Journal of Discourses Volume 3

BY BRIGHAM YOUNG

President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

HIS TWO COUNSELLORS, THE TWELVE APOSTLES, AND OTHERS.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT,

AND HUMBLY DEDICATED TO THE LATTER-DAY SAINTS IN ALL THE WORLD.

VOL.  III

LIVERPOOL:

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY ORSON PRATT, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON:

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 35, JEWIN STREET, CITY.

1856.[p.iii] 

Preface

Vol. 3, p.iii
WE are privileged to present to the Saints and the world, the Third
Volume of the containing the principles of the
Gospel of salvation delivered to this generation through the Apostles
and Prophets of the Most High, by the power of the Holy Ghost,

Vol. 3, p.iii
These Discourses as they successively reach us from Zion, show to
those who have the spirit of discernment that the Lord's power is
increasing among His people, and that He is purifying and bringing
them nearer to Him by chastisements, while at the same time He is
blessing them with a continual development of the pure principles of
eternal life, in proportion as they yield obedience to His
requirements.

Vol. 3, p.iii
The light of truth, as it emanates from the abode of the Eternal
Father through His Priesthood on the earth, is exposing the
corruptions of hypocrites, and apostate spirits among the gathered
Saints, and making the spiritual darkness of the surrounding nations
more visible. It is also heaping condemnation upon those who still
choose darkness rather than light.

Vol. 3, p.iii
Each successive Volume of these Discourses is a rich mine of wealth,
containing gems of great value, and the diligent seeker will find
ample reward for his labor. After the fathers and mothers of this
generation have made them the study of their lives, their children's
children will find that they are still unexhausted, and rejoice that
this Record has been handed  down from their fathers to also aid them
in following the way of life.[p.iv] 

Vol. 3, p.iv
No one can remain a Saint long, unless he progresses by seeking after
the higher knowledge, spirit, and power of those who are set to lead
him. A little observation and experience will also satisfy him that he
can never fully understand their sayings until he has advanced as far
as they have, and sees and comprehends as they do, hence he will ever
find their instructions the great fountain from which he must draw the
elements of his own progress.

THE PUBLISHER.[p.1] 

Brigham Young, September 16, 1855

Gathering the Poor 

An Address by President Brigham Young, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
Sep. 16, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.1
Concerning the Saints in these Valleys, and those who are abroad, I
have a few remarks to make. The promises referred to by the brethren
who have addressed you this morning are very reasonable—they are very
judicious; they have promised to remember the poor in their prayers,
and before their brethren in Zion. I have made the Saints some
promises, and I am not aware that I have made any promises to them
that I have not fulfilled, at least so far as I was personally
concerned. I have promised myself that I would plead for the poor; I
have done it—I have continued to do it—and I expect to continue to
plead for the poor Saints. I have preached in the United States, in
the British Provinces, and in the Island of Great Britain, and have
invariably promised the Saints one blessing, viz., hard labor, hard
fare, and plenty of persecution, if they would only live their
religion, and I believe they are generally well satisfied that this
promise has been amply fulfilled. If the Saints cannot endure, and
endure to the end, they have no reason to expect eternal salvation

Vol. 3, p.1
While brother Brown was speaking of the Saints in England, that they
would probably be good Saints if they were nursed, nourished, and
cherished, I had certain reflections. We gather the Saints, and gather
those who are poor; what for? To bring to pass righteousness, but many
of them turn and go to the devil. I will relate. Before we arrived in
Winter Quarters we held obligations and accounts, against the poor
Saints we had emigrated to America, to the amount of about thirty-five
thousand dollars, and that too out of our own individual pockets—it
was not Church money. But while we were in Winter Quarters, I do not
think there could hays been ten persons counted, old and young, who
were brought from England [p.2] by our liberality. Is this fact
encouraging or discouraging? The honest poor are still suffering, I
mean the Lord's poor. But you may take the devil's poor and the poor
devils, and they will plead a thousand times harder to be brought out
of England, to have their feet placed upon American soil, than the
Lord's poor, or the honest poor. The devil's poor and the poor devils
will manage to get here, while very many of the Lord's poor stay there
and suffer, and continue to suffer until they lay down their bodies
and sleep in the tomb. Thousands and thousands of them will do this,
while that portion who call so loudly for help are those who will come
here and then go to the devil.

Vol. 3, p.2
If there could be any rule by which the honest poor in England could
be designated from the dishonest, if the wealthy of that nation could
draw the line between them, allow me to tell you that but few of the
honest inhabitants of that country would suffer as they now do for
want of the common necessaries of life.

Vol. 3, p.2
What is the cause of so much suffering there? Why the poor devils get
licence for begging, and beg from house to house, making a speculation
of it; they beg money, bread, and clothing, and then speculate upon
it, and thus abuse their friends and their gifts.

Vol. 3, p.2
There are thousands of houses in England kept by beggars, as fine
houses as there are in that country, and their proprietors can ride in
their coach and four: that there are such Characters is well known
among the people. Some of the large boarding houses in England are
kept by them, and they hire men, women, and children to beg; they are
licensed beggars. The women borrow their neighbor's children and carry
them out to deceive the industrious and wealthy population, and thus
they excite the sympathies of, and beg from, every passenger going
into or coming out of a conveyance, and perhaps go to their homes
twice or three times a-day loaded down with money. This is well known
by the wealthy, but they cannot draw the line of distinction between
them and the honest poor, hence they are obliged to suffer the
consequences.

Vol. 3, p.2
Were it not for this the worthy poor would be fed and clothed in
England. If the wealthy of that nation could know the truth they would
feed the hungry and clothe the naked, honest, just, and virtuous
portions of the community. But they do not know them, and if they give
a loaf of bread or a sixpence, they expect it is given to a poor
devil; this makes them very careful how they give.

Vol. 3, p.2
Has not a similar dishonesty the same effect upon us? It has, and that
is what I wish to talk about. For example, a man in England,
professing to be a Latter-day Saint, will go to his brother in the
Church and promise, in the most sacred manner, and call God and angels
to witness, and hope he may die, and not live to get to America, if he
is not as prompt to his word as an angel, to pay him back at such a
time, if he will lend him ten sovereigns to help him away to America;
another will get five sovereigns in the same way; another will beg to
be allowed to take so much out of a contribution box, promising to
refund it, and saying, "When I get to the Saints, where there is
liberty, and get work and good wagess, I will remember you, my
brethren, and send for you;" and when they get here they forget it
all. This is the way with the devil's poor; the Lord's poor do not
forget their covenants, while the devil's poor pay no regard to their
promises. Are you afraid the devil's poor will apostatize? I am not
afraid of it, though sooner or later they will. They may hang on to
the Church for five, ten, [p.3] or twenty years, but by and by, when
they cannot endure what the Lord will bring upon them, they will
falter and fall, and go by the board.

Vol. 3, p.3
Now this is discouraging to every man who has been punctual to his
word, and done just as he said he would. You will find men in England,
who have saved, out of their hard earnings, at ten shillings per week,
five pounds, or ten pounds, handing it out as freely to their brethren
as water to drink, saying, "Go to America now, and you will help me
out." But these men forget their words, and when they have means they
tie up their purse strings, before they will bestow their charity upon
those who have assisted them.

Vol. 3, p.3
Do I receive promises? Yes, men will promise me, saying, "If you will
let me go out this year by the means of the P. E. Fund, I will refund
the means again, that you may have it to send back for more." And what
will they do when they get here? Steal our wagons and go off with them
to California, and try to steal. the bake kettles, frying pans, tents,
and wagon covers; and will borrow the oxen and run away with them, if
you do not watch them closely. Do they all do this? No, but many of
them will try to do it. We checked a number this year who were trying
to run away with the wagons, instead of paying their just debts to the
Fund. They will hang on and plead poverty and sickness, and say that
they cannot live unless they have this tent, or that wagon, and when
they get it into their possession they will never return it, unless
they are compelled to.

Vol. 3, p.3
This conduct is discouraging to us. I will tell you a little further;
it is actually the faltering, and misgiving, and misdealing of unjust
persons that prevent the gathering of the Lord's poor, and that is
God's truth. Were it not for that, the Saints would be gathered by
scores of thousands. It is the wicked, the half-hearted, and what i
call hickory Mormons that prevent a more extensive gathering of the
Saints.

Vol. 3, p.3
We have done pretty well this season, and quite a number are coming
out, and I will tell you how this is operating upon me and the people.
It is well known that we annually handle a large amount of means, and
that we turn it over and shift it about until it will answer the end
for which it was designed.

Vol. 3, p.3
Now I can ask the world this one question, were we ever in your debt
and refused to pay you? And they will all answer, "No." We can turn to
the Saints in England, France, America, or anywhere upon the face of
the whole earth; and ask them, "Have you lent us money, or means of
any kind, and we were not on hand to pay you?" And they will answer,
"No."

Vol. 3, p.3
When brother Erastus Snow arrived, on the 1st of this month, he came
in the morning and informed me that he had run me in debt nearly fifty
thousand dollars; he said, "President Young's name is as good as the
bank."

Vol. 3, p.3
My name has been used without my consent, or without my knowing
anything about it, and our agents have run us in debt almost fifty
thousand dollars to strangers, merchants, cattle dealers, and our
brethren who are coming here.

Vol. 3, p.3
I will tell you a little about the brethren, to show you the amount of
confidence there is.

Vol. 3, p.3
There are men who have lately arrived in town who have a draft on me,
and who have hunted me up for the cash before they could find time to
shave their beards, or wash themselves, saying, "I have a draft on you
at ten days', fifty days', or six months' sight," as the case may be,
with, "Please pay so and so. Brother Young, cannot you let me have the
money immediately, for I do not know how I can [p.4] live without it,
or get along with my business at all ?" This is the kind of confidence
some men have in me. I wanted to name this. Why? Because I am hunted;
I am like one that is their prey, ready to be devoured. I wish to give
you one text to preach upon, "From this time henceforth do not fret
thy gizzard." I will pay you when I can, and not before. Now I hope
you will apostatize, if you would rather do it.

Vol. 3, p.4
It is the poor who have got your money, and if you have any complaints
to make, make them against the Almighty for having so many poor. I do
not owe you anything. You have my name attached to the paper to help
the poor; whether they are the Lord's poor, the devil's poor, or poor
devils, is not for me now to judge. I tell the brethren that they may
understand here to-day what kind of sacred confidence some of them
have in the leader of this people, though I am happy to say that such
cases are few. I would be ashamed to join a people, organized as we
are, and be afraid to trust their leader.

Vol. 3, p.4
It has just come into my mind how the brethren can be relieved of
their present dilemma, viz., every soul of you come forward and make a
donation of those drafts to the P. E. Fund. That will relieve you of
the debt at once, and you can then sit down and enjoy yourselves, and
lie down and sleep contentedly. This is pleading for the poor again,
and I am bound to do that.

Vol. 3, p.4
I will tell you what I have done, for I know that many of the brethren
think that I am building myself up. I am, but let me tell you that if
I do not build up the kingdom of God on earth I never expect to be
built up; and I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for any man in
this kingdom, or for all his substance, who does not build it up, and
gather means for that purpose. It is true I gather a great deal of
substance around me; I am obliged to do it, I cannot shun it. I must
feed the poor, I must clothe them and take care of them; I must see
that they have houses; and when they get so as to deserve them they
must have a team, a watch, a farm, &c., and must increase; but they
must work and pay for it all.

Vol. 3, p.4
You know I preached you a short charity sermon last Sunday. I am not
now preaching for the poor in England, but for Utah poor; and in Utah
no man is deserving, or woman either, of fifty or even twenty-five
cents' worth of flour, of a piece of meat, a garment, or the
possession of any property without they pay for it with their labor,
if they are able. That is for Utah, not for England, France, Ireland,
&c. It is plain to you that circumstances actually compel me to do as
I do. Do I feed my hundreds? Yes, I have fed them ever since I have
been in these valleys, ever since I could raise the grain to do it,
which I have always done until this year, and have had a great deal to
spare besides.

Vol. 3, p.4
I collect means around me, the poor must have it, and I make them work
and pay for it; that makes me wealthy, and I cannot help it. I have
property for sale, and say, if any man in England, or anywhere else,
will expand his heart and loosen his purse strings to buy sixty-two
thousand dollars' worth of my individual property, I have it for sale
to help the poor. I do not want it destroyed, or to go into the hands
of a mob, but I want it to go to the building up of the kingdom of
God. I would prefer to let it go, into the hands of the Saints, and
use it to pay off those who have drafts against me. Here is brother
Duel, he has a good house, and there are many others, go and buy their
property, and they will take your  drafts and hand them to me. [Here
many voices were heard in a low tone, saying, [p.5] "Yes, take my
property."] Why do I hear such responses on every side? Because they
know me and understand "Mormonism" as they ought. Go and throw out
your drafts, it is better for you to do this than to have the money
and let it go to destruction, and perhaps you with it. How many scores
have come into this kingdom, who have mourned themselves to death
because Joseph had five dollars of them? And vet they would let their
money go into the hands of the enemies of Christ, and sit down calmly,
and say, "Though I have lost that money, I am in the kingdom of God
yet." If it is absolutely necessary, and circumstances cannot be
controlled to keep the money from going into the hands of our enemies,
we will not whine about it, but let it go, and then get more.

Vol. 3, p.5
All cash means that are in the hands of this people should be kept
there for the benefit and convenience of the kingdom of God. What for?
To roll on the work of the last days, gather the Saints, preach the
Gospel, build up cities and temples, send the Gospel to the uttermost
parts of the earth, and revolutionize the whole world.

Vol. 3, p.5
You who have got those drafts, walk up like men of God and see where
you can purchase property, instead of taking the money to put in the
hands of some poor apostate, who wants to go to California.

Vol. 3, p.5
Dare any of you come and buy property? I can furnish as much as you
can buy. My house on the hill yonder, I have advertised it for sale,
and also my lands and barn. "What do you ask for it?" Sixteen thousand
dollars; it is worth that and a great deal more, for it actually cost
more. Can any of you buy it? Walk up and buy my beautiful situation on
the hill and I will put the proceeds into the Perpetual Emigrating
Fund, if you will pay me the money, and gather the Saints, the Lord's
poor, and the devil's poor, and the poor devils, and when we have got
them here we will make Saints of them, if we can, and if we cannot, we
will cast them out of the kingdom.

Vol. 3, p.5
If the brethren all felt as some do, the Perpetual Fund means would
increase rapidly, but what do they do? It was reported to you here
last Conference, that there were then fifty-six thousand dollars owing
to the P. E. Fund, by brethren in this Territory; some of the debtors
have run away, but the most of them are here. Can these men pay
anything? No, they are poor and distressed; they say, "If we let our
oxen go, how can we live? If we let our cows go our families will
suffer." How did your families get along before you got the cows?
Another will say, "I have only one span of horses and a wagon; and I
cannot pay the debt." You promised, before you left England, that you
would pay it, and pledged your sacred honor, and that is forfeited to
the P. E. Fund. You say that you cannot pay the debt; but I know you
can if you have a mind to. Live without a cow, as you used to, pay in
your houses and farms, and work until you get more. This debt is
diminished but little since last Conference; I do not suppose we have
gathered in more than one thousand dollars of it, and this season
there are about forty-nine thousand dollars more added to it. I
calculate that will rest upon my shoulders, but they are so sloping,
as you may observe, that it slips off, and then I kick it off at my
heels. The money will be forth-coming and all will be well, all will
be right; I am not discouraged.

Vol. 3, p.5
I have a word to say to another portion of the community, some of whom
may be here to-day. A great many of the brethren are indebted to the
tithing office; and I have a good deal coming to me; and I intend to
[p.6] put you into the screw, for we mean to make you pay these debts
this season. One man says, "I owe the Church the money, it is true,
but I believe I shall break and not pay it." They want to get their
money into the safe and then break. If they owed a Gentile they would
pay their debts, they would work, and toil, and labor, day and night,
to pay their enemy; but when they owe the Church and kingdom of God
they can lie down and sleep in peace, though they owe thousands of
dollars, and say, "O! well, it is all in the family, we are all one,
it is no matter whether the debt is paid or not." I want to have you
understand fully that I intend to put the screws upon you, and you who
have owed for years, if you do not pay up now and help us, we will
levy on your property and take every farthing you have on the earth. I
want to see if I can make some of you apostatize; I will if I can, by
teaching. sound doctrine and advocating correct principles; for I am
tired of men who are eternally gouging their brethren and taking the
advantage of them, and at the same time pretending to be Saints until
they gain an advantage over this people, and then they are ready to
leave. I want you to leave now; I give you this word of caution,
prepare to pay the debt you owe to the Church. If I had the money due
to the Church by a few individuals, I could pay every one of our
individual debts and the Church debt, and have a few scores of
thousands lying by me to operate upon; and in such circumstances I
could operate to some advantage, and greatly benefit the Church. But
it seems that there are many drones in the hive, who are determined to
tie up the hands of those who rule the affairs of this kingdom, and
the quicker they are thrown out the better.

Vol. 3, p.6
I have given you some reasons why things are so slow and tardy in
their progress with regard to the gathering of the Saints. Let the
poor Saints strive to induce the rich to have confidence in them, by
keeping their word and punctually paying those who loan them money. I
am sorry to say that this is not always the case. The poor are filled
with idolatry as well as the rich, and covet the means of those who
have helped them; the rich, also, have the same spirit of idolatry,
and stick to what they have. Let the poor be honest, let the rich be
liberal, and lay their plans to assist the poor, to build up the
kingdom of God, and at the same time enrich themselves, for that is
the way to build up God's kingdom. May the Lord  bless you. Amen.[p.7]


Jedediah M. Grant, May 30, 1855

The Holy Spirit, and Human Learning and Science 

A Lecture by President J. M. Grant, 
Delivered in the Social Hall, Great Salt Lake City,
 May, 30, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.7
I am pleased with the privilege I have in speaking for a short time
this evening.

Vol. 3, p.7
I wish to have your prayers, and by the aid thereof to speak by the
Spirit of the Lord, for I have found that without that Spirit I never
could command language sufficient to convey my ideas.

Vol. 3, p.7
With all the study that I have exercised, with all the books I have
read and the experience I have had, I never have been able to convey,
with any degree of force, the ideas presented to my mind, without the
Spirit of the Lord. Believing in this fact, I have never premeditated
what I should say. Some suppose that, to treat upon theology, or any
other science coming under the general term, a person must have a
classical education.

Vol. 3, p.7
I hope you, as well as myself, have often thought upon the science of
theology, or upon other branches of science; but notwithstanding we
may reflect upon them, and think upon them till we make our heads
ache, yet my experience has proved to me that an Elder of Israel
cannot impress any subject on the minds of the people, unless he has
the Holy Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.7
I might reason upon this point at some length; for instance, we have
some among us who are good preachers, and who are considered good in
language, but yet they are not able to impress their ideas upon other
minds, unless they have the Spirit of the Lord. I find others who are
not considered good speakers nor good in language, yet when filled
with this Spirit they can convey their ideas in a clear manner to
those whom they address. Therefore I reason like this, if a person
address you and wishes to make a suitable impression upon your mind,
he must have the Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.7
Latter-day Saints are, and have been highly favored; the channel of
communication has been opened from heaven to earth in our day, and has
inspired this people with the gift of the Holy Ghost, and by that gift
they have proved the things of God. When I read the productions of men
I am apt to forget them; I go for instance, to Elder Hyde's grammar
class, and I study, and read, and commit the rules of grammar to
memory, but unless I keep my mind constantly upon that subject, it
will fly away from me; it is like the man's rabbit, "when he went to
put his hand upon it, it was not there." On the contrary, there are
certain truths brought to my mind by the aid of the Spirit of the
Lord, that I have never forgotten. Truths deposited by the Holy Ghost
are treasured up in the mind, and do not leave it.

Vol. 3, p.7
One trait I have had in my character from my boyhood, and that is, not
to believe every story told me to be true. I well remember that my
mother used to instruct and teach me that if I was a bad boy, I should
have to go to hell, and that the fire there was seven times hotter
than any fire I could possibly make, even if I should make it with
beech or maple wood, [p.8] and there I must burn for ever and ever. I
never believed this story, but I presume that my mother did; I could
not, therefore I felt no trouble about it.

Vol. 3, p.8
Still I was particular in my notions of certain ideas. I remember
reflecting when very young—my brother had killed a quail, and in
conversing upon the circumstances, he asked my mother if there was not
a quail heaven, which caused me to reflect much upon the idea of a
future state of the animal creation. And, when quite young, I read the
sermons of John Wesley, who believed that the animal creation would
have an eternal existence as well as man, therefore my ideas were
strengthened upon this thing; but when I came to read the vision given
to Joseph Smith upon a future state, as contained in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, I believed it, although some in our
neighborhood were much troubled with the doctrine it contained, but it
gave me great joy and satisfaction.

Vol. 3, p.8
From the time I began to read books, I have been particular in
relation to what I would accept for doctrine. I am aware that some
persons will believe almost anything, and are not particular in
relation to the doctrine they receive.

Vol. 3, p.8
I remember well, when a boy, of hearing brother Brigham speak in
tongues, and the effect it produced I shall never forget; I could feel
the spirit, although I did not fully understand the tongue. I have
heard others speak in tongues, but it had not the same effect, and I
have marked the different impressions received under different
individuals.

Vol. 3, p.8
When a man teaches doctrine, let him keep on the track, and teach what
we can realize and understand, for I do dislike to receive anything
for doctrine and afterwards be under the necessity of giving it up
because it is erroneous. Hence, if you desire to be constantly led in
the path of truth, you will have to be led by the inspiration of the
Lord. If I hear a righteous man teach doctrine which I cannot believe
nor comprehend, I mark the saying, and I find, that in course of time,
the Holy Spirit makes the principle manifest, and sets the matter
right.

Vol. 3, p.8
When you have a teacher upon the earth and he gives you instruction,
is it for you to rise up and say that yea will not abide by his
counsel, that you can instruct as well as he can? If a person
possesses more intelligence, and has more knowledge than his teacher,
perhaps they might assume the right to teach those who are placed over
them. Yet those in this church who have taken this course have
betrayed their own weakness and folly. But as God has given us a
teacher, it is his prerogative to teach in every sense of the word,
and give unto us every lesson that we need.

Vol. 3, p.8
Take the balance of the world from the Saints, and with all their
learning—with all their vanity—with all their books, science, and
education—and contrast it with the fountain of knowledge that God,
angels, and the servants of God possess, and what are the world with
all their boasted acquirements, when contrasted with these things?
What do they understand about the principles by which man is to be
exalted into the presence of God?

Vol. 3, p.8
Take the wisest statesmen and philosophers there are in the world, and
with all the knowledge they may acquire upon astronomy, philosophy, or
any other branch of science knows among the children of men, and they
will come far short of a perfect knowledge of science in all its parts
and bearings. If we could call up father Abraham, I suppose he could
teach  us more philosophy and astronomy in one day, than those to whom
I have alluded could teach you in years. Call [p.9] up Daniel, and he
would tell us he  learned more in one vision, concerning the history
of the Medes and Persians, and of the Romans, and others, than modern
historians could learn by reading for years.

Vol. 3, p.9
"No man can understand the things of God, but by the Spirit of God."
Ask a person who has preached for years, if he can remember what he
said; I know I cannot. I can remember that I had the Spirit of God at
such a time; I remember that I taught by the Holy Ghost at such a
time, and the testimony that I bore to the people, and I realize the
principle, I trusted in the Lord. I know no more about shaping my
discourses than I did when I first commenced to preach, and no more
than if I had never preached in my life; but I always speak from the
impressions of the moment, as I receive them. I want to go into a
meeting without anything premeditated, and speak from the impulse of
the moment, for I feel well when taking this course. Whether I feel
lively and energetic, or dull and sleepy, I shall speak accordingly.

Vol. 3, p.9
I have passed through various scenes up and down in the world, and
never failed to accomplish anything that has been given me to do. I
have in my life, crossed some of the most dangerous water courses—some
which no other person would attempt to cross; not that I was any more
daring than they were, naturally, but by acting in accordance with the
impression that I then received, and from those impressions I knew I
could cross. And on different occasions, when I have carried out those
impressions, it has come out just right; and when I have not done so,
it has been just the reverse.

Vol. 3, p.9
In the year 1834, when Zion's camp was moving from Kirtland to
Missouri, one day I left the camp and went out to hunt in the woods of
Ohio, and strayed away from the camp some 10 or 11 miles. The camp
kept moving on all the time, and I entirely lost the track, and having
no compass, I knew not towards what point I should travel. I kept
travelling on till the after part of the day; I then concluded I would
pray, but I could not get any impression where the camp was. However,
I soon after received an impression from the Spirit, the same Spirit
we had in Kirtland, and the same Spirit we enjoy in this place; and
immediately after receiving the impression, I looked before me, and
there was the camp moving on in regular order. I could see it just as
clear as I did in the morning; there were the people, the wagons and
horses, all in their places as I left them in the fore part of the
day, and I supposed they were not more than 80 rods off. But after
turning away for a moment, I again looked in the same direction, but
all was gone. Still the Spirit told me to travel on in the same
direction I had seen the camp; I did so, and after travelling some 8
or 10 miles, came up with them, and when they first came in sight,
they looked just as I saw them in the vision.

Vol. 3, p.9
Again, whenever I have had anything that was great or important to
accomplish, I have been impressed with my own weakness and inability
to perform the task imposed upon me, and that of myself I was as
nothing, only as I trusted in God, and under these circumstances I was
certain to speak by the power and influence of the Holy Ghost. When I
have trusted in books, or in my own acquirements that I had gleaned
from reading the productions of different authors, (for I used to be
fond of reading the works of Brown, Abercrombie, Locke, Watts, and
other metaphysical writers,) I was sure to be foiled in my attempt,
for all would leave me. But whenever I have trusted in the Lord,[p.10]
and relied upon Him for strength, it has come out right.

Vol. 3, p.10
I want the Saints of God, when they come to school, to be filled with
the Holy Spirit; I want the Saints to pray that those who speak may do
it by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by this course you will learn
and understand the principle of eternal life and happiness, and will
receive intelligence from the fountain of all knowledge, which will
exalt you in the presence of God. You may read all the books in the
universe, and study all you can upon the science of astronomy,
chemistry, and theology, and make those sciences interwoven with your
very nature, till they are like a straight-jacket upon you, and you
may be wrapped up in them and bound hand and foot, and after all they
will not let you into the fountain of all knowledge; but by taking
such a course, you will have to become slaves to the learning that you
have acquired. But I want the Saints to use their learning in the same
manner as a boy uses the top, which is in perfect subjection to him;
upon the same principle let the Saints use their learning, and when
they speak, let it be by the power of God. It is not that I discard
learning, but let it be used properly.

Vol. 3, p.10
There is a fountain of intelligence, and the channel thereto is open,
thank God for it, and the light of heaven bursts forth through this
channel.

Vol. 3, p.10
I will now come right down to your own houses, and among your own
families. When you call upon the Lord, night and morning, and do those
things which are right in the sight of God, you feel well, don't you?
But if you act in a different manner, and neglect to pray, and forget
to attend to those duties devolving upon a Saint of God, you feel
barren in the things of God. Can you go and read, and study any
science, and feel that you have the same light beaming upon your
understanding, that a person has who is filled with the Spirit of God,
and that light which animates a heavenly being?

Vol. 3, p.10
Why was it that Joseph could take the wisest Elder that ever travelled
and preached, and, as it were, circumscribe his very thoughts? Simply
because he had the Holy Ghost. Why can our President do the same? Is
it because he has read books for years? No. But he has sought his God,
and the Holy Ghost is in him, and he is enabled to search the deep
things of God. Then, I say, that man knows the most who enjoys the
greatest portion of the Holy Spirit. An individual who lacks this
principle may be filled with the learning of the world, but can he
rise up and tell it, unless he has the Holy Spirit? I answer, no. To
impress the knowledge that he possesses upon the minds of others, he
must have the Holy Ghost. I wish to enquire whether the channel is
open between you and the heavens, and do you draw daily from that
source? If so, then you are in the narrow path, and rejoicing in the
truth. I mention this that you may come to the school prepared to
receive the impression that may be given. I do not wish you to come
here as though you were coming to Fun Hall, (you know this is
sometimes called Fun Hall), but when you come, have your minds
prepared to be instructed in doctrine, and in the love of God, and
pray that you may receive a proper impression upon what may be
advanced; for you must receive item after item, principle after
principle, here a little and there a little, until you get a fountain
of wisdom. I want you to follow the impression that would lead you to
serve God, and the still small voice of God will direct you in all
your ways, and you will be wrapped up and live in revelation, and it
will be your food by day and by night, and it will cause  the mind to
[p.11] expand and the heart to leap with joy. I admit that there are
certain Saints who consider certain items as small affairs, but the
least thing, however small it may appear to some, in its results may
be great. If we as Saints of God do right, no difference about who
calls us simple. I tell you, that if you have the Holy Ghost you can
understand, and you can be impressed with truth, and that truth will
make you free, and you will not forget those things which you receive
under the impressions of the Holy Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.11
A great many people feast upon imagination instead of feasting upon
that which is tangible, and they will allow their minds to be led away
by fancy, and will make out how great they will be at some future
time, and how good they intend to be and how much of the Holy Ghost
they expect to receive; but the idea is, what do you enjoy at the
present time, and what are the blessings you enjoy at this present
moment, right now? Am I doing right to-day? Is the Holy Ghost in me
now? Is God's blessing with me now—(not at some other time)? If so,
then all is well.

Vol. 3, p.11
I want the Saints to be impressed with the motto of being happy all
the time; if you cannot be happy today, how can you be happy
to-morrow? I speak this from what I have learned myself; though it has
given me much of trouble, and a great amount of perseverance, to be
happy under all circumstances. I have learned not to fret myself. It
has taken me a great while to arrive at this point, but I have
obtained it in a measure, and perhaps many of you have obtained the
same thing, but I doubt whether a great many have learned the secret
of happiness.

Vol. 3, p.11
In order to understand the principle of happiness you must not be ever
complaining, but learn not to fret yourselves. If things do not go
fight, let them go as they will, if they go rough, let it be so; if
all hell boils over, let it boil. I thank the Lord for the bitter as
well as for the sweet; I like to grapple with the opposite: I like to
work and have something to oppose. I used to dread those things, but
now I like to grapple with opposition, and there is plenty of it on
the right hand and on the left. When trouble gets in among you, shake
it off, or bid it stand out of the way. If the devil should come and
say, "Brother Brigham is not doing his duty, or is not doing right,"
kick him right out of your way; bid him depart, do not allow him to
have place in your habitation, but learn to be happy.

Vol. 3, p.11
I remember a noted deist who said that it was a poor religion that
would not make a person happy here in this life: he would not give a
fig for such a religion; and I would say the same; give me a religion
that will make me happy here, and that will make me happy hereafter.
If you have the blues, or the greens, shake them off, and learn to be
happy, and to be thankful. If you have nothing to eat but johnny cake,
be thankful for that, and if you have not johnny cake, but have a
peasteer potatoe and buttermilk, why, be thankful; or if you have a
leg of a chicken, or any other kind of food, learn to be thankful, and
if you have only one dollar in your pocket, learn to be as happy under
these circumstances as if you had ten dollars.

Vol. 3, p.11
One time in Nauvoo, some English brethren did not like to eat corn
bread, and one of them says to another, just before partaking of some,
"Are you going to ask a blessing? I am not going to thank God for
nothing else but corn bread, potatoes, and salt." Brethren, those
feelings should not be, we ought to be happy and shake off the blues,
no difference what we may be called to pass through, but let us have
the [p.12] light of the Lord, the channel of inspiration open, that
the light of truth may break in upon our understandings, that we may
be rich in faith and in good works.

Vol. 3, p.12
I used once to be troubled with dyspepsia, and had frequently to call
upon the Elders to administer, and on one occasion, brother Joseph
Smith says to me, "Brother Grant, if I could always be with you, I
could cure you." How is it that brother Brigham is able to comfort and
soothe those who are depressed in spirit, and always make those with
whom he associates so happy? I will tell you how he makes us feel so
happy. He is happy himself, and the man who is happy himself can make
others feel so, for the light of God is in him, and others feel the
influence, and feel happy in his society. I want the Saints to live in
a way that they can feel happy all the time, and then we shall enjoy
the Holy Spirit; then we shall meet in heaven to part and meet again;
and when we get through our work assigned us, then we may assist, if
not to make a world as large as this, in organizing some little lump
of clay.

Vol. 3, p.12
May God bless, save and receive you into his kingdom, is the prayer
and desire of my heart, for Christ's sake. Amen.

Orson Pratt, May 20, 1855

Trials of the Saints—Redemption of Zion—Second 
Coming  of Christ—the Word of Wisdom 

A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
May 20, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.12
I have been much interested in the remarks that have been made by
brother Jackman, for they have been according to my feelings, they
were right to the point, and many useful ideas have been thrown out
before us, and his words have been full of meaning. Although he has
considered himself bashful before the people, yet the Lord has put
into his heart those things that are calculated to interest the
Saints.

Vol. 3, p.12
We see, from what has been portrayed before us, the trials and
difficulties that we, some of us, have had to endure in this Church;
we also see, from what he has explained, the patience of the people in
passing through those difficulties; no murmuring, no complaining, no
faultfinding, but all taking hold with one heart and one mind to do
the will of God, under the most straightened circumstances.

Vol. 3, p.12
We can contrast this feeling with what we see manifested by some of
our new emigrants; some of them come in here feeling dissatisfied,
having become so in crossing the plains; they will differ with each
other, lose the good spirit, and  allow themselves to be controlled by
an evil [p.13] influence; I say we can see, from the discourse of
brother Jackman, a great contrast between those that first came here,
and those that now come. Now the question might arise in the minds of
some, "Were the pioneers who came here so much better than those
persons that now come?" I think not. "Then why was there no murmuring,
nor fault-finding, nor apostacy?" The reason is obvious; those who
first came here had more experience in such matters than the new
emigrants have, who come here almost without experience in those
things which they naturally come in contact with when crossing the
plains.

Vol. 3, p.13
In fact there are very few in the world that would do any better than
the "Mormon" pioneers did the first year they came here. It requires
experience to enable people patiently to pass through the scenes of
trial that were endured by the pioneers, and those who first came into
these valleys. Take our late emigration that have crossed over the
plains, and let them be driven a few times from their comfortable
habitations, and let them wander for months in the cold winter, and
then send them off on an expedition, such as the pioneers took to this
country, and you would see them quite a different people: you would
see them altered and improved by the course of experience they had
passed through; they would be benefitted by certain kinds of
experience which others have passed through before them; and, if
attentive, they would add many important items to their former stock
of wisdom and knowledge.

Vol. 3, p.13
Consequently, it requires experience, not only for the old members,
but for the new; and should the new members be permitted to come from
the old countries, and meet with no poverty, no affliction, it would
not be known whether those persons would endure such trials; and hence
the necessity of such trials to give people experience.

Vol. 3, p.13
It is true, they have had some things to pass through in the old
country of a trying nature, but they have not had a series of
different trials to encounter; therefore, there would be no telling
whether they would stand or not, if called to pass through similar
scenes of trials to those passed through by the earlier settlers of
this Territory.

Vol. 3, p.13
Then, it is not surprising to me that the Lord takes certain measures
to bring those persons into difficult circumstances; in fact, we have
the Lord's own declaration for it, that He will try this people, not
in some things, but in all things, to see if they will abide in the
covenant, and He says, "If they will not, then they will not abide in
me."

Vol. 3, p.13
Here, then, we perceive that each will have his share of trials,
either in the beginning or in the advanced state of the Church. We do
not know what they will be, only so far as God has revealed in His
word. He has told us that we should be visited with famine and sword,
with pestilence and distress; all these are predicted, and laid before
this people in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord says,
unless His servants should hearken to the words and counsels that He
gives unto them, famine, trouble, and distress would overtake them.
Now what benefit or what glory is there to an individual who is placed
in circumstances that he cannot help but do right? For instance,
suppose there were no intoxicating drinks in the world, what glory and
credit would it be to an individual to say that he had kept himself
from those things? If his father and his forefathers to the third or
fourth generation of them, had died from drunkenness, he would have
nothing to boast of; for he could not be a drunkard; therefore, I say,
if this temptation was set before us as [p.14] the forbidden tree was
before mother Eve, and we withstood the temptation, then there would
be some merit in it, far more than there is for a person to keep
himself sober, because he is obliged to do so. So we may take other
things in the same light.

Vol. 3, p.14
Why did the Lord suffer the Hittites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and
Jebusites, and various others, to live among Israel? He had two
purposes in view; one was to scourge Israel when they went astray from
His commandments; and the other was to see whether they would overcome
or not; He placed them where they would have temptations to test their
fidelity; then, if directly in the face of the Law of God, they would
falter or yield, and give way to the customs and vices of the heathen,
they were not worthy of the glory of God, nor of being called His
people.

Vol. 3, p.14
But if the heathen had all been Swept away, and those temptations had
not been presented, where would have been the merit? It would have
been very small indeed.

Vol. 3, p.14
A commandment was given, forbidding the children of Israel to marry
with the heathen; it was commanded that the sons of Israel should not
take wives from among the heathen, neither should they give their
daughters to the heathen.

Vol. 3, p.14
Now there was temptation in those days, set before the children of
Israel, and sometimes they would break through, and go beyond the
bounds, like old Solomon, who transgressed, after God had appeared to
him three times, and had, given him many choice favors, and manifested
Himself to him in dreams, and also when he spread forth his hands to
pray God to bless the temple which he had built, then the Lord
manifested Himself in the presence of all Israel, to His servant.

Vol. 3, p.14
He was lifted up in the midst of Israel, and a kingdom and government
were given to him, far surpassing all the kingdoms and governments
upon the earth, and yet, after all these things, and after the Lord
had given him many wives, he took that which was forbidden; he took
the daughters of the heathen nations; and he, being their head and
their king; set this wicked—this evil example before all Israel, so
that if they had followed his foolish and wicked ways, they would have
been destroyed, but from the account we have, he was overcome by the
temptations laid before him, and consequently the wives that he had
taken led him away, so much so, that in his old age, he, in order to
please those wives whom he had taken from among the Gentiles, bowed
down to their gods. Here then were two evils, first, in taking heathen
wives, and the next, in tampering with, and bowing down to their gods;
and the Lord will judge him for all those things, just as He will
us—according to the works we perform while in this state of probation.

Vol. 3, p.14
If Solomon, in all his glory, had been contented with all those
blessings given him, and had not yielded to the temptations laid to
ensnare him, he would have increased in his glory and in his
dominions; his glory would have increased in this world and in the
future; but the Lord desired to try him.

Vol. 3, p.14
This shows us that, though a man may be set upon a throne and be
exalted high among men, yet he has his temptations, and blessed is he
if he endures them and is faithful to his trust; and if he be in
distress, bears it all with patience, for he will always, have his:
trials; and no person will escape, all men must be tried and proven.

Vol. 3, p.14
These are reflections that occurred to my mind while brother Jackman
addressed us, showing the contrast between those  who first came here,
and those who now come. I was led [p.15] to enquire, why there was
such a vast difference; and the thought occurred to me that it was
because of experience, for those who have been here from the first,
have been pretty well buffeted, and before they came here they had
learned how to submit, when the Lord saw proper to put upon them a
chastisement.

Vol. 3, p.15
Should all this people here in Utah be called to pass through such
scenes as some of us have been called upon to encounter, I believe
there would be many who would say, "Let us endure these things with
all submission and patience before God."

Vol. 3, p.15
In order to do this, it is necessary for us, in our prosperity, to
remember the Lord our God, for if men and women will not remember the
Lord, when the heavens smile upon them, and when health is in their
habitations—if they will not acknowledge the hand of God then, and be
thankful for the blessings that they receive, you may be sure that
they will not be so well prepared to endure trials, and to pass
through adversities, as those who have, in the days of their
prosperity, humbled themselves before the Lord, and acknowledged His
hand in all things.

Vol. 3, p.15
There are individuals in this Territory, of a careless disposition,
and you may mark them, and those that have waxed fat, and their hearts
are upon the things of this world, that when tribulations come, they
will be the ones to quake and fear, while those who have taken a
different course will be able to stand.

Vol. 3, p.15
I heard brother Joseph, when speaking of those that were sick in
Nauvoo, make remarks similar to those that I have now made. He said,
that those who would not, when in good health, call upon the Lord, and
acknowledge His hand in all things, and remember him, would not have
faith when it was needed—he said that those individuals would have but
very little faith in the days of their calamities and affliction.

Vol. 3, p.15
Then seek to get faith and spirit sufficient to assist us in the days
of our afflictions, that we may be prepared for all the vicissitudes
of life. We ought to know that we are well off at the present, but all
do not realize this fact.

Vol. 3, p.15
How often I have thought of the remark made by the Prophet; nothing
can be more true than that remark; it carries its own evidence with
it, that those individuals who have wealth and riches in abundance,
but do not remember the Lord, when troubles come, they will be in the
greatest distress, generally speaking.

Vol. 3, p.15
I do not know what the Lord will hereafter do with this people; I have
not myself a sufficiency of the spirit of prophecy to understand all
the events of the future; and I doubt very much, whether there is an
individual in this Church that does know; but we do know, as far as
the things of the future are revealed; and we may know many things by
dreams and visions, but when it comes to principles, and to what the
Lord will do with this people, I doubt very much whether there is an
individual in the world, that knows the changes and variety of scenes
through which this people will be called to pass.

Vol. 3, p.15
There are, in many revelations, not only in modern but in ancient
prophecy, predictions touching the scenes of the last days, and the
trials of the Saints; and we ought to be prepared for whatever is to
come, troubles, distress, famine, war, or anything else.

Vol. 3, p.15
The Lord has said that great prosperity awaits us; far beyond what we
now have, but I doubt very much whether this prosperity will come
before we have passed through some further tribulations.

Vol. 3, p.15
There are revelations in relation to the nations of the earth and this
people, [p.16] that seem to indicate that we  will have to pass
through some things that we never have had to encounter, and it seems
to me that we will have to stand forth and defend ourselves against
our enemies. And we have got to be tried as Israel was, and to see
whether our sons will marry Gentiles, or our daughters Gentile
husbands.

Vol. 3, p.16
Now if there were no Gentiles among us, we could not see whether there
was any integrity among the people. Do you suppose that this people
will be kept away from the Gentiles? No verily, the Lord does not
intend that we should dwell separate from the world altogether. From
this time forth, it is our duty to warn our sons and daughters, day by
day, and night by night, and week by week, as has been told us from
this stand to warn our sons and daughters, as God did our first
parents, concerning the forbidden fruit. When He set the forbidden
fruit before them, He said, "If you eat, it will make you mortal,
whereas you are now immortal, but you may choose for yourselves."

Vol. 3, p.16
Now how do we know, but when the gates of Zion shall be open to the
nations, that the Gentiles will come flocking in, like a flowing
stream? A flowing stream is one that runs continually; and the
Gentiles will, in that day, come to us as a flowing stream, and we
shall have to set our gates open continually, they will come as clouds
and as doves in large flocks. Do you suppose that the Gentiles are
going to be ignorant of what is taking place? "Now this will not be
the case, they will perfectly understand what is taking place. The
people will see that the hand of God is over this people; they will
see that He is in our midst, and that He is our watchtower, that He is
our shield and our defence, and therefore, they will say, "Let us go
up and put our riches in Zion, for there is no safety in our own
nations."

Vol. 3, p.16
Those nations are trembling and tottering and will eventually crumble
to ruin, and those men of wealth will come here, not to be baptized,
but many of them will come that have never heard the servants of God;
but they will hear that peace and health dwell among us, and that our
officers are all peace officers, and our tax-gatherers men of
righteousness.

Vol. 3, p.16
They will come, not to be baptized, but they will come with their old
traditions and customs, and they will flee to Zion with their riches,
but they will come in favor of their old customs, and of their old
Gentile notions of religion; and if God is merciful unto them, so as
to cause them to leave their native land, that we may take them up,
and teach them, and nourish them, and bring them up to the standard of
truth, all will be right; but if they neglect to observe and obey the
instructions given, and to follow the good examples set before them,
so much the greater their curse and condemnation.

Vol. 3, p.16
If our sons and daughters will marry among them, they are much worse
than the Gentiles are; for we have been instructed, and ought to know
better.

Vol. 3, p.16
But notwithstanding all that I have said, there may be a time to come,
I do not know how long it will be, but the time will come when
righteousness will be laid to the line and justice to the plummet.

Vol. 3, p.16
There will be a certain degree of freedom used with those persons who
may come unto Zion, but not so far as to partake of their deeds; but
on the contrary, you are strictly prohibited from joining in their
evil practices.

Vol. 3, p.16
But if the Saints act wisely they may set an example before them that
will do them good, and if there is any good or  righteousness in them,
an [p.17] upright, holy example will bring it cut. All this will take
place, and there are many here that will live to see those things, and
I rejoice that there is but a comparatively little time for those
things to be accomplished.

Vol. 3, p.17
I look at matters perhaps a little different from some that get away
off this way and then the other, and when they get disappointed will
apostatize.

Vol. 3, p.17
In order to explain my feelings I will bring up one little example;
for instance, it was expected that when the Saints gathered to Jackson
County, there would be a perfect paradise, and that there would be an
end to trouble and to opposition. And when the Saints were driven out
from Jackson County, almost all in the Church expected that they would
speedily be restored; and a person was considered almost an apostate
that would say, they would not come back in five years, or ten at the
furthest; but the prevailing opinion seemed to be that it would take
place immediately.

Vol. 3, p.17
When Zion's Camp went up, and found the Saints all scattered abroad,
what did we hear? Why, all in camp were on the tiptoe to have Zion
redeemed immediately; perhaps some would stretch their faith and put
it off for five years; but those were considered weak in the faith.
This was their extreme enthusiasm.

Vol. 3, p.17
I was appointed to visit all the Saints in Clay County, to strengthen
them, and I proved to them from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants
that it would he very many years before Zion should be redeemed; and
some would believe it, and some others would think that brother Pratt
was rather weak in the faith; but I endeavored to show them that such
and such things had got to be fulfilled before the redemption of Zion;
and time has proved the truth of what I advanced.

Vol. 3, p.17
Now let us see if they have not got to the other extreme; twenty-two
years have passed since that time, and if we look around now, is it
not the other way, the very opposite? The people think of almost
everything else but the redemption of Zion, and speak to individuals
about it, and they put it off a great distance ahead. But I do not
feel to go to this extreme. I will give you my opinion; so far as the
revelations go, in speaking of this subject, I think that this event
is nearer than this people are aware of.

Vol. 3, p.17
Again, take the subject of the coming of Christ, and as far back as
1831, I remember that I came on from New York to Kirtland, Ohio, and I
found many Saints thinking that Christ would come immediately. Though
I had but little experience, yet I had applied myself to the written
revelations, for they were not then printed, but I frequently got the
privilege of reading them, and copying some of them, and therefore, I
had an opportunity of judging more correctly, perhaps, than those who
had not the same privilege.

Vol. 3, p.17
No doubt they felt exceedingly anxious to have him come, as we all do,
and this anxiety overcame them, and hence they were mistaken. I have
no doubt that there are others in the Church that think it is a far
off event, an event that will probably take place in the days of their
youngest children; but from what is written, I look upon it as an
event that is much nearer than is generally supposed.

Vol. 3, p.17
It is true, there is a great work to be performed, but the Lord has a
great many to perform it. If He had them all concentrated in one vast
body from England, Scotland, the nations of Europe, and the Islands of
the sea, he could soon accomplish the work, notwithstanding its
vastness.

Vol. 3, p.18
A great work has to be brought about; how many years, or scores of
[p.18] years, it will be, I know not, but from the scenes we behold
among the people, the breaking up of the nations, and the signs of the
times, and the present aspects of the European war, and from the
shutting up and closing up of the proclamation of the Gospel in many
lands, the coming of Christ seems to be near at hand, yet Zion must be
redeemed before that day; the temple must be built upon the
consecrated spot, the cloud and glory of the Lord rest upon it, and
the Lamanites, many of them, brought in, and they must build up the
NEW JERUSALEM! It is true, so says the Book of Mormon, that inasmuch
as the Gentiles receive the Gospel, they shall assist my people the
remnant of Jacob, saith the Lord, to build the New Jerusalem. And when
they have got it built, then we are told that they shall assist my
people who are of Jacob to be gathered in unto the New Jerusalem.

Vol. 3, p.18
Only a few thousands or hundreds of thousands, then, are to be engaged
in this work, and then, after it is done, we are to assist the
Lamanites to gather in; and then shall the powers of heaven be in your
midst; and then is the coining of Christ.

Vol. 3, p.18
It will not be before the Lamanites come in, nor before the temple is
constructed in Jackson County; but there is a great people to do the
work.

Vol. 3, p.18
I look upon these events as something that will take place sooner than
many expect, and it will find many putting it away at a distance. This
is evident, from the fact, that he will find them eating and drinking
with the drunkard, and marrying, and giving in marriage, to the very
hour of his coming.

Vol. 3, p.18
This shows the state of the world as it is to be at his coming, and if
they are to perceive one event after another, why do they indulge
themselves in these things? It shows that they do not perceive that it
is so near.

Vol. 3, p.18
It will not be those who have oil in their lamps, for they are ready,
and when the sound goes forth, the oil is there; but it will be the
others; their lamps will have gone out, and they will have no light;
and hence he comes, and men are not aware of it; he enters in and the
door is shut, and five out of the ten virgins that have actually
gathered, as it appears, are numbered among hypocrites and
unbelievers.

Vol. 3, p.18
How often do I think of this, and the condition of the Saints? Will
the Saints be ready? With all the evidence and testimony that they
have portrayed before them from Sabbath to Sabbath, is it not strange
that so many will be so unprepared for that terrible day of the Lord?
It will be a pleasing day to the righteous, but terrible to the
wicked.

Vol. 3, p.18
This ought to brace us up, it ought to keep up our spirits, and cause
us to prepare for that time. If I should not do this, I neglect my
duty. Should I do wrong because some person in the Priesthood, high in
authority, does wrong? No, it should have no influence whatever over
me.

Vol. 3, p.18
We should have the Spirit of light that lighteth every man that cometh
into the world, and especially those that obey the truth. And if we
will yield to this influence we will not be led away from the right
path; we are not to give way, no, not even to angels who may pretend
to come from heaven.

Vol. 3, p.18
The spirit upon us should enable us to do that which is right, and
that which is our duty. For instance, take the Word of Wisdom, which
is given for our benefit and temporal salvation. It is true,
disobedience to that is not so gross a sin as some others; but still,
it is given for our temporal salvation, and should be observed. Now,
it would require the servants  of God [p.19] to preach it every two
weeks, or at least every month, to persuade this people to hearken to
it; and yet they know it is the word of the Lord. If I were to call a
vote, I presume that there would not be one that has come to the years
of understanding but what would say, it is the word of the Lord.

Vol. 3, p.19
They go away, after hearing a most glorious discourse upon this and
other revelations, and perhaps they will keep the Word of Wisdom two
or three days; but it makes their head ache, and then they take a
little tea, and it does them good for the moment, and they think the
Lord don't know what they need as well as they do. I do not say that
you do say this, but your actions bespeak this. But it is such a
trial! It must be a terrible trial, which the Lord said the weakest of
all that are or can be called Saints could obey. A thing like tea to
have influence over us, so that we can only obey the Word of Wisdom
two days, and then break it, until we hear another discourse, and thus
breaking our covenants, it shows the folly and weakness of man. It
shows how the influence of one man prevails over another.

