Journal of Discourses Volume 7

DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG,

HIS TWO COUNSELLORS,
THE TWELVE APOSTLES, AND OTHERS.

REPORTED BY G. D. WATT, J. V. LONG, AND OTHERS;

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

VOL. VII.

LIVERPOOL:

EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY AMASA LYMAN, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON:

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 30, FLORENCE STREET,
CROSS STREET, ISLINGTON.

1860.[p.iii] 

Preface

Vol. 7, p.iii
VENERABLE custom and the formalities of book-making seem to call for
prefaces with some show of authority; yet it is not so imperative that
long ones should be written. Although complying, then, with venerable
custom in this matter, we do not propose writing a long preface to
this Volume.

Vol. 7, p.iii
In presenting to its patrons, completed, the Seventh Volume of the
Journal of Discourses, we do not deem it necessary to descant largely
on the merits of this work, and the future value of a complete set of
volumes of Discourses of the First Presidency and leading men of the
Church. A bare reference to that fact will suffice to bring it out to
the appreciation of its subscribers, and they will readily see how
much the importance and value of their libraries in Zion will be
enhanced in years to come by a complete series of the Journal of
Discourses. Moreover, independent of these considerations, their
present value and present interest far transcend their cost, or the
pains of a careful reading.[p.iv] 

Vol. 7, p.iv
In offering the Seventh Volume of the Journal of Discourses to its
patrons, we shall leave it to declare its own intrinsic merits to
those who have read its contents, while of the future volumes let it
suffice to affirm that there is abundant reason to expect that, in the
eventful times to come, the Discourses of the First Presidency and
leading authorities of the Church will increase in their importance
and add to the richness of their treasures.

THE PUBLISHER.[p.1] 

Brigham Young, July 3, 1859

Nature of Man—Happiness—Influence of 
God's Spirit Upon Mankind, Etc.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
July 3, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.1
It is good for those who profess to be believers in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and to practise his doctrines, to keep his principles before
them. It is good to speak often one to another concerning the things
of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.1
Man is a mystery to himself, and but few of the inhabitants of the
earth inquire into their own organization—their being, their capacity,
or even into principle. The nations of the earth come and go, and
every person of reflection discerns a deep mystery in man. There is a
spirit in man, and that spirit is more or less enlightened and
instructed by a superior spirit; yet the hearts of men are absorbed in
the things of time, and they wear out their lives in their efforts to
preserve them. This is the reason why so many pass like a cloud. They
are here; they take no thought only to subsist as long as they can,
and they are gone for ever.

Vol. 7, p.1
Of those who have leisure and means to improve their minds and make
themselves very useful, there are but few who do not squander their
time and means. They do not improve upon their talents; or, as brother
Heywood observed, they do not improve upon the capital they possess.
There is a great amount of ignorance in the world; and most people are
lacking in researches concerning their own origin. Some have not the
opportunity, others have not the time, and with the majority their
education is such that they have not the disposition for those
researches. But above all, they waste the knowledge that is naturally
within them—their natural endowments. All men should study to learn
the nature of mankind, and to discern that divinity inherent in them.
A spirit and power of research is planted within, yet they remain
undeveloped.

Vol. 7, p.2
There is one very predominant trait [p.2] in the human family—the
seeking for power. The great majority constantly study to gain
influence—they traverse the world over to attain it. This trait is, in
a great measure, derived from their traditions. As the master acts,
does, says, and believes so does the servant. As the parent marks his
steps through life, so the steps of the children are measured and the
millions of consequent peculiarities have to be taken into account in
dealing with the human family. Tradition seizes upon the scholar when
he first commences his education, and, more or less, clings to the
human family through life; and we have to deal with people according
to their understanding. They are only capable of receiving a certain
portion at a time.

Vol. 7, p.2
What will satisfy the mind? Will gold? Will silver? Will houses,
lands, and possessions? Search the world over, and you will at once
discover that they will not. Will power and influence over their
fellow-beings satisfy? They will not. They may give a momentary
satisfaction; but it soon passes away like a morning cloud, and the
possessors are still labouring and striving to attain more. This was
exhibited in the career of Alexander the Great, who conquered almost
the whole of the then known world, and was still so dissatisfied with
himself and with his life—with his power and possessions—that he died
in debauchery at an early age. He obtained power, wealth, fame, and
renown, and was still so dissatisfied that he mourned, and wept, and
threw away his life ere arriving at middle age.

Vol. 7, p.2
What would satisfy the children of men, if they had it in their
possession? Only truth and the true principles and conduct flowing
from its observance. True, certain classes of the inhabitants of the
earth are pretty well satisfied with themselves, through their
researches in the philosophies of the day, and especially in the
science of astronomy, which gives the greatest scope to the mind; and
yet they are not fully satisfied. What will satisfy us? If we
understood all principles and powers that are, that have been, and
that are to come, and had wisdom sufficient to control powers and
elements with which we are associated, perhaps we would then be
satisfied. If this will not satisfy the human mind, there is nothing
that will.

Vol. 7, p.2
Is there any such thing as happiness upon the earth? There is; and
could people understand its beginning—its germ, they would strive to
obtain truth and to increase in true knowledge: then the person
calculated to receive much would have enjoyment in proportion, and one
capacitated to receive but little would be satisfied therewith. Is
there such knowledge upon the earth? There is. Are there true
principles? There are, and we heard a portion of them this morning in
the doctrine of salvation.

Vol. 7, p.2
If people understood true philosophy—eternal philosophy, they would
understand that there is an eternity of matter. Astronomers estimate
that there is between us and the nearest fixed star matter enough from
which to organize millions of earths like this. There is an eternity
of matter, and it is all acted upon and filled with a portion of
divinity. Matter is to exist; it cannot be annihilated. Eternity is
without bounds, and is filled with matter; and there is no such place
as empty space. And matter is capacitated to receive intelligence.

Vol. 7, p.2
If we could so understand true philosophy as to understand our own
creation, and what it is for—what design and intent the Supreme Ruler
had in organizing matter and bringing it forth in the capacity that i
behold you here to-day, we could comprehend [p.3] that matter cannot
be destroyed—that it is subject to organization and disorganization;
and could understand that matter can be organized and brought forth
into intelligence, and to possess more intelligence, and to continue
to increase in that intelligence; and could learn those principles
that organized matter into animals, vegetables, and into intelligent
beings; and could discern the Divinity acting, operating, and
diffusing principles into matter to produce intelligent beings, and to
exalt them—to what? Happiness. Will nothing short of that fully
satisfy the spirits implanted within us? No.

Vol. 7, p.3
You can daily observe the operations of the spirits of men in the
streets of this city. There you can now see the world exhibited as it
is. You can see people hurrying from the east to the west, from the
west to the east, from the north to the south, and from the south to
the north. Have they an object in view? Ask the traveller whether he
has; ask the bystander whether there is an object in his mind. Whether
I stand or walk, whether I labour or rest, lie down or rise up, in all
my acts in life there is an object. I have something in view, you have
something in view, and so has the whole human family, as also all
intelligence of every grade.

Vol. 7, p.3
What principal object have human beings in view? Happiness. Give me
glory, give me power, give me wealth, give me a good name, give me
influence with my fellow-men, give me all these, and it does not
follow that I am thereby made happy; that depends altogether upon what
principle those acquisitions were gained. Absolute tyranny never can
produce happiness, neither can an influence unjustly gained and used;
but give me influence with the children of men, and can that alone
produce happiness? It cannot. What will give a man joy? That which
will give him peace. What will produce joy and peace? If a man gains
influence from the confidence he enjoys through his integrity, his
honesty, goodness, uprightness, virtue, and truth, that influence will
satisfy his mind; and influence gained in other courses cannot.

Vol. 7, p.3
Many have been hated, despised, and hunted, on account of their
influence with their fellow-beings. Has any one in our generation?
Yes. Are there not scores of men and women here who are familiar with
the death of our Prophet? Why did people hate him? Because of his
influence. Did he gain or exercise an unrighteous influence? By no
means. He possessed a righteous influence over the spirits, feelings,
passions, and dispositions of all who delighted in truth and goodness,
so far as he associated, and could guide them at his pleasure.

Vol. 7, p.3
Am I hated for the same cause? I am. I am hated for teaching people
the way of life and salvation—for teaching them principles that
pertain to eternity, by which the Gods were and are, and by which they
gain influence and power. Obtain that influence, and you will be
hated, despised, and hunted like the roe upon the mountains. The way
to obtain that influence is pointed out—by whom? By him through whom
the worlds were created, and who has redeemed this earth and all
things upon it.

Vol. 7, p.3
He gave his life a ransom to atone for the sins of the world, and he
has pointed out the way. His law is sacred, omnipotent, eternal; and
that is the law to obey. Let the Lord speak, and let the people obey.
That is the way to gain that happiness which all mankind are seeking,
and no other course can satisfy the noble, Godlike spirit placed in
man, who is formed for the express purpose of preserving his identity
to all eternity, Without strict observance to the laws by which worlds
were and are created—to [p.4] the words of the Eternal, no being can
inherit eternal lives.

Vol. 7, p.4
These are the principles that this people, who are by many deemed to
he the most ignorant, outlandish, corrupt, base, vile, and wicked
people on the globe, have imbibed, and are striving to practise, and
through so doing are hated all the day long. Ignorant? Yes, we are
ignorant; but we are on the high road to that eternal knowledge that
fills the bosoms of the Gods in eternity. If we are faithful to the
end, we have the promise that we shall obtain that crown of glory and
eternal life that will give us the satisfaction we are seeking. These
principles are true; and let me observe to all, Saints and sinners,
young and old, wise and ignorant, Do not mistake any points of
doctrine you hear preached. The spirit in man is always enlightened,
more or less, by the Spirit of the Holy One of Israel—that Being who
gave the law.

Vol. 7, p.4
When he pleases to bless the children of men, he is able to accomplish
his purpose. If he is disposed to permit a Nebuchadnezzar to see a
finger writing on a wall, it is his privilege to do so. If he is
disposed to talk with an Enoch, or to show himself to the brother of
Jared, it is his privilege. And if he is disposed to pour out the Holy
Ghost upon the house of Cornelius before he embraced the Gospel in the
usual way by baptism for the remission of sins, it is his privilege.
The principle is, God must be obeyed. And even after Cornelius and his
house had received the Holy Ghost, they did not, like some in our day,
rise up and say, "We have no need to be baptized." Why did not
Cornelius tell Peter that he had received the Holy Ghost, and was as
good a Christian as he? But, no; he must send to Joppa for one Simon
Peter, who would tell him words whereby he and his household could be
saved. What words? To be baptized in water. Peter did not tell them to
receive the Holy Ghost, for they had received it.

Vol. 7, p.4
They had already been endowed with the Holy Ghost, and it was the
right and privilege of him who laid down his life to redeem the
children of men to bestow that Holy Ghost where and when he pleased.
If Cornelius had refused to have been baptized, he never would have
received the influence of the Holy Ghost afterwards. He must obey the
outward ordinances to secure to himself eternal lives—to attain the
blessings consequent upon obedience.

Vol. 7, p.4
Jesus of Nazareth, who appeared to Saul of Tarsus in the way, opened
the vision of his mind, and conversed with him, and told him what to
do. Did he tell him that he was a Christian, that his sins were
forgiven, and that there was nothing more to be done? He did not. Did
he intimate to him, in the least, that he was prepared to go and
preach the Gospel? Not in the least. It could be said to him, "I am
Jesus, whom thou persecutest;" and Paul could cry out, "Lord, what
shall I do?" Go to Damascus, and you will there find a man, named
Ananias, who will tell you what to do. Paul was led into the city, and
immediately sent for Ananias. After the Lord told Ananias to go, he
refused, for he had heard of the persecutions by Saul—of his dragging
men and women to prison; but the Lord informed him that he had
appeared to Saul on the way; and told him to go and converse with him,
and fear not. What did Ananias tell Saul to do? To go and be baptized;
for the same Jesus who appeared to you on the way told me to come and
tell you what to do.

Vol. 7, p.4
It is the Lord's privilege to give the Holy Ghost to whom he will, and
it is not for us to question him in his right, power,  and
privilege—in the extent of his doings. He blesses the [p.5] human
family; he raises up nations, kingdoms, and governments, and controls
in the armies of the world. He rules in the heavens, and makes the
wrath of man praise him, and gives his Spirit when and to whom he
pleases. Shall I say that he has given it to his Saints all the day
long? Yes; for I know that he has. Have they enjoyed the light of the
Spirit of revelation? Yes; and so, more or less, has every being that
has been born upon this earth. I never passed John Wesley's church in
London without  stopping to look at it. Was he a good man? Yes; I
suppose him to have been, by all accounts, as good as ever walked on
this earth, according to his knowledge. Has he obtained a rest? Yes,
and greater than ever entered his mind to expect; and so have
thousands of others of the various religious denominations. Why could
he not build up the kingdom of God on the earth? He had not the
Priesthood; that was all the difficulty he laboured under. Had the
Priesthood been conferred upon him, he would have built up the kingdom
of God in his day as it is now being built up. He would have
introduced the ordinances, powers, grades, and quorums of the
Priesthood: but, not holding the Priesthood, he could not do it. Did
the Spirit of God rest upon him? Yes, and does, more or less, at
times, upon all people.

Vol. 7, p.5
Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh
into it. Were it not for the light that is in the people, they would
not hate us; they would not exclaim as they do—"We came here to cut
your throats, but we cannot quite accomplish our purpose." That is
what they came for: they had no other intent, except, in addition, to
plunder and destroy our property, and pollute our wives and daughters.
What causes them to hate us? The light that is in them—the Spirit of
the Almighty that rests on the nations; which proves the old
Scriptures to be true, where they state that the report of the work
that the Lord would bring forth in the last days should make the
people tremble and quake. The light that is in them convicts them and
teaches them that the doctrine the Elders of Israel preach among them
is the Gospel of salvation; and say they, "We will not have it." Have
you not heard many of them say that they would rather go to hell than
believe it? "I will not believe what you preach, though I go to hell
for disobeying it."

Vol. 7, p.5
That Spirit that is in them—the inspiration of the Almighty which
giveth understanding—convinces them that the doctrine is true. Were it
false doctrine, it would be thought no more of than any other of the
numerous isms in the world. They would pass by it as kindly and as
easily as they do Socialism, or any other doctrine. But it convicts
the people. Am I sorry for them? I am. My soul aches for them, because
they cannot resolve and act in accordance with the dictates of that
Spirit which ever prompts the human heart aright. But rise up and
declare, "We will not believe this doctrine." What then? You must
suffer. Thousands are suffering now; ministers are groaning in
pulpits, and deacons and lay members are groaning in congregations:
there are groans in secret places, in public places, in highways and
by-ways: everywhere people are in pain, in sorrow, in misery; and, in
short, are in hell. What is the matter? "'Mormonism' is yet in
existence—it is not destroyed." Why can they not muster courage enough
to say, "Our independent organizations we will use, and will not
suffer the Devil, nor fathers, mothers, priests, neighbours, worldly
reputation, riches, or anything else, to deter us from embracing and
practising the [p.6] principles of eternal life?" That course would at
once start them on the road to happiness. "But," says the Devil, "If I
let you go, you will get out of my power and reach, and I cannot get
you again." Suppose the world should turn round and say, "Mr. Devil,
we have been co-partners long enough!"

Vol. 7, p.6
I remember that when I made a profession of religion, after being
called an infidel by the Christians, I often used to get a little
puzzled. The Evil One would whisper to me that I had done this, that,
or some other thing wrong, and inquire whether that looked like a
Christian act, and remark, "You have missed it; you have not done
right, and you know it; you did not do as well in such a thing as you
might; and are you not ashamed of yourself in saying that you are a
Christian? You profess the religion of Jesus Christ, and now manifest
such weakness!" Said I, "Mr. Devil, it is none of your business. You
may go behind, or before, or in any other direction; but you and I
have dissolved partnership; and what I do, I am accountable for to a
more glorious Being than you are. So long as we were in partnership, I
had to give an account of my doings to you; but now it is not for you
to fret yourself about my doings, for you have no interest whatever in
the matter." And thus I have acted with him from that time until now.

Vol. 7, p.6
I have experienced and learned much since I embraced the Gospel, and
have become thoroughly convinced that the world lieth in ignorance,
and are wandering after a shadow—that is, false principles. There is
no solid peace and joy, no permanent comfort and consolation to be
found between—shall I go to the extremes? Yes, the sectarian
extremes—the top of the topless throne, and the bottom of the
bottomless pit. There is not a particle of permanent happiness between
these two extremes to the noble spirits within us. It is only to be
found in the principles of eternal life that open the gates of heaven
to all believers. The man that places his affections upon the gold,
the silver, the goods, chattels, and precious things of this earth,
and seeks for power over his fellow-man upon false principles, will
never realize the happiness that the noble spirit within him is
designed to enjoy.

Vol. 7, p.6
Then cling to the principles of life that open eternity and reveal to
us what we are, making known to us our relationship to God, which to
the world is a great mystery.

Vol. 7, p.6
In the year 1850 I entertained one of my Baptist friends some two or
three weeks. I could not persuade him to preach, but asked him a great
many questions; and I found him just where I had left them years ago.
I asked him questions with regard to the doctrines taught in the
Bible. Could he answer them? No: he was as ignorant as a child of the
great plan of salvation. During his stay, I preached in the old
Bowery; and when I came to the point that I knew he was looking for—to
tell who God the Father and God the Son are—I dropped the subject.
When we arrived home, he said, "Brother Young, why did you not go on a
little further? You drew my whole soul out to learn something that I
never had learned." I said to him that I did not proceed further
because he was there. He then remarked—"I have been preaching thirty
years, and I was very anxious to learn the true doctrine upon the very
point you spoke of today. I have heard much about your people, and I
tarried here to learn. Why could you not have told us more?" I
replied—"I wish you. to teach." "But I do not know anything about the
subject." "I will so couch  my questions that you soon will. Do [p.7]
you believe the Old and New Testament?" "Yes." I then asked him a few
questions with regard to the coming forth of the Son of Man, as he is
called in a few places. "Do you believe that he was born of the virgin
Mary?—that he was the son of Mary?" "Yes." "Do you believe that the
Apostle told the truth when he said that he was begotten by the
Father?" "Yes." "Why do you dispute it, then, or throw a doubt upon
it? Was he not flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone, if the history
given of him is true?" "O yes." "Whom did he look and act like? and
whose errand did he come to do?" I then turned and read—"Whoso hath
seen me hath seen the Father," and inquired, "Do you believe that?"
"Yes; but I never before viewed the matter in the light it now
appears." "Is he not the very express image and likeness of his Father
in heaven? The Bible says he is. Do you believe the Bible?" "Yes."

Vol. 7, p.7
In a short time he answered my questions; and I took him back to Adam,
and gave him to understand clearly who the Bible taught that he was. I
learned from my Baptist friend that his sect were just where I left
them twenty-five years ago.

Vol. 7, p.7
As brother Heywood has just remarked in your hearing, the people do
not improve on their capital. Every man and woman that has talent and
hides it will be called a slothful servant. Improve day by day upon
the capital you have. In proportion as we are capacitated to receive,
so it is our duty to do. Some learn more and faster than others—more
readily see and comprehend the hearings of their lessons and the
relationship they sustain to their fellow-beings. Then will every one
who secures an exaltation be happy? Yes. Will all be of one mind
there? Yes. Should we not be one here? Yes. Should every man be a
President? Should every man be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve?
Should every man be he President of our Government, or a King? No; but
each should possess the Spirit of the Lord; and through observing its
teachings, every one will be rewarded and enjoy according to his
capacity. Each vessel will be filled to overflowing, and hence all
will be equal, in that they are full.

Vol. 7, p.7
Every man and woman will receive to a fulness, though the quantity
will vary according to the extent of their capacity, and each will be
crowned with glory and eternal life, if faithful. He that endures to
the end the same shall be saved. Not to run for a season and then turn
away; but those who endure to the end will receive a fulness of joy
which will give them satisfaction.

Vol. 7, p.7
But, as Jesus said, these things are spiritually discerned. And though
he was diligent in teaching his disciples, their traditions were such
that, after he had been with them a long time, there were many points
that they did not fully understand. When the question was asked Peter,
"Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?" he replied, "Some say
thou art John come to life again, and some that thou art one of the
old prophets risen from the dead; some say one thing, and some say
another." "But whom say ye that I am?" "Thou art Christ, the Son of
the living God." "Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee,
but my Father who is in heaven." Why cannot you at once understand
that you must imbibe in your faith and hold to that principle of
revelation? Men cannot reveal the principles of eternal life to you;
flesh and blood cannot; scientific books cannot; history cannot;
another man's experience cannot; no, nor the whole world, with their
wisdom and power; for they must be revealed from our Father which is
in heaven.[p.8] 

Vol. 7, p.8
Peter was blessed, because he had eyes to see; and when he saw with
his spiritual eyes, he acknowledged it. He was not so proud and
highminded as to turn round and deny. If the conviction of their own
minds had free course, and were not trammelled through their erroneous
traditions, millions and millions would hail this flay with
thanksgiving. They would rather see it than to be assured that the
whole Rocky Mountain range was solid gold. If all Cherry Creek
bottoms, and Pike's Peak, and the mountains around were a mass of pure
gold, they would walk over it and say, "We will go to Utah and learn
for ourselves, though we have to go on our hands and knees. Let us
find the fountain of eternal intelligence—the way of life: let us find
that which will satisfy the noble spirits God has placed in our
tabernacles.

Vol. 7, p.8
What is their condemnation? Light—truth—the true Priesthood—has come
among them. And will they receive it? No. "They choose darkness rather
than light, because their deeds are evil," and their sins remain upon
them. They are the ones who must suffer the loss, and not those who
will be faithful.

Vol. 7, p.8
There is not a man or woman on this earth that I hate; but I do most
cordially hate their wicked acts. I am at war with false
principles—with wickedness, sin, and abomination; and I expect to
continue my warfare until I overcome.

Vol. 7, p.8
Let this people continue to strive, to toil, and hold fast to the
cause of their God, and they will conquer. I am for never forsaking
the ship, and for never ceasing to watch the sails and the compass—for
never ceasing my operations, until God shall reign King of nations, as
he now reigns King of Saints.

Vol. 7, p.8
People say, "If we only knew that this work was of the Lord, we would
be satisfied." How can you know? Yield to that Spirit that influences
the heart—that Spirit of the Almighty that gives your spirits
understanding and teaches you truth from error, and God will take you
by the hand and lead you by the right hand of his influence and power
to victory and glory. The whole world might be saved. Will they be?
No.

Vol. 7, p.8
I am at war with evil principles, and I shall contend against them,
and continue to do so until I see the kingdoms of this world bow to
the sceptre of King Immanuel. Will any man be deprived of his rights
when that is the case? No; but they will find it a Republican
Democratic Government. "But we thought that the government you are
talking about was a theocratic government." It is; and it is the only
true form of government on the earth—the only one that possesses all
the true principles of republicanism. It puts every man and woman
right, puts everything in its place, and gives to each one his due
according to his works; for so will they be judged in that day.

Vol. 7, p.8
May the Lord bless those who are inclined to do right and follow out
their religion. And I pray continually that they may elude the grasp
of hypocrites and ungodly men—of those who are determined to hate God
and his righteousness. I intend to persevere in the path of
righteousness until I overcome; and, with the help of God and the
Saints, I will out-general the wicked. And I declare to-day that every
person endeavouring to do right shall have his rights  in due time,
and rejoice in the God of freedom; which may God grant. Amen.[p.9] 

Brigham Young, July 4, 1854

Celebration of the Fourth of July

A Discourse by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, July 4, 1854.

