, Asia
and Africa, and on many islands. The Apostles had gone forth
wherever they could find an opening. Thousands had been organized
into the Church, and in these various branches there were men who
had inspiration from God, who had the authority of the Holy
Priesthood, who could ask of God and receive from him knowledge
for the guidance of the people. While these men remained the
Church continued to grow. But persecution sought the lives of men
of this character. They were singled out and slain until not one
was left, until a universal silence reigned. Throughout all the
nations of the earth, not a voice was heard to disturb the
silence, no heavenly messenger, no voice from the eternal world,
no man that had the authority to say, "thus saith the Lord." The
heavens became as brass over the heads of the children of men,
all communication was cut off, and of course the Church fell, the
Priesthood departed, the ordinances were changed, and those who
survived with a little faith accommodated themselves to the
circumstances surrounding them. That was the condition in early
days.
140
But how the condition has changed! God in his mercy concealed
this continent from the eyes of the world. For ages it remained
here a secret place. Neither the Atlantic nor the Pacific could
be penetrated until the set time came. Then a man was found who
was moved upon by the Spirit of God. He became possessed of an
idea that would not die, and his idea prevailed eventually. Ships
were launched upon the great ocean, and the continent of America
was discovered. God has revealed the reason this continent was
concealed for so many ages. If it had been known to early ages,
it would have been overrun, and there would have been no room for
the great work of the last days. But he organized a government
upon this land. He sustained the men who founded it. He filled
them with His Spirit and enabled them to fight all the battles
necessary to establish religious, social and political freedom,
and a system of government was formed under which his kingdom
could be set up, with all its institutions, without interfering
in the least with the Constitution. In the Lord's own due time
this Church was brought forth. The messengers of life and
salvation were sent to the nations of the earth proclaiming that
God had established His Church, and inviting them to come to a
land of liberty. Thousands have been gathered here from that day
to this, fulfilling in a most remarkable manner the predictions
of the prophets concerning the gathering of the people in the
last days. The circumstances which surrounded us are very
different from those which surrounded our predecessors. We are a
compact body. We believe in gathering; we believe in one people
of one faith living together, worshiping God according to the
dictates of their own consciences. This presents a solid phalanx
against opposition and persecution. We cannot be slain to-day in
detail as our brethren were 1,800 years ago. The ideas we believe
in are being disseminated among our children. We are increasing.
The teachings of history are that a people like us have a
destiny, and they cannot be prevented from fulfilling it. You
take two communities, one a multiplying community and the other
only partially multiplying, and what will be the result? But I
need not dwell upon this. There is a line of thought connected
with this which you can reflect upon at your leisure.
140
God has given unto us the conditions that are suitable for the
accomplishment of the great work that he has said shall be
established and carried forward in the last days, and we are
connected with it; and there is this to distinguish it from all
others--it is not a man-made system. Men may say and think what
they please about it, but from the President of the Church down
to the last man who has entered into the Church in sincerity
there is a faith and a knowledge that this work is of God, and
the Presidency believe this as much as the humblest man in the
Church and more too. It is this that gives power, it is this that
gives influence. It is because they are filled with a knowledge
concerning it that they have lived it, that they have contended
for it, that they have passed through persecutions to establish
it, that they are not unwilling to die for it, if it should be
necessary. And this is the case with the whole people. Why?
Because they are deluded? Because they are dupes? Because they
are deceived? No, but because God has opened the heavens and
poured out His Holy Spirit upon them and given them a testimony
for themselves of the truth of this work. The Norwegian, the
Swede, the Dane, the native of Switzerland, or the German,
Frenchman, Irishman, Englishman, or the American, together with
the Icelanders, Sandwich Islanders--all receive it in their own
lands, all bearing testimony in the self-same words, that God has
given them a testimony of the truth of this work. Destroy it! You
might as well try to destroy the heavens themselves, or to
overthrow the throne of Jehovah. It is true. It will live. Men
may fall away--for men are weak mortals--man may deny the faith,
man may say this is all a delusion; men may die, but the grand
truth still lives. It has found a lodgement in the hearts of
honest men and women. And they are increasing. Their children are
multiplying. They are spreading abroad on the right hand and on
the left, living virtuous, temperate, frugal, industrious lives,
loving God and loving their neighbors.
141
Are there exceptions? Yes, we are human. The devil still lives,
and he has power to tempt. Therefore we have exceptions in our
midst. Nevertheless those qualities are increasing and
multiplying. Men are found who possess them, and those growing up
to manhood and womanhood are also found to possess them. They
know God and ask Him, believing that they will have the desires
of their hearts granted unto them. And thus the work of God is
spreading abroad throughout the earth, finding a place in the
hearts of people, humble, it is true, but people who are
independent--people who are the noblest of earth's sons, for the
reason that they are not afraid to embrace that which is
unpopular. The work of natural selection is going on in that way.
This Gospel is naturally selecting the best of the people from
the midst of the earth--men and women in humble station, from the
lower ranks of life, in the most of instances, although there are
some exceptions, some noble exceptions; but notwithstanding the
lowliness of their origin and their surroundings, they are people
of independent thought, people who dare embrace a truth though it
be unpopular, and cling to it in the midst of all the influences
that are brought to bear against them. Out of such materials the
Lord is building up a Church, building up a people, bestowing His
blessings upon them.
141
It would not do for His people to be anything else but valiant,
and when they pass through the ordeal they will be like gold
seven times purified. In days gone by it was the mob, it was the
burning of houses, driving the people from their lands, and this
has been followed by ordeals just as trying in their character,
as far as testing the people is concerned. By this process the
people are becoming stronger in the Lord. Their feet are planted
upon a rock. They have proved God for themselves, known him for
long years in the midst of trials, temptations and vicissitudes
such as no other people on the face of the earth know anything
about.
141
I thank God for this. I thank him every day that I live for this
Church. I thank him that I am a Latter-day Saint. If I can only
have a name among this people I feel as though I could have no
greater comfort. I wish to be associated with a people of this
kind, a people who love the Lord and are willing to do anything
to show their faith in and their love for him, and if it were
necessary, to lay down their lives for the truth. I cannot help
loving a people of this kind. They have weaknesses and faults. I
have them too. We are alike in this respect. If they will bear
with me I will strive to bear with them. I know this is the
Church and Kingdom of God. I know that those who cling to it
will, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, receive glory and
exaltation at his right hand. I know that people who love him, as
the Latter-day Saints do, and are willing to make sacrifice, will
not be forgotten by him. He will not forget them in the day that
he makes up his jewels; he will bless them and honor them.
141
That we may remain faithful and true unto the end, and be counted
worthy to receive an exaltation in the kingdom of our God is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / George
G. Bywater, June 4, 1882
George G. Bywater, June 4, 1882
DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEORGE G. BYWATER,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, June 4, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
HUMAN RIGHTS--ORIGIN, DUTY AND DESTINY OF MAN--CORRECT KNOWLEDGE
DUE TO
DIVINE REVELATION--TRUTH EVER ABSOLUTE AND UNWELCOME TO THE
WORLD--GOD'S
AUTHORITY UNRECOGNIZED--THE WORLD'S PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE
PROSPECTS.
142
Among the loftiest conceptions of the world of mind, relative to
the purposes and being of man, has, in human wisdom, been
formulated to be the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. This sentiment has found an echo in every age, when
the intelligence with which man is inherently endowed has been
favored with a development to a degree adequate to this
conception. And although this principle in the general bearing
upon human interests is accepted by the intelligence of all
countries and all peoples, we discover that our principles and
sentiments are in advance of the moral and intellectual culture
requisite to their full and complete development. But wherever
and whenever the best cultivated minds have been moved to
pronounce their conceptions upon the destiny of man, they have
ever incorporated those principles and those rights in their
constitutional manifestoes. And amid the multitudinous concerns
and divine interests, in which the human mind is engrossed, there
is always a sacred spot reserved for the welcoming and
christening of those principles in the human heart. Moreover,
whenever these principles have been invaded and the sanctity of
the conditions involved in them has been imposed upon by
ignorance and superstition or unbridled and uncultivated
passions, they have ever resulted in sorrow, distress and anguish
to the family of man.
142
In speaking a few Sabbaths ago I made reference to the genesis or
origin of things, and quoted an inquiry which was very
beautifully put by the intelligent individual who made the
inquiry, namely, "Whence are all things, and whither do all
things tend?" and then remarked that the highest and loftiest aim
of man must necessarily be to obtain the conception of his origin
and his final destiny. Short of this, his life would be an
aimless life, and his acts would be acts without intelligent
motives; they would be disconnected: they would bear no reference
to the past, no reference to the future, but would be acts
produced as the result of the force of circumstances, urging an
acquiescence and recognition of the pressure by which he was
surrounded, and yielding to the authority of that force.
143
But to the free and intelligent man and woman who ascend above
the narrow zones and stratas of human life, who rise to a higher
plain of intellectuality and who begin to perceive the vast
extent over which human interests are spread and the undoubted
right of association of those interests to go in one grand
fraternal whole, in one bond of human unity, they must be led to
inquire into those matters, and in doing so to satisfy
themselves, at least, according to their highest standard of
knowledge, and their widest scope of experience and observation,
so that they might have in view an object, a mark, a prize
towards which they should aim, a prize for which they should run
a race, a work to be performed for which they should receive a
reward; impelled by the eternal, heaven-born endowments which,
under favorable influences and proper circumstances, they would
feel awakened within them, impelling them, urging them to advance
to a higher standard of moral and intellectual excellence, and be
able to perform a work for the advancement of their race, for the
amelioration of the condition of human society, that they might
leave the world, in some small degree though it may be, the
better for their living in it.
143
We conceive, my brethren and sisters, that these are motives that
no well-directed line of thought can escape, that these are
feelings that no heart imbued with the genuineness of its nature,
which we inherit as the patrimony of our Father and God can
entertain, without being moved thereby; and we certainly could
not become oblivious to these considerations whatever may be the
conditions or conceptions in which we find ourselves and those
with whom we are more immediately associated in the fabric of
human society--we must feel that this great, grand, dominating
principle is ever presenting its modest claim upon our
allegiance, that we should not only desire to enjoy the right to
life but the right to liberty, and the right to pursue happiness
according to our highest conceptions of that happiness and that
liberty.
144
As Latter-day Saints we feel that this is our prerogative; we
feel that the words which I have quoted, although I stated that
they were formulated by human wisdom, but I beg to qualify that
statement by a word or two to convey my meaning more clearly to
you upon this subject. It is true that we draw a line of
demarcation between human wisdom and wisdom from above--between
the human and divine; that we draw a broad line by which we
distinguish the one from the other; but when we express ourselves
in harmony with the common principle which enters into the
structure of our faith, as Latter-day Saints, we find that this
line becomes more and more attenuated; we find that it loses that
distinctness which we once thought should ever exist between what
we call temporal and spiritual, and we find ourselves, being
guided by the inspirations of our faith and the principles which
we have espoused, coming nearer and nearer into a union, and more
closely in harmony with that sentiment expressed by one of the
ancient prophets: "Fear God and keep his commandments: this is
the whole duty of man." This sentiment was uttered long centuries
ago, when men, according to modern writers and speakers, were
supposed to enjoy only the light of Paganism, guided by the
government of barbarism in the lower stages of the scale of human
elevation--in the dark ages. But, my friends, if there is a sage
or philosopher that has ever uttered a sentiment or declared a
principle or enunciated a law by which he would give birth to his
conception of the philosophy of life, of the purpose of human
existence, that could express it more forcibly, more
philosophically or in stricter harmony with the principles of
exact science than this ancient Prophet, then I know not his name
nor am I acquainted with him as an author.
144
Permit me, in a few words, to illustrate my meaning upon this
principle. We will suppose that a master builder has conceived a
plan for a magnificent structure, for a beautiful residence, for
a temple of worship, for a temple of science, for a temple of
freedom, a temple of truth; and he would embody, as the result of
his deep and practical investigation into the wants and
necessities embodied in his conception, a necessary provision to
meet those wants, to supply those necessities, and to accord with
the character of the work, or the results to be produced after
the work should be completed, that there was no part of the plan
conceived as being unnecessary or beyond what was called for, or
any part of the structure that was built for nought, and that
might as well be disposed of as to have it; but he would feel
that he had completed his ground plan, the several floor plans,
even to the topmost stone or the last elaborate and artistic
touch of the painter's brush or mechanic's chisel, according to
the genius of decorative art, that it was all necessary to
carrying out the external principles and character and importance
of the work to be performed and of the results to follow the
completion of this labor.
144
If this be true in works of art, if this be true also in the
various labors of life, in the domain of agriculture as well as
the domain of art, in every department of nature as well as in
every department of art, we see design and purpose, we see
invention and system, we see the indelible mark of intent upon
every part designed to constitute the entire and perfect whole;
and we would say that the man who would conclude that the work of
such an architect, of such a master builder, was unnecessary, was
simply an utterance of mind that was unfavorable to more mature
investigation of such matters, and consequently could not be
considered a competent judge upon such a subject.
144
We regard man as the highest form of intellectual and moral
existence with which we are acquainted. We regard man as the most
perfect embodiment of all the creations of nature with which we
are acquainted. He possesses the highest development of a nervous
system, the most complex organization in all its parts, the most
fruitful brain, producing the grandest results witnessed in every
form of animated existence; and if this be true--and I have never
yet seen a man who could be considered by his best friends to be
sane who doubted it--then we must admit that if man who is
created with a complement of capabilities, with a capacity for
advancement in knowledge of a variety of degrees and kinds, and
that he is adapted in his mental and moral nature to perform
works that are productive of the highest possible good, not only
to himself as an intelligent being, but to all subordinate or
inferior forms of life with which he is surrounded, we certainly
cannot fail to come right into the presence of this inquiry:
"Whence are all things, and whither do all things tend?"
145
Many and wide are the speculations indulged in by men who feel
free to give themselves the most unbounded latitude in their
speculations, forming theories not only devoid of ingeniousness,
not only devoid of truth and symmetry, but possessing some
features of fascination for the intellectual and good among
mankind; yet, where do we find in the whole realm of mind, where
through all the ages that have gone by, men that have wandered
and gleaned information from every open avenue among the various
civilizations which the words of history give unto us a knowledge
of, is there a more rational and consistent solution of this
question than is found in the writings of the most ancient
historian and primitive lawgiver, Moses: "God made man in his own
image; in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them."
145
If then, my friends, we have an origin--and there is no doubt but
that we have; and there are very few men with whom I have come in
contact that have ever hesitated to admit man's origin. It will
therefore be rational to enquire whence are we. But to trace back
through the ages that have elapsed and take a retrospective gaze
into the past and endeavor to unearth the history of lost
civilization; to exhume from the buried ruins the intelligence
that existed upon the surface of this globe during the long, long
centuries that have gone by, and there glean the very cream and
gather together the most precious sentiments ever enunciated by
sage or philosopher, can we find anything superior to this? No,
we cannot, my friends; there is none on record. Pardon my freedom
in making so broad and conclusive a statement; but I speak after
many years reflections, and after considerable research.
146
And although, my beloved brethren and sisters, many grand and
cherished principles have been brought to light by man's will and
power of investigation, by seeking to open nature's temples and
explore her departments and endeavor to comprehend law through
phenomena, and formulate the laws of nature in harmony with the
connected and continuous occurrences of events, with the uniform
appearance and re-appearance of her operations, and they have
been gratified with the glorious results which have followed the
earnest, the honest and indefatigable labors of good men, men who
have sacrificed friends and homes and associations, who have bid
adieu to their dearest friends on earth, sacrificing all the
comforts and luxuries with which they were surrounded to embark
on the ocean of peril and uncertainty in pursuit of principles
which they felt were to be discovered, and results to be attained
by persistent and indefatigable labor. They have traveled to
earth's utmost bounds; they have endured hardships, and many of
them have sacrificed their lives in order to accumulate a fund of
human knowledge to add to those experiences which seem
indisputably necessary to build up society upon its more enduring
basis. Yet, my friends, have they ever brought to light by their
researches, without naming those worthies for whom I entertain
profound respect, a great many of them, have they ever introduced
to the human family such a plain, such a clear, lucid and
satisfactory explanation of the principles of which I have
spoken, and to which I am now alluding--the design of man and his
final destiny upon the earth--as is given in the records of
revelation. It is true that the scientific man is satisfied that
there is a high destiny awaiting man; that there is an ultimatum
pertaining to his being that science cannot unfold, that
philosophy cannot teach, that man's experience and observation
cannot gather the materials for the solution of; but they see a
grandness in the structure of the human frame, they see a
profoundness in the constitution of his mind; they see such a
variety of adaptations and combinations in his person that augurs
for him a higher life and nobler results and grander purposes,
than are presented within the narrow realm of his mortal sphere,
in which he now sojourns. But to say what that life is, to
explain what will be his future destiny and the future destiny of
the human family at large, the earth and the universe, who can
tell? The wisest of men here bow their heads in humility, their
countenances become more or less suffused with expressions of
humiliation. They stand in the presence of the future, the effect
of which they feel, but the character of which they do not
comprehend; and they will say with Professor Proctor and others,
that whatever may be the laws that will bring to pass the
resurrection of the world, as the prophets have said, it will die
and pass away; what will be the laws and powers and forces that
will make themselves manifest in the resurrection or regeneration
of matter, they do not know, but they believe that there exists
in nature an intelligent power which will conduct her operations
to eternal perpetuity.
146
My friends, we are indebted to revelation as the source of
knowledge; we are indebted to God and angels, and the spirit of
revelation, for our understanding of those divine principles
which afford a clear and final solution to these important and
vital inquiries. As Latter-day Saints we appeal to this source;
and while we do not ignore any truth, come from where it may, or
wherever found, whether upon Christian or heathen ground, we hail
the light of the everlasting Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
which has been revealed in our day and dispensation as the only
unerring, as the only truthful and unqualifiedly certain mode of
interpretation by which we can attain to a knowledge of these
things. We may say, the works of God and the word of God both
constitute the avenues of human information, and that whoever
ignores the one deprives himself of much of the benefits which
flow from accepting the other; that there are two doors which
open to the temple of truth, and they are both indispensably
necessary to engage man's full capacity and to endow him with the
principles of knowledge, and with the purposes of his being here
upon the earth, together with his origin and final destiny.
147
My beloved friends, I feel grateful for a knowledge of these
things; I feel thankful that God has restored again the fulness
of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and that we
are living in the dispensation in which God has foretold through
his ancient servants the prophets that he would make known his
mind and will concerning the earth and its inhabitants, and his
purposes in relation to them; and that he will bring to pass all
of his great and grand designs as they have been foreshadowed in
the volumes of revelation from the earliest period of his
speaking to the children of men to the present hour. And as
Latter-day Saints we rely especially and entirely upon him for
absolute truth. Although men deny this, they say there is no such
thing as absolute truth, that all truth is relative. But we have
learned, through the revelations of God, and taking them as a
standard, that there is a great deal of false reasoning here.
Truth is absolute in its nature. Man's apprehension of it may be
only partial and imperfect; he may know two few of its sides,
comprehending it not in its entirety; and, therefore, to form a
perfect and unerring judgment as regards its force and power and
character requires a thorough application of its elements. I aver
that truth is absolute. It is admitted by our wisest men that the
existence of God is an absolute existence; we accept this
admission, and say that whatever truth emanates from him, is an
absolute truth. It may be beyond our comprehension. Truth may
come unto man in relative quantities. It may be revealed in the
form of line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and
there a little. It nevertheless comes to us in the character and
absoluteness of his character, and this, we say, is stamped upon
every principle that emanates from his divine presence.
147
As a community of people we have received this Gospel; we have
embraced its first principles. We have gathered ourselves
together to these mountain valleys in fulfillment of prophecy to
be further taught of him. We are entering into the development of
that work which has been the theme and burden of the prophetic
song of men who lived long ages ago. We live in an age of
revelation. We live in an age of Prophets and Apostles and
inspired men. But who believes this? Here is a question, who
believes it? It was asked in the day of the Savior, When the Son
of Man cometh shall he find faith on the earth? When and where, I
ask, has a dispensation of God to the children of men found a
universal acceptance? We know of no time in the world's history
when the intelligence of the masses of mankind has been of that
advanced and refined culture as to accord the right to the
Creator of the universe to dictate a government for the children
of men. They have ever assumed the role en masse or in the great
majority, that they had the right to dictate to themselves. This
is strikingly illustrated in the parable of the Savior, in which
is represented a vineyard and the giving charge of it to stewards
to cultivate it and take care of its fruit. This having been
done, the Lord of the vineyard sends his servants or messengers
to investigate as to the management and working of their
stewardship. But when they came, making known their business to
those in charge, were they received as they should have been? No,
but on the contrary, they agreed among themselves that it was
their right to manage their own affairs according to their own
will and in their own way, and that it was their right to dictate
to themselves. Vox populi, vox dei. We are the voice of God; we
know what is best for ourselves, etc. And they took the
messengers that were sent unto them by the master and owner of
the vineyard, and beat one and stoned another, etc.; and they
returned and reported the cruelties that had been inflicted upon
them. By this act they ignored the right and authority of the
Master to make any inquiries as to the management of affairs.
Finally the Lord of the vineyard said: "I will send my Son,
surely they will reverence my Son." He came, and they recognized
him; said they, "He is the heir, let us kill him."
148
My beloved brethren and sisters, and friends, this is a very
truthful, a very forcible illustration of the spirit that has
been manifested by the generation of the children of men in our
own age, when God has again sent a divine messenger, crying
repentance to the people and inviting them to forsake their sins
and return to the Lord their God, and recognize his right to
dictate to them the form of government they should live by.
148
How is it to-day in this nation, that boastingly iterates and
re-iterates from one part of our common country to the other the
rights of men which are embodied in the noble Constitution of the
country, and expressed in the words I quoted, "Life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness." Do they recognize God's right to rule?
No, my friends, and I must say, pardon the allusion, in the
sarcastic though too truthful article of Mrs. Gail Hamilton, with
regard to the power and effects of science and the power and
effect of the Christian world in their prayers for our late
lamented President Garfield, when she tauntingly throws up to
them that they have no faith; that the prayers of the whole world
were turned, that the whole Christian world bowed itself, asking
and pleading with heaven to save unto us our President; but the
only prayer answered was that of the wretched and despised
Guiteau, the assassin. There is too much truth in this sarcasm.
Would we rule God out of the government; would we rule Him out of
the Constitution, claiming the right to rule ourselves and
dictate the conditions upon which we would live, or would we say
with one of old, that "to fear God and keep his commandments is
the whole duty of man." It is with regret that we have to record
the admission, that the general sentiment of to-day, is, that God
has nothing to do with human affairs, which only expresses the
real state of things as they now exist. But then this is merely a
fulfillment of a prophetic utterance. In the latter-days, said
Timothy, many false prophets should arise and also false
teachers, who would teach the doctrine of devils. Forbidding to
marry, (but tolerating prostitution); that men would become
"covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers; that they would be
"without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of them that are good." That they
would also be traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God. "Having a form of godliness but denying
the power thereof."
148
What is the state, not only of our own glorious Republic, but of
the governments of the world--whither are we drifting? We have
eyes, but whether we can see enough of the circumstances that are
to constitute the grand panorama spoken of in Holy Writ, is
another question. It may be that they are too close to our doors
to be seen distinctly, and that we are unable in consequence to
comprehend their magnitude and foretell their results. Be that as
it may, we nevertheless are right in the presence of these
sorrowful facts of human history.
148
May we, as Latter-day Saints, be faithful, trusting in God. May
we be like Daniel of old, though the king should forbid we should
pray; though princes and rulers should tell us we shall not
worship God only as we are permitted to, that we must accept and
abide by popular opinion and bow in deference to popular
prejudices, shaping our convictions after the ethics and theories
of men, may we still trust in Him, and still be found at the post
of duty and devotion.
149
Is this the age of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness? Is this the age when we are to enjoy those immunities
and guarantees which the highest conservators of human wisdom,
the founders of our great Constitution were enabled to give unto
us, to bequeath unto us as their patrimony? Alas! alas! It is in
this instance as in that expressed by Oliver Goldsmith:
149
I ll fares the land, to hastening ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates and men decay.
149
When men will tell you that the constitution is not sufficient;
that we have grown beyond it--that there is no sacredness to be
attached to any institution that comes short in its provisions to
supply means by which party purposes and popular prejudices can
be fostered and carried into execution, that all these things
must go by the way--I fear for my country; I fear for any nation
and any people so situated. For remember, this is not the only
to Central Arabia, and we find these relics of an ancient
civilization, many phases of which would put to the blush the
vanity and pride of the intelligence of the age in which we live.
They have gone; the generations then living have melted away. And
the generations that now live will pass away; but God lives and
rules, and his purposes will roll on. And, pardon me, I will
close my remarks with another couplet:
149
"Yet I doubt not through the ages
One eternal purpose runs,
And the thoughts of men are widened
By the process of the suns."
149
And by the development and the upholding of the principles of
nature God is consummating his designs, which will terminate in
the salvation of man and the perfection of the earth as a
residence for the redeemed of all past ages, when the light of
the sun will not be needed, for the glory of God will be the
light, and intelligence and truth shall flow as the mighty ocean,
and knowledge shall cover the great deep, and no man then need
say, Know ye the Lord, for all shall know him from the least to
the greatest; and every man in every place will meet a brother
and a friend.
149
May God in His own due time hasten these things, and we, His
children, be prepared for every dispensation of His providence,
is my prayer, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Lorenzo Snow, April 7th, 1882
Lorenzo Snow, April 7th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE LORENZO SNOW,
Delivered at the General Conference,
Friday, A. M., April 7th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
ANCIENT AND MODERN ISRAEL COMPARED--GOD'S WORK PROGRESSIVE--HIS
OVERRULING
PROVIDENCE.
150
The speaker read the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th verses
of the 14th chapter of Exodus, and then said:
150
There is an important lesson contained in these verses, and the
lesson is not only applicable to this community as a whole, but
to each individual. It appears that the children of Israel at the
time referred to in the passage I have read, were not very well
acquainted with the Lord, or with his ability to carry out his
purposes. They, however, had not the opportunities of becoming
acquainted with him, as have the Latter-day Saints. They had seen
some of the works of the Lord wrought in the presence of the
Egyptians as well as in their own presence; but their hearts had
not been touched, neither had their understandings been
enlightened by the intelligence of the Holy Spirit, as has been
the case with the Latter-day Saints, and therefore, when they
were brought to face the Red Sea, which, to all human appearance,
was impassable, and with the armies of the Egyptians pressing
close upon them, their hearts failed them.
150
The Latter-day Saints in latter days have been placed in
circumstances very similar. I well remember in my own experience
the Latter-day Saints being placed in situations where it became
very necessary for them to rely upon their knowledge of the
things of God and their faith in His power to carry out His
purposes.
150
It is not at all strange that the Israelites at that time,
possessing the little knowledge they did, should be considerably
alarmed, or that they should display a great amount of ignorance
and folly, having expressed themselves to Moses as being in doubt
as to the propriety of attempting to deliver them from their
fettered condition, notwithstanding the Egyptians had been so
severe upon them, and had taken the lives of their children, yet
they had so little faith in the word of the Lord through their
deliverer, Moses, that they were willing to still continue slaves
rather than place themselves under the direction of the Almighty.
They wished to know of Moses if there were not sufficient graves
in Egypt that it became necessary for them to be destroyed by the
army of Pharaoh in the wilderness, and chided Moses for the
course he had pursued, and wished themselves back in bondage.
152
I do not think the Latter-day Saints in any period of their
history have displayed such weakness and lack of faith; however
trying our circumstances may have been, we have never been guilty
of such pronounced ingratitude to God. At the time the mob came
against us in Missouri there were but a few of us, and the
circumstances were such it was impossible to expect deliverance
except through the intervention of the Almighty. There may, it is
true, have been some persons at that time whose hearts failed
them under the very trying circumstances in which we were placed;
but they were very few. The Latter-day Saints had received the
Gospel accompanied by the Holy Spirit; and it was in consequence
of that miraculous influence and power that was and had been upon
them at various times, which caused them to have faith in their
deliverance. They did not display the weakness and folly that we
see manifested in the children of Israel on the occasion referred
to in the verses I have read, as well as on many other occasions.
There were a few, however, that wished to turn back to Babylon
and give up their faith, the ordeal being too severe. In reading
ecclesiastical history we find that even the prophets on certain
occasions, displayed more or less weakness; and I have thought
that Moses exhibited a little on this occasion, that is, if the
translation be strictly correct. He saw the difficulties, and
although he had more faith and knowledge in his bosom than all
the faith and knowledge of the people put together, yet there
seemed to be a feebleness in the course that he advised on this
occasion. With the Red sea in front and the army of Pharaoh
pressing closely in the rear, the state of affairs, of course,
seemed critical, and it was apparent to all: and while the people
were bewailing their condition Moses gave instructions, saying,
"Fear ye not"--now that part of it was excellent, and may apply
to the Latter-day Saints, and will always be applicable in
whatever condition they may be placed; but the after part of the
instruction I would scarcely think was exactly applicable on that
occasion, and it certainly would not be to the Latter-day Saints
in any situation or circumstance, namely, "Stand still, and see
the salvation of the Lord." It appears from this verse which I
will read, that Moses began to cry unto the Lord for deliverance;
and the Lord answered him saying: "Wherefore cryest thou unto me?
Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward." There
was no standing still; there never has been since the day that
the Almighty commenced to establish His work, the people have
always been required to move on and never stand still. Although
the Lord will work and accomplish wonders in regard to the
deliverance of His people when impediments arise in the path of
their progress and no human power or ability can remove them,
then God by His power will do so, but it is the business of those
who profess to be engaged in His work to move on, to go forward,
and that too without murmuring or having to be urged; so long as
there remains a step forward to be taken, that step should be
taken. As in this case it was not wisdom for the people to stand
still to see the salvation of the Lord, but the word was, move
on, go forward, have faith, so that when they should come to the
water's edge and place their feet therein, that then the Lord
would either move upon the Egyptians to stay the hand of
destruction, or show His power in delivering them in some other
way; but so long as they could make a move in the direction that
God through Moses had appointed, it was their duty to do so.
152
It may appear through our ignorance in not understanding fully
the ways of the Lord and His purposes, that in our onward march
in carrying out the programme before us, we sometimes come to a
stopping place for the time being, but the fact is, there is no
such thing in the programme, and there cannot be providing the
people continue their labors putting their trust in the promises
of God. The Apostles, notwithstanding the opportunities they had
of acquainting themselves with the purposes of the Almighty,
through personal converse with the Son of God, thought there was
a time when they would have to stand still, and cease their
labors as ministers of God. When they saw the Savior hanging upon
the cross in the agonies of death, their hearts failed them, and
they concluded that all was over with them. They had thought that
Jesus was to be king of Israel, and deliver them from the Gentile
yoke, but now their hopes seemed vain and all was lost; now said
their leader, let us go a fishing. Was there a cessation of the
work of God, when Jesus was suffering upon the cross? No, the
work was still going on, but the Apostles did not understand it;
they did not seem to comprehend the act; that the purposes of God
were being carried out when He was suffering upon the cross; but
when Jesus appeared to them after He arose from the tomb, He gave
them to understand that in His suffering and death the words of
the prophets were being fulfilled; and He opened their
understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. But the
High Priests of the Jewish faith, and all those who were foremost
in the crucifixion of the Savior, believed they had accomplished
their purpose in putting to death Him whom they feared would take
away their name and nation, and doubtless felt satisfied with
their work, especially as He failed to come down from the cross,
when they cried out, If He be the Son of God let Him come down
from the cross.
153
There is no standing still with the Latter-day Saints. When we
were driven from Kirtland and Jackson County by mob violence, the
purposes of God were being fulfilled and the work was undergoing
changes necessary to its growth and progress, and the trials and
afflictions incident thereto were necessary to the proving of the
Saints and the establishment of the kingdom of God upon the
earth. And I would say, let the motto be to every Elder in
Israel, and to every person worthy to be called a Saint. Fear
not, and never stand still, but move on. Let the farmer go
forward making improvements, plow and sow and reap; and those
engaged in proper and useful enterprises continue to do what
seems good according to the Spirit of God that may operate upon
them, and let every man be faithful and very diligent in keeping
the commandments of God, and cultivate the desire to do good to
those around him; and if, in reflecting on the past, we find we
have not acted strictly in accordance with the dictates of our
consciences and duty, let us make ourselves right before God and
man, that we may be prepared for every event that may transpire.
Let the work of building temples and houses of worship go on; let
Israel continue to educate their children and bring them up in
the fear of the Lord, and let the Gospel still be carried to the
nations afar, and Israel be gathered and the people always be
found moving on as the purposes of God continue to be fulfilled.
Do not stand still and expect to see the salvation of God, but
move on so long as there is a step to be made in the direction
that he has commanded, and then see the salvation of the
Almighty. This is the work of God, and he is directing its course
and progress in the earth, and this work should ever be uppermost
in our minds; and so long as we are found in the path of duty we
can surely remain fixed and unmoved and determined in our
purpose, and thus exhibit to the world our faith and devotion to
the principles of truth which God has revealed, as did the Saints
when they were driven from their homes as recorded in the history
of the Church. And because of this exhibition of faith God
blessed us wonderfully and miraculously after we had passed
through the trials which followed in the accomplishment of this
work, trials which seemed indeed to the world almost unbearable.
However we regard those afflictions, they were not so very
disagreeable. When the three Hebrew children, for instance, had
been brought to a certain position, cast into the fiery furnace
because of their undying faith and integrity, they could not
after all perhaps have been placed in more pleasing and agreeable
circumstances. A holy being, it is said, appeared and walked with
them, side by side in the midst of the flames; and so with Daniel
under similar circumstances. Did they wait to see what God would
do for them? No; it was "move on" with them. They knew that in
the hands of their Master were held the issues of life and death,
and that to die in Him is to live, live eternally, to go on, on
to perfection until they should become even like unto Him; and
having a living, an abiding faith, and a knowledge of the true
and living God they were ready to live and they were ready to die
for the truth. It was not with those men as it was with the
children of Israel of whom I have read. They were in possession
of knowledge through the operation of the Holy Ghost which
prepared them for any circumstances in which they might be
placed. And so with regard to the Latter-day Saints: When
compelled to sign over our property to the mob in Missouri, we
were advised to disperse and mix up among the people and not
attempt to gather together again; and yet under these
circumstances the Lord moved upon the legislature of the State of
Illinois to grant us a city charter in which there were favorable
provisions that were not found in any other charter. And this was
as he had told us he would do, namely, that he would soften the
hearts of rulers from time to time that they should show favor to
his people. I do not believe, as some do, that no good can come
out from Nazareth. We talk sometimes rather harshly about some of
the politicians of our country, and deservedly, too; but
notwithstanding the illiberal and unjust policy they show towards
us, I believe they can do us a great deal of good provided the
Lord operates upon the hearts of ruling men, as he has done in
the past, and as he will do in the future, which will result in
their showing and granting us favors and blessings that many now
little imagine.
154
The circumstances under which we came to these mountain valleys
are well known; they need not be recited now. After we had passed
through the chastisement, the Lord moved upon our national
government to bestow favors upon the people of God. They gave us
what is called the Organic Act, a bill of rights as good as we
could expect from their hands, and what was more, they conferred
political favor upon our leader, our Prophet and President,
Brigham Young, by making him Governor of the Territory. And who
would have thought of such a thing? Any man that would have
predicted such a thing at the time we were being driven from
Missouri, would have been considered to say the least, an
enthusiast. And besides that, one of our United States judges was
a Mormon Elder; the Secretary of the Territory was also a Mormon
Elder. And who, let me ask, did this? Was it the Congress or the
President of the United States? Well, now, I would dislike very
much to say anything that could be construed into ungratefulness
on our part or in failing to recognize all the good that our
nation has designed to do us, for we recognize it as our uncle,
and sometimes it has been a pretty good uncle; but,
notwithstanding, we see in all this the hand of our God, who
through them, has wrought out this good and this deliverance for
his people, while we are ready and willing to acknowledge an
overruling Providence in the good that comes to us; and for one I
am ever ready to acknowledge that good also can come out of
Nazareth. We can certainly afford to suffer a little when at
times we perceive magnanimity displayed towards us by our
government, which has been the case in the past, and which I
firmly believe will be in the future despite the pressure that is
being brought to bear against us and the nature of the means that
are being now employed.
154
The Lord moved upon rulers in former generations; he moved upon
infidel kings to favor his people, and he is the same God now as
then.
155
We talk about the Edmunds bill, what it is going to do I do not
pretend to say, neither do I think that its framers and abettors
know what is going to come of it. One thing I have noticed, and
that is that Congressmen themselves differ widely with regard to
certain of its provisions; and that being the case it would
perhaps, become us to wait and watch. But there is one singular
feature about it relating to plural marriage. And about that
allow me here to say, I happen to have some knowledge of it as a
principle of revelation belonging to the religion we have
espoused. I was personally acquainted with Joseph Smith during
twelve or fourteen years and, of course, through him I first
learned what I now know about that principle. And as to his being
a man of truth and honor I, nor any one else that knew him, have
any reason to question for a moment. But then I never went forth
to preach the principles of this Gospel depending entirely upon
any information I received through him or any other man; but I
believed on his words, coming as they did to me as the words of
truth, from an inspired man of God; and from that hour the Spirit
of God, the Holy Ghost which all men may receive and enjoy, has
confirmed the truth of what he had told me, and it became
knowledge to me of that nature which no man can give or take
away. And now, as there is good, more or less, to be found
elsewhere, the Edmunds bill is not without its good; and,
therefore, I say, let us accept the good and feel thankful
therefor. That extraordinary bill legalizes the issue of plural
marriage up to the 1st day of January, 1883. Now, who could have
expected so much good to come out of Nazareth? Uncle Samuel is
now and then a pretty good uncle after all. (Laughter). And, mark
you, the framers of the Bill have been too considerate as to
distinctly provide that the children thus legalized must be the
offspring of marriages performed according to the rites and
ceremonies of the sect known as the Latter-day Saints. In the
language of the small boy I say, "good enough." (Laughter.) Now,
if any of our Gentile friends have been indiscreet, or should
hereafter be guilty of bigamy, their offspring of course are not
so favored. (Laughter.) We ought to be thankful for this
unexpected favor, and indeed I have no doubt we are. I really
never expected that the law-makers of our nation would ever
legalize plural marriages as performed for the last thirty years
or more. If the Lord is able to do a thing of this kind through
men who framed that strange and singular bill, our open and
avowed enemies, what is he not able to do? What may we not expect
if we remain faithful and true to the trust reposed in us?
155
The Lord very possibly may cause a heavy pressure to bear upon
us, such as will require great sacrifice at the hands of his
people. The question with us is, will we make that sacrifice?
This work is the work of the Almighty, and the blessings we look
for which have been promised, will come after we have proven
ourselves and passed through the ordeal. I have no special word
to this people that there is, or that there is not, before them a
fiery ordeal through which they will be called to pass; the
question with me is, am I prepared to receive and put to a right
and proper use any blessing the Lord has in store for me in
common with His people; or, on the other hand, am I prepared to
make any sacrifice that he may require at my hands? I would not
give the ashes of a rye straw for any religion that was not worth
living for and that was not worth dying for; and I would not give
much for the man that was not willing to sacrifice his all for
the sake of his religion.
155
Well, I close my remarks by saying to one and all, Move on! move
on, and see the salvation of the Lord, and not stand still. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Charles W. Penrose, June 4, 1882
Charles W. Penrose, June 4, 1882
REMARKS BY ELDER CHAS. W. PENROSE,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday, June 4, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
HOW TO FIND OUT GOD--HOW MAN MAY KNOW HIMSELF--NECESSITY OF
DIVINE
REVELATION--HOW AND BY WHAT MEANS RECEIVED--TESTIMONY OF THE
LATTER-DAY
SAINTS--THE NATURE AND ORIGIN OF MAN--HIS MORTAL EXPERIENCE AND
ITS
PURPOSE--THE FATE OF THE WICKED THE LOT OF THE RIGHTEOUS--ETERNAL
LIFE AND
HOW IT MAY BE ATTAINED.