Vol. 3, p.19
Why cannot you be independent beings, and say, "I will do this, and
that, and the other, let my neighbor do as he may; let my neighbor do
as he will, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord?" This
is what ought to be.

Vol. 3, p.19
In making these remarks I take them to myself, although I have, as an
individual, been very strict in relation to the Word of Wisdom since I
have been in the Valley, and years before. Do not I like the good old
tea? Yes I do, and when it is sweetened up, and a little cream turned
in, it is very pleasant, as no doubt also was the forbidden fruit; but
it is for me to use my endeavors to have it observed, by setting a
good example, that I may have influence over my neighbor and over my
family; and I do use that influence as far as is consistent, but it is
difficult to persuade persons from their old habits.

Vol. 3, p.19
I wonder what those persons would do, if called to be martyred for
their religion, who cannot do without violating the Word of Wisdom! I
am aware that it is not by constraint, and a man should not constrain
his family to obey it, but every man will have to give an account of
his doings, and abide the consequence, whatever it may be, if it be
the destroying angel going through the land to slay the disobedient.

Vol. 3, p.19
A man may keep the Word of Wisdom so far as tea, coffee, and tobacco
are concerned, and still come very short. If he wishes and intends to
be right, he must obey this, together with all the commandments and
Words of Wisdom. We must regulate our thoughts, our comings in, our
goings out, and all our doings and our minds by the Spirit of the
Lord, and by the counsels of His servants. Can the destroyer have
influence over such a man?

Vol. 3, p.19
Let such a man stand up and say, "Lord, I have done as you told me, I
have kept your words." Could such a man be destroyed before he had
accomplished his work on the earth? I question it. Well, we shall
undoubtedly see a time when we shall need such confidence as this.

Vol. 3, p.20
May the Lord bless us all for Christ's sake. Amen.[p.20] 

Heber C. Kimball, April 18, 1852

Exhortation to Faithfulness 

An Address by President Heber C. Kimball, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
April 18, 1852.

Vol. 3, p.20
I have heard hundreds and perhaps thousands of people make the
observation, that, before they would take the interest and bear what
brother Young and others do, they would see the people go to the
devil. We never have felt so, and I should not wish those who have had
such feelings to rule me. I am satisfied of one thing, we have all got
to learn to be mild and forbearing, and to do unto others as we would
wish others to do unto us. That is a lesson we all have to learn, and
the quicker we bring our minds to it the better it will be for us. If
you look to the First Presidency to lead you, assisted by the Twelve
and other leading members of this Church, you of course consider them
to be good men, and we in turn consider that you ought to be good men.

Vol. 3, p.20
I think you ought to be good men and good women, good children, good
fathers and mothers, and good brethren and sisters. Why? Because you
know what is right and what is wrong. There is not a little child
before me here to-day, that has arrived to years of accountability,
but knows what is right to a certain degree. When why do you not all
act upon the knowledge that you have, and bring your feelings and your
passions into subjection, and be like the clay in the hands of the
potter? When you do right you feel well, you feel satisfied, and as
though you had a conscience void of offence before God and man, and
before one another.

Vol. 3, p.20
The instructions given to day by President Young were good and
wholesome; did they not sound delicious upon your ears? Yes, you will
all say, we know they were good. Well, then, if you know it is good,
cleave to it, listen to it, and abide that counsel, for if you do you
will prosper and be blessed, and, as he said, you never will be
destroyed, and I know it.

Vol. 3, p.20
Jesus says, "If you are not one, you are not mine." We must learn to
be one, listen to one counsel, and subject ourselves to the will of
our God. Some men, in their course, remind me of a man's trying to
reach the top of a ladder, without being satisfied to commence at the
first round, whereas, if they would commence at the first round, and
go step by step, they would soon arrive at the upper rounds.

Vol. 3, p.20
Again, we are like to a chain, or should be, one link being connected
to the other. Then what is the use of any one's trying to leave his
position? for by so doing he would break the connection. Act in your
places and in your callings, and by so doing the Lord will lead you
through into the celestial world, by the assistance of His servants,
for as to the Lord our God's coming here in person and leading us into
the celestial world, He never will do it, but He will authorize His
servants to do it.

Vol. 3, p.20
When Jesus lived on the earth, he ordained and organized a Quorum of
Twelve Apostles, and said to them, "I have laid  the foundation, and
you must build the house." Joseph Smith did the same; he made choice
of [p.21] Twelve Apostles, and ordained them, and said, "I have laid
the foundation, and you may build upon it, you may rear the house ;"
and these very persons are the ones who will lead you through into the
celestial world, and they will be at your head all the time. It will
be a very good thing if you take care of these men and nourish and
cherish them, that when you get into difficulty, into snarly hard
knots that you do not know how to untie, they may be on hand to render
you assistance. Supposing you were the leaders of this people, and
they get into a tangle and snarl, like a skein of thread, I tell you
there would be snapping, which would only tend to render the
difficulty still worse. Reflect upon these things for a moment, and
listen to them upon natural principles, for I am only speaking of
things as they naturally exist. We are not sufficiently patient; I am
not so patient as I wish to be. I wish I was so patient that when a
person abused me I could pass away from him, and never notice him; but
sometimes I turn round and fight a little; when they shoot, I shoot
too.

Vol. 3, p.21
I again say to you, listen to the counsel that is given to you, from
time to time, and be faithful to those men who preside over you—to the
President of this Stake and his Council, to brother Hunter as the
Presiding Bishop, (to whom all the Bishops are amenable for their
conduct), and to all other officers in their places.

Vol. 3, p.21
Let us all observe obedience to our public officers, be subject to
them and listen to them; and all do the best they can; and when we are
absent, I know just how you will do, you will do exactly as I used to
when my father went away. He would say; "May son Heber, I want you to
go to hoeing corn, and to stick to it until I come back." I would put
my best foot foremost, and if any of my play-fellows came round me, I
would say, "Come, boys, let us make a good job of this corn, that when
my father comes home he may rejoice in the good conduct of his son
Heber." It will be the same with the boys at the public works, they
will say, "Boys, let us do the best we can while they are gone."

Vol. 3, p.21
Now, brethren, do not be eye servants, do not be merely Christians and
Saints while you are here, but be Saints when you are at home, in your
secret closets, and in your family, &c. When you labor, be Saints and
work while it is called to day you cannot do any too much.

Vol. 3, p.21
Be faithful in your families, and in your prayer circles; be faithful
to your wives and to your children; and I say to the wives, be
faithful to your husbands and children; and in so doing I know God
will bless us to an extent; that we have never yet experienced. Let us
do right when we are behind the house, in front of it, or in the
inside; when we are down in the cellar, up stairs, in the meadow, or
in the field; and whatever we do, let us do it in the name of the Lord
our God. When we sow our wheat, our beans, peas, and potatoes, let us
bow down and ask God to bless the seed and the earth, and warm it,
that it may bring forth in abundance, that we may reap the best crops
we even reaped in our lives. Often, when a, little child calls upon
God to change the mind of its father or mother, the prayer will be
heard. I recollect the circumstance of a little boy's being left in
the house while his mother went on a visit; the boy used to get; hold
of a valuable piece of crockery so she warned him not to touch it in
her absence, telling him if he did would certainly break it, and she
should whip him. He took it, and sure enough it slipped out of his
hands and broke. The little fellow prayed to his Father in heaven, in
the name of Jesus, that his mother might not feel [p.22] disposed to
whip him. When she came home she had not power to punish him. Have you
not as much faith and confidence in God as that little boy? It was the
same with Daniel in the den of lions. The decree of the king was that
he should he thrown into the lions' den. Daniel called upon his Father
continually to take the ferocious feeling from the lions, that they
might not have power to harm him, and it was accomplished according to
his cry.

Vol. 3, p.22
I could relate scores of circumstances, while I was on missions, of
men swearing that if I went to their houses they would blow my brains
out, or do me some violent bodily injury. I would go, but instead of
putting their threats into execution, nothing would be too good for
me, and they would say, "Come back, Mr. Kimball, for I never had such
a good time in my life." I held them by my faith, and that is the way
in which the devil will be bound; but as long as a person will give
him a privilege of coming into his tabernacle, he will remain, for his
object is to get a body. It would not be proper for me to come to your
house, when you have invited a guest to sit with you, and go to
casting him out, and I should have no power to do it.

Vol. 3, p.22
We are growing pretty fast, increasing in faith, multiplying and
progressing, and we must continue to improve while we live in this
existence; and when we leave this state, what we do not gain here we
have got to gain in another. If you do not overcome your passions
here, you have got to do it there. You are not going to step right
into the presence of God when you leave this state of mortality; you
have got to make many covenants and fulfil them to the very letter.

Vol. 3, p.22
What kind of people ought we to be? We should be Saints of God, and
not sinners. We are about to start for the south, and several are
going with us, but none but those who are of one heart and one mind.

Vol. 3, p.22
This work is never to go down, it has commenced and it will never come
to an end until it has fulfilled the will of its Author; you need not
be troubled about that.

Vol. 3, p.22
Now, brethren, be humble, be patient, be industrious, and when we came
back, we want to hear the spinning wheel in every house. We do not
expect the men to do this buzzing, we expect the sisters to do it. I
am going to set my folks to work at spinning up the wool, to working
up the old rags, and to making a little yarn for carpeting. I would
sooner walk on a rag carpet made by my own family, than upon an
imported Brussels carpet made in one of the best manufactories in the
world.

Vol. 3, p.22
Let us be industrious and economical, that the blessings of God and of
all good persons may rest upon us, and we will multiply and replenish
the earth, and our crops and herds will multiply more than they ever
have. Listen to the counsel given to you, and the devil will have no
business with you. The devil can hurt no man, only when he gives way
to his influence. When he offered Jesus the whole world if he would
bow down to him, he had no power over him; says he, "I am the Son of
God, mind your own business." Then he took him upon the Temple, and
said, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down." But he told him
to get out of his way. The devil had no power over him, any more than
he can have power over you, if you resist his power. When the devil
has power over persons, it is because they have done something wrong,
which gives him power and influence over them. You have heard tell of
people having the blues; it is not good for men to be blue, nor for
women either, but it is for them to have confidence in God by doing
right.[p.23] 

Vol. 3, p.23
God bless you, and peace be with you, and I bid you good bye for a
season, and pray that consolation may be with you. Amen.

George A. Smith, August 12, 1855

Preaching the Gospel 

An Address by Elder George A. Smith, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake, City, 
Aug. 12, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.23
It used to be, in the days of the Prophet Joseph, a kind of common
adage that "Mormonism," flourished best out of doors, and although we
struggled hard at the time that the brethren undertook in Missouri to
build a hewed log house that would cost about $1200, yet that tried
the faith of many, and was more than we accomplished before the Saints
were driven from Jackson County, and we failed to erect a building big
enough to hold the Saints previous to the death of the Prophet. At the
time of his death we were still trying to build a Temple, but all our
exertions only resulted in our having to go out of doors for room
enough.

Vol. 3, p.23
We on the present occasion have the pleasure of sitting out of doors,
and of listening to the counsel and instruction of the servants of God
without being crowded, from the fact that we have Father's big kitchen
to meet in, and in this capacious Bowery we can enjoy a great deal of
comfort, instead of being jammed into our large Tabernacle, those of
us who could get in, and the balance being obliged to go home.

Vol. 3, p.23
It is by the request of my brethren that I arise on the present
occasion to offer a few reflections for your consideration. When I was
first called upon by the Prophet to go and preach the Gospel, I
received a little good advice, which I have endeavored to profit by
ever since, and that too, to the best of my ability.

Vol. 3, p.23
In the morning, as I was about to start on my first mission to preach
the Gospel, I waited upon brother Joseph, and asked if he had any
advice to give me. "Yes," said he, "George A., preach short sermons,
make short prayers, deliver your sermons with a prayerful heart, and
you will be blessed, and the truth will prosper in your hands." I was
a boy of seventeen at the time, and I called this my college
education; I however took a second degree, calling upon father Joseph
Smith, who was the Patriarch of the Church, and as I was about
starting, he said, "One word of advice George A., whatever you do, be
careful to go in at the little end of the horn, then, if you increase,
though it be but a very little, you are sure to come out at the big
end; but if you go, in at the big end, you are certain to come out at
the small end."

Vol. 3, p.23
Ever since that time I have applied it, and thought often of the old
gentleman's counsel, and I have found it to be very correct.

Vol. 3, p.23
At that time Elder Sidney Rigdon, our great preacher, (the perfect
comber of all the sects,) a man that could bring to bear all the big,
jaw-cracking words of the English language, and who could fill up the
interstices with [p.24] quotations from other languages, and bring all
to illustrate the Gospel of Christ, and to contrast it with the errors
of the different sects to which he had formerly belonged, I remember
seeing him get up to preach when there were present Professor Seixas
and several other learned gentlemen who were on a visit to Kirtland,
and President Rigdon wanted to show himself to the best possible
advantage. I discovered his error when he first began speaking; I saw
that he was in his high heeled boots, and at the commencement he
soared so far above his subject that he could not get down to it; his
whole discourse was a constant series of efforts to descend to a style
requisite to illustrate the simplicity of the Gospel, the natural
result of his commencing on too high a key—the difficulty and trouble
was that he commenced on too grand a scale to carry it through
successfully.

Vol. 3, p.24
Now if he had commenced to preach to those, learned men the first
simple principles of the Gospel, and then, as the Spirit had opened up
things to his mind, have gone into the more advanced principles, he
might have succeeded as he desired, but he got up with the intention
of showing his great big self, and began at the big end of the horn.

Vol. 3, p.24
There are several young Elders present, who are going on missions, and
the advice that I received may not be uninteresting to them. I have
known many young Elders go out preaching, and the first thing they
would do when they began to preach would be to tell what a tremendous
smart sermon they were going to preach, and what wonderful results
would follow; and I have seen these dashing kind of fellows carry on
until they withered, and became depreciated, and went out at the
little end of the horn.

Vol. 3, p.24
Now when we present ourselves to a congregation of people, the first
thing should be plainly and simply to communicate to them the first
principles that we receive, in the best possible manner. But what is
the best way to communicate them to the inhabitants of the earth?
Shall we select the greatest jaw-cracking words in the English
language, and from other languages, or shall we use reasoning the most
abstruse and mysterious? The best method is to select the best and
simplest way in our possession, and you will find that to be the most
successful method of proclaiming the Gospel. You may note it when you
will, in men that go forth to proclaim the truth, and you discover
that the man who has the fewest words communicates his ideas to the
people, as a general thing, in the plainest manner.

Vol. 3, p.24
When a man uses ten or fifteen superfluous words to convey one simple
idea, his real meaning is lost, he reaches beyond all the rules of
grammar and rhetoric, and his idea, which, had it been clothed with
simple and appropriate language, might have been good, is lost for
want of more suitable words. It is like Massa Gratian's wit—"two
grains of wheat hid in three barrels of chaff." It is my advice that
our Elders should study brevity in all their discourses and
communications to the people, and that they should speak in the
plainest and simplest manner; for if they were to do this—speak so
that the unlearned can comprehend, then the learned will be sure to
understand, unless they have got their ears so twisted that it is
vulgar for them to listen to common conversation; they are like the
young gentleman who had just come from college and was desirous of
making a considerable show, so when he stopped at a country hotel, he
gave the following order, to the ostler—"You will extricate the
quadruped from the vehicle, stabulate him, donate him an adequate
supply of  nutritious aliment, and when the [p.25] Aurora of man shall
illumine the celestial horizon I will award thee a pecuniary
compensation."

Vol. 3, p.25
The lad went into the house to the old man, crying—"Landlord, there is
a Dutchman out here; I can't understand a word he says, do come and
talk to him yourself." (Laughter). Now if he had said—"Unharness the
horse, water and feed him, and I will pay you for it in the morning,"
he would have been understood by the ostler. But the fact is, the
world through their wisdom know not God, and have lost sight of and
forgotten the simplicity of our fathers, and the plainness of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the reason is, that from the beginning the
plan of salvation was too plain and simple to be interesting to the
learned, and it has ever since been the design of men of learning, to
couch the wisdom and knowledge of the world in such high flown
language that the poorer classes of mankind could not get anywhere
near them, and thereby hide it in the superabundance of nonsense they
made use of; they made use of thousands of words to blind the ignorant
and illiterate, that they might be kept in the dark, and remain in
ignorance all through the learning and cunning of men.

Vol. 3, p.25
These are my sentiments upon that subject in brief, and however much I
may break or violate the instructions I received from President Joseph
Smith to preach short sermons, and make short prayers, I have always
endeavored to observe those instructions, though I may have failed on
some occasions. Sometimes perhaps over anxiety has led me beyond the
mark, but as a general thing I have endeavored to observe them
strictly, and have found it to be good to do so, and I have often and
do yet frequently think of my first degree.

Vol. 3, p.25
But I ought to make some acknowledgment and confessions probably. I
well remember the first time I ever broke those instructions; I was
preaching in Virginia, in the County of Tyler. There was a Methodist
preacher by the name of West, that would follow me wherever I went,
and when I got through preaching he would get up to burlesque me, and
he would talk for an hour or two, and then he would get his
congregation to sing, but with all he could do he could not get more
than thirty or forty to come and hear him preach, whereas I had from
three to four hundred attentive hearers. So on one certain occasion he
came with his Methodist friends to the meeting, and I invited him to
preach first, but no—he said he was "going to preach just as soon as I
got through;" so I said to myself, "You will have to wait a pretty
considerable spell, old gentleman;" and I then selected and read one
of the longest chapters I could find in the Bible, and read it slowly;
then read a long hymn and lined it off, and got the preacher to sing
it for me, after which I preached about two hours and a half. I saw
the preacher was in a terrible great hurry to get a chance to speak;
the reason was, there were many at the meeting who had come from 20 to
30 miles on purpose to hear me, the country being very thinly settled,
and some of them would have turned their pigs out of the pen if they
had known West was going to preach in it, and the very moment I had
done speaking, he jumped up and said he wanted to preach before I
dismissed the congregation. When he commenced, about 300 of the
congregation left.

Vol. 3, p.25
He had made a practice of following every "Mormon" Elder that came
into the country, and keeping up his harangue against the truth, then
his Methodist brethren would join him and sing at the top of their
voices until the congregation dispersed, and it was his intention to
serve me the same, but he did not [p.26] succeed quite so well as he
anticipated.

Vol. 3, p.26
That was the first time that I recollect violating the instructions I
had received, and I must say that I did not repent of it for a good
many years, and I have not fully done so yet, for I thought that a man
must be pardoned for straining his instructions on an occasion like
that; and the fact is we do not often find such men. This man followed
and harassed our Elders every time they went into the  country, and
kept on their track until he had run them clear out of the country.
When he perceived I would preach about there, he gave public notice
that if I came into the neighborhood where he lived I should get a
coat of tar and feathers; so on hearing this, I resolved to go and try
it. 

Vol. 3, p.26
There was a man by the name of Mr. Willey, a near neighbor of the Rev.
Mr. West. He was a small man of about 130lbs. weight, with a red head,
and he had 13 boys with red heads, each of them weighing from 180 to
250lbs. He had his boys perfectly drilled, and when he could not beat
the opposite party at the ballot box by voting, he could always beat
them by, fighting; for he and his red headed boys, (for they had hair
as red as my wig that I wear sometimes,) were more than a match for
any party they come in contact with in the County of Tyler; when he
could not beat them in the election, he always could the other way.
When he heard that West, the Methodist preacher, was going to have me
tarred and feathered, he sent his best looking daughter on horseback
over the mountains, dressed in the finest silk, and invited me to go
over and preach, and assured me that I need not fear the least danger
from the Methodists threatening to tar and feather me. I sent an
appointment that I would preach at his house in two weeks. Accordingly
I proceeded on my way to visit the old man, filling some appointments
previously given on Buffalo Creek, Monongahela county, and about 15
miles from Mr. Willey's, I met three young men, all with red heads,
well mounted, and standing about 6 feet 2 inches, dressed in Kentucky
jeans, but very neat and clean. They looked big enough to have been
employed in Erebus, as strikers for Vulcan, forging thunder-bolts for
Jupiter. They informed me that they were the sons of Mr. Willey, and
that he had sent them to show me the way through the mountains. They
remarked that it was rather a wild country to travel in alone, and
they likewise informed me that the rumor was that West, the Methodist
priest, was intending to meet me with a party of his pious brethren,,
and give me a coat of tar and feathers, but assured me, in the name of
their father, that I need not apprehend the least possible danger.

Vol. 3, p.26
Before I got into the neighborhood I was met by two or three other red
headed gentlemen, and we shortly after arrived at the old man's
residence, where I was treated with every kindness, and the first
salutation was an assurance that I need not be the least afraid, or
anticipate that any harm would come to me from my Methodist friends:
and the beauty of it was, as I learned afterward, he had long desired
an opportunity to whip the whole Methodist church; and if they had
turned out to mob me, he would then have had a good chance to pounce
upon them. This is an illustration of what men will do to accomplish
their ends, or the objects they have in view.

Vol. 3, p.26
And as long as I remained in that part of the county of Tyler, the old
man would have two or three of these boys go along with me to show me
the way through the country wherever I wished to go, and two or three
more looking out. I suppose  he really [p.27] wanted to have the
Methodists execute their threat, and attempt to mob me; but West
knowing the feelings of the red headed troop, he concluded it was best
not to do so.

Vol. 3, p.27
Notwithstanding all the opposition, we did succeed in gathering a few
"Mormons" in that county. I am aware that things were different then
to what they are now, for then when an Elder presented "Mormonism" in
a town or city, every one that is acquainted with our history knows
that it was looked upon by all as a mere matter of humbug. "Why," they
would say, "it will be all down in two or three weeks; these are some
idle fellows going about for the sake of getting a living." But now it
is altogether different; when a "Mormon" goes forth to preach, however
much they may oppose him and abuse him, they know that he represents
an almighty people, and that he stands in connection with and is
backed up by the greatest men of the age. They know that the "Mormons"
cannot be successfully contended with by argument and moral suasion,
but only on the old Missourian system of mobocracy; they know that the
priests have given it up years ago. "O," say they, "if you talk with a
Mormon Elder, you are sure to get worsted; tar and feather them, mob
them, and stone them out of the country, for if you listen to them,
you will be deceived."

Vol. 3, p.27
I remember when Joseph first got the Abrahamic records, (and let me
here say that I hope those brethren and sisters who are not already
subscribers to the Deseret News, will go to the office and commence to
take it while that important record is being published, for it will be
of great service in years to come,) there was in the State of New York
a very pious Presbyterian deacon, who was very intimate with my father
and mother, when they were members of the same church; and, as he was
passing through Kirtland, called to see them. It was almost a
violation of the pious old man's faith to shake hands with my father
when he met him, but he ventured, and finally got courage enough to
call, and not only shake hands, but have a little conversation.

Vol. 3, p.27
My father told him that Joseph had got this Book of Abraham, and that
he could translate it, and that it revealed some very important
principles. "It is curious," replied the old man, "I really would like
to see the record."

Vol. 3, p.27
"Well, deacon," said my father, "come, I will go over with you to the
Prophet's, and show you the papyrus."

Vol. 3, p.27
"Well, Mr. Smith, but I don't know about going over now."

Vol. 3, p.27
"O come along," said my father, "there is plenty of time before
dinner, it is but a few steps—let us walk over while dinner is being
prepared."

Vol. 3, p.27
"Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, there is great danger of being de—cei—ved! Mr.
Smith—I'd rather not go?

Vol. 3, p.27
This is the way men feel; they are all the time afraid of being
deceived; when the truth comes, they dare not trust their eyes, their
ears, or their understanding; they are all the day long fearing and
trembling lest they should be deceived. And at the same time,
Infidelity, Mesmerism, Electro-biology, spiritual communications of
various kinds and grades are taking hold of the minds of the human
race, from those in the highest ranks of society to the lowest.

Vol. 3, p.27
And here in the newspapers we will find half their columns taken up
with accounts of murder, suicide, plunder, bloodshed, and every other
species of crime. "And what of it," says one. Why, crime seems to be
the principal feature of the day. And what is the cause of all this?
The reason is because the people have rejected the truth, and
therefore the light of [p.28] truth has ceased to shine in their
hearts.

Vol. 3, p.28
They thirst for one another's blood, and they thirst after and desire
each other's destruction, and they have no feeling for anything but
blood and slaughter: and the great question the world over, but
especially in the East, is whether the Emperor of Russia shall have
the privilege of building as many ships as he may think proper, and
putting them in the Black Sea. He says that a part of the Black Sea
and the Sea of Azoff are in his dominions, and that he will do as he
pleases; but the allied powers swear that he shall not, and they stake
the lives of millions, and declare that he shall not build any more
ships than some half dozen other nations see proper to keep in that
sea. This seems to be the whole question which causes the lives of
millions to be in jeopardy continually.

Vol. 3, p.28
I say, read the Deseret News; read the accounts of the missions of the
Elders; read the great things that are being revealed week after
week—the History of the Prophet, the revelations which came through
him, and see how rapidly they are fulfilling, and observe how partyism
and constant rangling are seizing the human mind, and how tremendously
they will contend with each other, and sustain one another in lies,
and speak evil of those who are good.

Vol. 3, p.28
With these remarks I shall give way, praying that the Lord may bless
you forever. Amen.

George A. Smith, September 23, 1855

The History of Mahomedanism 

A Discourse by Elder G. A. Smith, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
September 23, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.28
I arise before you this morning, unexpectedly; but as I always feel
willing to make an attempt to offer some reflections for the
consideration of my brethren and sisters, I feel a degree of pleasure.
While looking at the improved appearance of our benches to-day, I see
quite a number of comfortable seats have been brought here, which will
in a great degree dispense with the occasional breaking of temporary
seats, disturbing the congregation.

Vol. 3, p.28
The Lord has said, in a revelation given through Joseph Smith, that it
is His purpose to take care of His Saints. He also promised His
people, in the commencement of the foundation of this Church, to sift
them as with a sieve. Some of the old Prophets, in referring to the
work of the last days, speak of the sieve of vanity. The history of
this people since the Church was organized, has been one continued
scene of changes.

Vol. 3, p.28
In the early years of the Church, there was a great anxiety among the
brethren to travel and preach the Gospel among the Lamanites, but the
rigid laws of the United States at that time, prevented any
intercourse with them. The brethren used to feel animated upon the
subject; they [p.29] would speak in tongues and prophesy, and rejoice
exceedingly in the things that were about to transpire, or that they
believed would transpire when; they should be permitted to go and
preach the Gospel to the Lamanites.

Vol. 3, p.29
A series of unexpected and unthought of events has at length brought
about an opportunity, on our part, to instruct these remnants of the
house of Israel in the best knowledge it is possible for us to impart
to them.

Vol. 3, p.29
We have now been for eight years right in their midst, where we could
have an opportunity of teaching them to read, if we chose; of teaching
them to work, or anything else we may take the time, labor, and
expense to teach them. We are now familiar with their habits,
character, and customs, to a considerable extent.

Vol. 3, p.29
When the curse of the Almighty comes upon a people, it certainly is
the work of generations to remove it. When Cain brought a curse upon
his own head, and that of his household, his after generations bore
the same curse.

Vol. 3, p.29
The curse that came upon Canaan, the son of Ham, has extended to a
great portion of the human race, and has continued to the present day.

Vol. 3, p.29
For the last hundred years, philanthropists, who were ignorant of the
order of God—of the irrevocable decrees of the Almighty—have exerted
themselves vigorously to thwart the purposes of the Almighty, in
trying to remove the curse of servitude from the descendants of
Canaan; but their endeavors are vain and useless; it is labor lost,
and answers no end, only so far as it serves to multiply the
difficulties and perplexities which are arising in this generation, to
bring about the great destruction of corruption and wickedness from
the earth; in this way it all indirectly serves a purpose.

Vol. 3, p.29
When God has decreed a certain way for men to be in servitude, and has
designed they shall hold that position, it is worse than useless for
any man or set of men, to undertake to put them in a position to rule.

Vol. 3, p.29
The Lord conferred portions of the Priesthood upon certain races of
men, and through promises made to their fathers they were entitled to
the rights, and blessings, and privileges of that Priesthood. Other
races, in consequence of their corruptions, their murders, their
wickedness, or the wickedness of their fathers, had the Priesthood
taken from them, and the curse that was upon them was decreed should
descend upon their posterity after them, it was decreed that they
should not bear rule.

Vol. 3, p.29
In looking abroad on the earth and seeing the effects produced upon
different races of men, it will be plainly discovered that there are
races who have never been permitted to bear rule to any great extent.

Vol. 3, p.29
The God of heaven is the creator and proprietor of the earth; we will
admit, however, that His claim to it has been considered by men very
weak for many generations; His title has been, I would not say
disputed, but it has been absolutely denied for a great while, so much
so, that when the Son of God came on the earth he had nowhere to lay
his head; he said himself, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head."

Vol. 3, p.29
We also read that when the Savior was taken by the tempter on to an
exceeding high mountain, he showed him the kingdoms of the world, and
the glory of them, saying, "All these will I give unto thee, if thou
wilt fall down and worship me,"although "the poor devil" did not own a
single foot of it.

Vol. 3, p.29
This proves that Satan considered himself so much in possession of the
earth, as to actually exclude the Savior's supremacy entirely, and
wished [p.30] to place him in a position that it might never be
acknowledged; but the Savior said, "Get thee behind me, Satan, thou
shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

Vol. 3, p.30
The dominion of portions of the earth has changed hands frequently,
and sometimes in a very unexpected and miraculous manner; the Romans
overpowered it to a very great extent, and all that was considered
habitable, or that was then known, was either reduced to submission to
the Roman sway, compelled to pay tribute, or at least to acknowledge
Roman supremacy, with a very few exceptions; this is as far as profane
history extends: hence, says Luke, "And it came to pass in those days
there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should
be taxed. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city."—ii.
1, 3. This circumstance shows the existence of several emperors
possessed of sufficient domains and power in the Roman empire to
demand taxation of all the world.

Vol. 3, p.30
That nation has been compared to a nation of iron in the visions of
the Prophet Daniel; it has been considered, by most commentators upon
the word of God, that the Prophet Daniel considered the Roman empire
to be typified by the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, in which it is
represented as being of iron in the great image which he saw.

Vol. 3, p.30
I believe it came nearer exercising universal dominion than any other
empire that has ever existed. Nations of the present time have
obtained dominion over a greater extent of the earth's surface than
the Roman empire did, yet it appears to be inhabited, cultivated,
improved, and discovered to a far greater extent in proportion.

Vol. 3, p.30
It has been said by some geographers that the empire of Russia is the
most extensive one that ever existed; others, that the empire of
Charles the Fifth of Germany, which included Spain, Germany, the
Netherlands, and Mexico, Guatemala, and nearly all South America, was
the greatest. Others say the present dominions of Queen Victoria are
the most extensive of any other. Be that as it may, it is but a mere
matter of speculation. Rome at its time was the only government that
was considered all powerful. That this power was given by the
Almighty, no man who believes in the dealings of God with men will
dispute, though many who are sceptical on this subject may produce
different ideas and views.

Vol. 3, p.30
From the time Rome was founded—a small city upon the seven hills of
the Tiber, to the final extent of its dominion, was eight hundred
years, when it commenced to crumble, and continued so doing until it
fell in pieces.

Vol. 3, p.30
About six hundred years after Christ a prophet rose in Arabia, by the
name of Mahomet, who was born in 569; he was an orphan boy; his father
(Abdallah) having died, he was left in childhood, and was raised under
the care of his uncle, whose name was Abu Taleb, and finally became an
apprentice to learn the mercantile business; he was sent by his master
several times on trading expeditions, as his agent, to take charge of
his train of merchandize.

Vol. 3, p.30
He subsequently married Kadija, the widow of his employer, who had
left her, at his death, considerable wealth.

Vol. 3, p.30
Mahomet carried on the business his master left, profitably, until he
professed and proclaimed to the world to have received a mission from
heaven. He was five years in making his first convert; this was rather
slow progress; and that convert, when made, was only a boy of eleven
years of age, whose name was Ali, the son of Abu Taleb.

Vol. 3, p.31
It will be recollected that the climate of Arabia brings persons to
[p.31] maturity in body and mind much earlier than colder climates.
Mahomet and Ali commenced to preach, and finally succeeded in
gathering around them a considerable number of adherents.

Vol. 3, p.31
Mahomet descended from one of the most noble families of the Koreish;
he came direct in descent from Ishmael, the son of Abraham.

Vol. 3, p.31
He was set upon by that powerful and popular tribe, the Koreish, who
were determined to destroy him, as he proclaimed that their idol gods
were all a humbug, and setting forth but one true and living God for
them to worship. The persecution continued to increase until he was
obliged to leave Mecca, and flee for his life to Medina, on 15th July,
622, which is the great Hegira or Mahometan era. On leaving his native
city, Al Abbas, his uncle, one of the most powerful chiefs of the
Koreish, made the Ansars, as his friends in Medina were called,
promise and swear that they would not deceive, but would protect his
nephew at the expense of their lives, though Al Abbas himself did not
then believe in his divine mission.

Vol. 3, p.31
Mahomet continued preaching: there was nothing in his religion to
license iniquity or corruption; he preached the moral doctrines which
the Savior taught; viz., to do as they would be done by; and not to do
violence to any man, nor to render evil for evil; and to worship one
God.

Vol. 3, p.31
He continued so to preach until he was driven from his home. After he
had commenced preaching his doctrine extensively in different parts of
Arabia, and many had believed it, his persecutors at Mecca gathered a
large force, and, followed him, with a determination to exterminate
him and his friends. They followed him up with their persecutions
until he got so mad, that he could not stand it any longer; his
religion caved in, he drew his sword, gathered his followers, and gave
his enemies such a drubbing that they went off ashamed. This was the
battle of Bedr.

Vol. 3, p.31
They raised a superior force of 3000 men, and had a second fight with
the prophet (in 626) who could scarcely muster 1200 men; his orders
not being obeyed, his followers left the field, but the prophet was
determined not to be beat from the track, and concluded to fight the
battle alone; his intrepidity and boldness on the occasion converted a
leader of the infidel army, named Khaled, and he subsequently made him
his general, and surnamed him the sword of God. This is called the
battle of Ohud.

Vol. 3, p.31
One hundred years extended the Mahometan power over more territory
than the Romans gained in eight hundred years; in a very short time
all Arabia bowed to his sceptre, and he was confirmed in his kingly
power, and assumed the ensigns of royalty in 628.

Vol. 3, p.31
He then sends his ambassadors to visit the neighboring nations, for he
was now the monarch of Arabia, and asked them to receive his religion.
They visited Khosroes the Great, king of the Persians, one of the most
warlike sovereigns of his time. Mahomet's ministers presented his
letters, but the Persian king haughtily tore them in pieces, ordered
the ambassadors to be scourged, and sent them home in disgrace. They
returned to Medina and found Mahomet mending his shoes, and reported
their treatment; with tears he replied, "You need not be alarmed,
boys, for many of you will live to riot in the white palace of
Khosroes."

Vol. 3, p.31
It was thought that Mahomet's death would put a final stop to the
progress of his religion; some persons gave him poison to see whether
he was a prophet or not, and it was his belief that poison was the
cause of his death. He died at the age of sixty-three, in 632, and was
succeeded by [p.32] his father-in-law, Ahu Bukker, who was very
faithful in sustaining the prophet during his life, and who was
acknowledged as the first Khalif after the prophet's death. This man
continued the war which Mahomet had commenced, for when the prophet
had found that the people would not leave their idols by being
preached to, he concluded the sword was the best argument; he
therefore decided he would take up the line of march to his native
city, sustained by a powerful army. He destroyed the idols in the
Kaaba, the temple of Mecca, and dedicated it to be the great temple of
Mahomet, and the centre of Mahometan worship, which position it has
held up to the present time. Mahomet set his examples, gave out his
laws in relation to pilgrimage, prayer, and matrimony, and adopted
many rigid rules, which he kept strictly himself, and which his
followers have observed for many generations; and in his last
pilgrimage, in 632, 114,000 Mussulmen converts marched under his
banner.

Vol. 3, p.32
Now this man descended from Abraham and was no doubt raised up by God
on purpose to scourge the world for their idolatry. Immediately after
his death, his successors commenced a series of campaigns against the
Roman or Greek empire, under the command of Khaled the Great, surnamed
the sword of God, and Abu Obeidah. During the two years of the reign
of Abu Bukker, who ascended the throne in 632, he determined to
enforce the new religion upon the inhabitants of Persia. This
expedition, however, failed in consequence of its being too weak; but
the expeditions against the Greeks were more successful; battle after
battle was fought, province after province was surrendered, and
millions were converted to the new faith; and on the death of Abu
Bukker, Omar Ebu Al Khattab ascended the throne in 634, and the war
continued.

Vol. 3, p.32
During the reign of Omar they conquered Syria and Egypt, overthrew the
Persian monarchy, the old dynasty of the Sassanides yielded their
standard (the blacksmith's leather apron), which had floated for
several hundred years in triumph over the Persian monarchy, to the
Saracen rule, and many who surrounded Mahomet's person in times of his
greatest danger rioted in the white palace of Khosroes, which was
taken by the Arabs in 637, and where they divided among themselves a
spoil of sixty millions of pounds sterling, and many of the companions
of the prophet wept when they saw this prophecy so literally
fulfilled.

Vol. 3, p.32
Their manner of doing business was singular; they had a way of their
own. When they entered the Persian empire, led by Saud-e-Wekkauss,
they received a message from Zezdejird the king, that they were a pack
of poor devils, that they came from a country which was a desert, and
had not much to eat, and if they would go home and mind their own
business he would lead their camels with dates. They replied, that
they did not come for his riches, nor yet for the fruits of his
country, they knew they were poor, and had lived on green lizards and
snails, but that had nothing to do with the matter, their business was
to present to the king and his people the pure religion which God had
revealed to them, and if they would accept of it, and obey its
precepts, not one hair of their heads should be hurt, if they would
not accept of it, if they would not obey it, they would require of
them all to pay tribute, and if they would not pay tribute, they would
cut off their heads. It was all told in three words, the Koran,
tribute, or the sword.

Vol. 3, p.32
The proud monarch could not bow to this, but called out his immense
armies and placed them under the command of  Rustum, the son of
Furrukh-zaud and Ameir ul Omra of the [p.33] empire. And a decisive
battle was fought at Kaudsiah; this opened the whole of the Persian
monarchy to Saracenic dominion. Saud-e-Wekkauss was afflicted with a
disease called the Sciatica, which rendered his joints so stiff that
he could not ride on horseback; he sounded the Tekbair (alla hu
akbar—God he is great) from a terrace of the palace in Kaudsiah, which
was the signal of battle.

Vol. 3, p.33
The Persian king drew up his hosts amounting to one hundred and twenty
thousand men, while the Mahometan army amounted only to thirty
thousand men. The battle commenced in the morning at eight o'clock and
lasted until dark, when every Saracen lay down on the ground where he
finished his day's work.

Vol. 3, p.33
The women of the Saracens carried them food, and dressed their wounds,
and carried away the wounded and dead, but the soldiers, men, and
officers, never left their position until the call was given in the
morning, "God is great." On account of the position which each army
occupied, the one army could not present a greater front than the
other; they fought the second day, the third, and the fourth, until
tens of thousands were killed. On the second day the Saracens received
a reinforcement of two thousand men that had marched five hundred
miles under forced marches; the Persians also received a reinforcement
of 30,000 men, and on the fourth day at noon the conflict was decided,
after about one hundred thousand men had been slaughtered on the
field.

Vol. 3, p.33
I relate this to show you what religious zeal will accomplish.
Mahomet, in his day, cautioned his people not to drink wine, or in
other words, he had given them a "word of wisdom," showing that it was
not proper to drink wine. There was a warrior whose name was Abu
Mohudjen, of some considerable reputation at the time, who had broken
this law of Mahomet; he had taken some of the good wine of Persia, in
consequence of which he had been put in chains, by order of Saud, and
confined in the palace of Kaudsiah, while the battle was going on so
severely. The general had not left a single staff officer to
communicate the word of command, from the point the Mahometan general
occupied, to his officers in the field, so he had to send them by his
wives, or his servants. The only man left about the house was the
general, and this officer in irons, who begged of the women to beseech
the general to dismiss him, and let him go and fight, but they dare
not do it for fear of the wrath of their husband. He importuned so
earnestly when they brought to him his provisions, declaring that if
he did not die in the field, he would return again and put on the
irons, that they concluded to let him go, so they gave him the
general's piebald mare and a suit of his armor, and away he went to
the battle field.

Vol. 3, p.33
Saud was not long in observing the actions of the disguised warrior,
whose extraordinary prowess excited his admiration. He inquired of his
attendants who he was, but they were unable to give him any
information. He concluded that if it were possible to suppose that God
sent assistance on such occasions, it must be the immortal Kezzer,
which word signifies Enoch, Elias, St. John the Evangelist, or St.
George.

Vol. 3, p.33
The Arabs, through suffering severely from the annoyance of the
Persians' elephants, and from the firm and resolute resistance of the
troops of Rustum where he commanded in person, were repulsed and
thrown into disorder, and were only recovered by the extraordinary and
unlooked for exertions of Abu Mohudjen, disguised in the armor of
Saud.[p.34] 

Vol. 3, p.34
After the battle the imprisoned officer returned to his quarters, and
the women again put the irons on him, and nothing was said to the
general about his having been set at liberty. While the general was
exulting over his victory, and the immense spoil he had taken, he told
his wives that the immortal Kezzer had fought for him; says he, "The
prophet knew I could not ride, and I saw a mighty warrior on my
piebald mare, leading the way wherever the battle was thickest."

Vol. 3, p.34
His wives then told him who it was he saw; Saud says, "Bring him here,
take off his chains, give him the piebald mare and armor, and let him
drink all the wine he pleases all the days of his life." "But,"says
the old officer, "if I drink wine now, I shall be doing that which is
contrary to the law of God, which if I could atone for by imprisonment
I would drink it, but as I cannot, I will drink no more wine;" and he
kept his word.

Vol. 3, p.34
I relate this to show you what union and religious enthusiasm will
accomplish: the Greek empire in Asia was crushed to atoms, and in one
hundred years the Mahometan dominion was more extensive than that of
the Roman empire in eight hundred years from its foundation.

Vol. 3, p.34
Persia, Egypt, Mauritiana, and nearly all of Northern Africa, Cyprus,
and Rhodes were subdued previous to 637, together with Syria, Asia
Minor, and the countries now known as Turkistan, Afghanistan,
Beloochistan, Circassia, and Asia Minor, and a part of Chinese
Tartary. Tarick and Musa completed their conquest of Spain in 714; and
had it not been for dissensions among themselves, the probability is,
that the crescent would have now surmounted the top of St. Paul's
Cathedral in London, instead of the cross.

Vol. 3, p.34
Christianity had become so corrupt and divided, that none of the
Christian princes were willing to unite their power with the Greek
emperor to defend themselves against the Mahometan power, or to
prevent them overpowering one Christian nation after another, for so
they continued to do until division among themselves prevented their
increasing; and now their national existence is waning little by
little, until it is becoming very weak.

Vol. 3, p.34
The battle of Tours, in which 370,000 Mussulmen were killed, which
prevented the Saracens from not only overrunning France, but all
Europe, was fought in the year 732, by the French, under Charles
Martel, who was styled in his time, "the hammeter," because he struck
such hard blows in battle. He seized on a quantity of church revenues
to pay his troops, and for this the Catholics damned him to purgatory,
and required his children for generations to pay for prayers for his
relief, but he was the great chieftain, as far as man is concerned,
that prevented the utter annihilation of the religion of the cross,
and the constituting in the place thereof that of the crescent.

Vol. 3, p.34
History is a natural theme with me, and while I have taken so much
license of your time in tracing the progress of the history of
nations, I will still say to you, that this Mahometan race, this
dominant power of the 7th and 8th centuries, were the descendants of
Abraham, which Mahometan records show in a straight-forward genealogy,
from the family of Mahomet direct to that of Abraham, through the
loins of Ishmael, the son of Abraham; and in this dominion there
certainly was a recognition of the dominion of the sons of Abraham,
and just as long as they abode in the teachings which Mahomet gave
them, and walked in strict accordance with them, they were united, and
prospered; but when they ceased to do this, they [p.35] lost their
power and influence, to a very great extent.

Vol. 3, p.35
I am aware that it is a difficult matter to get an honest history of
Mahometanism translated into any of the Christian languages. One of
the best works I ever read upon the subject, and one I can put the
most confidence in, is Simon Ockley's History of the Saracens; it was
a translation of a Mahometan historian named Abu Abdollah Mahommed Ebu
Omar Al Wakidi, who wrote eighty years after the flight of Mahomet
from Mecca. Ockley prided himself in rendering the Arabic in good
style, although his religious prejudices were so strong that he durst
not render the sentiments he translated in full force, without rather
blinding them a little. He would frequently translate as it ought to
be, as nigh as he could, and then stick down a note in the margin, and
say, "That was only done out of hypocrisy. "He is one of the best
authors, or the one I would rather read.

Vol. 3, p.35
It is a hard matter, as I have said, to get an honest history of any
nation or people by their enemies. For instance, read Governor Ford's
History of Illinois, and you will find that he will contradict himself
half-a-dozen times in one statement, for fear that he will not flatter
the prejudices the people had against the "Mormons." He would in one
place assert that he had never done anything to favor the
Anti-Mormons, and then immediately afterwards declare that he could
not see why the Anti-Mormons could have any feelings against him, when
he had done so much for them; and then go on to enumerate how he
prevented Backenstos from arresting the house burners; yet he declares
he had never done anything to favor them, and wonders why that party
should feel crossways to him. This is the temper of almost all men who
undertake to write the history of their enemies.

Vol. 3, p.35
Just read the reports of different generals on the battle fields of
the Crimea, and you will see that every one has a different side to
it. These reports have got to be received with great allowance all
round.

Vol. 3, p.35
All the Christian translations of Mahometan history, as well as of the
Koran, should be received with a great deal of allowance. I would
recommend the reading of Major David Price's "History of the Mahometan
Empire." He was educated and trained to be a Church of England man,
but had not many conscientious scruples on religion; still he had
prejudices against the Mahometans, so that when you read it, you must
throw your ear a little quartering. I consider Bush's Life of Mahomet"
written under the influence of a violent Christian prejudice. I would
prefer the account in Crichton's "Arabia" to Bush.

Vol. 3, p.35
I would like to inspire in the minds of the youth a disposition to
study oriental history, because a great deed of human nature is
learned therein: how powerful dominions grew up in a short time, and
how, through the violation of the principles of union, those nations
have as quickly come to naught. Many useful lessons are taught on the
pages of history.

Vol. 3, p.35
Within the last eighty years our own republican government has
increased its territorial limits about threefold, and it is constantly
on the increase.

Vol. 3, p.35
The fact is, if a man who is in the habit of raising trees makes his
top to grow larger in proportion to the roots and the main trunk of
the tree, it will break asunder or be uprooted. The American power is
in danger of losing its balance by extending its limits faster than it
accumulates strength to consolidate them together.

Vol. 3, p.35
I will explain one term which I have used. At the time that Mahomet
fled from Mecca, (July 15, 622,)[p.36] it was the new moon: the
Mussulmen therefore adopted the crescent as their religious emblem.

Vol. 3, p.36
When the Mahometans conquered a Christian church, and turned it into a
mosque, they put the crescent on the top of the cross. The old Greek
cathedral church of St. Sophia, in Constantinople, is now a mosque:
the cross is surmounted by a crescent. The Russians have conquered and
overpowered various countries that were held by the Mahometan power,
where you may now find the Greek cross mounted over the crescent,
turning many Mahometan mosques into Christian churches. I give this
explanation, thinking it may perhaps be information to some of our
young people present.

Vol. 3, p.36
A great deal has been said about some of the religious emperors who
have had dominion in the earth being remarkably good men; but if their
characters were impartially examined with any degree of criticism, it
would be found that many of them used their religion as a matter of
policy; as the present pretender to the throne of France of the house
of Bourbon, who is so pious that it is said he goes to church six
times a day, and that Pope Pius IX has christened him his own dear
son; I suppose he feels that he is honest in heart, but he would like
the throne of France, and there is probably a better chance to get it
by making a great deal of pretension to religion than by any other
process; and if he gets it, he thinks he will have a little better
chance to keep it.

Vol. 3, p.36
Such speculations have a tendency to make men religious. Like men who
write to President Young, saying, "I am a physician, and graduated so
and so, and I would like you to write to me, and let me know if there
aint a good chance for me to make a comfortable living in your place,
in case I should embrace your religion, and settle among you." We
frequently receive just such communications. These are the principles
that are rankling in the breasts of selfish and ambitious men. I say,
ever since Adam eat the apple, it has been more or less the case.

Vol. 3, p.36
There was Constantine the Great, who was the first Christian emperor;
his dominion was termed a Christian dominion, or in other words, it
was a Catholic dominion, and extended far and wide, and everything
that dared to oppose it was made to suffer the most cruel tyranny. The
truths of the Gospel becoming absorbed and swallowed up by Paganism,
and Christianity left only in name, there grew out of his
administration Christian division, dispute, war, and distraction,
which have continued to the present time.

Vol. 3, p.36
Look in the history of the revolutions and conspiracies of Europe, and
you will find that religion has always a finger in the matter, even in
the present great war: it amounts to about simply this—whether the
Catholic power shall exclusively control the holy places, or whether
the Greek power shall. The probability is, that the Mahometans have
got to surrender them to the Christian powers soon; even the mosque of
Omar, which is upon the site of King Solomon's temple at Jerusalem,
will soon be surrendered to some Christian power; the only thing that
delays it is the Christian quarrel between the Greek and Catholic
nations.

Vol. 3, p.36
I do not consider Great Britain has waged this war so much for the
sake of religion as to control the trade of India, and the way to it:
England is after the purse. But all the Catholic powers that are in
any way concerned in the matter are the leading influence in the
business to check the growing power of the Greek Church; hence it is a
religious war. But the  men to whose ancestors God has given
Priesthood, and to whom in the last [p.37] days the privilege of
receiving it has been conferred, have been abroad, and published the
principles of salvation, and the voice of the Prophet of God to the
world, and now the nations are left to wrangle with and destroy each
other. It is an old proverb, and one of long standing, that "whom the
gods would destroy, they first make mad." Peace is taken from the
earth, and wrath and indignation among the people is the result: they
care not for anything but to quarrel and destroy each other.

Vol. 3, p.37
The same spirit that dwelt in the breasts of the Nephites during the
last battles that were fought by them on this continent, when they
continued to fight until they were exterminated, is again on the
earth, and is increasing.

Vol. 3, p.37
I was amused the other day in hearing a relation of a visit of brother
Barlow to his native State, Kentucky. He said, "The people are so
united in secret conspiracies that everything they do not choose to
uphold, they will proscribe in every way." Says he, "If I had mended a
clock or a piece of jewelry, it would have been desecrated, and the
man that dared to employ me or feed me would have been proscribed by
the community, through their secret organizations."  That is the
spirit that is abroad on the earth, and one party will unite against
another, and so on, to the utter destruction of every single principle
of liberty, human happiness, and human right upon the face of the
earth, and bring down upon the heads of the wicked a terrible
destruction, which has been predicted by the Prophets.

Vol. 3, p.37
I have seen the same spirit operate in the midst of these mountains. I
have seen individuals here who are filled with the spirit of
contention—who are filled with the spirit of wickedness; I have heard
them complain, murmur, and find fault, until, by and bye, they
conclude Brigham is wrong, the Church is wrong, and everything is
wrong, and that they would go to California, and there stay until the
great day, when the Prophet should come and set things right.

