Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25
Journal of Discourses,
Volume 25
2
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEO. Q. CANNON,
Delivered in the Meeting House, Provo,
Sunday Morning, September 2nd, 1883.
Reported by John Irvine.
(Concluded from page 376, JOURNAL DISCOURSES)
TRAVELING THROUGH THE SETTLEMENTS--THE NECESSITY OF THE
SETTLEMENTS BEING
VISITED--REVELATION--BOGUS AUTHORITY OF SECTARIAN PREACHERS--THE
CLAIM THAT
THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE IS FULL--THE CAUSE OF THERE BEING NO
COMMUNICATION
WITH GOD--VISITATION OF THE FATHER AND SON AND HOLY ANGELES TO
JOSEPH
SMITH--MAHOMED--THE WORLD NO IDEA OF THE CHARACTER OF
GOD--RESTORATION OF
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD--ANGELS NOT FEATHERED BEINGS--NO WONDER THE
WORLD HAS
GONE ASTRAY--SPACE BETWEEN DEATH AND THE RESURRECTION--THE REIGN
OF
SATAN--JOSEPH SMITH ACCOMPLISHED HIS MISSION--PERSECUTION--THIS
NATION
MAKING JOSEPH SMITH A PROPHET--NO SURRENDERING THE KINGDOM OF
GOD--GOD
WILL DELIVER HIS PEOPLE--TEMPLES--SHALL THOSE WHO HAVE OBEYED THE
LAW OF
GOD BE LOOKED DOWN UPON BY THOSE WHO HAVE NOT?--CONCLUSION.
3
All that is necessary on our part is to fear God and keep his
commandments--to be brave and loyal and true to the cause that He
has established upon the earth--to live such lives of purity as
shall enlist heaven in our behalf. That is all that is necessary
for us as individuals, or as a people, to do. God is doing a
great work among us, much greater than many of us imagine. We do
not see Him, but He is nevertheless in our midst. We do not see
Jesus, but He is nevertheless in our midst. We do not see angels,
but they are nevertheless in our midst. God is working to get
this people to the perfection that He desires them to attain. We
are building Temples. Who shall enter these Temples when
completed? Shall the adulterer? Shall the whoremonger? Shall the
thief? Shall the drunkard? Shall the blasphemer? Shall the
Sabbath breaker? Shall the men who defile themselves by the sins
of the world enter therein and receive all those precious
blessings that God has to bestow? Ask yourselves who shall enter
therein. I tell you, my brethren and sisters, that God demands of
us a holiness of life that we cannot conceive of at the present
time; but there are duties we can conceive of, that we should
attend to. We should put away sin far from us. We should live so
that our God will be very near to us. And we should encourage
faith in our hearts.
4
There is a class of people who have been disfranchised because
they have chosen to obey the word of God; they have been excluded
from the polls, excluded from office, and another class of
Latter-day Saints are now in possession of the offices. Shall
those who have not obeyed the law of God as perfectly as their
brethren and sisters shall they look down upon those who have
obeyed that law and say: "You have been put out of office; we
have chosen the better part; we have done that which has resulted
in the most good; and if it had not been that we were reluctant
to obey that law, this Territory to-day would not be in the hands
of the Latter-day Saints?" Shall that be the expression of
feeling on the part of those who have been, for various reasons,
prevented from obeying the fullness of the law of God? Who! to
this people if that were to be the feeling. I bear my testimony
this day that God has commanded us, His servants, to obey His
law, and I would not, for all this world, for all its honors, and
for everything that is within the power of man to bestow--I would
not be in any other condition that the one I am in, so far as
that law is concerned. I dare not risk my salvation outside of
obedience to that law. There may be men who will get into the
celestial kingdom who have not obeyed that law--God will be their
judge--but I dare not put myself in that position; I dare not
risk my eternal salvation and exaltation on any such contingency
as that. The law has been revealed. The moment the revelation was
published and it came to my knowledge, it became a command to
me--though I was not mentioned personally--and I accepted it as
such. I have obeyed it as such, believing in my hear that God
will save and exalt all those who perfectly carry it out. It is
the hatred of that principle among others, that creates
excitement. Yet, by that principle, God has designed to
accomplish His purposes on the earth, and to redeem His people
from the evils which afflict mankind at the present day. The
other agencies that are at work among men to-day, are complete
failures. What has all Christendom done towards stopping or
arresting the progress of prostitution? All the preachers
combined have no more effect upon it that the whistling of the
wind. It increases and spreads. And who shall deliver mankind
from that sin and dreadful train of evils? There is nothing can
do so but the power of God, the commandments of God, and the
revelations of God. God has revealed the law by which it shall be
accomplished, and we have seen the effects of it to a certain
extent. We see a generation growing up here, young men and young
women, who are the admiration of all who behold them__fine
physical specimens of manhood and womanhood--pleasant faces and
lovely countenances and forms--showing that the blessings of God
have evidently rested upon the parents. I thought of Brother
Smoot's case. I remarked but for plurality, he would to-day have
been without a child of his own. But see what a number of
children he has, and what beautiful children they are. It is so
everywhere throughout these mountains. The blessing of God has
rested down upon His servants. Their houses are filed with
beautiful children. The blessing of God has attended the men who
have obeyed His law, and the women also. They have had their
trials; but these have had the effect of purifying them. They
have gained strength and power with God, and with man also, and
the day will come when they will be honored men and honored women
on the face of the earth. That day will come. It may be distant
yet for a little while, but it will come most assuredly.
4
I pray God my Heavenly Father, to fill you with the Holy Ghost,
that you may be enlightened thereby, and that you may be led to
see and comprehend the greatness of the work in which we are
engaged, and the character of those influences we have to contend
with. There are unseen influences on both sides. There are unseen
and invisible agencies that God our Heavenly Father has brought
to bear upon this work to aid us, and there are on the other side
those unseen agencies of evil. We can tell them by their fruits
and by the results of their actions upon the children of men. Let
us remember that it is not that which is before us alone that we
have to contend with, but that there are powers behind those that
we see in the flesh, and those powers are determined to destroy
this work. It is a contest between Satan and God, and there can
be no doubt as to the result; and if we cling to the truth we
shall take part in all the glorious triumphs of this work, which
I pray for in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Wilford Woodruff, January 6, 1884
Wilford Woodruff, January 6, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT WILFORD WOODRUFF,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, January 6, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
"TRUTH IS MIGHTY AND WILL PREVAIL"--INTRODUCTION OF THE
PRINCIPLES OF
ETERNAL TRUTH--FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY IN OUR OWN
TIME--PRINCIPLES OF
THE GOSPEL WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION--THEIR UNPOPULARITY--PECULIAR
POSITION
OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS--THE KINGDOM OF GOD PREDICTED BY THE
PROPHETS--JOSEPH SMITH--NO POWER CAN STAY THE HAND OF
ALMIGHTY--THE
GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS THE LAW OF
SALVATION--PERSECUTION--POLYGAMY--TREAT
OUR FELLOW MEN ARIGHT--COMMENCEMENT OF THE MILLENNIUM--WARFARE
BETWEEN
GOD AND THE DEVIL--FAITH--THE SECRET OF THE STRENGTH OF THE
SAINTS--RESPONSIBILITY OF RULERS, ETC.--RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
SAINTS.
6
There is a proverb or saying which I have heard a good many times
in my life, and which I think bears a great deal of weight, and
that is, "truth is mighty and will prevail." I think this has
been manifested in every capacity in which truth has been used
whether applied temporally or spiritually; whether applied in the
capacity of nations, or families, or individuals; whether applied
to the world or to the kingdom of God. I think that in every age
of the world, truth, whether it has been popular or unpopular,
has proved itself, in the end of its labor, to prevail in all
cases. When Columbus was moved upon by the Spirit of God, to
cross the ocean to find a new continent, his object and desires
were unpopular with those by whom he was surrounded, and it was
only after a good deal of labor that he gained favor in the eyes
of any of the rulers of the nations whereby to receive assistance
sufficient to carry out his wishes. But in the end he prevailed.
He found a new world, as it were, which to-day contains a
population of the Anglo-Saxon race, numbering fifty millions of
people. The commencement of Columbus' project was certainly
unpopular, but the result has proved it true. And so in all
cases, whenever men have been inspired to receive truth, or to
promulgate any principle, which would be a benefit to the human
family, they have generally been unpopular. When Robert Fulton
undertook to demonstrate the power of steam in a steamboat, the
crowd which gathered to behold the event, did not gather to see
success; they gathered there to ridicule, to see a man fail in
performing a work which they considered impossible. But when the
steam was applied to the vessel it moved. The invention was
certainly very crude, but there was truth in it, and it has
prevailed to a great extent; for steam is the great motive power
of all machinery in the world, in a great measure. And so with a
Scottish Earl when he announced that there was a man going to try
and light the City of Edinburgh with smoke. The man was looked
upon as crazy. But there was truth in that smoke, and it lit the
city, and it has given light to a good many other cities since.
The principle prevailed, and is now adopted throughout the world.
So with Mr. Morse, the electrician. He unsuccessfully in the
first instance, [in 1837-8] sought aid both from the American
Congress and the English government to enable him to carry out
his ideas; but ultimately [in 1843] he gained assistance from
Congress, and his invention of telegraphy was demonstrated a
success, and is now made use of throughout the civilized world.
And so we might go on to show that in almost every instance when
men have undertaken to introduce new principles--principles of
truth--principles that would benefit the human family--they have
generally been very unpopular, until the truth was made manifest
to the world.
6
The same thing may be applied to the introduction of the
principles of eternal truth pertaining to the salvation of the
human family in a spiritual point of view. When our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, stepped forth into the world to occupy the
position to which He had been ordained of God, there were but few
individuals who had faith in Him, or who were looking for the
coming of the Son of Man in fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus, all
His life, it may be said, from the manager to the cross, was very
unpopular with the mass of the human family, more particularly
the inhabitants of Jerusalem. His history is before the world. He
died an ignominious death upon the cross, and those of His own
Father's house, the High Priests, and the leading men of
Jerusalem, were all in favor of His death. Yet the Savior
possessed truth. He offered truth to the world; He offered life
and salvation to the world. But the principles He taught were
unpopular in His day. He gathered around Him a few followers; but
the acceptance of His principles cost them their lives, as it did
the life of the Savior Himself. I do not know of a man--except it
was John the Revelator--who escaped. They all died violent
deaths. They had to seal their testimony with their blood. Some
were crucified; others were sawn asunder, beheaded, or in some
way put to death for the world of God, and the testimony of Jesus
Christ. They were put to death for their religion. How is it
to-day? What name has been more honored, or more held up as an
ensample to the world than the name of Jesus Christ? The Catholic
world, the Protestant world, in fact the whole Christian world
are professing to honor the name of Jesus Christ. The Savior had
truth, but it was not received in His day and time.
7
With regard to our own time my mind is often led to reflect upon
it. Half a century has past and gone before the eyes of this
generation, since the God of heaven commenced, as in former ages
of the world, the fulfillment of prophecy and revelation
contained in the Bible--this good old book that the Christian
world profess to believe in so much. The Lord has set His hand to
bring to pass some of these prophecies and principles which He
had foreordained before the world was, and which He had left on
record through the medium of holy men who wrote and spoke as they
were moved upon by the Holy Ghost from generation to generation.
Those prophecies are with us to-day. They are contained in the
Bible, a book that is published by millions throughout the
Christian world. The Christian world profess to honor the Bible,
and to honor the prophecies and sayings of Christ and the
Apostles. But do they believe in the fulfillment of these things?
Do they believe in the fulfillment of these principles and truths
which are today being fulfilled in the eyes of heaven and earth?
No. Those prophecies and those principles--which the God of
heaven has set His hand to carry out--are as unpopular to-day
throughout the Christian world as they were when Jesus of
Nazareth stood in the flesh and proclaimed the same to the Jewish
nation. We occupy the same position that they did in that day and
generation with regard to these truths. Now, as I have said,
truth is mighty. It always has prevailed in every age of the
world. It will prevail in this dispensation as it has done in
others. The God of Israel will no more fail to-day to carry out
the principles which He has stretched forth His hand to
establish, than he did in the days of either Adam, Enoch, Noah,
or Jesus, or in the days of any other dispensation.
8
The principles to which I allude--the principles of the
Gospel--are worthy the attention and comprehension of at least
the Latter-day Saints, and it would be well for the Christian
world to take them into consideration also; for if truth is going
to prevail in the earth it certainly will involve the destiny of
this whole generation., Jew and Gentile, high and low, rich and
poor, Zion and Babylon. It will involve the destiny of the
world--of the fourteen hundred millions of people who breathe the
breath of life in it. And I bear record and testimony, as a
servant of God, that the God of heaven has set His hand to carry
out those great and eternal principles which He decreed before
the world was made and which He has left on record through the
mouths of His prophets, to be fulfilled in the last dispensation
and fullness of times. Are those principles popular to-day? They
are not. Why not? Because the world is not governed by the spirit
of inspiration; because its people do not seek the Lord; because
they do not honor His name; but they are governed and controlled
by other principles. But the Lord will rule over His own Kingdom,
notwithstanding the Devil has great dominion do-day as he has had
in almost every age of the world. The inhabitants of the earth
have their agency. They must use that agency according to the
desires of their own hearts, whether they be for good, or whether
they be for evil. But the day is at hand when the Lord will show
the children of this generation that there is a God in Israel,
and He has done in other dispensations when He has reigned. In
all the history of the dealings of God with man this one
principle, sooner or later, has manifested itself: that virtue
exalteth a nation, while sin is a reproach to any people. You
will see that this has been manifested in the history of all
nations under heaven--in their rise and progress and prosperity,
and in their fall and decline and in their final overthrow and
destruction. You will find in every instance that sin, error,
darkness, falsehood, wrong-doing, have laid the foundation of the
overthrow of every nation and city under heaven from the
foundation of the world until the present time. What men sow they
will reap, and what measure they measure to others will be
measured unto them.
9
To-day we occupy a peculiar position as a people--as Latter-day
Saints here in these mountains. Here is a people growing up in
the earth who are organized into a Church, called the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How did the organization of
that Church come about? Why, the God of heaven has proclaimed
through His prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others, whose
writings are contained within the lids of the Bible, that in the
latter days He would set His hand to call forth His Church out of
the wilderness and out of darkness and error, and establish it
upon the foundation of truth, Christ Jesus being the chief corner
stone. The God of heaven also proclaimed through Daniel, 4,000
years ago, that in the latter days he would set up a kingdom
which should never be destroyed; and the kingdom should not be
left to other people, but it should break in pieces and consume
all these kingdoms and it should stand forever That prophet also
declared that a little stone should be cut out of the mountain
without hands; that the stone should become a great mountain and
fill the whole earth; and that it should break in pieces all
other kingdoms. Was that Prophet inspired by the Spirit and power
of God? I say in the name of Israel's God he was, and so was
Isaiah when he spoke of the gathering of the people unto the
mountains of Israel to establish the Zion of God in its beauty,
strength, power and glory. The God of heaven also inspired a
prophet as he stood upon the Isle of Patmos--John the
Revelator--and in connection with the great events of the last
dispensation and fullness of times he saw, in vision, an "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." Now I want this congregation; I want the world; I want the
Christian world; I want the priests of the day who cry aloud for
the blood of innocence to be shed to carry out their desires--I
want these priests and all who are laboring to overthrow
"Mormonism," to carefully inquire, whether those prophets were
inspired of God. And if they were inspired of God, whether it is
right for them to make war against the work of God in the earth?
Whether it would not be better to let these things alone--to
leave them in the hands of the Lord, and allow Him to govern and
control as He sees fit? And if these men were inspired of the
Lord and made those proclamations--with thousands of others in
the Bible and in the revelations of God--the question is, whether
this warfare against God and against His work is going to
prevail? The wicked will have no such power; for the Lord has set
His hand to fulfill these things which have been predicted by His
Prophets--to establish His Church and Kingdom upon the earth. He
has called Prophets, and they were inspired of God. Joseph Smith
was a Prophet of God. He was a man raised up by the power of God.
He received the testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by
visions and revelation as did John the Revelator. Angels appeared
unto him and taught him the ways of life. Those men who held the
Priesthood--who were put to death in the flesh for the word of
God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ--visited Joseph Smith.
John the Baptist conferred upon him the Aaronic Priesthood;
Peter, James and John, the Apostleship and Melchizedek
Priesthood; and all the Prophets who held any keys and powers
belonging to the Gospel these also visited Joseph Smith, and
conferred upon him those keys and powers and authority to
administer them on the earth. These are eternal truths, as the
God of heaven lives, and they will prevail whether men believe
them or not, or whether the wicked war against them or not. These
truths belong to God Himself. He is the author of them. He has
given forth certain decrees, and they will have their fulfillment
in the earth.
9
Now, as far as the Latter-day Saints are concerned, I will say to
my brethren and sisters, we ought to contemplate these
principles. There is no power organized beneath the heavens that
can stay the hand of Almighty God. He has set His hand to carry
out His purposes. The world hate this people, because the Lord
has called them forth out of the world, the same as He called His
disciples of old. This is the position we occupy to-day, as His
people. though our numbers are small, yet "a little one shall
become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation:" and the Lord
will hasten it in His time. A little one has already become more
than a thousand, or a hundred thousand, and in spite of all
opposition this small one will become a great nation, and God
will hasten it in His time, because God is our friend. Now, these
are truths. They have emanated from God Himself.
9
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the law of salvation. No man can be
saved without it. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth--to Jew or Greek, Catholic,
Methodist, Baptist, or any other sect or party on the face of the
earth.
9
We, as Latter-day Saints, are called upon to build up Zion. We
have been gathered to be instructed by inspiration and through
the medium of the Holy Priesthood, in the principles of eternal
truth. This is our condition to-day. Fifty-three years have
passed since this work commenced. Joseph Smith dwelt in the flesh
some fourteen years after he organized this Church. He holds the
keys of this dispensation on both sides of the veil, and will
hold them forever. God ordained him to perform a certain work. He
performed it. He stayed on earth until his work was finished. All
the keys, powers and principles with God gave unto him he left
with his brethren; although whatsoever he left with his brethren
did not take from him; for as Jesus says in a revelation given in
regard to the Priesthood:
9
"Whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two Priesthoods of
which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are
sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies:
9
"And he that receiveth my Father, receiveth my Father's Kingdom;
therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him;
9
"And this is according to the oath and the covenant which
belongeth to the Priesthood;
10
"But whoso breaketh this covenant, after he hath received it, and
altogether turneth therefrom, shall not have forgiveness of sins
in this world nor in the world to come."--Doc. and Cov., Sec. 84.
10
Thus, although the Lord bestows upon His servants the same powers
and blessings that He Himself holds, it does not take away those
powers and blessings from the Father. The Father possesses all He
had before. The Son possesses all that he hath given unto him. So
do the sons of the living God. When a man bestows those gifts and
blessings and powers upon others, he does not lost them himself.
The Lord raised up Joseph Smith. He organized this Church. It has
been organized for 54 years next April. And what has been the
consequence? Have we had opposition? Yes. Have we had
persecution? Yes. Is not the desire of a great many millions of
people for our overthrow? Yes; and a great many wish us put to
death. Some men go so far as to be willing to slay, utterly, men,
women and children, because they believe what is termed
"Mormonism," but which is really the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These things are proclaimed to the world to-day. What is the
matter? Mormonism is unpopular. Why is it unpopular? "Because,"
say the priests of the day, "it interferes with our rights. We
preach for hire and divine for money, and if the Mormons were to
prevail in the earth, we should lose our business, and we cannot
endure it." "Why," says the world, "you profess to believe in
polygamy, and that is why you are persecuted." No, you are
mistaken about that. The worst persecution this Church ever
endured was before polygamy was revealed to the Church. We have
had more prosperity since we carried out that law, and endeavored
to fulfill it according to the command of God, than we ever had
as a people before. And here is the principle with me--I speak as
an individual; I speak for myself--if this work is of God; if the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed to Joseph Smith, is true,
then God will take care of it; if the patriarchal law of marriage
comes from the God of Israel, He will take care of it; He will
protect and defend it, and He will uphold the people that carry
it out. I say this is in the name of Israel's God. And if it is
not of God, who wants it? I don't, neither do this people. I
speak of this principle because I want my brethren and sisters to
understand the views I have upon it.
10
I know we are engaged in the work of the Lord. I know this is His
Church. He has organized it with Prophets and Apostles in
fulfillment of predictions made thousands of years ago. This is a
work which was ordained before the world was. The Lord Almighty
never created a world like this and peopled it for 6,000 years,
as he has done, without having some motive in view. That motive
was, that we might come here and exercise our agency. The
probation we are called upon to pass through, is intended to
elevate us so that we can dwell in the presence of God our
Father. And that eternal variety of character which existed in
the heavens among the spirits--from God upon his throne down to
Lucifer the son of the morning--exists here upon the earth. That
variety will remain upon the earth in the creations of God, and
for what I know, throughout the endless ages of eternity. Men
will occupy different glories and positions according to their
lives--according to the law they keep in the flesh.
11
But I want the Latter-day Saints to understand their position.
Our trust is in God. With regard to men, it is our duty to treat
our fellowmen aright; to leave them in the hands of God if they
persecute us. The Lord has a controversy with this generation.
This Bible, the Old and New Testament, contains a vast amount of,
I will say, tremendous revelations, tremendous events, which hang
over the heads of the people of this dispensation. Are these
events going to fall unfulfilled? No; no more than they did in
the days of the fall of Babylon, of Nineveh, of Jerusalem, and of
other cities in the nations of the earth. When the inhabitants of
Jerusalem became ripe in iniquity; though Jerusalem was the royal
city, in which was the Urim and Thummim, and in which sacrifices
were made unto the Lord, yet the city was laid low, and the Jews
have been trampled under the feet of the Gentiles for 1,800
years. We are living at the commencement of the Millennium, and
near the close of the 6,000th year of the world's history.
Tremendous events await this generation. You can read an account
of them in the revelations of St. John; the opening of the seals;
the blowing of the trumpets; the pouring out of the plagues,; the
judgments of God which will overtake the wicked when Great
Babylon comes in remembrance before God, and when the sword that
is bathed in heaven shall fall on Idumea, or the world who shall
be able to abide these things? Here we are living in the midst of
these tremendous events.
11
We are in the hands of God; our nation is, and so are the nations
of the earth; and when they undertake to overthrow the Kingdom of
God, which is decreed shall be established, they have somebody to
fight against besides Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or John
Taylor, or any other of the leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. This warfare is between God and the devil,
between light and darkness, truth and error, between the heavens
and the earth; and that God who has supported His work from the
creation of the world, is bound to do it unto the end. where have
you ever read that the Kingdom of God would be overthrown in the
last days? You cannot find it anywhere on the pages of the
records of divine truth. No; the revelations of God will be
fulfilled. And we must exercise faith in that direction. As the
ancients had faith; as the world was created by faith; as Noah
built an ark and preached the Gospel of repentance for 120 years
by faith; as Abraham went out not knowing where he was going by
faith, as the ancients performed many mighty works, such as the
subduing of cities and kingdoms by faith; therefore I say to the
Latter-day Saints, you are required by the God of Israel, your
Heavenly Father, by his Son Jesus Christ, by the holy angels, and
by every principle of eternal truth, to exercise faith in the
revelations of God, for they will be fulfilled as the Lord lives.
God is with this people. But we are required to hearken to his
voice, obey his commandments, and humble ourselves before him.
And I thank the Lord that I have lived to see the time when I
believe there is a great improvement among the Latter-day Saints.
I believe they are exercising greater faith in God. And there is
a calmness prevailing among the Mormons--so called--that is a
marvel and a wonder to the world. The world wonder why we are not
excited over the opposition that is brought to bear upon us by
the millions of people who inhabit this continent, as well as by
the people of the nations of the earth. The reason of our
calmness is--God is our friend, our lawgiver, our deliverer. If
the Lord cannot sustain His work, we certainly cannot. But He
can. He has always done it, and will do it to the end. Therefore
I say to the Saints, fear not. Trust in God. Let not your hearts
be faint. Let your prayers ascend to the ears of the Lord of
Sabbaoth, day and night. Ask what you want. When you do that, the
Lord will answer your prayers, if you ask what is right. There is
where our strength lies. It is in God. I have no hope in anything
else. But I do look upon the Latter-day Saints as occupying a
most glorious position in this day and age of the world. this is
the first time since God created the world that he has ever
established a dispensation to remain on the earth until the
coming of the Son of Man--to remain in power and strength and
glory, until the Millennium, until He reigns whose right it is to
reign. Behold what lies before you! Behold the power of God!
Behold the prosperity of Zion! Behold the blessings which have
rested upon your houses, your lands, your flocks and herds, your
children--the blessings of the earth as well as of the
heavens--in this mighty barren desert! Then should we have any
doubts or fears with regard to the Kingdom of God? No! As a
people we should rise up in faith and power before God, and make
our wants known, and leave our destiny in His hands. It is there
anyhow. It will remain there. And with regard to our nation, I
leave them in the hands of God; but I would to God their eyes
were open to see and understand the responsibilities that rest
upon them. I would to God that the rulers of our land--the
President of the United States, the Congress of the United
States, the Supreme Court of the United States--would learn the
responsibility the God of heaven will hold them to in the
administration of those glorious principles laid down in the
Constitution of the government of this country. The God of heaven
will hold this nation, as well as all other nations, responsible
for the manner in which these principles are used. If they misuse
them, they will be held responsible, and will have to pay the
bill. When innocent blood is shed, it costs something; and I
would to God that our nation could understand the blessings they
enjoy. There is no nation on the face of the earth that has the
same liberty that is guaranteed to us by the Constitution of our
country.
11
Have we any warfare with our Government? Have we any reproach to
offer them? Not at all. I feel sorry that this nation should sow
seeds which when ripe will bring destruction; for I know as God
lives that if this or any other government departs from the
principles of truth, becomes ripened in iniquity, forsakes the
Lord, forsakes the principles of life and liberty, the God of
heaven will hold it responsible. Judgments will come upon the
wicked. When men depart from the principles of truth and cleave
unto darkness and wickedness, they reap the whirlwind; they lay
the foundation for desolation.
12
I pray God my heavenly Father, that his blessing may rest upon us
as Latter-day Saints; that we may comprehend and understand our
position, our duties and our responsibilities t God. When I look,
brethren and sisters, upon this handful of men and women here in
these mountains of Israel, say 150,000, out of the fourteen
hundred million people that dwell on the earth; when I realize
the responsibility that God has laid upon the Latter-day Saints,
the responsibility of building up this great kingdom of our God,
of proclaiming the principles of eternal life, light and truth to
the world; when I reflect upon these things I ask myself the
question, What manner of men ought we to be? Our numbers are
small compared even with the inhabitants of this nation, not to
speak of the inhabitants of the world; yet, as I said before I
say again, the God of heaven looks to the Latter-day Saints to
carry on His work.
12
Then let us be careful. Let us realize our condition. Let us
realize we are here upon a mission. Let us realize that we will
be held responsible for the manner in which we will it. We should
be willing to sacrifice everything for the upbuilding of the
Kingdom of God. Any man who will seek to save his life and desert
the principles of the Gospel, is not worthy of eternal life. How
many have laid down their lives since the creation of the world
for the sake of the truth? Jesus Himself descended below all
things. He descended, I believe, lower than any other man will be
called to descend. Are we greater than Jesus? If we are called
upon to-day to lay down our lives, what of it? Is it not as well
to die for the Gospel's sake as to die for anything else? A
million of men, a few years ago, sacrificed their lives for the
honor of this nation. No matter what we may be called to pass
through, let us maintain our integrity to God. Where is the man
whose mind has been lit up by the inspiration of God to
comprehend the celestial kingdom, or the celestial law, or the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, who can bear the idea of pursuing a
course whereby he will be cut off from inheriting the blessings
for which he has hoped in the future? No, I would rather die a
thousand deaths than be deprived of these blessings. We have a
long time to live when we get through here. There is all eternity
before us. It will pay you, it will pay me--no matter what comes,
no matter what this nation may do to oppress us--to be true and
faithful to our covenants, to our wives and children, to our God
and to our country; it will pay us to be faithful to the end.
12
I pray God that this may be our lot, that we may be true and
faithful unto death, and inherit eternal life, for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Teasdale, January 13th, 1884
George Teasdale, January 13th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE GEORGE TEASDALE,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, January 13th, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
JOSEPH SMITH'S TESTIMONY NEVER PROVEN FALSE--PRIMITIVE
ORGANIZATION OF THE
CHURCH--WORK OF CHRIST NOT COMPLETED WHEN HE SAID, "IT IS
FINISHED"--WHY
SHOULD SO MUCH FAULT BE FOUND WITH THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS"--THE
WORLD'S
OBJECTION TO "MORMONISM"--HISTORY OF THE APOSTLES--AUTHORITY TO
PREACH THE
GOSPEL RESTORED--TEMPLES--BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD--BOOK OF
MORMON--RESTORATION
OF THE PRIESTHOOD--CAUSE OF PERSECUTION--NO SURRENDER--PLURAL
MARRIAGE.
13
I likewise can bear my testimony to the truth of this work that
the world please to call Mormonism. The "Mormon" problem" is very
easily defined if we consider the pretensions of the people
called "Mormons." From the time that Joseph Smith first declared
that he had had a vision of the Father and the Son--from that
time to the present, I know that the world have never been able
to prove that his testimony was false. I know that they have
never been able to prove that Moroni did not give to him the
plates of gold, or that the translation called the Book of Mormon
is false. I know that they have never been able to prove that
John the Baptist did not visit Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery,
and confer upon them the Holy Priesthood, even the Aaronic
Priesthood; neither have I ever heard that it has been proved
that the Melchizedek Priesthood and Apostleship were not restored
by Peter, James and John. There has been a great deal said about
Mormonism; quite a number of books written upon the subject; a
great deal of derision has been made of it; but the testimony of
the Latter-day Saints has never been proven to be false.
14
We have declared to the world that God has spoken from the
heavens; that angels have appeared to the children of men; and
that the keys of the Priesthood and intelligence have been
restored to the earth--and we know it. We have invited the people
to search the Scriptures to see if these things were not
predicted--to find out if it had not been declared therein that
it should come to pass in the last days that the God of heaven
would establish His Kingdom upon the earth. There had to be a
commencement. We read in the Bible that God set in the Church
firstly Apostles, then Prophets, then Evangelists, and Teachers,
for the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of
Christ. Paul declared that the Saints were the body of Christ,
members in particular, and he bore the same testimony to the
Corinthians that he bore to the Ephesians, concerning the fact
that God had set in the Church firstly Apostles, then Prophets,
etc. Might I ask where the revelation is that at any time set in
the Church firstly Popes, then Cardinals, Archbishops, and Right
Reverend Fathers in God? Might I ask where the revelation is
authorizing the establishment of the Episcopal Church? Might I
ask where the revelation is authorizing the alternation of the
order of government which God had set in the Church? We are
calmly told that these things are done away with. Who says so?
Men whose business it is to try and prevent people from thinking
for themselves, and to do the thinking for them. But as a
responsible being I am bound to do my own thinking; and when it
comes to a question of my eternal welfare, I take the liberty to
think for myself. I am told that holy men of old wrote and spoke
as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and that the
Scriptures were not to be understood by private interpretation. I
believe as a child of God, that I have a right to receive
intelligence, for it was predicted ages ago that God would give
to those who loved Him line upon line, precept upon precept, here
a little and there a little, until they were perfected. The
object of the Apostleship was the edification of the Saints. Now,
I can understand the value of this Apostleship. Those who hold it
are to be taught by the revelations of God, and have authority to
call upon men everywhere to repent, to believe in the living and
true God, to cease from their heresies, to cease from their
wickedness and abominations, to lead perfect and pure lives, and
to give them the privilege of being baptized by immersion for the
remission of sins, and to have hands laid upon them, that they
may receive the Hold Ghost. This, we are given to understand by
the historians, was the manner in which the Kingdom of God was
established in the days of the Savior, and if it had remained
upon the earth there would have been a continuation of the
Apostleship.
15
When Jesus said, "It is finished," He did not give us to
understand that the whole work was finished so far as we were
concerned as individuals; because the last instructions that He
gave to His Apostles, as recorded by the historian, Mark, and
which were given after His crucifixion and resurrection were: "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; they shall lay
hands on the sick and they shall recover." And we are told that
the Apostles went and preached this doctrine; called upon men
everywhere to repent of their sins, called upon them to repent of
their false modes and manner of worship. They preached exclusive
salvation. They had the only way to be saved. This was what
rendered them so unpopular. This is what renders us so unpopular
today. But if we preach the same doctrine, if we have similar
power, if God has spoken from the heavens and has declared to His
children the necessity of their repentance, and has chosen men to
hold the Priesthood, and go forth to the nations of the earth; if
this is the case, where will the wicked and ungodly be? I think,
myself, it should be a matter of interest to al classes of
people, especially rulers, to make themselves acquainted with the
doctrines of the Latter-day Saints, with the principles which
they teach, so that they may act in wisdom. They have to give an
account of the deeds done in the body; they will have to stand
before the bar of God; their record will be there; and I say it
is to the individual interest of every man, whether he is a king
or a beggar, to make his record of such a character that he will
dare to meet it; because as sure as we live to-day, we shall have
to face the record we make upon earth.
16
Now, why should so much fault be found with the Latter-day
Saints? Right here, I would ask, why should so much fault have
been found with the Lord Jesus Christ? Why should so much fault
have been found with the Apostles and their followers? Why did
they not, when they found it was distasteful to the majority of
the people, give up their belief and become one with them, as we
are kindly invited to do? Why did they not, in the midst of their
persecutions--when they were being torn to pieces by wild beasts,
etc.,--rise up and way: "Will it not be better, seeing our
religion is so distasteful to mankind, to stop our mode of
worship, and worship with the majority?" Why, they never dreamed
of such a thing. I have never heard of a faithful man that ever
lived who dreamed of such a thing as giving up that which he
believed to be true for the sake of the approbation even of
millions. Joseph Smith, the Prophet, Seer and Revelator, stood
alone and declared that God had spoken from the heavens, and when
people believed his testimony, when they accepted the doctrines
he taught, God bore witness to them that he was a true Prophet.
They discovered that the doctrine which he taught was that which
was taught anciently; they discovered by the revelations of the
Lord Jesus Christ, that in the last days the Kingdom of God was
to be established upon the earth; and in their simplicity they
believed that it had to be commenced with a few; and that it had
to commence wherever the Great Eternal determined that it should
commence. He revealed Himself that He might have a testator on
the earth who knew that He lived, who knew that Jesus was the
Christ. He revealed Himself to the boy Joseph Smith, who had
sought Him in perfect faith. And, then, in order that the world
might be left without excuse, when He sent the angel Moroni to
reveal the history of the house of Jacob on this continent, He
did not leave the fact of his visit dependent upon the testimony
of one man. Others were privileged to receive the visits of
heavenly messengers, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses,
every word should be established. When did the three
witnesses--Oliver Cowdery, David ),C], and Martin Harris--ever
declare otherwise than that they saw an angel, and that they
heard the voice of God declare that the book called the Book of
Mormon, had been translated by the power of God? They were never
known--though they left the Church--to have flinched from that
testimony, and their testimony is as good as the testimony of any
body else. It never has been impeached. And then again: Oliver
Cowdery and Joseph Smith both declared that John the Baptist came
and laid his hands upon their heads and ordained them to the
Aaronic Priesthood. Who had any idea that there was any necessity
for John the Baptist to come? Where there any records to that
effect? And yet we are told emphatically that John The Baptist
was the forerunner of Christ. But the world contend that he
filled his mission as the forerunner of Christ in His first
coming. I will take the privilege of questioning that, if you
please, and will tell you why I do so. By referring to the 40th
chapter of Isaiah, we were find these words: "Comfort ye, comfort
ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem,
and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her
iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received the Lord's hand
double for all her sins." It then goes on to say: "The voice of
him that crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make strait in the desert a highway for our God. Every
valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be
made low." Now, when John the Baptist came, did he speak
comforting words to Jerusalem? When the Priests and
Pharisees--those professedly holy men--came to him to be baptized
in Jordan, what did he say to them? "O generation of vipers, who
hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth
fruits met for repentance, etc." He was the forerunner of Christ.
He declared so himself. The Lord Jesus bore testimony of him. He
said: "This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my
messenger before they face, which shall prepare the way before
thee." Now, it is true that John the Baptist came as the
forerunner of Jesus; it is true that he filled his mission so
far; but we know very well that the people generally did not
receive him, and ultimately they beheaded him. We know that they
did not receive Jesus. They crucified Him. Instead of speaking
comforting words to Jerusalem, he exclaimed: "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou that killest the Prophets, and stoneth them which
are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,
and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Were these comforting words to Jerusalem? I think not. It is very
evident that John the Baptist was not only the forerunner of his
first coming, but also of his second advent. The Scriptures are
plain on this matter.
17
But let us follow the history of the Apostles, and what do we
find? Martyrdom for every one of them, John the Revelator alone
excepted. What do we find concerning the Saints? Cruel
persecution and death, until, in consequence of the awful crime
of the shedding of innocent blood, God in His displeasure
withdrew the Priesthood from the earth, and left it as it was
before the coming of the Messiah, without divine authority. Was
this state of things predicted? Most assuredly it was predicted
by the Prophets of old. It was foretold by Paul, who declared
that after his departure grievous wolves would enter in among the
flocks and destroy them. He also beseeches the Thessalonians not
to be soon shaken, or troubled, in regard to the day of Christ
being at hand. He told them not to be deceived by any means: "for
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first."
Has there been a falling away? Why, the prediction is verified by
every sect in Christendom, when they calmly tell us that the
spiritual gifts of the Gospel have been done away with, and that
they are no longer needed. I argue that it is just as necessary
to-day-- if God is an unchangeable God, if He is the same
yesterday, to-day and forever--that we should enjoy the spiritual
gifts of the Gospel as in former days, above all the fellowship
of the Holy Ghost, the spirit of truth by which I may comprehend
the relationship that exists between me as an individual here
upon the earth and my Father who is in heaven. By carefully
reading the revelations of St. John, you will find the apostasy
foretold. You will find the Church represented as a woman
surrounded by twelve stars. You will also find the history of the
bringing forth of the Priesthood, and of the woman going into the
wilderness for a season. You will also find the history of the
establishment of the church of Satan--which is likewise
represented by a woman sitting upon a scarlet colored beast; she
was proclaimed the Mother of Harlots--a church that was to hold
dominion over all the nations of the earth. John also saw the
restoration of the everlasting Gospel, as proclaimed in
Revelations, 14th chapter and 6th verse: "And I saw another angel
fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation,
and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice,
Fear God and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is
come; and worship Him that mae heaven and earth, and the sea, and
the fountains of water." Now, if the Gospel was upon the earth,
there certainly would be no necessity of an angel bringing the
Gospel; there would be no necessity for the restoration of any
thing that had not been lost. But seeing that this order of
government had been lost--this order of Priesthood-this authority
which was given unto the ancient Apostles--it was absolutely
essential that it should be restores, otherwise how could the
Gospel of the Kingdom be preached in all the world for a witness
before the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ? For Christ
Himself declared: "This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall
the end come."
17
Now, is it not tidings of great joy to learn that God has spoken
from the heavens; to know that there are men upon the earth who
have authority to preach the Gospel; to know that we can receive
a remission of our sins, that we can be made clean, and that we
can be taught the ways of the Lord, that we may walk in his
paths? Is not this tidings of great joy when we think of the
confusion and ignorance that exists in the world to-day? To all
reasoning men it must be a source of great consolation. I know it
is a cause of great joy to me to know that the Apostleship has
been restored, to know that these principles are true and
faithful; that God is the same yesterday, to-day and forever,
when faith is manifested; that the signs follow the believer
according to his faith; and that all who do the will of the
Father are most assuredly put in the possession of the knowledge
that the principles that were taught by the Messiah and His
Apostles are true.
18
Since I last had the privilege of bearing my testimony from this
stand, I have visited the temple of God at St. George, and spent
a season there, and I want to bear my testimony to the truth of
the doctrine of baptism for the dead. When Paul was arguing with
the Corinthians, some of them were foolish enough to contend that
there was no resurrection; they had believed, had been baptized,
and they had been a certain portion of time in the Church; but
their traditions and their lack of understanding caused them to
believe that there was no such thing as the resurrection. Paul,
in his argument, made use of the following language: "Else what
shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise
not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?" Do you know
why the ancient Saints were baptized for the dead, and do you
know why Paul used this argument when they were disputing this
principle of the resurrection? We do, for God has revealed it. He
says: "Why stand we in jeopardy every hour? If after the manner
of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it
me, if the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for t-morrow we
die." Now, don't you think it would have been wise i Paul to have
taken the advice that some of our friends pretend to give us?
Don't you think it would have been wise in Paul, when he stood in
jeopardy every day, to give up those principles which rendered
him so unpopular among the people? The same question is
propounded to us to-day. People say, "Give up your religion; it
is unpopular; we don't like it, and we are fifty millions strong.
We want you to please do as we do, say as we say, and be as we
are." But in order to make the thing not quite so glaring--not
quite so gross an injustice--they say, "Will you please give up
your plural marriage and do as we do? If you must have a
plurality of women, marry one and keep the others and raise
illegitimate children as we do." That is the English of it. It
may be distasteful to tell so much truth in one afternoon; but
that is the English of it. I have traveled in a few of the
nations of the earth; I have seen some of their finest cities;
and I have seen the effects of the workings of what is termed
high Christian civilization.
18
But before referring to this allow me to go back a little with
regard to the pretensions of Joseph Smith; because this is the
"Mormon" problem; "it lies in a nutshell." Joseph Smith was a
true Prophet sent of God, or he was not. He held the keys and
powers of the Priesthood, or he did not. These he conferred upon
other men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
before his death. Now, those upon whom he conferred these keys
have the Apostleship, or they have not; they have the authority
of God, or they have not; they hold the keys of the Priesthood,
or they do not; God our Eternal Father, reveals His mind and will
from the heavens to His children in these valleys of the Rocky
Mountains, or He does not. We testify He does.
19
Without quoting any more Scripture, let us reason together a
little while. Who knew of the necessity of the Aaronic and
Melchizedek Priesthood? Joseph Smith had a vision of the Father
and the Son. Who ever conceived of the necessity of such a
vision? There was an absence of the knowledge of God. The world
by wisdom know not God. The being that is worshipped by so-called
Christianity, is a being without a body, parts or passions. In
order that He might have a testator upon the earth, God revealed
Himself, so that we might understand a little concerning the
personality of God; as it is written, we are created in His
image. Then the Book of Mormon was brought forth. Jesus Christ
declared, "other sheep I have which are not of this fold." Those
"other sheep" had to be visited; and the Book of Mormon gives us
a history of Christ's visit to them--the aborigines of this
continent, called the American Indians, but really the
descendants of Jacob. We have given unto us within the lids of
this book (Book of Mormon) the fullness of the everlasting
Gospel. We have the principles of the Gospel laid down in their
simplicity--plainer by far than in the Bible, though agreeing
with that sacred record. It is in reality the stick of Judah that
is contained in the Bible; the stick of Ephraim is contained in
the Book of Mormon. Isaiah prophesied concerning the coming forth
of this book. In fact the writings of the Prophets are pregnant
with predictions concerning the establishment of the Kingdom of
God in the latter days.
19
Joseph Smith declared that John the Baptist came and restored the
Aaronic Priesthood, and also that Peter, James and John restored
the Apostleship, and the keys and powers thereof. Please tell me
who it was that put it into the heart of this so called impostor
(Joseph Smith) regarding the coming forth of this book? Will you
please tell me where he acquired the wisdom to concoct such a
record? Who taught Joseph Smith the necessity of the Aaronic and
Melchizedek Priesthoods? Who taught Joseph Smith the perfect
system of the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints? Who taught him the necessity of three High
Priests presiding over the Church of Christ like unto Peter,
James and John? Who taught him the necessity of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles, and of their powers and duties and the
presidency thereof? Who taught him the necessity of the High
Priesthood in their presiding? Who taught him the necessity of
the Seventies and their organization/ Who taught him the
necessity of the Elders' Quorum, the Priests' Quorum, and
Teacher's Quorum, and the Deacons' Quorum? Who taught him the
organization of the Stakes of Zion with their presidency, their
High Council, their Bishops, Teachers, etc? Who taught him the
necessity of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and
the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost? Who
taught him the necessity of holding keys of Priesthood, and that
God would reveal principles through this channel that had been
hidden from before the foundation of the world? Who taught him of
the pre-existence of the spirit of man? Who taught him the
philosophy of our probation upon the earth, and the results that
would flow from a faithful observance of the principles of
righteousness? He declared that Jesus Christ taught him; he
declared that all these things were received through the
revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ to him. When people say that
Joseph Smith was an impostor, they make him one of the greatest
men that ever lived in view of the religion he founded. Again,
who taught him the necessity of marriage for eternity? Who taught
him the doctrine of baptism for the dead? Who taught him the
principles of the resurrection and eternal judgment, as described
in this Book of Doctrine and Covenants? I answer, God the Eternal
Father.
22
Now, will you please tell me why the world are so embittered
against us as a people? I will tell you. It is upon the same
principle that they were embittered against the Messiah. The
Messiah came with His bowels filled with compassion and love for
the human family. He taught them how to be saved to the
uttermost. He taught them exclusive salvation. Joseph Smith was a
servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and acted under His
instructions. His life and works boldly tell that he was no
impostor. He was, indeed and of a truth, a true Prophet of God.
He declared the principles of eternal life, and those principles
have been carried to the nations of the earth. What has followed
the preaching of the Gospel? Judgment, calamity an desolation
have come, in many instances, upon those who have rejected it;
upon those who have cast us out and spurned the message of life
and salvation: for it has been decreed by the Almighty. The hour
of His judgment has come. You take this large congregation. If
they had the opportunity of testifying, they would declare in
words of soberness that God has revealed to them the principles
of the Gospel, and that it was for that reason that they left the
States, the islands of the sea, the nations of Europe, and came
to this country; it was because they received a knowledge that
these principles were true. They had been impressed by His Spirit
to gather here; it is the gathering of Israel. In doing this they
were told by their friends that they were deceived; but I ask any
man who has accepted these principles, who has practiced them in
solid faith, if he has ever been deceived? Never, no never. God
has been true to His word. He has done His part. He has placed us
in the possession of a knowledge of these principles. He has
brought us home to Zion from the various nations where we were
scattered. He has taught us the principles of righteousness
through His appointed channel, by His Holy Spirit, and woe be
unto us if we harden our hearts and close our ears against the
pleadings of the Holy Ghost. We should sanctify ourselves before
the Lord, and live holy and pure lives. We are living in the last
days. We have no time to trifle. We are in the midst of the
judgments of Almighty God. He has declared that desolation should
cover the earth, and that He would waste the inhabitants away who
would not listen to His voice. How can the Latter-day Saints
escape if they neglect so great a salvation? We are called upon
to be ministers of righteousness. We are building temples. We
have no right in those temples unless we can go in as saviors
upon Mount Zion. We never can be upon Mount Zion unless we save
ourselves from this untoward generation. We must practice the
principles of righteousness. We must give up our follies, our
light speeches, our loud laughter and our inhuman feeling with
regard to our children--placing them in a position where they are
under the dominion of Belial, and under the influence that would
wean them from the principles of righteousness. We must repent of
our sins. We must listen to the voice of God through His
servants. We must sanctify ourselves before Him or we cannot
assist Him in the establishment of His righteousness upon the
earth. You know this as well as I do. What right have I to
require of anybody what I will not do myself. What right have I
to expect of anybody what I do not do myself? No, we must save
ourselves. We must make our calling and election sure. Who is
afraid to die but the sinner? Who is afraid of death but those
who have sinned and who dread to meet the consequence of those
sins behind the veil? But those who love the principles of
righteousness and who practice them know that they have passed
from death unto life. They know that they are redeemed through
the precious blood of the Redeemer. When they pass into the
spirit world it is not in blindness. They know that they are
going into the presence of the Lamb, and the Church of the First
Born. They know that they belong to that Church, and they also
know whether they have kept their garments clean or not. Have we
any occasion to fear the people? Have we any occasion to fear
nations? Do we fear when we go forth in the their midst,
traveling one or two at a time in the midst of our enemies with
threatenings on every hand? Do we fear under those circumstances?
No; and if we can trust ourselves in the hands of God, under
those conditions, I think we can trust Him to-day. And as far as
I am concerned as an individual, not one principle that God has
revealed from the heavens do I dare to go back on--not one
principle. I believe in the fullness of the everlasting Gospel. I
believe in plural marriage as a part of the Gospel, just as much
as I believe in baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.
The same Being who taught me baptism for the remission of sins,
taught me plural marriage, and its necessity and glory. Can I
afford to give up a single principle? I can not. If I had to give
up one principle I would have to give up my religion. If I gave
up the first principle of the revelations of the Lord, I would
prove before by brethren, before the angels, before God the
Eternal Father, that I was unworthy the exaltation that He has
promised me. I do not know how you feel; but I do not fear the
face of man as I fear the face of God. I fear lest when I go
behind the veil and have to meet my progenitors, that I should
meet them as a traitor, as a man who had not the backbone to
stand by the principles of righteousness for fear of my life; or
for fear of some calamity that might come upon me. How would they
look upon me? How we would be condemned if we dared suggest such
a thing as to say that we would give up the first principle of
eternal truth? I bear my solemn testimony that plural marriage is
as true as any principle that has been revealed from the heavens.
I bear my testimony that it is a necessity, and that the Church
of Christ in its fullness never existed without it. Where you
have the eternity of marriage you are bound to have plural
marriage; bound to; and it is one of the marks of the Church of
Jesus Christ in its sealing ordinances. "Whatever you bind on
earth is bound in heaven." We know how sensitive the Prophet
Joseph was to introduce this principle. He knew the feeling that
was against it. It had been taught from the days of heathen Rome
down to the present time that a man should have but one wife,
which has resulted in the prostitution of many of the fair
daughters of Eve as mistresses. Here we have too much love for
women to see them trampled in the dust. Here we have too much
respect for unborn spirits to have them come into the world
branded as bastards, illegitimate, in shame, without knowing
their fathers. The children we have are legitimate. They are our
own. We honor them and our wives. Our children are given unto us
of God, for our wives are given to us of God. We never should
have thought of practicing this principle if God had not revealed
it from the heavens and commanded it, and we must stand by it and
by every principle that He has revealed. It is more than I dare,
to go back on that principle or any other principle; and I have
besought the Lord with all my heart that He would give me
strength according to my day that I might never fail in my
integrity, but that I might stand firm as the pillars of heaven
to the truths that He has revealed for the redemption of the
human family. I understand my own weaknesses; I understand my own
insufficiency; but my trust is in the living and true God. And I
have a testimony that for over thirty years He has sustained my
through some very crooked and tight places by His Almighty power.
He has stood by me, been my friend; and so far my testimony and
my love for the principles of righteousness are as deep and
earnest as my first love, and more so; for I have witnessed His
loving kindness in the sealing powers and bonds of the
everlasting covenant; I have been privileged to see the
magnificent manner in which He has provided for His children, in
placing them in a position that they may become like unto
Him--eternal, without end of years.
22
That God may give us grace to stand true and faithful to our
covenants, and endure to the end, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Q. Cannon, January 6th, 1884
George Q. Cannon, January 6th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEO. Q. CANNON,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, January 6th, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
TESTIMONIES OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD--ILLOGICAL MANNER IN WHICH
THEY ARE
MET--ONLY TRUE WAY TO OBTAIN A KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOSPEL--SECRET OF
THE
STRENGTH OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST--WORK TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED--STRUGGLE
BETWEEN SATAN AND GOD--INFLUENCE BROUGHT TO BEAR AGAINST THE
SAINTS.
23
The testimonies of the servants of God, which we hear so
frequently from this stand, ought to make an impression upon the
minds of those who hear them--they ought to have weight, for the
reason that those who bear them declare in solemnity, in the
presence of God, that they know that which they testify is true;
and when a man, or any number of men, arise in the presence of
their fellow men, and declare in words of truth and soberness,
that certain things are true, that they know them to be true,
that they are willing to bear testimony of them before God and
the people, and to suffer all things for their truth, even to
death itself, it should make an impression upon the human mind,
and inspire that who hear these testimonies with a disposition to
at least investigate and withhold their condemnation. Because,
unless a man knows something to the contrary, unless he has had a
testimony that these things are false, he is not justified in
condemning them. There is only one way in which they can be
fairly condemned, and that is by proving their falsity, by
obtaining knowledge that is directly in contradiction to that
which is borne testimony to. In this consists the condemnation of
the inhabitants of the earth at the present time, as it has
consisted in every age when God has had a work to do upon the
earth. Certain men have gone forward in the midst of their fellow
men, and in solemnity and in truth have testified that God has
spoken, that God has given revelations, that God is doing a
certain work in the earth of which they are the witnesses. They
know this, they say, for themselves and bear testimony of it, and
exhort their fellow men to seek for knowledge in the same manner
in which they have sought for it, with an assurance that if they
do so they will obtain knowledge. Now, notwithstanding men have
done this, the world, without pretending to have any counter
demonstration or testimony, without being able to disprove by the
same sort of evidence, condemn wholesale, without discrimination
or hesitation those testimonies and declare them to be false, and
assert that the men who bear them are either deceived themselves
or are striving to deceive somebody else.
24
I do not think this is fair. It never was fair. It is not a
proper method of dealing with affairs of this character; because
if there is a God, and one man says he has had communication with
Him, and another, who believes also, or professes to believe in
God, denies that the first has had any such communication, and
yet does not pretend that God told him any such thing, does not
pretend to have had any communication from God--the contradiction
of the one is not equal to the affirmation of the other. It is
the height of presumption for a man who professes to believe in
God, to rise up and at his own instance and of his own will,
because he chooses to take that view of God, and of God's method
of dealing with man, and declare that the testimony of the man
who says he has had revelation from God is false. Why, anyone at
a glance can see that it is an improper way to deal with the
subject. If he does not have revelation himself from God, he
should, at least, be modest in contradicting the testimony of
others who declare that they have had revelation from Him. The
whole religious world in Christendom profess to believe in God.
They declare that God lives and are continually preaching to the
people a belief in Him, a belief in Jesus, saying that Jesus is
the Son of God, that He lived upon the earth in the flesh, that
He has gone to the Father, and that they are His ministers,
having power to do certain things in His name, and to teach His
doctrines. They say to the people who do not listen to them: "You
will be visited with the most terrible judgments if you do not
believe what we say; you will go to hell, and you will burn there
throughout the countless ages of eternity, if you do not believe
what we tell you." Now, when men go to their fellow men and make
such statements as these, and assume such prerogatives and powers
as these, and say that their fellow men will be condemned by
wholesale to eternal hell for not listening to them, they
certainly ought to have some method of communicating with the
Being they represent, and whose ministers they profess to be, and
they ought to know more than other men--more than common men at
least--about the Being who, they say, sends them as His
ministers. But what are the facts? Here is Brother Woodruff, who
for the last half century has been testifying, as he has this
afternoon in your hearing, with all the energy of his soul--for
he has been a very zealous man all his days--he has been
testifying to all people to whom he could get access, that God
has spoken from the heavens and restored the plan of salvation in
its ancient purity, and the Church as it was organized upon the
earth in the days of Jesus, with the plenitude of its gifts and
powers and graces, and that this condition of things now exists
upon the earth, and that he is a living witness of it; that God
has really revealed this to him, so that he has become a witness
through revelation from God, of its truth. He has declared this.
Hundreds have made a similar declaration, and hundreds are still
testifying concerning these things to the inhabitants of the
earth. But Christendom through some of its principal
representatives says: "We don't believe a word you say. We don't
believe God has spoken to you. We don't believe God has given you
any authority. We don't believe your doctrine to be from God. We
don't believe that the church you have organized, and that you
declare is the Church of Christ, is the Church of Christ; and so
confident are we of that that we believe that it would be
justifiable for you to be killed as a lot of impostors and
dangerous men, and you ought to be broken up. If it should be
necessary to do this, and it cannot be done any other way, we
would be willing to have armies resort to violence and have
bloodshed, rather than such a dreadful heresy and such a wicked
system should be perpetuated on the earth."
24
You turn to them--to these men who profess to have the fate of
their fellow beings in their hands, whose efforts, as they state,
will send millions to heaven and millions to hell--you ask these
men who profess to have such awful powers as this--"By what
authority do you make these statements? Has God given you any
testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
not the true Church? Has God told you anything about it?"
24
"Oh, no," they will say, "God has not spoken to us. We do not
believe He talks to anybody. We believe he has stopped all
communication with man; that no living man has heard His voice,
or knows anything about His mind and will."
25
Now, this is their testimony. You cannot get any of them--at
least I have not, and I speak so far as my own personal knowledge
goes--to declare that God has revealed to them either by the
spirit of prophecy or by the manifestations of the Holy Ghost,
that the doctrines taught by the "Mormon" people are false, or
that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not of
God, and yet, notwithstanding this, they take the course that I
now describe. Here are men who say they have actually received
revelations from God; that God has poured out the Holy Ghost upon
men and women; that Jesus has actually visited the earth in
person, and been seen by living men; and that angels have been
seen and conversed with by living men. They state this in all
solemnity and in all truth, and as a test of the sincerity of
their statements, they say to their fellow men: "If you will take
a certain course that God has pointed out, and that we are
authorized to designate; if you will take this certain course,
you shall know also of the truth of our testimony. We do not make
these statements expecting you to receive them simply because we
make them; but we say to you, if you will take this course, if
you will accept the conditions which God has prescribed and
comply with them in sincerity and humility, you shall receive
these blessings and this testimony for yourselves, and you then
will be numbered as witnesses with us."
25
What can be fairer than this? And this is the course that the
servants of God have always taken with mankind, and hence, as I
have said, the condemnation of the inhabitants of the earth,
because they will not receive that testimony. They abuse the
Church of Christ without having reason or foundation for doing
so; they abuse it without having any evidence that is at all
tangible or that can be relied upon; they have nothing more than
their personal feelings, personal prejudice, and their personal
tradition--that which they have inherited from their
fathers--upon which to base their opposition.
26
Now, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been
built up in this manner. Its strength consists in this
peculiarity: that those who have embraced it as a rule--there may
be exceptions--have taken the course which has been taught by the
servants of God and the result is that legions of witnesses have
been raised up. It is not confined to one; it is not confined to
the original few; but this testimony has extended itself, until
it has brought within its fold men and women of almost every
race; for it is not confined, happily, to sex no more than it is
to nationality, but it is extended unto men of every race, and
unto women of every race, and all these rise up as an army of
witnesses, unanimously bearing testimony of the same great
truths, declaring that it is not from their fathers, it is not
from tradition, it is not from their teachers, it is not from any
human source that they have derived their knowledge; but that God
Himself, by His invisible power, by His superhuman power, by the
outpouring of the Holy Ghost upon them, has borne testimony to
them, so that they are thoroughly convinced and have a knowledge
as strong as the knowledge that they themselves live, that this
is the work of God, and He has established it, and that He will
roll it forth and cause it to accomplish all that He has said it
would. It is in this peculiarity that the strength of the people
consists. If it was not for this we should be as weak as a rope
of sand; there would be no cohesiveness or strength about us. But
with this there is a power that makes hell tremble. It makes the
Devil mad. It makes every man that is afraid of the truth angry
in his spirit because of that which he sees. If men were not
afraid of truth there would be no fear connected with this work.
What is there about it to create fear? What is there in its
manifestations, in its fruits, and in its operations upon the
minds of the children of men to cause any man who loves truth to
have any dread concerning it? Nothing whatever. It is beneficent
in its operations. It elevates men and women; it makes them
better, purer, more God-like, more orderly. It bestows
blessings--this system does--upon all who espouse it, and all who
come within the range of its influence. And this has been its
characteristic ever since its organization until today. You know
it, each of you who have espoused it. You know its effects upon
you. You know it has made you better men. You know it has made
you men of purer lives, of loftier desires, of more God-like
aspirations. You all know this. Every man, every woman, and every
child connected with this work is a witness of the truth of this.
If it has this effect upon you, will it not have the same effect
upon every human being who comes within the range of its
influence and who bows in submission to its requirements?
Certainly it will. There is no human being, however low, that it
will not elevate, if he will obey it. It is the power and lever,
so to speak, by which humanity will be elevated to the presence
of God our Eternal Father, for the very reason that the
exaltation which God has attained to, has been through obedience
to these self-same laws that are now taught to us. That which
obeyeth law is preserved and sanctified by law. The people who
obey law will be exalted by law; they will be preserved by it,
they will be sanctified by it; and that is the effect of the
teaching of the Gospel upon the Latter-day Saints.
27
While Brother Woodruff was talking, I thought what an immense
labor it is to endeavor to accomplish that which the Prophets
have told us will be brought to pass in the last days. I look at
this people so comparatively few in numbers, and at the immense
work that is to be accomplished, and it seems an herculean, an
impossible labor to the natural vision. It seems as if no human
beings could accomplish it. But God has spoken concerning this
work. His word has gone forth and it cannot fail. This work will
be accomplished, and it will be accomplished by the operation of
truth. As Brother Woodruff has said, there is a power connected
with truth, that when brought to bear upon human beings, has the
effect that he has described, and has the effect that the
Prophets have predicted concerning the last days. There will be a
power exercised in our behalf, increasing as we are prepared to
receive it; for this people with all their weaknesses, and they
are many, are nevertheless drawing nearer and nearer to God every
day, and faith is increasing in their midst. A generation of boys
and girls are growing up who will have greater faith than their
predecessors, their parents, have had, and the work will continue
to grow and spread. And there is this to be taken into
consideration, God having predicted the ushering in of the last
dispensation, knowing the odds that would have to be contended
with in establishing it: God knowing this has reserved in the
heavens to come forth at this time the noblest of His spirits,
the men and women most capable of carrying out this work, and
achieving the grand results the Prophets have predicted should be
accomplished in the day and generation, preparatory to the coming
of the Son of Man. God knowing this, in His wisdom and
foreknowledge has prepared the way beforehand, and there will be
men and women brought forth who will carry off this work in the
way He designs, step by step, the adversary of God, that is the
adversary of all truth, will have to recede. The struggle is
between Satan and God. The struggle is for the supremacy of this
earth, and you may depend upon it, it will not be given up
without a mighty wrestle. The adversary has wielded this power
now for nearly 2,000 years--1,400 years and upwards on this
continent. For this period he has held undisturbed sway, it may
be said--that is, if not entirely true it is nearly true in
saying it has been undisturbed. There have occasionally some
persons arisen who have endeavored to stem the tide of wickedness
that the devil has caused to flow over the earth; but there has
been no Priesthood on the earth, no organized church, no
organized power, through whom God could operate, and you may
depend upon it, now that there is one, there will be a mighty
struggle. It will cost the best efforts of which we are capable,
to lay the foundation so successfully that it shall not be
overturned, to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Every kind of opposition will be brought against this
work. There is nothing that you can conceive of that will be kept
back, and it will come upon us as fast as we are able to bear it.
It is only the power of God that restrains our enemies from
overwhelming us. If it were not that God has said this shall not
be, and has told us that He will establish this work never more
to be thrown down, we would not be able to stand. But victory
will perch upon our banners, and will do so until the end. But it
will not be without a mighty warfare, the hostility against this
work will be continuous. No man need calculate on anything else.
Why, just think of the results that are to be wrought out. Just
think of what depends upon our labors and upon this contest? We
have been gathering the people from Babylon through the power of
God to build up a Zion here. But see the results that attend our
labors in this city and in this Territory. It seems as though all
hell is endeavoring to defeat our object, and to defeat the cause
of God in gathering the people out from the nations of the earth.
The adversary has said:
27
"You shall not have a pure people; you shall not build up Zion; I
will bring all my forces to bear against this; I will destroy the
work of God; I will not allow the Priesthood of God to remain on
the earth; I will kill them off, or I will do everything in my
power to cripple them."
27
Thus he brings every kind of influence to bear against this
people. We would have a pure people here, we would have a Zion
such as the Bible describes, if we were allowed; we would have a
city in which angels might walk in the streets all day, if we
could have our say; but Satan says: "You shall not. I will bring
every power and influence to bear against you. I will besmear you
in every way I can, and will make you so hateful in the eyes of
all people, that they will come up against and destroy you. You
shall not build up Zion, if I can prevent it."
28
And you see the result. Every power that is conceivable is
brought to bear against us. We are maligned. We are represented
as everything that is vile. Men think that in killing us they
will be doing God service; not because of our wickedness, but
because they believe we were wicked, because the adversary has
had such power through falsehood and misrepresentation, that men
believe that they will be doing God Service in exterminating us
from the face of the earth. And what is it that restrains the
efforts of our enemies? It is the power of God only. We should be
overwhelmed if it were not for this invisible agency--invisible
to us. There are legions of angels around us. Their power is
exerted in our behalf, and the results we can see in the
deliverances which are wrought out so miraculously for our good.
It is a cause of amazement how we are delivered from time to
time, so few in numbers, and so hated as we are. Our friends are
filled with astonishment. Every few days, every few weeks, or
every few months, they think that something is going to occur,
that will cause our destruction--I mean friends who have not the
faith and the knowledge that we have. But this work of our God
will go forth, despite all the opposition that will be brought
against it. It will win, because it is true. As we have been told
by Brother Woodruff, the eternal principles of truth are on the
earth now in an organized form, and you cannot kill them unless
you kill the people themselves. There is no way to stop this
work, except by the extirpation of the "Mormons," or Latter-day
Saints, root and branch! No other method can destroy them but
that, and God will not permit it. His Priesthood is on the earth,
and it will remain on the earth. You may kill off a few, still
the Priesthood will remain, and it will exercise power in the
earth. It will unite the people, an the power of God will attend
its administration in the midst of the people. The honest will
receive the Holy Ghost, they will have a knowledge of this work
for themselves, and they will be ready to endure all the
consequences that may attend the espousal of the truth, just as
their predecessors have done in times that are past and in our
own age. God will bless us if we seek to do His will. Remember,
my brethren and sisters, that that which obeys law is preserved
and sanctified by law. If you want to escape evils, obey the law
that God has revealed. Keep His commandments. There is safety in
this. It is a great work we are engaged in. The desire I have for
every man and women of this Church is, that they may be true, and
that their children may live to be true to God in days to come;
for we are laying the foundation of a work that shall stand
undisturbed for one thousand years. Then, in the purposes of God,
Satan will be loosed again for a little season, but it will only
be for a little while. We are engaged in laying the foundations
of that work. It is the most glorious work that could be
committed to man. Angels delight in it, and we have the precious
privilege of taking part in it. We have difficulties to contend
with, but let them come. We will meet them, and what is better
still, we will overcome them through God's help, and our children
will enjoy the blessings of liberty. I trust and pray that of
this people who have fought so valiantly, and whose desires for
the success of God's Kingdom are so pure, there will be found men
and women of their descent, who so long as time shall last, shall
stand up possessed of the Holy Priesthood in the presence of God,
to magnify it. This is my desire for myself, it is my desire for
my family, it is my desire for my brethren and sisters throughout
the Kingdom of God; and that God may grant that we may be exalted
in His presence when our work is done, it my prayer in the name
of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Erastus Snow, February 2nd, 1884
Erastus Snow, February 2nd, 1884
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Logan,
Saturday Afternoon, February 2nd, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
NEAR COMING OF CHRIST--WORK TO BE ACCOMPLISHED--TEMPLES ALREADY
BUILT, AND
MANY MORE YET TO BE BUILT--REDEMPTION OF THE DEAD--EZEKIEL'S
VISION--HOW
LONG WILL IT TAKE TO WARN THE WORLD?--WILL THE LORD DELAY HIS
COMING UNTIL
ALL THIS WORK IS ACCOMPLISHED?--JOSEPH SMITH'S MISSION ON EARTH
AND BEHIND
THE VEIL--ANOTHER MISSION TO BE UNDERTAKEN--THE RESURRECTION OF
JOSEPH SMITH
NEAR--THE MEANING OF THE EXPRESSION, "THE MORNING OF THE FIRST
RESURRECTION."
29
I am asked to speak, but I feel in attempting to do so that my
speech will be barren unless the Lord is pleased to inspire my
mind by the Holy Spirit. I know there is faith in the hearts of
the people and the Lord is able to give words of edification and
comfort. I am not, however, impressed with anything in
particular, in the way of doctrine, to speak to my brethren and
sisters; I have only a feeling to exhort in general terms.
30
The Latter-day Saints realize as I do that every year brings us
nearer to the coming of our Lord; that every month and week and
day that passes over our heads, brings us nearer to the great and
important events that must transpire, and that it does not become
us to give way to a feeling of apathy and indifference, and to
say in our hearts, "The Lord delayeth His coming," and that
to-morrow will be as this day and much more abundant, and that
the next generation will be like the present, and as the world
has continued to roll on, as generations have come and
generations have gone, so will it be with us and our children. I
say it does not become us to give way to these sentiments and
feelings which are common with unbelievers, with the world, or
with the unenlightened, who have not a knowledge of God, who have
not been favored with the light of revelation, who have not
discerned the signs of the times; for we are not the children of
darkness, but the children of light. Light has come unto us. We
have been called out of darkness unto light. We have been
translated from the kingdom of darkness unto the kingdom of God's
dear Son, and therefore it may and ought to be said of us as
Saint Paul said concerning the Saints: "Ye, brethren are not in
darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." It is
written and we expect it to be fulfilled upon the heads of the
unbelieving and the wicked, that the Lord will overtake them as a
thief in the night. "In such an hour," said the Savior, "as ye
think not, the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise
servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to
give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his
lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you,
that he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But, and if that
evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming,
and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and
drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a
day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not
aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion
with the hypocrites." Now, it is not impossible, nor yet
improbable, that there will be some among the Latter-day Saints
who are called of God and appointed to this work, and who are set
over their fellow-servants to give them meat in due season, who
will be found negligent, who will have forgotten their high and
holy calling, who will have laid off their armor of
righteousness, who will have become slothful and weary in well
doing, and who will have taken to eating and drinking with the
drunken and smiting their fellow-servants; but as surely as any
such are found among the servants of God, they will be overtaken
when the day of the Lord cometh, and their portion will be
appointed with hypocrites and unbelievers. But we hope better
things of the Elders of Israel, of Presidents of Stakes, of
Bishops, of High Counselors, of High Priests, of Seventies, of
Priests, Teachers and Deacons, and of all the Latter-day Saints;
for we have all been made partakers of this Priesthood, and the
blessings of the Lord, directly or indirectly, have been
conferred upon us.
32
The work before us is a great one, and very much remaineth to be
accomplished according to the prophecies--Israel is to be
gathered, Jerusalem rebuilt, Zion established, the vineyard of
the Lord pruned and the corrupt branches cut off and cast into
the fire, while the good branches shall be grafted in and partake
of the root and fatness of the tame olive tree. There is a great
work to be accomplished in the earth. But the Lord has said by
the mouth of His servants that He will cut His work short in
righteousness in building up His Kingdom in the latter-days.
True, when the Lord speaketh He does not reckon time as we do.
The time was, in the infancy of this Church, when our minds were
so narrow compared to what they are now, that we looked for the
speedy coming of our Lord, and the accomplishment of His great
work before this time. But as our minds grew, and our ideas
enlarged, we began to perceive that we were only children in our
views and feelings, our ideas and expectations. We have the
views, ideas and expectations of children; and we see how the
Lord has enlarged Israel and expanded His work; and now we behold
so much more to be accomplished than what has been accomplished,
that we are apt in our minds to put off the day of the Lord a
great way. The time was that we looked for one temple. The early
revelations given to the Latter-day Saints predicted a temple in
Zion, and Zion in our minds at that time was a little place on
the Missouri River in Jackson County, Western Missouri--a town
and a few surrounding villages, or a country, peradventure it may
be as large as a county. When we first heard the fullness of the
Gospel preached by the first Elders, and read the revelations
given through the Prophet Joseph Smith, our ideas of Zion were
very limited. But as our minds began to grow and expand, why we
began to look upon Zion as a great people, and the Stakes of Zion
as numerous, and the area of the country to be inhabited by the
people of Zion as this great American continent, or at least such
portions of it as the Lord should consecrate for the gathering of
His people. We ceased to set bounds to Zion and her Stakes. We
began also to cease to think about a single temple in one certain
place. Seeing the different Stakes of Zion that were being
organized we perceived the idea, possibly, of as many temples.
Having had one spot pointed out in the revelations for the temple
in Jackson County, our minds expanded so that in a short time we
were building another temple in a Stake of Zion in Kirtland,
Ohio. A little while afterwards we were laying the foundation of
a temple in Far West, Missouri, and driven before our enemies;
from that place we next laid the foundation and built up a temple
unto the Lord in Nauvoo. When we located in the mountains and
laid the foundation of a temple in Salt Lake City, who of us had
an idea that before it should be completed we would be
administering in a temple in St. George, and another in Logan,
and another in Manti, and who conceives the idea to-day, that by
the time these are completed and the Saints have officiated in
them, we will be scattered over the American continent, building
temples in a hundred other places? All this comes within the
range of possibility, nay, probability, almost amounting to
certainty. One of my brethren behind me here, who understands
these things, and who can speak knowingly in regard to them,
says, that we may put it down as a certainty, that by and by,
there will be hundreds of these temples throughout the land. Our
minds are beginning to comprehend the object and purpose of the
temples of our god. We realize that they are places where the
Lord bestows the keys of life and salvation pertaining to the
everlasting Priesthood, and opens the door of redemption and
salvation unto our dead. We begin to comprehend a little of the
vision shown to Ezekiel, as recorded in the 37th chapter of his
book. Ezekiel, while under the influence of the Spirit of the
Lord, was set down in the midst of the valley which was full of
bones. He explored the valley, saw there were very many bones,
and, lo, they were very dry. The Lord commanded him to prophesy
concerning them, and he prophesied, saying: "O ye dry bones, hear
the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones:
Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live:
and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you,
and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall
live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. * * * And the breath
came unto them and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an
exceeding great army. Then He said unto me, Son of man, these
bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones
are dry, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts."
Now, these were not the prophets and saints and righteous dead
who had been partakers of the blessings of the Gospel and of the
Priesthood, while in the flesh, but were those who had passed off
in a day of darkness, and in their lost condition said to one
another, and said in their hearts, "Our bones are dried, and our
hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts." But lo! the plan of
salvation for the dead is revealed. The scheme which the Father
had provided for the redemption of those whose hope was lost, and
who were cut off is revealed unto their children, unto those who
have been gathered from their long dispersion, and who have
received the keys of the Holy Priesthood, which bringeth life and
salvation to the dead as well as to the living. Having these keys
committed unto us, we proceed to establish Zion; to build up her
Stakes; to build her temples; to gather together those who purify
themselves before the Lord, and qualify and fit themselves to
become saviors upon Mount Zion, by entering into holy places and
officiating for themselves and their dead, thus laying the
foundation for the redemption of the dead in being baptized for
them, in being ordained for them, in being blessed and endowed
for them, in receiving the keys and the key-words for them, that
in the day when the Elders who have passed behind the veil shall
preach to them the Gospel of glad tidings of great joy, lo and
behold! they will receive it and will be put in possession of
those keys, endowments and blessings, whereby they may be freed
from their prison houses, and be raised from the dead, and stand
upon their feet an exceeding great army, and be restored to the
blessings which God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and
their seed after them.
34
Now, this is the work before us, and I want to ask my brethren,
the Elders of Israel, how long shall we be in accomplishing this
work? Can I tell you? No, it is not given me to know. It is
sufficient for us to know that the time has come for the work to
be done: that the Lord has turned the key and opened the door;
that it is an effectual door which no man can shut--the door of
life and salvation. Hence it is our duty to step forward and
magnify the calling whereunto God has called us. Send out the
young men of Israel; send out the middle aged; send out those who
have not as yet cleared their garments of the blood of this
generation to call the children of men to repentance, and to see
how many will engage with us in this great work of salvation, and
become saviors upon Mount Zion. But this preaching the Gospel to
the outside world is a small part of the work. It is but the A B
C of the lesson to be learned and the work to be accomplished.
How long, I ask, shall we be in accomplishing this work? It is
not, as I have said, given to me to know; but I can tell you in
general terms. As long as there is one soul (of all the sons and
daughters of Adam that have been born on this earth) that has not
had an opportunity of receiving and obeying the Gospel; as long
as there is one soul that is in a condition to be saved and that
can be reached by this plan of salvation, so long will the
Latter-day Saints be engaged in this work. But what I was going
to bring before your minds was this: Shall we expect that the
Lord Jesus is going to delay His coming in the midst of His
people, until all this great work shall have been accomplished?
By no means. I do not understand that He has ever intimated
anything of this kind. Nor need we wait in our faith and in our
expectations till all these great and glorious things shall have
been accomplished on the earth before the Prophet Joseph Smith
shall come unto us again. He has merely taken another mission in
advance of us. He fulfilled the mission given unto him on earth.
The Lord was satisfied with his labors here. He lived long enough
to endow his brethren with full authority to carry on the work
that he had begun on the earth. He took his departure behind the
veil. The Lord suffered his enemies to destroy him in the flesh,
to take away his life, and he was made an offering--what shall I
say? an offering for sin. Not in the sense in which the Savior
was offered, but he was made a martyr for the truth and his blood
was shed to attest the testimony that he bore to the world. He
entered upon another short mission. Where? Why, unto his brethren
of the house of Israel, and as many of the Gentiles as will
receive his testimony, behind the veil. The mission of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, between his death and resurrection was a
similar mission, but a very short one. It lasted only three days.
While his body lay in the tomb his spirit visited the spirits in
prison, turned the key and opened the door of their prison house,
and offered unto them the Gospel of salvation. How many of them
were prepared to avail themselves of it at that time?
Comparatively few. But he opened the door and offered the message
of life and salvation, and having done this, His fellow
laborers--the Seventies, Elders and others whom He ordained to
the ministry--as fast as they finished their ministry in the
flesh--continued their work among the spirits in prison. So is
the Prophet Joseph Smith officiating and ministering to those
spirits, and so are all His brethren, the Apostles, who have gone
in his wake, who have followed, as it were, in his track. They
have just gone behind the veil. Who shall we say? Let us call to
mind a few of the brethren who have passed away--Brother David
Patten (the first of the Apostles who was slain), Parley P.
Pratt, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Brigham Young, Orson Pratt,
Charles C. Rich, and others of the Apostles; also Patriarchs
Father Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith; Elders Samuel H. Smith, Don
Carlos Smith--all the first Elders of this Church and the
Presidents of all the early quorums, and a vast company of the
members of their quorums. All these and many more are laboring in
the spirit world preparing the spirits thereof to receive the
benefits and blessings which are now about to be offered to them
in the temples of God. In other words, "a ticket of leave" is
about to be sent to them to the effect that their friends on the
earth have officiated in their behalf, have complied with the
ordinances which are appointed for their redemption, which will
enable them to advance into a higher sphere, to walk upon a
higher plane, to enter a higher class where they can be further
instructed and prepared for a glorious resurrection. And as fast
as this work is accomplished--and it is nigh at hand, it is now
even at our doors--there will be another step made in advance;
there will be another mission undertaken. The next mission will
be to come and prepare the way in Zion, and in her Stakes, and in
the temples of our God for turning the key of the resurrection of
the dead, to bring forth those that are asleep, and to exalt them
among the Gods. And who will be first and foremost? Why, he whom
God has chosen and placed first and foremost to hold the keys of
this last dispensation. How long will it be? It is not given to
me to say the month, the day, or the hour; but it is given unto
me to say that that time is nigh at hand. The time is drawing
near (much nearer than scarcely any of us can now comprehend)
when Joseph will be clothed upon with immortality, when his
brother Hyrum will be clothed upon with immortality, when the
martyrs will be raised from the dead, together with their
faithful brethren who have performed a good mission in the spirit
world--they, too, will be called to assist in the work of the
glorious resurrection. The Lord Jesus, who was the first fruits
of the dead, the first fruit of them that sleep, and who holds
the keys of the resurrection, will bring to pass the resurrection
of the Prophet Joseph and his brethren, and will set them to work
in bringing about the resurrection of their brethren as He has
set them to work in all the other branches of the labor from the
beginning. And the Lord Jesus will appear and show Himself unto
His servants in His temple in holy places, to counsel and
instruct and direct. He will appear in the glory of His Father,
in His resurrected body, among those who can endure His presence
and glory. And all this I expect long before He will waste away
and destroy the wicked from off the face of the earth. True, we
have, in our limited understandings, perhaps imagined, many of
us, that this glorious resurrection was to come upon us, and upon
the whole world suddenly, like the rising of the sun. But you
must remember the sun does not rise the same hour and the same
moment upon all the earth. It is twenty-four hours in rising and
twenty-four hours in setting. So with the resurrection. There is
a day appointed for the resurrection of the righteous. And it is
sealed upon the heads of many that if they are faithful and true,
they shall come forth "in the morning of the first resurrection;"
but the morning lasts from the first hour of the day until
mid-day, and the day lasts till night; and the rest of the
dead--those who are not prepared or counted worthy to have part
in the first resurrection--shall not live again until the
thousand years are ended. In other words, the first resurrection
will have been ended, and another period appointed for the
resurrection of the rest of the dead. But this "morning of the
first resurrection" is nigh at hand, and blessed are those who,
through their faithfulness, shall be counted worthy to have part
in it; for they shall be crowned kings and priests with God and
the Lamb--they shall reign with Christ and in the midst of His
people, and carry on the work of the redemption and resurrection
of the Saints of God. And while in some parts of the world the
Elders of Israel are preaching the Gospel unto the heathen
nations who have not been ripened for destruction, but whose
kings and mighty men have perished, and whose governments have
been broken in pieces and wasted away, and the government of the
Kingdom of God has been extended over them; while this is going
on in some portions of the world, in other places, even in Zion
and in her Stakes and in Jerusalem, the children of God will be
engaged in the redemption of their dead in the temples of our
God, and in the resurrection of those that are counted worthy of
so great a salvation.