Vol. 7, p.9
I realize the nature of my position in rising to speak to an assembly
of intelligent gentlemen and ladies on such an occasion as the
present. I probably feel my incapability more than can be perceived by
my hearers. Still my mind is active, and my understanding is fruitful,
whether I have ability or not to express that which is in me.

Vol. 7, p.9
While my friends have been speaking, I have been much amused, edified,
and delighted, especially in having Whiggery and Democracy so ably
illustrated. I do not think they could have been exhibited more
easily, more naturally, more to the understanding of all, and more
true to the spirit and universal deportment of those two leading
parties of the nation, as they now exist, than they have been by my
predecessor in the stand to-day; and I presume I am speaking the
feelings of the greater part of this assembly.

Vol. 7, p.9
While brother George A. Smith was speaking upon the rise and progress
of the American Revolution, a few items ranging in the same line
occurred to my mind, which I have a desire to express in the hearing
of this assembly.

Vol. 7, p.9
The revolutions made by the Government of the United States, with
regard to real progression generally, are small indeed; so small that
it is impossible to perceive any advancement. It is true the
Constitution has been revised by the voice of the people; but wherein
is it bettered? Some say it is bettered; but as to the light and
knowledge that now exist with regard to the true spirit of
republicanism, the revolution is on the retrograde motion. No one will
question for a moment that many revolutions in the United States have
become in a great degree popular, notwithstanding they have been in
many instances unconstitutional and in open violation of the statute
laws, and have been winked at by the most influential officers of the
Government. There has been a progressive revolution since the close of
the war, but not in virtue, justice, uprightness, and truth. It has
become quite a custom, and by custom it has the force of law, for one
party to mob another, to tear down and destroy Catholic churches,
drive citizens from the ballot box, disallowing them the right of
franchise, and persecute, plunder, drive from their possessions, and
kill a great people. Revolution in the United States is progressing;
but to the true spirit of Democracy and the science of government, the
Revolution I refer to is strictly opposed.

Vol. 7, p.9
With regard to Democracy and Whiggery, no person can exhibit them
better and in a truer light than Judge Shaver has to-day. The General
Government, as a whole, do not understand truly what Democracy and
Whiggery really are.

Vol. 7, p.9
What would my friend George A. Smith tell you with regard to these two
political bodies that now rule over our country, were he to address
[p.10] you upon this subject? He would tell you that one of them is a
monster having many heads, and the other is a monster with no head at
all. The impulse that is given to the Government is like that of the
animal creation: when they are hungry, they are impelled to eat, and
to drink when they are thirsty. When this necessity presses upon them,
all the sensitive powers are on the alert to search for food. All
their natural impulses to action originate in the appetite: they
receive them from the demands the interior of the animal makes upon
the creature. It then becomes the duty of the head to search out a
method to supply these demands with food suitable to the nature of the
animal, which administers health, strength, rigour, growth, and beauty
to the whole body.

Vol. 7, p.10
What ought to be the Government of the United States? And what are
Whiggery and Democracy as they now exist? Nothing, and a little less.

Vol. 7, p.10
I believe in a true Republican government; but where is the man
capable of exhibiting in their true character the principles of such a
Government? I do not profess to be that man: still I believe I am as
capable to search into the merits of the subject, and can understand
the general principles of true Republicanism as well as any other man,
though I may not be capable of setting it before the people in its
perfection. I can, however, talk a little about it.

Vol. 7, p.10
Is there a true Republican government on the earth? There is. Do you
inquire, Where is that government? I answer, It is here. I am a true
Republican, if I understand what the term signifies. But I put my own
definition upon such terms; for in many instances our lexicographers
have widely mistaken ideas, and widely disagree upon the meaning of
words. They may trace the etymology of words, through the living and
dead languages, to their roots, as they suppose; but there is a great
probability of their being mistaken still.

Vol. 7, p.10
A government that is perfect would be called Democratic. True
Republicanism, and what is meant or understood by true Democracy, is
the same; but the full extent of true Democracy cannot be told by any
man at this time. In entering upon a point that I do not fully
understand, and can in nowise fully explain, I shall content myself to
talk about it according to the extent of my capacity and the
understanding I have of the subject, and leave the little I have to
say with the people. The question, What is a true Republican
government? is easily answered. It is a government  or institution
that is perfect—perfect in its laws and ordinances, having for its
object the perfection of mankind in righteousness. This is true
Democracy. But Democracy as it is now is another thing True Democracy
or Republicanism, if it were rightly understood, ought to be the
Government of the United States. They might have had that government
long ago; but as it was said by my predecessor in the stand, "Whom the
Lord would destroy, he makes mad;" consequently, he must take away the
wisdom of that man, or of that people. No man or people possessing
wisdom will give vent to wrath, for that is calculated to weaken, to
destroy, to blot out of existence.

Vol. 7, p.10
When the Supreme Ruler of the universe wishes to destroy a nation, he
takes away their wisdom in the first place, and they become insensible
to their own interests, and they are filled with wrath; they give way
to their anger, and thus lay the foundation of their own destruction.
To him who seeks to save, he gives wisdom, which enables any people,
nation, or individual to lay the foundation for strength, increase,
and [p.11] power. When we look abroad upon the nations, we can see
this truth verified; and when we look at home in our own nation, it is
no less verified. We see that wisdom is actually departing from the
lawgiver, and the knowledge and the discretion the judge possessed
years ago have vanished. We discern that the very policy adopted by
the nations to fortify them in strength is calculated to sap their
foundations. The axe is laid at the root of the tree, and all nations
are filling up the cup of their guilt.

Vol. 7, p.11
Suppose I were speaking to the assembled millions of the inhabitants
of the United States, what counsel or advice could be given to them
that they might regain what they have lost? Can any temporal means be
adopted to save them from the vortex of ruin into which they are fast
approaching—a doom which they never can avert without sincere
repentance? Yes, there is seemingly a human policy, if adopted, that
would snatch them from destruction. What is it? Let the people rise en
masse to lay the foundation of a wholesome, independent, free,
Democratic (as the people call it), Republican government—a government
which, if carried, out, will be perfect in itself.

Vol. 7, p.11
Let us look at it in another point of view. Suppose this people
inhabiting these mountains are broken off entirely from the nations of
the world, rendering no allegiance to any earthly power combined or
isolated; free to make laws, to obey them, or to break them; free to
act, to choose, and to refuse, and, in every sense of the word, to do
as they please, without any fixed order of government whatever; and
they wish a Constitution—a system of government for mutual protection
and advancement in the principles of right, to be framed according to
the best wisdom that can be found in this community;—I say, let them
govern themselves by a Republican system of government,  selecting a
man from their midst to preside over them. And whom should they select
to fill so important a station? The best man they can find. Should
they keep him in office only four years? Should they make a clause in
their Constitution that a President shall serve at most for only two
terms without a vacation in his services? That is an item that should
not be found in the Constitution of the United States, nor in the
constitution made by this or any other people. We should select the
best man we could find, and centre our feelings upon him, and sustain
him as our President, dictator, lawgiver, controller, and guide in a
national capacity, and in every other capacity wherein he is a
righteous example  Though we find as good a man as there is in the
nation, yet we should not lay facilities before him to become evil,
were he so disposed. Great care should be exercised to guard against
placing such a power at the command of any mortal.

Vol. 7, p.11
Shall we give him twenty-five thousand dollars per annum, and make him
superior to any other honest man in the Territory, State, or kingdom,
in things pertaining to this world? Or lay inducements before him to
become proud, haughty, and neglectful of the true interests of the
people? No. For if he is capable of ruling the people and dictating
them, he is capable of taking care of himself. If we cannot find a man
willing to control and guide us without our pouring the gold and
silver into his coffers and exalting him above the rest of us, then we
will take one less capable, who will do it for nothing.

Vol. 7, p.11
Do you ask why I would recommend this course? I answer, Because of the
weakness of man. Were we to elect a man to preside over us in this
capacity, and give him three, four, five, eight, or fifteen thousand
dollars a year, the streets would be [p.12]  full of demagogues; you
would see them perched upon every ant-hill, croaking out their stump
speeches for this or that man to be our ruler; and the paid lackeys of
each candidate for office, in the streets, in the public places, and
in the houses of the citizens, would be using their influence for
their employers in their respective circles, and wherever they would
be listened to.

Vol. 7, p.12
Whether such a man as a ruler will do good to the people, is not
thought of, either by the candidate or by his lackeys; but the one is
after the thousands of dollars, and the other after his paltry fee.
The welfare the people they do not consider. What will be the best
policy to pursue for the good of the people at large is not in all
their thoughts.

Vol. 7, p.12
Let the people see to it that they get righteous men to be their
leaders, who will labour with their hands and administer to their own
necessities, sit in judgment, legislate, and govern in righteousness;
and officers that are filled with peace; and see to it that every man
that goes forth among the people as a travelling officer is full of
the fear of the Lord, and would rather do right at a sacrifice than do
wrong for a reward.

Vol. 7, p.12
What would be the result, if this course was adopted by the people of
the United States? It would destroy the golden prospects of those who
were seeking for gain alone, and men would be sought for, in the
nation, State, or Territory, who were for the people, and would seek
earnestly for their welfare, benefit, and salvation. We want men to
rule the nation who care more for and love better the nation's welfare
than gold and silver, fame, or popularity.

Vol. 7, p.12
Are there any such in the United States? Yes, plenty of them among all
classes of men, though they have little or nothing to say about
politics. Many of them are much like one Mr. Hovey, from Cayuga
County, New York, that I once asked if he was going to the election?
"No," he replied, "I will never give another vote in the United
States." I asked the reason for such a course. "Why," said he, "they
will set up the Devil as a candidate for the office of President, then
set up his apostate brother, who has forfeited his inheritance, and
run him in for sake of opposition." There are plenty of men who would
do that and worse. The nation, however, is not lost yet; there are as
many as five righteous men in the city, at least.

Vol. 7, p.12
Let the people lay the foundation for carrying out the Republican
Government which was instituted by our fathers, instead of maintaining
a government of anarchy, confusion, and strife. Were this people here
an independent people, and had the privilege of selecting their own
officers, and I should be chosen to dictate them in their selections,
I would watch and guard faithfully their rights, and see that they
selected men who had not the dimes in view. The motto should be—"If
you do not labour for the good of the people, irrespective of the
dimes, we do not want your services; for if you labour for the money,
you seek to benefit yourselves at the people's expense." I make this
application and turn it eastward, which you know is the way the world
rolls. If the Government knew what the wants of the people were, they
would take away the salaries of political demagogues, and stop their
running and their stump preaching, from one end of the land to the
other, to make proselytes to their cause. This would have a tendency
to put an end to party names, to party jealousies, and to party
conflicts for ever. And the people should concentrate their feelings,
their influence, and their faith, to  select the best man they can
find to be their [p.13] President, if he has nothing more to eat than
potatoes and salt—a man who will not aspire to become greater than the
people who appoint him, but be contented to live as they live, be
clothed as they are clothed, and in every good thing be one with them.

Vol. 7, p.13
It is yet in the power of the people of the United States to lay a
foundation to redeem themselves from the growing consequences of past
errors. What would be the result, were the United States to take this
course—viz., to strike out that clause in the Constitution that limits
the services of a President to four years, or the term of service of
any good man, and continue to revise the Constitution and laws as they
become familiar with their defects; then reduce the salaries of all
officers in all the departments? Would not such a course revolutionize
any kingdom or government, and be very likely to produce union and
prosperity?

Vol. 7, p.13
Are there any more improvements that might be made? Yes. If we are
what we profess to be—a Republican Government, there is no State in
the Union but what should be amenable to the General Government
holding to the old English rights in Rhode Island. Then Congress, with
the President at their head, could meet and veto every act made by any
department of the Government, if it was necessary. So let Congress
come together when any of the States transcend the bounds of right,
and hold them amenable for their actions. The General Government
should never give any portion of the nation license to say they are
free and independent. This should only apply to the nation as a whole.
We have a little experience in this kind of independence. For
instance, the Government of the United States were willing to take my
money for lands in Missouri, which were in the market; but the people
in that sovereign, that free, and independent State rose up and mobbed
me, drove me from my possessions, and confiscated my property to
themselves; and the General Government has no power to redress my
wrongs. This is only one instance among many of the kind which I might
enumerate to show the impolicy and downright mockery of such boasted
independence. While such outrages remain unredressed, this nation
never should defile the sacred term by saying they have a REPUBLICAN
GOVERNMENT.

Vol. 7, p.13
The General Constitution of our country is good, and a wholesome
government could be framed upon it, for it was dictated by the
invisible operations of the Almighty; he moved upon Columbus to launch
forth upon the trackless deep to discover the American Continent; he
moved upon the signers of the Declaration of Independence; and he
moved upon Washington to fight and conquer, in the same way as he
moved upon ancient and modern Prophets, each being inspired to
accomplish the particular work he was called to perform in the times,
seasons, and dispensations of the Almighty. God's purpose, in raising
up these men and inspiring them with daring sufficient to surmount
every opposing power, was to prepare the way for the formation of a
true Republican government. They laid its foundation; but when others
came to build upon it, they reared a superstructure far short of their
privileges, if they had walked uprightly as they should have done.

Vol. 7, p.13
What shall be done? Let the people, the whole American people, rise up
and say they will have these abuses regulated, and no longer suffer
political demagogues to gamble away their money, bat turn them out of
office to attend to their own business. Let the people make a whip, if
not of good tough raw hide, of small cords at least, and walk into the
temple of [p.14] the nation, and cleanse it thoroughly out, and put in
men who will legislate for their good, instead of gambling away their
money and trifling with the sacred interests of the nation which have
been entrusted to their keeping.

Vol. 7, p.14
I would not speak so plainly, were it not that statesmen use the same
privilege, and that, too, in the halls of Legislatures. We can never
get a true Republican government upon any other principle. The object
those have in view who look and long for the gaudy trash of this world
should be removed, that men may occupy the high and responsible seats
of the nation who will care for the welfare of the people, and cannot
be bought with money, or that which it can purchase.

Vol. 7, p.14
Can the Constitution be altered? It can; and when we get a President
that answers our wishes to occupy the executive chair, there let him
sit to the day of his death, and pray that he may live as long as
Methuselah; and, whenever we have good officers, strive to retain
them, and to fill up vacancies with good men, until there are none who
would let the nation sink for a can of oysters and a lewd woman.

Vol. 7, p.14
The signers of the Declaration of Independence and the framers of the
Constitution were inspired from on high to do that work. But was that
which was given to them perfect, not admitting of any addition
whatever? No; for if men know anything, they must know that the
Almighty has nearer yet found a man in mortality that was capable, at
the first intimation, at the first impulse, to receive anything in a
state of entire perfection. They laid the foundation, and it was for
after generations to rear the superstructure upon it. It is a
progressive—a gradual work. If the framers of the Constitution and the
inhabitants of the United States had walked humbly before God, who
defended them and fought their battles when Washington was on the
stage of action, the nation would now have been free from a multitude
of place-hunters who live upon its vitals. The country would not have
been overrun with murderers and thieves, and our cities filled with
houses of ill-fame, as now; and men could have walked the streets of
cities, or travelled on conveyances through the country, without being
insulted, plundered, and perhaps murdered; and an honest, sober,
industrious, enterprizing, and righteous people would now have been
found from one end of the United States to the other.

Vol. 7, p.14
The whole body is deranged; and the head, which ought to be the seat
of sense and the temple of wisdom, is insensible to the wants of the
body, and to the fact that, if the body sinks, the head must sink
also.

Vol. 7, p.14
I want to tell a political anecdote; or, at least, I will tell it so
nigh that you will guess the whole of it. Two fellows were stump
speaking for office in the State of Illinois: one of them was a
lawyer, of flowery, eloquent speech; and the other was a rough and
ready homespun mechanic, but a man of sound sense. The lawyer made his
speech in flaming language, interlarding it with expressions of
sensitive regard for the people's interests. The mechanic mounted the
rostrum, and says he—"I cannot make a speech to cope with this man's
speech; but I can tell you what he and I want. He wants your votes.
Now, if you Will give me your votes, when I get into office, you
may—and be damned." They both felt so; and there are but few
exceptions to this practice. Office-seekers are full of tricks and
intrigues of every kind to get an office, and then the people may—and
be damned.

Vol. 7, p.15
The progress of revolution is quite considerable in every government
of [p.15] the world. But is the revolution for the constitutional
rights of the people in progress? No: it is on the retrograde. I know
how they can be brought back to the people, and the Government be
redeemed and become one of the most powerful and best on the earth. It
was instituted in the beginning by the Almighty. He operated upon the
hearts of the Revolutionary Fathers to rebel against the English King
and his Parliament, as he does upon me to preach "Mormonism." Both are
inspired by him; but the work unto which they are called is
dissimilar. The one was inspired to fight, and the other to preach the
peaceable things of the kingdom of God. He operated upon that
pusillanimous king to excite the colonists to rebellion; and he is
still operating with this nation, and taking away their wisdom, until
by-and-by they will get mad and rush to certain destruction.

Vol. 7, p.15
Will the Constitution be destroyed? No: it will be held inviolate by
this people; and, as Joseph Smith said, "The time will come when the
destiny of the nation will hang upon a single thread. At that critical
juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened
destruction." It will be so.

Vol. 7, p.15
With regard to the doings of our fathers and the Constitution of the
United States, I have to say, they present to us a glorious prospect
in the future, but one we cannot attain to until the present abuses in
the Government are corrected.

Vol. 7, p.15
You have heard our Judge relate an incident, which is only one more
among numberless abuses perpetrated by the rulers of the nation. The
particulars of this incident can be found upon our dockets, showing
that the President of the United States assumes to himself power to
remove a circuit Judge. I am not a lawyer; but I wish to propound a
question—By what law, constitutional or statute, has the President a
right to remove a United States' Judge, except for illegal conduct or
inability? It is, to say the least, a flagrant assumption of power.
What business have they thus to remove our Judges? What end have they
in view? I'll tell you. It is—

Vol. 7, p.15
"Tickle me, tickle me, O Billy, do; 
And, in your turn, I'll tickle you."

Vol. 7, p.16
I have perhaps detained the congregation too long. May God bless you!
Amen.[p.16] 

Heber C. Kimball, July 16, 1854

Sanctification

A Discourse by President H. C. KIMBALL, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, July 16, 1854.

Vol. 7, p.16
There can be no person, who is at all acquainted with the Scriptures,
but must be satisfied that the remarks that brother Herriman has made
this morning are strictly true. They are fully substantiated by the
Bible, which you all profess to believe, and which the professing
world say they believe.

Vol. 7, p.16
Brethren and sisters, let your minds be composed and settled down in
the Spirit of the Lord, and have his Spirit to be with you always, and
especially when you come to the house of worship.

Vol. 7, p.16
It is a common thing, not only in this Church, but in the churches of
the sectarian world, for people to say, "Come, let us go to meeting
to-day, and try if we cannot get warmed up in our hearts and refreshed
by the Holy Spirit." Now, that is customary among all religious
people. Well, whom do you expect to refresh you here, if you are not
refreshed when you come to meeting? For you should always have your
hearts warmed up, and your bodies pure, when you visit the house of
the Lord. Make not the outside of the cup and the platter clean alone,
but also the inside. People who keep the inside of the cup and platter
clean are very apt to wash the outside of it. You all hate to eat food
from a filthy dish, and to drink water out of a dirty cup; but you
love to eat out of a clean dish, and sleep in a clean bed. Every
person naturally loves to see a clean house and clean garments, if
they themselves are filthy.

Vol. 7, p.16
Upon the same principle, inasmuch as we will repent of our sins and
tarn from them, and then go down into the waters of baptism—into pure
water, and be immersed—overwhelmed in the same, that our sins may be
remitted—washed away, (not, however, for the washing away of the filth
of the flesh, but to answer a good conscience before God and man,) and
then receive the imposition of hands by a man having authority, that
we may receive the Holy Ghost,—I say, the Holy Ghost, being a pure
spirit or influence, even after all this is done, will have an
objection to perform his office in an impure tabernacle. That is the
reason why a great many never receive the Holy Ghost, because they say
they are pure, and lie to God, and also to the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 7, p.16
This is the Gospel that was taught you by the first Elders who bore
the joyful message to foreign nations; and the moment the Holy Spirit
rested upon you in your first introduction into this Church, you
actually felt the Spirit of prophecy and revelation. I know this to be
a fact when we introduced the Gospel into old England. Here is brother
George D. Watt, our reporter, for instance. I never told him anything
about  gathering to the land of America—that it was the promised land.
One night, we met with a small company of the new members in  Preston,
[p.17] Lancashire, and brother George commenced reading the Book of
Mormon. After a little, he rose up and said, "The land of America is
the promised land; it is Zion, and we shall be gathered there,
although you have not told us anything about it." He prophesied that
within two weeks after he was baptized. The Holy Ghost dwelt in you to
show you things to come. It showed brother George that this was the
land of Zion, and that, the Saints in all nations had to be gathered
there: it brought it to his remembrance, if he had ever thought of the
thing before and forgotten it. This is the effect it had upon you. I
presume there is not a single individual but what can exclaim, "It was
really so."

Vol. 7, p.17
That same Holy Ghost inspired you to speak in new tongues, to
prophesy, to interpret tongues, to see visions, and have dreams to
edify and comfort you. It was with you when yea went out, and when you
came in,—when you lay down, and when you rose up. That is the office
of the Holy Ghost—to dwell and abide with those who keep the
commandments of the Almighty in faith believing. He delights to dwell
with such; but he does not delight to dwell in unholy temples. You
know that naturally, because there is not one of you, unless you make
a practice of being filthy and dirty yourselves, that ever wishes to
go into a filthy place.

Vol. 7, p.17
Now, if these are your feelings, for heaven's sake do not ask the Holy
Ghost to dwell with you, when you do not pursue a course to cleanse
the body, not only internally, but externally, from the crown of the
head to the soles of the feet. You know this is what I believe to be
sanctification.

Vol. 7, p.17
I have heard brother Gifford talk shout sanctification, and I
understand the principle of sanctification was laid before you by
President Young. What would sanctify you and prepare you to enter into
the presence of God, and to enjoy his Spirit?

Vol. 7, p.17
We read in the Bible that the Lord told Joshua to sanctify Israel;
for, says he, "there is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O
Israel." And on the morrow they sanctified themselves by stoning to
death Achan, the son of Carmi, who stole the wedge of gold and the
Babylonish garment. They also stoned to death his wife and his
children, his oxen and his asses, and burnt them with fire, together
with his tent, the silver, the gold, and the garment, in the valley of
Achor.

Vol. 7, p.17
Thus all Israel put to death the transgressor, and sanctified
themselves before the Lord. Would it not be an excellent course to
pursue with this people, to sanctify them to the fullest extent Of the
word? There are individuals in these valleys who profess to be
Latter-day Saints; but do they by their works make their profession
honourable? No; their works and their profession are very dissimilar
indeed. I think it would be an excellent thing for this people to be
sanctified from, such persons, and have them cleansed from our midst,
by making an atonement.

Vol. 7, p.17
You may say, "You might put this into practice; but it would extend to
many who are passing through here, who steal and plunder, and drive
away cattle and horses." But let me inform you that there are many
instances of that kind, where they are encouraged, or property is put
into their hands by characters who dwell here and profess to be
Saints.

Vol. 7, p.17
When you undertake to prune a diseased tree, you commence your
operations at the root of the evil, and continue to trim it out to the
top of the tree, or as far as it extends, and throw the diseased
branches into the [p.18] brush-heap and burn them, as I used to do
when I was logging, and then take the ashes and make potash and soap
with them, and then cleanse away filthiness with it. This is what I
call sanctification.