156
It is written in the Scriptures, that "man by searching cannot
find out God;" and the experience of all ages has proven the
truth of this. We are living in an age of great intelligence, at
a time when the wise things which have been said and written by
sage, philosopher and prophet centuries ago can be read and
reflected upon; and when men can bring to bear their own
researches, their own experience and the facilities which they
have for gaining information, upon the investigation of the
subject of Deity; yet, we find that people who now live are as
much at sea in regard to this matter as any people who lived in
former times. If we take up the works of the wise men who live
upon the earth in our times and read their remarks concerning
God, we are forced to the conclusion that they, like the people
for whom they write, know little or nothing of the subject upon
which they touch.
156
Many years ago certain divines of the Church of England, chosen
for the purpose, endeavored to formulate a creed in which they
tried to explain to the people what God is. And after making a
number of very contradictory and foolish assertions, they came to
the conclusion that God is "incomprehensible." Man, by searching
cannot find out God, the only way whereby man can come to the
knowledge of God is by communication from God, and if the people
receive what he does communicate they may find out clearly and
truthfully what he is, and what are his designs and purposes in
relation to them.
157
"Man know thyself," is another saying; not in the Holy
Scriptures, but just as good as though it were. Man cannot know
himself, cannot comprehend himself any more than he can
comprehend Deity by his own reflections. Unless the Creator who
made him, and who comprehends what he was made for reveals it to
him, he cannot comprehend even his own being. Who is there that
understands the nature of that intelligent spirit which inhabits
the tabernacle of man? A good surgeon can take the human body and
dissect it; point out its various parts and their relation one to
another, and name every bone and every muscle and every sinew and
every nerve. But there is something even pertaining to the body,
(leaving out the spiritual part of man) that gives the body life,
which he cannot grasp or comprehend. The vital force that gives
animation to the body is beyond his ken. And every man who has
studied himself to any degree whatever, knows that there is
something about himself besides the life of the body; that there
is something superior to the body, and to that vital force which
animates the human frame. How did that intelligent being get into
his physical nature, and where did it come from? Did it come into
existence with the earthly body, or did it exist before? When the
common lot of humanity comes and we "shuffle off this mortal
coil" and our bodies go into the ground, each part separating
from the other, and the elements go back whence they came, does
this spiritual, this intelligent being which inhabited the body
still exist, or does that also separate into particles? Who knows
of himself, and who can comprehend this by his own reflections?
No man. Unless we get some information from the Being who made
man, we cannot comprehend ourselves, much less can we of
ourselves comprehend the Being that made us.
158
The inhabitants of the earth in the different ages have had a
great many duties; they have formed ideas concerning God in their
own minds, and they have worshipped that which seemed to them the
clearest representation of Deity. Some of the idols which men
have worshipped appear very foolish to us; they are no doubt
indications of the low degree of development of the people who
set them up as objects of worship. But here, in the 19th century,
among people called Christians, we hear a great deal about God,
the God of the Bible, the God that made man, the God that rules
the universe, and when we inquire of the wisest men we have in
Christendom in regard to this Being, they tell us that he is
incomprehensible; they tell us that he is an immaterial being
whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere:
that he has no body and no parts and no passions; that there is
nothing which can represent him; there is nothing like him in the
heavens above or in the earth beneath, and that man's mind cannot
grasp anything about him. They say he is one, and yet he is
three; that he is not three but is one. That there are the
Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost--three separate substances,
and yet not three but only one. They say that one of these three
beings without a body had a body; that one of the three parts of
this partless being had both a body and parts, and that he, the
Son, was in all things like the Father, and was also like us
excepting that he was without sin, but had passions as we have.
This is the result of the attempt on the part of the wise men of
Christendom to find out God for themselves. It is impossible, and
is so laid down in Holy Writ; "man by searching cannot find out
God." The only way that can be relied upon whereby man can find
out God is by obtaining information from the Almighty Himself.
"Well," say the people, "but he does not communicate anything to
any of the inhabitants of the earth." Why not? Has he not power
to manifest Himself to mortals? Is He so great and mighty and so
far above the human family that He cannot reveal Himself to
humanity? "No. He used to do so hundreds of years ago." And why
does he not do it now? "Because the day of revelation has gone
by," they say. Who told them so? The fact is that for a long
period the people have not been expecting to receive revelations
from God. They have not sought for them and, therefore, have not
obtained them. But we find in the Old Scriptures a promise
something like this: "Return unto me and I will return unto you,
saith the Lord: Even from the days of your fathers you have gone
away from mine ordinances and have not kept them," you have
"transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances and broken the
everlasting covenant;" now "return unto me and I will return unto
you, saith the Lord of hosts."
159
We also find in the scriptures the declaration, that God changeth
not, that he is "the same yesterday, to-day and forever." And we
may reasonably infer that if God was a God of revelation hundreds
of years ago, he is the same God of revelation to-day, only the
people do not inquire of him, they do not seek unto him in the
right way that they may obtain communications from him. The
Apostle James declares, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask
of God who 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."
159
It appears then that God may be approached; that we may ask of
him, but if we do ask of him we must ask in faith. We must
believe. If we do not believe we will not obtain. This principle
of faith seems to be the means of approaching the Almighty. If we
take up the Bible and read how the ancients received revelation,
we find that they approached God by faith. And further, we learn
that when God communicated anything to them they tried to carry
it out in their practice; they tried to embody in their lives
those instructions and communications. As Brother Bywater, who
preceded me this afternoon, has quoted: "Fear God and keep his
commandments. This is the whole duty of man." Those holy men of
old, when they learned anything from God were willing to carry it
out, no matter what the cost might be. God held communion with
them by means of the Holy Ghost, which seems to be the natural
means of communication between God and man.
159
The word and will of God were revealed to the Prophet Joseph
Smith. Why should we not receive this blessing of heavenly
communication in our day? As Latter-day Saints we have our names
cast out as evil, simply because we believe in this doctrine of
receiving communication from God. We are simple enough to believe
that God will speak to people now if they will approach him in
the right way. Men have borne testimony that they have received
communication from above, and have made known the same to us; and
having believed on their word and done exactly as they directed
us, God has confirmed the truth of their words upon our hearts,
with signs following. And now we can say ourselves we know that
God lives, that he communicates to men; we know the channel of
communication is opened up between the heavens and the earth, and
that the people of the nineteenth century, by taking a proper
course and exercising faith in the right way, and being humble
enough to carry into effect the commandments which the Lord gives
when he does manifest himself unto them, can obtain communication
from on high by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, by dreams
and visions, and by the visible manifestation of God's power in
the midst of his people.
159
This is our testimony to the world, and it is for this that we
are opposed; this is the ground work of the opposition applied to
us in what is called the Christian world. For if the fact be
admitted that the Latter-day Saints are the people of God and
those who preside over them are the servants of God, that they
receive communications from him, and that this is His Church,
that would be to admit also that all other churches are the
churches of men and not of Christ; that those who minister in
them are not delegated of heaven and that the doctrines they
teach are merely the doctrines and commandments of men. Thus our
faith comes in contact with the established systems of
Christendom.
159
Now, the Lord has made known to us a few simple truths in regard
to our being--who we are, where we came from, what we are here
for, where we are going to, and what is to be our final destiny.
These things in our minds are not mere articles of faith, they
are not myths, they are not mere opinions or sentiments, but they
are to us, to use the language of Brother Bywater, "absolute
truths;" they have been revealed from the Almighty, and are his
word to us and not the say-so of men. God has borne testimony of
the truth of them in our own hearts; and to us they have become
absolute truths. We are not left in doubt about them; they are to
us facts as palpable as the fact of our existence.
159
I have not time to dwell upon this subject, but I will mention
two or three facts that God has made known to us, and will leave
them for the reflection of the congregation. God has made known
to us, in the first place, that we--the real beings, the
intelligent spirits which are entabernacled in these mortal
frames--are the offspring of Deity, the children of God, as much
so as our bodies are the offspring of the children of men; that
just as men and women are the sons and daughters of men, so far
as their earthly bodies are concerned, so the spirits which
inhabit these bodies are beings born of the Almighty God in the
eternal worlds. This spark of intelligence that exists in the
human form is stricken off from the eternal flame of Deity; the
children of men are the offspring of God. And when Jesus told his
disciples, in addressing the throne of grace, to say, "Our Father
who art in heaven," he said that which was absolutely true, not
in a spiritual or Methodistical sense, but as an absolute fact.
God is our Father, and we are his sons and daughters. Our earthly
bodies are framed in the image of God; they are framed to fit our
spirits which are the offspring of God, which are therefore in
his image, according to the law that every seed brings forth its
own kind. A comprehension of the offspring of God will therefore
lead to an understanding of God Himself.
160
These spiritual beings now sojourning upon the earth in mortal
tabernacles, dwelt in the bosom of eternity and were with the
Eternal Father "when the morning stars sang together and the sons
of God shouted for joy" on beholding the organization of this
earth. We were there and we joined in the heavenly chorus. Said
the Apostle John: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is." By that time we will be able to comprehend God,
notwithstanding the assertion of the learned of the world to the
contrary. We were sent down upon the earth to dwell for a time
that we might learn the laws which govern this lower sphere, that
we might have a portion of it framed as a body in which we should
dwell, that in it and through it we might become acquainted with
sin which is the transgression of law, and learn that only by
obedience to law is happiness possible for the offspring of God;
that only by obedience to eternal laws and wholesome regulations
can man be made happy in time and in eternity. And by becoming
acquainted with darkness we can appreciate the light; by becoming
acquainted with pain and sorrow we can appreciate perfect bliss
and happiness; by coming in contact with death, and understanding
it through experience we may comprehend the blessings of life,
preparatory to an endless existence in the presence of the Father
to dwell in perfect submission to his eternal laws. We are here
for experience, and while we dwell in mortality there are lessons
to be learned and that must be learned, if needs be through
suffering. It is our privilege, while here in the school of
experience and adversity, far from our ancient home, to struggle
up to the light from whence we came, and by the power of the Holy
Spirit to obtain a knowledge of the past, a comprehension of the
present, and an unfoldment of the future; for "when the spirit of
truth is come he shall guide you into all truth, and he shall
take of the things of the Father and of the Son and show them
unto you; he shall show you things to come, and shall bring to
your remembrance things that are past, he shall give you
knowledge of the present and shall unfold to you the future."
This is the office of the Holy Ghost in bestowing its gifts and
blessings upon men.
160
Now we can learn our duty, we can learn what is the mind and will
of God concerning us. The Lord has manifested a great many things
to us while in mortality which has had the effect of stirring up
the opposition of the world and the powers of darkness against
us. This is a necessary experience as it tends to develop our
being, and so long as we have this warfare to fight, if we carry
out strictly the commandments of God, we shall have more present
joy, more present satisfaction and more present pleasure than if
we were in accord with the world, as we have the consciousness
that we are doing what is right, and we also have the
gratification of knowing that the Lord will plant our feet upon
the rock of eternal truth and in his own time will bring us up to
mingle and dwell with those who have overcome, and who move in a
higher sphere of intelligence. Our duties are pointed out and
made known to us as fast as we are prepared for them. We have the
means whereby we can learn the will of God, line upon line,
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, as fast
as we develop and grow up to the comprehension of higher truths;
and in every man's heart who walks in the ways of life is this
spirit prompting and directing, and encouraging him to refrain
from evil.
161
After we have performed our mission upon the earth the spirit
will be liberated from the body and will go to a place prepared
for it, and that place will be according to the acts of the
individual while dwelling in earthly life. The spirits of the
wicked will gravitate together, while the righteous will go to
their place in the paradise of God, where they rest from their
labors. The wicked go to a place prepared for them, not however,
a place of literal fire and brimstone as taught by some religious
teachers, but a place where they will have a knowledge and
remembrance of their wickedness, and at the same time be without
a knowledge of the future; their condition will be a state of
awful suspense, not knowing what their fate will be; while the
righteous will dwell together, and having served and communed
with God while tabernacling in the flesh, they will have closer
communion in the spirit, and be prepared for the glorious reign
to come. Then when the resurrection day shall dawn, the
righteous, they that have been faithful, who have been planted in
the likeness of Christ's death and raised in the likeness of his
resurrection; having walked in his ways, and followed his
example, will be brought forth in the morning of that great day;
for the trumpet shall sound and the voice of Christ shall be
heard, and they will come forth and stand erect again upon the
earth in their own bodies, every part and particle restored to
its proper part, making a whole and perfect frame; not a natural
body, but a spiritual body; not a corruptible body, but an
incorruptible body, made out of the same elements, purified and
quickened by the power of God. And they will stand upon their
feet again and enter into the presence of the Father, and be made
like him. They will be in his perfect image and in his perfect
likeness. And while eternal ages roll along they will pattern
after the works of their Eternal Father; as he does, so will they
do, and they will all work together in perfect harmony with
celestial beings, one spirit pervading the whole.
162
I have briefly outlined a few ideas embodied in our religious
faith and have not time to pursue the subject further; suffice it
to say, that man is the offspring of God, and was born in another
sphere; that he is only a sojourner upon the earth for a short
time; that his destiny is to be made in every respect like the
Father, possessing as he does an immortal, eternal spirit, which,
in course of time, through obedience to the laws of life and
salvation, will dwell in an immortal, eternal body, by means of
which he will be in communion with all that is good and
beautiful, great and glorious throughout the boundless universe,
and he will be under the inspiration and direction of the Father,
and in the presence of the Son and all holy beings who are like
him. In respect to the rest of the children of men, they will
each occupy that station for which they are fitted by their
earthly acts. But to enter into the presence of God and enjoy a
fullness of his glory and be associated with him in the
government of the universe, there is but one path, one gate to
enter in by, one place of salvation, and that is the Gospel of
Jesus Christ as preached by himself when upon the earth and
revealed anew in this our day; the systems that men have invented
being ineffectual and powerless to save. All the sects of
Christendom in that respect are like the sects of heathendom,
they must pass away. What truth they have emanated from God, for
all truth comes from Him; but their systems are organizations of
men, and they, therefore, must all perish in their time and
season, whilst the kingdom of God which is being set up on the
earth will remain and continue to spread forth and prevail, until
the whole earth is subdued to our Father and brought into
complete subjection unto him; that it may be purified from evil
and the dominion of sin which has invaded it for centuries, and
that Satan and his hosts may be banished for ever from its pale,
and this world be made radiant and glorious, transfigured, as the
Savior was upon the mount, and come up among the worlds redeemed,
refulgent in its own splendor, shining like the sun in the
firmament. And the ransomed of the Lord will walk thereon,
clothed in white raiment, rejoicing in the presence of the
Eternal whom they will recognize again as their Father; for the
past, now shut out by the veil of the flesh, will come back to
them, and all their former history will return to their minds;
those memories which were shut out by tabernacling in the flesh
will come back again, and all their past experience upon the
earth and in the spirit world will be fresh to their minds, never
to fade away. Then will they comprehend God, being quickened in
him and by him, dwelling in his presence and filled with the
fullness of his glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / Orson
Pratt, September 6, 1880
Orson Pratt, September 6, 1880
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ORSON PRATT,
Delivered at the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, September 6, 1880.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL IN THE LATTER DAYS--SIGNS PROMISED TO
FOLLOW
BELIEVERS AS ANCIENTLY--THE GOSPEL IN FORCE UPON ALL THE
WORLD--SINCERITY
NO EXCUSE FOR WILFUL DISOBEDIENCE--A POSITIVE PERSONAL TESTIMONY
ATTAINABLE
THROUGH OBEDIENCE--UNAUTHORIZED ADMINISTRATIONS UNRECOGNIZED OF
GOD--NEW
REVELATION ESSENTIAL AND DESIRABLE--TRUE AND FALSE CHARITY.
165
In the year 1832 the Lord gave a revelation concerning the
calling and sending forth of his servants, the missionaries,
among the nations. I will read you a few paragraphs or verses in
relation to their calling, commencing at the 64th verse of the
revelation that was given on the 22nd day of September, 1832.
"Therefore, as I said unto mine Apostles I say unto you again,
that every soul who believeth on your words, and is baptized by
water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost;
and these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name they
shall do many wonderful works; in my name they shall cast out
devils; in my name they shall heal the sick; in my name they
shall open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the
deaf; and the tongue of the dumb shall speak; and if any man
shall administer poison unto them it shall not hurt them; and the
poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm them." That is a
very curious commission to be given in the nineteenth century of
the Christian era to those that are called in our day; very
curious. If Joseph Smith, through whom this revelation was given,
was not called of God, the promises here made would not be
fulfilled. On the other hand, if God is the author of this
revelation, then all the world may prove for themselves the
divinity of His word. An imposter would take very good care to so
word his language in the promises that there would be a double
meaning to them, and if they were not fulfilled in one sense they
might perhaps be fulfilled according to a second interpretation,
and thus he would escape the obloquy of being an imposter. But
the Lord does not deal with the human family in this double kind
of dealing. All his promises are yea and amen, plain, pointed,
definite, no two meanings about them. Here we are told that
inasmuch as the servants of God, the missionaries, should go
forth "that every soul"--meaning every person among all people,
languages, nations and tongues,--"who believeth in your
words,"--believeth on the testimony of these missionaries that go
forth--"and is baptized by water for the remission of sins shall
receive the Holy Ghost." Now can you make out two meanings to
that? Or is there only one meaning? "They shall receive the Holy
Ghost." And then in order that every soul in all the world might
know whether they were true believers or not there were certain
signs promised to them. "And these signs shall follow them that
believe." Believe what? Believe in your words, the words of you
missionaries. What shall they do? "In my name they shall do many
wonderful works; in my name they shall cast out devils; in my
name they shall heal the sick; in my name they shall open the
eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf; and the
tongue of the dumb shall speak; and if any man administer poison
unto them it shall not hurt them; and the poison of a serpent
shall not have power to harm them." Is there anything indefinite
in that? Does it say that these signs possibly may follow those
that believe? Does it say perhaps you will receive the Holy
Ghost, perhaps you may have power to heal the sick, perhaps you
may have power to open the eyes of the blind, etc. No, that is
not the language. Here is a definite promise made to them. To the
missionaries alone? To whom was this promise made? To every soul
in all the world that would believe and receive the testimony of
these missionaries. Here we see something very similar to the
commission that was given--and referred to by Brother Reid in his
remarks--in the last chapter of Mark. The ancient-day servants of
God were sent forth to all the world, to every creature, and the
language of our Savior to them was that all, in every part of the
earth that should believe their testimony should be saved. Then
in order that there might be no mistake in regard to believers
and unbelievers, he told them that certain signs should follow
them that believe. Do you discover any difference between the
former-day commission, 1800 years ago, and the latter-day
commission? I do not discover the least difference between the
two. Did the Lord verify and fulfill his promises to the
former-day missionaries? He did. In the same last chapter of Mark
we are told that the servants of God, the Apostles, went forth
and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and
confirming the word with signs following. How did he confirm it?
By fulfilling the promises in the last chapter of Mark, that they
in all the world might know whether they were Gospel believers or
not. Well, what was to become of all other sects that did not
believe? They shall be damned, says the Savior. He did not say,
"If you are sincere in your belief you will get into heaven
whether you receive the message I sent you or not." He did not
say, "If you come across any sincere people don't baptize them,
don't try to get them to believe your message, for they will get
into heaven anyway." They had only one proclamation to deliver to
all people whether that people were sincere or insincere; whether
that people worshipped idols or worshipped something else,
whether they were infidels or whatever might be their profession,
the commission was--tell them that if they do not believe your
message they shall be damned. No half way business about it, it
was not half a commission. Does the latter-day commission testify
of the same things? Let me read a little further. "Verily, verily
I say unto you, they who believe not on your words, and are not
baptized in water, in my name, for the remission of their sins,
that they may believe the Holy Ghost, shall be damned, and shall
not come into my Father's kingdom, where my Father and I am."
Just the same as the ancient commission. It did not excuse the
ancient commission; it did not excuse one person in all the world
however sincere, whatever the profession might be, every man,
every woman among all nations, kindreds and tongues, all were to
be damned if they did not receive the message that these servants
of God took to them. Just so it is in the latter-days. If it was
anything else we would not believe it, we could not look upon it
as divine. God only had one message for the people to receive,
and all that received it were to be blessed, and all that would
not receive it were to be damned. That is our charity, that is
the charity of the ancient Apostles and servants of God, that is
true charity. If we should come and tell you that you
Protestants, and you Methodists, and you Baptists, and you
Campbellites, and you Church of England members, and you Roman
Catholics, that if you are only sincere you would all get to
heaven we should have no charity for you; but when we come and
tell you that if you do not repent of your sins--you Catholics,
Protestants, and all other denominations--and receive the message
that God has commissioned his servants to declare in your hearing
that every one will be damned. This is true charity, just as it
was in the ancient days. But is this in force upon all people,
says one? Yes; we will read the next verse. "And this revelation
unto you and commandment, is in force from this very hour upon
all the world, and the Gospel is unto all who have not received
it. It is a witness unto all nations that they may receive the
truth and be prepared for the great day of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord, in relation to sending this mission forth among the
inhabitants of the earth, did not desire that the people should
have any dubiety upon their minds. He did not want them to hope
merely that they were right and to be all the time trembling and
quivering for fear they were not right; but in order that they
might be sure, as the ancient believers were, he tells every soul
that will receive this work that these signs shall follow them.
166
Now, then, here in this house, probably are many hundreds of
believers that have manifested their faith by receiving the
message of the Gospel, and they have further manifested their
faith by gathering out from the various nations and coming here
to Utah Territory. They are believers. Is there any chance for
them to doubt? How can you doubt if you yourself heal the sick,
cast out devils, open the eyes of the blind, or cause the lame to
leap? If you yourselves have received the Holy Ghost, and these
signs are following you, is not this a testimony that you are
Gospel believers? And if these signs do not follow you, on the
other hand, you know that you are not Gospel believers. No
dubiety, no uncertainty, no hanging our heads down and doubting
whether we are believers or not. Here is an undoubted testimony
to every Latter-day Saint that if they are true Gospel believers
these signs shall follow them, and if these signs do not follow
them they are not true Gospel believers. Does this apply not only
to Latter-day Saints but to all people? Yes. If the Methodists
want to know whether they are true Gospel believers let them ask
themselves the question if the signs follow them that are
promised to believers; if they do not, they know they are not
Gospel believers. So with the Presbyterians, so with the
Baptists, so with every Christian denomination under the whole
heavens. They can all prove themselves by the word of God; they
can all know whether they are true believers according to the
true Christian religion, or whether they have false hopes--merely
something that is leading them along in a crooked path. When
people have the signs they have a good foundation for their
hopes; their hopes are built upon something that is like a rock;
they stand firm and steadfast. But when they have not the signs
and the promises are not fulfilled to them, where are their
hopes? They are gone, they are the hopes of those that are
flattering themselves they are Christians when they are not. And
they are afraid to compare themselves with the New Testament and
the Gospel contained therein; they are afraid to come to the
light of the Gospel; they are afraid to read the promises of
Jesus, or if they happen to read them exclaim, "We must do away
with these. It won't do for us to acknowledge that the promises
of God made to believers can be enjoyed in our day." Let us read
the first promise in the last chapter of Mark. Not only were
these signs promised, but Jesus said: "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned." Do you Christians believe that you will be saved? Do the
various denominations among the four hundred millions of
Christians in America, in Europe, and in other parts of the
earth--do these four hundred millions of Christians expect to be
saved? Oh, yes. What makes you think so? You don't have the signs
which follow the believers, and how can you hope for salvation?
Why should you hope for it? Why expect to be saved in the kingdom
of God? The promises are made to believers, they were not made to
those that have not the signs. One promise was just as sacred as
the other, and if you have not the signs of believers you have
not the promise of salvation. Very curious Gospel, says one.
Well, there is no mistaking that gospel, we can all of us know on
what ground we are placed. If we cannot obtain the promises made
to the people anciently, namely the signs, how shall we obtain
the greater promise of eternal life and salvation in the world to
come? Surely if the people cannot have faith to get the little
promises, how can they expect to get the greater promise? All
their faith is foolishness, their faith is all founded upon sand,
and they go blindfold to the other side of the vail to wake up
and find they never had received the Gospel. But, says one, we
have received the Gospel. Our ministers have preached it long and
loud generations before "Mormonism" came upon the earth; we and
our fathers have heard it. It is one thing to hear the Gospel as
recorded in the New Testament, and another thing to enjoy the
blessings of it. It is one thing to read about people receiving
the Holy Ghost, and it is another thing for you to be baptized
and receive the Holy Ghost. It is one thing to be baptized by a
man holding authority from God who has the right to baptize, and
another thing to be baptized by one holding no authority from
God, and no right to baptize. Do you suppose that the signs would
follow those that had the ordinance of baptism administered by a
man that had no authority. No. For instance there is the
Methodist baptizer, the Presbyterian baptizer, and the baptizers
of the various religious denominations--most of them baptize,
some of them for the remission of sins, and some because they
suppose their converts have already received a remission of sins.
Perhaps they may perform the ordinance by immersion--the true
mode of baptism; but can an unauthorized man baptize his neighbor
and that be called baptism in the sight of heaven? No. A man that
is not called of God, a man that has no revelation, and says
there has been none since the close of the first century of the
christian era, all his administrations are as invalid as it would
be for a heathen priest to baptize you, or for any person upon
the face of the whole earth to come and baptize you. Such
baptisms are not good; they are illegal; they are unlawful; they
are not accepted of God unless the administrator is a true
servant of God, and if he be a true servant of God, the signs
will follow him, and if the signs do not follow him he has no
authority to baptize. No wonder then that four hundred millions
of people have been without the signs. There has been nobody
authorized to baptize them to begin with. A true believer is a
man that receives the ordinances, and not only believes in them
but manifests his faith by his works. He obeys the ordinances and
the blessings follow. The blessings do not follow the four
hundred millions because they have not obeyed, and they cannot
obey without there is a man authorized to administer the
ordinances.
168
Well, says one, what do you Latter-day Saints say about the
authority to administer these ordinances? We say, and have said
from the beginning of this Church, that the Lord God Almighty,
who sits upon His throne in yonder heavens, has spoken again to
the inhabitants of the earth. He has called by name his servants.
He has sent forth angels in glory from his holy presence, and
they have administered the authority of the apostleship, and
bestowed it upon the heads of men to administer again among the
children of men in all the ordinances of the Gospel. This is our
testimony. Has it ever been that since the rise of the Church? It
has. We never have varied from that testimony. What further do we
say? We say that among all people, nations, kindreds and tongues,
Christians, heathens, Mahommedans, and the savages upon the
islands of the sea--that among all these nations there is no
authority, not one person among all their denominations that has
the least particle of right to baptize you, or to administer the
sacrament, or to lay on hands that you may be baptized with fire
and with the Holy Ghost, according to the ancient pattern and
order of things; not one of them; they are all powerless, they
are all without authority, without revelation, without any
knowledge that comes from God direct to themselves in this age.
No man among them has been called of God, as was Aaron. Everybody
knows that Aaron was called by new revelation. He did not have to
go back to revelations given 1800 years before he was born to
tell him how God commissioned somebody before the flood; he did
not have to do that; but says he, "I have been
ordained"--how?--By a revelation from God. "Moses set apart
Aaron. He is thy brother. I call him by name. Set him apart to
the Priesthood, ordain him, let him be clothed upon with priestly
garments, let him administer and his administration I will
accept." This was the substance of the revelation, and calling
and commission that was given to Aaron, the servant of God. Is it
true what Paul said, that no man can take the honor of the
Priesthood to himself unless he was called of God as was Aaron?
If that be true there must be more revelation in order that there
may be a calling. You that say the canon of scripture is full,
that no more scripture has been given since John the Revelator
left the earth, what becomes of your callings? You have
none--that is, that are divine. No wonder, then, that while the
world were wandering in darkness without God, without any true
knowledge from the heavens direct to themselves, without the gift
and power of the Holy Ghost, without the organization of any true
church, without prophets, without revelators, without inspired
men--no wonder that God has again commissioned an angel from the
heavens to begin the work on the earth. Brother Reid spoke during
his discourse about Joseph the Prophet--how he was called, that
the Lord appeared to him, that Jesus appeared to him, and that
angels appeared to him and conferred upon him authority and
power. There is no wonder that the Lord should send his angels
and thus appear in order to begin the work on the earth where so
much darkness reigns. It is called a day of Gospel light by these
four hundred millions of people. A day of Gospel light! Well, all
the Gospel light they have is the history of a Gospel preached
1800 years ago. They have no power to administer in it. They have
the history of something, without any power to partake of it;
that is, you cannot be baptized, you cannot receive the Holy
Ghost by the laying on of hands, you cannot receive the Lord's
Supper for want of administrators; but can read about it, you can
read how the authority was once on the earth. That is some
satisfaction, is it not? How much satisfaction I do not know. It
is something like the case of a man who, after traveling a long
journey, arrived at a place where he knew there was a splendidly
spread table. But the door was locked and the key was
lost--nobody could introduce him to that table to eat that he
might appease his hunger. How very satisfactory it must be to
that man to know the history of such a good spread table, and yet
no power to get to the table. Just so it is with these four
hundred millions of Christians. It is so much satisfaction to
read how the believers in ancient days were baptized by one
holding authority to baptize, and how they could distinguish
themselves from unbelievers; but, alas, say they, "We cannot
partake of it; no blessings of the Gospel for us; no one to let
us receive the same Gospel. We would like to feast like unto the
ancient Saints, but is it not enough--our priests say it is--to
know how others enjoyed these blessings?" Now that is precisely
the situation of this generation.
168
This is true charity. If I were to come and tell you that you are
all in the right path inasmuch as you are honest and sincere, and
walk in your various doctrines and principles, it would be false
charity, it would be flattering you to walk in paths that were
wrong, it would be flattering you that you had hopes of salvation
when you had none. But we do not do this. This flattery we leave
to other portions of the world, we leave that to the Christian
denominations that are without any of the powers and gifts of the
ancient Gospel. Let them flatter, let them occupy this position,
let them have this false charity; but as for us we have the plain
naked truth--plain as words can make it--to tell unto all people,
namely, if you will believe and receive the Gospel you shall be
blessed, not with common-place blessings, but with the
supernatural gifts of the Gospel, and on the other hand that
every soul of you that do not receive it shall be damned. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / Joseph
F. Smith, June 18, 1882
Joseph F. Smith, June 18, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday, June 18, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
MAN A MORTAL AND AN IMMORTAL BEING--TEMPORAL AND SPIRITUAL
DEATH--REDEMPTION THROUGH THE ATONEMENT AND GOSPEL OF
CHRIST--SONS OF
PERDITION--MAN'S PRE-EXISTENT, DISEMBODIED AND RESURRECTED
STATES--JESUS
CHRIST THE GREAT EXAMPLE--THE RIGHTEOUS TO BE CONFORMED TO HIS
IMAGE--HIS
SIMILARITY TO THE FATHER--HIS MISSION NOT COMPLETED AT HIS
DEATH--HIS
RESURRECTION AND THE REDEMPTION OF HUMANITY.
F. Smith
We are called mortal beings because in us are the seeds of death,
but in reality we are immortal beings because there is also
within us the germ of eternal life. Man is a dual being, composed
of the spirit which gives life, force, intelligence and capacity
to man, and the body which is the tenement of the spirit and is
suited to its form, adapted to its necessities, and acts in
harmony with and to its utmost capacity yields obedience to the
will of the spirit. The two combined constitute the soul. The
body is dependent upon the spirit, and the spirit during its
natural occupancy of the body is subject to the laws which apply
to and govern it in the mortal state. In this natural body are
the seeds of weakness and decay, which, when fully ripened or
untimely plucked up, in the language of scripture, is called "the
temporal death." The spirit is also subject to what is termed in
the scriptures and revelations from God, "spiritual death." The
same as that which befell our first parents, when through
disobedience and transgression, they became subject to the will
of Satan, and were thrust out from the presence of the Lord and
became spiritually dead, which the Lord says, "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!" And the Lord further says, "But, behold
I say unto you, that I the Lord God gave unto Adam and unto his
seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death until I
the Lord God should send forth angels to declare unto them
repentance and redemption (from the first death) through faith on
the name of mine only begotten Son. And thus did I, the Lord God,
appoint unto man the days of his probation, that by his natural
death he might be raised in immortality unto eternal life, even
as many as would believe, and they that believe not unto eternal
damnation, for they cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall
because they repent not." From the natural death, that is the
death of the body, and also from the first death, "which is
spiritual" there is redemption through belief on the name of the
"only Begotten Son," in connection with repentance and obedience
to the ordinances of the Gospel, declared by holy angels, for if
one "believes," he must also obey; but from the "second death,"
even that same death which is the first death, "which is
spiritual," and from which man may be redeemed through faith and
obedience, and which will again be pronounced upon the wicked
when God shall say, "depart ye cursed," there is no redemption,
so far as light on this matter has been revealed. It is written
that "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men
who receive me and repent; but the blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost, it shall not be forgiven unto men." If men will not repent
and come unto Christ, through the ordinances of His Gospel, they
cannot be redeemed from their spiritual fall, but must remain
forever subject to the will of Satan and the consequent spiritual
darkness or death into which our first parents fell, subjecting
all their posterity thereto, and from which none can be redeemed
but by belief or faith on the name of the "only Begotten Son" and
obedience to the laws of God. But, thanks be to the Eternal
Father, through the merciful provisions of the Gospel all mankind
will have the opportunity of escape or deliverance from this
spiritual death either in time or in eternity, for not until they
are freed from the first can they become subject unto the second
death, still if they repent not "they cannot be redeemed from
their spiritual fall," and will continue subject to the will of
Satan, the first spiritual death, so long as "they repent not." I
have been speaking of those who repent not, and thereby reject
Christ and His Gospel, but what of those who do believe, repent
of their sins, obey the Gospel, enter into its covenants, receive
the keys of the Priesthood and the knowledge of the truth by
revelation and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and afterwards turn
away wholly from that light and knowledge? They "become a law
unto themselves," and "will to abide in sin," of such it is
written, "Whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it,
and altogether turneth therefrom shall not have forgiveness in
this world nor in the world to come." And again--"Thus saith the
Lord concerning all those who know my power and who have been
made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves, through the
power of the devil to be overcome and to deny the truth and defy
my power--they are they who are the sons of perdition of whom I
say that it had been better for them never to have been born, for
they are vessels of wrath doomed to suffer the wrath of God with
the devil and his angels in eternity; concerning whom I have said
there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come;
having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and
having denied the only Begotten Son of the Father, having
crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame." Now,
there is a difference between this class and those who simply
repent not and reject the Gospel in the flesh. Of these latter it
is written, "they shall be brought forth by the resurrection of
the dead through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb," and
"shall be redeemed in the due time of the Lord after the
sufferings of his wrath." But of the others it is said, "they
shall not be redeemed," for "they are the only ones on whom the
second death shall have any power." The others never having been
redeemed from the first, cannot be doomed to the second death, or
in other words, cannot be made to suffer eternally the wrath of
God, without hope of redemption through repentance, but must
continue to suffer the first death until they repent, and are
redeemed therefrom through the power of the atonement and the
Gospel of salvation, thereby being brought to the possession of
all the keys and blessings to which they will be capable of
attaining or to which they may be entitled, through the mercy,
justice and power of the ever-living God, or on the other hand
forever remain bound in the chains of spiritual darkness, bondage
and banishment from his presence, kingdom and glory. The
"temporal death" is one thing, and the "spiritual death" is
another thing. The body may be dissolved and become extinct as an
organism, although the elements of which it is composed are
indestructible or eternal, but I hold it as self-evident that the
spiritual organism is an eternal, immortal being, destined to
enjoy eternal happiness and a fullness of joy, or suffer the
wrath of God, and misery--a just condemnation, eternally. Adam
became spiritually dead, yet he lived to endure it until freed
therefrom by the power of the atonement, through repentance, etc.
Those upon whom the second death shall fall, will live to suffer
and endure it, but without hope of redemption. The death of the
body or natural death is but a temporary circumstance to which
all were subjected through the fall and from which all will be
restored or resurrected by the power of God, through the
atonement of Christ.
F. Smith
Man existed before he came to this earth, and he will exist after
he passes from it; and will continue to live throughout the
countless ages of eternity.
F. Smith
There are three classes of beings, or rather man exists in three
separate conditions before and after his probation upon this
earth--first in the spirit or pre-existent state, second in the
disembodied state, the condition which exists after the
dissolution of the body and spirit until the resurrection takes
place, and third in the resurrected state. For instance, some
fourteen hundred years before the coming of Christ into the world
to sojourn in the flesh, he showed himself to the brother of
Jared and said, "Behold, this body, which ye now behold, it the
body of my spirit, and man have I created after the body of my
spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit, will
I appear unto my people in the flesh." He further declared,
"Behold I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world
to redeem my people. Behold I am Jesus Christ." Here "Jesus
showed himself unto this man in the spirit, even after the manner
and in the likeness of the same body, even as he shewed himself
unto the Nephites"--that is prior to his coming in the flesh.
This I consider typical of the first condition of all spirits.
Again it is written, "for Christ also hath once suffered for
sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the spirit, by
which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison, which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God
waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing wherein
few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water," etc. Thus we see
that while the body of our Savior slept in the tomb, He went in
the spirit, and preached His glorious Gospel to "the spirits in
prison," who were disobedient in the days of Noah, and were
destroyed in the flesh by the flood. This was their second
condition or state in the spirit awaiting the resurrection of
their bodies which were slumbering in death. "Marvel not at
this," saith Jesus, "for the hour is coming in the which all that
are in their graves shall hear his (the Redeemer's) 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." In reference to the third condition or state we will
refer to the account given of the risen Redeemer before his
ascension. John tells us that he appeared unto his disciples
three times after his resurrection, on which occasions he ate
bread, broiled fish and honeycomb, and opened the eyes of their
understanding, that they began to comprehend the Scriptures and
the prophecies concerning Christ. But when he appeared unto them
"they were terrified and affrighted 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 me; for a spirit hath not
flesh and bones as ye see me have." Here is presented the true
type of the resurrected being. And after this manner are all
those who have their resurrected bodies, and there are many of
these, for we are told in the scriptures, that, "the graves were
opened, and many bodies of the Saints which slept arose and came
out of the graves, after his resurrection, and went into the holy
city and appeared unto many." This class of beings dwell in
heaven, or in the paradise of the just, having been counted
worthy to come forth in the first resurrection, even with Christ,
to dwell with him and to be associates with and members of the
kingdom of God and his Christ. These comprise the three
conditions or estates of man in heaven. Not all, however, of the
disembodied spirits enjoy the same privileges, exaltation and
glory. The spirits of the wicked, disobedient, and unbelieving
are denied the privileges, joy and glory of the spirits of the
just and the good. The bodies of the Saints will come forth in
the first resurrection, and those of the unbelieving, etc., in
the second or last. In other words, the Saints will rise first,
and those who are not Saints will not rise until afterwards,
according to the wisdom, justice and mercy of God.
F. Smith
Christ is the great example for all mankind, and I believe that
mankind were as much foreordained to become like him, as that he
was foreordained to be the Redeemer of man. Whom God did
foreknow--and whom did he not foreknow? "He also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the
firstborn among many brethren." It is very plain, that mankind
are very far from being like Christ, as the world is to-day, only
in form of person. In this we are like him, or in the form of his
person, as he is the express image of His Father's person. We are
therefore in the form of God, physically, and may become like him
spiritually, and like him in the possession of knowledge,
intelligence, wisdom and power.
F. Smith
The grand object of our coming to this earth is that we may
become like Christ, for if we are not like him, we cannot become
the sons of God, and be joint heirs with Christ.