Vol. 3, p.37
This spirit will in the end lead a man to destruction; and all that
will preserve the Saints in the last days from the general destruction
in the vortex of ruin to which the world is rushing, will be their
unity with each other, their clinging with all their might, mind, and
strength to the building up of this kingdom, and making it their only
interest, that they may hang together as one; knowing the text we
started on that it is the Lord's business to provide for His Saints.

Vol. 3, p.37
If you excuse me for my Mahometan narrative, I will close my remarks,
praying that the Lord may bless you, and lead  you in peace to inherit
the celestial kingdom in the end. Amen.[p.38] 

Parley P. Pratt, September 23, 1855

Mahometanism and Christianity 

An Address by Elder Parley P. Pratt, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
September 23, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.38
My brother, George A. Smith, has wished us to excuse his Mahometan
narration, but I would feel more like giving a vote of thanks to the
Almighty and to His servant for so highly entertaining and instructing
us.

Vol. 3, p.38
I am aware it is not without a great deal of prejudice that we, as
Europeans, and Americans, and Christians in religion and in our
education, so called, have looked upon the history of Mahomet, or even
the name; and even now we may think that :Mahometanism, compared with
Christianity as it exists in the world, is a kind of heathenism, or
something dreadful, and the other we look upon as something very
pretty, only a little crippled; and for my part, I hardly know which
to call the idolatrous side of the question, unless we consider
Mahometanism Christianity, in one sense, and that which has been
called Christianity, heathenism.

Vol. 3, p.38
Mahometanism included the doctrine that there was one God—that He was
great, even the creator of all things, and that the people by right
should worship Him. History abundantly shows the followers of Mahomet
did not take the sword, either to enforce their religion or to defend
themselves, until compelled to do so by the persecutions of their
enemies, and then it was the only alternative that presented itself,
to take up the sword and put down idolatry, and establish the worship
of the one God; or, on the other hand, be crushed and cease to be, on
account of the idolatrous nations around them; they seemed to act on
the defensive, although it might legally be considered aggression.

Vol. 3, p.38
The Greek and Roman Churches, which have been called Christian, and
which take the name of Christians as a cloak, have worshipped
innumerable idols. On this account, on the simple subject of the Deity
and His worship, if nothing more, I should rather incline, of the two,
after all my early traditions, education, and prejudices, to the side
of Mahomet, for on this point he is on the side of truth, and the
Christian world on the side of idolatry and heathenism.

Vol. 3, p.38
In the first place, the latter lay it down as a point of theology, and
it is a foundation point too, that there is one only true God,
consisting of three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but
without body, parts, or passions. Here is the exact image and likeness
of an idol established through the principal creeds of Christendom,
that is, if it is an image at all, or if it makes a shadow at all, it
is that of an idol: it is a being that never existed in heaven, earth,
or hell; it will not make even a shadow. Indeed, it is a thing
literally motionless and powerless, as much so as any term that can be
used to mean nonentity.

Vol. 3, p.38
Jesus Christ, whom we worship as the Son of God, and the Savior of the
world, has body, parts, and passions, and he is like his Father; he is
the express image of his Father's person and the brightness of His
glory, whom we also worship.  They are individual [p.39] personages
organized as a pattern after which men were created; they have
tabernacles, and are in every way personages and intelligent beings.

Vol. 3, p.39
Therefore, that something, or that nothing, that imaginary being, that
idol that is recognised in the creeds of Christendom in general as a
god without body, parts, or passions, has nothing to do whatever with
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or with the Son of God that came
in the meridian of time, who was crucified, died, and rose again from
the dead, and ascended on high to lead captivity captive, and give
gifts to men. Inasmuch as he and his Father are organised with body
and parts, with limbs, joints, flesh, and bones, that are immortal and
eternal, they have no part or lot, or communication whatever, with
that imaginary being which is recognised in the principal creeds of
Christendom as their God, viz., a god without body, parts, or
passions. Therefore, in that sense, in the very foundation of their
creeds they are idolators; and instead of saying that Mahometanism
prevailed against Christianity, and that Christianity was in danger of
being done away by its prevalence, we would rather say, that where
Mahometanism prevailed, it taught and established one truth at least,
viz., the true and living God, and so far as this went, it did
preserve people from worshipping idols. And had the crescent waved on
the tower of London, or on the church of St. Paul, instead of the
cross, and had the Mahometan religion been enforced instead of the
Roman religion that was enforced for a series of generations, and had
tradition riveted what the sword enforced, then that nation and the
surrounding nations would have been worshippers of one true God
instead of idols; they would have recognized it in theory at least,
whether they would have worshipped Him in spirit and in truth or not.
But now they do not recognize Him in theory, for they acknowledge as
their god an imaginary being without body, parts, or passions.

Vol. 3, p.39
Setting aside this one point, they acknowledge and worship innumerable
idols, pictures, images, &c., amounting almost to an infinite number,
in every place where Christianity has been blended with the civil
power, and enforced and established by law under the one great
standard called Catholic—imaginary deities that are the works of men's
hands, and to which they actually and literally bow down. This may not
be the case so fully in these United States, where there is a kind of
balance of power, and religion, and population, and influences of
various kinds acting as checks upon each other; but go to those
countries where there are no such cheeks or balances of power; go to
Chili, Spain, or any other of the states or nations where the Roman
cross, instead of the crescent, or any other ensign, is the standard,
where there are no Protestant influences and Protestant dissensions to
interfere with the prevailing power, and, as a matter of course, all
the subjects of that realm have by law one religion prescribed to
them, supported and enforced by civil authority, to the prohibition of
all others. In such countries, you can contemplate that religion in
all its open and unveiled idolatry; it is there you will see more
fully exhibited the practice of worshipping images, of bowing down to
dumb idols in the shape of pictures, images, saint worship, angel
worship, &c., &c.

Vol. 3, p.39
I have seen all this with mine eyes, and heard it with mine ears. They
will pray to the Virgin Mary, so called, in the form of a painting,
which they set up to be prayed to. They also set up other canonized
saints in like manner, painted on canvas and other substances.[p.40] 

Vol. 3, p.40
But I will not confine this practice to those countries alone, but in
a city of the United States I have beheld a public procession of a
vast majority of the populace united in one grand bowery, extending
around the public square, and pictures and images of saints were
posted in the roads, and an extra bowery was prepared for each of
those images or paintings, decorated in all the pomp mad splendor the
people could command, and while in procession they would kneel down in
the dirty streets and public squares, though dressed in the richest
silks and satins that money could purchase; persons so richly attired
were bowing down on their knees, or prostrating themselves in the dirt
and dust at every place where there was an image, and were devoutly
offering up prayers.

Vol. 3, p.40
This is the idolatry that prevails more manifestly in the countries
where religion is the law, but it also prevails right in our own
country, because there is a liberty of conscience to worship what you
please.

Vol. 3, p.40
Now, if we take Mahometanism during those dark ages, and the
corruptions that are so universally prevalent over the earth, and the
idolatrous systems of religion, falsely called Christianity, and weigh
them in a balance; with all my education in favor of Christian nations
and Christian powers, and Christian institutions, so called, with all
my prejudices of early youth, and habits of thought and reading, my
rational faculties would compel me to admit that the Mahometan history
and Mahometan doctrine was a standard raised against the most corrupt
and abominable idolatry that over perverted our earth, found in the
creeds and worship of Christians, falsely so named.

Vol. 3, p.40
It might not have been a very pure standard, for the fulness of the
Gospel, with its Priesthood, ordinances, powers, and gifts were not
there, because that pertained to another branch of Abraham's family.

Vol. 3, p.40
Ishmael and his decendants were blessed by the Lord, who said, "I will
make of him a great nation, and kings shall come of him, and he shall
have dominion;" yet there was one thing not said on the head of
Ishmael. it was not said that in him should the elect seed be chosen,
who should bear the keys of the eternal Priesthood, and salvation, in
which all nations should be blessed: this was said on Isaac, the
brother of Ishmael, the heir; and it was also said of Jacob and of
Abraham; therefore, the blessings that were peculiar, that pertained
to the fulness of the Gospel, that pertained to the eternal
Priesthood, that pertained to the coming of Christ, and to the things
of his ministry, and to those that were called with the same calling,
and in which all nations should be blessed and redeemed, could not be
given to Ishmael and to his descendants, but they belonged by election
to the chosen seed to whom the promises were made, viz., the children
of Abraham through Isaac, and through Jacob; but the Lord said of
Ishmael, "I will make of him a great nation, because he is thy son; I
will bless him because he is thine, and kings shall come of him." So
the Lord seems to have fulfilled, more or less, from those early days
until the present, the promises that He made to the children of
Abraham, that were not particularly designed to hold the keys of the
Priesthood.

Vol. 3, p.40
All that a nation could have, without the keys of the everlasting
Gospel, without the gifts and powers pertaining to those keys, and
without the fulness of the Gospel, the people of the East seemed to
have been blessed with, so far as the Lord saw fit to bestow upon them
blessings during those dark ages.

Vol. 3, p.41
A great portion of the oriental country has been preserved from the
[p.41] grossest idolatry, wickedness, confusion, bloodshed, murders,
cruelty, and errors in religion that have overspread the rest of the
world, under the name of Christianity, or mystery of iniquity.

Vol. 3, p.41
An open defiance of God is no mystery; open drunkenness, and revelling
debauchery, and all manner of wickedness and immorality professed by
sinners who profess to be nothing else, are no mystery; they do not
deceive anybody; but when all manner of wickedness, idolatry,
drunkenness, and corruption is cloaked under a sacred name, under an
outward sanctity and holiness, and under as high and dignified an
appellation as Christian, it is a mystery of iniquity; and that has
overspread a great portion of the world, and has borne rule until the
present day, sometimes under the name of Roman universality, sometimes
under the name of the Greek Church, and at other times under various
classes and names.

Vol. 3, p.41
Many that were honest have been deceived by this mystery of iniquity,
who have esteemed things to be sacred, which were abominably corrupt;
and corrupt superstitions have been revered because of the great names
and sanctified professions that were attached to them.

Vol. 3, p.41
If such institutions actually professed wickedness, they would go for
what they were worth; but when a thing professes to be holy, and takes
the name of Christ as its founder, and the holy Prophets and Apostles,
to carry out all manner of oppression, all manner of idolatry and idol
worship, all manner of priestcraft and kingcraft, and more or less
instigating division among nations and governments, all to carry out
bloodshed, cruelty, the rack, the inquisition, and holding of men in
bondage, ruling them with a red of iron, it is a mystery of iniquity
calculated to deceive millions. The Apostle John, speaking of this
same power, says, "By thy sorceries were all nations deceived!!" 

Vol. 3, p.41
The Mahometan operations, in the hands of the descendants of Abraham
and Ishmael, seem to have warded off that deception and mystery of
iniquity in some measure, so that it has not entirely overrun their
country, morals, and institutions.

Vol. 3, p.41
Though Mahometan institutions are corrupt enough, and need reforming
by the Gospel, I am inclined to think, upon the whole, leaving out the
corruptions of men in high places among them, that they have better
morals and better institutions than many Christian nations; and in
many localities there have been high standards of morals.

Vol. 3, p.41
There are, no doubt, sections of country, and different localities in
Asia, where the people have not walked strictly according to the
regulations and laws given by Mahomet, and observed by his true
followers.

Vol. 3, p.41
But returning to the general corruption that has prevailed nationally,
politically, and religiously, under the name of Christianity, leaving
out Christ and his Apostles, I do think there has been no idolatry in
the world, under any form or system, that could surpass it. It is the
mystery of iniquity, the great whore of all the earth. It has brought
the whole earth under a lasting curse, having departed from the laws
of God, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant,
in consequence of which the earth is destined to be burned, and few
men left.

Vol. 3, p.41
So far as that one point is concerned, of worshipping the one true God
under the name of Mahometanism, together with many moral precepts, and
in war only acting on the defensive, I think they have exceeded in
righteousness and truthfulness of religion, the idolatrous and corrupt
church that has borne the name of Christianity.[p.42] 

Vol. 3, p.42
There is one thing for which I like Mahometanism better than the
present Christianity of the world; if prisoners are taken by them, no
matter of what country or religion, and they become lawful captives,
doomed to slavery, according to their rules, they will take them from
their labor, order them to wash their bodies, and put on clean
clothes, give them plenty to eat to refresh them, until they have
rested and have full power and vigor of both body and mind to
investigate and study the Mahometan religion. If the captives embrace
the true religion, as they call it, they are set free from slavery,
and permitted to marry among them. But if the captives still reject
the religion of the Mahometans, they are made to return to their
slavery.

Vol. 3, p.42
I want to know where the Christian nation is that does this—that will
take their lawful captive that may have some other religion, and set
him free from servitude, and give him time to wash and clothe himself,
and think, and investigate, when both body and mind are enjoying their
full power, and if they embrace their religion, then permit them to
become citizens.

Vol. 3, p.42
I will not detain you; I have been more lengthy now than I intended.
We would do well to look into the bearings of the history of nations,
and the dealings of God with them, as impartially as we can, at all
times, and cull out all the good there has been, is, or may be, and
acknowledge the hand of God in all things, in His dealings with the
nations as well as in other things. I acknowledge His hand even in
this Gentile reign, whose corruption I have been hinting at. It has
had its day, which has been a long and dark one; the nations have
groaned under its sway; all nations have felt its withering power; all
nations have been deceived by its darkening and mysterious influences;
they have groaned in ignorance and corruption under the hand of
oppression, and tyranny, and wrong, until the head and heart are sick,
and they are ready to wake up and seek something better.

Vol. 3, p.42
I acknowledge the hand of God in it; it was to have its day, that the
nations might know fully, and experience the difference between light
and darkness, mystery and truth, peace and war, liberty and
oppression; between truth and falsehood, between the rule of Satan, of
priestcraft and kingcraft, and the reign of the kingdom of
righteousness; that they might have enough of their own way, and be
filled with it until they would be glad to seek the Lord.

Vol. 3, p.42
That same God has promised His Apostles and Prophets a day when there
should be an end of superstition, and ignorance, and falsehood, of
priestcraft and kingcraft, an end of Gentile polity; that their
fulness would come in, and the prophecies of the holy Prophets would
be fulfilled, and the reign of iniquity would complete its time; and
then what? A chaos? No, but an organization, a kingdom, a government,
a power which should stand for ever, and no more pass away; and what
was that? Why, the God of heaven should set it up; suffice it to say,
the kingdom of God.

Vol. 3, p.43
May the Lord bless you all. Amen.[p.43] 

Brigham Young, October 6, 1855

Faith—Practical Religion—Chastisement—Necessity of Devils 

Sermon by President Brigham Young, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
October 6, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.43
As we have assembled in the capacity of a Conference to attend to
business, we should earnestly seek to enjoy the spirit of our calling.
We are called to be Saints, and if we have the spirit of Saints we
shall have the spirit of our calling, otherwise we certainly do not
enjoy the privileges that the Lord designs we should. The Lord is
ready and willing to give His Spirit to those who are honest before
Him, and who seek earnestly to enjoy it.

Vol. 3, p.43
If Saints, assembled to worship the Lord and transact business
pertaining to His kingdom, should not have the aid of His Spirit they
would be likely to commit errors, it would be strange indeed if they
did not, and to do that which they ought not, even in business
transactions; they would fall short of accomplishing their own wishes,
and of course far short of fulfilling the designs of heaven. We see
many led astray, because they have not retained the spirit of Christ
to guide them.

Vol. 3, p.43
When any of this people, who believe the Gospel, forsake the duty
which they owe to God and His cause, they are at once surrounded by an
influence which causes them to imbibe a dislike to Saints and to the
conduct of Saints; they receive a false spirit, and then the Saints
cannot do right in their eyes, the ministers of God cannot preach
right nor act right, and soon they wish to leave the society of the
Saints, and that too, as they suppose, with a sanctified heart and
life. They wish to withdraw from this, as they believe, wicked people,
fancying all to be wicked but themselves, and wish to separate
themselves until the people are as holy as they flatter themselves
that they are, when they calculate to return again. Others will lose
the spirit of their calling, and realize that they have lost it; they
are wicked, and know it, and will have more confidence in others than
in themselves. But the self-righteous will go away and wait until we
as a people are sanctified and able to endure their presence, and
think that then they will, perhaps, gather among us again.

Vol. 3, p.43
People are liable in many ways to be led astray by the power of the
adversary, for they do not fully understand that it is a hard matter
for them to always distinguish the things of God from the things of
the devil. There is but one way by which they can know the difference,
and that is by the light of the spirit of revelation, even the spirit
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without this we are all liable to be led
astray and forsake our brethren, forsake our covenants and the Church
and kingdom of God on earth.

Vol. 3, p.43
Should the whole people neglect their duty and come short in
performing the things required at their hands, lose the light of the
Spirit of the Lord, the light of the spirit of revelation, they would
not know the voice [p.44] of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a
stranger, they would not know the difference between a false teacher
and a true one, for there are many spirits gone out into the world,
and the false spirits are giving revelations as well as the Spirit of
the Lord. This we are acquainted with; we know that there are many
delusive spirits, and unless the Latter-day Saints live to their
privileges, and enjoy the spirit of the holy Gospel, they cannot
discern between those who serve God and those who serve Him not.
Consequently, it becomes us, as Saints, to cleave to the Lord  with
all our hearts, and seek unto Him until we do enjoy the light of His
Spirit, that we may discern between the righteous and the wicked, and
understand the difference between false spirits and true. Then, when
we see a presentation, we shall know whence it is, and understand
whether it be of the Lord, or whether it is not of Him; but if the
people are not endowed with the Holy Ghost they cannot tell, therefore
it becomes us to have the Spirit of the Lord, not only in preaching
and praying, but to enable us to reflect and judge, for the Saints are
to judge in these matters. They are to judge not only men, they are to
be judges not only in the capacity of a Conference to decide what
shall be done, what course shall be pursued to further the kingdom of
God, what business shall be transacted, and how it shall be
transacted, and so on, but they will actually judge angels.

Vol. 3, p.44
We sit here as judges, and suppose that business which would prove
injurious to this people should now be presented for them to decide
upon, or suppose that the leaders of this people had forsaken the Lord
and should introduce, through selfishness, that which would militate
against the kingdom of God on the earth, that which would in the issue
actually destroy this people, how are you going to detect the wrong
and know it from the right? You cannot do it, unless you have the
Spirit of the Lord. Do the people enjoy that Spirit? Yes, many of them
do. Do they enjoy it in as great a degree as it is their privilege? A
few of them do, still I think that the people in general might enjoy
more of the Holy Spirit, more of the nature and essence of the Deity,
than they do. I know that they have their trials, I know they have the
world to grapple with, and are tempted, and I know what they have to
war against.

Vol. 3, p.44
But let us ask ourselves individually whether we fight this warfare to
such a degree that we do overcome in every instance? In every contest
do we come off victorious? Here we have to do with our passions; here
is fallen nature, that we can never get rid of until we lie down in
the grave, it is sown in the flesh and will remain there, but it is
our privilege to overcome that, and bring it under subjection in our
reflections, in our meditations, and in all the labor that we perform,
though we may be tried, tempted, and buffeted by Satan. It is our
privilege to have power to rule, govern, and bring under subjection
even our momentary passions; yes, it is our privilege so to live and
overcome them that we never would have a temptation to think evil, or
at least would never speak before we took time to think, but all would
be in subjection to the law of Christ. Do we live up to this
privilege?

Vol. 3, p.44
People may ask, are we not good  Saints? Yes, I can say that this
people are a good people, and they wish to be Saints, and many of them
strive to be Saints, and many of them are Saints. I realize the
weaknesses of men; I am not ignorant of  my own weaknesses, and this
is where I learn every body else, their dispositions and the
operations [p.45] of the spirit upon the inhabitants of the earth; to
learn mankind is learn myself.

Vol. 3, p.45
This is a good people, they are a righteous people; yet there are some
who are filled with folly, there are some who are inclined to do
wickedly and seem to love wickedness; there are some who are filled
with idolatry, and it seems as though it were impossible for them to
overcome the spirit of the world, to keep from loving it and from
cleaving to it and to the things of the world. I will appeal to the
people as judges—are you capable of judging in matters pertaining to
the kingdom of God on earth, unless you have the Spirit of truth
within you?

Vol. 3, p.45
Some may say, "Brethren, you who lead the Church, we have all
confidence in you, we are not in the least afraid but what everything
will go right under your superintendence; all the business matters
will be transacted right; and if brother Brigham is satisfied with it,
I am." I do not wish any Latter-day Saint in this world, nor in
heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the
Lord Jesus Christ, the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied. I
wish them to know for themselves and understand for themselves, for
this would strengthen the faith that is within them. Suppose that the
people were heedless, that they manifested no concern with regard to
the things of the kingdom of God, but threw the whole burden upon the
leaders of the people, saying, "If the brethren who take charge of
matters are satisfied, we are," this is not pleasing in the sight of
the Lord.

Vol. 3, p.45
Every man and woman in this kingdom ought to be satisfied  what we do,
but they never should be satisfied without asking the Father, in the
name of Jesus Christ, whether what we do is right. When you are
inspired by the Holy Ghost you can understandingly say, that you are
satisfied; and that is the only power that should cause you to exclaim
that you are satisfied, for without that you do not know whether you
should be satisfied or not. You may say that you are satisfied and
believe that all is right, and your confidence may be almost unbounded
in the authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ, but if you asked
God, in the name of Jesus, and received knowledge for yourself,
through the Holy Spirit, would it not; strengthen your faith? It
would. A little faith will perform little works; that is good logic.
Jesus says, "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove;
and nothing shall be impossible unto you." 

Vol. 3, p.45
A grain of mustard seed is very small; nevertheless if you had faith
as a grain of mustard seed, and should say unto this mountain, "Remove
hence to yonder place, it would be done; or to that sycamore tree, "Be
thou planted in the sea;" or to the sick, "Be ye healed;" or to the
devils, "Be ye cast out; it would be done." 

Vol. 3, p.45
Suppose that I had faith like a grain of mustard seed, and could do
the things which Christ has said are possible to be done through that
faith, and that another man on the continent of Asia had the same
faith, we could not accomplish much because but two would have all the
power of Satan to combat. Do you suppose that Jesus Christ healed
every person that was sick, or that all the devils were cast out in
the country where he sojourned? I do not. Working miracles, healing
the sick, raising the dead, and the like, were almost as rare in his
day as in this our day. Once in a while the people would have faith in
his power, and what is called a miracle would be performed, but the
sick, the blind, the deaf and dumb, the crazy, and those possessed
with [p.46] different kinds of devils were around him, and only now
and then could his faith have power to take effect, on account of the
want of faith in the individuals.

Vol. 3, p.46
Many suppose that in the days of the Savior no person was sick, in the
vicinity of his labors, but what was healed; this is a mistake, for it
was only occasionally that a case of healing a sick person or casting
out a devil occurred. But again, suppose that two-thirds of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem and the regions round about had actually
possessed like faith in the Savior that a few did, then it is very
probable that all the sick would have been healed and the devils cast
out, for there would have been a predominance of a good power over the
evil influences.

Vol. 3, p.46
Let two persons be on the continent of America, having faith like a
grain of mustard seed, and let one of them be situated on the Atlantic
and the other on the Pacific coast, and most of the sick would remain
sick around them, the dying would die, and those possessed of devils
would continue to be tormented, though once in a while a sick person
might be healed, or a blind person be made to see. Now let each one of
those individuals have another person of like faith added to him, and
they will do as much again work; then let there be four persons in the
east and four in the west, all possessing faith like a grain of
mustard seed, and there will be four times as much done as when there
was but one in each place; and thus go on increasing their number in
this ratio until, by and bye, all the Latter-day Saints have faith
like a grain of mustard seed, and where would there be place for
devils? Not in these mountains, for they would all be cast out. Do you
not perceive that that would be a great help to us?

Vol. 3, p.46
If I had power of myself to heal the sick, which I do not profess to
have, or to cast out devils, which power I have not got, though if the
Lord sees fit to cast them out through my command it is all
right—still if I had that power, and there was no other person to help
me, the people would do as they do now, they would hunt me almost to
death, saying," Won't you lay hands on this sick person? Won't you go
to my house over yonder?"  and so on. I am sent for continually,
though I only go occasionally, because it is the privilege of every
father, who is an Elder in Israel, to have faith to heal his family,
just as much so as it is my privilege to have faith to heal my family;
and if he does not do it he is not living up to his privilege. It is
just as reasonable for him to ask me to cut his wood and maintain his
family, for if he had faith himself he would save me the trouble of
leaving other duties to attend to his request.

Vol. 3, p.46
Let this faith be distributed and it makes all things easy, but put
one or two dozen men to hauling a wagon containing a hundred tons'
weight, and the labor is very heavy, whereas if the whole of the
Latter-day Saints would put their shoulder to the lead it would be
moved easily. It is with the mental powers as it is with the physical,
and that is why I wish you to consider the matter, and why I lay those
things before you. Let the Latter-day Saints have faith and works, and
let them forsake their covetousness and cleave unto righteousness.

Vol. 3, p.46
I have given you a short discourse upon faith and practical religion,
and now I say to the Elders of Israel, to the Bishops of the different
wards, and to the Presidents of the different Branches, if there is
any business you wish to bring before this Conference, pertaining to
fellowship and the conduct of individuals, you can have the privilege.
We were accustomed, some years ago, to attend to such business before
our General Conference, and it is our privilege to do so  again, if
[p.47] we choose, or if there is any occasion.

Vol. 3, p.47
In all High Councils, in Bishops' Courts, and in all other departments
for transacting our business, the Church and kingdom of God, with the
Lord Almighty at the head, will cause every man to exhibit the
feelings of his heart, for you recollect it is is written that in the
last days the Lord will reveal the secrets of the hearts of the
Children of men.

Vol. 3, p.47
Does not the Gospel do that? It does; it causes men and women to
reveal that which would have slept in their dispositions until they
dropped into their graves. The plan by which the Lord leads this
people makes them reveal their thoughts and intents, and brings out
every trait of disposition lurking in their organizations. Is this
right? It is. How are you going to correct a man's faults, by hiding
them and never speaking of them, by covering up every fault you see in
your brother, or by saying," O, do not say a word about his faults, we
know that he lies, but it will not do to say a word about it, for it
would be awful to reveal such a fact to the people?" That is the
policy of the world and of the devil, but is it the way that the Lord
will do with the people in the latter-days? It is not.

Vol. 3, p.47
This is a matter that seems to be but little understood by some of the
Latter-day Saints, it may be understood by a portion of them, but
others do not understand it. Every fault that a person has will be
made manifest, that it may be corrected by the Gospel of salvation, by
the laws of the Holy Priesthood.

Vol. 3, p.47
Suppose that a man lies, and you dare not tell of it; "Very well,"
says the man, "I am secure, I can lie as  much as I please." He is
inclined to lie, and if we dare not chastise him about it he takes
shelter under that pavilion, cloaks himself with the charity of his
brethren, and continues to lie. By and bye he will steal a little, and
perhaps one or two of his brethren know about it, but they say, "We
must cover up this fault with the cloak of charity." He continues to
lie and to steal, and we continue to hide his faults; where will it
lead that person to? Where will he end his career? Nowhere but in
hell.

Vol. 3, p.47
What shall we do with such men?  Shall we reveal their faults? Yes,
whenever we deem it right and proper.  I know it is hard to receive
chastisement, for no chastisement is joyous,  but grievous at the time
it is given;  but if a person will receive chastisement and pray for
the Holy Spirit to rest upon him, that he may have the Spirit of truth
in his heart, and cleave to that which is pleasing to the Lord, the
Lord will give him grace to bear the chastisement, and he will submit
to and receive it, knowing that it is for his good. He will endure it
patiently, and, by and bye, he will get over it, and see that he has
been chastised for his faults, and will banish the evil, and the
chastisement will yield to him the peaceable fruits of righteousness,
because he exercises himself profitably therein.

Vol. 3, p.47
In this way chastisement is a benefit to any person. Grant that I have
a fault, and wish it concealed, would I not be likely to hide it? And
if the Lord would not reveal it I might cling to it, if I had not the
spirit of revelation to discern my fault and its consequences. Without
the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, I am just as liable to live
and abide in false principles, false notions, and unrighteous actions
as true ones. It is so with you.

Vol. 3, p.47
If your faults are not made known to you, how can you refrain from
them and overcome them? You cannot. But if your faults are made
manifest, you have the privilege of forsaking them and cleaving unto
that which is good. The design of the Gospel is to [p.48] reveal the
secrets of the hearts of the children of men.

Vol. 3, p.48
When men intimate to me, whether in public or in private, that their
faults must not be spoken of, I do not know how worldly-minded men
feel in similar cases, but like Elijah, when he mocked the priests of
Baal, I feel to laugh and make dersion of such men.

Vol. 3, p.48
Do you suppose that I will thus far bow down to any man in this
Territory, or on the earth? Do you suppose that I will suffer myself
to be so muzzled that I cannot reveal the faults of the people when
wisdom dictates me to do it?

Vol. 3, p.48
I fear not the wicked half so much as I would a musquito in my bed
room at night, for he would keep me from sleeping, but for the
unrighteous, those who will act the villain and conduct themselves
worse than the devil, to insinuate that I have not the priviliege of
speaking of their faults makes me feel like laughing at their folly. I
will speak of men's faults when and where I please, and what are you
going to do about it?

Vol. 3, p.48
Do you know that that very principle caused the death of all the
Prophets, from the days of Adam until now? Let a Prophet arise upon
the earth, and never reveal the evils of men, and do you suppose that
the wicked would desire to kill him? No, for he would cease to be a
Prophet of the Lord, and they would invite him to their feasts, and
hail him as a friend and brother. Why? Because it would be impossible
for him to be anything but one of them. It is impossible for a Prophet
of Christ to live in an adulterous generation without speaking of the
wickedness of the people, without revealing their faults and their
failings, and there is nothing short of death that will stay him from
it. for a Prophet of God will do as he pleases.

Vol. 3, p.48
I have been preached to, pleaded with, and. written to, to be careful
how I speak about men's faults, more so than ever Joseph Smith was in
his life time; every week or two I receive a letter of instruction,
warning me to be careful of this or that man's character. Did you ever
have the Spirit of the Lord, so that you have felt full of joy, and
like jumping up and shouting hallelujah? I feel in that way when such
epistles come to me; I feel like saying, "I ask no odds of you, nor of
all your clan this side of hell." 

Vol. 3, p.48
I have wise brethren around me who will sometimes say, "Don't speak so
and so, be very careful, now do be cautious;" and I have been written
to from the east; I have package after package of letters, yes, a
wheelbarrow lead of them, saying, "O, brother Brigham, I would beseech
and pray and plead with you, if I only dare, to be careful how you
speak. Would not this or that course be better than for you to get up
in the stand, and tell the Gentiles what they are? Would it not be
better to keep this to yourself?" 

Vol. 3, p.48
Do you know how I feel when I get such communications? I will tell
you, I feel just like rubbing their noses with them. If I am not to
have the privilege of speaking of Saint and sinner when I please, tie
up my mouth and let me go to the grave, for my work would be done.

Vol. 3, p.48
It was for this that they killed Joseph and Hyrum, it is for this that
they wish to kill me and my brethren; we know their iniquity, and we
will tell of it when the Spirit dictates, or talk about this, that, or
the other person and conduct at the proper time.

Vol. 3, p.48
There are people in our midst who grunt at this course, and at the
same time have evils that I think are hardly worth  notice, for I do
not think that such persons will be good for anything even should they
happen to [p.49] get into the kingdom of heaven, though I suppose they
are good in their place if we can find out where it is, but as yet I
am ignorant of it; I  presume that the Lord knows where it is, but I
do not. I wish to say to the Elders of Israel, to all people, I shall
tell you of your iniquity and talk about you just as I please, and
when you feel like killing me for so doing, as some of the people did
who called themselves brethren in the days of Joseph Smith, look out
for yourselves, for false brethren were the cause of Joseph's death,
and I am not a very righteous man. I have told the Latter-day Saints
from the beginning that I do not profess much righteousness, but I
profess to know the will of God concerning you, and I have boldness
enough to tell it to you, fearless of your wrath, and I expect that it
is on this account that the Lord has, called me to occupy the place I
do; I feel as independent as an angel.

Vol. 3, p.49
Some of you have been brought before the High Council, charged with
this fault and with that, and you say it is too much for you, that you
cannot bear it. But you have got to bear it, and if you will not, make
up your minds to go to hell at once and have done with it. if you wish
to be Saints you ,must have your evils taken away and your iniquities
exposed, this must be done if you remain in the kingdom of God. If you
do wrong, and it is made manifest before the High Council, don't grunt
about it, nor whine about your loving, precious character, but
consider that you have none; that is the best way to get along with
it. Myriads have scandalized hie since I have been in this Church, and
I have been asked, "Brother Brigham, are yea going to bear this? Do
you not know that such and such persons are scandalizing your
character?" Said I, "I do not know that I have any character, I have
never stopped to inquire whether I have one or not." It is for me to
pursue a course that will build up the kingdom of God on the earth,
and you may take my character to be what you please, I care not what
you do with it, so you but keep your hands off from me.

Vol. 3, p.49
If you are brought before the High Council, or before a Bishop's
court, and it is proven before either of those tribunals that you are
covetous, don't fly in a passion and become so excited that you are
ready to burst. I may see fit to expose some men who have not paid
their tithing; now if you are going to get nervous about it and are
afraid of bursting, let me know, and we will slip an egg shell over
you and your precious characters. What precious characters some of you
had in Wales, in England, in Scotland, and perhaps in Ireland.

Vol. 3, p.49
Do not be scared if it is proven against some, before the Bishop's
court, that you did steal the poles from your neighbor's garden fence.
If you did, it would be far better for you to get right up and own it,
for you have in reality lost your character before God, angels, and
men, and then refrain from such evils and try to establish a good
character. It would, be better for you to do that, than to become
angry when your faults are made manifest. If it is proven before the
High Council that you did steal a beef creature, don't get angry, but
rise up and acknowledge that you did steal it.

Vol. 3, p.49
If it is proven that you have been to some person's wood pile and
stolen wood, don't be frightened, for if you will steal, it must be
made manifest. Some one may say, "Why I did not; think Saints were
guilty of such deeds!" Nor I either. Such crimes are committed by
people who gather with the Saints, to try them, to afflict and annoy
them, and drive them to their duty. Do you not suppose that it is
necessary to have devils mixed [p.50]  up with us, to make Saints of
us? We are as yet obliged to have devils in our community, we could
not build up the kingdom without them. Many of you know that you
cannot get your endowment without the devil's being present; indeed we
cannot make rapid progress without the devils. I know that it
frightens the righteous sectarian world to think that we have so many
devils with us, so many poor, miserable curses. Bless your souls, we
could not prosper in the kingdom of God without them. We must have
those amongst us who will steal our fence poles, who will go and steal
hay from their neighbor's hay stack, or go into his corn field to
steal corn, and leave the fence down; nearly every ax that is dropped
in the kanyon must be picked up by them, and the scores of lost
watches, gold rings, breast pins, &c., must get into their hands,
though they will not wear them in your sight. It is essentially
necessary to have such characters here.

Vol. 3, p.50
After we had given the brethren such a scouring two or three months
ago, about returning lost property when found, one or two men brought
in two or three rusty nails of no value, which they had picked up;
this was tantamount to saying to brother Sprague, "If we had found
your purse, or if we had found Brigham's purse, we would see you, in
hell before we would return it." We wish to impress upon you the
necessity of your bringing the ax you find, the hay fork, or any other
lost property which you find, to the person who is appointed to take
charge of such property, that the owners may again possess it. But if
you should pick up a piece of rotten wood, and bring it to brother
Brigham, or Dr. Sprague, with a show of honesty, and in derision of
the counsel you have received, it would be like saying, "If we could
find or steal your purses, you should never see them again. We are
poor, miserable devils, and mean to live here by stealing from the
Saints, and you cannot help yourselves." 

Vol. 3, p.50
Live here then, you poor, miserable curses, until the time of
retribution, when your heads will have to be severed from your bodies.
Just let the Lord Almighty say, "Lay judgment to the line and
righteousness to the plummet," and the time of thieves is short in
this community. What do you suppose they would say in old
Massachusetts, should they hear that the Latter-day Saints had
received a revelation or commandment to lay "judgment to the line and
righteousness to the plummet?" What would they say in old Connecticut?
They would raise a universal howl of, "How wicked those Mormons are;
they are killing the evil doers who are among them; why I hear that
they kill the wicked away up yonder in Utah."  They do not kill
anybody down there, do they?

Vol. 3, p.50
As for the inhabitants of the earth, who know anything about the
"Mormons," having power to utter worse epithets against us than they
do, they have to get more knowledge in order to do it; and as for
those enemies who have been in our midst, feeling any worse than they
do, they have first to know more; they are as full of bad feeling now
as they can hold without bursting. What do I care for the wrath of
man? No more than I do for the chickens that run in my dooryard. I am
here to teach the ways of the Lord, and lead men to life everlasting,
but if they have not a mind to go there, I wish them to keep out of my
path.

Vol. 3, p.50
I want the Elders of Israel to understand that if they are exposed in
their stealing, lying, deceiving, wickedness, and covetousness, which
is idolatry, they must not fly in a passion about it, for we calculate
to expose you, from time to time,  as we [p.51] please, when we can
get time to notice you.

Vol. 3, p.51
During this Conference, I do not want to think where the "Mormons"
have been, and how they have been treated, but I want to think of
matters that will make my heart light, like the roe on the
mountains—to reflect that the Lord Almighty has given me my birth on
the land where He raised up a Prophet, and revealed the everlasting
Gospel through him, and that I had the privilege of hearing it—of
knowing and understanding it—of embracing and enjoying it. I feel like
shouting hallelujah, all the time, when I think that I ever knew
Joseph Smith, the Prophet whom the Lord raised up and ordained, and to
whom He gave keys and power to build up the kingdom of God on earth
and sustain it. These keys are committed to this people, and we have
power to continue the work that Joseph commenced, until everything is
prepared for the coming of the Son of Man. This is the business of the
Latter-day Saints, and it is all the business we have on hand. When we
come to worldly affairs, as they are called, they can be done in
stormy weather, if we attend to the kingdom of God in fair weather.

Vol. 3, p.51
May God bless you. Amen.

Conference at Provo, July 13, 1855

Times for All Things—Prayer—Chastisement— Unity—
Faithfulness—Reverence for  Sacred Things—Reformation 

Discourses by Presidents B. Young, H. C. Kimball, and J. M. Grant, and

Elder E. T. Benson, Delivered July 13, 1855, at a Conference held at 
Provo City, Utah Territory.

Brigham Young

Vol. 3, p.51
PREST. B. YOUNG—As the people have now begun to assemble, I take the
liberty of making a few remarks. I request those who profess to be
Saints to exercise faith, and to endeavor to realize that the worship
of God is sacred, and beneficial to His people. It is true that we
have much to do of a temporal nature, as it is termed; many duties
pertaining to daily business and the affairs of this life devolve upon
us.

Vol. 3, p.51
This is necessarily the case, for if we are to build up the kingdom of
God, or establish Zion upon the earth, we have to labor with our
hands, plan with our minds, and devise ways and means to accomplish
that object.

Vol. 3, p.51
There is a time for all these duties, and there is also a time to
serve the Lord by praying, preaching, singing, meditating, watching,
and fasting. Inasmuch as there is a time for all things, and as this
is the time that we have unitedly set apart for the express purpose of
worshipping the Lord, and of enjoying His Holy Spirit by calling in
our reflections pertaining to earthly things and objects, that we may
attend more immediately to a deep reflection and contemplation of
heavenly things, it is necessary for these my [p.52] brethren, who
have accompanied me, to this place, to bring their thoughts to bear
upon the things that are present, and while we are here, to let Great
Salt Lake City remain where it is—don't bring it here.

Vol. 3, p.52
Those who have left their families at home, and are away from their
houses, cattle, fields, flocks, herds, and other possessions, and also
all who have assembled from the different settlements in this county,
one and all, let all your affairs, those that you were obliged to
leave at home stay where they are, and you stay here and worship the
Lord.

Vol. 3, p.52
In this way every person who has assembled here can feel to leave
their affairs and effects where they belong, and bring their minds to
bear upon the spiritual things of the kingdom of God. Then they can
have their minds enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and understand that
which will make them rejoice.

Vol. 3, p.52
If those are our feelings and determinations, the candle of the Lord
will be lighted within our hearts, but if we keep our minds constantly
upon our families and effects, we shall be but little benefitted by
coming here; this is true in regard to each one of us.

Vol. 3, p.52
Where our hearts are, there our thoughts will be: and if our thoughts
are bound up in our earthly possessions, we had better remain at home
and attend to what we have most set our affections upon, and not
pretend to try to obtain happiness from any other source.

Vol. 3, p.52
There is a time for all things, and this is the time for meeting
according to appointment. I am frequently requested to come out and
hold meetings among the brethren, but I do not recollect that we have
at any time appointed a three days' meeting here, though we have
previously been here and held one during two days. Much instruction
has to be given to enable us to overcome our passions, and to govern
and control our feelings and disposition.

Vol. 3, p.52
Those Elders of Israel who have travelled and preached much have had a
good opportunity for experience, and have learned that they cannot,
figuratively speaking, take their families, friends, and goods with
them, or if they did, they accomplished but little good.

Vol. 3, p.52
Those who go out to preach the Gospel and at the same time say, "My
poor wife and my poor children; and I shall be glad when my mission is
out," seldom do much good.

Vol. 3, p.52
I think that the help mate was designed to take care of the children,
house, and gardens, and see, as far as possible, that all is cared for
and preserved, as they anciently did. Some went out to war, but they
must always leave a few at home to stay with the goods, or whatever
they had to be taken care off. 

Vol. 3, p.52
Elders who have had an experience in this matter know whether they
carried their families in their feelings, or not; but it is our
privilege to train our feelings and dispositions, and to bring all
into subjection to the dictates of wisdom, even that wisdom which
proceedeth from our God.

Vol. 3, p.52
When an Elder goes out to preach he ought not to let his mind be
filled with care for his family, only when he is praying about them;
and if they have lived by faith, all right; and if they have died
during his absence, all right; they are the Lord's; and say, "that He
gave them to me, it is all right; at the same time I would like to
have them, but blessed be the name of the Lord."

Vol. 3, p.52
An Elder has possessions great or small, much or little, and instead
of carrying those possessions in his feelings he ought to leave them,
and say that they are the Lord's, and say, "I give my spirit and body
and what is committed into my  hands, I am only [p.53] a steward over
it; I yield its care to Him, since He sends me from my home so that I
cannot directly look after it." That man can go as free as the air,
and will feel that he has in his possession the Spirit of the Lord,
which should be considered of paramount importance.

Vol. 3, p.53
When people assemble to worship they should leave their worldly cares
where they belong, then their minds are in a proper condition to
worship the Lord, to call upon Him in the name of Jesus, and to get
His Holy Spirit, that they may hear and understand things as they are
in eternity, and know how to comprehend the providences of our God.
This is the time for their minds to be open, to behold the invisible
things of God, that He reveals by His Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.53
Again, suppose a family wish to assemble for prayer, what would be
orderly and proper? For the head of the family to call together his
wife, or wives, and children, except the children who are too small to
be kept quiet, and when he prays aloud, all present, who are old
enough to understand, should mentally repeat the words as they fall
from his lips; and why so? That all may be one.

Vol. 3, p.53
If the people will ask in faith, they will receive, and let all
mentally ask precisely as does the one who is spokesman. Let all leave
the cares of their work behind them; let the kitchens take care of
themselves, and let the barns, the flocks and herds take care of
themselves, and if they are destroyed while you are praying, be able
to freely say, "Go, they are the Lord's; He gave them to me, and I
will worship Him; I will assemble my family and call upon the name of
my God."

Vol. 3, p.53
By leaving business and the cares thereof where they belong, and
attending strictly to worship in its season, if not at first, you soon
will be united, and be able to bring every evil principle into
subjection. If all are bound up in this manner, don't you see that it
will make a mighty cord of faith?

Vol. 3, p.53
I will now ask this congregation, how many of you thought of mentally
repeating my prayer as the words came to your ears? Did you realize
that the order of prayer required you to mentally follow the words of
the person who was praying? With us every one should mentally repeat
the same words and ask for the same things as does the one who leads
vocally, and let all say, amen. There are times and places when all
should vocally repeat the words spoken, but in our prayer meetings and
in our family circles let every heart be united with the one who takes
the lead by being mouth before the Lord, and let every person mentally
repeat the prayers, and all unite in whatever is asked for, and the
Lord will not withhold, but will give to such persons the things which
they ask for and rightly need.

Vol. 3, p.53
In some denominations the hearers are accustomed to cry out, "Amen,
amen, amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord," &c., during the prayer
service, and immediately let their minds wander to the ends of the
earth. That is not the right way to pray, but let every one throw off
care for their effects, for the Lord knows all about them; He protects
them while we are with them; and He is equally able to protect them
while we are absent; therefore, while engaged in worshipping Him, let
every heart be concentrated upon the subject before them. If this
congregation will take this course, I promise them that they will go
to their dwellings satisfied that the Almighty has been with us to
strengthen us; but if our minds are like the fool's eyes, we shall be
profiled but little.

Vol. 3, p.54
There are several here who will address[p.54] you, and suppose that
they should chastise us a little, do we not deserve it? Still, perhaps
some will complain of the speaker for chastising them, when perhaps
the first sentences which meet their eyes upon opening the Bible, will
convey the idea that every son and daughter whom the Lord loveth, He
chasteneth, but those who are not chastened are bastards and not sons.

Vol. 3, p.54
Says one, "I am willing to be chastened, but I am not willing to have
that brother who has just come from England, or some other country,
chasten me, but if some one high in authority should do it, I would
kiss the rod and reverence the hand that gave it;" but the man who
will only receive chastening from the Lord Himself is not in a proper
state of mind before Him.

Vol. 3, p.54
The Latter-day Saints have been chastened much and often. Many in this
congregation have had their corn and wheat stacks burned in
consequence of their religion, and have often been called to part with
their fathers and mothers, their wives and children, in consequence of
their religion. They have been chastened here and there, and perhaps
some may think we are being chastened now by the drought and insects.
I am willing to take it as a chastisement, and to learn that wisdom
and knowledge which I had not before it happened; and if every man
could realize and understand it, they would receive it as a prize and
as a lesson that would qualify them for future duties. Though our
chastisements are often hard to be borne, those who bear them
patiently, willingly, and submissively, will find that they yield the
Gospel fruits of righteousness insomuch that they will know how to be
Saints indeed.

Vol. 3, p.54
Chastisement often comes upon the Saints of God on account of the
wicked, and that also will redound to the benefit of the humble and
faithful. If we receive chastisement for our sins, it will teach us to
forsake our sins, and become righteous, for we receive chastisement
because there is wickedness among us, and it is permitted to come to
prevent our turning from the path of duty, and is always designed for
our good. In all these things we have to acknowledge the hand of the
Lord, and to be passive in His hands, that we may receive the things
of His kingdom, that we may govern and control natural things, and all
those with whom we have to do, that those we preside over may become
eternal heirs of the celestial kingdom of our God.

Vol. 3, p.54
It seems to be hard work for me to speak here this morning, and I will
give way and let the brethren occupy the remaining time this forenoon.
The ideas that I have laid before you, if you think of them and lay
them to heart, will do you good; and in our protracted meeting we may
be spiritually benefited, and receive joy and satisfaction. I feel to
bless you all the time, and pray that we may be prepared to build up
Zion and to inherit the fulness of the glory of God on the earth; this
is my prayer continually. May the Lord bless you. Amen.

Heber C. Kimball

Vol. 3, p.54
PREST. H. C. KIMBALL—We have heard what has been said by our
President, and in my feelings, though I may not always manifest it, I
am one with him in all my acts. Brethren and sisters, please to give
me your attention, and let your property take care of itself; that is
according to the instruction we have had to-day.

Vol. 3, p.54
Brother Brigham is the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and it is our duty to give strict heed to his
counsels and instructions. This is one thing which this people,
universally, individually, and collectively, have got to implant
[p.55] in their minds, and unless you get this lesson firmly settled
in your minds, he can never be of so much benefit to you as he
otherwise could, for as sure as you live and dwell here upon this
earth, wherever you are inclined to stop, to wait or to lie down, he
will leave you there; yes, he will leave you in that very spot, and
attend to some more important business, and in some future day he, or
some other one, will have to take you and teach you the first
principles of the doctrine of Christ, and again try to lead you into
the kingdom of God. He will not always dwell here in the flesh, that
is, in this mortal body. 

Vol. 3, p.55
I look at this people in the north and in the south, and watch their
progress in raising grain, building houses, &c., and I am pleased to
see what I behold; and although I do not see such progress as there
might be, still I see a great deal, and our extension and progress are
far beyond that of the world, under like circumstances. But we do not
make the progress that we would, if we strictly listened to the word
of God, as it proceeds from our President, our leader and Prophet.

Vol. 3, p.55
Do we bring about that amount of restitution that we might? I say, no.
We should have the faith that we would have if we all carefully
listened to the instructions that have been already given us this day.
They are of great importance to all, and are as necessary to our
salvation as baptism for the remission of sins, or any other life
giving principle, they are necessary in order that we may become one.

Vol. 3, p.55
How can we become one upon any other principle? It is impossible to be
of one heart and one mind, except we observe all the counsel given
from time to time.

Vol. 3, p.55
I know it has been a practice with me, since I came to a knowledge of
the truth and of prayer, when kneeling with my brethren, to pray for
the things which they pray for; and we pray continually, "Our Father
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come here on
earth, and thy will be done as it is in heaven." Don't you all desire
this? Well, you may continue to desire from this time to the day of
your death, and you never will be gratified, except you individually
and collectively practise the things you are taught, and are one.

Vol. 3, p.55
You have got to be one in all things. Are we all one in this
community? Is that the case in this place? You have not progressed as
much as those around you, nor as much as you would have done if you
had been diligent all the time, for then your station and faith, your
works before God, and power with Him would have been far greater than
they now are.

Vol. 3, p.55
We have surpassed the world now; but if we were, and always had been,
of one heart and one mind in all our efforts to advance the interest
of the work of the Lord, we should have been far ahead of what we are
now, and could put to defiance death, hell, and the devil, and all who
are in opposition to this work; but we cannot now do all that we could
if we had kept all the commandments of the Lord, and been of one heart
and one mind.

Vol. 3, p.55
What was there in the prayer this morning, but what every one of you
desired more than gold, silver, and precious stones? Then pray for
those things, and practise accordingly.

Vol. 3, p.55
As for the kingdom to come, and the will of God being done upon the
earth as it is done in heaven, it never will, except we practise and
carry out the purpose of the Almighty in our daily walk and
conversation, and seek to be of one heart and of one mind, and to do
unto others as we wish them to do unto us.

Vol. 3, p.55
I wish that all who call themselves Saints would rise and shine, for
the light and glory of God are come upon us, therefore let us rise up
and keep [p.56] His commandments, and serve Him and glorify His name.