Vol. 7, p.18
So you see I am in full fellowship with my brethren, though I was not
here last Sunday when the subject was introduced: I can bear testimony
to every word they said as being true, because I never knew them to
tell a lie. My feelings are, I wish to God wickedness was done away
from our midst. My brethren and myself have often reflected and
remarked upon the happiness we should enjoy when we could fully
separate ourselves from the world, from wicked men, wicked women, and
wicked practices.

Vol. 7, p.18
Previous to our coming to these valleys, I wished and prayed that,
when we went to the valleys, there would not any of the wicked persons
follow us who are eternally hanging on our skirts. These are my
feelings and desires now, and the earnest wishes of hundreds and
thousands of men and women who dwell in these valleys.

Vol. 7, p.18
I know there is a good people here—a better people than dwells in any
other portion of the world. And the emigrants who are going to
California are perfectly astonished, when they arrive here, to see
that we are a civilized people. They are astonished beyond measure as
they gaze upon this people, whom they supposed to be a poor, miserable
outcast race of beings. Did any of them ever go into a city where
there were more peace and prosperty, and as few loafers, since they
were born? We never saw any loafers in our streets until they came. I
am not saying anything against them, but I am noticing the views they
entertain about us. They have expressed it many times,  that they
never were so astonished as when they came into these valleys and
found a civilized and industrious people—a people who knew how to
build up a city, and incorporate it, and enforce the laws. And a day
will come when we shall put them in force more strictly. God is only
waiting upon you in his compassion, that peradventure you may repent
of and forsake all evil, and turn to him.

Vol. 7, p.18
We are the people of God; we are the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, the foundation of which, in these last days, was
begun by the Almighty sending an holy angel to Joseph Smith to reveal
to him his will and establish the everlasting Gospel that was preached
in the days of Jesus, even faith, repentance, and the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the ordaining of Apostles,
Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists, Pastors, Patriarchs, Bishops,
Deacons, Priests, and Elders. This is the true Church of God, although
there may be a few in the valleys who do not live up to their holy
profession; but because they are unfaithful to their God and to their
religion, it does not affect in the least the truthfulness of the
principles of heaven. I see some turn away from this Church because of
the conduct of others. This has nothing to do with our faith;but we
are to have our faith grounded. It is for us to dig deep, and lay our
foundation upon a rock, that when the winds blow, and the storms and
hurricanes beat upon us, we may still find ourselves firmly
established upon the rock of truth.

Vol. 7, p.18
I will tell you, gentlemen, (I address myself to those who have
nothing to do with us as a people,) this is the Church and kingdom of
our God; and the day will come, eventually, when the nations and
kingdoms of the earth will become the "kingdoms of our God and his
Christ."  This doctrine is found in this good old book, the Bible,
which [p.19] all of you profess to believe, and have to kiss to give
validity to your oaths, when you are sworn before a magistrate to tell
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Vol. 7, p.19
We believe in every man having his rights, and being sustained in
them. And we wish you to understand that we are not exactly such a
people as many suppose.

Vol. 7, p.19
It is believed in the world that our females are all common women.
Well, in one sense they are common—that is, they are like all other
women, I suppose; but they are not unclean, for we wipe all unclean
ones from our midst: we not only wipe them from our streets, but we
wipe them out of existence. And if the world want to practise
uncleanness, and bring their prostitutes here, if they do not repent
and forsake such sins, we will wipe the evil out. We will not have
them in this valley, unless they repent; for, so help me God, while I
live, I will lend my hand to wipe such persons out; and I know this
people will.

Vol. 7, p.19
Such things cannot exist here. The civil authorities will never make a
law admitting of prostitution in the City of the Great Salt Lake: it
never can be permitted while we live. We know it is the custom among
some nations to authorize by law such abominations, giving licenses to
houses of ill fame. But remember, if ever it is allowed among this
people, it will be when righteousness has ceased to dwell in their
midst. It never can be allowed in this community in male or female,
whether they belong to the Church or not; and we will wipe out such
abominations, the Lord being our helper.

Vol. 7, p.19
That is sanctification. Our holy religion is to purify, purge,
cleanse, and sanctify this people. We care not what people think or
say about our course in this respect; it is our religion, and we will
not have corruption where we dwell, if we can help it. That is one
reason we were not permitted to live in the States: we were
determined, by the help of God, to be virtuous men and women. So they
drove us, from time to time, and from place to place, until they drove
us into the mountains; and I assure you, I, for one, feel thankful to
my God that I live in these mountains, and that there is no man or
woman who loves righteousness but what will feel as I do.

Vol. 7, p.19
The Lord has led us up stairs until we have entered into the chamber;
and, for heaven's sake, let us not pollute it, for fear we should be
led down stairs again. We are now high up towards the presence of the
Lord, and he feels to bless us, and his hand is over us for good; and
he will curse every hand that is raised against us, if we will do
right; and our enemies will go backwards and not forwards.

Vol. 7, p.19
My prayer is, by night and by day, that every man and woman that bless
this people, and desire to do them good, may be blessed of the Lord
God; and I know he will bless them. But every man and woman who shall
raise a weapon against this people, or devise evil against them, my
prayer is, that they may be cursed; and they certainly will be cursed,
and God will frustrate all their designs, and he will lead his people
on from victory to victory, until they triumph over all their enemies.

Vol. 7, p.19
What do you say, brethren and sisters? Do you not think it best for us
to do right, each person individually being led by the dictations of
the Holy Spirit, listening diligently to those who are appointed to
lead, govern, and dictate this people? You know what I mean by this.
President Young is our governor and our dictator. It is for me to walk
with him, and, for you to walk with those who go before you.

Vol. 7, p.19
I know how it is in the world, for I have lived there, I was born in
Vermont, [p.20] and raised, the most of my days, in the State of New
York,  Ontario County, and so was President Brigham young; yet many
emigrants  who came through our valley thought  we were moose, camels,
or dromedaries. They did not know what we were; they, no doubt,
thought we had horns on our heads: they had no idea we had eyes and
legs like human beings; but they supposed we were some kind of
nondescript animal. I know this is so: I have been in the world, and
they cannot think we are human!

Vol. 7, p.20
However, whether we are human beings or not, I know that I was born in
Vermont, among the rocks, and have lived the greater portion of my
days among those who are without God in the world; and I know their
corruptions—yes, as well as they do. I know the wickedness in their
cities, in their synagogues, and in their high places. I understand it
all. Still they calculate that we, who have more than one wife, shall
not have land in proportion to our families. Well, we are ready to buy
what we need, when it comes in market.

Vol. 7, p.20
This we learn from the public prints; so there can be no harm in  my
talking about what is published all through the United States. If a
law was put in force throughout the Union—namely, that no grant of
land shall be given to any except those who have but one wife, and no
mistresses, many of the first class of the nation would have to
console themselves with as little land as the "Mormons."

Vol. 7, p.20
Our wives are publicly acknowledged by us, and we sustain them as
such, and we hold them sacred. How is it with the world? Do they have
mistresses for illicit intercourse, hired and sustained to satiate
their wanton appetites? We cannot have any land, because we honourably
marry and sustain our gives; but others are entitled to privileges,
notwithstanding their secret abominations.

Vol. 7, p.20
We are a people who want to purity ourselves, and be clean from such
characters, and bring up our children in the way they should go. One
of my sons and brother Brigham's oldest son went to England this
season through the United States. They never knew what was in the
world before, for they never were there under the same circumstances.
In their letters to us, they wrote something like this—"My God, my
God, help us to get safely back again to the mountains; for we had no
idea of the awful corruptions. of the world we live in, until we
travelled through the United States." And they have yet seen only a
small portion of the ungodliness, wickedness, and corruption of the
New and Old Worlds. The old countries are corrupt indeed; but the new
are not a whit behind them in the blackness of their wickedness.

Vol. 7, p.20
These are my views, and the Lord knows that I believe in the
principles of sanctification; and when I am guilty of seducing any
man's wife, or any woman in God's world, I say, sever my head from my
body. These have ever been my feelings from the days of my youth. This
is my character, and the character of President Brigham Young. It was
the character of Joseph Smith and of Jesus Christ; and that is the
character of the Apostles of Jesus, and that must be sustained by this
people.

Vol. 7, p.20
If we pursue that course, do you not think we are bound to rise and to
prosper—that is, in Jesus Christ? Yes; and we will stand to him, and
to his cause, and to him who is placed to govern and dictate the
kingdom of God on the earth. By taking this course continually,
subjecting ourselves to the Priesthood, we never shall fall,—no,
never. We shall never get into a difficulty but what we can get out
again. But let us be careful to get into it lawfully, and we shall
prosper, and  shall rise triumphantly [p.21] over every difficulty, on
that principle; and on the ship of Zion we shall bravely live through
every storm, though they may be heavy; and though rocks and quicksands
and the Devil and the world may be in our way, they cannot move us
from our path.

Vol. 7, p.21
Let us do right, and sanctify ourselves before the Lord God, and
purify our habitations (I mean the tabernacles of our spirits), and
then our houses, and our children, and our servants, and our
handmaidens, and everything there is about us with which we have to
do, and then use all with clean hands and pure hearts. If we take that
course, do you not suppose God will stand by us? There is not one of
you but what knows this naturally.

Vol. 7, p.21
Now, when you go home, every one of you begin to live as you were told
last Sabbath and the Sabbath before, and do right, and seek to build
up the kingdom of God; pay attention to all things that God requires
of you by his servants.

Vol. 7, p.21
Many wish for the time when President Brigham Young and his brethren
will be relieved from attending to temporal matters, and attend to
spiritual matters altogether. You will have to wait for this until we
get into the spiritual world and have to deal with spirits. All things
pertaining to this world, both spiritual and temporal, will be
dictated by the Prophet of God—by our President. He dictates how to
build a Temple—how high, how wide, how many rooms it must contain,
whether it shall be of this, that, or the other form; and the Tithing
House and all public works pertaining to this people are dictated by
him. Some wish to rid him of having anything to do with temporal
matters. That cannot be, in the nature of things; for, as one of the
ancients said, "As the body is dead without the spirit, so is faith
without works, being alone." So, as long as the body, which is
temporal, is joined to the spirit, he must have to do with temporal
things. 

Vol. 7, p.21
Reflect upon it. The spirit is joined to these bodies to quicken them,
that we may have to do with temporal matters; for when the spirit
leaves vegetable or animal organization, the body dies, or returns to
the earth. There is not a being in heaven or on earth, but what has
had a body, has one now, or will have. Cease your works, and then your
faith is dead. I care not for a man's faith unaccompanied by works,
and his works must correspond with his faith. He must be virtuous, and
enjoy the Holy Ghost, and the revelations of God, that when a man
speaks, you may know it is by the same Spirit, and you will be
edified; then you never will be deceived.

Vol. 7, p.21
My prayer is for you to be faithful, active, and retain the Spirit of
the Lord God, and go a-head, and fight manfully, purifying yourselves
from all iniquity. 

Vol. 7, p.21
I never had a bloodthirsty spirit; for I never fought in my life, but
I always yielded before I would have any difficulty with any man. But
let the Spirit of God Almighty rest upon me, and see if I do not walk
up to the battle's front. I had that spirit when I was in the world,
and it is never in me only when the Lord puts it there.

Vol. 7, p.21
Let us be pure and keep the commandments of God, and let the world say
and do what they please. These are my feelings all the time.

Vol. 7, p.21
May God bless you, and help you to do right, whether other people do
right or not. This is my  prayer and blessing upon you, from this time
henceforth and for ever. Amen.[p.22] 

Orson Pratt, January 2, 1859

Evidences of the Bible and Book of Mormon Compared 

A Discourse by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 2, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.22
I will commence my discourse by reading the testimony of three
witnesses of the Book of Mormon.

Vol. 7, p.22
[The speaker here read the testimony referred to.]

Vol. 7, p.22
I will also road the testimony of eight witnesses.

Vol. 7, p.22
[The speaker then read it.] Brethren and Friends,—I appear before you
to-day for the first time for many months, feeling grateful to our
Father in heaven for his condescension and mercy unto us as a people,
that we are once more, through his kind providence, permitted to
assemble ourselves together in this Tabernacle for the purpose of
public worship.

Vol. 7, p.22
Whether I say much or little, it is my sincere desire to be dictated
by the Spirit of the living God. The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints was established upon the earth in the year 1830. Had
it not been for the Book of Mormon, which I now hold in my hands, such
a Church would not have had an existence. The probability is, there
would have been no settlements formed in this Territory, no cities to
adorn these dreary wastes, no tabernacles erected for Divine worship,
and no congregations assembled to hear the words of life. The vast
solitudes of these deserts would have been interrupted only by the
howling of wild beasts, or the still more dismal yells of the
forocious savage. But this wonderful book has wrought a vast change;
and these sterile regions now "rejoice and blossom as the rose." This
book profosses to be sent forth as a Divine revelation from God.

Vol. 7, p.22
If it be an imposition, as many of our opposers say, then this Church
is an imposition also, and our faith and hope are vain. On the other
hand, if the Book of Mormon be a Divine revelation, as the witnesses
have testified,—if God has indeed brought forth the ancient history of
the American continent, and the writings of the ancient Prophets and
Apostles that once inhabited this land,—if he has done this, and
re-established his kingdom and Church upon the earth, then our
opposers, that condemn the book, will be found under condemnation. If
this book be of God, it must have sufficient evidence accompanying it
to convince the minds of all reasonable persons that it is a Divine
revelation. If it has been translated by the gift and power of God,
through the means of the Urim and Thummin, and angels have been sent
from heaven to bear testimony of its truth, then all the inhabitants
of the world are concerned and have an interest in it.

Vol. 7, p.22
It is not the few individuals only who are within the walls of this
Tabernacle that are interested in its truths; it is not the few
individuals only who inhabit this Territory and the few Saints abroad
in the world who are interested in it; but all the nations of the
earth, without one exception,—their emperors, kings, and nobles,—their
presidents, governors, and rulers,—their  popes, archbishops, and
bishops,—their learned and unlearned of every [p.23] religious
society, whether Jews, Mahomedans, Pagans, or Christians, are all
equally interested in it, if it be what it professes to be.

Vol. 7, p.23
If the Lord will assist and strengthen me by his Holy Spirit, which I
believe he will do, through your prayers, I will endeavour to bring
forth some few of the evidences which establish the Divine
authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

Vol. 7, p.23
I shall compare this evidence with the evidence for the Divine
authenticity of the Bible. If the two books are supported by an equal
amount of evidence, then all are required to have the same faith in
the one as the other. But if the divinity of the Book of Mormon does
not rest upon as sure a foundation as the Bible, then the people will
have some little reason for rejecting it.

Vol. 7, p.23
In the first place, I shall examine what evidences the present
generation have to believe the various books incorporated in the Holy
Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be of Divine origin. It
must be recollected that the book called the Bible was translated from
manuscripts 247 years ago by King James' translators. The manuscripts
from which the Bible was taken are not now in existence. Up to the
year 1749, they were deposited at a Spanish University, called Alcala
anciently named Complutem. The librarian sold them to one Toryo, who
dealt in fireworks as materials for making skyrockets. (For authority,
see Marsh's Michaelis, vol. 2, part 1, page 441.)

Vol. 7, p.23
The oldest manuscripts of any of the books of the Old Testament at the
present day date from the twelfth century of the Christian era. You
will find proof of this in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the 8th
edition, vol. 4, page 695, which series is now being published in
Edinburgh, Scotland. That celebrated work says, "The sacred books of
the Old Testament have come down to our times in MSS., the oldest of
which date from twelfth century. Nothing is known of the history of
the text previous to that period after the return of the Jews from
their captivity."

Vol. 7, p.23
It is believed by the learned that the Old Testament Scriptures were
all destroyed by the Assyrians nearly six hundred years before Christ.
The Apocrypha informs us that Esdras was inspired to re-write them. In
this manner it is conjectured that the Jews again came in possession
of their sacred writings. These books again perished in the great
persecution of Antiochus. (For further information upon this subject,
see Brett's Dissertation in Bishop Watson's Collect, vol. 3, page 5.)

Vol. 7, p.23
The history of the inspired writings anterior to the Babylonish
captivity is very brief. The number of copies were very few. In the
days of Josiah, all of the Jews seem to have been destitute of a copy
of the law. During the reign of that king, in repairing the house of
the Lord; a copy of the book of the law was found; and when presented
to the king, he sent five messengers to Huldah, the prophetess,
saying, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for them that are left in
Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found.
The messengers returned and reported to the king that the book found
was indeed a Divine revelation, and the king caused all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem to be assembled to hear the words of the
book.    (See 2 Chron. 34.)

Vol. 7, p.23
For a long period previous to finding the book, the Jews had been
ignorant of the Scriptures, and had fallen into the grossest idolatry.
A new revelation through the prophetess Huldah seems to have been
sufficient to convince the king and all Israel of the divinity of the
book. They must have been inclined, in that age of the [p.24] world,
to believe the history of the servants of God more than in this age
for now the people generally require a vast amount of evidence. The
testimony of a dozen witnesses is scarcely regarded.

Vol. 7, p.24
I have already observed, through the persecutions raised against the
house of Israel, their books were destroyed; yes, even the tables of
stone, for some reason, were taken from them, and all Israel were left
without even a copy of the law, until accidentally they happened to
find one that had been hid in the house of the Lord, as I have already
named; and they were so ignorant with regard to this copy that they
were obliged to send for Huldah, one of the prophetesses in Israel, to
inquire of the Lord to know if it really was his word. They found a
book, but they did not know whether it was true or false; and they
thought it important that it should be determined by the immediate
word of God.

Vol. 7, p.24
Why not this generation go and do likewise? Why not inquire of the
Lord whether the Book of Mormon is a Divine revelation? The copy found
anciently contained the words of the Lord. And the people were so
rejoiced that the whole nation of Jews gathered together to hear it
read, and rejoiced over it, and gave heed to its precepts. They were
not like the present generation; they did not fight it, and testify
all manner of evil against it, and publish lies against it; but they
believed it on the testimony of the prophetess.

Vol. 7, p.24
It is very probable that the Jews copied these sacred writings upon
various materials. Bishop Watson informs us that "the Hebrews went so
far as to write their sacred books in gold, as we may learn from
Josephus, compared with Pliny." He further says, "Those books which
were inscribed on tablets of wood, lead, brass or ivory, were
connected together by rings at the back, through which a rot was
passed to carry them by." "The first books," continues Bishop Watson,
"were in the form of blocks and tables, of which we find frequent
mention in Scripture, under the appellation of sepher—that is, square
tables. That form which obtains among us (he quotes from Pliny,) is
the square, composed of separate leaves, which was also known, though
little used among the ancients."

Vol. 7, p.24
These copies of the Scriptures were destroyed, so that the Jews were
again left destitude of the sacred writings. How they again obtained a
copy, this generation are not informed.

Vol. 7, p.24
Esdras informs us in the Apocrypha that he was inspired of God to
write a great number of the books of the Old Testament Scriptures, so
that the Jewish people might again be in possession of them. But how
are this generation to know whether Esdras was a true Prophet or not?
How are they to know that he was actually inspired of God to perform
so great a work? It seems that the learned have no confidence in him,
or they would not have placed his books among the Apocryphal writings
as being doubtful.

Vol. 7, p.24
But soon after the days of Esdras the sacred books again perished. How
did the Jews again obtain copies? None of the learned can answer this
question. For Seventeen long centuries, the history of the sacred text
is unknown. We are informed by learned writers that about three
centuries before Christ the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into
Greek, called the Septuagint; but have we any copies of the
Septuagint? No. You may search all the archives of the nations, and
you cannot find one of these ancient copies. Fifteen hundred years
after this supposed translation, you find some Greek and Hebrew
manuscripts. Let us inquire into the  situation of the manuscripts
[p.25] from which our present Hebrew and Greek Bibles were formed. We
are informed by St. Chrysostom, an ancient Christian writer who lived
soon after the days of Christ, that "many of the prophetical monuments
have perished; for the Jews being careless, and not only careless, but
also impious, have carelessly lost some of these monuments; others
they have partly burned, partly torn in pieces."

Vol. 7, p.25
We are also informed by St. Justin, another early Christian writer,
that the Jews actually did destroy a great number of the prophetical
books, in order that the world might not perceive the agreement
between the ancient Prophets in the Old Testament and Christianity.
Here, then, we have the testimony of early Christian writers that many
of the prophetical books of the Old Testament were destroyed.

Vol. 7, p.25
We are also informed by the Catholics, "That many, and very many of
the canonical books of Scripture have quite perished, and not so much
as appeared in the days of the very ancient fathers; so that nothing
but the names of those books have come unto us." (See Mumford's
Question of Questions, sec. 1. 7.)

Vol. 7, p.25
We are also informed, by those manuscripts that are dated from the
12th century of the Christian era, that the few books that were
preserved during the long reign of persecution and error had become
very. much altered and mutilated,—so much so, that when the learned
gathered a large number of manuscripts together, they found no two
that agreed. A great variety of readings in these manuscripts
discouraged many of our translators, some three centuries ago, from
translating the Old Testament, lest the world should turn to atheism.
If they had translated them all, they would have had several hundred
Bibles, all clashing and differing from each other.

Vol. 7, p.25
It must be recollected that the Catholic canon of Scripture was not
formed until the year 397. Prior to that period, the people were left,
some of them to believe in this manuscript, and some in that,—some to
reject this one, and some that; and many of the Christian fathers in
the second and third centuries of the Christian era were entirely
unable to determine what manuscripts were spurious, and what ones to
receive as divine. Mumford speaks thus upon this subject:—

Vol. 7, p.25
"If you fly to the tradition of the Church only of the first four
hundred years, remember that the Council of Carthage, just after the
end of those years, alleged the ancient tradition of their fathers,
which they judged sufficient for defining our canon. They. who were so
near those first four hundred years, knew far better the more
universal tradition of that age than we can, twelve hundred years
after it. True it is, (nothing being defined till then,) private
doctors were free to follow what they judged to be truest; and as you
find them varying from our canon, some in some books, some in others,
so you will find them varying from one another, and varying also from
you" (meaning the Protestant Canon). "For, in those first four hundred
years, Melitus and Nazianzen excluded the Book of Esther, which you
add. Origen doubts of the Epistle to the Hebrews, of the second of St.
Peter, of the first and second of St. John. St. Cyprian and Nazianzen
leave the Apocalypse or Revelations out of their canon. Eusebius
doubts of it."

Vol. 7, p.25
Mumford further says:—"All those holy fathers agreed ever in this,
that such books were evidently God's word which had evidently a
sufficient tradition for them. Now, in the days of those fathers who
thus varied from one another, it was not by any infallible means made
known to all that [p.26] those books about which their variance was
were recommended for God's infallible word by a tradition clearly
sufficient to ground belief; for the Church had not as yet examined
and defined whether tradition did clearly enough show such and such
hooks to be God's infallible word. But in the days of St. Austin, the
third Council of Carthage, anno 397, examined how sufficient or
insufficient the tradition of the Church was which recommended those
books for Scripture about which there was so much doubt and
contrariety of opinions. They found all the books contained in our
canon, of which you account so many apocryphal, to have been
recommended by tradition sufficient to found faith upon. For on this
ground (Can. 47,) they proceeded in defining all the books in our
canon to be canonical. Because, say they, we have received from our
fathers that those books were to be read in the Church. Pope Innocent
the First, who lived Anno Domini 402, being requested by Exuperius,
Bishop of Toulouse, to declare unto him which books were canonical, he
answers, (Ep. 3,) that having examined what sufficient tradition did
demonstrate, he sets down what books are received in the canon of the
Holy Scriptures, in the end of his Epistle, chap. 7. To wit, just
those which we now have in our canon; and though he rejects many other
books, yet he rejects not one of these." (See Mumford's Question of
Questions, sec. 3, pars. 4, 12.)