F. Smith
The man who passes through this probation, and is faithful, being
redeemed from sin by the blood of Christ, through the ordinances
of the Gospel, and attains to exaltation in the kingdom of God,
is not less but greater than the angels, and if you doubt it read
your Bible, for there it is written that the Saints shall "judge
angels," and also they shall "judge the world." And why? Because
the resurrected, righteous man has progressed beyond the
pre-existent or disembodied spirits, and has risen above them,
having both spirit and body as Christ has, having gained the
victory over death and the grave, and having power over sin and
Satan, in fact having passed from the condition of the angel to
that of a God. He possesses keys of power, dominion and glory
that the angel does not possess--and cannot possess without
gaining them in the same way that he gained them, which will be
by passing through the same ordeals and proving equally faithful.
It was so ordained when the morning stars sang together, before
the foundations of this earth were laid. Man in his pre-existent
condition is not perfect, neither is he in the disembodied
estate. There is no perfect estate but that of the risen
Redeemer, which is God's estate, and no man can become perfect
except he becomes like them. And what are they like? I have shown
what Christ is like, and he is like his Father, but I will refer
to an undoubted authority to this people, on this point, "The
Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's, the
Son also, but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones,
but is a personage of spirit; were it not so the Holy Ghost could
not dwell in us." Doc. and Cov., Sec. 130. There is not time to
refer to the many scriptural passages which might be cited in
proof of these important facts, enough already has been referred
to, to place the matter beyond a doubt.
F. Smith
It is believed by many in the Christian world, that our Savior
finished his mission when he expired upon the cross, and his last
words on the cross, as given by the Apostle John--"it is
finished," are frequently quoted as evidence of the fact; but
this is an error. Christ did not complete his mission upon the
earth until after his body was raised from the dead. Had his
mission been completed when he died, his disciples would have
continued fishermen, carpenters, etc., for they returned to their
several occupations soon after the crucifixion, not yet knowing
the force of their holy calling, nor understanding the mission
assigned them by their Master, whose name would soon have been
buried with his body in the grave to perish and be forgotten,
"for as yet they knew not the scripture that He must rise again
from the dead." But the most glorious part of his mission had to
be accomplished after the crucifixion and death of his body. When
on the first day of the week some of the disciples went to the
tomb with certain preparations for the body of their Lord, they
were met there by two men clothed in "shining garments," who said
unto them, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here
but is risen. Remember how He spoke unto you when He was yet in
Galilee, saying the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands
of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again."
And not until then did the disciples remember these words of the
Savior, or begin to understand their meaning. Why were they thus
forgetful, and seemingly ignorant of all they had been taught by
the Savior respecting the objects of his mission to the earth?
Because they lacked one important qualification, they had not yet
been "endowed with power from on high." They had not yet obtained
the gift of the Holy Ghost. And the presumption is, they never
would have received this important and essential endowment had
Christ's mission been completed at the time of his death. It may
seem strange to some who may not have reflected on this matter
fully, that the disciples of Christ were without the gift of the
Holy Ghost until after his resurrection. But so it is written,
notwithstanding the Savior on one occasion declared, "blessed art
thou Simon, etc., for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven." While Jesus was with
them he was their light and their inspiration. They followed him
by sight, and felt the majestic power of his presence, and when
these were gone they returned to their nets and to their various
occupations and to their homes saying, "we trusted that it had
been he which should have redeemed Israel, but the chief priests
and our rulers have delivered him to be condemned to death, and
have crucified him." No wonder that Jesus exclaimed unto some of
them, "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
Prophets have written."
F. Smith
If the Disciples had been endowed with the "gift of the Holy
Ghost," or "with power from on high," at this time, their course
would have been altogether different from this as the sequel
abundantly proved. If Peter, who was the chief Apostle, had
received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the power and testimony
thereof prior to the terrible night on which he cursed and swore
and denied his Lord, the result would have been very different
with him, for then he would have sinned against "light and
knowledge," and "against the Holy Ghost," for which there is no
forgiveness. The fact, therefore, that he was forgiven, after
bitter tears of repentance, is an evidence that he was without
the witness of the Holy Ghost, never having received it. The
other disciples or apostles of Christ were precisely in the same
condition, and it was not until the evening of the day on which
Jesus came out of the grave, that he bestowed upon them this
inestimable gift. John gives a careful description of this
important event which concludes as follows: "Then said Jesus to
them again, Peace be unto you; as my Father sent me, even so send
I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them and said
unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost, whosoever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them," etc. This was their glorious
commission, and now were they prepared to receive the witness of
the Spirit--even the testimony of Jesus Christ. Yet they were
told to "tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power
from on high," which they did. Jesus further told them that if he
went not away the "Comforter"--that is the Holy Ghost--would not
come unto them, but if he went away he would "send him," and he
it was who should testify of Christ, and of the Father, and bring
to their remembrance "all things whatsoever" he had commanded or
taught them, and it should "lead them into all truth." Thus we
see that the resurrection from the dead, not only of Christ but
of all mankind, in the due time of the Lord; the endowment of the
Apostles with the Holy Ghost, and their glorious commission from
Christ, being sent out by him as he was sent by the Father; the
opening of the eyes of the disciples to understand the prophecies
of the Scriptures, and many other things did Jesus after he cried
out upon the cross, "it is finished." Further, the mission of
Jesus will be unfinished until he redeems the whole human family,
except the sons of perdition, and also this earth from the curse
that is upon it, and both the earth and its inhabitants can be
presented to the Father redeemed, sanctified and glorious.
F. Smith
Things upon the earth, so far as they have not been perverted by
wickedness, are typical of things in heaven. Heaven was the
prototype of this beautiful creation when it came from the hand
of the Creator, and was pronounced "good."
F. Smith
Much might be said in continuation of this subject, but I see
that my time has expired. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, July 24, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at the Funeral Services of Bishop Reuben Miller,
at Mill Creek, Monday, July 24, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE DEATH OF THE FAITHFUL NO CAUSE FOR MOURNING--THE PERPETUITY
OF THE
PRIESTHOOD--PROBATIONARY INGRESS AND EGRESS--ALL KNOWLEDGE COMES
FROM
GOD--TEMPLE-BUILDING AND ITS PURPOSES--EXHORTATIONS TO THE
SAINTS.
175
I thought I would come here to-day to mingle my condolence and
sympathy with yours while paying the last token of respect to the
remains of your husband, your father, your friend, your Bishop.
176
These are occasions that cause us to feel sorrowful, and yet we
should not sorrow at the departure of a good man--a highminded,
honorable man, a good Latter-day Saint, as I have always esteemed
Bishop Miller to be. I am told that many of you were not born
when Brother Miller was first installed Bishop; that there are
only two women, of whom his wife is one, and three men that are
now living in the Ward when he was first ordained Bishop here;
and that he has during his bishopric blessed, when children, a
great many of the congregation assembled here to-day.
176
When a man who has been faithful and true leaves the world to go
into another state of existence, what is there to mourn for?
Should his family mourn? No. They cannot help the natural
feelings of sympathy that well up in the heart at the departure
of their friends; wives cannot help having sympathy for their
husbands, and husbands for their wives, parents for their
children, and children for their parents. The family of Brother
Miller have lost a good husband, a loving father, a faithful
friend, and under such circumstances they mourn when they are
deprived of his society and his counsel.
176
When men leave this earth they leave it to occupy another sphere
in another state of existence. And if, as is the case with
Brother Miller, they hold the Priesthood that administers in time
and in eternity, having fulfilled this part, as many others have
done who have left the world, and as our deceased brother has
done, they hold that Priesthood in the eternal worlds, and
operate in it there. It is an everlasting Priesthood, that
administers in time and in eternity. And the Gospel that we have
received unfolds to us principles of which we were heretofore
entirely ignorant. It shows us the relationship that exists
between God and man, and it shows us the relationship that exists
between men who have dwelt upon the earth before and those who
exist to-day. It shows that while God has revealed the Priesthood
to us upon the earth and conferred upon us those privileges, that
in former generations he revealed the same Priesthood to other
men, and that those men holding that Priesthood ministered to
others here upon the earth; and that we are operating with them
and they with us in our interests and in the interests of the
Church and kingdom of God, in assisting to build up the Zion of
God, and in seeking to establish truth and righteousness upon the
earth; and that there is a connecting link between the Priesthood
in the heavens and the Priesthood upon the earth.
177
God, our heavenly Father, has gathered unto himself, through the
atonement of Jesus Christ, very many great and honorable men who
have lived upon the earth, and who have been clothed with the
powers of the Priesthood. Those men having held that Priesthood
and administered in it upon the earth are now in the heavens
operating with the Priesthood in the heavens in connection with
the Priesthood that exists now upon the earth. Consequently I do
not feel sorrowful when I see a good man go, and yet in some
respects I do. There is something painful about the separation.
But I look upon it a good deal as it was with us when we were
coming to this land. Said you to your friends when they were
leaving: "Thomas, Mary, James or William, you are going away to
Zion; I am sorry to see you go, and yet I am glad you are going."
We feel sorry to part with our friends; but when the struggle is
over, when they have battled with the world and the powers of
darkness, and by the Spirit and power of God have overcome and
triumphed, having remained true and faithful to the last and have
gone to join the hosts in the eternal worlds, to associate with
the eternal Priesthood that exists there, do we feel to mourn?
No, I do not; there is no cause to mourn; it is a cause of
rejoicing. By and by we shall follow; for we expect to mingle
with them.
177
A few days ago I attended the funeral of one of my wives; and
while doing so I looked upon the great city of the dead. I
thought to myself, here are thousands of honorable men and women
who are sleeping the sleep of peace, who have served their God,
and who have got through with the affairs of this world; and that
while their bodies are decaying here, their spirits are soaring
in the heavens. Do I feel sorry for them? No, they have gone to
rest, and all is peace with them, according to the mind and will
of God in relation to those matters, He having appointed unto man
that he must die.
177
Since the organization of the world myriads have come and have
taken upon themselves bodies, and they have passed away,
generation after generation, into another state of existence. And
it is so to-day. And I suppose while we are mourning the loss of
our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil; and
while he has left us, others are coming into the world at the
same time, and probably in this our territory. There is a
continuous change, and ingress of beings into the world and an
egress out of it. As near as my memory serves me, from one-third
to one-fourth of our population to-day are children under eight
years of age. There are thousands of men upon the earth to-day,
among the Saints of God, of whom it was decreed before they came
that they should occupy the positions they have occupied and do
occupy, and many of them have performed their part and gone home;
others are left to still fulfill the duties and responsibilities
devolving upon them.
177
I was remarkably struck on looking at the three mottoes before
me, one is, Holiness to the Lord, which I suppose was placed
there by your late Bishop. There is something beautiful and
glorious in the contemplation. And when I heard Brother Gardiner
speak about his visits with Brother Miller to talk over the
things of the kingdom of God, it indicated to me that his heart
and feelings were interested in it, as well as interested in the
welfare of the county, as others have testified of. We should all
have those feelings, not only Bishops and Presidents but all the
people ought to be interested in one another's welfare. Our
welfare and happiness depends upon our obedience to the laws of
God, upon our conduct before him in all our acts. We wish to have
inscribed not only in our meetinghouse, but in our hearts and
acts, Holiness to the Lord, God is my God, God is my Father, God
is my friend; and I wish to devote and dedicate myself unto Him,
ought to be the feeling of every man and woman, and especially of
every Latter-day Saint. Let there be no act of my life, no
principle that I embrace, that shall be at variance with these
words which were first inscribed by the Almighty, and prophesied
of that it should come to pass in the last days, that even upon
the bells of the horses should be written "Holiness to the Lord."
That is not in name only, but it is to be written on the tablets
of our hearts, as with a pen of iron, for when this principle
shall become universal, righteousness will extend "from the
rivers to the ends of the earth."
178
Then, here is another motto: "Thy kingdom come." All these things
are full of meaning and interest. This was taught by Jesus to his
disciples when they came to him, saying, teach us to pray, as
John taught his disciples. Said he, "When you pray, say, Our
Father, who art in heaven." Who? Our Father. What, my Father and
your Father? Yes; and the God and Father of the spirits of all
flesh. Our Father who art in heaven; hallowed be Thy name. Let me
reverence Thee, O God, in all my doings, in all my acts, in all
my proceedings, in all my associations with men and with the
Church and kingdom of God and with the world--let me always
reverence Thee. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. What
kingdom? What is the meaning of "thy kingdom come?" It means the
rule of God; it means the law of God; it means the government of
God; it means the people who have listened to and who are willing
to listen to and observe the commands of Jehovah; and it means
that there is a God who is willing to guide and direct and
sustain his people. Thy kingdom come, that thy government may be
established, and the principles of eternal truth as they exist in
the heavens may be imparted to men; and that, when they are
imparted to men, those men may be in subjection to those laws and
to that government, and live in the fear of God, keeping his
commandments and being under his direction. Thy kingdom come;
that the confusion, the lasciviousness and corruption, the evil
and wickedness, the murder and bloodshed that now exist among
mankind may be done away, and the principles of truth and right,
the principles of kindness, charity and love as they dwell in the
bosom of the Gods, may dwell with us.
179
"Thy will be done." Not my will, not my desires, not my wishes. I
do not know, you do not know, what would be good for us; I do not
know what would be good for this people only as God teaches me. I
do not want to teach my ideas; I want to know the will of God,
and then teach it. We should all seek to know the will of God,
and then do it. Thy will be done. What brought you and me here?
Did we have any knowledge of the will of God? Not until he
revealed it. Did we have any knowledge of the kingdom of God? Not
until He revealed it; and numbers of us have very little
knowledge of it to-day, very little indeed. We have very little
knowledge of the kingdom of God; and yet we have been here year
after year, and have been taught for many years the sacred
principles of truth communicated by the holy Priesthood, but we
hardly comprehend them. Is there a principle that we have
received associated with the Gospel of the Son of God, that we
should have received if God had not revealed it to Joseph Smith
His Prophet? No; we knew nothing about them. Is there anybody
among these aged and gray-haired men who came to an understanding
of even the first principles of the Gospel until he revealed them
anew? No. Do you know it? I know it to be a fact. I knew Joseph
Smith and Brigham Young very well and other prominent men of this
Church; and I have met with men in different nations, of all
grades and classes of position and intelligence, and I know that
they do not know the principles of eternal truth as God has
revealed them to us. Have we anything, then, to boast of or to
glory in? I have not, only in God. But I thank God our Heavenly
Father and His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Priesthood that
existed, that God in his mercy has been pleased through their
instrumentality to again restore the everlasting Gospel, bringing
with it light, immortality and eternal life.
179
What did we know about the ordinances of the Gospel--could I find
them anywhere? There is not a man living to-day that could, only
as God revealed them, and I am at the defiance of any man to say
that he knew anything about the principles of the everlasting
Gospel until God revealed them. Did any of us find out anything
about the Gospel? No. Who knew anything about the gathering? The
prophets had spoken about it, but who comprehended their words?
Nobody. Did they know anything about gathering men together to a
land of Zion that should be, or about the kingdom of God that was
to be set up? Some of them would talk about what Daniel saw, but
they knew nothing about it; and they are in the dark about it
to-day, for no man can know the things of God but by the Spirit
of God, and they cannot obtain that Spirit only by obedience to
His law, and hence there is so much misapprehension about us, and
they will remain in the dark until they obey the Gospel of the
Son of God. What do they know about the future? Nothing. What do
they know about the celestial, or the terrestrial or the
telestial glory? Nothing; they do not comprehend anything about
these matters; and when they leave this world, as a prominent
philosopher has said, they take a leap in the dark. We know where
we are going; we know where Brother Miller has gone. God has
revealed these things to us, and consequently we are enlightened.
But did we find it out by our own wisdom and intelligence? No, it
was the Lord who revealed it.
179
And what about our dead, and what about our Temple building? That
is a singular thing for men to be engaged in. Do you find
anything like it anywhere else? No. I remember talking with Baron
Rothschild when showing him our Temple. He asked what was the
meaning of it. Said I, Baron, your Prophets centuries ago, when
under the inspiration of the Almighty, said that the Lord whom
you seek shall suddenly come to his temple. "Yes," he said, "I
know they said that." "Will you show me a place upon the face of
the earth where God has got a temple to come to?" Said he, "I do
not know of any such place." But if your Prophets told the truth,
then there must be a Temple built before your Messiah can come.
Said he, Is this that Temple? No, sir. What is this then? It is a
Temple but not the Temple your fathers spoke of. But you will yet
build a Temple in Jerusalem, and the Lord whom you seek will come
to that Temple. What is this for, he enquired? Among other things
that we may perform the sacred ordinances about which we are so
much maligned, wherein we make eternal covenants with our wives,
that we may have a claim upon them in the resurrection. Who
revealed this? God our Heavenly Father. And because he has
revealed these things, and because we are fulfilling these
things, our nation, groveling in darkness, wrapped in midnight
gloom, knowing no more about God and eternity than that piece of
iron railing, makes it criminal for us to form associations that
are to exist "while life or thought or being lasts or immortality
endures"--associations with our wives and children, with our
fathers and mothers, with our friends and associates, so that
when the last trump shall sound and the dead hear the voice of
the Son of God, that we with them may come forth to obtain the
exaltation which God has prepared for those that love him, keep
his commandments, and are obedient to his laws. Shall we forego
these things and give up our hopes of eternal lives and
exaltations at the instance of low, degraded, corrupt, besotted
and benighted men. Verily I say unto you, Nay. We are after
truth, exaltation and eternal lives; exaltation for ourselves,
for our fathers and mothers and for all men and women who can
comprehend the law of God, and who will obey his precepts and not
reject the Gospel of his Son.
179
These are the things that we seek, and God is with us and will be
with us, and will sustain us, and no power on earth or in hell
can stop the progress of this work; for it is onward according to
the decree of Almighty God, and will be from this time henceforth
and forever. And as the prophets have said, so say I, woe to
those men and woe to that nation or to those nations that lift up
their hands against Zion, for God will destroy them. I prophecy
that in the name of the Lord God of hosts. And he will be with
his Israel, and will sustain his people and bring them off
victorious; and if faithful to the end we shall obtain thrones,
principalities, powers, dominions, exaltations, and eternal lives
in the kingdom of our God, and Brother Miller will be there. Let
us try to emulate his good example and seek to do that which is
right in the sight of God and man. God has given us great
principles and put us in possession of great blessings. Let us
appreciate them. Let us, in all sincerity, be honest and
virtuous, truthful, holy and pure. Let us abstain from
covetousness, fraud, lasciviousness and corruption of every kind,
and be indeed and in truth what we profess to be, the Saints of
the living God.
179
God bless you in time and throughout the eternities to come, in
the name of Jesus, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Erastus Snow, May 6, 1882
Erastus Snow, May 6, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered at Logan, Saturday Afternoon, May 6, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
GOD'S PECULIAR PEOPLE CALLED A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS--THEIR MINISTRY
THUS
FORESHADOWED--THE MELCHIZEDEK AND AARONIC PRIESTHOODS--THEIR
RESTORATION IN THE LATTER-DAYS--THE PREACHING OF THE
GOSPEL--EPHRAIM AND
MANASSAH--THE LINEAGE OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH--PREDESTINATION
AND
ELECTION--THE DISPERSION AND GATHERING OF ISRAEL--THE PRIESTHOOD
ENDLESS,
ADMINISTERING IN TIME AND ETERNITY--THE BLINDNESS OF THE GENTILES
TO THE
THINGS OF GOD--THE RESULTS OF PERSECUTION--THE FUTURE OF THE
FAITHFUL.
180
I will call the attention of the congregation to the words of the
Lord through Moses, spoken to the children of Israel, contained
in the 5th and 6th verses of the 19th chapter of Exodus:
180
"Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed and keep my
covenant, then shall ye be a peculiar treasure unto me above all
people: for all the earth is mine.
180
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy
nation."
180
In connection with this passage I will read the words of the
Apostle Peter, as recorded in the 5th verse, 2nd chap. of 1st
Peter:
180
"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an
holy Priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ."
180
Also the 9th verse of the same chapter:
180
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises
of him who hath called ye out of darkness into this marvelous
light."
181
Elder Penrose referred this morning to the fact of so large a
portion of the Latter-day Saints being called and ordained to
bear some portion of the Priesthood, remarking that at times he
had queried in his mind as to why this was so appointed unto us.
This reminded me of the Scriptures I have just read in your
hearing. The consideration of the subject involves the whole
mission of the Latter-day Saints. The promise of God to ancient
Israel contained in the first text sets forth the purposes of
Jehovah in choosing the seed of Abraham especially and separating
them from other peoples and nations, and taking them under His
especial care and guidance, and leading them as he did out of
Egyptian bondage with a mighty hand and an out-stretched arm and
planting them in Canaan in fulfilment of the promises made to
their father Abraham, and to Isaac and Jacob. And when God called
Abraham to leave his father's house and go to a land which he
should show him and which he afterwards promised to him and his
seed for an inheritance, he had this in view, to make of him and
his seed a peculiar people; to make of them instruments in his
hands of accomplishing good for the benefit of the world.
181
He promised Abraham on another occasion that in him and his seed
all the nations of the earth should be blessed. And although this
had reference chiefly to the coming of the Son of God through his
lineage, who was to be the Chief Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, the Redeemer of the world, it implied the fact also
that through his seed the Gospel should be carried to all the
world, and the oracles of God delivered to men; that prophets and
righteous men should be raised up who should act as the
mouthpiece of God to the people among whom they should live, and
they should have Abraham for their father. Among his descendants
also, his Temple as well as the Tabernacle should be established,
and the ordinances were to be revealed through them and the
Priesthood conferred upon them, and the word of God preserved
among them and handed down to future generations, thus
maintaining the true character and knowledge of God, and
perpetuating the same upon the earth. This was a great work that
the Lord purposed concerning the seed of Abraham, and it was for
this reason and purpose that he promised to establish his
covenant with them forever.
181
Now the Priesthood referred to in Scripture had not reference
alone to that lower or lesser order known as the Levitical
Priesthood which was confirmed by covenant upon Aaron and his
seed and upon the house of his fathers, the tribe of Levi, which
Priesthood officiated in offering sacrifices and all the lesser
duties pertaining to the law; but it comprehended something more
than this, the Priesthood as a whole, including the Melchizedek
or that holy order of Priesthood after the order of the Son of
God. And when Moses was made the mouthpiece of the Lord to Israel
in this precious promise we find them hearkening to him and
keeping his covenants, they being a peculiar people unto him,
above all the earth, a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood; and
he referred to them as a whole people and not to the Levites
alone, and to the Priesthood, as I before remarked, as a whole
including, of course, the Melchizedek Priesthood, hence the words
of Peter: "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood, an
holy nation."
181
The same great purpose and object prevail at the present time.
The calling and mission of the Latter-day Saints are to fulfill
what is here promised in these Scriptures--to bring about the
restoration of scattered Israel, the establishment of Zion, the
preparing a people for the coming of Christ; a people who are to
be Saviors upon Mount Zion, and thus fulfilling one of the
prophesies of one of the Jewish prophets concerning the Zion of
the latter days, that Saviors should come up upon Mount Zion to
save the house of Esau, but the kingdom should be the Lord's. No
matter how many might be employed in this work of salvation, as
Saviors upon Mount Zion, all should labor as helpers and
co-laborers with Christ in the salvation of men.
182
God has promised in the revelations given to the Latter-day
Saints to make known unto them the fullness of all former
dispensations, and he has confirmed upon his servants in this
dispensation of the fullness of times the keys of all former
dispensations and revealed all the ordinances made known to the
ancients; and, therefore, it is our calling to complete the work
that was inaugurated in former dispensations of God to man. At
first Joseph Smith received the gift of seeing visions and the
gift of translating dead languages by the Urim and Thummim, and
when he had exercised himself in these gifts for a season, he
received the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, together with his
Brother Oliver, under the hands of John the Baptist, who was a
resurrected being, and who was the last of the Jewish High
Priests under the dispensation of the law, the only son of
Zachariah the High Priest, and a child of promise, who was
beheaded by order of Herod, having first performed his mission in
preparing the way of the Lord, and having preached the baptism of
repentance for the remission of sins, testifying of Jesus that
was to come, and baptizing those who received him, including the
Savior himself. John having finished his mission, sealed his
testimony with his blood, rose again from the dead and continued
to hold those keys of the Priesthood which he inherited from his
fathers and which were confirmed upon him by the angel of the
Lord when he was eight days old. And he was a fit and proper
person to send to confer those keys of Priesthood upon Joseph and
Oliver. In due course of time, as we read in the history which he
has left, Peter, James and John appeared to him--it was at a
period when they were being pursued by their enemies and they had
to travel all night, and in the dawn of the coming day when they
were weary and worn who should appear to them but Peter, James
and John, for the purpose of conferring upon them the
Apostleship, the keys of which they themselves had held while
upon the earth, which had been bestowed upon them by the Savior.
This Priesthood conferred upon them by those three messengers
embraces within it all offices of the Priesthood from the highest
to the lowest. As has been often taught us that the keys of the
presidency of this Apostleship represent the highest authority
conferred upon man in the flesh. And by virtue of these keys of
Priesthood the Prophet Joseph from time to time proceeded to
ordain and set in order the Priesthood in its various quorums as
we see it to-day in the Church. And if the question be asked why,
and for what purpose, the answer would be the idea conveyed in
the language I have quoted: In accordance with the design of the
Lord to raise up a peculiar people to himself, a holy nation, a
royal Priesthood--a kingdom of Priests, that shall be saviors
upon Mount Zion, not only to preach the Gospel to the scattered
remnants of Israel, but to save to the uttermost the nations of
the Gentiles, inasmuch as they will listen and can be saved by
the plan which God has provided.
184
The first important labor of this ministry is to go abroad and
preach the Gospel to the nations. The Gospel of the kingdom must
be preached to all people and nations and tongues before the end
can come; and by the preaching of the word and the administering
of the ordinances of the Gospel, is Israel sought out from among
the nations among which they are scattered, especially the seed
of Ephraim unto whom the first promises appertain, the promise of
the keys of the Priesthood. For it must be remembered that of all
the seed of Abraham whom the Lord chose to bear the keys
pertaining to this holy order of Priesthood, the seed of Ephraim,
the son of Joseph, were the first and chief. While the tribe of
Levi, unto which Moses and Aaron belonged, was specially charged
with the administration of affairs of the lesser Priesthood under
the law, yet Ephraim, the peculiar and chosen son of Joseph, was
the one whom the Lord had named by his own mouth and through the
Prophets, to inherit the keys of presidency of this High
Priesthood after the order of the Son of God. In this also we see
the fulfillment of the covenants and promises of God; not that
Joseph by birthright inherited this blessing, for Reuben was the
first-born among the twelve sons of Jacob; but we are told in
Chronicles, the 7th chapter, that Reuben forfeited this
birthright by his adultery, and that God took it from him and
conferred it upon the sons of Joseph; and of the sons of Joseph
he chose Ephraim as the chief; and while the Patriarch Jacob, as
we read in the 49th chapter of Genesis, adopted into his own
family two of the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, yet he
placed Ephraim the younger foremost, and blessed him with the
chief blessing, saying, that Manasseh shall be great, but Ephraim
shall be greater than he; he shall become a multitude in the
midst of the earth. Another Scripture also says concerning
scattered Israel, that Ephraim has mixed himself among the
people; and speaking of the gathering of Israel in the latter-day
dispensation, the Prophet Jeremiah has said that God would gather
Israel and lead them as a shepherd does his flock, and says he, I
am Father to Israel, but Ephraim is my first-born. Now, if
Ephraim has been scattered and has mixed himself with the people
until their identity is lost among the nations, how are they
going to be recognized and receive the promised blessings--how is
it that Ephraim shall be the first-born of the Lord in the great
gathering of the latter-days? If we turn back to the blessing
which Moses gave to the twelve tribes of Israel, as found in
Deuteronomy, we shall there see that in blessing the tribe of
Joseph, he especially charged them with the duty of gathering the
people from the ends of the earth. Said he, Joseph's horns are
like the horns of unicorns, which shall push the people together
from the ends of the earth, and they are the thousands of
Manasseh and ten thousands of Ephraim; showing that it shall be
the ten thousands of Ephraim and thousands of Manasseh who shall
be in the foremost ranks of bearing the Gospel message to the
ends of the earth, and gathering Israel from the four quarters of
the world in the last days. Whoever has read the Book of Mormon
carefully will have learned that the remnants of the house of
Joseph dwelt upon the American continent; and that Lehi learned
by searching the records of his fathers that were written upon
the plates of brass, that he was of the lineage of Manasseh. The
Prophet Joseph informed us that the record of Lehi, was contained
on the 116 pages that were first translated and subsequently
stolen, and of which an abridgement is given us in the first Book
of Nephi, which is the record of Nephi individually, he himself
being of the lineage of Manasseh; but that Ishmael was of the
lineage of Ephraim, and that his sons married into Lehi's family,
and Lehi's sons married Ishmael's daughters, thus fulfilling the
words of Jacob upon Ephraim and Manasseh in the 48th chapter of
Genesis, which says: "And let my name be named on them, and the
name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a
multitude in the midst of the land." Thus these descendants of
Manasseh and Ephraim grew together upon this American continent,
with a sprinkling from the house of Judah, from Mulek descended,
who left Jerusalem eleven years after Lehi, and founded the
colony afterwards known as Zarahemla and found by Mosiah--thus
making a combination, an intermixture of Ephraim and Manasseh
with the remnants of Judah, and for aught we know, the remnants
of some other tribes that might have accompanied Mulek. And such
have grown up on the American continent. But we are not informed
that the Prophet Joseph and the first Elders of this Church who
were called and chosen of God to bear the Priesthood and lay the
foundation of this work, were descended from any portion of those
remnants that peopled America anciently, and whose history is
given us in the Book of Mormon. Yet we find in the Doctrine and
Covenants the declaration concerning the first Elders of this
Church, that they were of the house of Ephraim; and another
passage referring to the wicked and rebellious, says, they shall
be cut off from among the people for the rebellious are not of
the seed of Ephraim. And there is a passage in the Book of Mormon
which is a part of the prophecy of Joseph written on the plates
of brass and quoted by Lehi, concerning the Prophet Joseph Smith,
who, it says, was to be raised up in the latter days to translate
the records of the Nephites, and whose name should be Joseph, and
who should be a descendant of that Joseph that was sold into
Egypt, and also that that should be the name of his father.
185
Now if the Prophet Joseph Smith was that chosen vessel out of the
loins of Joseph, it may be asked by some, what evidence have we
of this lineage? I answer, the testimony of God, the best of all
testimony, for no record kept by mortal man can be equal to it;
and that, too, by reason of that quaint but sensible old maxim,
"it takes a wise man to know who his father was, but a fool may
find out who his mother was." And even if we had the lineage of
the fathers, it would not be as sure and certain to us as the
word of the Lord. For he has had his eye upon the chosen spirits
that have come upon the earth in the various ages from the
beginning of the world up to this time; and as he said to
Abraham, speaking of the multitudes of spirits that were shown
unto him in heavenly vision, you see that some are more noble
than others? Yes. Then you may know there were some others still
more noble than they; and he speaks in the same manner of the
multitude of the heavenly bodies; and said he to Abraham, thou
art one of those noble ones whom I have chosen to be my rulers.
The Lord has sent those noble spirits into the world to perform a
special work, and appointed their times; and they have always
fulfilled the mission given them, and their future glory and
exaltation is secured unto them; and that is what I understand by
the doctrine of election spoken of by the Apostle Paul and other
sacred writers: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did
predestinate to be confirmed to the image of His Son, that he
might be the first-born among many brethren." Such were called
and chosen and elected of God to perform a certain work at a
certain time of the world's history and in due time he fitted
them for that work. It will be remembered when Jeremiah was
called of God in his youth that he, in order to excuse himself,
complained of his youth and of his being slow of speech, that the
Lord said unto him that he would be mouth for him and matter to
his heart, for, he said, he knew him and called him from his
mother's womb to be a prophet unto the nations. And so he called
John the Baptist by sending his angel Gabriel to his father
Zachariah, and giving him a promise that his wife Elizabeth,
though old and barren, should yet conceive and bear a son, and
that his name should be John, who should be a forerunner to the
Savior to prepare the way before his face. And so he elected the
seed of Ephraim to be that peculiar people I have referred to,
that holy nation, a kingdom of Priests, a people to receive the
covenants and oracles, and to be witnesses to certain nations of
the God of Israel. And how strict were his commands that they
should have no other Gods but him, that they might be a standing
rebuke to the idol worshippers, and to all who believe not in the
true and living God.
186
Now the same spirit of revelation that sought out the Prophet
Joseph from the loins of Joseph who was sold into Egypt, and that
raised him up in this dispensation to receive the keys of the
Priesthood and to lay the foundation of this great work in the
earth, has also called the children of Abraham from among the
kingdoms and countries of the earth to first hear and then
embrace the everlasting Gospel; and the remnants of the seed of
Ephraim who were scattered from Palestine and who colonized the
shores of the Caspian Sea and thence made their way into the
north of Europe, western Scandinavia and northern Germany,
penetrating Scotland and England, and conquering those nations
and reigning as monarchs of Great Britain, and mingling their
seed with the Anglo-Saxon race, and spreading over the waters a
fruitful vine, as predicted by Jacob, whose branches should run
over the wall. Their blood has permeated European society, and it
coursed in the veins of the early colonists of America. And when
the books shall be opened and the lineage of all men is known, it
will be found that they have been first and foremost in
everything noble among men in the various nations in breaking off
the shackles of kingcraft and priestcraft and oppression of every
kind, and the foremost among men in upholding and maintaining the
principles of liberty and freedom upon this continent and
establishing a representative government, and thus preparing the
way for the coming forth of the fullness of the everlasting
Gospel. And it is the foremost of those spirits whom the Lord has
prepared to receive the Gospel when it was presented to them, and
who did not wait for the Elders to hunt them from the hills and
corners of the earth, but they were hunting for the Elders,
impelled by a spirit which then they could not understand; and
for this reason were they among the first Elders of the Church;
they and the fathers having been watched over from the days that
God promised those blessings upon Isaac and Jacob and Joseph and
Ephraim. And these are they that will be found in the front ranks
of all that is noble and good in their day and time, and who will
be found among those whose efforts are directed in establishing
upon the earth those heaven-born principles which tend directly
to blessing and salvation, to ameliorating the condition of their
fellow-men, and elevating them in the scale of their being; and
among those also who receive the fullness of the Everlasting
Gospel, and the keys of Priesthood in the last days, through whom
God determined to gather up again unto himself a peculiar people,
a holy nation, a pure seed that shall stand upon Mount Zion as
saviors, not only to the house of Israel but also to the house of
Esau.
186
Now the work of carrying the Gospel to the nations and gathering
the people, mighty as it is, is not the chief, it is but laying
the foundation for the still greater work of the redemption of
the myriads of the dead of the seed of Israel that have perished
without the fullness of the Gospel, who too are heirs to the
promised blessings; but the time had not come when they passed
away for the fulfillment of all that God had promised Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob concerning their seed: Ezekiel in the 37th
chapter of his book beautifully illustrates this doctrine in his
vision of the valley of dry bones. I respectfully refer you to
it. The substance of the vision is this: The Lord showed Ezekiel
a valley full of dry human bones; and he asks him if those bones
can live. Ezekiel answered, "O Lord God, thou knowest." The Lord
then tells him to prophecy to the bones: Oh ye dry bones. Hear
the word of the Lord; and as he did so there was a shaking, and
behold the bones came together, bone to its bone; and according
to the word of the Lord through him, flesh and skin and sinews
came upon them, and the breath of life came into them, and lo,
and behold, they stood upon their feet an exceedingly great army.
The Lord then tells the Prophet that these are the whole house of
Israel; and that they complain of the non-fulfillment of the
promises upon their head, saying, "Our bones are dried, and our
hope is lost: all are cut off for our parts. But he further tells
him to prophecy unto them, saying, "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," etc. And by whom shall this great and marvelous work be
accomplished? I answer, by the thousands of Manasseh and the ten
thousands of Ephraim; by this same people who shall search out
and gather together the house of Israel, and who will come up as
saviors upon Mount Zion.
187
Paul tells us concerning the Melchizedek Priesthood, that it is
after the order of an endless life, without beginning of days or
end of years; or, in other words, that it is eternal; that it
ministers in time and also in eternity. Peter, James and John and
their fellow-laborers still minister in their Priesthood on the
other side of the veil; and Joseph Smith and his fellow-brethren
still minister in their office and calling under the counsel and
direction of the same Peter, James and John who ministered on
earth, and who conferred upon Joseph the keys of their
Priesthood; and all the Elders of this dispensation who prove
faithful and magnify their calling in the flesh will, when they
pass hence, continue their labors in the spirit world, retaining
the same holy character and high responsibility that they assume
here. And these men will be engaged there hunting up the remnants
of their fathers of the house of Joseph through Ephraim and
Manasseh; and then all the other tribes of Israel; while their
children and children's children remaining in the flesh, holding
the same Priesthood, are building and will continue to build
Temples and enter into them, and there officiate for the whole
house of Israel, whose bones are dry and hope lost; but with whom
it will be, as the Apostle Peter has expressed it, "Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to
his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." When Peter
buried his Lord he buried his hope also, and when in this state
of mind he said, "I go a fishing." He returned to the old mode of
living, and his fellow Apostles accompanied him. After toiling
all night and catching no fish, the Savior appeared to them, but
the disciples did not know him; and after learning that they had
caught nothing, he told them to cast the net on the other side of
the ship, and instantly the net was full of fishes. And
straightway the inspiration of the Almighty was upon Peter, who
said, that's the Lord; that's one of his tricks. And the
impetuosity of his nature was such that he could not wait, but
threw himself into the water to go and meet the Savior, knowing
that it was He just as well as if the Father himself had told him
so. And when they got ashore they found that their Lord had
prepared food for them, of which they all partook. And then the
Savior takes Peter to task by giving him to understand that He
had called him and fellow-apostles to be fishers of men, and says
to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than
these," (fish)? Peter answered, "Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I
love thee." The Savior said unto him, then "feed my lambs;"
repeating his question and admonition three times. This rebuke
was sufficient for Peter all the rest of his days; we never hear
of his going fishing again.
187
The morning of the resurrection dawns upon us. Ere long we will
find Joseph and his brethren overseeing and directing the labors
of the Elders of Israel in the Temples of our God, laboring for
the redemption of the dead, which work will continue during the
thousand years rest when the Savior will bear rule over the whole
earth.
187
The Gentile nations comprehend not these things. Congress and the
hireling priests are blind and ignorant to them. And why? Because
they have not been "born again," being in the same condition that
Nicodemus was when the Savior told him that except a man were
born again--that is born of the water and the Spirit--he could
not enter into (or see) the kingdom of God. They talk about
religion, and they profess to be teachers of Christianity; so far
as they honestly believe, and show by their works, that Christ
was the Son of God, so far God will have them in remembrance; so
far as they honestly receive those principles of morality that
should govern men in their walks of life and their intercourse
with their fellows, and do respect and strive to live them, so
far will he hold them in honorable remembrance, and they will be
numbered among the honorable of the earth, and the mercy of the
Lord will reach them in his due time; but the hypocrite who
conceals his wicked heart under the cloak of religion, who has a
form of godliness, but denies the power thereof, all such will he
waste away.
188
Understanding this as we understand them, we do not wonder at
this class of persons combining with the powers of earth to throw
stumbling blocks in the way of this community. But will the Lord
suffer them to bring persecution upon us? Peradventure he may;
and he will if it is necessary to prune the vineyard, to cleanse
his people from sin, to purge out evil and frighten away the
hypocrites in Zion; for it has been decreed that fearfulness
shall surprise the hypocrites in Zion; and if he suffers the
wicked to combine against us, he will overrule it for the
salvation of the righteous. The righteous can endure trials,
realizing as they do that:
188
B ehind a frowning providence,
H e hides a smiling face.