35
Then, I say, we need not put off the day of the Lord so far from
us. Rather let us prepare ourselves for it; for lo and behold! He
cometh quickly, and blessed are they who are prepared to receive
Him; for they shall enter into His rest and be crowned with
glory, and shall labor with Him and with the Prophet Joseph and
his brethren in bringing to pass this great salvation and
redemption of our God.
35
May God help us to continue faithful, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Erastus Snow, October 5th, 1883
Erastus Snow, October 5th, 1883
REMARKS BY ELDER ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered at the General Conference, Friday Afternoon,
October 5th, 1883.
Reported by John Irvine.
PRESENT REVELATION--WORK REQUIRED OF THE PRIESTHOOD--IMPROVEMENT
AMONG
THE PEOPLE--MORE IMPROVEMENT NECESSARY--FAITH IN THE ORDINANCES
REQUIRED--DESIGN OF GOD IN RELATION TO THE CHILDREN OF THE
SAINTS.
36
I am grateful for the opportunity of meeting in Conference once
more with the Latter-day Saints, and for the health and strength
given me to continue my labors among the people, and for this
same blessing of health which is enjoyed by my brethren. I am
thankful, too, that the Lord has raised up young men to bear off
the Kingdom and help carry the burdens of the people. It is also
a source of satisfaction that He has spoken and given
instructions through His servant pertaining to the Seventies, to
more fully organize and set in order the quorums of the
Priesthood, the Seventies being more especially called as
assistants to the Twelve Apostles, in the work of the ministry.
And it is desirable that the revelation upon the subject should
be fully carried out, the Priesthood in its various departments
fully organized, and every thing set in order according to the
word and mind of the Lord; that every quorum of the Priesthood,
general and local, might be in good working order. For it
devolves upon the quorums of the Melchizedek Priesthood to carry
the Gospel to the nations, and to gather those that accept it.
This work is great, the field is wide, and the word of the Lord
unto us, His servants, is to thrust in our sickles and reap, and
gather the harvest of the earth. And here let me say, the Lord
has sent His angels to superintend the work. The angel spoken of
by John the revelator, has flown with the everlasting Gospel to
preach to those that dwell upon the earth; and it is given unto
us that we should proclaim it to all nations, to every people
under heaven, the decree having gone forth that this Gospel of
the Kingdom should be preached to all nations, and then the end
should come.
36
Many years have elapsed since this message began to be
communicated to the sons of men; and we have become,
comparatively speaking, a great people. A little one has indeed
become a thousand. We, who a few years ago were only numbered by
units and tens, now are numbered by thousands and tens of
thousands, yea hundreds of thousands. And the Priesthood is
correspondingly increasing in numbers and in ability to labor,
and acquiring means to carry on the work of preaching the Gospel
and of gathering Israel. The labor before us is not diminishing;
it is extending on every hand, and the Lord desires to see the
Elders of Israel in their various quorums and organizations
interested, earnest and alive to their calling, anxious to
perform well and faithfully the duties assigned them.
37
The Spirit of the Lord prompts from time to time the calling and
setting apart of men to the work of the ministry, and sending
them to different portions of the globe. And inasmuch as people
feel earnest and anxious to do good, to use the means that God
blesses them with in doing good, in sending the Gospel to the
nations, and in gathering the elect of God--and as this feeling
prevails and increases among the people generally--the Seventies
and Elders, when they feel this spirit moving upon them, should
not wait, supinely rest upon their oars, but be ready to act. And
here permit me to say that that feeling which has to some extent
prevailed with some in time past, that when men are named, either
in Conference, or otherwise called on missions, to indulge in
such remarks as this--"I wonder what he has been doing that he
should be sent upon a mission;"--such a spirit should not exist
in the minds of Latter-day Saints, as it is entirely foreign to
those who call men to the ministry. Such a feeling is not worthy
a man called to preach the Gospel of the Son of God. The
qualifications of Elders that are sought after, and that should
recommend a minister of the Gospel, should be an earnest desire
to do good, a willingness to serve, a desire to know what the
Lord has for him to do, and a readiness to at once engage in the
undertaking, using himself and his means, if blessed with means,
his talents or gifts bestowed upon him by the Lord, with an eye
single to His honor and glory. And men who are at home, ought to
show forth these qualities in their daily lives and conduct, by
attending their quorum meetings and their ward meetings, and
their general Priesthood meetings, and by improving every
opportunity to learn their duty, and to improve themselves in
their daily lives; by being prompt in paying their tithing and in
bringing forth their offerings for the poor, and their
contributions for the building of Temples. It may not be those
who are loudest in their professions, but those actually pursuing
this course of life. These are the men that will be useful on the
earth, and whom the Lord will delight to own and bless in their
labors in the ministry. And it is desirable, that in the various
Stakes of Zion, where quorums are organized, that the Presidents
of Stakes should encourage those quorums, and the presiding
officers of the various quorums should endeavor to gather
together all who have received the Priesthood, and see that they
are enrolled in their respective quorums, and encourage them to
attend their quorum meetings, and there seek for the counsels of
the Holy Ghost, the Spirit that should rest upon the presiding
officers of quorums to teach the members of the quorums all
things pertaining to their duties, and how to become fitted for
the labors whereunto God has called them. For all these quorums
and organizations are so many classes for mutual improvement,
edification and instruction; and the Presidents thereof are
appointed and ordained to instruct the members of their quorums
in all things in the line of their duty. And they should be
encouraged by the Presidents of Stakes in their Quarterly
Conferences to report progress and attendance of members, and the
progress they are making in their qualifications. The Elders
should thus be sought after; and according to the spirit they
manifest in attending to their duties and qualifying themselves
for the work of the ministry, they should be called into the
field, whether from the Seventies or the Elders or the High
Priests, the High Priests, however, being more especially
expected to take the responsibility of presiding in Branches, in
Stakes, in Wards, as Presidents of Stakes, as High Counselors, as
Presiding Elders in the Conferences of the churches abroad. And
the time is not far distant when the Elders of Israel will be
required to turn their attention and labors among the branches of
the house of Israel; and especially among the remnants of Joseph,
upon this American Continent.
38
I am pleased to be able to testify, from my travels among the
people, in attending Stake Conferences and Priesthood meetings,
and hearing their reports from time to time, that there is a
steady improvement in the feelings of the people. This was the
testimony of Brother David P. Kimball, this morning, when he
said, that he could perceive a decided improvement in the faith
of the Latter-day Saints during the six years of his absence. I
think this is especially visible to all those who are moving and
acting among the people, they being the best able to judge of
their true condition. This is a source of gratitude and
thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father. I will not say of
self-congratulation; for although we have reason for thanksgiving
for the mercies and the blessings we have received, yet there are
many things still to be done, very many improvements to be made,
many weaknesses to be overcome, and very much yet to be done to
instruct the people that they may be sanctified and prepared to
endure the presence of the Lord, when he shall come; and to
enable them to withstand the shocks of the enemy, that will be
directed against them. Much remains to be done by the people in
putting away evils that still exist in our midst; and very much
needs to be done in the various Wards and Stakes throughout all
the settlements of the Saints by the local Priesthood. I don't
merely mean the Presidents of Stakes, the Bishops, the High
Counselors, and the lesser Priesthood appointed to assist the
bishops--however important their labors may be and however
necessary it may be that they should be alive and active; but
they should also have the support of all High Priests, Seventies
and Elders in their Wards. And every officer of the Priesthood
should be alive and awake to see what good he might do, wherever
and whenever the opportunity exists of doing good--in his own
home and family first, watching over his own children, laboring
to unite the hearts and feelings of his wife or wives and
children, that peace may dwell in his own habitation, and the
wisdom and knowledge of God grow and increase among his own
household; and to see that his children do not grow up idlers,
but are trained to be industrious, and taught to reach out after
truth, that their spirits may not be unfruitful, and that they
may be taught in the fear of the Lord, and to worship Him, and to
call upon Him, and to have faith in Him, so that when sickness
assails them that they may not first resort to the doctor, or
desire to put their trust in medical men to heal them, for the
Lord has commanded His people that when any are sick among them,
they shall call for the Elders of the Church, who shall pray over
them, and lay their hands upon them, and anoint them with oil in
the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the
sick. This was the exhortation of the Apostle James to the
former-day Saints, and it has been repeated to the Latter-day
Saints. The revelations given unto us on this subject are to the
effect that "they who have faith to be healed, shall be healed;
the deaf who have faith to hear, shall hear; the lame who have
faith to walk, shall walk, etc. And they who have not faith to do
these things, but believe in me, I will have compassion upon
them, and bear their infirmities, and they shall be nursed with
herbs and mild food, and that not by the hand of an enemy."
38
These things are for you, my brethren and sisters, and for your
families, and all who are willing to receive the word and
counsels of Almighty God. And if our faith is so weak that we
have to resort to medical aid, let us do it trusting and relying
upon God, and who do what they do unto the Lord, righteously,
justly and honorably, seeking for the light of the Holy Ghost to
help them in their profession. These will be far more likely to
succeed and do good; but the other class are not to be relied
upon, for all doctors have not faith any more than all lawyers or
other men. But the sound, intelligent philosopher or surgeon has
respect for God and His works, which are made manifest in all
nature and in nothing more than the human frame, which is after
the image of God himself--fearfully and wonderfully made--and
those who understand it best, respect, as a rule, the Maker, and
acknowledge His wisdom as being superior to that of man, for
there is nothing ever devised by man that is equal to his own
organization in perfection and beauty, or in strength and
durability.
39
Let us remember and ponder upon these counsels, and cleave to the
Priesthood and have confidence in it; and let the Elders
administer to the sick in faith, and let them rebuke disease when
the Spirit prompts them, and it will be rebuked, and the sick
will be healed by the power of God. Every Elder in Israel should
so live before the Lord as to have confidence in Him to do this.
And let the Presidents of Stakes and the Bishops and the leading
influential men encourage faith among the people, depending upon
God and the ordinances of His house rather than trusting in man.
And while they seek for wisdom to nurse the sick in a manner
calculated to do them good, let them learn too, that herb
medicine, unless administered in wisdom and intelligence, is
liable to injure the patient instead of benefitting him. And let
the Elders lay aside strong drinks and tobacco, and discontinue
the practice of everything having a tendency to injure the
system, and set examples before our sons and daughters that is
worthy of imitation. If parents will pursue this course they will
command the respect of their children; and when the time comes
for them to go down to their graves, their children will point to
them in affection and pride as being the chief means, under God,
of their learning His ways and walking in His paths, and of
eschewing those pernicious habits which are wasting away the life
of our nation, and that are gradually undermining society and
destroying the human race. It is the design of the Almighty to
raise up in these mountains a hardy and a healthy people, a
people who shall live according to the laws of heaven that govern
them, in whom shall be found the elements of faith and power; and
it becomes our duty to shape our lives accordingly. And that God
may help us to do so, and to accomplish all that is required of
us, is my earnest desire and prayer. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Charles W. Penrose, May 20th, 1883
Charles W. Penrose, May 20th, 1883
DISCOURSE BY ELDER CHAS. W. PENROSE,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, May 20th, 1883.
Reported by John Irvine
SINCERITY ALONE NOT SUFFICIENT--THE GATHERING FORETOLD--INSPIRED
WRITINGS
NOT ALL CONTAINED IN THE BIBLE--PROVINCE OF THE HOLY GHOST--THE
REFORMERS--CONFUSION OF SECTS--APOSTATE CONDITION OF THE WORLD
FORETOLD--HOW THE APOSTLES WERE SENT OUT--AUTHORITY
REQUIRED--WHAT THE
SAINTS SHOULD DO--OPPOSITION TO THE GOSPEL, ANCIENT AND
MODERN--TESTIMONY.
39
I am called upon this afternoon quite unexpectedly to me, to
address this congregation, and I earnestly pray that the spirit
of the living God may rest down upon me and upon all who are
gathered in this Tabernacle, that I may be inspired to say
something which will be profitable to hear, and that all who
listen to my words may be able to understand them in the spirit
by which they are spoken.
40
We have assembled here to-day to worship God our Heavenly
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ His Son, under the influence
and power of the Holy Spirit. In order that our worship may be
acceptable to God, it must be done in the name of Jesus, and it
must be done under the influence of His Spirit; for "God is a
spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and
in truth." We must be sincere in our worship; we must be sincere
in all that we do in order that it may be acceptable to God. But
sincerity alone is not sufficient. We have to worship Him in
truth as well as in spirit, and we must worship Him also in the
way that He has appointed, not in our way. God does not accept
the ways of man unless those ways are in accordance with His
ways. And we have come here that we may learn the ways of God,
and then walk in His path. This is in accordance with the ancient
prophets. They declared that in the last days, people should come
from all nations unto "the tops of the mountains" for this very
purpose, that they might learn of His ways and walk in His paths.
The reason why we have had to do this is because the ways of our
fathers, in their worship and in their service towards God, have
been only in accordance with their private notions, their ideas
of what is right.
41
There has been no voice from heaven heard among the children of
men on this earth for a great many centuries. People have not
been guided by the revelations of the Almighty, but by the wisdom
of man, or, as we think, the folly of man. It is true that the
people called "Christians," have had the book called the Bible.
The Old Testament and the New Testament contain books which were
written by men who lived in ancient times, and who were inspired
of God. Those books do not contain all that was written by the
servants of God, in ancient times, but only a few of the writings
given to the children of men by inspiration. This book contains a
great deal of truth and some few errors, but the errors are the
interpolations or the mistranslations of men. The doctrines which
the Bible contains are true, and they are in sufficient plainness
to be correctly understood, if the people who read what it
contains are influenced by the same spirit or inspired by the
same spirit as the men who wrote those things. But without that
spirit the people of the earth are not able fully to comprehend
that which is written. We read in that book that "the letter
killeth." It is the spirit that giveth life, and it is also the
spirit that giveth light. Without the spirit of God as the
revealing influences from on high, mankind are unable to
comprehend the things of God. As we are unable this afternoon to
see anything of a physical nature without the natural light which
comes from the sun, so without the light that comes from the Son
of Righteousness, we are unable to see the things of God. The
prophets who wrote the things contained in the Old Testament, and
the Apostles of Jesus Christ, who wrote the epistles, and other
writings contained in the New Testament, were blessed with the
gift that is called in the Scriptures the gift of the Holy Ghost.
This was not merely an influence which made them feel good; that
exalted their spiritual natures so as to make them happy,
contented and peaceful; but it was a manifestation of the power
that comes from God. As the light that comes from the sun reveals
through our natural eyes those objects which we see around us, so
the Holy Ghost coming from God opens up and makes clear and plain
the things of eternity, those things that are called spiritual to
our Heavenly Father. The things which we call natural and
temporal are spiritual to Him, because He sees the essence of
things, He comprehends them in their internal nature. All the
elements of all things that exist are eternal, and "the things
that are spiritual are eternal," and therefore it is all
spiritual to God. We at the present time are creatures of time,
and we see things that change. We do not comprehend their eternal
nature. We do not comprehend their essence. We only see that
which is on the surface, on the outside. But God looks into the
internal nature of things as well as of men, and comprehends
them. And the elements, both of that which is called natural and
that which is spiritual, are all eternal, without beginning and
without end. They are manipulated and changed and worked over,
but they have no beginning in their essence, and they cannot
have. No atom in nature can be destroyed. It never commenced to
be; it will never cease to be. God looks upon things as they are,
in their eternal nature, and therefore they are all eternal or
spiritual to Him. But speaking after the manner of men we call
things temporal and spiritual, natural and supernatural; yet
after all when we come to comprehend them as they are, they are
all material and all spiritual.
42
The inhabitants of the earth, as I have remarked, have been
without any direct communication from God, and therefore they
have been measurably in the dark. They have been able to read
some of the books which were written by the servants of God, who
were inspired by Him in ancient times; but they have had no
revelation for themselves. They can read what Isaiah said, or
Jeremiah, or Peter, or Paul, or Luke, or other writers of the Old
or New Testament; but they have had no personal revelation. The
light which they have obtained is a borrowed light, like the
light of the moon. They have been in a sort of moonlight or
twinkling star-light. There have been a great many preachers who
have claimed to be the servants of God, ministering among the
people in Christendom; some in the ancient church called the
Church of Rome, some in the Episcopal Church, some in the
Methodist Church, others in the Baptist Church, and so on through
all the various denominations that compose modern Christendom. No
doubt many of them were good men, men who strove to the best of
their ability, and the best of their knowledge to enlighten the
minds of their fellow-men. Some of them, perhaps, were mere
hirelings, "preaching for hire and divining for money;" but
others were sincere in their hearts, sincere in their worship,
sincere in the religion which they taught to others. But they had
not a knowledge of the truth. They had a faith of some kind. They
believed in certain principles. They believed in the things which
they read in the Bible so far as they could comprehend them, but
they had no positive knowledge in regard to the things which they
believed in and which they taught. The men who were called the
Reformers, who came out from the Church of Rome, and introduced a
little more truth than the people previously had, and reformed
several errors that were existing--were, some of them, most
excellent men, and they performed a great and a good work in the
earth. But they were not called of God in the way that His
servants were called in ancient times who wrote the things
contained in the Bible, neither were they endowed with the Holy
Ghost, which those men enjoyed. They nevertheless did a grand
work in the earth, and for that they will receive their reward,
no doubt; for no man who ever lived on the earth whether in a
Christian nation or among the heathen or pagan world, ever did a
good thing but he was the better for it, and will receive his
reward for it, and no man ever did wilfully a wicked thing, that
which he knew and felt to be wrong, without being the worse for
it, and for that he must give an account in the great day when
the secrets of the hearts of all mankind shall be made manifest,
Christian and heathen, those in the ancients times and those in
the latter times. All who ever dwelt in the earth in the flesh
must appear before the bar of God, and be judged for the deeds
done in the body, whether they be good or evil, and they will
receive a reward for the good that they did, and a punishment for
the evil that they did, especially and particularly if they did
evil knowingly, if they sinned wilfully, sinned against light and
knowledge.
43
A great many of those persons that I have referred to among those
reformers and others who worked on the earth, as they thought for
righteousness and for the Lord, have labored in sincerity, but
not always in truth. A great many errors have prevailed in the
world since the time when the Apostles were put to death, when
the lights that God placed in the world were put out by the hand
of wickedness; since the servants of God were destroyed in the
flesh, a great many errors have crept into the world, and
darkness has spread over the minds of the children of men. Though
many have worshipped in sincerity, they have not worshipped in
truth, because they did not fully comprehend the way of truth.
When they read the Scriptures, they only partially comprehended
them, and they differed among themselves as to the meaning of
those things which they read. Thus sect has multiplied upon sect,
denomination upon denomination. And in what is called
Christendom, people are in confusion, not comprehending alike,
not seeing the truth as it is; for if they could all see the
truth properly, they would see alike; if they all comprehended
the truth correctly, they would be of one heart and one mind so
far as they comprehended. But the very fact that those divisions
exist, proves that there is darkness in the world. If the light
of God was revealed to six men in the same degree, they would
comprehend the principles presented before them, the principles
of the Gospel, exactly in the same way; and if six men can be
united in comprehending truth exactly alike, six millions or any
number of men can be united so as to see and comprehend the truth
exactly in the same way, and this was the effect of the Spirit of
God, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Revealer, the spirit of
life and light, which God gave to His people in the ancient
Christian Church when the Gospel came to them. They were all
divided when Jesus Christ came into the world. There was a
similar diversity of opinions and faith in regard to God and His
ways, to what there is now, only not to so great an extent. Jesus
came and showed the right way. He was "the way, the truth, and
the life." He came to reveal His Father's will. He made plain the
way of life and truth, that all who desired might be able to walk
therein--in the same way and under the same light, that they
might see eye to eye and be no more divided. It was thus with the
people called Pharisees or Sadducees, or with those who belonged
to any sect that existed among the Jews, or with those who lived
among the Greeks, and had adopted the Grecian system of
philosophy, or with people who lived in any other part of the
world, and believed in any other kind of religion--when they came
into the Christian church they were no longer divided in their
opinions and in their faith, but they were all brought to see
alike; they were "all baptized by one spirit, into one body,
whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free." They no longer worshipped
different Gods, or the same God in different ways, but they
worshipped alike. They had "one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and
one hope of their calling." But when darkness came into the world
again; when the guides that God had placed among humanity were
rejected and thrust out, and the Holy Ghost was withdrawn, and
men were left to themselves, then they began to divide up, each
man going his own way, according to his notion. Preachers have
multiplied, sects have multiplied, and doctrines have multiplied.
And here we are in the latter times, in the nineteenth century,
when the people boast so much about Gospel light as well as
scientific light, here we are in the nineteenth century, and the
people are groping like blind men for the wall. They do not know
God, and some do not care anything about Him. Some deny His
existence, and a great many more stand in a position of doubt and
uncertainty. Very few squarely deny the existence of a God; but
there are a great many people who do not know whether there is a
God or not; they are not satisfied in their minds. "I do not
know," seems to be the sentiment of the great bulk of intelligent
people now-a-days in regard to divine things.
44
Well, as I said in the beginning of my remarks, we have met here
to-day to worship God in His way--not our way, that is, not the
way we have made, not the way that any man has made, but
according to the plan and pattern revealed from heaven by
Almighty God, in our day and time. If God manifested himself in
ancient times, why should He not manifest Himself in latter
times? If God spoke to the world by the power of the Holy Ghost,
through chosen men in former ages of the world, why not in this
age? If angels came down from heaven and ministered to persons
upon the earth in any period of this world's history, why not in
the latter times? Are God's lips closed that He cannot speak? Are
the heavens sealed up and become like brass, that no man can
break through, and no heavenly being come to this little world
and make manifest the things of eternity? Has the Holy Ghost
changed in its power and influence and revealing qualities? Or
are the children of men in such a condition that they are not
willing to receive the Lord and His ways and His works and His
light? Has God purposely departed from the earth, or have the
people of the earth departed from God? We read here in the book
of Isaiah about a time that should come when "darkness would
cover the earth, and gross darkness the people." We read of a
time when God would come out from His hiding place in judgment
upon the inhabitants of the earth in the latter days, and it
should be "as with the people so with the priest; as with the
servant, so with the master; as with the maid, so with the
mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the
lender so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with
the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and
utterly spoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word." What for?
"Because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance,
broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore has the curse devoured
the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate." Now, it
looks to me a great deal more reasonable to think that the people
of the earth have departed from God, and gone out of His way, and
made ways of their own; that they have "heaped to themselves
teachers having itching ears, and have turned away their ears
from the truth, and have turned unto fables;" that they have
become "lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God;" and that
they have a form of godliness, but lack the power thereof, than
that God has forsaken them, without any acts of their own. Now, I
know that this sounds very harsh in Christian ears. It sounds
very disagreeable to the people who compose Christendom, to say
that they have gone out of the way--those good, pious-appearing
people, who express such beautiful sentiments, and have such
religious motions and such lofty feelings, and many of whom are
sincere in their hearts--to say that they have gone out of the
way and that they are in the dark. It is all right to say that
millions upon millions of the heathen nations for hundreds and
hundreds of years have been in the dark, and that they are in the
dark to-day, that they are away from God, that the light of the
glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ does not shine into their souls,
that their philosophers and sages and poets and preachers and
mighty men of intellect are all wrong; that is all right; you can
say that. Many Christian people do say this, and are not shocked
in their feelings a bit; but to say that the Christians of this
generation are out of the way sounds terrible in their ears.
Nevertheless I will make bold to say that this is the fact; that
the whole earth has gone astray. I will go no further than they
say themselves: "We have left undone those things that we ought
to have done, and have done those things that we ought not to
have done, and there is no help in us. O Lord have mercy upon us,
miserable sinners." Well, that is just exactly what they are.
Now, I do not boast that we are any better than they are. I am
merely taking them as the Lord will take a great many of them:
"Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee." They tell the Lord,
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to
his own way." That is what is the matter with the Christian
world. They are not walking in the Lord's way. They are walking
in the ways that men have invented.
45
Any student of the Scriptures who is willing to receive truth
when it is presented before him, can see by perusing the sacred
books of the Old and the New Testaments, that the condition of
the world at the present time was anticipated by the ancient
prophets and apostles. They all saw that the time would come when
the people would turn away from the truth; when they would walk
in their own ways; when they would build up churches to
themselves; when they would hire men to preach to them things
which were wise and good in their own eyes; they would not be
very anxious to find out the will of God, or that He might
declare it to them, but would have preachers to teach them
doctrines which seemed good to their "itching ears."
45
A student of the Scriptures will also find that in every age of
the world when there was a people dwelling on the earth whom God
acknowledges as His people, He required them to do all things as
He commanded them; not as they might choose, but as He commanded.
When Jesus Christ came He did not come to do His own will, or to
preach His own doctrine. Said He; "My doctrine is not mine, but
His that sent me. If any man will do His will, he shall know of
the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of
myself." Jesus did nothing and said nothing but that which He had
been commanded to do and say. He taught no doctrine of Himself.
And He declared that when He should go away, the Comforter would
come in His place. What would He do? "He will guide you into all
truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come."
When the Apostles who were called of Jesus Christ, went out to
preach the Gospel in His name, they did not go to preach their
own views and opinions and notions, nor to administer ordinances
that they thought were proper and adapted to the people in
different nations, but they went out with the word of the Lord;
they went out to teach that which had been commanded. Said Jesus
Christ: "Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you." They were not to preach with the enticing words of man's
wisdom, nor proclaim their notions about things, but they were to
go forth with the living word of God, they were to go and teach
that which Christ had taught them, and which He did not teach of
Himself. And even then He told them to tarry in Jerusalem until
they were endowed with power from on high. They waited. And on
the day of Pentecost, we read, they came together "with one
accord in one place." They were of one heart, of one mind, and of
one spirit, and then the Holy Ghost was manifested to them, in
visible form, in cloven tongues as of fire. They were all filled
with that spirit, and they spoke with other tongues as the Spirit
gave them utterance, and from that time, having been ordained by
Jesus Christ, when He was upon the earth, they were able to go
out and preach the Gospel to the nations of the earth. On that
day (Pentecost) Peter preached that great gospel sermon which we
read about in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. He
did not teach the people anything in regard to his opinion. He
told the people that which he knew, that which had been made
manifest to him, that which he understood, and he did it under
the influence and power of the Holy Ghost, the same spirit which
rested upon the ancient prophets, the same spirit by which Jesus
spoke, which was given to him not by measure, but in a fullness.
46
No man has a right to preach in the name of the Lord, unless he
is endowed as were those Apostles, unless the Lord has committed
to him a dispensation of the Gospel; and if any man does so he
does it upon his own responsibility. Unless he is so-called and
endowed, all his administrations, whether it be baptism,
confirmation, or any other rite which he may administer in the
name of deity, are null and void and of non-effect in the
heavens. When God calls men to officiate, what they do on earth
in His name in the way He has appointed, by His authority, is as
valid as if He performed it himself in person; what they "seal on
earth is sealed in the heavens;" and what they "loose on earth is
loosed in the heavens." But when men administer the ordinances
without authority, without inspiration, without being called and
appointed and ordained specially for that work, all their
ministrations are vain and valueless. If they baptize a person
that baptism is void. The baptism of infants is void. It never
was ordained of God, it never was authorized of Him, but is one
of the vagaries of men, one of man's inventions. But even baptism
administered as the ancient Apostles administered it, and as
Jesus Christ taught it, and according to the pattern which He
Himself set in His own baptism, if administered by men who have
not been called and ordained and endowed with the power and right
to do it, is utterly void, and is of no more account than a bath.
And it is the absence of this authority and the absence of this
endowment, the absence of this divine spirit which reveals the
things of God, and makes them plain to the children of men, which
have caused all this confusion that exists in the Christian
world, as well as in the heathen world.
Well, we have met here this afternoon, and we have gathered here
in these mountain valleys that we might learn God's ways, and
then carry them out in our lives, for ours is a practical
religion. We not only learn but we practice. If we are Latter-day
Saints, we come to learn what is right and then do it with all
our might, fearless and regardless of the opinions of others, or
what other people may do or try to do. The business of our lives
is to try and find out the will of our Heavenly Father and
perform it. This we can do. There is no need to be in doubt as to
what it is. There is no need to depend upon any man--Joseph
Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Peter, Paul, Isaiah, or
anybody else. Every man that lives, and every woman that breathes
the breath of life has a right to know in his or her own heart,
whether a thing is right and true or not, and those who do not
strive to obtain this knowledge are derelict. "He that doeth the
will of the Father shall know of the doctrine." Our business is
then to find out what the Lord's will is, to guide us in our
every-day life, not only to make us feel good, to exalt our
spiritual nature, our emotions, our sentiments, our thoughts, not
only that, but to guide us in our daily lives, so that all our
acts may be squared according to the rule of right, that we may
do that which is pleasing to our Heavenly Father, that we may
learn to live so as not merely to do our own will, but to do the
will of Him that has sent us here on the earth, and who has
enlightened out minds in regard to the truth. We need not walk in
the dark. It is our privilege to walk in the light. We have come
out from the darkness, we have come out from confusion, we have
come out from Babylon into the light and the liberty and the
certainty of the everlasting Gospel. We have come out from the
creeds of men; we have come out from the ways of men; we have
come out from the nations and kingdoms of the earth; we have come
up into these mountain valleys, that we may find out truth day by
day and year by year, that we may get closer and closer to our
God, that we may learn the ways of truth, and walk in them more
perfectly, until the veil shall be entirely taken away, and we
shall see and comprehend the things of eternity as plainly as
with our natural eyes we can behold each other and the things of
time. It is our privilege to come near unto our Father, to drink
of those streams that flow from the eternal fountain, to have the
Holy Ghost in our hearts every day, springing up "like a wall of
water unto everlasting life." It is our privilege to walk in the
light continually, and have the Holy Ghost to be our constant
companion, directing our ways, not only our actions and our
doings, but our feelings and our thoughts and our sentiments,
that we may become purer and holier, day by day, until we are
sanctified and made clean and white and fit to go back into the
presence of our Heavenly Father.
47
This is our business here in Utah--to learn the Lord's ways, to
walk in the Lord's paths, to be devoted to Him; not only to be
baptized by water into His Church, but baptized by the Holy
Ghost, that we may be brought into a oneness with our Father,
brought into communion with Him, that the voice of the eternal
Spirit may whisper peace to our souls, and point out the way that
we shall go, and enable us to bear testimony of the truths made
manifest from the Lord through His inspired servants as He
reveals His will. Some people think that we have come here to
gratify every lust and every passion and every base desire that
is common to poor fallen humanity. Never was a greater mistake
made. This is not how I have learned what is commonly called
"Mormonism." I have learned that it is a holy thing, a sacred
thing; that it requires self-abnegation, not to men, but to
truth, to righteousness, to that which God reveals. The very
essence of "Mormonism" is to find out what the Lord wants, and
then to do it, and to do it regardless of anybody living upon the
face of the earth, regardless of what the world may do to try and
prevent us. And the people were are most of them of the same
mind. They have come out from the various sects and have all been
baptized into one spirit, into one body. The same Holy Ghost has
rested down upon them as rested down upon the Saints in ancient
times, and has produced the very same results. For the Holy Ghost
has not changed, God has not changed, the truth has not changed,
and the Lord is just as willing to-day as He was in the first
years of the Christian era to reveal himself to those who desire
to learn of Him, and the Holy Ghost is just as much a revealer
to-day as it was in the olden times when the Prophets wrote and
spoke under its influence. The truth is just the same, but the
people have gone astray from the Lord's ways, corrupted
themselves before Him, filled the earth with abominations and
iniquity, and their eyes are so closed to that which is true and
pure, that when the truth is revealed from heaven, it is
accounted a strange thing, and they not only turn away from it,
but they are filled with hatred towards those who have received
the truth and desire to walk in it.
49
It always was so from the beginning. When Abel would worship God
in the way appointed, Cain, who wanted to go his own way, offered
what he pleased, what he thought would do, and he was filled with
anger towards Abel, because his offering was accepted. Abel
offered what God commanded, the firstlings of the flock. Cain
offered the fruits of the ground. God had commanded a lamb
without blemish and without spot, to be offered as an emblem of
the coming redeemer, who, in the meridian of time should come as
"the lamb slain from before the foundation of the world," and
offer his life and pour out his blood for the remission of sins.
Cain offered what he pleased, and when Abel's offering was
accepted, Cain was filled with anger. The spirit of Satan entered
into him--which is the spirit of destruction, the spirit of
murder--and he arose and slew his brother. Now, though
persecutors in these times do not realize it themselves, they are
filled with the same spirit towards the servants of God. When
Joseph Smith, called of God to be a prophet in this latter time,
to usher in the great last dispensation of God's mercy to man, to
bring forth the ancient gospel as taught by Jesus and His
Apostles, to reveal again the ancient Priesthood and authority
thereof, to lay the foundation of the latter-day kingdom, to
prepare the way for the coming of the Son of Man; when he came as
a boy, an unlettered youth, bearing the glad tidings of great joy
that communication between the heavens and the earth so long
lost, had been restored, that the light from the eternal Sun of
Righteousness had again streamed down to lighten up and dispel
the darkness of the world--how was he received? Why, men would
not listen to his teaching. They would not compare the doctrines
he taught with the scriptures which they professed to believe.
They hooted at the very idea of present revelation from God. They
said: "Even supposing it possible that in this enlightened age
one could receive revelation, was God going to speak to an
illiterate boy? Would He not choose some of the great and wise
men of this generation, some of the learned divines. But the idea
of God's speaking to this youth!" And they were filled with
anger. The preachers and ministers of the day were filled with
hatred and wrath towards him, and towards all those who received
his testimony, and the Saints were driven from place to place,
from city to city, from State to State, until finally his blood
was shed. What for? Because he committed crime? No; their own
confession proved to the contrary, for they said, "the law cannot
touch him, but powder and ball shall." The same spirit that put
Jesus Christ to death; the same spirit that put those holy men to
death about whom I have spoken, who had "the burden of the word
of the Lord," and came not to declare their own opinions, but the
word of God Almighty to the inhabitants of the earth; the spirit
that put them to death, put Joseph Smith to death, and that is
the spirit that burns in the hearts of the so-called pious
"Christian" ministers against the Latter-day Saints. They meet
together in their convocations and conferences and assemblies,
and pass resolutions about a people of whose doctrines and
practices and lives they are in perfect ignorance. They do not
know the motives which prompt us. They do not know the principles
which actuate us. They know nothing about the work God Almighty
has called us to do, for which we have left our homes in distant
lands, and come to these valleys. But they are inspired by the
same spirit of wickedness and destruction which filled the hearts
of men who slew the servants of God in former times. They do not
want to try and convert these Latter-day Saints. Oh, no. What do
they want to do? One enlightened minister of the Gospel who came
out here and stayed about twenty-four hours, and like a great
many other people went back professing to know all about
"Mormonism"; although perhaps he never spoke to a "Mormon" while
here--got up in the pulpit and preached the gospel of the bayonet
and cannon as a means of solving the "Mormon problem!" He said he
would solve the problem in a short time. He would gather all the
Latter-day Saints into this great Tabernacle, and then turn the
artillery of the United States upon them! That was a minister of
the orthodox gospel. I do not say they are all like him; God
forbid that I should. But the same spirit is working in their
hearts and in the hearts of a great many men, and they do not
know it.
49
It may be said of them as Jesus said in regard to His disciples
on a certain occasion. Because some people did not do exactly as
they wanted, they asked: "Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to
come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?" The
Savior, we are told, rebuked them and said: "Ye know not what
manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to
destroy men's lives, but to save them." That is the spirit of the
Gospel, the spirit of salvation. Well, those people who seek the
destruction of the Latter-day Saints do not know what spirit they
are of. They are in the dark in regard to the things of God. They
have not been guided by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.
Many of them have administered in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost, without the slightest vestige of
authority. They have done it upon their own authority; and they
are filled with the spirit of the evil one, and they desire the
destruction, not the conversion, of the Latter-day Saints.
50
Well, my brethren and sisters and friends, I take great pleasure
in bearing testimony this afternoon in this public congregation
before the heavens, before Almighty God, who shall judge the
world, before Jesus Christ, the Mediator of the new covenant,
before the angels of heaven who can hear and witness my words,
that in these last days our Heavenly Father has revealed the
ancient Gospel anew, by His own voice from heaven and by heavenly
messengers sent down from on high; that the authority which the
ancient prophets and apostles held in ancient times has been
restored, and men hold it now; that the same Holy Ghost by which
the ancient prophets spoke and wrote the word of the Lord is
given to the people called Latter-day Saints,--not only to the
leaders of the Church who are placed in authority to direct and
manage and govern the affairs of the Church of Christ upon the
earth, but the body of the people. The spirit that is in the head
of the Church is in the body, and runs to every extremity,
enlightening it, filling it with life and with vigor. And it
brings forth the same fruits, which are love, joy, peace,
patience, long-suffering, brotherly kindness and charity, and the
light of God bears witness to these things. And not only have we
these gifts, but there are other gifts in our midst, the same as
were manifested in olden times, such as the gift of tongues,
interpretation of tongues, visions and dreams, the gift of
prophecy, the discerning of spirits, the healing of the
sick--those who have faith to be healed--and every gift and every
power and every blessing which were the result of the reception
of the Holy Ghost in ancient times, are enjoyed in the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I bear this testimony with
words of truth and soberness, before God and all men. I know this
is God's work, and I know it will prevail. I know it will not be
left to another people. I know it will remain, and every power
and every influence that rises against it, to destroy it, will
itself perish and be destroyed, and every arm that is lifted
against this work will, in the due time of the Lord, be palsied
and withered, for it is the work of the great God, and it will
stand for ever. The servants of the Lord in this Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, in spite of all attacks and schemes
and efforts to stop them, will go out to every nation, kindred,
tongue and people, and preach the Gospel of the kingdom as a
witness before the end shall come, and they will gather the elect
of God from the four winds and bring them to Zion. And these
Temples which we are laboring upon will be erected, and the
people of God will enter them and administer in behalf of the
living and the dead, and God will commune with His servants
therein. They will learn more of His ways and walk in His paths;
they will purge out all iniquity in their midst; they will cut
off the evil doer by severing him or her from the church; the
spirit of judgment will come to Zion, and the wicked and ungodly
and the hypocrite will flee away; and God will break every yoke,
and remove every bond, and Israel shall be free. And the Zion of
our God shall arise and shine, and the glory thereof shall stream
forth to the uttermost parts of the earth, and God will break
down every nation, kingdom and government of the earth which
refuses to hearken to his voice, until the kingdoms of this world
shall become the kingdom of our God and His Christ, and He shall
reign from pole to pole and from shore to shore.
50
May God add His blessing to this testimony, through Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / Joseph
F. Smith, February 17th, 1884
Joseph F. Smith, February 17th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, February 17th, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
DESIRABLE CONDITION OF THE SAINTS--CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPHETS
THE
GOVERNING POWER OF GOD IN HUMAN AFFAIRS--MAN'S INGRATITUDE TOWARD
GOD--THE ENLIGHTENING POWER OF GOD'S SPIRIT--MAN'S ORIGIN,
PROBATION
AND DESTINY--A BASE CONCEPTION OF THE OBJECT OF LIFE--THE
SAVIOR'S NOBLE
EXAMPLE--THE SOURCE OF TRUE HAPPINESS--GREAT TRUTHS REVEALED
THROUGH
JOSEPH SMITH--ETERNAL ASSOCIATIONS AND DESTINY OF THE SAINTS--HOW
TO
ATTAIN TO A KNOWLEDGE OF THE THINGS OF ETERNITY.
F. Smith
I trust that the Spirit of the Lord may direct what I may say. It
is sometime since I stood before a congregation in this building;
my labors have been directed in a great measure in other
settlements where I have enjoyed seasons of pleasure and profit,
witnessing a good spirit and a lively feeling among the
Latter-day Saints wherever it has been my privilege to meet with
them. I believe that the same good spirit prevails among the
Latter-day Saints in this City and throughout this Stake of Zion,
and that there is generally a feeling of confidence and faith in
the hearts of the Saints in the work of the Lord, and in His
servants. This is gratifying, when we realize the importance of
our being united, and of our faith being centered in the Lord,
and in the great work God has begun in the earth in these last
days. Without unity and confidence no faithful Latter-day Saint
can be truly happy.
F. Smith
Brother Abraham Hatch has dwelt upon the idea he had when a boy,
in relation to the characteristics of a Prophet. I presume that
his idea was similar to that entertained by most of the civilized
world to-day, and yet I do not think that there is any ground or
reason for such opinions respecting the character of men who have
been inspired of God. While he was speaking upon this subject, my
mind reverted to some of the ancient Prophets whose words have
been handed down to us as words of inspiration, and so far as my
mind can recall, all those eminent men of ancient days were, I
believe, young men when they were called to their respective
positions. From the first man Adam, down to the latest inspired
man of God of which we have any account in the Scriptures, they
were all chosen, so far as my knowledge goes, when they were in
their youth. Abraham became an inspired man when very young. He
was called to be a Prophet and Patriarch in his youth. His sons
Isaac and Jacob, were not at all old men when the prophetic
inspiration fell upon them. And when we come down to later times
we find that the Prophet Samuel was chosen and dedicated unto the
Lord in his childhood. He was a Prophet from his youth up. David
was a youth, Daniel was a youth, Isaiah was a youth, and so far
as I recall to mind, the Prophets were all young men when they
were called to the work that they had to perform. Jesus himself,
the greatest of all Prophets, only attained His thirty-third year
when He was offered as a sacrifice upon the cross. Most of the
Apostles who were chosen by our Savior were young men, and those
who have been chosen in this dispensation were all of them, in
the beginning, young men, some of them almost beardless, much
less having flowing beards, grey and bald, wrinkled and old, as
we see the prophets and patriarchs pictured by modern artists,
representing the modern conception of them. President Taylor
himself, when he was called to the apostleship--which is a
prophetic calling--was only a young man about thirty years of
age, and there were many younger than he, and all the way down to
the present time nearly every man called to the prophetic calling
has been called in his youth, grown up under the inspiration of
the Almighty, and has developed under the influence and power of
the Spirit of the living God. There is, I think, good reason for
this. The young mind is much more plastic, much more susceptible
of impressions and of influence than the older mind. A youth can
be conformed, so to speak, in his ideas, thoughts and feelings,
to the will and requirements of heaven, much easier than in old
age. Nevertheless, I believe that God is able to inspire any man
who is good, faithful, pure and righteous in his desires; God
delights in the willing mind and in those who keep His laws and
commandments. Men have been raised up in most all ages of the
world to perform certain works, or accomplish certain missions;
they having been inspired for that work and mission from their
infancy, and it may be even before they were born into the world.
No doubt all the prominent men who have figured in any
dispensation of the Gospel since the days of our father, Adam,
until the present, were inspired of the Almighty from their
childhood, and were chosen and selected even from or before their
birth. God has His eye upon the world; He over-rules and controls
all things, notwithstanding He is shut out from the councils of
men by their unbelief. His authority is not admitted by the
world. The children of men ignore His right to govern and
control, to dictate or to counsel in the earth. Nevertheless, He
governs and controls the nations of the earth and individuals,
and all things are subject to His power. I do not mean that all
mankind are obedient to His will; I do not mean that they are
willing to acknowledge Him, or that they know Him. I am rather
inclined to the opinion that they are ignorant entirely of Him
and of His power, and that they do not conceive it possible that
He governs and controls the affairs of the nations of the earth.
Nevertheless, He does so, and while "man proposes, God disposes;"
while the leaders of the nations of the earth plan and scheme,
and seek to govern according to their ideas, yet God Almighty
over-rules their acts and brings forth results which, in
accordance with His wisdom, are designed to hasten and ultimately
consummate His grand and glorious purposes in the earth. And I
believe that one of the greatest sins of which the inhabitants of
the earth are guilty to-day, is the sin of ingratitude, the want
of acknowledgement, on their part, of God, and His right to
govern and control. We see a man raised up with extraordinary
gifts, or with great intelligence, and he is instrumental in
developing some great principle. He and the world ascribe his
great genius and wisdom to himself. He attributes his success to
his own energies, labor and mental capacity. He does not
acknowledge the hand of God in anything connected with his
success, but ignores Him altogether, and takes the honor to
himself; this will apply to almost all the world. In all the
great modern discoveries in science, in the arts, in mechanism,
and in all the material advancement of the age, the world say:
"We have done it." The individual says, "I have done it," and he
gives no honor or credit to God. Now, I read in the revelations
through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, that because of this, God is
not pleased with the inhabitants of the earth, but is angry with
them because they will not acknowledge His hand in all things. I
am inclined to acknowledge the hand of God in all things. If I
see a man inspired with intelligence, with extraordinary ability
and wisdom, I say to myself he is indebted to God for that wisdom
and ability, and that without the providence or interposition of
the Almighty, he would not have been what he is. He is indebted
to the Lord Almighty for his intelligence, and for all that he
has; for the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. God
originated and designed all things, and all are His children. We
are born into the world as His offspring; endowed with the same
attributes. The children of men have sprung from the Almighty,
whether the world are willing to acknowledge it or not. He is the
Father of our spirits. He is the originator of our earthly
tabernacles. We live and move and have our being in God our
Heavenly Father. And having sprung from Him with our talents, our
ability, our wisdom, we should at least be willing to acknowledge
His hand in all the prosperity that may attend us in life, and
give to Him the honor and glory of all we accomplish in the
flesh. We are particularly dependent upon the Almighty for
everything we possess of a worldly character. There is not a man
on the earth possessed of the wisdom or power of himself to cause
even a spear of grass to grow, or to produce a kernel of wheat or
of corn, or any fruit, vegetable, or any material whatever which
is essential for the sustenance, the happiness and the well-being
of a human creature in the world. It is true we can go to the
earth, we find it prepared to a certain extent, and we cultivate,
plow and plant, and we reap the harvest; but God has ordained
that the fruits of our labor shall be in subjection and in
obedience to certain laws which He Himself controls, and which He
has kept out of the power of man. Man may boast of having a great
deal of wisdom; of having accomplished a great deal in this 19th
century; but, if he did but know it, he derives the ability by
which he accomplishes these things from God his Father, who is in
heaven. He does not possess the power in and of himself.
F. Smith
I read a Scripture something like this: that "there is a spirit
in man." Now, if that should stop here, there would not be
perhaps anything very remarkable about man; for the spirit of man
knoweth only the things of man, and the things of God are
discerned by the Spirit of God. But while there is a spirit in
man, it is further stated that "the inspiration of the Almighty
giveth it understanding." There is not a man born into the world
but has a portion of the Spirit of God, and it is that Spirit of
God which gives to his spirit understanding. Without this, he
would be but an animal like the rest of the brute creation,
without understanding, without judgment, without skill, without
ability, except to eat and to drink like the brute beast. But
inasmuch as the Spirit of God giveth all men understanding, he is
enlightened above the brute beast. He is made in the image of God
Himself, so that he can reason, reflect, pray, exercise faith; he
can use his energies for the accomplishment of the desires of his
heart, and inasmuch as he puts forth his efforts in the proper
direction, then he is entitled to an increased portion of the
Spirit of the Almighty to inspire him to increased intelligence,
to increased prosperity and happiness in the world; but in
proportion as he prostitutes his energies for evil, the
inspiration of the Almighty is withdrawn from him, until he
becomes so dark and so benighted, that so far as his knowledge of
God is concerned, so far as the future or hopes of eternal life
are concerned, he is quite as ignorant as a dumb brute.
F. Smith
I was remarkably struck upon this point only a short time ago by
the expressed opinion of an individual who is considered to be
very intelligent--a philanthropist, going about the country, and
said to be doing a great deal of good, who remarked in my hearing
that the future was a blank; that we knew nothing about it; that
we knew nothing as to the condition of the spirit after death;
nor as to the pre-existence of spirits; and that all these things
must be left without consideration as matters wholly beyond our
reach. This, in substance, was the opinion expressed by this very
intelligent person who is going about the country doing so much
good. I do not doubt that individuals may go about doing good,
relieving present necessities, throwing out practical ideas and
suggestions, as to temporal concerns and administering reproof
that will be greatly beneficial to very many in their present
worldly condition. But in view of the possibilities of the great
and eternal hereafter, and the important contingencies of the
past, involving our origin and our destiny, some of us are so
constituted that we cannot content ourselves to rest such vital
matters here, in the midst of so much ignorance, uncertainty and
doubt. We desire to know something about the future and the past,
as well as of the present. What is the object of our being?
Whence have we come? Whither are we going? What consequences are
dependent upon this life? What is to be gained or lost? To whom
are we responsible, seeing we do not owe our existence to our
earthly parents alone, nor to chance or hazard? Is there any
reward or punishment hereafter for good or evil committed in the
flesh? We desire to know something about these things, if it is
possible to know anything about them. What is the standard of
right and truth, and who is the great example? Those who say in
their hearts that it is impossible to learn anything about these
things; that it is sufficient to content ourselves with that
which we can see and hear and handle, and with that which only
materially affects our present existence; that that is all we
have to concern ourselves about, can be but little removed beyond
the brutes, or the animal creation. Such may be classed with
those whom the Savior referred to in the parable of the rich man
who said, "Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." In other
words, "Let us have pleasure in that which we possess or enjoy
today."
F. Smith
This reminds me of a remark that I was told a certain man--said
to be learned in the law--had made in reference to the religion
of the Latter-day Saints. He remarked something like this: "you
believe in having joy; you claim that your religion is for the
purpose of securing to you the greatest amount of joy. Now, on
the back of this you deny yourselves of this, that and the other.
Your people are called upon to deny their appetites, to control
their passions, and to crucify the flesh, etc. My enjoyment
consists in whatever I can get that is good to eat, to drink or
wear; whatever ministers to my bodily ease, or comfort, to the
gratification of my tastes and appetites. I deny myself nothing
that I like or desire. Hence, I drink, I smoke, I chew, and I do
as I please," (he might have added, perhaps, "I curse and swear,
I gamble, I commit whoredoms and take advantage of every
circumstance I can to augment my pleasure and gratify my lust and
my ambition), all these contribute pleasure to me and constitute
my greatest joy and happiness." Such was the confessed moral
status of this legal individual to whom I refer. But I consider,
(and I believe that every right-minded person will heartily agree
with me), that such a conception of the object of human existence
is groveling, vile and contemptible. No pure-minded person can
perceive anything noble, exalted, pure or praise worthy in a life
so selfish, narrow and gross. There is nothing liberal or manly
in such avowals, much less in the practical results of such a
life, and coming from a man of years, of legal experience and
knowledge to a youth with a view to misleading him, is infamous.
Following, this theory, we observe a man wallowing in the gutter,
blood-shot, bloated, ragged, hideous and filthy, his family
neglected at home and destitute, his children bare-foot, naked or
bundled in rags--and starving for food--objects of pity and
disgust--without the shadow of a chance for mental
improvement--with only the blighting, withering example of a
besotted husband and father for their guiding star. And why all
this? Because this misguided, fallen human creature is seeking
joy in the gratification of his appetite! This theory may be
followed in all its leadings, to similar and equally appalling
results. No man is safe unless he is master of himself; and there
is no tyrant so merciless or more to be dreaded than an
uncontrollable appetite or passion. We will find that if we give
way to the grovelling appetites of the flesh and follow them up,
that the end will be invariably bitter, injurious and sorrowful,
both to the individual and society. It is hurtful in example as
well as in its individual effects; dangerous and hurtful to the
unwary; while the denial of these appetites--the crucifixion of
the flesh, so to speak--and an aspiration for something noble;
whenever possible, doing good to our fellow creatures, hoping for
the future, laying up treasures in heaven where moth and rust
cannot corrupt, and where thieves cannot break through and
steal--all these things will bring everlasting happiness;
happiness for this world and the world to come. If there is no
pleasure in the world except that which we experience in the
gratification of our physical desires--eating, drinking, gay
associations, and the pleasures of the world--then the enjoyments
of the world are bubbles; there is nothing in them, there is no
lasting benefit or happiness to be derived from them.
F. Smith
It seems to me that the example which was set to us by our Savior
is the example we should seek to follow. Did He prostitute His
intelligence for the gratification of the lusts of the flesh? or
did He go about doing good--healing the sick, opening the eyes of
the blind, giving speech to the dumb, hearing to the deaf,
cleansing the lepers, forgiving sin, relieving the distressed?
Was not that the example He set before the world? Was not that
the course He commanded His disciples to pursue? I think it was.
There is something in such a course that is praise worthy and
noble. It will bring true and lasting pleasure; while the
pleasures of the world are only temporary and fleeting. The
Spirit of God brings unspeakable pleasure to all who enjoy it--it
leads men to do good, to deny themselves some things that they
may the better be enabled to do good. It certainly affords more
pleasure to give than to receive. It is so said in the
Scriptures. It is more blessed to administer comfort and joy to
our fellow creatures than to have them administer to ourselves.
But under the spirit and influence that the world is under at
present, this is not the view that is generally taken. Men of the
world are rushing head-long after that which will as they suppose
contribute to their own pleasure. They don't care how they get
pleasure so that they get it. As a general thing gold or money is
the thing which administers most to their pleasure and joy. In a
few years, however, they will be called away from this world,
when their wealth and everything else they have cherished will
have to be left behind. They cannot take their gold with them,
because it belongs to the world. When they get behind the veil,
that which served to make them happy will be gone beyond their
reach. The source of their pleasure will have fled. There will be
nothing left for them to enjoy in that other sphere. They had
their enjoyment in this. They did not frame their minds for other
enjoyments. They served their bodies, their fleshly desires, and
the result is they have served the devil, they are, therefore,
his children, and they have no pleasure in God, nor He in them.
What is there in this world that can give so much joy or so much
pleasure as to know that our sins are forgiven; that we stand
acceptable to God our Heavenly Father; that we have not injured
any of our fellow creatures; that we are free from any
indebtedness or incumbrance; that we are not in bondage to the
world, nor to our fellow creatures? This gives one far greater
pleasure than anything the world can give. Money cannot give it.
The wealth of the world cannot bestow this enjoyment upon man.
The honors of men do not affect this question at all. If we can
only realize before God our Father, that our sins are forgiven,
that we are free from transgression, and that our spirit is right
and pure in the sight of God--this should be a greater source of
happiness than anything the world can give. To know that we
possess the gift of the Holy Spirit--that is, the right to claim
the aid and assistance of the Spirit of God to direct us in our
labors and curse in life, is far greater than the wealth and the
honors of this world. To know that we enjoy a portion of those
rights and privileges which belong to the Priesthood, which is
after the order of the Son of God, is a source of greater joy and
pleasure to righteous men than all that the world can give. To
know that we are in fellowship with the Saints; to know we are
held in confidence by them; to know that we have their faith and
prayers, is worth more to the honest-in-heart than all that the
pleasures of the world can bestow. To know that we have enjoyed
privileges by which we have secured to ourselves peculiar
blessings for time and eternity is beyond all comparison with
earthly things. We would not exchange the least of the gifts that
have been bestowed upon us by and through the authority of the
Holy Priesthood for all the world can produce; because that which
cometh from God is eternal and will not perish. If I were to be
deprived of the privileges I have referred to, all else of an
earthly character would be worthless, senseless and evanescent to
me. We want something that reaches out into eternity. We want to
know where we came from, and where we are going. Where did we
come from? From God. Our spirits existed before they came to this
world. They were in the counsils of the heavens before the
foundations of the earth were laid. We were there. We sang
together with the heavenly hosts for joy, when the foundations of
the earth were laid, and when the plan of our existence upon this
earth and redemption were mapped out. We were there; we were
interested, and we took a part in this great preparation. We were
unquestionably present in those councils, when that wonderful
circumstance occurred to which President Taylor has so often
referred of late, when Satan offered himself as a savior of the
world, if he could but receive the honor and the glory of the
Father for doing it. But Jesus said, "Father, Thy will be done,
and the glory be Thine forever." Wherefore, because Satan
rebelled against God, and sought to destroy the agency of man,
the Father rejected him and he was cast out, but Jesus was
accepted. We were, no doubt, there, and took a part in all those
scenes; we were vitally concerned in the carrying out of these
great plans and purposes; we understood them, and it was for our
sakes they were decreed and are to be consummated. These spirits
have been coming to this earth to take upon them tabernacles,
that they might become like unto Jesus Christ--being "formed in
His likeness and image," from the morn of creation until now, and
will continue until the winding-up scene, until the spirits who
were destined to come to this world shall have come and
accomplished their mission in the flesh.
F. Smith
This we have learned. How have we found it out? I answer, through
the prophet Joseph Smith, by revelation and the inspiration of
the Almighty upon our own minds, by which we are able to
ascertain the truth respecting the predictions of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, respecting the truth of the sayings of the ancient
Prophets, respecting the truth of the Scriptures, respecting the
validity of the promises that God has made to the children of
men; for every man has the privilege of obtaining the inspiration
of the Almighty--or the gift of the Holy Ghost--to know for
himself and need not depend upon Joseph Smith, nor upon Brigham
Young, nor upon John Taylor, nor upon any of the prophets who
wrote and spoke as the Spirit of God gave them utterance, upon
these principles. We have learned these things. We have learned
whence we came, why we came, and whither we are going. We are not
here to seek the joys of the flesh, and yet the Lord does not
design that we should go about sorrowful, or that we should deny
ourselves of any legitimate pleasure. The Lord never intended
that we should go around fasting, mourning, grieving, weeping and
wailing, while we sojourn in mortality. Jesus said, "When ye
fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance. * * But
appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in
secret. In other words, appear to the world to be happy. This is
the privilege of every Latter-day Saint, and indeed the privilege
of every soul that lives. There is abundance of joy to be
obtained aside from the joy which ends in suffering and sorrow.
Seek those joys that bring no alloy with them, those joys which
are unremitting, eternal in their nature. Do good.
F. Smith
Again, where are we going? We come here and sojourn in the flesh
a little season, and then we pass away. Every soul that is born
into the world will die. There is not a soul that has escaped
death, except those upon whom God has passed, by the power of His
Spirit, that they should live in the flesh until the second
coming of the Son of Man: but they will eventually have to pass
through the ordeal called death; it may be in the twinkling of an
eye, and without pain or suffering; but they will pass through
the change, because it is an irrevocable edict of the Almighty.
"In the day that thou eatest thou shalt surely die." This was the
edict of the Almighty, and it pertains to Adam--that is, all the
human race; for Adam is many, and it means you and me and every
soul that lives and that bears the image of the Father. We shall
all die. But is that the end of our being? If we had an existence
before we came here, we certainly shall continue that existence
when we leave here. The spirit will continue to exist as it did
before, with the additional advantages derived from having passed
through this probation. It is absolutely necessary that we should
come to the earth and take upon us tabernacles; because if we did
not have tabernacles we could not be like God, or like Jesus
Christ. God has a tabernacle of flesh and bone. He is an
organized being just as we are, who are now in the flesh. Jesus
Christ was born of His mother Mary, He had a fleshly tabernacle;
He was crucified on the cross; and his body was raised from the
dead. He burst the bonds of the grave and came forth to newness
of life, a living soul, a living being, a man with a body, with
parts and with spirit--the spirit and the body becoming a living
and immortal soul. You and I have to do the same thing. We must
go through the same ordeal in order to attain to the glory and
exaltation which God designed we should enjoy with him in the
eternal worlds. In other words, we must become like Him;
peradventure to sit upon thrones, to have dominion, power, and
eternal increase. God designed this in the beginning. We are the
children of God. He is an eternal being, without beginning of
days or end of years. He always was, He is, He always will be. We
are precisely in the same condition and under the same
circumstances that God our Heavenly Father was when He was
passing through this or a similar ordeal. We are destined to come
forth out of the grave as Jesus did, and to obtain immortal
bodies as He did--that is, that our tabernacles are to become
immortal as His became immortal, that the spirit and the body may
be joined together and become one living being, indivisible,
inseparable, eternal. This is the object of our existence in the
world; and we can only attain to these things through obedience
to certain principles, through walking in certain channels,
through obtaining certain information, certain intelligence from
God, without which no man can accomplish this work or fulfill the
mission he has come upon the earth to fulfill. These principles
are the principles of the Gospel of eternal truth, the principles
of faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, the
principle of obedience to God the Eternal Father; for obedience
is one of the first principles or laws of heaven. Without
obedience, there can be no order, no government, no union, no
plan or purpose carried out. And that obedience must be
voluntary; it must not be forced; there must be no coercion. Men
must not be constrained against their will to obey the will of
God; they must obey it because they know it to be right, because
they desire to do it, and because it is their pleasure to do it.
God delights in the willing heart.
F. Smith
I am looking forward to the time when I shall have passed away
from this stage of existence, that I shall be permitted to enjoy
more fully every gift and blessing that has contributed to my
happiness in this world; everything. I do not believe that there
is one thing that was designed or intended to give me joy or make
me happy, that I shall be denied hereafter, provided I continue
faithful; otherwise my joy cannot be full. I am not now speaking
of that happiness or pleasure that is derived from sin; I refer
to the happiness experienced in seeking to do the will of God on
earth as it is done in heaven. We expect to have our wives and
husbands in eternity. We expect our children will acknowledge us
as their fathers and mothers in eternity. I expect this; I look
for nothing else. Without it I could not be happy. The thought or
belief that I should be denied this privilege hereafter would
make me miserable from this moment. I never could be happy again
without the hope that I shall enjoy the society of my wives and
children in eternity. If I had not this hope, I should be of all
men most unhappy; "for if in this life only we have hope in
Christ, we are of all men most miserable." All who have tasted of
the influence of the Spirit of God, and have had awakened within
them a hope of eternal life, cannot be happy unless they continue
to drink of that fountain until they are satisfied, and it is the
only fountain at which they can drink and be satisfied.
F. Smith
Now, we desire to know something about this, and in the name of
Israel's God, I say we do know something about it. How do you
know? I know it, because God has revealed it, through His ancient
and modern Prophets. I know it, because it has been testified of,
by all the ancient worthies of God, from the foundation of the
world to the present. I know it, because it is the theory of
God's plan of salvation. I know it, because it has been expounded
and made plain, not only by the Prophets, but by the Savior
Himself. I know it, because the Spirit of the living God
testifies of it in my heart, and tells me it is true. I know it
is true by all the senses by which I can determine the most
simple fact. I see it with my eyes, I hear it with my ears, I
understand it with my heart, I comprehend it in part according to
the intelligence with which God has endowed me. I am convinced of
it and hence I am happy; for I know that I am in the discharge of
my duty. This is the happiness I am after. Is it not the
happiness we all desire? I think it is.
F. Smith
May God bless this congregation, and all the household of faith,
and help us to live for the future, for eternal pleasures,
exaltations, thrones, principalities, dominion and power; may God
help us to live for these things; may He give us a knowledge of
them, that we may comprehend them as He comprehends, that we may
take the course that He has marked out for us to pursue, in order
that we may secure unto ourselves the riches of eternal life, is
my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Francis M. Lyman, February 24, 1884
Francis M. Lyman, February 24, 1884
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE FRANCIS M. LYMAN,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, February 24, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
NECESSITY OF FAITH--THE HOLY GHOST--IMPORTANCE OF THE
SACRAMENT--WARFARE
BETWEEN GOD AND THE POWER OF EVIL--A TRUE LATTER-DAY SAINT CANNOT
BE
CONVERTED--KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH CAN ONLY BE RECEIVED FROM
GOD--NONE
WILL SUFFER AS CHRIST SUFFERED--GOD OVERRULES ALL THINGS FOR THE
GOOD
OF HIS PEOPLE--THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH OF GOD IS
PERFECT--PROPER
TRAINING OF THE CHILDREN OF THE SAINTS.
61
While I attempt to speak to you, my brethren and sisters, this
afternoon, I desire an interest in your faith and prayers, that I
may speak that which the Lord would have me say, that we may be
edified, strengthened and encouraged to go forward in the
discharge of our duties as Saints of the living God. And as I
speak during the passing of the sacrament, I would not take your
minds from this sacred ordinance, as I realize the blessings to
be received by us in partaking thereof. We should remember that
it is not pleasing in the sight of the Lord to partake of this
ordinance or sacrament in a thoughtless manner, but that we
should come here for the purpose of renewing our covenants and of
pledging ourselves once more to remember the Savior, to take upon
us His name, and to keep His commandments--that is, to keep all
of them that have been revealed to us, to live lives of purity,
and to be devoted and obedient to the principles He has revealed
for the salvation of man.
62
It is said, and truly, that without faith it is impossible to
please God. It may be as truthfully said that without obedience
it is impossible to please God; that without virtue, without
truthfulness, it is impossible to please God. It is not possible
for us to perform the labors that are required of us as
Latter-day Saints--to preach the Gospel among the nations, to
gather together the people, to build temples, and to perform in
those temples the labors that are necessary for the salvation of
the living and the dead--except we are aided by the Holy Ghost,
the Comforter. It is not possible for men who stand at the head
of this Church to direct, or to give counsel in regard to the
building up of the Kingdom of God, in regard to the location of
new settlements, in regard to organizing branches, wards, and
stakes, and the opening of missions, except they enjoy the Holy
Ghost. It is not possible for us as Apostles, as Presidents of
stakes, as Bishops of wards, as Presidents of quorums, as
Presidents of associations, to preside with dignity and in a
manner pleasing to God, unless we enjoy the Holy Ghost. It is not
possible for us as parents, to preside in our families, to set
good examples before them, to set and keep our houses in
order--as it is necessary they should be kept, that we may have
salvation--unless we enjoy the Holy Ghost. It is not possible for
us as individuals to be Saints, unless we enjoy the Holy Ghost.
It was conferred upon every one of us when we were baptized, when
we first embraced the Gospel, and the Lord has given us ample
instructions as to how we should live, as to the labors we should
perform, and as to the lives we should lead in order that we may
enjoy the Holy Ghost. Among other things the sacrament was
established by the Savior, when He was here in person. He
established it again when He visited this continent and set up
His Church among the Nephites. He has again established it in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it seems to be
very important that this sacred ordinance of the Gospel should be
attended to frequently, that by partaking of it we may witness to
the Lord that we are willing to take upon us His name, that we
have not forgotten Him, that we do keep His commandments, and are
still willing to keep them, and to walk according to His counsel.
Hence it is important that all Saints, not only presiding
officers, but all Saints who have named the name of Jesus Christ
and entered into covenant with God, should meet together often
and partake of the sacrament and renew their covenants, in order
that they may have the Spirit of the Lord. It is most pleasing in
the sight of the Lord, for us to partake of the sacrament if
there be hard feelings in our hearts, if there be jealousness, if
there be enmity or strife, if we are not in fellowship with one
another, if we are not in fellowship with the Church, if we are
not keeping the commandments of the Lord, if we are not living in
peace, if we are not obedient to the counsels of heaven; I say
that it is not pleasing in the sight of the Lord to partake of
the sacrament under such circumstances. This is an ordinance that
should be partaken of properly, understandingly, thoughtfully,
and with faith that we will receive an increased portion of the
Holy Spirit. If we were not in a world of sin; if we were not in
a world of trial and temptation; if evil was not in the world as
well as good; if there were not evil influences; if the spirit
and power of darkness was chained and there was nothing in this
life but good; if there was no evil inspiration, no evil
insinuations--if none of these things existed, then we might
possibly manage to go through this world without committing sin.
But we find that as good is in the world so there is evil. As
there is light in the world, so there is darkness. We are subject
to the influences of evil--to the powers of darkness. We are
liable to temptation. God has given us our agency; and it is
found necessary that we should have very particular instructions,
very complete organization and perfect care thrown around us, as
the Saints of God, under those circumstances, in order that we
may obtain salvation. It is not enough that we be baptized for
the remission of sins. We need organization. We need the
Priesthood. We need authority. We need power. We need the
blessing and help of God from the beginning. When the Elders go
out into the world, and baptize for the remission of sins, they
do not there leave the people. They are taught the necessity of
other ordinances, the necessity of gathering together, the
principle of tithing, the words of wisdom, the necessity of
prayer; all these doctrines are laid before them. Then
organization is given them, not in perfection, but in a primitive
form. They have branches, and presiding authorities, Elders,
Priests, Teachers, Deacons, etc., to teach and care for them
while they are in the world, and when they gather to Zion they
have a more complete organization of stakes, wards, quorums,
associations and the like; so that every man and every woman has
a place and a position. They act as helpers, exhorters,
encouragers, and all these are necessary for the salvation of the
people; for we find, as we become attached to the Gospel of
Christ, the evils of the world come in upon us, and they come
with greater strength and power to overcome and destroy us.
64
There is a warfare in the earth between God and the power of
evil. The Lord has established this Church. The Father Himself in
person, accompanied by His Son Jesus Christ, came and laid the
foundation of this work. They commenced it. They established it.
They have sustained and supported it. It has not been sustained
and supported by the power of man. Those who have stood faithful
to this day--whether they be many or few--among the Latter-day
Saints, have stood by the blessing and power of God. No one that
was living in the days of Nauvoo, or in the days of Kirtland, or
that joined the Church during the lifetime of President Young,
and has faithfully endured to the present time, can arrogate to
himself that he has so endured in his own strength. God has
sustained him. The Lord has given him a testimony, and
established in his heart a knowledge of the truth. And the reason
that this Church is so much more stable and solid--cannot be
overthrown, cannot be broken in upon by those from the
outside--is that in each individual heart is established a
knowledge that comes by the gift of God--the Holy Ghost. The
religious world, so far as they have endeavored to convert the
Latter-day Saints--to reform them and turn them from their
faith--have failed. They know not the reason of their failure.
They cannot understand why it is that the Latter-day Saints are
not easily converted. You cannot convert a Latter-day Saint. You
cannot change a Latter-day Saint into a Methodist, a
Presbyterian, or a Roman Catholic, or cause him to join any other
denomination upon the face of the earth. There is not wisdom nor
power enough in the world to turn one Latter-day Saint from the
truth; for every man, woman and child that is a Latter-day Saint
has established in his or her heart a knowledge of the truth.
They have a testimony of the truth from God. The father does not
have this testimony for the son, or the mother for the daughter,
or the priest for the people; but every individual member of the
Church has a knowledge of the truth for himself. An honest man
cannot turn from that which he knows to be true. An honest,
virtuous, good man is willing to lay down his life for the truth.
Indeed, men devoted to error are found willing to lay down their
lives (and have so done in many instances), for it. How much
more, then, will men be willing to lay down their lives for that
which they know to be truth--for the Gospel of Christ. Have we a
knowledge of the principles of truth? Yes. Do the Apostles depend
upon President Taylor, who was so closely associated with the
Prophet Joseph in his lifetime and at the time of his death, for
a testimony of the truth? No. Is there any man dependent upon
President Taylor for a knowledge of the truth. No. There is not a
member of the Church dependent upon any man for a knowledge of
the truth of this work. The early members of the Church never
depended upon Joseph Smith for their testimony in regard to these
things. It was not in the power of the Prophet to give that
knowledge. Jesus Himself--if I read the Scriptures correctly--had
not the power to establish in the hearts of His own Apostles a
knowledge of the truth, or even a knowledge of his own character.
For when He enquired of Peter and the disciples as to who the
world said He was, they answered Him that some said that He was
Elias, some that He was John the Baptist arisen from the dead,
etc. "But," said He, "whom say ye that I am?" Peter answered and
said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Whereupon
the Savior informed him that flesh and blood had not revealed
that unto him, but His Father which is in heaven. Now, if there
was a man at that time who could possibly obtain, in any other
way, a knowledge as to who Jesus was and as to the truth of the
work He established, that man was Peter. Such men as President
Taylor, and the first Apostles of the Church, would have, if it
were possible, obtained that knowledge from the Prophet Joseph.
But none of these men obtained their knowledge in regard to these
things in that way. And you may ask the Saints by the tens of
thousands in the land of Zion to-day, as to how they learned
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God--although a great many of them
never saw him and yet there are many of them who knew him
personally--and they will tell you that their knowledge of his
character, mission and power, was given to them of the Lord. We
have had this knowledge established in our hearts and we cannot
fly it. We cannot close our eyes upon it. When we know what the
truth is, we cannot fail to tell it; and there are people in the
world today, that look upon us, perhaps, with no degree of
allowance and consider us a very wicked people, that, if they had
the same testimony that we have, would be as valiant in defense
of the truth as we are. There are many such people in the world
to-day--good, honest people. Are they Methodists? I presume so.
Are they Presbyterians and Catholics and people belonging to many
other denominations? Yes; and there are honest men, perhaps, who
do not profess Christ at all--who claim to be infidels and close
their eyes to the mission of Christ--that if they had the
knowledge we have, they would be just as valiant as we are
to-day. They could not help it; for that testimony would make
them valiant, and they would be as difficult to turn from the
truth as the Latter-day Saints. The world have discovered that
the Latter-day Saints cannot be turned from their purpose, cannot
be converted, and having failed to attain their object in that
way, many advocate strong measures being enacted against us. Some
go so far as to think we should be exterminated; others that we
should be placed under political disabilities, or hampered in
some way, in order that our religious faith may be crippled. Will
they accomplish their object by these means? No. Such treatment
did not accomplish anything with the Son of God, nor with His
Apostles, and it did not accomplish anything with Daniel, or with
his brethren, who were cast into the fiery furnace. It did not
change their sentiments and their faith, and it will not change
ours. We cannot deny the truth. We may have troubles in this
life; many of us may see sorrow in this life; but some of us will
ever see what the Savior saw in that regard. None of us will
suffer as He suffered, although His mission was but a short one.
Our mission may be long, and our suffering may possibly, in some
instances, be continuous; but we will not be called to suffer as
much as He suffered. Yet, we may look for persecution. But the
Lord will over-rule all things for our good. He will sustain this
Kingdom, and He will build it up in spite of all other kingdoms
in the earth; for it is His right to do so. The earth is the
Lord's, and the fullness thereof, and the peoples, the nations,
and the kingdoms that are upon the earth, all belong to the Lord.
We are His children, and He has the right to control and dictate
in all the affairs of men. He has the right to over-rule the
conduct of men to serve his purposes; to over-rule the wars
between the nations of the earth. He has the right to break down
nations, to change the form of government, to cause revolutions,
and in all things to do that which seemeth Him good. He has the
right to do all this--just as He broke off the colonies from the
mother country, and established religious liberty, thus making it
possible for His Kingdom to be established upon this land.
66
Now, as we discover the world opposed to us--feeling, no doubt,
in a great many instances that they are doing God's service in
bringing everything to bear against what they consider a very
wicked people--what is the proper thing for the Saints to do for
their protection. This is an important matter. When surrounded by
enemies, a wise man would take the precaution to protect himself
from destruction. What, then, shall we do that we may not be
trodden down, broken to pieces and scattered or destroyed; that
we may remain in this land; that we may not be removed as we were
from Missouri, from Illinois, and from Ohio? What shall we do
that we may not be brought into bondage, but may remain a free
people?--that is, free to do the will of God, and to build up His
Kingdom upon the earth, the mission we are called upon to
perform. The most important matter that I know of is, not to
prepare our arms, not to prepare for war, but to prepare for
peace; to keep the commandments of the Lord; to discharge with
fidelity to God every obligation we are under to Him; to keep
sacredly His laws, and to be found in the discharge of our duty;
preaching the Gospel; gathering the poor; building temples;
establishing home industries; becoming a self-sustaining people;
providing for our necessities; providing employment that none may
need; providing for the poor; nursing the sick; caring for those
who need comfort; seeking to do the will of God in all things;
abstaining from intemperance, from profanity, from corruptions of
every name and nature; seeking to be, not as the world, but to be
indeed the Saints of God; striving to be united; listening to
counsel; seeking to live so that the Spirit of the Lord may
inspire our hearts and prepare us for the responsibilities that
are upon us, let our positions be what they may--home
missionaries, foreign missionaries, men presiding in the Church,
in the Stakes, in the Quorums, in the Associations, in the
institutions of learning, each and all standing in their proper
place, doing the will of God. For we have no battles to fight if
we be the Saints of our God. He will fight our battles if battles
are to be fought. The wicked will slay the wicked and the
righteous will be left free. The Lord has been very good to us in
giving us this land, and in enabling us to maintain peace
therein, up to the present time. It is a land that is admirably
adapted to the necessities of this growing kingdom. The water
supplies are not very great, and as we have multiplied the water
sources have been almost all utilized. Yet the fountain of water
have increased in many parts of the country, and where but a few
families, a few years ago, could be accommodated on a stream--say
a half a dozen families or the like--to-day we have fifty to a
hundred families on that same stream, with a constant and
abundant supply of water. And the Lord has changed the seasons.
Fruits are hardier, and some that are not so hardy are doing and
thriving well in our land. The blessing of the Lord has been over
the land, and peace has reigned in it, and it will continue to
reign if we but do the will of the Lord. He will over-rule and
control all those agencies that may be brought against us from
the outside, if we will but listen to the voice of counsel here
at home. That voice of counsel is within the reach of every
family in every neighborhood. He has given to this people the
Priesthood. He has placed it upon almost every man in Zion.
Almost every man bears a portion of the Holy Priesthood, Aaronic
or Melchizedek. We are almost a nation of Priests--of High
Priests, Seventies, Elders--men bearing the Priesthood and
authority of God. We have each of us the right to approach the
throne of grace, to hear from the Father, to receive counsel, to
receive inspiration in regard to the duties which devolve upon
us, that we may not go astray. Every man who is called to preside
as a Bishop in a ward is entitled to the Holy Spirit to guide him
in his labors; so is every man who presides over a family, or in
a quorum, or who is placed in a position to lead and instruct the
people. That is the reason that the Lord has given us such a host
of ministers; for every man who holds the Priesthood is a
minister of righteousness and is expected to administer in his
calling in the midst of the people in the world, wherever he is
located, at home or abroad. We have thousands of such men. Our
settlements are full of them. They are the men who build the
houses and decorate them, and they do the business that is done
in Zion among our people. They are ministers of righteousness;
and if the people will keep the commandments of God, His band
will be stretched out in their behalf, to save and protect them
from harm.
66
Now, when I assert that the Latter-day Saints cannot be converted
or turned from the truth, I do not mean to say that there are
none who turn away from the Gospel. There are many who lose their
faith, many who go into sin, many who apostatize. But are they
Saints of God? No. Do those that apostatize live the lives of
Saints? No. If they were Saints, enjoying the Spirit of the Lord,
it would be impossible for them to apostatize. A man cannot deny
the truth when the Spirit of God is burning in His bosom; but by
transgressing the laws of God, by neglect and sin, men lose their
testimony and are taken up by the "Josephites," or by some other
class of people, and perhaps "improved." I trust they are. But
when it comes to converting a Latter-day Saint, a man who keeps
the commandments of God, and lives according to the principles of
the Gospel, as laid down by the Prophet Joseph Smith, it cannot
be done. They may labor here as missionaries from now to
doomsday, they never can get one Latter-day Saint to join any of
their religious denominations. Strenuous efforts are being made
to capture our children, as though there were not children enough
in the world requiring their attention. They might leave us to
manage our own children. But they think they stand a better show
to convert children than grown people. If the truth were not
grounded in our hearts, we would be liable to conversion. But
inasmuch as we keep the commandments of the Lord, and enjoy the
Holy Ghost, we cannot be turned.