Vol. 7, p.26
The Pope of Rome gathered together these contending persons in the
form of a council, and they sat in judgment upon various manuscripts
professing to be divine. That quarrelling and contending Council
decided that a certain number of books should be admitted as divine,
and should form the true canon of Scripture, and that no other books
should be added. We are informed that this Council rejected a vast
number of books. Some of these rejected books were considered by part
of the Council of Divine origin.

Vol. 7, p.26
The manuscripts of the New Testament which these ancient apostates in
the third Council of Carthage pronounced canonical have never reached
our day. The oldest manuscripts of the New Testament which this age
are in possession of are supposed to date from the sixth century of
the Christian era. We have none of the original manuscripts written by
any of the Apostles or inspired writers. We have five manuscripts in
existence that were supposed to have been written as early as the
sixth or seventh century after Christ. Three of these you will find
deposited in the Royal Library of Paris.

Vol. 7, p.26
1st. The Vatican Manuscript, noted 1,209. This was probably written by
the monks of Mount Athos; first heard of as being in the possession of
Pope Urban the eighth. Some of the leaves are wanting; the ink in some
places faded. The letters have been retraced by a skilful and faithful
hand. (See Unitarian Editors of the Improved Version of the New
Testament, and Marsh.)

Vol. 7, p.26
2nd. The Clermont or Regises Manuscript, 2,245. This dates from the
seventh century. It was found in the monastery of Clung, called
Clermont, from Clermont in Beauvais, where it was preserved.
Thirty-six leaves of it were stolen by one John Aymon, and sold in
England, but since recovered. It is Greek and Latin, and contains the
Epistles; but that to the Hebrews by a later hand. Like other
Greek-Latin Codices, the Greek has been accommodated to the Latin.
(For authority, refer to Wetstein, Unitarian Editors, Professor
Schweyhausen, quoted by Bishop Marsh, vol. 2, page 245.)

Vol. 7, p.27
3rd. The Ephrem Manuscript This also is said to have been written
[p.27] in the seventh century. It was first discovered by Dr. Allix,
in the beginning of the eighteenth century, It is in great disorder;
many leaves. test, many wholly illegible; and the whole is effaced to
make room for the works of Ephrem, the Syrian, under which the sacred
text may be perhaps deciphered by transparency. (See Unitarian Editors
of the Improved New Testament.)

Vol. 7, p.27
The Vatican, Clermont, and Ephrem Manuscripts will be found in the
Library at Paris.

Vol. 7, p.27
4th. The Alexandrian Manuscript. This was probably made in the sixth
century; Cassimer Odin says the tenth. It was deposited in the British
Museum in 1753. Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople, presented it to
Charles the First in 1628, by his ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe. It was
written by the monks for the use of a monastery of the order of
Acoemets, i.e., vigilant, never sleeping. Its original text is no
longer visible; written with uncial letters; no intervals before the
words. It has been altered from the Latin version, and was written by
a person who was not master of the Greek language. (For authority, see
Caseliner Cudin, Wetstein, &c., &c.; as quoted by Bishop Marsh in his
Michaelis' Introduction, vol. 2, page 185, and following.)

Vol. 7, p.27
5th. The Cambridge Manuscript, or Codex Bezae. Concerning this, Bishop
Marsh says—"Perhaps, of all the manuscripts now extant, this is the
most ancient." Theodore Beza used it for his edition of the New
Testament. It was found at Lyons, in the monastery of St. Irenaeus,
A.D., 1562. Beza himself owns of it that it should rather be kept for
the avoiding of offence of certain persons, than to be published. It
was deposited in the University Library at Cambridge, England. Uncial
letters; no intervals between the words. It is very ungrammatical. It
varies from the common Greek text in a greater degree than any other.
(See Unitarian Editors, Bishop Marsh, vol. 2, page 229.)

Vol. 7, p.27
Besides these, there are above twenty manuscripts of later date in
large letters, of different portions of the New Testament; and some
hundreds in smaller characters. It appears, from the superscriptions
of very many manuscripts of which we are in possession, that they were
written on Mount Athos, where the monks employed themselves in writing
copies of the Greek Testament. Some manuscripts, ascribed to the
highest antiquity, have been discovered to be the composition of
impostors as late as the seventeenth century, for the purpose of
foisting in favourite doctrines and imposing upon Christian credulity.
The Montford and Berlin MSS., for instance. (See Marsh, vol. 2, page
295.)

Vol. 7, p.27
All the most ancient manuscripts of the New Testament known to the
world differ from each other in almost every verse. And the same is
also true in relation to those of the Old Testament also. One of the
ancient Christian writers, Jerome, in his commentaries upon the
Prophets, complains of the corruption of his manuscript Greek copies.
Bellarmine testifies that the Greek copies of the Old Testament are so
corrupted that they seem to make a new translation, quite different
from the translations of other copies. All, therefore, is uncertainty,
not only in relation to the Hebrew manuscripts, but also the Greek.
If, soon after the beginning of the Christian era, the Old Testament
manuscripts were by the Jews partly destroyed, lost, burned, and torn
in pieces, so that the learned of that early age could not obtain
anything but the names of the lost books, it is not to be supposed
that we, who live some seventeen hundred years later, are in
possession of copies more [p.28] pure and genuine than Jerome,
Bellarmine, and other ancient writers.

Vol. 7, p.28
In relation to the manuscripts of the New Testament, Mr. Cressy writes
in these words—"In my hearing, Bishop Usher professed that, whereas he
had of many years before a desire to publish the New Testament in
Greek, with various lections and annotations; and for that purpose had
used great diligence and spent much money to furnish himself with
manuscripts, yet, in conclusion, he was forced to desist utterly,
lest, if he should ingenuously have noted all the several differences
of reading which himself had collected, the incredible multitude of
them almost in every verse should rather have made men atheistical
than satisfy them in the true reading of any particular passage." (See
Exomol. Ca. 8, Nu. 3.)

Vol. 7, p.28
The learned admit that in the manuscripts of the New Testament alone
there are no less than one hundred and thirty thousand different
readings. (See Encyclopaedia Brittanica, eighth edition.) It is true
that many of those differences are of no particular consequence, as
they do not materially alter the sense. But there are many thousands
of differences wherein the sense is entirely altered. How are
translators to know which of the manuscripts, if any, contain the true
sense? They have no original copies with which to compare them—no
standard of correction. No one can tell whether even one verse of
either the Old or New Testament conveys the ideas of the original
author.

Vol. 7, p.28
Just think! 130,000 different readings in the New Testament alone! How
our translators could separate the spurious from the genuine is more
than I can tell. How they could distinguish between the original
communicated to the ancient Prophets and Apostles, and 130,000
different readings that were introduced in the dark ages by copyists,
is not easy to determine.

Vol. 7, p.28
But, admitting that we had an ancient copy of the Bible, or the Old
and New Testament,—supposing the translators by some means were put in
possession of such a copy, and that the individuals whose names are
attached to many of those books professed to be inspired, yet how is
this generation to determine whether those authors, if they were
indeed the authors, were inspired men? How do we know they were
inspired to write those books? The Latter-day Saints believe that the
Bible in its original was the word of God, and was written by Divine
inspiration. But we do not believe it because history informs us of
this, or tradition tells us so; but we believe it because the Book of
Mormon, confirmed by the ministry of angels, informs us of the fact.

Vol. 7, p.28
But how is this generation to know that those ancient authors were
inspired of God? Do they bear testimony of their own inspiration?
Bishop Chillingworth, Hooker, and many other learned commentators have
told us that the Bible cannot bear testimony of its own inspiration.
If the Bible cannot prove its own inspiration, how are people in the
present and past ages to know that these books are inspired? It is
true, we are informed that some individuals wrote by commandment; and
some, we are told, wrote according to their own opinions. How are we
to detect, that part which they were inspired to write from that part
which was written according to their own opinions? We cannot, without
new revelation. Without some testimony of a higher nature than
tradition, we never can learn these matters.

Vol. 7, p.28
Having made these few remarks in regard to the Old and New Testaments
in their present  condition and bearing, and having learned that they
[p.29] are very imperfect in their present state, and that they have
been translated from manuscripts that cannot be depended upon,—that
there are no original copies in this day with which the world are
acquainted;—having established these facts, now let us turn to the
Book of Mormon, and see if it rests upon evidences of the nature of
these I have already presented to this congregation.

Vol. 7, p.29
The Book of Mormon professes to he translated not from manuscripts
containing 130,000 different readings, nor by the learning of men who
can render a translation as they please; neither does it profess to be
translated from altered, mutilated manuscripts manufactured by monks
or impostors upon Mount Athos to impose upon Christian credulity; but
it was translated from the original plates themselves—the very plates
on which the inspired writers themselves wrote: and they were also
translated, not by the learning of men, but by the power of God and
the inspiration of the Almighty.

Vol. 7, p.29
We are told, in the beginning of the Booker Mormon, that three
men—Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris, saw the plates,
or the original from which this book was translated by Joseph Smith,
jun.; he having obtained the plates in the western part of New York
through the ministration of an holy angel, as he testifies, from where
they were deposited by an ancient Prophet that inhabited America some
1,400 years ago. He testifies that he was sent by an angel of God to
bring these gold plates to light—that he obtained with them the Urim
and Thummin, and translated the book. But, before the Lord would
permit the book to go to the nations, he was determined that they
should have more than one witness. Joseph Smith's testimony was not to
go forth alone. Therefore, in 1829, about one year before the rise of
this Church, or before this book was offered to the world, three other
names were called upon by an angel from heaven.

Vol. 7, p.29
"Perhaps," you may say, "they were deceived." Let us examine whether
there was any possibility of their being deceived. They had learned,
by reading the manuscript from which this book was printed, that the
Lord, when he should bring this book to light in the latter days,
would bear testimony of it in a miraculous and wonderful manner to
three witnesses, besides the translator. These three men, after having
learned this fact, met together, and went and saw Mr. Smith, and
inquired of him whether it would be their privilege to behold these
plates and know from heaven that this book was true. Joseph Smith
inquired of the Lord concerning the matter; and the Lord gave them a
promise that, if they would sufficiently humble themselves, they
should have this privilege.

Vol. 7, p.29
They, in no connection with Mr. Smith, who made the fourth individual,
went out into the open field, near a grove of timber, a little
distance from the house of Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, New
York. They bowed down before the Lord in broad daylight—not in the
night; so there could be no deception:they humbled themselves before
him, called upon his holy name with all their hearts; and while they
were thus engaged in calling upon the name of the Lord, they saw in
the heavens above a glorious light, and a personage descending. This
personage came down and stood before them: he laid his hands upon the
head of David Whitmer as one of the three witnesses, and said,
"Blessed be the Lord and they that keep his commandments;" and then he
took the plates and turned them over, leaf after-leaf, excepting a
certain portion of the leaves that were sealed up, which Mr. [p.30]
Smith was not permitted to translate but that portion he had
translated was turned over, leaf after leaf, and presented before
their eyes, and they saw the engravings upon the plates.

Vol. 7, p.30
This angel, clothed in brightness and glory, stood before them with
the plates in his hands, showing them the engravings upon them. They
also heard the voice of the Lord out of the heavens, commanding them
to bear record of the things they saw and heard to all nations,
kindred, tongues, and people. The testimony which they have borne I
have read in your hearing.

Vol. 7, p.30
Now, was there any possibility of these three men, together with Mr.
Smith, who was in their company, being deceived? If they were
deceived, then there is the same reason to suppose the Apostles were
deceived, who profess to have seen Jesus ascend into heaven from the
Mount of Olives. There would be the same reason to suppose that Peter,
James, and John were deceived when they saw Moses and Elias on the
Mount of Transfiguration; if these men were deceived, then there is no
truth nor certainty in anything that ever was beheld; for no persons
could bear testimony in stronger language than these three witnesses
have done in the Book of Mormon.

Vol. 7, p.30
Joseph Smith, jun., could not be deceived himself; for it was by an
angel that he was commanded to go to the place where the records were
deposited; it was by an angel he was told to take them from the place
of their long deposit, together with the Urim and Thummim; and it was
by the Urim and Thimmim, connected with prayer, that he was enabled to
translate the plates into the English language: consequently, he could
not be deceived.

Vol. 7, p.30
We have proved that the other three witnesses. could not be deceived;
consequently four men bear testimony that they not only saw the
plates, but also that they saw an angel of God: they also heard his
voice, and saw the plates in his hands and the engravings upon the
plates, and heard the voice of God out of heaven commanding them to
bear their testimony to all people upon the face of the earth to whom
the translation should be sent.

Vol. 7, p.30
Can you find, among all the nations and kingdoms upon the earth, one
individual that can bear testimony that he has ever seen the original
of any one of the books of the Old and New Testament? No. We defy the
world to produce a true copy of the original of any book of the Bible,
and prove it to be such. They may search their libraries from
beginning to end, and examine all the archives of the nations, and
they cannot find an original copy, or even a copy written centuries
after the original writer was known to exist.

Vol. 7, p.30
The learned have conjectured that some of those five manuscripts I
have mentioned were written in the sixth century; but this is
disputed. Cassimir Oudin says that the Alexandrian Manuscript, instead
of being written in the sixth century, was made in the tenth. With
regard to the times of their being written, no dependence can be
placed.

Vol. 7, p.30
But here four men actually beheld the original plates, saw an holy
angel, and heard the voice of God. Are they the only witnesses? No:
them are eight other men, whose names and testimony I have read before
this congregation,—persons with whom I am individually acquainted as
well as with the translator and the three witnesses I have already
named. I have been at the house where this Church was organized. I
have Seen the place where the angel descended and showed them the
plates.

Vol. 7, p.30
Eight other witnesses testify that Joseph Smith showed them the
plates, and that they saw the  engravings [p.31] upon them, and that
they had the appearance of ancient work and curious  workmanship. They
describe these plates as being about the thickness of common tin,
about eight inches in length, and from six to seven in  breadth. Upon
each side of the leaves of these plates there were fine engravings,
which were stained with a black, hard stain, so as to make the
letters more legible and easier to be  read. Through the back of the
plates were three rings, which held them together, and through which a
rod might  easily be passed, serving as a greater convenience for
carrying them; the construction and form of the plates being similar
to the gold, brass, and lead plates of the ancient Jews in Palestine.

Vol. 7, p.31
Thus we see that twelve individuals saw the plates before the contents
were placed before the world, and before they were called upon to
believe in them. Is not this a sufficient testimony and evidence? If
the world would not believe twelve men who have seen the originals,
handled them wish their hands, beheld the engravings upon them,—four
of whom had seen the angel of God and heard his voice;—if they would
not believe this, would they believe the evidence and testimony of ten
thousand individuals? Jesus declares—"In the mouth of two or three
witnesses every word shall be established."

Vol. 7, p.31
When we appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and go into his
presence, we are informed we shall be judged by his word. "My word
shall judge you at the last day," says Jesus. "The words that I speak
unto you shall judge you." If, then, the words which he spake, and
which he inspired his Apostles and Prophets to declare to the people,
are to be the laws by which mankind are to be judged at the last day,
it is necessary that they should have some little evidence and
testimony concerning his words.

Vol. 7, p.31
We are presenting this evidence and testimony before you; and if the
Lord gave four witnesses, and by them condemned the antediluvian
world—namely, Noah and his three sons;—if their preaching, their
testimony, and works of righteousness condemned the antediluvians, and
they were overthrown by the flood, why may we not suppose that four
witnesses alone, if God did not see proper to send any more, would
condemn any other generation?

Vol. 7, p.31
We find that Lot was the only witness who was sent to warn the
inhabitants of Sodom, and to call upon his kinsmen to flee from the
midst of those cities, in order to escape the terrible judgments
announced against them. He testified that an angel of God came to him
and told him that the Lord was about to destroy those cities: he said
that this angel lodged with him over night, and that the Lord had sent
him as a witness; and his testimony condemned his kinsmen and the
inhabitants of Sodom, and they were overthrown and perished in their
wickedness.

Vol. 7, p.31
Who was sent to the inhabitants of Nineveh to warn them? Only one
witness—namely, Jonah. He was sent to a strange nation—to a people
that were unacquainted with him: they could not tell by any natural
appearance whether he was a righteous man or an impostor. He had a
curious story to tell them, that he came part of the way to their
country in a ship, and part of the way in the belly of a whale. But
how could they know that he came in the belly of a whale, or that he
was not an impostor? Yet the Lord told them, through Jonah, that if
they did not repent, they would all be destroyed in forty days. They
concluded to repent, and the Lord spared them, which made Jonah angry.

Vol. 7, p.32
When the Lord sent a preparatory message to prepare the way for hid
[p.32] Son, he sent one witness, instead of raising up four. John the
Baptist went forth into the wilderness, clothed himself in a curious
style, living on locusts and wild honey, and began to preach
repentance to the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem, and to the Jews
throughout the land. How were they to know he was a messenger sent to
prepare the way before the Most High? Yet they certainly would be
condemned for not receiving his testimony; for Jesus himself said—"The
scribes and Pharisees rejected the counsel of God against themselves
in rejecting John."

Vol. 7, p.32
How did John convince the vast multitudes that he was sent to testify
of the first advent of the Son of God? We are informed by one of the
Evangelists that "John did no miracle," as great a Prophet as he was;
yet the people were condemned, because they rejected the counsel of
God against their own souls, by rejecting his testimony. How much
greater, then, will be the condemnation of individuals who reject four
witnesses, instead of one!

Vol. 7, p.32
If the present generation have the testimony of four witnesses sounded
in their ears,—if the Book of Mormon, containing their testimony, is
published and sent forth in the different languages of the earth, and
the people have the privilege of hearing and reading that testimony,
will it not produce far greater condemnation upon them than what came
upon the Jewish nation in ancient days, by rejecting the testimony of
one witness only?

Vol. 7, p.32
We see, then, that we have the advantage of this generation so far as
evidence concerning the Book of Mormon is concerned. There are men now
living that have seen the original of the Book of Mormon—that have
heard the voice of God. Where is there a man who has heard the voice
of God testifying concerning the truth of King James' translation?
Where is there a man on the face of the earth that ever had it
confirmed to him by the administration of an angel? But here comes
evidence in favour of the Book of Mormon such as any court of justice
is obliged to receive.

Vol. 7, p.32
But are we to receive the testimony of all individuals that may come
and pretend to have heard the voice of God and to have seen angels?
May not importers come forth and say they have seen angels? I reply
that there is this distinction to be made: A man that is sent of God,
who has a true message, will always be able to present something
connected with the nature of the message and the circumstances
surrounding it, which will prove it to be true. If there should be a
thousand individuals bearing witness that they had heard the voice of
God and seen angels, we shall always be able to detect the impostor
from the servant of God by examining the doctrine. There are evidences
distinguishing a true message from a false one, that the whole world
may be enabled to discern between the two.

Vol. 7, p.32
For instance, there is no individual upon the face of the earth who
can directly prove that Joseph Smith did not see the angel of God and
obtain the plates: no individual upon the face of this earth can prove
that the three witnesses did not see the angel and the plates:
consequently, their evidence cannot be directly negatived, unless they
deny their own testimony, which they have not done. The only possible
way to condemn these men as impostors is to examine the nature of
their testimony, to see whether it is reasonable and scriptural.

Vol. 7, p.32
Is there anything unscriptural in hearing the voice of God, or in an
angel's descending from heaven, bearing testimony to a book in which
all nations are interested? It is a book sent to  prepare the way of
the Lord [p.33] for his second coming. Was it unreasonable for the
Lord to send angels to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Was it unreasonable
for them to take dinner with Abraham, and for him to wash their
feet?—for Lot to lodge them in his house?—for Joshua, Gideon, Daniel,
Isaiah, Ezekiel, Peter, Paul, or the wise men and shepherds of Israel,
or for Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Zachariah, or for various
other holy men and women to see angels sent from heaven? It was
neither unreasonable nor un-scriptural.

Vol. 7, p.33
Paul says, "Are they (the angels) not all ministering spirits sent to
minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation? If, then, they
have this office assigned to them, to minister to the heirs of
salvation, it is not an unscriptural doctrine that they should
minister to those four men. It is just as reasonable that God should
send an angel to four men in the last days, and introduce his kingdom
and preparatory work for the second advent of the Son of God, as it
was for an angel to be sent to Zachariah in order that a messenger
might be raised up to prepare the way for his first coming. The one is
a little more reasonable than the other; for the latter-day coming is
to far transcend in glory and power his first coming, when he appeared
among the Jews. At his second coming the earth will tremble and roll
to-and-fro like a drunken man; the mountains shall fall, the valleys
be raised, the crooked places made straight, and the rough places
smooth, when the Lord is revealed in his glory and power.

Vol. 7, p.33
If all these things are to be fulfilled Israel gathered, the fulness
of the Gentiles brought in, and Zion built up,—if the great Latter-day
Work mentioned by the ancient Prophets has to be fulfilled, then it
would not be unreasonable that an angel should be sent from heaven to
begin a work of this magnitude.

Vol. 7, p.33
But; perhaps, you may admit that it is perfectly scriptural and
reasonable that an angel should be sent; but, then, you may ask if
there may not be something connected with the Book of Mormon which
would render it inconsistent, and not entitled to credit, and which
would prove that its pretences were an imposition.

Vol. 7, p.33
In reply, I ask, What is there about the Book of Mormon that is
inconsistent? What does it profess to be? It professes to contain the
history of part of the tribe of Joseph, who came out of the land of
Jerusalem 600 years before Christ, and colonized the American
continent. These Indian tribes are their descendants. When they first
came here, they were a righteous people, and had with them the
Scriptures, containing the law of Moses. When they came here, they
made plates of gold, and on them they recorded their history, wars,
contentions, &c. These plates were handed down among the ancient
inhabitants of America for a thousand years after they came here.
Their prophecies were recorded from generation to generation. Jesus
Christ appeared to them on this land after his resurrection, just the
same as he did to the people in Palestine, and showed them the wounds
in his hands and in his feet. He descended before them in South
America, and put an end to the law of Moses, which they practised on
this continent; and he introduced the Gospel in its stead, taught them
faith and repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, as in
Jerusalem. He taught the people to come with broken hearts and
contrite spirits, and humble themselves, and be baptized by immersion
for the remission of their sins, and had his servants lay hands on
them for the gift of the Holy Ghost, as Paul and Peter did.

Vol. 7, p.34
The teachings of Jesus were recorded [p.34] on these gold plates, and
they were handed down until some 400 years after Christ. Many sacred
revelations are recorded on them, and prophecies that reach to our
day, and down to the end of all things.

Vol. 7, p.34
If you search this record from beginning to end, you will find the
historical part perfectly consistent. You cannot prove that Joseph
Smith is an impostor from any inconsistencies in the historical part
of the work.

Vol. 7, p.34
If you search the discoveries of all the antiquarians that have
written since the discovery of America concerning the ancient
inhabitants of this land you cannot put your finger upon one particle
of evidence from their researches that will come in contact with the
Book of Mormon.

Vol. 7, p.34
If you examine its prophecies, you will find many that the Jewish
records speak nothing of—prophecies that relate to the Indians, and
that relate to the rise of this Church, to the Millennium, and to many
things that the other Prophets have not touched upon; and also many of
the events predicted in the Jewish Bible were delivered to the
Prophets in this land. Compare the prophecies of the Jewish records
with those in the Book of Mormon, and you will find no clashing or
jarring; consequently, you cannot condemn the Book of Mormon, Joseph
Smith, and these witnesses to be impostors from the prophetic
declarations of that book.