188
And that after much tribulation comes the blessing. And such are
of Ephraim. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Lorenzo Snow, May 6th, 1882
Lorenzo Snow, May 6th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE LORENZO SNOW,
Delivered at Logan, Sunday, May 6th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CHARACTER--TRAITS THAT ARE ADMIRABLE--HOW TO
HAVE
INFLUENCE WITH HEAVEN--WHY MEN SHOULD DO RIGHT--THE CULTIVATION
OF
SPIRITUAL GIFTS--THE THINGS OF GOD MUST BE SOUGHT AFTER--FASTING,
PRAYER,
DEVOTION AND SACRIFICE.
189
The speaker commenced by reading the first ten verses and the
18th verse of the 35th chapter of Jeremiah; also part of the
139th Psalm; and then said:
189
I read these verses with a view of riveting more forcibly upon
our understanding a principle which I desire to present for
consideration, namely, the establishing of a proper character, as
Latter-day Saints, before God our Father.
190
I am under the strongest impression that the most valuable
consideration, and that which will be of the most service when we
return to the spirit world, will be that of having established a
proper and well-defined character as faithful and consistent
Latter-day Saints in this state of probation. In cases where a
stranger applies for employment, or an office of trust, it is
often required that he produce papers attesting his worthiness,
from reliable parties, letters of recommendation and of
introduction which are exceedingly useful in their way, assisting
in obtaining favors and privileges which otherwise would be
difficult to secure. It is, however, comparatively easy to obtain
a written character, as it is termed, a character that one can
put in his pocket; and, indeed, according to my observation it is
not infrequently the case that people are the bearers of written
characters which their real and true character fails to attest.
There are those among us who are recognized as members of this
Church who take a vast amount of pains to be favorably known by
those around them, but whose real character, or the inwardness so
to speak, of such people, is veiled or disguised, being to all
outward appearance reputable Latter-day Saints, but whose inward
character, the character that is written indelibly upon their own
hearts, would, if known, render them unfit for the association
and fellowship of the people of God. Now this prayer that I have
referred to--"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and
know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and
lead me in the way everlasting"--is very significant; it was a
prayer that David in the principal course of his life could
conscientiously and with a degree of confidence offer up to the
Lord. But there were times when he would feel the faltering and
quivering sensation of weakness in offering up a prayer of this
kind.
191
I have reason to believe that many of the Latter-day Saints,
during a great portion of their lives, could approach the Lord in
all confidence and make this same prayer--"Search me, O God, and
know my heart, and see if there be any wicked way in me;" but if
we, as a people could live so as to be able at all times to bow
before the Lord and offer up a prayer like this, what a
delightful thing it would be, what an attainment we should have
acquired in righteousness and good works! To every person who has
at heart the preparing of himself for the great change, that is
the work of regeneration, I would recommend that he adopt this
prayer of David, and see how near he can live according to the
light that he has, so as to make it in all sincerity part of his
devotions to God. Many fail in coming up to this standard of
excellence because they do things in secret where mortal eye
cannot penetrate, that has a direct tendency to alienate them
from the Almighty, and to grieve away the Spirit of God. Such
persons cannot in their private closet use this prayer; they
could not unless they had repented of their sins and repaired the
wrong they may have committed, and determined to do better in the
future than they had done in the past, and to establish a
character before God that could be relied upon in the hour of
trial, and that would fit them to associate with holy beings and
with the Father himself when they shall have passed into the
spirit world. In order to arrive at the state of perfection that
David did when he poured out his soul to the Lord in the prayer
that I have referred to, we must be true men and true women; we
must have faith largely developed, and we must be worthy of the
companionship of the Holy Ghost to aid us in the work of
righteousness all the day long, to enable us to sacrifice our own
will to the will of the Father, to battle against our fallen
nature, and to do right for the love of doing right, keeping our
eye single to the honor and glory of God. To do this there must
be an inward feeling of the mind that is conscious of the
responsibility that we are under, that recognized the fact that
the eye of God is upon us and that our every act and the motives
that prompt it must be accounted for; and we must be constantly
en rapport with the Spirit of the Lord. We should strive
earnestly to establish the principles of heaven within us, rather
than trouble ourselves in fostering anxieties like the foolish
people of the Tower of Babel, to reach its location before we are
properly and lawfully prepared to become its inhabitants. Its
advantages and blessings, in a measure, can be obtained in this
probationary state by learning to live in conformity with its
laws and the practice of its principles. To do this, there must
be a feeling and determination to do God's will.
191
There are many things that I admire in the character of the
prophets, and especially in that of Moses. I admire his
determination to carry out the word and will of God with regard
to Israel, and his readiness to do everything that was in the
power of man, assisted by the Almighty; and above all I admire
his integrity and fidelity to the Lord. There is something very
beautiful and lovely to contemplate in the character of the
children of Rechab of whom I have read: there is something that
ought to command the admiration of all men, and indeed, God
himself admired it and recognized it in the great promise that he
made their father as a recognition of this remarkable virtue
exhibited in their character, namely, "Jonadab the son of Rechab
shall not want a man to stand before me forever." How comforting
and consoling, what a feeling of gratification and joy to the
heart of a parent to receive such a promise from the Lord,
because of the obedience of his children in strictly adhering to
this counsel; his posterity forever should be represented among
those who should stand before the Lord. And God admires the men
and women to-day who pursue a course of rectitude and who,
notwithstanding the powers of Satan that are arrayed against
them, can say, Get thee behind me Satan, and who live a
righteous, a godly life, and such people have influence with God
and their prayers avail much. Moses, for instance, had such power
with the Almighty as to change his purposes on a certain
occasion. It will be remembered that the Lord became angry with
the Israelites, and declared to Moses that he would destroy them,
and he would take Moses and make of him a great people, and would
bestow upon him and his posterity what he had promised to Israel.
But this great leader and lawgiver, faithful to his trust, stood
in the gap and there plead with the Lord on behalf of his people;
by the power that he could exercise and did exercise, he was the
means of saving the people from threatened destruction. How noble
and glorious Moses must have appeared in the eyes of the Lord,
and what a source of satisfaction it must have been to him to
know that his chosen people, in their obstinate and ignorant
condition, had such a man at their head.
192
In Jonah again we find an interesting trait of character. When
upon the raging waters, and fears were expressed by the sailors
as to their ability to save the ship, Jonah, feeling
conscience-stricken at the course he had taken in not proceeding
to Nineveh as commanded of the Lord, came forward and confessed
himself as being the cause of the disaster that was about to
befall them, and was willing to be sacrificed in the interest of
those on board. Also in other prophets and men of God, although
they may have on certain occasions, like Jonah, exhibited
weaknesses, there is something really grand and admirable shown
in their character. But such traits of character as we find
evinced in the ancient worthies are not the products of accident
or chance, neither are they acquired in a day, a week, a month,
or a year, but are gradual developments, the results of continued
faithfulness to God and to truth, independent of either the
plaudits or criticisms of men.
192
Written characters do not always amount to much; they are well
enough in their place however. It is important that we, as
Latter-day Saints, should understand and bear in mind that
salvation comes through the grace of God, and through the
development in us of those principles that governed those
righteous people before mentioned. The idea is not to do good
because of the praise of men; but to do good because in doing
good we develop godliness within us, and this being the case we
shall become allied to godliness, which will in time become part
and portion of our being. I will refer again to the Rechabites,
and the strong temptation that they were under when invited to
the Temple of God, and there, in one of the apartments, asked by
Jeremiah, one of the greatest Prophets, to drink wine; or, in
other words, to do something that they had been instructed by
their father not to do. But they could not be moved, the teaching
of their father had found an abiding place in their hearts, and
the consequence was that they utterly refused to do what the
Prophet of God told them to do. The Lord Himself admired the
course that they took in this matter, and was led as I before
said, to make such a glorious promise to the house of Rechab; and
I would not be astonished to know that among this people may now
be found some of the descendants.
193
Do we not at times do things that we feel sorry for having done?
It may be all very well, provided we stop doing such things when
we know them to be wrong; when we see the evil and then reform,
that is all we can do, and all that can be asked of any man. But
undoubtedly, it is too much the case with some that they consider
and fear the publicity of the wrong they commit, more than
committing the wrong itself; they wonder what people will say
when they hear of it, etc. And, on the other hand, some are
induced to do certain things in order to receive the approbation
of their friends, and if their acts fail to draw forth favorable
comments or to be recognized, they feel as though their labor had
been lost, and what good they may have done was a total failure.
Now, if we really desire to draw near to God; if we wish to place
ourselves in accord with the good spirits of the eternal worlds;
if we wish to establish within ourselves that faith which we read
about and by which ancient Saints performed such wonderful works,
we must, after we obtain the Holy Spirit, hearken to its
whisperings and conform to its suggestions, and by no act of our
lives drive it from us. It is true that we are weak, erring
creatures, liable at any time to grieve the Spirit of God; but so
soon as we discover ourselves in a fault, we should repent of
that wrongdoing and as far as possible repair or make good the
wrong we may have committed. By taking this course we strengthen
our character, we advance our own cause, and we fortify ourselves
against temptation; and in time we shall have so far overcome as
to really astonish ourselves at the progress we have made in
self-government and improvement.
193
We have received a Gospel that is marvelous in its operations:
through obedience to its requirements we may receive the choicest
blessings that have ever been promised to or bestowed upon
mankind in any age of the world. But, like the child with the toy
or the plaything, we too often satisfy ourselves with the
perishable things of time, forgetting the opportunities we have
of developing within us the great, the eternal principles of life
and truth. The Lord wishes to establish a closer and more
intimate relationship between himself and us; He wishes to
elevate us in the scale of being and intelligence, and this can
only be done through the medium of the everlasting Gospel which
is specially prepared for this purpose. Says the Apostle John:
"Every man that has this hope in him purifieth himself, even as
He (Christ) is pure." Are the Latter-day Saints applying the
principles of the Gospel to their lives, and thus accomplishing
the design of God?
193
We sometimes, though perhaps not to a great extent, trouble
ourselves about some probable or possible persecution that our
enemies may bring upon us. We look upon the past history of the
Church and see that the Lord has suffered our enemies on certain
occasions, to destroy our houses, despoil us of our property and
drive us from one place to another. We say, such things have been
allowed; and we query in our minds, whether they will still be
permitted to bring trouble upon us, and if so, to what extent. We
acknowledge that God has blessed us--that he has given us houses
and lands, flocks and herds, and has put us in the way to obtain
the conveniences and comforts of life. We, no doubt, appreciate
our temporal condition, and would dislike very much to be
deprived of these blessings we enjoy. And some wonder as to how
far the hand of oppression will be allowed to disturb the quiet
of our mountain homes, and whether we as individuals, will ever
pass through what this people endured in early days. This is a
matter that should not trouble the Saints of God particularly;
but what to my mind is far more important is, what can we do
under the circumstances to elevate ourselves still higher in the
righteousness of our God. What advantages, blessings and
privileges does this system of salvation, which we have obeyed,
afford, and what means shall be employed to realize them? If
there should be a sacrifice demanded it will be very opportune
for all those who wish to make their religion a study, and who
are endeavoring to conform to its requirements, by living it in
their everyday life, to show their willingness to bow to the will
of Jehovah, acknowledging his hand in adversity as in prosperity.
194
I remember very well the cloudy and stormy days of Kirtland, and
how foolishly some people acted. There were men who occupied high
standing in the Church, who disgraced themselves, having behaved
in a manner which afterwards brought the blush of shame to their
cheeks. There was a reason for that. Had they lived so that they
could have offered up in their hearts David's prayer, they would
not have been numbered among those who apostatized and fell in
the hour of trial. It would be well to examine ourselves, hold
communion with ourselves in the secret closet, to ascertain how
we stand as Elders in Israel before the Lord, so that if need be
we may renew our diligence and faithfulness, and increase our
good works.
194
There is no doubt, speaking of the people as a whole, that we are
greatly improving in the sight of God. But although this is
undoubtedly the case, I am convinced there are persons among us
endowed with spiritual gifts and susceptible of cultivation, that
could be exercised, if they chose, to a far greater extent than
they are, and who could move much faster in the ways of holiness
and get much nearer to the Lord. But the spirit which attends the
things of this world is operating upon them to that extent that
they do not increase those spiritual powers and blessings; they
do not place themselves in that close relationship to the Lord
that it is their privilege, as men holding the holy Priesthood,
called and chosen to perform a special work in the midst of
mankind. As it was with Peter and the rest of the Apostles in the
days of their gloom, when the Master, the Savior of the world,
hung upon the cross, their hope and prospects sunk in darkness,
having lost the real spirit of the mission to which they had been
called, in their despair, they said, Let us go a fishing; let us
return to our nets, to our former business. So it is with some in
our day. There are men among us upon whom the Spirit of the
Almighty once rested mightily, whose intentions were once as good
and pure as those of angels, and who made covenants with God that
they would serve Him and keep His commandments under every and
all circumstances; and many of such were ready and willing to
leave their wives and children to go or come as the case might be
in the interest of the cause they had espoused. But how is it now
with some of those Elders? They do not feel so to-day. Their
affections are set upon the things of this world which the Lord
has enabled them to acquire, that they wait now until they are
called, and in many instances when called, they obey more out of
a desire to retain their standing and position, than a real
heart-felt love of the labor to which they may have been called.
194
This is the condition of all men, no matter how well they start
out, who allow their thoughts and affections to run after the
world and its ways, and it is a plain and indisputable proof that
when this is the case with men they love the world more than they
love the Lord and His work upon the earth. Having received the
light of the everlasting Gospel, and partaken of the good things
of the kingdom, and being of the seed of Israel and heirs to
great and glorious promises, we should labor with fidelity and
diligence to accomplish what God has designed to do through us;
we should be men and women of faith and power as well as good
works, and when we discover ourselves careless or indifferent in
the least, it should be sufficient for us to know it in order to
mend our ways and return to the path of duty.
195
When our friends are stricken down by sickness and disease, or
when our little ones are in the agonies of pain and death, there
should be Elders in our midst who have educated themselves so
thoroughly in developing the gifts of the Spirit within them, and
in whom the Saints have such perfect confidence, that they would
always be sought after instead of doctors. There are men among us
who possess the gift of healing, and might have great faith; but
they do not exercise the gift, they do not live for it, and,
therefore, do not have the power to use it so effectually as they
might. There are men in this Church who are as good in their
hearts and feelings as men ever were, but lack faith and energy,
and do not obtain really what it is their privilege to receive.
If their faith, their energy and determination were equal to
their good feelings and desires, their honesty and goodness, they
would indeed be mighty men in Israel; and sickness and disease
and the power of the evil one would flee before them as chaff
before the wind. Yet, we say we are a good people and that we are
not only holding our own but making great advances in
righteousness before God; and no doubt, we are. But I wish to
impress upon you, my brethren and sisters that there are Elders
among us endowed with Spiritual gifts that may be brought into
exercise through the aid of the Holy Ghost. The gifts of the
Gospel must be cultivated by diligence and perseverance. The
ancient Prophets when desiring some peculiar blessing, or
important knowledge, revelation or vision, would sometimes fast
and pray for days and even weeks for that purpose.
195
As Saints of God, Elders of Israel, we should be willing to
devote time and labor, making every necessary sacrifice in order
to obtain the proper spiritual qualifications to be highly useful
in our several callings. And may the Lord inspire every heart
with the importance of these matters that we may seek diligently
and energetically for the gifts and powers promised in the Gospel
we have obeyed.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / Moses
Thatcher, April 8th, 1882
Moses Thatcher, April 8th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE MOSES THATCHER,
Delivered at the General Conference, Saturday, April 8th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE MISSION OF THE HOLY GHOST--COMMISSIONS OF THE ANCIENT AND
MODERN
APOSTLES--UNBELIEF, DIVISION, SUPERSTITION AND
FANATICISM--SINCERITY NO
EVIDENCE OF TRUTH, BUT ALWAYS ENTITLED TO RESPECT--MARRIAGE
COMMANDED OF
GOD AND FORBIDDEN BY MAN--MORAL COURAGE AND ANTI-"MORMON"
LEGISLATION--RIGHTEOUS AND UNRIGHTEOUS DOMINION--THE PURITY OF
THE ELDERS
OF ISRAEL--THE WORSHIP OF WEALTH AND ITS POVERTY--PUBLIC OPINION
AND
INDEPENDENCE OF CHARACTER--THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS NEVER DESTINED
TO BE
SLAVES--PERSECUTION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES--EXHORTATION TO LOYALTY,
LONG-SUFFERING, KINDNESS, INTEGRITY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.
196
I have been very happy in attending the meetings of this
Conference. I have rejoiced in listening to the remarks of
brethren who have spoken; and earnestly hope that I may be
influenced and guided in the remarks I may make, by the same
spirit and power which has actuated them. Realizing as I do, that
God is working in the hearts of the Saints and is, at the same
time, holding as in his hands the destiny of nations, I have seen
no happier day than this. And, while proscriptive, ex post-facto
laws, abridging the liberties of the people have been, and others
may hereafter be enacted by the law-makers of the nation, still
the honest and good, the meek and pure in heart rejoice in the
Holy One of Israel, who while preserving their lips from uttering
guile makes steadfast their feet in Zion, that they slip not.
197
I am not aware that we, as a people, have any policy marked out
by which to meet the issues or overcome the annoyances which may
be forced upon us, but with those who merit the constant
companionship of the Holy Ghost, all will be well. The sight of
the eye, the hearing of the ear, the touch of the hand may each
and all be deceived, but the instructions of the spirit are in
all things correct. The combined senses may misguide or fail, but
he who happily secures the companionship of the Holy Spirit,
walks in the ways of life and neither fears, becomes weary nor
faints by the wayside. Christ as the author of human
redemption--himself a willing sacrifice--comprehending by his
divine nature, the fulness of this great truth, commanded his
disciples to tarry at Jerusalem until endowed with power from on
high-- until he should send the Comforter whose mission it was to
show them things to come, bring all things which he had taught to
their remembrance and lead them into all truth.
197
They had listened to the words of life and light as the marvelous
sermon on the Mount came from the divine lips of their Lord and
Master: they had seen him touch the eyes of the blind, making
them to see again, the ears of the deaf to hear, and had
witnessed his power quicken into life, the decomposing body of
the dead; they had traveled throughout the land of Judea with,
and perhaps watched many weary nights to keep him from the injury
of those who desired to harm him; they had eaten and drank with,
and slept by him, listening by night and day to the inspired
instructions; but, notwithstanding all the experience thus gained
during years of unsurpassed opportunity for learning the truth as
it was in him, they were not yet fully qualified and authorized
to preach that perfect law of liberty--the Gospel of their
Redeemer. Hence the command, "Tarry ye in the City of Jerusalem
until ye be endowed with power from on high."
197
The Comforter which came to them is the same that has come to us,
and his mission then, as we have demonstrated it now to be, was
to bring things to the remembrance, show things to come and lead
unto all truth. No man has authority to preach the Gospel and
administer its ordinances without a commission from Jesus Christ;
and the seal of such commission has always been, and always will
be the gifts, blessings and endorsement of the Holy Ghost, which,
not only leads to the form, but also to the power of godliness.
197
It is this that cheers the hearts of the Latter-day Saints,
brings knowledge of things past, present and to come, unites and
makes them in their testimony, hopes and aspirations, distinct
from all the world--a peculiar people.
198
The Elders of Israel acting under the authority of an endless
Priesthood, bear the message of peace, of life and salvation to
the inhabitants of a fallen world. Without money and without
price they visit the ends of the earth and, while warning the
wicked of the judgments to come, they urge the honest and good to
gather, before the coming of the great and dreadful day when
Babylon shall fall. Bearing a faithful testimony, they speak of
that which they know and testify of that which they have
experienced, saying, "do the will of the Father and you shall
know whether the doctrine is true or false." In this, their
testimony differs from that of the ministers of all other
religious denominations, and they not only speak as having
authority, but they have it. Where, outside of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is there a man authorized to
make the promise of the knowledge of God by revelation as the
reward of obedience to the principles of the Gospel? Who, beside
the Elders of this Church are commissioned to perform ordinances
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost through which, and
by which the Comforter comes to the obedient penitent, leading
him into all truth and showing him things to come? Who, beside
them are authorized by God, commissioned by Jesus and endorsed by
the Holy Spirit to preach repentance, baptism and the laying on
of hands, saying to the inhabitants of the earth, "believe in the
doctrines of Jesus Christ, repent of all sins, be immersed in
water for their remission and have hands laid upon you for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, and you shall know these things to
be true, for, through obedience to the law of life, comes the
testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy.
198
Ask the members of the so-called Christian sects if their
ministers come to them offering such a test of their authority to
speak in the name of Him who descended beneath all things that he
might arise above all things--ask them for the testimony of Him
who led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men, what gifts they
have to offer, what promises of godly knowledge they have to
make? Ask them for the testimony of Jesus and to show the plan of
salvation built upon the rock of revelation against which the
gates of hell cannot prevail, and you will be made painfully to
feel that they have none of these things. A form of godliness
they may exhibit, but the power, they do not have.
198
"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but
he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall
follow them that believe. In my name they shall cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents,
and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them."
198
Such was the commission given to the Apostles anciently, and the
gifts and blessings, some of which I have enumerated, following
the believer whose faith led to works, were evidences of the
authority of the Lord's disciples who bore that commission. Their
testimony being true and faithful, received the endorsement of
the Holy Spirit.
198
Unlike ministers of the various Christian denominations the
Elders of this Church claim no part of the commission given by
the Lord to his ancient Apostles, but they do claim, and do have
authority from Jesus Christ to preach his Gospel, and the signs
that followed believers then follow them now, as thousands can
testify. Most so-called Christians have long since discarded the
idea of works, holding that salvation coming only by grace,
belief alone, is essential.
199
Now, I hold that they have not only discarded all works, but
belief as well. My reason for so doing is I think logical and
conclusive. Jesus declared that certain signs should follow them
that believe, but modern divines do not even pretend that any one
of the signs enumerated follow those that accept their teachings.
Therefore, relying upon the words of the Lord, we must, we are
bound to conclude that they do not even believe the Gospel, or if
they do the promise of Christ certainly fails. I am aware that
such a conclusion gives a choice between but two horns of a
disagreeable dilemma, but we had nothing to do in the arrangement
of matters which have brought it about; we only speak of facts as
they exist. Again, ask the ministers of any of the Protestant
churches where they got their authority to preach? They will tell
you not from the Roman Mother Church which claims Apostolic
succession from Peter, but they will refer you I think, in most
instances, to the words of Jesus already quoted, wherein he
instructed his disciples to go into all the world and preach the
Gospel to every creature, etc. They will tell you that here is
where they get their authority, and they claim that commission is
to them as well as to those to whom it was directly given. Let us
submit the test and see how this claim stands. Those who
anciently had the commission and authority were endorsed by the
spirit and power of God which caused certain heavenly gifts and
blessings to follow those who believed their testimony and
teachings. Do any of those gifts and blessings follow the
believers in the teachings of modern divines who claim the same
authority and commission? No, not one. They the ministers
themselves hold them non-essential, and hence done away. They
are, indeed, done away so far as our Christian friends are
concerned, and so is the authority and commission of their
ministers done away, so far as the endorsement of their teaching
by the Holy Ghost is concerned.
199
I desire here to bear my testimony that the gifts and blessings
enumerated by the Savior as those that should follow believers,
do follow in this day, the authoritative preaching and
administration of the ordinances of the Gospel, and that the
Elders of this Church are clothed with authority from God. It did
not come from the Roman Mother Church, nor from any of her
Protestant daughters, but was restored to earth in our day by
Peter, James and John, to whom Jesus Himself gave it. In their
charge it was authority that bore fruit as testimony of its
efficacy and divine power; committed to the charge of God's
servants it does likewise in this age among this people.
199
Lacking the revelations of the Holy Ghost, men and
self-constituted ministers are not led into all truth but teach,
instead thereof, opinions and vain imaginings. As an instance I
refer to a sermon preached not long since by an eminent divine in
the East for whose liberal views and outspoken advocacy of them
in many respects I entertain admiration, for they have, in my
opinion, a tendency to liberalize the ideas of some who otherwise
would have inclined to religious bigotry or, on the other hand to
infidelity. In seeking to illustrate how the various Christian
sects were moving heavenward this divine, compared the kingdom of
God to the city of Philadelphia, which has numerous railway
connections leading from almost every direction but all centering
in that city. Upon these numerous railways daily move many trains
composed of numerous cars containing many people traveling from
various directions on different roads, but all bound for the city
of Philadelphia. Now this doctrine being broad and liberal would
certainly commend itself to every thoughtful and charitable
Christian did it not, when tested by the Master's perfect
standard, reveal a defect--a fatal one too, which all who rely
upon it must eventually find to their disappointment and sorrow.
The doctrine however attractive, is absolutely untrue, for Jesus
Himself has declared that there is but one way, "Straight is the
gate and narrow is the way, (not many ways like the roads leading
to the city of Philadelphia), and few there be that find it."
200
Now why do eminent, educated, influential men, who have chosen
the ministry as a profession, and who pretend to teach the Gospel
to others, advocate as doctrine ideas so diametrically opposed to
the eternal truths advanced by Christ himself? The answer is
simple, lacking the inspiration and revelations of the Holy
Spirit--having no Comforter to lead them into all truth, bring
things to their remembrance and show them things to come, they
teach for doctrine the opinions of men. Being filled with worldly
wisdom but not the power of God. "They divine for money and
preach for hire." Again Christ prayed that his disciples might be
one with Him as He was with the Father, and that all should
believe the words of the disciples that they might be one with
Him, as He was one with the Father. Are Christians claiming
belief in those words, one? No, the various denominations are not
only divided against each other, but in some instances are
divided among themselves. During the late civil war, as was
stated yesterday, members of the same church south of the Mason
and Dixon line were praying for the destruction of their brethren
of the same church north of it, while, on the other hand, those
north were making a like petition to the same God against their
brethren south of that line. According, however, to their own
idea of God, He could hardly have heard and answered either
party; for, having no body he could not hear, and having no
passions he would have been indifferent, had he been able to
hear.
200
Notwithstanding this, however, many, very many on both sides were
destroyed and, as we believe, needlessly. Of one thing we may be
certain, and that is the members of the various Christian
denominations are not one. Therefore there is but one of two
conclusions at which the reasoning and thoughtful can arrive.
Either God has ceased to answer the prayer of His Son, or the
various conflicting religious sects are not believers in the
Gospel. And as they put great stress upon faith or belief, I have
endeavored and think I have not failed to show that they are not
even true believers, for they are certainly not united and one
with Christ as He is one with the Father, nor as His ancient
disciples were one with Him.
200
In mentioning these matters, I have tried to do so in a
respectful manner, having regard for the feelings of those who
differ from us in religious affairs. There are many people in the
world who do not believe as we do, but for whom I entertain a
high personal regard; for according to the light they have, they
are moral, honest and just, and are as devoted to what they
believe to be right as we possibly can be. Thousands and hundreds
of thousands of people in the world are just as sincere as we
are; but to be sincere in a matter does not make that matter
true.
201
While at the City of Mexico recently, I saw many exhibitions of
religious devotion and sincerity. On certain feast days people
there do strange things. I have seen women walk upon their knees
three miles over rough stony roads, being rewarded at the end of
their painful journey with a plaited crown of thorns placed upon
their heads, while being carried upon the shoulders of strong
men, amid the cheering multitude, who praised them for having
accomplished what they believed to be a saintly, meritorious
task. Again, I have seen ladies of refinement, wealth and
influence trail their rich satin and velvet robes through the
dirt and filth accumulated upon the floors of the great
cathedral, for hours they would kneel in adoration before an
image, while being jostled by ignorant, degraded, vermin-covered
Indians, worshipping at the same shrine. On other occasions I
have witnessed for weeks together the revelry of Catholic maskers
who frequented the streets, theatres and balls, night and day. At
some of those masked balls it was said scenes were enacted that
were so immoral in their tendency that the general of the Mexican
army issued orders prohibiting officers and men of the army from
attending them. And yet, at the termination of the thirty days'
dissipation, religious sincerity caused those poor, ignorant
people to feel free from sin after confessing to their priests
and receiving absolution for all their abominations and securing
a great black mark in the form of a cross in their foreheads.
Now, while these things, and many others which I have no time to
mention, appeared very repugnant, immoral and debasing in their
practice and tendency, yet I respected those people in their
religious belief, customs and ceremonies as I desire to respect
the people of other creeds so long as they do not infringe upon
the rights and liberties of others. For God intends that all
should be absolutely free in such matters. When Adam and Eve were
placed in the Garden, the doctrine of free agency was fully
established and endorsed by the Creator, for He there gave a
conditional commandment, obedience to which was to perpetuate
life, disobedience was to bring death, but the choice was left
with the man and woman, and from that day to this he has intended
that man should act upon his own agency; that he should be
permitted to receive the truth, choosing the path that leads back
to the presence of God and the knowledge that comes from above;
or, on the other hand, to reject it, following in the path which
leads to ruin and destruction.
201
In this great American government a man should be free to worship
the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost; he should be equally free
to worship a mountain, a stream, the sun, moon, or anything or
not to worship at all; so long as his practice and belief do not
interfere with the inalienable rights guaranteed to man, so long
should he be free.
202
From the time when God gave to man and woman their free agency in
the Garden of Eden, making the law and defining the penalty for
breaking that law, I can find nothing in the revelations that
would bind or fetter the soul or the body of the children of men.
There was, however, one unconditional command; it was given in
the generation of the heavens, when God created man and woman in
His own image; and that command still rests upon the fishes of
the sea, upon the fowls of the air, upon the beasts of the field,
and all beating throbbing nature naturally obeys the edict,
"multiply and replenish the earth." This great unconditional,
unrepealed law is still in force. The Roman Catholic church, as
it has done heretofore, may issue edicts binding certain members
of that church to celibacy, making the union of man and woman
obnoxious, but that great command is nevertheless still binding.
The Roman church and our own Government, in their blind efforts
to defeat the purposes of God, may continue to forbid marriage,
and thus fulfill ancient prophecy, but their efforts should not
surprise us. Is there anything occurring in the midst of the
Nation to-day that we have not anticipated? I have recently
returned from the east, and I rejoice exceedingly in what I saw
manifested there. Does God hold the members of Congress
responsible for their acts as he does the Elders of this Church?
No. They will be judged by the light they have and no more. They
are, many of them, educated, and are men of influence,
possessing, however, but little genuine moral courage.
Notwithstanding the evident disregard for principle manifested by
some of them touching affairs in which we are interested, I
confess that I lost confidence in them with the deepest regret,
and find it most difficult to withdraw the faith formerly reposed
in the law-makers of our great nation. I still desire and hope to
be able to continue praying for them and for the President and
cabinet, that they may honor the positions to which the people
have called them. We will uphold, sustain and pray for them at
least until God rejects and condemns their works. There is salt
in the nation yet. I try to comprehend the feelings of faithful
Abraham when pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah; which, had they
contained five righteous men, might have been spared.
202
Now, I think there are a great many more than five righteous
men--righteous according to the light they have, in the United
States; good men too, who, while they cannot see as we see, and
while they cannot endorse our peculiar ideas in regard to the
plan of human salvation, love liberty, cherish the memory of our
forefathers, and regard the foundations of this great government
so highly that they could not even under the pressure of public
opinion, vote for a measure so radically wrong, a measure so
thoroughly unconstitutional as every lawyer must know the Edmunds
law to be. There were a few honorable members of Congress whose
high regard for the labors and sacrifices of our forefathers
precluded them from advocating that infamous measure which
strikes with deep intent and a spirit born of hatred, at the very
foundation upon which our government and the liberties of the
people rest. Those honorable gentlemen, in opposing the bill,
counted the cost by realizing that their course in the matter
might offend their constituents, who by reason thereof, might
retire them forever from the walks of public political life.
202
Now I must admit that it would have required nerve and genuine
moral courage to enable members of the Republican party to vote
against the passage of that bill when the party lash was being
swung around them as I have never before seen a party lash used.
To overcome the fear arising from the contemplated action of
constituents at home, and the cut and the sting of the party
leaders in Congress, required more courage than we could
reasonably expect from members of the dominant party. Moral
courage is a virtue possessed by few men in this gilded age in
which ambition, rather than principle, too frequently is the
moving cause which prompts to action. When, therefore, party
leaders, sarcastic and unscrupulous, shake their fists under the
noses of their timid followers, daring them to place themselves
upon record as advocates of "Mormonism" by opposing measures
intended for the bondage of "Mormons," it is indeed difficult,
and we ought not to expect weak men, under such circumstances, to
do what is right.
203
I remember before going East, certain petitions to Congress were
being circulated in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, which
were afterwards, I understand, signed by about 65,000 people, and
what was the prayer of those petitioners--did they ask Congress
to endorse polygamy, or in the least manifest sympathy for the
marital relations of the Latter-day Saints? No. The burden of the
prayer of this community was to give us a trial before condemning
us, to hear our cause before convicting and executing us; in
other words, that an investigating committee be sent to the
people of Utah to see them as they are; to come, if need be, into
our homes and pry into every detail of our social relations, and
then judge the tree by its fruits. If the children of the
Latter-day Saints, as has been asserted, are frail in body and
weak in intellect, we asked the statesmen of our land to come and
demonstrate it for our benefit and their information, or send a
competent and reliable commission to investigate the matter for
them. If we are an immoral people--as we have been accused of
being--we want the nation to say so through the mouths of
honorable men. That is what we prayed for. Our petitions were not
heard, I doubt if they were even read, and, yet, have we any
feelings of enmity towards our nation because of it? I have not,
not in the least. There is not a man, woman or child in all this
broad land for whom I have one particle of hatred. Thank God for
that. That is what my religion has taught me. And while I know
that I am by no means perfect in keeping that higher law which
Jesus gave, namely, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you, and persecute you, I am trying to become
so. That is a law of the Gospel which we must all eventually
observe in spirit and practice. I am trying to pray for men who
by night and day use their influence and every means in their
power to crush out a people whom I love, and who are innocent
before God of the vile slanders constantly heaped upon them. When
we, as Saints of the Most High, shall have learned to love our
enemies and pray for those who despitefully use us--shall have
learned it so well, that prayerful humble practice impresses it
upon the tablets of our hearts, from which every desire to
oppress our fellowman has been eradicated, then, and not till
then will the government rule, and dominion be given into the
hands of this people.
203
Zion will be redeemed, God's kingdom bear sway and His people,
under Christ Jesus our Lord, will rule when the law goes forth
from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
204
Much has been said about the domination of the "Mormon"
Priesthood. In Europe, in the States of the Union, and even in
Mexico it has been stated that "Mormons" are controlled like
slaves, being obliged to yield obedience, right or wrong, to the
behest of Church leaders. I bear my testimony that the statement
is utterly untrue. No part of the Union possesses a freer and
more independent people than these mountain valleys. Indeed I
hesitate not to say that their equal in fearlessness of wrongful
church, political or other influences cannot be found elsewhere.
They neither crouch beneath public opinion nor cower before the
pulpit and press. The names of prominent business men of Eastern
cities, with whom for years our merchants have done business,
appeared in the public prints as the vice-presidents of
anti-"Mormon" meetings; thus making them seem to join in the raid
against our people. When asked regarding the matter a number
confessed that their names had been used without either their
knowledge or consent. But they had not the moral courage
necessary to stem the current of public opinion and run the risk
of incurring the displeasure of the press by withdrawing their
names; and, while disclaiming to me personally, any sympathy with
the anti-"Mormon" raids, then so numerous in the East, they dare
not publicly so express themselves. Now, while expressing
sympathy for those who, under any circumstances, could be placed
in such a position, I am bold to assert that nowhere in Utah
among Latter-day Saints could such a thing be found. Such
domination, ecclesiastical, political or social does not exist in
Utah among the "Mormons;" possibly it may exist in the midst of
those comprising their enemies, and known here as the "ring."
Whatever may have been said or whatever may hereafter be asserted
regarding the domination of the "Mormon" Priesthood, I know no
people who regard more highly the individual rights of man or who
are more willing to defend them than the people called "Mormons,"
who here, as elsewhere, have the moral courage to protect and
defend their names while maintaining their individuality. I don't
think they would hesitate to defend the oppressed whether Jew,
Gentile or "Mormon," nor would they sacrifice in their lack of
independence, principle or persons at the shrine of public
opinion or popular prejudice. The "Mormon" Priesthood dominates
the affairs of the "Mormon" people upon the principles of
righteousness and equity. Outside of these it has neither power
nor authority. I wish this were equally true with the religious,
political and social organizations throughout the Union; but it
is not, as I have already shown. When principle is sacrificed to
prejudice there can be neither safety nor stability. Acting upon
such a basis men become great in small things, but small in
greater matters.
204
Did principle or a proper regard for the rights of man prevail in
the Senate and House of our National Congress, pending the
passage of the Edmunds law? It is true a number of honorable
members in each branch recognized and protested against the
passage of that unconstitutional and un-American measure, but how
few, if any, comprehended the opportunity afforded a great
statesmen to stem the current and by the force of patriotism and
the power of right, rise above the waves of popular prejudice
and, striking out of disguises stand proudly upon the solid
foundations of constitutional law while victoriously battling for
human freedom and the natural rights of man. Such an opportunity
had made Webster, Clay or Sumner even greater than the great men
we now esteem them. The thought of such as they were, the
devotion to principle, liberty and right exhibited by Washington,
Jefferson, Adams, and others in their struggles for human
freedom, have made me proud to be an American citizen. But when I
see sacred principles, for the establishment of which our fathers
devoted property, honor and lives, trampled under foot by our
national lawmakers, in order to answer the fanatical demands of
religious bigots against a few thousand loyal citizens in Utah, I
blush and almost wish I had been foreign born.
205
Aside from these drawbacks evidencing the degeneracy into which
statesmen are falling, I have ever been proud of my citizenship.
Of but one thing have I ever been prouder and that is of my
allegiance to God and His laws, and a love for His kingdom and
people. For these I have patiently, and almost uncomplainingly,
endured the scorn and ridicule of many people in various
countries. This I could never have endured, being naturally proud
and perhaps over-sensitive, had it not been for the comforting
influence which accompanies a knowledge of truths revealed in our
day.
205
During twenty-five years of experience in the Church, having been
more or less in the missionary field since I was fifteen years of
age, I have met thousands of people in Europe and America who
thought of "Mormonism" and the "Mormons" only with contempt,
believing the system to be a fraud they thought of its advocates
as wicked deceivers. Under other circumstances I have been thrown
into contact with men and women who, while appearing chaste and
fair without, were foul and corrupt within, but who nevertheless,
would act as though the touch of a "Mormon" Elder was pollution.
Hundreds of times I have been forced to notice the reluctance of
men, themselves not averse to the destruction of chastity, to
publicly appear in the company of Elders, whom I knew, would
suffer their right hands to be burned from their bodies rather
than look upon a woman with lust, much less seek to destroy
virtue, or defile themselves with the unclean.
205
Whatever the world may think or say to the contrary, the Elders
of this Church are the purest men on earth, and there are
abundance of facts with which to substantiate the assertion. They
are not all, perhaps, what they should be, but take them as a
whole--consider their works, their sacrifices, trials and
temptations, and in that virtue that comes of chaste thoughts,
words and actions, they have no rivals in this world; for, as
married men, they are true at home and abroad to their marital
vows; as single men they are equally true to God and their
covenants. With men of the world these things may be of but
little moment, with us they are of vital importance, for upon the
basis of sexual purity shall be perpetuated that which is noble,
good and lovely.
205
The love of wealth, a desire for luxury, or an ambition for fame
may move the world, and stir men to ceaseless activity; but for
us and our children there is more happiness, peace and salvation
in the quietness and purity of our simple homes, than can be
found anywhere else.