66
We have no fears in regard to the work of the Lord; because it is
just as plain to us as the sun at noonday, that the Kingdom of
God will endure and will not be given to another people. If the
Saints will be faithful, the Church and Kingdom of God will be
safe; God will be honored, and His purposes accomplished in the
earth; and a pure people will grow up here such as the Lord will
delight to come and dwell among.
68
The organization of the Church of God is perfect. We find at the
head of every Quorum of Deacons three are appointed to preside;
the same with the Teachers, Priests and Elders; the Seventies
have seven men to preside over each Quorum; and all these various
Quorums are expected to hold meetings and classes, so that they
may be instructed in their various duties, that men may be
prepared to preach the Gospel in the nations of the earth. Then,
we have organizations of the young people--the Mutual Improvement
Associations--which are intended to embrace all the young people
of Zion. But we find in our visits through the country, that
complaints are made that the young people are not all enrolled.
Many have not been brought to see the importance of joining these
associations. Well, now, if it were left to the children
entirely, how many of them would go to school at the age of
eight, ten or twelve years? Not many. But there is a proper
influence brought to bear upon children by their parents. School
houses and teachers are provided, and then the children are sent
to school. After a while, as the children grow older, they begin
to see the importance of knowledge, and then it does not take
very much exertion on the part of parents to get the children to
attend school. In the same way, those who have identified
themselves with these associations begin to see the importance of
their connection therewith. But those who are on the outside need
to be instructed in regard to the importance of these things, and
an influence should be brought to bear upon them in that
direction. They should be taken early in life. Many of them have
been left alone until it is too late, or later than it ought to
have been. At the age of twelve or fourteen years they should be
introduced into the lesser Priesthood, and thus learn something
of the authority of the Lord. They should be educated in the
principles of the Gospel, and have faith established in their
hearts. This should be done by experienced people. But they have
been more or less neglected until we have hundreds to-day that
are twenty years of age, that bear no Priesthood at all. When
they get to that age they become more or less set in their ways;
they desire to be free; they don't care to be hampered with
religion or anything of that kind. Now, my brethren and sisters,
parents in Zion, Bishops, leading men in the Wards and stakes,
see to it that the young people receive proper instruction; see
to it that they are not neglected as those of whom I have been
speaking have been neglected in the past. Let fathers and mothers
be anxious in regard to their sons and daughters. Let those who
are yet young be brought into the Mutual Improvement Associations
and classes, that they may have the advantage of a religious
training in the Church. There is nothing on earth of greater
value to your children than a knowledge of the truth. I know of
no gift that could be given to my children from among men that
would compensate for their being deprived of the knowledge that
God has established His Church and Kingdom upon the earth; that
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God; that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God; and that God lives. To deprive them of this knowledge,
nothing could compensate for its loss. Then, if we so consider
these things; if we are so firmly established in the truth and
value it so much, let us see to it that our children are not
neglected. At eight years of age they should be baptized for
remission of their sins, and become members of the Church. And as
they get older, see that they are brought into the schools,
associations and classes. See, too, that they are taught at home
in regard to prayer, family worship, etc. Let them not be
neglected; for if they are neglected and go astray, your hearts
will be barren and sorrowful. You may be very firm and solid
yourselves; but in the loss of a son or daughter, through
neglect, your hearts will be made sorrowful. The Catholics are
very careful in regard to their children, and I respect them for
it. They are very careful to educate their children in regard to
the Catholic faith. Not that I would have my children become
Catholics; but I would have the same care that they display in
this matter displayed in the care of the children of the
Latter-day Saints. Early life is the time when they should be
trained. Then indelible impressions can be made in their minds.
How difficult it is when men have grown up in the world with
ideas that are prevalent in the world in regard to God, the
Savior, religion, etc.,--how difficult it is to bring them into
the Church, and get those ideas eradicated from their minds. I
have heard elderly brethren who were brought up as Methodists
say, that it was almost impossible for them to rid themselves of
Methodism. One of the earliest revelations given to the Church
charges all parents having children in Zion to teach them faith
in God, faith in Jesus Christ, and that when they arrive at the
sins. This is a law that has been before us since 1831, many
years before I was born. Now, I wonder if this law has not been
neglected by the Latter-day Saints--generally forgotten or
overlooked. Have we not been careless in this regard? Let every
father and every mother question their own hearts on this matter,
and if they have been negligent, let them reform and see that
they be more careful in the future than they have been in the
past. Indeed, let me exhort you, my brethren and sisters, you who
stand at the heads of families, Wards, and quorums, to be of a
truth educators of the people, teaching them not only in theory,
but in practice, in your lives; walking so that you may be the
light of a sun instead of a moon; and that great improvement may
be found all around.
68
And that God may sustain us, inspire our hearts and help us to
discharge with fidelity every duty; that the testimony God has
given us may grow and increase in our hearts, is my prayer in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Erastus Snow, February 24, 1884
Erastus Snow, February 24, 1884
REMARKS BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, February 24, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine
WORK OF GOD THE SAME IN ALL AGES--THE MILLENNIUM--CHRIST THE
PROPHET
OF WHOM MOSES SPAKE--WHAT MAKES THE SAINTS STEADFAST--CAUSE OF
APOSTASY--DUTY OF THE SAINTS.
69
It is alloted to me to occupy a few minutes, and it is a
privilege which I ought to esteem, and which I do esteem, to
stand before my brethren and sisters as a witness of the truth
which we have embraced; the truth as it is revealed in Christ,
the truth that is confirmed in the hearts of the Saints of the
Holy Ghost, the truth as testified by ancient Prophets,
Patriarchs and Apostles, and by our Savior Himself when upon the
earth among the Jews, and among the Nephites on the continent of
America.
69
The work in which the Latter-day Saints are engaged, the work
whereunto God has called His people in this day, is the work
which has engaged the attention of the Prophets and Saints from
the beginning of the world till the present time. That portion of
the world of mankind who have been inspired from above to look
forward through the vista of opening years and contemplate the
future history of mankind, have had their eyes directed to the
great and last dispensation of the fullness of times, in which
the Lord would perfect His work on the earth, and bring in
everlasting righteousness; when He would establish a reign of
peace, when wickedness would be subdued, when Satan would be
curtailed in his power and influence among the children of
men--the time represented in the vision of St. John, when he
declared:
69
"I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
69
"And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the
Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him
into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the
thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be
loosed a little season.
69
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was
given unto them; and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received
his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived
and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
69
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
69
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection;
on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be Priests
of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
71
Now, this thousand years is spoken of among modern Christians as
the millennium, signifying a thousand years. That period of all
other periods will, as we speak of the Sabbath, be a day of rest.
On the Sabbath, the seventh day, the Lord rested from his labors,
and He has commanded His people to rest from their labors on that
day; to meet together and worship Him; to offer up their
sacraments and their oblations; to confess their sins unto one
and another and before the Lord. And as they ask to be forgiven,
and feel to forgive one another, so God forgives them. Our Savior
gave us clearly to understand this when He taught His disciples
to pray and to say, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our
debtors;" for, said he, "If ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." This day of
rest is a day to forgive and to be forgiven, and to make peace
with one another and with our God, and is a type of the
millennium, or the seventh thousandth year, in the which
universal peace will be established upon the earth, and the
Kingdom of our God prevail in all lands--a day when the servants
of God may bear the glad tidings to all people, nations, kindreds
and tongues upon all the face of the earth, and there shall be
none to molest them, or make them afraid. The truth will abound
and light and understanding come to the people. It will be a day
of great light and understanding come to the people. It will be a
day of great light in every corner of the land--the day spoken of
by the Prophet Isaiah, wherein he says the knowledge of the Lord
shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea--the day when
they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man
his brother, saying, know the Lord; for they shall all know Him
from the least of them to the greatest of them--a day when "every
man shall see eye to eye." Prophets and Saints have looked for
such a period, have longed for it, have prayed for it, have sung
about it, have prophesied of it, and they have spoken of the work
that should bring it about. Are all these prophecies fallacious?
Are all these hopes vain? Will all these expectations come to
naught? Or are they to be fulfilled? With the Latter-day Saints
there is but one answer to this question. The Lord has opened
their understanding, has touched their eyes, has pricked them in
the ear, has comforted them, and has given to them the Holy
Ghost. They have been enabled to see and to discern the signs of
the times, and to understand in a measure the age in which we
live. It is a source of unbounded joy unto those who possess this
testimony, and are living for the blessings promised to the
faithful. These events are dawning upon us. A preparatory work
has been begun in the earth. As foretold in the Scriptures, an
angel has flown in the midst of heaven having the everlasting
Gospel to deliver to them that dwell on the earth, and which
shall be preached unto every nation, kindred, tongue and people
before the end cometh. But will every nation and kindred and
tongue and people receive it? Not at all. It has not been so
written. But it is written that the time cometh when all who will
not hear that Prophet whom Moses said God would raise up unto the
people should be cut off from among his people. This Prophet was
Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, raised up in the meridian
of time and in the midst of the house of Israel, from the seed of
Abraham, that seed which God said would be a blessing unto all
nations. When Jesus showed himself unto the Nephites on the
American continent, He quoted this Scripture--this prophecy of
Moses--and said to them, "I am that Prophet of whom Moses spake."
Now, we have this assurance, that the time will come when all
those who will not hear that Prophet shall be cut off from among
the people. It is grievous to reflect upon the darkness that
enshrouds the minds of the people; upon the unbelief which
prevails among mankind at the present time; upon the infidelity
which stalks abroad, that is manifested in church and state, with
high and low. It is grievous to contemplate how statesmen and the
would-be-wise men of our age despise God, or ignore His counsels,
ignore His word, His right to rule, His ability to counsel, to
teach, and to regulate the affairs of men; how little they
acknowledge His hand, how unwilling they are to allow Him to have
any voice in the affairs of state. And it is equally sorrowful to
contemplate how little are Christian sects willing to acknowledge
Him, or allow Him to interfere in their affairs, or acknowledge
Him in any way, further than in a sort of--what shall I say?--a
sort of mystical way. True, there are many who affect to believe
that they must be born again, and teach the doctrine of the new
birth, the spiritual birth. But how little they seem to
comprehend what is meant by that birth, and the effects that
follow it; yet there are some, yea, there are many in the
Christian world who profess to believe what Jesus said to
Nicodemus in the third chapter of John's Gospel, that a man must
be born of the water and of the Spirit in order to enter into the
kingdom of heaven, and that that which is born of the flesh is
flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Yet when
we come to read the New Testament and learn of the fruits, the
influence and effects of that Spirit upon those who possess it,
how wonderful, how strange it appears to those Christians! The
Latter-day Saints strive to bring home to the minds of those
modern Christians, that the Holy Spirit, when overshadowing the
people born of the water and of the Spirit produces certain
fruits, certain effects, that are the same to-day as anciently,
and will be the same among all people in all ages and times when
people receive that Spirit. But most of the Christian sects of
our time ignore those fruits of the Spirit, the spiritual gifts
and blessings which followed the outpouring of that Spirit upon
the Saints of God in all former ages.
71
Brother Lyman has well said that it is this Spirit shed abroad
upon the Latter-day Saints, bearing witness unto them of the
truth--which is the witness of the Holy Ghost of the Father and
of the Son--that makes them steadfast and immovable. They cannot
be turned away so long as they enjoy this Spirit; they cannot be
turned away from the light of the Gospel and the liberties they
enjoy in Christ Jesus; they cannot be converted to Catholicism,
nor Methodism, nor any other ism; but if they fall into sin, if
they violate their holy covenants, if they grieve the Holy Spirit
from them, then they are left in great darkness. As the Savior
said to His disciples: "The light of the body is the eye: if,
therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of
darkness. If, therefore, that which is in thee be darkness, how
great is that darkness!" It may seem to some a wonder how it is,
that any man or set of men, after having once tasted of the good
word of God, of the heavenly gifts, and the powers of the world
to come, and having been made to know and understand the things
of God, and been able to bear witness of them, should afterwards
fall away, lose their testimony and the light of the truth, fall
into darkness and apostatize. It is a marvel and a wonder unto
many how this can be, and to some portion of the Christian world
it has seemed impossible, and they have affected to espouse the
dogma and to make it a part of their religious creed, that once
in grace always in grace, and that if they are the elect of God,
they cannot fall away. This is a doctrine of men: it is not a
doctrine of Christ, and it is not true. The Savior constantly
exhorted His disciples to watch and pray, lest they should fall
into temptation, and cautioned them that they who once put their
hands to the plow and looked back, or turned away, were not fit
for the kingdom of heaven, but that they who endured unto the
end, the same should have eternal life. He warned them against
falling into darkness, and, as I have already quoted, He assured
them that the light that was in them might become darkness, and
if it did, how great should be that darkness.
72
Brother Lyman has well said, also, that when men apostatize from
the truths of heaven, and become infidel to the things of God, it
is because of sin and transgression; it is because they have
given way to evil; it is because they have corrupted their ways,
defiled their tabernacles, defiled their spirits, violated their
own consciences, or given themselves up to work sin and
wickedness. All this they may have done in the dark, or in
secret, and not upon the housetops: but the time cometh when the
secrets of all hearts shall be revealed, and every secret thing
shall be made known upon the housetops. Then it shall be known
and read of men the causes that operated to take away the light
and the truth from the hearts of men and left them to go into
outer and utter darkness. None are proof against the attacks of
the enemy, against the powers of evil, against the vile devices
of the wicked one; none are proof against or safe from the
influence and power thereof, without watchfulness and prayer,
without so living that the Spirit will have pleasure to abide
with them, to be their monitor and protector. That Spirit will
not dwell in unholy temples, it will not continue to dwell with
those who violate their own consciences, corrupt their ways,
defile their spirits and tabernacles, and defile themselves with
their fellow creatures; for God will have a pure people. His
Kingdom is holy; His dominions are pure; and no impure thing can
inherit the Kingdom of God. "And without are dogs and sorcerers,
and whoremongers and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie."
73
Brother Lyman asked the question (and answered it beautifully)
pertaining to the preservation of the Latter-day Saints, from the
combined efforts of their enemies. He answered well. The safety
and protection of the Latter-day Saints lie in their preparing
for peace. In other words, it is to make peace with their God,
and with one another, and to proclaim peace unto all mankind, and
so live and deport themselves, that they will encourage, extend
and maintain peace to the utmost of their ability. But, and if
the wicked continue to oppress, to war against and annoy the
people of God, and to deprive them of social, religious and
political privileges, and other rights that belong to them as the
children of God, as human beings, as citizens of the
commonwealth, those unalienable rights of life and liberty and
the pursuit of happiness; if, I say, the wicked combine to
abridge these immunities, privileges and rights, and trample them
under foot, and to wage war against the Saints for the purpose of
destroying them, what may we do to avert it? It has been well
answered: Do the will of the Lord; keep His commandments; do good
to one another; forgive one another, and ask to be forgiven of
each other and of our God; walk humbly before Him day and night;
trust in Him, believe in Him, and go forward in the discharge of
every duty, fearing only God. "Fear not them," says the Savior,
"which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell." Let our fear centre upon Him; let our trust and our faith
centre upon Him; let us maintain our confidence in Him, that He
rules in the heavens and among the armies of men, and that He
turns the hearts of the children of men as the rivers of water
are turned; and if at one time their hearts are softened, as was
Pharaoh's of old, and then, again, their hearts are hardened, as
was Pharaoh's, we may bear in mind that all these things are
necessary in the accomplishment of the divine purposes of our
Father and Creator. For the wicked have their agency as well as
the righteous, and God will not deprive them of it. He wills not
that any be deprived of their agency. If people will work
wickedness; if they will violate their covenants; if they will
foreswear themselves; if they will trample under foot the
constitution and institutions of our common country, (which they
are sworn to defend and maintain) in their over-zeal to destroy
the Saints, they must have their agency so to do. They must have
the privilege of working out their own salvation, or their own
damnation. They must fill up the cup of their iniquity;
otherwise, how will the Lord be justified in wasting them away
and destroying them out of the earth, except they first fill up
the cup of their iniquity. But, says one, what and if He shall
permit them to overrun and lay waste and scatter and destroy the
Latter-day Saints? Such questions have been asked a great many
times in years that have gone by, by those that were fearful, or
doubtful, or unbelieving; but questions of this kind need not
arise in the breasts of those who are living as Saints ought to
live, and have the testimony of Jesus dwelling in them. We ought
to know, yea, it is our duty to feel that abiding trust and
confidence in God, to know that He will make the wrath of the
wicked to praise Him, and the residue of wrath He will restrain;
and that neither Congress, nor Presidents, nor Senators, nor
Judges, nor Governors, nor armies, nor Generals, nor any other
human being have or can exercise any power in the earth, except
that which is given them of our Father in the heavens, and that
He can restrain when it seemeth Him good, and within such limits
as seemeth Him good. And this He does without interfering with
their personal agency; for man may propose, but God only disposes
the affairs of men.
73
May God help us to be in deed and in truth what we have been
called to be--Saints of the last days, and then, whether in life
or death, we shall be His, we shall enter into His glory and be
numbered with His jewels; for the Lord cometh to make up; His
jewels, and it will be those who have met together often and have
spoken often one to another, that will be numbered therein; while
all the proud and they that do wickedly, will become as stubble;
and the day that cometh shall burn them up, that it shall leave
them neither root nor branch.
73
May the grace of God be sufficient for us under all
circumstances, through Jesus Christ our Lord.--Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Morgan, January 20th, 1884
John Morgan, January 20th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY ELDER JOHN MORGAN,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City, January 20th,
1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
SELF-EXISTENT TRUTHS--"THE POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO
THEM"--REPENTANCE--FAITH--"THE DOCTRINE OF BAPTISMS"--THE "LAYING
ON OF HANDS"--TO STRONG A DOCTRINE TO BE ENDURED--THE CONFLICT IN
WHICH
THE SAINTS ARE ENGAGED--TEMPLES AND THEIR USES--SALVATION FOR THE
DEAD.
74
"Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let
us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God;
74
"Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."
74
I have read the first and second verses of the 6th chapter of
Paul's epistle to the Hebrews.
74
Having been requested to occupy a portion of the time allotted to
our afternoon service, I desire an interest in your faith and
prayers and confidence, that I may be enabled to say those things
which will be acceptable to our common Father and God in the
heavens, and will be for our good.
74
The Latter-day Saints who have congregated together this
afternoon for religious worship, come for a particular specified
object, having in view the strengthening of their spiritual
natures, the receiving of light, intelligence and knowledge from
on high on matters that pertain unto eternal life. To enable us
to accomplish this object, it is necessary that we draw in our
minds from the things by which we are surrounded, and endeavor to
concentrate our faith upon the duties which devolve upon us in
religious worship. And it is no meaningless phrase when an Elder
of Israel asks the faith and prayers of Israel in his behalf,
that he may be clothed upon by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit
to say those things that will be for the good of the people.
75
We have laid down here, certain principles of the Gospel that
Paul taught to the Hebrews nearly 2,000 years ago, but principles
that were not new even in that day; on the contrary, principles
of eternal truth which have always existed, that always will
exist, which cannot be changed in their form, cannot be
annihilated through the unbelief of the human family; for they
are self-existent and do not depend upon the belief or unbelief
of men for their sustenance or for their destruction. In this
consists their greatness, that they are not dependent upon the
arm of flesh for their existence; for they were just as true when
rejected by the Hebrews in days of old as they were in times
before that, as they are to-day--accepted by a few of the human
family, but rejected by the great mass. The Latter-day Saints,
then, feel to congratulate themselves upon this point--that they
have built their faith upon a rock which cannot be destroyed, and
that will exist not only through the ages of time, but throughout
all the endless ages of eternity. Having existed in eternity in
the past, it exists to-day, and will exist in the eternities to
come.
75
These principles are plain and simple, so plain and so simple
that a wayfaring man though a fool need not err therein; on the
contrary they are suited to the capacity of the whole human
family, the unlearned as well as the learned. There was this
peculiar feature about these principles when they were
promulgated in the days of Jesus: as a rule it was the unlearned
of the human family that were willing to yield obedience to them;
it was the common people who heard him gladly. The teachers of
the Jews, they who had control of the synagogues, who stood in
the foremost places in the nation, rejected the lowly Nazarene
and His teachings, while fishermen from the shores of the Sea of
Galilee heard and received Him gladly. That peculiar feature to a
greater or less extent adheres to those principles to-day.
Gathered from the middle walks of life, from the various nations
of the earth, coming from the east and from the west, from the
north and from the south, for the Gospel's sake; gathered
together in these valleys of the mountains, the Latter-day Saints
are willing to sacrifice the good opinion of the world; willing
to sacrifice all that man holds near and dear to him for the sake
of the truth; willing to forsake kindred and home, the graves of
our ancestors, and those associations that bind themselves round
the heart--coming here for the sole purpose of being instrumental
in the hands of God in establishing His Kingdom, in bringing to
pass His purposes, in proclaiming the glad tidings of the
Gospel--tidings that were proclaimed to the shepherds upon the
plains of Bethlehem 1,800 years ago, "on earth peace, good will
toward men;" bringing with us a broad charity and philanthropy
for the world, desiring to better the human family, and allowing
our charity to go out broader than that even--reaching behind the
veil, taking hold upon the things pertaining not only to this
life, but redeeming those who have preceded us into the spirit
world--allowing our charity to go out so broad that we give a
possible salvation to every son and daughter of Adam that ever
came upon the face of the earth, or that shall come.
76
Paul calls those principles that I have read over, "the doctrine
of Christ." He calls one of those principles the doctrine of
repentance. The Latter-day Saints who have gathered from the
nations of the earth will bear me out when I say that the
doctrine of repentance as believed in by them is different in
many respects to the doctrine of repentance as it existed in the
lands from whence they came. As the Latter-day Saints understand
the doctrine of repentance, it is to turn from that which is
wrong; to forsake evil and cleave unto that which is good. If a
man has been a wrong doer, let him be a wrong-doer no longer; let
him conform his life to the principles of integrity and
righteousness and honor; let him keep the commandments of God in
their letter and in their spirit. I care not what the professions
of a man may be; I care not with what air of sanctity he may be
clothed; without the observance of this law in its true sense, it
is not repentance.
76
Paul speaks of another principle which he calls faith; and in the
11th chapter of his epistle to the Hebrews, he gives some
information in regard to its nature and character. He says: "Who
through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of
fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made
strong, waxed valiant in fight. Women received their dead raised
to life again," etc. Faith certainly is a most important
principle, and without it, I ask the Latter-day Saints how long
could we exist as a body? I have often heard the remark made by
those unacquainted with the Gospel, those who knew not the truth,
but yet who were willing to look dispassionately, yea, even
kindly upon the errors and fallacies as they termed them and
believed them to be that we are indulging in--the question has
been asked by this class of persons: "How does it come, by what
process is it that the Latter-day Saints, surrounded as they have
been, surrounded as they are to-day, environed around about upon
every side by difficulties that seen insurmountable, difficulties
and obstacles that might cause, apparently, the stoutest heart to
quake and the firmest knees to tremble--that in their hour of
trial and tribulation they always had confidence that in the
outcome, it would all be well with Israel, that no matter what
might be done, it would in the end prove for the good of the
Kingdom of God, until, the motto, 'They can do nothing against,
but only for us,' has become a household word in the midst of the
Saints?" Why, when the powers and influences of the world are
brought to bear upon the Latter-day Saints, whether collectively
or in an individual capacity, they cling to this principle of
faith; they believe in the promises of the God of Israel; they
believe that God will not falsify His word; they believe that God
will establish His Kingdom, and bring to pass His purposes in the
earth. The faith of the Latter-day Saints is a living principle.
A Latter-day Saint devoid of the principle of faith, would be an
anomaly--in fact such an one could not be a Latter-day Saint; for
it requires faith in the God of Israel to stand the tests that
they are called upon to pass through. Yet calmly and quietly,
deliberately, with full confidence in Jehovah, they can go forth
in the discharge of their duties as they understand them,
believing that in the outcome God will be their friend and
protector in the future as He has been in the past; as He has
brought them through the trials and tribulations of days gone by,
so will he do in the future. This principle of faith, therefore,
that Paul taught to the Hebrews, was certainly a most important
one, and it is one without which it would be impossible for the
Latter-day Saints to have succeeded.
77
Paul also speaks of the doctrine of baptisms; not in the
singular, but in the plural, apparently, as though there were two
baptisms. "The doctrine of baptisms," he says. We find, following
after the principles of faith and repentance, the doctrine of
baptism for the remission of sins, as John the forerunner of
Jesus taught, as Paul taught, and as Jesus himself taught. It is
upon record here that they taught baptism for the remission of
sins, of those who would submit to the ordinance of baptism. Or,
in other words, to more clearly explain what I wish to, the sins
of human beings up till the age at which they are baptized are
recorded against them. If they are willing to submit to the
ordinance of baptism by immersion, having faith in God, repenting
of their sins, by one having authority, God gives them His
promise that He will remit their sins; that all that have been
committed in the past shall be blotted out from the book of His
remembrance, and from that day forth they are free from the sins
of the past. The ordinance of baptism, then, is not an ordinance
to us of mere form, or something that is submitted to simply
because it is an ordinance of the Church. On the contrary, it is
positively essential to the salvation of the human family.
Nicodemus, in times of old, came to Jesus upon this subject, and
apparently asked Him the question, If there was some other
possibly better method whereby man could enter the Kingdom of
God, and he was told by the Redeemer, that no man could enter the
Kingdom of God, except he had been born of the water and of the
Spirit." This is the law as it is laid down. If there is any
difference of opinion upon the part of any single individual on
this subject, it is not with me, but it is with the word of God,
as given through His Son Jesus Christ,--that except a man be born
of the water and of the spirit he can in no wise enter the
Kingdom of God. The Latter-day Saints believe this, and act
accordingly--that except a man be born again he could not even
see the Kingdom of God, let alone enter therein. The ordinance of
baptism for the remission of sins is, then, to Latter--day Saints
a very important ordinance.
78
Paul speaks of another ordinance that he terms the "laying on of
hands." I have found in traveling in the midst of the Christian
world, that very often Christian people would agree with me in
relation to the principles of which I have spoken. They would
say: "Yes, we believe that idea of faith is correct; we believe
that idea of repentance is correct; we believe that idea of
baptism even is correct; but they were not strong enough
apparently to believe in this principle called the "laying on of
hands," which Paul terms one of the doctrines of Christ. We find
that this principle is practiced in the midst of the Latter-day
Saints as also an essential ordinance--that except a man be
baptized in water and born of the Spirit, by the laying on of
hands, he can in no wise enter the Kingdom of God. This is the
light, we are told, that is given to every soul that comes upon
the earth; not to the Latter-day Saints alone, not to the
former-day Saints alone, not to those alone who were baptized,
but to every soul that cometh upon the earth. The ordinance of
baptism for the remission of sins being essential, so is the
ordinance of the laying on of hands, that men may receive the
Holy Spirit; or, in other words, the laying on of hands is the
medium that God has instituted for His children to be placed in
communication with Himself, that they may receive the Spirit that
leads and guides and directs unto all truth, that brings things
past to our remembrance, that shows us things to come, that opens
up the visions of heaven and makes known unto us the mind and
will of God. I remember one minister with whom I had the
privilege of conversing upon this principle. He stated that it
looked reasonable; that he did not know really but what it was
correct, and doubtless had been neglected in times gone by. Well,
he got to thinking over the matter, and he read, "He will show
you things to come." He came to me with some questions. One was,
"Do you mean to say the Holy Spirit will show a man things to
come?" "Yes." Well, of course if it shewed me things to come I
could tell of it?" "Yes." "Would not that constitute me a
prophet?" "It would." "Well," said he, "this generation will not
endure this thing; it is too strong doctrine." I replied that no
generation that I had ever read or heard of had endured it; but
that in all the ages gone by when God had placed men here upon
the earth with authority to confer this gift, they had invariably
been rejected of men. This principle is believed in and practices
by the Latter-day Saints. We read in one instance, that is
doubtless fresh in the minds of many of the Latter-day Saints--as
contained in the 8th Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles--where
certain men had been baptized; but they had to send for the
Apostles to go into the portion of country where those baptisms
had occurred, and we read: "Then laid they their hands on them
and they received the Holy Ghost." The Latter-day Saints believe
that not only was that principle efficacious in that direction in
that day, but that it is true to-day as then. The Latter-day
Saints bear testimony of its truth; that having repented of their
sins, having faith in God, having been baptized, having received
the laying on of hands, they have received the Holy Spirit, they
have received knowledge, light and intelligence from on high,
that God has reveled to them certain principles of truth and
righteousness. If this is the case, I ask, how can we unlearn
these things? How can we unknow them at the dictation of the
world? Will fines and imprisonment take this knowledge away from
us? Will disfranchisement take this knowledge away from us? Will
death itself take this knowledge away from us? No, verily, I say
to you, it will not. It is with us here to-day; it will be and
abide with us when we go hence. The knowledge I have in relation
to this principle--of which I bear my testimony to you this
day--that I received through the laying of hands, I expect to
retain with me so long as I live in accordance with the laws and
principles of truth and righteousness. When I turn away from
these, there may be a veil of darkness drawn over my mind; but I
can never free myself from the fact that I had once a knowledge
of the things of God.
78
These four principles are termed the first principles of the
Gospel of the Son of God. These principles the Latter-day Saints
believe in. These were the principles that were enunciated by
Joseph Smith, 50 years ago. These were the principles, and about
the only principles at that time--very nearly the only
principles--in the original organization of the Church--that were
taught to the world.
82
But let us reflect in relation to the record and history of that
day. Men tell us that a certain doctrine we believe in to-day--a
doctrine that has been taught and revealed at more recent
date--is the cause of our difficulty. But I ask you, were not
difficulties met by the Latter-day Saints, in the early history
of the Church, such as we meet to-day? Were they not driven and
tossed to and fro? Were they not subject to persecution and
death, to fines and imprisonment? Were they not cast out from the
Christian world in that day before this obnoxious--as they term
it--principle was revealed? Were they not cast out for the
doctrine of faith in the God of Israel, for the doctrine of
repentance, turning from wrong doing, for the doctrine of baptism
for the remission of sins, for the doctrine of the gift of the
Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands? Were the Saints persecuted
formerly? So they are to-day; and doubtless this will continue
until one or the other power is vanquished; for this is not a
struggle between a few people, citizens of the United States, who
live here in the Territory of Utah, and in the surrounding States
and Territories, to the number of 150,000 or 200,000 people, and
the people of the world. It is not a contest between these two
parties, by any means, no more than it was a contest between
Luther, when, at the Diet at Worms, he exclaimed: "Here I take my
stand. I can do no more and no less." It was not a contest
between him individually and the priests, but it was a contest
between truth and error, right and wrong. It was a contest
between the advancement of the human family and their
retrogression. This conflict to-day cannot be narrowed down to
the few people who live in the Territory of Utah. But running out
from here as veins and arteries from the human heart, it
penetrates and permeates the whole universe, going from the
rivers to the ends thereof, and to all the nations of the human
family. This struggle which we are engaged in to-day, the
struggle that Joseph Smith was engaged in 50 years ago, in the
infancy of this work; the clash of opinion and the conflict of
ideas that existed in the days of Nauvoo, that exists to-day; all
this does not pertain alone to the Latter-day Saints, my friends,
but, on the contrary, to the good, to the salvation and to the
redemption of the whole human family--broader in its scope,
mightier in its influence than it is generally acknowledged to
be. Then, can this conflict cease at the command of men? Can laws
be passed to stop this struggle? Is it in the power of kingdoms
and principalities and governments to stay the onward march and
progress of the principles of truth? No more than it was in times
gone by when the march of thought in its onward progress was
sought to be stayed by the hand of the mother church from Rome.
No more to-day than it could in the days when the Puritans in
England, when the Huguenots in France, asked the privilege of
worshiping God according to the dictates of their own conscience;
and almost as a parody on human nature, when these very same
Puritans came to the land of America, they in turn could turn
upon the Quakers and persecute them for religion's sake, bore
holes through the tongues of the people that did not agree with
them in religious matters. But what did all this accomplish? The
world looks back--the Christian world looks back with shame upon
this record of their ancestors, and yet in turn they do the very
same thing to-day, to be followed in a generation or two by
people whose faces will mantle with the blush of shame, that in
this free land of America, under a government established for the
freedom of the human family, where the religious exile, the exile
for thought and ideas, from the nations of the earth could come
to for protection; that in this land dedicated to freedom and
equality to all men there should have found footing the idea that
men must be persecuted for religion's sake, for belief's sake.
Let the Latter-day Saints then, understand and comprehend that
this struggle which we are engaged in, broadens out and extends
itself not to us alone, but to the nations of the earth, to the
whole human family. I imagine I hear some one say, "But is not
that a contradiction. You asserted a few moments ago that baptism
was essential to the salvation of the human family, and as there
has been but a very few of the human family baptized, how is it
with the rest who have not had the privilege of this ordinance?
Paul very correctly wrote, and the translators very correctly
translated this passage that I read, wherein he refers to the
doctrine of baptisms, for there is more than one baptism. We read
of the baptism of water for the remission of sin. We read of
another baptism; for as I have already quoted, except a man be
born of the water and of the spirit, he can in no wise enter into
the Kingdom of God. Then we ask ourselves the question, What
shall become of the untold millions of the human family who have
not heard the sound of the Gospel? What shall we do with those
who have not even heard anything relative to the plan of
salvation? Our Christian friends, for instance, devote many
thousands of dollars and pounds sterling to the conversion of the
heathen as they are pleased to call them, and to carry the Bible
to those who are unacquainted with it. This is certainly very
commendable; this certainly shows a most philanthropic spirit
upon their part; this is an evidence of good will to the human
family, and it is to be commended. But inasmuch, as they reach
but a very few, we ask ourselves the question, What shall become
of the rest? To the Latter-day Saints this is a solved problem.
We assert this not simply with the words of our lips; we assert
this not simply in editorials and pamphlets written; but we prove
our faith by our works. Almost within the sound of my voice here,
there is a magnificent temple being erected at the expense of
many hundreds of thousands of dollars. In the town of St. George
in the south, at the expense of nearly half a million; at Manti,
in Sanpete County; at Logan, in Cache; we have four temples
either completed or nearly so. At Nauvoo, when the Saints were
storm-tossed with persecution, surrounded about by mobs, and
every influence that fiendish vindictiveness could think of, was
brought to bear upon them, they built themselves a magnificent
temple there. At Kirtland, in the days of their infancy, when the
labors which they performed were very arduous in comparison with
the labors the Latter-day Saints have to perform to-day in the
building of these temples, they built another temple. What are
these temples for? There is an object in their being built. We
prove our faith in these things by our works, seeking not only to
redeem ourselves, seeking not only salvation for our own
household, but extending its influence beyond and reaching out to
those of our progenitors who have gone before us into the spirit
world and are there, becoming acquainted with the principles of
eternal life; for as recorded in the third Chapter of the Epistle
of Peter, "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 long-suffering of God waited in the
days of Noah." Or as we find it still further recorded in the 4th
chapter of the same epistle: "For this cause was the Gospel
preached also to them that are dead that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the
spirit." We also find a question asked of our Savior, as recorded
in the account of His crucifixion in the book of Saint Luke. One
of the thieves who was crucified along side of our Savior, said
to Him: "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom."
Jesus could not consistently do this; for He had told Nicodemus
previous to that, that except a man be born of the water and of
the Spirit he could not enter into His Kingdom; and this thief,
acknowledging that he was worthy of death, was, consequently, and
unrepentant, unbaptized sinner. Jesus, however, turned to him and
said: "To-day thou shalt be with me in paradise." The Christian
world have made the mistake of imagining, believing and teaching
that Jesus and the thief on the cross went back to the bosom of
our Father and God in heaven. But we find, after the resurrection
of our Savior, when He stood by the open door of the sepulchre,
Mary came, and recognizing Him, put out her hands to touch Him.
But Jesus said: "Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my
Father in heaven; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I
ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your
God." During the three days that the body of Jesus lay in the
tomb, then, where was the spirit that formerly inhabited the
body? According to the testimony of Peter, as recorded in the 3rd
Chapter of the first epistle of Peter, it was preaching to the
spirits in prison; and Isaiah tells us that it was for this that
Jesus was to come; it was to loose the bonds of the prisoners; it
was to open the prison-door. Men who had lived in days gone by,
who had failed to obey the commandments of God, who had passed
into the spirit world, according to the accepted idea of a few
years ago--Christian ideas change about these things, you
know--these people were eternally lost. There was no possible
chance for their redemption; but having closed their eyes in
death as sinners in the sight of God, they were under
condemnation to all eternity. A strange parody indeed upon the
idea of God's love and mercy for His children! God is love, we
are told, and yet in the short space of one man's life, that
man's sins and errors--nay, more than that, he might have lived
honorably and honestly; he might have sought to do as best he
knew how; he might have been a good citizen, a good father, a
good husband; he might have filled all these duties acceptably,
yet if he is outside the pale of the Church and death overtakes
him in that condition, he was eternally lost according to the
Christian idea of a few years ago. Leading thinkers of to-day, in
the Christian world are changing their views very materially in
relation to this matter, as within the past few years I heard the
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher declare, that, if his God reigned in the
next world, every man and woman who did not learn the truth here,
should have the privilege there. Then we find also Dr. Thomas, of
Chicago, a leading light in the religious world, and very many
who are distinguished in the religious world, are to-day changing
their ideas and theories in relation to this matter. One of the
peculiar features connected with the Gospel in days gone by is
often presented to my mind in this wise: Jesus taught some of His
doctrines in the midst of the Pharisees and Scribes. They found
that certain of His doctrines were popular; they found that
certain of His doctrines were very pleasant; they found that
certain of His doctrines were very agreeable. And so they did
what He told them they were doing. They poured new wine into
their old Pharisee bottles; they endeavored to patch their
Sadducee coat with a new piece of cloth; but they were told that
they would burst their bottles, and make a larger rent in their
coat than there was. So it is to-day. When Mr. Beecher introduces
to the Christian world the idea that there is a redemption beyond
the grave, he shakes the pillars of so called Christianity; he
gives them a mightier blow than could be given by an Elder
advocating the same doctrine; and when Dr. Thomas, of Chicago,
advanced that idea to his intelligent audience, it went like wild
fire over the land that so distinguished a theologian as Dr.
Thomas, had declared that there was a chance for redemption after
the grave. This new wine, revealed from heaven in this day and
Joseph Smith, a man who was despised by the world, is being taken
by the wise men and poured into their sectarian bottles, and in
the end the result will be as it was with the Pharisees in times
gone by.
83
But this doctrine has more of a meaning to the Latter-day Saints
than simply preaching to the spirits in prison. We read here in
the old Bible where God, speaking through the mouth of one of His
Prophets, said certain things should transpire in the last days.
"Behold," says the Lord through His Prophet Malachi, "I will send
you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." So to-day
the Latter-day Saints testify that God having sent the Prophet
Elijah to the earth to reveal this principle, or rather to give
the key for the administration of this principle, the hearts of
the children here upon the earth are being turned to the fathers
behind the veil, and the hearts of the fathers behind the veil
are being turned to their children here upon the earth, the one
feeling after the other for their redemption; for without them we
cannot be perfect, neither can they without us. This plan of
salvation that the Latter-day Saints believe in is broad, indeed
it reaches out to the whole human family, present, past and
future. We read in the 15th Chapter of 1st Corinthians, an
explanation of this expression of Paul's in regard to the two
baptisms. In the 20th verse of that Chapter he says: "Else what
shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise
not at all. Why are they then baptized for the dead?" or as Paul
expresses it in the 19th verse of the same chapter: "If in this
life only, we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable." Paul in preaching to the Corinthians said that very
few of them took hold of the Gospel. The great mass rejected
Paul. Paul, however, with that broad philanthropy of heart, lit
up by the light that first came to him on his way to Damascus,
would have been miserable indeed had he not learned of this great
principle that in the spirit world these Corinthians would be
preached to and taught. So the Latter-day Saints to-day would be
of all men the most miserable if they did not recognize this
principle of preaching to spirits in prison and baptism for the
dead. The Latter-day Saints are fulfilling the Scripture, which
says that there shall be gathered home to Zion, "one of a city
and two of a family." In many instances one person of an entire
lineage is all there is in the Church and Kingdom of God. That
being the case, what of the fathers and the mothers, the brothers
and the sisters, the relatives near and dear, who have not had
the opportunity of accepting the Gospel? How glorious, how grand
a work it is that swells the hearts of Israel to know that we can
enter into the temples of the living God and redeem our dead and
become in truth and indeed saviors upon Mount Zion! Certainly no
nobler, no grander, no mightier principle has ever been revealed
to the human family than this. And though we may have doctrines
that are obnoxious to the world; though we may have principles
that innovate upon established ideas; though we may have ideas
that conflict with those of the honest and the good, and those
who love the principles of integrity and righteousness; though we
may have all these, yet when we come to reflect in regard to this
one principle, that of itself alone should be sufficient to
recommend the Latter-day Saints to the whole civilized world;
that of itself should blot out from their remembrance those other
matters that seem to disagree with and are unpleasant to them.
That principle that is reaching out for the salvation of the
untold myriads of the human family--the very possibility of it
should cause the hearts of the whole human family to rejoice,
should cause them to think, to feel and to act kindly towards a
people who are seeking to carry out this principle. But human
nature is very strong in relation to these matters, and as it has
been in the past doubtless it will be in the future--that through
much tribulation shall they come up who shall be clothed in robes
of white, and that it is through trial and tribulation God shall
have a tried people. The Latter-day Saints do not lay to
themselves the flattering unction that there shall be peace,
peace, peace, to us just yet; but that on the contrary this work
and this struggle will continue; the nations of the earth will be
brought to the knowledge of the truth; the honest of the blood of
Israel will be gathered home; the kingdom of God will be built
up; temples will be erected and the Saints will enter into them
and redeem their dead, and cause the hearts of our fathers and
our mothers who have gone before us into the spirit world to
rejoice; and we shall join hands with the Prophets and Apostles
of days gone by, with those of to-day who have preceded us behind
the veil; with the good and the true of all ages; with our Elder
Brother, Jesus Christ, and with God our Eternal father in the
heavens--all linked together in one mighty phalanx in this great
and glorious work of the latter-days.
83
May God bless you. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Taylor, February 10, 1884
John Taylor, February 10, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, February 10, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine
OBJECT OF ASSEMBLING--A PECULIAR PEOPLE--SAINTS MISREPRESENTED IN
ALL
AGES--STATISTICS--OPPOSITION EXPECTED--PLURAL MARRIAGE--EARLY
PERSECUTION--"TWIN RELICS"--WHY THE SAINTS GATHER TO ZION.
84
We meet together from time to time to speak, to sing, to pray,
and, according to an institution which has been provided, to
partake of the sacrament of the Lord's supper, and also to
perform those various duties devolving upon us as servants of the
living God. It is pleasant for the Saints to meet together to
commune with each other, to listen to the words of life, to
reflect also upon their position and relationship to God, to His
Church and Kingdom, as well as to examine into their own
feelings, and, under the guidance of the Lord and of His Holy
Spirit, try to find out what relationship they sustain to their
Heavenly Father, and whether they are performing the various
duties devolving upon them, and are seeking to carry out the
word, the will, and the law of God.
85
We are certainly a very peculiar people gathered together in
these valleys of the mountains; we are assembled here from many
nations; it would be difficult to say at present how many; but I
think on some public occasion a while ago, there were twenty-five
nationalities represented. In this respect, we present a very
singular aspect, and occupy a very peculiar position in the
history of the day and age wherein we live. Our religion differs
very widely from that which exists in the world. Our ideas of
God, of futurity, of heaven and of hell, and of the future
destiny of the human family, not only of ourselves, but of all
nations, differ very materially from that of others. Our social
ideas, too, are very dissimilar from those entertained by others.
And, again, our political ideas are not in accord in many
respects with those of others, and thus we find ourselves in a
very anomalous position, gathered together here in these valleys
of the mountains, separated to a great extent from the rest of
mankind. We were a few years ago very decidedly separated. Now,
this portion of the continent has become almost the highway of
the nations. I frequently meet with persons from France, England,
Ireland, Scotland and Wales, from the various Principalities of
Germany; from Russia, Italy, Spain, Portugal; from Australia, and
the Islands of the sea, and from almost all the nations of the
earth. They pass by here, and hearing that we are a strange sort
of a people, they are desirous to know something about us as they
pass through.
88
It frequently becomes a question in the minds of many--How and in
what manner did these things originate, and what is the object of
our being thus gathered together as a separate and distinct
people? By what motives are we actuated? The world of mankind,
whether in this nation, or in any other nation, form very strange
notions in regard to our reasons for thus gathering together.
Although we have been striving for a great many years to
enlighten the world in relation to this and other matters, still
they seem very much at sea in regard to the position which we
occupy, and to our moral, social, religious and political status.
So that it becomes almost impossible for people at a distance
from here, notwithstanding we profess to live in an age of light
and intelligence, in an age of railroads, telegraphs, and
telephones, in an age when rapid communication can be had, say
from all parts of the earth in one day, in an age of professed
knowledge of science, literature and art, and of everything that
is calculated--or ought to be if properly conducted--to promote
the welfare of the human family; I say that, notwithstanding all
these things, if there is one subject about which the human
family to-day is grossly ignorant, it is on the subject of the
principles of the Latter-day Saints. A short time ago a very
distinguished European gentleman, after eulogizing the appearance
of our city, the quiet and order that prevail, etc., said to me,
"President Taylor you can scarcely conceive how impossible it is,
outside of your Territory, to obtain correct information
regarding you as a people;" and an editor of The North American
Review told me he came here from New York, expressly for the
purpose of getting me to write an article on our present status,
thus again exhibiting the strange attitude which we occupy before
this nation and the world, and demonstrating that in consequence
of such a flood of falsehood, vituperation and abuse which is
constantly circulated against us, that is almost impossible, as
before referred to, to obtain any correct information concerning
us. Some of the literary men who come along here, express to me
the opinion that we have been maligned and misrepresented a good
deal. I tell them that in an age like this people ought to know
better; that they ought to be better informed; that they ought to
make themselves acquainted with facts within the reach of
everybody; and that there is no excuse for ignorance in relation
to these matters. Still this ignorance continues. There is an
under-current that men generally are not acquainted with, which
operates in the minds of men and produces these results of which
I speak at the present time. To the Latter-day Saints there is
nothing very mysterious about this. We have passed through this
state of things in embryo, years and years ago. Many of you
thought, when you heard the Gospel, and your hearts had been made
glad by obedience thereunto, that all you would have to do would
be to tell your particular friends and relatives of these things,
and that it would cause their hearts to rejoice as it did yours.
You felt interested in their welfare and had a desire to promote
their happiness, that they might rejoice with you in the
blessings which you experienced through obedience to the Gospel.
But lo and behold! the moment you opened your mouthon this
subject, you were set down as impostors. You were probably before
this a decent man or a decent woman; but now you became
ostracized and cut off in many instances from association even
with members of your own family. Was it because you had become
corrupt? No. Was it because you had become unsocial? No. Was it
because you possessed principles that were at variance with the
principles of truth, virtue, honor, and the word of God? No. And
if you had asked them what the reason was, for their coolness and
the feeling of ostracism that they manifested, they could not
tell, only that you were a "Mormon." You have all of you
experienced this. If this is the case, then, with your most
intimate friends--with your relatives, with your fathers and
mothers, sons and daughters, uncles and aunts, with whom you had
been on the most friendly terms heretofore--how can you expect
the world to look at things in any different manner. I reflect
sometimes upon the position occupied by the ancient Christians,
and upon the character, position and standing of Jesus, the Son
of God. We all profess to reverence Him. All Christendom bows in
reverence at the mention of His name; they feel there is
something hallowed about it. They look upon Him as being the Son
of God, and they look upon His Apostles as men of unblemished
reputation, of pure lives, holy, virtuous and upright. You cannot
travel anywhere in Christendom but you find churches erected to
St. Paul, St. Peter, to St. John, to St. Matthew, to St. Luke,
and to all the different saints as they are now called by the
people. But how was it with these saints when they lived here
upon the earth? They were called disturbers of the peace. It was
said of them that they were stirrers up of sedition--that they
were impure, ungodly men. The idea of their being persecuted, as
we read of, for their religion, would have been altogether
preposterous in that day. They would tell you they were
prosecuted for their crimes and their iniquities. They were
brought before rulers, kings and judges, and they had to depend
upon the Lord and His Holy Spirit, to sustain them under those
circumstances. Jesus emphatically told them to expect these
things. "If the world hate you, " said He, "ye know that it hated
me before it hated you * * * * If they have persecuted me, they
will also persecute you * * * For if they do these things in a
green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" It is singular, yet
it is a fact that these things did exist. While the crowds were
ready sometimes to cover his path with olive branches and with
their garments, and to shout "Hosanna? Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord," yet with the very next breath they were
ready to cry, "Crucify Him! crucify Him! it is not fit that He
should live." And when He was hounded and hunted, persecuted and
proscribed, at the very last, even when a Roman judge said, "What
evil hath he done?" and washed his hands of the blood of this
just person, they still continued to cry, "Let Him be crucified,"
and Barabbas, a noted thief, and a murderer, was released in
preference to Jesus. This was the kind of feeling manifested
toward the Savior. Were they an ignorant people that thus treated
Him? No. They were what were called the elite of the day, the
educated; men of position, the High Priests, the scribes, the
Pharisees, the doctors, the lawyers, the leading men of the
nation, all of them engaged in this thing, and all of them
partook of the same spirit. What was the cause of this? It was
because He was not of the world. "If ye were of the world," said
the Savior to His disciples, "the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
That is the cause. The world loveth its own. And the world is
to-day, was then, and always will be, until it shall be
regenerated, opposed to God, opposed to righteousness and opposed
to the principles of truth. Paul makes the following statement:
"For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is at enmity against
God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can
be." There is nothing new, therefore, in any of these matters
that we hear bruted around from place to place--from the east to
the west, from the north to the south, and spreading abroad among
the nations of the earth; nothing new, nothing strange, nothing
very remarkable in any of these things. The carnal mind knows not
the things of God, and is not subject to the law of God, neither
can it be. They form all kinds of opinions, even, with regard to
our gathering. "Why don't you stop at home as other folks do?"
Some say that it is an emigration scheme gotten up to make money,
and that missionaries are sent out by us to deceive the weak and
the ignorant, and to gather them together that they may be made
merchandise of. That is one idea. You all know how far that is
true, and how far it is false. Others say that we re gathered
here for licentious purposes--to carry out polygamic ideas, to
corrupt, demoralize, and trample under foot the women who come
and associate with us, and to destroy their virtue; whereas you
know there is not a place in the world where women are better
protected and their virtue more sacredly guarded than in Utah.
They compare plural marriage to their whoredom, seductions, their
social evils, and the many kinds of iniquity, corruption and
rottenness that prevail among themselves. Reasoning from their
own stand point, they consider that we are a very wicked, corrupt
and licentious people. But according to the statistics that we
have pertaining to these matters, our immorality is twenty to
forty times less than theirs here in our midst, without going any
further. The crimes, iniquities and corruptions committed by the
small minority of outsiders in our midst very far exceed, perhaps
by twenty to thirty times, the crimes of the Latter-day Saints.
This excess of crime on the part of outsiders is what might be
reasonably expected; for we profess to be a better people, and we
ought to be a better people than those who make no pretentious to
be guided by divine revelation. Examine the records of our city
jail, of the Penitentiary, of the county prisons, which have been
published and are being published, and you will find a full
statement in relation to these matters, and the per cent of crime
that exists between one and the other. Mr. Barclay, a member of
the British Parliament, who lately visited us, writes in "The
Nineteenth Century," a monthly review published in London: "In
the winter of 1881, a census was taken of the prisons in Utah,
with the following results:--In the City Prison were twenty-nine
convicts, and in the county prison six convicts, all non-Mormons.
In the Penitentiary, out of fifty-one prisoners only five were
Mormons, two of whom were there for polygamy. * * Of the
population of Salt Lake City, about 75 per cent is Mormon, and 25
per cent non-Mormon." He further says: "These figures
conclusively prove that the Mormons are a sober, law-abiding
people, and singularly free from the grosser forms of vice;
whatever may be alleged by ignorant or prejudiced enemies. Of the
two hundred saloons, billiard, bowling alley, and pool table
keepers, not a dozen even profess Mormonism." And since these
figures were published, others in relation to 1882 have been made
public. One gentleman, who has spent a considerable length of
time investigating these matters, writes: "The statistics at hand
for 1882 * * cover a wide field, taking in all the populous
districts of the Territory. The total number of all arrests for
crimes and misdemeanors in these localities during 1882, was
2,198--of which the 78 per cent of the Mormon population
furnished 300, and the 22 per cent of the non-Mormons 1,898, * *
So that the Mormons comprising 78 per cent of the population of
the Territory contributed one-eight of the arrests made during
1882 and the non-Mormons, having only 22 per cent contributed
seven-eights. The number of brothels throughout the Territory was
12, all kept by non-Mormons."
88
Regarding Salt Lake City, where he resided for some time, he
states: "The criminal record of Salt Lake City, for 1882, shows
that in a population of about 25,000, divided between Mormons and
non-Mormons as 19 to 6, the total number of arrests was 1,561, of
which 188 were Mormons and 1,373 non-Mormons. Of the 66 houses,
where beer and liquor were retailed by the glass, 60 were kept by
non-Mormons, and the remaining 6, nominally Mormons, were not
entitled to participate in the sacraments of the Church by reason
of their calling. The 15 billiard rooms and bowling alleys, and
the 7 gambling houses were all kept by non-Mormons. The 6
brothels had non-Mormons proprietors, and they were filled by 31
non-Mormon inmates." There is nothing in this to be proud of; for
it would be a pity if we could not live better than they do. We
have gathered here, not for speculative purposes, as is sometimes
charged, but to worship God, to keep His commandments, and to be
instructed in the laws of life. There is no cause for boasting on
our part in regard to these things; but I refer to them to show
how fallacious their ideas are in regard to these matters.
88
Then, is it strange that we should be placed in the position that
we are? Yes, it is very strange, but it is nevertheless true, and
the same condition of things has existed in the different ages.
88
We profess to be the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ; we
profess to be in possession of the everlasting Gospel; we profess
to have gathered here to observe the laws and keep the
commandments of God, and that we might assist in building up the
Church of God, the Kingdom of God, and the Zion of God. These are
really the facts of the case. True, we do not do as well as we
might. We are not as pure as we might be, nor as good, nor as
virtuous, nor as upright, nor do we possess the amount of
integrity that we ought; but, then, we don't propose to place
ourselves on a level with the outside world; we have not dropped
to their standard by a very long way: and many of us are striving
to live our religion, to observe the laws of God, and to keep His
commandments.
89
In regard to the spirit and genius of the age in which we
live, there is nothing, as I have said, strange about that. The
powers of darkness have always been in antagonism to the light,
truth and intelligence that proceeds from God, and till Satan is
bound, and his power is curtailed by a superior power, that state
of things will continue, and instead of getting better and
better, we are told in the Scriptures, that the wicked shall grow
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Do you imagine
that they will grow better? I do not.
89
Do not let us be mistaken in relation to all these things--that
is as the world are mistaken. We complain sometimes about the
injustice of men. I expect to find unjust men, many of them. We
refer to certain laws that are being enacted by our Congress as
unconstitutional, etc. Why, we expect they will yet pass many
laws of that kind. We don't expect them to be our friends, or the
friends of God. They don't profess it. We have a right to expect,
of course, that they would abide by the Constitution, because
that is an instrument gotten up by themselves, and that they
profess to be governed by, and that men in authority swear to
uphold. We have a right to expect that. But, then, does not all
Christendom profess to believe in the Bible? Yes. And do the
ministers of the various denominations? Yes. Do they practice its
teachings. Do they follow its doctrines? Or are there any two of
their doctrines alike? They have all kinds of theories, notions
and ideas; yet still they tell you that the Bible contains the
word of God. But are they governed by it? No. God placed in the
Church Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists, and
He gave unto His servants the Holy Ghost, and the light of
revelation, and made them acquainted with the same sacred
principles. They were all baptized unto one baptism, and all
partook of the same spirit. How is it now? Many Lords, many
faiths, many baptisms.
90
Speaking of the doctrine of the plurality of wives, I remember
talking with one of our Presidents--I mean one of the Presidents
of the United States--on this subject in Washington, a number of
years ago, as I have with others since on the same subject; but I
remember some of the remarks made on that occasion. "Well," said
he, after talking some little on politics, and one thing and
another, "what about your polygamy?" "Mr. Pierce," said I,--I can
mention his name now as it is a thing of the past--"it may be
possible that some of us may have wrong ideas in regard to these
things. We read about such a man as Abraham, who is described as
'the friend of God;' we read about such a man as David, who is
described as 'a man after God's own heart:' we read about Jacob,
who had twelve sons, whose names are to be written upon the
twelve gates of the holy city. Who was Jacob? He was a man who
had several wives, by whom he had these twelve sons. Then we read
of Moses--a man of God, a leader of Israel, and a law-giver. He
told the people how they should treat their children whether by
the first wife or by the second, and how all these matters were
to be arranged. "Mr. Pierce," said I, "It is possible that we of
the nineteenth century, have not been able to instruct the Lord
very much in regard to these matters. Probably He knew just as
much about them then as we do now, and that in regard to our
marital laws, we may have made some mistakes. "Well," said Mr.
Pierce, "I cannot say." Of course he could not.
90
Now, then, men assume to judge the acts of others, but they don't
judge their own acts, and they strive to falsify us, and to make
evils of those things that God has ordained according to His
economy, and that men of old, who were considered men of God, and
the friends of God, practiced under His direction. It is not
uncommon for men to talk about Abraham. They would like to get
into Abraham's bosom--that is most of the Christians of the
present day would like to have a place in Abraham's bosom. Would
you? Would you really? Are there any of that class here that
would like to go unto Abraham's bosom? Why, should you have your
wish, when you woke up you would find you were in the bosom of a
polygamist, and would not that be very horrible? But that would
be the fact. Jesus Himself, was a descendant of that class of
people who had practiced the things that we to-day believe in.
But they didn't persecute Him because He was a polygamist. They
persecuted Him because He was a friend of publicans and sinners.
They accused Him of being a blasphemer, of casting out devils
through the power of Beelzebub, the prince of devils. If he did
any good act at all, they were ready to cry out, "Give God the
praise: we know that this man is a sinner."
90
These things are facts that we cannot ignore. They stand out
before us in living characters, and to use a very trite saying,
"history repeats itself" in regard to these things. The same
causes in one age generally produce the same results on another
age.
90
I will now tell you about some of my feelings when I first came
into this Church. It is a long while ago. When I first heard the
Gospel I was compelled to admit there was something reasonable
about it. I almost hoped it was not true. "If it is true," said
I, "as an honest man I shall be obliged to obey it, or else I
cannot have any confidence in myself." When I had investigated
the subject, and become convinced that it was true, I said, "I am
in for it; I must embrace it; I cannot reject the principles of
eternal truth;" and I will say, moreover, I don't know of a time
in my life when if anybody presented a truth that could not be
controverted, but I was ready to obey it; and I am to-day. If any
person in the religious world, or the political world, or the
scientific world, will present to me a principle that is true, I
am prepared to receive it, no matter where it comes from. Well,
says one, you believe the Bible? Yes. You believe in the Book of
Mormon? Yes. You believe the Book of Doctrine and Covenants? Yes.
I believe all that God has ever written or spoken, everything
that we have on record, and I am prepared to believe every thing
that He will communicate to the human family. We profess to
believe in all truth, and to be governed by all truth.
91
Then, in regard to our position--referring to that again--we are
gathered here from the different nations of the earth, from
England and elsewhere. I remember the time very well when the
Gospel was not preached in England. I remember when Brothers
Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Wilford Woodruff, myself and others
took our first mission to England. Many of you that are here,
whose heads are white like mine, will remember the circumstances.
We took our departure after laying the corner-stone of the Temple
in Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri. The people were much
excited about the Mormons at that time just as they are now, and
every once in a while. They had gotten up a furore against us;
and Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Bishop McRae, and others, were
seized by a mob and imprisoned; and many of you may have read the
remarks made by a certain General Clark--the famous, or rather
infamous General Clark. He told the people--the same as they tell
us now--that it was wrong to gather as they were then doing, and
as we are now doing, and place ourselves under Bishops, etc. and
said he,--I heard him--"Oh, that I could invoke the spirit of the
unknown God to rest upon you, that you may be delivered from the
delusions with which you are encompassed." But his "unknown God"
didn't hear him, and the "delusions" have still gone on. We had
been driven out of Missouri. They were so good a people and so
virtuous, and we were so bad. But we were not polygamists then;
we had not entered into the awful crime of polygamy; but we dared
to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
They drove us out, took possession of our property, and robbed
and pillaged everyone they could. After doing this they did not
like that their action should go out to the world; so the
legislature actually made an appropriation for us--that is, for
the poor "Mormons"--of $2,000, if my memory serves me aright.
They had killed and destroyed any amount of our cattle and hogs,
and anything and everything of that kind that they came across.
Still they pretended to be very sorry for us, and solicitous for
our welfare. In order that we might not suffer, they went into an
adjoining county where our people lived, stole a lot of hogs from
them, and then turned in those hogs to make up the appropriation
made by the legislature of Missouri! They were so liberal in
their operations! They stole the hogs from one portion of our
people, and then gave them to another. I saw the hogs come in,
and they were butchered and divided among the Mormons.
92
These are some of the things that I am acquainted with. Was I
surprised when I saw such operations? No. I expected when I came
into this Church, that I should be persecuted and proscribed. I
expected that the people would be persecuted. But I believed that
God had spoken, that the eternal principles of truth had been
revealed, and that God had a work to accomplish which was in
opposition to the ideas, views and notions of men, and I did not
know but it would cost me my life before I got through. It came
pretty near it at one time; yes, at many times. I have had to
"stand the racket" in a way that many of you folks don't know
much about. More than once I have had to face large crowds of
people in the shape of armies, expecting to come into contact
every moment--no farther off, perhaps, than the length of this
hall. That is not a very pleasant position to be in. But I was in
a worse scrape in Carthage jail, when Joseph and Hyrum were
killed--penned up in a room and attacked by a blackened mob. I
had to stand at the door and ward off the guns while they were
trying to shoot us, and we without arms, and under the protection
of the Governor of the State. Dr. Bernhisel and myself were sent
by Joseph Smith to wait upon the Governor, and lay before him the
facts of the case. We told him we were competent to take car of
ourselves, and did not require any of his aid, for we had an
organized body of militia that were quite competent to protect us
from their mobs, and asked his advice. He thereupon stated it
would be better for us not to bring an armed force, and pledged
his faith and the faith of the State, as Governor, for our
protection. We consented. This he said to Dr. Bernhisel and
myself; and that pledge was violated by the murder of Joseph and
Hyrum Smith in Carthage jail, and I myself received five balls in
my person; but then I am here yet.
92
Was there anything surprising in all this? No. If they
killed Jesus in former times, would not the same feeling and
influence bring about the same results in these times? I had
counted the cost when I first started out, and stood prepared to
meet it.
92
We afterwards came to these valleys of the mountains. We people
have been gathered here and are gathering; but we have had to
encounter very little of such things as I have referred to. It is
true, we had what was called the Buchanan war, when we paraded up
and down, and when we went to Echo, etc. But there was not much
harm done. It cost the government some forty million dollars,
from what I learn; but there was no one killed. Two newspaper
reporters who had been sent out here to report the war, got to
fighting between themselves, and I remember being called upon by
one of them to assist him in his trouble in Provo. That is all
that occurred. We had to go out and meet the army. We marched and
counter marched--the same as we do in our dances, you know; one
of those grand marches, marching in and marching out; and finally
the President sent us a pardon for that which we had never done.
We did not appreciate it very much. With the exception of that
little episode, we have not had much trouble. I have heard people
complain of our judges and our governors, and this, that and the
other. Why, bless your soul, how can they send better men than
they have? We need not expect good men, virtuous men, honorable
men; they can only send such as they have, consequently, we need
not look for any better.
93
Well, what are we to do? They are talking all kinds of loud
things about us now. They keep on talking. Sometimes they do a
little; sometimes they don't do much; sometimes they are very
angry with us, and get up quite a furore. A Presidential election
is coming on, you know, and they are preparing things for that,
and the "Mormon question" is as good a thing as they can have on
both sides of the House--on the republican side, and on the
democratic, too. "Well," the question is asked, "What are they
going to do with you?" It don't make much difference. They hardly
know themselves. They think they are going to do a great deal.
They will do just what the Lord will let them, and no more. But
we understand their ideas, I presume, as well as they do. Here
are two political parties. The republicans long ago put into
their platform that there were two twin relics that had to be
moved out of the way--the one was slavery, and the other
polygamy. They have removed slavery out of the way, but polygamy
seems to be rather a hard nut for them to crack. It seems to
bother them. They are in a good deal of trouble about it, and the
religious people are very much exercised over it. Their pure
souls are very much agonized about things of that sort, and about
impurities which exist among the Mormons. They cannot see or say
anything about the licentiousness, the corruption, the foeticide,
the infanticide, the rottenness, hypocrisy, lying, fraud and
deception that exists among themselves; but they think we are a
very bad people, and in order to purge the nation of so foul a
blot, they must all unite to put us down. They will just do what
the Lord will let them, and no more.
93
Now, neither of these political parties are our friends. Neither
of them are the friends of God. They think that we are
democratic. We are to a certain extent, and then we are
republicans to a certain extent. But the republicans are afraid
that the democrats are going to make use of us in some way or
other, and they are determined to crowd the Mormons down their
throats, and the democrats gulp at it; they don't like to swallow
it. It is worse than the apple that stuck in Adam's throat. They
don't want to shoulder the responsibility, and so the democrats
will join with the republicans on a question of this kind, just
the same as the Scribes and Pharisees, the Herodians and
Sadducees, did when Jesus was to be crucified. Pilate and Herod
could then be made friends, and they were hail fellows, well met.
So it is now, and as the Church of England chant says: "As it was
in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, worlds without end,
amen," it may continue--at least for a certain length of time.
93
What are we to do under those circumstances? Shall we be very
angry? No. I feel just as easy about it as the boy did about his
father. Says Tommy, to his companion: "Do you know my daddy?"
"No, I don't." "Why," said Tommy, "I know him just as e-a-s-y." I
feel just as easy as the boy did about knowing his daddy.
93
We are engaged in a work of importance. We are immortal beings.
We are dual beings associated with time and eternity; I might say
associated with the past, the present, and the future. We have a
work to perform here upon the earth, and with the help of
Israel's God we expect to do that work.
93
I do not wish to defame anybody. But the things I have talked of
are true. It is a pity they are true, but then they are. What are
we going to do? Do right. We are called of God to be an upright
people, a virtuous people, an honorable people. We are called
upon to maintain correct principles, and to introduce them among
the peoples of the earth, and especially among the people of this
nation. Jesus told His disciples to pray in His day, "Thy Kingdom
come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Did He
understand what He was saying. I Think He did.
94
The Lord has gathered us together in these valleys of the
mountains, that He might have a people who would be prepared to
receive the eternal truths of heaven, and be governed by them.
Instead of your being deceived to get you to come here, you had
the pure principles of the Gospel of the Son of God preached unto
you, in the various nations from which you have come. You were
called upon to repent of your sins, and to be baptized in the
name of Jesus, for the remission of sins, and to have hands laid
upon you for the reception of the Holy Ghost. And when you
received that Holy Ghost, it took of the things of God and showed
them unto you. Among other things it showed you that it was
proper for you to gather to the land of Zion, and you came here.
It was under this influence you came. You came to learn more
fully the law of God, and to be instructed in the principles of
eternal life. The Lord has said through the Prophet Jeremiah: "I
will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will
bring you to Zion; and I will give you pastors, according to mine
heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."
This is what we are gathered here for--to build up the Zion of
our God, to establish the Kingdom of God, and to purify and exalt
the Church of the living God; that His people may be presented
without spot or wrinkle, as spoken of in the Scriptures; that
they may be prepared to have an inheritance among those that are
sanctified; and that the principles of eternal truth may go forth
from the land of Zion, and extend to the ends of the earth, that
the honest in heart may be gathered together to help establish
the principles of truth upon this land of Zion.
94
Shall we accomplish this? I think we shall. But people are
opposed to you. What difference does that make to you or to me?
We are here, as Jesus was, to do the will of God. "I seek not
mine own will," said the Savior, "but the will of the Father
which hath sent me." We are here to-day to do the same thing.
94
Now, do you feel angry at our enemies? No. They don't know any
better, and if they did many of them would not like to act
differently. If they are not capable of comprehending and
receiving the truths of God, we cannot help it. But shall we be
their enemies because of this? No. Shall we return evil for evil?
No. What shall we return? Good for evil, blessing for cursing.
"Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven."
What was the blessing pronounced upon Abraham? "In thy seed shall
all the nations of the earth be blessed;" not cursed. Did they
carry this out? Yes. Witness the preaching of the Apostles in
former times in the land of Asia, and the disciples on this
continent. Who were they? Descendants of Abraham. Whom did they
preach to? A good people, a virtuous people, a holy people? No,
if they had been good, virtuous and holy, there would have been
no need of a message of that kind being taken to them. But God
felt merciful towards all the human family; for they are all His
children, and His design was to benefit and bless them, so far as
they would let Him, and sometimes He has had to deal with them
very severely. On one occasion He had to cut them off by a flood,
because they had corrupted themselves. Every imagination of their
hearts was evil, and that continually. They were raising up a
corrupt progeny, and it was an injustice to the spirits that
dwelt in the heavens that wished and desired and had a right to
have tabernacles here upon the earth. Those corrupt men and women
were not fit to be the producers of those tabernacles, and they
had to be cut off. But God knew how to manipulate these matters.
He prepared a prison house for them, and when Jesus came He went
and preached to the spirits in prison that sometime were
disobedient in the days of Noah.
95
God has always felt interested in the welfare of the human
family; but there are certain eternal laws associated with His
economy that have to be carried out, whether in His Church or out
of His Church. From the members of His Church He expects a higher
state of morality than He does from those that are outside. All
men will be judged according to the deeds done in the body,
whether they be good or evil. The Gospel has been sent to them
from time to time. The old disciples were told to go to every
nation, kindred, tongue and people, and proclaim its glad
tidings, and the people on this continent had the same testimony
delivered among them. In the last days there was another angel to
fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to
preach to them that dwell on the earth. What Gospel? The same
Gospel that Adam had, the same Gospel that Enoch had, the same
Gospel that Seth and Mahalaleel and Noah had, the same Gospel
that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had, and that Moses and the
Prophets had, the same Gospel that Jesus had, the same Gospel
that was taught on the Asiatic continent and on the American
continent, and proclaimed to the various peoples of the earth.
95
As Latter-day Saints we believe this Gospel has been restored,
and further, we know that we are in possession of it. I do for
one, and so do you; and through obedience to its principles, and
the reception of the Holy Ghost, you Latter-day Saints do know
that this is the work of God, and if you don't know it, it is
because you are not living your religion, and keeping the
commandments of God; "for if any man will do His will," says
Christ, "he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or
whether I speak of myself." And the Spirit taketh of the things
of God, and shows them unto us, and if we will follow its
teaching, it searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
If we do not know these things, we ought to know them, and we
shall know them if we only humble ourselves, and ask according to
the light of the Spirit of the living God, even the gift of the
Holy Ghost.
95
Now, what are we doing? We are sending the Gospel to the nations
of the earth. Why? Because God has commanded it. What are the
Seventies for? For this purpose. What are the Twelve for? For
this purpose. What are the Elders for? When there is a deficiency
among the Seventies they are chosen for this purpose, and the
High Priests have to assist in the same way. What to do? To
teach, to instruct, to enlighten, to bless, and to lead the
people of the world in the ways of life. This may be considered
criminal by some, but we consider we have a duty to perform, God
has laid that duty upon us and, in the name of Israel's God, we
will try and do it.
96
We are building temples. What for? To carry out other purposes
that have been spoken of. Shall we carry them out? If the Lord
permits we will. We will go on laboring and working in the
interest of humanity. "Well," says one, "don't you feel angry
sometimes?" Well, sometimes I feel almost as Jesus did when he
went into the Temple and found a lot of money changers, and took
a whip of small cords and chased them out, saying unto them, "It
is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but ye
have made it a den of thieves." We are not all of us what we
ought to be, we ought to be more humble and more faithful, more
diligent and more self-denying. We ought to assist in building up
the Kingdom of God, and in doing the will of God, and seek to
promote those principles which He has introduced for the
salvation and exaltation of the human family. And what about this
nation? We will do them all the good we can, and I will say,
gentlemen, pursue your course, persecute, proscribe, so far as
God will let you. We can stand these things if you can, but woe
to those who fight against Zion; I say that in the name of
Israel's God. If they can stand these things we can. We are here
to do the will of God. Shall we persecute in return? No. We will
do good for evil, and pray for those who despitefully use us, and
evil entreat us that we may be the children of our Heavenly
Father. This is the spirit of the Gospel of the son of God, and
it is for us to carry it out. What shall we do, then? Do right;
be honest with ourselves; be honest with our neighbors; honest
with the good; honest with the bad; honest, I was going to say,
with the devil; honest with everybody. We can afford to do right,
whether others can or not. We can afford to maintain the
Constitution and institutions of the United States, and all laws,
as it is said in the Doctrine and Covenants, that are
constitutional. It is the will of God that we should obey them,
and sometimes we obey laws that we think are not constitutional.
I expect, like the Catholics in this respect, we shall have to do
some works of supererogation. However, let us do right. Let us
maintain the Constitution of this government. It was ordained of
God, and if wicked and corrupt men do wrong, and administer
improperly and unrighteously, God will deal with them. We need
not rail and rant and get up a commotion about them. We do not
cherish any ill-will or ill-feelings, but they would not like it
to be said that they are doing the works of their father, the
devil: but that is what Jesus said about people of the same kind
in His day. We need not be angry with them. Jesus, at the very
last, even when hanging on the cross and expiring, said, as it
were with His last breath, "Father, forgive them, for they know
not what they do." Neither do they in this day. But we are the
children of the light. Let us walk in the light, and be governed
by the principles of truth and righteousness, virtue and honor,
and seek to cleave to God in our bodies and in our spirits, which
are His. If the Latter-day Saints throughout the land of Zion,
would only fear God and work righteousness, there is not a power
on this side of hell, or the other side either, that could harm
them; for God will carry out His work and His purposes, and if He
suffers us, at any time to be chastened, it will be for our good;
but Zion will triumph, and the Kingdom of God will roll forth,
and no man shall stop its progress from this time, henceforth and
forever, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / Joseph
F. Smith, April 6th, 1884
Joseph F. Smith, April 6th, 1884
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH
Delivered at the General Conference, on Sunday Morning,
April 6th, 1884.
Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.
DIVINE MISSION OF JOSEPH SMITH--PREDICTION AND PROMISE
FULFILLED--MANY
OTHERS WILL YET BE VERIFIED--THE WORLD'S HATRED OF THE
SAINTS--INDISPUTABLE EVIDENCE OF THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF THE
CHURCH--NO
POWER CAN DESTROY IT--MISSIONARIES SHOULD GO TO THE FIELDS TO
WHICH
THEY ARE CALLED--THE EFFECTS OF OBEDIENCE AND ITS OPPOSITE.
F. Smith
As the time remaining is so short, I think I could not do better
than devote it to continuing the subject dwelt upon by Brother
Cannon.
F. Smith
The Doctrine and Covenants, as well as the Book of Mormon,
contains indisputable evidence of the divine calling and mission
of Joseph Smith. For instance, I will refer the congregation to
the revelation given Dec. 25th, 1832, in relation to the great
war of the Rebellion, with which all are more or less familiar. A
portion of that revelation has been literally fulfilled, even to
the very place indicated in the prediction where the war should
commence: which, as was therein stated, was to terminate in the
death and misery of many souls. Again, in the revelation given in
March, 1831, to Parley P. Pratt and Lemon Copley, the following
remarkable prediction is found:
F. Smith
"But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall
flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as
the rose. Zion shall flourish upon the hills and rejoice upon the
mountains, and shall be assembled together unto the place which I
have appointed."
F. Smith
Who, let me ask, unless he was inspired of the Lord, speaking by
the gift and power of God, at that remote period of the Church's
history, when our numbers were few, when we had no influence,
name or standing in the world--who, I would ask, under the
circumstances in which we were placed when this prediction was
made, could have uttered such words unless God inspired him? Zion
is, indeed, flourishing on the hills, and is rejoicing on the
mountains, and we who compose it are gathering and assembling
together unto the place appointed. I now ask this congregation if
they cannot see that this prediction, (which was made many years
before the idea prevailed at all among this people that we should
ever migrate and gather out to these mountain valleys), has been
and is being literally fulfilled? If there were no other prophecy
uttered by Joseph Smith, fulfillment of which could be pointed
to, this alone would be sufficient to entitle him to the claim of
being a true Prophet.
F. Smith
Again, in the revelation given February 23th, 1832, this
remarkable promise and prophecy is found:
F. Smith
"Verily, verily I say unto you, 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. Behold, they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail
against mine enemies from this very hour, and by hearkening to
observe all the words which 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
Is there a person within the sound of my voice, or anywhere else
upon the face of the wide earth, who can say that this promise
has failed, that this prediction is not founded in truth, that so
far it has not been fulfilled? I stand before this vast
congregation, and am at the defiance of any human being to say,
that this was not pronounced by the spirit of truth, by the
inspiration of the Almighty, for it has been fulfilled, and is
being fulfilled, and that, too, in the face of opposition of the
most deadly character: and what remains will be fulfilled
literally and completely. And it is the fear in the heart of
Satan that this will be the case, that causes him to stir up his
emissaries to oppose the Kingdom of God and seek, if possible, to
destroy this great and glorious work. For it is a living fact, a
fact that fills the hearts of the righteous and God-fearing with
unspeakable joy and the hearts of the wicked and ungodly with
consternation and jealous fear, that this work of God, this work
of redemption and salvation in which we are engaged, is moving
forward and is destined to continue in its onward march until the
kingdoms of the world shall be subdued and brought under the law
of Almighty God. And that this will come to pass, I can assure
you, the enemy of all righteousness comprehends as well as we do.
Yes, he knows that this will eventually be the case, better than
many who profess to have received the Holy Spirit in their
hearts; and, therefore, he is diligently seeking to stir up the
hearts of the wicked to fight against the Saints of God, until
they are discomfited, and Zion is free.
F. Smith
These predictions concerning the triumph of the cause of God over
wickedness, and the triumph of the Saints of God over the wicked
who contend against them, were uttered by Joseph Smith in his
youth, in the early rise of the Church when, to all human
appearance, their fulfillment was absolutely impossible. At that
time there were but few who could believe, that dared to believe
the truth of these predictions. The few, comparatively, that did
believe when they heard, were those whose minds had been
enlightened by the Holy Spirit of promise and who, therefore,
were prepared to receive them. As these predictions have been
fulfilled, so those not yet fulfilled will come to pass in the
due time of the Lord; and as this latter-day work has so far
grown and assumed force and power in the earth, so it will
continue to do, and there is no power beneath the Celestial
Kingdom that can prevent its growth, or the consummation of all
that has been predicted concerning it.