Vol. 7, p.34
Try its doctrine, and you will find that the Gospel taught in ancient
America 1,800 years ago is like that taught in ancient Judea and the
regions round about. Did the ancient Apostles in Palestine teach faith
in Jesus Christ, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins? So
did the ancient Apostles and Prophets in America. Did the Apostles in
Judea practise the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost?
So did the ancient Israelites of America. Did Jesus and his disciples
organize the Church in Asia with revelators and inspired men in
it—with prophets and prophetesses, with dreams, visions, and
revelations? So did the ancient Israelites in America do the same
thing. They, the ancient Apostles, organized the Church with miracles
and gifts, with power to heal the sick, to east out devils, to work
miracles, and with power over the elements. The Book of Mormon tells
us that the Israelites on ancient America organized one after the same
pattern. Consequently, if we examine the whole structure of the Church
in Palestine and the structure of the Church in ancient America, we
find no jar; so, no man upon the face of the earth can · condemn
Joseph Smith and these three witnesses from any inconsistency in their
doctrine.

Vol. 7, p.34
Compare the miracles that are recorded in the Book of Mormon with
those recorded in the Bible, and you will find no unreasonable
miracles in the one, more than in the other. There is no fish story in
it—nothing about a man's being carried in a whale's belly three days
and three nights; though, if such a story was in it, we should believe
it, the same as we do the Jewish history of Jonah. There is nothing
said in this book about three men being put into a furnace of fire,
heated seven times hotter than ever before, and yet the three men
receiving no harm. We believe the Bible when it records this great
miracle; but there is nothing · which to the atheist is so apparently
inconsistent as that.

Vol. 7, p.34
The miracles recorded in the Book of Mormon were of such a nature as
to be worthy of the exertion of Divine power. If the sick were healed,
it was because Jesus had promised his servants they should lay their
hands on them, and they should be healed. If they prophesied, it  was
concerning future events, because the Lord [p.35] wanted them to
understand that which was to come.

Vol. 7, p.35
Is there anything in this book that contradicts any scientific truth?
You may ransack all the libraries in the world, and gather together
all the books of science, and compare with this book, and you will
find no clashing; consequently, where is your ground for condemnation?
You cannot condemn it from its historical, prophetic, and doctrinal
writings, or because of any unreasonable miracles said to have been
wrought among the ancient Israelites on these lands, or because it
contradicts any scientific truth, or because it is unscriptural or
unreasonable that people should see angels in these days.

Vol. 7, p.35
We defy this whole generation to bring up any testimony to condemn the
truth of this book. It will face this generation from this time until
the second coming of Christ, and then through the Millennium. And when
this generation come up from their graves at the great and last day,
the books will be opened, and by the word of God declared on this
continent and on the Eastern continent the inhabitants of the earth
will be judged.

Vol. 7, p.35
You may bring all the lies and newspaper stories you can hatch up, and
all the misrepresentations you can conceive, and use them against the
Divine truths of the Book of Mormon, to save your crumbling apostate
systems from utter ruin; you may pile up your falsehoods like
mountains; you may fill your railroad carriages to the brim with them,
or you may send them by the electric current the world round, and it
will not stop the edward progress of the truths of "Mormonism"
revealed from heaven it cannot stay the arm of the Almighty from
building up his kingdom in the last days, or hush the voice of his
servants from warning the nations to repent and to turn away from
their lyings and whoredoms, and from all their wickedness and
abominations which they continually practise before the Lord.

Vol. 7, p.35
The word of God is something that cannot be destroyed; but it will
appear in the day of judgment, and you and I will be judged by it.

Vol. 7, p.35
I believe the Book of Mormon; I believe it because I consider that I
have not only the testimony of these twelve witnesses, but a vast
amount of other evidence and testimony such as you have not in
relation to the things that are contained in the Jewish record.

Vol. 7, p.35
For instance, what evidence and testimony have the present generation
and the generations that have lived during the last seventeen
centuries that Jesus Christ, the great Redeemer of the world, arose
from the dead? You have the testimony of four individuals, and no
more, provided that their testimony has not been corrupted, altered,
and mutilated in the oldest manuscripts now known. Who are they?
Matthew, John, Paul, and Peter. The other four writers of the New
Testament have not said a word about seeing Jesus after his
resurrection. The New Testament was written by eight men—Matthew,
Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James, and Jude. Four of these men have
given their testimony that they saw Jesus after his resurrection; the
other four have told us nothing about it.

Vol. 7, p.35
But it may be asked, "Does not the Apostle Paul testify that Jesus was
seen by upwards of five hundred brethren at once?"

Vol. 7, p.35
But none of those five hundred brethren have spoken Of this, or handed
down their testimony.

Vol. 7, p.35
Perhaps it will be argued that the four witnesses that saw
Jesus—namely, Matthew, John, Paul, and Peter, performed great
miracles, and thus established their testimony; and consequently,  we
are bound to believe them.[p.36] 

Vol. 7, p.36
But how do you know that they performed miracles?

Vol. 7, p.36
"They have told us so."

Vol. 7, p.36
How do you know they tell us the truth? Were you there to behold the
miracles they wrought? Only six of the eight writers of the New
Testament say anything about miracles. Suppose they all testify that
there were wonderful miracles wrought, have we not as good reason to
believe eight men that testify to miracles in these days?

Vol. 7, p.36
If all the men on this stand have kept journals, (and some of them
have for a quarter-of-a-century,) and if they have recorded what their
eyes have seen and their ears have heard; and if the several hundred
Elders in this large assembly have done likewise, and recorded all the
miraculous things their eyes have seen and their ears heard; and if
the generations to come should gather up our journals and manuscripts,
and entitle them, The Acts of the Apostles and Elders of the
Nineteenth Century, they would find tens of thousands of miracles
recorded in these journals where the sick have been healed, the eyes
of the blind opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped,—where the lame
have been made to leap as an hart, and where people have been raised
up from the last stages of cholera, in the name of Jesus Christ, and
where those who were born blind have had their eyes opened.

Vol. 7, p.36
Would they not have as much reason to believe the journals and
writings of the Latter-day Saints in relation to the miracles wrought
as you have to believe the testimony of the six writers of the New
Testament on the same subject? Who are the New Testament writers? They
are interested witnesses, every one of them.

Vol. 7, p.36
"But the world saw their miracles."

Vol. 7, p.36
 How do you know? 

Vol. 7, p.36
"These six writers say so."

Vol. 7, p.36
Have you the testimony of any of the world that they actually saw even
one miracle wrought by the Apostles of Jesus Christ? No, you have not.

Vol. 7, p.36
Perhaps you may say that when the lame man at the beautiful gate of
the Temple was healed, it was done publicly before the multitude.

Vol. 7, p.36
How do you know this? Luke says so in the Acts of the Apostles, and
you believe it on his testimony alone. How do you know that Jesus
Christ Was transfigured on the mount?—that Moses and Elias appeared to
'Peter and James and John on that occasion? Have Peter, James, and
John given their testimony? Not a word; but Matthew, Mark, and
Luke—three men who were not present, who did not see the
transfiguration, and who did not see Moses and Elias, say so; but
their testimony is second-handed.

Vol. 7, p.36
We believe that Peter, James, and John actually did see holy
angels—did behold Moses and Elias, and see Jesus transfigured, upon
second-handed testimonies given on the subject.

Vol. 7, p.36
Now, we have the testimony of individuals themselves concerning the
Book of Mormon,—not the testimony alone of Elders Richards and
Woodruff, or of any of these Elders,—but the testimonies of persons
who beheld the angel and heard his voice.

Vol. 7, p.36
Therefore, the testimony establishing the truth of the Book of Mormon
is far superior to that establishing the Bible in its present form.

Vol. 7, p.36
I do not know but I am wearying you; but I have endeavoured in my
simple way to lay before you the evidence and testimony you have for
believing the Jewish record, compared with the evidence and testimony
yea have for believing the ancient records of America, called the Book
of Mormon; and any persons who will carefully examine this subject
will be obliged in their  own hearts to say [p.37] there is a
hundredfold more evidence  to prove the Divine authenticity of the
Book of Mormon than what we have to prove the Palestine records.

Vol. 7, p.37
But this is not all. We do not rest our evidence alone on the
testimony of these twelve witnesses; our hopes are built upon a
foundation surer than all these external testimonies. The Latter-day
Saints are not that enthusiastic people who open their mouths and
swallow down doctrines because they are popular, because their fathers
believed them; but we believe a doctrine because we have evidence to
substantiate it; and then, in addition to this, we seek for more truth
and knowledge.

Vol. 7, p.37
The Book of Mormon informs us how we may not only have faith in that
book because of the evidence and testimony accompanying it; but how we
may obtain a knowledge concerning its truth. The Book of Mormon
informs us, as well as the Holy Scriptures, that if we will repent and
be baptized, we shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 7, p.37
We have tried the experiment. We have repented of our sins, we have
turned from our transgressions, and humbled ourselves, like little
children, before the Lord; we were buried in the water, and brought
out of the water; then hands were laid upon us, and we received the
gift of the Holy Ghost, and this give us a knowledge of the truth.

Vol. 7, p.37
What are the effects of the Holy Ghost? Jesus says, in the last
chapter of Mark, "These signs shall follow them that believe: In my
name they shall east out devils, speak with new tongues, take up
serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

Vol. 7, p.37
The promise of the signs was not to the Apostles alone, but he said
unto them, "Do you go and preach the word in all the world; and he
that believes your testimony and is baptized shall receive salvation,
and those that will not believe shall be damned; and these signs shall
follow them that do believe." We have believed, repented, been
baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost; and we found the
promise verified. If it were not so, we should then know it to be an
imposition. If we found that Jesus did not fulfil his promise after we
fully obeyed his word, we should then know the same to be false.

Vol. 7, p.37
Let me say to this congregation that there would not have been a
Church of Latter-day Saints five years upon the earth, had he not
fulfilled his promise after we had obeyed his word, because he made
this promise not only in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament, but
by direct revelation through the Prophet, that if the people would do
thus and so, they should be blessed with such and such gifts. Now,
suppose the people, after having tried it, did not receive those
gifts, the whole Church would have apostatized, and turned and
declared it all false—Book of Mormon, Bible, and everything else. Why?
Because these books made a promise on certain conditions, which was
not fulfilled.

Vol. 7, p.37
But when the people believed and were baptized for the remission of
sins, and filled with the Holy Ghost, and the visions of the future
were opened to them, and the spirit of prophecy rested upon them, and
they beheld the sick recovering, the blind receiving their sight, and
the deaf hearing, "Surely," said they, "this must be of God; for the
Lord never would have confirmed an imposition to us by granting the
gifts of the Gospel."

Vol. 7, p.37
But may not the Devil perform miracles? Satan was to come with all
power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish, because they had pleasure in
unrighteousness. [p.38] "Now, how do you know but these are some of
the strong delusions?"

Vol. 7, p.38
But prove to us that we have had pleasure in anything contrary to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ—that this people have not obeyed the Scriptures
of of eternal truth. Those signs that were to come, and these living
wonders, &c., were to be practised by individuals that had pleasure in
unrighteousness and who rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ—they were
to go forth like the magicians in the days of Moses to withstand the
power of Moses. We see them on one hand turning the water to blood,
and Moses doing the same; in short, Moses performed numerous miracles
(by the power of God) and the magicians did the same. How are we to
distinguish between the two? Moses believed and obeyed the words of
the Most High God, and the magicians were fighting against him, and
yet they did miracles—not in the name of God, but by their
enchantments; and so it is with all wicked miracle-workers from their
day down to the second coming of Christ: they perform their lying
wonders by the power of Satan—by the means of somnam-bulism,
spirit-rapping, spirit-writing, or whatever it may be. But when people
repent, and are baptized, and perform miracles in the name of the
Lord, such miracles are designed to profit and benefit mankind—such as
laying hands on the sick that they may be healed, speaking and
interpreting tongues; hence you may know them to be of God: therefore
it is easily to be distinguished which of the two powers should be
received and which should be rejected.

Vol. 7, p.38
May God bless all those who love the truth, whether Jew or Gentile
bond or free,—whether it be those who have received the Gospel and
Book of Mormon, or those who are inquiring to know concerning its
truth. if they desire to know the truth, may the God of heaven, who
has sent forth his angel and confirmed the truth unto many, pour out
his Holy Spirit upon them, and enlighten their minds, inasmuch as they
go before God with an honest heart, that they may know, as the
Latter-day Saints know, that this work is a message from the Almighty,
to be proclaimed to every nation, kindred, and people upon the face of
the whole earth. And when they know from God that this work is true,
they will not be tossed to-and-fro and carried about with every wind
of doctrine, but they will be built upon a foundation upon which they
can rest; secure. Though the whirlwinds of persecution may beat upon
them—though they may be hated, derided, and suffer the loss of all
things, time after time,—though they may be driven to-and-fro, and
scattered from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and
their Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles be put to death, yet, with
all this distress and poverty brought upon them by being robbed and
plundered of their lawful possessions, and with all the injury they
may sustain from year to year, they will have something in the midst
of it all that will give them joy, peace, and happiness; and that
something is A KNOWlEDGE OF THE TRUTH—not merely a faith that the
foundation on which they are built is of God, but a knowledge that
they are established upon a rock that cannot be moved, which is as
firm as the throne of Jehovah, and as secure as the eternal attributes
of the Almighty.

Vol. 7, p.38
May God bless us and prepare us for his heavenly kingdom, and save us
therein, is my prayer,  in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.39] 

Heber C. Kimball, October 6, 1854

Adherence to "Mormonism"—Perpetual Emigration Fund 

An Address by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
delivered at the General Conference, in the Tabernacle, 
Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854.

Vol. 7, p.39
We have heard a very beautiful relation from Elder T. D. Brown, of the
mission at the South. It seems that everything we undertake in
righteousness prospers, and the Devil and his agents cannot help
themselves, if we are faithful.

Vol. 7, p.39
The Zion's ship that was spoken of to-day, which runs in Snag harbour,
has prospered from the first day it was launched, and every man and
woman who stick firmly to that ship will prosper from this time
henceforth and for over. That I know, for I have been on board that
ship, and am now sailing upon it. 

Vol. 7, p.39
The first time I went to England, I was on board of Zion's ship, and
Joseph came to me while I was sailing, and put into my hand a rod; and
I presume, if I have dreamed once of being aboard of that ship, I have
dreamed it a hundred times. I have been in it in the midst of dangers
and in the most dangerous places. I have seen trees and stumps,
mountains and rocks, and everything else that could he placed in her
course thrown before her to stop her in her course; but she can sail
through a mountain or on dry land as well as upon the water. I have
this in dreams; and I will say to the brethren, Just so long as you
keep aboard of that ship you will prosper. I do not care whether it is
in the midst of the Lamanites or among the Jews—whether it is in Italy
or in Denmark, in Europe or in America, we will prosper, and I know
it. That is my testimony.

Vol. 7, p.39
As brother George A. Smith was saying, there are some who want to
enjoy ancient "Mormonism,"—that is, as "Mormonism" used to be when it
was a small sapling. But it is now becoming a lofty tree, and its
branches are beginning to shoot forth all over the nations of the
earth; ancient "Mormonism" has grown to such a degree. Many have been
in the background, and have left the tree, and it has grown to that
extent, they do not know it. That is the trouble with them: they don't
know what "Mormonism" is. But this is "Mormonism," and this is the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and President Young is
the true and legal administrator and delegate sent from God, and we
are his brethren, and he is on board of Zion's ship, and he is the
captain; and if we will stick to it, we shall never run foul of the
rocks; and whoever he tells to take hold of the helm, he will tell
them in what direction to steer; and she is such a good sailor, and so
true to the helm, she will run right between or over all snags.

Vol. 7, p.39
Do you believe it, you old "Mormons?" ["Yes."] Well, then, why don't
you grow with the tree, and with the branches thereof? Brother Brown
would grow faster living on bread and water, and water and bread, with
a little milk. Gentlemen, if you don't look out, the ship will get out
of reach, and the tree will grow out of your knowledge, so that you
will forget what manner of a tree it was; because, as the tree grows,
it changes [p.40] in size and appearance, just the same as a child as
it grows to manhood; and if you had not been with him all the time,
you would not know him, although he were your own son.

Vol. 7, p.40
The text that President Young gave us hears upon my mind considerably,
and it is a thing we ought to take into consideration; not me alone,
but every man and woman that belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints; not only those who are indebted to the Perpetual
Emigrating Fund, but all ought to throw in their mites and enlarge
this Fund. The means can be paid in here, and the poor can be brought
out from the nations. Hundreds have come on this year on the strength
of this Fund. It is the duty of those who have been brought out by it
to go and work forthwith for means to pay their indebtedness. It does
not belong to you, but it belongs to those who have made the Fund: it
belongs to that Company, and to every individual, if they have not
placed in it any more than a picayune or a halfpenny.

Vol. 7, p.40
Look at the poor in old England. I have heard that some have feelings
against me, because I have spoken of the poverty of the people in that
country. I know more about its poverty than the natives of the country
do. Those who come from there don't know as well about it as we do. In
the last letter that came from my son William, he wrote that "I feel
to weep and mourn and lament, when I behold the poverty of the people:
they are starving to death, and there are scores and hundreds of my
brethren in the poor-houses of the country: the husband is put in one
poor-house, the wife in another, and the children in another."

Vol. 7, p.40
That is the case with our brethren there; and while you are here in
the midst of luxuries—while you are enjoying these blessings of the
Lord can you see your own brethren afflicted? It is not only so in
England, but in Ireland, in Scotland, in Denmark, and in Sweden, and
in all the nations of the earth. Do they enjoy what we enjoy? No.
Although there are some who want to return to their native country, to
enjoy their own habits and customs, yet there is no rational man or
woman who wants to return.

Vol. 7, p.40
Brethren, did you ever reflect upon these things, and try to find out
what you could do? Supposing there were not any more Saints than what
are in this room to-day, if we were to put forth our hand as one man,
what could we accomplish? There are people enough in this congregation
to accomplish more than the whole Church has, if they would only
believe and act upon the instructions given them. Solomon says, The
liberal man deviseth liberal things, and by his liberality shall he
live. I have proved the truth of this saying to my fullest
satisfaction and to my astonishment, time and time again. When I have
been poor and penniless, and could not raise five dollars, I have gone
to work, by the counsel of my President, and built me a good house,
and furnished it; and says brother Brigham, "You shall build that
house, and yea shall have your fit-out." I did it according to his
word, and it was clear of debt, and I had a good fit-out.

Vol. 7, p.40
I have done the same here upon the same principle; and said the
President, "Brother Kimball, take one lead of rock, and a load of
sand, and a load of clay, and say to the masons and joiners, Go
a-head; for I never built a house yet, but I was better off when I had
done it than when I began." And brethren and sisters, that is the
reason I keep on building. [Voice; in the stand: "You will get poor if
you stop."] Therefore I go a-head. Many will sit down and count the
costs—how much it will cost to put a potatoe in the ground, and then
[p.41] how much it will take to raise a hill around it; and they find
out the expense is so great, they will never plant a potatoe nor make
a hill, and they never will accomplish anything. Do you know that is
true?

Vol. 7, p.41
Let us go to work now and enlarge this Fund, and let us do it at this
Conference; and let those who are indebted to it go to work
immediately and pay up. We shall probably hold this meeting for a
time, and your hearts shall be enlarged; and if you could only go home
while they are enlarged, and all the puckering strings loosened, and
back the thing right up, the Perpetual Fund would be rich. I know that
men and women have consciences that want to screw this way, and twist
that way, and every way under God's heavens, before they can come to
the right thing, If you want to grow and thrive, and want to have the
Spirit of the Lord, and the Holy Ghost to be with you, and have dreams
and visions, and gold and silver, and herds and flocks, wives and
children, and every other good thing, go a-head in every duty, and
never falter one moment, and tell the Devil to kiss your foot.

Vol. 7, p.41
The Devil is on the puckering line, and he will pucker every Saint and
every man there is upon the earth, so that they would let their
fellow-beings lie down in a furrow of the field and starve to death;
and these are you brethren and sisters, if you only but knew it, just
as much as your brethren and sisters are according to what you call
the flesh. This is the feeling of many—"Well, if I could only get dad,
and mammy, and grand-dad, and uncle John, and aunt Nancy, and Sally
here, I would not care a damn for all the rest." Who cares about
having only Nancy and Sally? Let us have Susan and Polly and Timothy
and Andrew out, too. What do you say? [Voice in the stand: "Let us
bring them all out."] Yes, let us bring them all out. The wars,
distress, and confusion among the nations are increasing the value of
provisions. It was just as much as you could do to live, when you were
there.

Vol. 7, p.41
What do you say, brethren and sisters? I do not want you to say
anything, unless you go a-head and do what you say. Shall we go a-head
and enlarge these funds, and pay up our debts? [Voice in the stand:
"Aye."] Well, all who are in favour of paying up your debts to the
Fund, to the Church, and everybody else, I want you to signify it by
raising your right hands, and then say, "Aye." [" Aye."] And when you
come tomorrow, bring along your pennies, and let us keep gathering and
enlarging the pile, and keep enlarging it, and gather the Saints
together from the four quarters of the earth. We are the persons to do
that business; and when we have accomplished our part as servants in
the flesh, God will send angels he has had in reserve to accomplish
what we cannot accomplish. But he will make us buckle up to the work;
and if we should happen to lie down and sleep before we have done all
we might do here, he will tell us to awake and go about our business,
and accomplish that we might have done while we were in the flesh. You
have got to do it, as sure as the sun ever rose and set; you may wait
as long as you have a mind to before you begin.

Vol. 7, p.41
My feelings are for us all to concentrate our energies with the head
of this Church, and put the wheel in operation, that, when another
year comes, we may see a hundred times more come out by the Perpetual
Emigrating Fund than we have ever seen.

Vol. 7, p.41
I believe I have stuck to the text pretty well. May God bless you, and
help you to be faithful  and fulfil your covenants, from this time
henceforth  and for ever. Amen.[p.42] 

Brigham Young, March 28, 1858

Wisdom Manifest in All God's Dealings With the Saints 

A Discourse by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 28, 1858.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.42
One thing is very true concerning the Gospel of salvation—the
revelations of Jesus Christ—the kingdom of God upon the earth: Let any
people enjoy peace and quietness, unmolested, undisturbed,—never be
persecuted for their religion, and they are very likely to neglect
their duty, to become cold and indifferent, and lose their faith. That
is the experience of every person, more or less; and I wish to offer a
few reflections on the propriety of the Lord's leading this people in
the way that he does. We believe, for it is so written in the Bible,
that the Lord wishes a people of his own—a kingdom of his own upon
this earth, which is his.

Vol. 7, p.42
June 27, 1844, a little over fourteen years after the organization of
this Church, Joseph Smith was slain. In his day there were but very
few years of rest for the Saints. They occupied Nauvoo longer than any
other one place: they lived there about seven years. We left Nauvoo in
1846, and from that time until now this Church has not been compelled
to abandon their property and homes. We came here in the best and
quickest way in our power, and have been building, fencing, planting,
sowing, and making ourselves comfortable. It is now more than ten
years since we first located here, unmolested and undisturbed.