206
In some of the Eastern States, especially in the larger cities,
the evidences of increasing prosperity appear numerous. Trade and
commerce, pushed by enterprise and capital, are accumulating
wealth in the hands of the far-seeing and shrewd very rapidly,
and the luxurious habits manifested in the erection and
decoration of magnificent palatial residences, is only equalled
by the rich personal ornaments of their owners. To excel in these
things the highest ambition of the worldly is excited to the
utmost extent, and intelligent men and women too often sacrifice
truth and honor in the mad strife for gain. Wealth, or the love
of it, is fast becoming the God of the Christian world. To what
extent their idolatrous worship produces happiness I am not
aware, but am personally satisfied to cast my lot with the poor,
despised people of Utah; who, having less of the things of this
world, have more of the imperishable things of God. Possessing
the keys of inspiration, we are able to draw upon the only true
source of happiness, and our path, if we are faithful, will grow
brighter and brighter, until the perfect day. Were we able to
convince the rulers of nations of this fact, they would, I have
no doubt, willingly forego all earthly hopes of worldly fame and
the honors of men, and meekly receive that which has been so
freely given to us. If God were to open the eyes of the Queen of
England and the President of the United States, as He has opened
our eyes, I think they would rejoice as we have rejoiced, with a
boundless gladness. But they, like millions of others, having
never been born of water, cannot even see, much less enter the
kingdom of heaven. Could they do so and receive the
manifestations and revelations, the companionship and
instructions of the Holy Ghost, they would willingly exchange the
honors and emoluments of their offices, for the persecution and
slander to which all who live godly in Christ Jesus are subject.
206
They have their mission and work to perform; we have ours. We
would gladly confer upon them and others a knowledge of that
which we have received from God, if we could, but we cannot. The
wealth of this world can neither purchase such knowledge, nor can
the influence of the mighty and great ever become potent enough
to secure it for themselves and convey it to others, except upon
the simple conditions prescribed by the Master and to which we
have yielded a willing obedience.
206
As this people have been obedient to God, so have they been loyal
to the government. I desire to ask those composing this vast
congregation, if you are a disloyal people? You are frequently
accused of being so. Do you not regard the Constitution of our
nation with respect and veneration? Have you not taught your
children that the Declaration of Independence is the highest bill
of rights which man has ever bequeathed to man? Have you not held
up to them for emulation the character of the father of his
country, the great George Washington? When recently gazing upon
his monument in Washington, D. C. which has been so many years in
building, I asked myself the question: Is all this mass of
polished marble being accumulated and put together with such
accurate nicety and at such vast expense because George
Washington was willing to float with the current of public
opinion, right or wrong, or is it because he had those noble
sentiments which beat and throb, in generous hearts for freedom?
He, while possessing many ideas of the English aristocratic
school, was no weather-cock to be turned by the passing breeze.
How few men in the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States, appear to have been close students of history. Had
they been such they would have seen in the characters of
Washington, Jefferson, and the Adams's something far different
from that possessed by the average statesmen of our day. Close
students of history should be able to sense the fact, that in
emergencies when the waves of popular feeling run high, great men
whose hearts beat for liberty and freedom come to the front but
they do not float with the tide, nor are they swerved by
prejudice or biased by public opinion.
207
Public opinion followed Jesus Christ into the garden of
Gethsemane when, alone and unwatched by His Apostles, He prayed
to the Father for strength to endure suffering which caused drops
of blood to ooze from every pore of his agonized body. Public
opinion followed him to the bench of the heathen judge who, being
above the prejudices of the age, washed his hands of innocent
blood and said: "I find no guilt in this man." But the
self-righteous Jew--the hypocritical Scribe and Pharisee--cried
out, "Crucify Him!" "Crucify Him!" "His blood be on us and our
children." Public opinion has caused rivers of human blood to
flow; sacrificing, it is said, sixty millions of lives during the
reign of the inquisition. Who can think of the dark and cruel
work of those days and years of religious superstition and
bigotry without a shudder of horror?
207
In the museum at the City of Mexico I have gazed upon the mummied
forms of men and women who lost their lives under the pressure of
the religious public opinion that fed flames, and instituted
racks, in that land.
207
Public opinion, backed by persecution, drove our fathers across
the deep, and planted the Pilgrims upon Plymouth Rock, ready to
perish if needs be for God and liberty. Had they been of the
class predominating to-day in our National legislature, a free
government on this land would have been unknown to the present
generation. But they were noble, self-sacrificing men who, loving
liberty better than life, could neither cringe to the dictates of
kingly power nor bow to the behest of priestly authority. Hence,
that conscience might be free and God worshipped accordingly,
they braved the dangers of the sea in search of a land of
freedom, a home for the oppressed. And here, upon the choice land
of Joseph, still persecuted and hated, the survivors prospered
and grew and became strong under the blessings of God, until
their noble hearts and generous brains produced thoughts and
actions that led to one of the grandest and most successful
efforts, in the interest of human freedom, the world has ever
known. How strange, how unreasonable it seems that the children
of those noble ones, should ever become oppressors. Thus
attesting the truthfulness of the saying: "The oppressed of
to-day may become the oppressors of to-morrow."
208
Persecution, prompted by religious bigots, and urged forward by
public opinion incited to deeds of violence, and sacrificed in a
cool, premeditated and bloody manner the Prophet Joseph and the
patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Carthage in the free and sovereign
State of Illinois. Unappeased with the blood of martyrs, it
devastated cities, villages and farms, pillaged homes, killed
defenceless women and children, and finally drove us as a people
into these mountains. I remember as a child, the pains and
sorrows of those days of destitution when the aged and the young
together walked weary miles with blistered feet in the hot sands
that formed a part of the wilderness which stretched out between
the so-called civilization and the place of peace and rest, so
much desired by our people. Heat and cold, hunger and thirst,
were each and all forgotten in the intense desire to be free from
the cruel persecution of our enemies. We asked for neither riches
nor fame, but around the camp fires at night the people were
inspired with but one prayer during the weary days of that long
journey--it was for peace and rest--freedom to worship God
without being molested, without being persecuted by cruel,
relentless enemies. For the enjoyment of these blessings we were
willing to forego the comforts of life, associate with savages,
and dig roots with which to keep body and soul together, as many
of us had to do.
208
For a time we enjoyed comparative peace, but bitter prejudice
manufactured and fostered by Christian divines and political
demagogues, has followed us with malice unparalleled. Securing
the support of public opinion it sent, in 1857, an army to Utah
to despoil our people, while sedition ripened in the heart of the
nation. In 1862 it culminated in a congressional enactment
against a religious tenet, notwithstanding the positive and
explicit prohibition of the Constitution which forbids Congress
to pass any law "respecting the establishment of religion or
preventing the free exercise thereof," it urged and succeeded in
passing the Poland law, under the provisions of which "Mormon"
citizens were deprived of trial by an impartial jury of their
peers, and by the decision of biased judges were not only subject
to, but some of them actually were, tried by packed juries. At
the demand of the clergy of the various religious denominations
throughout the Union the Edmunds bill, substantially as it was
drafted by clergymen and carpet-bag officials here, became law;
and without excuse or apology citizens in Utah are deprived of
franchise, a sacred, blood bought right, without which no
American can ever feel proud or properly exercise the liberties
bequeathed by our fathers to their children.
208
Now what does it all mean? What can be the object of this unjust,
inexcusable, unholy raid? Can it be possible that the dominant
party holding the reins of government, desire to make of the
people of Utah a race of slaves--fit subjects for fetters and
chains? I hope not. But if such is the object would it not be
well to transport us to the flats of the Mississippi river, to
the swamps of Louisiana, where association with the black
freedman might accustom us to the chains of slavery that now lie
rusting in the blood of thousands that were brave and
true--willing sacrifices at the shrine of human liberty and the
equal rights of man.
209
There, perhaps, restraining bonds might fret and gall until the
love for liberty and the rights of free men might be forgotten.
Not so in these mountains. They are high and noble and grand.
They are the mighty bulwarks of our God. The snows that drift
upon their lofty peaks, the waters that leap down their steep
sides and rush through their rugged gorges, are full of the
harmony that accords with our love for freedom. The very air we
breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the soil we walk
upon, inspire the soul with thoughts and a love for liberty
undreamed of in lands that produce oppressors. Loyal citizens of
a great government, honest, frugal, just, charitable and obedient
to constitutional law, we desire to continue while fulfilling our
mission of peace on earth and good will to man, but while our
surroundings remain unchanged and Nature's bulwarks stand, with
the blessings of God we never can become slaves. Oppressions,
frauds and wrongs we may for a time endure. We may as in the past
be subjected to annoyances and to the petty tyranny of small
tyrants, but we know in whom we trust, and we are not ignorant of
what the final result will be. Traitors may arise and seek to
trample upon the provisions of the Constitution, but right here
in these mountains--on the backbone of the continent--will grow
the men who will preserve intact that sacred inspired charter of
human rights, under the just provisions of which millions will
rejoice long after usurpers and traitors shall have been buried
in oblivion. And right here in this connection I desire to repeat
what I have said in public once before. In reviewing the
tribulations through which the Saints have passed, and while
contemplating the wrongs which they have endured at the hands of
despoilers, I have felt and said, rather than be robbed as my
father on several occasions was, on account of his religion, I
would endeavor to have facts plainly submitted to the President
of these United States, so that he might fully understand the
situation, and then, before I would permit my possessions--the
hard earnings of years of toil--to go into the hands of those who
covet our property, and who would rob us, as our fathers were
robbed, I would deed it to, and make a present, if he would
accept it, of all the property I have to the President and his
successor in office forever, as a perpetual reminder, that here,
in free America, whole communities of citizens have been
plundered, persecuted and deprived of the peaceful possession of
property without cause and without redress.
210
It is said "there are no persons in Utah who desire the property
of the "Mormons" except upon the fair basis of purchase." I would
be glad if this were true, for I wish to think well of all men,
and especially of fellow-citizens, but I fear recent movements
and present indications will scarcely warrant belief in the
statement, and if future developments of the plot of conspirators
do not demonstrate that polygamy was the chosen pretext with
which to excite and blind the public mind, while unscrupulous
tricksters sought to transfer the revenues of the Territory and
virtually the property of the majority of the people through
increased and excessive taxation, to the control of the
insignificant minority in this Territory, then I am neither a
prophet nor the son of a prophet. The passage of the Edmunds bill
and the means used to make it law, are but a part of the plot
concocted in this city and endorsed by certain parties east
against the rights and liberties of the people of Utah. The
peculiar mathematical calculation by which Governor Murray
succeeded in counting about 1,300 votes for a person almost
unknown here, a greater number than over 18,000 cast for Hon.
George Q. Cannon, the people's choice for Delegate to Congress,
was but another part of the programme, and one which has, thus
far, deprived us of representation in the National Legislature,
and rendered nugatory, to the majority in this Territory, the
sacred right of franchise. The late President Garfield, in a
public State document, declared, in effect, that as a person who
plotted against the life of the king in a monarchical government
committed treason, so one who tampered with the ballot-box and
thereby deprived the citizen of his right of franchise also
committed treason. If this be sound doctrine and authoritatively
enunciated, what crime has the Governor of Utah Territory
committed? If the canvassing of those votes and the issuance of a
certificate of election to a man who received only about
one-fifteenth of the whole number, foreshadow the future action
of our chief executive, what have the people of Utah to expect,
by way of justice, from him? Being neither of, nor from among
us--depending upon others for the tenure of his office and the
amount and payment of his salary, we have, perhaps, no reason to
expect sympathy or disinterested service, but we do have a right
to expect unbiased justice in the administration of official
duties.
210
No American citizen having the love of liberty and the rights of
man at heart, can endorse the course pursued by the Governor in
the Cannon-Campbell case. I cannot and never expect to. From
childhood I have been taught to respect officials because of the
dignity of their offices, and it may be possible to respect the
office after having lost confidence in the man occupying it. As
people, our regard for the Government ought perhaps to enable us
to do this in the future, as in the past. Faithful, loyal
citizens can afford to do it, and much more, if necessary.
210
But says one, "You are thought to be neither faithful nor loyal
to the Government, and it is believed by many that you make
secret covenants against it." In answer I have this to say: The
brain that concocted and the heart that prompted such accusations
were possessed by the wicked and cruel. We have proven our
loyalty under circumstances, most trying circumstances, in which
actions were more weighty than words, deeds than promises.
211
The patient, heroic endurance of the "Mormon" battalion while
making their wondrous march of 2,030 miles, the planting of the
Stars and Stripes on these mountains and in these valleys, then
Mexican soil by their fathers, brothers, sisters and wives are
historical facts, and so are the circumstances under which these
things were done, historical facts establishing love for, and
loyalty to our country that no honest man can ever question. As
to making secret covenants against the Government, I never was
requested to do it, and would have spurned the request and the
person making it if I had been. As applied to this people the
charge is false as those who make it. I think, however, I can
understand why these false and unjust accusations are made. We
have been treated from the beginning like an unloved child, when
asking for bread we have been given a stone, for a fig we have
been given a serpent. Now, who ever knew a father to be just to
an unloved child? Or one unwilling to listen to the accusations
of the favored against him? And here may be applied the saying
"We can forgive those who injure us, but those we injure, never."
And that is just the position we occupy. We have been injured,
repeatedly injured, and those who have injured cannot forgive us.
They hate us because they know they have wronged us. If statesmen
and lawmakers disregard the Constitution by overriding and
trampling on its provisions in their efforts to solve the
"Mormon" problem, I hold the act to be no less treasonable than
if performed by private citizens. I say treasonable because
disregard for the Constitution by the nation's lawmakers, must
ultimately result in their rejection by the people, or in the
dissolution of the Government. Thus the charge of law-breaking
and disloyalty might more consistently come from, than against
us. Of one thing we are certain: that which is a crime to an
individual or a community cannot become a virtue in law-makers,
even though advocated as an expedient. George Washington, in his
farewell address to the American people, foreseeing, perhaps,
what might occur, uttered the following forcible sentiments: "If,
in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of
the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be
corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution
designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though
this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the
customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed." Very
different are these sentiments from those uttered not many years
since by a prominent republican leader in the House of
Representatives, who, when asked if he, as a lawyer, would state
to the House that the measure introduced by him, and then under
consideration by it, was in its provisions in harmony with the
Constitution, answered with a sneer, "Why, any justice of the
peace would tell the gentleman it is not constitutional, but it
is a measure we want and one we shall pass, and by the time its
constitutionality is tested, it will have accomplished the object
we have in view." The same sentiments as those we have referred
to were clearly and unhesitatingly uttered by members of Congress
pending the final passage of the Edmunds bill. They show the
drift of the party, perhaps the spirit of the times, in which the
sentiments of Washington are below par. Other members, while not
entertaining such views, lacked moral courage to oppose them.
Some of them came privately and confessed that the Edmunds bill
was an infamous measure; but, said they, what can we do? Public
sentiment is against your people, and we dare not defend you; if
we do, our constituents will withdraw their support, and we shall
be retired." The force of such reasoning we may not comprehend,
but we do feel that we have no desire to have any man sacrifice
himself or his prospects for us. We are used to oppressions, and
with the help of God we can stand all the special ex post facto
laws and bills of attainder which Congress may pass and the
President approve, and we don't expect much sympathy or
friendship from the outside either; for we have proven years ago
that a man never has fewer friends than when he needs them most,
nor more than when he needs them least. Does a knowledge of this
fact tend to destroy our confidence in man? No, I think not, but
it does tend, by showing how weak and unreliable man is, to
increase our trust in God.
211
In asking for a commission of honorable gentlemen to visit Utah
to investigate affairs before passing judgment upon us, we did
express as I said before, a hope that we might be fairly tried
before being convicted. The signers of these petitions knew, and
their enemies here knew that the charges constantly heaped up
against this people could be proven utterly false if a chance to
do so were afforded. But that is just what certain parties did
not want, fearing that a thorough investigation conducted by
honorable men would defeat their plot against the people of Utah.
I speak of these matters as I understand them. I am not and never
have been radical, but have desired always to view things from an
impartial standpoint.
212
Irrespective of creed or color, I think there is room in Utah for
all who wish to locate in the Territory, and those who are here
and others who may come hereafter, should be protected in the
enjoyment of their rights, and should be free to exercise them so
long as they do not infringe upon the rights of others. In these
matters Gentile, Jew and Mormon should stand upon the same level.
So far as I am concerned I would contend for, and if necessary
defend the liberties of the one as soon as I would those of the
other. Naturally I am inclined to be timid, and am disposed to
shrink from troubles rather than to court them, believing it to
be better to suffer wrong than to do wrong; but there are
circumstances under which even the cowardly throw off their
timidity, and fearlessly assert their rights. I am not able to
say how patient, long suffering and kind this people may prove
under the oppressions which wicked plotters may bring upon them;
but of one thing I am certain and that is, God will permit
nothing to occur to our hurt. Nor will he, if we are faithful,
permit the wicked to do anything that will not ultimately prove
beneficial to those who love and obey Him. With the companionship
of the Holy Spirit the doctrines of the Priesthood will distil
upon our minds as the dews of heaven, and we have nothing to
fear. The time may be near at hand when men's souls will be
tried, but those possessing the inspiration of the Almighty, will
bear the test as the faithful and true in other ages have done.
Unaided by the power of God, we might be placed under
circumstances that would cause us to fear and tremble and
possibly plead for life at the sacrifice of allegiance to Him.
Under the pressure of fear Peter denied his Lord and Master, but
that transpired before he was "endowed with power from on high."
From the day of Pentecost, when he received the Comforter, until
his death no power on earth or beneath could have induced him to
do such a thing. This fact is attested beyond doubt, by what we
know of his life and labors subsequent to that awful night, when
the powers of earth and hell seemed to prevail even over the Son
of God.
212
Deprived of the sustaining powers of the Holy Spirit, the
Latter-day Saints might yield to the fear of artillery, bullets
and bayonets, so often recommended by Christian divines as the
best means with which to solve the "Mormon" problem; but with
that spirit such agencies become impotent. Confidence in God
destroys fear, and a knowledge of the resurrection of the just,
takes away the sting of death. The inspiration and guidance of
the Holy Spirit have prompted the Presidency and Apostles of this
Church to open meeting-houses and Tabernacles for ministers of
various religious denominations to preach in; while our Elders
were being persecuted, hunted and sometimes whipped by members of
these same denominations. The contrast between the treatment
which we have given and that which we have received is very
great. And if we have not under every circumstance "turned the
other cheek to be smitten," we have at least tried to do good for
evil. Without purse or scrip our Elders have faithfully sought to
preach the Gospel in every Christian land; and while we, here in
Utah, have extended courtesy and kindness to ministers of
Christian denominations, many of our Elders have wandered like
outcasts, sleeping under the hedges and in the woods with leaves
as their only covering, like their Master, having no place other
than that provided by nature, to lay their heads. Others when
provided with places of rest have been called out and flayed with
hickory withes. Poison has been administered in the food of some,
and others have been killed.
213
How exactly similar this treatment is to that received by the
Saints of old; and yet Christians appear to be utterly unable to
learn a lesson from the parallel. To them nothing good can come
out of Nazareth, and the kingdom of heaven they cannot see, for
they have not been born again. The world loves its own, but it
loved not the disciples of Jesus because he called them out of
the world. On the same principle the world cannot love us. Let us
realize this fact, and while being just to all men, let us live
the religion of Jesus Christ, and trust in God. If we are pressed
on all sides from without, it will tend to unite and make us all
the more solid. Snow is soft and yielding, melting easily under
the genial rays of the sun, but press it hard from every side and
it congeals into a frozen mass, and in that state is capable of
resisting mighty forces.
213
Pressure from without, as observed before, will tend to unite and
make us better and stronger. Better because the spirit manifested
towards us by the wicked, will cause us to lay aside the little
envies and jealousies that may have existed among us. Stronger,
because the hatred of our enemies will teach us to trust more
fully in God. And in doing this we shall learn to follow the
example of the faithful and true. A special law was passed for
the sole purpose of entrapping the three Hebrew boys. It failed.
When questioned by the wrathful king they could not say whether
God would preserve or suffer them to perish, but they could say
that "they would not fall down and worship the image which the
king had made." No fault could be found with Daniel, so those who
were jealous of his growing influence and power succeeded in
securing the enactment of a special law which they knew he must
violate or be false to his God. But Daniel was true to God, and
with his face turned toward Jerusalem, prayed as before. How many
Daniels or Hebrew boys we have among us I do not know. Lions'
dens and heated caldrons, prisons and dungeon cells, the rack and
the rope, have each and all been used to punish those unwilling
to forsake God, or disobey His laws. They have their terrors, but
the blood-stained pages of history attest that they have been
failures when applied as means with which to change men's
religion, violate conscience, or coerce the human mind. As it has
been in the past, so it will be in the future; the faithful being
inspired with the Holy Ghost, will set their hearts upon the
redemption of Zion, and relying upon the promises, will turn
their faces towards Jerusalem, pray as before, and follow Jesus
Christ in life and death. Let the wicked rage and the adversary
exert his power, the righteous will gain the victory, and when
thrones are cast down the Saints shall prevail.
214
Let us maintain the Constitution of our country, and all laws
enacted in conformity therewith, realizing that the destruction
of the Constitution must lead to the ruin and destruction of the
Union. Let us honor the rulers of the nation and uphold them, by
faith and prayers as long as it is possible to do so. I desire to
regard the President as an honorable man. As the chief executive
of a great nation he should have the confidence and respect of
the people. Should he select honorable, unbiased gentlemen for
the Utah commission, as I have reason to hope he will, they can
do much towards modifying the unjust law under which they must
act, but whether such are appointed or not, we must continue to
pray for our enemies and those that despitefully use us, until by
and by we shall learn the lesson so well that when the little
stone cut out of the mountains without hands shall roll forth,
become a mighty mountain, fill the whole earth, and the Saints of
the Most High have the rule and dominion they will never be
disposed to oppression.
214
I pray for the peace and blessings of God to be with all Israel,
and with the honest everywhere. Thousands are misguided and
deceived by priests who preach for money and divine for hire;
ministers who make merchandize of the souls of men. The mother of
Harlots has "made all nations to drink of the wine of the wrath
of her fornication," just as John the Revelator saw she would do,
but among those nations are many honest, upright ones. For them I
pray. In conclusion let me impress upon your minds the spirit of
inspiration given through Joseph the Prophet, while incarcerated
in Liberty Jail, while suffering the abuse of his enemies, and
while being deprived of his liberty and the association of family
and friends for the Gospel's sake, he says, "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.
214
By kindness and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the
soul without hypocrisy, and without guile.
214
Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy
Ghost, and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love
toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his
enemy; that he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger then
the cords of death.
214
Let thy 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.
214
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.
214
May God enable us to learn these things, and to be true and
faithful to Him, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, August 6th, 1882
John Taylor, August 6th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Logan Conference, Sunday Afternoon, August 6th,
1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE TEMPLE AT LOGAN--THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC--CHURCH
ORGANIZATION--DUTIES OF ITS
OFFICERS--TREATMENT OF TRANSGRESSORS--AN INTERESTING ANECDOTE AND
ITS
MORAL--VARIOUS OFFICES AND CALLINGS OF THE PRIESTHOOD, ETC.--THE
GUIDANCE
OF GOD--HONOR DUE TO HIS PRIESTHOOD--GROWTH AND PROGRESS OF GOD'S
WORK--ITS
OPPOSITION BY THE WORLD--THE REGENERATION OF THE LAMANITES AND
GENERAL
SALVATION OF MAN.
216
There is one thing I wish to speak about which has already been
referred to, that is, in regard to your Temple. I can join with
the brethren in saying that I am very well pleased with the
progress made on that building, and with the energy and
liberality that has been manifested towards it. For one I have
not a word of complaint to make about anything; I think that
things have been done and managed very well. Some of the speakers
have given the Trustee-in-Trust credit for doing something
towards it; but then, that is nothing--it is your means not mine
particularly, only as one of you. And what you have done you have
done outside of these things, and consequently I think there is a
little more credit due to you than to the Trustee-in-Trust. The
people in this Temple district have furnished about three-fourths
of the means, and the Trustee-in-Trust about one-fourth. Now we
do not wish to have any of the employees deprived of what is
justly their due; for the laborer is worthy of his hire--I did
not like to hear some of the remarks this morning to the effect
that we were in debt; we calculate to pay our debts as we go
along, and then we feel that we have acted justly and are free
from all responsibilities and care; for all just demands ought
always to be met. We have kept things along pretty well, and I
think that we will be able "to put it through." I have been
talking with Brother Card, who is the superintendent of the
Temple, and also with the Temple committee; and I will tell you
what I am prepared to do, if you are prepared to follow suit, and
thus stop all remarks about tardiness of pay, for it is proper
that all just obligations ought to be and must be met. Brother
Card thinks that the sum of $20,000 will complete the building. I
do not know whether his figures are too much or too little, but
if that is sufficient, it seems as nothing compared with what we
have already done. We have got accustomed to it; and it is much
easier doing a thing when you are used to it than when you are
not. There is a proposition to the effect that a fifty cent
donation be made; if that be done and the people are willing to
respond to it, all well and good; and whatever amount is
subscribed, I will, as Trustee-in-Trust, add my proportion to it,
according to the pro-rata in the figures mentioned. What do you
say, do you think you can stand it? (President W. B. Preston, I
think we can, we'll try), Brother Preston says he thinks you can
or will be found trying. I do not know what your donation will
amount to, and therefore I will undertake to say now that the
Trustee-in-Trust will be good for $5,000, which it is stated will
be a fourth of the sum required to finish the work. I would like
to know now whether you are willing that I, as Trustee-in-Trust,
should help you to the amount of $5,000? All that are willing
raise up the right hand. (A forest of hands went up.) I believe
that is carried. (Laughter.) Now I want you to put to that the
sum of $10,000. (Here President Taylor's attention was called to
the fact that he had made a mistake, that the proportion of the
people would be $15,000 instead of $10,000.) I am reminded that I
have made a mistake, that it should be $15,000. Will the clerk
please give us the correct figures so that we may do things
understandingly. (The clerk ascertained that the Trustee-in-Trust
had paid more than one-fourth but not quite one-third.) We will
not be too precise about these matter, perhaps it would be as
well to err on that side as on the other, for in any event, we
are all of us desirous to see the work progress and have all our
liabilities met. Well, we'll let it go at 10,000. I propose to
give you my portion on demand that these men may get their pay,
and then allow you a little time to get in your harvest which
will give you an opportunity to accomplish your end of the
matter. What do you say? The question was put to vote and carried
unanimously.
216
There were some remarks made about liquor drinking this morning,
and some people seem to think that there is a great difficulty
about managing these things, but I don't think there is if we can
only manage ourselves. I feel like giving you credit for what you
have done in this respect, and hope that you will be able to keep
it up.
216
I want to state here, that God has organized His Church in such a
way that all of these matters can be arranged within the Church,
law or no law, if we will only do our duty, and each of us
magnify our calling and our Priesthood in the various positions
that we occupy in the Church and kingdom of God. And it is a much
better principle than the civil law, as the civil law is
frequently perverted by mal-administration and made to operate in
such a way as to trample on the rights of man.
217
The organization of the Church is after the plan that exists in
heaven, and according to the principles that God has revealed in
the interest of His Church upon the earth and for the advancement
and rolling forth of his kingdom. We start in with the Teacher
and with the Priest, whose duty it is to know the position of all
the members in their several districts; if they do their duty
they will know really and truly the position of all those who
come under their charge. Their duty is very simple. What is it?
They are to see that there is no hard feeling existing in the
breasts of the Saints one towards another; that there are no
dishonest or fraudulent acts, no lasciviousness or corruption, no
lying, false accusations, profanity or drunkenness; and that the
people call upon God in prayer in their various households--the
father and mother and children, and that all perform their
various duties and do right. I look upon it that the Teachers and
the Priests occupy a very important position in the Church and
kingdom of God; and that if they perform their duty aright, there
will be no hard speaking; there will be no hard feelings, no
bitterness or wrath; there will be no fraud no lasciviousness of
any kind, no drunkenness, nor will there be any bitter or
improper feelings of any kind; for it is their right and
privilege to look after these things, and not only their right
and privilege but their duty; and if they do not fulfill this,
they are not magnifying their calling and Priesthood. But if they
are and people are disposed to listen to them, then everything
will be right in regard to this matter. And if there are those
who are not disposed to listen to them and to do right, then it
becomes the duty of the Teachers, after pleading with them and
doing the best they can, to report them to their Bishop; and then
it devolves upon him to do his part, not in anger or animosity or
in the spirit of vindictiveness, but as a savior; and the Teacher
and the Priest ought to act in the same way. And while God has
organized His Church upon the earth after the plan that exists in
the heavens, it is for the various officers in the Church to
fulfill the duties devolving upon them, acting in all kindness,
long-suffering and mercy before the Lord, yet with justice and
judgment, that the law of God may be honored, that the principles
of righteousness may be exalted, that the workers of iniquity may
be ashamed, that the meek may increase their joy in the Lord, and
the poor among men may rejoice in the Holy One of Israel; that
righteousness and truth may prevail among the people of God; and
we may act not in name only, but in reality as the Saints of God,
without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.
217
If any persons then should feel that they are aggrieved by the
acts of the Teacher or the Bishop; if they should think that they
have been unnecessarily harshly dealt with, they have the right
of appeal to the High Council--High Priests selected from among
the people and set apart because of their fidelity, their
integrity, their honor and their justice--at least these are the
kind of qualifications necessary to fill this calling. And if
upon an appeal to the High Council on any of these matters (of
course including drunkenness), they find there has been
unnecessary harshness, it would be for them to remedy the evil,
to see that justice is done and that no man is oppressed; on the
contrary that all have their rights, freedom, liberty and equal
justice in righteousness without fear or favor.
217
When things are attended to in this way they move along all
right. If professed Saints will not obey the law of God, but
violate the commands of the Almighty, they are not fit to be the
servants and handmaids of the Lord. We are told that they must be
dealt with according to rules laid down in the law of God, by the
proper persons that He has placed in His Church for that purpose.
219
I heard a man not long ago say that in the place he lived he had
seen a great many people drunk; it was one of those places
abounding with saloons in which they could get beastly drunk; and
that some of those who thus indulged were Elders, High Priests,
etc. The man himself was a High Priest. If I had seen such men I
should have gone to them and told them what course to pursue to
stop those infamies. Every Elder in Israel ought to be on the
watch-tower as watchmen upon the walls of Zion. Where iniquity
prevails or evil of any kind, it is for them to do what they can
to stem the current of evil and to lift up and exalt the people
that they may comprehend correct principles, live their religion
and be prepared to receive the blessings of Jehovah. When I was
quite a boy--I was not a Mormon then, but I had principles of
humanity nevertheless--there was an old gentleman whom I
respected, he was a good man, a praying man--he had a wife who
did not want to pray, and who interfered with his devotions; she
was uneasy and turbulent, and a kind of thorn in his flesh. Under
these trials he got along very well, but it used to drive him to
the Lord. After a while she died and he married again; this time
to a very amiable lady; his wife was so pleasant and agreeable
that the change in his circumstances was very great. Being thus
comfortably situated he became remiss in some of his religious
duties, and commenced by giving way to the temptation of liquor.
Seeing the course he was taking I went to him. I felt a little
bashful on account of my youth at the time, but because of long
friendship and out of respect for his many good qualities, I felt
it a duty to bring these delinquencies to his notice; I told him
that I had seen him drunk a few days previously, and that it had
hurt me very much to see him in such a state, as his course had
always been exemplary and he was a man whom I respected very
highly. He appreciated my good feelings, saying that he felt
disgraced and promised to mend his ways. Now that was not
"Mormonism," but it was a correct feeling. Cannot we, as
Latter-day Saints, do as much good as those who are not
Latter-day Saints? Cannot we go after our brethren and sisters
when they do wrong, with love and affection, and lead them in the
paths of life? But then, if they will not do it after much
persuasion, it becomes our duty to deal with them as the law of
God directs; but in doing this we ought to be full of love and
kindness one toward another, and not be harsh, acrimonious or
desirous to place them in a wrong; such feelings do not become
Latter-day Saints. We ought to cherish feelings of kindness and
love and longsuffering; but we do not want our charity to cover
too many sins. Everybody is at liberty to do this, whoever he may
be, it being our privilege to do good, to try to redeem and exalt
our fellow-men, and to act as saviors upon Mount Zion. But when
people will not do right, are we to foster the wrong? No, God
forbid. We talk sometimes about the celestial glory, the
terrestrial glory and the telestial glory, do you think that a
man will get the celestial glory if he does not abide the law of
the celestial kingdom? You Latter-day Saints know better. Well,
then, if men are disposed to do wrong, to violate the
commandments of God and yield to evils of various kinds, is a
Bishop authorized, or is the High Council authorized to cover up
those sins and allow them to go on? I tell you No, they are not.
And if the Priest and the Teacher do not do their duty, it is for
the Bishop to look after them to see that they do their duty. And
if the Bishop does not do his duty in this respect, it becomes
the duty of the President of the Stake to do it, to see that
righteousness prevails, that the principles of truth are
sustained, that the Gospel of the Son of God is honored, and that
the principles of equity, justice and righteousness and the fear
of God are maintained in their purity in the Stake over which he
presides. And if the President of the Stake does not attend to
this duty, then it devolves upon the First Presidency to see that
no iniquity exists in the Church. And when these things are done
we are then in a position to approach God our Heavenly Father to
ask and receive, to seek and find and to knock and have the door
opened unto us.
220
And besides these offices, which are the leading, prominent media
or channels through which these things are reached, there are
other methods by which they can be adjusted. The Twelve, where
they go, are expected to regulate matters of this kind. We have a
Quorum of High Priests in each Stake, and it is for them to
exercise themselves and their influence individually and as a
Quorum in the interests of righteousness and virtue and the
maintenance of the principles connected with the kingdom of God.
They have no particular position or calling; they are ordained to
the High Priesthood, and it is for their President to meet with
them and have them humble themselves before God, and seek for the
guidance of His Holy Spirit and the light of revelation; "for
this ordinance" we are told in the Doctrine and Covenants, "is
instituted for the purpose of qualifying those who shall be
appointed standing Presidents or servants over different Stakes
scattered abroad, and they may travel also if they choose, but
rather be ordained for standing Presidents; this is their office
and calling saith the Lord your God;" that they may comprehend
the principles of law, of government, of justice and equity, and
watch over, not only themselves, but their families and friends,
associations and neighborhoods, and act as fathers in Israel,
looking after the welfare of the people and exerting a salutary
influence over the Saints of the Most High God.
220
Again, we have our organization of Seventies, and they ought to
see that there is no iniquity among their quorums--no
drunkenness, no whoredom, no fraud, nothing that is wrong or
improper, unholy or impure; but that they are men of God chosen
and set apart as messengers to the nations of the earth, and
wherever they reside it is their duty, and it is the duty of all
men in Israel, to see that there is no iniquity, to use their
influence on the side of right, and to put down wrong.
220
Then again, the same thing will apply to Elders. The Elder is
ordained in many instances to act as a standing minister among
the people, to preach to them, to instruct them as we are doing
and as your missionaries are doing and as others are doing,
preaching among the people at home, and frequently going abroad
as circumstances may require.
220
Now, while we are here, we do not want to hear a man laugh and
say, "Brother so-and-so is as drunk as a fool." Why do you not go
to him and speak of this evil to himself? Why do you not go and
try to put him on the right road, and tell him to walk in it? Why
not ask him to go with you before the Lord to confess his sins,
to seek for assistance to overcome his weakness? In doing this
you help him, and you help one another to do right, not in the
spirit of laughter or lightness; that is not becoming the Saints
of the Most High, but it should be in the spirit of kindly regard
and affection.
220
We have also our Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, and
I am pleased to find so good an influence prevailing among them,
yet there are many things that are wrong even among them. They
need watching over; they require to look after one another and
use a kind supervisory care over their morals, and if any among
them should go astray, to admonish them and lead them in another
path. Then we have our Young Ladies' Associations; they are
trying what they can do in leading the female youth in the right
way. And when they see the daughters of Israel liable to be led
astray, let them labor with them, treat them kindly, preserve
them from evil, and guide them in the paths of life. We none of
us are preserved only as we are preserved of God.
220
Brother Joseph F. Smith spoke rightly this morning when he said,
that no man could guide this kingdom; he cannot unless God be
with him and on the side of the Elders of Israel. But with Him on
their side, all things will move on aright, and the intelligence
and the revelations of God will be poured out. His law will be
made known and the principles of truth be developed; or it is not
the kingdom of God. And we all of us ought to humble ourselves
before God, and seek for the guidance of the Almighty.
220
There are forces at work in the world that will in time overturn
the world, which are to-day sapping the foundation of all
governments and eating as a canker the foundation of all rule and
dominion; and by and by their thrones will be cast down and
nations and empires will be overturned, for God will arise to
purge the world from its iniquities, its evils and corruptions.
And we have more or less of the principle of insubordination
among us. But there is a principle associated with the kingdom of
God that recognizes God in all things; and that recognizes the
Priesthood in all things; and those who do not do it had better
repent or they will come to a stand very quickly; I tell you that
in the name of the Lord. Do not think that you are wise and that
you can manage and manipulate the Priesthood, for you cannot do
it. God must manage, regulate, dictate and stand at the head and
every man in his place. The ark of God does not need steadying,
especially by incompetent men without revelation and without a
knowledge of the kingdom of God and its laws. It is a great work
that we are engaged in; and it is for us to prepare ourselves for
the labor before us, and to acknowledge God, His authority, His
law and His Priesthood in all things.
221
I have men come to me sometimes with some great complaints to
make about their Bishop. I hear them, but I either send them back
to their Bishop or to their President as circumstances dictate.
Then I have Bishops come to me finding fault with their
Presidents. I send them back to their Presidents, and write to
those whose business it is to attend to it. I acknowledge every
man in his place and office, whether President, Bishop, Priest,
Teacher or Deacon; and then they should acknowledge everybody
over them, or God will destroy them. I tell you that in the name
of the Lord. I know what I am saying. I tell you it is the word
and the will of the Lord. Do not be wise above what is written.
Do not be too anxious to be too smart, to manage and manipulate
and to put things right; but pray for those that God has placed
in the different offices of this Church that they may be enabled
to perform their several duties. The Lord will sustain His
servants and give them His Holy Spirit and the light of
revelation, if they seek Him in the way that he has appointed,
and He will lead them and lead you in the right path. This is the
order of the kingdom of God, as I understand it, and not the
other. And it is for us to learn that order and be obedient to
it. And thus by obedience to the law of the Priesthood,
drunkenness and all other immoralities can be rooted out and
overcome.
221
The work of God is growing and increasing, and it will continue
to do so until the words of the prophet will be fulfilled who
said, "A little one shall become a thousand; and a small one a
strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time" but He
expects every man in his place to magnify his calling and to
honor his God. And while there are evils of the kind I speak of,
there is a great amount of good, of virtue, of self-abnegation,
and a great desire to do the will of God, and carry out His
purposes. And it is for every man and every woman to do his and
her part.
221
The Relief Societies are doing a great work generally throughout
the land; and the Young Men's and the Young Women's Associations
are doing a great work; but I am sorry to say I sometimes hear of
occasional acts of fornication among our young people. Our young
men go to labor on railroads and mix up with the foul mouthed and
corrupt, and I am sorry to say, that once in a while they copy
after their ways. Fathers and mothers, look after your sons. You
members of the different societies, look after your members and
try to save the erring and lead them in the paths of life.
221
There is a great zeal and a great interest manifested in Sunday
schools, which is also very praiseworthy. It is a good work for
us to be engaged in. Continue in it. And let all perform their
parts, whether in Sunday school, in Relief Societies, in Mutual
Improvement Associations or otherwise; and let all seek to act
with a single eye towards the glory of God.
222
We are living in an important age. Time is marching on, and
events of great magnitude and importance are transpiring. The
nation in which we lie has been moved against us. That is all
right so far as God permits it; but if we fear him and keep his
commandments as a people, no power arrayed against us can harm
us. God will come forth to the deliverance of his people, and he
will save his elect if they will only do right and obey his laws.
We can do nothing unless assisted by the Almighty, neither can
this nation, only as he permits. If we do right he has told us
"the wrath of man shall praise me, and the remainder I will
restrain." God lives, and his eyes are over us, and his angels
are round and about us, and they are more interested in us than
we are in ourselves, ten thousand times, but we do not know it.