F. Smith
I do not wonder that the enemies of righteousness are stirred up
about this matter. I am not surprised that the wicked rage and
the heathen imagine a vain thing. I am not astonished when
certain men get mad, or that their souls are vexed within them,
that their minds are perplexed, and that they feel wrought up
with anger against a people who have never injured them or
theirs. One thing I am surprised about in relation to this matter
is, that the Latter-day Saints themselves should not be as
strongly aroused in the interest of the Kingdom of God, as the
enemies of truth are against it. When I contemplate the situation
as it is presented to my mind, I am astonished that so many of
the Latter-day Saints should be so indifferent and neglectful of
duty that they cannot, apparently, appreciate the importance of
living their religion. I am surprised that there should be any
necessity for reformation among the Latter-day Saints, that is,
if I should be surprised at all; though surprised is not the
appropriate word to use, the word grieved, perhaps, might be used
with greater propriety in this sense. If I would allow myself to
indulge in a feeling of sorrow, I might indeed feel grieved that
any of us should find ourselves in a condition to require reform
in our lives. It certainly cannot be in consequence of the lack
of evidences of the divinity of the work in which we are engaged,
as there are so many such evidences transpiring every day in our
experience; in fact the whole spectacle of this latter-day work
is overwhelming in undeniable proof to the people of God, at
least, that it is His work; while the whole world, on the
contrary, are arrayed against it, because they cannot see the
light. You who have obeyed the requirements of the everlasting
Gospel, and have been chosen out of the world, having received
the gift of the Holy Ghost, through the laying on of hands, it is
your privilege to receive the witness of the Spirit for
yourselves; it is your privilege to discern the mind and will of
the Father respecting your own welfare, and respecting the final
triumph of the work of God. Why, then, should we be told that
"Mormonism" is true? Why should we need any further proof that
Joseph Smith was a true Prophet, or that his predictions are
being fulfilled? Why should it be necessary to prove that the
word of God has come to the world through him, and that that word
is indisputable, that the world cannot gainsay it? The doctrines
and revelations believed in by the Latter-day Saints have now
been before the world for 54 years, and during that time what the
world has been pleased to call "Mormonism" has been to them an
unsolved problem. The sound of the Book of Mormon has rung in the
ears of the civilized world since the year 1830, when it was
published, and the report of it had gone forth and was being
agitated some time before that; and during the 54 years that that
book has been made public to the world, there has been no stone
unturned by the most learned men of the age to disprove it, and
make it appear a delusion and imposition. In this, however, they
have signally failed, not being able to produce a single argument
that can not be successfully met by even the boys of this
community. This may seem a broad assertion, but it is
nevertheless true. Our Elders have been sent out as missionaries
to the different nations now for the last 50 years, during which
time they have testified to the truth of the Book of Mormon, and
have invited investigation of its pages. And although many in
their day and time have arisen either to ridicule or disprove the
truths it contains, their efforts have been futile, resulting
only in their own dismay. It cannot be disproved, for it is true.
There is not a word or doctrine, of admonition, of instruction
within its lids, but what agrees in sentiment and veracity with
those of Christ and His Apostles, as contained in the Bible.
Neither is there a word of counsel, of admonition or reproof
within its lids, but what is calculated to make a bad man a good
man, and a good man a better man, if he will hearken to it. It
bears the mark of inspiration from beginning to end, and carries
conviction to every honest-hearted soul. And because the Book of
Mormon is a true and authentic record of a people who once lived
and flourished on this American continent--and because God
Himself has undertaken, through us, His weak and erring children,
to establish His rule and government on the earth in answer to
the prayers of His Saints, ancient and modern, and according to
the counsels of His own will--because it is verily so, devils
rage and the wilfully wicked are angered and seek the life and
liberties of the Saints, and the destruction of the work of the
Lord; but in the name of Israel's God, they never will be able to
accomplish their purposes against us. As I have often said, so I
repeat, the best time the world ever saw, or ever will see, to
destroy "Mormonism," was on the 6th day of April, 1830. But they
did not do it then, and so they let the opportunity slip: and
have ever since been blindly struggling in the hope of doing
something towards it. But the more they struggle, the wider of
the mark their efforts will be. This is my testimony. If I had
the power and was called upon to do it, I would go to the ends of
the earth and would lift up my voice in testimony of this fact to
every nation, tongue and people, for I know that it is true.
F. Smith
Before I close I want to say a word to our young men who are
called as missionaries. When a man is called to go on a mission,
and a field of labor is assigned him, he should, I think, say in
his heart, not my will be done, but thine, O Lord. We find it a
little difficult sometimes to get the right men to go to certain
distant lands to preach the Gospel. It is sometimes thought,
especially among our young Elders, that Great Britain is the
finest field of labor in the world; and, consequently, they want
to go there. They do not like to go to the Southern States; they
do not much fancy the Northern States; they do not care to go to
New Zealand, or to the Sandwich Islands. When we call men to go
to Great Britain, it is gratifying for them to respond cheerfully
to the call; and when we call others to go to the Northern
States, to New Zealand, or to the Sandwich Islands, we do not
want any to come and say, they want their field of labor changed
to England. We expect every man to be on hand to go wherever he
may be called, and then he may expect the blessing of the Lord to
attend him in his labors. I have been thankful only once since I
went to the Sandwich Islands on my first mission, and that has
been ever since.
F. Smith
Soon after I was sent there was a very bright, intelligent man
called to go to the Islands, and it was one of the causes of his
apostasy. "What," said he, "send me, a linguist, a man well read,
an educated man, and a Englishman at that, to preach to
heathens?" He felt that he was not looked upon with that
consideration and respect that his scholarly attainments
commanded; he felt that he was slighted; and apostatized, and
returned to his native land, where he wrote a book against us,
and has since died. When Brother George Q. Cannon was called to
go to the Islands, he had no such feelings. He learned the
language, and translated the Book of Mormon into the Hawaiian
language. He performed a glorious mission, and is now one of the
First Presidency of the Church. And singular as it may appear,
out of the number of Elders that have been on missions to the
Sandwich Islands, I can count more Apostles, more Presidents of
Stakes, Bishops, and leading men, than can be found in the same
number that have gone to any other country. Why is this? Perhaps
it is because they manifested their willingness to descend below
all things, that they might rise above all things. If a man in
this Church would be exalted, let him humble himself; and he that
would exalt himself, God will abase.
F. Smith
God bless Israel, and pour out His Spirit upon the household of
faith, and strengthen us to do the labors required of us, in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Erastus Snow, March 9th, 1884
Erastus Snow, March 9th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, March 9th, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
CONSPICUOUS POSITION OF THE SAINTS--EARLY
PERSECUTIONS--HISTORICAL
FACTS THAT OUGHT TO BE PUBLISHED IN BOOK FORM--ANOMALOUS
TREATMENT
OF UTAH--GOVERNOR YOUNG'S POLICY AND THAT OF HIS SUCCESSORS
DIFFERENT--ISAIAH'S PROPHECY FULFILLED--THE EDMUNDS LAW--THE
SAINTS
WILL YET CONQUER--THE REAL OBJECT OF ATTACK--THE RESULT
PREDICTED.
101
In rising before you, brethren and sisters, this afternoon, I
desire to commit myself unto the Lord, invoking His blessing upon
the congregation, and that the Holy Spirit may dictate that which
may be spoken to our edification and encouragement in well-doing.
102
In the providence of God His people are located in the valleys of
the Rocky Mountains, midway between the oceans, occupying the
position of a city set upon a hill which cannot be hid. It was
the providences of God around about His people which brought them
to this land, which led them out of--what shall I say? out of
bondage?--perhaps that is not quite the phrase to use--but which
led them out of the older States of America, where persecution
had followed the Saints from their earliest history, across the
great plains, guided by the prayer of faith and the inspiration
of the Almighty, manifested through President Brigham Young and
his brethren, who counseled and guided the people hitherward, and
planted their feet in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains. It was
not our seeking. As President George A. Smith once quaintly
remarked: "We came to this country willingly, because we were
obliged to."
103
When persecuted in the State of New York, the early churches fled
to Ohio--located a Stake of Zion--built a temple unto the Lord in
Kirtland, from which Elders were sent out into all parts of
America, and into Europe. Persecuted in those regions, most of
them emigrated westward and located in Missouri, where several
Stakes of Zion were organized, and again foundations were laid
for a temple, and the Twelve, with others of the Priesthood, were
commanded of the Lord to take their departure to the nations of
Europe and other parts of the globe, to preach the Gospel.
Persecutions arose in that land, and became more general than any
persecutions that had preceded them, until the State became
embroiled, and an executive order was issued by the then Governor
Lilburn W. Boogs, who directed his principal generals and
aides-de-camp to gather together the militia of the State, and
expel the Saints from the State. And in this executive order this
remarkable phrase was used; speaking of the Mormon people it
said: "They must be exterminated or driven from the State."
Strange that in a republic like ours, a country of law and
government, such an executive order should appear. But it is
beyond dispute; it has passed into history; the annals of the
State attest it; and the result of such an order is well known in
the history of this people. They were not exterminated, but they
were driven from the State. Time would fail me to tell of the
tears, the sorrow of women and children, when husbands and
fathers and brothers were dragged to prison, or compelled to flee
and to make their escape in various ways, through the wilderness
of the Great West, through the then unsettled regions of northern
Missouri and Iowa, until they found a stopping place on either
side of the Mississippi, in Hancock County, Illinois, and in Lee
County, Iowa; these places becoming rallying places, temporarily,
for the Latter-day Saints, where the banner of truth was again
unfurled, and the Saints began to establish themselves in those,
at that time, almost entirely unsettled regions. In the short
space of seven years they had increased to tens of thousands, and
established several Stakes of Zion on both sides of the
Mississippi, with the beautiful city of Nauvoo as the centre of
their operations and the site of the new temple. It was here that
the ire of the people both of Illinois and Missouri was aroused
against the Saints--especially the ire of the surrounding
counties, both in Illinois and Iowa--until it became evident that
the Saints must again take up the line of march to some other
unsettled region. Of the history of the persecutions that
followed in 1845-6; the martyrdom of the Prophets Joseph and
Hyrum, as also the slaughter of many other individuals; the
burning of houses of granaries, of haystacks, of grain stacks,
the property of the Saints from outside settlements near Nauvoo,
and of the consequent combination of nine counties to make a
descent upon Nauvoo, and the expulsion of the Saints from the
city--all these things, I say, are matters of history. And while
the people of the State in their organized capacity sought to
screen themselves from the direct responsibility of those events
under various pretenses, yet the covering was "too thin" from the
fact that the then Governor Ford, of Illinois, was really aiding
and abetting all those movements; he did nothing to restrain
them, but everything to encourage them, and in this way the stain
of these things--the death of the Prophets and the expulsion of
the Saints--was fastened upon the government of the State.
However much some honorable persons in the State may have opposed
these things, yet there was not influence and power enough in the
State to intervene for the protection of the Saints in the
enjoyment of their civil and religious rights. Thus they were
compelled to retire, and their march was westward into these
mountains.
103
All this had been predicted by the Prophet Joseph. The Saints had
been looking forward to the accomplishment of those events. They
were not altogether unlooked for, however much the necessity was
deplored and however great were the sufferings of individuals and
families, and the community as a whole, in their travels for a
distance of nearly 1,500 miles across the then barren trackless
desert.
103
The history of the pioneers and the many people that followed,
and the privations of the early years in the settlement of the
Saints in these Rocky Mountains, are also matters of history. I
would that they were compiled in a succinct and lucid history,
that our children might peruse the same and not forget the scenes
through which their fathers have passed; for they are wonderful.
There are many now living who passed through these events; they
were personal sharers in them; but the great mass of the present
generation know nothing of them, only as they are occasionally
referred to by their fathers.
103
It is therefore quite true what President George A. Smith said,
"that we came to this country willingly because we were obliged
to." It seemed to have been the course marked out before us, and
circumstances so surrounded and pressed upon us, that we were not
able to avoid it, although we fain would have avoided it, if we
could.
105
Prior to the full determination upon moving westward, President
Brigham Young and the Twelve joined in communications to all the
Governors of the several States east of the Rocky Mountains,
imploring them and their Legislatures for some word of comfort,
of consolation, of tacit permission for the Saints to find
shelter and protection at the hands of their respective
governments. These official communications, made to every State
and State legislature in the land, received but very slight
consideration. From a portion of them no answers were received at
all, and those who did deign to answer those communications
answered them evasively, without any hearty expressions of
welcome, or any intimation that they would use their influence to
maintain the rights, privileges and immunities of citizens. In
short, the cold shoulder was turned towards the Saints from every
quarter, and immediately in front was the combined mob of nine
counties, waging war against them, backed up secretly by the
powers of the State--or at least there was no effort on the part
of the State to restrain the actions of the mob. President Young
and other Elders and the people were harassed continually by
vexatious law suits. They were pressed on every hand. Their
enemies desired to involve them in trouble. They sought to
imprison our leading men. And though, at a council, held in
October, 1845, between the Twelve and the leaders of the
opposition, including representatives of the State-the principal
general of that district, the circuit judge of that
district--Stephen A. Douglas, subsequently a Senator of the
United States, and presidential aspirant--I say, notwithstanding
that it was stipulated at that council, that if we would in good
faith go to and make the necessary preparations for our departure
westward, as soon as the grass grew in the spring, to enable our
teams to live, we should be protected and the mobocratic spirit
restrained until we could take our departure--our agreement and
pledge to accept these conditions, only seemed to embolden the
more rabid of our enemies in the counties round about, and
instead of respecting these conditions, agreed to by the
dignitaries of the State for our protection during winter, they
commenced to oppress and harass and war against us to such an
extent, that we were compelled to take up our march in the dead
of winter. Early in February, multitudes of the people commenced
to cross the Mississippi, and form their encampments in the
forest of Iowa, preparatory to starting out upon their long and
dreary march across the desert. In regard to the terrible
sufferings that followed--the terrible snow storms and rains that
continued from February until May, causing such floods and mire,
distress and suffering and consequent sickness, as perhaps has
never before been known to the lot of man under similar
circumstances--they were at least such as none can properly
depict or comprehend, but those who passed through them. Of the
many that were laid by the wayside before reaching these valleys
of the mountains, those families who were decimated must be left
to tell the tale. The history of those early days of persecution
and suffering will never be fully known. But in the midst of it
all a goodly number of the people of God were sustained by their
faith and the overruling providence of Jehovah, and were brought
safely through; while the weaker and more doubtful, the fearful
and unbelieving, scattered into the surrounding country, left the
body of the Saints, drifted up and down the Mississippi into the
various towns of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, and back into the
Eastern States, while others of the poor and less able, though
earnest in the faith and abiding in the truth, were left by the
wayside, at the way stations that were planted between the
Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers, where farms were opened,
grain and vegetables planted for the poor, until they reached a
general place of rendezvous on the Missouri River, at Council
Bluffs, where the Mormon Battalion enlisted for the Mexican War,
and in the midst of which the emigrating camps were obliged to
halt until the following spring, when they started for the
western wilds of this great interior country. I said these things
had been directed by the overruling providence of God. The
combined force of the unbelieving and the wicked was brought to
bear to expel the Saints, and compel their journey westward to
the Rocky Mountains. It was permitted by Him who overrules all
things for the good of His people; and the trials of the people
and the afflictions of individuals and individual families were
eventually lost, as it were, and buried in the universal good
which Providence had provided for His people as a whole. The
school of experience through which the early leaders and families
of Israel had passed for a period of sixteen years had fitted
them for those trying scenes and for the work which they were
destined to perform in these mountains, in grappling with the
difficulties of a new country, of a barren waste, of an untried
region, a region supposed to be utterly uninhabitable. The great
arid belt bordering on the Rocky Mountains, extending for some
hundreds of miles eastward of the Rocky Mountains, and across the
great basin of the American desert, was supposed to be absolutely
unproductive--incapable of producing cereals, vegetables and
fruits necessary to civilization. The school boys of my age will
remember to have looked on their maps and seen all this country
marked as the Great American Desert. It was supposed that a strip
bordering on the Pacific, was composed of fine fertile land, and
adapted to European settlements. But that country on the Pacific,
was, at that time, in the possession of the Mexicans, with a few
Catholic missions established along the coast, where they had
raised a few beans and cabbages and red peppers, and where they
had sustained themselves mostly by raising stock. This was all
there was to show for their presence in that region. And the few
trappers who had mingled with the Indians of this great interior
country for twenty years were of the opinion that it was utterly
impossible to raise grain in any part of this region. Captain
James Bridger, the noted hunter and trapper, who had intermarried
and established a trading post among the Shoshones, met the
pioneers on the Big Sandy, and gave it as the opinion of himself,
and of the early trappers who had gone through this country, that
it would be impossible to raise grain here. He told us of the
valley of the Great Salt Lake, and pointed out especially the
valley, which he termed the valley of the Utah outlet--the valley
that spread between the fresh water lake of Utah and the Great
Salt Lake--as the most probable place in all of this great
interior country to raise grain, at the same time supplementing
his account of the land with the opinion that it was impossible
to raise grain, and as a clincher to his opinion offered $1,000
as a premium for the first ear of corn that should be raised in
this valley. But the faith which sustained the Saints, and which
let them, responded through President Brigham Young to Captain
Bridger like this: "Wait a little season and we will show you."
105
We have shown to the world what could be done, or, I will say,
rather, the Lord our God--the God of the Latter-day Saints--has
shown to us and to all the world what could be done in this
hitherto barren region when His blessing rested upon it.
106
The first important movement of the pioneer company on setting
foot upon this ground near City Creek, was to call the camp
together, and bow down under the sun at high noon, and dedicate
themselves unto God, and this land for the habitation of His
Saints, imploring His blessing upon it, that its barrenness might
be turned into fruitfulness, and that the rewards of His people
might be sure. And whithersoever their footsteps were turned, to
the north or the south, to the east or the west, the prayer and
faith of an afflicted and devoted people ascended up to heaven
for the God of the land to sanctify it, and hallow the elements
and make the country fruitful.
106
The art of irrigation was unknown on the North American continent
at that time--at least among European settlers in the United
States. There was no part of the United States which at that time
relied upon artificial irrigation in all the arid regions of
America. The system of irrigation adopted in Utah has measurably
been copied by California, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, and
Montana, although some of the best features of our system of
irrigation have been neglected in these surrounding States and
Territories; canal and irrigation companies have there been
allowed to organize and monopolize the streams and make the
farmers tributary to them, taxpayers for use of the fluid which
God sends down from heaven--that is, they have not united the
interest of the farmer, the land owner, with the canal owners as
we have done in Utah, but they have made the water rather
personal property than an attach of the realty, compelling the
farmer to rent or buy water for their lands. Herein Utah sets an
example in this arid region to the rest of the world, and the
future history of this great interior country will award all due
honor to the wise legislation of Utah, and the wise counsels of
her leaders, and deprecate the folly of the surrounding States
and Territories in not following their example in this respect.
But the Lord has blessed the labors of the people of Utah in
diverting the mountain streams over the arid plains, and opening
farms, orchards and vineyards, and building Villages, towns and
cities, organizing governments, and establishing a commonwealth.
That the early history of the Latter-day Saints fitted its
leaders for governing, for organizing and controlling society,
and moulding it for the best interest of the whole, will be
admitted by the impartial historian of future ages, when the
religious bigotry of the hour shall have spent its fury, and the
stupid, blind ignorance of demagogues shall have been lost and
drowned in the common sense of the people. Yet, our eastern
neighbors in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and the Atlantic States,
sanctioned in their inmost hearts the murder of the Prophets, and
the persecution and expulsion of the Saints, though some of them
lifted up their voices against it, but the voices so lifted were
"like angels' visits, few and far between," and powerless to turn
the popular current or stem the tide that flowed, like the waters
which the serpent cast out of his mouth after the apocalyptic
woman that fled from the face of the serpent into the wilderness.
The Lord had a place prepared for His Church in the wilderness,
in the great American Desert, where she would be preserved from
the face of the serpent for a season.
107
I well remember those early years, as do many who are here before
me to-day, though their numbers are fast becoming very visibly
less. We remember the time when the first State government was
organized in these mountains. It was simultaneous with the
organization of a State government on the Pacific coast under the
title of the State of California. Delegates were appointed by the
provisional government of the State of Deseret, to visit
Washington and present their application for admission into the
Union at the same Congress at which California's representatives
appeared and knocked for admission. Both acted in their sovereign
capacity in organizing their State government and adopting their
State constitution. It did not need any special act of Congress
extending liberty to them so to do; for in both instances the
people of California and Utah acted in virtue of their
inalienable rights as free men entitled to the enjoyment of free
government, and under the general institutions of our country,
that recognize the right of the people to local self-government.
Each State organized a State government, adopted a State
constitution; they were equally republican in form and liberal in
spirit, and made a simultaneous application to Congress for
admission. The answer of the general government to California,
was favorable; to that of Deseret unfavorable; in other words
they recognized in the one the rights of local self-government,
admitted their senators and representatives to Congress, and the
State into the Union, on an equal footing with the original
States; while to Deseret they handed back a Territorial form of
government, adopted the Organic Act, and appointed their
territorial officers. Thanks to the advice of our never deviating
friend, General Thomas L. Kane, President Fillmore, who succeeded
General Taylor in the Presidency, nominated President Brigham
Young as the first Governor of Utah. Thankful were we even for
this partial recognition of the rights of the people to local
self-government, but strange to say, that in the organization of
our Territorial government, it seemed good to the Congress of the
United States to make the Governor of Utah an integral part of
its local legislature, empowered to approve its laws or to
exercise an unqualified and absolute veto in all matters of
legislation, a feature so unrepublican and unusual, that it could
scarcely be endured by any other people for a period of 35 years,
except the Latter-day Saints, and in this instance we are an
exception. Two-thirds of the Senate and two-thirds of the House
of Representatives can pass any measure over the veto of the
President of the United States. The same may be said of all the
legislatures in every State in the Union; a two-thirds vote of
the Legislature suffices to pass any measure over the veto of the
governor, and this is the rule obtaining in the territories, as
well as the States, with the exception of Utah and New Mexico.
107
I only refer to this as an instance of the marked jealousy that
has prevailed toward this people--the unwillingness to concede to
them the common right of local self-government.
108
Under the administration of Governor Young, his efforts were ever
directed with the Legislative Assembly to enlarge and extend the
area of freedom and the liberty of the voter, and the rights of
the common people, never attempting to exercise the veto power,
much less to enlarge and extend, the executive prerogatives; and
under his administration, laws were enacted to provide for
various offices necessary to administer the affairs of the
territorial government, as well as those of counties and
municipalities, making them all elective by the people, or by
their chosen representatives in Legislative assembly united. It
seems to have been reserved to one or two of our late
Governors--notably our present one--to labor assiduously,
tenaciously, blindly, and, as we think, foolishly, to abridge the
popular suffrage, the rights of the mass of the people in the
management of their own local affairs, and the election of their
own officers, or for the handling of their own finances; I say it
seems to be left to our late governors to earnestly struggle to
enlarge the executive prerogative. Not content with the veto
power reserved in the Organic Act by Congress to annul any act of
the Legislative Assembly of Utah, nor yet with the second veto
vested absolutely in the Governor by simply withholding his
approval of any measure; the present Governor has sought in
various ways to extend and enlarge this executive prerogative.
108
I refer to these things only as items of history which we are
making for ourselves, and which our Federal government and its
representatives in Utah are making for themselves, and which the
historian will point to as the evidence of a continual desire for
aggression upon the liberties of the people.
109
I am well aware that the excuse for all this is the unity of our
people--the fact that they are not so greatly distracted by the
efforts of aspiring demagogues and political satraps--and that
their own common sense teaches them the necessity, under existing
circumstances, to consider well and ponder the paths of their
feet, and unite in the wisest and best measures, and in the
choice of reliable, honorable men to fill the various offices
within the gift of the people, rather than divide and admit into
power aspiring demagogues. We, as a people, have adopted the
motto, that the office should seek the man, instead of the man
seeking the office, and have invariably administered to the
office seekers this quiet rebuke, a ticket-of-leave to stay at
home. The good sense of the people has led them to seek out
honorable and non-aspiring men and call them to duty, to fill the
offices in the interests of the people, not for plunder and pelf,
but for the reward of a good conscience and the approbation of an
honest, discerning and approving people. And this unity of the
people has not been solely a matter of our own seeking, however
desirable it is, but measurably the result of outward pressure,
if left to ourselves, unbelied, unscoffed at; if treated with any
degree of fairness and liberality, and freedom to enjoy the
rights and immunities of citizenship, unmolested, unpersecuted, I
fear that we should soon begin to learn the ways of the wicked
around us, or of the foolish of other countries, and the
heedless, the thoughtless, and the ignorant among us would soon
be following political demagogues. But it seems to be one of the
providences of God, that there should be sufficient opposition
from without--that is, from those who are not of us--to bind us
together and enable us to see our only true interest in seeking
to become one. And that oneness has not been the oneness of
blindness, a blind following of the blind, but has been the
result of Seers and Prophets and wise men and sages and fathers
of the people foreseeing the evil and pointing it out in that way
and manner that all have been able to view and see it for
themselves. They have followed with their eyes open the Seers and
Prophets who are not walking in darkness, and the result has been
that we have not fallen into the ditch together, but we have
continued to prosper and go on in the path which heaven has
marked out for us, and the enemies of this people, who have
resorted to every measure which their cunning and ingenuity could
devise to hamper them and lessen their liberties--it is these
which have fallen into the ditch, that have been trapped in their
own measures, that have been ensnared with their own snares, and
their folly has been made manifest, and the prediction of the
Prophet Isaiah has happened unto them: the wisdom of their wise
men has perished, and the understanding of their prudent men has
been hid. No more in any former examples than in their last
effort--the Edmunds law, so called--which is the result of the
combined efforts and labors of a nation, begotten by the hireling
priests, a conclave that met in Ogden, the representatives of all
the sectarians in Utah. Then a nation groaned, and "the mountain
labored," and brought forth a mouse, the Edmunds law! Its main
object was to be effected through a Commission, chosen expressly,
not to administer that law according to the letter of it, but
chosen with a secret understanding and tacit obligations to
enforce it with the spirit of despotism in which it had been
conceived; and by establishing rules--irresponsible rules--rules
of their own--absolute and appealable to nobody--and enforcing
them in their own way they have succeeded in disfranchising not
only actual polygamists, but all those who have been in any way
associated or connected with polygamist families--not only plural
wives, but first wives, and men and women who long years ago have
been freed--to use a common phrase--from polygamy; all who have
from any cause ceased to be polygamists. All these have been
disfranchised--excluded from political privileges--forbidden to
be office-holders, even to be a fence viewer, or a school
director, or a public surveyor, or a supervisor of streets. Have
the men who made this country, who organized government therein,
who established order, preserved peace, and tamed the savage--who
were the mountain police for all this great interior country for
30 years--have these tamely submitted to these arbitrary rulings
and decisions without protest, and because there was no power to
withstand? I will only say they have done it from the same
inspiration and feeling that has governed them from the beginning
in all their wanderings. They have stooped to conquer! Will they
conquer? Yes, God will conquer, and with Him they will rise and
prevail. Let no one attempt to seize upon this expression as one
of treason, of disloyalty to government, of defiance of the power
of this great country. It is not spoken in that spirit, nor with
any such intent; but it is the outspoken declaration of that
faith which underlies the movements of this people, and which has
led them on to victory from the beginning. You may write it down
as a prophecy, but not as a threat, not as a defiance, not as a
treasonable utterance. We recognize our allegiance to the general
government: we recognize that it is our duty to sustain
constitutional law and the institutions of our common country,
and if men in power overstep their legitimate bounds, and
exercise power that is not vested in them under the constitution,
and violate its sacred provisions in their zeal to trample upon
the liberties of the Saints, or hedge up their ways, it is our
duty to bear and forbear, until the Lord says--"Tis enough," and
until He shall open the way, in His own wonderful manner, to
bring about a change and our release.
112
I well recollect the speeches that were uttered in some of the
great cities of the west and of the eastern States, when the
whole people were aroused and urged to bring their influence to
bear upon Congress to pass the Edmunds law. I well remember that
numbers of their most noted orators uttered the declaration that
polygamy was the least part of the evil they warred against in
Utah. I have always been aware of this. Only a few, comparatively
speaking, of their leading orators had the temerity--or perhaps
the lack of policy--to give utterance, in a public manner, to
this view of the case. But those who gave such utterance said
that the unity exhibited by the people of Utah--the united, solid
vote of the Latter-day Saints--was far more to be dreaded than
their polygamy. This was recognized and made clearly manifest by
the action of the present Executive of Utah, when he first
introduced as a prerequisite to commissioning Notaries Public, an
oath of his own providing, unlawful in every way, under pain of
refusing their commissions, viz., that they were not polygamists
or bigamists, and had not cohabited with more than one woman in
the marriage relation! And when the Utah Commissioners arrived in
Utah and entered upon their labors, in one of the schemes devised
for carrying into effect the Edmunds law, they adopted the same
measure that had been introduced by His Excellency, Governor
Murray, and incorporated the same provision in their test
oath--thrust in the mouths or in the face of every individual
voter, male and female, this test oath, leaving every libertine
in the land, and every lewd woman, every secret whoremonger and
adulterer at liberty to register, vote, and hold office, provided
their liaisons have not been in the marriage relation! But the
honorable men and the honorable women who had entered into sacred
vows with each other, and had sacredly observed these vows, and
were rearing their families to honor and respect their parents
and to be good citizens in society, teaching them to fear God,
and honor the Patriarchs of old, and flee fornication, and look
upon whoredom and adultery as the greatest of all crimes, next to
the shedding of innocent blood--all these fathers and mothers
must be disfranchised! and an attempt made to dishonor them in
the eyes of their sons and daughters! They appealed to their sons
and daughters to rise up in their majesty and throw their fathers
and their mothers overboard, and elect them to power. And when
the people nominated Hon. John T. Caine as their Delegate to
Congress, to supply the vacancy made by the illiberal and
unrepublican action of the so-called Republican party in the
expulsion of their Delegate, Hon. George Q. Cannon, from
Congress; the opposing candidate, Judge P. T. Van Zile, went
through this Territory, delivering his political speech, calling
to his aid his retainers, in every place where he could get an
audience, telling the masses of the people: My election means the
continuation of your liberties; the election of my opponent means
your disfranchisement as a whole people, the abolishment of your
Legislative Assembly the reducing of you to a colony governed,
absolutely, as a conquered race. Suiting the action to the word,
those who sustained him have labored to bring about his
prophecies, and they are still laboring to bring them about. We
know full well, that the devil, as well as the Lord, can utter
some truths, and sometimes is allowed to fulfill his predictions.
Wicked men do this as well as righteous men. But there is one
decree that has gone out from days of old, that whatever may be
the result of a few skirmishes here and there, and now and then,
through the generations of men, the great and last battle shall
result in the utter overthrow of his Satanic Majesty; he will be
bound in everlasting chains and thrust into the bottomless pit,
his followers being cast down with him. It is this assurance
underlying the faith of the Saints, that enables them to go
forward, onward and upward, relying upon the arm of Jehovah, and
the ultimate triumph of truth and righteousness in the earth.
That those men who have laid these schemes to abridge our
liberties and immunities as citizens; and forged fetters for our
hands and feet, have not done so in the interests of morality, is
made painfully apparent in the test oath framed by Governor
Murray, adopted by the Commissioners, and sustained--so far as
any outward manifestation is concerned--by Congress and the
people of the nation, in that they continue to uphold this
Federal Governor and these Commissioners, and to sustain them in
their rulings and in the results thereof. Had they been honestly
working in the interest of morality, would they merely have made
the effort to exclude those that were in plural marriage, and
embrace in their arms the libertine, the adulterer, the
whoremonger, the fornicator, and every lewd person of every class
in the land outside of the marriage relation? This shows it was
the patriarchal order of marriage that they warred against, and
not against illicit intercourse and the defilement of the sexes
and degeneracy of the race. All these things are held up before
high heaven, for angels to look upon, for future historians to
descant upon, and for the children that may, peradventure, be
spared of these ignoble sires to gaze upon with unutterable
disgust. The one-man power exercised by a stranger appointed to
Federal office, and sent among the people as a Governor; the
one-man power that puts forth his ipse dixit to nullify the acts
of a great people through their representatives in the
Legislative Assembly, and to dictate to the people, or their
representatives, what they may do with their taxes, or what they
must not do with them--all these things, I say, will be referred
to by the future historian as very, very black marks upon their
history; and also their blind zeal and efforts--to what? To
prevent the growth, enlargement and extension of the Latter-day
Saints in the land. This is the real object underlying all their
efforts. The Latter-day Saints do not imitate the examples of the
Eastern cities and the old commonwealths of the Atlantic seaboard
in destroying their offspring. They do not patronize the vendor
of noxious, poisonous, destructive medicines to procure abortion,
infanticide; child murder, and other wicked devices, whereby to
check the multiplication of their species, in order to facilitate
the gratification of fleshly lust. We are not disposed to imitate
these examples, nor to drink in the pernicious doctrine once
uttered in Plymouth Church by the noted Henry Ward Beecher--that
it was a positive evil to increase families in the land beyond a
limited extent, and the ability of the parents to properly
educate and maintain them, sustaining the idea of small families;
in effect, justifying the mothers--the unnatural mothers--of New
England, and their partners who sanction their efforts in
destroying their own offspring, and in preventing the fecundity
of the race. Fancy such a doctrine justified by the noted orator
of the nineteenth century, and re-echoed by the smaller fry
throughout the country! The Latter-day Saints are taught to
reverence the words of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
concerning the multiplication of their species, and are called as
His children to multiply and replenish the earth. If the traveler
who visits Utah, will deign to visit our congregations, our
schools and our Improvement Associations, he can view hosts of
children growing up on every hand, all of whom are taught to read
and write, and in the common branches of an English education
beyond that which is found to exist in any other part of the land
under similar circumstances. But notwithstanding all this, they
say secretly among themselves, and in the national and state
councils: "This will never do. A people multiplying and
increasing like this will over-run the land." They say, as did
Pharaoh of old, "We must do something to stop this increase."
Pharaoh devised means of secretly checking it, by charging his
midwives, and making a decree, that every male child born in
Israel should be put to death. We read that when Moses was born
and his mother found him a goodly child she disregarded the
decree of the king, and God over-ruled in her favor, in pursuance
of her faith, and protected her movements, and Moses was spared
and brought into the king's house, and unwittingly educated under
his tuition to become the future deliverer of Israel, and the
lawgiver of nations. History but repeats itself. The efforts of
the wicked to stop the growth and enlargement of the Latter-day
Saints will as signally fail, and the failure will be on as
natural principles as it was anciently in the days of Moses. For
the Lord has decreed it. He has decreed that Zion shall prosper,
and that in the latter days righteousness and truth shall
prevail. Blessed are all they that will listen to truth and walk
righteously, and woe! be unto those who fight against Zion. For
the time cometh, saith the Lord of Hosts, when all they that
fight against Zion shall be as a dream of a night vision. "It
shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he
eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty; or, as when a
thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh,
and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall
the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against Zion."
This work is not of man but of God, who has set His hand the
second time to bring again Zion. And He has said: "Gather my
Saints unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by
sacrifice." His arm is stretched out to accomplish the purposes
which He has predicted by His Prophets from the beginning of the
world until the present time, and it will not be turned back
until it has accomplished all things.
112
May the grace of God be and abide with us individually and
collectively: may it assists us to remember these things; may we
not forget the high calling whereunto we are called; may we abide
in the truth; may we stand steadfast to our work; may we go
forward in our labors, yielding not unto the tempter; for if we
are faithful our triumph is sure and our reward cometh not from
beneath, but from above, through our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / Moses
Thatcher, April 4th, 1884
Moses Thatcher, April 4th, 1884
REMARKS BY APOSTLE MOSES THATCHER,
Delivered at the General Conference, Friday Afternoon,
April 4th, 1884.
Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.
HATRED TOWARDS SAINTS--ITS CAUSE--HOPE OF THE
SAINTS--CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHTS--LOYAL INTENTIONS.
113
I rejoice in the remarks that were made this morning by the
brethren, and feel that they were prompted by the Holy Ghost. It
was truly remarked by our aged and venerated President, that
unless sustained by the Lord, we cannot, as a people, accomplish
His work; and it certainly must be apparent to every thoughtful
mind, that man in and of himself is very weak, that he is unable,
alone and unaided, to accomplish that which will result in his
own salvation. It is not difficult to understand or to comprehend
the power of God, as it is manifested in the affairs of nations;
but we cannot always see how He manages and controls individuals.
And yet no human being without His permission breathes the breath
of life, for He is the giver of life; and when we, as a community
or as individuals, sense this, manifesting by our works a goodly
degree of faith and humility before God, then we are in the
light. But people, on the other hand, who undertake to exhibit
their own wisdom, or to depend upon the knowledge of man will, if
they continue in that spirit, be led into darkness, and their
life will result in failure.
114
During the past few months, I have thought much upon a particular
subject, which has weighed heavily upon my mind by reason of the
enmity, the malice and hatred which I have seen manifested
towards the Latter-day Saints. And I have been led to believe
that they are hated more for their virtues than for their
supposed vices. In connection with this subject, I have been led
to believe that many among this people are apt to have compassion
for the guilty. And I must confess myself that I have never heard
judgment passed on any man by the authorities of the Church
without more or less pity in my heart for that man. We are
generally apt to be too lenient to the falsifier, who becomes the
accuser of his brethren. We are too apt to look with pity upon
one who may have fallen from the path of chastity, and forsaken
the ways of the Lord. There is something in the human heart that
is drawn out in sympathy and compassion for the erring. I will
not attempt this afternoon to show whether this is a correct or
an incorrect sentiment; whether it is a failing or a virtue; but
I have noticed on the other hand, when hatred prompts action,
there is but little if any mercy shown. The shafts intended for
the innocent are often dipped in doubly distilled poison, before
they are sped from the bow of envy by the hand of malice. It was
so in the days of the Savior. Thrice tried and thrice condemned,
followed to the cross with but little human sympathy, he endured
the agonies of a cruel, lingering death. How much sympathy do you
suppose Cain had when he slew his brother Abel? Did Cain hate
Abel because he was innocent, or because he was guilty? His hand
would have paused; he would have reflected had Abel been as
guilty before God as he was. But because he was pure, and because
God recognized his purity by accepting his offering, there arose
in Cain's heart envy, malice and hatred, that could only be
appeased with blood. It has been so in every age of the world.
You may trace human persecution; you may trace the history of
those who invented the rack, the thumbscrew and the wheel, and
you will find they have always been moved by one spirit, that
same spirit which raised the rebellion in heaven, and that sought
the glory and power of God the Father, and that found its
culmination in sending to perdition Lucifer and those that were
cast out with him. And Milton, interpreting the spirit that
prompted Lucifer in the course he pursues, makes him say, It is
better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." And wherever we
find that spirit, we find a spirit of envy, a spirit of malice, a
spirit that desires to destroy that which is more excellent and
worthy than itself. In this way, after a just comparison between
our persecutors and ourselves, we can account for the persecution
to which we have been made subject.
114
Let the youth of Zion contemplate the character of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, and see how evidences of prejudice, hatred and
malice were heaped upon him until those that were prompted by it,
succeeded at last in slaying him. They perpetrated this deed
without mercy, without pity, innocent and guiltless as he was.
114
How is it to-day? Converse with certain people in Salt Lake City,
those who have made it their business to hate, to lie about, and
to do all in their power to persecute and despoil the Latter-day
Saints, and you will find lurking in their breasts exactly the
same spirit manifested by the wicked towards the Saints of God in
all ages of the world; divest them of their malice and hatred and
there would be little left.
115
We hear a great deal about the immorality of this people; but
allow me to say, if we permitted ourselves to be led into
wickedness; if we would adopt the ways of the Christian age; if
we would cast our children into reservoirs and ash pits, on
vacant lots and dung heaps, or throw them on to the railroad
track; if we would transmit to our sons and daughters disease,
and encourage them in ways that lead to death, hell and the
grave; we should then have assimilated, as some of our would-be
Christianizers have expressed it, with "American institutions;"
in other words, then we should be hail fellows well met with the
office-seekers, with adventurers, with libertines and other
destroyers of other people's peace and happiness. It is because
we cannot do this; because we refuse to "assimilate;" because we
prefer to row against the current of corruption; because the
fruits of our labors, political, financial and social are good,
and bespeak a higher and better civilization, that we are hated
and ostracized, and not because of any immorality that may exist
in our midst. We are sensible of the fact that we are not of the
world; that if we were, the world would love us as its own. We
are sensible of the fact that we have come out from the world,
and that, too, for a wise purpose in the wisdom of God. In these
mountains we expect to establish the foundation of a civilization
that will yet be the admiration of the world. We expect to
bequeath to our children the blessings of physical and mental
strength such as will enable them to stand the test that will be
required of them; and the very principle and tenet of our
religion, against which the Christian feeling of the age appears
to be so much shocked, will be the chief corner-stone in the
hands of the builder of rearing the structure that will be
different from anything else in the world. Because we practice
celestial or plural marriage, we are branded as law-breakers; we
are told that we seek to violate constitutional law, and the
enactments of the Congress of the United States. Upon this point
I desire to make a few remarks.
115
I was born in this country. I can trace my lineage to the
revolutionary fathers. I love the institutions of my country; I
love and venerate the Constitution. But I am not so ignorant, I
am not so blind that I cannot see that anything which you or I
may do may be made contrary to law, and may be called
unconstitutional; but I hold that the Constitution was made broad
enough, high enough and deep enough to enable us to practice our
religion and be free before God and man. I hold that if Congress
has a right to enact a law in relation to marriage, it might just
as consistently make a law affecting baptism, or prescribing the
manner, if at all, the sacrament of the Lord's supper should be
administered. "What will you do about it?" says one. I do not
pretend to know what others will do, neither do I pretend to give
advice in the premises; but I do say this: that no nation or
government has ever been able to crush the religious sentiment of
any people unless it crushed the whole people. The nearest
approach to success in this direction that I can find in history,
was that of Charles IX., advised by his wicked mother, when he
slew the Huguenots in the streets of Paris. But even this kind of
treatment did not succeed, and never can succeed. For a
persecuted religion will be an investigated religion; and in my
opinion it is truth that receives the thrust of the enemy far
more frequently than evil.
116
I wish to bear my testimony in relation to the Latter-day Saints
and their position. We will abide in these mountains, and we will
plead with our government; we will continue to petition Congress
and submit our memorials to the President of the United States;
and we will continue to love our country, defend its interests,
and be free men in these mountains. If we were aught else, if we
could be bound hand and foot as abject slaves, we should be
unworthy to be citizens of so great a Republic as is ours. It
cannot be done, and for this reason: We have come from the
nations of the civilized world of our own free will and choice,
expecting to enjoy and to bequeath to our children the freedom
guaranteed by the laws and institutions of our country; we came
as intelligent, independent men and women, and a people who are
intelligent and independent cannot be made slaves. The result
will doubtless be this: We shall be crowded upon from time to
time--but no more, I apprehend, than God in His wisdom will
permit--and the very acts of persecution and unfairness that will
be directed against us, will bring out and develop the elements
of excellency that will make our young men statesmen, and that
will make them lovers and defenders of right and liberty, until,
in the due time of the Lord, there will grow up in these
mountains a race of people that will not only defend the
Constitution, but defend the flag of the nation, and at the same
time be willing to extend the principles of freedom to all who
desire to receive them. It is a great mistake to imagine that the
"Mormons" are opposed to the government. They are not opposed to
the government; there is not a feeling of secession about them,
and they do not propose to be forced on the other side of the
fence by any alliance formed either in Utah or outside of Utah.
We expect to stand upon the platform laid broad and deep by the
fathers. We expect to defend our rights as American citizens, and
to do less than this would be unworthy a free people.
116
Before closing I wish to bear my testimony in regard to the
people in the world. I am perfectly satisfied there are thousands
of good and honest men and women in our nation who, if they knew
our true status, and understood the facts as they are, would
defend our rights to the uttermost of their power. But they have
been hedged about; and reports misrepresenting and belying out
true character have been so widely circulated, that they have
been led to believe them; but as we are becoming better known we
may expect to find men and women with a high degree of moral
courage, here and there, defending us, and speaking favorably of
us. There is no such feeling exhibited in our nations towards us
to-day as two years ago; and even that, hostile as it was, did
good. The evil that the ministers and priests and politicians
together, sought to bring upon us was, through the wisdom of God,
overruled for our good. And so it will continue to be, whatever
the enemies of truth do for the purpose of crushing it, will
eventually be found to be the very means used to establish it. We
have confidence in the wisdom and power of God, and are
abundantly able to wait and labor, to work on in the path marked
out for us to walk in, fully believing that in His own due time
He will accomplish His "marvelous work and a wonder," and bring
about those happy results foreshadowed in the promises made to
His people, both ancient and modern. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Brigham Young, April 5th, 1884
Brigham Young, April 5th, 1884
REMARKS BY APOSTLE BRIGHAM YOUNG,
Delivered at the General Conference, on Saturday Morning,
April 5th, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine
UNITING OF TEMPORAL INTERESTS--NOT AN OBSOLETE
PRINCIPLE--IMPROVEMENT AMONG
THE SAINTS--NEED OF BEING MORE SELF-SUSTAINING--WORKS TO BE
ACCOMPLISHED.
118
It has been said, that words fitly spoken are like apples of gold
in pictures of silver. This is especially true when they are
accompanied by the Spirit of the Lord, carrying with them life
and salvation to the people. There are many subjects that might
be dwelt upon which are familiar to the Latter-day Saints, and
which would doubtless yet be appropriate to speak upon in our
general assemblies. I look back upon the past few years and
recall principles that have been taught to the people, but which
the Spirit no longer seems to inspire the Elders to dwell upon.
And the question arises in the mind: Have such principles become
obsolete?--Are they done away? I look forward to the time when we
shall be able to speak upon the principles of uniting this people
together in their temporal as well as their spiritual interests
far more effectually than we have ever done heretofore. United we
stand; our interests are identified; the welfare of the one
affects the other; and our influence socially, financially and
politically is powerful for good, and is a lever for our own
prosperity as well as our own protection. Disunited we
acknowledge our own weakness; infirmity is stamped in our every
act, and in time we pass away like the dream of the night vision.
I do not desire at this time to treat upon the subject of the
United Order, but I would like to ask if the Latter-day Saints
think for a moment that that principle is done away, or that it
may be considered a failure never again to be brought to our
notice? If such has been the conclusion of any part of this
assembly, I have no hesitancy in stating for their information
that such is not the case; it cannot be so if we are ever to
answer the design of the Almighty respecting the future of His
Kingdom upon the earth. I would say further, the time is
approaching, if I am a judge of the Spirit as witnessed among the
people throughout our settlements from the extreme north to the
extreme south, when the principle will again be sounded in our
ears; and the Spirit of God as I read it in its workings among
the people, and as I feel its operations in my own breast,
testifies to me that when it comes again the people will be
prepared to receive it, and act upon it, as they have never done
before. It is, perhaps, necessary in our present state, that we
should have a certain amount of experience; the experience we
have had will doubtless be of value to us, in the future, when
the people will again be called upon to practice this principle;
and when this time comes, in my opinion, we will commence at the
root of the matter, accepting in the spirit and meaning thereof,
that principle which has been disregarded and shunned by us for
many years, the principle that lies at the foundation of the
greatness and power to which we are destined to attain. I am
happy to say that the people are being led to examine their own
hearts, and to ask themselves what they are doing individually
towards building up the Zion of God, and towards influencing
others to do likewise. The spirit that is working among the
people is having the effect of reform, as I have never before
witnessed it. The reformation of 1856, ran through the people
like wild fire; they received it under the impulse of the moment
when the spirit of enthusiasm ran high; but now there appears to
be but little effort to move the people in this direction, at the
same time a determined feeling exists among the Saints to right
themselves, and that too by commencing at the bottom round of the
ladder, and then gradually ascending. The hearts of the people
are being turned to the Lord. The men who have of late been
addicted to drinking, using tobacco, swearing, and other loose
habits, are, of their own free will, discarding their bad habits,
and thus righting themselves, and setting a better example to
their children and associates. This silent but potent influence
that is fruitful of such good results is significant to the man
or woman that is alive in this work, and that is watching with
interest its onward progress; and it comes home to our hearts
with convincing proof that the Lord is working among the people
by His Spirit, and it bids us all in its silent and suggestive
way, to prepare ourselves for events that must come, and that are
even nigh at our doors.
119
In witnessing the operations of the Spirit in the midst of the
people in such a remarkable manner I was strongly impressed with
the idea that we, as a people, ought to be turning our attention
in directions looking to our becoming self-sustaining. We are
paid out very much more than we produce. Where does the money
come from? How is it that the families of our working men are
able to purchase for their use imported articles? How long can
this people prosper by pursuing such a course? The danger of this
course has long been pointed out by our leading men; and sooner
or later, unless all turn a short corner, the condition that we
shall place ourselves in, will be of such a convincing character,
that all will readily concede the correctness of the position
taken by our leaders in urging the peoples to become producers
and patrons of home productions. This doctrine was taught by
President Young, during much of his life time, but especially
during his later years; and it does appear to me that we are
hastening on to the point that President Young said we should
reach, unless we became self-sustaining, namely, financial
embarrassment. In fact his doctrine on this subject was, that we
could not stand financially, unless we became self-sustaining. It
is doctrine that comes home to the heart of every Latter-day
Saint; it is doctrine that all must accept and reduce to
practice, if we would attain to power and influence in the land.
We must become financially strong. Wealth in and of itself, is a
lever of power; and wealth in the hands of a righteous people
must necessarily command an influence for good. We must first
learn to make a wise use of the means that we possess, however
little that may be; and by continuing to do this, we prepare
ourselves to make a right and proper use of the power that wealth
brings. But in order to attain the position that we are bound to
occupy in the land, we must learn to combine our interests in
such a manner that it will be to the advantage of the whole
community to consume and wear that which is produce and
manufactured at home. It will be by co-operative action that we
shall be tied together in temporal matters as we are now bound
together in spiritual things. As a thoroughly united people we
can the better hasten the work of God in the earth; such as
building temples, establishing settlements, civilizing the
Lamanites, carrying the Gospel to the Jews, and building up the
Zion of God in these mountains. We shall be the better able to
extend a helping hand to the needy poor, to the oppressed and
down-trodden among the nations, as well as to protect ourselves
from the inroads of wicked and designing men. The few minutes
allotted to me have expired.
119
That God may inspire our hearts to do His will, and that all may
be willing in the day of His power, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Q. Cannon, April 6, 1884
George Q. Cannon, April 6, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, (to the General
Conference
assembly) Sunday Morning, April 6, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
PREDICTIONS IN THE BOOK OF MORMON--EVIDENCE OF ITS
DIVINITY--PROOF
THAT JOSEPH SMITH WAS INSPIRED--PREDICTIONS CONCERNING THE
INDIANS
FULFILLED--COMING FORTH OF THE BOOK OF MORMON FORETOLD--PLAINNESS
OF
ITS TEACHINGS--PREDICTION RELATING TO SIDNEY RIGDON--ONLY TWO
CHURCHES--OTHER PROPHECIES BEING FULFILLED.
119
I will read a portion of the 29th chapter of the second book of
Nephi, from the last edition of the Book of Mormon.
120
1. "But behold, there shall be many at that day, when I
shall proceed to do a marvelous work among them, that I may
remember my covenants which I have made unto the children of men,
that I may set my hand again the second time to recover my
people, which are of the house of Israel.
120
2. "And also, that I may remember the promises which I
have made unto thee, Nephi, and also unto thy father, that I
would remember your seed; and that the words of your seed should
proceed forth out of my mouth unto your seed. And my words shall
hiss forth unto the ends of the earth, for a standard unto my
people, which are of the house of Israel.
120
3. "And because my words shall hiss forth, many of the
Gentiles shall say, A Bible! A Bible! we have got a Bible, and
there can not be any more Bible.
120
4. "But thus saith the Lord God; O fools, they shall have
a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient
covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which
they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they
remember the travels, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews,
and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the
Gentiles?
120
5. "O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine
ancient covenant people? Nay, but ye have cursed them, and have
hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I
will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord
hath not forgotten my people.
120
6. "Thou fool, that shall say, A Bible, we have got a
Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible, save
it were by the Jews?
120
7. "Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know
ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that
I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I
rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath; and I bring
forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the
nations of the earth?
120
8. "Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive
more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is
a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like
unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation
like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together,
the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
120
9. "And I do this that I may prove unto many, that I am
the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and that I speak forth
my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have
spoken one word, ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another;
for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be, until the
end of man; neither from that time henceforth and for ever.
120
10. "Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible, ye need not
suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose
that I have not caused more to be written:
120
11. "For I command all men, both in the east and in the
west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of
the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them:
for out of the books which shall be written, I will judge the
world, every man according to their works, according to that
which is written."
120
There is much more of the next chapter and of the preceding
chapter that pertains to our time, to the day and age in which we
live, and these chapters, with many more, are full of predictions
by the Prophet Nephi, concerning the days when the Book of Mormon
should come forth.
121
I want this morning, if I can have the Spirit of God to lead and
to assist me, to speak somewhat upon the predictions contained in
the Book of Mormon--the predictions which had to be fulfilled
after the publication of the book. It is alleged, as you know,
that the Book of Mormon is not an inspired record, but that
Joseph Smith, if he was the author of it, copied a great deal of
it from the Old and New Testament. Now, there is scarcely any
need to say to those who have studied the Book of Mormon, who
have read it prayerfully and carefully--there is scarcely any
need to say to them that it contains the internal evidence of its
own divinity, that God wrote it through inspired men, and that no
one but an inspired man or men could have written the book. There
is no book in the English language that compares with it, unless
it be books which contain the pure word of God. It has the
advantage of the Bible in this: that it was translated by the
power of God, not by the learning of man, and not selected from
hundreds and thousands of versions as the Bible has been; for
there is no end to the versions which exist, of the books
contained in the Bible. Of course we have our version translated
by learned men; but there is scarcely a passage of any importance
in the Bible concerning which there is not some dispute among
learned commentators. But with the Book of Mormon it is
different. God preserved those records for a purpose in Himself.
They were hidden up. This book, called the Book of Mormon, is an
abridgment prepared by one of the last prophets of the Nephites,
under the command of God, that it might come forth in the last
days. God revealed in part to him, and to his son Moroni, the
purpose which He had in view, in making this abridgment, and in
concealing it in the earth, and they performed the labor
connected with this under the direct command and inspiration of
the Almighty, to come forth in the latter times, and to
accomplish a great work. I wish to allude to some of the
predictions--not those that are contained in other books, but
those that are original with the Book of Mormon itself, and that
could not have been made, unless the man who wrote them was
inspired of God.
122
The words which I have read were written by Nephi, one of the
first prophets of the Nephite nation, and he describes, at great
length, and with wonderful plainness and minuteness, the
condition of the inhabitants of the earth at the time that this
work should go forth. Much of this, the caviller may say, could
have been written by a man of these days. But there are some
things which Nephi wrote, that could not have been written by a
modern man who did not have the spirit of prophecy, and that
which I have read in your hearing is a part that could not have
been written by any human being, unless he had been inspired of
God, and was a prophet of God. If Joseph Smith--if the divinity
of his mission--his claims to be a Prophet rested upon this
chapter alone, or this portion of the chapter that I have read in
your hearing, according to my view his claims would be fully and
indisputably established, for the reason that at the time that he
translated this chapter he had no conception, neither could any
human being have any conception, unless inspired of God, as to
the effect the publication of the Book of Mormon would have upon
the Gentile world. But Joseph, inspired of God, translated the
prediction of Nephi, which prediction states that when the Book
of Mormon should be published, it should be received by the
Gentiles with this expression: "A Bible! A Bible! we have got a
Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible." How many times has
this expression been made by clergymen, by professors of
religion, and by Christendom generally, since the publication of
the Book of Mormon? Ye Elders who have traversed sea and land,
who have gone from continent to continent, who have visited the
isles of the ocean, who have lifted up your voices in the cities
of the Gentiles, and in their congregations; ye Elders, who have
thus labored, know full well, that in every land, and among every
people where you have labored, when you have spoken about God
having restored another record, the Book of Mormon--you know that
you have been met with these expressions, the literal words that
Nephi said, would be used in the last days by the Gentiles, in
regard to this work. You Latter-day Saints, who have endeavored
to teach your friends the doctrines that God had revealed, and
endeavored to show them that God had restored this ancient
record--you know how your testimonies have been received
concerning the Book of Mormon. These remarkable expressions have
come from thousands of lips in many, many lands, and in many,
many languages, confirmatory of the Book itself, and of its
divine origin, and of its inspired translation. You read all the
words of Nephi in this 29th chapter, and you will find that he
describes with wonderful, and, I might say, photographic accuracy
and minuteness, the condition of the so-called Christian
world--the spirit that they possess, the crimes of which they are
guilty, the condition in which they are placed, and all the
circumstances connected with them.
122
In his next chapter, he makes further remarks concerning this
work, and the effect it should have. He says:
122
3. "And now, I would prophesy somewhat more concerning the
Jews and the Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken
shall come forth, and be written unto the Gentiles, and sealed up
again unto the Lord, there shall be many which shall believe the
words which are written; and they shall carry them forth unto the
remnant of our seed.
122
4. "And then shall the remnant of our seed know concerning
us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that they are
descendants of the Jews.
122
5. "And the Gospel of Jesus Christ shall be declared among
them; wherefore they shall be restored unto the knowledge of
their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ, which
was had among their fathers.
122
6. "And then shall they rejoice; for they shall know that
it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God; and their scales
of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many
generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a
white and delightsome people."
122
Now, that is one prediction. These are the words of Nephi. I will
now read the words of Jesus, recorded in the 16th chapter of the
third Book of Nephi, where He, in speaking about the last days,
and the coming forth of this work, says:
122
"And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you at
that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my Gospel, and shall
be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and
above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with
all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all
manner of hypocrisy, and murders and priestcrafts, and whoredoms
and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those
things, and shall reject the fullness of my Gospel, behold, saith
the Father, I will bring the fullness of my Gospel from among
them:
122
"And then I will remember my covenant which I have made unto my
people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my Gospel unto them:
122
"And I will show unto thee, O house of Israel, that the Gentiles
shall not have power over you, but I will remember my covenant
unto you, O house of Israel, and ye shall come unto the knowledge
of the fullness of my Gospel."
123
These predictions are parallel; they point to the same period;
they describe the same events, the same condition of affairs--one
uttered 600 years or thereabouts, before the other, and yet they
are precisely similar in their tenor, describing that which
should be done with the Gospel among the Gentiles. I wish you all
to remember--you Latter-day Saints, you young men and you young
women, you little children who are capable of understanding my
words--I wish you all to remember that at the time this was
written, or rather at the time this was translated into the
English language--say somewhere about the year 1828--Joseph Smith
himself, had not received, or at least obeyed, the Gospel. He had
derived some knowledge of it through the ministration of angels,
and from that portion of the record that he had translated; but
there was not a Latter-day Saint upon the face of the whole earth
that we know anything about, or that he knew anything about. No
man or woman had received the Gospel; no church had been
organized; no Priesthood from the eternal worlds had been
bestowed; not a man among all the children of men had been
clothed with the power of the eternal Priesthood of the Son of
God to administer the ordinances of life and salvation unto the
children of men. Yet the Prophet Joseph Smith in this
translation, showed forth with great clearness, that the Gospel
would be revealed, and that it should be received by some of the
Gentiles; that when it should be received by the Gentiles, it
should be carried by them to the descendants of Nephi and his
brethren, who by that time should have become a filthy and a
loathsome people. The Indians of our continent should receive the
message of life and salvation. The Gospel should be carried to
them. They would receive it with gladness. They would come to a
knowledge of their Redeemer, as well as to a knowledge of the
principles and doctrines and covenants which their fathers
understood, and which their fathers had received. Wonderful
prediction! And most wonderfully has it been fulfilled. At the
time that the Prophet Joseph Smith translated this Book of
Mormon, I suppose the impression was general, as it is today,
that the Indians were a perishing race, that they would soon
disappear from the face of the land. But before Joseph had
translated this, he had found in previous predictions that the
Gentiles--that is, our nation--that we as a race and the nation
to which we belong, should not have power to destroy the Indians.
This was a most remarkable statement to make when we consider
where Joseph was brought up, and the circumstances surrounding
him. If he had not been inspired of God, he would not have dared,
in my opinion, and no man would have dared to have made such a
prediction. But what does Nephi say concerning this matter as
translated by the Prophet? He says:
123
"Nevertheless thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone
forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of
God above all other nations upon the face of the land, which is
choice above al other lands, which is the land the Lord God hath
covenanted with thy father, that his seed should have for the
land of their inheritance, wherefore thou seest that the Lord God
will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the
mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren;
123
"Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed
of thy brethren;
124
"Neither will He suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed
of thy brethren"--that is, the Lamanites proper. They were not to
be permitted to destroy Nephi's seed that should be mingled among
the Lamanites, nor should they be permitted to destroy the
Lamanites--that is, the descendants of Laman and Lemuel. Nephi
predicted this. To-day it is said that the Indians will perish,
and that it is impossible to save them. Here is the word of God
recorded in this sacred book. We have the words of God, the
testimony of Jesus Christ arrayed against all, or nearly all, the
conclusions of the Gentiles. I look around and I see here on this
stand to-day, representatives of strange tribes of Indians who
have come here to visit, thus being in part a fulfillment of
their prediction of the Son of God, and also the fulfillment of
that prediction of Nephi, that I have read in your hearing. The
Gentiles did receive the Gospel of the Son of God, when it was
revealed. Burning with zeal to carry this Gospel to every nation,
kindred, tongue and people; inspired by the Holy Ghost, they went
out among the Indian races as well as others, and fulfilled the
predictions of the Book of Mormon in this respect. And strange to
say--if anything can be said to be strange connected with the
work of God--the descendants of those ancient covenant people of
the Lord, have gladly received the testimony of the servants of
God. Wherever we have gone and mingled with those people, with
those Red Men, and been able to communicate to them the truths of
which we are in possession, which God has revealed to us, they
have received the same gladly; not only upon this continent, but
upon the islands of the sea, throughout Polynesia, the Sandwich,
the Marquesas, the Society and the Navigator Islands--yea, and
everywhere where those men with red skins dwell, they have gladly
received the testimony of God's servants concerning the Gospel,
and they rejoice in its fullness and in the knowledge that their
fathers once possessed, and of the redemption that Jesus Christ
has wrought out for them. Most wonderful has this prediction been
fulfilled in this respect! And God has done and is doing a great
and a mighty work among the people, fulfilling the words of the
ancient prophets and of Jesus. When the Gentiles do reject the
Gospel--as I fear they will from their conduct in the past--that
is, as a nation--although I trust there will yet be many hundreds
and thousands--yea, I would that I could say millions--of
Gentiles gathered in by this Gospel; I trust that this will be
the case, though the prospects are not very hopeful at present.
It seems at present that as a nation, the Gentiles will reject
the Gospel. When they do reject it, as they have in part, then
God will commence, as the Savior said, to do a great work among
the house of Israel. He will carry his Gospel there, and the work
will commence then among all the scattered remnants of the house
of Israel, over the whole earth.
124
I wish to read another prophecy connected with the coming forth
of this Book, and the results that should attend it, namely:
124
"Wherefore the fruit of thy loins shall write; and the fruit of
the loins of Judah shall write;" [the Prophet here is speaking of
the fruit of the loins of the Patriarch Joseph, who was sold into
Egypt by his brethren]; "and that which shall be written by the
fruit of thy loins" [that is, of Joseph's loins] "and also that
which shall be written by the fruit of the loins of Judah, shall
grow together, unto the confounding of false doctrines, and
laying down of contentions, and establishing peace among the
fruit of thy loins, and bringing them to the knowledge of their
fathers in the latter days; and also to the knowledge of my
covenants, saith the Lord."
125
Now, here is a very remarkable prediction connected with the
coming forth of this Book. It should have the effect, when united
with the Bible--for it was the Bible that the Prophet was
referring to as being the writings of the fruit of the loins of
Judah; when these two Books should be united, it should have a
remarkable effect--that is, their union should. They should
confound false doctrine; they should lay down contentions, put an
end to them and establish peace; and they should be the means of
bringing the people to the knowledge of the covenants of God with
those ancient Prophets, with His ancient servants and people.
Now, all those who know anything about the effect of the Book of
Mormon--of the preaching of the Elders with the aid of the Book
of Mormon--know that these words have been fulfilled to the very
letter. False doctrines have been put down. Contentions have
ceased. Peace has been established, and the people have been
brought to the knowledge of the covenants which God made with His
ancient servants. Those who have read this Book know how precious
are the words of God, contained in it--how plain the doctrine of
Jesus Christ is set forth in it. There are no mistranslations;
there is no mysticism infused into it by men who have had their
own peculiar views of the doctrine of Christ; for in consequence
of the taking out from the ancient records (the Bible) of many
plain and precious parts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the whole
religious world is in confusion as to the meaning of certain
texts. So far as baptism itself is concerned there is no end to
contention. The Baptists say that immersion is necessary and is
right. Others say that it is wrong, and that sprinkling is right.
Others contend for infant baptism, while others say it is not of
God. Many claim that infant baptism is necessary, and that if a
child is not baptized, it is in danger of being consigned to the
regions of the damned. While others, again, contend for the
pouring of water; and still others who permit the candidate to
elect which mode of baptism he will have, whether sprinkling,
immersion or pouring; while men are thus divided upon this
subject, Paul says there is but one baptism.
125
Now, the Book of Mormon comes forth, and it speaks in exceeding
great plainness upon this point. It not only gives the mode of
baptism which Jesus gave to His ancient disciples on this
continent; but the very words to be used. It says that they shall
immerse candidates in the water; and it gives particular
directions about the laying on of hands, and about all the
doctrines of the church of Christ, or of the Gospel. No man who
reads the Book of Mormon, need be at a loss to know the doctrine
of Christ. It is as plain as it is possible for the English
language to make it, and everybody can see it. Therefore, most
wonderfully, when united with the Bible, has it fulfilled this
prediction--the writings of the descendants of Joseph, of which
this Book is the record.
125
Another most remarkable prediction is given in this same chapter;
showing how plainly the Lord revealed to His ancient servants who
wrote this Book, that which should take place in the last times.
Lehi in speaking about Moses, said, that the Lord had revealed to
Joseph the patriarch, that He would raise up a mighty prophet
named Moses, and that He should raise up for him a spokesman;
that Moses would not be mighty in word, but in deed. Here is what
the Lord said unto Joseph the Patriarch as quoted by Lehi:
125
"And the Lord said unto me also" [that is, Joseph the Patriarch],
"I will raise up unto the fruit of thy loins; and I will make for
him a spokesman. And I, behold, I will give unto him, that he
shall write the writing of the fruit of thy loins, and the
spokesman of thy loins shall declare it."
126
After the church had been organized some months, Oliver Cowdery,
Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer, and Ziba Petersen were appointed
by the prophet of God to visit the western boundaries of
Missouri. On their journey westward, they passed through the
western part of Ohio, where Parley had formerly lived and labored
in connection with the Reformed Baptists. They called upon one of
the founders of that sect, Sidney Rigdon. They found him in the
town of Kirtland, gave him a book of Mormon, and bore their
testimony to him of the restoration of the Gospel. Sidney Rigdon
said to them: "you tell me a strange tale. I will examine this
book;" and he commenced to do so. They were all young men, Sidney
Rigdon was many years their senior. Rigdon examined the book, and
became convinced that it was the word of God. He was baptized in
the town of Kirtland, and the foundation of a great work was laid
there. God afterwards revealed that this man was to be a
spokesman, and he became the spokesman to this people and to the
world for the prophet Joseph. Those who knew Sidney Rigdon, know
how wonderfully God inspired him, and with what wonderful
eloquence he declared the word of God to the people. He was a
mighty man in the hands of God, as a spokesman, as long the
prophet lived, or up to a short time before his death. Thus you
see that even this which many might look upon as a small matter,
was predicted about 1,700 years before the birth of the Savior,
and was quoted by Lehi 600 years before the same event, and about
2,400 years before its fulfillment, and was translated by the
power of God, through his servant Joseph, as was predicted should
be the case, and at a time, as I have said, when there was not a
man upon the earth who was a member of the church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. The church had not yet been organized, and
Joseph did not know, unless he knew by the spirit of revelation,
whether any man would receive the Gospel. I doubt whether he knew
as to how the church would be organized. He had some idea,
doubtless; but there were many things which he himself did not
know, till he wrote this translation.
126
Time will not permit me to proceed much further with this
subject; I wish I had a day to speak upon it; but I am now
trespassing on Brother Joseph F. Smith's time.
126
There is one prediction, however, I wish, before I sit down, to
allude to, because I think it is most signally fulfilled, namely:
126
"And he said unto me, Behold there are, save two churches only;"
[this was the angel speaking to Nephi in the vision,] "the one is
the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the
devil."
126
This is a new thing. It is supposed there are a great many
churches. The Lord here says there is but one church outside of
his own church.
126
"Wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God,
belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of
abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth.
126
"And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all
the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion
over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues and
peoples.
126
"And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God,
and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and
abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless
I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God,
were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions
upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness
of the great whore whom I saw.
126
"And it came to pass that I beheld that the great mother of
abominations did gather together multitudes upon the face of all
the earth, among all the nations of the Gentiles, to fight
against the Lamb of God."
127
At the time this was written, a man would have been a bold man
who would have said--that is, unless he was inspired of God--that
anything of this kind could happen in these United States. One of
the chief foundation stones of the great fabric of Government in
this land, upon this continent, is religious liberty--liberty for
ever creed. Persecution of people for religion was unknown at the
time this was written, and no man, unless he had been inspired of
God, could have contemplated such a possibility as that any
church would be persecuted for religion's sake. Yet here was a
prediction made by Nephi, 2,400 years before it took place, in
which he foretold the condition of things in this land, and upon
all lands where the church of Christ should exist. There should
be combinations and peoples gathered together, by religious
influences, against the church of God. Now, what are the facts?
Among the first persecutors of this church, when its members were
few, were those who were themselves religious teachers. The
earliest persecutors of Joseph Smith were religious teachers, and
the mobs in Missouri, and the mobs in Illinois, were led by
religious teachers. Even the mob that murdered our beloved
Prophet and Patriarch, and wounded our revered President--that
mob was led by a local Baptist preacher, and our people were
driven from Nauvoo, as Brother Wells well knows, by a mob headed
by a preacher. And to-day, those who are inciting mobs against
this people; those who go to Congress, and incite persecutions
against us; those who fulminate threats and frame petitions;
those who meet together in conventions; those who gather together
in conferences, are those who belong to this "mother of
abominations," this "whore of all the earth," and it is through
the influence of that accursed whore, that they gather together
and marshal their forces in every land against the Latter-day
Saints, the Church of the living God. The blood that has stained
Georgia, and that cries from the ground for vengeance upon those
who shed it--that blood was shed by mobs who were banded
together, headed and aided and egged on by religious men; and if
it were not for this "mother of abominations," and those who are
connected with her, we could dwell in peace and in safety in the
valleys of these mountains. Here in this city, who has done as
much or more than any one else? The religious teachers, men who
came here to preach what they call the Gospel. They are stirring
up strife continually, instead of making peace; going back to
other religious associations in the east, and telling the most
abominable falsehoods about us, exciting the public mind, in
order that they may get money with which to come here and
accomplish their wicked designs. They tell lies without number
about us. Our newspapers have exposed such people time and time
again, and yet they shamelessly go forth and repeat those lies
about the wickedness of this people, about the intolerance of
this people, about the dangers they run when here in this
country, when they know, as we all know who are here to-day, that
they have never been molested, and that we have never injured
them, nor interfered with them in any form, but that we have
always treated them with that respect and kindness with which we
desire to be treated ourselves.
127
In this way, this word of God, through his servant Nephi, uttered
2,400 years ago, has been and is being fulfilled to the very
letter. Thus God is bringing to pass in the most wonderful manner
the words of this Book. It is going forth, as He said it should,
to all the nations of the earth. It is accomplishing that which
He designed it should, and it will go forth and accomplish its
mission. There is no power upon the earth that can stop it,
because it is the word of God, and the doctrines of Jesus Christ,
and it will be the means, as has been said, of gathering out the
honest from every nation, causing them to dwell in peace, uniting
them in doctrine, and putting an end to all controversy and
contention concerning points of doctrine, because it reveals the
Gospel with great plainness unto all those who will receive it.
127
Now, I want to read one more prediction and then stop. It is
contained in the last words of Moroni, concerning this work,
namely:
128
"When ye shall receive these things" says Moroni, (standing alone
on the continent, the last one of his race who had been true to
God, not knowing what his own fate would be; he leaves on record
for us Gentiles, the world of God, as he was inspired to give it,
and thus he writes) "I would exhort you that ye would ask God,
the eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are
not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real
intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it
unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost;
128
"And by the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all
things."
128
These are the words of a prophet of God, standing in the face of
eternity, not knowing what his own fate would be. He leaves this,
his dying declaration, on record, at the close of this glorious
book, which he was the instrument in the hands of God, of hiding
up to be brought forth in the latter times. He testifies that if
we will ask God concerning these things, in the name of Jesus
Christ, we shall know concerning the truth of them by the power
of the Holy Ghost. Let me ask this vast congregation: Has not
this word of God, through his inspired prophet, been fulfilled?
128
You men and women and children, who have sought unto God, in the
name of Jesus, as he commanded you, have you not received, by the
power of the Holy Ghost, a testimony for yourselves, that these
things are true, that his is the word of God, divinely inspired,
written by the finger of inspiration, and translated by the power
of God? [Yes]. I know that if I were to call for a response it
would be universal in this congregation, and not only in this
congregation, but in every congregation of the Latter-day Saints
throughout all these mountains, and scattered abroad among all
the nations of the earth. I ask you, at the request of my
brethren, if this is not true? All who know it is, and have
received this testimony by the power of the Holy Ghost, say
yes--[the vast congregation responded "YES" as by one voice.]
128
God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / B. H.
Roberts, January 28th, 1884
B. H. Roberts, January 28th, 1884
LECTURE BY ELDER B. H. ROBERTS,
Of Centerville, Under the Auspices of the Mutual Improvement
Association,
in the Fourteenth Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City,
Monday Evening, January 28th, 1884.
Reported by James D. Stirling.
JOSEPH SMITH'S MISSION--NECESSITY FOR SUCH A MISSION--EVIDENCES
OF
APOSTASY--RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
KINGDOM
OF GOD--HATRED AND PERSECUTION ACCORDED TO JOSEPH SMITH, AN
EVIDENCE
OF HIS DIVINE CALLING--FURTHER PROOF OF INSPIRATION.
129
At the request of the Presidency of Davis Stake of Zion, I have
delivered two lectures in each of the Wards of that county. Being
a young man, I have addressed myself to the young people, with a
view to strengthen their faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
which has been revealed anew to the earth in this age of the
world. And in considering the subject before us to-night--"Joseph
Smith's Mission"--I desire to show to my young brethren and
sisters that our fathers have not been following cunningly
devised fables, but that they have, and so have we, good and
sufficient reasons for believing in the mission of Joseph Smith
as a divine one.
129
In considering the subject of our lecture, the question naturally
arises, What was Joseph Smith's mission? It was the mission of
Joseph Smith, under God's direction, to establish the Church of
Christ and the Kingdom of God upon the earth; and to the
accomplishment of this work he devoted the whole energy of his
life, and was faithful unto death.
129
But this statement of what his mission was, gives birth to
another question: "Is there any necessity for such a work as is
ascribed to Joseph Smith being performed? The Christian world
believe that when Christ was upon the earth in the flesh, that he
then established his Church and Kingdom, and that it has
continued among men from that time until the present. And
although many changes have taken place in regard to principles
and doctrines, and divisions and sub-divisions have distracted
the religious world--yet they claim that those things which are
essential to the existence of Christ's Church and Kingdom have
remained among men. This is their theory. We have a theory which
is opposite to theirs.
129
The first revelation that Joseph Smith received from the Lord,
was that men were teaching for doctrine the commandments and
precepts of men, and that He [the Lord] did not acknowledge their
institutions as His Church or Kingdom, and told Joseph to join
none of them.
130
Here then you see, we have two propositions presented to us; if
one is true the other must be false; both cannot be correct. If
the theory held by the Christian world be true, then there
appears no necessity for such a work as we ascribe to Joseph
Smith being performed; for if the Kingdom of God has continued
upon the earth from the days of Jesus until the present, then
there would be no need of any one being raised up to establish
that which was already here; and proving that there was no
necessity for such a work as that ascribed to Joseph Smith would
be a big stride towards proving that he was an impostor. But if
we can show that the theory held by the Christian world is
incorrect,--if we can prove that there has been an
apostasy,--that men have been following for doctrine the
commandments of men; if we can prove that Christ's Church and
Kingdom were not upon the earth at the time Joseph Smith's
Mission commenced--then the necessity of such a work as we claim
he performed, becomes apparent; and if there is a necessity for
such a work as the restoration of the Kingdom of God to the
Earth, may not Joseph Smith have been the instrument in the hands
of God, in performing that work?
130
Let us consider the question then--Has there been an apostasy? We
cannot examine this subject in detail. All we shall be able to
do, is to briefly refer to some of those prophecies which relate
to the subject. We begin by calling your attention to the 24th
chapter of Isaiah, commencing with the 4th verse: "The earth
mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away,
the haughty people of the earth do languish.
130
"The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because
they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, broken
the everlasting covenant.
130
"Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell
therein are desolate; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are
burned, and few men are left."
130
I have had men in the world try to reason away the force of this
prophecy, in the following manner: They reminded us that Isaiah
lived in the Mosaic dispensation, when the law of carnal
commandments was in force; and claim that it was of this carnal
law of which Isaiah spake--it was the law of Moses that was to be
transgressed; the Mosaic ordinances which were to be changed; the
Mosaic covenant which was to be broken. These assertions,
however, are incorrect--from the fact that the Mosaic law never
was considered, by those who understood it, "an everlasting
covenant." It was given for a special purpose, and when it had
accomplished that purpose, it was laid aside.
130
We read from Galatians, 3rd chapter and 8th verse:
130
"And the Scriptures foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham: saying:
In thee shall all nations be blessed."
130
From this it appears that the Gospel was preached unto Abraham.
In the 4th chapter of Hebrews and 2nd verse, Paul in speaking of
ancient Israel, says:
130
"For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them; but
the word preached, did not profit them, not being mixed with
faith in them that heard it." Not only then was the Gospel
preached unto Abraham, but also unto the children of Israel. Now,
let us go back to the 3rd chapter of Galatians, for Paul having
stated that the Gospel was preached unto Abraham, asks this
question (19th verse):
131
"Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgression, till seed should come to whom the promise was
made."
131
Added to what? Added to the Gospel, which before that time had
been preached unto Abraham, and also to ancient Israel. But the
Israelites under Moses, were unable to live the perfect law of
the Gospel, were not strong enough to overcome evil with good, as
the Gospel requires, so a law of carnal commandments was "added"
to the Gospel--a law which included the principle of "an eye for
an eye, a tooth for a tooth"--a law which was suited to their
capacity. Paul still speaking of this subject in the same chapter
of Galatians, already quoted, (23rd verse), says:
131
"Before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the
faith which should afterwards be revealed.
131
"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.
131
"But after that faith has come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster."
131
From these passages of Scripture, we learn this: The Gospel was
preached to Abraham, and also to ancient Israel. The Israelites
were unable to live the law of the Gospel--so a law of carnal
commandments, known as the law of Moses, was given as a
school-master to bring them up to the higher law: Christ came and
introduced that higher-law--the Gospel, explained its precepts,
and pointed out the difference between it and the law of Moses.
The Gospel took the place of the law of Moses, which was laid
aside, having fulfilled the object for which it was added to the
Gospel. If then the law of Moses was not an everlasting covenant,
this prophecy of Isaiah's, which we are considering, does not
relate to it, as the prophecy of Isaiah was concerning an
everlasting Covenant.
131
We find in Hebrews xiii, 20, the following: "Now the God of peace
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect," etc.
131
From this we learn that Christ's blood is called the blood of the
everlasting covenant. Paul in writing to Titus, gives us to
understand that he lived "In hope of eternal life, which God who
cannot lie, promised before the world began," and this immortal
life which God had promised--this everlasting covenant which God
had made with man before the world began, was sealed by the blood
of Christ, and this life and immortality were brought to light
through the Gospel--and is called in the Scripture, the
everlasting Gospel or covenant; and Isaiah says that the laws of
the everlasting covenant, or the Gospel laws, shall be
transgressed, the Gospel ordinances shall be changed: and in
consequence of these serious transgressions, the earth is to be
burned, and few men left; which judgment still is hanging over
the inhabitants of the earth. Having proven then that this
prophecy of Isaiah's refers to the Gospel, and not to the law of
Moses, let us remember that Jesus said, "Though heaven and earth
pass away, not one jot or title of my word shall fail, but all
shall be fulfilled." Either Isaiah was mistaken when he spake as
moved upon by the Holy Ghost, in relation to the world departing
from that order of things inaugurated by the Savior, or else the
Christian world is incorrect in maintaining that the Gospel in
all that is essential, has continued from the days of Jesus to
the present time.
132
Some few noted Christian writers more candid than their
fellows, have freely admitted the apostasy of Christendom. We
will introduce their testimony. John Wesley in his 94th sermon,
says:
132
The reason why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost are no
longer in the church, "is because the love of many waxed cold,
and the Christians had turned heathens again, and had only a dead
form left."