Vol. 3, p.56
As for any man's going into the celestial glory, or entering through
the straight gate into the celestial world, there never will a man or
woman go there, except they obey the celestial law which gives them
that privilege. I know it is the case, but some think that if brother
Brigham, brother Heber, and others go there, they will take the rest
with them, but I can tell you that they will not do it, for justice
stands at the door and demands its claims, and though mercy stands
pleading on the other side it cannot rob justice, for justice must
have its demands, and will claim that which is its own, and mercy
cannot claim that which is not its own, and neither can rob the other.
By observing justice and mercy we can enter through the gates into the
city and obtain that glory which we are all anticipating.

Vol. 3, p.56
Brethren and sisters, reflect where we are, what we are, and what we
are doing; how careless and unconcerned some of us often are in
relation to those things that we are counselled to do.

Vol. 3, p.56
I was noticing this morning that the public square and the public
buildings are not where brother Brigham first stuck the stake, no, nor
within half a mile of that spot. I am only touching upon this one
thing to show you how it has been, not to hurt your feelings: and this
and like conduct is the reason why there has not been more
improvement, and why the Indians burn your wood and kill your cattle
and horses, and, in short, is the reason why they do this, that, and a
thousand other disagreeable things. Perhaps there is not a perfect
unity of faith and feeling towards those appointed to preside in this
place. Should any dissension exist here among this little flock of
sheep? No.

Vol. 3, p.56
Whoever is guided by those whom God appoints is the wisest man,
although he may appear to be one of the most simple that can be found.
Do you not believe that? I know it, for, although he may be rather
rough in external appearance, he will be filled with wisdom, inasmuch
as he abides the counsel of those placed over him, for it is God who
does the work, and He can make a wise man out of one who is very
simple in the eyes of the world.

Vol. 3, p.56
I know some think that they accomplish the work, but it is God that
does it. When I place myself passively, like a violin in the hands of
a performer, and let the Almighty lay His bow upon me, can He play a
good tune upon a rusty fiddle? I have seen and heard a good musician
produce some of the best music on an old rusty instrument. It does not
matter if you hold out till your hair is as thin as mine, you will
have to acknowledge that it is God who gives us wisdom and furnishes
us unto good works.

Vol. 3, p.56
When a man is appointed by the proper authorities and set apart to
preside, uphold and sustain that man, for he has power with God; and
God will give him revelation for your guidance in the way of all
truth, and he will know the mind of the Lord by day and by night.

Vol. 3, p.56
The difficulty is that no man can be appointed to an office here, nor
in Springville, nor in Peteetneet, nor any other place, but what there
is some man whom many of the people think is a little smarter, and
they think that they known little better than the one who is
appointed. Notwithstanding all the instructions that President Brigham
Young has given to this people, many still think that they know better
than he does, and they do not like his counsel, but reject it and
treat it as the words of some wicked man.[p.57] 

Vol. 3, p.57
These feelings exist, and I do wish that this people were of one heart
and of one mind. You cannot and will not listen to the instructions of
those placed to counsel you, until you are more united; but when you
are united you will listen to the words and counsels of those placed
here to counsel and govern you, as strictly as if President Young was
constantly here.

Vol. 3, p.57
When people will not listen to the instructions of their President, do
you suppose they would listen to the instruction of the Lord Himself,
if He were here? No, they would not. Do many of you believe that this
is brother Brigham? If you do, you do not believe that his words are
all for your good, and are those which are given to him for your
salvation.

Vol. 3, p.57
You believe that Joseph was a Prophet, but many could not believe even
this when he was alive, but now that he is dead they can believe it.
Jesus was a Prophet, though few believed so when he was upon the
earth, but when he left them, nearly all could believe his divine
mission.

Vol. 3, p.57
This has always been the ease in regard to all the Prophets, for the
sons of those who killed the Prophets living in their day adorned the
sepulchres of those whom their fathers had put to death, and crucified
the Son of God.

Vol. 3, p.57
Why cannot the people acknowledge a Prophet while he is living? It is
because their acts and feelings make them like the old infidel who
said, "Old Bright, although I love you so much, I would freely give
you away, if by so doing I could know that there is a God."I presume
many of you would give your pet cow, ox, or horse, if by that gift you
could know that brother Brigham is a Prophet. He is what he professes
to be, and a good deal more; I wish you all to understand that.

Vol. 3, p.57
If you will be united and go ahead, be of one heart and of one mind,
and make this place like the garden of Eden, the blessings of the
Almighty, both temporal and spiritual, will rest upon you.

Vol. 3, p.57
My mind is cheerful and comfortable, except when I see and reflect
upon the carelessness, stupidity, and worldly affections of many of
this people, whom I love and delight to be with, then I mourn over
them.

Vol. 3, p.57
Let us go on unto perfection, not leaving the doctrines of Christ,
repentance from dead works, and baptism for remission of sins, but,
keeping them in mind, go on to perfection. Do not make calculations a
second time to lay a foundation for repentance and baptism; but walk
humbly and faithfully before the Lord our God, and listen to the
counsels that He gives to us through His servants.

Vol. 3, p.57
In all the counsel and teaching that I give, I lay myself liable to be
corrected, and if found in error I am willing to acknowledge it at
once. Then why should not you be willing also? I am ready and willing
to come to the light, that I may be scanned, purged, and purified,
that I may love God with all my heart, might, mind, and strength, and
my neighbor as myself.

Vol. 3, p.57
Perhaps many feel a little sober because our bread is cut off, but I
am glad of it, because it will be a warning to us, and teach us to lay
it up in future, as we have been told. How many times have you been
told to store up your wheat against the hard times that are coming
upon the nations of the earth? When we first came into these valleys
our President told us to lay up stores of all kinds of grain, that the
earth might rest once in seven years. The earth is determined to rest,
and it is right that it should. It only requires a few grasshoppers to
make the earth rest, they can soon clear it. This is the seventh year,
did you ever think of it?[p.58] 

Vol. 3, p.58
There is very little grain in Great Salt Lake county, and but little
between here and that county, and none south of this place, except at
Peteetneet, but I expect we will have some potatoes, squashes, corn,
and so on, and do first rate.

Vol. 3, p.58
When we first came here, and lived on thistle roots, segos, wolf
skins, and like articles of food, we considered that we were doing
well; then let us go to, and strive by the help of God to be Saints.

Vol. 3, p.58
We are going ahead, and if you who  live here are not, we shall leave
you behind. Fathers and mothers, families, old and young, all who are
in favor of going ahead and serving the Lord our God, say, aye. (The
response to this call was simultaneous and Unanimous.)

Vol. 3, p.58
Those who wish to go home and attend to their families, their farms,
and their cattle, say, no. (No response.)

Vol. 3, p.58
If you will be humble and faithful from this time forth, the Lamanites
will never trouble you, but will come and humble themselves at your
feet and do your chores. Why is it that they trouble you now? Because
a portion of the same spirit which actuates them exists among some of
you. Is not this the case? Tell it out, have you not some of the same
feelings towards them which they evince towards you?

Vol. 3, p.58
If you are not careful, wrong feelings will get power over you, and
you will begin to murmur and grumble. If you will be one, there will
be no more trouble froth this time forth, and this has got to be done,
or there will be trouble. We must be one, in order that this earth may
be regenerated, and that we may have peace, unity, and love
prevailing. Quarrelling in this Church! Can that be the truth? Yes,
and it is hard to tell anything else but truth when speaking of vices
and follies of men.

Vol. 3, p.58
Let us listen to our President, sever ourselves from the world, cling
to our God, and to His cause, and turn our minds and thoughts to Him,
and the building up of His kingdom on the earth. There is everything
here in the mountains with which to beautify our homes and make our
cities glorious; then let us go to work with all our mights, and be
faithful from this time onward.

Vol. 3, p.58
May God help you, and bless you in all things that pertain to you, is
my prayer. Amen.

Jedediah M. Grant

Vol. 3, p.58
PREST. J. M. GRANT—The instructions given in the forenoon, to have
your thoughts concentrated, and your faith, prayers, and practice one,
must be admitted by all to be of the utmost importance to the Saints
of God. If we do not enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, there are reasons
that we ourselves can assign for the absence of that Spirit. The
practice of Saints, if good, will always bring the Spirit of the Lord,
and keep that Spirit with them from day to day.

Vol. 3, p.58
I am aware that the Spirit is grieved with different individuals for
different  causes; some do not attend to their prayers in the season
thereof, they do not attend to their duties of the present moment,
they do not concentrate their feelings, but allow their minds to
wander like the fools' eyes to the four winds of heaven, hence they
are left to grope for themselves as the blind for the wall. But those
who live up to their duties, the duties of the present hour, and
always make those duties the primary duties of life, live in the light
of the Lord, and walk in the path laid down by the Savior of the
world; they are never in the dark, for the light of the Lord is
shining upon them.

Vol. 3, p.58
While there are such items connected with our faith and duty, as were
laid before us in the morning, [p.59] we may do well to give some
additional advice in relation thereto.

Vol. 3, p.59
I have noticed in my travels among the Saints, from time to time, that
their profession was long and loud in relation to their strength and
faith in "Mormonism," and in fact they would be much offended if
called weak in the faith; they will speak well of faith, repentance,
baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, the
healing of the sick by the administration of the Elders, and of some
of the general views of the Church, and claim to be very strong, very
devout, and very much attached to the cause, and would feel much
offended indeed if any one should even suspect that they were weak in
the faith; and at the same time perhaps those individuals, who make
such high professions of faith and devotedness, will acknowledge that
there are certain important truths revealed from heaven which they
would ridicule, scoff at, and trample under their feet.

Vol. 3, p.59
They will also permit their children to ridicule them, and will laugh
them oat of their doors by the aid of their children and those friends
who visit them, and yet claim to be strong in the faith; to be firm in
the principles of "Mormonism," and Latter-day Saints of good standing.
When the Prophet Joseph was living and gave such revelations to the
Church as God gave to him, those persons could not endure them all,
there were doctrines which they would not receive as from God.

Vol. 3, p.59
I, as one individual, would give all such persons this advice—whatever
you do, and whatever you may have been guilty of, for you are guilty
of many improprieties and, probably, of many unvirtuous acts of life,
forsake that which is not right, and begin to walk in the light of
life.

Vol. 3, p.59
Do not allow yourselves to laugh at, or treat with scorn, any
revelation of God; and I would further advise that you do not allow
your wives, sons, or daughters to do it, but rear the standard of
truth, and make it one of the leading points of your faith to support
that standard in your families, and among your friends, and thus have
the law of God made honourable.

Vol. 3, p.59
Inasmuch as the Almighty God has revealed certain doctrines and
sanctioned certain practices, and seeing that the Almighty has said
that these revelations and practices are true and righteous, I
therefore advise that you do not allow the same to be trampled under
foot as salt that has no savor. Again, let no man, whether Gentile or
Jew, Israelite or Greek, nor your wives or children, nor any whom you
have jurisdiction over, throw out any jeers upon, nor sneer, laugh,
and scoff at, any portion of the law of God. Some items of doctrine
are especially obnoxious to some men and some women who have peculiar
feelings respecting them, and because of such feelings they begin to
laugh at those who are favorable to those items, and attempt to spoil
the good leaven.

Vol. 3, p.59
My advice in all such cases is, just tell them that there is the hole
which the carpenter made, and they can go through it, for you will
have the law of God reverenced by all who reside in or visit your
habitation. I merely give this advice as some that might be applied to
the Saints; as some of the every day and practical advice. I allude to
the entire law of God, to all that the Lord our God has revealed,
whether it pertains to the building of tabernacles or to the building
of temples, or to faith, repentance, baptism, or the laying on of
hands, or to the matrimonial relations, or to any doctrine or
principle which relates to the salvation and glory of man.

Vol. 3, p.59
I say as one, that I have no fellowship for that man who will permit
any person, over whom he has any rightful [p.60] control, to ridicule
the law, or any portion of the law, of God. I have no fellowship for
those who allow any such proceedings in their houses, neither have I
any fellowship for those who ridicule the law of God in any respect;
and I shall be glad when they take their exit to California, or to the
States, for they are, in their persons, in their actions, and by their
words, detrimental to their neighbors and the circles in which they
move.

Vol. 3, p.60
You who live here and round about, whether you are governed by a
proper spirit in all these matters of doctrine I know not, but whether
or not, these ideas will not hurt you. It is too late in the day to
preach poor pussyism here, for you will have to live up to these
practical duties of life, one and all, and be one, to pray often in
public as well as in private, to honor God and His word in all your
ways, and to see that His law is not dishonored by any under your
control.

Vol. 3, p.60
I am aware that some of you suppose that this is a great meeting, a
three days' meeting, and of course you expect to hear some great
mysteries pertaining to the kingdom of God. Well, you have heard them
this morning, and I wish to offer some further teaching on the
practical duties which pertain to family government. I know some men,
who have been in this Church twenty or twenty-two years, who are as
they were, stereotyped editions, and who admit strangers into their
houses, and allow them to blaspheme, to curse, and swear.

Vol. 3, p.60
I wish to see those who profess to be Saints act as Saints ought to
act. In the Church of the living God I believe that every man and
woman that will admit evil practices, ought to be called up and dealt
with for their fellowship, and if they will not reform, regulate their
households and set them in order, they ought to be cut off from the
Church. It is humbug to talk about first regulating a city, a county,
or a territory; but start with a family at a time, and let the Bishop
who presides see what is going on with every family, and when a family
is found which will admit of God and His laws being ridiculed, cut
them off from the Church. If any are found who will curse and swear,
and break the law of the Sabbath, bring them up and deal with them for
that; and if any are known to steal, deal with them for that act.

Vol. 3, p.60
The Church needs trimming up, and if you will search, you will find m
your wards certain branches which had better be cut off. The kingdom
would progress much faster, and so will you individually, than it will
with those branches on, for they are only dead weights to the great
wheel.

Vol. 3, p.60
First get the families united, then get the wards, the towns, the
cities, and the counties regulated, and you will have every part of
the Territory right; but this spirit of ridicule must not be allowed.
Is a man who loves God going to have the law of the Almighty
ridiculed? Many of those who profess so much, will feign publicly
acknowledge and support the very doctrines which they and their
friends deride and permit to be scoffed at, and at the same time they
will practise unlawfully, in secret, those things which they accuse
others of.

Vol. 3, p.60
I would like to see the work of reformation commence, and continue
until every man had to walk to the line, then we should have something
like union; but you might as well cast little pebbles in the air to
stay the wind as to undertake to make those walk right, pray right,
and do right who are full of the devil. People must be right in their
works, and be  brought to know and practise their duties. You have got
doctrine enough [p.61] and revelation enough, and perhaps one
difficulty is that you are too full of them. One doctrine which you
need is to make your families, your streets, and every thing about you
clean, and to prepare proper outhouses. Purify yourselves, your
houses, lots, farms, and every thing around you on the right and on
the left, then the Spirit of the Lord can dwell with you.

Vol. 3, p.61
Do you suppose, when I go into a house that is filthy, that I believe
that Saints of God dwell there? No, I believe that they are a filthy
set of beings. Saints must practise cleanliness and purity, and show
by their prayers, by all their works, and in their families, that they
are reforming, and forsaking all and every kind and species of
filthiness and evil practice, no matter what it is, no, not though it
takes the hair off from your heads; no matter if it be high, low,
rough, or smooth, the Almighty has given you a law to obey and
reverence; and if you practise those doctrines which you have
embraced, though all hell foam against you, by the power of God you
will triumph and ask no odds of any one.

Vol. 3, p.61
Talk about the Saints coming up to the Church of the first born, to
the state of perfection which Enoch attained; if men and women ever
attain to this, they have got to be pure in all their habits, pure in
their spirits as well as in their doctrines, for the Lord has told us
what is right and required in those things.

Vol. 3, p.61
We have the best code of laws and the best men to teach us there are
upon the earth, therefore all that is wanted is for us to practise
those lessons which are taught us by the servants of the living God,
and to love God with all our hearts, and live continually in the fear
of the Almighty. Then when you come to meeting, you will not hear
chastisement and reproof, but you will hear the peaceable things of
the kingdom, and you will hear men and women speak and sing the sweet
things of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 3, p.61
In conclusion, may that light which as in you increase till you are
prepared to bask in the perfect light of God. May God bless and save
you, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Ezra T. Benson

Vol. 3, p.61
ELDER E. T. BENSON—I feel thankful for the privilege and blessing that
I now enjoy with my brethren, and for the privilege of bearing my
testimony to the peaceable things of the kingdom of God. I have been
indeed edified to-day by the, remarks that have been made, and for one
I mean to try to practise the teachings, and carry them out to the
letter, according to the ability that I have.

Vol. 3, p.61
Although some people may think that those items are small, and not
what they expected to have on this occasion, still they are just such
doctrines as I expected to hear; and I shall continue to expect to
hear them until we become more perfect in the Gospel than we are at
present, for we must learn to practise what has been committed unto us
as a people and as individuals, before we shall be taught any greater
things. You may search into your own hearts, among your families, and
in the midst of your own neighborhood, and you will find that those
things which have been touched upon, are what grieve the Holy Spirit,
and cause more or less dissension in our midst.

Vol. 3, p.61
When Jesus commissioned the Apostles, telling them to go and preach
the Gospel to every creature, and baptize every one that believed, he
promised that they should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which
would lead them into all truth, and show them things past, present,
and to come. We all know that the [p.62] Spirit is a sure guide for
all the Latter-day Saints; hence, we also know that the dictation of
that Spirit will not lead to confusion, neither will it bring
darkness, hatred, malice, and envy, and it will not lead a man into
error, but it will lead and direct him into all truth. That Spirit
which we received by being obedient to the Gospel covenant will be our
constant guide and companion in sickness and in health; and what is
the feeling of that individual who enjoys the sweet and benign
influences of the Holy Ghost? He acknowledges the hand of God in all
things, whether in life or in death, in prosperity or in adversity; it
matters not what his situation may be, all is right with him. He
merely wishes to know what there is for him to do, and he is all alive
in "Mormonism."

Vol. 3, p.62
Such an individual is willing to be taught the simple things of the
kingdom, and 'he will not ridicule "Mormonism" in any respect, neither
will he suffer it to be done under his roof, nor upon his possessions,
and he is willing to lay down his life for it, and Jesus said,
"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for
his friends." I was actually astonished when I used to hear some of
the brethren, at the time the Prophet Joseph was martyred, say they
were afraid he was in transgression, and had incurred the displeasure
of the Almighty, for no Latter-day Saint ever believed it for a
moment. Why? Because there were the words of Jesus, that he had the
greatest love who could lay down his life for his friends; and Jesus
himself had this love, for he laid down his life for his friends; and
by his death and resurrection opened up the way to eternal lives.

Vol. 3, p.62
It is the little things that we need to observe now, and as brother
Brigham says, the observance of the small things is what brings us the
great blessings of the Almighty. Look, and think of the position of
the people here, and in various other places throughout the Territory
of Utah; do they all strictly honor the principles which brother Grant
has been speaking upon? Most of them say they do, but I wish to see
the works.

Vol. 3, p.62
A man who has labored from the commencement of the work has embraced
certain principles because God has commanded him, not because he
wanted such principles to be established, not that his appetite was of
such a nature that he desired something of the kind, but because the
great Jehovah had so commanded through His Prophets; and hence these
things cannot be ridiculed by the Saints; the counsel of the servants
of God cannot be treated with contempt, and set at naught., without
condemnation following. Still you will find some who ridicule and
treat as naught the holy principles of our religion, and say, "I am
sound in faith; I am filled with religion, but I cannot put up with
that awful doctrine, polygamy."

Vol. 3, p.62
It is not best to make a great profession in these days, but let our
actions and works correspond with our profession, and that will show
that we have embraced the truth for the love of it, and not for gain.
Let persecution come, let drought, famine, and distress come, for the
Lord has designed them; and when these things come, we can eat thistle
roots and drink buttermilk, and honor God, and have His Holy Spirit
with us. We can do this because we have embraced the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, and the faith of Abraham. Abraham did not stand and argue with
the Lord, in order to find out whether Sarah was to bear him another
Isaac in the place of the one he was commanded to offer up, but he
believed that  God would order all things right, and his faith [p.63]
was accounted to him for righteousness.

Vol. 3, p.63
Shall we not have confidence in God's Prophets, and in those whom He
has placed to teach us? Those who are not Satisfied with them are
constantly grumbling and growling about their circumstances and the
prosperity of the Church, but when we have the Holy Spirit, all is
right, and we feel satisfied; the visions of the Almighty and of the
heavens are before us night and day, and we have confidence in the
holy Gospel, in the work of the Lord, in the Priesthood, and in those
who hold that authority upon this earth.

Vol. 3, p.63
When people have the keys of the Priesthood and the light of heaven,
they ought to use the blessing of God as not abusing them.

Vol. 3, p.63
I wish to bear my testimony to the truth of what you have been taught
this day, for it is faithful, and has been dictated by the Holy Ghost.
When I enjoy the spirit of this Gospel and the power of the
Priesthood, do you wish to know how I feel? I feel that t could preach
my way through all manner of opposition. Do I rejoice? Yes, all the
time; when I lie down and when I rise up. Latter-day Saints never
should be troubled by any small matters, but when troubles do arise,
say, "The Lord's will be done in all things; I am short-sighted; I
cannot see afar off, and unless my mind is lighted up by the Holy
Spirit, I cannot do much good."

Vol. 3, p.63
Do we enjoy ourselves without that Spirit? I will ask my brethren and
sisters now present, do we enjoy as much as it is our privilege to
enjoy? Can we enjoy the Holy Spirit when we are finding fault with our
neighbors? No, we cannot. God has set in His Church, firstly,
Apostles; secondarily, Prophets; then pastors, teachers, helps,
governments, and spiritual gifts; for the perfecting of the Saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
and to prevent the members thereof from being tossed to and fro by
every wind of doctrine; and they are to continue until we all come to
a unity of the faith. I think you are pretty well satisfied in Provo
with those who are placed over you, for you know that they are
appointed by the authority of heaven, and it is the right of those who
appointed them to dictate you and all others; it is therefore your
duty to give heed to those placed over you in authority, and if you
do, you will enjoy the Spirit of God to a great extent, even to your
hearts' satisfaction.

Vol. 3, p.63
We are called upon to uphold, by our faith, works, and our prayers,
those who are over us; we have raised our hands to sustain and uphold
them, and will we turn round and find fault with that which we have
sanctioned? Can you enjoy the Spirit of God if you do this? No. In
order to enjoy that spirit you must reverence all the members of the
Priesthood, no matter who may be in possession of it. Do you ever hear
brother Brigham, brother Heber, brother Jedediah, or the Twelve
Apostles, censuring the Bishops, or any other person, without a cause?
No, never. They give them all the influence and power that they can,
in order that they maybe bold before the people, and have influence to
carry out the things that are given to them to accomplish. Where there
is a lack of confidence and proper reverence, people are afraid of the
Prophet of God.

Vol. 3, p.63
Does brother Brigham ever tyrannize! No, he blesses the Saints all the
day long, and bears with the sins of the people, as much so as any
other Prophet of God ever did, and asks God all the day long, to
forgive them; and he continues to do this so long as there is a spark
of integrity left in the individuals over whom he is watching.[p.64] 

Vol. 3, p.64
We do not expect to be purified and become perfect at once, so much so
that the old cloven foot can have no influence among us, but I expect
that the vision of the Prophet Daniel will be fulfilled, and we are
the persons to carry it out. I feel to continue to work righteousness,
and the time is soon coming when all will have to walk to the line.

Vol. 3, p.64
Jesus says, "Except ye are of one heart and of one mind, ye are not
mine;" and we have to shape our minds until they become alike. There
are not many ways of getting to heaven, for God is one, and His way of
saving mankind is one.

Vol. 3, p.64
"But," says the old sectarian priest, "going to heaven is like going
to mill; if your wheat is good the miller will never inquire which way
you came." Let others say as they please, we know that we have got to
walk in that straight and narrow path which has been pointed out to
us, and that the course which saved men in former days will save the
people in these days, and that the same principles that will save us
will save others. If we would carry out practically all that we have
received, and not trouble ourselves about any more until that was
done, it would exalt us to a higher state than we now enjoy. I have
something good to do; I am all right. Here are our blessings now; we
taste the blessings of this congregation to-day, and our place and our
blessings are at present in this bowery, and not away off somewhere
else. If our feelings are centred here, then are we blessed indeed;
but if our minds are wandering, they cannot be full of joy, for they
must be concentrated on the things of God and His kingdom so long as
this meeting continues; then we shall feel refreshed, and I presume we
all need to be.

Vol. 3, p.64
[After making a few remarks about the traditions, habits, and
practices of the Indians, Elder Benson continued as follows—]

Vol. 3, p.64
It is our duty, brethren and sistes, to go to work and bring these
natives to an understanding of the principles of civilization, to
teach them to till the earth, and earn their bread by the sweat of
their brows; and if they are needy and ask us, we should feed them,
and at all times be an example to them. We have not been as faithful
as we ought to have been in many of these things.

Vol. 3, p.64
I have a little Indian boy and girl, and certainly it is repugnant to
my feelings to have to put up with their dirty practices, but I have
passed a great many of these things by; and this I have done because I
knew what our duties were. In a short season we shall be rewarded for
all that we do to civilize this lost and fallen race. The little boy
will soon be quite bright, his mind is becoming clear and perceptive,
and if he sees a horse, a man, or any other object, he will always
remember them. True, he yet has some of his Indian traits, and I
presume it will be some time before they are all, erased from his
memory.

Vol. 3, p.64
And even some Saints are guilty of many filthy habits, for some, when
they are sick and ought to observe cleanliness in the fullest degree,
will send for the Elders to lay hands upon them, and say, "I was taken
sick a week ago last Sunday, and have been so bad that I have not
washed since, and I have not had a clean shirt on, or clean sheets
upon the bed."

Vol. 3, p.64
God has condescended to speak to His Saints, and has instructed them
to wash their bodies with pure water, and to observe cleanliness of
body as well as of spirit; this is necessary, and belongs to our
religion. We should also have wisdom, and exercise it in both eating
and drinking, ever keeping a guard over ourselves in all the practices
of life, and  listen to the still small whisperings of the Holy [p.65]
Spirit which never leads a man into error.

Vol. 3, p.65
I know that the Lord directed brother Joseph by His Spirit, and he
never went wrong. What guides brother Brigham? The same Holy Spirit of
promise, and blessed is that man who understands the things of the
Spirit, for it will direct him aright and lead him in the way of life,
and open up his mind to behold the things of eternity; and the very
moment that a man sees with this Spirit, he understands the mind of
God.

Vol. 3, p.65
Many have been led astray, and have believed that they could get to
heaven without being united with the body of the Church; but if we are
ever saved, we must be concentrated in our feelings, and our power,
objects, and faith must be one in the kingdom of God. When we are one,
we feel to rejoice in the things of God, and all goes well.

Vol. 3, p.65
May the Holy Spirit guide you from this time, henceforth. Amen.

Jedediah M. Grant, September 24, 1854

Instructions to New Comers 

A Discourse by President Jedediah M. Grant, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
September 24, 1854.

Vol. 3, p.65
While the sacrament is passing it may be well to speak a few words to
the people. I am aware much instruction has been given to the people,
at least To the majority of those who are here before me; and we do
not wish to preach you to death, but we wish to preach so that you may
enjoy life. A thousand ideas float in the minds of the people in
relation to preaching; each have their standard, and their notions of
what they call the sacred desk. All "Mormon" desks are sacred. I am no
more religious to-day than yesterday. I am equally as religious in the
kanyons hauling wood as in the pulpit; and if I were ageing to swear
in either place, I should prefer the pulpit to swear in; consequently,
I consider that a man should live his religion in all places, and
under all circumstances and situations in life.

Vol. 3, p.65
We understand how to serve the Lord, (I speak of all the Latter-day
Saints,) that is, we understand how to serve Him in some things—we
have learned some duties which are practicable at the present time. I
am aware that some Elders who go forth and preach long and pious
sermons, frequently represent Zion as one of the most delightsome
places in the world, as if the people in Salt Lake City were so pure
and holy that the flame of sanctity would almost singe the hair off a
common man's head. Others suppose when they come here, that they are
to be fed, clothed, and housed independent of their own exertions.
Some of the Elders have told the Saints in England that the first two
weeks after they landed here all they would have to do would be to
contemplate the beauties of Zion, and be furnished two weeks'
provisions. The imaginations of some Saints have been so exalted by
the Elders who preached to them, that they suppose that all our pigs
come ready cooked,[p.66] with knives and forks in them, and are
running round squealing to be eaten; that every tray is filled with
bread, every manger with potatoes, and every man's wagon with the
choice fruits of the earth. On the contrary, when the Saints from
abroad come to Zion, they will find the people so busy that they can
scarcely find time to speak to them, and if they have lost some of
their friends on the way, the people in Zion have not time even to
help them mourn.

Vol. 3, p.66
Some come here and are astonished, for they had supposed that they
should find the stereo-typed editions of Zion sitting on the seats
singing "hallelujah," and shouting "Glory to God" continually; but
when they find us all active, some rushing to the kanyons, some
gathering in the crops, and others rearing houses—when they find the
people all alive with business, they think that the "Mormons" are all
telegraphs; and so we are, stereo-typed editions of the telegraph.
Every man and woman in Zion at their duty is a telegraph moving and
exerting an influence, building up, fortifying, and fulfilling the
words of the Prophets by building city after city. It makes no
difference whether we have gold and silver, or not; we build just as
fast without money as the people of the east build with it, and a
little faster. A man who has faith says he has capital in himself; he
is telegraph enough to build him a house. Another man has to sit down,
and count "three and two are five, five and two are seven, seven and
four are eleven, and eleven and six are seventeen;" and so he will
calculate, and unless he has so many dimes, he has not faith enough to
draw the first rock, or the first adobie, or get the first foot of
lumber, or do the first thing.

Vol. 3, p.66
But you take a man who has got in him the true "Mormon spirit, and he
considers that he can accomplish, just what he thinks ought to be
accomplished. If he considers that he wants a house, he deems himself
competent to go at it, and to build such a one as he wants; if he
wants a small one he can build it, and if a large one he can build it.
That is the "Mormon" spirit.

Vol. 3, p.66
If you Saints who have just arrived here expect a heaven, I will tell
you how to get it; if you have brought a small one with you, keep it,
and keep adding to it; that is, if you want a heaven, go to and make
it. If you have not means enough to buy a farm, go to work and make
one; if you have not means enough to buy a house, build one, and thus
gather around you the comforts of life, and the means to subsist upon.
But I will tell you one thing, if you neglect to pray, neglect to
watch, neglect to do your duty, and to serve your God for yourselves,
you will be apt to become dissatisfied, disheartened, and dispirited,
and wish to go back from whence you came. But the opposite will be the
result with those who keep the commandments of God, who watch and
pray, who are active in their spirits and in their religion, and work
out their salvation with fear and trembling, if you please, or they
may work as hard as they please without fearing and trembling, if they
have a mind to. Consequently, when you come here, it is essential that
you keep the same religion that you embraced before you started to
come here.

Vol. 3, p.66
I am aware that a groat many have so much piety in them, that they are
like the Baptist priest who came to see Joseph Smith. Joseph had the
discernment of spirits to read a man, and a peculiar faculty of using
up the old sectarian tone to "my dee-e-er brethren." When he heard
that good old tone he used to imitate it; and whenever one of the
class, who are  so filled with piety, and the good old tone, came to
Nauvoo, Joseph used forthwith to take a course to evaporate [p.67]
their sanctimoniousness, a great deal of which consists in the long
ass-like tone. Before the Baptist priest, I have referred to, came to
Nauvoo, he had heard brother William O. Clark, who could preach a
bible and a half at a sermon, and could use the fashionable old tone,
the blessed old tone. This Baptist imbibed a notion that we were as
much ahead of his ideas of piety, and that our tone was as much longer
than his, as the strength of the arguments produced by Clark were
stronger than his; and supposed that our sanctimoniousness was
co-equal with what he considered the merits of our doctrine.

Vol. 3, p.67
Under these impressions he came to Nauvoo, and was introduced to the
Prophet. In the meantime some person came up that brother Joseph would
have a talk with, but while doing this he kept his eye upon the
stranger, on this priest. After he got through chatting, the Baptist
stood before him, and folding his arms said, "Is it possible that I
now flash my optics upon a Prophet, upon a man who has conversed with
my Savior?" "Yes," says the Prophet, "I don't know but you do; would
not you like to wrestle with me?" That, you see, brought the priest
right on to the thrashing floor, and he turned a summerset right
straight. After he had whirled round a few times, like a duck shot in
the head, he concluded that his piety had been awfully shocked, even
to the centre, and went to the Prophet to learn why he had so shocked
his piety. The Prophet commenced and showed him the follies of the
world, and the absurdity of the long tone, and that he had a
super-abundant stock of sanctimoniousness.

Vol. 3, p.67
You Saints who have come here, if you have around you the garb of
sectarianism, must calculate that the "Mormon" plow will turn that
under; you must calculate that here we are a practical people; a
people who believe in their religion, and are good Saints; who do
their work, and attend to their prayers in the season thereof; and are
not so much in a hurry in the morning, but that they can kneel down
and consecrate their families, their effects, themselves, and all they
have, to the Most High God.

Vol. 3, p.67
But in the midst of this people you will find various stripes of
character. The net has been cast into the sea, and, if the parable is
true, it has drawn to the shore all kinds of fish, and you must not be
alarmed if you find in Zion some curiosities. If I wished to find the
best men in the world, I should go to Zion to find them; if I wished
to find the biggest devil, I would look in Zion for him, among the
people of God; there I can find the greatest scamps. I believe the
words of Christ are true, that the net has gathered of every kind of
fish; that it has gathered men of every class. Do not marvel if you
find here goats as well as sheep, and the speckled goats and the
long-haired goats, and the smooth goats and the rough goats, and goats
of every grade, size and color, mixed among the sheep. Do not think
you will be without your trials here, that you are to be a stereotyped
edition to sit upon stools, singing glory to God, and that that is all
you have to do.

Vol. 3, p.67
I have often said to the English brethren and sisters that were I in
England, for there is where the Elders preach piety, I would tell them
the first things they might expect to meet in Zion, viz: to leap into
the mire and help to fill up a mud hole, to make adobies with their
sleeves rolled up, and be spattered with clay from head to foot; and
that some would be set to ditching in Zion, to making ditch fence
ankle deep in mire; and that they might expect to eat their bread by
the sweat of their brow, as in their native country. I [p.68] told
them when I was in St. Louis, where there were many English and
Scotch, that if we succeeded in getting to Zion it was a "knack," and
if we did not it was a "knick," and consequently there were
"knick-knacks" in going to Zion, and "knick-knacks" after we got to
Zion.

Vol. 3, p.68
These things are all connected with the common salvation that you
heard Elder Hyde treat upon this forenoon, the salvation that is
common with the people of God. You understand it, you have practised
it, and tasted the sweets thereof. You come here, and you think that
we are busy and active, but only live your religion, and you will feel
the power, spirit, and fulness thereof, as you have never felt it
previous to this. What I mean by the spirit is the Spirit of God, the
Holy Ghost, which you can feel from the crown of your heads to the
soles of your feet. It is here with you if you do right, and
everything you anticipate in the Holy Ghost, and in the power of the
Priesthood, and in the love of God, and everything you have thought of
in your own minds is here, and God is here; and if you have thought of
bad, it is here also. If you approach a large furnace, the first thing
you see are the black columns of smoke rising up and towering aloft,
and if you approach nearer you discover piles of coal and ore, and the
ashes, dust, and cinders which have been heaved out; but all this will
never convince you that there is no iron there. You would say that
where there is so much iron cinders there must be iron; that the iron
has been taken out and dressed; that there must have been lots of iron
here, and you begin to look for the iron.

Vol. 3, p.68
If you occasionally see a dirty sheep, do not let it try you; if you
do not get a bushel of wheat as quick as you want it, do not let that
try your faith. If you are ageing to die of hunger, that is the time
to be strong in the God of Israel. I wish to see the new comers active
in their religion; I wish to see them live their religion, and not
only seek tribe endowed with the spirit of Zion, but to bring the
spirit of Zion with them. I wish to see them come here with their
countenances lit up with the love of God, and their hearts burning
with the Holy Ghost, and their voices sounding like the music of sweet
instruments, to join in the songs of Zion, and in the work of our God,
in cultivating the earth, and in building houses. Bless your souls, if
you desire an experience of this kind, in order to build up Zion, you
must learn. Unless you have practice in it, unless you begin with one
house, and then go from one house to another, you cannot learn how to
build. You cannot learn how to make a farm by reading alone, but you
have got to have the practical knowledge. So, it is in relation to
building; an architect may draw a fine design of a house, yet there is
not one man in a thousand who can carry it out, without the architect
is continually by him to direct, and to say, place that there, and
this yonder.

Vol. 3, p.68
We may talk of making our own heaven, and of building up the city of
Zion, and making it beautiful, and having it polished after the
similitude of a palace, but we must have an experience in doing such a
work, before we can accomplish it. The world do not comprehend all
things as they should; they do not comprehend the greatest things; the
light and power of God, pertaining to man in his probation, towering
among the clouds and smoke, but its force is down here in the
practical duties of life, in the work under the sun that we have to
do.

Vol. 3, p.68
Now when you come to Zion, you will find men standing upon their feet;
but go into the world, and there, if a man wants to show himself to be
[p.69] a smart man, he must mount a cabbage leaf, hiccup, and jump up
to spit over his shirt collar. There was a man here last winter who
thought himself a smart man because his father was a smart man; and he
was all the while on the strain, like a man who mounts a cabbage leaf
to hiccup, or jumps up to spit over his shirt collar in trying to be
smart. What do they make of it? Nothing but a bubble, and a laughing
stock for men  of sense.

Vol. 3, p.69
The ore, coal, and flux are put in the tunnel head of the furnace, and
iron and cinder run to the boshes below, and are separated. You see
the smoke first, but you find here the true metal.—"The Mormons, a
little handful of Mormons cannot accomplish much," used to be said.
But we are gathering out the tough wire, it has got to come here.

Vol. 3, p.69
I wish the Saints who come here, to be Saints. I said last spring,
curse a man who will starve the poor by keeping up the price of grain,
and who will not help his brethren. I know some men will say that we
have fine men among us. I know that we have first-rate, good
mercantile houses here; I like them first-rate; but it would be better
for us to do our own trading, and by that means keep our money in our
midst.

Vol. 3, p.69
These are my views, and have been all the time. I like to see a
"Mormon" be a "Mormon," and act like a "Mormon."A good "Mormon" will
have an elastic faith, and not say, "O brother Grant, the old snag
ship is in snag harbor," but be mindful that brother Brigham is
cautious how he guides her. Brother Joseph had not time to be careful,
and run the ship around the snags, but was under the necessity of
running the ship right on to them. But when Brigham chooses to run
around a snag, or across a snag, he will do so. The ship is all oak,
let her slide. If we are in snag harbor, all right; we will steer the
ship, and run around the snag, or over it, just as the Lord pleases.
Jesus, our elder brother, is at the helm, and has a good crew aboard,
who are faithful, meek, and humble. If the Saints desire to strengthen
Zion, let them be humble, meek, lowly, and contrite in spirit; let
them be diligent, and seek counsel through the light of the Spirit of
God, and watch and pray, and they will be filled with joy, and be
happy at night; and healthy in the morning; and their spirits will be
buoyant, and they can shout "glory hallelujah" in reality.

Vol. 3, p.69
May the God of heaven fill you with the Holy Ghost, and give you light
and joy in His kingdom. Amen.[p.70] 

Orson Pratt, July 8, 1855

The Kingdom of God 

A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, 
delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
July 8, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.70
I have been highly pleased with the remarks that have fallen from the
lips of brother Grant, who first addressed us this morning. The
subject of the coming of the kingdom of God, and its organization upon
the earth, is one of vast importance to the present generation, as
well as to all past generations, who are equally concerned with the
present. Ever since the day that men were organized upon the earth
they have been equally concerned in regard to that period—that
eventful period when God's kingdom should be established upon the
earth. That day or period has been looked forward to as the day of the
perfection of their glory and exaltation.

Vol. 3, p.70
And when that time comes, all governments, and systems of government,
that have been organized upon this little creation of the Almighty,
contrary to the order of heaven, or in other words—all governments
that have not been theocratical in their nature, but that have been
organized in a greater or less degree by man's wisdom, will be done
away.

Vol. 3, p.70
The Almighty in some degree controls among mankind, as far as they
will let Him. He controls the destinies of the nations, so far as they
will permit Him; yet He does not control them so far as to destroy the
agency of the human family, consequently they, through their own
corrupt notions, have departed from the great principles of government
given by the Lord to man in the beginning. Mankind have felt a
disposition to seek after some kind of government of their own; they
have all seemed to manifest a feeling to have a different government
from the one established by the Almighty; and hence, they have all
rebelled against His government, and they have introduced creeds and
systems of their own manufacturing.

Vol. 3, p.70
If there had been a government upon the face of the earth, from the
creation of man to the present time, according to the mind and will of
God; you would not have seen in the present age, and in generations
that are past, different nations, different classes of people, having
different governments, as we now behold them, but there would have
been a oneness of nationality—a unity existing over all the earth. But
mankind have existed for ages past in a divided state—in a broken
condition, because of their rebellion against the laws and government
of heaven.

Vol. 3, p.70
If God made this earth, and all things that pertain unto it, and if
all were created for His honor and glory, He has the right to govern
and control them by His own laws; and He has a right to enforce that
government, and show Himself able to control the works of His hands,
and it is the duty of all men to render obedience to His requirements.
The government of heaven would not have been separated from the
government of men, or in other words, there would not  have been two
kinds, one [p.71] called ecclesiastical, and the other a civil
government; but inasmuch as they have rebelled, and become corrupt and
wicked, governments have been introduced of a different character; and
the Lord has, in some measure, sanctioned those governments, so far as
there were good principles existing among them.

Vol. 3, p.71
All good principles and laws have emanated from the Almighty, and have
come to man by inspiration from Him. For instance, the government of
the United States, or the Constitution, came from Him; it was given,
we believe, by inspiration, and there are many things connected with
the various institutions of men that are very good. There are many
good laws and good institutions in the government of the United
States, as well as among many other governments, but the government of
the United States is one of the best that has been organized among men
upon the face of the earth for many generations.

Vol. 3, p.71
"Did the Lord have a hand in the organization of the United States
government?" asks the enquirer. Yes, the Lord had a hand in framing
its Constitution. Why did not the Lord at that time, introduce a
perfect government—a theocracy? it was simply because the people were
not prepared for it—they were too corrupt and although they had more
integrity, more virtue, more honesty, and more sympathy and feeling
for that which is just and upright and good, than any other portion of
the inhabitants of the earth, and probably more than a great many now
have, yet they were far from being prepared for the government of God,
which is a government of union.

Vol. 3, p.71
They were far from that, consequently the Lord inspired them to
introduce a government that He knew would be just suited to their
capacity, and hence it was that He inspired Jefferson, Washington,
Franklin, and others to introduce those measures. which they did, and
to carry them out, and they were such as were just suited to the
conditions and circumstances of the people; hence the government of
the United States we, as a people, venerate and defend.

Vol. 3, p.71
Why do we do this? We do it because God had His hand in the
organization of it; He controlled it so far as He could do so without
interfering with the agency of man.

Vol. 3, p.71
We have seen plainly and clearly that had it not been for the
organization of this government, as has wisely and justly been said,
where would have been the liberty of the Latter-day Saints.

Vol. 3, p.71
This government, then, was organized to suit the people and the
circumstances in which they were placed, until they were prepared to
receive a more perfect one.

Vol. 3, p.71
But will the government of the United States continue for ever? No, it
is not sufficiently perfect; and, notwithstanding it has been
sanctioned by the Lord at a time when it was suited to the
circumstances of the people, yet the day will come, (I will say it on
my own responsibility and not that of this people,) the day will come
when the United States government, and all others, will be uprooted,
and the kingdoms of this world will be united in one, and the kingdom
of our God will govern the whole earth, and bear universal sway; and
no power beneath the heavens can prevent this taking place, if the
Bible be true, and we know it to be true.

Vol. 3, p.71
The Lord will govern all things that He has made and created, for it
is entered upon the records of heaven that all nations shall bow to
His authority; and, consequently, we respect the government of the
United States, because it has good principles in it, and not that we
think it will endure for ever.[p.72] 

Vol. 3, p.72
Many great and glorious principles are contained within the
Constitution of our country, not to say that it is perfect, but it is
perfect so far as it pertains to the rights and privileges of the
children of men. But there is a nucleus of a government, formed since
that of the United States, which is perfect in its nature. It is
perfect, having emanated from a Being who is perfect.

Vol. 3, p.72
But some may enquire, is it right—is it lawful for another government
to be organized within the United States, of a theocratical nature?
Yes, perfectly so! Does not the Constitution of our country guarantee
to all religious societies the right of forming any ecclesiastical
government they like? Certainly it does, and every intelligent man
knows this to be the fact.

Vol. 3, p.72
The nucleus of such a government is formed, and its laws have emanated
from the throne of God, and it is perfect, having come from a pure
fountain; but does this make us independent of the laws of the United
States? No, this new government does not come in contact with the
government of the United States. In keeping our covenants, and
observing our religious laws and ceremonies, or the laws that God has
given to the children of men, we are not required to violate the
principles of right that are contained in the Constitution and laws of
the United States.

Vol. 3, p.72
Had not the government of the United States been framed, where would
have been safety for this people? I answer, nowhere. If this
Republican government had not been organized upon this continent, the
kingdom of our God could not have been protected; but the hand of the
Lord has been in it, and superintended its organization, and no one
can hinder its progress.

Vol. 3, p.72
If this government had been formed in any other kingdom or nation upon
the earth except the United States, where would have been the
privileges and liberties of this people? Without the interference of
the Almighty, and the manifestation of His miraculous power for our
protection, we should have been rooted out of the earth.

Vol. 3, p.72
God foresaw this—He knew what would take place long beforehand, and He
saw that it was not only necessary to have a day set for the
preparation, and also for the beginning of the Latter-day work, but it
was likewise important for the different kingdoms and nations which
were in existence, and that had been organized by man, to go to work
and start up some religious reform, and for the people to struggle
against their mother church, and to fight against her tyranny and
oppressions, that religious liberty and freedom, and the right of a
free exercise of their religious opinions, might be guaranteed to the
human family, not all at once, but gradually. We find that at the
Reformation, when the great struggle for freedom and religious liberty
took place, some of them were wrought upon to come to this new
continent for the purpose of securing to themselves religious freedom
and religious right; and inspired by the Almighty, as was Columbus who
discovered this land, they planted their feet upon the American soil.

Vol. 3, p.72
They were an humble people and God began to work in their minds, and
they continued to increase, for a while, in union and love, having
obtained privileges which before they were deprived of; and no doubt
they imagined to themselves that universal freedom was about to be
ushered in, but it was not exactly so, neither was that degree of
liberty and freedom to suffice which they had then secured, but it was
like John the Baptist's mission, merely to prepare the  way. It was
said of John, that among all that were born of women there were [p.73]
none greater than he, and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven was
greater than he; and of all governments that had arisen among men,
there were none so great and good, as the government of the United
States, and yet the government of God in its very infancy was greater
than it.

Vol. 3, p.73
And why was this? Because its laws emanated from a more perfect Being.

Vol. 3, p.73
It was for this purpose, then, that a republic was organized upon this
continent to prepare the way for a kingdom which shall have dominion
over all the earth to the ends thereof.

Vol. 3, p.73
Hence, the Prophet Daniel has told us, that the kingdom of God should
be cut out of the mountains without hands; in other words, when the
kingdom of God should be taken from the mountains, it should be taken
by the power of the Almighty, and not by human hands; it should be
organized by the Lord, and governed by His laws. God, who interests
Himself in the affairs of men, was to speak from the heavens, and
inspire His servants to give laws and revelations to His people,
informing them that His kingdom was to be taken from the mountains in
His own due time, and that it should increase until it should become a
great mountain and fill the whole earth.

Vol. 3, p.73
Do the people suppose that they can frustrate the designs of the
Almighty, and put to death the Prophets who are sent unto them, and
fight and war against them, and belch out their rage, and threats, and
persecute them as they have done, without being brought into judgment?

Vol. 3, p.73
The wicked suppose they can do this with impunity, but there is a God
who holds the helm of the ship of Zion, and who will carry out His
purposes with regard to the Saints of Latter-days, in which the
kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom, and the dominion under the
whole heavens, shall be given to the Saints of the Most High and they
shall possess it for ever and for ever.

Vol. 3, p.73
I was highly delighted with the remarks that were laid before us by
our beloved brother this morning. And in speaking concerning the
corruptions that men have brought into our midst, I perfectly agree
with him, for all such corruptions and wickedness must be done away;
they will not be suffered to exist in the kingdom of God; I mean by
this that when there are crimes committed, they will be visited with
their just reward and that immediately.

Vol. 3, p.73
In that kingdom, when its laws go forth, there will be officers of
peace, and they will lay judgment to the line, and the axe will be
laid to the root of every tree that will not yield fruit, and it will
be hewn down and cast into the fire, and be utterly burnt up.

Vol. 3, p.73
I have not said much the past winter in regard to the corruptions that
have been practised in our midst, and why? Simply because there are
men here, higher in authority, and whose place it is to rebuke sin;
and they have borne testimony of the wickedness and corruptions that
have been sent into our midst. I do not mean to say that all are
corrupt, there are honorable exceptions, but all know that there have
been men sent here, who were as corrupt as hell itself.

Vol. 3, p.73
Such characters, if they had met with their just deserts, would not
now have been living to disgrace humanity. These are my feelings, and
I will here say, that I have felt to be of one heart and one mind with
the Presidency in relation to these things. Brethren, m saying these
things, do we feel like excluding all the outsiders, so called? No,
God does not design it; He never intended that this people should live
exclusively by themselves.

Vol. 3, p.74
God will so order it, that we shall have a hundred of them, where we
[p.74] have had one; and we shall find that the time will come when
all nations shall come, but they will have to walk straight.

Vol. 3, p.74
David has said, in speaking of that time, that when the wicked rulers,
and corrupt kings of the earth, should come up to Zion, they should,
while yet afar off, be seized with fear and trembling, and hasten
away; for it will be no place for wicked and corrupt characters; but
there will be millions of others who will come up to Zion, besides the
Saints of God; they will come to behold the glory of God which will
rest upon Zion. They will come in such numerous hosts that the gates
of Zion will have to be open day and night to receive them; they will
come as a multitude of nations, swarming in day and night.

Vol. 3, p.74
Kings, nobles, and great men, from all the principal nations of the
earth, will come flocking to Zion with their armies, and their
servants to view the grandeur of Zion; and they will have to be
obedient to the mandates of the great King who shall issue forth His
laws from Zion, or it will be no place for them to abide in.

Vol. 3, p.74
We need not think that we can get into any place where we will not be
associated with the Gentiles; for the Lord intends that we shall be
among them all through this mortal state, and even in the Millenium we
find that there will be two classes of beings upon the earth. And if
there are corrupt individuals found, they will be visited with
punishment according to the deeds they are guilty of.

Vol. 3, p.74
Then, I rejoice; I look forward to the day of glory, when the glory of
Zion shall be like a light upon a hill which will illuminate the whole
world; and the great men of the earth will come to see the glory of
God, and be taught in the holy commandments that will proceed forth
from our midst; and they will look upon Zion, and wonder, and be
astonished.

Vol. 3, p.74
May the Lord bless us, and may the Spirit of the Lord abide with, and
continue to surround and overshadow us, and may we not be fearful
because of the oppressor and the wicked, but trust in the bring God,
and He will continue to protect us all the day long, and no power can
prevail against us. If we were not one-tenth as numerous as we are,
what would it matter; if God be on our side, He can use up the wicked,
and protect us.