Vol. 7, p.42
If we will reflect upon our own experience, and what has passed before
us during that time, and notice the facts now transpiring, we cannot
avoid knowing that much of the conduct of this people has been
directly in opposition to our becoming the kingdom of God in its
purity on the earth. Let the people consider for themselves whether we
have, so far as we could have done, been taking a course to become
that kingdom that we anticipate, or whether we have not been more or
less dependent upon our enemies for many things that we could have
produced, or done without. When persons can understand the ways of the
Lord, and what he designs concerning his people, they will know that
it was absolutely necessary for the Lord to take the course he has
with this people, in order to bring forth that which he designs to
produce in the latter times. Were we to live unmolested,
uninterrupted, without persecution and hatred from our enemies, as I
have told you, and it has been sounded in your years all the day long,
we might expect that we had apostatized from the truth. Persecution
and hatred by those who love not the truth are a legacy bequeathed by
the Saviour to all his followers; for he said they should be hated of
all men for his name's sake. If we had ceased to be persecuted and
hated, we might fear; but the prospect is encouraging.[p.43] 

Vol. 7, p.43
For a few weeks past, so far as I have knowledge from the reports made
to me, the people have never felt so well since they have been in
these Valleys. The prospect of ancient "Mormonism," of again leaving
our homes, probably gives a spring to our feelings, especially since
we, for the first time, have the privilege of laying waste our
improvements, and are not obliged to leave our inheritances to
strangers to enjoy and revel in the fruits of our labours. It is a
consolation to me that I have the privilege of laying in ashes and in
the dust the improvements I have made, rather than those who would cut
my throat, solely for my faith, shall inhabit my buildings and enjoy
my fields and fruits. Heretofore I have often left my home and the
knits of my labours for others to enjoy.

Vol. 7, p.43
Persecution is learning us to adopt a course for self-preservation, as
you will readily understand from a few circumstances I will mention.
Within a few weeks, for the first time to my knowledge since we have
been settled in these valleys, a sister, wife, or family in this
community has taken the pains to pick up a few potatoes, that would
otherwise be wasted, and make them into starch. A woman can, in an
hour or two, make a pound or a pound and a half of starch from
potatoes that would lie and rot. Has this been done heretofore? Not to
my knowledge. And so long as brooms were brought from the States,
people would not raise broom corn. And so long as traders brought in
starch, would our women make it? No; though a woman can, in a short
time, make a dollar and a half or two dollar's worth from potatoes
that would otherwise go to waste. Would this community condescend to
make starch, so long as it was imported and they could buy it? They
would not. I say it, because they did not. And if there were tons of
starch here, they would find market for the whole of it, while the
hard-earned fruits of the husbandman's labour would lie and rot.

Vol. 7, p.43
Who has controlled circumstances to learn us to sustain ourselves?
Have you and I? No, not in the least; but it has been accomplished by
the Providence that leads us. We have been urging the people for years
and years to do these things they are now compelled to. From the time
we came here, you have been told to take bran or potatoes and make
starch, and not buy it in the stores. Who would have been at the
trouble of making cloth, if it could be bought of Gentile traders? Do
you think many in this community would? No, no more than the women
would have made starch. The women had not time, though they had time
to visit from one end of the city to the other. They could take tithe
to run to the stores—to walk a mile or two shopping every day, but
they never had time to make a little starch, or spin a little stocking
yarn for themselves, if those articles could be bought in the stores.

Vol. 7, p.43
I am satisfied that the people now begin to learn that they can make
their own clothing, and that those who do not learn will run the risk
of being uncomfortably clad. But would this people, by their wisdom,
ever have brought themselves to that independence that God will, by
his providence, in a seeming chastisement? I say seeming, for it is no
chastisement: it is a blessing to this people, and one of the greatest
that can be bestowed upon us, to cut the thread between us and our
enemies, and oblige us to sustain ourselves in everything that we can
produce with our labour, skill, and economy. The  Lord can bring this
about, or cause the Devil to do it, just as he pleases.

Vol. 7, p.44
If we would only forsake our religion, [p.44] our enemies would spare
us and hail us as friends; but if we will not yield that point, they
will endeavour to destroy us; But the Lord Almighty rules in the
heavens, and controls our enemies to a certain extent, and overrules
their acts. He has his own purposes to accomplish as much, now as he
ever has had upon the face of the earth—as much as he had in the
crucifixion of the Saviour. Could he have found a righteous man on the
earth who would have betrayed his only Son? He could not. Would a man
with his eyes open to see, and filled with the revelations of the
Lord, have betrayed Jesus into the hands of Pilate? No. God overruled
and selected a hypocrite—an ungodly, base, vile wretch, and placed him
among the Apostles to accomplish that purpose, as much as he raised up
Pharaoh.

Vol. 7, p.44
God never hardened the heart of Pharaoh; he never ordained that
wickedness should possess any man. Judas loved wickedness from his
youth. Pharaoh was raised up to do what he did, because he was wicked
from his youth: wickedness and hatred to every holy principle took
possession of him, and God set him on the throne of Egypt to
accomplish his purposes.

Vol. 7, p.44
So it is with the men who are at the helm of our Government: God has
selected them to rule, because the people are wicked, and will not
hearken to his voice. They have killed his Prophets and many of his
people, and he has placed corrupt, wicked men in office to rule and
bear sway—what for? To show forth his wisdom. The hand of God is in
all this, and he lets loose those wicked creatures, in order to drive
us to do that which his mercies fail to induce us to perform.

Vol. 7, p.44
Let him pour gold and silver into our laps, and cause the earth to
yield that abundance we desire, and would we know how to appreciate
and use such great blessings?

Vol. 7, p.44
If we constantly have plenty, pleasure, ease, and comfort, will the
women make starch? No. Will they braid straw for hats and bonnets? No.
How many bonnets are manufactured in this Territory? Can you see a
woman here to-day wearing a beautiful straw bonnet, the work of her
own, hands? There are a few coarse ones, when you can make them either
fine or coarse.

Vol. 7, p.44
I have prevailed upon a few men to commence hat-making, and they have
done something towards supplying the market; and a few are engaged in
tanning leather: but if we had plenty of gold and silver and stores
full of goods, would the people engage in and encourage home
manufacture? No, as past experience has proved. They would be riding
around in their carriages, and talking about going to California,
where they can get gold and make themselves rich.

Vol. 7, p.44
The Lord cannot save us in riches, because we do not yet know what to
do with them. And when we are blessed and favoured, like the children
of Israel in olden times, we wax fat and kick.

Vol. 7, p.44
It is purely in order to save the greatest possible number of this
people, that circumstances have transpired as they have; and it is a
marvel that the Lord has let us have so long a time of peace.

Vol. 7, p.44
Now the sisters begin to learn that such an article as flax used to be
raised and manufactured in their young days; and I hear a number
saying, "If I had flax, I could work it up." You may now hear men say,
"We used to make oil from flax seed." But if you had plenty of money,
and traders brought oil here, you would never raise a seed.

Vol. 7, p.44
Flax cultivated only for oil will pay as well as any other crop that
is raised, to say nothing of  the lint, which is in great
demand.[p.45] 

Vol. 7, p.45
Have I been able to procured single gallon of home-made flax seed oil?
No. Some of our mechanics, who were used to making oil mills, heard
that I was determined to make one, and proffered their plans and
services. When the new-fangled press was completed, at a cost of about
a thousand dollars, it was reported, for the first time to me, that
some haircloth of a peculiar kind must be procured for making sacks in
which to press the seed; and we sent to New York and many other cities
in the States, without success, for cloth to suit the "wedge press."
They made an expensive press; but, as yet, what is it good for? A
cheap old-fashioned press could have been readily put up, and long ago
we might have been using oil of our own make. I would commend a man
who would begin to make linseed oil here. Had I have followed my own
judgment in the matter, I would have had a press and plenty of oil,
without paying eight dollars a gallon for it.

Vol. 7, p.45
For the first time since we came to this country, sheep are being
regarded and cared for as they should be. I brought sheep into this
valley and have bought many here, and ought at this day to have forty
thousand head, if  I could have had men that would take care of my
flocks. I have a few hundred left, which, no doubt, have cost me I
from twenty-five to fifty dollars each;  but I persevere, and my women
make cloth: you see my children dressed in home-made. And now some
women begin to recollect that flax was raised  in England, Scotland,
Ireland, and the United States; and they have a faint remembrance of
certain articles what their mothers called spinning-wheels; and they
really begin to think that they can spin, and many of the younger ones
would like to learn to spin.

Vol. 7, p.45
Let the calicos lie on the shelves and rot. I would rather build
buildings every day, and burn them down at night, than have traders
here communing with our enemies outside, and keeping up a hell all the
time, and raising devils to keep it going. They brought their hell
with them. We can have enough of our own, without their help.

Vol. 7, p.45
This is the deliverance of our Father in heaven, placing us in the
circumstances we now are in; and it is for the benefit, growth,
welfare, and up-building of the kingdom of God, with us in it. Nothing
else would do it.

Vol. 7, p.45
We can raise cotton, flax, and wool for manufacturing all the cloth we
need. We can make our own leather, hats, &c. And that is not all: the
Lord intends we shall do it. I am thankful. How do you feel? Better, I
presume, than you ever have.

Vol. 7, p.45
There is a great deal of inquiry as to whether we shall be under the
necessity of burning. We are now under the necessity of preparing for
it, and that is enough for the present.

Vol. 7, p.45
I wish union: it is stronger than buildings, and will accomplish much
more for us. And I hope the Lord will suffer us to pass through enough
to cleanse sin and selfishness from us. When I reflect upon it, it is
almost discouraging that many who have been in this Church a score of
years, and have been in drivings, mobbings, death, and affliction, are
filled with covetousness, which is idolatry, and do not know what to
do with blessings when they have them, nor know where they come from.
I am not discouraged, but intend to persevere as long as I possess
life.

Vol. 7, p.45
The Lord is leading this people as he designs for the building up of
his kingdom, and we need not worry ourselves about it. You were told,
last season, when we heard that an army was on its way here, that we
would rather lay waste this Territory than yield our rights to men who
have no [p.46] regard for, neither understand the Constitutional
rights of the people; and the people said amen to that purpose. We
were able, last fall, to keep them from us, and we are well able to
defend this city;—how long, I do not know.

Vol. 7, p.46
If we love our improvements and property better than we love the lives
of our brethren, the Lord will lead us in a way to waste us instead of
our property. Can you understand that it is better to lose property
than the lives of men, women, and children? But if we are so wedded to
our property that we would rather fight for it than sacrifice it, if
required, for our religion, then we are in a condition to be wasted,
and our property would go into the hands of our enemies.

Vol. 7, p.46
We are able to defend the city and keep out our enemies; but if we
prove to our Father in heaven and to one another that we are willing
to hand back to him that which he has given us, (which is not a
sacrifice,) and that we love not the world nor the things of the
world, he will preserve the people until they can become righteous.

Vol. 7, p.46
You never heard me say that we would stick to this city; but we will
defend ourselves against the floods of iniquity which our enemies wish
to overwhelm us with by the introduction of a licentious and corrupted
soldiery.

Vol. 7, p.46
If we vacate the ground, that may satisfy them; but if they undertake
to come in before we are ready, we will send them to their long home.

Vol. 7, p.46
Some may marvel why the Lord says, "Rather than fight your enemies, go
away." It is because many of the people are so grossly wicked, that,
were we to go out to fight, thousands of the Elders would go into
eternity, and women and children would perish.

Vol. 7, p.46
Is every man and woman wicked? No: the majority of this people are
doing the best they can; but the ignorance of the people is
astonishing. Be patient. The Lord is full of mercy and great kindness,
and bears with our weaknesses; and he wishes to bear with us until we
come to understanding—until we know how to be righteous before him. I
do not want men to go into eternity clothed with unrighteousness.

Vol. 7, p.46
We have talked about redeeming Zion, but the people are not yet
righteous enough to receive and build up Zion in its purity, though
they are growing to it.

Vol. 7, p.46
I have a certain knowledge within me that the Elders of Israel will
never be permitted to lay judgment to the line and righteousness to
the plummet, with regard to the wicked and ungodly, until they
understand righteous principles, and live to them. I do not care if we
live until doomsday, and are hunted as long as we live, and go into
the grave, and our sons and daughters come up after us, if they cannot
arrive to the knowledge of the truth, they also will have to live in
sorrow and affliction until they are worn out, and another generation
shall come up after them. God is not willing that unholy hands shall
carry out his judgments in the latter days.

Vol. 7, p.46
When men go out to fight, I want them to go so full of the power of
God that balls cannot hit them, and that the judgments and mercy of
the Almighty may rest in their hearts: then they will know what to do.

Vol. 7, p.46
Let this people go together, and be together, and let the women say
there is such a thing as flax, and such a thing as a wheel with which
to spin it. That makes me think of a young Boston lady on a visit to
the country. She did not wish it known that she was at all
countryfied, but wanted to appear quite delicate, and upon seeing a
flock of geese, "O dear me," said she, "what are  those geese?" Some
[p.47] of our women are inclined to say, "What do you mean by a
spinning wheel? What do you mean by a loom?" Such are female loafers,
who bring up their children in idleness, and buy starch in the stores
instead of making it. But now, thank God, there are no stores in which
to buy; and I hope there will not be any more here, for it is the
conduct of traders who have fattened in our midst that has brought an
army into our Territory. I would rather see every building and fence
laid in ashes than to see a trader come in here with his goods. I want
you to understand that we are in favour of home manufacture in good
earnest. Raise sheep and flax, and make cloth, and raise cotton, as
fast as you can, and we will try to improve.

Vol. 7, p.47
I am willing to leave this place, if I am called upon, and to take
joyfully the spoiling of my goods. It is all right. It is a trouble
for us to take care of the property we have; and if I knew that it was
just as pleasing to the Lord, I would rather reduce it to ashes. We
can move chairs, bureaus, &c. "Shall we take out such articles first?"
Charge your minds with this counsel, Bishops and all Elders of Israel:
The articles of food are first to be moved to safe places. Take care
of the eatables, and see that they are well secured. Take care of our
grain, &c., first; and see that the Indians cannot get our oxen and
cows. Then we will take care of the people; and then, if we have time,
we can move more or less of the valuable furniture, and cache our
doors, lumber, &c. Perhaps we may come back here, and perhaps not. I
would as soon be here as anywhere, and anywhere as here, wherever the
Lord may require me.

Vol. 7, p.47
With regard to doctrinal points, that which we do not understand
should not be talked about in this stand; and the Elders of Israel
should never contend about any point of doctrine that does not pertain
to the present day's salvation. Brother Hyde has been speaking of our
Father and God. The remarks are very good; but what does the point
involved in his remarks concern us? It is neither here nor there; and
there are many ideas that may be advanced without enlightening our
minds. When I go to where Joseph is, he will be the President of this
dispensation. If he is the God that stands there, and I do not see any
other, it will be right; or if Peter is God, all right, for he never
will become a God, unless he is duly exalted to that station. Joseph
will not be God to this people, unless he is crowned a God; and if he
is, he will be like the rest of the Gods, and what will be the
difference? Suppose that Enoch, Abraham, or Moses be our God, or the
Prophet Isaiah, what is the difference? Who cares? There are many
things the brethren talk about that are neither here nor there to us.
They had better be looking after a few potatoes from which to make
starch, or straw for making bonnets.

Vol. 7, p.47
Eight years ago I told you to gather up and save your waggon-covers
and tents, for you would want them; and since then I have seen
thousands of good cloth needlessly exposed to the elements, and
rotting in our streets. Now people need the cloth they walked
underfoot years ago. Who will pity them? Not I. There has been more
cloth wasted, during the ten years past, than would clothe this
community. The calicos, starch, sugar, candle-wicking, &c., are now
gone. Are there many in this congregation who can make, candle-wicking
out of cotton? "Do they make it of cotton? Really I am surprised!" Do
not be so ignorant, but say you can make it. A few years ago, a widow
came here with five children. She was poor, and at first [p.48]
engaged in binding shoes, next in closing them, then in putting on the
soles, and finally in making light shoes; and last fall she had
apprentices, and made thirty pairs of the boots that were furnished to
the Quartermaster's Department. She has a house, a cow, and a
garden—the fruits of her labour and economy, and would outstrip many
of our mechanics in earning a living. She knew what leather was; and
when she saw a flock of geese, she did not ask, "What are those
geese?" but said, "Those are geese, and I wish I had thorn to pick."

Vol. 7, p.48
Remember the counsel you have heard to-day, and prepare for burning.

Vol. 7, p.48
May the Lord bless you! You have my prayers, good feelings, and faith
all the time; and I trust that the kindness and mercies of our Father
in heaven are such that he will bear with us in our weaknesses until
we can learn truth and righteousness, and practise it; which may God
grant. Amen.

Orson Hyde (No Date)

Divine Government—Hostility of the United States 
Government Towards the Saints 

A Discourse delivered by Elder ORSON HYDE.

Vol. 7, p.48
God is the legitimate Ruler of the universe, and no government under
him is strictly legal, except it be duly authorized and commissioned
by him: and as evidence that he has ordained and established a
Government direct on the earth, the voice of an inspired Prophet is
most weighty in its counsels, and first and foremost in guiding its
administration. Indeed, the Prophet of God is the mouthpiece of the
Almighty to portray his will, that it may be done on earth as it is
done in heaven.

Vol. 7, p.48
There never was a legitimate government on the earth standing in the
favour of Heaven without an inspired Prophet of God to direct its
policy; neither will there ever be.

Vol. 7, p.48
There have been and still are many governments on the earth that share
the goodness of God to a certain extent; and he raiseth them up and
putteth them down by his wise providences over them. But if a nation
be not raised up by an inspired Prophet of God, or Patriarch, as in
the days of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, it is bastard, and
not a legitimate son, and, consequently, not heir to the sceptre,
neither can he be canonized as lawgiver in the house of God, though he
may be in the house of Hapsburgh or York. Ishmael was blessed in many
things, yet the covenant of God was with Isaac, who was not born
according to the flesh, but of promise, according to the spirit. He,
therefore, who was born after the flesh (Ishmael,) persecuted him that
was born after the spirit (Isaac). Even so it has been since, and
still is. Governments that have been born or instituted pursuant to
the fleshly desires, vain glory, worldly pride, and ambition of fallen
man persecute, those that are born of the spirit, or  instituted and
established by [p.49] the commandment of God, and sustained by the
promise of Jehovah. This principle was clearly manifest in the case of
Joseph sold into Egypt. God designed him to rule, and indicated the
same by singular dreams and visions to the lad. This excited the
jealousy of his brethren, and they began to persecute him: yet their
persecutions hurried him into the very place that God designed him to
fill. When men attempt to oppose the purposes and designs of God,
their very opposition is overruled to the furtherance thereof, and to
the disappointment and mortification of such characters.

Vol. 7, p.49
Is there now a court or cabinet on earth among the acknowledged
nations at which a Prophet of God would be admitted and accredited as
minister from the court of heaven? I know of none: yet if these courts
and cabinets were truly legitimate, and standing in the light and
favour of God, not one would reject such a minister. "I know my sheep,
and am known of mine." "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth
me."

Vol. 7, p.49
In view of this estranged, alienated, and illegitimate condition of
the nations of the earth, God foretold by Daniel the Prophet that he
would set up his kingdom at a certain time, which should break in
pieces all others, and stand for ever. This will be the time to try
men's souls. To step forth to maintain the only legitimate sovereignty
on earth and in heaven, in the face of a jealous and persecuting
family of nations. rich and strong, requires bold hearts and valiant
spirits. The sword, the rifle, the cannon, the hemp rope, and prison
are arrayed before such as the reward of their patriotic devotions to
the "Prince of Life." When God does set up his kingdom, some men must
of necessity be placed in this critical position,—not because of a
hostile spirit towards the kingdoms of this world, but because of
strict loyalty, supreme love, and devotion to God and to his
government. This will try the grit of men, and show who is willing to
lay down his life for Christ's sake, and who is not. To be tried and
executed for treason cannot be a pleasant ordeal to be subjected to;
yet it must needs be that offences come, and that some men suffer the
penalty of treason against the powers of this world for Christ's sake,
that a precedent may be established to judge the nations by, who will
all prove themselves guilty of high treason against God and his
government. When the Saints judge the world, (as Paul declares they
will,) they will have a precedent to go by; and the illegitimate
nations of the earth will learn that out of their own mouth they will
be judged; and with the very same judgment with which they judge they
shall be judged, by those who had the power to bind and loose on
earth, to remit sins and to retain them.

Vol. 7, p.49
May not the Latter-day Saints cherish the desire to live in such
interesting days? They may. They do live in these very days when God
is establishing his kingdom as spoken of by Daniel the Prophet. We
have a great and responsible work laid upon us; yet, God being our
helper, we will accomplish it.

Vol. 7, p.49
The king of Egypt sought to destroy, by an infernal order, many of the
Hebrew children, fearing that by their great and astonishing increase
they would endanger the Egyptians. But his fears and hellish
precaution did not save him or his army. His oppression of Israel and
his evil treatment towards him had provoked the Almighty to destroy
Pharaoh and his adherents; and, consequently, he hardened his heart,
and led him on to the snare in which he was taken. Had that haughty
prince remained at home with his army, he would hays [p.50] lost
Israel only; but, with hard heart and stubborn will, he pursued him
with a mighty host, (even such as is now recommended to pursue the
"Mormons,") to chastise and persecute him; and behold and lo! that
proud monarch, with all his soldiers, perished in presence of all
Israel.

Vol. 7, p.50
Here is a glass that reflects the position and fate of the United
States, if they persist in following the Saints with their forces. If
the serpent will cast out a flood of waters after the woman who has
fled into the wilderness from before his face, the earth may kindly
open her mouth in the form of an earthquake, and drink up the flood or
army. "This would be a mode of warfare upon which their tactics
furnish them no information."

Vol. 7, p.50
Then the remnant of her seed, not yet gathered, may beware of the
dragon.

Vol. 7, p.50
Herod slew the male children of Bethlehem under a certain age, with
the hope of catching the illustrious child whose birthplace was shown
to the wise by a peculiar star. This wicked and murderous plan did not
succeed. An angel flew to Joseph in a dream by night and defeated the
whole plan.

Vol. 7, p.50
God Will defend his cause and protect the righteous! The work of God
brings a fear and a terror upon the ungodly. It smites them with
confusion and consternation, as did the handwriting upon the wall the
Babylonish monarch. There is a spirit attending what is called
"Mormonism" that carries conviction of its truth to many in high
places as well as low. Conviction generally begets faith, and causes
repentance in low places,—in high ones, often rage and desperation.
"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." By this spirit
people are moved upon, confused, maddened, and infuriated, even like
the waters, when the breath of heaven sweeps over their surface.

Vol. 7, p.50
The press is frantic with fear. It magnifies the molehill into a
mountain, and the still, small voice of truth into the terrific roar
of all the artillery of the allied powers before the walls of
Sebastopol. Inasmuch as the press has, in most cases, made lies its
refuge, and by that means raised a storm of fury against us, by giving
publicity to the most foolish, extravagant, and wicked things that men
could invent, and as the Government, in its haste and rashness, has
been greatly influenced by these publications to send a military force
upon us, may the God of armies magnify us in reality and truth more
than the press knows, or can even think.

Vol. 7, p.50
The clergy show their lack of faith to guard the destinies of man, and
to guide his actions in a manner to bring about the purposes of the
Creator. Their dogmas, creeds, and isms, together with their salaries
and selfishness, must be sustained, if Heaven's truth has to be nailed
to the cross. "O fools and slow of heart to believe!" Have you not
long opposed one another? And yet, have you not prayed for the
watchmen to see eye to eye? The principles having now been revealed
upon Which the true and faithful watchmen of Zion may and will see eye
to eye, reveal also another thing with equal certainty,—that is, who
the wolves are in sheep's clothing. Though clad like sheep, they howl
against the kingdom of God, its institutions, and laws, like wolves,
and with equally as much sense and intelligence;—not even omitting the
implied sound of blood!

Vol. 7, p.50
The press, the clergy, and the tiger-footed politicians have doubled
teams upon the Executive to draw him into a snare, that he may be
punished, as was Ahab by the lying prophets. An army is raised in the
very flood-tide of excitement, and hurried away into the field to
operate  against the "Mormons." Rash and inconsiderate movement!
[p.51] The avowed object is to vindicate the nation's authority and
honour: but, alas! it will turn more to its shame and mortification
than any step it ever took.