132
The following quotation is taken from page 163, of Smith's
Dictionary of the Bible. This work is indorsed by the names of 63
divines of both Europe and America, all noted for their
scholarship. They say:
132
"We must not expect to see the Church of Holy Scripture actually
existing in its perfection upon the earth. It is not to be found
thus perfect, either in the collected fragments of Christendom,
or still less in any one of those fragments." This is a frank
acknowledgment of all that we claim as to the apostasy of the
primitive Church. Christ and his Apostles established the Church
upon the earth, in the days of their ministry, and now we are
told that it is not to be found even in the collected fragments
of Christendom--that is, take the principles of truth which each
sect possesses, and put them all together, and yet from this
collection of truths we would not find the Gospel of Christ. Let
us then take them at their word: they have but a dead form
left--"The Church of Christ is not to be found on the earth."
These admissions on the part of the prominent writers of
Christendom, coupled with the sure prophecy of Isaiah, forces us
to the conclusion that men have corrupted the Gospel, as taught
by Christ and the Apostles--that there has been an apostasy, and
it must needs be that God set up His Kingdom again upon the
earth.
133
By examination, we shall find that the Scriptures predict the
restoration of the Gospel. It pleased the Almighty, while His
servant John was on the Isle of Patmos, to show him many things
that would transpire in the future. While wrapped in heavenly
vision, he saw, among other things, "Another angel fly in the
midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them
that dwell upon 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." It appears from this
passage of Scriptures, which you will find in the 14th chapter of
Revelation, that the angel who is to come with the Gospel, will
make his appearance just prior to the judgments of God being
poured out upon the children of men in the last days--"in the
hour of God's judgment." This Gospel was not to be preached
merely to one nation or people, but to EVERY nation, every
kindred, every tongue, and every people. It is evident to my
mind, that all nations, tongues and peoples must have been
without the Gospel, or why would it be necessary for the Lord to
restore it by the ministry of an angel to all peoples and
tongues, if any of them possessed it? There is another prophet
who has predicted the setting up of God's Kingdom upon the earth
in the last days. I refer to Daniel, the Hebrew prophet, who was
among the captive Jews, who were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon,
by King Nebuchadnezzar, about six hundred years B. C. The Lord
gave unto this same king of Babylon a wonderful dream, but he had
forgotten it. He assembled all his wise men and magicians, and
demanded that they tell him his dream, and the interpretation
thereof. If they failed to do so, death was to be the penalty.
This produced great consternation among the wise men, but the
Lord revealed the thing to Daniel, who came before the king, with
the dream, and the interpretation of it.
133
The king saw a great image, the head of which was gold; the arms
and chest of silver; the trunk of brass; the legs of iron; the
feet and toes, part of iron and part of potter's clay. He also
saw a little stone, cut out of the mountains without hands, which
smote the image on the feet and toes, and broke them in pieces;
then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver and the gold
broken to pieces, and became as the chaff of the summer's
threshing floor, and the wind carried them away, but the little
stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Such
was the dream. Daniel in giving the interpretation thereof, said
unto Nebuchadnezzar, "Thou, O King! art a king of kings; for the
God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power and strength and
glory; * * * thou art this head of gold." (Daniel 2, verses 37
and 38.) The head of this great image, therefore, was the
Babylonian kingdom, which flourished in the sixth and seventh
centuries, B. C., but in 538 B. C., it was destroyed. Daniel
continues: "And after thee"--Nebuchadnezzar--"shall arise another
kingdom, inferior to thee." (Verse 39.) The Medo-Persian Empire
succeeded the Babylonian kingdom, and continued from 538 to 331,
B. C., and is represented by the chest and arms of silver in the
great image.
133
Again we quote: "And another third kingdom of brass, which shall
bear rule over all the earth." (Verse 39.) The Macedonian Empire
succeeded the Medo-Persian, being founded by Alexander the Great,
and did "bear rule" over the then known world, continuing until
161, B. C.
134
"And the fourth kingdom," says Daniel, "Shall be strong as iron;
for as much as iron breaketh in pieces, and subdueth all things,
and as iron breaketh, all these things shall it," the fourth
kingdom, "break in pieces and bruise." (Verse 40.) The Macedonian
Empire, founded by Alexander the Great, was pushed out of
existence by the Roman Empire, which entirely supplanted it in
161, B. C. The Roman nation is the fourth great nation seen by
Nebuchadnezzar in the image, and is represented by the legs of
iron; and as iron breaketh in pieces, all other metals, so the
Roman nation broke in pieces the other kingdoms of the earth.
134
We still have left the feet and toes of the image, which are part
of iron and part of clay. What kingdom or kingdoms do they
represent?
134
In the year 364 A. D., the Roman Empire was divided between
Valentinian and Valens. The western part of the empire was
assailed by the Goths, Vandals, Huns, and other tribes inhabiting
the north part of Europe, until it was utterly destroyed 483, A.
D. From its ruins arose those kingdoms and empires, which,
to-day, occupy the western part of Europe.
134
The eastern part of the Roman Empire was destroyed by the
invasions of the Saracens, and out of this part of ancient Rome
has sprung the kingdoms which now occupy the east of Europe, and
the west of Asia.
134
The old Roman Empire, then, represented in the image by the legs
of iron, was divided and subdivided, until the kingdoms
represented by the feet and toes of this image are in existence.
Concerning these feet and toes, Daniel says, "And whereas thou
sawest iron mixed with miry clay. THEY" Who? Why those nations
which sprung up out of the ruins of the Roman Empires--"they
shall mingle themselves with the seed of men, but they shall not
cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." The
nations now in existence marry and intermarry--"mingle themselves
with the seed of men," striving in this manner to unite their
interest, and avert calamity, but all in vain; they do not cleave
together any more than hard pieces of iron will dissolve and
become one substance with clay. We have now traced this prophecy
down to our own times--to the kingdoms that exist in our own
days. What comes next? Why, says Daniel, "In the days of these
kings," represented by the feet and toes of the image, "shall the
God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed,
and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever."
134
Not only, then, does John tell us that the Gospel, in the hour of
God's judgment, shall be restored to the earth by the ministry of
an angel, but the Prophet Daniel has proclaimed to us, that in
the last days,) for he says--2nd chapter, 28th verse--"There is a
God who maketh known unto the king, what shall be in the latter
days:") the God of heaven would set up His kingdom, and has given
us the assurance that it would stand for ever. No handwriting
will ever appear upon the walls of the temples of that kingdom,
saying the kingdom is divided and given to another people.
Whatever may be our fate as individuals, we may rest assured the
Kingdom of God has come to stay.
134
Having shown from the Scriptures not only that there would be a
universal apostasy, but also a restoration of the Gospel, and the
setting up of the Kingdom of God in the last days, we are now at
liberty to inquire what the reasons of men are for rejecting
Joseph Smith as God's instrument in accomplishing this work.
135
Is the fact that Joseph Smith was rejected by the world, hated
and persecuted by thousands, any evidence against his being the
chosen servant of God, to accomplish the mighty work of setting
up the Kingdom of God upon the earth in the last days? Let
history answer that question. How have the servants of God been
received in all ages of the world? Much in the same way that
Joseph Smith was. Paul, in speaking of the Prophets, tells us,
"They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were
slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheep skins and goat
skins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented." (Heb. iv, 37, 38).
Jesus was hated and despised by the world, and finally put to
death by the wicked. His Apostles and disciples fared but little
better. Concerning the Apostles, Paul says: "We are fools for
Christ's sake, * * even unto this present time we both hunger and
thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain
dwelling place; and labor, working with our own hands; being
reviled, we bless; being persecuted we suffer it; being defamed,
we entreat; we are made as the filth of the world, and are the
offscouring of all things unto this day." (1 Cor. iv.) Was Joseph
Smith despised any more than these ancient servants of God were?
But Jesus says: "Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, and when
they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach
you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.
Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy; for behold, your reward
is great in heaven; for in like manner did their fathers unto the
prophets. Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you; for
so did their fathers to the false prophets." (Luke vi, 22, 26).
135
On another occasion the same Great Teacher said to His disciples:
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated
you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you." And does not the same
principle hold good to-day? And if Joseph Smith was indeed God's
servant, would not the world hate him? This principle also holds
good when applied to the people of God as a whole. If the
Latter-day Saints were as vile and corrupt, or as ungodly as they
are represented to be by their enemies, if they were as
licentious as they are said to be--then as God lives they would
be of the world: and if of the world, and the principle which
Jesus laid down be true, then the world would love them: but from
the fact that this people are hated of the world, we have an
assurance that they are not of the world: but God hath chosen
them out of the world, and the world hate them.
135
That Joseph Smith was despised, rejected, and persecuted by men,
is no valid objection to his being the honored servant of God. I
have heard other objections urged against Joseph Smith: such as
that he was unlearned--uneducated in the wisdom of the world--and
this was true. That is, in his youth he was unlettered, and his
scholastic attainments were limited, but as he grew to manhood,
his lack of education could scarcely be complained of, as he
proved himself able to cope with all the scholars of the age.
135
It is also alleged that both he and his followers were men that
came from the humble walks of life, and were not among the
lawyers, the rulers, and the professors. The same objections were
urged against Jesus and His followers--His Apostles. But what
does such an objection amount to? Are not these the class of men
that God has almost invariably called to perform His work? I read
the following passage from the first Chapter of I Corinthians:
135
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.
135
"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to
confound the things that are mighty;
135
"And base things of the world, and things which are despised hath
God chosen; yea, and the things which are not, to bring to naught
things that are: that no flesh might glory in His presence."
135
To say, then, that Joseph Smith's estate was lowly, and that he
was unlearned when called to the work of God, instead of being a
valid objection against him, is, to the contrary, an evidence in
his favor.
136
Having thus disposed of the objections made against his being a
good man and a servant of God, let us next inquire into the
evidence of his being an instrument in the hands of God, in
restoring the Gospel, and setting up the Kingdom of God upon the
earth. What evidences have the Latter-day Saints to offer to the
world that he accomplished this important work? First, the work
itself: the institution which he organized--it is an exact
facsimile of that which Christ instituted when He ministered upon
the earth. Did the ancient Apostles teach faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ as the Savior of the world--did they teach salvation in
His name? Yes, and so do we! Did they teach repentance, which
includes the forsaking of sin? yes, and so do we! Did they teach
baptism by immersion for the remission of sin? and the laying on
of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost? the resurrection of
the dead and future rewards and punishments? Yes, and so do we!
136
Did they have in the Church Apostles, Prophets, Seventies,
Elders, Bishops, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, and
deacons--together with other helps and governments in the Church
organization? Yes, and the same are in the Church of Christ
to-day, which Joseph Smith, under God, has organized on the
earth.
136
Did the ancient Saints enjoy the spiritual gifts and blessings of
the Gospel--the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, faith, healing,
tongues, interpretations, discerning of spirits, revelation,
prophecy, visitation of angels, etc.? Yes: and do the Latter-day
Saints enjoy these things? You know they do, for you are
witnesses of these things--then this institution exactly
resembles that which Jesus established upon the earth when He was
here. It is the same in its principles and ordinances; its
officers and organization; and the same results--the same gifts
and graces grow out of obedience to its requirements. If you
compare the institution known as the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, with that institution described in the New
Testament, you will find they correspond with each other, as face
answers to face in the mirror. This feat of organizing a Church
which should in every respect resemble that of Christ's, has been
the ambition of the learned and pious reformers for centuries
past; but they have failed. The world, however, are now compelled
to admit one or the other of the two following conclusions:
Either Joseph Smith, unlettered youth though he was, has so far
out-stripped the learning and wisdom of ages, and by the power of
his own genius accomplished that which genius aided by
scholarship could not do in previous centuries; or else they must
conclude that God has in very deed again spoken from heaven, and
revealed the Gospel and the organization of His Kingdom, through
Joseph Smith. The first conclusion is absurd; the second is the
true solution of the mystery, and thousands testify of it.
136
Another reason I would offer to sustain his being called of God,
is--he started right. I have seen a motto somewhere, which reads:
"Well begun, is half done."
137
Jesus, when among His disciples on one occasion, appeared curious
to know what people thought of Him; so He said to His Apostles,
"Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am!" He was answered,
that some said He was John the Baptist, others Elias, or one of
the prophets. "But whom say ye that I am?" Peter answered, "Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God." "Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona," said Jesus, "for flesh and blood hath not
revealed this unto thee, but my father which is in heaven: * * *
and upon this rock will build my church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it" (Matt. xvi.) What was that "rock"
upon which the Church was to be built? It was upon the principle
of God revealing unto men that Jesus was the Christ--the
principle of revelation.
137
In the Spring of 1820, Joseph Smith, in obedience to the
instruction given in James--"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"--was praying in the woods to the
Father, when he was suddenly enwrapped in a glorious vision. He
saw a pillar of light descending from heaven--it rested upon
him--its brightness exceeded the brightness of the sun at
noon-day. In the midst of this glorious light stood two
personages: each resembling the other. One standing a little
above the other, pointing to the one below him said: "This is my
beloved son; hear ye him."--"Blessed art thou, Peter, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which
is in Heaven." The same could be said to Joseph Smith now, for
the Father had revealed the Son to him. "And upon this rock will
I build my Church." Hence we say Joseph Smith started upon the
very principle upon which Jesus said He would build His Church.
137
Not only did Joseph start right, but he continued right. John,
the Revelator, said that an angel would bring the everlasting
Gospel to the earth in the hour of God's judgment; Joseph Smith
declares that the angel Moroni, who had been one of the ancient
Prophets upon this American continent, came to him, and taught
him many principles of the Gospel, and also delivered to him the
metallic plates containing the Book of Mormon, in which is
contained the "fullness of the everlasting Gospel." Thus was the
Gospel restored to the earth, according to the prediction of the
Scripture. John made the prediction; Joseph Smith declares its
fulfillment.
137
Furthermore, he received the authority to administer in the
ordinances of this Gospel as the Scriptures direct. He did not
take the honor upon himself, for the Scriptures forbid that. I
will read from the 5th chapter of Hebrews, 4th verse. Paul,
speaking of those who minister in the things pertaining to God,
says:
137
"And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called
of God, as was Aaron."
138
The question now for our consideration is, how was Aaron called?
For if we can find out how he was called, we shall then know how
all other men must be called before they have authority to
administer in the Gospel. Suppose that on the Statute books of
Utah Territory, we should find a law which said, "No man shall be
governor of Utah, except he be appointed as was Governor Young."
If that law was in force, what would we do if we were without a
governor, and wanted one? We would turn back in the history of
Utah, and find how Governor Young was appointed, and then appoint
one the same way; very well, let us do the same thing in the case
before us, as they are parallel cases. Who was Aaron called? We
read in the 4th chapter of Exodus, that the Lord called Moses to
go and deliver Israel out of Egypt. Moses excused himself, and
desired the Lord to send some one else, as he was not eloquent,
but slow of speech. This angered the Lord, and He said, "Who hath
made man's mouth?" And the Lord promised to be with him, and
teach him what he should say. Still Moses shrank; so the Lord
says, "Is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? I know that he can
speak well. * * And he shall be thy spokesman to the people, and
he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him
instead of a God." On another occasion, when further authority
was granted to Aaron, the word of the Lord came through Moses,
saying, "Take thou unto thee, Aaron, thy brother; and his sons
with him from among the children of Israel, that he may
administer unto me in the Priest's office," etc. (Exodus, 28th
chapter.) From this, then, we learn that Aaron was called by the
word of God coming to a Prophet of God, calling him to administer
in things pertaining to God; and Paul states the law--no man
taketh this honor unto himself, except he be called in the same
way that Aaron was. Joseph Smith was called according to this
law. John the Baptist, a Prophet of God, who had held the
Priesthood of Aaron when on the earth, came to Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery, and placing his hands upon their heads, ordained
them to the Aaronic Priesthood, which gave them authority to
preach repentance, and baptize for the remission of sins.
Subsequently, Peter, James and John came, and conferred the
apostleship upon them, which gave them the authority to build up
the Kingdom of God in all the world. Thus he received his
authority of God according to the Gospel law relating to this
matter.
138
But let us come to more positive proof than we have yet
considered.
138
I read from the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, 64th
verse, the Lord in speaking to the first Elders of the Church,
makes this promise unto them through Joseph Smith: "Therefore, as
I said unto mine Apostles, I say unto you again, that every soul
that believeth on your words, and is baptized by water for the
remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost."
139
Here, now, is a promise than an impostor dare not make. It is
placed within the reach of all men to test the truth whether
Joseph Smith was authorized to make such a promise or not. It is
just as much a test as that which Jesus gave to the people in His
day, when He taught them in their temples, saying, "If any man
will do the will of my Father in Heaven, he shall know of the
doctrine, whether I speak of myself or of Him who sent me." So
now we are told by this modern teacher, that if we believe on his
words, and are baptized, we shall receive the Holy Ghost. If this
promise is not fulfilled, then it proves beyond all controversy
that the person making it is an impostor. But seeing it is
something that man cannot bestow upon another by his own power,
if the promise is fulfilled, and men do receive the Holy Ghost,
then it is positive evidence that Joseph was authorized of God to
make that promise. Thousands can testify that this promise has
been fulfilled. Most of you in this hall, if called upon, would
doubtless testify that you have received the gift and power of
the Holy Ghost. For one I can bear testimony that I have received
the Holy Ghost, through obedience to the Gospel. It has expanded
my mind, and enabled me to understand many of the principles
connected with the Church and Kingdom of God. I have frequently
felt it thrill from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet.
I could as soon doubt the existence of the sunlight, as doubt the
existence of the Holy Ghost within me, and which I have received
in fulfillment of this promise in the Doctrine and Covenants.
139
But I read further, in the same section, "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 minister poison unto them,
it shall not hurt them; and the poison of a serpent shall not
have power to harm them. But a commandment I give unto them, that
they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither speak
them before the world." That is, we shall not boast before the
world that God has promised to deliver us from these things. We
may learn a lesson from Jesus on this subject--the devil took Him
to the pinnacle of the temple, and now, said he, if thou art the
Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, I will give
mine angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands shall they
bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone. "It is also written," replied Jesus, "thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God." So to-day, we shall not boast ourselves of
these things, and tempt the Lord.
139
But are these signs and blessings in the Church which Joseph
Smith established? You, my brethren and sisters, know they are:
you know that it is a common thing to send for the Elders to
administer to the sick, and they are healed, and thousands in
Utah, and hundreds throughout the world, can testify that they
have seen the power of God manifest in the Church. If these
promises made through Joseph Smith, had not been realized, it
would have proven him an impostor; their being fulfilled, is an
evidence that he was called of God.
139
The Lord gave unto ancient Israel a rule by which they might
prove the men who spake to them in the name of the Lord, that
they might know whether God had sent them or not; you will find
it in the 18th chapter of Deuteronomy, 22nd verse.
139
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing
follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord
hath not spoken; but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously;
thou shalt not be afraid of him."
139
This, then, was the test made; if their prophecies failed to come
to pass when the wheel of time brought them due, the Lord had not
sent them. If their prophecies were fulfilled, then Israel might
know that the Lord had sent them. Since it is claimed that Joseph
Smith is a Prophet of God, let us try him by this rule. Many of
his predictions are on record, let us examine them. We must
confine ourselves to a few, however, for lack of time prevents us
from making a very extensive examination.
139
I call your attention to a prediction recorded in section 103, of
the Doctrine and Covenants, verses 5, 6 and 7.
140
"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. Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to
prevail against mine enemies from this very hour; 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 for
ever."
140
This prophecy was given in February, 1834--a few months after the
Saints were driven from Jackson County, Missouri. Now, take the
history of the Saints from that time until the present, and to my
mind, it appears to be one continual series of triumphs. The
Saints being driven from Jackson County, did not stop the
progress of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel was preached more
extensively, and the fruits of the Elders' labors were more
abundant; and when five years later the Saints were expelled from
the State of Missouri, 12,000 were driven instead of 1,200 as in
the drivings in Jackson County. The only visible effect of their
expulsion from Missouri, was to give the work fresh impetus. The
exiled Saints settled in Illinois, started to build a great city,
and began the erection of a noble temple, at the same time
sending the Gospel to the European nations. Eight years after,
when they were again obliged to move, instead of 12,000 going,
there were 20,000 that began their march for the West. They
settled in these mountains, and although great difficulties have
had to be surmounted, still the work of God has been growing; and
if the Saints had to move again, 150,000 would leave their
homes--so persecution has not stayed the work of God.
140
Again; when the Saints were in Missouri, they had but one temple;
to-day we have one temple completed and several more in course of
erection--some of which will soon be finished.
140
In 1833 they drove our fathers from a single county in Missouri;
five years later it was found that they had possession of several
counties.
140
In 1846, they drove our parents from a single city and its
surroundings; they came to the wilderness, and founded a
Territory which we possess; and we are spreading over into the
surrounding States and Territories, and to-day the cry of Zion's
children is--"Give us room that we may dwell!" We have prevailed
against every obstacle--the prophecy so far has been fulfilled;
and if we will but hearken to the counsels of God, we shall never
cease to triumph, until the kingdoms of this world are the
kingdoms of our God and His Christ.
140
In Sec. 8, of the Doctrine and Covenants, is the remarkable
prophecy of Joseph Smith's, relating to the great rebellion of
the Southern States. Before I read that part of the prophecy of
which I wish more particularly to speak, I will pave the way for
it. When reasoning with infidels on the truth of the Jewish
Scriptures, I have often alluded to the many prophecies in the
Bible, and then have shown from history that these predictions
have been verified--hence they were inspired. They would
generally try to destroy the force of my argument by claiming
that the predictions were made after the events had transpired;
that is, they were not predictions in fact, but were written by
fanatics to deceive mankind. But I wish to show my young brethren
this prophecy on the war of the rebellion cannot be overthrown by
such assumptions as these, to which I have just alluded.
141
This revelation and prophecy on war, was given December 25, 1832;
the events it predicts did not commence until 1861--29 years
after the prophecy was made. I have heard several of the leading
Elders of the Church say, they carried with them manuscript
copies of that prophecy in their preaching tours throughout the
States, and occasionally would red it to the people: better
still--in the year 1851, Elder F. D. Richards published in
England a book called, "The Pearl of Great Price;" among other
interesting matter it contained, was this prophecy on war. This
was nine years before the war it predicted began. As this book
was widely circulated both in Europe and America, no one can ever
use the old infidel argument against it--that is, that the
prediction was made after the event had occurred.
141
I read from the Book of Covenants:
141
"Verily thus saith the Lord, concerning the wars that shall
shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South
Carolina, which shall eventually terminate in the death and
misery of many souls. The days will come when war will be poured
out on all nations, beginning at that place:
141
"For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the
Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other
nations, even the nation of Great Britain as it is called, and
they shall also call upon other nations in order to defend
themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured
out upon all nations."
141
We have already shown that this prediction was made a number of
years before it began to be fulfilled. It now remains for us to
prove that the events spoken of, actually occurred.
141
It is a matter of history that the first gun fired "in the late
unpleasantness,' was fired upon Fort Sumpter, from a rebel
battery in South Carolina, and from there the war spread to other
States. The trouble started, then, where Joseph Smith said it
would begin--South Carolina.
141
It was to "end in the death and misery of many souls." This,
however, was contrary to the expectations both of the North and
the South. The South claimed that in a short time they would be
able to compel the North to acknowledge them as an independent
nation. While Abraham Lincoln was equally confident in his
ability to put his foot upon the neck of the Rebellion and crush
out its life; his first levy for troops was only for 90,000 men,
for 90 days. But whatever the expectations of men might be, the
Lord had said the war should "end in the death and misery of many
souls." All who are acquainted with the history of the Rebellion
know that it thus ended.
141
I, myself, have visited many of the battle grounds in the
Southern States. Not long ago I was on the battle field of
Shiloh, on the Tennessee River, where 20,000 men were killed in
two days: I have also passed over the battle fields around
Nashville, Franklin, and Murfreesboro; also over Missionary
Ridge, Chiamaugel, and Mount Lookout. Last summer I visited
Richmond, and passed over that part of country where the Battles
of the Wilderness were fought, where over three hundred thousand
men laid down their lives in their respective causes; and as I
called to mind the thousands who had been slain on these battle
fields I have mentioned, and many others--said: The fact that
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, is written in characters of
blood to this generation, and yet they regard it not.
142
But this war was to end in the "misery of many souls," and when I
called to mind the sorrow of the sister who looked in vain for
the return of the brother--the companion of her childhood--when I
thought of the tears that had fretted channels in the pale cheek
of the mother who looked in vain for the return of her son, who
in the buoyancy of youth had gone to do battle in his country's
cause--when I thought of the wife, who still watched and waited
for the return of him whose strong arm was to be her support
through life's dreary march--when I called to mind all the
anguish these hearts felt, I exclaimed--That Joseph Smith was a
Prophet of God, is witnessed by the tears and heart-rending sobs
of these multitudes who have looked and waited in vain for the
return of their loved ones.
142
The Southern States were to call on Great Britain to assist them.
Did they do it? yes. The Southern States Confederacy sent two
men, Messrs. Mason and Slidell, to negotiate with the English
government, with the view of getting assistance; but they were
captured and brought back to the United States. This is a
familiar matter of history. England, too, was to call upon other
nations to protect themselves against other nations. Has this
been done? To answer that question we have but to allude to the
treaties now existing between Great Britain and other European
nations. Thus you see this prophecy, so far as we have read it,
has been minutely fulfilled--fulfilled in every particular, and
the rest of it will be, so fast as the wheels of time shall bring
the events due; and the fulfillment of these prophecies prove
beyond controversy, that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and
"spake as he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost."
142
There is just one more item I will refer to, and then close.
142
It was always a strange thing to me, that Joseph Smith should
have to lay down his life, until I found the following passage of
Scripture: it is contained in the 9th chapter of Hebrews, 16 and
17 verses:
142
"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the
death of the testator.
142
"For a testament is of force after men are dead; otherwise it is
of no strength at all while the testator liveth."
142
Joseph was the instrument through which God ushered in the
dispensation of the fullness of times--the greatest of all
dispensations--in which God will complete His work, pertaining to
the salvation of men on the earth; it was a great work--Joseph
was to testify of it--and "where a testament is there must needs
be," says Paul, "the death of the testator." So when Joseph Smith
fell by the old well-curb at Carthage jail, pierced by the
bullets of assassins, he placed the cap-stone upon his mission by
sealing it with his blood--and from that time henceforth it is in
force on all the world.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / Orson
Pratt, May 11, 1878
Orson Pratt, May 11, 1878
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ORSON PRATT,
Delivered at a Conference in Paris, Bear Lake, May 11, 1878.
(Reported by James H. Hart.)
A CHURCH OF ORDER--THE LORD'S PROMISES SURE--PEOPLE PREPARED BY
DREAMS
AND VISIONS TO RECEIVE THE ELDERS--GIFTS RECEIVED AND OTHERS YET
TO BE
RECEIVED--BLESSINGS TO BE OBTAINED BY FAITH--GREAT PROMISES.
143
I am pleased to have the opportunity and privilege of speaking to
you this morning, and I hope to have your attention while I
endeavor to lay before you principles pertaining to salvation and
eternal life, and set forth those characteristics that mark the
people of God in contradistinction to the people of the world. I
hope to be so explicit that you may all understand, and that you
may each receive your portion of the Bread of Life in due season.
143
The Church of Jesus Christ is a Church of order, in which it is
necessary that some persons have authority to teach and counsel
and preside. The authority of the church in this Stake, is held
by Prest. Wm. Budge, who represents the leaders of the church,
and is expected to reflect their feelings and spirit upon the
people under his presidency. And I must say I feel pleased with
the spirit that seems to prevail in this Stake of Zion, which is
an evidence that you have been blessed of the Lord, through the
ministrations of His servants. And there are still greater
blessings offered those who will seek after them with all their
heart; some of which can only be received by earnest faith and
prayer.
143
The Prophets, Patriarchs and Saints in olden times received great
and glorious blessings, and why should we not be blessed, the
same as they were blessed? But some will begin to doubt, and say,
such and such blessings were truly given to persons many years
ago, but perhaps they are not promised to me. Do we not worship
the same God, that they worshipped? Have we not obeyed the same
Gospel and received of the same spirit? When you Elders have gone
forth on missions, have not the promises of the Lord been
fulfilled in your behalf? It depends on ourselves whether we will
receive the glorious blessings of the Gospel or not. If we are
faithful and diligent in serving the Lord, His promises are sure,
and His blessings will certainly be poured out on the humble and
obedient.
144
Those who have been sent on missions to the nations of the earth
have had abundant proof that the Lord is ready and willing to
pour out His blessings upon them. You were promised that the
angels should go before you, and open the hearts of the people to
receive you; and when you have gone among a strange people, some
of them have recognized you through the dreams and visions given
them from the Almighty, and they have said: "I know you are a
servant of the Lord, for you were shown to me in the night
vision." These and other blessings are given to us on condition
that we are diligent and faithful. If we fail to receive them,
the failure is not on the part of the lord, nor in His servants
who preside over us, but the fault lies in ourselves alone.
145
This failure to realize all the blessings and powers of the
Priesthood does not apply to the elders and lesser Priesthood
only; but it applies to the higher quorums, and comes home to
ourselves, who are Apostles of Jesus Christ. We are presented
before the Church, and sustained as prophets, seers and
revelators, and we have received oftentimes the gift of prophecy
and revelation, and have received many great and glorious gifts.
But have we received the fullness of the blessings to which we
are entitled? No, we have not. Who, among the Apostles have
become seers, and enjoy all the gifts and powers pertaining to
that calling? Still it is our privilege to become prophets, seers
and revelators, for these blessings were promised us through the
Prophet Joseph, in the year 1836. Now I don't think many of us
have attained to these gifts, but it is not the fault of the
Almighty, but the fault is in ourselves. And can they be realized
by us? Certainly they can, if we are faithful in seeking for
them. The Prophet Joseph would not have attained to these
glorious gifts if he had not lived for them, and he would not
have held out these inducements to us, unless they could have
been obtained. These things were renewed at our last fall
Conference, and they are brought home to us, and it is our
privilege to live for them and enjoy them in their fullness,
according to our faith. Brother Charles C. Rich has had visions
from the Lord, and revelations through which he has been
forewarned of dangers that threatened him; by which means his
life has been preserved from time to time. And these are some of
the gifts of God, and should be cultivated in our feelings and in
our faith, for God is no respecter of persons, but is willing to
give to all men liberally, and upbraid not. But all cannot be
Apostles. Some have to take the presidency in different ages.
Enoch was chosen in his day, and Abraham and Moses in theirs, and
Joseph in our day, and unto him was given the power to translate
the ancient records, and to bring forth abundance of revelations.
And those who are called to perform special missions in opening
up dispensations of the Gospel to the children of men, as Joseph
and others were called of the Lord, He endows more fully with
these gifts; but this does not hinder others from enjoying
similar gifts according to His promises, and according to our
faithfulness. And I have thought the reason why we have not
enjoyed these gifts more fully is, because we have not sought for
them as diligently as we ought. I speak for one, I have not
sought as diligently as I might have done. More than forty years
have passed away since these promises were made. I have been
blessed with some revelations and prophecies, and with dreams of
things that have come to pass; but as to seeing things as a seer,
and beholding heavenly things in open vision, I have not attained
to these things. And who is to blame for this? Not the Lord; not
brother Joseph--they are not to blame. And so it is with the
promises made to you in your confirmations and endowments, and by
the patriarchs, in your patriarchal blessings; we do not live up
to our privileges as saints of God and elders of Israel; for
though we receive many blessings that are promised to us, we do
not receive them in their fullness, because we do not seek for
them as diligently and faithfully as we should.
145
The work in which we are engaged has occupied the attention of
the Prophets in all ages, and they have prophesied concerning it,
and have rejoiced in contemplating the day and age in which we
live. The Prophet Isaiah says: "How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of them that bringeth good tidings; that saith unto
Zion thy God reigneth. The watchmen shall lift up the voice, with
the voice together shall they sing, for they shall see eye to
eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion."
145
It is through faith we are made partakers of these glorious
blessings, for by faith all the blessings promised are to be
obtained; by faith the holy men of old obtained promises
pertaining to future generations, and by faith the Gospel has
been restored to the earth, with the gifts and powers of the holy
Priesthood, with the promise that it shall never be taken from
the earth. Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, through his
righteousness and faith obtained great promises concerning his
seed who should dwell upon this land. And through faith a portion
of his seed was brought from Jerusalem and led by the Almighty on
the borders of the Red Sea, and brought over the great deep unto
a land that is choice above all other lands, By faith the
Nephites received the ministrations of the Savior after His
resurrection from the dead, through the covenants made with their
fathers. By faith the brother of Jared saw the wonders of
eternity, and saw the time when the wicked would be destroyed
from the face of the earth; and like Enoch, Abraham, Moses and
others, saw all things that were to take place upon the earth to
the end of time. This latter-day work which occupies our
attention, was shown to the prophets thousands of years before we
were born. Don't you suppose they prayed for it, and sought unto
the Lord to know when these things should come to pass, and what
should be the sign of His coming, and the end of the world?
Through faith covenants were made with the Nephite prophets, that
the sacred records should be preserved and should come forth in
the last days for the blessing and salvation of their posterity,
and all others who would receive them. It has been our privilege
to receive these sacred things, and have withal the fullness of
the Everlasting Gospel, and if we have the faith that was in
them, and live as Saints of God, we shall not be careless and
indifferent, but our souls will be filled with joy and gladness,
because of the many mercies and blessings that are promised to
us, in our calling as elders and priests, and as seers and
revelators. If we lived fully up to our privileges, and attained
to all the blessings and powers that are promised, and were
filled with the spirit of the Lord, we should have more
influence, and our ministrations would be of more benefit to the
people of God.
146
I am glad the Lord has spared my life to behold this day, and
that I am numbered among His people, a people who have been
acknowledged of the Lord as His chosen people. We should all feel
thankful for living prophets and apostles, who have been given
for the work of the ministry, and for the perfecting of the
Saints. I rejoice, moreover, that the First Presidency of the
Church has again been organized, for by the more perfect
organization we receive greater strength and wisdom, and more
abundant blessings from the Lord, and I think this increase in
faith and union, and other manifestations of the spirit are felt
in this Conference. Every man and woman can feel a renewed
influence and power, and it is felt in all the quorums of the
Priesthood. And it is our privilege to so live that we may come
into possession of all the promised blessings. Among the
blessings promised by our Lord Jesus Christ, unto those who
humble themselves, and seek unto him, is that "You shall see my
face, and know that I am." This does not mean the Apostles only,
but the promise is to every Latter-day Saint who will comply with
the conditions, that such person "shall see my face, and know
that I am." These are some of the promises that have been made to
the Latter-day Saints through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The same
promise was made to ancient Israel, through Moses, the great
law-giver and Prophet who promised that they should all hear his
voice, and see his face, if they would hearken to his counsels,
and obey all His commandments. The promise was not to the
Priesthood only, but every son and daughter of God had the same
promise, because all are destined to come into the presence of
God, and behold the glory of His countenance. If we would attain
to these blessings, and enjoy the fullness of the promises made
unto the people of God, we must cleanse ourselves form all
unrighteousness, that we may endure His presence in the world of
glory.
146
For this reason it was ordered that a tabernacle be built in the
wilderness; but such was the wickedness of the people, that while
the glory of the Lord was resting on the mountain, and Moses was
holding communion with Jehovah in the interests of the people,
they had induced Aaron to make a golden calf for them to worship,
in place of the true and living God. And the consequence was,
they were deprived of the presence of the Lord in their
journeyings, for He made a decree that He would not go before the
camp, "but mine angel shall go before them, lest I consume them
in the land."
147
The Lord has been very kind and merciful unto His people in these
last days. He has known the hearts of this people, and that we
are willing to serve Him. He saw that we were willing to suffer
persecution for His sake, and the Gospel's sake, and for this
cause He has poured out His blessings upon us in great abundance,
and I hope when these Temples shall be built, and we minister
therein, and receive the blessings promised us for ourselves and
for our dead, that we shall be more united, and that we shall
receive more fully the gifts and endowments that pertain to the
sons and daughters of God. And then peradventure He will
condescend to bless us with His presence, as He blessed His
Saints in the Temple at Kirtland, and the presence and glory of
His holy angels. It has been promised to Israel in these latter
days, that the Lord Himself will go before them, and lead and
guide them, and fight their battles and deliver them from all
their enemies. What a glorious promise? And we may be assured
that there will be nothing lacking on the part of our Eternal
Father, nor in Jesus Christ, His Son, and the holy angels, for
all are interested with us in the progress and consummation of
this great and glorious latter-day work, for it is the
dispensation of the fullness of times.
147
How great will be our joy when we attain to these blessings, and
realize these promises that have been made to us. The Lord will
dwell in the midst of His people, and the angels will be with us,
with the ministrations of our Father in heaven; these are
privileges and blessings indeed, that eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, and the glory thereof hath not entered in the heart of man
to conceive, but the Lord hath revealed them unto us by His
spirit. Then we shall hear His voice, and see His face, and know
that He exists, for we shall see His glory and participate with
the sanctified in the powers of the world to come, for being
heirs of God we shall be joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ,
and having suffered with Him for righteousness' sake, we shall
also reign with Him in glory.
147
In conclusion, let me exhort you to turn to the Lord, and serve
Him with full purpose of heart, and be willing to consecrate
yourselves and all you have unto His service, and so live that
you can perfect the bond of union that will secure unto you
eternal life, and bring honor and glory to Him that sitteth upon
the throne for ever and ever. That this may be your happy lot, is
my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Q. Cannon, May 4th, 1884
George Q. Cannon, May 4th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Evening,
(Quarterly
Conference, Salt Lake Stake), May 4th, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
KIND OF GOD THE SAINTS BELIEVE IN--SKEPTICISM IN THE
WORLD--MIRACLES
NOT DUE TO A SUSPENSION OF LAW--RESULTS OF FAITH EXERCISED BY THE
SAINTS--PROVIDENCE IN THEIR FAVOR--IDEAS AS TO THE FORM AND
ATTRIBUTES
OF HEAVENLY BEINGS--HOW JOSEPH SMITH OBTAINED HIS KNOWLEDGE--WHAT
OUR
FAITH HAS COST.
147
In arising to address you, my brethren and sisters, this evening,
I desire an interest in your faith and prayers, that I may be led
to talk upon those points of doctrine or of principles, that are
adapted to our wants and to the circumstances which surround us.
148
It is a great responsibility to arise as a teacher to a great
people like those who have assembled within this house this
evening, especially to speak in the name of the Lord, and I do
not believe that any man should do this unless he can have the
assistance of that spirit which God has promised to bestow upon
His servants.
148
We who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
believe in God; not a God who lived a few thousand years ago, but
a God who lives to-day; a God who has a voice with which to speak
to-day, and who has arms and a head, and bodily as well as
spiritual powers, who can communicate His mind and His will unto
His children, with the same facility in the days in which we live
as He did in the days of the Savior and His disciples, or in the
days of the prophets. If there is any feature characteristic of
the present age that is more notable than another, it is the
decay of faith in God. It is a characteristic of our age and
time, and it is one that is increasingly manifesting itself among
what are termed the Christian nations. I have myself
frequently--especially of late years--been struck with the
contrast between the present unbelief and the faith concerning
God, which existed in the days when I first went out to preach
the Gospel, or in the days of my youth. Skepticism is increasing
on every hand, and if it were not for this Church, and the faith
that is cherished by the Latter-day Saints, and which they are
endeavoring to instil into the minds of their children, and of
all unto whom they have access, there would be no Church of which
I have any knowledge that, as a church, believes in God our
Eternal father, as he is described in the Scriptures--a God who
can hear and answer--literally answer--the prayers of those who
address Him in faith. The idea has become very prevalent of late
years, in the so-called Christian world, that God does not
interfere by any special providence in behalf of any people or of
any individual; that He governs the universe and the earth upon
which we stand, and the inhabitants of which we form a part, by
grand and universal laws, and that those laws are never
over-ruled. In other words, that there is no special
interposition of providence in behalf of individuals or of
peoples, but that the Lord rules by those grand laws which are
applicable to all, and which all have to submit to, and that He
does not concern Himself to listen unto the appeals of
individuals in behalf of themselves, or of those in whom they are
interested, or to have any special providence extended unto
nations; and it is this feature of belief that causes mankind who
are familiar with us, to entertain such ideas respecting our
future as they frequently indulge in. You will often hear it
said--I have heard it stated I may say hundreds of times when I
have spoken to friends who are not of our faith, concerning the
interposition of providence in our behalf, and the faith that we
had respecting the deliverances that would be wrought out for
us--I have been told that God is on the side of the strongest
battalions, that God is on the side of the heaviest artillery;
that God is on the side of the greatest numbers; and I have often
provoked smiles of incredulity by the simple statement of our
faith in God, and our hopes and anticipations concerning the care
that He had had over us, the deliverances which He has wrought
out for us, and the promises that He had made unto us concerning
the future.
150
Upon this point and in this respect we differ, as I have
remarked, from every people with whom I am acquainted--in this
feature of our religion, this implicit trust in a God who can
hear and who can answer prayer, in a God who is not on the side
of the greatest numbers, unless the greatest numbers are in the
right; in a God whose power is not exerted in behalf of the
strongest battalions, nor of the heaviest artillery, unless the
strongest battalions and the heaviest artillery are in the right.
We believe, as it has sometimes been stated, that God and one man
are a great majority, and that when He purposes to accomplish a
certain work, all the powers of earth and the powers of hell
combined cannot prevent the accomplishment of that work; that
there is no power that can by any possibility defeat His
purposes; and that He will interpose by the exercise of His
Almighty power in behalf of the individual, in behalf of the
community, or in behalf of the nation concerning whom He has
spoken, and who are seeking to do his will. We have proved this,
at least to our own satisfaction. The history of the people is
full of illustrations of the most remarkable character
establishing this truth, so far as we are concerned, beyond all
controversy; and I am happy to say that this faith is increasing
instead of decreasing among the Latter-day Saints. I am happy in
this knowledge. In my associations with our people in various
places, I find that there is a steady growth of faith in that God
whom we worship, and in His power to save and to deliver us, and
in his power to bless us and to grant unto us the righteous
desires of our hearts. This does not necessarily require a
suspension of law. It was no suspension of law on the part of our
Savior, that caused Him to gather from the elements the bread and
the fishes necessary to feed the multitude. It was no suspension
of law that caused Him to open the eyes of the blind, or to cause
the sick to be healed. It was no suspension of law that caused
Him to ascend in the sight of His disciples after His
resurrection when He visited them. I know that miracles are said
to be suspension of law; but instead of their being a suspension
of law, they are due to a knowledge of a higher law, to a
comprehension of greater laws, by the knowledge of which, what
are called miracles are wrought. To a person who never saw the
effect of electricity, if he were in this Tabernacle and were to
see these lights kindled instantaneously by the touch of
electricity--a person who did not understand the laws of
electricity, would say, "Why this is miraculous." Or to an
ignorant person, a person who knew nothing of the law of
electricity, it would seem marvelous that one standing at the end
of a wire, stretched under the ocean could, by touching that
wire, communicate a distance of nearly 3,000 miles, and could
talk to a person at the other end of the wire. Had this been
mentioned in the days of our forefathers, they would have
declared it was an impossibility. Such a power would have been
miraculous in their eyes, and they would have said that such a
thing was contrary to all known laws concerning the transmission
of sound and thought; but to us who understand this law--or if we
do not understand it, who see the operations of electricity; who
know that we can go to the telegraph office and send a message to
Europe from this city, and get a reply within a few hours; in
fact, receive it here at a time of the day earlier than it was
transmitted from there, which is frequently done. We, who witness
this, no longer look upon it as a miracle, or as a suspension of
law, or a violation of the laws which govern the transmission of
sound or thought. We accept it because we have become familiar
with it. And so, if we understood the law by which Jesus operated
when He fed the multitude, it would be as simple to us as the law
of electricity is today. If we understood the law by which the
sick were healed, and sight restored to the blind, or by which He
counteracted the laws of gravitation, and ascended in the sight
of His disciples into heaven--if we understood these laws, they
would be simple to us, as all laws are when they are understood.
150
There is no suspension of law on the part of our Father when He
interposes in behalf of His children. He has ministering spirits
who minister unto those, as the Apostle tells us, who shall be
heirs of salvation. Jesus conveys the idea very beautifully, when
He says, that not one hair of our heads falls to the ground
unnoticed. This was the kind of faith which He taught His
disciples, and it is the kind of faith that was believed in by
the ancients, by those who wrote the Bible, by those who wrote
the Book of Mormon, and it is the faith that is transmitted to
us, which God is endeavoring to establish in the hearts of the
children of men, to bring them nearer to Him, and enable them to
partake of that power which He is willing to bestow upon men, if
they will follow after Him.
151
As I have said, the history of this Church is full of instances
of this character. When we started out from the State of
Illinois, and crossed the Mississippi when it was frozen over,
the leading men of this Church, sending their wagons on with the
few goods they had, they launched forth into a wilderness, not
knowing where they were going. Moses and the children of Israel,
when they left Egypt, had a more definite idea of their
destination than the Latter-day Saints had, when they left
Illinois; because the children of Israel knew that the promises
which had been made to their father Abraham, concerning Canaan,
(and which was the residence of the heads of their tribes) must
be fulfilled. The traditions of the people led them to look back
to Canaan, as the land which they would eventually inherit. But
there were no such traditions for us to lean upon. Before the
people stretched an uninhabited wilderness, two thousand miles in
extent, concerning which but little was known, but the people had
no hesitation. God has spoken by the mouth of His servant Joseph
Smith, the Prophet, concerning the Latter-day Saints, that they
should be in the Rocky Mountains, and should become a numerous
people, a great people. The Twelve Apostles who then presided
over the Church, were led by the Spirit of God to organize the
people into companies, and to encourage them to look forward to a
journey in the wilderness to a land to which God would lead us,
and that when we should find it, we should know it was the land
that He designed for us. There were inviting places in Iowa, for
Iowa was then comparatively uninhabited. We followed Indian
trails with our wagons, for there was no regular wagon road. We
built bridges across the streams of Iowa--that is, streams that
were not fordable--over which to take our wagons and cattle. The
whole country was a waste. The Latter-day Saints might, had they
chosen, have settled there, but the voice of the Spirit was not
to settle there. We crossed the Missouri River, remained during
the winter upon its banks and then in the spring the pioneers
launched out through what is now the State of Nebraska, which was
then Indian Territory. The fertility of those plains did not
tempt them to make that their abiding place, but they pressed on,
not a man in the company knowing where they were going, not a man
in the company who had ever trod the ground before, or who knew
anything, by practical experience, of the character of the region
upon which they were entering.
152
Now, this was faith in God. It is easy to say, after it has been
demonstrated that settlements could be made in these
mountains--that crops could be raised--it is easy to say that
this was not much of an undertaking. I am reminded of a story
told of Columbus. After he had made the discovery of America, and
returned to Spain, upon one occasion, while at a banquet with a
number of Spanish grandees, some one made light of the discovery
he had made, of the voyage that he had undertaken, and the result
of it. He picked up an egg that was lying near, and asked which
of them could make that egg stand on end. They all tried it, but
failed; they could not make the egg stand on end. He there upon
took the egg, knocked it on the table, and flattened it, and made
the egg stand. "Gentlemen," said he, "It is easy to make an egg
stand on end when you know how to do it." It is easy to discover
a land after it has been discovered. It is easy to talk about the
settlement of these valleys, and that which has been done here,
after the work has been accomplished and the problem has been
solved; after it has been demonstrated beyond all possible doubt
that this country is habitable, that these valleys will produce
crops to sustain human life, and that these streams that flow
from the mountains can be used for the irrigating of these lands,
and used successfully. But there was a time when there was a
doubt concerning this. When the pioneers reached this valley,
there was no doubt in the mind of the man who led the people,
whatever there might be in the minds of others. His mind was
clear, and the whole people felt that he had the right from God,
as His servant, to designate the spot. They had faith to believe
that God would sustain them in doing what they were told, and
they planted themselves on this spot, having faith in God,
believing that He would hear them, believing that He had heard
them, believing that he would still continue to protect them, and
fulfill all His promises which He had made, and they proved then,
if they had not proved before, that God the Eternal Father is a
God nigh at hand and not afar off. And when the crickets came
down, as they did in 1848, in myriads from the mountains,
blackening the whole face of the valley, sweeping off during one
night fields of grain that were as promising as fields could be,
and leaving them as bare as the palm of man's hand, even then
their faith did not fail: they still had confidence that that God
who had led them thus far would still continue to preserve them,
and would supply their wants; and when it seemed as though their
faith had been tried to the very uttermost, when the last point
had been reached, God interposed by a very natural means. He did
not come down Himself, that is in our sight, for us to see Him
visibly; His angels did not come for us to see them visibly; but
He sent the gulls who came by thousands, and devoured those
crickets, leaving them in heaps along the edges of the water
ditches. Having eaten their fill, they then vomited, and having
eaten again, vomited again, and thus continued the work of
devouring, until every field was clear of those destructive
insects. Now, an unbeliever might not have seen the hand of God
in this, but the hearts of the Latter-day Saints did see His
hand, and profound gratitude was aroused. Prayers of thanksgiving
ascended unto the God of heaven for His interposition in our
behalf. The people felt that their God was still near to them,
that He still heard and answered their prayers, and granted unto
them the desires of their hearts.
153
And thus it has been from that day until the present time.
Notwithstanding the many measures that have been taken against us
as a people, the many plots that have seemed so promising to
those who framed them concerning the destruction of the
Latter-day Saints; when it has seemed that destruction was
inevitable, that no power could save us, God has interposed by
His wonderful power and we have escaped, and to-day,
notwithstanding these many efforts, we are a free people in the
mountains, having the privilege, that God said we should have, of
worshipping Him, and enjoying peace and prosperity, if we would
but continue to put our trust in him and keep His commandments;
so that to day, throughout all these valleys, from one end to the
other, there is a people found who, notwithstanding all the
threats that are fulminated, all the projects that are started,
all the efforts that are made to destroy us as a religious
organization, to break down our liberties, to rob us of those
rights which are dear to every man who has been born
free--notwithstanding these threats, a reign of peace and
undisturbed quiet prevails throughout all these valleys, in the
breasts, in the houses, in the family circles, of all the
Latter-day Saints from one end of this land to the other. A
grander exhibition of faith, a more sublime exhibition of
confidence in God cannot be witnessed anywhere upon the face of
the earth, than is afforded by the example of the Latter-day
Saints. They do bear witness unto the heavens, unto God the
Eternal Father, unto holy angels, and unto all men, that whatever
unbelief may prevail elsewhere, whatever the feelings of
skepticism may be in other lands, and among other peoples, they
at least have, unwaveringly and undoubtingly, relied upon His
glorious promises, and are willing to trust him to the very
uttermost, believing that He is indeed a God who is, as I have
said, near at hand and not afar off. In fact, outside of this
people you can scarcely find a man or a woman who has any clear
conception concerning God Himself. You ask members of churches,
"What is your God like? Who is the Being whom you worship?"--and
the reply, doubtless, of many, would be, "great is the mystery of
godliness. That is something we do not comprehend." It is a
forbidden topic, almost. You ask ministers of religion concerning
the character and form of God, and how few there are who will
attempt to make any sort of a reasonable answer. They have no
idea, scarcely. Do they believe Him to be a personal being? I
have scarcely ever found a professing Christian who did believe
this. They say God is a spirit. True enough. But has God no
powers? Is God a diffused substance, filling all creation? That
is the idea that many have. And you get the professed Christian
and the professed infidel, and let each of them talk about God,
and they are as near together as it is possible to be. The
infidel who has no faith in God, believes in nature. The
Christian, who professes to believe in God, if he attempts to
define his God, will describe him something as an infidel would
the creative power.
153
But what is the truth concerning God? Let us hear what Moses
says:--
153
"And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
153
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them."
153
What could be plainer than this! "God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him: male and female
created he them." Again Moses says:
153
"This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God
created man, in the likeness of God made he him:
153
"Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called
their name Adam, in the day when they were created."
153
Yet with this Bible in their hands, you will scarcely find a
professed Christian who believes this statement of Moses, that
God created man in his own image, notwithstanding the fact that
Paul in two or three places in his epistles, actually says that
Jesus is the express image of his Father's person. He wrote so to
the Galatians. He wrote so to the Hebrews. He told them that
Jesus Christ was the express image of God his Father. And we have
the fact recorded, that Abraham talked with God, and that Abraham
plead with God. You remember the occasion when three personages
came down and visited Abraham. Abraham it is said, talked with
the Lord, and plead with Him concerning the destruction which was
about to come upon Sodom. He plead that if there should be fifty
righteous men found in Sodom, would He spare the city? He plead
that if there should be but forty-five, or forty, or thirty, or
twenty, and finally he came down to ten--that if ten righteous
men were found, would He spare the city? and He promised He
would. He talked with Him as one man talketh with another. Again,
we have the record of Moses in Exodus, where he tells us that the
seventy Elders of Israel ate and drank in the presence of the God
of Israel. We have the statement also that the two tables of
stones which contained the law and the testimony, were written by
the finger of God, by his own finger. And when Moses plead with
Him that He might see His person, He told him that he should see
His back parts; but His face should not be seen. He gave that
promise to Moses, and Moses saw His person.
154
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, whom we worship as God, was a
man like unto us, so much so that his divinity was not recognized
through any external signs by the Jews. There was nothing about
his person that they could discover that would make Him a God,
the creator of the heavens and the earth, any more than the
Sandwich Islanders could discover in the person of Captain Cook,
who discovered their Islands. They believed him to be a god when
he first came in their midst; but he showed signs of mortal fear,
by which they knew he was not a god, and they slew him. The Jews
tested, as they thought most thoroughly, the divinity of Jesus.
When they hung Him upon the cross, they said mockingly, "If thou
be the Son of God, came down from the cross." They assumed that
they would believe and accept Him as the Son of God, if He would
come down from the cross. He was in all respects a man, so far as
the outward appearance was concerned; His exterior was that of a
man; but, nevertheless, He was a God. He was the first begotten
Son of the Eternal Father, who sits enthroned in glory and
majesty, surrounded by burning fire. He was the Son of that
Being, and was the express image of His person, like Him, having
a head, having the senses that men have, having all the bodily
features that we have, and His Father was precisely like Him, or
He, in other words, was precisely like His Father. There is
nothing more plainly conveyed and taught than this in the
Scriptures of divine truth, the Bible, and yet men professing to
teach godliness and to teach God, endeavor to destroy that
feeling and that faith in the minds of the people.
154
When such misconceptions as these exist in the minds of the
children of men, of course there cannot be correct faith
exercised; men who do not know to whom to go, on whom to call, or
to whom to pray. "This is eternal life," says Jesus, "that they
might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has
sent." That was eternal life--to know Him, to comprehend Him, to
understand the Being that gave us life, that created us.
Therefore, when a man understands this he goes to God with
perfect confidence. He asks God as he would his earthly father
for that which he desires.
154
My brethren and sisters, it is a glorious truth that has been
taught to us, that we are literally the children of God, that we
are his literal descendants, as Jesus was literally descended
from Him, and that He is our Father as much as our earthly parent
is our father, and we can go to Him with a feeling of nearness,
knowing this, understanding it by the revelations which God has
given to us.
154
I would like to read to you a little to refresh your minds and to
show you how this faith which had been so long lost to the earth
was restored; for the memory of it--the memory of what God was
like, had died out of the human mind. Hundreds of years had
elapsed since any man had seen God. All that was known,
therefore, respecting Him, His personality and His attributes,
was that which was written in the Bible; but through the
spiritualizing that had taken place, through the attachment of
double meanings to the plain word of God, it caused the truth to
fade away from one's minds. There was no man upon the earth of
whom we have any knowledge, who could tell any thing about God,
or about an angel. As I remarked here a few Sundays ago, the
general idea that prevailed in regard to angels was, that they
were half fowl, that they were men or women with feathered wings
growing out of their backs. I know that there are creatures
referred to in the Scriptures, who have wings, but they are not
men, they are not angels, such as come and minister unto the
human family. Yet you will see in all the pictorial
representations of angels in our family Bibles beings dressed
somewhat like a woman, with features resembling those of a woman,
and with gathered wings growing out on their backs. These ideas
became common, and still prevail throughout Christian nations.
155
Now, as I have said, the true conception of God, like the true
conception of angels, had vanished from the minds of the children
of men. But Joseph Smith, prompted by the Spirit of God, chosen,
as I fully believe, as the old prophets were, from before the
beginning of the world, to lay the foundation of this great
latter-day work, was moved upon to inquire of God. I will read a
little of what is said concerning this:
155
"While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties, caused by
the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day
reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse,
which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth unto men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him. Never did any passage of Scripture come with more
power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It
seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart.
I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person
needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know; and
unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, would never know;
for the teachers of religion of the different sects understood
the same passage so differently as to destroy all confidence in
settling the question by an appeal to the Bible. At length I came
to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and
confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of
God. I at length came to the determination to ask of God,
concluding that if He gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and
would give liberally and not upbraid, I might venture. So, in
accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired
to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a
beautiful clear day, early in the spring of 1820. It was the
first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst
all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray
vocally.
155
"After I had retired into the place where I had previously
designed to go, having looked around me and finding myself alone,
I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to
God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon
by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such
astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I
could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed
to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction. But,
exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the
power of this enemy, which had seized upon me, and at the very
moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself
to destruction, not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of
some actual being from the unseen world, who had such a marvelous
power as I had never before felt in any being. Just as this
moment of great alarm, I saw a pillar of light exactly over my
head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually
until if fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself
delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light
rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory
defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them
spake unto me by name, and said (pointing to the other) THIS IS
MY BELOVED SON, HEAR HIM.
156
"My object in going to enquire of the Lord, was to know which of
all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No
sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be
able to speak, than I asked the personages who stood above me in
the light, which of all the sects was right; (for at this time it
had never entered into my heart that all were wrong), and which I
should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for
they were all wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that
all their creeds were an abomination in His sight; that those
professors were all corrupt, they draw near to me with their
lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrine
the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they
deny the power thereof.
156
"He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other
things did he say unto me which I cannot write at this time. When
I came to myself again, I found myself lying on my back, looking
up into heaven."
156
Here is the testimony of one who actually saw the Father and the
Son. They were as described by all who have seen them--literal
personages, personages with tabernacles, the Son being the
express image of the Father. John the Revelator, also saw one
that was like unto the Son of Man. He describes his person. You
remember that he fell down and worshipped an angel upon one
occasion, thinking it was the Lord, and the angel forbade him
doing so, telling him that he must not worship him, that he was
one of his fellow-servants, the prophets. John, however, had a
correct conception of the great truth that the Son was in the
exact image of His Father.
156
Now, not only have we this testimony, but we have the testimony
of others concerning this matter. Doubtless you will remember, my
brethren and sisters, what is said respecting this in the vision
that has come to us. It was a vision that was seen by Joseph
Smith and Sidney Rigdon. To them was revealed the eventual fate
of the various inhabitants of the earth, the various glories and
kingdoms which our Father and God has in reserve for His
children. Now, say they:
156
"And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the
eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of
the Lord shone round about;
156
"And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the
Father, and received of his fullness;
156
"And saw the holy angels and they who are sanctified, before the
throne, worshipping God and the Lamb, who worship Him for Ever
and ever:
156
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of
Him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of Him,
that He lives;
156
"For we saw Him, even on the right hand of God, and we heard the
voice bearing record that He is the Only Begotten of the Father--
156
"That by Him, and through Him, and of Him the worlds were and are
created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and
daughters unto God."
157
These two men of our day (fifty-two years ago last February)
beheld the Son of God--Jesus, the Only Begotten--and they saw Him
at the right hand of the Father, occupying the position that has
always been assigned to Him, and in the express image of His
Father's person, as He is described by all who have seen Him.
After this, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery both saw the Savior,
and both testified as to His person. This was on April 3rd, 1836,
after the completion of the Kirtland Temple.
157
"The vail was taken from our minds," say they, "and the eyes of
our understanding were opened.
157
"We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit
before us, and under His feet was a paved work of pure gold in
color like amber.
157
"His eyes were as a flame of fire, the hair of His head was white
like the pure snow, His countenance shone above the brightness of
the sun, and His voice was as the sound of the rushing of great
waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying--
157
"I am the first and the last, I am He who liveth, I am He who was
slain, I am your advocate with the father."
158
Oliver Cowdery, as well as Joseph Smith, saw this vision; they
beheld this glorious personage, even the Son of God, when He
accepted the Kirtland Temple after its dedication. These
witnesses are also supplemented by hundreds of others who have
beheld in vision and otherwise, glorious personages in these last
days. There are men alive who have beheld the Son of God, who
have heard His voice, and who have been ministered unto by Him in
this our day and generation. In the face of these testimonies,
which cannot be impeached successfully, is it any wonder that
faith grows in the hearts of the people of God, the Latter-day
Saints? That notwithstanding the growth of skepticism outside of
this Church, faith continues to manifest itself and find lodgment
in the hearts of the Latter-day Saints? But just as faith grows
among the Latter-day Saints, as a natural consequence faith will
decrease in the hearts of those who reject this testimony
concerning the truth. This was the crime, the great sin, at
least, of the Jewish nation. Light came into the world, but men
chose darkness rather than light; therefore the light that was in
them became darkness. The Jewish nation became abandoned to
hardness of heart and unbelief. They were left to be prey to that
spirit of unbelief which they encouraged, until they rejected
God, until they rejected the Son of God, with all His divinity,
with His great miracles, with His mighty power, with His pure and
spotless life--they rejected Him, they slew Him, and the light
that was in them became darkness. He bestowed remarkable power
upon those who received His word and they increased in faith; but
those unto whom they preached, those who heard their testimony
and rejected it, became a prey to that other influence, the power
of darkness, the power of Satan, and they shed the blood of
innocence, and I am sorry to say that this is the case at the
present time with our own nation. The blood of righteous men has
been cruelly, inhumanly shed upon this free soil. This man who
beheld these visions; this man, the first for hundreds of years
who described, who could describe the personage of God, who could
say that he beheld Him, who arose as a mighty witness in the
midst of this generation to say of a truth that God lived, that
Jesus lived; this man was cruelly, treacherously and inhumanly
murdered; and murdered, too, under the pledged honor of one of
the sovereign States of this our nation; the Governor of the
State himself, pledging his own honor and the honor of the State
that he (Joseph Smith) should be protected, but he was cruelly
slain like the prophets who had gone before, who had borne a
similar testimony. He sealed his testimony with his blood,
declaring to the very last that that which he had testified of
was the truth, willing to die if it were necessary, to seal his
testimony and render it so unimpeachable that it never could be
questioned from that time forward. This man was thus slain, and
who is there that has been punished for it? No more than the
murderers of the Prophets were punished in ancient days, no more
than the murderers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ were
punished, no more has it been the case in this instance. No, his
blood still stains the soil, still cries, with the blood of all
the martyrs, unto God in heaven for vengeance on his guilty
murderers. And the testimony that he bore has been borne by
others, and in like manner others have shared that fate. Our
reverend President, who sits to-night in this place, his blood
stains the same soil. He himself narrowly escaped the same fate.
In the providence of God he was spared for a wise purpose, and
has lived among us until this day--a living martyr, a living
witness of the cruelty of man towards those who testify that God
lives.
158
My brethren and sisters, the faith that we have received has cost
the best blood of this century. The faith that we have received
cost the blood of the Son of God when He taught it to men upon
the earth. The faith that we have received cost the blood of
Isaiah, of Jeremiah, and of others of the prophets who were slain
for the truths that they declared. It has always been a costly
sacrifice, this teaching of the truth unto the human family. The
adversary has been determined that a knowledge of God shall not
spread among the people if he can prevent it. He killed Jesus, he
killed every one of His apostles that he could, until throughout
the wide earth there was no man who could stand up and say to the
people, "Thus saith the Lord," or who could stand up in the
authority of the Priesthood of the Son of God and say, "I am
God's servant, and this is God's will, God having revealed it to
me." They stopped the mouths of all such. They closed them in
death. No one was left that they could reach. Then, when the
heavens became as brass over the heads of the children of men, a
church arose having a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof, until to-day, throughout Christendom, men who profess to
be ministers of Jesus Christ, do not know anything about Him,
have no communication with Him. A king with ambassadors here, and
these ambassadors receive no communication from the court which
authorizes them. What nonsense! Whoever heard of such a thing? Is
there anything in this book (the Bible) which hints at such a
thing? Who ever heard of a servant of God having no knowledge of
him, no revelation from him? There is no such thing in this book.
It is reserved for men in the nineteenth century, and preceding
centuries, to arise and make such claims as these, and who can
believe them?
158
Now, God has restored the everlasting Gospel to the earth. He has
told the children of men that if they will come unto Him and obey
His commandments, they shall receive a testimony of the truth of
this work, as in times of old, through the gift and power of the
Holy Ghost. They do not need to depend on Joseph Smith if he were
here, or Oliver Cowdery, or Sidney Rigdon. Others have been
administered to. Others have received the Holy Ghost. This is the
privilege of every human being who will keep the commandments of
the Almighty. It is not the privilege of all to see the Father at
present, or to see the Son. Our faith is not strong enough, but
it is growing. But it is the privilege of every human being to
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, if he or she will obey the
commandments of God. This is a privilege that is universal. It is
like the air that we breathe. It is like the light that illumines
our eyes. So with the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is given to
every soul that will bow in submission to the will of God, keep
his commandments, and have the ordinances administered by one
whom God recognizes as his servant. It is this, my brethren and
sisters, that is the glorious feature of the work in which we are
engaged. It is this that should stimulate us, and fill us with
faith. Let men do as they please concerning this work of our God,
God has made promises concerning it. His word cannot fail. He
bears and answers the prayers of His children. He is near at hand
and not far off, and He will interpose by His wonderful
providence, invisible to those who do not see His hand and do not
have His Spirit, but visible to those who are enlightened by his
Spirit, so that they can see and acknowledge the manifestations
of God in their behalf. And thus are we led, and thus we shall be
led until, emerging from this darkness, emerging from this
unbelief, we shall be ushered into the fullness of the glory of
our God, and dwell with him eternally, if we are faithful to the
covenants which we have made, which I ask may be the case in the
name of Jesus, Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Taylor, June 15th, 1884
John Taylor, June 15th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Cache County,
Sunday Afternoon, June 15th, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
TEMPLES--REQUIREMENTS MADE OF THOSE WHO SEEK TO ENTER TEMPLES--A
WOMAN
STATES HER CASE TO PRESIDENT TAYLOR, IN WHICH ARISES SOME
SINGULAR AND
SERIOUS QUESTIONS--THE SAINTS OUGHT TO BE PROGRESSING--THEY
SHOULD SEEK
TO DO THE WILL OF GOD--DUTIES OF PRESIDING OFFICERS--EVIL DOERS
SHOULD BE
BROUGHT TO ACCOUNT AND DEALT WITH--GOD IS MERCIFUL--THE CELESTIAL
KINGDOM.
160
I have been very much interested while listening to the remarks
made by the brethren who have addressed us, and certain thoughts
have passed through my mind associated therewith, which it may
not be amiss, in part at least, to make known.
160
There are certain circumstances which take place in our
associations with the things of God that tend to lead our minds
to reflection and thought. We have been building a temple here.
We have exerted ourselves for a number of years for the
accomplishment of that object. We have completed it, it has been
accepted by the Lord, and we are now administering therein. In
these administrations there are many things that tend to lead men
to thought and reflection. We meet in our congregations as we are
doing here to-day, and in thus meeting we pass along through the
common routine of religious duties which devolve upon us; but
when we go into those sacred places there are certain
requirements made of us, that, whether we may have thought about
these things before or not, are then brought to our remembrance.
In the first place people desirous to go and attend to ordinances
in these houses, must have a recommendation from their Bishop.
That is one of those--I was going to say--ugly facts. That is,
ugly to those who are not prepared to pass through that ordeal,
whose lives have been careless, whose actions have been improper,
and whose standing perhaps is precarious--that is one of those
facts that must be faced. Then when they have obtained this
recommendation from the Bishop, it must be endorsed by the
President of the Stake, and after that have the sanction of the
President of the Church. This is quite an ordeal for many men to
go through. For men and women who are upright, virtuous and
honorable, it is a very simple matter; there is no difficulty in
their way at any time; but to those who have been careless of
their duties, who have departed from the laws of God, and who
have tampered with, or violated the ordinances of the Gospel--to
such people it is a critical time. However, there is something
far more difficult than that yet to come. That is only a starting
point in these matters. The things that are ahead are a great
deal more difficult to accomplish. What are they? The time will
come when we shall not only have to pass by those officers whom I
have referred to--say, to have the sanction and approval of our
Bishop, of the President of the Stake and of the President of the
Church--but we are told in this book [the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants] that we shall have to pass by the angels and the Gods.
We may have squeezed through the other; we may have got along
tolerably well, and been passed and acted upon, and sometimes a
"tight squeak" at that; but how will it be when we get on the
other side, and we have the angles and the Gods to pass by before
we can enter into our exaltation? If we cannot pass, what then?
Well, we cannot, that is all. And if we cannot, shall we be able
to enter into our exaltation? I think not. What do you think
about it?
161
A great many things of this kind are continually presenting
themselves before me. All kinds of cases are brought to my
attention, and some of them are of a very serious nature. I had a
case only this morning. I am not going to mention names, nor to
expose persons; but it was a case of a sister who had been
married to a man, actually sealed to him, in the endowment House.
The man, from what I was given to understand--of course I do not
know all the details of the case, it will have to be inquired
into by myself and others in authority--the man had frequently
one leg in the Church, and the other out; sometimes doing well,
and sometimes not doing well; sometimes in good fellowship,
making acknowledgements, etc., and sometimes not in good
fellowship. The woman had quite a large family by this man, and
finally, a little before his death, the man became very careless,
very indifferent, and very negligent pertaining to his duties,
and he died in that condition. Now this woman comes along and
says, "What am I to do? I have borne quite a large family to this
man. He was a tolerable good man in some things, but he did not
magnify his calling nor honor his God. Now, what shall I do?"
Here are some very singular questions, and they will come to all
of us in some shape or another, and we might as well begin to
look at them now as at any other time, for it is written: "Some
men's sins are open before hand, going before to judgment: and
some men they follow after;" hence the reason I mention this
matter. It is a sample of a great many others, sometimes with the
man and sometimes with the woman, and the question is: How far
are we prepared to say to such a woman, "You are not safe for
eternity with the husband that you have been associated with in
time"? These are serious questions. That man was dreaming,
perhaps, for a long while that he was on his way to heaven and
that all was right; that he had been baptized and been received
into the Church, and attended to some of the ordinances thereof,
but he was negligent, careless and indifferent about the
fulfillment of his duties, neglected his children, did not act
right towards his wife, and did many things that were wrong and
improper. Now, what shall be done? The woman felt unsafe with
such a man. But is it not said, says one that all manner of sins
and blasphemy shall be forgiven, (except the sin against the Holy
Ghost, which is the shedding of innocent blood) and that they
shall come forth, if they have had certain blessings sealed upon
them "in the first resurrection, and if it be after the first
resurrection in the next resurrection." But the question is: If a
woman is expecting a man to exalt her, and to lead her forth to
thrones and principalities, powers and dominions, is she safe in
that expectation? She may have been sealed to him, and he have
had these things pronounced upon him, but he may have been
destroyed in the flesh, because of his iniquities, which very
many have been, although we could not always tell the reason why.
There are certain things that men may commit according to the
Scriptures, and to that which has been revealed in our day, which
render them subject to be turned over to the buffettings of
Satan, "for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be
saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." (See 1st, Corinthians, verse
5; also Doctrine and Covenants, Section cxxxii, 26.) There are
other sins that they may commit, whereof it says they shall be
destroyed, whether men or women, that do these things. Now, it
may be well enough to fix up our own affairs as we think they
ought to be fixed, to make our own calculations, and to settle
our own accounts; but these accounts have yet to be supervised
and settled before those that have the right to do it before we
get through, and we must not only pass by, as I have said, our
Bishops, and our Presidents of Stakes, and the President of the
Church, but we must pass by the angels and the Gods also.
162
Some of the brethren mentioned that we are now on a more
elevated plane than we were a while ago. We ought to be. We do
not expect to remain in the position that we were. We ought to be
increasing in intelligence and in knowledge, and be preparing
ourselves for those things that are to come. Yet we find men that
are careless, such as the person I have referred to. By and by
death comes along, they pass out of existence; and while it is
the feeling and desire to do the dead man justice, and all men
justice, and to act upon correct principles in regard to all, it
would scarcely seem just under some of those circumstances to
carry our charity so far that we would unite a woman with a man,
who, when he came forward and wanted to pass by the angels and
the Gods, they said to him, "Stop! and take another course. You
have not yet paid the penalty of your wickedness, and the
contempt of God's laws and His kindness. You cannot come forth in
this first thousand years; you must wait for the second." Then
what of the children, and what of the wife who perhaps has been
faithful, and might have been in very different circumstances, if
she had not attached herself to a man of that description?
162
These are things for us to reflect upon. We shall not have
everything our own way about these matters. When we pass out of
this world we are left at the mercy of somebody else. If we are
resurrected it will be because Jesus is the resurrection, and
there are eternal laws and principles that will have to be met by
us all, and that cannot be avoided. Jesus says: "I am the
resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth
in me shall never die." Certain ones will come forth in the first
resurrection, and others will not come forth until the second.
For the path of the just is upward and onward all the time, while
the path of the unjust is downward.
162
These are questions, I say, for us to reflect upon. If we are the
Saints of God, it is necessary we should begin to learn to do the
will of God on the earth as it is done in the heavens: for it is
not ever one that sayeth, Lord, Lord, that shall enter into
Christ's kingdom, but he that doeth the will of the Father who is
in heaven. We think sometimes we can do as we please. We may do
as we please, and then God will do as He pleases; and for every
word and for every secret thought we shall be brought to
judgment, we are told.
162
Some of these things when we reflect upon them are matters of
very great importance. We are not here to do our own will, but
the will of our heavenly Father. Some men who think they are
doing pretty well, and doing, according to their own expression,
"as they darned please," will wake up to find they have not been
doing the will of God. They may have thought that they had wives
and children, but they will wake up to find that they have not
got them, and that they are deprived of many of those great
blessings they anticipated enjoying. With all of our mercy,
kindness and tender feeling towards our brethren and sisters, and
towards all people, we cannot violate the law of God, nor
transgress those principles which He has laid down with impunity.
He expects us to do those things that are acceptable before Him,
and if we don't we must pay the penalty of our departure from
correct principle.
163
These are things that are of very great moment, and this building
on the hill [the Temple] is one of those things which brings us
face to face with many very important facts associated with the
present, with the past and with the future. Whatever we may think
about it, all things are open and naked before Him with whom we
have to do. As it is written: "Hell is naked before Him, and
destruction hath no covering," and how much more the hearts of
the children of men?
163
We are here to accomplish the purposes of God, to build up His
Zion, and to establish His Kingdom upon the earth, and He expects
us to do it. He expects that we will begin to do His will upon
the earth as it is done in the heavens--here in this land of Zion
among the Latter-day Saints. If we do not do it we shall, as has
been remarked by Brother Cannon, dishonor ourselves. It is
proper, therefore, for us to consider well and ponder the path of
our feet. It is well for us to find out the standing we occupy in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is well for
us to realize how we stand, first, with our God, secondly with
the Holy Priesthood, thirdly, with our families, with our wives
and children, or with our husbands and children, as the case may
be, and furthermore that we deal justly and righteously with all
men. We cannot run our own way and have the blessing of God.
Every one who attempts it, will find he is mistaken. God will
withdraw His Spirit from such, and they will be left to
themselves to wander in the dark, and go down to perdition. It is
expected of us that we shall move on a higher plane, that we
shall feel that we are the children of God, that God is our
Father, and that He will not be dishonored by disobedient
children, or by those who fight against His laws and His
Priesthood. He expects us to live our religion, to obey His laws
and keep His commandments.
164
This Temple, as I have already said, is a place where among other
things, eternal covenants and obligations are entered into, and
the question is, How and in what manner shall they be performed,
and who are worthy and who are unworthy. There are some things
that we find it exceedingly difficult to decide upon. Why?
Because the parties that are dead are not here to speak for
themselves, and we cannot have them misrepresented or robbed of
their rights in any shape. But if they have violated the laws of
God, what then? Now, here comes a question to which I desire to
draw the attention of the authorities of this Stake. There are
many of those men (if what we hear about them is correct) who
ought to have been cut off from the Church. But they have not
been; the Bishops have been negligent, and perhaps the President
of the Stake has been negligent. I am not speaking particularly
of this Stake; I am speaking in general terms. I speak of it to
draw the attention of Presidents of Stakes, Bishops, Elders,
Priests, Teachers and Deacons, and those who officiate in the
Church of God, and all men who are set to watch over the fold of
Christ. If some of these men, that I have referred to, had been
brought up on certain occasions, they might have repented of
their sins and placed themselves right; but because these
officers did not do their duty themselves, and did not see that
other men did theirs, things have passed along out of order, and
the parties in question have gone behind the veil. What account
can we give of ourselves if we are found thus negligent? If
people do wrong let them be brought up, and let the Teachers,
Priests, and Bishops clear their garments of them, and feel that
they have done their duty and purified the Church so far as they
could. The Presidents of Stakes should see that these things are
carried out according to the laws of God. This is a standard we
must attain to, so that when people say, Can we go into the
Temple of the Lord? we may know exactly their status, what
position they occupy, and what to do with them, without having to
take up the records of the dead. These are responsibilities
devolving upon us. Our Elders go abroad to preach the Gospel and
to gather in the people. When they are thus gathered the
Presidents of Stakes, the Bishops, Priests, Teachers and Deacons
are expected to watch over them, and see that they are fulfilling
their obligations, or that they are not fulfilling them. If they
fail to do their duty, let them be brought to account; let them
be dealt with according to the laws of God. If they repent,
forgive them; but it is expected that all who have taken upon
them the name of Christ will obey the laws of God, and walk in
obedience to His commands. These are some things that we all of
us have to be responsible for, and therefore, I, occupying the
position that I do, feel it my duty to lay these things before
you and to require them at your hands--that is at the hands of
the President of the Stake and his Counselors, at the hands of
the Bishops and their Counselors, at the hands of the High
Council, and at the hands of the Priests, Teachers, and Deacons;
for I don't want to carry myself the sins of the people. God
expects us to purge ourselves from iniquity, that we may become
the chosen of the Lord, and our offspring with us, not in name or
in theory, but indeed and in truth, and according to the laws of
life, and the spirit that dwells in Jesus Christ, our Savior,
which every one of us ought to have dwelling in us and dwelling
and abiding in our habitations, that we may feel that we are
devoted to our God, blameless before the Lord, and keeping His
commandments.
164
These are things that it is proper for us to reflect upon. We
enter into obligations here as young men or young women, or as
old men or old women, as the case may be, no matter what or how
we enter into covenants before God, holy angels and witnesses,
and pledge ourselves in the most solemn manner to be true to
these covenants, and if we violate these covenants, and trample
under foot the ordinances of God, we ought to be dealt with by
the Church, and either repent of our sins or be cut off from the
Church, so that by purging the Church from iniquity, we may be
acceptable before God. For the Gods spoken of, are not going to
associate with every scalawag in existence; scalawags are not
going where they are; and if men do not live according to the
laws of the Celestial kingdom, they are not going into a
Celestial glory; they cannot pass by the angels and the Gods, who
are set to guard the way of life. Straight is the gate and narrow
is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it.
165
Is God merciful? Yes. Will He treat His children well? Yes. He
will do the very best He can for all. But there are certain
eternal laws by which the Gods in the eternal worlds are governed
and which they cannot violate, and do not want to violate. These
eternal principles must be kept, and one principle is, that no
unclean thing can enter into the Kingdom of God. What, then, will
be the result? Why, the people I have referred to--people who do
not keep the Celestial law--will have to go into a lesser
kingdom, into a terrestrial, or perhaps a Telestial, as the case
may be. Is that according to the law of God? Yes. For if they are
not prepared for the Celestial kingdom, they must go to such a
one as they are prepared to endure. Certain principles have been
developed, and a great many have not. But we are here in a school
to learn, and it is for the Elders of Israel who are desirous to
do the will of God, and keep His commandments, to put themselves
in the way of doing so, to seek to the Lord for His guidance and
direction, to repent of their follies, their nonsense and
wickedness of every kind, and to come out for God and His
kingdom, and to seek to build up the Zion of God and the kingdom
of God upon the earth, and if we do this, God will bless us and
exalt us in time and throughout the eternities that are to come.
Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Q. Cannon, May 25th, 1884
George Q. Cannon, May 25th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, May 25th, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE LOGAN TEMPLE--CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE NAUVOO TEMPLE WAS
BUILT--FAITH REQUIRED FOR SUCH A WORK--RETROSPECTIVE
VIEW--ADMISSION
OF A CONGRESSMAN--COMPLETENESS OF THE GOSPEL NOT DUE TO MAN'S
WISDOM--REMARKABLE CHARACTERISTIC OF MANY EARLY MEMBERS OF THE
CHURCH--SALVATION FOR THE DEAD.
166
President Cannon commenced by reading the 4th chapter of Malachi,
after which he said:
166
In rising to address you this afternoon, my brethren and sisters,
I do so relying upon the assistance of your faith and prayers,
that the remarks which I may be led to make may be such as shall
be adapted to your circumstances, and as shall prove a benefit to
us all.
167
As you know, we have just returned from dedicating the Temple
that has been completed at Logan. We have had during our absence
and our meetings there a most delightful time. I think that every
one who was present felt it to be such, and that we have been
greatly favored of God in being permitted to finish one more
temple in which the ordinances of life and salvation can be
attended to. There has been great rejoicing over its completion,
and those who have been engaged in it have labored very
assiduously. They have been untiring in their efforts and
exceedingly liberal in furnishing the necessary means to
accomplish the great work.
168
It is very encouraging to think that, in the midst of the
assaults which are being made upon the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and the threats that are in circulation
concerning us and our future fate, there is faith enough found in
the midst of the people to pursue, without discouragement and
without cessation, the great work which we feel that our Father
has laid upon us. We have not been situated as we were in Nauvoo,
when we finished our temple there, for then the workmen who
labored upon it, were like the Jews in the days of Nehemiah, when
they undertook to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, and had to
labor a portion of the time at least, and a great portion of it
too, with their instruments of labor in one hand, and weapons to
defend themselves in the other. We were surrounded by mobs, and
living in a constant state, it may be said of fear, because of
the threats which were made and the combinations which were
formed, and the attacks upon our outlying settlements in the
burning of houses, in the destruction of grain, in the shooting
down of cattle, and in the driving out of the people from their
homes. But while we have not been in this condition through the
years that we have been engaged in the erection of the Logan
Temple, we have not been free from attacks and from threats and
from combinations for our destruction. Had we been prompted by
the ordinary faith of man, the hands of the people would have
been weakened in this great work, and they would have hesitated
in its performance. But no such feeling has been manifested or
expressed. Undismayed and undiscouraged by all the surrounding
circumstances, the people have pressed forward the work, and have
now the joy and satisfaction of witnessing its completion. It
seems as though in the performance of such labor there is a
degree of faith required, an unusual degree; for if our views be
correct, it is an important work, an important part of the work
of the great God, the building of temples by His direct command.
And this being the case, undoubtedly such work will be met by
opposition on the part of him who is determined to do everything
in his power to retard the work of God. By the revelation of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the two forces which have been arrayed
against each other since the beginning of the earth have been
brought out unto, it may be said, extraordinary prominence. No
sooner did the sound go forth that God had again spoken from the
heavens than an antagonism and an opposition was aroused, such as
the world for a long period had seemed to know nothing of. The
power of evil was brought to light, brought into active exercise,
and the saying of the Savior was exemplified where He said:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I come not to
send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance
against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the
daughter--in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes
shall be they of his own household." And that has continued from
that day until the present time, gathering strength, increasing
in volume and intensity against the work of God, and to those who
have had no faith, it has seemed as though it would take but a
short period for the waves of opposition to overwhelm and
completely submerge this work that our God has founded in the
earth. But this work being of God, the promises which He made
concerning it, have not failed. Every word thus far has been
fulfilled. It seemed like a feeble light in the beginning. It
seemed as though a small puff of wind would extinguish it; but it
has continued to enlarge, it has continued to increase, until its
blaze illumines the horizon, and is watched with interest from
afar.
169
When we look back at the inception of this work, at the promises
that were made concerning it, and the labors of those who were
engaged in founding it, it is most interesting in this day to
mark and ponder upon that which was then done, and that which was
then promised unto us. Men wonder why it is that the Latter-day
Saints believe in this work, why it is that they believe in the
claims of Joseph Smith as a Prophet of God. Wonder is expressed
because we entertain faith in the doctrines which form our
religion; but to me it is most extraordinary that men, possessed
of the powers of reason, of the faculty of judging between truth
and error, should with the light there is upon this subject, with
the extraordinary evidence in favor of the divinity of this work,
doubt its truth, or that they should hesitate to accept it. It
has always seemed from my boyhood, since I was old enough to
comprehend these principles, extraordinary that such should be
the case. God made promises in the beginning of this work,
concerning its growth and future, every word of which has been
fulfilled. The evidences are before the world. When the Prophet
Joseph first received his manifestations concerning the coming
forth of this work, he was but a boy of fourteen years of age.
When he received the plates containing the Book of Mormon, he was
but twenty-one years of age. When this Church was organized he
was but twenty-four years of age. The revelations which were then
given, and which are embodied in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants concerning the organization of the Church are such that
if I were not a Latter-day Saint, and were to read them and know
as I do know concerning the man through whom these revelations
came, and through whom this organization was effected, I would be
compelled to admit that there was a power connected with the
organization of this Church, that there was a light and an
intelligence connected with the revelations that were then given,
that could not have emanated from any other source but God. It
would be harder for me to reject this idea and this view, than it
would be to entertain it. The weight and preponderance of
argument would be more in favor of that view than of any other.
Let any man read the revelations which Joseph received prior to
the sixth of April, 1830. Let him read the revelation that was
given on that day concerning the organization of this Church, and
if he can do so without being impressed that God is in this, then
he must indeed be an extraordinary specimen of unbelief, and of
hardness of heart. A church organized precisely upon the pattern
of the ancient church, with doctrines precisely similar, varying
in no single particular from the doctrines of the ancient church,
and these revealed in extraordinary plainness and power by an
unlettered youth who had had no chance of education save that
which the common schools of the country afforded. There has never
been a day since this Church was organized until this day of our
Lord, 54 years and upwards, that an Elder of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints ever failed to maintain the divine
authenticity of the doctrines which he had been sent out to
preach when brought in contact with the most learned men of the
day, the most skilled theologians. At no period in our history
has this not been the case. Sending out unlettered men, sending
out men not taught in the schools of theology, sending out men
from the fields, the bench and workshops, as the Savior sent out
His disciples from the lowest walks of life, with the Bible in
their hands, to preach the Gospel as God has restored it; and
wherever they have been brought in contact with the clergy of the
day, in controversy or otherwise, they have always been
successful in maintaining their doctrines from the Scripture. Let
any man examine the system that Joseph taught, the organization
of the Church itself, with all its officers, the ordinances and
the doctrines, and he will be compelled to admit as was admitted
to me by a prominent Member of Congress, who was one of our
bitter enemies, that it is the greatest organization on earth.
Said this gentleman: "Mr. Cannon, I have examined the
organization of your Church: I am familiar with the Catholic
organization; but your organization is the most magnificent of
anything I have ever had my attention directed to. It is superior
to every other organization on the earth. Where did you get it?"
Of course he was not willing to give God any credit for it. I
give Him all credit, and not Joseph Smith, nor Brigham Young, nor
any other man who has been identified with this Church of Christ.
169
But there are other points to which my mind is led this
afternoon, in connection with this subject. Joseph Smith received
the ministration of angels; so he testified. He testified that an
angel came to him and taught him the doctrines that he afterwards
taught to the people. If I can find the place I will read a
little:
169
"While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a
light appearing in the room, which continued to increase until
the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a
personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his
feet did not touch the floor. He had on a loose robe of most
exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I
had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be
made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant; his hands were
naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so, also,
were his feet naked, as were his legs a little above the ankles.
His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no
other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could
see into his bosom.
170
"Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person
was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like
lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright
as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him I
was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and
said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of
God to me, and that his name was Moroni. That God had a work for
me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among
all nations, kindreds, and tongues; or that it should be both
good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a
book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of
the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from
whence they sprang. He also said that the fullness of the
everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the
Savior to the ancient inhabitants. Also, that there were two
stones in silver bows (and these stones, fastened to a
breast-plate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim)
deposited with the plates, and the possession and use of these
stones was what constituted Seers in ancient or modern times, and
that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the
book."
170
I will not read the remainder. Three times during that night, was
this youth visited by this angelic messenger, and at each
interview the same things were repeated to him. Numerous passages
of Scripture were quoted to him, and the doctrines of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ unfolded to him. The next day he was again
visited, and again instructed: so that it appeared to be the mind
of the Lord that he should be deeply impressed, so deeply
impressed that he would never forget that which was then told to
him. There is this remarkable statement made, a statement which
was published in the early days of the Church, long before its
fulfillment:
170
"That God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had
for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues; or
that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people."
171
Certainly no truer words could be spoken than these; for
everywhere throughout the civilized world, already has the name
of Joseph Smith been known for good or evil. No name, probably,
next to that of the Son of God, our Redeemer, is held in such
veneration by the thousands and hundreds of thousands who believe
in the Gospel of the Son of God; next to that name in which we
approach the Father, the name of Jesus--next to that in the minds
of all who have received the Gospel stands pre-eminently the name
of the Prophet Joseph Smith. But with an intensity of hatred
equal to that of the love borne by the Latter-day Saints to that
name, is the feeling entertained towards it by those who have
rejected the Gospel as taught by him. A more complete fulfillment
of a prediction is not to be found anywhere throughout the earth
in ancient days, or at any time when God had Prophets upon the
earth. And so it has been with many other predictions which were
made at that time. Joseph Smith foresaw with certainty and
predicted with accuracy the growth of this work; that the Elders
of this Church should carry the Gospel to the nations of the
earth; that they would be successful to the extent they have been
successful and no more. No man was led to expect there would be
any great conversions of the people by the Elders of this Church.
Joseph Smith, enlightened by the Spirit of God, made no such
prediction, and led no one associated with him to anticipate such
results. On the contrary, he endeavored to the extent of his
ability to prepare the people for such persecution as had never
been witnessed upon the face of the earth since the days of the
Son of God. He never taught the people that their lives would be
easy and pleasant, that they would have smooth sailing, that they
would have no interruption, or that they would become popular
with the world at large. On the contrary, he constantly enjoined
upon those whom he sent out, to bear it in mind that they would
have persecution as an inevitable consequence of the proclamation
of the Gospel. He sent them forth, and they in their turn,
whenever they went and bore testimony to the restoration of the
Gospel, warned those who embraced it that they might expect to
lose everything they had, their good name, their property, their
friends, and perhaps life itself, before they got through. He
foresaw plainly that this would be the character of the
opposition they would have to contend with. God had revealed it
to him in the beginning. The very first night that this angel
visited him he told him that his name should be had for good and
for evil among all people, and he knew full well that it would be
the case. And when the Elders went forth, they went as gleaners
of grapes after the vintage was over. They were not told that
they would find people by hundreds or by thousands, ready to
espouse the truth. No; but they were told that they would find a
few here and there, a few honest-hearted people ready to receive
the truth, a few waiting for the Gospel to come to them; but they
would not effect any great conversions among the Gentile nations.
But they were told, as it was predicted in the Book of Mormon,
that among the Lamanites, as they are termed in that book, that
is, among the descendants of the house of Israel, as the Indians
are, their success would be exceedingly great. This has been
fulfilled to the very letter.
172
Fifty-four years experience in preaching this Gospel among the
various nations of Christendom has proved to us how correctly the
man of God foresaw the character of this work. We have gathered
the people, through the blessing of God, from the various nations
of the earth; but we have gathered them by small handfuls, as it
were. There has been no great influx into the Church from these
nations; but, as I have said, it has been exactly like a gleaning
of grapes after the vintage is over. And it is a remarkable fact
that the great bulk of the people who form this Church--that is,
those who were adults when they became members of this
Church--were anxiously waiting the arrival of some such message
as the Elders brought. Our venerated President, who sits on the
stand, was one of a company of men--himself a Wesleyan Methodist
preacher--awaiting the time when God would reveal something from
the heavens, or would send some message that would be more in
accordance with the ancient Gospel than that which they had. A
company of them were earnestly praying to God to send more light
and more power; that power which was manifested in the days of
the Apostles. At the time when Elder Parley P. Pratt carried the
Gospel to the city of Toronto he fell in with this company. And
there sits Brother Wilford Woodruff. I have heard him relate that
in his early days he has gone out in secret and besought God to
restore the ancient Gospel, to restore the ancient gifts, to
restore the ancient power, and he received a promise from God
before he ever heard of the Latter-day Saints, or ever heard of
the organization of this Church, that the time would come when
the true gospel would be restored, and that he should have the
privilege of being identified with it. And the thousands that
compose this Church to-day, who joined it when they were adults
were, the most of them, in a similar condition, a similar state
of mind. Dissatisfied with existing creeds, members, in many
instances of existing Churches, but conscious that there was an
absence of that divine power and of those heavenly gifts which
characterized the Church in ancient days; dissatisfied with this
condition of things, they besought God earnestly, fervently, and
anxiously, to restore His Gospel to the earth, or to send some
message of life and salvation unto them. They were thus prepared
for the Gospel when it came, and received it gladly, because
their hearts were prepared, and it is those few who have been
gathered from the nations of the earth, with others who are also
open, because of the honesty of their hearts, to receive the
truth. Joseph Smith said that this should be the character of
this work. But it is a remarkable fact--and I wish before leaving
this point to call your attention to it, that, wherever we have
gone among those people whom the Book of Mormon tells us are the
descendants of the house of Israel, we have had no trouble in
converting them by hundreds, and it may be said by thousands, to
the truth. They were ready to receive it without any difficulty
whatever. It seemed as though their hearts had been prepared by
the God of heaven, and all that has been necessary has been to
tell them the truth, and they were natural Latter-day Saints,
natural believers in the Gospel of the Son of God.
172
I myself, went as a missionary, as many of you know, to the
Sandwich Islands, the natives of which I believe to be either a
branch of the Indians of this continent, or of some other portion
of the house of Israel. There was no trouble in baptizing them,
and there is no trouble in baptizing any of the Polynesian races.
They are ready to receive the Gospel, ready to be baptized; very
different in this respect from us Gentiles; for there is a spirit
of unbelief among the Gentile race; there is a hardness of heart;
there is a want of faith that prevents the blessings of God from
descending as they did in ancient days upon His covenant people.
Gentiles are naturally unbelievers. It is difficult to convert
them, difficult to control them, difficult for them to receive
the truth in plainness and simplicity.
173
Now God has said in this chapter, that He would send Elijah, the
Prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the
Lord. A very singular prediction, a remarkable prediction
especially when we consider that in this day and age, men do not
believe in the ministration of angels; and the office of that
Prophet should be "to turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I
come and smite the earth with a curse." Elijah was to come for a
specific purpose. I do not know how Christendom is going to
arrange to have this angel come. If he came, I do not suppose
Christendom would believe he came. But it is on record in our
sacred books that the Prophet Elijah has come. Permit me, in
connection with this subject, to read a little upon this point.
After the completion of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery testified that they beheld the Son of God. It is a
most remarkable testimony in this age of unbelief; but they
solemnly testify that they beheld the Son of God, and that after
beholding Him, they were visited by three glorious personages,
among whom was the Prophet Elijah. These are the words that they
have left on record:
173
"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision
burst upon us, for Elijah, the prophet, who was taken to heaven,
without tasting death, stood before us, and said:
173
"Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the
mouth of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent
before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come,
173
"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a
curse.
173
"Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your
hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of
the Lord is near, even at the doors."
173
Now, I can imagine how those who are opposed to this work might
say, "Why, it is a very easy thing for Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery to make such a statement as that, because it seems to
correspond with what Malachi has said, and their making the
statement is merely in anticipation of that which the Bible has
said would be the case."
173
But there is this that is remarkable in connection with this
statement: the coming of the prophet Elijah was to be attended
with certain results--it was to turn the heart of the fathers to
the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest the Lord should come and smite the earth with a curse.
174
The question arises, after the visitation of Elijah to those two
men, were the hearts of the fathers turned to the children, and
the hearts of the children to their fathers? The very fact that
we are building temples to the Most High God, is evidence of it.
There never was a greater proof of the truth of any statement
than that which is furnished in the acts of the Latter-day Saints
upon this point. The people that comprise this church, before
joining it, knew nothing about the plan of salvation, except that
which they had derived from their teachers, who themselves were
very ignorant; but God in His mercy has restored to us certain
principles and knowledge concerning the dead. He has informed us
that during the time the body of Jesus slept in the tomb, that
the Savior went and preached to the spirits that were in prison.
I refer now to what Peter says, that while His body lay in the
tomb, "He went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which
sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God
waited in the days of Noah." He preached the Gospel to them.
Isaiah says that one of the objects of his mission should be to
unlock the doors of the prison to them that were bound, and He
undoubtedly did so on this occasion. I believe the Episcopalian
catechism admits that Jesus descended into hell. He certainly
did, and visited those spirits that were in prison. After His
resurrection, when Mary came forward to salute her Lord, and to
embrace Him, He said: "Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to
my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend
unto my Father and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
During the interval between His death and resurrection He had
been engaged in preaching to the spirits in prison. He had
unlocked the prison doors to them that were bound; thus showing
that though the punishment of the wicked may be eternal
punishment,--God's punishment being eternal punishment,--the Lord
does not subject His fallen creatures to suffer that punishment
throughout the endless ages of eternity, as has been falsely
taught by so-called Christian ministers. There comes a day of
release. Jesus preached redemption to those spirits who were
disobedient in the days of Noah. They had lain in torment from
the days of Noah--upward of 2,000 years--until the Son of Man
turned the keys of their prison-house, and preached to them the
Gospel of repentance, that they might repent of their sins,
though in the spirit, and be judged, as Peter says, according to
men in the flesh. God has revealed this doctrine to the
Latter-day Saints, and it is for the purpose of carrying it out
that we build these temples, that you may go in and officiate
vicariously for those who have not had that privilege in the
flesh.
175
It has been a question that has agitated many minds, when they
have been told that the name of Jesus is the only name given
under heaven whereby man can be saved--"What, then, has become of
the millions of Pagans who never heard the sound of the name of
Jesus?" They are dying by thousands to-day. Nations are perishing
who have never heard the name of the Son of God. This question
has been asked of us many times when we have been preaching the
Gospel of salvation that God has restored. People have said: "Is
it possible that those who do not believe your doctrine will be
damned? If so, what is to become of our ancestors? I had
Christian parents who loved the Lord, and you say that those who
are not baptized according to your method and by one having
authority, cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." Many people
have been tempted to reject the testimony of the servants of God,
because of this, forgetting that Christendom has taught a similar
doctrine respecting the heathen nations. The Christian world have
believed that all these nations would be sent to a place of
endless torment, that they go to hell and can never be redeemed.
Most abhorrent doctrine! so inconceivably cruel that it is enough
to make men reject God and everything connected with Him, if it
is supposed that He could be the author of such teaching as this;
as though God would consign men to hell for ignorance--conceal
from them the Gospel, and then damn them through all eternity,
because they had not known that which might have been revealed to
them. No, there is no such doctrine in the Book. There is no such
doctrine in the Gospel of salvation. Those heathen nations, like
our ancestors, who died in ignorance of the Gospel of Christ,
will yet hear the voice of salvation. Jesus and those associated
with Him will minister to them; for we are all the sons and
daughters of God. What shall we do throughout the ages yet to
come, the eternities lying before us? Shall there be no salvation
extended to the ignorant, and to the erring, and to those who
would have done better could they have known the plan of life and
salvation? Why, certainly. The little space of time we live here
upon the hearth, important as it is to us, compared with the
eternities of our God, is only like one grain of sand out of the
immensities of grains that are upon the sea shore. Our God is
endless and eternal. His Gospel is endless and eternal, and as
long as there is a soul to be saved, He, and Jesus, who died for
all, and all associated with them who have the same Priesthood,
will labor anxiously until every soul will be brought back who
can be brought back, who has not committed the unpardonable sin
by sinning against light and knowledge, as Judas did in betraying
the Lord of life and glory; every souls other than these will be
felt after throughout the eternities of our God. Hell itself will
be sought; every crevice of it, every part of it will be
penetrated by Jesus, and by the Saints of God, in search of the
souls of the children of men, until from every crevice and from
every recess in the regions of the damned they will be brought
forth to light and glory, if they will obey the glorious Gospel
of the Son of God, if they will bow in submission to the sceptre
of King Immanuel. That is all they have to do--to repent of their
sins, repent of them whether in this life or in the life to come,
and put them away far from them. This is the Gospel of glad
tidings. It is not a Gospel that consigns the majority of the
human family to an endless condition of torment. That is not the
Gospel of Christ.
176
Now, as I have said, the Lord promised that Elijah should come
before the great and dreadful day. He has sent him, and the
hearts of the Latter-day Saints have been turned to their fathers
who have died in ignorance of the Gospel of the Son of God, and
we have the warrant of Scripture to believe that the hearts of
the fathers in the eternal worlds, those who have lived upon the
earth, are turned to their children who now live here, and who
can officiate vicariously for them, and answer the purpose that
God has designed in attending to those ordinances which they
themselves have not the power to attend to. Certainly this has
been fulfilled. It is not the testimony of Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery alone; but this whole people. These Latter-day
Saints throughout all these mountains, can bear a testimony that
this spirit has rested upon them, and their hearts have been
turned to their fathers, and the hearts of their fathers have
without doubt been turned to them. And it is a strange fact
connected with the Gospel, that contemporaneously with the
revelation of the doctrine to Joseph Smith a spirit seemed to
take possession of the people in Eastern lands to hunt up their
genealogies, and Genealogical Societies have been formed in many
places for what purpose no one can exactly tell, unless it be a
Latter-day Saint. Genealogies have been hunted up with wonderful
industry, saving us a great amount of labor in these matters. It
was a strange spirit that took hold of the American people,
especially the people of New England, about that time. It was a
common thing in the Western States when I was a boy, for men not
to know the names of their grandfathers; and I have known many
intelligent men who could not tell the names of their uncles and
aunts, their fathers, and mothers, brothers and sisters. This
arose from the fact that in moving West, emigrants had left their
kindred behind, and had not kept up in their children's minds the
recollection of their names. But within the last 40 years a
different spirit has taken possession of the people, and many are
industriously engaged in searching out the names of their
ancestors. Many volumes have been published in connection with
this subject, and in the Historian's Office are to be found many
books containing the genealogies of the families of many whose
members are in this Territory. Such books have been invaluable to
us, in carrying out this work. Thus, these societies and people
have unwittingly helped to fulfill the words of the Lord, through
Malachi, and to strengthen the evidence that Joseph Smith was
indeed an inspired Prophet of God. In the persecution that this
Church has received; in being driven from their homes: in
everything that is now being done by the Congress of the United
States against the Latter-day Saints, and in this genealogical
work that I have just alluded to, men outside of this Church have
contributed to prove that Joseph Smith was indeed and inspired
Prophet of God; for there has been no action taken by Congress,
nothing has been done to us by mobs, or by any combination, that
has not been predicted by Joseph Smith the Prophet, and we have
the record of it, and know that it is true. We know whereof we
speak. Joseph Smith, years and years before the breaking out of
the war in South Carolina, predicted that such a war should take
place, and he designated the spot where it should commence. And
the wicked by their own acts proved to the world, to God, and to
angels, that Joseph Smith was an inspired Prophet of God, and
that He foretold that which should take place.
176
God bless you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Taylor, May 18th, 1884
John Taylor, May 18th, 1884
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR
Delivered at the time of the Dedication of the Temple, in the
Tabernacle,
Logan, Cache County, Sunday Afternoon, May 18th, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
MANIFESTATIONS TO BE LOOKED FOR--SOME ALREADY RECEIVED--MANY
THINGS KNOWN
WHICH CAN NOT BE TOLD YET--THE WORK REQUIRED OF THE SAINTS--OTHER
AND
MORE SPLENDID TEMPLES TO BE BUILT --PERSONS REQUIRED TO LABOR IN
THE
TEMPLES--KIND OF MEN WANTED TO GO UPON MISSIONS--SELF-DENIAL
REQUIRED--BLESSINGS IN STORE FOR THE FAITHFUL.
177
Since we assembled in this place we have had a very interesting
time. It has been our desire that all who could be properly
recommended by their Bishops should have an opportunity to visit
the Temple, whether it be the residents of this Stake, and the
Stakes of this Temple district, or the residents of other Stakes,
because we have felt that it is due to those who have assisted so
liberally in building the Temple in this place, that they should
have a full and fair opportunity of seeing it. For that purpose
we have already had two dedication services, and we intend to
have another in the Temple, commencing at half-past ten o'clock
to-morrow morning, tickets for which can be obtained from
President Geo. Q. Cannon, at the close of this meeting.
177
We are living in a very important day and age of the world, in a
time which is pregnant with greater events than any other period
that we know of, or any other dispensation that has existed upon
the earth. It is called "the dispensation of the fullness of
times," when God "will gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;" for
the heavens, the Gods in the eternal worlds, the Holy Priesthood
that have existed upon the earth, the living that live upon the
face of the earth, and the dead that have departed this life, are
all interested in the work in which we are engaged. Consequently,
it is of the greatest importance that everything we do, that ever
ordinance we administer, that every principle we believe in,
should be strictly in accordance with the mind and word, the will
and law of God.
178
I have heard some remarks in the Temple pertaining to these
matters, and also here, and it has been thought, as has been
expressed by some, that we ought to look for some peculiar
manifestations. The question is, What do we want to see? Some
peculiar power, some remarkable manifestations? All these things
are very proper in their place; all these things we have a right
to look for; but we must only look for such manifestations as are
requisite for our circumstances, and as God shall see fit to
impart them. Certain manifestations have already occurred. When
our Heavenly Father appeared unto Joseph Smith, the Prophet, He
pointed to the Savior who was with him, (and who, it is said, is
the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of His
person) and said: "This is my beloved Son, hear Him." So that
there was an evidence manifested through His servant to the
world, that God lived, that the Redeemer, who was crucified and
put to death to atone for the sins of the world, also lived, and
that there was a message which had to be communicated to the
human family, and that the Son was the personage through which it
should be communicated. The key thus being turned, authority
given by the highest source in the heavens in relation to the
purposes of God on the earth, the Holy Priesthood began to be
developed. Why? Because there was no Priesthood on the earth;
there was nobody who was authorized to operate and officiate in
the name of the Lord, therefore John the Baptist, came as the
representative of the Aaronic Priesthood, having held the keys
thereof in his day; and he placed his hands upon the heads of
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and said: "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." John the Baptist having thus come and
imparted the Aaronic Priesthood, which like the Melchizedek
Priesthood is an eternal Priesthood--it being already conferred
it is not now necessary that John the Baptist should return for
the accomplishment of that purpose. He had delivered his
testimony, he had turned the key, he had introduced the power and
authority to administer in that Priesthood, so that those upon
whom it was conferred were able to perform the several duties
associated therewith.
178
Then Peter, James and John appeared and conferred upon Joseph
Smith and Oliver Cowdery the Melchizedek Priesthood, which, as
you all know, differs from that of the Aaronic. The Melchizedek
Priesthood, which, as you all know, differs from that of the
Aaronic. The Melchizedek Priesthood, according to the Scriptures,
is after the order of the Son of God, and after the power of an
endless life. It places men in communication with God our
Heavenly Father, whereby through its influence, ordinance, powers
and blessings, they can approach the presence of God, the Eternal
Father, and come, as it was said by one of old, "To the general
assembly and church of the first born, which are written in
heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just
men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than
that of Abel." It is that Priesthood through the Gospel, that
brings life and immortality to light, that places man in a
position whereby he can obtain, through faithfulness and
adherence to the laws of God, all the rich blessings associated
with the eternal worlds, of which we are allowed to partake while
we dwell here upon the earth, or hereafter in the heavens. It is
not necessary that Peter, James and John should come again to do
the thing that is already done. The Priesthood has been restored,
with which is connected all the blessings that ever were
associated with any people upon the face of the earth; and if we
know to-day so little in regard to the things of God and the
principles associated with eternity, with the heavens and with
the angels, it is because we have not improved our privileges as
we might, nor lived up to those principles which God has revealed
unto us, and because we are not yet prepared for further
advancement.
178
Jesus in His day, said to His disciples: "Peace I leave with you,
my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. *
* * * * Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God,
believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it
were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you. I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I
am, there ye may be also." What did He mean? Just what he said,
precisely. If He went away He would send them another Comforter,
the Spirit of truth, which should abide with them forever, and
teach them all things, and bring all things pertaining to the
past to their remembrance; the Comforter was also to lead them
into all truth, and show them things to come.
179
This same Comforter has been given, in connection with the Gospel
in these days, for our enlightenment, for our instruction, for
our guidance, that we may have a knowledge of things that are
past, of the dealings of God with the human family, of the
principles of truth that have been developed in the different
ages, of the position of the world and its relationship to God in
those different ages, of its position in years that are past and
gone, and of its present status. It is also given for our
enlightenment, that we may be enabled to conduct all things
according to the mind and will of God, and in accordance with His
eternal laws and those principles which exist in the heavens, and
which have been provided by God for the salvation and exaltation
of a fallen world; also for the manifestation of principles which
have been and will be developed in the interest of an, not only
pertaining to this world, but also to that which is to come;
through which medium the Lord will make known His plans and
designs to His Priesthood and His people in His own due time.
179
After these things had been introduced, the people in Kirtland,
Ohio, by the command of God, through Joseph Smith, the Prophet,
some 49 years ago, (without being particular as to dates)
commenced to build a house unto the Lord wherein certain
preliminary ordinances were introduced, and that house was built
under very trying circumstances to the Saints, but they
accomplished it. Most of the Saints then devoted all the time
they could possibly spare for the accomplishment of that object;
it was not in little donations, but they had to exert their
undivided energies and means to its accomplishment. When they had
finished it, it was dedicated to the Lord, God accepted their
sacrifice, and Jesus appeared in that Temple, of which appearance
you will find a description in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. (Section 110). Before this they had had the Aaronic
and the Melchizedek Priesthoods presented to them, and Moroni,
and other personages had appeared unto Joseph Smith. When this
Temple was erected for preparatory ordinances,--for it was not
like the Temples we now have, nor like the Temple that was in
Nauvoo, the Lord appeared, and then Moses appeared. They had
already the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, and of the
Melchizedek; and as Moses had held the keys and authority of the
gathering of the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt, in a
former dispensation, so he was now sent to confer these said keys
upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. It is said, that after this
vision closed--that is the vision of the Savior manifested to
Joseph and Oliver in the Kirtland Temple--that:
179
"The heavens were again opened unto us, and Moses appeared before
us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel
from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten
tribes from the land of the north."
180
Here then were the keys committed associated with the gathering.
Why is it that you are here to-day? and what brought you here?
Because the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four
quarters of the earth have been committed to Joseph Smith, and he
has conferred those keys upon others that the gathering of Israel
may be accomplished, and in due time the same thing will be
performed to the tribes in the land of the north. It is on this
account, and through the unlocking of this principle, and through
those means, that you are brought together as you are to-day. I
have heretofore mentioned a circumstance, and I will mention it
again here, as there are so many present to show you how those
things operate. What I refer to is this: Soon after we were
driven from Missouri, the Twelve were sent to England. There was
no place then for the Saints to gather to; the Prophet therefore
said to the Twelve: "When you go to England, until you get
further information, do not say anything about the gathering."
Consequently we did not; but we could not keep the spirit of it
from the people. Why? Because we had the Gospel, and the Gospel
brings life and immortality to light, and those that receive the
Gospel receive the Holy Ghost, and a knowledge of the things
associated with the Gospel. And hence I remember a sister coming
to me in Liverpool, England, where I had raised up a church, and
says she, "Brother Taylor, I had a very remarkable dream or
vision, I don't know which, and it was something like this: I
thought that the Saints were gathered together on the Pier
Head--[that is the place where the vessels then used to sail
from], and there was a ship about to sail. The people said they
were going to Zion, and they were singing what they called the
songs of Zion, and rejoicing exceedingly; you were among them,
and you were going also. Now I want to know if you can tell me
what it means." "Yes," said I, I "know what it means, and I will
tell you when the time comes"--just the same as I have to say to
day that there are many things that I know of which I can only
tell you when the time comes.
180
By and by, Joseph Smith sent word that the Saints were to gather
to Nauvoo; that they had a gathering place there, and the Saints
were to be directed to that land. I then went and told this
sister the interpretation of her dream or vision. I mention this
to show that you cannot prevent these manifestations: they are
associated with the Gospel. If men and women receive the Spirit
of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, it reveals those things
unto them. It was said by one of old, that through its influence
"your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men
shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;" and
although Joseph had told us not to say anything about the
gathering, yet he could not prevent the Lord from revealing it to
the people. He did reveal it, and a great many, as well as the
sister referred to, had a knowledge of it.
180
That is the principle which brought you here. If that key had not
been turned; if Moses had not come to introduce it, you would not
have been here, and Joseph Smith would not have known anything
about it nor anybody else until God revealed it in His own
appointed way.
180
But as I stated before, the Father said, "This is my beloved Son,
hear Him." He manipulates the Priesthood in the heavens and on
the earth. He manages the affairs associated with the redemption
of the human family. "Hear Him;" and when He was prepared to send
forth these messengers, as we send forth messengers to accomplish
certain purposes--when He saw that the time had come, He said,
"Go Moses, and attend to this matter. They have built a Temple;
from now they will begin to gather the Saints, and it is
necessary that they should have proper instructions and
information relating to these matters." And Moses came.
180
Now, that was one thing. Then we read that:
180
"After this Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the
Gospel of Abraham, saying, that in us, and our seed, all
generations after us should be blessed."
181
That was the promise made to Abraham some 3,500 years ago. It was
not a promise made to Abraham alone, but through him to others.
He and his seed were to be the instrumentality, the media through
which mankind should be blessed; they were to be the special
instruments in the hands of God for the accomplishment of these
purposes. Hence the Priesthood began to be organized--the
Bishopric and all pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood including
Priests, Teachers and Deacons; and associated with the
Melchizedek Priesthood, the First Presidency, the Twelve, the
High Council, High Priests, Seventies and Elders, and all those
occupying their own particular place; and hence in that small
Temple, as we should now call it, that was erected in Kirtland,
they had the same organization of the Priesthood, and the same
arrangements of the stands for the seating of the Priesthood as
we have here. Why? Because the Priesthood had been introduced
after the order of Aaron, and after the order of Melchizedek,
which is after the order of the Son of God, and after the power
of an endless life, and that officiates and operates in time and
in eternity, and by which Priesthood and through which authority
the worlds were framed by the power of God. Things as they
existed in the heavens again began to be introduced upon the
earth. Hence, that His servants might be properly instructed and
comprehend correctly the great principles which He designed to
unfold to the human family, He sent those several messengers
holding those various keys that they might unlock the doors and
place His servants in communication with the heavenly Priesthood
in the eternal worlds.
181
Do you want anything more than this, you Latter-day Saints? This
was the position in which they were placed, and the position in
which we find ourselves to-day.
181
Then we are told that another personage appeared, as stated:
181
"After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision
burst upon us, for Elijah, the prophet, who was taken to heaven
without tasting death, stood before us and said--
181
"Behold the time has fully come which was spoken of by the mouth
of Malachi, testifying that he (Elijah) should be sent before the
great and dreadful day of the Lord came.
181
"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
children to the fathers, lest, the whole earth be smitten with a
curse.
181
"Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your
hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of
the Lord is near, even at the doors."
181
What means this? What means this Temple that you have built here
on the hill? Why have you built it? Why have you expressed such
anxiety in the erection of that Temple? Why have such crowds of
our brethren and sisters from distant places come here to the
dedication of this Temple? Why is it? It is because those keys
were turned of which I have just read in your hearing.
181
"Behold the time has fully come * * * to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest
the whole earth be smitten with a curse.
181
"Therefore the keys of this dispensation are committed into your
hands, and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of
the Lord is near, even at the doors."
182
What does this mean? It means that there was a great and
comprehensive plan designed by the Almighty in his economy
connected with the salvation of the human family who are His
children; for He is the God and the father of the spirits of all
flesh. It means that He is interested in their welfare, in their
prosperity, in their happiness, and in all that pertains to their
exaltation in time and throughout the eternities that are to
come. Being thus interested, and so little of the Gospel having
been revealed in the different ages, and so much of the power of
darkness and iniquity having prevailed among men, it was
necessary that something should be done for the dead as well as
the living. God is interested in the dead as well as the living.
Adam, who is the Ancient of Days and the father of the human
family; Seth, Enos, Enoch, Mahalaleel, Methuselah, Noah, and all
the prominent leading men of God, as well as Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Moses, the Prophets, Jesus and His Apostles, together with
the Prophets and Apostles who lived on this continent, and who
stood at the various times or epochs as the representatives of
the nations, and as thousands of these peoples have passed away
having held and now holding the Priesthood; all these ancient
fathers feel interested in this great work, and their hearts are
turned toward the children, being interested in their welfare,
happiness and exaltation; and their children who now have
received the Gospel have their hearts, through this
instrumentality, and the keys and principles which were
introduced by Elijah, turned towards the fathers through the
inspiration of the same Gospel, which Gospel as spoken of in the
Scriptures, is an everlasting Gospel, being associated with the
everlasting covenant, which principle wherever it has existed,
brought life and immortality to light.
182
When Jesus came, He came to do a work in many particulars similar
to that in which we are engaged, and when He got through with His
work here, He stood as the Savior of the world, and of the human
family. He came to preach the Gospel to the poor, to open the
prison doors to those that were imprisoned, to set at liberty,
and to proclaim the acceptable hour of the Lord, etc. This was a
work connected with the people who lived at the time of the
flood, and were destroyed and kept in prison until the Lord
should see proper to extend manifestations of His mercy to them.
Hence, as we read, "Christ 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 to the spirits in prison; which sometime were
disobedient when once the long suffering of God waited in the
days of Noah." He having finished His work upon earth for the
living, went and performed a work for the dead; as we are
informed, "He went and preached to spirits in prison, that had
sometime been disobedient in the days of Noah."
183
It is reserved for us to do a work for those who have passed
away, who have not obeyed or had the Gospel in their lifetime. We
are here to do a work connected with the redemption of the dead.
When the Temple was commanded to be built in Nauvoo, after the
Temple had been built in Kirtland, and after so many keys had
been turned, and after so many manifestations, visions and
ministrations had been had, yet it was said then that there was
not a place upon the earth in which to perform the ordinance of
baptism for the dead, and Joseph was commanded to build a house
for that purpose. But who knew anything about these things until
God revealed them? Nobody. Men talk and boast of their
intelligence and their knowledge--why, there is not a man
breathing on the earth, outside of this Church, who has any
knowledge of those things to which I have referred, and nobody in
this Church either, only as God has revealed it. We are all of us
indebted to the revelations of God, through the medium of the
Holy Priesthood, for these things. Joseph Smith before his death,
was much exercised about the completion of the Temple in Nauvoo,
and the administering of ordinances therein. In his anxiety and
for fear he should not live to see the Temple completed, he
prepared a place over what was known as the brick-store--which
many of you who lived in Nauvoo will recollect--where to a chosen
few he administered those ordinances that we now have to-day
associated with endowments, so that if anything should happen to
him--which he evidently contemplated--he would feel that he had
then fulfilled his mission, that he had conferred upon others all
the keys given to him by the manifestations of the power of God.
183
At first these things were only partially made known to him, and
as they were partially developed he called upon the Twelve that
were then living--many of you grey-headed people will remember
it--to commence and be baptized for the dead, and they were
baptized in the Mississippi River. Immediately after these
baptisms, the Prophet had a revelation which more clearly
developed the order in relation to such baptisms. According to
that revelation it appeared that, notwithstanding all the vision,
revelations, keys, etc., that had heretofore been given, there
was not a place, not even in the Kirtland Temple, wherein those
things could be carried out, and hence a font, such as we have in
this Temple, was built in the temple at Nauvoo, and it was there,
under proper circumstances and proper administration, and
according to the principles that he had laid down, that those
ordinances were administered then, and are administered now.
184
I now come to another subject that opens a wide and expansive
field, broad as the world in which we live, and expansive as the
universe, and which affects all the inhabitants of the earth
living or dead. Why is it that there is such a feeling, as I have
said, concerning your Temple and other Temples? It is because
those keys have been turned, and you have received, like the
woman I spake of, a knowledge of the gathering dispensation. You
have laid out a great amount of means, done a large amount of
labor, and you have built a house that is creditable to you, and
which God will sanction and approve and does sanction and
approve. You have made it very nice, pleasant, and beautiful. We
ought to build Temples to the Lord, for we are His offspring and
He is our Father, and He has revealed unto us those things and
implanted those principles in our bosoms. They are developed
within us, and this Temple is a proof of it, just the same as we
are a living proof of the gathering dispensation. We have
received the gift of the Holy Ghost, and a knowledge, so far as
we have progressed, of the things of God. You have been baptized,
you have had hands laid upon you for the reception of the Holy
Ghost, and you that have lived your religion have received this
Holy Ghost, and I want, as an evidence before God and this
people--I want to see how many of you can bear testimony to that.
All who can, hold up their right hands. [A perfect forest of
hands was held up.] We know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and
by obedience to His law, so far as we have obeyed it, that God
lives. But then, we have been poor, weak, erring creatures,
surrounded by infirmities. Yet God has conferred upon us great,
inestimable and eternal treasures, even the gift of eternal
lives, and upon many of us are conferred these promises of
thrones, principalities, powers and dominion in the eternal
worlds. God has conferred those rich and precious treasures upon
us, but we have them in earthen vessels. We have to wrestle
against flesh and blood, against the powers of darkness, the
Adversary, who rules in the hearts of the children of
disobedience, and leads them captive at his will, and against the
power of wickedness in high places. We have not all of us learned
to obey those principles that God has revealed. We have not all
of us learned to say in our hearts, "Thy will be done on earth as
it is done in heaven." We have not all of us learned to submit
our will to the law and word of God, yet God is introducing
Temples and ordinances and blessings, and light, revelations and
intelligence, to lift us up, to exalt us, that we may be a city
set upon a hill that cannot be hid; that we may progress from
intelligence to intelligence, from knowledge to knowledge, until
we shall see as we are seen and know as we are known.
184
We are living, as I have said, in an important day and age of the
world. We have gathered to this land because God has decreed it.
He has reserved us for the latter days, that we may perform that
work which He decreed from before the foundation of the world. If
there have been any blessings enjoyed by men in former
dispensations of the world, they will also be given to you, ye
Latter-day Saints, if you will live your religion and be obedient
to the laws of God. There is nothing hidden but what shall be
revealed, says the Lord. He is prepared to unfold all things; all
things pertaining to the heavens and the earth, all things
pertaining to the peoples who have existed, who now exist or will
exist, that we may be instructed and taught in every principle of
intelligence associated with the world in which we live, or with
the Gods in the eternal worlds.
184
Having said so much on some of these subjects, let me now talk a
little upon some other things.
185
We have finished our Temple. What is it for? Not a building to
look at; not a house to brag about; for before we get through we
shall have built some Temples so much better, that you will not
feel to boast about this Temple. The Temple that the people built
in Kirtland, was only a small building compared with this one,
and they were a very small and poor people who built it, yet it
was built in accordance with the commands of God. In Nauvoo,
also, the people were very poor. They had just been driven from
the land of Missouri, yet they were commanded of God to build it.
What was obtained in these Temples? In the Kirtland Temple Jesus
appeared, and Moses, Elias and Elijah appeared also, and all
these things that I have read to you and spoken about, transpired
on that occasion. Communication was opened between the heavens
and the earth, between the Priesthood in the heavens and the
Priesthood on the earth, and the Keys of that Priesthood imparted
to Joseph and others on the earth. It was left to those in this
world to keep open those communications, to see that the road was
clear, and that there was no barrier interposed between earth and
the heavens, and to lead forward and progress in other principles
yet to be developed; we operating, in our part here in their
behalf, and in behalf of their children who are our fathers;
while they, in their exalted position, are operating for them and
us in the heavens; thus forming a connecting link between the
Priesthood on the earth and the Priesthood in the heavens.
185
We have now finished this Temple, and some people inquire, what
is it for? For many things: that our sealings and ordinances may
be performed in a manner that will be acceptable before God and
the holy angels; that whatsoever is bound on the earth according
to the laws of the eternal Priesthood shall be bound in the
heavens; that there may be a connecting link between the living
and the dead, between those who have lived, all those ancient
fathers of which I have spoken who are interested in the welfare
of their posterity; that there may be a royal Priesthood, a holy
people, a pure people, a virtuous people on the earth to
officiate and operate in the interests of the living and the
dead; not looking so much after themselves, but after God, after
the work of God, and after the accomplishment of those things
which God has designed to be carried out in "the dispensation of
the fullness of times" when all things are to be united in one,
and that they may be prepared to operate with the Priesthood in
the heavens in the redemption of the inhabitants of this world
form the days of Adam unto the present time. It is also intended
to introduce the higher branches of education--literary,
scientific, linguistic, philosophical and theological; for we are
told to obtain a knowledge of laws, languages, governments,
justice, equity, rule, authority, dominion, and all those great
cosmopolitan principles exhibited in the laws of nature and among
the peoples, by the wisdom, prescience, power and intelligence of
"nature's God." That we may thus be acquainted with earthly and
heavenly things, in accordance with everlasting laws that have
existed in the heavens and on the earth from the beginning; and
that all those great and eternal principles by which the worlds
are governed may be comprehended by us.
186
This is a great work. Well might it be said to Joseph Smith, "You
are laying the foundation of a great work"--so vast that very few
can begin to comprehend it. We read sometimes about the
millennium. But what do we know about it? It is a time when this
work will be going on, and Temples, thousands of them, will be
reared for the accomplishment of the objects designed, in which
communications from the heavens will be received in regard to our
labors, how we may perform them, and for whom. This is the work
devolving upon us. We have to build up here a Zion unto God. Who
are Zion? The pure in heart, and the pure in life. And be it
remembered that it is not every one that saith, "Lord, Lord,"
that shall enter the Kingdom of heaven, but it is he that doeth
the will of the Father who is in heaven. We must be faithful to
our calling, for there is a great work for all of us to perform.
Some men who have been ordained to the Priesthood have remarked
that they have nothing to do. I have heard some foolish remarks
of that kind. They will find plenty to do before they get
through. They need not be troubled on that score. There will be
plenty for them to do if they are only prepared to do it. There
is a great work to perform in preaching the Gospel to the nations
of the earth. Then as we build our Temples we shall want a great
many people to administer in them, and I have seen some people
quite pleased at the idea. Some Elders, Seventies, and High
Priests have said--"What can I do? I am getting old and grey
headed. Still I would like to do something." We shall require
quite a number to administer in the Temples as we get them built.
I am informed there are over forty persons employed in the Temple
in St. George, about the same number, I presume, will be required
in the Temple here, and then forty in the one at Manti, forty or
more in the one at Salt Lake, and then forty in each of the
others we are going to build. Hence, we shall find places for
some of you folks after a while. You need not be concerned about
having nothing to do. We will find plenty for the Seventies to
do. You need not think there are any too many of them. The
nations of the earth have yet to be preached to. The work is not
all through. It is hardly begun. We are just getting ready for
the labor, and so you may prepare yourselves, you Seventies, you
High Priests, and you Elders, for missions to the nations of the
earth. [Here President Taylor inquired of Bishop Preston how they
were progressing with the missionary farms, and was answered that
they were progressing satisfactorily. We don't want the aged and
infirm to go out to the world. For that labor it requires strong,
able-bodied men, men that are able to cope with the world, the
flesh and the devil, as they say. We want men who are full of
vigor, life and vitality. We want men to cleave unto God, and
seek for more of His Spirit, that they may go to the nations of
the earth to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation to a fallen
world. That is what we are gathered together for, that we may be
instructed in the laws of life, and then go and teach these laws
to others. Our Elders go out to preach the Gospel without purse
or scrip, and when they return we help them back. But we should
see when they are gone that their families are taken care of, and
everything made pleasant and comfortable for them. This is quite
a little thing that some of you can turn your hands to. You can
assist on the missionary farms, and in this way help to take care
of the families of those who are absent on missions. This is a
principle we want to see extended all over the land of Zion. How
are you going to be paid for this? You will just get the same pay
which I used to have when I went out to preach; you will have
just the same source to go to, only you will have a little more
time, I expect, than some of us had. We used to go without purse
or scrip. We went along trusting in God. We are now in a
different position, perhaps, and can put a few dollars into the
bag to help us along; but I will tell you when I was away I would
rather trust in the living God than in any other power on earth,
for I learned that I could go to God and He always received me.
He always supplied my wants. I always had plenty to eat, drink
and wear, and could ride on steamboats or railroads, or anywhere
I thought proper: God always opened my way, and so He will that
of every man who will put his trust in Him. I would rather have
God for my friend than all other influences and powers outside;
for in God we live, in God we move, and from God we derive our
being and our existence.
187
Then what about the payment of those men who are to be employed
in Temples? There are three or four men that will have to be
provided for, and others will have to take care of themselves,
find their own bread and dinner, and think it a privilege to work
for God, for the interests of His Kingdom, and to act as saviors
upon Mount Zion. Supposing there are forty required to labor in
this Temple. Many of you are pretty well off. You have got fat,
and have almost kicked, some of you (laughter). Some of you have
got more means than you know what to do with, and it is a bother
to you. We will have to fix upon the number of men and women--for
the sisters will be required as well as the brethren--that will
be needed. These can go along, leaving their farms and their
merchandizing, or whatever they may have in hand, and go into the
Temple of the Lord, on a mission for six months, or twelve
months, or two or three years as the case may be, the same as
others who go out into the world. If I to-day were not engaged as
I am I should say, "Won't you be kind enough to give me and one
of my wives, or more, as the case might be, and opportunity to
officiate in the Temple?" and I should feel it an honor to be
privileged to work in the house of God. Would you want pay for
it? No, I would bring my own bread and dinner, and I have no
doubt there are many of you who would like to do the same. I
guess we could pick out the forty people thus required right in
this house to-day, without any trouble. All you who are in favor
of carrying out this idea hold up your right hands. (All hands
went up.) I knew there were more than forty right here
(laughter). As to the three or four whose whole time will be
engaged in this labor, these will have to be provided for. In
this way we shall become saviors upon Mount Zion. It is written
in the Scriptures, that "Saviors shall come up on Mount Zion * *
and the kingdom shall be the Lord's." Now, a man is not a savior,
nor a woman either, unless they save somebody. Well, we want men
and women who are ready to officiate in this place. And when you
get there, surrounded by the heavenly influence of the house of
God, the gift of the Holy Ghost will rest upon you, which will
bring joy and consolation to your hearts. When you have labored
there for a while, you will desire to labor there again. You will
carry this heavenly influence among your friends and throughout
your neighborhood, and this we want to extend throughout all the
land of Zion. We shall have, I presume, regular Temple
organizations, Something of this kind may be organized among the
High Priests who will look after the Temple districts. In this
way we will find something for the High Priests to do. Some of
them have been very much afraid that there would be nothing for
them to do.
188
And thus we will go on, and God will assist us in the work in
which we are engaged. He will yet make us the richest of all
people. He will pour wealth into our laps, inasmuch as we keep
His commandments. And what else is said? "Sons of strangers shall
build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee."
Men shall call you the ministers of our God. And we want to
minister for God in time and throughout the eternities that are
to come. We have started in, and we will try by the help of God
and the light of His Holy Spirit, and the revelations that he
will give to us from time to time--we will try and operate and
co-operate with the Priesthood in the eternal worlds, either on
this earth or in the heavens. We shall operate until the work
that God has designed pertaining to this earth shall be
accomplished, and the living and the dead saved so far as they
are capable of being saved according to eternal laws that exist
in the heavens, and according to the decrees of the Almighty.
Don't you think we have something to do? I remember when I was
first called to the Apostleship some 46 years ago. I looked at
the calling square in the face, and said, "Well, this is a life
work: this is an operation that will last a life time." I have
got other ideas since then, namely that when I get through in
this world I expect to officiate in the other. Hence it is an
eternal operation, and that is the difference between what I then
thought and what I now think. God has revealed unto us great and
glorious truths, and He is prepared to reveal more if we will
only place ourselves under His guidance and His direction. Let us
seek to follow the principle that Jesus inculcated--to do the
will of our Father who is in heaven, who said, "I seek not mine
own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." We are
here as much as He was here, and under obligations as He was to
do the will of our Heavenly Father. We should subject ourselves
to the law of God, the word of God, and the will of God. I say
continually, "O God, lead me in the right path: O God, preserve
me from all error; O God, I am a poor, feeble, weak, erring human
creature, surrounded with infirmities. I need Thy help all the
day long. O God, help me." That is my feeling, and the feeling of
my brethren of the First Presidency, and of the Twelve and
others. We feel that we need the help of the Almighty. We will
try and be humble, and be faithful and true to our covenants. And
if we listen to counsel, and obey the laws of God, and do the
things that He requires at our hands, He will help us and bless
us, and He will bless Zion and preserve Israel, and woe to them
that fight against Zion, for God will fight against them. But He
will preserve us if we are faithful and true to our integrity. We
will be blessed in time, we will be brought nearer to the
heavens. The light of revelation will burst upon our heads, and
the glories of the eternal worlds wild be made manifest. We will
rejoice together in the fullness of blessings of the Gospel of
peace, and by and will be crowned with glory, honor, immortality
and eternal life in the celestial kingdom of our God.
188
God bless you and lead you in the paths of life, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Brigham Young, June 22, 1884
Brigham Young, June 22, 1884
REMARKS BY APOSTLE BRIGHAM YOUNG,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, June 22, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
VISIT TO ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO--CONDITION OF THE
SETTLEMENTS--OUR
ENEMIES--THE "OBNOXIOUS DOCTRINE"--THINGS PERTAINING TO
CONSCIENCE--THE SAINTS STRIVING TO LIVE THEIR
RELIGION--PROSPERITY
ON EVERY HAND--PERSECUTION--TEMPLES--THE LOAD THE SAINTS ARE
CARRYING--CONCLUSION.
189
I am thankful for the opportunity afforded me of meeting with the
Latter-day Saints in this Tabernacle. Though I have been absent
but a short time, yet it has been a long journey in one sense of
the word. Brother F. M. Lyman and myself left this place on the
3rd of May, for the purpose of visiting our settlements in the
northern part of Arizona and New Mexico. We have accomplished the
object of our mission and are thankful to be at home again. We
have met many friends in these distant settlements, and I might
say some enemies; but we have been particularly favored in all of
our meetings, and where we found enemies in some instances we
left them friends; for as I understand the mission of the Elders
of this Church, it is a mission of peace, to extend the olive
branch to all people upon the face of the earth. I do not
consider it my duty nor my privilege to make war upon
individuals, or upon sects or parties in the Territories of
Arizona or New Mexico, not even in the Territory of Utah. From my
earliest recollections, pretty nearly, to the present time,
constant persecution has followed this people. I do not feel like
persecuting. I have felt sometimes that I would like to stand up
for my rights and tell men, "Thus far can you go and no further;"
but I have come to the conclusion that I have no desire to take
that little business out of the hands of God Almighty. He has
managed it excellently well thus far in behalf of this people,
far better and more gloriously than any human being could have
managed it; for if we had had our desires sometimes, we might
have injured the cause of God. While for a little season we have
suffered, in the end we have been made whole and have been
greatly extended, greatly blessed, and God continues to be our
friend.
190
In the settlements we have visited, we found our enemies in the
same condition that enemies have shown themselves to be in this
Territory--fighting, beating the empty air, thinking that they
had a foe before them, thinking that they had somebody that they
could persecute; but their anger has been turned towards each
other, and God has over-ruled for the good of those that serve
Him.
190
We have visited most of our settlements in the Territories I have
mentioned--Arizona and New Mexico--and while one would suppose
from the vituperations of the wicked that all was excitement, and
that our people were frightened and about to be swallowed up, I
can say that we found the Saints peacefully enjoying their homes.
They were ploughing the ground, planting the corn, sowing the
wheat, planting out orchards, vineyards, putting up fences,
erecting new buildings, making reservoirs to retain the water,
that they might have wherewith to irrigate their crops, opening
up farms, clearing away the timber where they could have other
farms, etc. We found all this work going on; found the people
going to meeting on the Sabbath day; preaching and teaching the
peaceful things of the Kingdom of God, the children attending
their Sabbath schools; also their day schools, as we term them,
in need of teachers in some places, but any number of pupils; and
wherever we have attended conference among the Latter-day Saints,
the rule has held good that one-third of the population of these
settlements were under eight years of age. It is a remarkable
thing, very strange indeed; but we find that in our settlements
in the south, our people are greatly blessed, as elsewhere, with
children, and this valuable immigration from above is extending.
I do not know how long it will be before Congress will legislate
against having babies; but it don't look much like this
immigration could be stopped now. These children are swelling the
ranks of the Latter-day Saints, and the Saints are struggling,
with what power God has given them, to provide the means of good
education and to bring them up in the way that they should go. I
can see no objection to this myself, others may; but God is good
to this people; and we find peace and harmony and prosperity as a
general thing among the Latter-day Saints in the eastern Arizona,
and also in the Little Colorado Stakes of Zion. I was thankful to
see all this; for it was a testimony that God is mindful of His
people.
191
It is true that some people whom we met in the capital of Arizona
Territory, urged upon us the necessity of not introducing what
they believe to be our favorite doctrine into the Territory of
Arizona--plural marriage. Those who were inclined to be friendly
to us said: "Gentlemen, make your fight in Utah. You are in the
majority there. Don't introduce this practice into Arizona. You
are few in number here, and your enemies are numerous and
perfectly relentless. They don't care to what trouble or
inconvenience you are put: and while your settlements are
struggling in their infancy eliminate this doctrine from your
creed, that which is obnoxious to the people, and introduce only
that which can be tolerated, at least until you gain strength to
walk alone." To the gentlemen who said this to me in all
sincerity, in all good feeling, I made this answer: "So far as
our doctrines are concerned we know them to be from God." Yes,
they are the revelations of the mind and will of God to us, and
the "obnoxious doctrine" (so called) to this nation, and I might
say the civilized world, we know to be a revelation from Almighty
God to us. If you would have us eliminate from this book [the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants], one revelation that God has
given us simply because the people at large, and the majority of
the people of this nation, have decided that it is untrue, which
next in the category of the revelations which God has revealed
must we eliminate from this book? Must we give up principle and
doctrine simply to suit a majority of people? In one sense of the
word our Republican institutions are supposed to place the power
of success in the hands of the majority: but we have never found
it so--our experience differs on this point. We have been in the
minority for upwards of 50 years, and we have been crowded and
apparently overwhelmed. Thousands of wealthy people sought to
crush us when we were but small, but a child, as it were. But the
majority did not succeed. Why? Because the infant struggling for
bare existence has been led and preserved by the hand of God.
They were led into a land which seemed a desert, but now flowing
with all that could strengthen that child, bring it forward, and
make it a full-grown man as we see the people to-day. I am
willing, in political matters, to take that stand in the midst of
this people under present circumstances, at least, to let the
majority rule, and if one side is the weaker, which necessarily
is the case, let it say amen in a political sense to what the
stronger party may do for the government of this Territory. But
in the things pertaining to conscience, no man, no set of men, no
Governor, no President, can control me before my God. I must
control my own heart, my own feelings. I am a free man in
relation to these matters, not bowing to any majority nor to any
party. So are all the Latter-day Saints. We are free to worship
God according to the dictates of our own conscience.
191
But, says one, you are breaking the laws. How do you know we are
breaking the laws? I think some one has written, and it used to
be taken for sound doctrine, that a bad law is no law at all. But
it is not so now. A bad law must pass current for a little
season, and it may last a good while if the wicked rule; but,
thank God, there are honest men to be raised up to rule the
country who will administer justice and equity in the midst of
the people.
192
In our settlements in Arizona, and New Mexico, we found the same
feelings predominating that we find here in Salt Lake and in the
settlements in this Territory. We find the good are growing
better, their faith is increasing, they are laboring more
assiduously to promote the interests of Zion; while those that
are weak are growing weaker, those that are bad are growing
worse; and I have always believed that the Kingdom of God could
never be strengthened by numbers when those numbers were of a
mixed character, the good with the bad. If, as we believe and
testify, this is the Church and Kingdom of God, the wheat and the
tares will grow together for a little season, until those that
are, or may be termed, the wheat, may be strengthened, and the
tares may be plucked up and bound in bundles, ready for the
burning. I was thankful, however, to witness the fact that the
Latter-day Saints, at least the majority of them, are growing
better, becoming firmer in the principles of the everlasting
Gospel. They strive to practice what they preach, and the Saints
in the South are no exception to this rule. They are seeking to
live their religion, to serve God, to perfect themselves in the
knowledge of the truth, and to build up a Zion here in this
Territory. The golden rule which has been laid down, and this
people have adopted it, "Do unto others as you would have others
do unto you," has been changed a little in some districts which
we have visited, not among our people, but among those of the
world. They have changed it, and say, "Do unto others as others
would have you do unto (?) them." It is a brass rule, a
counterfeit, it is not the golden rule; but the Latter-day Saints
in all of their troubles and trials in these extended regions
which we have visited, have adopted the golden rule, and are
seeking not put it into practice, not only towards each other,
but towards those who are inimical to their interests.
192
As I have said, the settlements are in a prosperous condition.
Some of them have even profited greatly by certain laws which
have been enacted, in the Territory of Arizona, particularly. I
found in one settlement that the people were receiving school tax
money to exceed all of their other taxes put together. There was
refunded to them from the Territorial school tax, more money than
they paid out for all their taxes. I was surprised at this: but
it simply proved this fact: that the Latter-day Saints had
children in excess of other settlements in the Territory. I
thought Zion is growing. If those who desire can succeed in
placing us at the mercy of our enemies, I presume these things
will be changed; but at present Zion is growing. I have never
seen among the people of the Latter-day Saints greater progress
both in secular and spiritual matters than I witnessed in the
settlements we have visited in the last two months. One would
suppose from what is said in the papers, and the coldness that is
exhibited by even fair-minded men in relation to the cause of
this people--one would suppose that it would at least check our
progress; that under the present pressure the Latter-day Saints
would begin to weaken in their faith, and in laboring to
establish such unpopular doctrines and principles as they are
undertaking to establish, but all this seems to make the Saints
more zealous in their labors.
192
Persecution has done us no harm. In fact it seems to me that we
need about so much persecution--that we need to carry great loads
to make us remember our God. If all was prosperity and peace, I
presume we would lose our faith, just as the ancient Christians
did when they became popular. But I pray that the time may never
come that we may be popular with a people who foster such
institutions as are found in Christendom to-day.
193
With all this persecution upon us, the Latter-day Saints are
doing what may be rightfully termed a stupendous labor. Look
abroad upon what the people are doing. Go to the settlements; see
the improvements they are making upon their farms, in their
dwellings, in everything. Behold these temples that are being
reared, costing millions of dollars! Who is doing this labor? Is
it any rich man worth millions of dollars? No. It is a few poor
people, comparatively speaking, who are rearing these temples at
such an immense cost. What are they doing it for? The question
may well be asked, What are we expending these immense sums of
money for? We are preparing for the second coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ, just as truly as the world is ripening in iniquity
and preparing to receive His judgments when He does come. That is
a pretty bold saying, but it is true. We are doing this labor,
and we have got all Christendom to carry on our shoulders with
their special legislation, with their persecution, and with their
antagonism, all aiming to destroy us. Hence, with all this, we
have our hands as full as any other people upon the face of the
earth. Our labor for the dead alone, which is occupying so much
of our attention, is more than all Christendom ever dreamed
of--for the amelioration of the condition of their progenitors.
They don't know anything about it, though their own Bible speaks
of this principle. Who are we laboring for? Ourselves alone? No.
We are laboring for the sires of those men who are persecuting us
to-day, for the men who would trample us in the dust and destroy
the institution which God has revealed. We are laboring to carry
the Gospel to those that are in prison to whom Jesus preached and
to those that have died without a knowledge of the Gospel. We are
struggling, I say, with superhuman effort to erect temples
wherein this work may be done. It is for their fathers and their
mothers that we are laboring. We are striving to tell the people
of the world what we are doing. I as an individual cannot shirk
it. I have my part to perform. So have these men and these women
throughout the length and breadth of the Territories and States
we occupy. I wish Christendom knew what we are doing. I wish they
knew what God has commanded us to do. They would take the yoke
from our necks so far as they are concerned. And still what would
we amount to without opposition? Nothing. We must have the
opposition of the world. If we were of the world the world would
love us: but we have come out of the world, therefore the world
hate us. That is true in every sense of the word.
193
God help us to carry our load faithfully, earnestly, sincerely,
with the integrity which God alone can give, being kind to all
men, and seeking with every effort and every energy of our
natures to follow the example that Jesus gave, that we may attain
to salvation in the Kingdom of God, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Erastus Snow, May 31st, 1884
Erastus Snow, May 31st, 1884
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE ERASTUS SNOW,
Delivered in the Stake Meeting House, Ephraim, Saturday
Afternoon,
(Quarterly Conference) May 31st, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
HOW JUDGMENT SHOULD BE FORMED--EFFECTS OF THE GOSPEL--WHEREIN IS
THE EFFICACY OF BAPTISM--WHO ARE BENEFITTED BY IT--PERSECUTIONS
ENDURED BY THE SAINTS--EFFECTS OF PERSECUTION.
194
Truly we are blessed people. Of all people upon the face of the
earth we have most reason to be thankful that the Lord our God
has been mindful of us, and has set His hand the second time to
recover Israel.
194
The prophet Isaiah in the 11th chapter of his book says:
194
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a
branch shall grow out of his roots."
194
"And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the
spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;"
194
"And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the
Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither
reprove after the hearing of his ears:"
194
"But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall
he slay the wicked."
194
I understand this to have reference to our Savior who, after the
flesh, was a descendant of Jesse, Jesse being the father of King
David. Out of the stock of Jesse came the royal house that not
only ruled in Israel anciently, but the Savior, who is appointed
of His Father to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, because He
is anointed to be the Savior of mankind, and when He comes the
second time, according to the revelations of St. John, He will
have the name I have mentioned.
194
"And he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither
reprove after the hearing of his ears;"
194
"But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with
equity for the meek of the earth."
195
This, too, is a lesson for all his people--for His Servants who
minister on the earth, for the judges in Israel, the Bishops,
High Councils--not always to judge after the sight of the eye nor
to "reprove after the hearing of the ear, but with righteousness
shall he judge the poor." Sometimes we find the poor oppressed,
though this is not common among the Latter-day Saints, who are
influenced, generally, by a spirit of charity and love; but
sometimes in our midst, as in the world, people are accused
wrongfully, things are misrepresented, and for this reason the
prophet speaks of the Savior as he does. We are not always able
to determine with certainty the character of any
transaction--that is to say, of the spirit and motive that
influence and promote action--merely from what we see, nor yet
from what somebody may tell us. It is necessary that we become
enlightened by the Holy Spirit, to enable us to see as God sees,
and to understand the motives, purposes and designs of the hearts
of our fellow-men. God judges us all according to the motives and
designs of the heart. If our purpose is to do good, and that
which is right in His sight, he judges us accordingly, though we
may, through our weakness, or through circumstances that we are
not always able to control, do things that are not strictly in
their outward appearance right and correct, or we may neglect to
do that which we should do. The Lord judges all men according to
the motives that prompt the action, rather than from the action
itself. It is not murder in the sight of heaven always, when a
man is killed, for sometimes he brings his blood upon his own
head by thrusting himself upon some other one to destroy him and
is himself slain in the attack, and his blood is therefore upon
his own head, and it is not counted murder to the man that slew
him. The one who only saw a part of the transaction might accuse
the other of murder; but when it comes to be sifted to the
foundation, and both hearts can be scanned, and the cause that
resulted in the conflict discovered, it is found that the man
that slew is innocent, an the man that was slain is the guilty
one. I refer to this as a sample. So with many of the
transactions of life. So also we may neglect duties that we
should attend to, but we neglect them in our ignorance, when we
are uninformed, and the Lord does not lay it to our charge until
we are better instructed and our defects pointed out to us. Then
if we neglect them He holds us responsible for that neglect. So
also we may do things that in themselves are not right, not
strictly correct, and yet if we are not posted and are ignorant
of the evil of the transaction, it is not imputed to us as evil.
This is the doctrine that Jesus laid down. "That servant, which
knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did
according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he
that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be
beaten with few stripes." That is, a few stripes shall be meted
out to him merely to vindicate the law, and to make an impression
upon him that what he had done was wrong, though he was ignorant
of it before; but a little punishment is meted out, just enough
to satisfy and vindicate the law, and to correct the impression
upon the individual, to show him that he must be careful, for he
had trodden upon forbidden ground. This is a rule that our Father
is governed by in judging His children, and it is a rule that we
should strive also to be governed by in regard to one another,
and especially those who are called to be judges in Israel, or
whose calling and duty it is to settle difficulties and assist in
adjusting differences among their brethren and sisters.
195
"And he shall smite the earth with his rod of his mouth, and with
the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."
196
I understand this to be a figurative expression of the Prophet
Isaiah: the rod of His mouth by which He should smite the earth.
I understand that to be the word that proceeded out of His mouth,
the words given of His Father; for His word was that which He
received from the Father, and that which goeth forth among the
children of men, conquering and to conquer. It is that word that
has made impressions upon the Latter-day Saints in other lands
and countries where they were born, and brought them to believe
and obey the Gospel, and gathered them to this land. And it is
that word also which condemns the wicked, and therefore the
prophet says:
196
"With the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."
196
For the Gospel of life and salvation is a savor of death unto
death, or of life unto life. So says the Apostle Paul. It was so
in his days, in the days when Jesus and His Apostles first
proclaimed this Gospel to the Jews in Palestine; when they went
among the Gentiles it was the same. It is the same to-day. It has
been the same in all ages of the world. When the Gospel is sent
forth, the word of God among the people, it is a savor of death
unto death, or of life unto life. Therefore while the righteous
are governed and exalted and blessed through the word, the wicked
perish. This is illustrated in another form of expression by the
Apostle Paul, when he says that he was slain through the law.
Says he:
196
"For I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment
came, sin revived, and I died."
196
He is using this illustration to the Jews--"Sin revived, and I
died"--that is, when the law was made known--when the will and
commandments of God were revealed and made known, woe! be unto
those who should hear and disobey, for if they disobeyed
condemnation would follow. This illustrates the principle
contained in this verse I have read from Isaiah:
196
"With the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked."
196
And this is equally true of his fellow laborers and servants who
have the word of God in faith, and speak in the name of the Lord,
and by the power of the Holy Ghost, and have authority so to
speak and act. Their testimony, their words, and the counsels of
God that go unto the people through them, are a savor of life
unto life, or of death unto death. The Gospel exalts those who
receive it, and brings condemnation and destruction upon those
who refuse to obey it. But without the Gospel being sent out by
authority and power from God, the inhabitants of the earth could
not be ripened for destruction. We read in many places in the
Scriptures concerning the destruction of the wicked in the last
days. But we read also in other Scriptures, that the Lord
destroys them only when they are ripe in their iniquity. Jesus,
in prophesying of His second coming, and the destruction that
shall fall upon the wicked, speaks in this wise--that they shall
fill up the cup of their iniquity. This principle we see referred
to and illustrated in the days of Abraham. The Lord promised unto
him the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession.
Nevertheless, his seed must be brought into bondage in Egypt, and
remain there until those who dwelt in the land of Canaan had
filled up the cup of their iniquity. The people were not yet ripe
for destruction, and therefore the Lord could not displace them
and put Abraham and his seed in possession of his land.
197
So the Lord has dealt with nations and generations from the
beginning, and so will He in the latter times. We need not marvel
because the Latter-day Saints are everywhere spoken against, and
the wicked conspire to overthrow them. We need not marvel that
even in this boasted land of freedom and liberty, statesmen,
rulers and judges should place the iron heel of oppression upon
the Latter-day Saints, and seek by every way in their power to
bring evil upon them, to discourage them, to hedge up their way,
and to destroy them. They must needs do these things. They must
needs harden their hearts against the Lord and against His
commandments. They must needs do many things that are wicked in
His sight and oppressive to His people, in order that God may
judge them, and that they fill up the cup of their iniquity. And
it must needs be that the Saints, too, should be tried in all
things even as Abraham was tried when he was commanded to offer
up his only son. It must needs be that when the Gospel found us
in our scattered condition mid the nations of the earth, and we
yielded obedience to it, that we should be despised of our fellow
creatures, that we should be reviled, so that we should feel it a
pleasure to leave our fatherland, the graves of our ancestors,
the home of our youth and childhood, and gather to Zion. Were it
not for these two things that are working in the earth we should
not be gathered together; we should not be willing to do it; we
should love the home of our ancestors and the country that gave
us birth. But because of the persecutions and hatred of the
wicked we are weaned from them. As the Savior said on a certain
occasion:
197
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I come not to
send peace, but a sword."
197
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and
the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against
her mother-in-law.
197
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household."
197
At first thought it would seem a strange idea that the Prince of
Peace, whose birth was announced by angels to the shepherds
saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men"--I say, at first thought it would seem strange
that the Prince of Peace so announced should say:
197
"I come not to send peace, but a sword * * * I am come to set a
man at variance against his father, etc. And a man's foes shall
be they of his own household."
198
"But it is all easily explained by our experience and
observation, and by considering His teachings and the effects
thereof, and the words of the Apostle concerning the preaching of
the Gospel being a savor of life unto life, or of death unto
death. We go out into the Gentile world, and we find a great
variety of religious opinions and many different religious sects.
We find Catholics, Protestants, and various denominations and
sects of Protestantism. They are all laboring together in the
same field, preaching different doctrines and items of faith, and
all professing to be the religion of Christ. All their teachers
profess to be preachers of the Gospel, and their followers all
profess to be Christians, and yet there is not power enough in
all the doctrines and systems that they are teaching and
establishing to produce a separation between the righteous and
the wicked. They all continue to harmonize together--at least so
far that they all count each other Christians, and it is very
difficult to distinguish the Christian from the infidel, unless
it be that the Christian is the worst. But not so when the
fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached. It always did
produce a separation between the righteous and the wicked. It
drew the line of distinction. It was always like putting yeast
into a beer barrel. It sets it to working, and whoever has
examined a beer barrel while the beer is working in it under a
microscope, will see the way that the beer works itself clear. It
is by the different properties it contains running in different
directions. You will see the liquid full of little animals
running in different directions, and it continues to work in this
sort of a way until it becomes clear. Well, the working of beer
in a barrel reminds me of the preaching of the Gospel in the
earth. It sets Saints to running together. It works out apostates
from among us, and they take the opposite direction. It draws the
line of distinction between the righteous and the wicked, and
that work begins from the moment the Gospel is sounded among the
people. The Spirit of truth operates upon the hearts of those who
are open to receive it. It draws them to the fountain of life and
light. It draws them into the water and then to Zion, and then
keeps drawing them nearer and nearer to God; while with those
that reject the Gospel, they keep going further and further from
the Lord and His people. They harden their hearts more and more
against them, and give way to wickedness and all manner of
corruption. But while the wicked on the one hand are thus filling
up their cup of iniquity, the righteous, on the other hand are
called to sanctify themselves and be prepared for the glorious
coming of the Savior. It is for this cause that we build temples,
and that God reveals to us the ordinances for the sanctification
of His people and further glory and exaltation.
199
The ordinance of baptism, simple as it is, is appointed by the
Father as the first fruits of repentance--that is, baptism in
water for the remission of sins. He did not appoint Presbyterian
baptism and Roman Catholic baptisms, sprinkling a little water on
the forehead and calling that baptism. God never appointed these.
There is no place in the Bible to indicate that He ever
sanctioned such a thing. The Savior set the example to the human
family himself, in going down into the water and being immersed
in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. But this same order of
baptism had been revealed before this: but that there needs be no
mistake the Savior set the example before all the people, and
then continued himself to baptize for a season in the same manner
and ordained His Apostles to continue the work. And He has
appointed that all those who receive this ordinance in His name
may receive also the resurrection of their bodies, and baptism,
or immersion in water, is in the likeness of the death and burial
and resurrection of our Savior. By this ordinance we show forth
unto the Lord that we lay off and bury the old man of sin in the
waters of baptism, and by rising out of the waters of baptism we
show forth unto the Lord that we put on the new man after Christ
Jesus, and walk henceforth in newness of life. All those,
therefore, who believe the Gospel, and yield obedience to its
requirements, and are baptized in water for the remission of
their sins, upon this act, if they continue to maintain this
faith, they are entitled to be raised in the likeness of the
glorious resurrected body of Christ. And yet, to consider this
ordinance in the abstract, or as the unbelieving world look at
it, we might ask what virtue there is in the ordinance of
baptism? We might say, as did Naaman, the Syrian, to Elisha, when
he came to be healed of his leprosy. The Prophet told him to go
and wash himself seven times in Jordan. But Naaman rose up in a
rage and said, in substance, "Have I not washed myself many a
time in my rivers at home, and did it ever do me any good? Is
there any more virtue in the waters of Jordan than the waters of
my native place?" He did not believe the Prophet, and he turned
to go away with a sorrowful heart. But his servant followed him
and said: "My father, if the Prophet had bid thee do some great
thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much rather then, when
he saith to thee, wash and be clean?" This caused Naaman to
reflect; and he went and dipped himself seven times in Jordan. He
was not healed when he dipped himself once, nor twice, nor
thrice; but when he had dipped himself seven times he was
cleansed of his leprosy. Was it the waters of Jordan that healed
him, or is it the waters of the brook that we are immersed in
that cleanses us from our sins? Not at all. It is the blood of
Christ that was shed for the sins of the world that cleanseth us
from our sins; but the water is the emblem and the means by which
we comply with the commandment of God.
200
And so with every other ordinance of the Gospel. So with the
laying on of the hands of the Elders of Israel. The wicked will
ask what virtue there is in the imposition of the hands of the
Elders? Why, the virtue consists in obeying the commandments of
heaven. For through the laying on of hands the sick are healed.
Through the laying on of hands the Holy Ghost is given. Through
the laying on of hands the Priesthood is conferred upon those who
are counted worthy to receive it. Herein is the hiding of the
Lord's power. It is this that the Prophet Habakkuk refers to when
he speaks of the Lord coming in glory, and says: "He had horns
coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power."
Horns we know in the Scriptures are often used as figures to
represent power. Horns in the Apocalypse and in the prophecies of
Daniel represent kingdoms and dynasties, and when one horn fell,
another came up in its place, thus representing the fall of one
dynasty and the rising of another. And so on. And the same may be
said of the Priesthood: the ruling power that God bestows for the
salvation of the human family is that which is given by the
laying on of hands. But does this apply to the wicked, to the
disobedient, or to the unbelieving? No, not at all; nor does
remission of sins come to the wicked and unbelieving by merely
being baptized. We have an example of this kind in the New
Testament when Phillip baptized the people of Samaria, and Simon
the sorcerer, was baptized also; but he was a hypocrite and a
corrupt man, and he only sought to gain power whereby he might
hoodwink and deceive the people and filch money from them. And
when Peter and John came down and prayed with the people, and
laid their hands upon them, they received the Holy Ghost. When
Simon saw this, he offered them money saying, "Give me also this
power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy
Ghost." This he sought, as I have said, that he might obtain
power to carry on his craft and to make money; but Peter answered
him saying, "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast
thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. * * * I
perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond
of iniquity." There are other similar instances. But remission of
sins cometh by baptism to those who believe and repent of their
sins with all their hearts; the Holy Ghost is received by the
laying on of the hands of the Elders; and the powers of the
Priesthood are conferred in the same manner. Simple as the
ordinances are, simple to look upon and to think upon, there is
power in them, power accompanies them, power is made manifest
among the people. The people are gathered together; the people
are made one; the differences that existed among us depart. The
traditions of the fathers are cast away. We are united in
receiving the light and truth from above. Our hearts are made as
one, no matter where we were born, or what race of people we have
sprung from. This spirit working among the people, and going
abroad in the earth is accomplishing what the Lord and His
servants have predicted. It is preparing a people for the coming
of the Savior.