Vol. 3, p.74
And as has been said by the First Presidency, all that we have to fear
is our own wickedness, and corruptions, and liability to depart from
the true faith. If we will be true and righteous, and if we will have
faith in God, this is all that is required.

Vol. 3, p.74
If we are faithful to our covenants, the fury of the oppressor will
not harm us, and where will be the strong arm of man? It will be like
the flax in the flame, like a moth-eaten garment, the wicked shall
vanish away, and there will be no place found for them.

Vol. 3, p.74
Then hearken to the counsel that proceeds from the First Presidency,
and hold up your heads, and do not let them droop, and in this way, we
shall prosper, and obtain a holy dwelling place in the presence of our
God for ever. May God grant  these blessings for His Son's sake.
Amen.[p.75] 

Ezra T. Benson, May 13, 1855

The Vine and Fig Tree—Duties of Saints 

A Discourse by Elder Ezra T. Benson, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
May 13, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.75
I am requested to make a few remarks at the commencement of our
meeting this afternoon, although I would much rather hear from
brethren, especially my beloved President Hyde who is about to leave
us, but as it is his desire that I should make a few remarks, I will
make the attempt.

Vol. 3, p.75
I rejoiced much this morning in hearing from our brethren who
addressed us, as I generally do when I hear the Elders speak. I was
reflecting in my mind, and asking myself whether I over heard a
"Mormon" sermon that I did not rejoice in? I cannot remember the time
since I have been in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It never made any difference who addressed the people; no matter who
was called upon to speak, however eloquent his discourse might be,
however pointed his remarks might be, no matter however simple, or how
many times I might have heard the same subject treated upon, it was
always edifying to me, for I ever found something new, and although I
might have heard the same things, perhaps, a great many times, but my
memory being so short and treacherous, I had forgotten some things,
but as soon as I heard them again I could then recollect them; my mind
would be refreshed, and I would remember that I had heard the same
things before; and one remark that was made this morning by brother
Clements, refreshed my mind upon things which took place when I was on
a mission, some eight or ten years ago, in the United States. I mean
the remarks referring to that time, which will surely come, when the
Saints of God will sit under their own vine and fig tree, none daring
to make them afraid.

Vol. 3, p.75
I was once asked the question by some of our opposers, in something
like the following manner—"You Mormons believe that there is a time of
peace coming; you believe that the prophecies of the Scriptures are to
be fulfilled literally, in the same way that Noah's prediction of the
flood was, and that your God is willing, and in fact designs that you
shall sit under your own vine and fig tree, none daring to molest or
make you afraid." "And now," says he, "Have you got them yet?"
"Well," says I, "not exactly the fig tree, but we have got the
cotton-wood tree, and the locust tree, and we sit under them, none
daring to molest or make afraid, and we are in anticipation of some
day having the fig tree." We are full of hope that the time is now
near at hand, that it is not far ahead, when, if we are faithful to
our callings, we shall sit under a great many other kinds of trees,
and I don't know as it will make any difference whether it is the
cotton-wood, chesnut, oak, apple, peach-tree, or whatever kind of tree
it may be, so that we sit under our own vine and fig tree, and serve
the Lord our God with full purpose of heart.

Vol. 3, p.75
The cotton-wood trees are grown, the peach is beginning to grow, and
the apple and pear, and so on, are beginning to grow, and we all
expect that not many years hence, we will [p.76] have the privilege of
sitting under our own vine and fig tree, none daring to molest or make
afraid, and it is necessary that we should have the opposite in all
things.

Vol. 3, p.76
We are a people that believe in revelation, the whisperings of the
Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and we are a
people that believe in the necessity of all those gifts. We say that
they ought to exist in the Church of Christ in every age of the world.
When a people are in possession of those glorious principles of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, they will see that there is a passing beauty
and glory associated with them. You will also find opposition,
slander, and reproach to be continually on the increase, and if it
were not so, it would show that was not the Church of Christ. It is
necessary that there should be an excitement in the world, and that
servants of the Lord should in those times show their faith by their
works, and it is also important that they should, as the Apostle has
exhorted us, contend for all the gifts of the Gospel that are
mentioned in the Holy Scriptures—the gift of godliness and of patience
and charity, and all those good gifts that are spoken of in the
Scriptures of truth. The Apostle says, if all these good gifts abound
in you, "ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord Jesus Christ." Seeing, then, that this is the promise, how
very necessary it is that we should improve upon those gifts bestowed
upon us, by our Heavenly Father, and if we do not improve, we are not
on the progressive, but are going downward.

Vol. 3, p.76
We can live in the kingdom of God and be stereotyped "Mormons, " but
to accomplish this, we have to live and increase in wisdom, knowledge,
patience, perseverance, and all the gifts and graces of the Gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, for it will take all the perseverance, and all
the faith and patience that we can command to live the Gospel of
Christ.

Vol. 3, p.76
It is pleasing to reflect that we are all here as a band of brethren,
trying to obey all the commandments of God. We are from many climes
and countries, and we are here to prove each other, and see whether we
can bear with each other's faults and weaknesses, and to try if we can
endure trials, and perplexities, and oppositions, and the sneers of
the world—the wicked portion of mankind. How do they look upon us,
taking a general view of the question? It is true, there are some who
are more thoroughly acquainted with us, who look and speak pretty
favourably, but as a general thing they do not believe that we are a
virtuous people; they believe that we have many ordinances and
principles amongst us established to gratify a certain portion of this
community; they do not believe that we are the Saints of the Most High
God, yet there is something which they cannot comprehend, but still
they think there is something behind the curtain, and they cannot
understand it; still they have a good deal of dubiety upon their minds
respecting the Latter-day Saints, and why is it so? It is because
there are a great many things which they cannot comprehend. They see
us united; they are made sensible of our prosperity; they see we
proceed with authority and with confidence to do whatever we have to
do, and they cannot fathom it; they cannot understand how we hold
together in such perfect unity; our whole organization to them is one
entire mystery, and ever has been to the sectarian world.

Vol. 3, p.76
And what is the reason that mankind are so slow to understand? Why
Jesus, who had compassion on the, people in his teachings, compared
the kingdom of God to a little child, and said, "Sutter little
children to come unto me, and forbid  them not: for of [p.77] such is
the kingdom of heaven." All men have to become as little children
before they can understand the principles of, or enter the kingdom of
heaven, and the Christian world are not willing to humble themselves,
and become as little children; therefore they cannot enter the kingdom
of God. This is the reason that they cannot comprehend this people,
and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A strange work, a
marvel and a wonder it appears to them.

Vol. 3, p.77
What is said about the Spirit of the Lord that is possessed by the
Saints? We read that it shall lead and guide you into all truth, and
further, that it shall show (the Saints) things past, and things which
are to come. But the world at large cannot see these things, and they
never will until they have taken the same steps that we have taken.
Heavenly things cannot be comprehended only by the Spirit of the
living God, but says Paul, the Spirit of God discerneth all things,
even the deep things of God; the natural mind cannot comprehend.

Vol. 3, p.77
Well, then, we can see that it is the duty as well as the privilege of
every Latter-day Saint to live in the Spirit of the Lord, for
"Mormonism" is to rule our actions, and every man and woman has got to
be wide awake. They have got to do as brother Kimball used to say,
sleep with one eye open and one leg out of bed. I have seen and
comprehended for the last few months that the Latter-day Saints have
now got to double their diligence; yes, I can feel it to the bottom of
my soul; we have to learn to appreciate the blessings of the Almighty
more fully than we have heretofore appreciated them. The Lord will be
honored, and He will not be angry with any, but those who refuse to
acknowledge His hand in all things; we have got to acknowledge His
hand in all things, and feel it as well as to say it, and to show it
by our works.

Vol. 3, p.77
We have had several expulsions or drivings through mobocracy, and in
all these things we are called upon to acknowledge the hand of the
Lord. It takes us all the time to perform in faithfulness the duties
of our several respective callings. It is like an old blacksmith's
bellows, the very moment that you cease to blow, the fire goes down,
and especially the fires of those that burn cedar coal; and those who
use the blacksmith's bellows, know how long it takes to kindle up the
fire, that is, when they have got the same material on hand; and it is
just so with the Gospel of Christ. If we quench the Spirit, and do not
magnify the Lord by our works and by our faith, that which is in us
soon goes out, and we die a natural death in the kingdom. Then, if we
wish to obtain influence again we have to become humble, come forth
and get re-baptized for the remission of sins, and have hands laid on
for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and obey it strictly in all things,
before we can get the zeal and flame of the Gospel again to burn in
our souls.

Vol. 3, p.77
We have learned another lesson rob, at least I have, viz., that the
driving part of "Mormonism," the burnings, mobbings, and oppressions
were all very necessary to the bringing this people to an
understanding of their true position before God. All that has ever
come upon us has served a good purpose and was very essential to the
condemnation of our enemies.

Vol. 3, p.77
For the last few months I have been travelling considerably through
the settlements of the Territory, preaching to the brethren, and
instructing them in their duties. A good spirit prevailed in most of
the places I visited, and I told the brethren that it was not the
inner man that they had to contend with and look after just now, so
much as it was the things out of doors, and I promised them that if
they would all be agreed [p.78] in opening their farms, making their
fences around their farms, and big fields, and take good care of their
 flocks and herds, and keep up good schools, pay their tithing, and
attend to all the ordinances of the Gospel, live as Saints of God
ought to live, I would promise them, in the name of Israel's God, that
when they assembled in the congregations of the Saints, the gifts and
blessings of the Gospel would be more copiously poured out upon them,
that they should have power to heal the sick, speak with tongues,
prophesy, and they should have a mighty influence of the Holy Spirit
in their midst. I felt to promise them these things in faith, for it
is just so even, where when people live in humility before God.

Vol. 3, p.78
How pleasing it is when we can meet a brother here, or there, and can
feel that the genial influences of the Holy Spirit of God are with
him! When we feel so united, so much of one heart and one mind, that
we can buy and sell, trade, traffic, and do all that we have to do in
the name of the Lord, do all with an honest heart before God—then,
when we feel this way, we can have the Spirit of the Lord in coming
before a congregation to qualify us to edify the people. This is but a
small portion of our religion, but this is very good. It is obedience
that will prepare us to be exalted in the kingdom of our God.

Vol. 3, p.78
There is a monitor in the heart of every individual, and a man or
woman who will obey its dictations, and whose intentions are to do
right all the day long, need not be afraid of anything, for they will
have confidence; they shall have confidence before God; they shall
have confidence before the Saints, and be enabled to claim the
promises, and there is no power that can hinder; there is no power
that can stand against them, but they shall prevail; and why shall
they not prevail? Why the Psalmist says—"No good thing will he
withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Let us ask a blessing on the
cup.)

Vol. 3, p.78
I feel first rate, brethren and sisters, and I feel to bless you, and
my daily prayer is that the Saints of God may be blessed with wisdom,
with knowledge, and with all spiritual blessings, as well as with
temporal prosperity, and I say they shall be blessed, and they shall
be comforted. And let us be reminded continually of the instructions
given last Sunday: "Fret not your gizzards." We are first-rate, and
the grasshoppers are doing first-rate too, dud I expect that the Lord
will be as good as His word, for we are the Latter-day Saints; we are
the only people that acknowledge God and Prophets and the authority of
the Priesthood upon the earth, and you know what the Scriptures say:
"He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a
prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of
a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward." We all want
the Prophet's blessing, and we all want every good man's blessing, and
the blessing of all this community.

Vol. 3, p.78
When our hearts are drawn out before the Lord, we feel well, we feel
all right; but when we get to fretting our gizzards about this, that,
and the other, and begin to say, well, these rewards, these blessings
do not appear to us as we looked for them; we do not have them in our
assemblies as much as we ought to have.

Vol. 3, p.78
How is it, says one, that the Lord is going to kill the grain, and
thus cause a famine to come? What is the reason the Lord allows the
grasshoppers to come and eat the grain? Why, we read in the Scriptures
that judgment begins at the house of God, and I expect the Saints may
be tried a good deal more yet before they become perfect.

Vol. 3, p.79
There was one glorious promise [p.79] that cheered my heart; I mean
the words which fell from the lips of President Young a short time
ago. Says he, "I don't know that there will be any surplus grain,
neither do I wish there to be any particularly, but we have put in
seed, and we shall have harvest." He promised us a harvest, and my
faith is that we shall have something to eat and drink, and we shall
not starve or want for bread. If we receive that promise as coming
from a Prophet, we shall be blessed, and get what was promised; I
calculate to have it; I also expect that the Lord will send the rain
just as He pleases, and make all things subserve the interests of His
kingdom. I expect to claim the blessings of the Almighty by faith,
prayer, and diligence.

Vol. 3, p.79
Well, now, I know that you are as willing as I am, to have those
blessings promised. We want rain, and we all feel very anxious to have
some, and we would like to know when we are to have it. Well, I have
made up my mind for it to rain some time during the present week. I
have had no particular promise, but I have had it in my mind that it
will rain within a week. If it should not, it won't hurt me at all.

Vol. 3, p.79
I have thought of it in another way; probably the Lord may send a
little famine; and if he does, there will be a design in it. There may
be somebody coming here, a few curses in the shape of men, to eat up
all our surplus grain; and perhaps, if they should hear that the
drought and the grasshoppers are eating up our crops, they may be led
to say, we are not going to be starved to death with those poor
"Mormons."

Vol. 3, p.79
We are here sitting under our own Bowery, none daring to molest or
make us afraid. The kingdom must be built up, and it belongs to this
people to do it; it is our salvation to bear it off, and if we do not
bear it off, and do not act as instruments in the hands of the Lord in
accomplishing the work, our glory will be clipped; the moment that we
cease our exertions, that moment we begin to decline. Every man and
every woman that is brought into the covenant take this upon them, to
bear a part in this kingdom; this is the right of all, it is the
privilege and duty of all Saints, Every man is called upon to do
right, to work righteousness all the day long.

Vol. 3, p.79
I will say in conclusion, let us pray for the peace and prosperity of
the Presidency that are. absent from us today, and of those who are
with them. I will not take up more time, but will give way, as I wish
to hear some remarks from Elder Hyde, who is about to leave for Carson
Valley.

Vol. 3, p.80
May God bless us all, for Christ's sake. Amen.[p.80] 

Brigham Young, August 8, 1852

The Gospel of Salvation—a Vision—Redemption of the 
Earth and All that Pertains to It 

A Discourse by President Brigham Young, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
August 8, 1852.

Vol. 3, p.80
I will read a revelation given to Joseph Smith, junior, and Sidney
Rigdon. But previous to my doing so, and commencing upon the subject
that I expect to lay before the people this morning, I will say to
them, my understanding with regard to preaching the Gospel of
Salvation is this: there is but one discourse to be preached to all
the children of Adam; and that discourse should be believed by them,
and lived up to. To commence, continue, and finish this Gospel sermon,
will require all the time that is allotted to man, to the earth, and
all things upon it, in their mortal state; that is my idea with regard
to preaching. No man is able to set before a congregation all the
items of the Gospel, in this life, and continue these items to their
termination, for this mortal life is too short. It is inseparably
connected, one part with the other, in all the doctrines that have
been revealed to man, which are now called the various doctrines of
Christianity, of which all the professors of religion believe a
portion; but severally reject, or desire to reject, other portions of
the truth; each sect or individual, taking to themselves portions of
the Bible, portions of the doctrine of salvation, that are the most
pleasing to them, rejecting all the rest, and mingling these doctrines
with the tenets of men.

Vol. 3, p.80
But let a Gospel sermon be preached, wherein all the principles of
salvation are embodied, and we will acknowledge, at the end of the
mortality of this earth, and all things created upon it—at the closing
up scene, at the final consummation of all things that have been from
the commencement of the creation of the world, and the peopling of it
unto the latest generation of Adam and Eve, and the final finishing up
of the work of Christ—I say, we shall acknowledge that there is the
Gospel sermon, and that it could not be preached to finite beings in
one short life.

Vol. 3, p.80
I make these remarks for the purpose of extricating myself from the
arduous task of undertaking to set before this congregation, every
item of the doctrine of salvation, in all of their various
significations, as they are presented in this life, and according to
our understanding. I make these introductory remarks to free myself
from the great task of finishing the discourse I shall commence. I did
not expect to finish it; I do not expect to see the end of it, until
the winding up scene. I do not even commence at the beginning of it; I
only catch at it, where it comes to me, in the 19th century, for it
has been before me; it is from eternity to eternity.  

Vol. 3, p.80
Christ is the author of this Gospel, of this earth, of men and women,
of all the posterity of Adam and Eve, and of every living creature
that lives upon the face of the earth, that flies in the heavens, that
swims in the waters, or dwells in the field. Christ is the author of
salvation to all this [p.81] creation; to all things pertaining to
this terrestrial globe we occupy.

Vol. 3, p.81
This, however, would be contrary to our prejudices, to admit for a
moment, that Christ, in his redeeming properties, has power to redeem
any of the works of his hands—any other living creature, but the
children of Adam and Eve—this would not be in accordance with our
prepossessed feelings, and long-imbibed prejudices, perhaps; but he
has redeemed the earth; he has redeemed mankind and every living thing
that moves upon it; and he will finish his Gospel discourse when he
overcomes his enemies, and puts his last enemy under his feet—when he
destroys death, and him that hath the power of it—when he has raised
up this kingdom, and finished his work which the Father gave him to
do, and presents it to his Father, saying, "I have done the work, I
have finished it; I have not only created the world, but I have
redeemed it; I have watched over it, and I have given to those
intelligent beings, that you have created by me, their agency, and it
has been held with perfection to every creature of intelligence, to
every grade of mankind; I have preserved inviolate their agency; I
have watched over them, and overruled all their actions, and held in
my hand the destinies of men; and I have finished up my Gospel
sermon," as he presents the finished work to his Father.

Vol. 3, p.81
It takes just such a character as the Savior, to preach one Gospel
discourse; and this was commenced with the commencement of all men
upon this earth or any other; and it will never close until the
winding up scene, and all is finished, and the kingdom is presented to
the Father.

Vol. 3, p.81
I expect only to look into some portions of it, as it comes to me in
the 19th century of the Christian era.

Vol. 3, p.81
I will now read a revelation that was given to Joseph Smith, junior,
and Sidney Rigdon, called

A Vision

Vol. 3, p.81
"1. Hear O ye heavens, and give ear O earth, and rejoice, ye
inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no
Savior: great is his wisdom, marvellous are his ways, and the extent
of his doings none can find out; his purposes fail not, neither are
there any who can stay his hand; from eternity to eternity he is the
same, and his yearn never fail.

Vol. 3, p.81
"2. For thus saith the Lord, I, the Lord, am merciful and gracious
unto those who fear me, and delight to honour those who serve me in
righteousness and in truth unto the end, great shall be their reward
and eternal shall be their glory; and to them will I reveal all
mysteries; yea, all the hidden mysteries of my kingdom from days of
old, and for ages to come will I make known unto them the good
pleasure of my will concerning all things pertaining to my kingdom;
yea, even the wonders of eternity shall they know, and things to come
will I show them, even the things of many generations; and their
wisdom shall be great, and their understanding reach to heaven: and
before them the wisdom of the wise shalt perish, and the understanding
of the prudent shall come to naught; for by my Spirit will I enlighten
them, and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my
will; yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
nor yet entered into the heart of man.

Vol. 3, p.81
"3. We, Joseph Smith, junior, and Sidney Rigdon, being in the Spirit
on the sixteenth of February, in the year of our Lord, one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-two, by the power of the Spirit our eyes were
opened and our understandings were enlightened, so as to see and
understand the things of God—even those things which were from the
beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the Father,
[p.82] through his only begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the
Father, even from the beginning, of whom we bear record, and the
record which we bear is the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, who
is the Son, whom we saw and with whom we conversed in the heavenly
vision; for while we were doing the work of translation, which the
Lord had appointed unto us, we came to the twenty-ninth verse of the
fifth chapter of John, which was given unto us as follows: speaking of
the resurrection of the dead, concerning those who shall hear the
voice of the Son of man, and shall come forth; they who have done good
in the resurrection of the just, and they who have done evil in the
resurrection of the unjust. Now this caused us to marvel, for it was
given unto us of the Spirit; 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; and we beheld the glory
of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his
fulness; and saw the holy angels, and they who are sanctified before
his throne, worshipping God, and the Lamb; who worship him forever and
ever. 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; 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—that
by him, and through him, and of him the worlds are and were created,
and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.
And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in
authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the only
begotten Son, whom the Father loved, and who was in the bosom of the
Father—was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son, and was
called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son
of the morning. And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord
commanded us that we should write the vision, for we beheld Satan,
that old serpent—even the devil—who rebelled against God, and sought
to take the kingdom of our God, and his Christ, wherefore he maketh
war with the saints of God, and encompasses them round about. And we
saw a vision of the sufferings of those with whom he made war and
overcame, for thus came the voice of the Lord unto us.

Vol. 3, p.82
"4. Thus saith the Lord, concerning all those who know my power, and
have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves, through the
power of the devil, to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my
power—they are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that
it had been better for them never to have been born, for they are
vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil
and his angels in eternity; concerning whom I have said there is no
forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come, having denied the
Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the only
begotten Son of the Father—having crucified him unto themselves, and
put him to an open shame. These are they who shall go away into the
lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels, and the
only ones on whom the second death shall have any power; yea, verily,
the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord,
after the sufferings of his wroth; for all the rest shall be brought
forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the
glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father
before the worlds were made.  And this is the gospel, the glad tidings
which the voice out of the [p.83] heavens bore record unto us, that he
came into the world, even Jesus, to be crucified for the world, and to
bear the sins of the world, and to sanctify the world, and to cleanse
it from all unrighteousness; that through him all might be saved whom
the Father had put into his power and made by him, who glorifies the
Father, and saves all the works of his hands, except those sons of
perdition, who deny the Son after the Father has revealed him;
wherefore he saves all except them; they shall go away into
everlasting punishment, which is endless punishment, which is eternal
punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their
torment; and the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their
torment, no man knows, neither was it revealed, neither is, neither
will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers
thereof: nevertheless I the Lord show it by vision unto many, but
straightway shut it up again; wherefore the end, the width, the
height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not,
neither any man except them who are ordained unto this condemnation.
And we heard the voice, saying, write the vision, for lo! this is the
end of the vision of the sufferings of the ungodly!

Vol. 3, p.83
"5. And again, we bear record, for we saw and heard, and this is the
testimony of the gospel of Christ, concerning them who come forth in
the resurrection of the just; they are they who received the testimony
of Jesus, and believed on his name and were baptized after the manner
of his burial being buried in the water in his name and this according
to the commandment which he has given, that by keeping the
commandments they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins,
and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of the hands of him who
is ordained and sealed unto this power, and who overcome by faith, and
are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth
upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the church
of the first-born. They are they into whose hands the Father has given
all things—they are they who are priests and kings, who have received
of his fulness, and of his glory, and are priests of the Most High,
after the order of Melchisedek, which was after the order of Enoch,
which was after the order of the only begotten Son; wherefore, as it
is written, they are Gods, even the sons of God—wherefore all things
are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to
come, all are theirs and they are Christ's and Christ is God's; and
they shall overcome all things; wherefore let no man glory in man, but
rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his
feet—these shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever
and ever. These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall
come in the clouds of heaven, to reign on the earth over his people.
These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These
are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. These
are they who are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living
God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all. These are they who have
come to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and
church of Enoch, and of the first-born. These are they whose names are
written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. These
are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of
the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the
shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial,
whose glory is that of the sun, even the [p.84] glory of God, the
highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as
being typical.

Vol. 3, p.84
"6. And again, we saw the terrestrial world, and behold and lo, these
are they who are of the terrestrial, whose glory differs from that of
the church of the first. born, who have received the fulness of the
Father, even as that of the moon differs from the sun of the
firmament. Behold, these are they who died without law, and also they
who are the spirits of men kept in prison, whom the Son visited, and
preached the gospel unto them, that they might be judged according to
men in the flesh, who received not the testimony of Jesus in the
flesh, but afterwards received it. These are they who are honorable
men of the earth, who are blinded by the craftiness of men. These are
they who receive of his glory, but not of his fulness. These are they
who receive of the presence of the Son, but not of the fulness of the
Father; wherefore they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies
celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun. These
are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore they
obtained not the crown over the kingdom of our God. And now this is
the end of the vision which we saw of the terrestrial, that the Lord
commanded us to write while we were yet in the Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.84
"7. And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that
of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the
glory of the moon in the firmament. These are they who received not
the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus. These are they
who deny not the Holy Spirit. These are they who are thrust down to
hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil, until
the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb shall have
finished his work. These are they who receive not of his fulness in
the eternal world, but of the Holy Spirit through the ministration of
the terrestrial; and the terrestrial through the ministration of the
celestial; and also the telestial receive it of the administering of
angels who are appointed to minister for them, or who are appointed to
be ministering spirits for them, for they shall be heirs of salvation.
And thus we saw in the heavenly vision, the glory of the telestial,
which surpasses all understanding, and no man knows it except him to
whom God has revealed it. And thus we saw the glory of the
terrestrial, which excels in all things the glory of the telestial,
even in glory, and in power, and in might, and in dominion. And thus
we saw the glory of the celestial, which excels in all things—where
God, even the Father, reigns upon his throne forever and ever; before
whose throne all things bow in humble reverence and give him glory
forever and ever. They who dwell in his presence are the church of the
first-born, and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known,
having received of his fulness and of his grace; and he makes them
equal in power, and in might, and in dominion. And the glory of the
celestial is one, even as the glory of the sun is one. And the glory
of the terrestrial is one, even as the glory of the moon is one. And
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 glory in the telestial world; for these
are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are
they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ,
and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of
Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch; but received not the
gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither [p.85] the prophets,
neither the everlasting covenant. Last of all, these all are they who
will not be gathered with the saints, to be caught up unto the church
of the first born, and received into the cloud. These are they who are
liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever
loves and makes a lie. These are they who suffer the wrath of God on
the earth. These are they who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.
These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of
Almighty God, until the fulness of times when Christ shall have
subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work,
when he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father
spotless, saying—I have overcome and have trodden the winepress alone,
even the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
Then shall he be crowned with the crown of his glory, to sit on the
throne of his power to reign for ever and ever. But behold, and lo, we
saw the glory and the inhabitants of the telestial world, that they
were as innumerable as the stars in the firmament of heaven, or as the
sand upon the sea shore, and heard the voice of the Lord, saying—these
all shall bow the knee, and every tongue shall confess to him who sits
upon the throne forever and ever; for they shall be judged according
to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own
works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared, and they
shalt be servants of the Most High, but where God and Christ dwelt
they cannot come, worlds without end. This is the end of the vision
which we saw, which we were commanded to write while we were yet in
the Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.85
"8. But great and marvellous are the works of the Lord, and the
mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpasses all
understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion, which he
commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and
are not lawful for man to utter; neither is man capable to make them
known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the
Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify
themselves before him; to whom he grants this privilege of seeing and
knowing for themselves; that through the power and manifestation of
the Spirit, while in the flesh, they may be able to bear his presence
in the world of glory. And to God and the Lamb be glory, and honor,
and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Vol. 3, p.85
These are the words of the vision that were given to Joseph and
Sidney, My mind rests upon this subject, upon this portion of the
Gospel of salvation; and has done so, more or less, for a great many
years. The circumstances that surround me, almost daily; things that I
see and hear, cause my mind to reflect upon the situation of mankind;
create in me an anxiety to find out—to learn why things are as they
are; why it is that the Lord should build a globe like this earthly
ball, and set it in motion—then people it with intelligent beings, and
afterwards cast a vail over the whole, and hide Himself from His
creation—conceal from them the wisdom, the glory, the truth, the
excellency, the true principles of His character, and His design in
forming the earth.

Vol. 3, p.85
Why cast this vail over them, and leave them in total darkness—leave
them to be carried away with erroneous doctrines, and exposed to every
species of wickedness that would render them obnoxious to the presence
of God, who placed them upon the face of this earth. My daily
experience and observation cause me to enquire [p.86] into these
things. Can I attribute all to the wisdom of Him that has organized
this earth, and peopled it with intelligent beings, and see the people
honestly desiring to do right all the day long, and would not lift
hand or heel against the Almighty, but would rather have their heads
taken from their bodies than dishonor him? And yet, we hear one crying
on the right hand, this is the law of God, this is the right way;
another upon the left, saying the same; another in the front; and
another in the rear; and to every point of the compass, hundreds and
thousands of them, and all differing one from another.

Vol. 3, p.86
They do the best they can, I admit. See the inhabitants of the earth,
how they differ in their prejudices, and in their religion. What is
the religion of the day? What are all the civil laws and governments
of the day? They are merely traditions, without a single exception. Do
the people realize this—that it is the force of their education that
makes right and wrong, with them? It is not the line which the Lord
has drawn out; it is not the law which the Lord has given them; it is
not the righteousness which is according to the character of Him who
has created all things, and by His own law governs and controls all
things; but by the prejudice of education—the prepossessed feeling
that is begotten in the hearts of the children of men, by surrounding
objects; they being creatures of circumstances, who are governed and
controlled by them more or less. When they, thus, are led to differ
one from another, it begets in them different feelings; it causes them
to differ in principle, object, and pursuit; in their customs,
religion, laws, and domestic affairs, in all human life; and yet every
one, of every nation there is under heaven, considers that they are
the best people; that they are the most righteous; have the most
intelligent and best of men for their priests and rulers, and are the
nearest to the very thing the Lord Almighty requires of them. There is
no nation upon this earth that does not entertain these sentiments.

Vol. 3, p.86
Suppose a query arising in the minds of the different sects of the
human family—"Do not the Latter-day Saints think they are the best
people under the whole heavens, like ourselves?" Yes, exactly; I take
that to myself. The Latter-day Saints have the same feelings as the
rest of the people; they think also, that they have more wisdom and
knowledge, and are the nearest right of any people upon the face of
the earth.

Vol. 3, p.86
Suppose you visit China, and mingle among the "celestial" beings
there; you will find a people who hold in scorn and ridicule every
other people, and especially those of Christendom. They consider
themselves mere holy, more righteous, more upright, more honest;
filled with more intelligence; they consider themselves better
educated; better in every respect, in all their civil and religious
rites than any other nation under heaven.

Vol. 3, p.86
Suppose you next visit Spain; there you will find the mother, and
grandmother, and great-grandmother of all the Christian denominations
upon the face of the earth—though these are but a scanty proportion of
mankind, compared with all the inhabitants upon the face of the globe.
I suppose not one twelfth, or one sixteenth part of the inhabitants of
the earth, believe in Jesus Christ—and probably not one thirtieth part
of them.

Vol. 3, p.86
Take the mother of modern Christianity; go into Italy—to Rome, the
seat of her government, and we find that they also  consider.
themselves to be the best people in the world—the nearest the Lord and
the path of [p.87] right—more so than any other people upon the face
of the earth.

Vol. 3, p.87
Then visit the first Protestant church that was organized, and they
consider themselves nearer right than their mother, or any of their
sisters. You may thus follow it down to the last reformer upon the
earth; and then step back to those we call heathen; to all that ever
lived, from the place where Noah landed his ark, to the building of
the tower of Babel; and in their dispersion, trace their footsteps to
the islands and continents, under the whole heavens, and you cannot
find a people that do not believe they are nearest right in their
religion—more so than their neighbors—and have the best form of civil
government.

Vol. 3, p.87
Suppose you call upon the aborigines of our country, here, these wild
Indians; we call them savages we call them heathens. Let yourselves be
divested of prejudice; let it be entirely forgotten and out of the
question, together with all your education, and former notions of
things, your religious tenets, &c., and let your minds be in open
vision before the Almighty, seeing things as they are, you will find
that that very people know just as much about the Lord as anybody
else; like the rest of mankind, they step into a train of ideas and
ordinances, peculiar to the prejudices of their education.

Vol. 3, p.87
All this I admit; and I admit it upon the resources of my own
knowledge that I have pertaining to the inhabitants of the earth;
this, also, every person knows, who is acquainted with the different
customs and religions of different countries.

Vol. 3, p.87
Let me step over into England, and carrry with me my Yankee notions
and manners, and I should be a burlesque to them. Let an Englishman
pass over into Scotland, and speak and act according to English
customs, it would differ so far from them, that they would laugh at
him. Let a Scotchman or an Englishman go to Ireland, and it would be
just the same. This difference of feeling, sentiment, and custom,
exists in those countries that are so near each other. If you go to
France, you find that they walk over the customs and manners of
England, as unworthy of their notice. Should you thus go, from one
people to another, throughout all nations, you would find that they
differ in their religions and national customs, according to the
teachings of their mother, and the priest. In this manner the
consciences of mankind are formed—by the education they receive. You
know this to be true, by your own experience.

Vol. 3, p.87
That which you once considered, perhaps, to be a non-essential in
religion, you now consider to be very essential. That which you once
esteemed to be unbecoming in society, has become so interwoven in your
feelings, by being accustomed to it, that it ultimately appears quite
rational to you.

Vol. 3, p.87
When you survey the inhabitants of the world, you will find that the
religious tenets of all nations have sprung from their education;
consequently, if we should summon the whole earth before us, and
strictly examine them, we should find that the nations of the earth,
as far as they know and understand, are doing about the best they know
how; they are just about as near right as they know how to be.

Vol. 3, p.87
These tribes of Indians differ from one another in their sentiments
and feelings; they war with each other, and try to destroy each other;
and why do they do it? Why, "you are not as righteous as I am, and I
want to bring you over to my holy faith." You see these bands of
Indians doing these things, and you spurn the idea. Suppose you extend
[p.88] the principle, and carry it among the greatest nations of the
earth; and you would see Queen Victoria, one of the most powerful
sovereigns, sitting at the head of one of the most powerful nations
upon the earth, sending her forces among these "celestial" ones,
battering down the walls of China, bombarding their cities, throwing
confusion into their States, and destroying thousands of their
people—extending their sway of empire over India, And why all this?
"To subdue you heathens, and bring you over to our more enlightened
customs and religion."

Vol. 3, p.88
Does one nation rise up to war with another without having motives,
and those which they will substantiate as being good and sufficient?
Will one people rise up to war with another people, except the motive
that moves them is of a nature to justify them in their own minds and
judgment for doing so? No. There is not a people upon the face of this
earth that would do so; they all calculate to do that which seemeth
good to them.

Vol. 3, p.88
There are the Jews—and recollect that they are a very religious people
to this day; a more religious people never lived than they, that is,
the tribe of Judah, and the half tribe of Benjamin that we re left in
Jerusalem—they are as tenacious as any people can be, to this day, for
the religion of their fathers; and where can you see them among the
nations of the earth, without seeing a hunted, driven, and persecuted
people? The laws of nations have been framed for the express purpose
of killing and destroying them from the earth. Yes, in the midst of
nations that profess to adhere to the doctrines of Christianity—that
legislate, and make laws, and put them in force—laws have been made to
exterminate them; then cry out against them, and raise mobs to
persecute and destroy, and clear the earth of the Jews.
Notwithstanding all this, will they forsake their religion? No. They
have suffered themselves to be stoned in the streets of the cities,
their houses to be burned over their heads; but will they forsake
their religion? No; they will perish rather.

Vol. 3, p.88
The Christians say they are wrong; and the "Holy Roman Catholic
Church" would have killed every one of them, hundreds of years ago,
had not God promised by His holy Prophets, that they should remain and
multiply. They have been distributed, dispersed, scattered abroad
among the nations of the earth, to fulfil that, and many more of the
sayings of theft Prophets: and they are as tenacious, this day, with
regard to their religion, as in the days of Moses, and are as
anxiously expecting, and looking for the Messiah.

Vol. 3, p.88
Conscience is nothing else but the result of the education and
traditions of the inhabitants of the earth. These are interwoven with
their feelings, and are like a cloak that perfectly envelops them, in
the capacity of societies, neighborhoods, people, or individuals; they
frame that kind of government and religion, and pursue that course
collectively or individually, that seemeth good to themselves.

Vol. 3, p.88
When we look at the whole creation, and that, too, from the days of
Adam, down to this time, what do we see? According to the reading of
the Bible, the sayings of Jesus Christ, of all the ancient Prophets,
and of the Apostles, every soul, every son and daughter of Adam and
Eve, that have lived from the day of transgression to this time; and
that will live from this time henceforth, so long as any of the
posterity of Adam and Eye shall continue upon the earth, unless they
know Jesus Christ, and his Father, and receive the Holy Ghost, and be
prepared to dwell with the [p.89] Father and the Son; become
acquainted with them, and converse with them, they will all be damned;
every soul of them will be sent to hell.

Vol. 3, p.89
And what do we see on the back of this, I ask? We see that all
Christendom are ready to pounce upon them that believe in Jesus
Christ, and are trying to attain to this knowledge, and grind them
down, and send them down, and continue to bear upon them, and crowd
them down, down to the bottom of the "bottomless pit," and throw upon
them pig metal, and lead, to keep them down. This is what we see; and
all creation may see it also, if they will open their eyes.

Vol. 3, p.89
I shall not undertake to prove from the Bible every thing I say, yet
it is all there.

Vol. 3, p.89
With regard to the peculiar and varied formations of the religions of
the day, I will say, we can see in them the first strong lines of the
religion of Christ drawn out, which have existed among them from the
days of the apostacy from the true order, to the present day.

Vol. 3, p.89
If you could just humble yourselves until your eyes should be
enlightened by the Spirit of God, by the spirit of intelligence, you
may understand things the world cannot see; and understand that it is
the privilege of every person to know the exact situation of the
inhabitants of the earth, for themselves. The ancient Apostles saw it;
Jesus Christ knew all about it; and the Prophets before them
prophesied, and wrote, and preached about what was then upon the
earth, what had been, and what would be.

Vol. 3, p.89
The inquiry might be made, "Can any person in the world prophesy,
unless he possess the spirit of it?" No, they cannot. They may
prophesy lies by the spirit of lies, by the inspiration of a lying
spirit, but can they see and understand things in the future, so as to
prophesy truly of things to come, unless they are endowed with the
spirit of prophecy? No. Is this the privilege of every person? It is.
Permit me to remark here—this very people called Latter-day Saints
have got to be brought to the spot where they will be trained (if they
have not been there already,) where they will humble themselves, work
righteousness, glorify God, and keep His commandments. if they have
not got undivided feelings, they will be chastised until they have
them; not only until every one of them shall see for themselves, and
prophesy for themselves, have visions to themselves, but be made
acquainted with all the principles and laws necessary for them to
know, so as to supersede the necessity of anybody teaching them.

Vol. 3, p.89
Is not the time to come when I shall not say to my neighbor, know the
Lord, for he will know Him as well as I do? This is the very people
that have to come to it, sooner or later. Can we come to it? We can.
If you are industrious and faithful scholars in the school you have
entered into, you shall get lessons one after another, and continue on
until you can see and understand the spirit of prophecy and
revelation, which can be understood according to a systematic
principle, and can be demonstrated to a person's understanding as
scientifically as Professor Pratt, who sits directly behind me, can an
astronomical problem.

Vol. 3, p.89
I do not purpose to go into that, or to say anything to the brethren
or to this people with regard to their daily walk and actions. I
proposed to view the inhabitants of the earth and their situation,
that you and I might understand that the Lord Almighty has a hand in
all these matters; that the Lord is on the earth, and fills immensity;
He is everywhere; He dictates governors and [p.90] kings, and manages
the whole affairs of the nations of the earth, and has from the days
of Adam, and will until the winding up scene, and the work shall be
finished.

Vol. 3, p.90
There is only one Gospel sermon, recollect, brethren and sisters, and
the time that is required to preach it is from the day of the fall, or
from the day when Adam and his wife Eve came here upon this planet,
and from that time until Jesus Christ has subdued the last enemy,
which is death, and put all things under his feet, and wound up all
things pertaining to this earth. Then the Gospel will have been
preached, and brought up and presented, and the effects thereof, to
the Father.

Vol. 3, p.90
Now what shall we do with the inhabitants of the earth? Their true
situation can be presented to your minds, if you will calmly reflect.
Every person, whether they have travelled or not, if they are
acquainted with the history of nations, can discover at once the
variety there is of religions, customs, laws, and governments; and if
you will apply your hearts, you can understand the cause of this
variety of effects.

Vol. 3, p.90
Again, there are the nations that have lived before us; what shall we
do with them? And what is their situation in the other world? What
have we now to say of them? I can tell it in short. We are preaching
to them the Gospel of salvation—to the dead—through those who have
lived in this dispensation; and it is a part and parcel of the great
Gospel discourse, a little here and a little there that is necessary
for the nation unto whom given. With regard to doctrine, rules,
customs, and many sacraments, they are meted out to the inhabitants of
the earth severally as they stand in need, according to their
situations and what is required of them.

Vol. 3, p.90
You may ask, "What is meted out to us?" I answer, the ordinances, the
sacraments that the Lord Jesus Christ instituted for the salvation of
the Jews, for all the house of Israel, and then for the Gentiles. This
is the Gospel—the plan of salvation the Lord has given to us. This is
the kingdom the Lord has presented to us; the same he presented to the
Apostles in the days of Jesus. Now it is for the people to become
acquainted with these laws and ordinances of salvation, then apply
them to their lives, and that will save as many in the celestial
kingdom, in the presence of the Father and Son, as will strictly
adhere to them. This we read in the sacred book; we have it before us
all the time, that just as many as will believe the Gospel of Jesus
Christ, live up to its requirements in their lives, and die in the
faith, shall receive a crown of life with the Apostles, and all the
faithful in Christ Jesus.

Vol. 3, p.90
What next? I will tell you a practice of the Latter-day Saint Elders
generally. For instance, I get up here, and preach the fulness of the
Gospel, perhaps to individuals who never heard it before in their
lives, and I close by saying, you that believe this which I have told
you, shall be saved; and if you do not, you shall be damned. I leave
the subject there. But, says one, "don't the Bible say so?" You ought
to explain yourself. "I only said what the Savior taught—he says, go
into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that
believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; and he that believeth not,
shall be damned. Don't I say the same?" You leave it there, don't you?
"Yes; the Apostle left it there, and so do I."

Vol. 3, p.90
I wish to explain it a little more, according to the plain, simple,
English language. The sum of this practice is this; when I preach a
gospel sermon, and they don't believe what I [p.91] say, I straightway
seal their damnation. Brethren, do you believe in such a thing as
that? I do not; yet there are many of the Elders just so absurd.

Vol. 3, p.91
I recollect, in England, sending an Elder to Bristol, to open a door
there, and see if anybody would believe. He had a little more than
thirty miles to walk; he starts off one morning, and arrives at
Bristol; he preached the Gospel to them, and sealed them all up to
damnation, and was back next morning. He was just as good a man, too,
as we had. It was want of knowledge caused him to do so. I go and
preach to the people, and tell them at the end of every sermon, he
that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; and he that believeth
not, shall be damned. I continue preaching there day after day, week
after week, and month after month, and yet nobody believes my
testimony, that I know of, and I don't see any signs of it. "What
shall I do in this case, if I am sent to preach there?" you may
inquire. You must continue to preach there, until those who sent you
shall tell you to leave that field of labour; and if the people don't
manifest by their works, that they believe, as long as they come to
hear me, I will continue to plead with them, until they bend their
dispositions to the Gospel. Why? Because I must be patient with them,
as the Lord is patient with me; as the Lord is merciful to me, I will
be merciful to others; as He continues to be merciful to me,
consequently I must continue in long-suffering to be merciful to
others—patiently waiting, with all diligence, until the people will
believe, and until they are prepared to become heirs to a celestial
kingdom, or angels to the devil.

Vol. 3, p.91
When the book of Mormon was first printed, it came to my hands in two
or three weeks afterwards. Did I believe, on the first intimation of
it? The man that brought it to me, told me the same things; says he,
"This is the Gospel of salvation; a revelation the Lord has brought
forth for the redemption of Israel; it is the Gospel; and according to
Jesus Christ, and his Apostles, you must be baptized for the remission
of sins, or you will be damned." "Hold on," says I. The mantle of my
traditions was over me, to that degree, and my prepossessed feelings
so interwoven with my nature, it was almost impossible for me to see
at all; though I had beheld, all my life, that the traditions of the
people was all the religion they had, I had got a mantle for myself.
Says I, "Wait a little while; what is the doctrine of the book, and of
the revelations the Lord has given? Let me apply my heart to them;"
and after I had done this, I considered it to be my right to know for
myself, as much as any man on earth.

Vol. 3, p.91
I examined the matter studiously for two years before I made up my
mind to receive that book. I knew it was true, as well as I knew that
I could see with my eyes, or feel by the touch of my fingers, or be
sensible of the demonstration of any sense. Had not this been the
case, I never would have embraced it to this day; it would have all
been without form or comeliness to me. I wished time sufficient to
prove all things for myself.

Vol. 3, p.91
The Gospel of Jesus Christ, must be preached to all nations for a
witness and a testimony; for a sign that the day has come, the set
time for the Lord to redeem Zion, and gather Israel, preparatory to
the coming of the Son of Man. When this Gospel is preached to the
people, some will believe, and some will not know whether to believe
it, or not. This is the situation of the world; go forth among the
people; go among your own neighbors, and you may see it; because the
Lord has touched your [p.92] understanding with the spirit of truth,
it looks to you as though all the world will believe it, if they can
only hear your testimony; you go and preach to them, but, to your
astonishment, they seem perfectly uninterested; some go to sleep, and
others are dreaming of their farms and possessions.

Vol. 3, p.92
The Methodist will tell you, he has had the Gospel from his youth, and
been brought up in the Methodist society; and so will the Quaker; and
so will the Presbyterian; and so will the Shakers; for they say they
are the only people, who are preparing for the Millennium. What is law
here, is not there; and what is not there, is here. I have been used
to this method of worship, or that; and have heard the good old tone,
all the days of my life.

Vol. 3, p.92
The Methodists come along and say, you may be baptized by pouring, or
by sprinkling, or not at all, for there is nothing essential in it.
Another man says, you can partake of the Lord's Supper if you like, or
let it alone, for it is non-essential; if you have only the good old
tone, you are all right.

Vol. 3, p.92
Now I ask a question: Who is there that can know the things of God;
who can discern the truth from the error? Where is the man; where are
the people now in the world that can do it? They do not exist. Let the
best wisdom of the world be summoned to their aid, and they cannot
know the things of God. Let a man be endowed with the revelations of
Jesus Christ, and he will say at once they cannot tell—it is
impossible. Let the just Judge sound his trump, what would he say? I
can read it to you in this book. (Laying his hand on the Bible.)

Vol. 3, p.92
He is compassionate to all the works of His hands, the plan of His
redemption, and salvation, and mercy is stretched out over all; and
His plans are to gather up, and bring together, and save all the
inhabitants of the earth, with the exception of those who have
received the Holy Ghost, and sinned against it. With this exception,
all the world besides shall be saved. Is not this Universalism? It
borders very close upon it.

Vol. 3, p.92
I have preached portions of the doctrine of salvation to the people,
when I travelled abroad. When I would take up this subject, the
Universalists would run after me hundreds of miles, saying, "We are
Universalists, where I live; we are troubled with the Methodists, and
the various sects; won't you come and use them up for us; we want them
whipped out."

Vol. 3, p.92
It is only parts and portions of the Gospel that you hear; a little
here, and a little there, scattered all over the world. Now let the
hearts of the children of men be enlightened; let them be awakened to
understand the designs of the Lord, in the salvation of man, and what
will their voices echo one to another? I will tell you what would be
the feeling of every heart; salvation, glory, hallelujah to God and
the Lamb, forever and ever. Why? Because of His abundant mercy and
compassion; because His wisdom has devised for us, that which we could
not have devised for ourselves. That is what all creation would do.

Vol. 3, p.92
I will take up another thread of my discourse, by observing, that a
few men upon the earth, have found an item of truth, here and there,
and incorporated it with their own wisdom, and taught the world that
the Lord designs to save all mankind, no matter what they do. Another
portion will catch at the Calvinistic principles; they hold that the
Lord has fore-ordained this, that, and the other, and vigorously
contend that the Lord did decree, and did fore-ordain whatsoever
comes to pass, and away they [p.93] run. Another comes along with free
salvation to all; he has caught that principle, and away they all go,
deprecating everything else, only the little particle each one has
incorporated to himself.

Vol. 3, p.93
It is this that makes the variance in the religious world. We see a
party here, and a party there, crying, "Lo here, and lo there;" and
the people are contending bitterly with each other, nation against
nation, society against society, and man against man, each seeking to
destroy the other, or bring them to this little particle of doctrine,
that each one thinks is just right. It is right, as far as it goes.

Vol. 3, p.93
Man is made an agent to himself before his God; he is organized for
the express purpose, that he may become like his master. You recollect
one of the Apostle's sayings, that when we see Him, we shall be like
Him; and again, we shall become Gods, even the sons of God. Do you
read anywhere, that we shall possess all things? Jesus is the elder
brother, and all the brethren shall come in for a share with him; for
an equal share, according to their works and calling, and they shall
be crowned with him. Do you read of any such thing as the Savior
praying, that the Saints might be one with him, as he and the Father
are one? The Bible is full of such doctrine, and there is no harm in
it, as long as it agrees with the New Testament.

Vol. 3, p.93
I will continue the point I am now at. The Lord created you and me for
the purpose of becoming Gods like Himself; when we have been proved in
our present capacity, and been faithful with all things He puts into
our possession. We are created, we are born for the express purpose of
growing up from the low estate of manhood, to become Gods like unto
our Father in heaven. That is the truth about it, just as it is. The
Lord has organized mankind for the express purpose of increasing in
that intelligence and truth, which is with God, until he is capable of
creating worlds on worlds, and becoming Gods, even the sons of God.

Vol. 3, p.93
How many will become thus privileged? Those who honor the Father and
the Son; those who receive the Holy Ghost, and magnify their calling,
and are found pure and holy; they shall be crowned in the presence of
the Father and the Son. Who else? Not anybody. What becomes of all the
rest. Are you going to cast them down, and sink them to the bottom of
the bottomless pit, to be angels to the devil? Who are his angels? No
man nor woman, unless they receive the Gospel of salvation, and then
deny it, and altogether turn away from it, sacrificing to themselves
the Son of God afresh. They are the only ones who will suffer the
wrath of God to all eternity.

Vol. 3, p.93
How much does it take to prepare a man, or woman, or any being, to
become angels to the devil, to suffer with him to all eternity? Just
as much as it does to prepare a man to go into the celestial kingdom,
into the presence of the Father and the Son, and to be made an heir to
His kingdom, and all His glory, and be crowned with crowns of glory,
immortality, and eternal lives. Now who will be damned to all
eternity? Will any of the rest of mankind? No; not one of them.

Vol. 3, p.93
The very heathen we were talking about; if they have a law, no matter
who made it, and do the best they know how, they will have a glory
which is beyond your imagination, by any description I might give; you
cannot conceive of the least portion of the glory of God prepared for
His beings, the workmanship of His hands; for these people who are
seated before me, who are the sons and daughters, legitimately so, of
our Father in heaven, they all sprung from Him; it hath not entered
into [p.94] the heart of man to conceive what He has prepared for
them.

Vol. 3, p.94
The Lord sent forth His Gospel to the people; He said, I will give it
to my son Adam, from whom Methuselah received it; and Noah received it
from Methuselah; and Melchisedek administered to Abraham. In the days
of Noah, the people generally rejected it. All those who became
acquainted with its principles, and thereby were made acquainted with,
and tasted the power of salvation, and turned away therefrom, became
angels to the devil.