We become self-willed and captious, and lack in a great many
instances that liberality, kindness and charity that ought to
dwell in the bosoms of the Saints of God. The Lord is a great
deal more interested in his work than we are. We think a great
deal about our farms and our houses, our wives and our children,
which is all very proper. He is thinking about the redemption of
the earth, the regeneration of the world, the salvation of the
living and the dead, and the accomplishment of the purposes
spoken of by all the holy Prophets since the world began. And it
is for us to be co-workers with him. He is pleased with your
efforts in building this Temple; and the angels rejoice as they
see you go forth to prepare a place in which you may labor for
the living and the dead. People will be called upon to labor, as
a mission in those Temples when built. And you will rejoice too,
for while you are engaged in the work of God, it always brings
peace and joy. A Temple built to the name of the Lord is a most
delightful place to labor in: we feel that we are saviors upon
Mount Zion, and that the kingdom is the Lord's, and that we are
operating for God and not for ourselves, but in the interest of
our common humanity and in the salvation of the world.
222
Let us attend to our duties and do not get up any quarrels in our
families. Husbands treat your wives with kindness and try to make
your home a heaven for them; and train your children in the fear
of God. Then you sisters, treat your husbands aright; be full of
kindness, for we are, as the old woman says, all "poor,
miserable, independent sinners." We have need of more
longsuffering, we need the assistance of one another, and the
help of the Almighty. Let us try to do right.
222
There are a great many things open to my mind which I would like
to talk about; there are one or two, however, to which I will
refer. We have a great work to perform? Who? We Seventies, we
Elders we Priests. What have we to do? We are required to build
Temples and administer in them. What else? We have to take the
Gospel to the world, as we have been doing and are doing, and to
progress with it; to advance correct principles among men, and to
lead them in the paths of life and salvation; to gather them to
Zion and to teach them when we get them here; to go on and
control matters; to learn to manage ourselves and our own
affairs, and not trouble ourselves too much with outside matters.
223
We talk sometimes about the nation being inimical to us. Whoever
dreamed of anything else? I never did. What did the Elders preach
to you, say 10, 30 or 40 years ago? It was that the people of the
world would grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Do you expect it is going to get better? I do not. What did Jesus
say in his day? He said: "If ye were of the world, the world
would love its own," that is the kind of love that exists in the
world. It does not amount to much--it is love to-day and hate
to-morrow, as the case may be. But continued the Savior: "Because
ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world,
therefore the world hateth you." What did he say again? "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." Then there
is nothing strange about it, is there? Some people think that
because the priests of Baal lie so outrageously about us, that we
ought to be angry. Why that is their profession; for they are of
their father the Devil, his works they will do, and he was a liar
from the beginning. By and by when we and they get through, we
shall find that all liars will have their portion with hypocrites
and unbelievers; and they together with whoremongers and
sorcerers, will be found outside the holy city. But we have to
take the brunt of it. No matter, we can stand it. As I said to
some prominent gentlemen--Members of Congress--who were here
recently, You are cutting up rather peculiar antics down in
Washington. It does not matter much, however, as our potatoes
grow all the same. That is how I feel about it. Let them attend
to their father's business, and we will attend to our Father's
business, and trust in him and pursue that course that will be
right in his sight. We do not want to get up any excitement about
anything. Let us lean upon the Lord, seek to Him and ask for what
we want, do right and we shall receive. And while they are
treating us badly we will treat them as well as the circumstances
will admit of, and follow out the instructions of Jesus, who told
us to do good for evil; and so far as we are concerned we will
save them if possible, in spite of themselves.
223
The Lord is operating upon the Lamanites, and many of them are
being baptized into the Church. Some people think all that we
have to do is to baptize them, that they are a poor miserable set
of outcasts. This is not the case. Some of us were poor miserable
outcasts before we came into the Church, and we needed the
ministrations of the Elders, the teachings of the Holy
Priesthood, and the blessings arising from the organization of
the Church. Do not you think that they need the same kind of
treatment? How would you like a mission, some of you High Priests
and Seventies, to proclaim the Gospel to that fallen race, that
Israel may have an equal chance with us, for God expects it at
our hands. We received that record (Book of Mormon) through their
ancient prophets and those same prophets are now beginning to
communicate with them and to unfold unto them the work that he
has commenced with us, and we shall have more of these things by
and by. It is proper that our feelings should be drawn out after
those whom the Lord is operating upon, that we may act in
conjunction with the Lord in leading them in the paths of life.
224
This is a duty that devolves upon you Elders of Israel, for as he
has commenced to labor with them we ought to be one with him. I
have taken the liberty recently to request the Twelve to attend
to this; and they will call upon the Seventies, the High Priests
and others, that is, they will if they do their duty. What do you
think of it? I think that the field is enlarging and that our
labors are increasing and becoming more extensive. We ought to
feel like little children; we ought to feel like humbling
ourselves before God, seeking to be one and to enjoy the light of
His Holy Spirit, saying O Lord God, I am a poor feeble creature,
thou hast called me to Thy work and hast clothed me with the Holy
Priesthood; and now I want to magnify it; I want to be a savior
on Mount Zion; I want to preside anywhere, or preach anywhere, or
do any labor that Thou shalt call upon me to do, that I may feel
that I am Thy servant and that Thou art my God, and that I am for
Israel, and for the salvation of the white man, the red man and
all mankind. That is the position we are in. These are some of
the things of which you will hear more by and by. I thought I
would only tell you a part as perhaps you could not bear it all.
224
God bless you, and God bless all Israel, and God bless all who
are in favor of righteousness, truth and equal rights; and may
the Lord God confound the enemies of Israel, and all who are
opposed to just rule and righteous government, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 /
Erastus Snow, February 26th, 1882
Erastus Snow, February 26th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall,
Sunday Afternoon, February 26th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE MARRIAGE QUESTION--LAWFUL CONCUBINAGE AND ITS UNLAWFUL
COUNTERFEIT--VARIOUS VIEWS CONCERNING THE UNION OF THE
SEXES--PLURAL
MARRIAGE AMONG THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS--THE EXAMPLE AND CHARACTER
OF
ABRAHAM--EXHORTATION TO JUSTICE AND EQUITY--CHRISTIAN CRIMES IN
NEW
ENGLAND--OPPRESSION WITH ITS REAL AND PRETENDED OBJECT--FRUITS OF
"MORMONISM" PRISONS AND PENALTIES POWERLESS TO STOP THE LORD'S
WORK--THE GODGIVEN BOON OF LIBERTY TO MAN--THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF
HIS CAUSE.
224
Since coming to the stand I have been requested to address the
congregation.
224
I will read the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th verses of the 25th chapter
of Genesis.
224
"And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
224
But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham
gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet
lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
224
Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an
old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
225
How far I shall confine myself to the matter contained in this
passage I cannot say. The present eventful period of our lives,
the prejudices which now move the people of our nation concerning
us, and the pressure that is being brought upon us chiefly
through the religious element of the country to influence
Congress to extraordinary legislation against us, are perhaps,
the reasons why my mind reverts to the historical facts contained
in the Scripture I have just read, which was given unto us by men
of old who, until quite a recent date, have been generally
revered by all Christians; and even now a large majority of the
Christian sects of America respect and reverence the ancient
fathers, their teachings and writings while the sacred Book is
closed, but ignore in their daily lives what those worthies
believed and practised.
225
The word translated concubine in this Scripture must not be
confounded with the modern practice which obtains so largely in
the great cities of Christendom, and with the more wealthy
portions of old communities. I refer to the practice sometimes
called concubinage, the practice of marrying under the law one
wife, and at the same time keeping privately one or more
mistresses who are not obtruded upon society, having no claim to
the honored name of wife--a practice which permits those who
indulge in it to gratify the carnal passions at the expense of
public virtue, and at the risk of entailing disease upon unborn
posterity, as well as at the expense of the present and eternal
welfare of their partners, I will say in sin; for no
right-minded, correct-thinking person can pronounce it otherwise
than it has been pronounced by the sacred writers both of the old
and New Testament--a species of lewdness and, if not classed with
open harlotry, a violation of sacred marital vows. Those who have
solaced their consciences or justified themselves in this
departure from law and public sentiment, no doubt feel partial
justification from the practices of the ancients who were looked
up to and revered; but such was not the concubinage of Abraham,
nor any of the ancient patriarchs, such was not the system that
obtained under the law of Moses in ancient Israel.
225
The word translated concubinage in King James version of the
Bible, is translated by Luther and is found in Scandinavia and
Germany, where the Lutheran translation still prevails, as
meaning an associated wife. In the Danish Bible it is hustro for
wife and medhustro for concubine; the sacred name of wife is
given to both classes, the preposition med connecting them
together and conveying the idea of the second class being an
associated wife, or a wife in a secondary or subordinate
position, in contradistinction to the first. Close students of
the Bible have not failed to recognize this as being the
character of the plural wives of Moses and the prophets. And it
was practised as an institution of the Jewish nation down to the
coming of our Savior, and, so far as any scriptures appear in the
New Testament, this institution was neither abrogated nor in
anywise condemned, while harlotry and promiscuous intercourse of
the sexes--adultery and fornication are condemned in the severest
language.
226
We have a great variety of views in Christendom, as to the will
and mind of God pertaining to the union of the sexes as relating
to each other, to the state and to our present and future
happiness. The Latter-day Saints regard the intercourse of the
sexes, both in time and in eternity, as regulated by sacred law
given by our Father in heaven who has organized us male and
female for a wise purpose in Himself, and that purpose is made
manifest in the first great command given to our first parents,
namely, to multiply and replenish the earth. And the saying to
the woman after her transgression as written in the book of
Genesis, that her desires should be towards her husband and he
should rule over her--the desires planted in the breast of the
woman tending to draw to the opposite sex culminating in a union,
is a wise dispensation of Providence for the accomplishing of the
great end in view to encourage and stimulate them to multiply and
replenish the earth, and take upon themselves the cares, labors,
anxieties and responsibilities attending the rearing of families.
And among the many different views entertained in Christendom
concerning the commerce of the sexes we might say, there exists
every variety of belief and practice growing out of these
beliefs. We have in Christian America a religious sect--not very
numerous to be sure--who held the union of the sexes to be sinful
in any form whatever. This sect I hardly need say is the Shaking
Quakers; and to become a member of their society,--a person
already married would be required to dissolve his marriage
relationship; a husband and wife joining that society would be
required to do the same, and to abstain from each other for ever
afterwards, all connection with the sexes being strictly
forbidden as an evil that may be tolerated in the carnal world,
but not among those who desire to appear pure and holy before the
Lord. This first commandment referred to, as having been given to
father Adam and mother Eve, was in the days of their purity,
before their transgressions, when they were worthy to converse
with God face to face; this being the case, if there was no other
reason, what philosophy can condemn that command or a proper and
just effort to keep it? There is no reason, to my mind, to
condemn it, when regulated by law, as an act of impurity; to do
so would be a direct reflection upon the wisdom and purity of God
Himself.
228
Of course, this is the general view taken of it by Christian
nations, as shown in their acts and in their laws regulating it.
Although the Roman Catholic Church prohibits intercourse with the
sexes to sacred orders, they being, according to the rites of the
church forbidden to marry. And however much some may doubt the
iniquity of their holy vows, it is a matter too well known to
call in question. The more general sentiment of Christians
recognizes the purity and uprightness of marriage of a man to one
woman; and they quote the following words of the Apostle Paul to
testify to it, "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed
undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." But
the majority of modern Christians consider that for a man to
marry more than one wife while she lives and is his wife is sin.
Now I will undertake to say respecting the two conditions of
marriage, single and plural, that where the duties and
obligations are the same, and the husband is equally honorable,
just and virtuous, faithful and true to his wives and children,
that there is not necessarily any greater impurity existing
between such a man and his plural family, than between a man and
his single family; that there is not necessarily a defilement of
the marriage bed, that there is not necessarily defilement of the
body or spirit. When the institution of marriage is founded in
religious sentiment and is confirmed by the enduring love of
husband, wives and children, and the responsibilities attending
that relationship, as we find it in many of the ancient worthies,
there is not necessarily any defilement in plural marriage. There
was not necessarily defilement in father Abraham and other
ancient patriarchs and prophets who took to themselves a second
or a third or a fourth wife, any more than there was in those who
confined themselves to one wife. Nor have I ever heard from any
creature--and I have read and heard much and reflected much,
because our institution of marriage has invited discussion and
reflection upon this subject. I have never yet heard an argument
that, to my mind, appeared sound against the marriage of an
honorable man to two women any more than to one. And the only
argument that has ever been presented that has had a semblance of
soundness is the generally admitted fact of the near equality of
the sexes which would seem to foreshadow the general purpose and
design of providence that one man should have only one wife. I
have never heard an argument relating to the physical effects of
the institution, nor as relating to the state of society that
could not be applied just as appropriately to monogamy. The
opposers of plural marriage make many declarations against us
which are untrue, which they do not understand because they
accept the reports of certain persons who give way to a lying
spirit, and misrepresent and belie people far better than
themselves. The selfishness and weakness of human nature, the
evils which manifest themselves from time to time between
families and between husband and wife, and between wives and
children are quoted as evils greatly to be deplored as growing
out of this system. I will only say in regard to this, that those
best acquainted with the inner workings of the system among the
Latter-day Saints throughout all of their settlements, if they
testify honestly and truthfully as to the result of their careful
observations extending over a period of over thirty years--the
time that this system of plural marriage has been practised by us
in these mountains, they would, in effect, say, that there is
less discontent, less strife and fewer family broils and less
divorce, and less casting off wives and casting upon the
community of children without care, than would be found in the
same number of monogamic families. And I may here say, that
statistics will bear me out in making this assertion. To those
who are not posted in the matter this may appear incredible; and
the majority of the christian world would think it impossible
judging from their standpoint; and what they see and hear among
themselves, and judging by the spirit by which they are animated,
they would, I admit, pronounce this a thing impossible. But it is
simply because they are not imbued with the faith of the
Latter-day Saints, and this being the case they cannot understand
the motives that prompt us to enter into this relationship. They
cannot comprehend the spirit that governs us, the devout
God-fearing spirit of self-sacrifice which leads us onward to all
that is noble, forbearing and long-suffering, that teaches us to
love one another and to be charitable to all men, and which
teaches us that the relationships which we make through the
marriage covenant are but the foundation of eternal glory and
exaltation in the worlds to come; and it also teaches us that the
glories of the future that open up before us are greatly
dependent upon the faithfulness of our relationships and
associations in this life; and that a man must be found capable
to properly govern and guide his family and preserve in time the
wives and children that are given to him, leading them in the way
of life and salvation, and rearing his children in all that is
pure and praiseworthy, so that he can receive them in the morning
of the first resurrection, there to have the Father confirm upon
him his wives and children, the foundation of his individual
kingdom which will exist for ever and ever. The outside world
cannot comprehend this, and simply because they cannot believe
it. It is this same religious sentiment that prompts women and
the best of women, the most devout women, women of the purest
motive and character to enter into this sacred relationship, and
to cause them to determine in their own minds that they would
sooner be associated with a man who has proven himself a man of
integrity, a man of strict virtue and honor, who can be relied
upon by God and man--they would rather trust themselves with such
a man than to be the only wife of a man devoid of these
qualifications, a man who, perhaps, for the want of such high
motives would be the victim of many vices, of whoredom, of
concubinage or illicit intercourse with the sexes, and defile
himself and destroy the confidence of his family in him, or he
would perhaps indulge in drunkenness and other kindred vices
which would be the means of producing the same result. And such
has been the experience of many women in monogamy. And I do not
say that the weaknesses of mankind do not manifest themselves in
plural families; I do not say that there are not some who may be
urged on by fleshy lust, but if there are it results in their
making shipwreck of their faith and becoming, in time, a lasting
disgrace to themselves. But where there is one example of this
kind, under our polygamic system, there are at least two under
the monogamic order that might be cited, who make shipwreck of
their faith, who sacrifice their honor, and whose family send
forth a wail of grief for the loss of confidence in husband and
father. Adultery, fornication, whoredom, God will judge; every
form of licentiousness He has condemned in His word from the
beginning of the world to the present. And if follies are
manifested by some who profess to be Latter-day Saints in this
direction, so we may cite similar weakness manifested by ancient
men of God; not, however, to justify such cases but merely as
examples of human weaknesses.
229
Referring again to Abraham, and his wife Sarai. They are held up
in sacred Scripture as models of noble character, purity of
purpose, piety, devotion and superior integrity to God, who
hesitated not to obey Him at all hazards even to the sacrifice of
that which was nearest and dearest unto them. This Sarai, one of
the noblest of women, received the promise of her son Isaac while
in old age, a promise made to her by the angel of God, and this
because of her barrenness and because too of the integrity of her
heart towards her husband and her willingness to sacrifice her
womanly feeling in giving to her husband other wives. And after
she had given to Abraham Hagar, that she might bear him children,
mark the Scripture: It was for the purpose that he might not be
childless because she was childless. It was after she had thus
sacrificed her womanly feeling, thereby manifesting her love and
integrity to her husband, that the Lord had compassion upon her
and granted the desire of her heart, promising her that she
should in course of time bring forth a son, and telling her that
his name should be Isaac, in whom and in whose seed all the
nations of the earth were to be blessed. And it was after this
lad was partly grown, that God commanded Abraham to take this
promised child on to the Mount Moriah, and there build an altar
and offer him up as a sacrifice. Abraham in this was tried as few
men ever were tried; for his love was great for his son whom he
would naturally regard as a special gift of the Lord to him,
through whom no less a personage than the Messiah himself should
come. Yet Abraham doubted not, he paused not to consider what the
possible result might be of keeping this command; but he trusted
in God as Paul said of him, "that God was able to raise him up,
even from the dead from whence also he received him in a figure."
He trusted in God and doubted not; and proceeded to Mount Moriah
and there built an altar, and when everything was in readiness he
bound the lad, and while in the act of raising the deadly knife,
he heard a voice saying, "Abraham, Abraham, lay not thine hand
upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I know
that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son from me." And then the Lord went on to say,
that because of this willingness on the part of Abraham to obey
Him even to the sacrificing of his only son, "That in blessing I
will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as
the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the sea
shore," etc. Now, I will give back unto you your son, and in
blessing I will bless him and multiply him, and in him and his
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. It was
because of this precious promise, no doubt, that he desired to
give his sons opportunities to develop and to make manifest among
the surrounding tribes the character that was in him, that he
divided out his goods and gave gifts to the sons of the other
wives and sent them away, but gave his chief inheritance to his
son Isaac.
230
While contemplating this I can hardly refrain from dropping a
word of exhortation to my brethren who may be drawing near the
close of life, not to neglect to make such disposition of their
worldly effects as will suitably provide for their wives and
children while they (the brethren) yet live, following the
example of Abraham, not that by any means would I encourage this
example in all particulars; for it is not always as it was in the
case of Abraham that God has made choice of one particular son in
whom their seed shall be called; but common justice and equity
requires of every father to deal fairly with each wife and child
according as God has dealt with him in this world's goods, that
he may retain their esteem after he shall have departed from
them. Nor should he trust too much to the uncertainty of courts
at the present time; for we have in too many instances seen to
our sorrow that federal courts, whenever they have had it in
their power, or wherever they could, either by strained
construction of the law, or by omissions of the law, wrong a
plural family by giving to the first wife and her heirs that
which should have been equitably divided among all the family,
they have never missed the opportunity of doing it, thinking that
by bringing oppression and injustice to bear they will succeed in
discouraging the practice of this system of marriage. There is
nothing in the faith of the Latter-day Saints or in the laws of
God touching this matter that would prompt aught but justice and
equality to all the wives and children. The duty of the husband
is plain in this respect. And the duty of all wives and children
is to love each other and the husband and father; all cherishing
that love of the Gospel which binds our hearts together, and
which alone can carry us through the trials and tribulations of
life, and lift us up at the last day.
230
One would suppose from the hue and cry abroad in the land, which
emanates chiefly from the clergy, that they are afraid the
institutions of the Latter-day Saints will contaminate the whole
land. What hypocrisy! I can hardly exercise patience sufficient
to treat it with any degree of sobriety.
231
I am a native-born American; I was reared in the State of
Vermont. In my early days the doctrine taught to our first
parents, to multiply and replenish the earth, was popular; but
during the period of my life that has elapsed, it has been almost
totally ignored by the social circles of New England. When I last
visited the old homestead, an old aunt nearly ready to go into
her grave, told me that it was irregular for people now-a-days to
have large families. And it seems that this is the prevailing
sentiment of that region; for in traveling through New England it
was rarely I saw a woman with more than two or three children.
Any of the older families, those honored matrons of New England,
who lived contemporary with my mother, thought it honorable to
raise large families; but my old aunt who was one of the last of
that stock, has, by giving way to allowing the influence of
death, has imbibed false notions; and when she thus expressed
herself to me I knew she was not speaking the honest sentiments
of her heart. To-day infanticide and foeticide are popular.
Modern doctors and doctresses have arisen, men and women who are
skilled in what are called the diseases of women, whose special
practice is preventing fecundity, thereby securing to husband and
wife the pleasures of self-gratification without bearing the
responsibilities of maternity, and the trouble and expense of
rearing children. These doctors and doctresses and the American
students who have learned to practice their hellish arts, are
to-day engaged in undermining the constitutions of wives and
mothers; yes, child murder, this damnable doctrine of devils has
become popular throughout New England, and is fast spreading over
the American continent. And now it is the Irish woman, who
believes in raising children, the foreign element that comes to
the country that are considered the vulgar people; and were it
not for this flood of foreign immigration the staid New England
element would soon become extinct, and I say, in the name of
Israel's God, the sooner the better unless they repent of their
murders, their whoredoms and their abominations that ascend to
the heavens and are a stench in the nostrils of the Almighty.
And, yet, it is this New England element whose garments are
stained with the blood of innocence, that has found its way
through our western States, that has worked heart and soul with
the hireling priesthood in firing up the national heart, and that
is urging on hostile legislation against the best and purest
people that exist upon the American continent. Is it public
morality they seek? Is it the cause of public and private
morality they champion? If so, we may repeat what we have so
often said, which is so extremely unwelcome for them to hear:
Weed your garden first at home, and then let your virtues be
directed to the crying evils and sins of your large cities; and
let child-murder cease, and hang those infernal doctors who by
means of their hellish arts are destroying the life of your
offspring, and thus preventing the fulfillment of the first great
command that God gave to our first parents; first petition
Congress to pass laws to deal with the murderers and murderesses
of the nation, the adulterers and adultersses and all those who
deal in shame, through whose wickedness the seeds of decay and
death are transmitted to posterity. But methinks I hear one say,
if this were done, and the laws were enforced, the large majority
of the nation would be convicted. And it reminds me of a remark
made recently by a gentleman in Congress. It was proposed that
the bill, now being urged in Congress against polygamy, be so
amended as to include adultery; the gentleman to whom the
proposition was made was at first inclined to endorse the
amendment, but on reflection, he turned to his friend and said,
if that be done it would leave us without a quorum in the House.
No, my friends, it is not adultery they wish to punish; it is not
whoredom they wish to punish; it is not the cause of public or
private virtue they champion; it is merely the hue and cry of the
bigotry of our time against a people who are aiming at a higher
morality than now exists, who are aiming to do away with and
effectually destroy out of their midst the evil that is sapping
the strength and vitality of our nation--a community that does
not seek to shun the responsibility and the cares and labors and
expense and trouble of rearing families and of educating them and
making their children honorable men and women, husbands and
wives, fathers and mothers, citizens of the state and defenders
of human liberty.
232
We are accused of being governed by priestcraft and priestly
influence. I do not believe there is any portion of this
community in any part of the land who are moved by priestly
influence to half the extent that Judge Edmunds and the advocates
of the bill that he champions against us are; and their
consciences must teach them that they are hypocrites, and that
they are but pandering to bigotry, and that their acts are not
the acts of statesmen, but the acts of cringing politicians and
demagogues. The Priesthood of the Latter-day Saints belongs not
to the lords but the commons; to men who have helped make the
roads, to build the bridges and to kill the snakes; to men who
have battled with the difficulties of a new country, and who by
their hardihood and toil have subdued the wastes and redeemed the
desert; men who have turned the mountain streams out of their
course on to the new and virgin soil, making the land fruitful
with fields and farms, gardens, orchards and vineyards; men who
build houses, mills and factories, school-houses and churches,
and who raise families and who take care of and educate their
children. These are the men who hold the Priesthood, and who
wield an influence in the midst of this people; and this class of
men is properly represented in the legislature now in session,
and they are asked to step down and out and let the government of
the country pass into the hands of adventurers. Not that I would
insinuate that there are not a goodly number of honorable men
among us who are engaged in legitimate business pursuits, men who
could be trusted to administer the government affairs of the
Territory if they would follow their own hearts and consciences,
and not allow themselves to be bull-dozed as certain members of
Congress are by the hireling Priesthood of the age. We could
trust the judgment of such men; we could trust their natural good
sense, and their business habits; but there are few who can be
trusted to stand like a towering rock in the midst of the raging
ocean, proof against the waves and surges of popular prejudice
that pass over the land. And because of this the Latter-day
Saints have been chary with regard to whom they exalt to power;
and the few that have their confidence in this respect, are men
who have never robbed or betrayed them. And honorable business
men, bankers, merchants, miners, railroad men, etc., who have no
political or religious standing to jeopardise are satisfied that
the affairs of our Territory have been administered honorably and
honestly.
233
Tricksters and adventurers clamor for free schools, but how many
of them and those whose sentiments they voice really want to
support them? A hobby is a nice thing to ride, and such people
have many, but they must be hobbies that do not cost much. It is
rumored throughout the land that the children of the Latter-day
Saints are growing up in ignorance; those who utter those
statements either know nothing of what they say, or they wilfully
and deliberately lie. Some may think these are hard words; it is
language admissible under the circumstances, and it is easy to
understand, plain and right to the subject, and I mean every word
of it. The statistics of the country bear me out in it; and
whoever will examine the census for the last decade may satisfy
themselves on this point, namely, that percentage of illiteracy
in Utah is less than one-half of that of the whole United States.
They say the offspring of plural marriage tends to idiocy as well
as illiteracy, which, however, is fallacious and clearly without
foundation in fact. Let men of discernment and honor pass through
our land, examine our schools and see the turnout of our forty
thousand children at our Sabbath-schools, and hear the questions
put to them and their answers to the same; let them attend our
children's jubilees in our Tabernacle and look upon fifteen
thousand faces radiant with youth and beauty, and hear their
songs and other exercises, and they may at once satisfy
themselves whether the children of the Latter-day Saints are
either ignorant or idiotic. The late census shows that Utah's
percentage of idiocy, as well as illiteracy, is more than fifty
per cent less than that of the United States; it may also show
that nowhere upon the American continent is there a place of the
same age as Utah that has so many common schools in which are
taught the common branches of an English education, and that too
without a dollar's aid from the general government. And our
numerous children are all well cared for; and if we cannot
indulge in all the excesses of fashion that are common in
aristocratic circles, we are content to know that we are doing
well; we are content where our wives are well housed, well fed
and well clothed with fair advantages of education, self reliant
and loving one another. And we are satisfied that ere long they
will be a tower of strength in the land, not to menace the
institutions of our country as enemies, as foolish men and women
insinuate; not to menace public morality or private virtue; but
to the contrary, when the nation, ripe in sin and iniquity, led
on by reckless demagogues and politicians, shall applaud the acts
of the legislators and judges and leading men in laying the axe
deep in the tree of liberty, until they shall sap the juices that
give life to our institutions, and thus undermine the foundation
of good government, it will be sons and daughters of polygamous
Utah, that will be found the true friends of human liberty, the
true friends of that heaven-born freedom that has come to us
through the fathers of our nation. The love of liberty is born in
them, and human liberty is a part of the everlasting gospel; and
God Almighty has decreed--and let Judge Edmunds and Congress and
all the world hear it--that the gospel of the kingdom is
established, never more to be thrown down or given to another
people, that its destiny is to grow and increase and spread
abroad until it shall fill the whole earth, and no power in earth
or hell can stop it. "O, but," say they, "we are going to
imprison you polygamists and disfranchise you." Supposing you do
stop our voting, will that stop our tongues? "O, but we'll
imprison you." Imprison and be damned. [Amen, by voices in the
congregation] for you will be damned anyhow. [Laughter.] "We will
imprison your wives, too, and we will not only stop from voting
the men who have more than one wife, and we will not only stop
the second or third, but also the first wife from voting." And
why? Because she, like Sarah of old, gave to her husband other
wives. Some of the law-makers of our nation would not only
imprison Abraham were he living now, and also his plural wives,
but they would disfranchise and imprison Sarah, his first wife,
because she consented to his marrying other wives.
233
Well, this war is not a war of flesh and blood. We are not going
to fight it with swords and cannons and weapons, but by the power
of truth, by the word of God, and the eternal principles that our
fathers fought for and established upon this American continent,
and which God has decreed shall prevail upon this land. And
blessed are they whose lives are bent on maintaining the
principles of civil and religious liberty, for they will reap
their reward, if not in this life, in the hereafter.
233
In all ages when the people of God listened to the voice and
counsel of apostles and prophets, they enjoyed the blessings
growing out of human freedom, and the tyranny and oppression of
kings and rulers was impossible. There never was a kingly power
placed over ancient Israel except against the remonstrance of the
prophets; and it will be remembered especially in the case of
Israel when they openly clamored for a king to rule over them and
to lead them to battle, how that Samuel warned them and plead
with them, foreseeing, as he did, what the results would be. And
the students of the Book of Mormon know how the Nephites
progressed in establishing the principles of civil and religious
liberty, and how that freedom extended throughout their borders,
and how that prosperity and greatness attended their
administrations under the counsels and teachings of the wise and
just men who lived in their day.
234
Those who suppose that prisons and penalties are going to stop
the spirit of truth in its onward march to triumph and greatness,
or the influence and power of the truths of heaven which God has
established in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints, comprehend
not the designs of God, nor the spirit by which this people is
actuated, that spirit which is leading them on, and which enabled
them to take joyfully the spoiling of their goods in Missouri and
Ohio, and which still will enable them to sacrifice their all for
the sake of the liberties of the everlasting Gospel, if God shall
permit it to be so. What are houses and lands, what are goods and
chattels, what is this city or thousands of cities like this
compared with the liberties of the Gospel, the principles of
worshipping and serving God according to His revealed will? God
still lives who has led us all our life long to these valleys,
and He will guide and direct our steps. But oh how strange that
men pretending to be statesmen should read history so poorly as
to suppose that by might and power, by bonds and penalties they
can chain men's thoughts or prevent them from acting according to
their convictions. The power of might may destroy me--destroy
you; it may break up homes and demolish cities, but it will be
like the Canada thistle when it first made its appearance in New
England. This weed was a great pest to the farmers, and it became
a question among that class how to prevent its spreading. Some
attempted to dig the thistles out, but they would spring up again
all around the old stalk, and it was conceded by others that they
could not be controlled. There was one man who owned a plantation
who was determined to work vigorously for their extinction upon
their first appearance on his land; and so determined was he that
when he first discovered their whereabouts upon his plantation he
built a log heap over them and set fire to it, leaving a pile of
ashes to mark the spot where the thistles appeared. On the
following season, to his great surprise, he found that where the
log heap stood there was a perfect bed of Canada thistles, that
the ashes left from the fire was just the food for the thistle to
thrive on. So you will find it will be with us. After political
demagogues and hireling priests and adventurers shall have
expended their strength in trying to dig up and fire out of the
land what they term "Mormonism."
234
May the Lord help us to prove true to the trust that He has
reposed in us, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, August 20th, 1882
John Taylor, August 20th, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered at Ephraim, Sanpete County,
Sunday Morning, August 20th, 1882.
(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)
THE WORK OF GOD AND BUILDING UP OF ZION--PREACHING, TEMPLE
BUILDING AND
OTHER DUTIES--CORRUPTION AND HYPOCRISY OF CHRISTENDOM--RIGHTS OF
THE
LATTER-DAY SAINTS AS AMERICAN CITIZENS--THE SAINTS COUNSELED TO
BE PURE,
HONEST, UPRIGHT, CHARITABLE, LONGSUFFERING AND
FORGIVING--DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN BIGAMY AND POLYGAMY--UNJUST LEGISLATION AND AMERICAN
JUSTICE--GOD
FOR ISRAEL AS LONG AS ISRAEL IS FOR RIGHT.
235
The work of God is onward, and we as His servants and people
propose with His help to carry it on to completion. Some people
do not like it very well, but we cannot help that. I do not think
Lucifer likes it, but we cannot help that either. We are here as
the representatives of God upon the earth to accomplish his
purposes, and to carry out his designs, to spread forth his
Gospel, to build up his kingdom, to establish his Zion, and to
promote the welfare and happiness of all people of every color
and of every clime, according to the mind and will of the Lord as
it shall be made known to us from time to time. This is what we
are here for, as I understand it, and this is what we will do,
God being our helper, and no man nor set of men can stay the
purposes of Jehovah, for the enemies of God will wither and
weaken from this time forth and forever. I will say that in the
name of the Lord. The Lord is with his people, but he does not
approve of all our acts. Still we are, generally, striving to do
what is right and observe his laws.
235
We have a great work before us, a very great work to accomplish.
God has laid it upon us and we expect to do it with his
assistance. We have the Gospel to preach to the nations, a
message that the Lord has given unto us to promulgate to all
peoples; and to accomplish this purpose the Church of God is
organized with Presidents and Apostles, with Seventies, High
Priests, Elders, etc. A large amount of this labor is being done,
and has already been done by my brethren around me as well as by
myself. We have been among the nations of Christendom traveling
without purse or scrip, trusting in the living God, to make known
to the peoples of the earth the great things which he has
revealed for the salvation and the exaltation of the world.
236
Our mission has principally been to preach the first principles
of the Gospel, calling upon men everywhere to believe in the Lord
God of heaven, he that created the heavens and the earth, the
seas and the fountains of waters; to believe in His Son Jesus
Christ, repenting of their sins, to be baptized for the remission
of the same; and then we have promised them the Holy Ghost. In
doing this the Lord has stood by us, sustaining those principles
that we have advanced; and when we have ministered unto men the
ordinances of the Gospel, they have received for themselves the
witness of the Spirit, even the Holy Ghost, making known to them
for a surety that the principles that they had received were from
God. And in regard to this I can say as Paul said on a certain
occasion--"Ye are my witnesses," for this whole congregation,
with few exceptions, know this to be true. The Twelve and the
Seventies, the High Priests and the Elders are called upon to
visit the various nations of the earth and see that the word and
will of God pertaining to them is carried out. For we are all the
offspring of God, and as we are interested in the welfare of our
children, so our heavenly Father is interested in the welfare of
all his children. He has sent forth the light of his truth and
the spirit of revelation to gather together his sheep, and in
this respect, as it was in the days of Jesus, so it is to-day.
"My sheep (he said) hear my voice; they know me and follow me,
and a stranger they will not follow, for they know not the voice
of a stranger." Under the influence of this spirit and Gospel we
have been gathered together in one in our Stake organizations, in
our Ward organizations, in our Priesthood organizations, and in
all those principles that God has revealed for the guidance,
protection and instruction of the Saints, that we may be prepared
to operate and co-operate with God in all things in the interest
of his people, in the interest of the nations, in the interest
and welfare of all men who will listen to the words of life, and
then to do the very best with others, as God does. That is about
the position we occupy to-day.
236
We are gathered here to the place we denominate Zion. There have
been Zions before. Enoch had a Zion which was translated and
which is reserved till the latter days. And we have a Zion to
build up, which we shall do with the help of the Lord. We
certainly shall accomplish these things no matter what the ideas
and feelings of men may be in regard to it. Zion is onward and
upward, and the Lord is directing and manipulating the affairs of
His Church.
236
We have our Temples to build, and we are doing it, and I
certainly have no complaints to make, and I do not think that the
Lord has. I think that the Lord is well pleased with the actions
of the people in this respect, and with their zeal in carrying
out some of these leading principles which he has had in his mind
from the commencement of the world.
237
We are living in the latter times, in the dispensation of the
fullness of times when God will gather all things in one, whether
they be things in heaven or things on the earth. We are living in
a time when we have to operate and co-operate with the Almighty,
and with the Priesthood, that has existed upon the earth before
we came here for the benefit, blessing and salvation of the human
family. Many of the purposes of God have been spoken of and
pre-figured, in some instances darkly and dimly, in others more
vividly and plain, pointing out and portraying the purposes of
God pertaining to the human family; and these purposes will all
be fulfilled. They will not be thwarted; God will not permit them
to be. He has his work to perform and he is interested in the
welfare of his Israel, and in the accomplishment of those things
spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world was; and he
will carry out his own purposes in his own way and time as he
sees best.
237
Now, what are we doing? We are sending the Elders abroad and they
have been and are still going; the Twelve and the Presidents of
Seventies are selecting and calling upon them and they are going
to the different nations, and I am pleased to see the spirit
generally manifested; I think that the brethren begin to
comprehend the nature of their missions and calling from the fact
that there are very few excuses made now-a-days. The tenor of the
letters that I receive now in answer to those sent to brethren
calling them to perform a mission, is something like this: I have
received your letter and am grateful to be considered worthy to
be called. I will be ready at the time appointed." When men
comprehend their position they feel it an honor to be engaged in
building up the kingdom of God and of being heralds of salvation
to the nations of the earth.
238
When we build our Temples, what then? The brethren of the Twelve
have been calling some men and women to go and labor in them. The
old men whose heads are whitened with the passage of time are not
without zeal, but they have not the strength to cope with the
hardships attending a foreign mission; and therefore some of them
will be called to minister in Temples. I should esteem it a very
great privilege, if my time were not engaged in other things, to
be engaged in such a labor, because there is a spirit and
influence about that kind of work that is happifying, producing
peace and joy, and tending to enlarge the mind of those that are
engaged in ministering for others as Saviors on Mount Zion,
whilst the kingdom is to be the Lord's. We feel in our hearts a
desire to bless and benefit mankind, and to present the Gospel to
all to whom the Lord gives us the power. That is one work that we
have to perform. Another is, the building of Temples. Another is,
the rearing of our children in the principles of righteousness.
And in doing this do we need the assistance of outsiders? I think
not. When our Elders go abroad, they are sent to teach not to be
taught; and if they should need teaching the ministers of
Christendom could not teach them for they are not competent to do
so. That reminds me of a statement that I heard in which a pious
minister figures conspicuously. It was this: He stated, and his
statement was published widely throughout the United States, in
the religious journals, that whilst preaching to some of you
Sanpete people, he held the Bible in one hand and was obliged to
hold a pistol in the other. Where is this said to have occurred?
(Pres. Peterson answered, "In this house over here," pointing to
the old meeting house.) But then he was a pious man, and other
pious men published it, and it was copied in all the pious
newspapers and published as truth; and probably many pious men
made it the text for their Sunday sermon. What a fortunate thing
you did not hurt him. (Laughter.) Now, do we want our children
taught by such people? I think not. We want something of truth;
we want something of integrity and honor; we want something after
the character referred to by David: "Lord, who shall dwell in the
holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart. * * He that swareth to his
own hurt, and changeth not. He that doeth these things shall
never be moved." We want men and women of integrity and truth as
the teachers of our children, in order that our children may grow
up in the fear of the Lord and full of integrity and
righteousness.
240
Then they talk to us about our virtue. I think that some of these
people had better attend to their own affairs. We do not want
their system of what they call morality introduced amongst us; we
can do without it very, very well. Why do we speak of these
things? Because they are matters which concern us. Whilst men and
women come here ostensibly to promote your welfare, they hail
from places where the most outrageous infamies are perpetrated.
Do we wish these corrupting influences introduced into our midst?