201
Persecution begins, as I said, when the Gospel is sounded in our
ears in various lands and countries of our home and birth. It
follows us up. When we were a small people organized resistance
and persecution commenced by townships in the United States. As
we grew and become a stronger people, more extensive
organizations were arrayed against us by countries or larger
communities. At first the Latter-day Saints were driven from
their homes in the State of new York, and they fled to Kirtland,
Ohio, where persecution was again waged against them, until by
and by the opposition was combined to such an extent in all the
surrounding country, that they were obliged to flee from that
region to Missouri. Here opposition became still more extensive
until the whole State rose up against them--rose up and became a
mob, even Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, of Missouri became a sort of
Solicitor General for the mob, and issued an exterminating order
against the Saints, as utterly illegal as the decree of any
tyrant that ever lived. In that order he called upon his aids and
principal generals to rally the militia of the State to execute
the order of extermination that he issued. They despoiled us of
our goods. They compelled us to sign a deed of trust of lands,
houses and possessions to defray the expenses of the "war," as
they termed it. That is, they robbed us, and drove us out of the
State, and then compelled us to give them what we had, to pay
them for doing it. Persecution still followed us in the States of
Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, and finally the Saints fled to
these Rocky Mountains where there was nobody to oppose us, save
the savages who roamed throughout the country. Here the Lord has
planted our feet and made us strong. But it was predicted in
early times that we should not only be persecuted by townships
and counties, but by and by States should rise against us, and at
last the whole United States would rise up against us. But in the
midst of it all we have continued to grow, we have waxed strong.
It is the power of God and not of man. It is by the word of God
that we thrive, It is by the word of God that we are multiplying
and increasing in the land; and the same God who commands the
Elders of Israel to take the daughters of Israel to wife and who
says "multiply and replenish the earth"--that same God sends the
fruit and multiplies the sons and daughters of Israel in the
land; as, when you sow the seed in the soil He sends the rains
and gives a bountiful crop in your fields. It is the blessing of
God that is resting upon the people. His people are multiplying
in the land, and they are spreading abroad and possessing it in
Idaho and Montana in the north, and Arizona and New Mexico in the
South. The wicked are determined to persecute and drive us. Where
will they drive us to? They say the "Mormons" must go. Where
shall we go to? We have become like a city that is set on a hill,
we cannot be hid. We have become a strong people, and they do not
know what to do with us. Every drop of innocent blood which they
shed, will spread the Gospel the faster. Every time they
persecute us they will assist the work of God. "Mormonism" is
like the mustard plant whose seed is ripe: when shaken it spreads
the faster; or like the man I read of when I was a boy. When
Canada thistles began to spread in the eastern States, this man
was determined that he would put an end to them so far as his
farm was concerned. So when the first thistle made its appearance
he built a log heap over it and burned the pile. He thought he
had squelched the thing; but to his horror and dismay the whole
heap, the next year, was a dense mass of Canada thistles. So with
"Mormonism," the more they "squelch" it, the faster it grows.
201
God bless you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Q. Cannon, June 29, 1884
John Q. Cannon, June 29, 1884
REMARKS DELIVERED BY ELDER JOHN Q. CANNON,
AND
PRESIDENTS WILFORD WOODRUFF & JOHN TAYLOR,
In the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 29,
1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
MISSIONARY LABORS REVIEWED--TESTIMONY GAINED--PREDICTIONS
FULFILLED--CONDITION OF THE WORLD--PROSPECTS OF THE SWISS AND
GERMAN MISSION--CLASS OF MEN SELECTED BY THE LORD FOR HIS
WORK--RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL--THE PRIESTHOOD NECESSARY--HOW IT
WAS RESTORED--ANCIENT PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE LATTER-DAY
WORK--WHY
THE SAINTS ARE HATED--PERSECUTION PREDICTED--POLITICAL
ASPECT--REVELATION
NECESSARY--DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE HOLY GHOST AND THE SPIRIT
GIVEN TO
EVERY MAN--TRUE EDUCATION--HOW JOSEPH SMITH AND ORSON PRATT
OBTAINED
THEIRS--HOW ABRAHAM AND MOSES WERE TAUGHT--ACTION OF CONGRESS
CONSIDERED.
202
Elder John Q. Cannon said: My brethren and sisters and friends,
it is with feelings which I am utterly unable to express that I
stand before you this afternoon--feelings on the one hand of
gratitude to my Heavenly Father, that after an absence of nearly
three years from this city I am again permitted to meet with my
brethren and sisters in this place, and with feelings on the
other hand of intense timidity in standing before so large an
audience. But I rely, my brethren and sisters, upon your faith
and prayers during the few moments that I may stand before you,
and I rely, furthermore, upon the promise which our Lord gave,
when He said, "Where two or three have gathered together in my
name, there I am in the midst of them." I am satisfied, on my own
part, that we, this afternoon have assembled ourselves in the
name of the Lord, and I am consequently satisfied that His Spirit
will be with us inasmuch as we seek for the same, inasmuch as we
rid ourselves of every feeling of worldliness and come together
with pure hearts to partake of the emblems of the death and
suffering of our Lord, and to become instructed in the plan which
He has laid down for our salvation.
203
It's four days since I returned from a mission, and in six weeks
it will have been three years since I left this city, in
obedience to a call made upon me by the authorities of the
Church. On the 9th of August, 1881, I left this city on a mission
to Great Britain, in company with eleven other missionaries, who
were destined for Scandinavia. We reached Liverpool in due time,
and I was assigned, shortly after my arrival there, to the London
Conference, where I labored with great pleasure until the 17th of
March, 1882. Early in the month the then President of the
European Mission--Apostle Albert Carrington--notified me that I
should proceed to the German Mission, and within a few days after
receiving this notice I joined my brother in North Germany. Of
course in going to Germany I had to learn the language; I was
utterly ignorant of it when I started and when I landed there;
but the Lord strengthened my memory, and in a short time I was
able to make myself understood, and pursue the real object of my
mission. I labored--it is not for me to say with how much
success--until relieved a short time ago to return home.
203
I can say, my brethren and sisters, that I have enjoyed my
mission greatly. The blessing of the Lord has been with me. The
promises that were sealed upon my head by the Presidency before I
went have been literally fulfilled, and, to my mind, in a most
remarkable manner.
203
Above all things I prize my mission for the testimony it has
given me of the truth of this Gospel. It may seem strange to you
that I make this assertion; because one would naturally think
that I had a testimony before I went. I, however, confess this
was not the case. I had heard what the world calls
Mormonism--from my childhood up I had heard nothing else. I
believed as much as it was possible that this, the Gospel as
preached by the Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, was the true religion, and was the path of
redemption as proclaimed by Jesus Christ and His Apostles. This
was my firm belief. But a direct and firm and steadfast testimony
of the truth of the Gospel I had not received, and it was to
obtain this testimony, more than for anything else, that I obeyed
the call that was made of me. I had heard, as you had, that every
man who returned from a mission and rose up in this stand or
elsewhere to proclaim his testimony and to report his labors--I
had heard every man say: "I know this is the Gospel of Jesus
Christ." And I felt within myself, if I can acquire a knowledge
of the truth of the Gospel through going on a mission, I am
willing to go. I valued my salvation and a knowledge of the truth
of the Gospel just that much. Well, I went, and I labored with
great weakness, I have no doubt. But the Lord heard my prayers.
He granted unto me a testimony of the truth of the Gospel, and
from the time that I received the first one until this moment,
one testimony has followed another in rapid succession. I am
therefore able to proclaim before you, as I have done with much
pleasure before the world, that I do know that God has spoken in
these our days, that He has revealed Himself and restored his
Priesthood by means of which the human family--those of them who
are willing to be saved and to obey the requirements which He has
given--may be saved.
204
It was told me before I started away--the remark was made to me
by my father: "My son, you will find in the world that the
nations are about in the same condition as the Athenians were
when Paul went to preach to them. They have temples and they have
altars built, but these are dedicated to the 'Unknown God.'" I
found this to be the truth. I found the word, the written word of
God was read in every church in every land, and that every family
had it; but I was surprised to find that but few of them were
willing to receive the truths which are therein contained. They
were content with the dead letter of the law; and when I
undertook or attempted to explain the principles of life and
salvation, the principles which Jesus Christ taught His
disciples, and which they taught all those who would listen to
their testimony, I found there was a great coolness. People would
not listen. They were content with what they had received. This
was my general experience. On the other hand I found very many
who acknowledged to me the truth of that which I had said. When I
said unto them, "faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is insufficient
to save you in His Kingdom;" when I said that something more was
necessary than a simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
attempted to prove my position by Scripture, I found many who
said, "You are right; something more is necessary according to
the Scriptures; faith alone can not save us." But when I went on
to explain the other principles of the Gospel--repentance,
baptism for the remission of sins by one who has authority to
baptize, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost, I discovered that they said, "That may be all true, it is
true, we believe, but we don't want it." That has been my
experience and the experience of others in a great many
instances. There are thousands in the world--I have spoken with
hundreds I believe--who have made a similar confession--that
faith, repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, were Scriptural principles, that
they could not be denied, that the same Gospel was preached by
Jesus Christ and His Apostles--but I have found among those
hundreds very few who were willing to obey those principles. I am
happy to say, however, that some few have obeyed them--that I
have been the means, in the hands of God, of bringing some to a
knowledge of the truth, and I am very thankful for this
privilege.
205
It may, perhaps, interest you to know something of the present
prospects of the Swiss and German mission, where I have labored
for upwards of two years. We have some seventeen Elders in the
field. Some of these have been laboring in Austria, one is in
Italy, all the others are in Switzerland and Germany. In certain
parts of Germany the laws are very strict. Public meetings of any
kind are forbidden. We are, therefore, not allowed to preach.
This has been brought about by the action of the Socialists, with
whom we are confounded. They have held meetings, as you who read
the papers know, and passed resolutions to upset governments and
kingdoms, and reduce everything to chaos, if possible. In the
kingdom of Prussia, however, we are at present in the enjoyment
of liberty to a great extent. We have the permission of the
authorities of the city of Berlin to hold our regular meetings,
and we can announce these meetings in the papers if we desire. Of
course our meetings are visited by detectives and policemen
occasionally, to see that nothing contrary to the laws of the
land is promulgated, which action, is, of course, quite agreeable
to us. This is the case, however, only as regards the kingdom of
Prussia. In the kingdom of Bavaria, which is strongly Catholic,
we have been unable, up to the present time, to obtain any rights
whatever. We have been threatened and in some cases expelled for
having attempted to preach the Gospel. We have been forbidden to
hold meetings of any kind. It has even been declared to us that
where seven persons assemble together, that number would be
considered a meeting, and if the participants were strangers they
would be expelled, while natives would be heavily fined. In the
Grand Duchy of Baden the same rule holds. In the kingdom of
Wortemberg, it has never been forbidden that we hold meetings,
but we have as yet no official permission to do so. Of course in
Switzerland we have full permission. We can hold our meetings in
any house. It is not yet allowed us, or in fact any one, to hold
open air meetings. The prospects of the mission, as I look at it,
are very good, and I think the day is soon coming when these
rigorous laws will be broken, when all those who desire to serve
God in the way that He has commanded, although it may not be in
accordance with the desires of the rulers, may have the
privilege. The laws of Bavaria pretend to give full freedom of
worship; but the actual fact is, every person is prohibited,
through pressure which is brought to bear upon him, from
attending anything but the established church, which is Catholic,
or the Lutheran. People are expected to attend or at least be
members of one of these churches; and they are compelled to make
an official acknowledgement of their belief in their work books,
which are a sort of credential, containing the name, age,
business, and place of residence of every workman in the country.
In this book each man must announce his religion, and if this
happens to be anything but Lutheran or Catholic, he is put to
great trouble and inconvenience, would perhaps find difficulty in
obtaining work at all; and in case he called himself a "Mormon,"
would be punished according to the regulations which some of the
States have made. I do not believe that the king of Bavaria, and
the rulers of the kingdoms are as bitter as some of the
subordinate officials. The strongest persecution we have met with
has been in the city of Nurenburg, and that has been on the part
of the circuit judge, a man who in other respects is very
liberal, but whose mind became prejudiced through some false
reports which came into the country, and were scattered by the
press just as we made a beginning. I nevertheless hope--and I
believe it is the general feeling--that the day is not far
distant when freedom of worship will be allowed--when the Elders
can go through the country and proclaim the Gospel without fear
or molestation. We pray for that day, and have great hopes that
there are many thousands in those countries who will receive the
Gospel.
205
The Elders are laboring energetically. They have spared
themselves no pains to discover those who are willing to receive
their testimony. They are laboring faithfully and with good
results. The emigration has been quite extensive, as you know;
but the number of those baptized exceeds by a considerable amount
the number that have emigrated. Our branches are therefore
growing continually.
206
My brethren and sisters: I am thankful to be able to testify to
the truth of this Gospel, which is being preached in these days.
I do know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and this is a
testimony which I have received for myself. It is not because my
parents taught me this, or because I have heard it from others;
that has given me courage to bear this testimony before others.
But I have felt free in saying to all men, "Repent and be
baptized and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
that will give you a testimony as it has given it to me." That is
the testimony, my brethren and sisters, that I feel to bear
before you this afternoon.
206
I am glad to be once more in these mountains, to breathe this
air, to see those with whom I have grown up, and to feel once
more at home. During the three years that I have been absent,
many changes have taken place, some of them very mournful to me;
but I am thankful to be back once more. And now that I am home, I
hope to be able to work steadfastly in the cause of God, and to
do my part in helping to build up His kingdom upon the earth.
This is my desire, and I pray that the Lord will help all of us
to remain true to the end, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Wilford Woodruff, June 29, 1884
Wilford Woodruff, June 29, 1884
President Wilford Woodruff then addressed the congregation.
He said: We have been listening to the testimony of one of our
Mormon mountain boys, who has been called in his youth to go
forth to the nations of the earth to declare the Gospel of Jesus
Christ to the inhabitants thereof. This is an example of this
whole Mormon work in the day and generation in which we live.
Joseph Smith himself was but a boy, an unlettered youth, when God
called him over half a century ago, to listen to the voice of the
Lord, and be an instrument in His hands to lay the foundation of
His Church and Kingdom on the earth in the last dispensation of
the fullness of times; and from that day to this men have been
called--some from the plow, the plane, the hammer, and from the
various occupations of life--to go forth and lift up their voices
and bear record to the nations of the earth of the Gospel of the
Son of God. And the Lord has manifested His power, and His mercy
to all who have been called to go forth and bear record of His
name; and Brother Cannon (John Q.) who has addressed us, like
tens of thousands of others, can bear record before God, angels
and men, before the heavens and the earth, to the truths of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, which have been revealed unto us in the
day and generation in which we live. It is a marvelous work and a
wonder in the earth, and it is attracting the attention of the
whole human family. The inhabitants of the earth marvel and
wonder, and many times desire to know what the end of these
things will be. The Lord called upon Joseph Smith, as a literal
descendant of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, to lay the
foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church had been in the wilderness for nearly 1800 years. The
Church and Kingdom of God had fallen away. The Gentiles had
followed the same example of unbelief as did the Jews when they
departed from the Gospel of Christ and put to death almost every
man who bore the Holy Priesthood on the earth, or who preached
the Gospel of the Son of God to the world. The Jews rejected the
Messiah; they put Him to death; and they labored to overthrow the
Church, although it went to them in all the power and glory, and
with all the keys, principles, ordinances and priesthood, that it
did to the patriarchs and prophets in former generations. For
this the Jews were overthrown. They had to pay the bill for
shedding the blood of the Lord's anointed; and the Lord rent the
Kingdom out of their hands, and gave it into the hands of the
Gentiles; and Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles, warned them
strongly and faithfully to take heed and be cautious lest they
should fall through the same example of unbelief. "For if God
spare not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not
thee." But all the Prophets and Apostles understood by vision and
revelation that there was to be falling away. There has been a
falling away. I can say of a truth--whether the world believe it
or not--that from the day the apostles and disciples and those
holding the Priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ were put to
death, there has not been a man on the face of God's footstool
who has had the power to administer the ordinances of the Gospel
so as to have power after death. I understand perfectly well the
world does not believe this, nevertheless it is true. There never
was a man breathed the bread of life in any age of the world, who
had power to go forth and administer the ordinances of the Gospel
of Christ, only by the power of that eternal and everlasting
Priesthood which Melchizedek held, which Adam, Abraham, Moses,
and Elias, and all the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets held.
Jesus Christ held it. He was a High Priest after the order of
Melchizedek, and has entered into the presence of God to plead
for His brethren. The Apostles held it. No man in any age of the
world had power to administer the ordinances of the Gospel
without it. God himself, who has created worlds upon worlds, has
created all these worlds and all those that have been saved have
been redeemed by the power of that eternal and everlasting
Priesthood. But as I said before, when the Prophets and Apostles
and all men who held the Priesthood were put to death, the
ordinances of the Gospel became without effect, and in
consequence of this, the whole world has been filled with sects
and parties, with false religions, and principles, until it would
almost appear that there are the six hundred, three score and
six, which John the Revelator saw in his vision. And this has
been the condition of the whole Christian world from the days of
Jesus Christ and His Apostles until the Lord raised up Joseph
Smith, and commanded him to organize this Church and Kingdom. Did
he attempt to do this until he received the Priesthood? He did
not. He did not attempt to administer any one of the ordinances
until he received the Holy Priesthood from under the hands of the
holy men who were sent unto him from God out of heaven. The first
man that ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to the
Priesthood was John the Baptist, who was beheaded for the word of
God and testimony of Jesus. Thus they were ordained to the
Aaronic Priesthood. Joseph Afterwards received the Apostleship
under the hands of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of
the Apostleship. God Almighty could not establish His Kingdom,
His Church, His Zion--which the Holy Bible declares from Genesis
almost to Revelation should be established in the latter
days--without men bearing that Priesthood. God had to raise up
such a man as Joseph Smith, and establish His Church, by which to
prepare a people for the coming of the Son of Man. To this end
Joseph was brought forth. He received these oracles from God. He
laid the foundation of this Church and Kingdom in his boyhood,
and he, like the Savior, and many of God's other servants, spent
but a short time in the flesh after he commenced his ministry.
The Savior lived but three and a half years after He entered upon
His ministry. Joseph Smith labored in the flesh some 14 years
after the organization of the Church before he sealed his
testimony with his blood, as did other Prophets and Patriarchs
before him. I say, from that day until this, the Lord has called
men to go forth and declare the Gospel of Christ. And Brother
John Q. Cannon has testified, he knows for himself. Yes, he
knows. There is no doubt of that. There are tens of thousands of
this people who can bear the same testimony. It is true there is
a difference with men with regard to the amount of testimony they
have received to satisfy them of the truth of this work. Many men
believe, but many say they require a certain amount of testimony
before they know. I will say for myself: the greatest testimony I
have ever received in this Church, (and I have spent over 50
years of my life in it), has been the testimony of the Holy
Ghost, has been the inspiration of Almighty God, has been the
spirit of life and salvation, that still small voice that has
rested upon me and rested upon my brethren from the time we were
baptized into this Church until the present day. We lay hands
upon the sick and they are healed by the power of God. We lay
hands upon our brethren, and set them apart for missions. The
Spirit of God rests upon us and inspires us in our words and
thoughts what we should seal upon their heads. These words are
fulfilled, and thousands upon thousands can testify of the truth
thereof.
209
The Bible contains a vast amount of prophecy concerning the last
dispensation and the fullness of times; concerning the building
up of the Kingdom of God in the last days; concerning a kingdom
which shall become an everlasting kingdom, of whose dominion
there shall be no end. God showed this to Daniel and to
Nebuchadnezzar, as also to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. The
Prophet Isaiah has portrayed the whole history of the Latter-day
Saints who occupy these mountains of Israel. He described our
travels here, and our labors since we came here. These Prophets
saw our day, and they spake as they were moved upon by the Holy
Ghost; and the prophecies are of no private interpretation. Their
words are words of truth. Their words have had their fulfillment
and will have to the end. The travels of this Church have been
through deep waters, and this should not be a strange thing to
the inhabitants of the earth. I will say here, without fear of
contradiction, that no man, no set of men, no people, no church,
no portion of the Kingdom of God can live godly in Christ Jesus
without suffering persecution. You show me a Patriarch or Prophet
that ever lived who taught the words of life and salvation
without incurring the hatred, the wrath and the indignation of
the surrounding nations, and you will show me something that I
have not been able to find on the earth. But without dwelling
upon this point, allow me to say that this is what ails the
Mormons. This is the cause of the warfare made upon us by our
nation to-day. God Almighty has set His hand to establish His
Church and Kingdom on the earth. He has set His hand to gather
His people to the mountains of Israel to build up a Zion. That
Zion is here. We have made a beginning. We came here, on the 24th
of July, 1847, a little handful of pioneers. We found a barren
desert. It did not look as if any white men could live here. We
found a few poor, miserable, degraded Indians. They would eat a
pint of crickets for breakfast and supper, and this, with a few
roots, was all the food they had. To-day, here is a tabernacle.
To-day, you can travel one thousand miles throughout these
valleys, from north to south, and you will find them filled with
towns, villages and cities, and you will see temples,
tabernacles, etc. What does it mean? It means that the God of
Heaven is a God of truth. He decreed certain things, and these
things are now coming to pass in spite of all earth and hell.
That is what it means. Had it not been for this, Utah would have
been a desert today as it was when we found it.
209
The testimony of the Elders of Israel is true. This is the Gospel
of Christ. It is the only Gospel the Lord ever revealed to man.
And Paul the Apostle says: "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." The children of men do not
believe the Gospel. They will have everything else on the face of
the earth except the Gospel. The Lord has set His hand to fulfill
His words and promises, and we are here to help Him in that
business. We came here to these mountains by revelation, by
inspiration. We were led here by Prophets, Apostles and inspired
men; and this Church and Kingdom has continued to grow from the
day it was organized until the present time. It will continue to
grow. The Gospel of Christ is the truth. "Am I therefore become
your enemy, because I tell you the truth," said Paul to the
Galatians, in teaching them this principle. But the truth is
unpopular. The world is full of error and falsehood. It will not
accept the plan of life and salvation.
210
We are in the hands of God. God has called us to this labor. He
has commanded us to preach the Gospel to the nations of the
earth. This we have done so far as the doors have been opened to
us. It seems strange to reflect upon the fact that such nations
as Germany, Austria, and Prussia, should put up bars as strong as
iron, so to speak, against the preaching of the Gospel of Christ
in their midst. Still the Lord, as we have heard from Brother
John Q. Cannon, is opening up the way. There are a great many of
the house of Israel in Germany; there are a great many of the
honest in heart throughout the nations of the earth, and they
must hear the Gospel. We have been preaching it for over fifty
years. The world in a great measure has rejected it. I heard
Joseph Smith say a great deal in regard to the attitude this
generation would assume in regard to the Gospel. He saw the
situation. Said he: "The world will fight you. The world will war
against you. Towns will arise and mob you, counties will oppose
you, cities will oppose you, and the United States will combine
against you. The world is full of darkness. Sin and wickedness is
overwhelming the world as the waters cover the great deep. The
devil rules over the world in a great measure. The world will war
against you; the devil will, earth will, and hell will. But you
must bear testimony of me. You must preach the Gospel, do your
duty, and the Lord will stand by you. Earth and hell shall not
prevail against you." "Fear not them which kill the body, but are
not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to
destroy both body and soul in hell." And I would say to our
friends, that is the spirit that vibrates in the bosoms of tens
of thousands of Latter-day Saints in these mountains. We stand
upon this pedestal. This is our platform. What fear have we with
regard to our enemies? Why should we fear? We are in the hands of
God. We have come to this earth in this time upon a mission. We
have been born on purpose in this generation to take part in this
work. The Lord required an element to labor with. He will build
up Zion. And I bear my testimony here to all men, and would to
all the world if I had the power, that the work in which this
people are engaged, small and insignificant as it may appear, is
the work of God. It will roll forth. It will become a mountain.
It will fill the whole earth. It will break in pieces all other
kingdoms, and it will stand forever; for God Almighty has decreed
it. Write it down. Watch the signs of the times. See if these
things are not true. We are living in an important day. We are
called to do a work for the Lord, and we are going to do it as
far as we have time and opportunity. It has cost many men their
lives; but men's lives are of little consequence compared with
eternal life. Give me eternal life. As for this life, what does
it amount to. Why should we fear death? Why, bless your souls, a
few years ago this nation sacrificed a million of live in defense
of the country. That may be all right. I have no fault to find.
But is it any worse to die for the kingdom of God than it is to
die for the honor of the country? Not much. Then let us be
faithful. Let us trust in God. Leave all things in His hands, and
all will be right.
210
Now I would like to say a few words before I close, with regard
to our present condition. Of course our affairs have become a
national question. The eyes of all the world are looking towards
us. But I will say this: it is a pitiful sight--it is a thing
sorrowful to contemplate upon, that our wise Senators, yes, our
wise Senators have to take falsehood into the halls of Congress
to work upon to overthrow this Church and Kingdom: so with the
pulpit, so with the press. Who tells the truth about Utah? Not
one man in a thousand that attempts to represent this case. We
have not a boy in Utah in our common schools, over twelve years
of age, but knows, when he reads the statements of some of those
Senators, that they are arguing on a false basis. They understand
that perfectly. I am at the defiance of the world to prove that
we use in our common schools anything but the text books of the
world. We don't even use the Bible in our common schools. To do
so would almost be treason in the eyes of our enemies. Yet these
venerable Senators represent us as doing this. Why do Senators
argue upon false premises to overthrow this people? If people
would tell the truth about us, we should be perfectly satisfied.
We have to be satisfied anyhow.
210
Well, this is the state of the world to-day. We are called to
preach the Gospel. We preach it. There is but one Gospel. What is
it? Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; repentance of sin; baptism
for the remission of sins; and the reception of the Holy Ghost by
the laying on of hands. These are the doctrines Jesus taught, and
that His Apostles taught.
211
I feel to bear my testimony to these things. They are true. God
is with this people. And we say to our nation--maintain the
Constitution and we are satisfied. Give us the rights of that
Constitution and we are satisfied. It is an instrument inspired
by the power of God. Our forefathers were inspired when they
framed it. Yet it is marvelous to reflect upon some principles
that have been laid down--perhaps I ought not to allude to these
things, but I am only expressing my own reflections--even by the
supreme court of the United States. In effect it has said that we
may think as we please, but must not act. I would ask, in the
name of the Lord, was that all Thomas Jefferson, and others had
in their minds when they framed the clause in reference to
religious liberty? What about men acting? If it was only intended
that men should think and not act, why not say so in the
instrument? Why should it be stated that "Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof," if men were not to be allowed to act?
Why, in the exercise of their religion, men must act: and it is
straining points, it is overstepping the bounds of the
Constitution to pass laws taking away the rights and privileges
of any people because of their religion--because they happen to
differ from their neighbors. Where will such a course land our
government? I will tell you what it will do. It will rend the
government in twain like unto a potter's vessel. It will lay the
nation in the dust. It will overthrow the government. When they
get through with the Mormons there will be somebody else to deal
with. The Constitution is good enough for anybody. It is good
enough for the Latter-day Saints. We have no principles but what
are in accord with the Constitution of the United States and the
laws of God. We are perfectly willing to trust ourselves and our
interests in the hands of God, and to leave our nation in His
hands also; for God will judge our nation; He will judge us; He
will judge all the children of men and He will judge righteous
judgment. What men sow they will reap. What measure they mete, it
shall be measured to them again.
211
I pray God to bless this nation. I pray God to give our
legislators wisdom, that they may maintain the Constitutional
principles of the government, the only government on the face of
God's earth where the Lord could have established His Church and
Kingdom. That we may be prepared to inherit eternal life is my
prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Taylor, June 29, 1884
John Taylor, June 29, 1884
President John Taylor next addressed the congregation. He
said: It is some time since I have taken the privilege to speak
to the Latter-day Saints in this place. I have been visiting our
settlements in different parts of our Territory. There I
frequently talk to the people. You have a great many here who are
capable of teaching and instructing you, hence it is very seldom
that I intrude myself upon you in this capacity. But I always
feel pleasure in meeting with the Saints, in hearing my brethren
unfold the principles of eternal truth, and in listening to the
testimonies which they have to give concerning the Gospel of the
Son of God.
212
God has revealed unto us the principles of the Everlasting
Gospel, and that Gospel brings life and immortality to light.
Life and immortality can only be made known by the revelations of
God, and people who do not believe in revelation cannot have any
knowledge of life and immortality. It is through that principle
alone that these things are or have been developed. We ourselves
could have known nothing of God from the world in which we live,
nor from the teachers thereof, because they do not even profess
to be placed in communion with God, nor to have revelation from
Him, and how could they speak of that they did not know or
comprehend, or that which had not been communicated to them? It
was impossible for them to do it. There have been many, very many
good men in the world in the different ages when the Gospel has
not existed, that have sought to do good to their fellow men, and
to promote their welfare and happiness in a social, political and
religious capacity, and have sought to introduce principles that
would be calculated to elevate and exalt mankind in the scale of
being. That is one thing, but the inspiration of the Almighty is
another thing. Let me here mention a principle associated with
these ideas that will explain somewhat the remarks and position
of our brother, John Q. Cannon, who has addressed us this
afternoon. He said he believed in the principles of the Gospel,
but he did not have a testimony thereof--did not comprehend the
thing, until he had obtained some further manifestation. That
might be attributed to his youth and inexperience in the things
of God; when he was brought face to face with the actualities of
life, and came in conflict with the world he was under the
necessity of applying to His Heavenly Father, who imparted unto
him, through the Holy Ghost, that knowledge of which he speaks. I
will mention a principle here. Outside of the Gospel, among all
classes of men, among all nations, kindreds and peoples, of every
color and clime everywhere, they have had given unto them a
portion of the Spirit of God to profit withal. We are told this
in the Scriptures, that God has given to every man a portion of
His Spirit; but that is not the gift of the Holy Ghost. Where
good men have followed the influence of that Spirit, it has led
them to do good acts, to be charitable, to be kind, to be
benevolent, to cultivate good morals and correct principles, to
be governed by the principles of honor, truth, integrity and
virtue, and these principles prevail to a greater or less extent
among the nations of the earth and in this nation. This is the
portion of the Spirit of God, as I said before, which was given
to every man to profit withal. Why, those people that we talk
about so much sometimes, the infidels, they have a portion of
this Spirit, and many of them do many good acts. This may sound
strange, I have no doubt, to many of you, but it is a fact
nevertheless. He that doeth righteousness anywhere is righteous,
and he that doeth evil is wicked.
213
Now, what is the difference between that and the other principle?
Jesus said when He was upon the earth: "It is expedient for you
that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come
unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you." What was
the Comforter to do? "He shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
Now, the portion of the Spirit of God which is given to all men
does not do this thing. It does not lead them unto all truth, for
there is a great diversity of opinion among them. One may be a
Methodists, another a Presbyterian, one a Quaker, another a
Dunker, one a Catholic, another a Protestant, one a Christian,
another a Mohammedan, one a Pagan, and another an infidel, and
some one thing and some another. If men were in the possession of
the gift of the Holy Ghost, it would lead them into all truth,
and there would be one Lord, as the Scriptures say, and one faith
and one baptism. Hence one of the old Prophets, clothed upon by
the Spirit of the Living God, looked through the vista of future
ages and contemplated events that should transpire in the
latter-days, and said: "When the Lord shall bring again Zion, her
watchmen shall see eye to eye." There will be no confusion there,
no difference of sentiment there. They will place themselves
under the guidance of the Great Eloheim, and under His
inspiration they will be enabled to speak as they are moved upon
by the Holy Ghost; and the Spirit of God, as it did formerly,
will take of the things of God and shew them unto them. There is
the distinction between the two principles.
213
How can we expect that people will comprehend the things of God
without the gift of the Holy Ghost? The Elders when they are sent
forth to preach are instructed to preach nothing but the first
principles of the Gospel--to preach nothing but repentance to
this generation. Why? Because the people cannot comprehend
further advanced principles. I remember talking with an eminent
clergyman some few years ago. He was a very gentlemanly person,
well disposed, intelligent, learned, etc. I talked the Gospel a
little to him, but I found he could not comprehend it. Hence I
commenced talking politics, history, geography, and some little
principles of science. He understood these things perfectly, and
we had no difficulty in comprehending each other; but he could
not comprehend the Gospel. Was he a minister? Yes; but he had not
the gift of the Holy Ghost, and it was useless for me to attempt
to teach him. This is the way that I understand these things.
213
Speaking of education, we have singular notions of education, and
some people will say--and I have often said it myself--that
Joseph Smith was quite an uneducated man. He was uneducated when
he was a boy. He was brought up in the Green Mountains of
Vermont, and he did not have any of the advantages of what we
call an education. The Lord took him into His school, and he
taught him things that I have seen puzzle many of the wisest
scientists, profoundest thinkers, and the most learned men that I
have met with in this world. Why? Because he was taught of God.
What did those principles refer to? To the earth on which we
live; to the elements of which it is composed; to the heavens
above us; to the Gods that exist in the eternal worlds; to the
principles by which the earth was organized, sustained, upheld
and governed, and its relationship to other planets and systems;
and speaking of governments, laws and principles, he possessed
more intelligence than ninety-nine hundredths of the people of
to-day. And he sought to teach others, and these things were
introduced into the Temple of the Lord in Kirtland.
213
I have heard the Prophet Joseph quote from the German Bible in
support of our method of baptism by immersion, showing that the
German Translation of the New Testament favored this idea, and
that the word "Taufen" in that language means "to dip;" the same
as our term immersion does; and that when John the Baptist was
spoken of as John the Baptist it was "Johannes der Taufer," or
John the Dipper, which is correct.
214
I have heard him quote from the Hebrew Bible in support of a
plurality of Gods, showing that the suffix "mem" in the word
Eloheim or God, ought to be rendered in the plural and to read if
literally translated, "and the Gods said let us, etc." Certain it
is that in our present translation the word "us" or "let us"
indicates that idea; for "us" is certainly in the plural and
means more than one; and while our translation makes it say: "In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth," we are also
told that "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with
God. * * * And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us," and
further, that "All things were made by him," visible and
invisible. We are further told that "There be that are called
Gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there be gods many, and
lords many). But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom
are all things.'
214
If, as stated, Jesus was with the Father in the beginning, there
certainly was more than one God--God the Father, and God the Son.
Joseph Smith was reasoning upon this doctrine at the time that he
made this quotation from the Hebrew Bible.
214
We had a discussion in this Tabernacle some years ago between
Apostle Orson Pratt and Dr. Newman--the latter a very prominent
religionist from the east--a Methodist I think he was--what they
call a doctor of divinity. The subject of discussion was--"Does
the Bible sanction polygamy?" Mr., Newman was a well-educated
man. So was Orson Pratt. Mr. Newman received his education in the
schools of the day---somewhere in the United States, perhaps in
the Methodist order; but I am not sufficiently acquainted with
his history to say anything about this; I know very little about
Mr. Newman. But I know where Orson Pratt got his information. And
during this discussion some Hebrew points were debated, and the
original Hebrew had to be referred to. Orson Pratt was quite as
well acquainted with Hebrew as Mr. Newman was. Where did he get
his knowledge? He received it in the Temple at Kirtland, Ohio. In
speaking of that principle, the principle of education, to
several leading men only yesterday, I think, I mentioned to them,
in alluding to languages, that I was a little astonished to find
that an old gentleman, about 80 years of age, whom I met a short
time ago, was thoroughly conversant with the Hebrew language.
"Where did you learn it?" said I. "Why," said he, "I learned it
in the Temple at Kirtland;" and he informed me that he was now
studying Arabic. I was rather amused at the idea of an old man 80
years of age commencing to study Arabic. But to return. I have
seldom met with a man that was more intelligent in the science of
astronomy than Orson Pratt. Where did he get his information?
From the same source. He studied mathematics all his days, and
has written works that it is very difficult for some men to
comprehend. Yet his works are on record.
215
The religion of God is not a religion of ignorance. To whom are
we indebted for the first principles contained in this book [the
Bible]? To Moses. Who was he? A man of God. Who taught him those
things? The Lord. By what principle? The principle of revelation;
for he could not know them without. But had he not been taught in
the schools of Egypt? Yes. And had he not obtained a knowledge of
astronomy in those schools, too? Probably he had in part; but God
taught him the leading, prominent points pertaining thereto. And
who taught the Egyptians? Abraham taught them the science of
astronomy, so we are informed, by late Egyptologists, and
revealed unto them the principle concerning the motions of the
heavenly bodies. Where did Abraham get his information from? In
reading the history pertaining to this matter we are told that he
says of himself that he was a follower of righteousness; that he
sought after more righteousness; that he examined the history of
his fathers and traced back his genealogy to the commencement of
the world, and from before the commencement. Afterwards we are
told in the same history that the Lord gave unto him a Urim and
Thummim by which he was able to comprehend many things that
others did not understand, and by which he obtained a knowledge
of the heavenly bodies and of their motions. Moses was one of the
first to illustrate this principle; but Abraham, who was before
Moses, as also Joseph, understood it more clearly than Moses. And
in those things wherein the world to-day are puzzled in regard to
the Scriptures, and the six days that are there spoken of,
Abraham speaks of those days as times, epochs, or ages, different
and distinct from the days spoken of by Moses, and his record
agrees precisely with many geological facts that have puzzled so
many of this generation. Where did he obtain his knowledge? From
God. Who controls the heavens and the earth? The Gods in the
eternal worlds. Who has implanted certain principles in matter
and in all creation? God has done it. All things are subject to
these laws; and if men can place themselves under His guidance
and find the way to approach the great Eloheim, they will know
more in a very short time than all this world together know in
all their lives and more than all the combined intelligence of
the world, for God is the foundation of all wisdom, and the
source of all intelligence and knowledge. We are told that
Solomon was a wise man. Where did he get his wisdom? From God. He
prayed to the Lord to give him wisdom, and the Lord told him that
because he had sought wisdom he should have it, and He would also
add unto him the rich treasures of the earth.
215
I speak of these things for the information of the Latter-day
Saints, and to disabuse your minds in regard to some of those
principles that men sometimes talk about. The world possesses a
certain amount of knowledge and intelligence, and it has
progressed very rapidly of late years. We have had many
discoveries in the arts and sciences and in the researches
pertaining to geology, chemistry, etc., but many of their ideas
and deductions are perfectly foolish and ridiculous. We have had
the introduction of railroads, gas, steamboats, manifestations of
the power and use of electricity, etc. Nevertheless, these
principles always existed; it needed a development of them only
to bring them into practical use; and there are thousands of
other things not yet made known, yet to be developed, similar to
those that have been discovered. In regard to these things, some
of them are important, some of them are hot very important. The
intelligence that the world boasts so much of, is not very
profound when you come to test it by the principles of eternal
truth.
217
In regard to the action of the Congress of the United States,
which has been referred to, I want to say to you Saints, you need
not trouble yourselves about it--you need not be the least
concerned about any of these affairs. But they are acting
unlawfully. That is the worse for them. When the Government
begins to break down the safeguards of society, tear in pieces
the Constitution of the United States, and trample under foot the
liberties of man, they are only preparing the nation for an utter
overthrow. There are plenty of elements of discord and
disintegration all around. Congress should not be the first to
exhibit examples of lawlessness and the violation of
Constitutional rights. However, if they can stand it we can. We
need not trouble our heads about any of these matters; there is
an overruling Providence that controls the affairs of men and
nations. So you can rest perfectly easy, you Latter-day Saints.
We shall continue to do right. We will continue to sustain good
principle. And what will you do? Just what Jesus said. We will do
good for evil. What else? We will pray for them that despitefully
use us and evilly treat us. Why? That we may be the children of
our Heavenly Father, and act on the same principle that He does
towards the human family. Does He act in that way? Yes. For he
maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth
His rain on the just and on the unjust. He has introduced certain
laws into the system of His government that regulates all things
pertaining to these matters. He does not make those little
divisions that the United States are trying to make to-day. He is
more philantropic. He treats all alike, and places all on the
same basis. Then, we will try and operate with Him and for Him,
and in the interests of humanity, and in the protection of human
rights, and we will try by every legal and constitutional method
to maintain and sustain the principles of human rights in behalf
of ourselves, in behalf of our children, and in behalf of
thousands and tens of thousands of honorable men that live in
these United States. We can very well afford to abide by the
Constitution of the United States, and to sustain it, and we can
afford to believe in the Bible and to obey its ordinances, and
practice them, which they cannot do, and do not do. As I have
said, we can afford to treat all men well, and to pray for those
which despitefully use us and persecute us. Those who are trying
to despoil us are objects more of sympathy in my feelings than
anything else. I feel sorry when I see misrule abound anywhere,
let it be in this nation or other nations. God would like to see
peace, union and harmony. For that reason He has introduced the
Gospel, and the principles of intelligence associated with it.
Man is a dual being, he possesses a body and a spirit, and is
connected with time and will exist in eternity, and it is for him
to understand the nature of his organism, and his relation to the
world in which he lives, and to God our Heavenly Father. What,
then, will we do? Why, we will try and live for one another; we
will try and be honest, honorable and virtuous, no matter what
people can say about us. Concerning the lying about us, we need
not trouble our heads. I do not think we are much better than
Jesus was. The people in His day said He was possessed of devils,
and worse than that, that He cast out devils by the power of
Beelzebub, the prince of devils, and they killed Him saying He
was an impostor and a deceiver, and because He said He was the
Son of God, when they Knew He was not. And His theology was
altogether at fault with the learned Rabbis of that day, as ours
is with the learned Rabbis of this. We cannot help that. What we
know, as Brother John Q. Cannon has said, we know for ourselves.
We do not ask any odds of man. I don't. I know that God lives; I
know that He has revealed the truth; I know this is the
everlasting Gospel. I know that you Saints, if you are faithful,
will secure to yourselves an inheritance in the celestial kingdom
of God; but if you are not true to God and your religion you will
not. If you go after the things of the world and depart from the
principles of righteousness and trample upon the principles of
honor, virtue, truth, or integrity, you will not enter that
kingdom. It is not every one that saith, Lord, Lord, that shall
enter the kingdom of heaven. What shall we do then? We will fear
and love God and work righteousness, and send the Gospel to the
nations of the earth, despite the follies, the wickedness and
corruption of men; and we will proclaim the truth in these
valleys and mountains, and Zion will spread, grow and increase.
God will be for Israel, and we will sing, Hallelujah! the Lord
God Omnipotent reigneth, and He will reign until He has put all
enemies under His feet. Let this people fear God and work
righteousness, and I ask no odds of earth or hell. God is at the
helm. He will manage things according to the counsels of His
will. He will say to this nation and to other nations, as He did
to the proud waves of the ocean, "Hitherto shall thou come, but
no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed." Our safety
and our defense is in the Lord of Hosts. Let us put our trust in
Him and obey His laws, and He will bless and sustain us in time
and throughout the eternities that are to come; and we will try
and benefit this nations all that we can, and all that they will
let us, we cannot help it.
217
God bless you and lead you in the paths of life. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Charles W. Penrose, July 26, 1884
Charles W. Penrose, July 26, 1884
REMARKS BY ELDER CHARLES W. PENROSE,
Delivered in The Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, July 26, 1884.
Reported by John Irvine.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY GUARANTEED BY THE CONSTITUTION--NOT MERE
FREEDOM OF
BELIEF--WHERE THE LINE SHOULD BE DRAWN--NATURAL RIGHTS MUST BE
PROTECTED--DANGER OF SPECIAL LEGISLATION--OBJECT OF THE GATHERING
OF THE
SAINTS--ESTABLISHMENT OF GOD'S KINGDOM--LITERAL FULFILLMENT OF
PROPHECY--RESTORATION OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH--AUTHORITY OF THE
PRIESTHOOD--LACK OF DIVINE AUTHORITY--PROOFS OF THE DIVINE
MISSION
OF THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS--PLURAL MARRIAGE A RELIGIOUS
INSTITUTION--A
BIBLE DOCTRINE--CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO PRACTICE IT.
219
I have been pleased in listening to the remarks of Brother Caine,
who has just returned from Washington; glad to hear that his
heart with ours is turned toward the truth, and that his desire,
in common with ours, is to build up the Kingdom of God in the
earth, and to contend for the rights which belong to us as
American citizens. Some people seem to imagine because we have
embraced a doctrine which is not popular in the world, because we
have embraced a faith which is contrary to the generally received
notions in regard to religion, that we ought to have no rights
whatever as citizens of our common country. We do not look upon
the matter in that light. We consider that we have the right
under the Constitution of the United States to believe anything
which seems right to us, and not only to believe it, but to carry
it out in our practice, so far as we can do so without
interfering with the rights of other people. The first amendment
to the Constitution of the United States says: "Congress shall
pass no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof." We understand that
amendment as it is written. We do not wish to interpret it, or to
give to it any meaning other than the plain language conveys. The
language is, "That Congress shall pass no law respecting an
establishment of religion." With the establishment of religion,
then, Congress has nothing to do. Congress cannot set up a
religion, nor can it pass any law respecting an establishment of
religion--that is, to prevent its free exercise. There are some
people in these latter times who interpret that amendment to mean
that people may believe what they please, but it carries with it
no freedom of practice. People may believe what seems right to
them, but they must not carry it out if it happens to be contrary
to the views of the great majority. Now, it appears to me that
that is a very narrow interpretation of the meaning of that
Amendment to the Constitution. It appears to us, as it must to
the great bulk of the people of the country--the sovereign
people--that without any constitutional amendment, or the passage
of any law, people everywhere are of themselves free to believe.
We do not think a law can interfere with belief, even if one were
passed for the purpose of interfering with it. A man's belief
cannot be controlled by any Act of Congress or of Parliament. No
edict of a government or any other law-making body can interfere
with my freedom of belief. When a proposition is placed before my
mind, and I reflect upon it, and it appears to be correct, my
mind receives it and I believe it. Sometimes persons believe in
spite of themselves. Sometimes a man will believe a thing in
spite of his own desires not to believe. Then this faith cannot
be controlled by any person outside of the man himself, and
sometimes he cannot control it himself. No edict or law, or any
power of man on the earth can alter a man's belief, or prevent
him from believing. A law can be enacted to prevent the carrying
of that belief into practice; but it cannot interfere with
belief, and it needs no amendment to the Constitution, no
enactment of Congress or of any law-making body on earth, to
protect a man in mere belief. Then it is clear to us that the
intention was, that a man should have not only the right to
believe, but that he should be protected in the free exercise of
that belief. As the language states, Congress is not to pass any
law respecting an establishment of religion, nor prohibit the
free exercise thereof. What is the exercise of belief in
religion? Why, it is certain acts men perform prompted by their
belief, prompted by their religion. Suppose a man believes it is
right to be baptized in water--buried in water for the remission
of sins--how can he evidence his belief in that principle? He can
only do it in the way specified by the Apostle James. He says:
Show me thy faith without thy works and I will show thee my faith
by my works." "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without
works is dead." That is the only way in which faith can be truly
shown--by works. If I believe that baptism is right I evidence my
belief by being baptized, and if I am not baptized it either
shows that my faith is very weak or that it does not exist: that
I have not the courage of my faith, or else that I do not believe
at all.
220
Now, we consider that we have a perfect right under the
Constitution of our country to believe what seems right to us,
and then to carry it out. "Well," some one may say, "do you think
there should be no restriction to this? Are people to be
protected in any kind of religion they may have? Suppose a man
were to come here from India who believed it religious duty,
under some circumstances, to strangle a man, would he have the
right under the Constitution of the United States, to strangle?
Again, there are people who believe it is right, in India, to
burn a widow on the funeral pile, that her spirit may be sent to
keep company with her husband in the other world. Would that
person, or those persons have the right, under the constitution
of the United States, to carry out their belief in this country?"
We say no. We say that the Thug has no right here to practice his
faith. We say the Suttee could not be established in this
country. "Why not? You believe it is right under some
circumstances for a man to have more wives than one, and that
those who thus believe are protected by the Constitution in the
practice of their religion. Why should not those who believe it
right to strangle, or to burn widows, have the right to practice
their religion under the Constitution of the United States?" The
dividing line is very simple, as truth generally is. It is very
easy to be drawn. It is to be drawn in consonance with the spirit
of the Declaration of Independence, and with the principles that
underline our government. In the Declaration of Independence it
is laid down that there are certain rights that cannot be
alienated, that are natural, that are inherent, that are not
imparted by governments: they do not belong to politics, but they
are inherent in the individual--the right to life, the right to
liberty, the right to property, and the right to the pursuit of
happiness. These rights are inalienable. They belong to every
individual. They are not conferred by law. They belong to us.
They are born in us. They belong to every person who breathes the
breath of life. Then, an act of any individual or any government
which infringes upon these natural rights is wrong in and of
itself. If any individual interferes with the rights of his
fellowmen he may be restrained by the secular law. The right to
life, and to liberty, and to the pursuit of happiness, and to
property belong to all individuals alike. One body of people
professing one faith must not interfere with the rights of any
other body of people professing another faith. The Latter-day
Saints, as well as the Latter-day sinners, the Methodist as well
as the Catholic, the Jew as well as the Gentile--all people alike
in this great country must be protected equally in these natural
rights which belong to them.
221
Here, then, is where the line must be drawn. Anything that
persons profess to do under the name of religion, which
interferes with the rights of others is wrong, and the secular
law may step in and protect the citizens and restrain or punish
those people who attempt to do this under the plea of religion.
If I do anything which interferes with the life, the liberty, the
happiness, or the property of my neighbor, the law has a right to
step in and protect my neighbor and restrain me. But if my
religion--that which I believe to be true, and which I try to
carry out as a part of my faith--does not interfere with human
rights, does not infringe in any degree upon the rights of my
fellow man, neither Congress, nor any other law-making power on
the face of the earth, has the right to interfere with me under
the Constitution of the country. I have a right to the exercise
of my religion so long as it does not infringe upon the rights of
other people. There is where we draw the line, and we think it is
the right place. And we are standing up, not only for our own
rights in this respect, but for the rights of all people upon the
face of this land. As has been said by Brother Caine, this
afternoon, in passing certain enactments which infringe upon our
religious liberties, the congress of the United States is doing
something that will come back upon the very individuals who have
been trying to establish this principle or to enact these laws.
Because, we may be the society or body aimed at to-day, and
to-morrow another sect or party or body may be aimed at by the
same enactments which are passed against us, and perhaps will
hold good in both directions. It is a poor rule that only works
one way. It may be found convenient do-day to single out the
"Mormons," because they are unpopular, for special legislation;
but in a little time some other religious body in this country
may have the same inimical legislation applied to them, to bear
down upon them with greater weight that it does upon us. You
cannot violate a principle of truth without receiving very bad
consequences. Those who attempt to do that will be sure to reap
the fruit of their labors at some time or other. And when the
Congress of the United States commences to move away the
foundation stones of the system that the fathers of this nation
built up, they are working on very dangerous ground, and the
consequences thereof will not be confined to the few people
against whom these measures are made. It is the duty of every
patriot, of every man who loves his country, and of every woman
who loves her country, to do their part in preventing the passage
of such enactments as these, and in vindicating the principles
and doctrines which enter into the Constitution of our beloved
country. So we are standing up not only for our own rights, but
for the rights of others, and this is none of the duties enjoined
upon us by our Heavenly Father.
222
We have been brought from the various parts of the earth into
these mountain valleys that we may establish a system of religion
which has been revealed from heaven, which our Heavenly Father
has committed to us. We have not taken this religion from any of
the sacred books that are in existence; we have not concocted
this system from the Bible, or from any other religious work; but
it has been revealed to us in our own day and time. God has
broken the silence of ages. That same God that spoke to the
prophets of old, whose record we have in the Old Testament, and
who sent His Son Jesus Christ in the meridian of time to die for
the sins of the world--that same God that inspired the Apostles
of Jesus Christ in their great works has Himself spoken from
heaven in our own day, and angels have come down from the courts
of glory with a message of life and salvation for the inhabitants
of the earth. This Church, this system, this organization to
which we belong has not been set up by the wisdom of man, but has
been set up by the power of God, by the command of the Almighty,
and has been sustained by him up to the present time. All the
efforts which are made to break it down will only tend to build
it up. Every law the United States may pass with the intent to
disintegrate this work, to divide the people, to crush the power
that exists in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, will only tend
to consolidate the people, to bind them closer together, to make
their faith more intense, their convictions more certain, and to
make their determination more persistent. That will be the
effect. God is working with this people, and has worked with them
from the beginning. And this, as we have heard this afternoon, is
not a mere matter of faith. We have seen so many proofs of an
over-ruling power, and manifestations of special providence, as a
people and as individuals, in answer to our prayers that we know
that God lives, that God answers prayer, that God Almighty is
with the Latter-day Saints while they keep His commandments and
do his will, and that He will over-rule for good all the evil
which is intended against us.
223
This work is established for the purpose of bringing about His
designs in regard to this earth upon which we live. The earth is
the Lord's and the fullness thereof. The cattle on a thousand
hills are His. The silver and the gold belong to Him, and the
life of all mankind is in His hands. He is Lord over all, blessed
forever, and it is His right to rule and regulate and control all
things on the face of this globe. Jesus Christ His beloved Son
has been here. He dwelt on the earth for a time and performed the
work allotted to Him, by which he obtained all power and sits at
the right hand of the Father; and the tie is coming when He will
stand on the earth, establish His government and dominion,
extending it from pole to pole and from shore to shore, and the
kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and His
Christ; not in some figurative, mystical, spiritual sense, but
really and truly as a matter of fact. The Savior, as foretold by
the prophets, came upon the earth literally and truly. He was
hung upon the cross, and His spirit left His body. He was laid in
the tomb, but He was raised again from the dead, not in a
spiritual sense, or some mythical sense, but really and truly His
body was raised from the dead. In that body He appeared to His
disciples, and went up from their gaze, saying that in like
manner he would descend again. And His promises are that when he
shall come the second time, it shall not be as the babe of
Bethlehem, despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief; nor to be persecuted by His own, but that He shall
come in the clouds of heaven in power and great glory to sit upon
the throne of His Father David and reign and rule from the rivers
to the end of the earth, so that all nations, kindreds tongues
and people shall serve and obey Him. Now, we look for the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we expect it just as much as when
the sun goes down we expect it to rise above the hill tops in the
morning. And when He comes we expect it will be Himself--Jesus of
Nazareth, our Elder Brother, the first born of God in the spirit
world, the Only Begotten of God in the flesh. We expect that He
will come and reign over the earth as King of kings and Lord of
lords, and we expect that all kingdoms, all governments, and all
institutions that men have set up will be broken down, and as
Nebuchadnezzar saw them in the vision which Daniel interpreted,
they will become as the chaff of the summer threshing floor, and
be swept away, and no place found for them upon the face of the
whole earth; because the Kingdom of god and of His Christ will
prevail everywhere, and it will cover the earth. For it is the
kingdom that was spoken of by the Prophets, and we are told that
"the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heavens"--that is over all the earth, is it
not?--shall be His kingdom and shall "be given into the hands of
the people of the Saints of the Most High, and their kingdom
shall be an everlasting kingdom." Now, we expect the fulfillment
of all these things, and when they come to pass they will occur
just as they are written, like other prophecies have been
accomplished. When Isaiah prophesied that "a virgin should
conceive and bear a son" and that they should "call His name
Immanuel," the prophet meant what he said, and it came to pass;
and all the predictions in regard to the second coming, as it is
called, the second advent of the Messiah, and the establishment
of God's Kingdom and government on the earth, will be fulfilled
exactly as the prophets have predicted. There is no need to
mystify, nor to spiritualize, nor to explain them, they will come
to pass word for word; for "heaven and earth may pass away, but
not one jot or tittle of the word of God shall pass away; it
shall all be fulfilled.
223
Now, this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to which we
belong is established by the Almighty for the express purpose of
opening up the way for the accomplishment of this great work. In
this Church is the germ of that kingdom that Daniel saw. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, set up by the power
of God, by the authority of the Most High, is exactly the same
Church that Jesus Christ built up--that is, the same in all its
essential principles; the same organization, the same kind of
officers, the same doctrines, the same in its spirit, the same in
its ordinances, the same in the power that attends those
ordinances, doctrines, principles and commandments as were
revealed to the ancient Church. It is governed just exactly in
the same way that the church which Jesus Christ established when
he was upon the earth was governed. Every principle which was
taught by the ancient Apostles in their time is taught by the
latter-day Apostles in their time. And the Apostles in our day
have the same authority or Priesthood, as it is called, that the
Apostles had in their time whom Jesus ordained; because those
that held the keys of that apostleship in the earth in former
times have come down to the earth, literally and truly, and
ordained men to the same authority and apostleship which they
held while living in the flesh. That is how the apostleship has
been restored. That authority exists in this Church, and it will
never be taken away again. That which is called by the Latter-day
Saints the Priesthood, is the authority given of God to men to
act in His name, so that what they do by His authority and in the
way that He has appointed on the earth shall be acknowledged in
heaven--that which they seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven
and that which they loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. It
must be done as God directs, according to the revelations of His
will. But this authority, this right, this power from God exists
in this Church, as it existed in the ancient Church, because it
has been actually restored by the very men who held the keys of
it. And really, after all, it is that that the world is fighting.
All these plans and schemes, all that legislation and these
influences that are brought to bear on this Church, upon this
system called by the world "Mormonism" is brought to bear in
consequence of the restoration of that power and that authority.
It is the authority of the kingdom. It is here to stay. It is
here to prevail. First it will preach the Gospel of the kingdom
as a witness to all nations; it will then gather together the
elect of God from the four quarters of the earth; it will build
temples to the name of the Most High God in which men can
administer in ordinances that pertain to the salvation of the
living and the redemption of the dead. It will accomplish all
that has been predicted by the prophets concerning the Latter-day
Kingdom.
225
Now, this is the kind of work in which we are engaged. It has
been introduced by the Almighty to bring about all those grand
events that we read about in the writings of the old prophets
that have not yet been fulfilled; there are a great many things
contained in the Old Testament that people pay little attention
to now-a-days. They have an idea of things coming to pass in some
spiritual fashion, or some mythical, mystical kind of way; they
don't know exactly how; and it is the business of certain men who
are hired to preach the Gospel, to make mysterious explanations
of passages of Scripture, which they manage to cover up, and
succeed in confusing the people more than before the expounding
was attempted. Nevertheless, all those predictions that refer to
events that are to take place in the earth in the latter days
will all come to pass as they are written, and this work, this
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, this thing called
"Mormonism" has been introduced by the Almighty for the express
purpose of bringing these things out; that is why it is
universally opposed. All these different sects of modern
Christendom are like the sects of heathendom, without
communication from the eternal world. They receive no revelation
from God. Their ministers have no authority except that which
they obtain from their congregations. Many of them do not pretend
to have any other, when you press them closely. They preach those
tenets which the people believe and which are acceptable to the
people--each minister of each sect preaching that which the
members desire to hear. All these different sects contain many
good people who are trying to do right, trying to serve God, and
a great many others that are hypocrites. But as sects, as
societies, as churches, they are not authorized of God. You can
trace them all to their origin, and find that that origin is
human in its nature. They have not come from God, they have come
from men, some of them good men, perhaps. Men have met together
and formulated creeds and organized societies, and these
societies have grown and spread abroad, and after a while have
become orthodox in the earth. At first they were persecuted and
opposed, but as they grew in wealth as well as in numbers they
made a name and a noise and became a power in the earth;, and are
recognized and understood as orthodox sects. But there is not one
of them ordained of God. They are not set up by divine command,
and their minsters have not been divinely authorized to preach
the Gospel, nor to administer in the things of the Kingdom. Here
may be and no doubt are men among them preaching that which they
believe to be true. But a man's belief is not authority. A man
may believe a thing to be right, but that does not give him
authority to represent God in that matter. A man may believe it
is right to sprinkle a babe and call that baptism. But even
supposing it is right--through it is not--the fact that he
believes it is right would not give him the authority to
administer, because he does it "in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Ghost," and he has no right to take these
names upon his lips in vain, and he does take them upon his lips
in vain unless he has been authorized to use these names. No man
has any more right to use the name of Deity in the administration
of an ordinance, without authority, than a common citizen,
without authority, has the right to use the name and pretend to
be the representative of the Government of the United States, or
of Great Britain, or of Germany; not a bit. But men seem to think
because God does not interfere, that they have e aright to do a
great many things that he never commanded, and do them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
226
Now, as I said just now, the authority to administer in the
things of God's Church has been restored in the way that I have
told you. That is why we claim the right in this Church to
administer these ordinances, and that is why we lay down the
broad assertion that outside of this Church there is no authority
in the world to administer in the name of the Lord. If there is
such authority, let those who claim to have it, show their
credentials and prove where they obtained their authority from.
Now, in this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints not only
is this authority restored, and those same doctrines, principles
and ordinances which were had in the early Christian Church also
restored, but accompanying these are the same spirit and gifts
and manifestations and power that existed in the ancient Church.
And here is one of the great proofs of the truth of that which I
have advanced to you: Wherever the servants of God connected with
this Church and holding this authority go into the world--and
they go out without purse or scrip and administer: there are no
salaried preachers in this Church--wherever they go and proclaim
this Gospel they tell the people that if they will believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and repent of their sins, and be baptized for
the remission of sins, they shall receive the Holy Ghost, through
the laying on of hands; and that this Holy Ghost that shall be
given to them is the same spirit exactly in its manifestations,
in its power, that the Apostles conferred upon the people by the
laying on of hands in the early Christian Church, and that rested
down upon the old prophets by which they wrote the things called
scripture: the same spirit that Jesus Christ had without measure;
that spirit that He gave to His Apostles when He breathed upon
them and said: "Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me,
even so send I you * * Receive ye the Holy Ghost;" that same
spirit that was upon them on the day of Pentecost; that spirit
which manifested itself to the Church in Corinth by the gift of
tongues, interpretations, visions, dreams, healings and miracles,
and all those signs which Jesus Christ promised to them that
believed. These are manifest in the midst of the Latter-day
Saints; this spirit, this power, is revealed to them and
communicated to them. Not merely to the Presidency and the Twelve
Apostles, and other leading Elders, but to each individual, to
every person who believes and repents and is baptized, and upon
whom the hands are laid of those having authority from God to
administer in His name. Now, these men might claim this authority
and be impostors; for the world has been full of impostors, and
there are plenty of them now-a-days--religious impostors; these
men might claim to have this authority, but they could not
communicate this power, the Holy Ghost. But wherever people
receive this doctrine, and obey it in the spirit of it their
testimony is, in every land, in every corner of the earth,
wherever the servants of God have penetrated, that they have
received for themselves by revelation, by the Holy Ghost from on
high, a testimony that this work is the work of God, and that
these men are His servants. That is why they are here. That is
why they are gathered in these valleys of the mountains. They are
here because they have received the truth, and a knowledge of it,
because they have received the ordinances of the Church and
obtained the power that accompanies them; because God has
witnessed to them individually, that He has spoken from the
heavens, that He has re-established His Church, and that the time
has come for the building up of the latter-day Kingdom and the
establishment of God's dominion in all the earth, and they are
called to help in the work; not only the Apostles and Priesthood,
but all the members of the Church are called to take a part in
the work. And here we are, in these mountain valleys, bound
together as a band of brethren--not by the power of man, not by
the coercion of man, not by oppression, not by arbitrary rules,
but by the spirit and power of the Eternal God, sent down from on
high, which has been shed abroad universally upon the members of
the Church. This is our testimony to the world.
227
We know that God lives. We know that there are "special
providences" of God. We know that this work will prevail. We know
that all these adverse plans and schemes of men, either from
individuals or from nations, will only tend to roll on this work,
and bring about the purposes of the Almighty in the midst of the
children of men. That is why we have so much confidence. It is
not because we think so much of ourselves. We do not profess to
be a great people, except in our unity--in our industry,
temperance and sobriety, for we are a temperate, sober and
thrifty people. Of course there are exceptions to this. There are
men and women among us, like there are in all denominations, who
will not hearken to good advice and do right. Notwithstanding the
promise made by every man and woman that comes into this Church
to be holy and righteous, true and faithful, and to avoid sin,
there are some who will not be bound by their solemn obligations,
nor abide their covenants with one another. And those who will
break promises with each other are very likely to break promises
made with God Almighty. But as a body we are a united, thrifty,
temperate and sober people, and we try to do that which we
consider to be right. We may make mistakes like other people; but
as a body of people we are on the straight and narrow way, the
one path to the celestial city, and we desire to turn neither to
the right hand nor to the left. Those who walked in that path in
ancient times were told by Jesus Christ that they would be
opposed by the world, that the world would hate them. "If ye were
of the world the world would love his own: but because ye are not
of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore
the world hateth you." We have been called out of the world in
the same way. We are called with a special calling, and we have a
special mission to perform. There is not a soul in this Church
but has a mission. We are called out of the world to be the
people of the Lord, to be Saints of the Most High, to consecrate
and dedicate ourselves body and soul, with all that we have--the
fruits of the labors of our hands, the fruits of the efforts of
our minds--to the work in which we are engaged, the work of the
Great God in the earth, He using us as instruments. This is the
kind of people we are. This is the kind of people the world are
opposed to.
228
Now in regard to that feature of our faith that they make so much
fuss about--a right we claim under the Constitution of the United
States, and against which laws have been passed in Congress,
framed to prevent our carrying out the commandments of God in
regard to our family relations--that feature seems to upset the
equilibrium of our "Christian" friends. What is the matter? "Why,
you believe in men having more wives than one." Yes, some men,
good men. We don't believe that a bad man should have a wife at
all. None but the good deserve the fair. And we believe that a
righteous men, virtuous men, men that would not improperly use
any power or faculty of their nature, ought to be permitted to
have wives and raise up a holy posterity and train their children
in the ways of virtue, honesty and uprightness. We do not believe
it is right for men to give way to their animal passions. We do
not believe it is right to do so either in plural or single
marriage or outside of it. We believe marriage to be an holy
estate, ordained of God, with which Congress has not the right to
interfere. It is a religious matter with us. It is a holy
ordinance established by the Eternal Father. We claim that the
women of the Church are the daughters of God, and God has some
right as to their disposition. We do not believe it is right for
a man to pick and choose where he likes, and do as he pleases
independent of God Almighty. We read in the Old Testament that
"When man began to multiply on the face of the earth, and
daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the
daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of
all which they chose." And it is stated that the iniquity of man
was great, and God brought a flood on the earth. Now, to
understand that correctly we have to know what kind of position
those persons were in, and why they were called the "Sons of
God." Those men were in the same position as the Latter-day
Saints. They were heirs to the Priesthood. They were the sons of
God. They had obeyed the holy covenants. They had received the
word of the Lord. They were consecrated to the Almighty. But they
went outside of their covenants and their engagement with the
Lord, and took wives of the daughters of men that were not in the
covenant, and thus transgressed the law of God. The law of God in
relation to this has been the same in all ages, and has been
given to this people--that the sons of Israel shall wed the
daughters of Israel, and shall not go out to wed with the
stranger. These men did that, and God was displeased, as He is
to-day with Latter-day Saints, who are called out of the world to
be His servants, to be holy unto the Lord, to be clean because
they bear the vessels of the Lord, when they go outside and wed
with the stranger. The law is that they shall not do this, but
shall wed under the everlasting covenant and have their wives
given them of the Lord and sealed to them by an holy ordinances
revealed from heaven, in a holy place prepared for the
purpose--sealed for time and all eternity, so that death shall
not be able to break the bond of union; that though death may
separate them for a little season when they come up in the
resurrection, her will be no need to marry or give in marriage,
because they were married on the earth by authority of God
Almighty for time and all eternity, just like Adam and Eve were,
for God gave Eve to Adam before death came into the world. We
believe that good men, who have demonstrated their fitness for
the responsibilities of holy wedlock, may, under the direction of
the Lord, obtain more wives than one, may have them sealed to
them by the same covenant and by the same bond, to be their wives
in the eternal world; and they expect when they depart hence to
go where Abraham is--to that place that is called Abraham's
bosom. There they will be in congenial company. They will verify
the words of Jesus, who said, "Many shall come from the east and
from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall
sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God;"
while others who supposed themselves to be the children of the
Kingdom" will be "thrust out." And I am afraid that a great many
of our good Christian friends who are so terribly shocked about
this feature of our faith, when they get to the door and look in
and see Abraham and Sarah and Hagar and Keturah, and those
concubines given of the Lord to Abraham--when they see them in
the eternal kingdom they will want to turn away and go to more
congenial company, which they are at perfect liberty to do. If
Abraham was on the earth to-day, these same good people would put
him in the penitentiary, and yet they call Abraham "the father of
the faithful, the friend of God," and want to go to his bosom
when they die! If Jacob were here with his four wives, through
whom he "did build the house of Israel," the names of whose
twelve sons are to be inscribed upon the gates of the holy city,
the New Jerusalem, that is to come down from God out of heaven
like a bride adorned for her husband--I say if Jacob were on the
earth to-day, they would put him in jail! Well, this is the
consistency of some people who profess to believe in the Bible.
Men come here to try and sell the Latter-day Saints the Bible.
Why, bless your souls, there are no people on the earth who
believe as much in the Bible as the "Mormons." We believe in the
Old and New Testament, King James' translation. It was through
our belief in that record that most of us became Latter-day
Saints; for, being familiar with the Bible, when the servants of
God came with the Gospel we found it was the same as laid down in
that sacred record, and that induced us to embrace the faith that
is commonly called "Mormonism."
229
Well, now, this feature of our faith to which I have alluded--I
have not the time to comment upon it in all its bearings, and a
great many people would not understand it if I did--is a divine
institution. Let me bear my testimony to this congregation, as I
would like to bear it to all the world, that it is a pure and
holy institution; not to bring women into bondage, but to place
them in that position for which they were created--to give them
the opportunity to become honored wives and mothers, so that
there might be "no margin left for lust to prey upon," no field
for the tricks of the seducer and the adulterer, the corrupt and
the ungodly. God Almighty has established this system. It is a
religious ordinance established by authority from God, by
revelation from on high and administered by religious ceremonies.
It belongs to this Priesthood and to none other. We are not
seeking to extend it to the world nor to introduce it to other
people. It is confined to the Priesthood. It is "a law unto my
Holy Priesthood," saith the Lord, and there are bounds
limitations and regulations over which we cannot pass. And it is
not for the wicked.
230
Now, then, in this sense, looking upon this as a religious
institution, as a sacrament, as an ordinance of our faith, as a
part of our creed, as an establishment of our religion, we claim
the right to the free exercise thereof before God and before man.
If anybody can prove to us that it is wrong, that it is impure,
that its effects are bad for this world or the world to come,
that would be another thing altogether, and would have its effect
with us, because as members of this Church we are in for truth,
for salvation, for the glory of our God. We want to attain to the
celestial kingdom. We want to fit ourselves for the society of
the holy ones, the society of the best that ever lived upon the
face of the earth, and for that we are Latter-day Saints. If men
could prove to us that we are wrong, then they might have some
chance of converting us. But when they trample upon our
inalienable rights, upon our constitutional privileges, upon our
religious liberty, why, then, we feel like resisting. But we are
not going to fight. We naturally repel the assaults against us,
but it is in the way of defence. Our motto, like that of the
volunteers in London, is, "Defence, not Defiance." We defend our
rights and privileges against all attacks, and in doing so we are
standing up for the rights of all the people of this great
country. For if you tear away the underpinning from the structure
the fathers established, the whole institution may come down with
a crash. I tell you we have got to watch for these things, and
this is part of our mission. We must preach the Gospel and build
up the Kingdom of God, and contend for our constitutional rights,
because they are given of the Lord. The Constitution of our
country was revealed of God. God has made known to us that He
inspired the framers of the Constitution, and caused that
instrument to be brought forth, so that all people might be
protected in their rights. We claim the same rights as other
folks, and no more. We have received this principle of our faith
in connection with many more, and we claim that if we do not
infringe upon the rights of others we should have liberty in the
exercise thereof. If a man was permitted to force some woman to
be his wife, or to interfere with his neighbor's wife, or
infringe upon the rights of another man, then the secular law
might step in and interfere. But while the woman is free-no woman
among us is coerced, no woman is placed in bondage, every woman
is at liberty to marry or not marry--while that is the case we do
not think that the law has any right to interfere; and we intend
to contend for our rights inch by inch, lawfully, respectfully;
but in this we are as firm as these everlasting mountains that
are not moved by the blasts of winter or the heat of summer. This
is the work of God, and woe! be unto us if we do not preach the
Gospel! Woe! be unto us if we relinquish or attempt to sell or
barter or compromise one of the eternal principles that have been
sent down from the heavens and which we have to carry to the ends
of the earth! But if we are faithful to our mission and calling,
if we stand firm and true, and regarded God rather than man, God
shall fight our battles. Everything that seems to be against us
will be turned for our good. The clouds that overshadow us from
time to time will part and roll away, and the glorious sun of
prosperity will shine upon us. If we are true and faithful God
Almighty will overrule all things for our good, and bring us off
more than conquerors. And every nation and people and institution
and society that fight against Zion shall become like the dream
of a night vision--it will pass away; and those men that fight
against this work will be, as the prophet said, "Even as when a
hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh and
his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and,
behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint,
and his soul hath appetite." So it will be with all who fight
against this work and try to overthrow it. Not because we are
mightier than anybody else, not because we are so numerous, not
because we are learned, not because we are wealthy, but because
God Almighty has established this work, and He will cause it to
prevail. I bear my testimony that I know this to be true.
230
May God bless the Latter-day Saints and unite their hearts that
they may be one. May they be able to keep those precious things
in earthen vessels that God Almighty has committed to them. If
they have found the Pearl of Great Price may they value it above
all earthly things, and endure every opposition and every
influence brought to bear against them and come off triumphant;
and may God bless those who have gathered with us this afternoon,
and give them a knowledge of the truth of this work, that they
may enjoy its blessings with us and be saved in the Kingdom of
God, for Christ's sake. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 /
Franklin D. Richards, May 17, 1884
Franklin D. Richards, May 17, 1884
DISCOURSE BY APOSTLE F. D. RICHARDS,
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Logan, Cache County, Saturday
Afternoon,
(Quarterly Conference) May 17, 1884.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
TEMPLES THE GATES OF HEAVEN--FEELINGS AND REFLECTIONS--AROUND IN
THE
TEMPLE--THE WORK BEFORE THE SAINTS--SAYINGS OF THE SAVIOR AS TO
MARRIAGE
IN THE RESURRECTION EXPLAINED--GLORIOUS HOPES INSPIRED BY THE
GOSPEL--ENOCH AND HIS CITY--THE THREE NEPHITES AND JOHN.
231
I scarcely know how to find words to express the feelings which
occupy my bosom at this time. This is one of those extraordinary
occasions on which the Priesthood of the Church of the last
dispensation are gathered together; a great thanksgiving day for
God's people. It is an assemblage of the authorities of the
Church from the Stakes of Zion. They have come together to
rejoice, to give God thanks, to praise and to magnify His name
because another great and peculiar blessing is bestowed upon His
people--that of erecting, completing and furnishing another house
unto the Lord, and of dedicating it unto Him.
231
The Temples, the houses of our God, when acceptably dedicated,
become to us the gates of heaven. They are esteemed most holy
unto the Lord of all places upon the earth; therein the faithful
approach nearest unto God, and obtain the greatest fellowship and
inspiration of His Holy Spirit. There the righteous perform
ordinances that reach into the heavens and take effect upon their
dead whom they love, whom they have loved, and who have gone
before--to whom they owe a debt of gratitude, for their
parentage--the authors of their being and education in the flesh;
who have gone unto that other state of spiritual existence. It is
fitting on such occasions that the Presidents and Bishops, with
their Counselors, should come from the four quarters of the
earth, if the knowledge of the Gospel and the organization of the
Stakes of Zion had extended so far.
231
The dedication of the Temple this morning awakens anew in our
souls a heavenly, family feeling. It arouses in us an interest
that reaches not only over the extent of the work here upon the
earth, but into the regions of eternal life in the spirit worlds.
It inspires a feeling that we are part of them and that they are
part of us, knowing that we cannot be made perfect without them,
nor they without us. And it becomes like the opening up of the
gate of heaven unto us, that we may view by the eye of faith, and
by the light of the Holy Spirit, that portion of the family of
God with whom we have before associated, and with whom we expect
to be hereafter associated in greater and more glorious labors in
His eternal kingdom here upon the earth; when sickness, sorrow,
sin and death shall be cleansed from the face of it, and when
life, salvation, peace and faith shall, as the fruits of the
Spirit, be poured out upon all flesh.
232
While in the Temple with the chief authorities of the Church and
Kingdom of God--which has now extended its operations and its
labors to every continent, almost every mainland, and many
islands of the sea--the reflection came forcibly to my mind that
there are represented in our midst this day people from either
Indies, from the Antipodes, and from the various nations of the
earth; not less than twenty-five or thirty nationalities,
languages, tongues and peoples are represented among us. The
impression was irresistible that the fellowship of the heavens
was near us, that our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ was near, and
that His Spirit was largely in the midst of the congregation;
that the spirit of our ancient fathers, Adam, Noah and Abraham,
the father of the faithful, who the Revelations inform us has
entered into his exaltation and sits upon his throne, were all
earnestly interested in our offering and dedication of this
Temple to the Most High God. The impression was constantly with
me that we were in the presence of the Prophet Joseph, his
brother Hyrum, and others who had gone before, such as Brother
David W. Patten, as well as Brigham, Heber, Willard, and others
of the Apostles and worthies--that their spirits must have been
present with us hallowing our reflections, imparting their
peaceful influence and truthful inspiration to our souls. Our
spirits were awakened to a profound sense of thankfulness that we
had been enabled to take another so important a step of
advancement in the triumphant progress of the great Latter-day
work.
232
We are sensible that the heavenly powers are moved on these
occasions, and we know that the Saints on earth are. Indeed there
is no theme that engages the human mind, and that reaches into
the innermost recesses thereof as does Temple building, and the
ideas associated with that work and the purposes for which they
are used. It is this that animates the bosoms of the righteous
and brings forth sentiments and emotions from the fountains of
their souls, inspiring them with fresh resolutions to faith and
good works. I thank the living God and praise His holy name that
I have lived to see His work progress thus far upon the earth. I
am thankful for the privilege of meeting with so many of my
brethren in the Priesthood.
232
It is a pleasing thought, a glorious truth, that while we are
here together in our persons, we are also united in spirit, we
are firmly united, so far as we know, in our belief in the
principles of the Gospel, and in all the labors assigned to us
severally to perform. I do not recollect to have ever read in the
Bible history of God's people on the earth, when His servants and
His people wrought together, with greater unanimity of faith or
with a more generous use of their means than now in all the
labors and duties that devolve upon them. The favorable
conditions attending us as a people, the peace and plenty there
is in the land--the sweet fellowship of the Spirit, the glorious
promises and prospects for the future, all draw from the fountain
of our souls our best emotions, our strongest faith, our
brightest hopes, our most glorious anticipations.
233
I have reflected upon the days of ancient Israel, and wondered at
their decadence, when they had arrived at the height of glory and
eminence. Solomon, their king, stood vastly above all the kings
of the surrounding nations; he sat safely on his throne, for God
sustained him there, until he departed from His counsels and
commandments. Oh, what a terrible thing to happen to God's
people, or to any of His servants! What was it that turned the
scale and started the decay of that nation? It was simply because
their ruler put forth his hand and took to himself wives of other
nations, that God had commanded him not to. This was the
beginning of the great mischief that came upon Israel, and one
mischief led to another; they persuaded him to attend the
sacrifices and worship of their idolatrous gods, as the Lord told
him they would do, until the family of Israel had come to follow
the example of their king--marrying strange women and worshipping
strange gods, which brought them down to that terrible
degradation that their temple, which was built in wisdom,
strength and beauty most glorious, and which was acknowledged at
its dedication by the presence and glory of God, had become
polluted and degraded to a den of thieves. The Lord told them
that their doom was sealed, and that in regard to the Temple,
there should not be left one stone upon another to tell where it
stood. O, what terrible consequences have followed through the
ages until to-day! Even until now, that nation is afflicted and
distressed. While it is well with us here, and we are enjoying
all these blessings, it is but right, I think, that we should ask
our Father in heaven that the day of their affliction and sorrow
may soon come to an end, and that they may come, as we have come,
with obedient hearts to help build up Zion and Jerusalem.