Vol. 3, p.94
Let us apply it directly to ourselves, who have received the truth,
and tasted of the good word of God. Let me turn around with you and
reject it, and teach our children that it is an untruth, teach the
same to our neighbors, and that it is a burlesque to our senses; let
us deny the Lord that bought us, what would be the result? Our
children would grow up in unbelief, and the sin would rest upon our
heads. Suppose we are faithful, and the people will not believe our
testimony, we shall receive our reward, the same as though they did
believe it.

Vol. 3, p.94
Suppose the inhabitants of the earth were before me, those who have
died, what shall we say of them? Have they gone to heaven, or to hell?
There is a saying of a wise man in the Bible, like this: "Who knoweth
the spirit of a man that goeth upward or the spirit of the beast that
goeth downward?" All have spirits, I should suppose, by this. Again,
there is another saying, "The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away,
and blessed be the name of the Lord." Man dies, and his spirit goes to
God who gave it. All these things are within the scope of the Gospel
sermon; all these principles are embraced in this great Gospel
discourse.

Vol. 3, p.94
What shall we say without going to the Scriptures at all? Where do the
spirits of this people go to, when they lay down their tabernacles?
They go into the presence of God, and are at the pleasure of the
Almighty. Do they go to the Father and the Son, and there be
glorified? No; they do not. If a spirit goes to God who gave it, it
does not stay there. We are all the time in the presence of the Lord,
but our being in the presence of the Lord, does not make it follow
that He is in our presence; the spirits of men are understood to go
into the presence of the Lord, when they go into the spiritual world.

Vol. 3, p.94
The Prophet lays down his body, he lays down his life, and his spirit
goes to the world of spirits; the persecutor of the Prophet dies, and
he goes to Hades; they both go to one place, and they are not to be
separated yet. Now, understand, that this is part of the great sermon
the Lord is preaching in his providence, the righteous and the wicked
are together in Hades. If we go back to our mother country, we there
find the righteous and the wicked.

Vol. 3, p.94
If we go back to our mother country, the States, we there find the
righteous, and we there find the wicked; if we go to California, we
there find the righteous and the wicked, all dwelling together; and
when we go beyond this vail, and leave our bodies which were taken
from mother earth, and which must return; our spirits will pass beyond
the vail; we go where both Saints and sinners go; they all go to one
place. Does the devil have power over the spirits of just men? No.
When he gets through with this earth, he is at the length of his
chain. He only has permission to have power and dominion on this
earth, pertaining to this mortal tabernacle; and when we step through
the vail, all are in the presence of God. What did one of the ancients
say? "Whither shall I go from thy spirit, and whither shall I flee
from thy presence; if I  ascend up into heaven, thou art [p.95] there;
if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there; if I take the wings
of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the earth, even
there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." Where
is the end of His power? He is omnipotent, and fills immensity by His
agents, by His influence, by His Spirit, and by His ministers. We are
in the presence of God there, as we are here. Does the enemy have
power over the righteous? No. Where are the spirits of the ungodly?
They are in prison. Where are the spirits of the righteous, the
Prophets, and the Apostles? They are in prison, brethren; that is
where they are.

Vol. 3, p.95
Now let us notice a little experience, lest some of you should be
startled at this idea. How do you feel, Saints, when you are filled
with the power and love of God? You are just as happy as your bodies
can bear. What would be your feelings, suppose you should be in
prison, and filled with the power and love of God; would you be
unhappy? No. I think prisons would palaces prove, if Jesus dwelt
there. This is experience. I know it is a startling idea to say that
the Prophet and the persecutor of the Prophet, all go to prison
together. What is the condition of the righteous? They are in
possession of the spirit of Jesus—the power of God which is their
heaven; Jesus will administer to them; angels will administer to them;
and they have a privilege of seeing and understanding more than you or
I have, in the flesh but they have not got their bodies yet,
consequently they are in prison. When will they be crowned, and
brought into the presence of the Father and the Son? Not until they
have got their bodies; this is their glory. What did the holy martyrs
die for? Because of the promise of receiving bodies, glorified bodies,
in the morning of the resurrection. For this they lived, and patiently
suffered, and for this they died. In the presence of the Father, and
the Son, they cannot dwell, and be crowned, until the work of the
redemption of both body and spirit is completed. What is the condition
of the wicked? They are in prison. Are they happy? No; They have
stepped through the vail, to the place where the vail of the covering
is taken from their understanding. They fully understand that they
have persecuted the just and Holy One, and they feel the wrath of the
Almighty resting upon them, having a terrible foreboding of the final
consummation of their just sentence, to become angels to the devil;
just as it is in this world, precisely.

Vol. 3, p.95
Has the devil power to afflict, and cast the spirit into torment? No!
We have gained the ascendency over him. It is in this world only he
has power to cause affliction and sickness, pain and distress, sorrow,
anguish, and disappointment; but when we go there, behold! the enemy
of Jesus has come to the end of his chain; he has finished his work of
torment; he cannot come any further; we are beyond his reach, and the
righteous sleep in peace, while the spirit is anxiously looking
forward to the day when the Lord will say, "Awake my Saints, you have
slept long enough;" for the trump of God shall sound, and the sleeping
dust shall arise, and the absent spirits return, to be united with
their bodies; and they will become personages of tabernacle, like the
Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ; yea Gods in eternity.

Vol. 3, p.95
They look forward with great anxiety to that day, and their happiness
will not be complete—their glory will not attain to the final
consummation of its fulness, until they have entered into the
immediate presence of the Father and the Son, to be crowned, as Jesus
will be, when the work is finished. When it is wound up, the [p.96]
text is preached, in all its divisions, pertaining to the redemption
of the world, and the final consummation of all things; then the
Savior will present the work to the Father, saying, "Father, I have
finished the work thou gavest me to do;" and the Son will give it up
to the Father, and then be subject to Him, and then he will be
crowned, and that is the time you and I will be crowned also.

Vol. 3, p.96
We will notice, by this, that all the nations of the earth, with the
exception of those who have apostatized from the Gospel salvation;
every son and daughter of Adam, except those who have denied the Holy
Ghost, after having received it, are placed in prison with the rest of
them, with Prophets, Priests, and Saints. Suppose we quote a little
Scripture on this point. Jesus died to redeem the world. Did his body
lay in the tomb? Did his spirit leave his body? Yes. Where did his
spirit go, you may inquire? I do not know that I can tell you any
better than what the ancient Apostle has told it; he says he went to
preach to the spirits in prison. Who are they to whom he went to
preach? the people who lived in the antediluvian world. He preached
the Gospel to them in the spirit, that they might be judged according
to men in the flesh.

Vol. 3, p.96
What shall we say of the people who live in the 19th century? When any
of the Latter-day Elders or Apostles die, and leave this world,
suffice it to say, that their spirits go to that prison, and preach
the Gospel to those who have died without hearing it; and every spirit
shall be judged precisely as though he lived in the flesh, when the
fulness of the Gospel was upon the earth. This leads to the subject of
the saving and redeeming powers possessed by the righteous; but we
shall not have time this morning to treat upon it, suffice it to say,
that saviors are coming up, in the last days, upon mount Zion.

Vol. 3, p.96
This I say of every son and daughter of Adam, Prophets, Priests, and
those that slew the Prophets, all go to prison; the Elders of this
Church go there, and there continue their labors; and by and bye you
will see Zion redeemed, and saviors will come up upon mount Zion. The
faithful Elders will come, and go forward in the ordinances of God,
that our ancestors, and all who have died previous to the restoration
of the Gospel in these last days, may be redeemed.

Vol. 3, p.96
Now, ye Elders of Israel, when you say that John Wesley went to hell,
say that Joseph Smith went there too. When you tell about Judas
Iscariot going to hell, say that Jesus went there too. The world
cannot see the whole of the Gospel sermon at one glance; they can only
pick up a little here, and a little there. They that do understand it
from the beginning to the end, know that is as straight as a line can
be drawn. You cannot find a compass on the earth, that points, so
directly, as the Gospel plan of salvation. It has a place for every
thing, and puts everything in its place. It divides, and sub-divides,
and gives to every portion of the human family, as circumstances
require.

Vol. 3, p.96
It is for us to get rid of that tradition in which we are incased, and
bring up our children in the way they should go, that when they get
old, they will not depart from it. It is your privilege and mine, to
enjoy the visions of the Spirit of the Lord, every one in his own
order, just as the Lord has ordained it, that every man and woman may
know for themselves, if they are doing right, according to the great
plan of salvation. I have only touched a little of the great Gospel
sermon, and  the time has come, that we must close our meeting; so may
the Lord God of Israel bless you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.97] 

Orson Pratt, October 22, 1854

Language, or the Medium of Communication in the Future 
State, and the Increased Powers of Locomotion 

A Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
October 22, 1854.

Vol. 3, p.97
By the request of President Kimball, I arise this afternoon for the
purpose of speaking to the Saints upon whatever subject may be
presented to my mind; at the same time earnestly desiring that the
prayers of the Saints, who sit before me, may ascend up before the
Lord in my behalf, that I may be able to speak those things that will
be calculated to edify you, and do you good.

Vol. 3, p.97
It is delightful to me, to speak of the things that belong to the
salvation of the human family—to speak of God and of His works, plans,
and purposes, so far as they are revealed for the salvation and
benefit of man.

Vol. 3, p.97
But, at the same time, I realize that there is but a small degree—a
very small degree, indeed, of the purposes of God unfolded to the mind
of man. The amount of knowledge, which we in our present state are in
possession of, is extremely limited, so that when compared with that
vast amount of knowledge that fills eternity, we might say that man,
in his highest attainments here in this life, is, as it were, nothing.
However far he may expand his intellectual powers, and faculties by
studying, by meditation, by seeking unto the Lord diligently for the
inspiration Of the Spirit, yet all that he can possibly receive and
attain to here is, comparatively speaking, nothing. Moses was a man
possessed of like passions with other men; he was a man similar to
ourselves, but he had by his perseverance, diligence, and faithfulness
obtained great favor and power with God; so that by this favor and
through this power, he was enabled to obtain greater information and
knowledge than the rest of the human family that were on the earth at
that period; and far greater in some things than what we have attained
to in this generation; at the same time, when the grand and wonderful
intelligence of heaven was portrayed before the mind of Moses, and
knowledge was poured out from the heavens upon him, he exclaimed
before the Lord, "Now I know for this once that man is nothing."

Vol. 3, p.97
If there were a being then upon the face of the earth, that had a
reason to suppose that man was something, it was Moses; but yet in the
midst of the visions of the Almighty, and the vast field of knowledge
that was opened to his mind—while he was yet gazing upon the
workmanship of the hands of God, and looking into the intricacies of
the construction of this world—in the midst of all this, he considered
himself nothing. That is just the way I feel; and I presume it is the
way that almost every one feels who contemplates the greatness of God,
and the immensity of knowledge that there is far beyond our reach in
this present state of existence. At the same time, when we compare our
knowledge and our intellectual powers with the glimmerings of light
that we see manifested in the brute creation, we may exclaim that man
is something—that [p.98] he is advanced far beyond the apparent
manifestations of knowledge that exist among the lower orders of
beings. He is, indeed, something compared with the small glimmerings
of light that exist in the brute creation, in the beasts of the field,
in the fowls of the air, and in the fishes of the sea; all these have
some degree of knowledge and understanding; and some of them have some
degree of information and knowledge that man is not in possession of.
Man designates such intelligence by the name of instinct; they seem to
be guided by a principle that man, naturally speaking, is not in
possession of; but yet, when we contemplate the reasoning powers and
faculties of man—the rational faculty—the abstract ideas that are
capable of dwelling in his mind, and then look at the brute creation,
we see a vast difference between the two.

Vol. 3, p.98
Mankind, in one sense, are far above the brutes, and not only this,
but they are above even some of the angels; for there are certain
orders of angels that are far beneath man; they have not progressed in
the great scale of being—in the scale of wisdom, knowledge, and
intelligence to the same extent as we have; and consequently they are
beneath us; they are lower than we are; they have not attained to the
same degree of information that we are in possession of; hence we read
that man shall judge angels; the Saints are to judge, not only the
world—the wicked world, and also one another, but they are to judge
angels. Why? Because they are superior, or will be at the time they
shall sit in judgment and decide upon the cases brought before them by
the angels; they will rule over the angels, or in other words, the
angels will be subject to them. This we read in the laws that God has
revealed to this Church. We read that there are a certain class of
beings, who, because they have not fulfilled the law of God, will, in
the next state, enjoy no higher privileges than those of the angels;
they will remain angels, while others who have kept the celestial law
in all its bearings—in its ordinances, and institutions, and have
claimed the privileges of the Saints of God, will be exalted to a
higher sphere; they will have greater knowledge and information, and
those angels being of a lower order of intelligence will be subject to
them, and will minister for them, in carrying out their purposes and
designs in the wide field of action in the eternal worlds.

Vol. 3, p.98
All these, then, in one sense of the word, are something, instead of
being nothing; for all of the works of God are intended to show forth
His wisdom, power, and goodness, whether it is in the formation of
man, in the formation of the brute creation, or in the formation of
the highest or lowest order of intelligence. God is there; His
intelligence and power are there; His wisdom and goodness are there;
and all His works are marked by His great and glorious attributes.

Vol. 3, p.98
There is something calculated to give great joy and happiness to the
mind of man in the idea of improvement, so long as there is anything.
to be learned—in the idea of progressing and expanding those
principles of light and intelligence that already exist within these
tabernacles. There is a joy—a satisfaction, existing in the mind of
the righteous man, in the discovery of every additional truth; it
matters not whether he himself attains this truth by experience, by
reason, by reflection, by immediate revelation from higher powers, or
by a revelation from his fellow man. It matters not how or in what way
or manner he obtains this new truth, it is calculated to inspire his
heart with joy and happiness. We see this illustrated in some small
degree in the scientific discoveries of modern ages, as well as in
those of ancient times.[p.99] 

Vol. 3, p.99
If we can depend upon the declarations of the discoverers, who, after
long and toilsome researches after some hidden truth, at length, have
obtained the key that leads to that  truth; they make use of it; the
door  of knowledge and wisdom is unlocked to them, and they find out
and discover something new; it is demonstrated to their minds, and
they know it to be true. There is a perceptive faculty, existing in
the bosom of man, that is capable of perceiving light and truth, when
it is clearly manifested;  such truths are as certain and as sure to
him as any other truths; when he obtains the knowledge which he has
long hunted after, and spent years, perhaps, in close meditation,
reasoning, and study in order to obtain, it gives him such a joy,
satisfaction, and ecstacy, that he is hardly capable of retaining
himself in the body. The mind of that great man Sir Isaac Newton, one
of the great discoverers in modern times, was exercised in a wonderful
manner. About the time he unfolded the great law that governs the
bodies in the universe, which he termed the law of universal
gravitation; his mind was so affected, so full of joy, and so
overcome, when he was about laying bare the great truths this law
unfolded, that he had to obtain the assistance of some one present in
carrying out the calculations.

Vol. 3, p.99
If these scientific truths will have such an effect upon the mind of
man how much greater ought the joy to be, in the hearts of the
children of men, in relation to those still greater truths that
pertain to eternal life and the exaltation of man in the eternal
world!

Vol. 3, p.99
If those truths which only have a bearing upon the present state of
existence, are calculated to impart joy and happiness so intense, as
almost to overpower the mortal tabernacle of man, are not those still
greater truths that proceed from heaven by the ministration of angels,
by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by the visions of the Almighty,
calculated to impart still greater joy and happiness to the mind of
man? They certainly are.

Vol. 3, p.99
There is something glorious in the contemplation of that period of
time, when we shall come in possession of greater truths, even before
we do obtain them; for we have the promise given to us by the
Almighty, that more truths will be revealed and unfolded; and just the
bare anticipation of these truths, before they are revealed, are
calculated to give great joy and happiness to the mind of man. Now
what do we anticipate brethren and sisters; What are we looking for? I
stated to you last Sabbath, that we were looking for a future
existence after this mortal body shall crumble back to its mother
elements. I also endeavored last Sabbath to inquire into the nature of
this future state of existence in some small degree; at the same time,
reminding you that in one short discourse it would be utterly
impossible to point out the apparent differences, or at least, the
real and supposed differences that will exist between man in his
present state, and in his future state. There will be a great
difference in many respects, and in other respects, a very little
difference.

Vol. 3, p.99
Now let us touch, for a few moments, upon a principle in regard to the
communication of knowledge between man and man, in his future state.
We know how we communicate knowledge one to another here; it is by
speaking, by writing, by arbitrary sounds that we convey our ideas one
to another, and reveal knowledge, instruction, and truth one to
another. This is a very imperfect medium of communication,
consequently man progresses slowly, very slowly, indeed, in obtaining
truth. But supposing that we could have revealed to us from on high a
language more pure and heavenly, that is a perfect language, so
[p.100] far as it can be made perfect, and be adapted to our present
state of existence; let such a language be revealed to us; let us
learn it; let us obtain a knowledge of all the various symbols of the
same, by which we could communicate our ideas one to another,
perfectly, without any ambiguity or uncertainty in the ideas, would
not this be a medium by which mankind could greatly enlarge their
ideas and knowledge of things? Could not those that have progressed in
the principles of truth and righteousness more readily impart their
ideas to others? Now we find, in consequence of the imperfection of
our language, that it is very difficult, indeed, to communicate
readily our ideas to others, so that we have to spend years and years
to instil into the minds of children and youth, some very easy and
simple principles of knowledge. It is in one sense owing to the
weakness of the capacity and intellect in early age, but it is still
more owing to the imperfection of language by which these ideas are
communicated. [The speaker here asked a blessing upon the bread.]

Vol. 3, p.100
We were speaking upon the imperfect medium, here in this life, by
which we convey our ideas one to another. Let us now compare our
present means of obtaining knowledge with the facilities which are no
doubt, in store for the people of God. Will there be a pure language
restored? There will; through the testimony of the prophets. We are
also told that tongues shall cease. We are to understand by this that
the great varieties of languages and tongues that have existed on the
earth for many ages, are to be done away; they are to cease; now
something must take the place of those imperfect, confused languages
and tongues. What is that something? It is a language that is spoken
by higher orders of beings than ourselves; that is, beings that have
progressed further thorn ourselves; it is that same language that was
spoken for nearly two thousand years after the creation; that was
spoken by Adam and by his children, from generation to generation that
came down to the flood, and was taught extensively among the children
of Noah until the Lord by a direct miracle caused the people to forget
their own mother tongue, and gave them a variety of new tongues that
they had no knowledge of, and by this means scattered them abroad upon
the face of the whole earth; and now that same Being that destroyed
the memory of the people at the building of the tower, so that they
could not remember their own mother tongue, and the same Being that
gave to them new languages and tongues, will operate again by His
power to do away this curse, for I consider it a curse, and the
blessing will be as great and as extensive as the curse, in destroying
it from the face of the earth. This is a poor medium of communication
between man and man. Whether this pure language here spoken of, which
is to be spoken here upon the earth among mankind in their mortal
state, is to be as perfect as the language that has to be spoken in
our immrtal state, is not for us to say; but still we may draw some
conclusions upon this matter, from the fact that things in the eternal
world will in some measure be different from what they are here.

Vol. 3, p.100
For instance; how do you suppose that spirits after they leave these
bodies, communicate one with another? Do they communicate their ideas
by the actual vibrations of the atmosphere the same as we do? I think
not. I think if we could be made acquainted with the kind of language
by which spirits converse with spirits, we would find that they do not
communicate their ideas in this manner; they have a more refined way;
I mean that portion of them that are in the  [p.101] school of
progress; they have undoubtedly a more refined system among them of
communicating their ideas.  This system will be so constructed that
they can, not only communicate  at the same moment upon one subject,
as we have to do by making sounds in  the atmosphere, but communicate
vast numbers of ideas, all at the same time, on a great variety of
subjects; and the mind will be capable of perceiving them. Perhaps
there may be some who consider this altogether an improbability. They
may consider it very improbable that the mind should be able to take
in a vast collection of ideas, on different subjects, all at once, and
be able to digest and comprehend them; if the mind has such faculty as
this, then there must necessarily be a language adapted to such a
capacity of the mind; not an imperfect medium of communication to
convey a few simple ideas upon one subject at a time, as is done here,
but a language exactly adapted to the capacity; if the capacity, is
greater, then the language must be more refined than what it is here,
in order to communicate in the same ratio that the capacity is capable
of receiving and understanding. It is impossible for man to
communicate, by our present language, any more than one chain of ideas
at the same time. There may be other ideas suggested to the individual
who is hearing, but the ideas of the individual who is speaking are
always in one line, giving one idea at a time; and the mind seems
hardly capable here in the mortal tabernacle, for some reason, of
receiving more than one idea at a time, or at least a very few, and
such ideas follow each other in quick succession. In the spirit state,
we have reason to believe, that inasmuch as there is such a vast field
of knowledge to be learned, their medium of communication will be
adapted to the nature and capacity of the mind to grasp in a variety
of subjects and digest them all at once.

Vol. 3, p.101
Well inquires one, "Can you imagine up any such system, or language in
this, world?" I can imagine up one, but it cannot be made practicable
here, from the fact that the mind of man is unable to use it. For
instance, the Book of Mormon tells us, that the angels speak by the
power of the Holy Ghost, and man when under the influence of it,
speaks the language of angels. Why does he speak in this language?
Because the Holy Ghost suggests the ideas which he speaks; and it
gives him utterance to convey them to the people. Suppose the Holy
Ghost should suggest to the mind of an individual a vast multitude of
truths, I mean when in the spiritual state, and he wished to convey
that intelligence and knowledge to his fellow spirit; suppose, instead
of having arbitrary sounds, such as we have here, to communicate these
ideas, that the Holy Ghost itself, through a certain process and
power, should enable him to unfold that knowledge to another spirit,
all in an instant, without this long tedious process of artificial and
arbitrary sounds, and written words. The fact is, if celestial spirits
were so organized, and so constructed, as to close up their own ideas
in their own bosoms, from those in a lower condition, or to disclose
them at their own pleasure, according to the mind and wisdom of the
Holy Ghost, and others were so organized and constituted as to receive
these ideas by the power of the Holy Ghost, it would be just as good a
communication between man and man—between spirit and spirit, as any
other medium, and perhaps far better. Now, I have quite an idea that
this will be one of the great helps in the eternal world, by which
knowledge will be poured out more abundantly upon the mind of man; it
will be by this aid; by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that they
[p.102] will progress faster than here, they will learn more rapidly;
the intellectual powers will be more expanded.

Vol. 3, p.102
There is something of this nature that God has revealed. You may think
I am now reasoning altogether upon conjecture, and only to be received
as such; well, we will let it go as such; but still there are some
glimmerings of light 'and intelligence, which God has revealed in
regard to these superior beings in the eternal world, which show us
that some such economy will be carried on in the future world. For
instance, how does God perceive the thoughts of our hearts? Is there
not here a language by which He can discover and discern the thoughts
and intents of the heart? Are we not told in many of the revelations
how that God can perceive the thoughts of man, and that for every idle
thought we are to be brought into judgment? Yes, He discerns the
thoughts, and the intents of the hearts of the children of men.
Suppose we had some of that power resting upon us, would not that be a
different kind of a language from sound, or from a written language?
It would. If spirits could commune with spirits, and one higher
intelligence commune with another, by the same principle through which
God sees the thoughts and intents of the heart, it would be nothing
more than what has already existed here in this world, according to
that which is revealed.

Vol. 3, p.102
Much might be said upon this subject; it is a glorious subject to
contemplate; and it is that which gives joy to the mind of every
righteous man who desires the truth; he knows how happy the principle
of truth makes him here, when he discerns it, or it is revealed to
him; and if he can get his mind fixed upon a more glorious economy,
wherein truth can be unfolded more rapidly, and in such a way that
there can be no possibility of mistaking it for error; the very
anticipation of it is calculated to inspire the heart of every
individual to be faithful in all things, that he may enter into the
enjoyment of those blessings which are ahead.

Vol. 3, p.102
There are a great many things to be contemplated, in connection with
man in his future state, compared with his present. One principle I
mentioned to you last Sabbath; that mankind would be able, through the
power of the Holy Ghost, to obtain a knowledge of a vast number of
things at once, and of a vast portion of the works. if God all at
once, the same as Moses did when he looked upon every particle of this
earth and discerned it by the Spirit of God, not only all the various
continents and islands, but every particle of the interior of it; all
was presented before his mind at once. He did not have to reason out
the knowledge concerning these particles; neither did he have to look
at one particle of it at a time, but he had the faculty by which he
could look at more than one thing at once; he could look at almost an
infinite number at the same time; for there are more particles in one
grain of sand than we could number in all our life if we lived to be a
thousand years old; and if Moses could look upon every particle, and
behold the whole all at once, he must have had the capacity of looking
in all directions in the same moment, and of beholding it by the
Spirit. Here was a language by which he conversed with nature; with
the works of God; and the Spirit that is m connexion with the works of
God—that is in all creation—conversed with Moses, for the Spirit of
God is in all things, around about all things, through all things, and
the law by which all things are governed. When that Spirit, which is
thus diffused through all the materials of nature,  undertakes to
converse with the minds of men, it converses in a different kind of
language from that we use in [p.103] our imperfect state. It
communicates ideas more rapidly—more fully, and unfolds a world of
knowledge in a moment. But the Lord told Moses that a man in the flesh
could not see all His glory, without seeing all His works; and that no
man could behold all His works and afterwards remain in the flesh.
Though the Spirit opened the mind of Moses, so that he could converse,
as it were, with this one world, and discern every particle of it, and
understand all about it; yet there was a stopping point; he was not
permitted to gaze upon the particles of the moon, the sun, the
planets, and fixed stars, and of the other worlds which God had made,
only so far as God thought fit to open his mind to gaze upon His
works; but the same Spirit is in the sun, and is the power thereof by
which it is governed; the same Spirit is in the moon, and is the power
thereof by which it was made; the same Spirit is also in the planets,
and fixed stars, and it is the power thereof by which they are
governed. I say the same Spirit, existing in all these worlds, could
converse with the mind of man, as it conversed with Moses, and unfold
their particles, and all things connected with them with the same ease
as it unfolded, the particles of this earth.

Vol. 3, p.103
So you see that there is a language in the spirit world that can
communicate more to the mind in one minute than could be learned here
in a hundred years of intense study and reasoning. There is an
eternity of knowledge. There are worlds, as it were, without number;
kingdoms without number; personages without number; intellectual
beings of all grades and orders without number; and all these have
their laws, their governments, their kingdoms, their thrones, their
principalities, their powers, all moving and acting in the sphere in
which they are placed; and they all have their way of communication
one with another; therefore, when the Apostle says, that tongues shall
cease, he had reference to the imperfect tongues upon the earth;
knowledge will not cease, but knowledge in part will be done away, not
knowledge in full. Says the Apostle Paul, "We know in part, and we
prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away." These imperfect things will be
done away, and we shall be able by the power of the Holy Ghost to
obtain a language by which the angels speak, and by which a higher
order of beings speak, and by these means attain to a greater degree
of knowledge, that will produce a greater amount of happiness.

Vol. 3, p.103
What is the body compared with the mind? Just nothing at all
comparatively speaking. Hence the Savior says, in one of the new
revelations, "Care not for the body, nor for the life of the body, but
care for the soul, and the life of the soul." Again, the Savior says
to his Apostles, Why take ye thought for raiment, what ye shall eat,
what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. "Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they
spin: And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was
not arrayed like one of these." The body is of but little worth
compared with that being which dwells within the body, it is not a
perceptive being; if it is, we have not learned it; the body is not
capable of feeling pain; if it is, we have never learned it; it is the
spirit then that receives joy, happiness, and, pleasure, that
rejoices, fears, and hopes; it is the spirit, then, that possesses all
these feelings and sensations of joy; happiness, pain, or misery. And
when we speak about the dissolution, and death of the body, it is only
the crumbling back of these courser materials of earth, but the
intellectual being [p.104] lives, and will enjoy happiness to a
greater extent. It is only our transition state, as it were, like some
worms that creep out of their shells in the form of a butterfly;
instead of crawling around like a snail, they burst their shells, they
take the wings of the morning, and fly to the uttermost parts of the
earth; not only their sphere of knowledge is extended, but their power
of locomotion; so it will be when we burst these mortal shells; it is
not death in one sense of the word, but it is only getting out of the
prison we got by the fall. If Adam had not fallen, we should not have
come here; but having come here, and these mortal tabernacles having
produced pain and distress upon the spirit, we look forward to the
joyful time, when we shall burst them, and our sphere of action become
more enlarged, and our locomotive powers become greatly increased.

Vol. 3, p.104
Only look at the sluggishness of man in the mortal tabernacle, and
then compare it with those swift messengers sent from the eternal
worlds to administer to all the creations of the Almighty; they are
sent from world to world; they do not have to travel as we do, taking
three months to get a thousand miles across the plains, but they mount
up as with wings of eagles, they run and are not weary as we are, they
walk and are not faint. I do not know whether they get fagued or not
in that world; but it seems that we, who have come into this world,
are in conditions and circumstances wherein we need to replenish the
mortal tabernacle; we need refreshment, and have to lie down and sleep
that the body may be refreshed. Give me that state where the active
faculties of man—where the intellectual powers will never become
weary, when they will be like God who rules the universe, whose eye is
ever upon the works of His hands; every moment discerning the intents
and thoughts of our hearts, and who governs creation with His power.
Let as look forward to that state of more advanced happiness when this
mortal shell shall be laid off; and when we, in the spiritual state,
shall be enabled to enjoy those enlarged powers of locomotion which we
have reason to expect.

Vol. 3, p.104
How much do we expect? That we may fly swiftly to other worlds on
missions. We would not want to occupy three months the, in going from
the earth to the moon, or from the earth to the sun, as we do in
crossing these plains with ox teams, but we wish to go with greater
velocity. If we go with the velocity of light, we should travel at the
rate of one hundred and ninety-two thousand miles every second. There
are substances in nature which are moving with this velocity. What is
it that moves with this velocity? Is it any thing else but spirit? The
light we see is spirit. What does the Lord say in one of the new
revelations? "Ye shall live by every word that cometh out of the mouth
of God; whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is
spirit," consequently the light that comes from the sun is spirit. How
fast does that spirit travel? It can be demonstrated that it can
travel one hundred and ninety-two thousand miles per second; if then
one portion of spirit can travel with that velocity, it is natural for
us to suppose that any other portions of spirit can travel with the
same velocity, and thus we shall be able to accomplish, and perform a
greater amount of righteousness among other worlds and beings, than if
we were compelled to lose three fourths, or nine tenths of our time on
the journey.

Vol. 3, p.104
Let us look forward to a different, state of being from what we are
now in; it will be different in some respects, and in  other respects
it will be the same. We shall be there, and [p.105] fully conscious of
our having been here, and remember all our actions; this is clearly
taught in the Book of Mormon. The wicked will remember all their
wicked actions; their memory will be perfect there, and every act of
their lives here will be imprinted on the tablets of the memory. Here
we can remember but few things; almost all the knowledge we have at
one time, at another is gone from the tablet of our memory; but still
it is there, and it will come out, like the daguerreotype likeness;
that which appears to be erased from the mind will stand forth in bold
relief and we shall read it, and be conscious that we were the beings
that aid so and so in this life. The righteous will remember all their
acts, and it will produce a pleasant sensation upon their minds; we
treated upon the subject of memory last Sabbath.

Vol. 3, p.105
May the Lord bless us, and may His Spirit be continually poured out
upon us, and may it inspire our hearts with truth, and with a desire
to work righteousness all the day long. And do not forget to look for
ward to those joys ahead, if we do, we will become careless, dormant,
and sluggish, and we will think we do not see much ahead to be
anticipated, but if we keep our minds upon the prize that lays
ahead—upon the vast fields of knowledge to be poured out upon the
righteous, and the glories that are to be revealed, and the heavenly
things in the future state, we shall be continually upon the alert; we
are beings that are only to live here for a moment, as it were. Let
these things sink down in our minds continually, and they will make us
joyful, and careful to do unto our neighbors as we would they should
do unto us. Lest we should come short of some of these things is the
reason I have touched upon the future state of man the two Sabbaths
past, to stir up the pure minds of the Saints that we may prepare for
the things that are not far ahead, and let all the actions of our
lives have a bearing in relation to the future. May the Lord bless us
for Christ's sake. Amen.

Heber C. Kimball, March 19, 1854

Education—the Resurrection—the World of Spirits 

A Discourse by President H. C. Kimball, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
March 19, 1854.

Vol. 3, p.105
During the past winter I have spoken but seldom in this tabernacle;
for I have been engaged in teaching in other places.

Vol. 3, p.105
Were the false traditions of past and present generations thrown off
entirely, it would be much to the advantage of this people, and of the
human family. Jesus Christ could not teach his disciples as freely,
and as  publicly as he otherwise would, had he not been bound from the
same cause.

Vol. 3, p.105
There are many who think that because they are unlearned, they have
not the same amount of tradition as those who are learned; but there
is not much difference between the two classes in this respect. The
inhabitants of the whole earth are coated over, as it were, with false
traditions; [p.106] which form an almost impenetrable barrier to the
shafts of truth.

Vol. 3, p.106
I am not what the world calls a learned man; neither is President
Young. We never went to any college except the one sustained by the
Latter-day Saints, and we have been in that from the beginning. Let me
tell you, gentlemen and ladies, if we had been brought up in palaces,
and been sent to school all the days of our lives to get all the
education of the world, and were practical men only in these things,
would we be of any advantage to this people? A man may pass through a
course of education designed to fit him for a doctor, a minister, or a
lawyer, and it is often the case that he comes out an ignoramus, or
worse than useless member of society.

Vol. 3, p.106
President Young and I were born of poor, but honest and industrious
parents, in the State of Vermont, when it was new; and we have been in
new regions of country from that day to the present time, except when
we were in the British Isles preaching the Gospel of salvation to a
perishing world. We have cleared and subdued the land at various
points from Vermont to this place, so that we have had no opportunity
for becoming what the world calls educated. But if it were possible
for me to exchange my information for that of the most learned man
upon the earth, I would not do it; it would be like exchanging a good
substantial warm suit of clothing for a mess of filthy rags.

Vol. 3, p.106
He has not my experience; it cannot be purchased with money, nor can
men by all their learning attain to it. Although I have not education
of a worldly nature, I have a spirit in me that knows right from
wrong. What is true education, and what is not? There is quite a
difference between the true education that all men should have, and
that which pertains merely to this life, though when coupled together
they are both good.

Vol. 3, p.106
When the flowers begin to bloom on the mountain sides, the ladies try
to imitate them with artificial ones. Which would you rather possess
in education—the real flower, or the artificial one? Would you not
rather have true education, direct from heaven, than the artificial
one of the world? The one educates the head and the heart, the other
the head alone.

Vol. 3, p.106
The circumstances I have named rendered it impossible for me to obtain
the education of this world; yet the education we have received from
God has qualified me and my brethren to instruct kings and rulers, and
bring to nought the wisdom of their wise men.

Vol. 3, p.106
I do not wish you to understand from these remarks that you may, with
propriety, relax your endeavors to educate year children when you have
an opportunity. I should have educated my children; but I have been
poor and penniless. Instead of helping my children who have now come
to maturity, they have been required to help me obtain an honest
subsistence. This would not have been the case could I have retained
my possessions; but no sooner had I accumulated a little property than
it was taken from me by legalized mobs, and neither me nor my brethren
could obtain redress.

Vol. 3, p.106
Query—Which is the most profitable at present to this people, and to
the rising generation—President Young and Heber C. Kimball, or their
children? You will all say, let us have the fathers instead of the
children, for the time being. Some would say, put the children to
school, and let the old men work until they are dead! dead!! dead!!! I
say let the boys help  the father, and let the father and the mother
live as long as they can; and let the daughters [p.107] also do their
part, for life is as sweet to the parents as to the children. Life is
just as sweet to me now as ever it was; but the world has lost its
sweetness to me.                 

Vol. 3, p.107
A person asked me this morning how it was that the enjoyments of this
world, in which he used to take great pleasure, had sunk so much in
his estimation? He said the theatrical performances and other
amusements, used to give him much satisfaction and comfort. Then the
real and substantial pleasure and happiness which he now enjoys in
heavenly realities, was not in his possession; he therefore took
comfort in artificials; but when the real rose, blushing in the midst
of its own heavenly perfume, attracted his notice, the gum flowers
lost their charms.

Vol. 3, p.107
When "Mormonism" absorbs the whole soul, it yields such a rich feast
to the passenger, that earthly enjoyments become insipid and
valueless. I have attended theatrical performances from which good
morals can be gleaned; I have also engaged in the dance which is good
exercise to the body; but when compared with the eternal realities of
our holy religion, these enjoyments are in comparison like chaff to
the sterling wheat; the one contains the essentials of life, the other
is comparatively valueless. When I go to a dance, it is to please my
brethren and my family; at the same time thinking I may perhaps get
the spirit of dancing; and when I do I improve it, and engage in it,
as in "Mormonism," with all my heart, mind and strength.

Vol. 3, p.107
I care not what I do if I do not do wrong, so that it comforts myself,
my  family, or my brethren. But anything that is wrong—anything that
violates  the holy principles of chastity, virtue,  and holiness, I
say away with it, and let me be associated with principles of
righteousness, and you who want it may take the whole budget of the
world and its fleeting pleasures; only let me have the pure unalloyed
metal; and all who desire it are freely welcome to the dross.

Vol. 3, p.107
This people, taking them as a community, I believe would exchange many
errors for one truth, and one truth is worth all the errors in
existence. Yea further—one principle of truth and righteousness is
worth the accumulated wealth of all the world, with all its pomp,
titles, and tinseled show. The dross which is separated from iron ore
is of no great value, but the metal is of worth to make iron and steel
which can be converted into utensils for the use of man, such as
plows, shears, spades, shovels, &c. Gold is valuable as a circulating
medium because of its scarcity compared with other metals; otherwise
it has no particular value more than any other portion of the globe,
only in administering to the necessities of man.

Vol. 3, p.107
So far as we are concerned, we were taken from the earth, and we may
expect to return to it again; and that portion of me which is pure,
after the dross of this mortality is separated from it, I expect will
be brother Heber. It is that which will be resurrected; but all that
is not pure will remain; that is it will not go back into my body
again; and if there are ten parts out of the hundred which are dross
and corruption they will remain in the earth; I do not expect to take
that up again, but I expect to take up the purified element that will
endure for ever; still the dross is beneficial in its place.

Vol. 3, p.107
I expect that will be the case with brother Willard Richards. He has
gone; and it will not be long before brother Brigham and Heber follow
after. He has gone to the world of spirits to engage in a work he
could not do if he had remained in the flesh. I do not believe he
could have done as much work for the general good [p.108] of the cause
of God, had he remained in the flesh, as he can accomplish now in the
spirit; for there is a work to do there—the Gospel to preach, Israel
to gather that they may purify themselves, and become united in one
heart and mind.

Vol. 3, p.108
"What! in the spirit world?" Have I not told you often that the
separation of body and spirit makes no difference in the moral and
intellectual condition of the spirit? When a person, who has always
been good and faithful to his God, lays down his body in the dust, his
spirit will remain the same in the spirit world. It is not the body
that has control over the spirit, as to its disposition, but it is the
spirit that controls the body. When the spirit leaves the body the
body becomes lifeless. The spirit has not changed one single particle
of itself by leaving the body. Were I to fall into a mud-hole I should
strive to extricate myself; but I do not suppose I should be any
better, any more righteous, any more just and holy when I got out of
it, than while I was in it.

Vol. 3, p.108
Our spirits are entangled in these bodies—held captive as it were for
a season. They are like the poor Saints, who are for a tires obliged
to dwell in miserable mud shanties that are mouldering away, and
require, much patching and care to keep them from mingling with mother
earth before the time. They feel miserable in these old decaying
tabernacles, and long for the day when they can leave them to fall and
take possession of a good new house.

Vol. 3, p.108
It seems natural for me to desire to be clothed upon with immortality
and eternal life, and leave this mortal flesh; but I desire to stick
to it as long as I can be a comfort to my sisters, brethren, wives,
and children. Independent of this consideration I would not turn my
hand over to live twenty-five minutes. What else could, give birth to
a single desire to live in this tabernacle, which is more or less
shattered by the merciless storms which have beat upon it, to say
nothing of the ravages made upon it by the tooth of time? While I
cling to it I must of necessity suffer many pains, rheumatism, head
ache, jaw ache, and heart ache; sometimes in one part of my body and
sometimes in another. It is all right; it is so ordained that we may
not cling with too great a tenacity to mortal flesh; but be willing to
pass through the vail and meet with Joseph and Hyrum and Willard and
Bishop Whitney, and thousands of others in the world of spirits.

Vol. 3, p.108
Are they all together as we are today? I believe all Israel have to be
gathered; and to accomplish this the Elders, both in this and the
world of spirits, will go forth to preach to the spirits in prison.
Where? Down into hell. I appeal to the Elders who have been from this
place to preach the Gospel to the world, if it was not like going from
heaven to hell. It is a world of sorrow, pain, death and misery, and
you cannot make anything else of it.

Vol. 3, p.108
Brethren and sisters, I intend to be a Saint in heart and life; but if
I conducted myself as many do, with the knowledge I have, I will tell
you what I would do, and what I would advise you to do in such a
case—leave these valleys. If you do not intend to be faithful, to do
the will of God, and to keep His commandments, if I were in that
situation I would at once withdraw. There are some few who are
leaving, and I am heartily glad of it. If it was a member of my own
house, whom I loved as I do my life, I do not believe my head would
ache because such an one left the society of the Saints on account of
having no inclination to mingle with them. If such were determined to
go, I would say, GO; and I would help them off if they were unable to
get away.[p.109] 

Vol. 3, p.109
I do not feel as I used to when I see a man going away from the
society of the Church of God. I used to be filled with sympathy and
plead with them hours and hours, importuning with them until my head
would ache and my heart sicken; and I never had the satisfaction in
even converting one such character in my life. If I should happen to
get one converted he would not stay converted, so I have concluded,
and I think wisely, to let them go, and not suffer myself to have any
more feelings about it than I would about any of the common
occurrences of life.

Vol. 3, p.109
What are my kindred to me when the counsel of God is in the opposite
scale? They are only as the dust of the balance. Brother Brigham is my
kindred, for we have become kindred spirits; what I say of him will
apply to many more of my brethren. When you hit one of those men you
hit the whole of them.

Vol. 3, p.109
You have often heard me speak about my kindred. Many wish to return to
the old countries to bring out their kindred, their sons and their
daughters, their fathers and their mothers. Why would I not go back
for mine? Because they would abuse me as they always have. When I was
poor and penniless, and so thinly clad that you might well say  I had
the blues, for my face and body looked blue, I went to my friends who
are all independently rich, and said, I am poor and penniless, and
naked, and I am sent forth as a servant of God to the nations of the
earth—will you give me some clothing, or a little money? and not one
soul of them would help me to a single dime.

Vol. 3, p.109
Do you suppose I shall run after them? No. Will they be saved? Yes,
they will, but they will be saved as I have told you many of this
people will; they will first go to hell and remain there until the
corruption with which they are impregnated is burnt out; and the day
will yet come when they will come to me and acknowledge me as their
savior, and I will redeem them and bring them forth from hell to where
I live and make them my servants; and they will be quite willing to
enter into my service.

Vol. 3, p.109
Before we heard "Mormonism," we have said a thousand times, "if we
could but live to see a man of God like Paul, or Peter, James, John,
Timothy, or Jesus Christ, and hear their instructions we would be
willing to suffer any kind or amount of human suffering and not
complain." My friends, who have rejected me and my testimony, will yet
feel so towards me.

Vol. 3, p.109
Who have you now in your midst? Have you Abraham and Isaac, and the
Apostles Peter, James and John? Yes, you have them right in your
midst—they are talking to you all the time. Do you believe it? More or
less of you say you do. But do you know it? Brother Rhoads was saying
what he believed; he says he "believes what brother Brigham says is
the word of God." I say, pray that you may have a knowledge that it is
the word of God, and be able to declare it in the stand, in your
families, and in all the world. What brother Rhoads said was good and
true. Did he not teach us good principles? Yes; he taught us the
revelations of Jesus Christ. I did not hear anything else.

Vol. 3, p.109
I beg of you brethren, and beseech you in the name of Jesus Christ, to
be subject in your office and in your callings. I know you do not
realize your important position as you ought.

Vol. 3, p.109
Some of you will be asking brother Kimball why he does not talk here
as he does up in the Council House? There are very many of this people
who have come here to-day, and perhaps you have said, what is very
commonly said in the world, "Come, wife, let us go to meeting to day
and get warmed up under the droppings of the sanctuary, and become
strengthened [p.110] in our faith." Why did you not attend to that
before you came here to-day? I defy any man on earth to preach the
same to you, as to a few individuals of one heart, and of one mind.

Vol. 3, p.110
There is as great a variety of spirits in this house as there is of
countenances; and there are no two persons who look exactly alike. Is
it not high time there should be a reformation? We must become of one
heart and of one mind, just as though we were one man. Before this
people can enter into the celestial world there must be a great
reformation among them. Every man and woman must know and faithfully
fulfil their duty day by day. Do you think I am disobedient to my file
leaders? I never had such  a disposition in my heart; if I had I would
banish it from me as quick as I would the devil, because such a
disposition is pernicious to the interests of the cause of truth, and
will end in the destruction of those who encourage it.

Vol. 3, p.110
Brethren and sisters, I want you to understand these things and
cultivate them in your minds, and pray that you may be subject in the
sphere in which you are appointed to act, whether in the Priesthood or
in a family capacity. You have to learn that lesson, or you can never
go into the paradise of God to mingle as equals with these who are
counted faithful.

Vol. 3, p.110
There is no man in the flesh whose right it is to direct or control
brother Brigham Young in the first thing. If I have not a right to
lead and control him, I want to know who has? It is my meat and my
drink to do the will of my Father who is in heaven; and if I do this
to the day of my death as brother Willard did, I am as sure of
salvation as you are that the sun will rise and set again.

Vol. 3, p.110
Is brother Willard saved? Yes, he is where Joseph is; and I tell you
there was a happy meeting. Was brother Willard obedient? Yes, just as
obedient as a well-trained child. He has not got a wife or a child on
earth as obedient as he was. And God knows there never was a being on
the face of His footstool, that could be any more kind to me than
brother Willard and brother Brigham. Were they ever cross and snappish
with me? Never, no, never.

Vol. 3, p.110
There was another trait in his character that will serve to illustrate
the profound deference he paid to the man he acknowledged to be his
leader. When on visits with brother Brigham and myself, or when he
would accompany us to a ball room or to a meeting, he never would
enter the room before his leader. I have tried a dozen times to have
him do so, but I always failed in accomplishing it. He had so
cultivated the spirit of obedience and submission, that it seemed to
be incorporated with his being.

Vol. 3, p.110
I tell you these things to answer as as a kind of spur to encourage
you to more diligence, and greater obedience to the commandments of
God, that you may live forever.

Vol. 3, p.110
There is nothing I fear in this Church except contention, and a
disposition in the people to run over their fellow beings. What I mean
by this is, when a man is appointed by the proper authorities to
preside over one of the outposts of the Kingdom of God, in this
Territory or anywhere else, there is a disposition in some to create
an influence against that man, not to be obedient themselves, and to
endeavour to make everybody else disobedient. Now a man will be
condemned for not obeying the person properly appointed to preside
over him, as much as he would for not obeying brother Brigham if he
were there; and the people will be as much condemned if they do not
obey brother Brigham, as they would if they should disobey the Lord
God were He here in person.[p.111] 

Vol. 3, p.111
When we sent brother Samuel Richards to England to preside over the
affairs of the Kingdom of God there, it became his province to rule
and dictate all matters in that flourishing and extensive field of
labor, and his word is the word of God to the people. When he sends a
man to preside over a Conference, and another over another Conference,
they are his representatives, and their word is the word of God to the
people over whom they preside; and brother Samuel is their delegate to
the General Conference, the same as brother Bernhisel is the delegate
of this Territorial Government to the General Assembly in Washington.

Vol. 3, p.111
I wish you to learn these things, for I wish you to prepare your minds
to receive the word of God every day that you live; and not only live
like Saints when you are in this Tabernacle, but when you are abroad,
and in all your actions. Can you be saved with a complete salvation if
you do not do this? No, you cannot. No man or woman can receive a full
salvation upon any other principle than by continuing in the new and
Everlasting Covenant. When a person violates his covenant he loses all
he ever obtained in the Priesthood; whether it is wives, children, or
possessions; they all go out of his hands. You have been taught this,
and have been instructed by night and by day in these important
matters. I have felt of late as though I never could cease exhorting
the people. I have felt like a lion in strength.

Vol. 3, p.111
I want you to pursue the path that is marked out for you by the
servants of God, that I may continue to enjoy your society here and
hereafter. I wish to enioy your society, and you mine. Do you not wish
to go where I go? You all believe I wish to enter into the kingdom of
heaven and be saved with the sanctified.

Vol. 3, p.111
I care not how the Lord saves me. I am willing to pass through
anything under the heavens that He requires me to pass through, that I
may do His will and keep His commandments, and have favor in His eyes,
through accomplishing the, work He has given me to do.

Vol. 3, p.111
What does it matter where I am? I am as ready to go and preach the
Gospel as to dwell here, if it is the will of the Lord and my
brethren. I have told the men who are about to be sent forth this
year, that they will go with more power and strength than any former
laborers in the vineyard have enjoyed. This applies to those who do
right and diligently keep the commandments of God, and love justice
and righteousness and do as they are told, refraining from evil. I say
they will have more power than former servants of God possessed
according to their light and knowledge, and the circumstances in which
they will be placed. I prophesy this. A man is a feel that will not
prophesy good concerning Israel and concerning his own father's house.

Vol. 3, p.111
I told my brethren when they went from here, and from this time,
instead of going to dances, and to the theatre, and to parties, to go
and fast and pray, and prophesy upon the success of their mission.

Vol. 3, p.111
If your heart is right you cannot speak without speaking what is
right. The Spirit of Prophecy foresees future events. God does not
bring to pass a thing because you say it shall be so, but because He
designed it should be so, and it is the future purposes of the
Almighty that the Prophet foresees. That is the way I prophesy; but I
have predicted things I did not foresee, and did not believe anybody
else did, but I have said it, and it came to pass even more abundantly
than I predicted; and that was with regard to the future situation of
the people who first came into this valley. Nearly  every man was
dressed in skins, and [p.112] we were all poor; destitute, and
distressed, yet we all felt well. I said, "it will be but a little
while, brethren, before you shall have food and raiment in abundance,
and shall buy it cheaper than can be bought in the cities of the
United States." I did not know there were any Gentiles coming here, I
never thought of such a thing; but after I spoke it I thought I must
be mistaken this time. Brother Rich remarked at the time, "I do not
believe a word of it." And neither did I; but, to the astonishment and
joy of the Saints, it came to pass just as I had spoken it, only more
abundantly. The Lord led  me right but I did not know it.

Vol. 3, p.112
I have heard Joseph say many times, that he was much tempted about the
revelations the Lord gave through him—it seemed to be so impossible
for them to be fulfilled. I do not profess to be a Prophet; but I know
that every man and woman can be, if they live for it. To enjoy this
blessing they must walk in the channel of the Priesthood, being
subject to the order and government of heaven; then they are all
revelation and they cannot predict anything that will not come to
pass. All that hinders you from enjoying this blessing is because you
are not obedient.