I think not. Let them cleanse their own Augean stables where they
came from, and then talk to us if they wish about purity. Do we
want them to teach our wives and daughters how to murder their
children--a practice that is prevalent in the places they came
from? I should rather think not, nor do we wish the influence of
people so educated to introduce their contaminating, corroding
and damning practices amongst us, the emanations from such a
source are like a pestiferous plague endangering, polluting and
contaminating everything that comes within its reach. Newborn
children are murdered by the thousands in the large cities of the
east; and do they stop this evil? No. I have been told over and
over again that it is not fashionable for women of the places
where many of our would-be "Christian" teachers hail from, to
have more than one or two children. And what do they do with the
rest? To tell it in plain terms, they have a fashionable way of
murdering them--either before or after they come into the world.
This started with what was called Restellism; it was then
denounced as infamous; the plague has now spread until nearly the
whole nation is inoculated with it. Are these the kind of people
that we wish to correct our morals. I speak of these things for
your information. But what will you do with these people, would
you persecute them? No; but we do not want them for our teachers.
I would not introduce such people to my family, neither would I
introduce them to our schools to contaminate our children with
the vices that prevail in the places they come from. I do not
know anything about the persons that are among you, neither have
I heard anything about them excepting this heroic minister of
pistol notoriety. (Laughter.) I am reminded too of a move that a
number of these so-called ministers of the Gospel made a short
time ago in appealing to the nation to help them to root out the
abominations which they affirm exist here. Why do I speak of this
thing? Because I have a duty to perform as your teacher. We
observe all laws and principles that are correct, true and
virtuous, and if there is anything else contrary to this we have
from time to time called upon our Bishops to purge themselves and
their wards from it, and I call upon them here to do the same
thing. I have been abroad among the nations of the earth, and so
have many of my brethren, and did I ever go into England,
Scotland, France, Wales, Germany, or any other nation where I
have been, and attempt to stir up sedition and trouble, or defame
the people I was among? No, never. The Elders of this Church have
been taught differently and they have acted in accordance with
the teachings they received. We came to this land as religionists
to serve God, fleeing from the face of persecution; we came here
because we could not be protected in the places we left. Now that
we have come here have we practiced anything that is contrary to
correct principles? Not that I know of. Have we the rights of
American citizens? We most assuredly have. Has any person in this
nation any more rights than we? Not if we have our rights given
unto us. As American citizens we possess as many rights and
privileges as any other citizens in these United States. What
have we to do? We do not propose to barter them away, nor to
relinquish them without a struggle. Do you mean to get up a
revolution? Oh, no. We mean to contend for all principles that
belong to free American citizens; and while there is law, justice
or equity in the land, we design to contend for our rights inch
by inch, and we do not mean to be despoiled of our rights without
a struggle. We propose to maintain our franchise in this boasted
land of liberty. This is the position we propose to take. If they
disfranchise us as they did Brother Cannon; if we have men who do
not know the difference between 1,300 and 18,000 we do, and we
will contend for those principles that God has committed to us.
In reading some of the histories pertaining to the dealings of
God with man and the dealings of the devil with him you will find
that Satan sought to rob man of his free agency, as many of his
agents are seeking to do to-day; and for this cause Satan was
cast out of heaven. God will have a free people, and while we
have a duty to perform to preach the Gospel, we have another to
perform, that is, to stand up in the defence of human rights--in
the defence of our own rights, the rights of our children, and in
defence of the rights of this nation and of all men, no matter
who they may be, and God being our helper to maintain those
principles and to lift up a standard for the honorable of this
and other nations to flock to, that they may be free from the
tyranny and oppression that is sought to be crowded upon them.
This is a duty we have to perform, and in the name of Israel's
God we will do it. It is a duty that our families demand of us;
it is a duty that the honest in this nation demand of us, and
that God demands of us; and we will try and carry it out, God
being our helper. And if other people can afford to trample under
foot the sacred institutions of this country, we cannot. And if
other people trample upon the Constitution and pull it to pieces,
we will gather together the pieces and rally around the old flag,
or what is left of it, and proclaim liberty to the world, as
Joseph Smith said we would. Is that treason? I do not know; no
matter, it is true. Are we going to hurt anybody? No. If they
were hungry I would feed them; if they were naked I would clothe
them, and learn to do good for evil as Jesus did. But I would
say, "O my soul, come not thou into their secret, unto their
assembly, mine honor be not thou united." Do them good? Yes, but
do not enter into the associations referred to. We want to mix up
with honorable men and women.
240
I have made some plain remarks, but they are nevertheless true,
and I have nothing to take back. Will we rebel against the
nation? No. This nation has done a very great deal towards
propagating human liberty. We read it in our schoolbooks, and we
hear it sometimes proclaimed on the 4th of July, when we talk of
the brave things the fathers of this nation performed in the
defence of human rights, and it is a great pity, I think, that it
should have been so short lived, for while the altar of liberty
is yet stained with the blood of the patriots who fought for
human rights, it seems almost too bad to make that same altar a
forge whereon to make chains to fetter the human mind, to retard
the progress of freedom, and to deprive man of his inalienable
rights. It is a lamentable thing to reflect upon, yet it is true.
It was a sad spectacle that we noticed some time ago in Mr.
Evarts, secretary of the nation, calling upon the nations of
Europe to assist the United States in crushing out a religious
people. We have seen a great many things of a similar kind. Judge
Poland and his operations; then the course pursued by Senator
Edmunds against an innocent and persecuted people will place him
in a very unenviable position.
240
What course shall we pursue? We purpose to contend for human
rights, for the Constitution of the United States, and for the
rights and privileges of man and the freedom of humanity. We will
try to live our religion and keep the commandments of God. People
are wondering what the Commissioners will do. They will do what
the Lord will permit them to do and nothing more. Shall we
trouble ourselves about the action of Congress? No. We will put
in a word for the liberty of man, equal rights and constitutional
principles, and these we will maintain so far as God gives us
power. When we have done that we will live our religion; we will
cleave unto God and unto truth, maintain virtue, purity and
righteousness, and seek for the Spirit of the Lord; we will be
humble, faithful and diligent, and we will pray for our enemies
and for all men. Jesus when he was put to the test and men were
clamoring against him, not only clamoring but they had nailed him
to the cross, used these words: "Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do;" they are ignorant, besotted and dark, not
acquainted with the principles of righteousness; they know not
what they do, Father, forgive them. Then we find the Apostles
speaking, calling upon them to repent and be baptized that their
sins might be blotted out. When? Then? No. When? When the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he
shall send Jesus Christ, who was before preached unto you;" and
not till then.
241
What more have we to do? To become saviors upon Mount Zion; to be
full of kindness and longsuffering and contend against the sins
and corruptions of the world, and cherish purity and holiness in
the Lord our God. What else? Some people tell us we ought to
proclaim polygamy. We have no such mission. Further, if we were
to proclaim the principle that they call polygamy, they could not
obey it. We believe in celestial marriage, in celestial
covenants, in men and women being united for time and for all
eternity. Are we going to suffer a surrender of this point? No,
never! No, never! We intend to be true to our covenants in time
and in the eternities to come. They call it bigamy. What is a
bigamist? A man who marries one wife promising to be true to her,
and afterwards representing himself as an honorable man, marries
another one and deceives both of them. He is a breaker of
covenants. A polygamist does not do that. Abraham, Jacob, David
and Solomon did not perpetrate such infamies. Nor do we. Bigamy
is an institution of a perverted Christianity and not ours. We
make covenants with our wives, and we will be true to them and
they to us in time and in eternity. Supposing, I say, we were to
preach this doctrine to the world, and tell them what David and
Abraham and the Patriarchs did, and they were to say we accept
it; could we administer in it? No, and they could not enter into
this thing. There are only a few in Utah associated with this
matter, comparatively, and those none but the most honorable,
pure and virtuous, yet our nation has seen fit to condemn
everybody, the non-polygamists as well as the polygamists,
because the non-polygamists happen to live in the same place as
the polygamists. Thus nine-tenths are proscribed for what the
other tenth are alleged to have done. That is the kind of justice
we have administered now-a-days.
241
But if the nation can stand this kind of legislation, we can as
long as they can. We will try to do right and fear God, and
observe His laws, and seek to pursue that course that our
Heavenly Father will approve, and we will have His Spirit to be
with us and rejoice together in the fullness of the Gospel of
peace. And we will build Temples; and we will build up the
kingdom of God, and God will be on the side of Israel, if Israel
will only be on the side of right, laying aside covetousness,
corruptions and follies of every kind, and will cleave to the
truth, He will bless us and we will be blessed in time and
throughout the eternities to come. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / Joseph
E. Taylor, September 3rd, 1882
Joseph E. Taylor, September 3rd, 1882
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOSEPH E. TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, September 3rd, 1882.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
DEPENDENCE UPON THE HOLY SPIRIT--THE GATHERING AND ITS
OBJECT--SACRIFICES REQUIRED OF THE SAINTS--THE RISK OF
REJECTING THE TESTIMONY OF THE TRUTH--PROFESSION AND PRACTICE,
PRETENSIONS AND PRINCIPLE--IMPENDING TRIALS AND
TROUBLES, TRUST IN GOD--TIME AND ETERNITY, BODY
AND SPIRIT--"MORE BLESSED ARE THEY THAT BELIEVE AND
HAVE NOT SEEN"--THE SPIRIT OF TRUTHFUL INTUITION
THE SAFEST GUIDE--EXHORTATION, COUNSEL AND INSTRUCTION.
E. Taylor
It is a matter of surprise to people not of our faith when they
are made acquainted with the fact that Elders of this Church are
called promiscuously, as it were accidentally, to address the
congregations that are assembled from time to time in this and
other places in the midst of this people; that they appear before
the congregation without any text, without any sermon, without
giving any thought whatever to preparing the subject or subjects
upon which they may speak. And these Elders have, by experience,
learned the lesson that it is very necessary and essential for
them to depend upon the Holy Ghost for their inspiration, for its
assistance, for its influence, to enable them to speak and
instruct the people as the Lord desires they should be
instructed. What do I know about this audience this afternoon?
Here is a sea of faces before me beaming with intelligence. I
feel the influence of the various spirits of the people composing
this congregation. They are all centered upon myself, or if my
Brother was speaking, they would be centered upon him or whoever
the speaker might be.
E. Taylor
Some have come to worship God with honesty of purpose, to partake
of His holy sacrament with clean hands and pure hearts, and are
worthy of partaking of these sacred emblems of the death of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. They also come to listen to words
of instruction, and many of them have a yearning desire, perhaps,
to receive comfort to their souls, information, perchance, upon
some particular point of doctrine connected with their holy
religion. And then again, there are those in this congregation
who have come here simply out of curiosity, having no particular
interest in anything pertaining to the worship of this people, or
the sacrament of which they are partaking; having no particular
fondness for the doctrines taught by the Elders of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, nor any of the principles
incorporated in the faith of this people, but simply to see and
out of sheer curiosity to listen that they may afterwards talk
about what they have seen and heard according to their capacity
and intelligence to understand and to comprehend that which they
hear. A great number of this vast congregation have come from
distant nations; they have heard the testimony of the servants of
God, thousands of miles from the place they now occupy. They have
received that testimony; they accepted and cherished that
testimony in their hearts and it has led them to bid adieu to
fatherland, to scenes of childhood, of youth, of mature age in
many instances, to come to this land which they believed then and
still believe to be the land of Zion, to be taught in the ways of
the Lord, to be made acquainted with the principles of eternal
truth, to comprehend the law of God, and to have an opportunity
to practice that law in their lives and conduct. They have come
also for the purpose of enjoying the companionship of the people
they love--a people who feel as they feel, who believe as they
believe, who are inspired as they have been inspired, and are
to-day inspired; they have come to this land for the purpose of
receiving ordinances pertaining to their future existence.
E. Taylor
By far the greater portion of the people who have thus come, have
made sacrifices for this purpose, have checked natural feelings
that have arisen in their bosoms, have severed kindred ties,
associations, affinities and affections. What for? "I want to
hear the voice of God; I want to hear the words of inspiration; I
want to become acquainted with the law that my Father has given
for me as well as the rest of his children to be governed by; I
want to be placed under the immediate teaching, instruction and
counsel of those whom God has raised up and inspired by His Holy
Spirit. I love you, my father; I love you, my mother; I love you,
my sister, my brother and my child; but I love God more. I must
yield your society; I must sacrifice the associations that I have
enjoyed with you, because you cannot think as I think; because
you cannot feel as I feel; because you are not inspired as I am
inspired." We might mention other sacrifices that have had to be
made, other things that have had to be yielded, given up, parted
with, for this holy purpose and this holy desire that I have
named this afternoon; for the feeling that permeates the hearts
of these Latter-day Saints permeates their entire being, absorbs
their entire thought, and their entire affection, for a true
Latter-day Saint is fully devoted to his God and to his religion,
spirit and body; it affects his time, his talent, every energy
that he possesses, and wherever can be found among this people a
man who has any reserve, he is not devoted to his God as his
religion demands that he should be.
E. Taylor
Those present have had, in the main, equal opportunities with
myself to become acquainted with the truths of eternal life. They
have been taught where I have been taught; they have eaten,
figuratively speaking, at the same table where I have partaken;
and yet this afternoon I stand before you as a teacher and an
instructor of the very people that have had equal opportunities
with myself to learn and become acquainted with the law of God.
How can I teach you? How can I instruct you? Upon what principle
can I furnish you with the bread of life? Only by the power of
the Holy Ghost, by its inspiration, by possessing its gifts. Is
there any man without this Spirit, without the inspiration of
this agency among the Latter-day Saints, from the President of
the Church down through all the ramifications of the Priesthood,
that is prepared to teach the people the law of God of himself?
No, and I am bold to declare it this afternoon; neither is there
a minister upon the face of this broad land or in all Christendom
that can go before his congregation and feed them with the bread
of life, unless he possesses the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
speaks by virtue of that gift.
E. Taylor
We send our Elders abroad, thousands of them; we have sent them
for many years that are past, and until the Lord says to his
servants stop, we shall continue to send them even to the most
distant parts of the earth. For what purpose? To preach the
Gospel, to proclaim the simple truths of eternal life, to explain
to the understanding of the smallest mind what God expects and
desires of the people in this last dispensation of the fullness
of times. What Elders have been successful? The men that have
stood before the people, and by the power of the Holy Ghost have
declared the word of the Lord God to them; and here let me say in
this connection, there never was a congregation that listened to
a discourse delivered by an Elder of Israel, and that discourse
was delivered by the power and demonstration and Spirit of the
Almighty, but there came to every man and woman in that
congregation a response by that same Spirit, "that is true." It
bore testimony there and then to the truth of the remarks of the
servant of God, and by this means, and by this means only will
those who reject the truth stand condemned before God in the day
that they will appear before Him to give an account of their acts
in this life.
E. Taylor
Simply as a man; is not every man equal to myself? As far as
opinions go, are not my neighbor's just as precious and of as
much value to him as mine are to me? Any ideas that I may
possess, no matter how rational, apparently logical, no matter
how reasonable they may sound; are not the opinions of every
other man just as much value to him as mine are to me? Certainly
they are. We occupy the same place, we are on an equality in this
respect; but when we proclaim the word of the Lord, when we
undertake to make known the decrees of the Almighty, and the plan
of salvation, and we do it by the power and demonstration of the
Spirit, every man who rejects that proclamation will do so at his
own risk, and will stand condemned before God, because he will
not receive of that Spirit, not because he did not receive the
reasoning of the man who spoke, but because he rejected the
influence of the Spirit of God, by which he spoke.
E. Taylor
I remarked at the outset that a part of this congregation had
undoubtedly been gathered from distant nations having an object
in view, with a design in their minds. Let me ask a few questions
in connection with this: Are we pursuing this object? Are we
following out this design? Are we continuing in the faith of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of the Son of God? Are we
developing righteousness in our lives? Are we making that
righteousness manifest in our conduct? Are we sustaining the
principles that charmed our hearts many years ago, thousands of
miles distant from here? Have we grown in knowledge of the
principles of life and salvation over and above that which we
understood many years ago? What is our standing in the midst of
the people and before God to-day? These are plain questions, but
pertinent; and we should propound these questions to ourselves
often and thus become our own catechizers. If we find we are
lacking in any one particular we should take immediate steps to
remedy and defect, any neglect, and should cease any wrong-doing
of which we may have been guilty. We can afford to serve God, but
we cannot afford to take a contrary course; we cannot afford to
apostatize and deny the truth; we cannot afford to become
recreant to the principles we have espoused; we cannot afford to
go back upon our covenants. We profess more. We declare more. I
may use another term, which may be strictly correct, we pretend
more than any other people upon the face of the earth. We have a
right to do this, but when our pretensions are made known, when
our professions become the property of others, to the extent that
these pretensions are understood, we should be consistent
therewith. Many of us were asked by our friends, will you not
abandon "Mormonism?" No. Will you not leave the society of that
people, and not go out to that wild wilderness country, but stay
with us? We answered most emphatically, No. And our presence here
to-day and for the many years that are past, testifies that that
was what we meant, if we did not say so in so many words. Now the
same scenes, the same conditions, the same society, the same
influences, the same evils, unbidden, unsought for, undesired,
have presumed to locate themselves in our midst. Shall we
affiliate with that which we once abandoned, drink with the
drunken, shake hands with the evil-doer, fraternize with the
sinner, defile ourselves before God, and forsake the holy
covenants that we have made? These are plain questions. We have
gone too far; we have become possessed of too much understanding;
we have professed too much to be able to afford to go back again
and partake of any of the evils that we left in Babylon, years
and years ago. And if we do so we shall do it at our own risk,
and that risk and its consequences will be most terrible for us.
E. Taylor
We are threatened, we are menaced; we feel it strongly, very
sensitively, very keenly; and we shall remember well in the days,
in the years and in the times that are to come the instruments
that have made these threatenings, and that have dared to raise
their arms and their voice and their influence against us, while
in the pursuit of the principles of eternal life. What then is
our course? In whom is our trust? In God; in his power; in his
arm; in his strength. Have we not made his acquaintance? Has he
not revealed himself to us in the Gospel that we have received?
Do we feel tremulous in the day of trouble--that God will leave
us and forsake us? Is this our condition? If it is we are not
living our religion; if it is we are not keeping our covenants;
if it is we have not cherished the influence of the Spirit of the
Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, or it would produce
other results.
E. Taylor
It is true we number a very few people; numerically speaking our
strength is weak. Many other things might be quoted concerning
our position that are equally true; but understand this one
thing--and the world of mankind will know it by and by--that we
have set out to serve God, to keep his commandments, to build up
his Church, to redeem his Zion upon this earth, without
considering any consequences in the least. That is the condition.
We have accepted the consequences; accepted conditions as they
exist, with the powers of hell perchance sometimes combined
together to force those unpleasant conditions upon us. Yes, when
death itself shall stare us in the face and seem to be
inevitable, for to that extent will the Lord try and prove some
of His people, to see if they will keep His commandments. Even
then God expects us to remain firm and unshaken. Shall we turn to
the right hand? No. Or turn to the left hand? Never. Turn round
entirely and take a backward course? No, not by the help of the
Eternal One. And this world will know, and the enemies of God's
people will know by and by of the strength and the power and the
might of Him who has revealed Himself to His servant Joseph; who
has conferred his authority, his Priesthood upon men, authorizing
them to act in his name.
E. Taylor
There is a very singular expression in this book--and I think the
Savior who used the expression had an eye to this last
dispensation, which reads: "Whosoever shall fall upon this stone
shall be broken." Mark it, not perhaps, not maybe, not
conditionally. And again: "But on whomsoever it shall fall it
will grind him to powder." Thus hath said the Lord God.
E. Taylor
Now, my brethren and sisters, have you questioned yourselves as
to your standing, as to your faith, as to your confidence in
yourselves, in your religion and the Priesthood of God that
administers to you, and in God the Eternal Father?
E. Taylor
We are in a dark land. Our minds are beclouded, the heavens are
shut, and the veil can only be lifted by the power of faith. Who
possesses it? The veil never has been lifted from the day that
God hid himself from Adam in the Garden of Eden; it never has
been lifted in any age of the world only by the power of the
Priesthood and the gift of faith, and then only for a short time.
We are compelled now to exercise the principle of faith. Whence
comes it? It is a gift of God; but it needs cherishing; it needs
cultivation; it needs nourishing, and it will grow within you and
me, if we will cherish it to the extent that it is our privilege,
until it will become so mighty within us, that we never can be
moved not even by death staring us in the face.
E. Taylor
The world seem to measure their entire existence by this life,
this being, these few paltry years upon this dark, cold and cruel
earth. They say--if not in words in acts--give me enjoyment
to-day; give me pleasure to-day; give me what I conceive to be
happiness to-day." "But," says the man of inspiration, the man of
forethought, the man whose mind reaches into the future, "what
about eternity?" "Oh," say the world, "never mind eternity, let
eternity take care of itself; let us gratify passion; let our
ambitions be satisfied and realized here; it is all we ask." And
they live like the brute although they have an existence like you
and I. It is true they move upon the same earth, are surrounded
by the same circumstances, but their minds have never reached out
after God, and they are stultified, they are stunted in their
growth, in the development of their mind; they know nothing and
care to know less of the object of their creation and existence.
They never conceived the idea of what dwells in their
tabernacles--the power independent of the tabernacle, but
necessary to the life of that tabernacle; a fully organized
identity that can exist without the tabernacle and possesses all
the powers and a great many more than it can make manifest
through the tabernacle, an existence separate from the tabernacle
that came from God. And yet these men and women, many of them,
when you talk to them upon the principles of eternal life, will
say, "Will you reason that out to me so that I can understand it
in a way to satisfy my natural sense. Can I see what you talk
about?" No, you cannot see it with the natural eye. Can I hear
it? No, you cannot hear it with the natural ear. Can I handle it
with these hands? No, you cannot handle it with the natural
hands. Then I shall not listen. I will ignore everything you say
upon this subject. Your parents can approach you through your
natural senses; they address themselves to the tabernacle. But
when we come to the constitution of the spirit that dwells within
the tabernacle, and then come to understand that that spirit
emanated from God the Father, to whom will God the Father speak?
Will He speak to the tabernacle that is the result of the agency
of man and woman in producing it? No, only seldom and then to
chosen ones, God the Father speaks to his own; and the angels
that minister and speak, address themselves to the mind, as we
call it, to this spirit that cannot be seen, that cannot be
handled, that cannot heard by the ears of the natural man. Here
is the grand difficulty with the human family to-day. God cannot
speak to them for they want to compel Him to come down to the
grossness of the earthly tabernacle and reason everything out to
the sense of that tabernacle? He will not do it. He did not six
thousand years ago; and he will not do it now, nor in all time to
come. The very medium through which inspiration comes, the very
medium through which knowledge comes that benefits the human
family, no matter whether it be scientific, philosophical or
otherwise, there is not a truth extant upon the earth to-day that
has been utilized, or many truths combined together that have
been utilized but have been the result of divine inspiration
directly to the spirit of man, to the mind of man which is
sometimes incorrectly called the soul of Man. God will talk with
His own creation, and if that spirit in man will place itself in
a position to listen to the voice of God, what will he say to
that spirit, "Control that tabernacle, I gave it to you for a
greater exaltation; I gave it to you that after it shall have
passed away, it may be resurrected from the grave, and if you
subdue its passions, its unholy desires, if you sanctify that
tabernacle before Me, then I am bound to bring that tabernacle
from the grave and to bring it to the enjoyment of the fullness
of My glory, which was the destiny of the spirit when it was
first created." And, by the way, let me here say that there are a
great many Latter-day Saints, good men and some few good women,
who seem to be possessed of a skeptical turn of mind, they want
everything reasoned out; if they receive any knowledge at all
they want it to come through the gross, cold reasoning of
humanity. In this connection there comes to my mind a little
circumstance that is recorded here in this Testament. The
disciples of Jesus, who had listened when together many times no
doubt to His explanations of His own resurrection from the grave,
found Thomas, and told him that the Savior had arisen. Said he:
"I will not believe it. Unless I get more positive proof through
these natural senses of mine that such is the fact, I will not
believe it though you say it, and I have no reason to doubt your
word." Undoubtedly they had been truthful with each other; they
had been taught to be truthful by their Lord and Master. The
Savior after a while appeared to his disciples. Thomas was there.
The Savior understanding Thomas's thoughts said: "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."
Whereupon Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and my God." What did Jesus
say? Did he reproach Thomas? Did he use harsh, cruel and severe
words, because of Thomas's unbelief, as one of the chosen? No. He
said, "Blessed art thou, Thomas, because thou hast
believed"--upon any condition; if you have received a testimony
now, you are blessed; but more blessed are they that have not
seen, and yet have believed. I think again of the beloved
disciple John upon the isle of Patmos, who had the visions of the
future opened to him for many ages to come, even unto the
winding-up scene; he saw this earth eventually celestialized and
made like unto a Urim and Thummim--a sea of glass, everything
pertaining to it redeemed, and the earth clothed in the presence
of God. When the angel commenced to unfold that beautiful vision
to John, suppose John had questioned and queried and asked to
have his natural senses gratified before he would receive that
revelation, do you think we should have been in possession to-day
of this beautiful vision showing the grand winding-up scene of
all things? I think not. I can say to this congregation--I want
to be understood clearly upon this point--wherever it exists in
truthfulness, intuition--proper, correct and legitimate intuition
is the safest rule and guide for the people, and Latter-day
Saints should seek to become possessed of the spirit of intuition
that comes by virtue of the possession of the Holy Ghost.
E. Taylor
But to return now, my brethren and sisters, where do we stand?
What is our faith? How much is our confidence? Have we lost any
of it? If so, let us regain it. There is a time yet for
repentance; there is a time yet left for us to manifest our
humility before God; there are opportunities for us to retrace
our steps if we have traveled in the wrong direction. The time
will come, as far as this earthly existence is concerned, when
these opportunities and advantages will cease. Can you be
baptized here in the flesh for the remission of your sins? Yes.
Can you yourself attend to that ordinance when your tabernacle is
laid away in the grave? No you cannot; that ordinance was
revealed especially for this time. Can you have hands laid upon
you for the reception of the Holy Ghost in this life? Yes. Can
you enjoy this privilege when your body is laid away in the
grave? No; and to prove that this ordinance, as well as others
pertains to this life, this time, I need only say that when we
undertake to extend the principles of salvation to those that are
dead, somebody in the flesh must represent the person for whom
the ordinances are intended who may have neglected or have had no
opportunity to attend to these ordinances themselves while in the
flesh. When we get to the other side of the veil, we shall find
another state of things existing there; we shall find other
conditions, other surroundings, other laws, pertaining to that
peculiar existence of spirit; we shall find already existing
there other organizations. Our bodies will have been left in the
grave with all their weaknesses, with all their imperfections.
Our spirits will not go down into the grave. They live in the
presence of God; they will be held responsible for that
tabernacle, for its acts, for its development; they will be held
responsible before God, before the heavens, for the faith they
have exercised, or for the wrongs that they have allowed
themselves to be guilty of in the flesh; for I say right here; I
repeat it again, that it is the business of the spirit to preside
over, to be master of and to control this fleshy tabernacle to
all intents and purposes and to hold it subject to all the laws
of God. But, says one, there are weaknesses that pertain to the
flesh, are they all sins? No. What about those weaknesses? The
man who has been pure in his spirit, pure in his heart, pure in
his intentions and desires before God, when he lays that body
down in the grave there will be found in the very elements with
which his body will mingle, a power to cleanse and purify all
weaknesses as pertaining to the flesh which cannot be regarded as
sins before God. Yes, give mother earth time and she will so
effectually purify the tabernacle that she will get it ready for
the resurrection from the grave to be re-united with the spirit.
Then after a while we shall become acquainted with the higher
laws, with principles altogether different to those taught to us
in the flesh and which also pertain to eternal lives. And then
again, when we come to be resurrected from the grave we shall
find other conditions in advance of those; we shall find God's
Priesthood there, his law there, his power there, his influence
there, as there will be teachings and instructions to be given
even then; and thus shall we keep going on from condition to
condition of perfection and glory until we become possessed of
the glory that belongs to God. Is it worth living for? Is it
worth enduring a few threats for? Is it worth being quiet when
you are menaced, and as passive as the Lord wants you to be? Yes.
Is it worth making any sacrifice for? Is it worth leaving home,
father, mother, sister, brother? It is. And why? The day will
come, perchance, even in the spirit world, when that father and
mother, sister and brother, who despised you, will be seeking
after salvation and will want to have conferred upon them the
powers of eternal life. And you will have placed yourself in the
position to act for them though your body may be in the grave,
for your spirit still lives and you can preach and even become a
minister of salvation to those of your own house. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / George
G. Bywater, August 27, 1882
George G. Bywater, August 27, 1882
DISCOURSE BY ELDER GEO. G. BYWATER,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, August 27, 1882.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST OR ANCIENT CHRISTIANITY--ITS GROWTH AND
PROGRESS
DESPITE OF OPPOSITION--CHRIST'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT--SIMILARITY
OF ANCIENT,
TO MODERN OPPOSITION TO THE TRUTH--THE EARLY APOSTACY AND THE
GOSPEL'S
LATTER-DAY RESTORATION--THE OBJECT OF ANTI-"MORMON" LEGISLATION
NOT THE
SUPPRESSION OF IMMORALITY--THE SAINTS WILLING TO ABIDE THE ISSUE.
252
"I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of
God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first,
and also to the Greek." These words were uttered by the Apostle
Paul, who, prior to his acceptance of the Christian religion was
a vehement persecutor of the new cause that had sprung up in
Galilee, and in the regions round about, but who upon being
divinely inspired in a miraculous manner became convinced of the
power of this Gospel of which he speaks in the language I have
just quoted. It will be remembered that at the period of the
world's history when these words were enunciated by the inspired
Apostle the Christian religion was not then as it is now, the
professed religion of a large portion of the inhabitants of the
earth. It was then a new cause; it was then considered a sect
which was everywhere spoken against. The doctrines and principles
of this new faith appear, from the history of its incipient
development, to have aroused very bitter feelings in the hearts
of the professors of the popular creeds and philosophies of that
age. The history of the rise and progress of Christianity
presents to the intelligent student a history of many of the most
important principles and lessons connected with the unfoldment of
civilization and the purification of the moral ethics of that age
and through the succeeding ages, I may add, even down to modern
times. The readers of sacred history, as well as the students of
universal history, know full well that there has been in the
history of the struggle of our common humanity, rising upward
from the lower strata of society or masses of the human family
who could not well be denominated societies in the sense in which
the term is employed to-day; they, I repeat, know full well the
struggles which have been made by mankind to emancipate
themselves and to be emancipated through the instrumentality of
the light and intelligence that surrounded them and the
revelations of God to man--what mighty struggles those have been!
They know, furthermore, that there never has been in all past
history any marked strides made in the growth and progress of
men's intellectual and moral nature, but that growth has been
attended with a series, I will not say uninterrupted, but with a
series of persistent oppositions, a series of impeding obstacles
thrown in the way, and the most intense hate has been manifested
by the maintainers or supporters of orthodox systems of popular
creeds and time-honored institutions. We can look back through
the ages that have gone by, we can take a retrospective glance
into the ages that have rolled into eternity, and there see the
things that have marked distinctively those ages, and which are
the landmarks of human history, and there we can discover, my
brethren, sisters and friends, the effects to which I am now
alluding, that there never has been any great improvement made,
nor marked advancement effected, no growth attained, but it has
met with opposition, which has been the child of ignorance and of
superstition, and has been succored by that spirit and power
which we denominate, in the language of the Scripture, the spirit
and power of evil, the power of the devil. To-day Christianity is
accepted professedly, by every enlightened nation on the face of
this globe. There is not a nation speaking the spoken languages
of the world but what recognizes the cardinal principles of the
Christian religion as possessing vitality and power that has
emanated from a source divine, and that which is best adapted to
the amelioration of the condition of our common humanity. When we
compare, when we draw lines of comparison between those grand and
immutable principles that possess within themselves a potency,
and that carry in their very nature the sanctity and purity of
the source from whence they have come, bearing upon themselves
the seal of divinity, and remembering the opposition which those
principles met with by the learned doctors of the law, by the
expounders of the writings of Moses and the Prophets, by those
who were living in expectancy of the fulfillment of the
prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah, in the coming of
Shiloh, and then to discover, as the ages and centuries have gone
by, the growth and strength that these fundamental doctrines have
acquired; and although generations have come and generations have
gone, melted away and become absorbed as the dew before the
morning sun, yet the result of the labors of these generations
have been witnessed in their accumulating forces, in their
beneficent and redeeming influences almost imperceptibly
advancing over the minds and seating themselves in the hearts and
affections of the good and the great that have lived in every
age, where those principles have been proclaimed in the ears of
man. When we reflect upon these things and then take a careful
review of what it has cost in life and its energies, the potency
of its powers that have been employed and apparently consumed,
the places thereof being supplied by new stores unfolded in the
rising generations, from generation to generation, until,
towering up high and perceptibly above the dogmas and traditions
of the heathen world, those down-trodden principles, those
doctrines that have been everywhere spoken against, have been
accepted, professedly, by the Christian world as the Balm of
Gilead, as the power by which the nations were to be healed of
their moral maladies, by which they were to be enlightened from
their heathen darkness, and by which they were to be elevated to
an intellectual and moral plane that should bring them up to the
high destiny which their Creator had ordained for them, and to
bring to pass that perfection which was augured, not only in the
religion of Jesus, but also plainly indicated in the constitution
of man. To-day we have a nominal acceptance of Christianity as a
revealed religion. There are but few people living who are so
obtuse in their minds, or who are so morally degraded in their
nature, or so far lost to every sense of personal respect and
Christian propriety, as to deny the goodness of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, of which the Apostle Paul avowed himself as not
ashamed--very few indeed. The 5th, 6th and 7th chapters of
Matthew containing the sermon on the Mount are an embodiment of
divinity, are a compilation of principles, are an association of
ideas, that are unparalleled and are inimitable in the writings
and learning of the world. They contain the principles that
constitute the groundwork upon which correct nature is to be
established. Now then, my friends, if this be true in the light
of modern science, of modern philosophy, in the light of the
civilization of the nineteenth century, these principles appear
as brilliant, undimmed and as transcendent in lustre as any of
the axiomatic principles, proverbs, and sayings of the learned
and the wise of all the ages that are gone by. Zoroaster never
chronicled their equal; Matthew never penned a compilation of
such principles as are to be found there; Confucius never left on
the record of his time principles that reach down into the
innermost depth of human nature, and there bring up into man's
destiny the design of his creator as has been revealed in those
principles. And yet, my friends, these were the doctrines and
principles that were opposed, mark me, and the propagandists of
those principles were the men that were followed up with the most
untiring opposition, that were persecuted with the most
relentless hand; the men who represented these world-redeeming
doctrines, the purifying, elevating institutions of Christianity
were the men that suffered martyrdom, the men that lost their
lives that they might find them, even lives eternal, and they
lost them, too, at the hands of men who were considered the
representative men of the time, the learned expounders of
prophecy, the expounders of law, the teachers of the principles
of civil and criminal jurisprudence, men who were deeply versed
in the lore of the time, familiar with every branch of the
literature of their age, and yet these were the most cruel and
uncharitable elements which Christianity had to cope with in its
growing influence in the day when the Apostle Paul averred that
he was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it was the power
of God unto salvation to all who would believe.
255
To-day we have the principles of this same Christianity presented
to the world in the same attitude, presented with the same
conditions--avowed with the same sincerity, and its doctrines
inculcated with the same assiduity and zeal that marked the
Apostles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ over 1800 years ago. And
does it meet with any opposition to-day? Need I ask this
question? Scarcely. The people called Latter-day Saints have for
a number of years proclaimed the Gospel of Christ in its
primitive integrity, in its primitive organization, and in all
its evangelical details, to the inhabitants of this nineteenth
century,--which by some people is denominated the full blaze of
civilization, almost approaching the same, the highest pinnacle,
the last possibly attainable point of elevation in the growth of
moral worth and intellectuality and power--and if it meets with
the opposition which we know it has met with, we are confronted
in our own minds with the inquiry--who are the men, what are the
character and denomination of the people who raise their voices
against the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in its apostolical
purity in this the dispensation of the fullness of times? Is it
the infidel? Is it the atheist, the man who believes that there
is no God nor any controlling power but that which exists in the
forms of matter we behold? Is it the man who ignores the Supreme
Being, the ruler of the universe? Is it that class of people who
live without God, and without hope and without faith in the world
to come? Not exactly that class; but it meets with opposition
from precisely a corresponding class of men that this cause met
with in the early days of Christianity, namely, from Christian
ministers, from the propounders of the doctrines of Christianity,
from commentators, from men who profess to have studied the law
of God, and the revealed religion of Jesus Christ--these are the
men who to-day, in our midst, here in Salt Lake City, in our
cities and villages throughout this Territory and elsewhere,
claim to be the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus of
Nazareth, the crucified, the Redeemer, as the Savior of the whole
world, of all mankind, the men who tell you he came into this
world and that he endured persecution and every form of ignominy,
every form of calumny and reproach in order to introduce the
glorious principles of Christianity, to introduce the doctrine of
faith in God as the Supreme Creator of the universe, faith in his
Son Jesus Christ as the world's Redeemer, faith in the Holy
Spirit as the only guide of mankind unto all truth, the spirit of
truth which was promised by Jesus that should come and make the
ministry of his Apostles effective, and reveal unto them things
past, things present, and show them things to come. Men who teach
these principles are the men who oppose the teachings of the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which was preached by the Apostle
Paul, which was preached by Peter, which was preached by all the
Apostles, and above all, which was illustrated, not only in the
teachings, but in the entire life and ministry of Christ, and of
his immediate followers. Well, is this not very strange. Has it
never occurred to some of our people that there must be some
cause for this? Why was it that the Jewish Rabbis and teachers of
the law, those men who looked so contemptuously upon the poor
despised Nazarene and his equally contemptible followers, the
fishermen, whom he had gathered together as his disciples from
the sea coast of Galilee; men who had studied the prophecies, men
who claimed to have Abraham for their father, men who claimed to
be well-disposed towards every agency which tended to bring to
pass the fulfillment of prophecy and execute the terms
thereof--why was it that they of all other men should be the men
from whom the Savior and his disciplesmet the severest
opposition? Has it ever occurred to us that this is a strange
inconsistency? If this position had been developed among a people
and had been exerted by a class of men and women who were
unbelievers in revelation, who were professedly infidel to the
doctrines of prophets, to the teachings of patriarchs, to the
spirit and revelations of Evangelists and of Apostles, we would
not be surprised; but we find that the most powerful agencies
that had been brought to bear for the suppression of
Christianity, for the overthrow of its doctrines, for the
retardation of its success throughout the land, were fostered by
men who, from their professed adherence to the scriptures of
divine truth, to the writings of Moses and the Prophets which
they claimed to be in possession of, should have been its warmest
friends; it should have received from them the most effective
support; but on the contrary, it received from them the most
heartless and unprincipled opposition. And it appears that there
was but one solution to the problem, and that solution in their
minds was this: This man is a promoter of sedition, we must have
him taken out of the way, and so clamorous become the demand for
the surrender of the great teacher and founder of Christianity,
Jesus of Nazareth, that the populace cried, "away with him, away
with him, crucify him, crucify him;" and when the judges of the
land, after investigating the charge brought against him, had
discovered there was no cause for death in that man, and,
moreover, as it was announced "in this just man;" while they did
not choose to impugn the judgment of the judge as to his purity,
or call in question his reading of the law, yet they nevertheless
cried out "his blood be upon our heads; never mind if it is not
right, never mind if it is not legal, we do not care for that,
away with him; release unto us Barrabas; give us a robber, give
us a thief, give us any kind of individual and release him in
this jubilee of release to criminals; give any one a chance but
Jesus of Nazareth." This was the state of affairs. And why did
they want to get rid of him? Why did they wish to dispose of him
in this way? What had he done to them? What doctrines had he
taught that were in opposition even to the law or to good
morality? None whatever. He was acquitted before the highest
tribunal of his land, and one of our ablest jurists, Alexander
Innis, in reviewing the trial of Jesus of Nazareth, concluded
that in the light of the nineteenth century, in the advanced
state of the science of jurisprudence, the crucifixion of Jesus
Christ was a judicial murder. He went about continually doing
good. He berated men for their sins, to be sure. He chastised
them for their iniquity. He did call them hypocrites, he did call
them some uncomplimentary names, but they richly deserved it, and
any man who is acquainted with the history of the times, with the
morality of that age, with the depths of degradation to which men
and women had sunken, and the almost extinction of the first
conception of morality, knows full well that his accusations were
only too just, that there was no other cause for their ire being
raised against him other than it was true, and they could not
endure it. There are a great many people in this world of ours,
in this age, as there were in the age of which I am speaking, who
cannot endure sound doctrine. They prefer having men who will
teach them plausible and flattering theories, who will pander to
their power, who will cringe before the influence of wealth, who
will bow down at the shrine of the almighty dollar, and who dare
not let Jesus and his Apostles lift up their voices and proclaim
against the crying evils of the land. As Latter-day Saints we are
teaching the same principles, the same doctrines; and I need not
say here, that there are no Christian ministers to-day that
attempt from their pulpits to take up the subject of our
religion, to take up any of the leading doctrines and principles
of our faith, and with the word of God in their hand and with
sound reason brought to bear upon the doctrines taught by the
Latter-day Saints and by those taught in ancient times, to show
that our doctrines are anti-scriptural, that they are unbiblical;
but they will say that they are unchristian, that it is not in
accord with the popular sympathies and popular sentiments of the
times; that it is not in accord with men's ideas of morality, of
respectability and of cultivation. Yet show me where there are
any doctrines or principles taught by the Latter-day Saints that
are not in the strictest accord, in the most perfect harmony, in
the closest union with the teachings and doctrines taught
centuries ago? There are not any to be found; and yet we hear the
cry of immorality; we hear the cry of barbarism, of infidelity,
of names that I hardly like to repeat, applied to the Latter-day
Saints just as they were applied to Jesus and the Apostles, 1800
years ago.