Vol. 7, p.51
The kingdom that Daniel prophesied of is represented under the figure
of a stone cut out of the mountains without hands, rolling forth,
before which the mighty image fell. They find a rolling kingdom here.
Our Saviour speaks of the very same stone in this
language:—"Whomsoever falleth upon this stone shall be broken." The
United States have sent their army to fall upon this stone in the
mountains; and for this hasty and ill-advised act, and because of the
blood of the Prophets that cries from the ground in the ears of
Jehovah that has never been avenged, they will be broken.

Vol. 7, p.51
One thing is certain—The Latter-day Saints will never forget their
persecutors who repent not. Though they bear up under their losses and
misfortunes with a degree of fortitude and cheerfulness, yet the fire
of indignation burning in their breasts towards their enemies who have
robbed, despoiled, and driven them will never be quenched until they
are punished, and justice satisfied, even if it should require time
and all eternity to accomplish it.

Vol. 7, p.51
We have asked the Government repeatedly and most respectfully to
redress our wrongs; but they told us it was not their place to do it.
"Your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you," was the sentiment
of the Executive of the nation. If the General Government could not
lawfully interfere to punish our persecutors and murderers, they could
at least have made us an appropriation to relieve our immediate wants,
when they saw that we were houseless homeless, distressed, and
wandering. They were asked to do it. But they never gave us a dime to
enable us to say of them, When I was hungry, you gave me meat; naked,
and you clothed me, &c. But we were, told by our leaders to be of good
cheer—that it was wisdom in God that the nation should be applied to
by us to redress our grievances; and if it had undertaken, with
sincere intention and vigorous hand, to wash from its skirts the blood
of our Prophets, as it should have done, Divine Justice would have
been appeased with far less, under such circumstances, than it now
will. We have reason to thank our God that our sufferings have been
but slightly mitigated by the sympathies of this world: hence, the
more abundant sympathies of Heaven in its time.

Vol. 7, p.51
After patiently waiting many years, we have unanimously adopted this
opinion—that God now requires us to redress our own wrongs; or, in
other words, to take a stand that will enable him to do it for us; and
his late promises to us are to this effect.

Vol. 7, p.51
It sometimes falls out, when justice is denied to the weak by the
strong, whose duty it is to administer it, that an overruling
Providence confers power on the weak and oppressed to take their own
part, and even to punish the great and the strong for not doing their
duty. This is an honour sometimes conferred upon the down-trodden, to
console and comfort them, and to bring dishonour, shame, and
humiliation upon the great, who were clothed with power, but declined
using it in an unpopular, though just cause. All is going on right.
"It must needs be that offences come."

Vol. 7, p.51
United States Judges have often required posses and guards in this
Territory for various service at great expense; and, after assuring
that the Federal Government would pay the expenses, they have, in some
cases, reported adversely to those claims being allowed when their own
requisition caused them; and the Government has declined paying them,
[p.52] repudiated the acts of its own officers, and saddled upon Utah
the entire responsibility. This also displeased the "Mormons;" and we
say that we will have no more such servants or two-faced scamps among
us; and if the Government itself repudiate the acts of its own
officers, it is sufficient reason that we also should do the same,
even if there were no other reason for doing it. Why, then, send an
armed force upon us to compel us to honour officers whose official
acts you repudiate?

Vol. 7, p.52
If God does not help us, we may be killed and destroyed; but we can
never feel right towards the United States till they hang the
murderers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, punish the miserable incendiaries
that burned our houses, grain, and fence,—that drove us from county to
county, and from State to State, and, last of all, drove us into this
wilderness to perish (what they did not kill or cause to perish in our
persecutions); and, fearing now, if we are let alone, that we shall
grow into strength sufficient to chastise our enemies ourselves, a
military force is sent against us to crush us out; and fear, inspired
by guilt is  the very cause of this demonstration now being made
against us.

Vol. 7, p.52
The "Mormons" will carry the remembrance of their wrongs to the grave;
and in the resurrection, at the bar of God, they will say—"When I was
weak and defenceless, you persecuted me; when I was in prison, you
mocked and derided me—you threatened my life, and took it; when I was
sick, you carried me out of my house, and burned it—also my grain, and
killed my husband; when I had no house, home, or friends that could
assist me, with a feeble infant in my arms, you forced me across the
Mississippi river at the point of the bayonet,—where I had perished,
had not God, in mercy and compassion, sent thousands of quails into
our camp, and I and my children caught scores of them with our hands,
which we ate, and thanked the giver. When I enlisted in your army to
fight your battles, you killed my aged father and my brother that were
left behind at Nauvoo. When we purchased lands of you and paid you our
money, you covenanted that you would warrant and defend them to us.
You broke your covenant, by allowing us to be forcibly and illegally
removed, and our possessions occupied by others, without our consent,
and without compensation."

Vol. 7, p.52
This is the way we shall talk; and who, under such circumstances,
could talk otherwise? Our enemies can go on just as far as the Lord
will allow them, and make their damnation doubly sure. Time is the
only witness in this case that the nation will listen to; and when
they fully get this evidence, it will be too late for them to profit
by it. The antediluvians would not listen to the testimony of Noah.
Time alone could convince them of the truth of what that venerable
father taught them. The convincing argument, however, at length came
on the wings of time; but, alas! it was too late! The Lord had closed
the doer of the ark, and disappointed outsiders lived only to see the
vengeance of an angry God hurled at them in the watery element. "This
was a mode of warfare upon which their tactics furnished them no
information."

Vol. 7, p.52
The Government, no doubt, think they can soon use up the "Mormons" so
effectually that they will not be troubled with us any more. This
might be, if they had none but the "Mormons" to fight. They will,
however, find this saying verily true—"They that are for us are more
than all those that are against us." "Behold, how great a fire a
little matter kindleth." But the Government will always be troubled
with the "Mormons" in this world and the world to  [p.53] come; but
the "Mormons" will not always be troubled with the Government. The
more they meddle with "Mormon" affairs, the more difficult and awkward
they will find them. They will be a stone of stumbling and ROCK of
offence, even a stone cut out of the Rocky Mountains without hands,
awkward and unseemly. The God of Jacob preserve the righteous, "if it
must needs be that the wicked be destroyed by fire from heaven," in
the name of Jesus Christ!

Vol. 7, p.53
Our enemies need neither fear nor hope that our trust is in the
Indians. Yet they do fear that the Indians will rally to our aid; and
yet they hope that we have no more reliable source for help than they.
Their fears may come upon them, but their hopes will utterly perish.

Vol. 7, p.53
What the world calls "Mormonism" will rule every nation. Joseph Smith
and Brigham Young will be the head. God has decreed it, and his own
right arm will accomplish it. This will make the heathen rage, and the
people imagine a vain thing. Yet upon the words of these men the
eternal destiny of the generation in which they lived hangs.
Whosesoever sins they remit will be remitted, and whosesoever sins
they retain will be retained.

Vol. 7, p.53
O ye Saints of Latter-days, be humble, be faithful, be watchful, and
very prayerful! Murmur not against Brigham, nor against God. Trouble
not yourselves about what you shall eat, drink, or wear; but be
patient in afflictions, and remember that the great Captain of our
salvation was made perfect through sufferings, and we are called to
walk in his steps. Do as your leaders direct you. Be prudent and
careful with what you have. Remember that we are called to be
saviours. Therefore, save everything that you can save that will save
you. Boast not, only in God, that you are worthy to suffer shame and
condemnation for his sake; and two things you shall behold:—One, the
fulfilment of the prophetic words of Colonel Johnston—"The American
army never goes back!" Two, a germ shall spring out of "Mormonism,"
whose branches shall leap over the wall, and whose foliage shall
exhale welcome odour in every nation!

Vol. 7, p.53
Be not, therefore, too anxious or forward, to persecute and destroy
the men in whose hands Heaven has placed your destiny, lest, when the
day of their power cometh, they may remember all your acts, and reward
you according to your deeds. These men are bound to overcome; and he
that overcometh shall have power over the nations, and shall rule them
with a rod of iron. "Be wise, therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye
judges of the earth. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed. are all
they that put their trust in him."

Vol. 7, p.53
This is my testimony, and the testimony of the living God through his
Apostle to all connected  in the name of Jesus Christ; and the Spirit
beareth record. Amen.[p.54] 

Brigham Young, June 27, 1858

Peculiarity of "Mormons"—Obedience to the 
Dictates of the Spirit—Knowledge of the Truth, Etc.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Bowery, Provo, June 27, 1858.

Vol. 7, p.54
Previous to the arrival of our brethren, the lately returned
missionaries, I had requested brother Harvey Whitlock to address the
congregation to-day, for my own satisfaction; and I will give you the
reason. In 1834 I went to Missouri. After the brethren had been driven
from Jackson County, I saw brother Harvey Whitlock, and heard him
converse only a very few minutes; and from that time I have not had
the privilege of hearing him preach until to-day, although I have
greatly desired it, from the short conversation we had twenty-four
years ago.

Vol. 7, p.54
I shall give way for the missionaries when I have said enough to
satisfy my own mind.

Vol. 7, p.54
I am very well satisfied with brother Whitlock's discourse; but I wish
to make a little addition.

Vol. 7, p.54
The people called "Mormons" by the world have a peculiarity about them
that is understood by very few. In a great degree it is not
comprehended even by the Church, and yet they acknowledge it. The
nature of that peculiarity is simply this: The the Gospel of
salvation—the Priesthood of the Son of God—is so ordered and
organized, in the very nature of it, being a portion of that law of
heaven by which worlds are organized, that it is calculated to
enlighten the children of men and give them power to save themselves.
It is of the same nature as the further principles of eternal
existence by which the worlds are and were, and by which they will
endure; and these principles are pure in their nature, from the fact
that they are of God, who is pure: but, without the revelation of the
SPIRIT OF GOD, NO MAN can understand them. That is the peculiarity
there is about this mysterious work, and the whole world are
astonished at the unity of this people.

Vol. 7, p.54
"How is it that this great people can be controlled by one man?" is
the question. To a certain extent they can be controlled and form a
unit, though not as much so as they will when they rightly learn and
practise the true principles of union. You may theorize and prove by
philosophy—in fact, convince the world, theoretically, of the
blessings of unity; and yet there is no union among them. What is the
reason? Because they will not be governed by the Spirit of God. We may
correctly say that there is no difficulty in convincing people of the
truth of the work in which we are engaged. We send our Elders into the
world, in the midst of all the religion and philosophy of the day, and
"Mormonism" takes them up and weighs them "in the balances," as the
Prophet says of the Lord's measuring the seas in the hollow of his
hand, and taking up the mountains as a very little thing. A person who
understands the truth of the principles and doctrines we preach and
believe in can handle the religions and philosophy of the day as a
small matter; consequently, it is not difficult to convince the world.
There is but very little difficulty in convincing every person who
will hearken [p.55] to reason. You can convince them; but what is the
difficulty brother Whitlock was speaking of? The majority of the human
family do not love the truth, and many forsake it  after they have
embraced it.

Vol. 7, p.55
To me it is evident that many who understand the truth do not govern
themselves by it; consequently, no matter how true and beautiful truth
is, you have to take the passions of the people and mould them to the
law of God, and nothing less will accomplish that union and salvation
which we are striving for. There is no other principle, spirit, or
power that will cause people to adhere to the truth. Take this whole
people: they know that "Mormonism" is true as well as they know that
the sun now shines; their judgments, their feelings, and their hearts
convince them that it is true. There is no saving faith merely upon
the principle of believing or acknowledging a fact. Take a course to
let the Spirit of God leave your hearts, and every soul of you would
apostatize.

Vol. 7, p.55
Do you think that people will obey the truth because it is true,
unless they love it? No, they will not. Truth is obeyed when it is
loved. Strict obedience to the truth will alone enable people to dwell
in the presence of the Almighty. Do people know this?

Vol. 7, p.55
We see men and women leaving this people—this community. Are their
judgments convinced that "Mormonism" is not true? No; for they know
that it is true. What did Oliver Cowdery (one of three witnesses to
the Book of Mormon) say, after he had been away from the Church years
and years? He saw and conversed with the angel, who showed him the
plates, and he handled them. He left the Church because he lost the
love of the truth; and after he had travelled alone for years, a
gentleman walked into his law office and said to him, "Mr. Cowdery,
what do you think of the Book of Mormon now? Do you believe that it is
true?" He replied, "No, sir, I do not. "Well," said the gentleman, "I
thought as much; for I concluded that you had seen the folly of your
ways and had resolved to renounce what you once declared to be true."
"Sir, you mistake me: I do not believe that the Book of Mormon is
true; I am past belief on that point, for I KNOW that it is true, as
well as I know that you now sit before me." "Do you still testify that
you saw an angel?" "Yes, as much as I see you now; and I know the Book
of Mormon to be true." Yet he forsook it. Every honest person who has
fairly heard it knows that "Mormonism" is true, if they have had the
testimony of it: but to practise it in our lives is another thing.

Vol. 7, p.55
When the people cleave to the Lord Almighty, receive of his Spirit,
and purify themselves continually, and walk in the light of the Lord,
they will never forsake their religion; they will be "Mormons" by day
and by night, and for ever: in other words, they will be Latter-day
Saints. Every one of you know that these things are true. When men
come into this Church merely through having their judgments convinced,
they still must have the Spirit of God bearing witness to their
spirits, or they will leave the Church, as sure as they are living
beings. The Saints must become one, as Jesus said his disciples should
be one. They must have the Spirit testifying to them of the truth, or
the light that is in them will become darkness, and they will forsake
this kingdom and their religion. I wished to bear this testimony and
make this addition to what has been said by brother Whitlock.

Vol. 7, p.55
Many of this congregation have left their homes, and, no doubt, are
anxious to learn the current news. [p.56] It is needless for me to
rehearse the past. That we have all experienced. It is best to speak
of that which is before us, for our present acts prepare us to meet
the future. And, for their encouragement, I will ask the Latter-day
Saints, When and where has the Lord our God deceived us? You would all
answer, Never, and in no place. I would ask another question, with all
due deference to the God we serve, When have our leaders—those whom
God has placed to guide the affairs of his Church and kingdom upon the
earth—deceived us? Let any person, if he can, rise up and point out
the time and place when and where this people have been deceived by
their leaders. We have not been deceived by them; for which, God be
thanked. He is on Israel's side. His arm is almighty to save, and we
have a refuge that the world have not. Whether in peace or war, in
poverty or wealth, the Saints have a refuge that the ungodly have not.
We have the wisdom that the Almighty has incorporated in our
organization.

Vol. 7, p.56
When people are dictated by the power of the Holy Ghost, there is but
little danger of that people or that community being led wrong: the
danger consists in your own neglect of your duty.

Vol. 7, p.56
With some the question arises, Are we in danger from our enemies? No;
there is no danger, only in our neglecting the duties of a Saint. Are
we in danger now? No. Have we been? No. Shall we be? No, we shall not.

Vol. 7, p.56
It has been written that many should be slain for the testimony of
Jesus; and, in my humble opinion, there have already been enough slain
to fulfil that prophecy. If I can live until I am one hundred and
thirty-five years old, I shall be perfectly satisfied to die a natural
death, and to believe the revelation fulfilled, without being slain by
my enemies. I strive to live to do good on this earth; and I have all
the time asked my Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus, to let me
depart, when I cease to do good; for I do not want to live any longer
than while I continue to do good. I want to live to oppose wicked men
and devils, until the last one of them are righteously disposed of,
though at times it is pretty hard work to get faith enough to desire
to live to stem such floods of ignorance and sin.

Vol. 7, p.56
We are not in opposition to anything in earth or hell, except the
principle of death. God has introduced life, and it is the principle
of life that we are after. The power of the enemy is all the time
trying to destroy this life, and I am opposed to that power. I am at
war with it, and expect to be. I do not expect to cease my exertions
in a million of years hence, no more than I do to-day; but the world
is seeking that which will cause them to perish.

Vol. 7, p.56
We are striving for eternal life, and are opposed to those who love
and have the power of death. We have the influence and the power of
life, and that necessarily brings us in opposition to those who prefer
the principles of death.

Vol. 7, p.56
I do not wish to say anything in regard to the life and conduct of
this people: those things are before the world. And, as we have often
published, we challenge them to prove that we are not loyal subjects
of this Government and the kingdom of heaven. We have everything that
produces peace and comfort, and ill advance all men in life and
happiness, so far as they will permit us.

Vol. 7, p.56
Let this suffice, and I will give you the news. What is the present
situation of affairs? For us the clouds seem to be breaking. Probably
many of you have already learned that General Johnston passed through
Great Salt Lake City with his command under the strictest
discipline.[p.57] Not a house, fence, or side-walk has been infringed
upon by any of his command. Of course, the camp-followers are not
under his control; but so far as his command is concerned while
passing through the city, he has carried out his promises to the
letter.

Vol. 7, p.57
We told Commissioners Powell and McCulloch, in Conference and in
answer to questions, that we most assuredly believed all they said and
all that President Buchanan dictated them to say, so far as their
interest was concerned. We said that we believed that President
Buchanan would fulfil his words, when his own interests prompted him
so to do. We did not say whether he would, or not, in opposition to
his interest.

Vol. 7, p.57
We have reason to believe that Colonel Kane, on his arrival at the
frontiers, telegraphed to Washington, and that orders were immediately
sent to stop the march of the army for ten days. That savours of an
anxiety for peace. I expect to see, if the late advices of the
Government are carried out, that portion of the United States' army
now here have the privilege of going when the interest of the country
demand them, and the portion that was to start for this place ordered
in other directions. And when we hear certainly that there are no more
troops coming here, we will believe that the Government means peace,
just as their Commissioners have told us.

Vol. 7, p.57
I can say, so far as the moves have been made since the President sent
his messengers of peace, that everything bids fair for the fulfilment
of so desirable a result, and that the President is doing all he can
to correct past bad management.

Vol. 7, p.57
We have no shirt-collar dignity to sustain, for we have no character,
only such as our friends and enemies give us. It is only a shadow, and
we are willing that they should have the shadow, and make the name of
our President honourable, if we can. They are welcome to traduce our
character, if they choose; but they must not undertake to walk us
under foot, contrary to every principle of the Constitution, right,
and law. The character of those who are such sticklers for it will
perish, for they are taking the downward road to destruction. They
will be decomposed, both soul and body, and return to their native
element. I do not say that they will be annihilated; but they will be
disorganized, and will be as though they never had been, while we will
live and retain our identity, and contend against those principles
which tend to death or dissolution. I am after life; I want to
preserve my identity, so that you can see Brigham in the eternal
worlds just as you see him now. I want to see that eternal principle
of life dwelling within us which will exalt us eternally in the
presence of our Father and God. If you wish to retain your present
identity in the morn of the resurrection, you must so live that the
principle of life will be within you as a well of water springing up
unto eternal life.

Vol. 7, p.57
I frequently think, when our enemies try to destroy us, and are afraid
that "Mormonism" is going to overrun the country, what a pity it is
that that they cannot see that "Mormonism" is the very principle that
preserves them. They cannot understand that. If they could see things
as they are, they would change their present course and be the
disciples of the Saviour. They would say, "We will be one with you,
for we wish to dwell in all eternity and enjoy our rights and
happiness without molestation." All beings in the world might have
that privilege, for it is offered to all without money and without
price. We can prove by our Elders that we have offered them salvation.
They can accept and follow good or evil,[p.58] just as they please,
and we desire the same privilege.

Vol. 7, p.58
So soon as General Johnston finds a place to locate his command—when
we get news what he is going to do with his troops—we will go home.
Women, do not induce your husbands to go home just yet, but wait until
the proper time. It will not be long first. How would it have been if
this community had been at their homes at the present time? It is just
as much as can be done; day by day, to bear the reflection that
gamblers and corrupt men of every kind are coming into these valleys.
Do you not know that you are much better here than you would be if you
were nearer to them? The Government has been prejudiced against the
Saints because we would not submit to such corruption; and for that
alone we have been east out and driven to these mountains. I am happy
in being able to say that gamblers and robbers have never dared to
establish themselves here. We can dwell in safety and in peace in
these mountains, if the people, who should be our friends and who
nourish and cherish such characters, would let us alone. We will never
permit any such practices in these mountains, God being our helper.

Vol. 7, p.58
There has been much prejudice raised against us on account of Indian
depredations, notwithstanding the great trouble and expense to which
we have been subjected in preventing them, and without which no person
could have travelled across these mountains and plains. What is the
reason the Indians have acted so badly? Because of the practice, with
many emigrants, of killing the Indians wherever they could find them.
I can say to the nations of the earth that they may take these Indians
with all their ignorance, and their not being brought up to labour and
their being taught from their infancy to steal, and there are as noble
spirits among them as there are upon the earth. In this there is one
man in the Senate of the United States who, I think, agrees with me,
if there is nobody else; and that one is General Samuel Houston. He
has had experience, and has good sense. You will find as fine natural
talent among these Indians as among any people; and often, when one of
them, who has as kind a heart and good appearance as need be, walks up
to an emigrant camp with kindly feelings, he is shot down; and because
they are ignorant, they commit the error, in wreaking vengeance, of
confounding the innocent with the guilty.

Vol. 7, p.58
Brethren, tarry where you are for a short time, and make yourselves
comfortable. If any of the sisters say they have not a house to live
in, they can go a short distance from their waggon, and get bushes,
and make a comfortable shade. What!—sisters go and get bushes? Yes.
The women can get bushes and make shades, and look as well, in my
estimation, in doing that, as in going round to gossip with their
neighbours. We came to these mountains about ten years ago; and have
you not as good. kitchens, parlours, and bedrooms as there were then?
I can offer to you what I offered to Judge Snow, when he came into G.
S. L. City. He came to me and said—"Governor, I would like to rent a
house to comfortably shelter my family." I replied—"I will offer you
the same kitchen and parlour that I came into when I first came here.
I had a large room, canopied by the sky and walled by these mountains;
and if you can find any place that the people do not occupy, you are
welcome to it; but as for my hunting a house for you, I have not time
to do it. You can take the same liberty I did, and have the same
privilege I had when we first came here.

Vol. 7, p.59
Brethren and sisters, God bless you all! Amen.[p.59] 

George A. Smith, October 6, 1854

Perpetual Emigrating Fund, Etc.

An Address by Elder GEORGE. A. SMITH, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1854.

Vol. 7, p.59
I can say, in connection with brethren who have addressed you in the
former part of the day, that it is with the greatest pleasure I arise
at the present Conference to cast in my mite, and offer a few
reflections upon the things of the kingdom as they are rolling before
us.

Vol. 7, p.59
Our beloved President, at the close of the forenoon service, gave us a
text he wished to have considered.

Vol. 7, p.59
It has been my lot to be somewhat conversant with the Saints who dwell
in the Valleys of the Mountains, or especially those who reside south
of this city. My acquaintance with them has been very great for the
last five years. There is no doubt but that a feeling of carelessness
and indifference has been manifested by many in these valleys in
relation to bequeathing their debts to the Perpetual Emigrating Fund
for the assistance they have received. It is not only an indifference
which has been felt towards the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, but also to
individuals who have expended their means to help their friends,
neighbours, or brethren to this valley. They have frequently been
treated with indifference and neglect, and I may say almost with
cruelty, by some persons who have thus been helped. They are
unwilling, until they can be very comfortable themselves, to assist
those who have helped them. I have had my feelings hurt by instances
of this kind which have been laid before me.

Vol. 7, p.59
Now, then, if I understand the text, it amounts to about this—namely,
our Saviour's golden rule—" Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would
that men should do to you, do you even so to them; for this is the law
and the prophets." Or, to use this expression of the Saviour's, in
connection with that of our President, which would be, "Whatsoever ye
would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, under like
circumstances; for this is the law of the Prophets."