Vol. 3, p.112
You might say, "Do we not do all things that brother Brigham counsels
us to do?" No; if you did every wife would be subject to her own
husband, and every Elder to their presiding Elder, and every member to
the presiding Bishop. If you do not do this you are not walking in the
channel of the Priesthood, in the channel of revelation and salvation;
and you will stumble and fall if you do not wake to righteousness and
gird up the loins of your minds.

Vol. 3, p.112
Have not the majority of this congregation made the most solemn
covenants and vows that they will listen to, obey, and be subject to
the Priesthood? Have not the sisters made the same solemn covenants
and vows before God and angels, that they would be subject to their
husbands? Are you faithful to your vows? If you are, you will have
dreams, and visions, and revelations from the world of light, and you
will be comforted by night and by day. But if you do not fulfil your
covenants you cannot enjoy these blessings.

Vol. 3, p.112
The matter is plain to your understanding, and not mysterious. I have
no mysteries to impart, and I never expect to have; for if this people
will do right there is nothing that will be a mystery to them; but
those things which appeared the most mysterious will prove to be the
most simple things in the world.

Vol. 3, p.112
Learn to govern yourselves in a family capacity, for there is where
reformation ought to commence, after it has commenced in the assembly
of the Elders of Israel. There must be order, peace, love, kindness,
gentleness, and every noble sentiment to accomplish a reformation that
is pleasing to God.

Vol. 3, p.112
We have got to be gathered, and continue gathered, though there will
be all kinds of fish in the net; and the Lord will bring us into all
kinds of circumstances until the wheat is separated from the smut, and
chaff. There is a time of separation, and I know if I am faithful I
shall be among the chosen band who will triumph over hell, death, and
the grave, and dwell in the society of men who are perfectly of one
heart and mind, where the wicked cease to trouble, unless we go where
they are. This day will come as sure as the sun shines.

Vol. 3, p.112
As for my going into the immediate presence of God when I die, I do
not expect it, but I expect to go into the world of spirits and
associate with my brethren, and preach the Gospel in the spiritual
world, and prepare myself in every necessary way to receive my body
again, and then enter through [p.113] the wall into the celestial
world I never shall come into the presence of my Father and God until
I have received my resurrected body, neither will any other person;
and I doubt whether all those who profess to be Saints will ever be
gathered with the spirits of the just in the spiritual world; but they
will be left where they attain to. The righteous are gathered to the
spirit world to prepare for the resurrection of their bodies.

Vol. 3, p.113
I do not know that I can talk any plainer. I am speaking as plain as I
can to have you understand. I do not expect to be with you forever,
neither will brother Brigham in these bodies; they are nearly worn
out; they have stood a long and violent siege and will soon go the way
of all the earth. Still we may live many years yet to assist in making
permanent the foundations of Zion. There are thousands of good men in
the earth who can act in the same capacity we do, after we have passed
through the veil of death. God can qualify whom He pleases, and put in
in them the spirit of Joseph, and Brigham, and Heber.

Vol. 3, p.113
Brethren, do keep the commandments of God and live your profession;
and remember if you were as godly and as holy as the angels, the world
would speak against you and seek your destruction. What has the world
to do with you? Nothing, only as you associate with it and partake of
its spirit. Upon the same principle has a man any power over a woman,
any further than she will give him power to pollute herself and him
too? Can the Gentiles turn me to unrighteousness any further than I
permit them? I am an instrument in the hands of God, and it is not for
me to dictate the power that works through me, but it is for Him to
control me according to His good, pleasure. 

Vol. 3, p.113
Does brother James' violin rise up and dictate him? No, it is
perfectly passive, permitting him to play any tune he pleases upon it.
Upon the same principle we should be like clay in the hands of the
potter. It is not for the clay to dictate the potter but the potter
dictates the clay, and moulds, and fashions it according to his own
pleasure. Just so God controls brother Brigham, and every other good
man who is dictated by His Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.113
Do you ever hear me get up here and say, "I am no preacher and you
must not expect anything from me?" I am in the hands of God, and it is
for Him to speak through me, or in other words play a tune on me to
this people according to His own fancy. I am in the hands of the
potter; and if I continue faithful, he will make me a vessel unto
honor.

Vol. 3, p.113
I wish you Elders to apply this illustration to yourselves—if you have
anything to say, say it; and if you have not, be as quiet as the
musical instrument without the performer.

Vol. 3, p.113
When I went to England first, I had not much to say. We opened the
door to that nation in great simplicity. Had I preached almighty
discourses with more words than good sound doctrine, instead of
opening the doors, I should have added another lock. The Lord
appointed me to that work because I was willing to be the simplest.

Vol. 3, p.113
After I had spoken they always thought there was something else behind
the curtain. We preached three times in Vauxhall Road chapel, Preston.
After the third meeting the priest feared the increasing greatness of
our testimony and closed the door of his house against us. This was no
sooner done than fifty doors were opened to us, and the people were
all around us entreating us to preach in their houses.

Vol. 3, p.113
If you will visit a stone quarry, you will find they use the simplest
instruments to crack and remove the largest rocks; so the Lord uses
the simplest [p.114] of His servants to accomplish some of His
greatest purposes. When the blacksmith is making a horse-shoe, does it
dictate its maker who is making it and fashioning it to a useful
purpose? Does the plowshare, the scythe, the ax, or the chisel rise up
and dictate the mechanic, saying, "Why do you not form me thus?" Some
of these tools have to pass through various shades of temper—sometimes
too low, and sometimes too high, before it is just right; and it
requires an expert mechanic to hit the proper temper, for they are
made to come in contact with all kinds of timber. So we are tools made
to come in contact with all kinds of dispositions, and very few tools
will stand and keep a good edge coming in contact with every kind of
timber, and stone, and the devil.

Vol. 3, p.114
If you do not learn to temper yourselves properly, you will not be of
much use at last.

Vol. 3, p.114
I speak of these things whether they are edifying or not; as to that I
am not concerned, but they are true, and they will save and exalt you,
and bring you into the celestial world to mingle in the society of the
Father, and Jesus Christ His Son, with the Prophets and Apostles from
the beginning to the present day. I am bound for no other place, God
helping me. Salvation is what I am after in this world; and food,
clothing, and washing are all I need while I stay here, and that is
more than I can take away with me.

Vol. 3, p.114
I have no pride in anything but the principles of salvation, and to
see you do right, humble yourselves, retain the Holy Spirit, live your
religion—then I am proud of you indeed. My God, His purposes, my
religion, and this people, are all I am fond of in this world.

Vol. 3, p.114
Our religion is different from everything else that was ever
instituted, but when you become acquainted with it and partake of its
spirit, it is lively and angelic; it is a screen that throws out
everything but that which is pure wheat. When we make flour from
smutty wheat, we must have a smut machine to clear it all of filth
before it goes into the bolt. The smut machine is a powerful place; it
will blow to pieces every thing that is not the real grain. Thank God
He has got such a machine, and men to enjoy His Holy Spirit.

Vol. 3, p.114
My prayer is before God trod angels, by day and by night, that He
would purge this people and purify them froth wicked men and women;
and I hope the purging operation will continue until there is an
entire separation of the wheat and the chaff. There will be a
separation, and I tell you what I know, and not what I believe only. I
know the truth when I speak it, and so do you when you hear it. It
makes no matter what instrument it comes through, it is truth still,
and you cannot make anything else of it.

Vol. 3, p.114
God bless you forever, that peace, goodness, union, love, and the
spirit of patience and submission before God, and in  the hands of His
servants, may abide with you forever. AMEN.[p.115] 

Brigham Young, October 8, 1855

Necessity of Home Missions—Purification of the 
Saints—Chastisement—Honesty in Business 

A Discourse, by President B. Young, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City,
October 8, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.115
There are many things I wish to say before this Conference comes to a
close, but I labour under the same difficulty as did one of the
speakers yesterday, for I would like to touch upon So many subjects
that I am at a loss to know where to begin.

Vol. 3, p.115
And when this Conference is over, I presume that I shall think of many
things omitted, which it would have pleased me to talk about. When a
great number of people are together it affords an excellent
opportunity for teaching them the principles of practical religion.

Vol. 3, p.115
Our Conference has been well attended; there has been the greatest
number of Saints assembled that I have ever seen at one time, and they
will out number any meeting that the Latter-day Saints have had on
this continent, or on any other. I doubt not but this is the largest
congregation of Saints that has ever been assembled at one time and
place On the face of the whole earth, since the days of the Jews in
Jerusalem, or of the Nephites on this continent while they were in
their glory and strength.

Vol. 3, p.115
When all the male members of Israel were obliged to go up to Jerusalem
twice a year to worship, pay tribute, &c., probably their
congregations were larger than the one to day, but no other
denomination in all christendom assembles so many people, at one
meeting, as we now have in this Conference.

Vol. 3, p.115
I can here teach a great many at once their duty to their God, to
themselves, to their families, and to their neighbours, if you could
spare the time to listen.

Vol. 3, p.115
As I have observed to my brethren, and as I will now observe to you,
neither in China, Siam, nor in any other country in Asia, nor in any
part of Europe and Africa, nor in any other place on God's earth, is
there a people who how need preaching to more than do the Latter-day
Saints in this Territory, and that too by faithful Elders, faithful
ministers of the Gospel, messengers of life and salvation.

Vol. 3, p.115
The inhabitants of this Territory have been taught the ways of life,
they have been taught the principles of the Everlasting Gospel and
have received them; they have forsaken their former homes, the
countries in which they were born, their friends and family
connexions, for the Gospel's sake; they are here in the midst of these
mountains, and many of them will be damned, unless they awake out of
their sleep, unless they refrain from their evil ways. Many are
stupid, careless, and unconcerned, their eyes are like the fool's eye,
to the ends of the earth, searching for this, that, and the other,
they have become greedy, are slow to fulfil their duty, are off their
watch, neglect their prayers, forget their covenants and forsake their
God, and the devil has power over them.[p.116] 

Vol. 3, p.116
It is of necessity then that we appoint missionaries for this
Territory, to preach to them the word of God which is quick and
powerful. Some people say that they believe the Gospel who never live
it, they did not embrace it for the love of it, but because they knew
its truth. They will not give up their carnal, selfish, devilish
dispositions and traits of character, and if you undertake to choke
them off from these dispositions you will have to choke them to death
before they will let them go; they will hang on to their evil feelings
and evil deeds with greater tenacity than does the terrier dog to his
prey, or antagonist; it is almost impossible to separate them from
evil.

Vol. 3, p.116
As for making Saints of those characters, we have no such
anticipation; we wish to make Saints of those who sincerely desire to
be Saints, who are willing to sacrifice their carnal, sinful, devilish
feelings, to forsake them altogether, and to strive to become Saints
and to establish the principles of honesty within them; we expect that
such persons will be Saints, and we feel like doing all that we can to
aid them in a righteous course.

Vol. 3, p.116
As I observed at the commencement of our Conference, people must be
chastened; we believe in this principle. We receive as correct
doctrine what is said to have been written by one of the ancient
Apostles, (why I make this peculiar remark is because this
congregation heard brother O. Pratt scan the validity of the Bible,
and I thought by the time he got through, that you would scarcely
think a Bible worth picking up and carrying home, should you find one
in the streets) viz.; For the Lord loveth whom he chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom he receiveth, and if you are not chastened
you are "bastards, and not sons."

Vol. 3, p.116
I am quite inclined to believe this, and I do not care how many hands
it has passed through. I will remark that brother Orson has clearly
shown how the Bible has come into our hands, in order to convince the
people of the necessity of positive proof for the validity of the Book
of Mormon, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and that Joseph Smith
was a true Prophet of God, and to provo that our testimony, witnesses,
evidence and knowledge of these facts are ten thousand times more than
can be produced in favor of the Bible, unless a man has the power of
God to testify to it, for there can be no proof in its favor short of
revelation.

Vol. 3, p.116
This we have known all the time, we have understood it from the
beginning. That made us very anxious, in the days of Joseph, to get
the new translation; but the Bible is good enough just as it is, it
will answer my purpose, and it used to answer it very well when I was
preaching in the world.

Vol. 3, p.116
When brother Luddington was telling about the elephant walking through
the cane, it made me think of our Elders going through the world, in
past days, with the proclamation of the Gospel. They could take a host
of priests, in fair argument, and pull them up by the roots and throw
them aside, as easy as that elephant did the cane.

Vol. 3, p.116
The Bible is good enough as it is, to point out the way we should
walk, and to teach us how to come to the Lord of whom we can receive
for ourselves.

Vol. 3, p.116
It is good for this people to be chastened, and we may expect it, and
I delight in the feelings and spirit just manifested by brother
Luddington in his remarks, there was no crying, no whining upon his
mission: if they expelled him from one house he went; to another
without crying or whining about it.

Vol. 3, p.116
All that we have received as chastisement is from the hand of the
Lord, and I do not consider that it [p.117] has been necessary to shed
one tear about it. It always takes something besides chastisement, or
afflictions heaped upon us by our enemies, to bring tears from me. I
can cry for joy, I can cry on beholding my friends after being
separated from them.

Vol. 3, p.117
The soft, loving, still, small voice of the Spirit will bring tears to
my eyes, but all the sufferings that could be brought upon me by the
malice of the wicked, and all that could be said or done against me by
them, I think will not bring many tears from my eyes.

Vol. 3, p.117
They might torture my body until it would cry, but all that we have
hitherto met with, in the shape of affliction, I have received as from
the hand of the Lord, and I think the chastisement has been light.

Vol. 3, p.117
Let us reform, that we may be chastened no more; let us try to profit
by the blessing we receive, instead of being made to profit by the
tidings we suffer, for afflictions we shall be obliged to receive, if
we do not profit by our blessings.

Vol. 3, p.117
If we are chastened a little, do not worry about it. We think we are
chastened, this season, in the failing of our crops, but I receive
this as one of the greatest blessings that could be bestowed upon us.

Vol. 3, p.117
I have felt like weeping, since I have been in this Territory, on
beholding the ungrateful feelings of many of this people, their
ingratitude towards their God, and at seeing them trample grain under
their feet as a thing of naught.

Vol. 3, p.117
Now I think what we have received this season is but a small portion
of what we will receive, if we do not take care of the things the Lord
bestows upon us, and be thankful for them. I look upon it as a
prelude, forerunner, or testifier, that afflictions will come upon us,
unless we humble ourselves before our God.

Vol. 3, p.117
This, however, is but a very slight affliction. We have plenty here,
no person is going to starve, or suffer, if there is an equal
distribution of the necessaries of life which are in the country.

Vol. 3, p.117
There are practices among this people which have injured my feelings.
I see some men so greedy after the things of the world, that they will
take their grain from the mouths of innocent, helpless women and
children who are suffering for food, and sell it to gentile merchants
to speculate upon. I have learned, since this Conference commenced, a
circumstance that took place a year ago; it may appear trifling to
some, but to me it is grievous. Some of the brethren from San Pete and
Fillmore came here last year, when they had plenty of wheat, and sold
their flour to C. A. & E. H. Perry, for three, four, and four and a
half dollars per hundred weight, and that firm sold all they could to
the poor women and children, and made them pay a very high price.
Those brethren afterwards learned that I bought nearly the whole of it
for four dollars a hundred, and that I paid in cattle at a good,
liberal price, and some have felt grieved about it. Why are they
grieved? Because they had not the means to buy it themselves to
speculate upon.

Vol. 3, p.117
They have not raised any wheat this year, and now they are whining
after me, "Will you let us have a little tithing wheat?" They ask what
I have to say to them; I have this to say to every man in this
congregation and throughout this Territory, and from this time
henceforth, know my feelings, if you will sell grain to the Gentiles,
or to your enemies, for the sake of their money when it is needed to
be distributed among this people, I wish you would take your property
and leave this Territory, for you are not worthy of belonging to the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are unworthy a
citizenship in the [p.118] kingdom of God. If those who are going to
sell their grain to speculators this year will rise up and tell us who
they are, I will hold up my hands for them to be forthwith severed
from this Church, to be delivered over to the buffetings of satan.

Vol. 3, p.118
Some who are unacquainted with me may say, "Brother Brigham, don't you
speculate?" Yes, I am the greatest speculator in the world, and one of
the greatest misers, for I am seeking after eternal riches. "But,
don't you speculate on your flour? You have fine mills." Ask those who
recollect to a a few years ago, when wheat was tramped under foot by
man and beast. I then had a hired man who said he wanted to get a
little money; I told him that I did not want to sell flour to the
Gentiles in order to get it. He replied, "If you are willing, I would
like to sell them a little, for they are from my country." He did so,
to the value of ninety-three dollars. I do not think that besides that
amount, I have ever received fifty-cents in cash for flour sold from
my mills, though I have had emigrants come, in a scarce time, and
offer me fifty and seventy-five dollars for a hundred pounds. I said
to them, you may plead until you are as gray as a rat, and you will
not get flour from me for your money, but if you will stay and help us
through harvest, and go to work like good men, we will pay you the
same as we pay our brethren, and then you may go to California, or any
where you please; but as to your getting one pound of flour from my
bin for money, you cannot do it, and they never have so far as I
recollect. It all goes to feed those men and women who work; those are
the ones who eat my flour.

Vol. 3, p.118
If I cannot get rich only upon the principle of oppressing my
brethren, and depriving them of the comforts of life, I say, may God
grant that I may never have another farthing upon earth. I do not want
it upon such terms, and if I ever should, I hope the Lord will keep it
from me.

Vol. 3, p.118
I told you the other day what makes me rich, it is the labor of those
whom I feed and clothe; still I do not feel that I have a dollar in
the world that is my own, it is the Lord's and he has made me a
steward over it; and if I can know where the Lord is pleased to have
it appropriated, there it shall go. The covetousness of some of this
people has grieved me, and it has caused my spirit to weep and mourn
to observe their greediness, their cheating and lying, their scheming
in every possible way to wring a picayune out of this man, or that
woman. I can put my finger upon owners of little shops in this city,
who will lie to you for half an hour on a stretch, who will, if you
send a child to their shops to buy a yard of ribbon that is worth ten
cents, charge the child fifteen or twenty cents for it, but if I go to
purchase the same article I can have it for ten cents. I know what
goods are worth, but let an ignorant person go to those places and
they will cheat him. I can put my hands upon traders now before me,
who are guilty of such conduct.

Vol. 3, p.118
It grieves me to see men who have believed the Gospel, forsaken the
land of their nativity for the sake of life and salvation, endured all
they have m coming here, and then, for a paltry sum of money,
sacrifice their salvation. Such men cannot be saved in the celestial
kingdom of God; they may receive their endowments, but they will do
them no good; they may read over their Patriarchal blessings every
day, but they will do them no good. No man or woman can receive life
everlasting, only upon the principle of strict obedience to the
requirements of the celestial law of heaven; no man can inherit such a
blessing upon unholy principles.

Vol. 3, p.119
Men must be honest, they must [p.119] live faithfully before their
God, and honor their calling and being on the earth. You ask if that
is possible? Yes; the doctrine which we have embraced takes away the
stony hearts.

Vol. 3, p.119
We are naturally prone to wander from that which is good, and to
receive every species of iniquity; we must get rid of this
disposition, and the Gospel of salvation is expressly for the purpose
of changing it, that we  may receive the principles which prevail in
heaven and are loved by the angels. It is possible for a man who loves
the world to overcome that love, to get knowledge and understanding
until he sees things as they really are, then he will not love the
world but will see it as it is; he will see that it is in the hands of
a Superior Being.

Vol. 3, p.119
Man cannot control the heavens; he cannot control the earth, nor the
elements; he can fertilize and prepare the ground for the reception of
seed; he can plant, water, till, and reap from the ground the fruit of
his toil, but, until his mind is opened by the Spirit of God, he
cannot see that it is by a superior power that corn, wheat, and every
kind of vegetation spring into life, and ripen for the sustenance of
man and beast. Is it possible for him to arrive at this knowledge? It
is, and that is what we have brought the doctrine of life and
salvation to you for, that you may exchange your low, narrow,
contracted, selfish dispositions for the ennobling Spirit of the Lord
for the Spirit of the Gospel, which gives joy and peace. If you enjoy
that, your food will be sweet to you, your sleep will be refreshing,
and your days will pass away in usefulness.

Vol. 3, p.119
On the contrary, those who are covetous and greedy, anxious to grasp
the whole world, are all the time uneasy, and, are constantly laying
their plans and contriving how to obtain this, that, and the other.
Their minds are continually on the stretch to solve "How can I obtain
this farm, or that house and lot? How can I manage to get such and
such teams? I want to get my lumber and adobies to build me a house,
how can I manage and not pay much for them? I will deceive every man
who comes nigh me; I will make him believe that my property is worth
more than it is; I will sell ribbons for double their value, and I
will ask forty cents a dozen for glass buttons that are worth only
twenty, and in this way I will build a house for eighteen hundred
dollars that will be worth four thousand."

Vol. 3, p.119
Their minds are so intent on cheating their brethren that they cannot
sleep soundly, their nerves twitch and they have the jerks in their
sleep, thinking, "How shall I manage with this man to-morrow? I want
enough out of him to get my adobies." And they lie and think, and
think, and contrive, and plan, and the devil helps them all the time
to manage to cheat the Saints. If such men should get a few bushels of
wheat, would they let the Saints have it? No, they would sell it to
our enemies and feed them, and let the Saints starve.

Vol. 3, p.119
Again, it is known to all that a great many of the poor are as bad as
those who have property; they are all the time in a sweat to know how
to get their living without procuring it honestly. They are just as
covetous and craving in their feelings as are the rich who hoard up
their means and keep it from the honest poor; they are all the time
scheming to get along without labor. There are many who live in this
city without labor; I have neighbors near me that I do not believe get
one cord of wood in the year, only as they steal it, and you have
neighbors near you who steal your wood. If you want to keep your wood
from the hands of these pilferers, you will have to put it in your
houses, and if you want to keep your chickens, you will have to lock
them up. I have often told you [p.120] that we have all kinds of fish
in the Gospel net; we have all kinds of poor, but after all the Lord's
poor out number the poor devils.

Vol. 3, p.120
A few sinners mixed in a community make the whole appear dishonest and
odious to the honest portion of the human family, because they have
not the power to properly discriminate between them. I have to labor
under the same disadvantage that you do, and if I know any of the
infernal scoundrels I dare not tell of them, or point them out, unless
I have a mind to. There are a great many guilty persons whom I wish to
say nothing about; they are liars and thieves, and I know it; but I do
not wish to expose their names, in hopes that they will repent and
refrain from their bad practices.

Vol. 3, p.120
A likely man is a likely man, and a good man is a good man, whether in
this Church or out of it; and a poor, miserable, sinful creature who
gathers as a Saint, is worse than one who gathers as a Gentile, A
person who is a thief, a liar, and a murderer in his heart, but
professes to be a Saint, is more odious in the sight of God, angels
and good men, than a person who comes out and openly declares that he
is our enemy. I know how to take such a man, but a devil with a
Saint's cloak on is one of the meanest characters you can imagine. I
say, blessings on the head of a wicked Gentile who is my avowed enemy,
far sooner than upon an enemy cloaked with a Saint's profession.

Vol. 3, p.120
There is one more difficulty in the minds of this community with
regard to Saints and sinners, and that is in relation to the channel
of our public trade. In the days of Joseph, men would come to me, men
who are now in this Church, and some of whom are in this congregation,
and say, "Brother Brigham, what do you think? I went down to brother
Joseph's store, and I wanted to get a gallon of molasses, eight yards
of calico, a little crockery, &c., and I could not have the articles
without paying the money down. Do you think that is right?" I always
had but one feeling with regard to such matters, since I have been a
Latter-day Saint. My reply to such questions was, should he not be
paid for his goods as well as anybody else? But the reply is, "I can
go to the store of an enemy, of a man who does not profess to be a
Saint, much less a Prophet, and he will trust me, though I hate to go
there and run into debt."

Vol. 3, p.120
So he goes with his money to the enemy's store and buys a dress
pattern, a piece of factory, some tea, a set of cups and saucers, a
dozen knives and forks, boots and shoes for his wives and children,
and then turns round and says, "God bless you," and "well done." But
of Joseph's store it was, "God Almighty curse you, because you would
not allow me to carry off your goods without pay for them."

Vol. 3, p.120
Hundreds of instances of this kind I have witnessed in this kingdom,
and it is a great fault with many of this people. That is the reason
why men who are not in the Church prosper and fatten on the wealth of
this people, and the reason why I do not bring goods in sufficient
quantities to supply this market. There is not a trader in this
community who is paid better than are the Gentile merchants. I could
bring plenty of goods into this city and Territory every year, were it
not for this fact. I am going to keep this subject before the minds of
the Latter-day Saints and pursue it, until such a practice is driven
from their midst. Good men, who would give away their shoes and go
barefoot, if they saw anybody else going barefoot, were tried because
brother Joseph would not trust them.

Vol. 3, p.120
Brother Woolley was also a mercantile target for our shots in Nauvoo;
I say "our," because I class myself [p.121] with the Saints. The pious
brethren, who were professedly so good, and loving sisters who went to
brother Joseph's store, and could not get trusted, would go to the
Gentiles and get trusted and pay them, and think that they had a right
to neglect paying Joseph, because he was a Prophet, I presume.

Vol. 3, p.121
This community would do just so here, if I had a store of goods. They
would come to my store and say, "Brother Brigham, I am poor and needy,
my wife is feeble and needs a little tea and sugar, and a little
medicine; I also want some crockery and a little clothing, can't you
fill the bill?" Yes, if you will pay me for it. "Of course, I will pay
you for all I get." How? "O, never question me about that, am I not
good for five or ten dollar's worth?" Yes, but when are you good, and
how? You are good to that Gentile store where you have run into debt,
for you will sell your last cow, pawn the dress pattern you got there
for your wife, and the ,tea cups and saucers, to pay the money to that
store keeper; but if you trade ten dollars or fifty dollars on credit
at brother Joseph's or brother Brigham's store, what next? There is no
more about it, that is the end of it.

Vol. 3, p.121
I have known persons that would have cursed brother Joseph to the
lowest hell hundreds of times, because he would not trust out
everything he had on the face of the earth, and let the people
squander it to the four winds. When he had let many of the brethren
and sisters have goods on trust, he could not meet his liabilities,
and then they would turn round and say, "What is the matter brother
Joseph, why don't you pay your debts?" "It is quite a curiosity that
you don't pay your debts; you must be a bad financier; you don't know
how to handle the things of this world." At the same time the coats,
pants, dresses, boots and shoes that they and their families were
wearing came out of Joseph's store, and were not paid for when they
were cursing him for not paying his debts.

Vol. 3, p.121
But that is nothing, "O," say they, "it is all in the family. Why,
yes, brother Joseph, I will pay you just as quick as I can." The proof
of this is with you, ye rich and poor Saints. I will ask the men who
have helped the poor to this place from different countries, when they
get a house, a horse, an ox, or a cow, and have accumulated the things
of this world, do they often express themselves able to pay you? You
will all say "no." I will hardly make one exception in this
congregation, or in this kingdom. There is a sister from Wales, the
wife of brother Dan Jones, who has expended thousands of pounds to
help the poor to this place, and they have cursed her all the day
long, and she has now to labor hard for the support of herself and
children.

Vol. 3, p.121
Can we refer to other instances of this kind? We can. That is the
great fault among this people, and I wished to lay it before them that
they may learn the truth, and their duty to each other. Let the
Latter-day Saints be as punctual in paying the merchant who belongs to
the Church of God, as they are in paying a miserable scoundrel, who
would take all their money and then turn round and cut their throats,
or ask a mob to do it, but thank God such characters are very scarce
here. But no, a great many of this people will sustain their enemies,
will feed, and clothe them, and trade off their wheat and cattle to
them, and foster them in their wickedness, while those very persons
would cut the threats of the Saints, if they could get along as welt
without trading with them. And at the same time that which they owe to
their brethren in this kingdom who have helped them here, and who have
blessed them all the time, never comes due, and [p.122] they, perhaps,
never think of it any more.

Vol. 3, p.122
Have you the proof of all this before your eyes? You have. I have
hundreds and thousands of dollars owing to me by this community and
contracted upon a fair business principle. People will say, "O,
brother Brigham, won't you let me have a team? I must have a horse;
won't you let me have this wagon? I very much need a cow; won't you
help me in my building? And won't you do this? And I wish you would do
that; and could you not do the other?" And the pay never comes. But
you will go to a Gentile and run into debt, and sell your last cow to
pay that wicked man. You may say, "O, that is only in our business
transactions." Is not the upbuilding of the kingdom of God on earth a
temporal labor all the time? It will be built up by physical force and
means, by manual labor more than by any particular mental effort of
the mind. Suppose that one Elder was left alone among the inhabitants
of the earth, and that he should begin, with all the power of his
mind, to imagine himself in England, Scotland, France, Germany,
Denmark', Sweden, or anywhere else and still sit in one place, saying,
"now I am laboring in the kingdom of God it is a spiritual labor."
What real good would he accomplish? Not any.

Vol. 3, p.122
You know the old theory is that the kingdom of God, and all pertaining
to it, is spiritual and not temporal; that is the traditional notion
of our brother Christians. But a person may merely think until he goes
down to the grave, and he will never be the means of saving one soul,
not even his own, unless he adds physical labor to his thinking. He
must think, and pray, and preach, and toil and labor with mina and
body, in order to build up Zion in the last days. You cannot build
your house, nor gather up your substance and come to this place from
different nations by mere thinking, it also requires physical labor.
If we attend to the things of the kingdom of God, and nothing else in
good weather, we can do everything else, that is necessary to be done,
in rainy and bad weather.

Vol. 3, p.122
If we talk to you and you sit and hear, that involves labor, and
everything connected with building up Zion requires actual, severe
labor. It is nonsense to talk about building up any kingdom except by
labor; it requires the labor of every part of our organization,
whether it be mental, physical, or spiritual, and that is the only way
to build up the kingdom of God. Hence, what I have been laying before
you is directly pertaining to the building up of that kingdom.

Vol. 3, p.122
Will the people still take a course to feed strangers, and let their
brethren starve? They will not. I say to every man who has wheat, set
the poor to building your houses, to making fences, opening farms, or
doing something, and hand out your grain to them. And if those who
wish to speculate in grain, in consequence of the scarcity through
drought and the ravages of the grasshoppers, come and offer you money
for your grain, do not sell a bushel for five, ten, or twenty dollars,
but tell them, "no, our wheat is to feed the poor Saints, and no one
else." If you do not do this, I am watching you. Do you know that I
have my threads strung all through the Territory, that I may know what
individuals do? If you do not pursue a righteous course, we will
separate you from the Church. Is that all? No, if necessary we will
take your grain from your bin and distribute it among the poor and
needy, and they shall be fed and supplied with work, and you shall
receive what your grain is worth.

Vol. 3, p.122
There is plenty for all who are now in the Territory, and for all that
will come in this fall. Talk about starving [p.123] to death! How do
you suppose you could? You could not enter a house in these mountains,
where there is one potato left, and tell them that you were perishing
for food, but what the inmates of that house would divide with you; I
say, not one, whether belonging to Jew or Gentile, Saint or sinner.
This is speaking to the praise of those who have the grain.

Vol. 3, p.123
I do not believe that there is a grain owner in this Territory who
does not feel just as liberal as, he need to; at least, I know of no
one but what wishes to do right. One man, who had a fine crop of
grain, came to this city, and was offered three dollars a bushel for
it; he said, "shall I take that? or what shall I do with it?" I
replied, let us have it in the Tithing Store, and we will distribute
it to the poor.

Vol. 3, p.123
Flour is six dollars per hundred in that store. What was it last year?
Six dollars. You cannot starve to death, because those who have got
the grain are willing to divide with you. If you should happen to get
hungry you could run to your neighbors for a pumpkin or a squash, and
they would even jump out of bed to serve you, in case you chanced to
call upon them late in the night. There is no law in this country
against begging, therefore, if need be, we can beg from one another,
and from Him who gave it all, so we cannot starve to death.

Vol. 3, p.123
Go without eating two or three days! Bless your souls, I know not what
it is to go without food since I have been a "Mormon." I could travel
over the earth without purse or scrip, and not be obliged to go
hungry. Before I knew "Mormonism" I was acquainted with straitened
circumstances, but it has clothed and fed me, and blessed me all the
day long.

Vol. 3, p.123
We have now held our meeting for three hours and a half, and after
singing we will dismiss for one hour.

Heber C. Kimball, October 6, 1855

Iniquity—Saints Living Their Religion— Early Marriages

Remarks made by President H. C. Kimball, 
in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
October 6, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.123
I do not wish to detain the congregation long, still I do not think
that those who have the spirit of a Saint are tired and wish the
meeting to come to a close. Every word I have heard to-day is
salvation and the very quintessence of righteousness, and I assure you
that I have enjoyed myself more under what I have heard to-day, than I
ever did in the best party that I ever attended. True, I have enjoyed
myself extremely well when I have been with my brethren in the dance,
but, gentlemen and ladies, what we have heard to-day is salvation and
eternal lives to us, if we will listen to and obey it.

Vol. 3, p.123
I am thankful that the time has come when brother Brigham is disposed
to lift the veil and expose the iniquities of men, if they are not
willing to expose them themselves. I know [p.124] they were exposed in
the days of Joseph, and brother Brigham, myself, and many others were
with him and stood by him to the day of his death, and do still. When
their iniquities were exposed, men whom we thought much of, and those
whom we thought nothing of, turned away from the faith. They were
poor, miserable, rotten-hearted creatures; we knew that, and knew it
when we were in England, and when we came home; and because we would
not pamper and flatter those poor, miserable devils, they became our
enemies and the enemies of Joseph.

Vol. 3, p.124
Joseph would many times ostensibly hold men up to see whether this
people would worship them, to see whether they had discernment enough
to know the difference between a righteous man and a wicked one, and
if we preferred the society of a blackleg, or of a whoremaster, or of
any other abominable character, he was perfectly willing that we
should have the opportunity to prove ourselves.

Vol. 3, p.124
Now we are here in the mountains and am I not glad? Yes, I am glad,
and I rejoice exceedingly, and if I am concealing wickedness or
iniquity, I say, let it be exposed, that others by seeing it may
repent and forsake their sins. Men will often tell what they will
do—that they are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of this
Gospel and for their brethren, but the thing is to come and do it,
while at the same time they are not willing to pay their tithing, nor
do anything else that is required of them. He is no Saint who will not
fulfil the requirements of heaven.

Vol. 3, p.124
Brother Brigham is a servant to this people, and he serves you and
waits upon you by night and by day, and his associates are willing to
do whatever they are called upon. He is your servant, and I am your
servant, but if you do not treat your servants well while in this
time, I am afraid that when they come to what is called eternity, you
will not have the privilege of troubling them much. Therefore, listen
with hearing ears and understanding hearts; walk up like men to do
what God requires at your hands, and be willing to come to the light
that your sins may be revealed; and if your sins are revealed and you
repent of them, there are men who can tell you what road to take and
what atonement to make, that you may be set in the road which leads to
life, and if you will not be corrected you will be damned as sure as
the sun will again set. 

Vol. 3, p.124
What is called "Mormonism" is the delight of my heart; this people are
the pride of my heart, and I wish that every one would do right, keep
the commandments of the Lord, and listen to those correct principles
that are taught them from time to time. Some will come with great zeal
and anxiety, saying, "I want my endowments; I want my washings and
anointings; I want my blessings; I wish to be sealed up to eternal
lives; I wish to have my wife sealed and my children sealed to me;" in
short, "I desire this and I wish that." What good would all this do
you, if you do not live up to your profession and practise your
religion? Not as much good as for me to take a bag of sand and baptize
it, lay hands upon it for the gift of the Holy Ghost, wash it and
anoint, and then seal it up to eternal lives, for the sand will be
saved, having filled the measure of its creation, but you will not,
except through faith and obedience. Those little pebbles and particles
of sand gather themselves together and are engaged, as with one heart
and mind, to accomplish a purpose in nature. Do they not keep the
mighty ocean in its place by one united exertion? And if we were fully
united we could resist and overcome every evil principle there is on
earth or in hell.

Vol. 3, p.124
Let us all listen with care and attention to the counsels that are
given [p.125] and that have been given unto us today, for they are
more precious and delicious to me than the sweetest thing I ever
tasted in this life. Shall we sit down and not rebuke sin?

Vol. 3, p.125
If you oppose any of the works of God you will cultivate a spirit of
apostacy. If you oppose what is called the "spiritual wife doctrine,"
the Patriarchal Order, which is of God, that course will corrode you
with a spirit of apostacy, and you will go overboard; still a great
many do so, and strive to justify themselves in it, but they are not
justified of God. When you take that course you put a knife to brother
Brigham's breast, and to the breasts of his associates; and more or
less so when you oppose anything which God has instituted for His
glory and the exaltation of man. I do not like such conduct myself,
and I am opposed to such characters; I do not ask any favors of them,
and I have often said that I never want one of them to darken my door.
I am against them and God is against them, and I am for sustaining His
cause, the cause of my Father who dwells in the heavens; the cause of
His Son, and the cause that brother Joseph has been the means of
bringing forth by the revelations of Jesus Christ. We sustained Joseph
in this cause in his day, and we sustain the same cause now, and we
will sustain it for ever, and that is our desire and prayer from this
time henceforth, God helping of us.

Vol. 3, p.125
The principle of plurality of wives never will be done away although
some sisters have had revelations that, when this time passes away and
they go through the veil, every woman will have a husband to herself.
I wish more of our young men would take to themselves wives of the
daughters of Zion, and not wait for us old men to take them all; go
ahead upon the right principle, young gentlemen, and God bless you for
ever and ever, and make you fruitful, that we may fill the mountains
and then the earth with righteous inhabitants. That is my prayer, and
that is my blessing upon. all the Saints and upon your posterity after
you, for ever. Amen.

Jedediah M. Grant, October 6, 1855

Men Rewarded According to Their Works

Remarks made by President J. M. Grant, 
in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, 
October 6, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.125
I am pleased with the general spirit manifested through the servants
of the Lord who have spoken to us to-day. I was pleased, during the
forenoon, with the freedom that seemed to pervade the mind of our
President and the mind of Elder Kimball. I am pleased with the freedom
of our Patriarch, Elder John Young, this afternoon, and I believe the
doctrine which he has advanced to be correct; it is substantially
this, all persons shall be judged according to their works. I am aware
the old maxim was that men would be judged according to the death they
might die, but the Latter-day Saints believe that men will be judged
by the life they live, and not by the death they die. We believe that
a man will be rewarded according to his works, for it is not written
that he shall be rewarded according to his ordination, [p.126] or the
special situation or place in which he may be called to act in the
Church of God; but it is written, and that law, I believe, has never
been revoked by high heaven, or by any of its legates to earth; hence
it stands immutable, that all men shall be rewarded according to their
works.

Vol. 3, p.126
This is the doctrine that our Patriarch has been laboring to impress
upon your minds this afternoon. I think it is very wholesome; I am
satisfied with it; it is sweet to my taste; it is good that all men in
the different dispensations of the Almighty, each in his situation,
calling, capacity, and sphere of action, are to be, and of right
should be, rewarded according to his works. We do not wish to reverse
this law in relation to our enemies, we only wish them to be rewarded
according to their works; we do not desire to warp the law in the
least.

Vol. 3, p.126
I am aware that many suppose that we entertain some unchristian
feelings to those out of the Church, but this is a mistake; we only
wish that persons who have shed the blood of our Apostles may be
rewarded just according to their works. And we expect that, sooner or
later, they will have meted out to them that reward which the Almighty
actually knows that they deserve. When speaking of governors, rulers,
kings, emperors, judges, and officers of nations and states, would we
wish to reverse the general law that every person shall be rewarded
according to their works? No. It would not do to have some men die as
soon as many might desire, for they would not meet their proportionate
reward on the earth.

Vol. 3, p.126
I like to meditate upon this doctrine, I like to see its practical
workings, rewarding every man according to his works; and I expect
that the day will come when all Latter-day Saints will be perfectly
satisfied with it.

Vol. 3, p.126
I am fully aware that many people have been bred and raised in
poorpussyism all their days, both in America and in Europe, and when
they hear doctrines and principles taught by men who speak as freedom
permits them, and as freemen have a right to speak, those who are
clothed with the garments of poor-pussyism get the grunts; well, grunt
on until you grunt it all out. The Latter-day Saints who enjoy the
light of the Lord, that power which loves the intelligence of heaven
and imparts it to the faithful, thank the Lord that we expect that our
elder brother, Jesus Christ, will give unto us according to our works.
We expect that he will be rewarded according to his works, and that
his associates will be rewarded according to theirs, and if our works
are not good we ask for no good reward.

Vol. 3, p.126
It is not according to the nation a man sprung from, nor according to
the parentage or line of descent he came through, that he is to be
rewarded; it is not so written. But it is written in the book of God
emanating from, high heaven, from the courts above, that kings,
emperors, rulers, and all men on the earth, high and low, shall be
rewarded according to their works. Do the people of God understand
this? Do all the Saints, in their individual capacities, understand
this? The doctrine is applicable to the nations and states. Is it not
applicable to all people? It is.

Vol. 3, p.126
"Why," says one, "bless my soul, you do not say that it is applicable
to females, do you?" Yes I do. "Oh, dear, what will the FIRST wife do
in that case?" Why, bless your poor soul, she will be rewarded
according to her works. That is the doctrine, and, thank God, there is
no other way. You cannot alter it; you cannot revoke this eternal law.
If a man has fifty wives and the fiftieth is the best, does the most
good, she will get the greatest reward, in spite of all the grunting
on the part of the first one. 

Vol. 3, p.126
In the Church of God, if a Teacher, [p.127] a Priest, or Deacon, has
the best works, if his labours are the most, if his acts are the most
righteous in magnifying his calling to the utmost, he is better off
than any man in the Church who does not magnify his calling. Is this
doctrine applicable to ordained men in the Church? Yes, to every man
of God, whether he be a Priest, Teacher, Member, Elder, or Apostle;
each person will be rewarded according to his works. Is it applicable
in families? Yes. "Oh," says one, "That makes me feel bad; my poor
wife, my dear loving wife, the wife of my youth and the companion of
my toils, what will she think of this? Bless me, I tremble for her."
If her works are better, if her righteousness exceeds that of the rest
of your wives, if she has more philanthropy, greater charity, and
deserves more than they, she will get more. But if her works are not
equal to those of some of the balance, she will still be rewarded
according to her works. 

Vol. 3, p.127
I like the doctrine; I can swallow it without greasing my mouth. It is
a first-rate doctrine, and is a goodly part of the real faith, virtue,
root and marrow of "Mormonism." Yes, it is applicable in families,
thank God, and in the Church of God, in quorums, in councils, and in
every other organized body; it applies to the world which we inhabit,
and to every thing that is in heaven.

Vol. 3, p.127
I know that there are hundreds of thousands of men out of this Church,
and do we like them? Yes. When we talk against men out of the Church
do we mean to be understood as speaking against good men—men who wish
to do right? No; but we mean the poor devils and the devil's poor,
that's the idea.

Vol. 3, p.127
To righteous and honorable men who have true integrity, in them we
say, "God bless you," for that is the way we feel towards all such the
wide world over. God bless the righteous, whether they are in the
Church or out of it. And God bless the righteous Saints in the Church,
and in all the families of God's people. I am backing up what brother
John has been speaking. I want the Saints to do right and be blessed,
which may God grant, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Parley P. Pratt, October 7, 1855

Literal Fulfilment of Prophecy—Destruction of 
Jerusalem—Restoration of Israel—the Coming of Christ 

A Discourse, by Elder P. P. Pratt, 
Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City,
October 7, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.127
We wish the entire attention of the congregation; the assembly being
so vast, it will almost be impossible for the speaker to be heard
unless there is great order and strict attention. We wish no
disturbance on the outskirts of the assembly, as we wish all to hear.

Vol. 3, p.127
I will read for the edification of the assembly, a portion of the 2lst
chap. of Luke, contained in what is called King James' translation of
[p.128] the New Testament, from the 5th to the 36th verse.

Vol. 3, p.128
I will remind those who hear me this day of one fact which can be
clearly demonstrated to the mind of every careful reader of the
Scriptures, and which fact is a guarantee, as it were, to the rational
mind, for the manner of the fulfilment of that which is future; it is
this, that the prophecies contained in the Holy Bible, spoken by Moses
and the Prophets, Jesus and the Apostles, have been fulfilled
literally and naturally, so far as they have been fulfilled at all.
Not in the sense, however, that modern blindness and priestcraft have
tried to throw over them, but in a plain and common sense, as plain as
if a man were to rise here and tell that the wall around this Temple
Block would be overthrown, and not one stone left upon another, and
then tell the circumstances that would transpire before it, and in
connection with it, and after it, and then it afterwards be fulfilled
and recorded in history; so plain, so clear, so full, and so exact
have the predictions of the Prophets of God, and the Apostles of God,
and of the Son. of God been fulfilled, except such portions as remain
to be fulfilled.

Vol. 3, p.128
Keep that one fact in view, and then search the prophecies, and trace
them out; search history for their fulfilment, and give diligent heed
to the things that are written, for these are the commandments not
only of the ancient Apostles and Prophets, but of the Apostles and
Prophets of the last days.

Vol. 3, p.128
Jesus himself, while he travelled upon the earth in his mortal
tabernacle read the Scriptures to the people, "he opened the book and
taught;" his manner was to do it in the synagogue every Sabbath day—he
exhorted them to search into the things that were written.

Vol. 3, p.128
And after he had risen from the dead, and received all power in heaven
and on earth, he refered his disciples to that which was written.

Vol. 3, p.128
On a certain occasion he said, "O fools and slow of heart to believe
that which the Prophets have written."

Vol. 3, p.128
When he appeared to the Nephites, in his risen body, as you will find
it written in the Book of Mormon, he took pains to refer them to the
written prophecies of Isaiah and many others, and quoted many of them,
and exhorted the people to search the things contained in the
prophecies of Isaiah diligently, bearing testimony of their literal
fulfilment; and said he, "A commandment I give unto you that ye search
these things diligently, "for they have been fulfilled, and will be
fulfilled according to that which is written, not in some other way.

Vol. 3, p.128
Not only are we included in these general exhortations and
commandments of the ancients, and of Jesus Christ himself, but the
same commandments have been renewed to us by our great Prophet and
founder, Joseph Smith, and by our Prophets and Apostles that still
live.

Vol. 3, p.128
How often have they told us to treasure up the words of God, those
things that are written for our profit and learning, and to search
diligently and treasure up in our hearts continually words of wisdom
from the best books.

Vol. 3, p.128
Says the word of God through Joseph Smith to this people, search the
Scriptures, treasure them up in your hearts, put them in a good
store-house—the store-house of your memory; then the Holy Spirit will
be at liberty when you are called up to teach others to select from
that well-stored treasure things new and old.

Vol. 3, p.128
It is not to study up what you shall say particularly, but to treasure
up truth in your hearts, to have them well filled with it, kept well
stored, and then give free liberty to the Spirit of God to operate
upon you, to collect out of that treasure that  portion [p.129] which
will be best suited to the wants and condition of men who do not
treasure up the words of life.

Vol. 3, p.129
If the Holy Spirit should come upon a man of that description to
select out of that store-house, he would find it empty, and he would
have the trouble of putting it there, or it would not be there; hence
he would be barren and unfruitful.

Vol. 3, p.129
Search the Scriptures, ye Saints of the Most High; among all your
cares, and all your duties, search the Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments, of the Book of Mormon, and the revelations of God that
have been written for our profit and learning.

Vol. 3, p.129
And to the young people among us, a generation brought up amid the
hurry, toil, and cares of a new country, I say do not neglect to
treasure up in your hearts the history, and the prophecies, and their
fulfilment, and the promises, and hopes shadowed forth therein, and
the doctrines, and principles, and examples left on record.

Vol. 3, p.129
You may say you have not time; take those portions of time you would
otherwise devote to something less useful. We all have time to do it.
I have been as hard working in my day as any other man, perhaps, and I
always had time to do it, and always have done it, and it was by the
light that shone in a dark place, diligently and prayerfully searched
out, and the Holy Spirit that shone upon the understanding, through
the prayer of faith, and through diligent search, that caused me to
see, and understand, and lay hold on certain things that came in
fulfilment of these prophecies.

Vol. 3, p.129
If any one asks how I came to be a Latter-day Saint, or what some
people would call a "Mormon," a follower of Joseph Smith, the modern
Prophet, I answer, it was because I had given heed to the sentiments
of truth from my early youth, carefully and prayerfully searching and
believing them; it was because the Holy Spirit rested upon me, and
opened my understanding to the same through the prayer of faith, and
diligent search. It was because that the Holy Spirit gave me clearly
to understand that this modern Prophet, and the fulness of the Gospel
restored by him, had come in fulfilment of certain promises made by
the ancient Prophets and Apostles; that is the reason why I really
embraced the fulness of the Gospel which the world calls "Mormonism."

Vol. 3, p.129
Let us review the things we have read, and make a few remarks upon
them.

Vol. 3, p.129
Some of the disciples, feeling proud of their great temple, or
national house of God, and feeling to rejoice in its workmanship,
beauty, grandeur, and probably flattering themselves it would endure
for ever as the great centre of the Jewish worship for all nations,
they called the attention of Jesus to it, saying, "Master, see what
manner of stones and buildings are here." "Why," said Jesus, "the days
will come when there will not be left one of these stones on the top
of another."

Vol. 3, p.129
Does that need spiritualising? Does it need some learned man from a
college to tell you what that means, and give you the spiritual sense
of it? It had but one sense, and that a child could understand.

Vol. 3, p.129
"The days will come when there will not be one of those beautiful
stones left upon another, that shall not be thrown down." In the
Indian phraseology they inquired how many moons first, or in other
words, "Master, when shall these things be, and what sign will there
be when these things transpire?" Jesus begins to tell them some of the
things that would immediately happen in their day.

Vol. 3, p.129
The first thing he calls their attention to, among the things that had
been transpiring, was, that a great many deceivers should come and
[p.130] profess to be Christ, saying, "I am Christ, but do not go
after them, take care and not be deceived by them."

Vol. 3, p.130
The reason of this was that the Jews were looking for a Messiah, and
for a deliverance from the Roman yoke, and for their national
independance to be restored to them; and for their city, and temple,
and nation, to be the seat of government for all nations, a universal
theocracy.

Vol. 3, p.130
They were looking for this, and they had rejected the true Messiah,
and were about to kill him, and were looking for another to fulfil
what all men were in the expectation of; for the old Prophets had told
them that such a day would come, in relation to that nation, and their
city Jerusalem, and the temple; that the throne of God would be there;
that the tabernacle of God would be there; that there would be one
king and one Lord, and his name one; that all the nations of the earth
would come up to worship—the nations they were acquainted with in that
country.

Vol. 3, p.130
They had reason to look for that day, because the old Prophets had
foretold it, and John the Baptist came along as a special Prophet, and
nearly all that people had received him as a Prophet, professedly,
though in reality, some of them received him, and he told them some of
those things were about to be fulfilled.

Vol. 3, p.130
He had told them about their king, about the Lamb of God, about the
Messiah, and that they must repent and be baptized for the remission
of their sins, and make his paths strait.