256
My friends, if the popular prejudices of the first or second
century of the Christian era had continued to be the dominant
influence of the world and had suppressed the promulgation of the
principles of Christianity and the maintenance of their claim
upon men and women, where would your boasted Christianity be
to-day? where would your enlightenment be to-day if the
revelations of Jesus Christ had been swept out of existence, if
the world had been deprived of them entirely, what would be our
state at the present time? It is true we have had a long reign of
apostacy; it is true that from 1,400 to 1,500 years have passed
away without any semblance of the Church of Christ upon the
earth. We have had apostate churches, we have had churches built
up according to the doctrines of men; we have had sects and
parties multiplied by the hundreds; but we have never had a
Christian Church. When the Church of Christ of Former-day Saints,
with its Prophets, Apostles, and inspired men; with its miracles,
gifts and powers disappeared from the earth, and the great
"Mother of harlots" that sitteth upon many waters, established a
church, and she begat children in her own likeness, until the
whole world has been filled, comparatively speaking, with the
effects of the degraded system that has grown out of an apostate
Christianity--I say, that from the time the Church of Christ
disappeared from the earth until it was restored and built upon
the foundation of living Prophets, Apostles, Evangelists, and the
living powers of the Holy Ghost, there was no Christian church
upon the earth. And this has all taken place, not for the purpose
of giving any class of men an opportunity of lifting themselves
up in the pride and vanity of their hearts, because they have
become instruments in the hands of God in bringing to pass the
restoration of those things which were predicted by the ancient
Prophets, and were to be fulfilled in the last days, but it has
been brought to pass in the fulfillment of measured prophecy, of
explicit and well-defined terms of revelation with no ambiguity
or uncertainty about them; the terms are as explicit, the
conditions are as comprehensive, as clear and as conspicuous as
the terms of any contract that was ever made between any two
intelligent beings.
256
I must, however, bring my remarks to a close. I am thankful for
the opportunity of announcing my feelings; of announcing our
views as a people with regard to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We
offer to the world the same Gospel that was proclaimed
anciently--faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; repentance of sin;
baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for
the reception of the Holy Ghost. And how is it that we meet with
opposition? We have the same opposition that the enemies of
Christianity waged against the Former-day Saints. Some people are
finding fault with the treatment that we are receiving to-day at
the hands of our government. I think many of us are laboring
under a mistake. Some people are astonished at the partiality
that is manifested in the law, and in the conditions in which the
law is to be applied to one class of the citizens of this
Territory and not against another. We are laboring under a
mistake. The government is not seeking to legislate against
immorality; and if we think they are doing so we are deceiving
ourselves. I consider myself that there is more consistency to be
accorded to those who are administrators of the laws of our
nation and the makers of those laws than some of us are inclined
to credit them with; but if we expect that the recent law which
has been enacted to apply to the people of Utah--to "polygamists
and bigamists"--is intended to suppress the social evil, it is a
mistake; it is not to touch anything outside "the marriage
relation;" there is no infringement on the liberties of abandoned
people; they can do as they please. The object of the law is to
restrict marriage; is to restrict the legitimate and divine
associations of the sexes; and if we suppose that it is intended
for anything else we are laboring under a mistake. Let us be
consistent, my friends, and wait. If our government wishes to
deal with this question first, it has the right to do so; if it
wishes to do it, it has the right to do it in the sense that the
the All-wise and Supreme Ruler of the universe. We are in the
hands of Him who setteth up kings and who dethroneth kings; who
buildeth up empires and casteth down thrones at His will and
pleasure. We are willing to abide the issue. It is God and the
rulers of our land for it. We cannot measure arms with them only
with our principles, but they will not fight us on that ground;
they slink back out of sight, they will not touch us with the
divine records in their hands; they dare not come to the front
and challenge a comparison of the principles of Christianity with
the record upon which they profess to found their faith. Excuse
the freedom I have taken to express these thoughts; but I am a
little astonished at the apparent inconsistency manifest in the
legislative discriminations enacted against the Latter-day
Saints, and would say, Oh consistency, thou art a jewel rarely to
be found.
257
May God sustain this people; may He fill their hearts with faith
and hope and confidence. We will seek to live our religion, and
to pray to the God of Daniel, the God of Moses, to the God of our
forefathers, to the God of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, to the
God of the universe, the Father of all; that He will direct and
guide us in this great contest--I mean the contest that is being
waged between pure Christianity and the errors of the world,
until this earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God as the
waters cover the mighty deep. This is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 23 / John
Taylor, October 8, 1882
John Taylor, October 8, 1882
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, October 8, 1882.
Reported by John Irvine.
THE MIGHTY MISSION OF THE SAINTS--GOD'S DEALINGS WITH THE WORLD
IN ANCIENT
AND MODERN TIMES--GOD'S AUTHORSHIP OF CREATION AND RIGHT TO
RULE--MAN'S
AGENCY, THE GOSPEL AND THE GATHERING--ITS ATTEMPTED SUPPRESSION,
CONTRASTED
STATESMANSHIP--THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND HER DAUGHTERS--THE
POLITICAL
SITUATION IN UTAH--THE RIGHTS OF MAN, THE SUPPORTERS AND
SUBVERTERS OF LAW
AND ORDER--RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE AND POLITICAL INJUSTICE--THE
LATTER-DAY
SAINTS THE FUTURE SAVIORS OF AMERICA--THE EDMUNDS ACT AND ITS
UNJUST
OPERATION--REVEREND FALSIFIERS AND THEIR DUPES--EXHORTATION TO
THE
PRIESTHOOD AND THE PEOPLE.
258
We have had a very interesting Conference, and a great many
thoughts, ideas and reflections have been presented to the people
in a clear and pointed manner, and I have been pleased to see the
unanimity and harmony that have existed in our midst. And while I
attempt to speak to you I shall ask an interest in your prayers
that I may be strengthened to perform the labor. It is difficult
for a people to understand and to retain everything that may be
said in a Conference like this, where there are so many subjects
dwelt upon and so many principles enunciated; but it is a great
blessing for us that we are situated as we are, and that we
possess the intelligence which has been communicated from time to
time. Many great and precious principles having been revealed
unto us, it becomes necessary for us to try to comprehend them,
that we may understand the position we occupy before God, before
the world in which we live, and before the intelligences that
exist behind the veil in the eternal worlds. We have a great and
important mission committed unto us, and it is for us to seek to
comprehend that mission and fulfill the various duties and
responsibilities devolving upon us. The Lord has given unto us a
form of government, an organization, priesthood and authority to
enable us to perform these several duties, and he has certain
plans, purposes and designs to accomplish pertaining to us,
pertaining to this nation, to other nations, and to the world in
which we live,--pertaining to those who have lived and are now in
another state of existence, and also pertaining to those who
shall yet live.
258
The time in which we live is denominated in Scripture "the
dispensation of the fullness of times," wherein it is said God
will gather together all things in one, whether they be things in
the earth or things in the heavens. This dispensation embraces
all other dispensations, all principles and powers, rights,
privileges, immunities and developments that have existed among
men in the various ages that are past. This globe did not
originate with man, nor was it constructed, designed or
manipulated by him, nor were any of its organisms, sentient or
inanimate; for we are told that in the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth and all that in them is: nor did this
dispensation with which we are associated, nor have any of the
dispensations associated with the works, plans or designs of the
Almighty originated with man. After man had fallen, and it became
necessary that he be driven from the garden, it needed the
interposition of the Almighty, for as is said in the Book of Job,
it was necessary to "deliver his soul from the pit; I have found
a ransom." That ransom was the Only Begotten Son of God who
offered himself in the beginning to meet the demands of justice,
to carry out the purposes of the Almighty, and to be a Savior and
Redeemer to man. Adam was perfectly helpless in this respect, and
it needed the direct interposition of the Almighty for the
accomplishment of this object. In the patriarchal, or
antediluvian age, when men were put in possession of any hope,
any intelligence, any knowledge, or any revelation pertaining to
God, these things did not originate with man, they came from the
Lord and were given by inspiration; and when on account of the
wickedness and corruption of mankind the old world had to be
destroyed, a way was provided for a small remnant to be spared,
By whom? By man? No. God dictated it. The Prophets prophesied
about it. They taught the antediluvians as the people of this day
are being taught, they warned them of the impending ruin that
would overwhelm them, of the prison house to which they would go,
and of the wrath and indignation of Heaven which would be poured
out upon the peoples of the earth. It came to pass as they had
declared. But God provided a way for the perpetuation of the
human family. It was foretold to Methuselah that his seed should
be preserved to perpetuate the human family upon the earth, and
it was so, Noah, who was one of his descendants, fulfilled that
decree.
259
Again, in later ages when the children of Israel were in bondage
in Egypt, they did not originate the method of their own
deliverance, or point out the way for its accomplishment. They
were in a state of bondage and vassalage. God raised them up a
Moses, revealed His will to him, set him apart for this mission,
told him what to do, and after some little difficulties arising
from human weakness were removed, Moses was accepted, and the
Lord became his instructor, and pointed out in all instances the
course that he should pursue, and in what manner the children of
Israel were to be delivered, and He, the Holy One of Israel, gave
them His law and ordinances, and revealed unto them His will, and
stood by and sustained, guided and directed them. This salvation
did not come from the people, it did not originate with them,
they owed it all to God, the source of all truth, all light, all
intelligence, all power and blessings. The time at length arrived
that the Son of God was to come. Neither the Scribes and
Pharisees, the High Priests and Saducees, nor any of the sects
and parties of the day comprehended the things that were about to
transpire, and had nothing to do with bringing them to pass. His
advent was announced to His mother by an angel, and His birth was
heralded to shepherds by an angelic host, and the wise men of the
East were led by his star to Bethlehem of Judea, where they found
the infant Savior, whom they recognized as the Messiah, and to
whom they brought presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh; and
whom they worshipped.
259
It is said in speaking of the Son of God, that he did not come to
do His own will, nor to carry out His own purposes, nor to
fulfill any particular plan of his own, but he came to do the
will of his Father who sent him. Jesus in selecting his
disciples, took one man here and another there--a tax gatherer, a
fisherman, and others who it was thought were the most unlikely
of any men to carry out the purposes of God. He left the great
men out of the question, that is the High Priests and the popular
and pious of all classes, and he selected his own laborers to
perform his own work; and he subsequently told them, You have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you and set you apart unto this
mission. When a message had to be proclaimed to the world in
these last days the agents were chosen on the same principle.
There was any amount of teachers of divinity, any amount of
professors of theology, any amount of reverend, and right
reverend fathers and all classes of religious men and religious
teachers; but God did not recognize them. He chose a young
uneducated man and inspired him with the spirit of revelation,
and placed upon him a mission and required him to perform it; and
he was obedient to that requirement. I speak of this to show that
we none of us had anything to do with the introduction of this
work, but that, as in all other dispensations in the various ages
of the world, God was the originator of everything that tended to
develop a knowledge of Himself and of his plans and purposes; to
unfold the past, to develop the present, and to make manifest the
future.
260
To whom are we indebted for this book, called the Bible. We are
told that holy men of old spake as they were moved upon by the
Holy Ghost. And from whence did they receive that Holy Ghost? Not
of man, nor by man, but by the revelations of God, through our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We sometimes feel to exalt
ourselves a little in the position that we occupy pertaining to
the Priesthood, pertaining to our organization, and pertaining to
ordinances, etc. What have we to glory in? Nothing. None of us
knew anything until it was revealed. None of us could comprehend
any of these principles only as they have been made manifest. But
by obedience to the Gospel we have received the Holy Ghost, and
that Spirit takes of the things of God, and shows them to us. We
have received this and hence have been baptized into one baptism,
and all partaken of the self-same Spirit, as Paul expressed it,
"dividing to every man severally as he will." The question
arises, What is the object of this? It is that the world should
be visited from time to time and communications made to the human
family. Because light cleaves to light, truth cleaves to truth,
intelligence cleaves to intelligence; and as we are all made in
the image of God, and as God is the God and Father of the spirits
of all flesh, it is His right, it is His prerogative to
communicate with the human family. We are told that there is a
spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth it
understanding. God having made the earth, made the people to
inhabit it, and made all things that exist therein, has a right
to dictate, has a right to make known His will, has a right to
communicate with whom he will and control matters as he sees
proper: it belongs to him by right; and he has seen proper in
these last days to restore His Gospel to the earth, and, as I
said before, intelligence cleaves to intelligence. We read in the
Scriptures concerning man being a son of God. We read in the
Scriptures about men becoming the adopted sons of God through
obedience to the Gospel. Hence it is said: "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." By what means? Through the atonement of Jesus
Christ and by the medium of the Gospel, which has been introduced
in different ages for that purpose. God having felt disposed to
reveal the Gospel in these last days, has given the same
principles and powers, the same light, revelation and
intelligence that he did in former ages, for the accomplishment
of the same work, and for the fulfillment of his purposes
relating to the human family who are his children. Hence we
occupy a very peculiar position in relation to God, in relation
to the earth in which we live and the people thereof--in relation
to both--to the living and to the dead.
262
It is proper for us to comprehend the position that we occupy. We
sometimes arrive at curious conclusions pertaining to the
wickedness of the world, and a variety of other things associated
therewith. And permit me to say here, that we had no more to do
with the peoples of the world, or the placing of them in the
position they occupy, than we had in restoring the Gospel. We
find ourselves a few people mixed up with the world. We find too
that when the word of God is made manifest and the revelations of
God are developed, that many things as they exist amongst mankind
are out of order. There is a great amount of priestcraft,
idolatry, corruption, oppression, tyranny, murder, bloodshed,
covetousness, licentiousness, and every kind of iniquity that can
be conceived of; and that is more clearly made manifest to us
because the Lord has been teaching us through the Prophets, and
inspiring us with other feelings, and given unto us to comprehend
things more clearly than others do. But what have we to do with
the people of the world? We complain sometimes that they do not
treat us exactly right. Well, they do not in all respects, and I
do not think this is very difficult to understand. But there is
nothing new about that, God has revealed unto us His law, and
they do not comprehend it, neither do they want to; nor did the
antediluvians. They were very wicked, very corrupt and very
depraved, very immoral and very dishonest; but that was a matter
between them and the Lord, and he dealt with them; and it is his
business to deal with the nations of the earth at the present
time and not ours further than we are directed by him. What is
the mission that we have to perform to this nation? It is to
preach the Gospel. That is one thing. That was the mission given
to the disciples of Jesus in his day: Go ye into all the world
and preach the Gospel; he that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned. This mission is
being carried out in the fact of our sending representatives of
this latter-day work to all the civilized nations that will
receive our missionaries. But we are not placed here to control
people; we are not placed here to use any improper influence over
the minds or consciences of men. It is not for us to attempt to
do what Mahomet did--to say that there was but one God, and
Mahomet was his prophet, and by force compel all others to
acknowledge it. To attempt to do that would be to attempt to
interfere with the agency of man; and anything of that kind is
altogether foreign to the character and spirit of our mission. We
preach the Gospel to the people, and it is for them to receive or
reject as they may choose. We have done this to a great extent.
Many of you Elders who are before and around me--and there are
some thousands--have been engaged preaching this Gospel, but none
of you ever used coercion, none of you ever attempted to force
any man to obey the message you had to declare. If you did, you
did not understand your calling. And when you have been among the
different nations preaching this Gospel, have you sought to
interfere with their governments or with their laws, or
endeavored to stir up commotion or rebellion or trouble of any
kind? No. I am at the defiance of the world to prove any such
statement. That does not belong to our faith. When the Elders are
sent forth, they go as servants of God with a message from the
Lord, to unfold the Scriptures, and to bear testimony of the
things that they themselves are witnesses of; and to administer
the ordinances of the Gospel to all those who believe on their
words. This is the position that we occupy in these matters. And
what else do we do? We gather the people together; and they no
sooner receive this Gospel than they are anxious to gather with
the people of God. Why? Because the Scriptures say that they
would? Because the Scriptures say, "gather my people, those that
have made covenant with me by sacrifice?" No, but because they
have obeyed the Gospel and received the Holy Ghost, and that Holy
Ghost has instructed them pertaining to these matters, as it
instructed the prophets in former times that such an event would
transpire. The people have gathered together, and you could not
keep them back if you were to try to. They have been trying. You
know that Mr. Evarts wrote communications to the European
ministers requesting them to use their influence by way of
putting a stop to the "Mormon" emigration. It is rather a sorry
comment upon the government of this nation, that boasts of being
"the land of the free, the home of the brave, and the asylum for
the oppressed," and that a little over a hundred years ago the
chief complaint against the nation from whence the colonists
came, was the lack of religious toleration; to think that they
should so far forget their original condition as to call upon
what they term the effete monarchies of Europe to assist them in
suppressing religious liberty and controlling human freedom. And
when this subject was brought before Mr. Gladstone, the Prime
Minister of Great Britain, a short time ago by some pragmatical
zealot in the British Parliament, calling his attention to the
request of the American Secretary, he very distinctly told him
that "he was unable to interfere with the operations of the
Mormons in England, as he presumed their converts went with them
willingly." Thus while the American government is trying to exert
force and to interfere with religious matters and bind the
consciences of men, the British government pleads for and
guarantees to its subjects religious and social liberty. I am
told that Mr. Evarts is a great-grandson of Roger Sherman, one of
the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I should not have
thought that that gentleman would have so soon forgotten the
position occupied by his ancestor. But it seems that such is the
fact, nevertheless.
262
I repeat, our mission is to preach the Gospel, and then to gather
the people who embrace it. And why? That there might be a nucleus
formed, a people gathered who would be under the inspiration of
the Almighty, and who would be willing to listen to the voice of
God, a people who would receive and obey His word when it was
made known to them. And this people in their gathered condition
are called Zion, or the pure in heart. I wish we were pure in
heart; that is, I wish we were more so than we are. And this is
something that we all need to reflect upon, to consider the pit
from whence we were dug, and the rock from whence we were hewn. I
have heard people say, they were born in sin, and cradled in
iniquity. It is probably very true. Many of us have been rocked
in these cradles, and we have been nurtured amidst infamies, and
we have been surrounded by and enveloped in evils of all kinds.
We talk sometimes about Babylon--"Come out of her O my people,
that ye partake not of her sins, nor receive of her plagues." We
need not say too much about those people, for we came out from
them ourselves; and it would not be becoming on our part to speak
badly about our former status. That reminds me of a conversation
I had some years ago with some Protestants who were abusing the
Catholics. I reminded them of the fact that they descended from
them. They were calling the Catholic Church the Mother of
Harlots. Well, said I, if that be true, she has brought forth a
scurvy offspring. History certainly informs us that the
Protestants came out from the Catholics, and therefore, if the
Catholic Church is the mother, they certainly must be the
daughters, and one would think there should be some affinity
between them. It is not considered proper for persons to rail
against their mother.
263
It is well for us to comprehend our position with regard to the
nation. Being gathered together, as a people, we have assumed a
political status, for we not only brought our religion and our
spirits with us, but our bodies also; and by thus being gathered
in this land we become naturally an integral part of the United
States. We have received by the act of the government of the
United States a territorial from of government, in which we are
authorized to perform certain functions of a political nature,
and to enjoy, as do all other Territories, the free and full
rights of American citizens therein, and thus have become a part
of the body politic of these United States, with all the rights,
privileges and immunities pertaining thereto, as exercised and
enjoyed by all American citizens throughout this broad land; and
these are guaranteed unto us in the Constitution of the United
States and by the Congress of the United States, in an instrument
denominated the Organic Act. And I will say this much for the
United States; with all her faults and infirmities, I do not
believe there is a nation upon the face of the earth to-day,
where we could have as much liberty as we here enjoy, and that is
precious little, God knows. We are told sometimes that we live
under popular government, and that the voice of the people rules.
It used to, but who rules now? Well, no matter, we have got to
make the best we can of it. We have a territorial form of
government, with a governor appointed by the administration. I
was going to say, God save the mark. We have judges and other
officers; and we have a nominal legislature that makes our laws,
but those laws can be vetoed by one man. There is a great deal of
absolutism about it. But these are the circumstances in which we
are placed; and I suppose it is thought by a great many that we
ought to consider it a great privilege to be allowed to live. We
do think so, but we are not indebted to any officials for it;
they did not give us our life, neither did this government. There
are certain principles that are inherent in man, that belong to
man, and that were enunciated in an early day, before the United
States government was formed, and they are principles that
rightfully belong to all men everywhere. They are described in
the Declaration of Independence as inalienable rights, one of
which is that men have a right to live; another is that they have
a right to pursue happiness; and another is that they have a
right to be free and no man has authority to deprive them of
those God-given rights, and none but tyrants would do it. These
principles I say, are inalienable in man; they belong to him;
they existed before any constitutions were framed or any laws
made. Men have in various ages striven to strip their fellow-men
of these rights, and dispossess them of them. And hence the wars,
the bloodshed and carnage that have spread over the earth. We
therefore are not indebted to the United States for these rights;
we were free as men born into the world, having the right to do
as we please, to act as we please, as long as we do not
transgress constitutional law nor violate the rights of others.
264
Being organized, then, into a government such as it is--that is,
the name of a government, the name of a legislature, the name of
a free people--being organized as we are, what next? We are
necessarily obliged to look after our affairs as men, our
political affairs. Our mission to the world is a mission of
peace, the Gospel proclaims peace on earth and good will to man.
Then, being organized in a governmental capacity, we have certain
rights. They profess to give them to us, but they don't. They try
to deprive us of them while professing to impart them. I might
enter into a long line of argument here; no matter, I am merely
speaking upon some general principles. What then is our duty
here, say as a people--leaving religion out of the question
altogether? As men and as American citizens, we have the right to
all the privileges, and immunities, protection and rights of
every kind that any men in these United States have, and no
honorable man or men would seek to deprive us of them. When we
talk about rights, these are the rights, as I understand them,
that we possess in this nation. Is it proper, therefore, for us,
as men and as citizens of the United States to look after our
rights? I think it is. Do we want to violate law? No, we do not,
although we know many of these laws are wrong, corrupt and
unconstitutional. We have no right to find fault with others
about their religion. We preach the Gospel; they receive or
reject it as they please. If we have found the benefit of
embracing it, let us be thankful; but we will not interfere with
them in their religion. Are they Methodists? They can worship as
they please--Presbyterians, Catholics, Baptists, or any other
"ists" can worship as they please, that is none of our business,
that is a matter between them and their God. But when they
interfere with our rights as citizens of the United States, it
becomes our business to look after our liberties.
264
As religionists we call upon them, as a duty committed to us, as
we aver, by the Almighty. Our mission is to call upon this nation
and all nations to repent of their sins, of their lasciviousness,
adulteries, fornications, murders, blasphemies and of all
dishonest and corrupt practices. But in this we use no force;
having laid these matters before them, they have their free will
to receive or reject. As religionists they may proclaim us
bigamists or polygamists or what they please, that is their
business, and they must answer for their own acts; as politicians
or statesmen they must at least give us the benefit of the
Constitution and laws; these, as a portion of the body politic,
we contend for as part of our political rights. We do not claim,
nor profess, nor desire to interfere with any man's religion or
conscience. We have nothing to do with their religion, nor they
with ours. Religious faith or belief is not a political factor.
The Constitution has debarred its introduction into the arena of
politics; and every officer of the United States has pledged
himself under a solemn oath to abide by and sustain that
Instrument, and not one of them can interfere with it without a
violation of his oath.
265
What have we done in defense of our liberties? I have heard
several people say that we are inclined to be aggressive. I think
we are not aggressive, but some of the laws are very aggressive.
We have a grand jury organized of some fifteen men. How many of
them are Latter-day Saints? Two, I think. So I suppose there is
one-tenth of the citizens of this Territory loyal, patriotic and
honorable, and the rest are considered to be unpatriotic,
disloyal, etc. But we ought at least to be tried before we are
condemned; that is the law as I understand it. Now this one-tenth
of loyal, good and virtuous people get thirteen men empaneled,
and the nine-tenths get but two to represent them. But
unfortunately for these loyal and patriotic people carefully
prepared statistics show that this ten percent of population
supplies eighty percent of the criminals. How is it in other
things? There is considerable said about offices and officers.
Where is there a man appointed from among the people to hold any
office in the gift of the national government? To use the words
of a thoughtful non-"Mormon" observer, though the 'Gentiles'
constitute only ten percent of the population, yet from this
small minority are taken the incumbents of nearly every position
of influence and emolument. They have the governor, with absolute
veto power, secretary, judges, marshals, prosecuting attorney,
land register, recorder, surveyor-general, clerks of the courts,
commissioners, principal post-office mail contractors, postal
agents, revenue assessors and collectors, superintendent of
Indian affairs, Indian agencies, Indian supplies, army
contractors, etc."
265
According to the common usages of men, we have at least a
reasonable right to our proper proportion, but it is evident we
do not have it. And then our educational interests are interfered
with by these very men who state how ignorant we are. For
instance, the Legislature of Utah appropriated the means of the
people to help build a university. Who was to furnish the means?
The people of this territory. Who said they should not do it? The
Governor, and through his action the appropriation was vetoed.
These are some of the things we have to contend with. On the
other hand, laws are enacted inimical to the interests of this
people. And then His Excellency goes to work and appoints a set
of officers contrary to the law of the land; goes beyond the act
of Congress and appoints officers to fill nearly every office in
the Territory, vacant or not, as the case may be. I am not going
to enter into the details of it, but we have generally found that
there were people in those offices; that they had a right there,
and that the law provided that they should hold over until their
successors were elected and qualified. I believe the law so
reads; indeed, I am told that the law not only reads so, but that
the Governor's commissions to many of these officers also reads
so, and hence his present action is violative of his own
commission.
266
These are some of the things we have to contend with.--Do we wish
to fight the government of the United States? No. What shall we
do? Stand up for the rights granted to us by the laws and
constitution of the United States as American citizens. We have
ex post facto laws, religious inquisitorial laws, we have laws
which smack strongly of bills of attainder, and we have test
oaths presented, all of which and many others are
unconstitutional and are violative of our constitutional rights.
I have the opinion of some of the best jurists of the nation to
the effect that all these things are a violation of law, and that
men have no business to be subjected to such infamies, nor become
their own accusers. An eminent jurist speaking of this queried
how this kind of thing would apply in Washington, where
miscegenation has prevailed to so great an extent. Suppose some
of those who practised this thing were placed under such a law,
how would it operate with them? Why several members of Congress
have said that if the Edmunds law had been made applicable to
adulterers, and men had to become their own accusers, it would
unseat three-fourths of the members of Congress. Ex post facto
laws, have been passed, which are clearly unconstitutional, and
it is for us to test them in the courts, and we mean to do it;
for although as religionists we go as messengers of peace to the
nations, yet as American citizens we mean to contend for our
rights, inch by inch, legally and constitutionally, God being our
helper.
266
Another thing God expects us to do, and that is to maintain the
principle of human rights. I have felt sorrowful in watching the
action of Congress towards us--sorrowful, not only on our own
account, but on theirs. We fear no evil arising from those
things, for we are anxiously performing our duty before God. But
we owe it to ourselves as men, we owe it to our families, our
children, and to posterity; we owe it to the lovers of freedom in
this land, of which there are thousands, yea, millions, who
despise acts of oppression and tyranny; we owe it to all
liberty-loving men, to stand up for human rights and protect
human freedom, and in the name of God we will do it, and let all
the congregation say Amen. (The immense congregation responded,
Amen.)
266
Joseph, the despised of his father's house became their
deliverer. Moses, the foundling and outcast of Egypt, became the
deliverer and lawgiver of Israel. Jesus, the despised Nazarene,
introduced principles that revolutionized the moral ideas and
ethics of the world. And it may not be among the improbabilities,
that the prophecies of Joseph Smith may be fulfilled and that the
calumniated and despised Mormons may yet become the protectors of
the Constitution and the guardians of religious liberty and human
freedom in these United States.
267
Now these are some of my feelings upon some of these points. And
I will proceed a little further and say that I do not blame many
men for entertaining the sentiments which they do towards us.
There is a feeling and desire to see fair play and honesty deep
down in the hearts of millions of the people of these United
States, who ardently desire to see justice equally and honorably
administered to all people within the nation. That was manifested
very clearly during the passage of the Edmunds bill, and while
many of those venerable Senators and honorable members of the
House could not conscientiously with their limited information
and the false statements made by our enemies sustain Polygamy,
yet, to their honor be it spoken, they endeavored to maintain
human rights, free toleration and religious liberty, and the
rights of man without distinction of party throughout the realm.
We honor, appreciate and respect such men as honorable
representatives of the founders of this nation, and of the
thousands who to-day embrace similar opinions. It is the
debauched, the corrupt, the violators of principles and law and
desecrators of the sacred principles of liberty, it is their
pernicious practices which are striking at the foundation of the
institutions of this country and which are demoralizing and
destroying the nation, and there are thousands of highminded and
honorable men to-day who, on account of trickery, hypocrisy,
dishonesty and crime stand aloof from the filthy pool of
politics. They have seen honor, truth, integrity and virtue
trampled under foot, they have seen corruption and crime like a
repulsive octopus pushing its Briarean arms into every department
of State; they have seen corruption and crime like a deadly
simoom permeating every department of the body politic, and
debauching and corrupting the nation, and they have shrunk from
the disgusting contact; how far they can reconcile this with
their ideas of patriotism it is for these aggressors to say. It
is not the honorable and upright, the men of virtue and integrity
that we would proclaim against; it is the vicious, the
untruthful, the calumniators, the corrupt and debauched, the
stirrers up of sedition and strife, and the enemies of law,
order, virtue, righteousness, justice, human liberty and the
rights of man to whom our remarks would apply.
267
Again, Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, and all
classes have come among us, and who has interfered with them? Has
anybody interfered with their worship? No. Has any violence of
any kind been offered them? No, you cannot find it. We are at
their defiance to show any such thing here. What have we done? We
have fostered them, as has been referred to; we have treated them
courteously and kindly and gentlemanly as honorable people ought
to do. What have they done? Combined together to publish some of
the most abominable falsehoods that were ever circulated with
regard to any community. Now, this becomes rather a serious
matter. Talk about love for these people! I would do them good.
If they were hungry I would feed them; if they were naked I would
clothe them; if they were sick I would administer to them; but if
they lied about me and about this people I would tell them they
were liars and defamers; I do not care how pious they are, or how
much religion they have got, I would tell them the naked truth in
relation to these matters.
267
They are the avowed advocates of moral reform, profess to be
shocked at our moral obliquity and complain of us as being
licentious and corrupt. Even every prominent Christian minister
in this city joined in a protest against customs inculcated in
the Scriptures by the Almighty, and practised by Abraham, Jacob,
David, and hosts of the most venerated and honorable men that
ever lived, practices which they aver are lascivious and corrupt;
and these same ministers issued a circular calling upon their
fellow-ministers and brother Christians throughout the United
States to petition Congress for legislation which should stop, as
they claim, the "foul system of polygamy," and hypocritically
inserted, to blind the eyes of those not familiar with Utah
matters, a request for legislation for the suppression of
"adultery, seduction, lewd and lascivious cohabitation and
kindred offences," that they might "be punishable as in the
States and other Territories of the Union;" and political
demagogues joined with them in the crusade.
268
Predicated upon these solicitations scores of petitions were
forwarded to Congress to this effect. They obtained their
legislation and in their frantic Christian zeal to stamp out
polygamy, a Bible institution, Congress, under this priestly
influence so far forgot the inalienable rights of man,
constitutional guarantees and forms of jurisprudence, as to
disfranchise nine-tenths of this community for the alleged crime
of the one-tenth, and that too, without trial; thus making the
innocent suffer for the alleged acts of the guilty. And to-day an
infamous, expurgatory test oath is introduced, at variance with
all precedents in this nation, which as stated by Judge Black, is
altogether "odious, unjust and unconstitutional," which "reverses
those rules of evidence which lie at the foundation of civil
liberty," and is a flagrant, violent and direct attack upon the
inherent rights of man. Thus in their intemperate, religious zeal
making a direct onslaught upon the bulwarks of republican
institutions, jeopardizing the safety of the state, and
thoughtlessly, recklessly and inconsiderately ignoring every just
principle; assailing the fundamental doctrines of political and
religious freedom; and exerting all their energies in attacking a
phantom to tear down the pillars of state and to destroy the
Temple of Liberty, though they themselves, as a Samson, perish in
the ruins.
268
What is the moral effect? This same test-oath, while it assails a
scriptural usage practised by the most renowned, revered and
honorable men of antiquity, who are denominated men of
righteousness and the friends of God, protects and sustains the
degraded, corrupt and licentious who are supposed to be good
Christians and not polygamists.
268
A very honorable, upright and virtuous gentleman, whom no one
will accuse of immorality or vice--the respected ex-mayor of this
city, who has filled that office with dignity and honor for the
last six years, has a son who was appointed registrar for the
Fifth Precinct in this city; this son had the painful and
humiliating duty to perform of refusing to register his father's
name, because many years ago he had had more than one wife, but
who, through death, was for some time without a wife at all, and
has lately married one wife; and yet this young man had to
perform the disgusting task, according to the provisions of said
test-oath, of registering a notorious keeper of a bagnio, and
many of her harlot associates. Another circumstance occurred of a
gentleman who came to be registered, but thought it would be
impracticable for him to take the test-oath. More honorable than
many of his pious associates, he suggested that he did not know
that he could take the prescribed oath, for he not only had a
wife, but kept a mistress, but on examination he found the oath
exempted all those who might engage in illicit intercourse,
provided the association was not, as expressed in the oath, "in
the marriage relation." On discovering this, he observed, "I can
take that oath, for I am only married to one;" and he was
accepted. Another young man in this city, whilst having the test
oath read to him, said he could not take it, as he could not
swear that he had not cohabited with more than one woman; but
when the reading was continued and the words "in the marriage
relation" sounded in his ears, he said, "I can go that," and was
duly sworn.
269
Thus these moral and religious reformers and teachers, these
professors of high moral ideas, these inveighers against a
scriptural practice professedly because it is immoral, have
introduced safeguards to protect the libertine, the voluptuary
and the harlot, whilst they have made criminals of those who have
been observing a law instituted by the Almighty. Perhaps it would
be considered too severe to call these "reverend gentlemen" and
those "venerable seigneurs" who occupy honorable positions in
Congress by the harsh name of hypocrites, yet it is very
humiliating to the sensitive and virtuous to contemplate the
result of their ill-timed and intemperate acts, for they have
thus made themselves, while professing purity, the advocates and
abettors of vice, licentiousness, immorality and crime.
269
I wish here to apologize a little for the people of the United
States, for I think sometimes we carry the thing too far in
relation to them. Here are men supposed--would be in any other
community--to be honorable men, reverend men that are teachers of
religion, combining against us. And because they are considered
honorable men, people say, why there is the Reverend Mr. So and
So and So and So, they have requested us to send petitions to
Congress, to do this and that because of the wickedness and
abominations of this people, and their misrepresentations and
falsehoods have been circulated in the religious magazines and in
the political papers, until the people abroad hardly know what to
think. Many of them think we are a very infamous people; they
think we are a great deal more corrupt than they are, and that we
need not be. And they go to work to legislate to correct our
morals. Now, with thousands of papers circulating these
falsehoods, and these falsehoods coming from supposed religious
and honorable men, is it any wonder that the people should be
deceived with regard to us. I read to-day an account of an
attempt to drive our Elders from some of their fields of labor?
What for? Because they are "Mormons." They are so wicked and so
corrupt, and all because the papers and reverend ministers said
so and so; and thus thousands of honorable men are deceived; but
many of them, when they come to a knowledge of the truth, will
rejoice in it. I want, then, to stand in defence of many of the
people of the United States who are thus deceived. It is said in
the scriptures that the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a
flood. We have certainly had floods of falsehoods, originating,
many of them, with these pious people. Do we want much
association with these people? I think not. If they circulate
falsehoods about us, can we respect them very much? I think not.
We cannot hold communion with people who are corrupt, low and
degraded. We were down in the sloughs a little while ago
ourselves; we have come out from among them and know what they
are. We know the infamies which exist there, the licentiousness,
the corruption, the social evil, adulteries, fornication, sodomy,
child murder, and every kind of infamy. And they come here and
want to teach our children these things. We have got to be
careful how we guard our homes, our firesides, our wives, our
sons and our daughters, from their association. We don't want
these practices insidiously introduced among us. We want to
preserve our purity, our virtue, our honor, and our integrity.
270
The time is hastening on, and I shall have to stop. I wish to
make some further remarks, and would have liked to have talked
some time longer. But what shall we do? I will tell you what I
will try to do. I will try and humble myself before the Lord and
seek for his blessing, and say as one of old said: "Search me, Oh
God, and know my heart; try me and know my thoughts; and see if
there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting." I have talked with my counselors in the same way,
and they are of the same mind. We have talked with the Twelve
about these things, and they are of the same mind. Now, we call
upon all you Seventies, High Priests and Elders, you Bishops,
Priests, Teachers and Deacons individually and your quorum
capacity, upon the heads of families, upon the various
organizations in the Church, upon all the Saints who profess to
revere His name, to humble yourselves before God, to lay aside
your covetousness and your evils of every kind. And when you have
done so, you that meet together for prayers in your holy places,
call upon God for guidance, direction and deliverance, and he
will hear your prayers and deliver you, and your enemies shall
have no power over you, for God is on the side of Israel, and he
will preserve his people. No power can stay the progress of this
work, for it is onward, onward, onward, and will be, until the
kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and His
Christ, and until every creature in heaven and in the earth and
under the earth shall be heard to exclaim, Blessings 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
for ever.
270
We will leave the wicked in the hands of God: He will deal with
them in his own way. We are told that the wicked shall slay the
wicked; and one thing that I am sorry over in this nation is
this: that they are striking at the tree of liberty and trying to
fetter humanity and bring men into bondage, they are laying the
axe at the root of this government, and unless they speedily turn
round and repent and follow the principles they have sworn to
sustain--the principles contained in the Constitution of the
United States--they will be overthrown, they will be split up and
divided, be disintegrated and become weak as water; for the Lord
will handle them in his own way. I say these things in sorrow;
but as sure as God lives u