233
Our work is at present but small. It is but the beginning, the
germination of the wonderfully strange work that is to affect the
whole habitable globe, and not only those that are on the earth
now, but all that have dwelt here or that shall come to dwell
upon it, until the earth shall be made anew, and all things
thereon pronounced new again from God. Although Israel had
attained to great eminence and glory in the earth, yet they were
brought into subjection to other nations because of their
transgressions, and though Christ came to be their deliverer,
they received Him not--and their Temple was not restored to those
glorious and exalted purposes and uses for which it was intended;
then what have been the consequences? The Savior told them what
would come to pass. "Behold," said he, "I send unto you prophets,
and wise men and scribes, and some of them ye shall kill and
crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues:
that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth, etc." What a terrible consequence! If they could have but
hearkened to His word, walked in the way of the Lord; continued
in its holy course, and believed in the Savior when He came, then
they might have been engaged in this work of redeeming their dead
back to the beginning of the world, and there would have been a
mighty work done by that generation for their dead, as well as
for themselves; but it remains for those recent men and women now
upon the earth and that shall come upon the earth to perform this
labor.
233
My brethren and sisters, there is before us that which draws upon
our faith and upon our prospective ambition and knowledge of
Gospel labor clear back to the days of the ancients. The Lord has
given us intimations in regard to all these things, and He will
continue to reveal all things necessary to be made known by which
His great purposes shall be brought about. Great and glorious is
His work! The work of the resurrection is not far off. I am fully
persuaded of this, and have reflected sometimes concerning it,
with an earnest desire. Never in all my ministry have I talked
much about the resurrection; but the Lord has manifested some
things concerning it, and I would like to allude to them.
234
It is a popular sentiment among professing Christians generally,
and it is believed also by many of the Saints--because of a
certain saying the Savior made use of to the Sadducees on a
particular occasion--that, in neither of the resurrections is
there to be any marrying or giving in marriage. This is a
mistaken idea. We are nowhere informed that the Savior ever said
any such thing or entertained any such doctrine. He taught the
doctrine of the resurrection, saying that He was the resurrection
and the life, and that the day will come when all they that are
in their graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth. It was
because He taught this doctrine that the Sadducees sought to
entangle and confuse Him concerning this principle by bringing up
the case of the woman who married a man and he died without any
children, then because he died childless she married his brother,
which was according to the law of Moses, he also died without
children, and so on, each of the brothers marrying her, until the
seven brothers had her to wife, and last of all the woman died
also.
234
These Sadducees did not believe in any resurrection, and they
thought to be very crafty with the Savior, so they put the
question squarely to Him: "Therefore in the resurrection, whose
wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her." They
evidently thought they had caught the Savior then; but He replied
to them saying: "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the
power of God." Now, who was he talking to? He was speaking to
those Sadducees who denied there being any resurrection; who
lived contemporaneously with the seven men and this woman who had
lived and died among them. He was talking to a race of people to
whom John the Baptist had come, and many had received his
testimony; but these had not. He was talking to a people who
claimed to be of the House of Israel, to whom He (Jesus) had come
in fulfillment of the testimony of John the Baptist.
234
There had been sent among this people, whom he was now talking
to, prophets who had foretold His coming and the coming of John
the Baptist. He had sent His Twelve Apostles among all their
cities, all of whom had testified to the coming of the Just One
unto all that people, but they had rejected those testimonies,
had killed the Prophets, stoned those who had been sent unto
them, and were now ready to slay Him.
235
It was to this class of people, who were living under these
circumstances, that He makes the answer saying, "For in the
resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but
are as the angels of God in heaven." Luke the Evangelist, stating
this case in his 20th chapter, says: "The children of this world
marry and are given in marriage, but they which shall be
accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from
the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can
they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are
the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." If
we refer to the glorious vision which was shown to Joseph and
Sidney on the 16th of February, 1832, as recorded in the 76th
section of the Doctrine and Covenants, last edition, we shall
find the promised condition of these people, that the glory of
the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one, for
as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs
one from another in the telestial world; for these are they who
are of Paul, Apollos and Cephas, some of Christ--Moses, Elias and
others--but received not the Gospel, the testimony of Jesus,
neither the prophets nor the everlasting covenant, but are liars,
sorcerers, adulterers and whoremongers, who shall not be redeemed
from the devil until the last resurrection, when Christ the Lamb
shall have finished His work, having subdued all unto Him. These
receive not of His fullness, but of the Holy Spirit through the
ministration of angels appointed to administer for them. Had they
hearkened to the Prophets, the Apostles, the words of the Savior,
and received the everlasting covenant, they would have been made
heirs of God and joint heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, and
would have been made heirs of the celestial world, with power to
increase eternally, being Gods, even the sons of God, but now
that they would not receive the Gospel, the Prophets, nor the
everlasting covenant which they might have received, they can
only become as the angels in heaven, who in that world neither
marry, nor are given in marriage, but are equal to the angels in
heaven.
235
These are not they who inherit the celestial world, nor those who
attain to the terrestrial, but they who suffer the judgment of
God in the flesh. These are they who come forth in the last
resurrection; they who attain to the resurrection in that world,
and are neither married nor are given in marriage, just as the
revelations of God prescribe and show forth.
235
There is nothing in all this which says or intimates that those
who come forth in either of the other resurrections shall not
have the blessing in their resurrection and in their world,
whether Celestial or Terrestrial, of being married and given in
marriage. Let me ask what is to become of that portion of the
human family that have gone down into their graves in past ages
without having arrived at the age of puberty, or without having
lived to years of accountability? What is to become of them? Are
they not to be given the blessings of the New and Everlasting
Covenant, to increase, multiply and attain to endless lives, and
eternal increase in the covenant of Abraham? Undoubtedly, in the
resurrection when they shall have regained their tabernacles, if
they render the required obedience to the holy law of God. And
who are the others that come forth in the second resurrection?
Stop. Let me distinguish. The first resurrection was in the days
of Jesus. Those who were resurrected with Him appeared many of
them, we are told, in the streets of the holy city. That was the
first resurrection. The second resurrection is the resurrection
of the just, when Jesus shall come again in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory, when they who sleep in Jesus will
come with Him. Then will He bring the City of Enoch that has gone
away in Terrestrial glory ever since it went to the heavens. Then
will those children who have died in Christ--for they are
redeemed in Christ from before the foundation of the world--come
forth. Then, in the next resurrection, we are told, will come
forth the honorable men of the earth who have lived according to
the light they had. In this next resurrection will come forth the
multitudes of the nations that have never had the Gospel--the
heathen nations. They are candidates for the next resurrection,
and when they come forth upon the earth, those of them who prove
themselves worthy will they not have the opportunity to attain to
all the blessings of the new and everlasting covenant? If they
are not to be married and given in marriage the Lord has not been
pleased to tell us so. I anticipate that in that glorious day the
work of performing all the ordinances and endowments for those
who have not attained unto these privileges and blessings in the
flesh, either by themselves or by proxy, will have that
privilege, and the work will be carried on. That blessed epoch
seems to dawn upon our view--that glorious period when the
righteous will come forth, and while the wicked will sleep on
another thousand years.
236
Let me remind you of another interesting feature in this
allegory, and that is this: The Savior tells us that the
terrestrial glory, or kingdom, is likened unto the glory of the
moon, which is not of the brightness of the sun, neither of the
smallness nor dimness of the stars. But those others who have no
part in marrying or giving of marriage in the last resurrection,
they become as stars, and even differ from each other in glory;
but those in the terrestrial kingdom are those who will come
forth at the time when Enoch comes back, when the Savior comes
again to dwell upon the earth; when Father Abraham will be there
with the Urim and Thummim to look after every son and daughter of
his race; to make known all things that are needed to be known,
and with them enter into their promised inheritance. Thus the
people of God will go forward, They will go forward, like unto
the new moon, increasing in knowledge and brightness and glory,
until they come to a fullness of celestial glory. During the
Millennium multitudes of people who have not herd the Gospel will
hear and receive it and go forward into this glory, while those
who will not go forward to a fullness will go back to that lesser
glory which is likened unto the stars of heaven, for as the
Prophet Isaiah says, "There shall be no more thence an infant of
days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days, for the child
shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred
years old shall be accursed.
236
I did not think when I arose that I should be led to speak in
this strain; but the fact is, upon these occasions the glories of
the other worlds open up before us, and we cannot help thinking
of them, and dwelling upon them unless we quench the Spirit.
236
But says one, I thought that all marriages were to be performed
in mortality? In regard to that suggestion I would ask, How was
it that Father Adam and Mother Eve were married while they were
immortal? And if they could be married as immortal beings, why
cannot their children just as well be? It will doubtless occupy
the whole of that sabbath of rest the whole thousand years, and
perhaps a period after, to do the work necessary for all the vast
myriads of Adam's children, so that they may be placed in a
position to be judged according to men in the flesh, or according
to the deeds done in the body.
236
Brethren and sisters, I rejoice exceedingly with you in this
glorious Gospel. If there is anything on the earth that can
satisfy the human soul in its desires for excellence, virtue,
exaltation and greatness, it certainly is this Gospel of the
kingdom. If there is anything in the world that can satisfy the
hungry soul for knowledge, it is the revelations of the Lord
Jesus Christ, which open up continually line upon line, and
precept upon precept; here a little and there a little; indeed
there is nothing else can satisfy the longing of the human soul.
This will lead to the same blessing and glory which the Prophet
Joseph told us Enoch had attained unto. He taught us that he and
his city had attained in his day to a terrestrial glory, that
they were enjoying that glory still. They attained unto the power
of translation, that they might take their bodies and their city
with them. The resurrection was not until Christ came and became
the first fruits of them that slept.
237
This view of the subject brings me to think and to speak a word
in reference to the three Nephites. They wanted to tarry until
Jesus came, and that they might He took them into the heavens and
endowed them with the power of translation, probably in one of
Enoch's temples, and brought them back to the earth. Thus they
received power to live until the coming of the Son of Man. I
believe He took them to Enoch's city and gave them their
endowments there. I expect that in the city of Enoch there are
temples; and when Enoch and his people come back, they will come
back with their city, their temples, blessings and powers. The
north country will yield up its multitude, with the Apostle John,
who is looking after them. They also will come to Zion and
receive their crowns at the hands of their brethren of Ephraim.
There will also be nations here on the earth that have not
received the Gospel, but who will receive it, and thus the work
of God will go on in all its phases, for the living and for the
dead.
237
It is a good thing to take a glimpse once in a while into, and
contemplate the glories of the future. A few years ago, when the
wolf stood at our doors, when we had hardly enough of the
necessaries of life to keep body and spirit together, we used to
sing the song--"There's a good time coming." Behold! that time
has come. This is one of those good times that we are celebrating
to-day. Let us rejoice in the Lord our God. I think that every
honest soul that is pure before the Lord can lift up his heart,
and praise His holy name, that he has lived to see this day. The
Lord help us that we may give to Him our best efforts in
forwarding His work here on earth. I rejoice with all my soul and
ask the blessing of the Lord to rest upon the Presidency of the
Church, upon the Apostles, upon the Seventies, High Priests and
all the quorums; also, that the Bishops may be filled with the
spirit of justice, equity and truth. I also feel to bless you, my
brethren and sisters, that the favor of God may be multiplied
upon your persons, your families, your homes, your flocks and
your herds, your possessions and your hopes. That we may prove
faithful and attain to heaven's proffered blessings is my desire,
in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Q. Cannon, June 22, 1884
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON.
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, June 22, 1884
Reported by John Irvine.
THE SAINTS WILL TRIUMPH THROUGH FAITHFULNESS--WARFARE OF SATAN TO
CONTINUE--JOSEPH'S PREDICTIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE
ARRAYED
AGAINST THE SAINTS, FULFILLED--INTERNAL STRIFE TO DISMEMBER THE
GOVERNMENT--GOD THE FRIEND OF HIS PEOPLE.
238
I have listened with much interest--as no doubt all of you
have--to the remarks which have been made by Brother Young. It is
very interesting to hear respecting the people in distant
settlements, their faith, their growth, and their development in
things spiritual and temporal. It is very encouraging to hear
that the Latter-day Saints in distant places, far removed from
this city, are alive to their duties, and to the performance of
those obligations which rest upon them. I well remember the
time--and doubtless very many of you here to-day also remember
it--when it was thought that if we increased to any extent, and
the people got beyond the influence of their leaders, who are
supposed to be so astute and cunning as to manage them and all
their affairs, that what is called Mormonism would soon dissolve,
and either fall a prey to internal dissensions or break to pieces
through some other cause. The Elders of this Church from the
beginning have testified unto the world that if men and women
would receive the doctrines of which they were the bearers, in
the spirit in which they were taught, they should have a
testimony for themselves respecting their truth, and that by
means of that testimony they would be enabled to stand and bear
up against all pressure and all assaults that might be made or
brought to bear upon them.
238
Mormonism, as it is termed, has been upon its trial from the
beginning. The inhabitants of the earth are testing it, and we
who are connected with it are obtaining knowledge concerning its
adaptability to meet all the wants and requirements of all
circumstances in which we may be placed.
239
The great duty that devolves upon us, my brethren and sisters, is
to live that religion which we profess. I confess to you to-day
that if I am ever assailed with fears or with doubts respecting
the result of the machinations of the wicked against us, and of
legislation hostile to us; if I am ever troubled, I say, with any
doubts or fears, they have their origin in myself, my own
inability, or, perhaps, the inability of my brethren and sisters,
and their carelessness in carrying out the commands of God. For
no other reason, am I ever troubled with fear respecting us as a
people, or the results of the plots that are devised against us.
I know, as well as I know I stand here, that the Latter-day
Saints will emerge triumphant from every difficulty in which they
may be involved, from every trial to which they may be subjected,
if they will only live the religion they profess, and carry out
its principles strictly in their lives. I know this, I say, as
well as I know that I am here to-day, and am speaking to you. If
we should be unfaithful, if we should neglect to serve our God
with that faithfulness and zeal which He requires of us, them we
may expect to be scourged, we may expect to have difficulty and
trouble, we may expect that those who oppose us will gain, as
they at least think, victories over us. God will use them to whip
us into line, to bring us to a sense of our duties, to stir us up
to diligence and faithfulness in keeping His commandments. He
will use them in this direction and for these purposes. It,
therefore, is a matter of great importance to us that we should
be attentive to our duties; that every man in this Church who has
a family should put his family into such a condition, as far as
he can, that God will approve of them; that every Teacher in this
Church whose duty it is to visit the houses of the Latter-day
Saints and give them instructions concerning their duties, to see
that there is no difficulty existing, no dissensions, no
quarrelling--that these men should attend strictly to their
duties; and that every officer in the Church in his place and
station should be prompt and zealous in looking after the affairs
of the Latter-day Saints; that no drunkenness is permitted, that
no blasphemies are permitted, that no Sabbath breaking is
permitted that no speaking evil and bearing false witness are
permitted, that fornications and adulteries are not permitted,
and that those who are guilty of any of these offenses are
strictly dealt with, that there shall be no causes of this
character existing among us as a people to bring forth the
displeasure of our God. I feel myself that this is the time for
us to be alive to our duties. We have no other defence than this.
Our numbers are insufficient; our wealth, and our strength, and
our worldly influence are entirely insufficient to give us
victory. We can only hope to prevail by reason of the strength
which our God will give unto us, by reason of the protection
which He will extend unto us, and we cannot hope to succeed upon
any other principle or by any other means. It is this that has
given us victory in the past; it is this that will give us the
victory in the future; it is this that will make us strong and
mighty in the earth.
241
We are working out a great revolution, it may be said. To-day we
are disproving most effectually that remark that has become so
trite among men, that God, or Providence, is on the side of the
strongest artillery, and upon the side of the greatest numbers.
We are disproving this. Our case illustrates most perfectly that
when God is upon the side of a people--they may be feeble, they
may be poor, they may be despised and be exceedingly
unpopular--they will most assuredly gain triumphs and victories
over all who oppose them. And I am thankful this day, in the
presence of our God, I am thankful this day in your presence, my
brethren and sisters, that God has, in His infinite mercy and
kindness, spoken once more from the heavens and revealed Himself
to men. Persecution! Who cares for it? Who fears it? What is
there connected with it to make us tremble or to weaken us in the
least degree if we are possessed of the knowledge which God has
restored, that He lives, that He is the same to-day that He was
1800 years ago, that He was in the days of the Prophets and
Patriarchs--the same kind, beneficent, merciful, all-powerful
Being? This knowledge God has restored, and we rejoice in its
possession. We would that all men would listen unto His voice and
be entreated of Him. We would that all men would seek unto Him
and obtain for themselves this knowledge He is so willing to
bestow. Our persecutions would be joyous to us--if they may be
called persecutions--if such results as these could be wrought
out, or would be the results that would attend these
persecutions. While Brother Brigham was speaking about
persecution, the thought passed through my mind that that which
we term persecution is only the discipline necessary for our
development. There is a great destiny in store for this people,
and they never can attain unto it unless they pass through just
such scenes as they have passed through in the past, and such
scenes as they doubtless will have to pass through of a more
trying character in the future. This is the discipline that is
necessary to purify us, to prepare us in every respect for the
fulfilling of that high destiny that awaits us. For just as sure
as God lives, so sure will the people called Latter-day Saints
become a great and mighty power in the earth. A people possessed
of their qualities must, in the very nature of things, accomplish
mighty results. A people united, a people believing in one
doctrine, a people temperate and frugal, virtuous, industrious
and enterprising, possessing every quality of greatness, they
must, in the very nature of things, if they are true to
themselves and to their religion, achieve distinction in the
earth, and God designs it for us. But we must put ourselves in a
way to be taught of Him. We must put away evil far from us. We
must cleanse ourselves from every thing that is offensive in His
sight. We must live the religion that we profess--make it
practically a part of our every day lives. This is incumbent upon
us individually as well as collectively. A religion of profession
amounts to nothing. A religion to be used only on Sundays is
valueless. We want a religion that will go with us into our
fields, into our workshops, into our habitations, and into our
every day dealings one with another. This is the kind of religion
we want, and this, I am happy to say, is the kind of religion we
have got. If we will live it as we should do, we shall witness
these results to a greater extent than we have yet witnessed
them. God has tried us in many respects in the past. There are
additional ordeals yet before us. We have been told from the
beginning that the time would come when not only would the people
of a county be opposed to us, but the people of a state would
oppose us; and as we increased opposition would increase, until
the Government of the United States would pronounce against us.
It is a remarkable fact--not known, probably, or if known not
believed by the Congress of the United States, or by the members
of Congress, who pass inimical measures against us--that Joseph
Smith predicted years and years ago, when it was as improbable as
anything that is yet unfulfilled, that the time would come when
our nation through its Congress, would do the very thing that is
now being done, that we have witnessed this last week for
instance, in the passage by the Senate of the Edmunds-Hoar bill.
Little do they think that by such actions as these they are
strengthening the faith of the Latter-day Saints, because they
see in these actions that they are fulfilling the words of a man
whom they believe to be Prophet of God. And not only were we told
that this would be the case, but that the time would come when
the fear of the Kingdom of God would be so great that other
nations would array themselves in like manner against the
Latter-day Saints.
242
So, Latter-day Saints, if any of you think that we will
immediately have a time when persecution, trial and difficulty
will cease, and we will have smooth sailing, you had better be
undeceived, for that is not in the programme; it is not designed
of God that we should have any such future before us. The time
will come, but it will be when Satan is bound, when the Kingdom
of God will prevail on the earth, and peace, righteousness and
truth will have sway; but until that time we may expect to have
troubled seas, tempests, times of trial and difficulty, to test
us and train us, and to fit and prepare the earth, as we have
been told this afternoon for the coming of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. We are only testing our strength in these things.
The Edmunds law became a law upwards of two years ago. What has
it amounted to? Why, we have had an opportunity of showing our
strength, our union. Now, this bill that has been passed by the
Senate--suppose it should become a law. What then? Will it have
the effect that is expected of those who have framed it? If we do
our duty, certainly not. If we live our religion, certainly not.
It will fall harmless at our feet. There is no law that can be
devised by human wisdom that can reach this case--that is, as
those who devise such measures desire. It is an impossibility. No
mobocratic scheme ever injured us. When the Governor of the State
of Missouri issued his exterminating order against the Latter-day
Saints, declaring that if they did not leave the State they
should be exterminated, he thought, doubtless, that he was
dealing this system a deadly blow. We were broken up into
fragments, it might be said, in the depths of inclement weather.
The people were compelled to flee for their lives. What was the
result? Why, in a short time the system became a greater power
than before. When we were driven out by violence, by bloodshed,
from the State of Illinois, and compelled to launch forth into
the wilderness, for a while it was thought that we were certainly
placed in a position where we should be ruined. What has been the
result? It has head the effect of causing us to spread until
throughout these mountain valleys the Latter-day Saints are
numbered by thousands. Every measure that has been taken against
us since then, designed for our overthrow, has only taught us our
strength. It has compelled us to go to the fountain of all
strength, to God our Eternal Father. Feeling our own inability,
our own incapacity, our own weakness, we have been compelled to
go to a higher power. We have invoked the heavens. From the
habitations of the Saints throughout these valleys the prayer of
faith has ascended unto the God of heaven imploring Him to
protect and preserve the people in their
innocence--notwithstanding the malignant falsehoods that have
been circulated against them--imploring Him to defend them, and
to save them from the hands of those who would destroy them. And
abundantly have these prayers been answered. We have had
deliverances wrought out that have been most extraordinary. Men
have looked upon this system and said, "What crafty leaders, what
astute leadership; you have got a very cunning lot of men as
Mormon leaders"--giving the glory to men, as though men could
preserve the people in this matter, ignoring the God of heaven,
denying His power, and asserting that God had done nothing, but
that it is all attributable to the management of the leaders in
holding the people together, as though it had all been done by
the strength of their impostures.
242
Now, these deliverances which have been wrought out in the past
will be repeated. These trials are necessary. It is just as
necessary that we should have these things to contend with as
that we live. I do not dread their effects nearly as much as I do
something else. Hostile legislation and opposition of this
character have but one tendency as a rule, that is, to drive us
closer together, to make the cause a common one, to cause us to
feel united. You have seen a cooper putting hoops on a barrel;
driving them down has the effect of tightening the staves and
making the barrel strong. So it is with these measures. The more
they are driven the tighter it brings the people together,
solidifies them, makes them one, and it gives them a
consciousness of strength; because when they emerge from these
trials victorious, they feel better able to cope with greater
difficulties and greater oppression when they are brought to bear
upon them. And they are necessary, as I have said, for our
development. But let us have ease, let us prosper in worldly
things, let the world smile upon us and bid us welcome and treat
us as they treat those whom they love; let the world do this, and
how long should we be united? Why, the influence would be towards
disintegration. Worldly influence would creep in. That is more to
be dreaded than persecution. Prosperity is far more to be dreaded
under circumstances such as we are placed in--what I mean by
prosperity, I mean worldly prosperity, worldly sympathy, worldly
favor; these are more to be dreaded than the disfavor of the
world and the tyranny that may be brought to bear upon us because
of our being obnoxious to them.
242
Therefore, I look upon these measures and other measures that are
proposed as only a part of the programme. Shall we have measures
that will be hostile to us? Yes. We may make up our minds for
this; but we may also rest assured that that God who has
delivered us so frequently in the past will still continue to
deliver us, and we shall not fall a prey, if we do our duty, to
our enemies. He will preserve us. He will make our feet fast in
these mountains. He will throw around us His arm of power, and
when the worst comes to the worst He will interpose in our behalf
in a miraculous manner to free us and place us upon a sure
foundation. In fact, it is all miraculous. The existence of this
people is a miracle. The growth of this people is a miracle. The
attitude of this people is a miracle. It is all contrary to what
are called natural causes, and therefore miraculous, contrary to
the laws that pass current among men respecting peoples,
communities and individuals, such as we are, and such as all are.
243
My brethren and sisters: We have every reason to rejoice so long
as we are doing right. It is this that we have to console us. If
we were vicious the world would not war against us. It is not
against vice that the war is being made. Man may say so, but God
knows it is not so. Our enemies know that it is not so. They know
that it is not vice in us that provokes this warfare. Where is
vice to be found in our cities? Nowhere. It finds no favor with
us. We cherish virtue, the virtues of humanity, every thing that
is God-like, and we frown down everything that is vicious and
unholy. If we had our way there would not be an adulterer in
these mountains. If we had our way there would not be a seducer
in these mountains. Every woman would either be a virtuous maiden
or a married woman, or a widow. We would take care of family
virtue, preserve it as we would life; for it is more precious
than life itself, and should be valued as such, and every man
that would do anything to degrade a woman ought to be and will be
damned. If we had our way there would be no drunkenness in all
these mountains, no lying in these mountains; the name of God
would not be taken in vain, no profane words would be heard. We
would suppress these things, and in their place cherish virtue,
industry, integrity, honesty and every virtue that men love and
that God loves. No, it is not because we are vicious; it is not
because we love vice; it is not because we are the most corrupt
and depraved of mankind that we have enemies. Why, the drunkard,
the gambler, the whoremonger, the villains of various dyes, who
fight against us, would welcome us if we were like them. But we
are not. We have come out of the world and are determined to
serve God according to the dictates of our conscience, and
according to the revelations that He has given us.
244
The warfare will go on as it has done in the past, only with this
difference: that in our age and to us God has made promises, that
this kingdom, that is, the Holy Priesthood that He has restored
to the earth and the authority that He once had among men; the
promise is to us that it shall not be taken from the earth again,
but that this kingdom shall roll forth, continue to grow and
increase, until it will encircle within its pale all the virtuous
and honest of the nations of the earth. This is the destiny of
this work; not to exclude any one, but to include every one; and
as it gains strength, influence and power, it will continue to
aggregate to itself all that is good in mankind. The day will
come when our own nation will be convulsed with intestine strife.
The civil war that is past is not the only war that will take
place in this land. It is a matter of regret to think it should
be otherwise. But God has spoken. There will be intestine strife
in our own nation. Already we can see, as it were, the seeds of
this germinating and sprouting in the midst of neighborhoods and
of communities, and it will break out after a while, and men will
flee to Zion. The prediction was made 52 years ago by Joseph
Smith, that the time would come when those that would not take up
their sword to fight against their neighbor in this blessed land,
(the most favored of any land under the heavens, so favored in
government, so favored in climate, so favored in every element of
wealth, and in all its surroundings) they would be compelled to
come here for protection, for we will be the only people that
will be at peace on the continent. That prediction was made 52
years ago. It will be fulfilled just as sure as God has spoken
it.
244
My brethren and sisters, I am happy in this reflection: that
notwithstanding the threatening aspect of affairs--I speak now in
relation to legislation--there is a spirit of peace, calmness and
serenity, prevailing throughout our settlements and throughout
our families, so far as I have been able to discern, that has
shown we are undisturbed, that we are conscious of the fact that
God is with us. Continue to cherish this spirit, let it rest upon
you, impart it to your children, extend it as far as you can; and
may the blessing of our Father and God rest down abundantly upon
you and upon all the honest everywhere throughout the wide earth,
is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / Joseph
F. Smith, July 18, 1884
Joseph F. Smith, July 18, 1884
DISCOURSE DELIVERED BY JOSEPH F. SMITH,
In the Ogden Tabernacle, Saturday Afternoon, July 18, 1884, being
the
Quarterly Conference of the Weber Stake of Zion.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
THE OBJECT OF CO-OPERATION--IT IS RIGHT TO SUSTAIN ONE'S
FRIEND--ECONOMY
SHOULD BE OBSERVED BY ALL--OUR FRIENDS ARE THEY WHO AID US IN
TIME OF
NEED--KEEP THE SABBATH DAY HOLY.
F. Smith
I am pleased to see so many of the Saints assembled here on this
the opening day of conference, and I certainly hope that those
who have taken the trouble to come to conference on the first day
may be amply repaid for so doing.
F. Smith
We ought I think to be very willing to perform any duty that may
be required of us as Latter-day Saints, on the Sabbath day, and
at other times appointed for the gathering of the Saints. We
should come together for the purpose of being spiritually
strengthened and encouraged, that our faith may be increased, and
that we may learn the duties devolving upon us as members of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
F. Smith
We are not nearly as united as we ought to be. If the people
of Huntsville, whose Bishop has been reporting them, had been
united as Saints should be, and as I trust they will be some day,
the probability is that they would have been much better off
financially than they now are.
F. Smith
Co-operation is a principle that President Young was very much
concerned about, and that he endeavored, with his brethren, to
impress upon the minds of the people throughout the land. Under
his administration our co-operative institutions were
established, and by his efforts, many of the people, especially
in the southern part of Utah and in Arizona, became united
together in organizations that were called "the United Order."
The object was co-operation, that the principles of union in
labor as well as in faith might be developed to its fullest
extent in the midst of the Saints. We all believe in being united
in faith. We all profess to believe that there is one God, one
faith, one baptism, and that we should be one people; but
notwithstanding we profess this, our individuality stands out
very prominent. Many of us cannot see just the same as our
brethren see, and we cannot possibly be wholly united with them.
We do not expect--I do not expect at all events--that the people
will come to see eye to eye all at once. I believe this to be a
work of great importance, and one that will not be accomplished
without years of experience, and perhaps we will have to suffer
many chastisements and reproofs before we are brought to a unity
of the faith. Yet we ought to try to see eye to eye as far as
possible. Our being united does not destroy our individuality at
all. We can be just as strong in our individuality when united in
regard to the purposes and designs of the Almighty, as we can
possibly be when in opposition to these purposes and designs, and
to our brethren who are united in regard to the things of God.
Indeed I think it evinces a stronger characteristic of
individuality for men and women to bring themselves into harmony
and union with the purposes of the Almighty than to be divided
against them or separate from them. Of one thing I am certain,
and that is, that we ought to seek to become acquainted with the
principles of economy. We ought to use the best wisdom, judgment
and understanding we can obtain in our temporal as well as in our
spiritual affairs and concerns. You take a community like the
community of Huntsville, or any community of Saints in a Ward,
isolated, perhaps, in a little valley, and if there is union and
co-operation in their midst, thousands and tens of thousands of
dollars can be saved in their own pockets; while, on the other
hand, if individuals are left to do as they please, thousands of
dollars will go out of their pockets into the pockets of
speculators and others. I know that to be true. As Bishop Hammond
has very truly said, there is in Huntsville from half a dozen to
a dozen mowing machines, when two or three would be ample to do
all the work which is required to be done in that place with
these machines. This being the case, as stated by the Bishop,
then all the thousands of dollars which have been expended upon
these superabundant machines and other implements, have gone out
of the possession of the people into the pockets of outsiders and
strangers; whereas if they had been contented with having just
enough, they could have devoted the balance of their means in
other directions, or have placed it in such a position as that it
would bring them interest, instead of being operated and used by
their enemies, perhaps, for their political or religious
destruction. There is no reason why the principle of unity should
not operate in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, except that we
are too selfish. It should not be "every man for himself;" but we
are many of us covetous. We desire in our hearts to have
everything our neighbor has, whether we need it or not. In order
to be like our neighbor; in order that we may associate with him,
and that our daughters may associate with his daughters, and our
sons with his sons, we must have as fine a house, as costly
furniture, as many horses, as many plows, reaping and mowing
machines, and headers, as many cows, as many sheep, and as many
luxuries, whether we can afford it as well as our neighbor can or
not. Now, all this is extremely foolish. It is wrong. We see a
vehicle which costs $200, more or less, and we do not absolutely
need it--only we must have it to be like our neighbor--would it
not be better to put that money in the bank, or lend it to
somebody in business, and thus while benefiting others with our
capital, secure interest upon it for ourselves. Certainly it
would. In that way the money would be a help to you; whereas if
you purchase the wagon you do not require, in addition to paying
an exorbitant price in the purchase which is generally the case.
The wagon will very likely be left exposed to the sun and wet--as
wagons too frequently are left by great many of the people--and
soon becomes useless. Some men think nothing of buying a very
nice carriage, spring wagon, or other wagon of some kind, and
treating it in this way until it is ruined and worthless. The
same with valuable agricultural machinery; too much of it is
bought and used for two or three days, or two or three weeks in a
season, or for a whole month in a year--say a reaper, or a mower,
and where is it the rest of the year? Out doors in the sun and
rain, and before it can be used next season, it must be taken to
a black-smith's shop for repairs; for through exposure it has
become rusty, the wood season checked every joint loosened. This
is the way some people use their agricultural implements whereas
with very little trouble they might be stored away in the shed,
kept dry and secure, and ready for service when the next season
came round. But the better way of all is--in a small community
where every man knows his neighbor, and where all are on
neighborly terms, to consult together, and to form into
co-operative bodies for the purpose of transacting the business
necessary to be transacted outside of their little community. By
thus consulting together, and using the combined wisdom of the
community as to the number of reapers, mowers, etc., they will
need to do the work of the community, a great deal might be
saved. One man need not own the machinery. They could all join
together, each contributing a certain sum towards its purchase,
which they could use to mutual advantage, and see that it is well
housed and taken care of when out of use. In this way a community
could save thousands of dollars year after year, and I know the
principle is a correct one for the people of Zion. It is a
principle of economy. Money is something which a man ought to be
able to take care of, and use wisely if he has it; if he does not
know how to take care of it, it will escape from his pockets, it
will take the wings of the morning and flee away.
F. Smith
I think we ought to be united in all these things, in the
purchase of machinery and of the vast amount of merchandise that
we consume, that we do not manufacture or produce among
ourselves. The very foundation of all real prosperity is home
industry and home manufacture. This lies at the foundation of the
prosperity of every permanently prosperous community. It is the
source of wealth. I think, therefore, we ought to encourage home
industry. We ought to co-operate together, if there is any kind
of business in which there is a profit, let us operate together
and have the benefit of that profit among ourselves, instead of
giving it to strangers. Why should we encourage the stranger to
come here and import wagons to sell to us when we have got the
brains and the money to sustain that business among ourselves?
Why should we not rather do such things ourselves, and supply
business and employment for our own people, many of whom are
idle, and be independent of the world, and if there is a profit
in it, put that profit in our own pockets, and use it for the
comfort and happiness of our wives and children? It is a fact--at
least it was reported to me as a fact by a person who is supposed
to be acquainted with the business--that one man who deals in
wagons and agricultural implements in Utah Territory, put $30,000
into his pocket in one year, and he is only an agent for the
company he deals with. I presume that the company put an equal
amount into their pockets as the result of his labors; but the
agent, as I was informed, put $30,000 in his own pocket as the
result of his business. Who is it that buys the wagons, the
plows, the harrows, the reapers, the mowers, etc., in Utah
Territory? Is it the Gentiles? No, it is the Latter-day Saints.
Those who are not Latter-day Saints are not engaged in
agriculture as a rule. If there are any of them tilling the
ground they are exceptions to the rule and they are very few and
far between. They are not the people who use the wagons. They
may, it is true, use some of them at the mines in hauling, etc.,
etc. The vast bulk of this class of merchandise is consumed by
the Latter-day Saints. The result is that the Latter-day Saints
put that $30,000 into the pocket of the man I allude to. That
same man sat on a Grand Jury and he paid to indict a man for
marrying, acknowledging and maintaining his wives. That same man
stands head and shoulders above many of his fellows in opposition
to the Latter-day Saints, and in using his power abroad as well
as in Utah against the interests of the people from whom he gets
his money.
F. Smith
I do not feel that the Latter-day Saints are using their best
wisdom, or acting upon the principle of the highest intelligence,
when they sustain and patronize such men, especially when they
have got the skill, the intelligence and the means to do all such
business independent of all strangers or foreigners. I know they
can do it if they will only co-operate together and do business
upon business principles. Our honesty with the world is
proverbial. It is the universal testimony of outsiders that trade
with us here, that the Latter-day Saints are the most honest and
best paying people they ever did business with. I believe this is
true. If a Latter-day Saint owes a Gentile and also a brother, it
is said, he will pay the Gentile every time in preference to his
brother. Well, I do not know that this is right. I think if he
cannot pay the full amount to both, it would be proper to pay
each a proportion. Would not this be just as honest--instead of
paying all to the Gentile and leaving your brother without
anything? I think so. I do not know that we do this sort of thing
to any extent; but I have sometimes herd of people that were
thought to be very good payers to the outsiders, but were not so
prompt in paying their brethren. I do not think that is exactly
right. I think we ought not to go in debt at all beyond what we
can pay. The Lord commands this. We ought to live within our
means if possible, and if it is not possible and we keep living
beyond our means, it is only a question of time when we won't
trust us, and we will have to live within our means or die, or
steal, as some one has added. When it comes to that kind of thing
I feel as Dr. Johnson did when the beggar accosted him, "Why
don't you go to work?" said the Doctor. "I cannot get any work, I
cannot get anything to do, and you know, Doctor, I must live."
"Well, said the Doctor, "I don't see the least necessity for it."
(Laughter.) When a man won't pay his debts, or will not live
within his means, when he knows what his income is: when a man
will continue to get in debt to his neighbors as long as he has
got any credit, knowing all the time that he cannot pay his
way--well, I do not know that there is much necessity for that
man to live. Perhaps the world would be as well off if he should
pass away quietly somewhere. Every Latter-day Saint ought to
learn--and especially every youth in Israel ought to learn--that
every one of them should try to make the world a little better
for their being in it, if they possibly can. We all ought to try
to do some good. If we will do that, then there is some necessity
for our living. God will bless us in our labors and efforts; and
if we will co-operate together in our temporal affairs and
conduct our business on correct principles, the world will be
better for us, and we will be better off in the world. We will
have more means to build up the kingdom of God; we will have more
to use for the gathering of the poor, for the building up of
Zion, for the benefit of the Saints, and for our own benefit, and
we will have much more power in the world. Money is a powerful
agent in this degenerated age. It is said that knowledge is
power. Knowledge should stand above money or wealth. But in the
present condition of the world money takes the lead.
F. Smith
This ought not to be the case with us. The Lord says in the
scriptures, "make to yourselves friends of the mammon of
unrighteousness." What for? Obviously that you may have power and
influence with the unrighteous.
F. Smith
Now, if we had wealth--and we are bound to have it by and
by--those who worship wealth would either covet it and hate us
and try to destroy us to get it, as some are doing, or else they
would be bound to acknowledge the power we could wield through
the possession of wealth. Well, now, we need not be at all afraid
of the former. They cannot destroy us; for the Lord is our
friend, and we are His friends. He will not suffer them to rob
and plunder us; and take away from us our possessions; or if He
does, he will give us more abundantly; because if we possess
riches they will be the Lord's. We will dedicate them to Him, if
we do our duty, and they will belong to Him, and surely the Lord
will protect His own. We should not despise these things, but
should endeavor to use them for the accomplishment of the
all-wise purposes of the Almighty. The Lord has said, Zion shall
become the richest of all people. The earth is the Lord's, and
the fullness of the earth is His. The cattle upon a thousand
hills are His. The gold and the silver and all the mineral wealth
of these vast mountains belong to the Lord. And although the
wicked may get possession of them for a little while, yet they
will perish by and by, and leave all their wealth behind. They
cannot take it beyond the grave. By and by the Lord will overrule
these matters in such a way, that the righteous, those who love
God more than they love the world, and will use their means to
the honor and glory of God, shall be made possessors of the earth
and the fullness of it. It will be theirs to use for every
purpose that is right and legitimate--to manipulate armies if
necessary--to manipulate nations, or the world if necessary, to
the carrying out of the purposes of Almighty God. We do not want
to lavish it upon the lusts of the flesh. We should not desire it
for that purpose.
F. Smith
If we do, God will withhold it from us, I hope; for no man should
have wealth to gratify the lusts and desires of the flesh. We
should use it to the honor and glory of God's name, and to the
building up of His Kingdom.
F. Smith
We ought; therefore, to co-operate together in our mercantile
institutions. It is as much a duty to sustain these as any other
duty devolving upon us, or now as at any former time. We should
patronize our brethren. We ought to see eye to eye in regard to
these things. We ought to be united in everything. We should
cheerfully extend a helping hand to our neighbors from time to
time. If our neighbor is oppressed, if he lacks knowledge or
understanding or skill in the management of his affairs, you that
have skill and experience and know how to husband your strength
and means, ought to take pains to instruct your neighbor or
brother who is not as thoroughly posted as you are. The
instructions he receives in this way will benefit him and will
not injure or impoverish you. We ought not to be miserly in
regard to anything we possess, that is good. We can freely impart
to others and not diminish our own store. We can impart our
experience for the benefit of others. If our brother is about to
buy something that is apparently not required, it would be a
benefit to the poor man, who lacks judgment, for the Bishop or
his counselors, or for his Teacher to go to him and endeavor to
show him the mistake he is about to make. I think we ought to
co-operate together in all these matters, be one in all respects,
and not be like the world, "every one for himself and the devil
for all." The Lord has told us in a revelation through the
Prophet Joseph Smith, that except we are one, we are not His. He
has said that we must be united. We must be one. We should see
eye to eye. We should help each other; help our neighbor and our
brother. The Savior very beautifully describes who is our
neighbor in the example of the good Samaritan. Who is your
neighbor? Who is your brother? Why, the man that ministers to you
in the time of need; the man that is your friend in the time of
adversity; the man that extends a helping hand and saves you from
error; the man that gives you the benefit of his experience and
of his superior intelligence--he is your neighbor, your friend
and your brother. Those who have embraced the Gospel--and
especially those who are endowed with the authority of the Holy
Priesthood, and are called to be saviors upon Mount Zion--ought
to be the first and foremost in this good work of being saviors
of their neighbors, and of their fellow creatures on the earth.
It is our duty to teach correct principles, to instil them into
the hearts of our children, and into the hearts of our neighbors,
and to see that these principles are grounded in our own hearts;
for except a man has been converted himself, and has a knowledge
of the truth, it is folly for him to undertake to teach others
the right way. But when the principles of the Gospel are
thoroughly established in our own hearts, we can then go in the
midst of our fellow creatures and say, "Come and follow me." We
can do this consistently. We are called to be teachers of these
principles to the inhabitants of the earth. We are called to be
God's people, not a people of the world, for we have come out of
the world. We ought to be united in all things temporal as well
as spiritual. With God all things are spiritual. There is nothing
temporal with Him at all, and there ought to be no distinction
with us in regard to these things. Our earthly or temporal
existence is merely a continuance of that which is spiritual.
Every step we take in the great journey of life, the great
journey of eternity, is a step in advance or in retrogression. We
are here in mortality, it is true; but we are ahead of that
condition we occupied before we came here and took upon us
mortality. We are a step in advance of our former state. What is
the body without the spirit? It is lifeless clay. What is it that
affects this lifeless clay? It is the spirit, it is the immortal
part, the eternal being, that existed before it came here, that
exists within us, and that will continue to exist, and that by
and by will redeem these tabernacles and bring them forth out of
the graves. This whole mission of ours is spiritual. The work we
have to do here, although we call it temporal, pertains alike to
our spiritual and our temporal salvation. And the Lord has just
as much right to dictate, to counsel, to direct and guide us in
the manipulation and management of our temporal affairs, as we
call them, as He has to say one word in relation to our spiritual
affairs. So far as He is concerned there is no difference in this
regard. He looks upon us as immortal beings. Our bodies are
designed to become eternal and spiritual. God is spiritual
Himself, although He has a body of flesh and bone as Christ has.
Yet He is spiritual, and those who worship Him must do so in
spirit and in truth. And when you come to separate the spiritual
from the temporal, see that you do not make a mistake. Some are
inclined to say, "the Lord has a right to manage my spiritual
affairs, but I will not allow Him to interfere with my temporal
affairs." Why, bless your soul, temporal things pertain to
spiritual things. They minister to the spiritual man though they
may be clothed with a tabernacle of flesh. The Bishop has as good
a right to counsel the members of his Ward in relation to the
purchase of merchandize or machinery, where and when he can do so
wisely, as he has to counsel them in regard to spiritual matters.
He has just as good a right to do the one as the other. He is a
father to the people of the Ward. He is placed over the people
for the purpose of leading them in the way of truth and
righteousness, and it is his business to look after the
temporal--if you chose to make any distinction between the
temporal and spiritual--as well as the spiritual things. And
President Taylor has as much right to direct the people in
temporal things as he has in spiritual things. We ought to
acknowledge that right, and ought to do it freely and cheerfully,
because we should see that it is right. We are under no
compulsion to do so if we do not see that it is right; but at the
same time it is a correct principle, and every Latter-day Saint
ought to have intelligence enough to know that this is the best
thing for him to do--to be united, to be one with his brethren.
F. Smith
Now, you are going to have an election of county officers by and
by. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to split
tickets? Are you going to the polls to scratch off names, and put
on the name of somebody else? I should hope not. I do not care
who is put in office, only so far as we must obey the
commandments of the Lord in these things. We must choose
righteous men, good men to fill these positions. Hence if you
will only get good men to fill these offices no one should care
who they are, so that you have agreed upon them, and were one. We
want you to be one both in temporal, political and religious
things, in fact, in everything you put your hands to in
righteousness. We want you to be one, one as God and Christ are
one, seeing eye to eye. Do not try to crush anybody, or build
yourselves up at the expense of your neighbor. Do not do it; it
is a custom of the world, and it is a wrong principle. It is said
in the Scriptures that the children of the world are wiser in
their generation than the children of light. What does that mean?
Why as I see it, when you go into Catholic communities, you will
find that Catholics send their children to Catholic schools, and
not to Protestant schools. You will find them patronizing
Catholic merchants. They do not patronize Protestants. If there
is anybody to put up for office they will put up their friends
and vote for them. If you travel as missionaries throughout the
world you will find this to be true. I have seen it in San
Francisco, in New York, and in great Britain, and upon the
Continent, and wherever I have been, and yet it is accounted
criminal for Latter-day Saints to follow this rule. We might
commit treason against the United States if we did not send our
children to Gentile schools, or if we did not patronize Gentile
merchants. If a Gentile wanted to run for an office, and we did
not vote for him, why, we are in rebellion against the government
of the United States. I am going to tell you in a few words, what
I think about these matters. I think the Latter-day Saints ought
to send their children to be educated by those who are their
friends, and not by their enemies. I think the Latter-day Saints
ought to patronize their brethren and sustain them, in preference
to their enemies. I believe that the Latter-day Saints ought to
co-operate together and do their own business instead of asking
the Gentiles to do it for them. I believe the Latter-day Saints
ought to unite together in regard to all these things, and to
their business upon the most wise and economical principles,
instead of every individual doing it himself, wasting his means,
sustaining his enemies, and getting materials he has no use for.
That is what I believe in regard to these matters.
F. Smith
To-day is Saturday, I am glad of it; for somebody would say I was
breaking the Sabbath if I were to preach to you in this way on
the Sabbath. But this is Saturday. It is the Jewish Sabbath. It
is only unto man that there is a Sabbath. The Lord has set apart
one day in seven upon which man should rest, because it is
needful for the body and the mind. We should worship the Lord
upon that day. Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath
was made for man.
F. Smith
It is for us to do our duty and live our religion on one day the
same as any other. Let us serve the Lord in righteousness all the
day long, and He will be our Father and Friend, and our enemies
shall have no power over us. This is my testimony in the name of
Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / George
Q. Cannon, July 21st, 1878
George Q. Cannon, July 21st, 1878
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT GEORGE Q. CANNON,
Delivered at Ogden, on Sunday Morning, July 21st, 1878.
Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.
BUT ONE CHURCH OF GOD--WHEREIN THE SAINTS ARE A PECULIAR
PEOPLE--CHURCH
AND STATE RULE--RELIGION SHOULD BE NO BAR TO POLITICAL
OFFICE--POLITICAL
DOINGS ELSEWHERE--POVERTY IN THE EAST--FEAR OF RIOTS--LABOR
QUESTION--TRADES, ETC., FOR YOUNG PEOPLE--STORING OF
GRAIN--TROUBLES
COMING--FORTUNATE SITUATION OF THE SAINTS--EXHORTATION.
254
I am very pleased this morning at having the opportunity of
meeting with the Latter-day Saints in Ogden, and I trust that
while I shall attempt to address you, I shall be assisted by the
Spirit of God, in making such remarks as shall be appropriate to
your circumstances and condition. Brother Hardy, in his remarks,
said we were the people of God, and that we were engaged in
establishing His Kingdom on the earth. If this is so--and I
suppose you as Latter-day Saints who are present to-day, can bear
testimony that this is the case--then we ought to be a people
entirely different from every other people upon the face of the
earth; because there can be but one people of God, or one Church
of God, or one Kingdom of God; there cannot be two, nor three,
nor more, one opposed to the other. Everything that has been
revealed concerning God, concerning His Church, and concerning
the principles of salvation, leads us to the conclusion that
there is a oneness, that there is union, and that divisions and
opposition cannot exist among the people of God; it would be
entirely inconsistent with every idea of the eternal Creator to
suppose anything else than this. Hence, no matter where you find
those who are truthfully the people of God, you will find them
under all circumstances united, thinking alike, believing alike,
and acting alike. That is, having the same objects in view, the
same aims to reach, and being prompted by one common motive or
impulse. Therefore, having this view, I differ, upon some points,
from some who are called Latter-day Saints, who seem to entertain
the idea that because we are in the world we must necessarily be
of the world, a part of them; and that the standard which is
looked up to and recognized in the world as correct, is one to
which we should conform. Now, in this respect I differ from those
of my brethren who entertain these ideas. I think it is our duty,
making the professions we do and occupying the position we do, to
be so far as necessary entirely original, or to use a word that
is commonly used to describe us, a peculiar people. Because the
world have a certain way to accomplish certain objects, I do not
recognize it as at all necessary for us to do the same as they
do. And I am quite willing that it should be known and
understood, so far as I am individually concerned, that in many
respects I differ from the world by which I am surrounded: and
that in being a Latter-day Saint I claim the right, so long as I
act in accordance with the rules of good order and do not violate
any rules of decorum, to do as I please, to think as I please,
and talk as I please. This is a right that I claim as a
Latter-day Saint. If I choose to believe that God has established
upon the earth His Church, at the head of which He has placed a
Prophet, and I choose to believe in that Prophet, to listen to
his teachings, to be guided by his counsels, I claim that so long
as I do this and do not interfere with my fellow citizens in the
exercise of their privileges, it is my right to do so. If I
choose to believe that the Lord has placed in His Church Twelve
Apostles, to whom He has given the keys of the Apostleship and
authority, and to whom He has committed the last dispensation,
requiring of them to go to all nations as messengers of life and
salvation, or see that the Gospel is carried to all the nations
of the earth, and I choose to listen to their instructions and
counsels and be governed by them, choosing to acknowledge them as
channels through which life and salvation shall flow unto me, and
that every administration of the laws and ordinances of God's
House is sacred and holy if I choose to do this, I think it is my
right to do it, so long as in doing so I interfere with no other
man's rights and privileges. So in relation to gathering
together. If, as a Latter-day Saint, I choose to leave other
societies and communities and separate myself from them, to cast
my lot in the midst of a people with a faith similar to my own,
to choose them as my associates and mingle with them, and to
patronize them and uphold them in all their labors and
undertakings, who is there that has the right to question me in
so doing, so long as I do not interfere with the rights of my
fellow citizens? In speaking thus of myself, the same applies to
this entire people; for that which is right in individual cases,
is right in cases of an entire community, whether they be
numbered by thousands or millions. A great deal of fault has been
found with us, as a community, because of these peculiarities,
because we choose to believe that God our Eternal Father has
established His Church and placed at the head thereof a Prophet;
because He has established His Church and placed therein
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Teachers and other helps:
because He has restored the everlasting Gospel in its simplicity
and power; and also the gifts thereof, so that men can enjoy them
again; because, I say, we believe in this and claim this, a great
many are disposed to find fault with us. Now, I claim that it is
nobody's business but our own what we believe, as to how we live,
as to how we do or how we organize ourselves, so long as we do
not violate law and do not trample upon the rights of those by
whom we may be surrounded who are our fellow citizens. I speak
thus because of some things which I notice in our midst. Now, I
am away considerably, and when I get back I suppose I look upon
the condition of affairs here with a little more scrutiny than if
I were here altogether. And I notice this, that there is a
disposition among some who belong to the Church to truckle, a
tendency to bow, a tendency to drift in the direction of society
as it exists elsewhere, and I have noticed that some people are
dreadfully afraid of the association of church and state,
dreadfully afraid that somebody will be mingling politics and
religion, that some one who holds office in the Church among us
may hold some political office. I do not share in that fear in
the least. I have never shared in it, I hope I never shall and
have no idea I ever shall. To do this, I am too conscious of the
fact that the Latter-day Saints have been led to these mountains
by the Almighty, through His servants, and that He has given unto
us rights as citizens of the land, and being in the majority, it
is our right to govern this land, to govern it in such a manner
as shall secure to all men who enter its borders their rights,
whether they be Latter-day Saints, Methodists, Presbyterians,
Infidels, or anybody else, either "heathen Chinese" or civilized
American. The Lord has given us ability thus far to govern the
land; and it affords me no little pleasure to be able to say that
there is no part of this nation so well governed as this
Territory, which has since the day we came here been governed by
the "Mormon" people; and there is no part of these United States
that compares with this Territory for prosperity, for good order,
for good government, and for freedom from taxation and everything
else that is burdensome. And to whom is the credit due? It is due
to the Lord; and next to Him it is due to His servants and
people.
256
There have been attempts, and there will be continued attempts
made to wrest the control of this land from us. We are engaged in
a warfare; we have been told from the beginning that it is a
warfare that will not cease until righteousness prevails on the
earth. Every man that enters into this Church, if he understands
the nature of his calling, understands that he enters into a
warfare to contend for the triumph of truth. Do not those who are
opposed to the Latter-day Saints recognize this? Certainly they
do; and their efforts have been, and are so directed to-day, and
will continue to be, to wrest that power from us which the Lord
has given unto us. They would throw dust in the eyes of the
Latter-day Saints, if possible, and try to foster in the minds of
the people that there is something very inconsistent with the
Constitution and genius of our institutions for men who are
religious to have anything to do with politics. It is considered
all very well for a wicked man to hold office; he can mingle in
politics and help to frame the government of the country; but the
man who makes any profession of religion, especially if he be an
official in the church to which he belongs, has no right to
meddle in politics, or interfere in any way with the government
of society. This is all wrong from beginning to end. Admitting
what I said in the beginning, that we are the people of God, I
would ask, what better people can be found, and what more
suitable people to take charge of the affairs of mankind in the
earth and establish righteous principles and maintain laws under
which all men can dwell in peace and be entirely free from
oppression and everything of this character? Who, I would ask,
are better qualified to do this than the men who understand the
principles of truth? Suppose, for instance, that to-day and from
this day forward, the Latter-day Saints, those who are active in
their religion and in the performance of the duties of their
religion, were to withdraw from politics and leave the government
of this land to others, what would be the result? It would not be
but a little while before the scenes we see in other places, and
that are deplored by every lover of liberty in the country, would
be enacted in this part of the land; you would see a condition of
affairs that would cause you to mourn, and you would be willing
to flee to any place almost to be free from participating in
them. This would be the result if those who are active, as
Latter-day Saints, were to withdraw from participation in these
matters. But is this the design of the Lord? No, it is not; He
never did design that this should be the case, and it would be a
want of wisdom on our part, as a people, to allow any such a
condition of affairs to exist. I maintain that Latter-day Saints
have a perfect right to hold office, and they should not be
excluded from office; that whenever the people choose to elect
one of them, it would not be considered improper in the least
degree, no matter what his standing, he has a perfect right to
hold that office; and if he be a righteous man, the better it
will be for the people, if he will condescend to take upon him
the duties of the office. Instead of excluding such a person I
would feel thankful to him to fill it, feeling assured that such
men would give satisfaction, and that while they were in power
good government would be preserved in the land. Some of our
enemies have come to Congress, and have complained about
"Mormons" holding office. I have said, gentlemen, if you would
exclude a "Mormon" from holding office, because of his
ecclesiastical authority, you will have to exclude every man of
worth in the Territory, for there is not a man of worth in the
Territory who does not hold some office in our Church. The
shoemaker who works at his trade for a living, may be called upon
on the Sabbath to preach to the people; the carpenter, the
blacksmith, the mason, the man who works from Monday morning to
Saturday night may be called upon to preach the Gospel of
Salvation; and such men are all the time being called to go to
the nations of the earth as ministers of the Gospel; and if it be
a crime for a man to hold a political office who is a minister in
our Church, then you will have to exclude every man of worth in
our Territory, for our Bishops are our most prominent and active
business men; and there is this feature with those who act in
this Territory, they act without pay; and the men who distinguish
themselves in the manipulation of their own affairs are generally
selected to manage the affairs of the public, and they are men
most suitable to attend to business affairs, to act as Probate
Judges, or in any other office. When this is explained, it is
very rarely you will hear a man find fault. But there are some
who complain about the "Mormon" hierarchy, who do not seem to
know that it consists of the entire people, and that every man of
worth, professing the faith and religion of the Latter-day
Saints, belongs to that hierarchy.
257
I trust none of the Latter-day Saints are tender on this point. I
would proclaim it to the world that we have such confidence in
our leading men, the men who have made this country, and who have
planted our feet in these mountains, the men who have all the day
long urged the people to habits of industry, and to become
self-sustaining, the men who framed our governments--our city
government, or county government, our Territorial government,
such as we have to-day, and who organized us as we are organized
here; I say, I am not ashamed to acknowledge that I am willing to
be led and governed by the counsels of men who have done such
wonders, as we witness on every hand. Call them Apostles, call
them Prophets, call them Bishops, call them Elders, call them
anything you please that is honorable, I am not ashamed of it. I
would just as soon they dictate us to have a little caucus do it.
I have seen these caucuses outside of this Territory and among
non-Mormons. A few men get together and caucus, and plan and
arrange, and they get up a ticket, and lay their wires so that
others will sustain it, and the Convention will sustain it, and
by this means get their favorites into power. This is a common
practice all over the United States. I would deplore it as one of
the great evils that could occur to us, that there should be a
scramble for office among the Latter-day Saints. When two or
three brethren, who aspire for office, try to divide the people,
this is something to be deplored. I therefore have always
advocated keeping down our salaries, that offices may not be very
desirable, so that men shall not desire to get possession of
office to use it, or feel that because they are elected once to
office they ought to always have it. We should always be ready
and willing to serve when called upon, and just as willing to
decline when required, having at heart the good of the community.
A great many of the Members of Congress during the last session
were exceedingly anxious for an early adjournment. Why? That they
might return home in time to manage the primary meetings, because
if they did not, there was every probability that they would be
defeated. It has been noticed, for instance, that Oregon has
never elected the same man twice. Why? Because when the
convention met to nominate a candidate the member would be in
Washington, and somebody else would be nominated, and he would be
left out in the cold. It is a remarkable fact that from that
State up to the present date a Member of Congress and a Senator
has never been elected twice for the same term. And there are
other places similarly situated, where men have to be home to
superintend the nominations, or they would lose the election. I
cannot tell how many times I have been congratulated on the ease
with which I have ben elected. Members ask me if I have to spend
much money and time to secure my election. I tell them it has
never cost me any trouble in the least; that I have been elected
because the people want me; and when they do not want me I should
stop at home. There are some districts in the United States in
the same condition, where men are so strong in their districts
that it is not necessary that they should return to arrange for
their election. But in the most of cases this is what they have
to do; they have to watch very carefully, and have their friends
on the watch for them, and lay their plans so that they may not
have their primary meetings and conventions captured by their
enemies. I would indeed deplore the existence of this condition
of affairs among us. If there should be any division of sentiment
among us at any time, let us do as brethren and sisters should
do--for the sisters have a voice in this matter as well as the
men, and their voice should have weight; there should be
representatives of both sexes--and arrange our differences in the
beginning, in our first meetings and there settle them; and then
let us go to the polls united, as one body, sinking any
differences of opinion we may have, being determined to carry out
that which the majority decides upon, because the majority should
rule, and this is a principle that should be recognized. The
voice of the majority should be potent, and have influence with
the minority, and the minority should not rebel against the
majority. You take a republican caucus or a democratic caucus;
let them get together and talk about any principle or upon any
nomination. They set us an example in some respects, which we
might imitate with a good deal of profit. I have seen and known
of them quarrelling, and have heard strong arguments--the most
bitter arguments; but after the vote has been taken, after the
will of the majority has been announced by vote, then the
minority submit and cast their votes with the majority. It is so
in nominating the Speaker of the House. The democratic speaker of
the House is not the choice of the entire Democratic party, but
he is the choice of the majority. So with the doorkeeper,
sergeant-at-arms and the various officers selected, and the
minority submits to the majority. So with the Republicans in the
senate. It should be so with us, as a community; we should be
willing to submit to the will of the majority upon these points.
258
I am thankful, brethren and sisters, in coming back to find so
much prosperity in our Territory. You may think you have had hard
times, as I have no doubt you have, there is a scarcity of money,
and in some instances a scarcity of labor. But compared with the
condition of the East, you can well say you have a good deal of
prosperity. It is a most painful thing to witness the amount of
destitution and poverty found in many of the eastern cities, and
through the land generally. You can scarcely walk from the
Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to the hotel, without being
solicited as many as half a dozen times for charity, colored
people and white people soliciting alms. And this is the case in
most cities. It is most painful to see respectable people, people
whom you would not suspect were in want, from the appearance of
their clothes, ask for alms. And this is the case almost
universally throughout the east. One of the most grave fears I
noticed in the minds of members during this and the summer
previous to the adjournment was, that the difficulty arising from
the hard times, the want of labor, etc., would give rise to
destructive riots. It is true that men's hearts are failing them
in looking forward for the things that are coming to pass.
260
In this respect we are not without our difficulties. We have
trouble about water. That is one of the weighty questions that is
looming up in our midst--how to divide our water equitably and
justly, and will have to receive attention. Another question is,
how to employ our poor people; how shall we put an end to
idleness in our midst? how shall we furnish employment to our
numerous children, our young men and women growing up? what shall
we do to furnish an abundance of employment for every one who
desires labor? These two questions require attention. But
notwithstanding the existence of these difficulties, our
condition in many respects is a most enviable one. We have a
healthy country; we have a country where we can live in peace and
quietness. The rights of society have been respected thus far in
our midst; secret combinations do not exist among us having for
their object the overthrow of existing institutions or the
destruction of society and property, or the reducing of property
to one common level. There are no evils of this kind menacing us
to-day. We have an abundance of land. It is true our land is dry
land: but still there is plenty of room for our young people to
spread out. And there should be one principle, I think, observed
by us, and that is, that every father and every man who has
influence in our various localities should endeavor to the extent
of his ability and opportunity to bestow upon our young men a
knowledge of the various branches of business. It is a matter
pressing itself upon our attention, and it should receive
attention from us; that every boy and every girl in our community
should be taught something, some branch of skilled industry by
which they can sustain themselves. If our boys wish to become
farmers, make them the best of farmers, endeavor to teach them
some knowledge concerning agricultural chemistry, so that they
will be the better qualified to make our land as productive as it
can be made. Let our girls be taught branches adapted to their
sex, by which they can sustain themselves. Let our great desire
in this direction be to become a nation of producers, that
idleness may not be known in our land. This is a matter that must
receive attention; it has received some, but it must receive
more. If some of our boys evince a desire to become herdsmen,
efforts should be made to put them in possession of books on
stock-raising. The very best sources of information respecting
this business should be placed within their reach to enable them
to raise the very best animals; and this desire to make the best
use of the blessings of God, should be encouraged and entertained
by all. Do not forget, my brethren and sisters, the teachings you
have heard and which have been repeated in our hearing for so
many years; I refer to the saving and storing of grain; for the
day will come when you will see the wisdom of doing so, and when
many of you will doubtless wish you had profited by it. For I
tell you that wars and desolation will cover the land, just as
prophets have declared they would; and these are coming, coming,
coming, as plainly and as surely as the light comes in the
morning before the sun rises above the summit of yonder
mountains, and before we see his rays. We see the light
approaching from the east, which gives us notice that the sun is
upon us, and that we will soon feel his rays. So with the signs
of the times at the present. We have only to read the newspapers,
and look abroad and see confusion, and see difficulties, and see
war, and see pestilence foreshadowing themselves over the land.
And these things will come to pass as sure as the Lord has spoken
it, and as sure as His servants have testified to these words. I
say you should be thankful every morning, noon and night, and all
day long, that you are in these mountains, and that your families
are so comfortably taken care of in these secluded valleys. You
may have difficulties to contend with, we may have many things
that render our position unpleasant; but nevertheless our
position is the most enviable of any community or any people
within the confines of the United States, from Canada in the
north to Mexico on the south. There are no people who enjoy a
more enviable position. Men have already begun to accord this to
us, and say our location is exceedingly desirable. And the fact
is being understood and recognized, that there has been what they
call a series of fortunate circumstances, but which we call the
providences of God, around this people, that have placed us in a
most wonderful position to exercise power and do great good.
Every time I come home I have these feelings deepened in my
heart. I feel more thankful every time I come in sight of these
mountains from the east; it seems that every trip increases my
thankfulness, to see the homes and places which God has given
unto us, to which He has led us and which He has made so blessed
in our dwelling here. We are blessed with pure healthy water; and
the sun, although its rays are fierce, does not have the effect
upon us as upon the people in the east. If the thermometer were
to rise 10 degrees higher, I would rather endure the heat here,
say at 100 degrees, than at 90 degrees in the east. I feel more
vigorous, which is doubtless in consequence of the cool and
refreshing canyon breezes which blow down upon us evenings and
nights, which enable us to recuperate from the wastes of the day.
This is only one thing, but it shows how good the Lord has been
in leading us out to this land; and the time will yet come when
we will appreciate our position, geographically, still more, when
the calamities which have been spoken of by ancient and modern
prophets overtake the inhabitants of the earth as well as those
of our own nation. Look at our nation for instance; it is
asserted by a majority of the people that the President has been
put in his position by fraud. Although it has not been proven
that President Hayes has been a party to the fraud, and indeed, I
believe him to be free from accusations of this kind, yet this
does not change the fact that a majority of the nation believe
that he occupies the presidential chair through fraud. And of
course if this is the case his Cabinet is not legally chosen. But
it shows the condition we are coming to; those of you who are
posted in the results of what is called the Potter investigating
committee are acquainted with the irregularities that have been
brought to light, which alone give an idea of the state of
society.
260
Shall we, brethren and sisters, allow ourselves to drift into
this channel? When men come to us saying that it is not right
that we should manage our election affairs as we do, shall we
hearken to them when there are such examples before us all
through the east? I say it would be placing ourselves in a most
undesirable and critical position; it would be throwing away the
blessings God has given us, and which He wishes us to magnify and
appreciate. I hope to see the day when through all of these
mountains, from Idaho in the north to Mexico in the south, there
shall be a free people dwelling at peace, enjoying the blessings
of liberty, enjoying the blessings of a Constitutional form of
government, electing their own officers by their own free and
unbiased choice, and upholding them; and these officers executing
justice and righteousness in the midst of the people. I do
already see it in part, for all through these valleys we have a
system of government which is the purest Constitutional
republican-democratic form of government that can be found
anywhere over the United States. I prize it, I know its cost; and
we should maintain it, every man and woman should maintain it by
standing up for their rights, for they have a right to vote, and
vote for any man they may choose, no matter who he may be. When
you decide that he is the man to fill the office, then elect him,
and if you find that such a man does not suit you, when the time
comes, change him, and uphold such men only as will maintain the
laws and the principles of Constitutional government, and honor
the office to which they are elected. Let us never feel to
oppress any man because of his religious views, or because of his
poverty or because of his political views; but to the contrary,
feel that it is a sacred duty imposed upon us to tolerate freedom
and preserve good order, and see that integrity and honesty
prevail in the land. And you will see the day, and it is not far
distant, when these mountains will be the stronghold of a free
people, and when men will come here because the principles of the
Constitution will be maintained here; and they will be protected
in their political and religious rights. And this is the mission
which God has given unto us. We should stand shoulder to
shoulder, and let no man divide us, no matter who he may be. It
is our duty to bind these people together in the strongest
possible manner by the bonds of righteousness, not in iniquity,
not by secret combinations, but by the bonds of righteousness;
because we are few in number, and it is only by our unity that we
can be made strong. Let us maintain unity, brethren and sisters;
let us maintain it in the Gospel, maintain it in the ordinances
that God requires us to submit to; maintain it in all our
political affairs, from north to south, and be one, bearing in
our minds that a poor nomination well sustained is better than a
good nomination not sustained.
260
That God may bless you, and fill you with His Holy Spirit, and
preserve you in the liberty of the Gospel, is my prayer, in the
name of Jesus. Amen.
Journal of Discourses / Journal of Discourses, Volume 25 / John
Taylor, August 17th, 1844
John Taylor, August 17th, 1844
DISCOURSE BY PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,
Delivered in the Bowery at Rexburg, Bannock Stake, Idaho,
Sunday Afternoon, August 17th, 1844.
(Reported by John Irvine.)
WHY WE GATHER--DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS AND THE
WORLD--ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH IN FORMER DAYS--CONDITION OF
THE
WORLD PREVIOUS TO THE RESTORATION OF THE GOSPEL--THE REFORMERS
AND
THE WORK THEY PERFORMED--ALL MEN ENJOY A PORTION OF THE SPIRIT OF
GOD--THE JEWS--THE GOSPEL MUST BE PREACHED--ORGANIZATION OF NEW
STAKES--MISSIONARIES' FAMILIES TO BE PROVIDED FOR--BUILDING HOMES
AND BEAUTIFYING THEM--THE DESTINY OF ZION.
261
I am pleased to have the opportunity of meeting with you in this
place, of visiting your homes in these new settlements, and of
striking hands and conversing with many of our old friends with
whom we have been associated quite a distance from here, and some
a very long distance indeed.
262
As Latter-day Saints we have gathered to these valleys of the
mountains. We are assembled together for certain purposes
associated with our own individual interests; in other respects
for purposes connected with the welfare of our families, of our
wives, our children, our husbands, etc. And then, further, we
have gathered together as we have done in these mountains to
comply with certain requisitions made my the Almighty upon His
people in these latter days. We have come here in accordance with
a message that he has communicated from the heavens to the
inhabitants of the earth. These ideas and feelings are at the
foundation of all our movements, of all our acts. We occupy a
very peculiar position in the midst of these United States and
also in the world. We differ from others in a great many
respects, in our ideas of God, in our religious sentiments, in
our social views, and in our relationship with each other, and in
many respects in all the leading characteristics of human life
and existence pertaining either to this world or to the world
that is to come. We assemble here as Latter-day Saints--for it is
to these that I am speaking--and I understand the term Latter-day
Saint is used in contradistinction to former-day Saints. The
Church of Christ existed some 1800 years ago, when Christ himself
was its teacher. He came down from the heavens to teach and
instruct the people in the ways of life. Those who believed in
Him were baptized in His name for the remission of sins, and they
had hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost.
They were born of the water and of the Spirit, and were made new
creatures in Christ Jesus. They were instructed in the principles
of the Gospel, and they had placed among them Prophets, Apostles,
Pastors, Teachers, Evangelists. We are told that these men were
authorized by Jesus to preach the Gospel to all the nations of
the earth. We are told that they were to tarry at Jerusalem,
until they had received power from on high, notwithstanding all
the teachings they had had from the Savior. What was that power?
It was the gift of the Holy Ghost. Had they not received it? Not
in the sense here implied. What, not those that had been with
Jesus? No, I repeat, not in the sense here implied. Jesus
emphatically told them that it was necessary He should go away;
for if He went not away the Comforter would not come. He
instructed His Apostles to teach certain principles that should
exist and that ought to prevail among all the human family. But
the people have departed from these things. The Gospel put them
in possession of the Holy Ghost, which brought things past to
their remembrance, let them into all truth, and showed them of
things to come. The Savior explained the office of the Holy
Ghost. It would enable those who received it to comprehend the
past, the present and the future. It would draw aside the curtain
of the invisible world, and they would be enabled to gaze through
the dark vista of future ages and comprehend the purposes of God,
as they rolled forth in all their majesty, glory and power. And
then in the Church, as I have said, there were placed Prophets,
Apostles, Pastors, Teachers, etc., for the perfecting of the
Saints, and for the work of the ministry; that men properly
qualified and endowed of God, by His Holy Spirit, and ordained
and set apart by Him, might go forth as messengers of life and
salvation to the nations of the earth. Hence they had their
Twelve, their Seventies, their Bishops, and the various officers
of the church. This organization to which I now refer, existed
1,800 years ago, on the continent of Asia, and according to
accounts given in the Book of Mormon, a similar organization
existed on this continent. Here they had their Twelve, and these
Twelve were commissioned to preach the Gospel as the others were
on the continent of Asia. Jesus visited them here as He visited
the others in Asia, and they were placed under His guidance and
direction.
262
Now, what condition was the world in before the Gospel we now
preach was introduced? Many of you older men here--there are not
so many old men here as we find in some places--lived when the
Gospel was not upon the earth. I did and many others did. Where
could we find anything resembling that which was taught by Jesus?
Nowhere on the face of the wide earth. Apostles, Prophets,
Pastors, Teachers, etc., were nowhere to be found. Do I know
this? I do know it, for I lived in the world at that time. I knew
what was going on. I was mixed up with their teachers, and was
well acquainted with the different societies and organizations.
Did they have the Gospel as laid down in the Scriptures? No. I
remember reading with very great interest the remarks of one of
the Wesleys--I do not remember now whether it was Charles or
John--in some poetry of his:
263
"From chosen Abraham's seed the new
Apostles chose
O'er isles and continents to spread the
soul reviving news."
264
He knew very well that they did not have Apostles, nor those
officers that used to exist in the Church, and he felt it keenly,
as did many others. I, myself, mixed up with a society of
gentlemen before I heard the fullness of the Gospel, who were
searching the Scriptures to find out the true way; for we did not
find any men who professed to be inspired. We were told that all
inspiration had ceased, and yet there were men professing to be
called of God to preach the Gospel. Now, that is a very singular
thing. How can a man be called of God, if God has ceased to
speak? If a man is called of God, he must be called either by the
voice or Spirit of God, or by somebody who is authorized of God,
and knows something about His ways. If he does not receive his
calling in this way, how is he going to get it? There is one
other way--that is, if God has had a regular Priesthood upon the
earth, unbroken, uncorrupted and uncontaminated, then it might
come down from one to another through the different ages. The
Church of Rome professes to trace its authority down from the
days of the Apostles until the present. But unfortunately there
is a Scripture that rather interferes with them and with others,
namely: "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine
of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of
Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." I will tell you
what Joseph Smith told me personally. Said he: "You are going out
to preach the Gospel, and if you can find a people anywhere as
you wander through the world"--which I have done a great deal,
traveled thousands, and I do not know but hundreds of thousands
of miles, and mingled with all classes and creeds and conditions
of men, religious and irreligious, professors and non-professors,
Christians and Jews, Gentiles and all classes of people--"if you
can find," said he, "a people anywhere having the doctrines of
Christ, you need not baptize them." But I never found anywhere,
wherever I went, any persons holding the doctrines of Christ as
taught by Him, with Apostles and Prophets and inspired men under
the influence of the Holy Ghost, and with an organization similar
to that which was introduced by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Therefore I had to call upon all men everywhere to repent, for I
could not find the kind of people Joseph said I need not baptize.
Wesley and Whitfield, and going back still further, Luther,
Melancthon, Knowx, Zwingli, and many other reformers, started
what are termed reformations. But what did they do in those
reformations? Did they bring back the pure Gospel of Christ? No,
they did not, and they did not profess to do it. It is left for
some of their admirers to do that for them which they in their
day never professed to do. What did they do? They tried to reform
abuses that were in the church. Well, what was done by these
people? What influence were they under? They were under the
influence, more or less, of the Spirit of the living God. But
they didn't have the Gospel, you say? No; but they were not
deprived of a portion of the Spirit of the living God on that
account. It is a very great error for us to suppose that men
throughout the whole world have not been under an influence of
that kind more or less. We are told in the Scriptures that God
has given unto all men a portion of His Spirit to profit withal,
and many men who have followed that Spirit according to the light
they have had, have done a great deal of good among men, among
whom were Luther, Calvin, Melancthon, Wesley, Fletcher, and
others in the various churches. Fletcher, I think, was a Church
of England minister; so was John Wesley, and many others; then
there were others among the Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics,
etc. They were good men. They sought to do good, and did do good;
for he that doeth righteousness is righteous. They followed the
leadings of that portion of the Spirit of God which is given to
all men to profit withal. They operated in the interests of
humanity; introduced many charitable institutions; made provision
for the poor and outcast, the lame, and the blind; acted in a
very liberal, kind and generous manner. I have known, in my
travels, many ladies and gentlemen possessing large fortunes, who
spent their time and their means in trying to promote the welfare
of humanity. But was that the fullness of the Gospel of the Son
of God? No, it was not. Was it right for them to do these things?
Yes; for it is always right for all men to do good to their
fellow men; to be moral, virtuous, honorable and upright; and
notwithstanding the wickedness and crime that exist in these
United States, yet there are thousands and millions of good
honorable men who desire to do right; but they do not know the
truth, and are led astray by men who know not what they say nor
what they affirm. If these men had the Gospel with which is
associated the gift of the Holy Ghost, it would lead them into
all truth as it did in former days. And what is said of
circumstances and events that shall transpire in the last days?
We are told that it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall bring
again Zion, that her watchmen shall see eye to eye. This will be
the case when all the people of Zion live their religion, and
comply with the requirements of the Lord.
265
Speaking of good men, I had several gentlemen call upon me just
before I left the city. They were Jews. They came from London, or
somewhere in that neighborhood. One of them professed to be a
lineal descendant of the tribe of Levi, and of the house of
Aaron, and I was told by part of the company that he held the
legitimate right to the Aaronic Priesthood, and his name agreed
with the records we have pertaining to these things. Well, these
men were engaged in a very charitable enterprise. They had heard
that we had some sympathies with the Jews, and desired to see me
and have a talk with me on the subject. They told me about the
terrible scenes that had transpired in Russia lately, and the
heavy persecutions that their people had endured in that country.
They and their friends had subscribed some £80,000 (about
$400,000) to assist their persecuted brethren in Russia, and had
formed a number of colonies in the United States, and thus
delivered a great many from their oppressors. They have purchased
large tracts of land, and established their brethren upon them. I
told them they had rather missed the place--that they should have
taken up Palestine. That, they said, would be all right in its
time; they could easily go from this country to Palestine when
the time came. I talked with them about a good many principles. I
talked about our temples, and said that they would have to build
one at Jerusalem, and I told them that I had spoken to Baron
Rothschild on this same subject some few years ago, and that he
would assist in gathering the people. They said that he had given
them some help in connection with the enterprise they now had in
hand, and they supposed he would assist in the future.
265
I speak of these things to show the good feelings that exist
among men in many instances. That was certainly a very charitable
act for these men to be engaged in. They were Jews and not
Christians, neither were they Latter-day Saints. Why, it would be
a good work for an infidel to be engaged in--to do good to his
fellow men and relieve the oppressed. That is what we believe
in--to do good to all men, especially to the household of faith.
265
It is well for us to remember that we are not the only people God
has on the earth. We are told that He is the God and Father of
the spirits of all flesh. He is therefore interested in the whole
of the human family. The Savior commanded His Apostles to preach
the Gospel to every creature. Why? Because the whole of the human
family are the sons and daughters of God, and it was proper that
they should have the principles of life and salvation presented
to them. He has told us to do the same thing--to carry the Gospel
to every nation, kindred, tongue and people--and our Elders go
forth, as they did in former times, without purse or scrip,
trusting in God. And some of them get killed. We have heard of
two being slain quite recently in these United States, where we
boast so much of freedom, human rights, liberty of conscience,
etc. Right in the State of Tennessee, this atrocious deed has
taken place, and it is not long since one of our brethren was
murdered in Georgia. We feel sorry for these things; but, then,
we cannot help it. We cannot relinquish our labors in relation to
these matters. It is enjoined upon us to preach the Gospel to
every creature, and we propose to carry out these things as the
Apostles did in former times. Lives may be sacrificed for the
truth's sake; but it makes no difference where we are if we are
only engaged in the work of God. Jesus said: "Fear not them which
kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear
Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." I fear
God, and know no other fear, and do not want to; and when men
talk sometimes about what they will do and what they are going to
do with the Mormons--"Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and
terrible things by the Red Sea"--it does not make our knees shake
nor our heart palsy. We feel that we are here to do the will of
God, and in the name of Israel's God we will do it; we will, God
being our helper. These are my feelings, these are the feelings
of my brethren around me, and these are the feelings o