Vol. 3, p.130
With this double assurance, first the testimony of their old Prophets,
and secondly the renewed testimony of a new Prophet, to immediately
prepare for the fulfilment of some of the old prophecies; with this
double assurance they were looking for somebody to do something, and
that pretty largely too; and as they had rejected the true king—the
true Messiah, of course they would be looking for somebody, that
ambitious spirits would enter, and they would rise up and tell the
people, "I am he you look for; set me up, and I will deliver you from
the Roman yoke, I will break your fetters, and bring about the
restoration of your national independance."

Vol. 3, p.130
"Don't you be deceived," says Jesus, "for many of those who would not
hearken to me will come, saying, 'I am Christ,' but do not go after
them." These very things happened in those days, for which you may
read history.

Vol. 3, p.130
"When you hear of wars and commotion, be not terrified, for these
things must first come to pass, but the end is not yet; nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom"—which had been a
common thing, and was then—"great earthquakes, and famine, and
pestilence, and great sights from heaven."

Vol. 3, p.130
Go and read Josephus, and read about these things being fulfilled in
that same age.

Vol. 3, p.130
"But before all these things shall take place, they shall lay their
hands upon you."

Vol. 3, p.130
Some people have been in the habit of trying to apply every scripture
to every body in every age; they had need to give heed to the
exhortation of Paul to Timothy, "Show thyself a workman that need not
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, giving to every one
their portion, "not everything that is written for every body in every
age.

Vol. 3, p.130
Jesus was talking to Peter, James, and John, and to the rest of his
immediate followers."They will lay their hands on you, Peter, on you,
James, and on you, John, and also upon others, and they will persecute
you, delivering you up to the  synagogues and into prisons, and you
shall [p.131] be brought before kings and rulers for my name's
sake."And of which, I need not observe, was literally fulfilled in
that age, the New Testament itself bearing record of it in part; "this
shall turn to you for a testimony." That is as much as to say, when
this happens to you that I have foretold, it will be a witness and a
testimony—it will be another proof; therefore, instead of mourning
about it, and feeling down-hearted, understand that I have before told
you it must be. And when you are brought before rulers for my name's
sake, do not study up a speech beforehand to speak in self-defence,
for I will give you a mouth, and wisdom which all your adversaries
will not be able to gainsay nor resist.

Vol. 3, p.131
Read the New Testament—the history of Peter and the Twelve, of Stephen
and of Paul, and see if they had not a mouth and wisdom that
confounded their enemies when they were afterwards summoned before the
different authorities, and kings, and magistrates, in fulfilment of
this promise.

Vol. 3, p.131
"Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks,
and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."
This was fulfilled in the circumstances of James, the brother of the
Lord, whom they killed with the sword, according to the New Testament.
It was fulfilled in the case of Peter, in the case of the stoning of
Stephen to death; it was fulfilled literally in many instances in that
age.

Vol. 3, p.131
"And he shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." Nations were
not singing the name of Jesus then as they are now by tradition, but
the bare mention of his name gave a shock to the wicked, to kings and
rulers. 

Vol. 3, p.131
Go to Illinois and Missouri, and mention Joseph Smith to the mob that
tried to butcher and kill him and drive the Saints; go where they
reside, and say, Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and it would not cause a
greater shock, greater rage and hate, more bitter feelings than it
would in those days to mention the name of that crucified Nazarene;
"Ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake," that is, because
you will be running from place to place, making use of my name—making
mention of what nearly everybody considers the name of an impostor and
deceiver.

Vol. 3, p.131
"That deceiver said he would rise again from the dead on the third
day," said some of those pious Jews after they had killed him,
applying the same terms they now apply to the modern martyrs.

Vol. 3, p.131
To go about and preach his name then was not that pleasant thing it is
now in Christendom; I assure you, it was a cross, and nothing but the
Spirit of truth, inspired in the heart of man, would give him boldness
enough to do it. "But there shall not a hair of your head perish; in
your patience, possess ye your souls."

Vol. 3, p.131
Now, then, comes the thing the Apostles asked about, after he had told
them the preliminary leading to it; filling up the interstices of
time, he gets at length to the destruction of that temple—to the
throwing down of those beautiful stones. "When ye see Jerusalem
compassed with armies, then know the desolation thereof is nigh." Does
that need any spiritualizing?

Vol. 3, p.131
Go and read Josephus, read the history of the Roman army under Titus,
the Roman general, who came up and laid siege against that city and
surrounded it with the Roman legions; and then read the history of the
war. It took place at the time when almost the whole nation had poured
into that devoted city, just as you have poured into Salt Lake City,
only we are a mere handful compared with that great nation; they had
come into one of the great Conferences [p.132] that happened about
once a year; it was during the time that tens of thousands and
hundreds of thousands that come into Jerusalem, from all the
surrounding country, that they were laid siege to by the Roman army.

Vol. 3, p.132
The city was blockaded—none could escape. Besides this there were
several factions within the city; Jews were at war with Jews under
different leaders. This made a desolating war within, while the enemy
was encamped without; and besides all this, famine overtook them, and
pestilence caused by want; and by being crowded and shut up in the
city, and by the dead bodies with no place to bury them.

Vol. 3, p.132
Hence with sword, famine, pestilence, &c., Jerusalem began to be
desolated. "Now when you see this, understand that the desolation
thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the
mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out, and
let not them that are in the countries enter therein."

Vol. 3, p.132
Some of our Sectarian friends tell us that Jesus Christ did not preach
a gathering; he only preached the Gospel, and then let the people live
right where they had a mind to. But here is a positive revelation from
the Son of God, to those that would give heed to his warning voice, to
actually remove to the mountains in order to escape the war, the
troubles, and pestilence that awaited the Jews and Jerusalem.

Vol. 3, p.132
Now if we had all the history of those times; if we only had what the
Apostles have written, in full, instead of a little of it, we should
have the particular place where they did go, and where they lived, you
would have an account of the organization of a gathered people taking
care of themselves, while war desolated the nation. We have not got
this part of ancient history, but we will have it, for there is
nothing secret but what will be revealed—hid but what will be brought
to light.

Vol. 3, p.132
When God sees fit we will have the record of the fulfilment of this
gathering; of every man, woman, and child, that heeded the warning of
the blessed Jesus. About seventy years after the birth of Christ,
which was about the date that the Roman army compassed Jerusalem, I
warrant you they left Judea and Jerusalem, and gathered into the
mountains to take care of themselves. This is the very period of
Christian history I would very much like to read—how they conducted
themselves when they were gathered together, and how they maintained
themselves when their nation and temple were crumbling to the dust.

Vol. 3, p.132
"Let them which are in the midst of it depart out, and let not them
that are in the country enter thereinto." We are given to understand
that there was a little time after the Roman army had laid siege to
Jerusalem, in consequence of a certain movement of that army, that
gave a chance to the people in the city that were wide awake, to
gather. If they would give heed to the warning voice of Jesus, or to
the words of his Apostles, not to come down from the house top, or
stop to get their bed, but run with all their might, they could
escape. A little moment of relaxation, an advantageous positon of the
army, made escape possible to those who would not stop to take their
clothes out of the house, their bed, or anything else, but flee at
once.

Vol. 3, p.132
"For these be the days of vengeance." Vengeance on what? On the people
of the Jews and on all the people of Jerusalem that had rejected the
Gospel, that had rejected and killed the true Messiah, and persecuted
and killed the Apostles, and his disciples.

Vol. 3, p.133
"These be the days of vengeance." What for? That all things  that were
[p.133] written may he fulfilled, not spiritualized, nor transformed,
nor done away, but absolutely fulfilled.

Vol. 3, p.133
What did he mean by that saying? Go and read Moses; I shall not
trouble myself to give chapter and verse; go and read Moses and the
Prophets and see if they do not predict the horrors of war to that
age, and desolation, even to the eating of their own children for mere
want, because of the pressure of the famine; "even the tender and
delicate women," says Moses, "who would not venture to put the soles
of their feet on the ground for tenderness and delicacy, should eat
their own children in the siege and the straitness whereby your
enemies shall distress you in all your gates, if you will not hearken
to my words." He also predicted that the Lord God would raise up a
Prophet like unto him, and the people should hear him in all things
whatsoever he should say unto them, and every soul that would not hear
him, should be cut off from among the people.

Vol. 3, p.133
What do our enemies complain of us about? For believing we must
hearken to the Prophet of the Lord which we profess to have among
us—Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young, or whoever it may be. "They
believe," say our enemies, "that they must hearken to their Prophet in
all things whatsoever he shall say unto them." Just as though it was a
new thing; that is what they are mad at us about; it is the main point
that is found fault with from California to Maine, and throughout
Europe, by editors and priests.

Vol. 3, p.133
Everywhere the word is, "what is the matter with the Mormons in Utah?
They hold to that abominable principle of hearkening to all things the
Prophet of God says to them." O dear, what hurt does that do? It gives
them power—they will all vote one way.

Vol. 3, p.133
We are not the only people that are troubled with that doctrine, and
this is not the only, age that has had that kind of trouble to contend
with.

Vol. 3, p.133
Moses had laid it gown, that they should not only give heed to his
word, and if they did not they should be destroyed, and have to eat
their own children while their enemies besieged them, but that they
should give heed also to another Prophet that should arise, and that
too in all things whatsoever he should say unto them; and if they did
not, they should be cut off from among the people.

Vol. 3, p.133
But that part of "Mormonism" is very ancient, and applied to Moses,
and to Christ, and to every Prophet that has ever been sent to lead
the people.

Vol. 3, p.133
"These be the days of vengeance, that all things that are written may
be fulfilled." I have quoted a little of what has been written.

Vol. 3, p.133
"But woe unto them that are with child and to those that give suck in
those days." What kind of a woe is this? "Eternal hell," says one.
That is not the meaning; but the language signifies that it will be
hard on those who are in that situation in those days; they will have
trouble because they will not be in circumstances to flee from their
enemies; it will be very inconvenient indeed for them to escape;
therefore sorrow to them; it will be hard on them; they are to be
pitied.

Vol. 3, p.133
I used to think, when I was a boy, that every time the Scriptures said
woe, it meant eternal hell. I did not understand very much of the
Scriptures then; in this instance Christ was simply speaking of the
trouble and inconvenience it would be to those who had little
children.

Vol. 3, p.133
I have often thought how much more merciful God is to the Latter-day
Saints, in telling them not to go in haste nor by flight, without
stopping to get their coat, their garment, or their bed; he has not
told them to escape empty-handed; I feel thankful for this
mercy.[p.134] 

Vol. 3, p.134
On the other hand, I have thought that we have had some burdens to
bear, over and above what they had, which makes the thing about even.

Vol. 3, p.134
"For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this
people." That is, in the land of Judea, upon the Jews, and in that
city.

Vol. 3, p.134
"And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and they shall be led
away captive among all nations, and Jerusalem"—what will become of it
finally?—"shall be trodden down of the gentiles, until"—that is a big
word, and means much in the position it occupies here—"UNTIL"—on that
word is suspended that nation's fate, and the fate of all the
neighboring nations—"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."

Vol. 3, p.134
I tell you there is meaning in these words, contained in that single
line. O ye nations of the earth, if I had the voice of an angel's
trump, that I could be heard to earth's remotest bounds, by kings,
rulers, captains, generals, armies, and nations, I would wish to read
that one line in their ears, and tell them the things that are summed
up in it.

Vol. 3, p.134
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles until the times of
the gentiles be fulfilled." What is meant by it? One thing we know
certain, we have no need to conjecture, that is, that all these things
happened literally. The Roman army on the outside, and the three
factions on the inside of the city of Jerusalem, and the famine, and
the pestilence helping it on, performed their work until finally it
came to an end by the city being taken by the Romans, the temple set
on fire, and burned, and the whole city desolated, and brought under
Gentile rule, namely, Roman rule. And it is said, in the history
written by Josephus, that one million and a half of Jews perished in
that siege, that is, in that one city, in putting an end to a national
polity; a national corrupted form of government, a national
priesthood, a national house of worship.

Vol. 3, p.134
One million and a half perished! They fell by the edge of the sword,
by pestilence, and by famine, and the remnants of the Jews were
carried captive among all nations. To remain how long? As I have said,
we know this prophecy has been literally fulfilled, for we see them
scattered among all nations to this day.

Vol. 3, p.134
I have seen them in San Francisco, in Chili, in Scotland, in England,
and in every part of the United States, and Canada; and wherever my
brethren, the Elders of this Church, have been; I can assure them of
one thing, if they have looked about them they have seen a Jew or
Jews. Wherever there is a nation to be found, or a people of commerce,
ships, camels, or any other means of conveyance, there will be found
Jews; that we know.

Vol. 3, p.134
But about one stone of the temple at Jerusalem not being left one upon
another—the fire itself would not do this—but history has informed us
that the Jews concealed their treasures under the stones of the
temple, and the Roman army went to work, and tumbled them about, and
did not leave one stone upon another, and finally they were removed.

Vol. 3, p.134
In fulfilment of another scripture, they took a plough and ploughed
the temple site—so completely was the scripture fulfilled.

Vol. 3, p.134
Had I time I would quote the chapter and verse of this plowing, and
the history which refers to it.

Vol. 3, p.134
Now then this last line I have read has been fulfilling until now;
that is certain. The Jews are among all nations, in captivity—without
being organized and nationalized; without being restored; without
having returned to the God of their fathers; to His matchless power;
to the administration of His Holy Spirit; to the enjoyment of heavenly
communication,  [p.135] through Holy Prophets, by the revelations of
God; to the administration of angels; to the enjoyment of the religion
of their fathers, and to the power of God to defend them, and deliver
them from their enemies.

Vol. 3, p.135
They have been 1800 years without these blessings. This is a fact
foretold in this chapter, and literally fulfilled before the eyes of
all men. All the nations know it that know anything about the Bible or
about history.

Vol. 3, p.135
Now there was a time allotted for the Gentile powers to reign, for
their corruptions to bear rule, and during the time here designated as
the times of the Gentiles, the times of their polity, of their
nationality, their religion, and to prove them and to see what they
would do with the power committed unto them—the times spoken of by
Daniel the Prophet, in which the fourth monarchy, namely, the Roman,
and all those divisions, and subdivisions that should grow out of it
in modern times, the times when these divided powers should bear rule.

Vol. 3, p.135
There is just as much a time for these to have their day and prove
themselves, and bring forth the fruits of their rule, and a time for
them to come to an end, as ever there was a time for Jerusalem to rule
or for the Jewish polity to come to an end. Now when that time
arrives, ye nations look out, for there is a prophecy gone forth about
you; it is in these words, and recorded in the Old Testament: "Though
I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet will
I not make a full end of you," speaking of Israel.

Vol. 3, p.135
Now, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled there will be an
uprooting of their governments and institutions, and of their civil,
political, and religious polity. There will be a shaking of nations, a
downfall of empires, an upturning of thrones and dominions, as Daniel
has foretold, and the kingdom and power, and rule on the earth will
return to another people, and exist under another polity, as Daniel
has further foretold. But let me read it here, let Jesus speak in his
own words, or the writer for him. Now understand that we have got down
to the present time, that is sure with this prophecy, no man can
mistake it. Jerusalem has been overthrown, and not one stone of that
magnificent temple has been left upon another. A great portion of that
nation fell by the edge of the sword, and the residue went captive
among all nations, and their city has been trodden under foot of the
Gentiles, and will be until their times are fulfilled, that is, until
they have had their reign out. Then what will happen? We will read;
"And there shall be signs in the sun." Has anybody seen them?—not away
back among those other things; there were signs in the air then;
Josephus tells you about it, and this book tells you about it, as I
have been reading to-day in this chapter, about the signs which
happened as a forerunner of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jews
as a nation. Now after the Jews have remained among the Gentiles until
the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, as a forerunner of this
latter overturn "there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon."
Have any of you seen them during the last 30 years? I have. "And in
the stars." Have you seen any signs in the stars? Think back for the
last 30 years. "And upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them
for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And THEN"—not some
other time. Are there any Millerites here who have been setting a time
for the Son of Man to come? "Then [p.136] shall they see the Son of
Man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory." Not you, my
disciples, whom I told a little while ago should be delivered up to
the synagogues, and to prisons, and be beheaded, and suffer many
things; not you whom I have warned to take heed lest you are deceived
by false Christs that shall come to you; and when you should hear of
wars and commotions to be not terrified, &c.; but Jesus Christ now
directs his attention to another age; this does not refer to you my
followers, you will be dead, and in paradise when these things that I
now refer to shall take place. But THEY. Who? The people who shall
live when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled—when their reign is
about to come to an end, the generation that will be alive when
Jerusalem and the Jews are about to be restored, and the full end of
all Gentile polity is about to usher in. "Then shall they see," those
that shall live in those days. And what shall they see? "The Son of
Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."

Vol. 3, p.136
That is the proud sight that is to be seen in connection with the end
of the Gentile rule, or the breaking up of the Gentile nations, when
their times are completed; when Jerusalem is to be rebuilt, to be no
more trodden down nor governed by them, when the Jews are to be
restored; and when there are signs in the sun, and in the moon and in
the stars, and upon the earth men's hearts failing them for fear and
for looking after the things that are coming, then shall they see, not
the crucified Jesus hanging upon the ignominious cross, mocked by the
wicked Jews, not persecuted by a Herod, clothed in all the pomp and
pride of Gentile authority, not a Roman army to overthrow and succeed
the Jewish polity, but they shall see the Son of Man coming in a cloud
clothed with great power and great glory.

Vol. 3, p.136
Do ye believe this, ye young people, ye boys and girls? Do ye believe
this? All the prophetic sayings contained in this chapter have been
fulfilled, down to this day. Do you believe that portion of it which
is yet in the future, ye people of New York, of San Francisco, of
China, of London, of France? Do the Gentile nations believe this? You
see the Jew among you, and the Gentile bearing rule; do you believe
that this is a true prophecy? You ought to believe it, for it is right
before your eyes in its fulfilment, and if you do, do you expect to
see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory? That is a sight some of you will see; you have only to live
until the time comes, and you will see it.

Vol. 3, p.136
Whether there has been signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and upon the
earth distress of nations and perplexity, men's hearts failing them
for fear, in the last few years, I will leave each one to draw his own
conclusion. If this has not already been sufficiently fulfilled, one
thing is certain, it is being fulfilled, and when it is sufficiently
completed the Son of Man will be seen in heaven with power and great
glory, as sure as you ever saw a Jew, that is, it is a fact. "And when
these things begin to come to pass," for that is an important point,
"then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth
nigh." Does it not appear a little strange that Peter, and James, and
John, and the Jewish nation have to wait until then for their
redemption, and the dead and the living, as well as the Latter-day
Saints? They have to wait until then, whether in this world or in the
other, for the redemption of their bodies, unless they died before
Christ, and rose from the dead when he did, and the Jews must wait
until then for the redemption of their nation and national polity, and
for their triumph over their enemies, and for the putting down of all
other power, and for the establishment of the reign  [p.137]
righteousness on the earth, the redemption of their friends, and
vengeance on all those who have shed the innocent blood whether of
Latter-day Saints or Former-day Saints. This is the day of their
redemption, be in what world they may, they are preparing for it.
"Lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." When? Not when
Jerusalem is compassed with armies, not when they (the Jews) are
destroyed by the edge of the sword, not while wandering among the
nations of the earth from age to age, not while the Gentile powers
bear rule, but when the sun, moon, and stars shall put forth their
signs, the heavens shake, and mews hearts failing them for fear,
looking for the things that are coming upon the earth—then is the time
to begin and look up, to lift up your heads and rejoice, ye spirits
that are waiting for redemption, whether ye are in this world or in
the other, straighten your backs in your hard toil, and look up, for
your redemption draweth nigh.

Vol. 3, p.137
"And he spake to them a parable: Behold the fig trees and all the
trees." We have not any fig trees here, but  they had there."And all
the trees, " embraces trees we have here. "When they now shoot forth,
ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand."
You do not need a Prophet to come along and prophesy that summer is
nigh at hand, for even the children may know it." So likewise ye, when
ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is
nigh at hand."

Vol. 3, p.137
O ye Millerites, ye made a great mistake; you thought the first thing
was the coming of the Lord in power and great glory; you were going to
have him come immediately, without any kingdom to come to, without a
forerunner in the shape of a Prophet, but just by men guessing, and
predicting, and remarking, and commenting on the prophecies; but so
far as the coming of the Lord being the first thing you knew, you will
"begin to see these things come to pass, and then know that the
kingdom of God is nigh at hand" and we have to be born again or we
cannot see it.

Vol. 3, p.137
People hear of "Joe Smith," as he is called, of the Book of Mormon, of
angels coming from heaven again; of the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit; of modern Prophets and Apostles, and martyrs, and they think,
"what under heaven does all this mean, we have no reason to look for
anything of the sort, but we expect the Lord here every minute." They
have no idea of a modem Prophet; of angels visiting the earth in the
latter times; of modern inspiration; of a modern Church that will
hearken to the voice of a Prophet in all things that be shall say unto
them; it is all new to them, they are astonished, and say, "what does
it mean, I wonder what is this Mormonism coming to?"

Vol. 3, p.137
The Lord will never come until he has organized his kingdom on the
earth, and prepared his people by sending a messenger to prepare the
way before him; that messenger has come, and the man that delivered it
has been slain, namely, Joseph Smith, and by the instrumentality of
that messenger, here sit the Apostles and Prophets, ordained to hold
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Vol. 3, p.137
If the people had read the Scriptures they would have been looking for
all this, if they had not listened to a set of blind guides, who have
hired out for money to tell them the Scriptures mean something else.

Vol. 3, p.137
When you see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of
God is nigh at hand. Says one, "for my part I believe the kingdom of
God was set up 1800 years ago, and is not going to be set up again; he
is not going to have it set up twice, or I do not know what you are
going to do with the Scriptures, you had better [p.138] burn them up
as a thing of no account, because John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the
Twelve Apostles, and the Seventies all agreed in their former
testimonies that the kingdom of God was then nigh at hand, it must
therefore have been immediately set up, or they were all false
witnesses; and if it was immediately setup, as an event following
their predictions, namely, on the day of pentecost, when the power of
God was shed forth, and the Apostles that held the keys of it
organized it upon the earth; if that event did really follow what John
the Baptist, Jesus, and his Apostles had predicted, then of course it
was set up in those days."

Vol. 3, p.138
We say there will be another time when it will be at hand; how do we
prove it. By the words of Jesus himself in our text, for he did not
only state that the kingdom was then at hand when he first began to
preach, but he also said it would be at hand when we should see these
modern signs here referred to. What did he say should come? False
Christs, and the Apostles were to be betrayed, and hated of all
nations, and some would be put to death; He told them they should be
brought before kings and rulers; that the Roman army should compass
Jerusalem, and there should not be left one stone upon another of
their temple, and the Jews should go captive among all nations; that
they should remain there for a certain time during which the Gentile
power should rule; that after all this there should be signs in the
sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, and
perplexity, men's hearts failing them for fear; when these thing come
to pass, then know that the kingdom of God is at hand.

Vol. 3, p.138
What does this make out? That there were two distinct times, or ages,
varying in circumstances, in which the kingdom of God would be
introduced to the inhabitants of the earth; the one should immediately
follow John the Baptist, and Jesus, and Peter, who held the keys of
it, and the other should be looked for and ushered in, in connection
with these modern signs; in short Jesus and Peter held the keys of the
one, and his brother Joseph Smith, and his Apostles hold the keys of
the other.

Vol. 3, p.138
Now I think you can understand both predictions; one by John the
Baptist, and all the holy Prophets, and by Jesus and his Apostles, and
the other was predicted by Jesus Christ and all the Holy Prophets
since the world began, and both of them fulfilled right here before
your eyes this day. The one in the events recorded in the New
Testament, the other in the history of Joseph Smith, and what follows.

Vol. 3, p.138
I have already been lengthy; having got at the main review, I will
close by reviewing one more sentence. "Watch ye therefore, and pray
always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things
that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Vol. 3, p.138
Now I know the habit of praying always in Christendom, that is certain
portions of them, they pray in their families and in secret, and have
prayer meetings;they pray for this, that, and the other, and say the
Lord's prayer and a great many prayers, but the question is do they
pray always? He did not tell them to pray the Lord's prayer always,
particularly, neither did he tell not to; but this one prayer he did
tell them to pray always, and causes it to be written; do WE fulfil
it, and do they; it is not to pray always nor to watch always, but it
is to pray this particular prayer always—that we may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand
before the Son of Man.

Vol. 3, p.138
Whatever else they might pray in all the varying circumstances of
their lives, all right, but this one thing they would be  sure to
need, to be accounted [p.139] worthy to escape all those things Christ
foretold, and stand before him.

Vol. 3, p.139
And why should they pray this always? Because it is not only the
living generation that had to meet it, and had need to be prepared,
but it was a chain of prophecy that would be gradually fulfilling from
that time until he comes, and whether they passed through the vail or
remained in the flesh, one thing was certain, they would all have to
meet some part of it; if they lived in Jerusalem they would have some
part of it to meet; or if they were scattered among all nations they
would have some part of it to meet; and if they live until there
should be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and upon the earth
distress of nations, they would have some part of it to meet;
therefore whether they lived in modern or in former times, behind the
vail or on this side of it; it was necessary to pray always to be
accounted worthy to escape all these things and stand before the Son
of Man.

Vol. 3, p.139
This would have cautioned the drunkard a little, and the miser a
little, the man who is engaged head, heart, and hand to accumulate all
the riches of the world and heap them up to himself, and not use them
to build up the kingdom of God; it would have told him not to have his
heart overcharged with the cares of this earth, or with surfeiting and
drunkenness, if these words do not say so exactly, another writer
does, who writes on the same subject.

Vol. 3, p.139
Take care how you get drunk, how you are a glutton, how you are wholly
swallowed up in the cares of this world, in accumulating riches, and
take care to pray that you may escape all these things, and stand
before the Son of Man.

Vol. 3, p.139
It would not do for me to talk always, but I want to tell you how to
prepare; and I trust my brother Orson, or some one who will follow me
in the course of the day, will enter upon that subject more fully, and
illustrate the Gospel; the remission of sins; the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and the ordinances pertaining thereto, as well as a good,
moral, prayerful life, all of which would open up an extensive field
for reflection, had we time to enter upon it.

Vol. 3, p.139
If we had time, and it was expedient we could show you that in order
to restore the kingdom of God, and prepare the way for the coming of
the Son of Man, the Gospel would have to be restored in its fulness,
baptism, and repentance for the remission of sins preached, and a
messenger like John the Baptist sent of old to prepare the way; but we
will leave the subject unfinished.

Vol. 3, p.139
I expect to go where Jesus did and tell the spirits in prison the good
news that their redemption draweth nigh, and the good news of the
Gospel, my mouth never can be shut on that subject, in heaven, earth,
or hell, if I am at liberty to tell it, and the Holy Spirit given to
me to direct.

Vol. 3, p.139
I leave the subject praying God to bless you all, and all those that
watch and pray always to be accounted worthy to  escape all these
things that are coming to pass, and stand before the Son of Man.
Amen.[p.140] 

Amasa Lyman, December 2, 1855

Comprehensiveness of the Gospel—Truth the Bond of Union—
Men Must Work Out Their Own Salvation 

A Discourse, by Elder Amasa Lyman, 
Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
December 2, 1855.

Vol. 3, p.140
My brethren and sisters—By the changes which mark the history of our
journey through life, I again have the privilege of meeting with you.
With many of you, no doubt, I have had the same privilege before, and,
for aught I know, this may be the first time I have met with others
who are present to-day; whether I have met with you before or not, it
is a source of gratification to me that we are here.

Vol. 3, p.140
I am not here because I have fulfilled my mission, or because I have
laid down the labor of my mission as having completed it; but I am
simply here this afternoon because I have a mission, one that has
engaged my time, filled up my time, and engaged all my powers; it is
only in the discharge of the duties of that mission that I am here.

Vol. 3, p.140
Though some may have thought that because I have been laboring in
California for a few years, the labors of my mission are confined to
California, but I do not so understand it; these are not the feelings
that I cherish within me in relation to it. I never have felt, because
I was appointed to labor for a time for the accomplishment of certain
purposes in the State of California, that I was released from the
obligations that rested upon me as a minister of righteousness every
day, in every place, and under all circumstances.

Vol. 3, p.140
I received a mission over twenty years ago to preach the Gospel, and
have been engaged in it ever since; it has filled up the hours, days,
weeks, months, and years of my life since I received it. It has
enlisted my whole affections for that length of time, and I have only
just commenced—I say I have just commenced because I have not
completed it, and the extent of time that may be occupied in its
completion I do not comprehend.

Vol. 3, p.140
The only fact I fully comprehend in relation to it is that I have
began it—I have received it—entered upon the duties of it—and in the
prosecution of it so far, I have done all I have done; I have
travelled where I have travelled; I have labored as I have labored. It
is in the discharge of the duties of this mission I leave Salt Lake,
and in the discharge of the duties of it that I return. It is in the
discharge of these duties that I do all that I do, so far as I am able
to act, as I would wish to act, and as I design to act.

Vol. 3, p.140
I may this evening address people with whom I have held conversation
in relation to principles of, the Gospel long years ago; and others,
as I have remarked, perhaps see me for the first time, yet to both of
these classes of persons I have but one thing to say, namely, that it
is still my business to preach the Gospel. I have nothing else to
preach. I know nothing else to preach. It is the subject that has
engaged my attention, and still does engage it.

Vol. 3, p.140
With the years of experience that have added the contributions to the
store of knowledge, I have been able to gain in the  short time I have
lived [p.141] in the world, the subject seems to increase in its
dimensions and in its extent. That which I thought I knew when I was
but a boy—that I thought I understood—that I supposed in the vanity
and ignorance of childhood I comprehended—I find in the mature years
of manhood that I knew nothing about it, so far as the comprehension
of the great truths of the Gospel, in their extent, are concerned.

Vol. 3, p.141
I learned that there was a Gospel, and became satisfied of its truth;
and I commenced to labor in the Gospel as did those who taught me its
principles, and from whose lips I first heard the testimony thereof;
the first man I ever heard preach it is here with me to-day—brother
Orson Pratt. 

Vol. 3, p.141
The Gospel is connected with every thing I can think about. It is
expanded to such an extent that I cannot see beyond it; I cannot rise
above it, nor descend beneath it. There are no depths it does not
reach; no heights it does not surmount; no extent which is not filled
by it. So let me talk to you what I will, that is true, and calculated
to do good to mankind, it must of necessity form a part of the Gospel.

Vol. 3, p.141
I used to think twenty years ago that I had preached it over and over
again; so I confess one thing to you, not as a sin—not as a wrong,
that when I was a child I thought as a child, I believed the Gospel as
a child, I speculated about it as a child, and I talked about it as a
child would; but since I became a man I have learned different things;
I have learned that there is a vast difference between, receiving and
indorsing a belief in the existence of a fact, and the full and
perfect comprehension of it.

Vol. 3, p.141
This was the relation in which I stood to the Gospel in the days of my
childhood, it is the relation in which I stand to it, in a great
extent, to-day, It is no more a fact to-day than it was a score of
years ago—that I comprehend the Gospel only in part. That I comprehend
it fully now, I would not be so understood. I comprehend something of
it; all the truth that I am able to comprehend is so much of it.

Vol. 3, p.141
Now, is this the ease with anybody besides myself? I have reason to
think that if I have the Gospel to learn, others have it to learn, and
that if a comprehension of the truth is requisite to my salvation it
is to theirs. Then the important thing in relation to the Gospel is,
that we should receive it in its true spirit, that we should duly
appreciate the object of its institution, the reasons why it is
revealed to us, and the necessity that called for its revelation. This
will enlighten us as to the principle upon which we will be really
saved, when we are saved.

Vol. 3, p.141
If, after all, we do not comprehend the Gospel in its fulness, and in
its widest extent, we may perhaps fall as far short of what may be
called—according to our way of understanding—a perfect salvation, as
we may lack understanding to comprehend the Gospel in its fulness.

Vol. 3, p.141
The Gospel as I receive it, believe it, learned to be true, to be a
system of truth, that circumscribes all things; that embraces all the
good that exists, is a something that is designed to produce for the
children of men such things as are requisite to their happiness; to
their deliverance from the bondage of sin; from the bondage of error,
ignorance, and darkness; or from ignorance, by whatever name it may be
called, or whatever may be the particular agency by which it may exert
its influence over the freedom of the soul.

Vol. 3, p.141
This review of the matter has led me to conclude that it is not the
heathen nations alone—as we denominate them in contradistinction to
the, christian world—that are groveling in darkness, that are
worshiping they know not what, and that are seeing they know not what,
but that it is actually the case with thousands who [p.142] have
subscribed to the doctrine God, has revealed in the last days, even
the Gospel as a system of truth and salvation. Yet in looking forward
to that emancipation from darkness, from error, and from all the
concomitant train of consequences resulting from an ignorance of
truth, they have failed to recognize, in examining the subject, that
the comprehension of truth was actually necessary to constitute the
salvation they sought for.

Vol. 3, p.142
We have looked for heaven, or happiness, in a deliverance from every
thing that is in reality a cause of annoyance to us; of sorrow,
misery, and wretchedness. From this we expect to be saved, from it we
expect the Gospel will redeem us.

Vol. 3, p.142
Well now, how do we expect to arrive at so desirable a consummation of
our wishes? How do we expect to gain the point where we shall realize
a full and perfect deliverance from the evils that afflict us—with
which we are surrounded in life—and from which we expect to be saved,
when the Gospel has wrought out for us all we anticipate, shall have
brought to us the realization of our highest hopes, and loftiest
expectations? What then shall have been done with us? Where shall we
be? What kind of men and women will we be? What country or locality of
the great universe shall we occupy? Where can the bread of life be
found, and the water of the fountain of life, from which we may fain
quench our thirst?

Vol. 3, p.142
One might calculate that all the good we expect to realize when we are
saved, will be obtained, by doing, in all things, as we are told to
do, by fulfilling every requisition that is imposed upon us, and
thereby securing the fullness of this salvation.

Vol. 3, p.142
What does this obedience lead people to? It leads them to go where
they are required to go, and to stay where they may be required to
stay; in fine, it leads them to perform every labor that is required
at their hands in the building up of the kingdom of God, and the
establishing of Zion, or the cause of truth on the earth. In the
pursuance of this, what do we find? We find men crossing the desert,
and the ocean, of their own free will; passing through all the
contingencies of a journey of that kind; passing through privations,
hardships, dangers, and evils that may hang around their path, because
they have been commanded to do so. We see some fall off who have spent
a score of years in traveling, preaching, laboring, toiling, and
striving to gain salvation by being obedient to the requisitions that
were laid upon them; they have gone, when, and where they were sent,
and have come back when called for; they have made it their business
to respond to the calls that were made, regardless of what they might
be.

Vol. 3, p.142
After a while we find those men who have traveled long and far, and
suffered much; and what do they tell us? "Why, we have tried Mormonism
for twenty years," and now what conclusion do they come to? To the
conclusion, that is sometimes vulgarly expressed in this way—"We have
not found Mormonism what it is cracked up to be—it has been
misrepresented to us." This is simply because they have not realized
all their expectations, and hopes, and have not been able to grasp the
reward they were seeking after, and which they regarded as
constituting the elements of happiness. So now, after twenty year's
hard service, they are ready, as we say, to apostatize and go
somewhere else to seek happiness, and leave "Mormonism" to go as it
may go, to sink or swim.

Vol. 3, p.142
If toiling, and laboring, and suffering privations and hardships were
sufficient to save men, and place within their  possession the
constituent principles [p.143] of happiness to redeem them from evil,
such men would have been redeemed very likely; such men would have
been pure. But what does it prove? It simply proves, that if there is
anything in a man's experience; in his toiling and labor, it is simply
the facts that we see, the outward result that may be calculated, that
flows from his labors, such as the building of houses, and cities.

Vol. 3, p.143
He may suffer toil in various ways: for instance, as in preaching the
Gospel and trying with all his might to get the people to believe that
which they ought to believe; to get them to serve God, and keep His
commandments. If there is anything but this results from his labor and
toil in the Gospel I am not aware of it. By and by he lays his body
down in the dust, his work is not completed, and he is unhappy and
wretched.

Vol. 3, p.143
Why is it? Is it because the Gospel is untrue; because He is not
faithful that has promised? No. But it is simply because he has been
looking where it is not, for the constituent principles of happiness
where they do not exist: and while he has been laboring and toiling he
has failed to gather to himself a store of happiness as the reward of
his toil. He supposed if he built this house, performed this mission,
or discharged that duty, the this would give him salvation. Says one,
"Is it not this which gives men salvation?" What does the Savior say?
He once on a time defined what eternal life is; and that is what  we
all seek; that is the principle without which we as Latter-day Saints
calculate that men cannot be happy,  and be saved in the kingdom of
God, which is to know the only true God, and, Jesus Christ whom He has
sent. 

Vol. 3, p.143
Then traveling by sea and land, living in luxury or poverty, suffering
hardships and toil does not constitute eternal life; because there are
countless millions of earth's sons that are seen to-day, suffering and
toiling, and wasting themselves away, wearing themselves out, so far
as their bodies are concerned, until they lay down in their mother
earth, being as poor at the end of their toil as at the beginning of
it, and as a general thing, more wretched.

Vol. 3, p.143
Then there is something else that should be connected with all this
labor; there is some other principle, something that should be
developed in the history of every individual, besides the making of a
house, the exploring of a new country, the preaching the word of God
to others, that word which would save them, and direct them to the
fountain of life and salvation. And what is that something? It is the
important thing which we all want; whether it is large or small,
little or much; whatever may be its name is a matter of no importance
to us, only, so we possess it.

Vol. 3, p.143
There should be developed that which will give life and assurance in
the bosom of man, the thing that can constitute him happy; that can be
a means of bliss to him. This cannot be found, as I have said, in
building houses; there are millions of men that build houses and never
know the truth, they never comprehend it; they began poor, and die
poor, so far as this principle is concerned.

Vol. 3, p.143
So it was with the Pharisees, after all the pains Jesus Christ had
taken to instruct and teach them, and render his teachings so
perfectly simple, that a person with but a child's capacity could have
understood them; when he was demanded of them when the kingdom of God
should come, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God cometh not
with observation. Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, Lo there: for,
behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

Vol. 3, p.143
We as Latter-day Saints have heard a great deal said to entertain us,
and a great many speculations have been [p.144] formed in our minds
with regard to the kingdom of God, and we may have pursued our various
ways to impart our ideas to satisfy those to whom we may have
addressed our conversation, in the course of our lives, and in the
course of our labors, as to what the kingdom of God is, so as to get
our hearers to understand it.

Vol. 3, p.144
Now we, as Latter-day Saints, who are in possession of that principle
of salvation, need not say we know of a principle that will produce
salvation, for whenever the principle is developed in man, he is
already saved; he has no need to go around the bush to find something
else—he has not to take another step to get something else in his
possession before he is saved, but when the principle is in his
possession he is saved, and he is saved to the extent to which the
principle is developed in him.

Vol. 3, p.144
Jesus Christ understood this when he took the mild way of admonishing
certain of his disciples, and rebuking them perhaps for their dullness
of apprehension, telling them they were slow of heart to believe
things that had been spoken by the Prophets.

Vol. 3, p.144
How often have we been told that it was requisite for us to live that
the Spirit of God would come and dwell with us, live in us constantly,
until it should be a living fountain of life, and light, and glory in
our souls, until it should lead us into all truth.

Vol. 3, p.144
What did we suppose, when we heard this, was to happen with us? What
did we suppose we were to do? What kind of feelings were we to
cultivate, if any at all, that we may have the Holy Spirit:

Vol. 3, p.144
Says one, "that is one thing, and perhaps the thing you are talking
about is something else." What is the Holy Spirit? What will it do for
you and me? What has it ever done for any man, or for any people who
have been so happy as to enjoy the blessing of its presence with them,
as to partake of its fruits, to live and enjoy the life which it
imparts? What has it done for us?

Vol. 3, p.144
I would like to ask every intelligent man this question, as Latter-day
Saints, if they suppose it ever revealed anything more than the truth
to any soul? Did it ever do anything beyond simply reflecting light
around individuals, in which they were enabled to discover just the
simple naked truth, which enabled them to comprehend it as well as be
sensible to its existence. What did it ever do, whether you apply its
power to revelation, to the principle of light that it would impart;
or to the fact that there is a God who lives, rules, and reigns in the
heavens above, and in the earth beneath; or whether you apply it to
something that might be called a smaller matter—a matter of less
magnitude; did it ever do anything but simply teach mankind the truth?

Vol. 3, p.144
Then the truth is the highest point that can be gained, it is the
richest gem that can be possessed; you cannot go beyond it, nor stop
short of it without partaking of falsehood, and error. There is no
alternative left. The principle that governs the dwelling of Jehovah
is truth, simple truth, and that is all there is upon which a
permanent foundation for happiness can be laid.

Vol. 3, p.144
If we would learn the God of truth that imparts life, and freedom from
darkness and error to us; it is simply that truth that enables us to
comprehend the facts in relation to Him. If we learn ourselves it is
the same; it would be the revelation of some principle applied to
ourselves, to our own history, to the reason why we are here, and the
same that brought us here. Then this is what the Holy Spirit will do.

Vol. 3, p.144
We have been taught that we should so live that it should be with us
continually. How is it that we are to live that it may  dwell with us?
Have [p.145] we to live so as to possess this truth, this counsellor,
this adviser, this minister that will admonish us of God, and for our
good, and tell us the truth always?

Vol. 3, p.145
Have we got to depend upon the contingency of our being able, for
instance, to go to meeting every Sabbath day to hear somebody inspired
of God tell the truth that we may see it, and hear it, mark it, and
define the exact ground we should occupy, the path in which we should
walk, and the duties that should fill up the measure of days through
the week.

Vol. 3, p.145
If this was the way that we were to be saved, by living for the truth,
and getting it in our possession, and this was to be the only
principle upon which we were to possess ourselves of its advantages,
if anything should happen that we could not go to church, we should be
as hard off as a mariner in a fog without a compass or chart. We
should, in every sense of the word, be lost, and be entirely unable to
find ourselves.

Vol. 3, p.145
Was this what was contemplated in the Gospel? Was it contemplated to
make the condition and circumstances of those individuals that should
embrace the Gospel better? I do not think that it was, I do not
believe it was.

Vol. 3, p.145
The Savior intimated that whoever should do the will of his Father,
should fulfil his requirements, what should be their condition; he
intimated that this principle should be in, them like a well of water
springing up to everlasting life. To the woman at the well of Samaria
he said, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst."

Vol. 3, p.145
One of the ancient Apostles in admonishing his brethren who had been
taught, probably as much as the Latter-day Saints have, and probably
might have embraced the Gospel with similar views; says he, "We have
also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take
heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn,
and the day star arise in your hearts."

Vol. 3, p.145
When a man is in darkness it is necessary he should have a candle, or
some borrowed means of light to dissipate the darkness around him. How
long? Until the day dawns, and the day star arises. Where? In this
man's heart—in your neighbor's heart? No. But give heed unto the sure
word of prophecy until the day dawns,. and the day star arises in your
heart.

Vol. 3, p.145
When the day dawns, we dispense with the light of the candle; when the
day star arises in the heart, to use the language of the Apostle, it
reflects its light there. Does it wear away? No, it is there
continually. The Apostle chose that as a figure, that was as near
something immutable and without change, probably, as anything that
could occur to his mind, in selecting the dawn of day and the rising
of the day star.

Vol. 3, p.145
The Apostle Peter spoke these words, a man inspired of God, who spoke
thus to instruct the uninstructed, that they might be brought to the
comprehension of some truths, be led to drink at some fountain of
life; this was the object for which they were to attend to this
instruction. Then you can discover, very readily, that it is the
development in the soul of every individual, of this principle of
light, or life, I care not which you call it; it is this comprehension
of truth the Apostle refers to.

Vol. 3, p.145
That the great object of the Gospel, and the object of its being
preached was the development of its light in the soul of those
individuals that are to become heirs of salvation, the sons and
daughters of God, who are to be clothed upon with the principles of
truth with which God is clothed, that in the comprehension of truth,
they may receive capacity to will and do and accomplish those things
which [p.146] are requisite to their happiness and exaltation.

Vol. 3, p.146
And so long as this objection fails to be accomplished—so long the
preaching of the Gospel has failed to accomplish its object, as far as
those individuals are concerned, and the object for which that labor
was performed. Whether the lack is in the man who preaches, or in the
people to whom he preaches, it is all the same.

Vol. 3, p.146
This is a point that Latter-day Saints should duly appreciate and
consider; because if we do not, the consequences are, discontent in
the mind, and dissatisfaction; we shall quarrel with circumstances
that are around us, we shall find fault, simply because we are not
contented; and because the estimates we place upon truth, and the
blessings conferred upon us, lead us to consider that they are not
worth the labor we are required to bestow, the money or means we are
required to give. The consequence is, we consider it a bad bargain,
and we want to rue; and then as Latter-day Saints we apostatize—we
quit it—we back out, saying, "we have not found Mormonism what it was
cracked up to be."

Vol. 3, p.146
How have such people received it? What views have they entertained of
it? There are those things which will actually tell the truth on a
man, when his lips fail to speak it; his actions will tell it. What
did they consider it worth? As much of their tithing as they could not
avoid paying.

Vol. 3, p.146
Some may think it is worth a tithing but not any more. Another man
considers it worth everything; and more than everything of which he
can entertain a perception. He would not refuse to pour out the last
dollar; he will hunt the last corner of his pocket to get out the last
farthing to give to it. And when it comes to his labor he would not
stop to labor one day in ten, but ten whole days, and only wish there
were more days to labor to accomplish more; because in so doing he is
serving himself and enlarging his own interest, when he is seeking the
interest of "Mormonism."

Vol. 3, p.146
Why so? Because he estimates it to be that that is universal in its
extent, and intimately associated with every principle of the Gospel,
in which the narrow conceptions of men are drowned, they are lost,
submerged like a mote cast into the ocean.

Vol. 3, p.146
On taking this view, he does not stop at anything he can do. Does he
stand back from pouring but his life's blood? No, but he pours it out
as freely as water that glides down from the summit of the snow-clad
hills to the valleys below.

Vol. 3, p.146
In what consists the difference between these two classes of men? It
is in the estimate they place upon the value of "Mormonism." One class
considers it worth what they gave for it, and the other considers it
worth more than they can possible give.

Vol. 3, p.146
Then it is as men receive the Gospel, and endorse the truth; if they
consider it excellent above everything else, so that they will
manifest their love for it, and their zeal in promoting its interests,
and the accomplishment of its object.

Vol. 3, p.146
You can readily see, then, how the kingdom of God must be built up in
the soul of every individual; Zion must be developed there. What is
Zion? It is the pure in heart, so says the revelation. Do you suppose
you are going to build up the kingdom of God until the perfection of
purity and truth is developed in the hearts of the people of that
kingdom? No. You may gather them together by thousands, and tens of
thousands, until the concourse swell the congregation in Zion to
millions, and what will it amount to until this principle is developed
in them?

Vol. 3, p.146
There will be a corresponding stream of apostacy flowing out, at the
same time, at the back door. What is the [p.147] reason? Simply
because this principle is wanted, this important part of the Gospel is
omitted, if it has ever been thought of; its harmonizing influences
are not felt through the sphere of man's being; his interests are at
war with the interests of Zion; he runs after some fanciful notion
that is at war with the kingdom of God. He cares not for it, he would
exchange it for a piece of bread and cheese, for a farm, or for the
glittering treasure of the world.

Vol. 3, p.147
Why, because the principle is not in the heart, that causes him to
estimate the real value of the gem which he rejects; he considers it
worth but a trifle, consequently he will barter away his chance for
it, for a trifle. That is the way men act for "Mormonism." We are
going to build up the kingdom of God, and compass sea and land to tell
the erring sons of earth the Gospel, and testify that the Lord has set
His hand again to build up the kingdom, and then get down by the
fireside and say, "Mormonism has been preached so many years, and
perhaps, in five years the Son of Man must come;" and in their
feelings they say, "It cannot be put off; from what brother Joseph
said, and from what brother Brigham has said, or somebody else, we
calculate the Son of Man will be here in a few years at the farthest.
And will he not have nice times when he comes, visiting among this
people?"

Vol. 3, p.147
When will he come? When will be the day of righteousness that we talk
about, when peace and truth, and the kingdom of God shall cover the
earth as the waters do the deep? It will be when the principle of
truth and light and life are developed in the hearts of the people
that dwell on the face of the earth, and never until then.

Vol. 3, p.147
Knowledge is just as near the earth, so far as that is concerned, now
as it will be then; but where is it? There is such a thing as truth,
as a comprehension of it, but that does not prove that it exists
within you or me; or that either of us have the advantage, or can
secure to ourselves the advantage of having it in possession; although
a seraph might stand by our side, whose being has been made radiant by
the light of truth, we still will be in some ignorance, corresponding
to the amount of knowledge we possess.

Vol. 3, p.147
The light must be in the soul before its benefit can be realized. We
have heard our teacher tell us that two and two make four; if we had
never heard anything else, if this was all that had been connected
with it, would we ever have comprehended the principle? No. The
comprehension of it must exist in a man's mind. It must be in the
centre of his being, a fountain of light, and consequently of life and
glory, from which fountain should proceed life and truth until it is
diffused throughout his whole being, until all his affections are
sanctified, and his judgment corrected.

Vol. 3, p.147
Then he would have no need to pile up and read the musty records of
past ages, because the principles of light, and life, and truth are
planted in him; and when he began to partake of their fruits, to drink
of this fountain, would he thirst again? No. When a man learns the
truth, he does not feel any more anxiety about it, he does not become
hungry for the comprehension of that truth any more. So Jesus said,
"They that drink of the water I will give them shall not thirst
again."

Vol. 3, p.147
A man that receives the knowledge of the truth does not thirst for the
same knowledge again. This is the principle that saves men. Add if
men, while they build houses and inhabit them; while they make cities,
and preach the Gospel, and gather the Saints together; if they were
enabled to succeed in developing this  principle in themselves, and
then to [p.148] lead people to adopt the same course that should
result in like development, then both the preacher, and the people
influenced, by his preaching, would be saved, and they would be
brought together, and associate together, and the kingdom of God would
be built up in the beauty of holiness, and in spirit and truth; and it
never can be until then.

Vol. 3, p.148
The knowledge of God will never cover the earth until it is first in
the hearts of the people. The principle must be developed there; then
our building of houses, our suffering and toil will all find their
reward. In what? In securing to us those blessings that cannot be
destroyed; in laying up that treasure where moth and rust do not
corrupt, nor thieves break through and steal.

Vol. 3, p.148
Where is it? Some people talk as though they would have to go to
heaven, to some distant locality to treasure up this indescribable
something called wealth where the doors and gates are strong so as to
defy the art of the robber and thief. The most secure thing I can
think of and the nearest to an imperishable reality is the knowledge
of the truth safely treasured in the memory of an intelligent human
being. When treasured there, who can steal it or get it away? They may
mar the body, and destroy it, or in other words, cause it to cease to
live, but they cannot take away from that which constitutes the man;
the treasure he holds, they cannot reach it. 

Vol. 3, p.148
If I was going to lay up an imperishable treasure, I would seek for
the knowledge of the truth, and get as much as I could of it, and
there would be my treasure, and my heart, and my soul affections. If
it was in a cold and uninhabitable region, among snow-clad hills;
where corn is hard to make, and wheat still harder, and wood a great
way off, my affections would be there because my wealth was there, and
the fountain from which this springs would be there. Then I would not
hanker after another country, only in simple obedience to the
requisition laid upon me—to serve the interests of the cause of the
truth of God.

Vol. 3, p.148
This would fix in the soul a principle of contentment that would wear