Vol. 7, p.59
There is no object on the face of the earth more to be desired, than
to bring the poor and honest Saints from the condition in which they
are placed in the Old World, and set them down here in the midst of
these mountains, where, by their own industry, economy, and prudence,
they can provide for their wants and for the wants of their children.
The difficulties which surround the Saints in the Old World are
increasing. The great wars are involving the principal nations of the
earth at this time in very serious expenses, which are taking from the
labouring masses millions and millions of dollars to supply the
fighting hosts with weapons of death, and engines for the destruction
of their enemies and the prosecution of their ambitious designs. While
the Allied Powers are thus engaged, they are consuming the very source
upon which the millions of the poor and needy are depending for their
bread—for their existence.

Vol. 7, p.60
If, during the time of peace that [p.60] has prevailed in Europe for
the last ten years, it was necessary to help the poor and the needy
away, it becomes tenfold more so under the present circumstances, when
the nations are involving themselves in very expensive and disastrous
wars.

Vol. 7, p.60
It may be supposed that I am a little partial to some particular
parries that are connected in this war. I am referring more
particularly to the Allied Powers; but really I feel very little
interest in the matter, any further than wherever Britain carries her
sway the Gospel can fellow in her liberal wake. To be sure, when a
boy, my playmates used to say, "Two upon one is one too many;" and
consequently, if there is any sympathy, it would be in favour of
Russia, as they are the weaker party, and are likely to have the worst
of it. Then, as far as the contest is concerned, there may be a very
great feeling of indifference in the minds of many whether Turkey is
actually devoured by the Russian bear, or carved up by the lion of the
west of Europe. The event is precisely the same, let it turn which way
it may, as far as it affects us in our emigration movements: it serves
to stop the channel of trade, and consequently affects the interests
of the labouring classes of Great Britain, and a great proportion of
the members of our Church are of this class.

Vol. 7, p.60
I would say to those who are in arrears to the Perpetual Emigrating
Fund, who know themselves to be such—If you have got houses, lands,
cows, sheep, farms, or property of any description, come forward like
honest men and settle up to the uttermost farthing, and begin again to
amass property; and if you have been owing to this institution for one
year; or from the first of its operations, give a liberal interest for
the capital you have held, and which could not be used or increased by
the operations of the Fund. That would be my advice upon this subject;
and then, if you are able to subscribe enough in addition to bring one
or two families, do that also. My advice to those who have just
arrived is that they fall not in the rear, as it has been this day
complained of; but let them make it their first business to square off
with the Fund that brought them here—to furnish this means as soon as
it is in their power, to bring somebody else out from distant
countries; and then you can take a fresh start in this mountain world.
Even if you are a little behind when you have done this, scramble
until you catch up again; for the facilities are a thousand to one in
these valleys to what they were seven years ago.

Vol. 7, p.60
When the Pioneers came here, it looked a hard chance. There was not a
single house to rent; and as to their being any prospect of having
any, it looked very slim. But there have been slight changes since,
and a very great change in relation to breadstuff. We have bread m
abundance now; but then the only prospect of supply we had was
millions of black crickets. The change has been effected, and persons
who land here with nothing but their hands, their bone and sinew, if
they are indebted to the Fund or to persons for bringing them, they
can soon pay these debts; and not only that, but they can soon
establish themselves comfortably, and be prepared to help others.

Vol. 7, p.60
I have noticed, in the course of my travels, an occasional individual,
which, I presume, had lost by some of those who have not been willing
to pay up. Be that as it may, I have come across individuals who would
lurk among the Saints. "Why," say they, "what can be the matter?
Something is dreadfully wrong: this is not ancient 'Mormonism'—this is
not the old religion we used to have years ago in the days of Joseph:
something is entirely wrong. I do not see things as I used to; I do
[p.61] not understand them." And they finally begin to complain, and
find fault, and murmur; and so it goes on from one time to another,
until they wonder if they could not get a better location in
California. I have heard men murmur when they were surrounded with
plenty, with peace, and the blessings of heaven. What is the cause of
this? The cause is in themselves. Do you who have crossed the Plains
this season expect to find the inhabitants of these valleys perfect? I
think, from all accounts, you were ill prepared to associate with
them, if you had found them perfect: there would have been room, at
least, for a doubt whether you could have been admitted at all. The
great fault lies in individuals not doing right themselves, but
undertaking to make others do right, or to find fault with others for
not doing right.

Vol. 7, p.61
It is some time since I read the New Testament; but I believe, if I
recollect rightly, there is a passage, somewhere in the Gospel
according to St. Mark, which says, "So is the kingdom of God, as if a
man should cast seed in the ground, and should sleep and rise night
and day, and the seed should spring and grow up he knoweth not how.
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then
the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is
brought forth immediately, he putteth in the sickle, because the
harvest is come." Well, I met a man that in the days of Joseph Smith
used to be a very great man, in his own eyes at least,—very spirited
in the Church—tremendously so: and he tells me that things are going
wrong. "Why," says he, "things are not now as they used to be." We
will admit it: things are entirely different to what they were twenty
years ago. Did any of you ever raise Indian corn in your lives? If so,
you remember, when it is six inches high, it is very beautiful to the
eye; it looks green and lovely; and it will grow very rapidly, if you
will only keep the weeds out of it: it will grow so rapidly that you
can almost see it growing from day to day, and it is a pleasure to
cultivate it. Suppose a man should go into a corn-field when the corn
is six, eight, or ten inches high, who had not been raised in a
country where it was cultivated, but in some corner of the earth where
it did not grow, and he had never seen such a plant before, and let
him employ himself a few days in hoeing it and admiring its
beauty,—suppose by some means he becomes perfectly blind for two or
three months, and then goes into the field after he has received his
sight, he now beholds corn seven, eight, and ten feet high; with large
ears upon it,—he would exclaim, "What is this? Who has destroyed the
beautiful plants that were here two months ago? What has become of
them?" He is told it is the same corn. "Oh, it cannot be, for the corn
is little stuff, and only grows eight or ten inches high, and very
unlike this awkward stuff."

Vol. 7, p.61
This compares well with some of our "Mormons," who are a little
afflicted with the grunts: they do not know that the work of the Lord
has been spreading rapidly, and growing stronger, and become more
formidable than it was twenty years ago. There has been considerable
advance since we used to gather around Joseph and Hyrum, in Kirtland,
to keep the mob from killing them.

Vol. 7, p.61
I remember on a certain occasion the brethren were called together to
prepare to defend Joseph against the mob, who were coming to destroy
him, if possible. Brother Cahoon was appointed captain of one of the
largest companies, and it had ten men in it: it was the biggest
company we could raise but one, and that contained fourteen men.
Brother Cahoon gave us some advice: he advised us, if the mob [p.62]
came, and we were obliged to fire, to shoot at their legs. But, should
they advance upon us now, we would shoot higher than that: so, if
anybody will look at it candidly, they will see that we have grown and
improved considerably in our ideas. To shoot at the legs of a mob is
now altogether behind the times in "Mormonism." After brother Cahoon
had advised us, brother Brigham rose and said that if the mob tackled
him, he would shoot at their hearts; and some of the company nearly
apostatized. We must remember that we are in the advance; for the Lord
has said, in these days, he has commenced to do a great work, and
called upon his servants to lay the foundation of it. The foundation
being laid, then the work has to be done. In order to be participators
in this, we must be honest with ourselves, with our brethren, and with
the poor among the Lord's people. If we are, the blessings of God will
flow upon us, and our knowledge will increase, and all the light and
intelligence that we desire from God will be poured out upon us, and
our means will increase, and our substance will be blessed unto us.
But if we adopt the other principle, although men do it from
covetousness, it is the identical way to become poor. The Prophet
said, The liberal deviseth liberal things, and by his liberality he
shall stand. This is the truth: it has been so among all generations,
and with this people from the beginning.

Vol. 7, p.62
It was customary, before we entered this Church, to hear a great deal
of text preaching. The learned ministers would select a text or
passage of Scripture, measure it by a theological rule, divide it into
heads, and then preach from it, preaching about everything in the
world but the thing in the text. After they had gone through this kind
of manoeuvering long enough, they would then appeal to the
congregation to know if they had not preached to them the doctrine
laid down in the text. Well, if I have preached from the text, excuse
me.

Vol. 7, p.62
I will close my remarks with the old-fashioned appeal; and if I have
not preached the doctrines contained in the text, let me advise my
friends to give heed to those doctrines anyhow.[p.63] 

Brigham Young, June 6, 1858

Apostacy the Result of Ignorance—True Government, Etc.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Bowery, Provo, June 6, 1858.

Reported By J. B. Milner.

Vol. 7, p.63
I wish to say a few words before the close of the meeting.

Vol. 7, p.63
You have heard me say, a great many times, and it is the experience of
all men who understand wisdom, that the greatest difficulty we have to
meet is what may be termed ignorance, or want of understanding in the
people. If people would readily understand and practise what they are
taught, they would do very well without so much teaching as now seems
to be necessary; but when they have not that intelligence which leads
and guides to victory in the acts of life, they should be taught to
know how to overcome every difficulty and enemy they have to meet. And
if people could understand things as they are, there never would be
any apostacy—none would fall through lack of faith and good works. In
regard to this people's sustaining the First Presidency, they believe
that they do; but still there is something beyond which many do not as
yet understand: there are instances in which they do not fully sustain
the Presidency. It may be asked, "Have not this people voted to
sustain the Presidency?" Yes; but do they sustain them in every
particular? The great majority sustain them, as far as they
understand. The main difficulty is that many do not know how the
Presidency should be sustained, through lack of intelligence to
rightly discern and classify their acts and reflections. They will
sustain, with their prayers, every department of the Priesthood as
being teachers of the plan of salvation, but do not understand that
there is not an act in the lives of intelligencies but what has a
tendency to either sustain or oppose—a tendency either for good or
evil.

Vol. 7, p.63
The Government of the United States is Republican in form, and should
be in its administration, and requires a man for President who is
capable of communicating to the understanding of the people, according
to their capacity, information upon all points pertaining to the just
administration of the Government. He should understand what
administrative policy would be most beneficial to the nation. He
should also have the knowledge and disposition to wisely exercise the
appointing power, so far as it is constitutionally within his control,
and select only good and capable men for office. He should not only
carry out the legal and just wishes of his constituents, but should be
able to enlighten their understanding and correct their judgment. And
all good officers in a truly Republican administration will constantly
labour for the security of the rights of all, irrespective of sect or
party.

Vol. 7, p.63
This people would do many things that would tend to death, if they did
not listen to correct instructions; for, as yet, they have not wisdom
enough to guide them under all circumstances.[p.64] And although you
think that you sustain your Presidency, yet many conduct themselves in
some things precisely as do the people in the world. They take a
course to destroy themselves politically and religiously, and they
will destroy themselves; and so would many of you, if you were
destitute of counsellors dictated by the Spirit of the Lord to direct
in all things, whether relating to religious or political government.
We stand upon this platform; still we are in a measure yet like the
world. There are some contentions and discords, and some are taking a
course which will bring evil upon us. Do they know it? No, they do
not: but their ignorance will not prevent the effects. They do not
know the consequences of unwise acts; but they will produce evil,
whether they understand them or not.

Vol. 7, p.64
There are those who, it would seem, can never come to understanding:
they are apparently stereotyped, never to improve any more, while
others have their minds open and constantly learning and increasing in
wisdom and understanding. When the people learn to partake of the
Spirit which governs this kingdom, and become fully imbued with that
Spirit, they will understand the objects, examples, and designs of
those who are placed to counsel and direct them. Do you understand
that, brethren and sisters? You must enjoy that Spirit, or you cannot
walk in the same path with those who are appointed to be your
counsellors and teachers. But if you possess that Spirit, instead of
taking various by-paths, you will be able to walk in the path that
leadeth to life. Who are your leaders? The First Presidency. Who was
the master. spirit? Joseph. Who were his leaders? These who
immediately presided over him. If we will live upon the principles
which our Government professes to be built upon, we shall follow him,
and not make devious paths.

Vol. 7, p.64
All the acts we perform should be governed by the guidance of the
Priesthood. Were that done, you would see blessings result from all
the acts of a nation, just as we wish to see in our Republic, and as
we would see, if the people of our nation would learn and practise the
principles of the Priesthood. The Priesthood does not wait for
ignorance: it instructs those who have not wisdom, and are desirous of
learning correct principles. But our Government is controlled by
ignorance; and thousands who are ignorant of the true principles. of
correct government are placed in important positions, and every
department is more or less governed by, ignorance, folly, and
weakness. More imbecility has been manifested in the management of
public affairs, of late, than ought to be manifested by any
government.

Vol. 7, p.64
Let those called Latter-day Saints so learn wisdom as to carry out the
true principles of government, that they may be able to wisely govern
and control all things. Do any suppose that we shall ever war against
the principles or form of our National Government? We shall not; for
we love and cherish them, and always have and ever expect to, because
they are good and just. It is published from east to west, and from
north to south, that the "Mormons" are opposed to the Government of
the United States. That is not true, and never was. But many of the
officers and people of the United States are too much opposed to their
own institutions, and are taking a course to destroy the best form of
government instituted by man. They lay the axe at the root of the
tree, and it will fall and be as though it had not been, They do not
understand the principles which will build them up. Each one strikes
out and follows his own way.[p.65] Do the members thereof know how to
sustain their own party? No: they sap the foundation of their own
party.

Vol. 7, p.65
Such is measurably the case with a portion of this people. They wish
to he saved—they desire to gain celestial glory; but their own acts
sap the foundation of all their desires. This people desire to do
right, and the reason why all of them do not is because all do not
strive to know how. True principles will abide, while all false
principles will fall with those who choose and cleave to them.

Vol. 7, p.65
The government of this Church is based upon true principles, and the
reason people fall out by the way is because of their
ignorance—because they do not thoroughly canvass their acts, and
wisely ponder the probable results.

Vol. 7, p.65
Brother Wells has been speaking about many of the brethren's being
careless about going north to look after their property. I have
reflected upon that, and I conclude that the brethren feel to say, "We
have left our property, because the Lord in his wisdom is leading us
in a way that requires us to leave our buildings and other
improvements; we have cheerfully left them in the line of duty, and we
do not particularly desire to go back and guard them. They have passed
from our affections, and shall we turn round and cling to them? We do
not feel to care how soon the Lord sees fit, in his wisdom, to require
us to lay them utterly waste." That feeling proves to me that the
affections of this people are not placed upon earthly things; still
there is a lack of understanding with some in regard to using them
aright. If we have made the sacrifice complete in our feelings, we
have been driven far enough; and I can tell the world that all earth
and hell will never gain power to drive us out of these mountains,
unless it is the will of the Lord, though we may be required to move
from place to place. We have to learn that all the elements are
eternal, though their varied earthly forms are organized to be
dissolved. We muse not place our affections upon these things until
they are organized for eternity. If we will take that course, we shall
be laying up treasures in heaven. Earthly things will be decomposed,
and their reorganization will be by the power of the resurrection:
then we shall begin to understand the proper use of element.

Vol. 7, p.65
I hear some say, "Why should we wish to go to Box Elder to guard our
property there?" The Lord gave us the ability to obtain what we have;
and if our affections are so chastened that we can measurably realize
that he gave us the power to accumulate our possessions—that he
organized the elements and gave us bodies and life upon the earth—that
all blessings are the gift of the Lord, then we have profiled by the
experience now offered; and now it is our duty to preserve that which
the Lord has blessed us with, so far as circumstances will permit, and
patiently await the development of future events and requirements.

Vol. 7, p.65
Some do not understand duties which do not coincide with their natural
feelings and affections. Do you comprehend that statement? I have
tried to tell you; but I am sometimes at a loss to convey a correct
understanding with words. I should have the language of angels to
enable me to exactly convey my ideas, and that would require an
audience who understand that language. There are duties which are
above affection. Our enemies have driven this people from their homes
until their affections are no longer placed upon the things of this
world, which is more than all other communities can say in truth. No
other people can truthfully say that they can handle the things of
[p.66] this world without having their affections placed upon them,
even though many of them will endure more or less affliction for their
religion. Some will throw themselves under the massive wheels of the
car of Juggernaut, and be crushed to pieces, and others will endure
all that is possible for their religion, no matter whether it is true
or false. There is not so much difficulty in leading persons to death
for the religion we profess, as there is in inducing them to live to
its pure principles. There is but little trouble in inducing people to
sacrifice and suffer for their religion: but who lives for it? If this
people do not, no people upon this earth do. And I am happy in being
able to say that they have proved that they place less value upon
their farms, houses, and other comforts of life than they do, upon
their religion, and that so many of them try to live their religion
day by day.

Vol. 7, p.66
If you have superior wisdom in your midst for your guidance, why do
you not learn that fact, and permit yourselves to be guided by that
wisdom in your business transactions as well as an doctrine?—for there
is no dividing between matters spiritual and temporal. There is no act
of a Latter-day Saint—no duty required—no time given, exclusive and
independent of the Priesthood. Everything is subject to it, whether
preaching, business, or any other act pertaining to the proper conduct
of this life. It takes the whole man to make a Saint: there are no
exceptions in "Mormonism." Learn so to think and direct your acts in
every transaction of life, that we may overcome the evil that is sown
within us. Overcome the inward enemy; then we can overcome the Devil's
kingdom. And while others choose evil principles and build upon a
foundation which leads to destruction, let us build upon the
principles of eternal salvation, as we have striven to do all the day
long.

Vol. 7, p.66
We are a mystery and a stumbling-block to this generation. One man
will say, "What a numbhead that Brigham Young is!" and another that
"this people are dupes and fanatics;" and yet no man can controvert,
with sound argument, the principles we advance. No society, political
or religious, can cope with us in correct principles. In the opinion
of some we are the most foolish people in the world, and in that of
others we are the wisest. If this people live to the principles they
have embraced, they will be capable of counselling the nations; for we
build upon a just foundation, and our principles are truth,
righteousness, and holiness. Let us stand by those principles until
they crush out folly from these valleys, and we become teachers of
wisdom to the nations. It would not require a great stretch of mind to
teach them now, did duty require it. A man who has wisdom to control
one wife and five children can control ten wives and one hundred
children; then he can control a town, a city, a state, a nation, a
kingdom, or the whole world.

Vol. 7, p.66
Understand and practise those holy and just principles that reach to
the comprehending of all wisdom, until the nations of the earth look
to Zion for wise counsel. Whether it be in these mountains or
elsewhere, and whether it be within ten years, or fifty years, or in
one day, I will do all I can to prepare for the glory of Zion. I would
build a good house here, had I the opportunity, though I knew I should
not enjoy it five minutes. We intend to build a Temple in these
mountains, and not act upon the principle of some who have been here
ten years without  a comfortable dwelling. I want the Elders of Israel
to know how to lay the foundation of Zion.[p.67] 

Vol. 7, p.67
I will now say a few words on business affairs. A road up Provo kanyon
is much needed, and we want ten or twenty companies of labourors to go
to work upon it forthwith, in order to finish it in about fifteen
days, so that you can go into the valleys of the Weber, where there is
plenty of timber.

Vol. 7, p.67
I understand that a company has been chartered by the Legislative
Assembly to make that road; and if those men will come forward, we
will take the responsibility of making it. We shall need about five
hundred labourers. I also want a mill-race dug some
three-quarters-of-a-mile in length, and an excavation made for the
foundation of a grist-mill. When that is done, we will plan something
else for we want every one to have the privilege of being actively
engaged in some useful occupation. We want men to labour in every
mechanical pursuit that they can; for I believe that the time will
come when we shall have to depend upon our own resources; and I pray
the Lord to so hedge up the way and shut down the gate, that we may be
compelled to depend upon our own manufacturing for the comforts of
life.

Vol. 7, p.67
Last spring I wanted to detect some spirits that I could not make
manifest to the people, only in the course I then took. There are
those who, when they know that they have liberty to act in a certain
manner, do not care about moving in that direction; but if you say
that they cannot or shall not, they are then very anxious to do so.
That class reminds me of the Frenchman who loaned his money, and upon
learning that the borrower was likely to fail, asked him when he could
pay him. The answer was, "To-day, if you wish it." "Why, have you got
it?" "Yes." "Oh, if you have got it, I do not want it; but if you have
not got it, I want it very bad." With the exception of a short time
during the late difficulties, all persons have always had the
privilege of going away from here when they pleased, and have been
repeatedly invited to do so, if they wished to; and a certain class
did not avail themselves of the privilege: but when I said that they
should not go until I gave them permission, we learned those spirits,
and they have gone.

Vol. 7, p.67
I want the clay well ground and well worked over. I want the pure in
heart to receive their blessings, and to be free from the oppressions
of the wicked.

Vol. 7, p.68
God bless you, brethren and sisters! Amen.[p.68] 

Orson Hyde, December 14, 1858

English Grammar

Opening Address of Elder ORSON HYDE, 
delivered before his Class at the Social Hall, G. S. L. City, 
on Tuesday evening, December 14, 1858.

Vol. 7, p.68
Brethren and Sisters,—Allow me to congratulate you upon this occasion
of assembling yourselves together for the laudable and praiseworthy
object of engaging in a course of studies in the science of the
English language. I cannot withhold an expression of my feelings of
gratitude to our Father in heaven that we are blest with peace,
tranquility, and health, and also with the staple necessaries and
comforts of life, I humbly hope that we are all exercised with that
gratitude to our Supreme Ruler which his manifold favours extended to
us so richly and fully demand.

Vol. 7, p.68
In consequence of the troubles which you and your parents have
undergone in years that are past, some, and perhaps I may say, many of
you, have not met with an earlier convenient opportunity to acquire
the kind of knowledge you now seek. Late, however, as the hour is,
there yet remains sufficient time, if well improved, to remove the
embarrassments under which you may have laboured, and to embellish
your minds with jewels that will render you distinguished, whether
destined to move in the humble or more elevated walks of life.

Vol. 7, p.68
A thorough knowledge of our own mother tongue is an important key to
that wide field of usefulness which in this day more especially
invites the energies and enterprize of the rising generation than at
any former period in the history of the world. By some, the
inspiration of God is considered to supersede the necessity of this
and every other science. On this erroneous principle some of you may
act, and require me to impart to you a knowledge of our language
without any mental labour on your part. This I would not do, if I
could; for I do not want this class dishonoured with one drone in the
hive. I intend to do my duty, and shall expect you to do yours.
Although I thus speak, I do not believe that any one of you entertains
any such opinion. Persons of this faith will not come here for the
object that has called you out. It is true that God generally calls
upon the illiterate or unlearned to bear his name and testimony to the
world. In this, the policy of our Heavenly Father differs materially
from that of the world. Under his policy, none can say that the
important truths which the servant of God is required to declare are
the result of his great or superior learning. But the question with me
is, Must the servant of God always remain an unpolished shaft in the
quiver of the Almighty? I answer, No. The Spirit of God directs
improvement in everything that is good and useful. If any doubt this,
consider what our leading men were when called, and then consider what
they now are! The inspiration of God sometimes furnishes the words,
but more generally the thoughts only. Then  a flow of correct language
is highly useful to convey those thoughts [p.69] clearly and
distinctly to others. City Creek is a gracious bounty and gift of
Heaven to this community; yet it requires no small amount of manual
labour to conduct it in suitable portions to every citizen's door. The
candle of the Lord was never lighted up in any man's heart to be put
under a bushel. It will bring him into public notoriety, and he must
of necessity communicate with others. If he understand not his own
language correctly, he is often put to the  trouble of applying to
another to correct his sayings, and sometimes under  circumstances
that are mortifying and humiliating, or suffer an exposure that might
be still more unpleasant and annoying to his feelings. A few months of
diligent application to the study of grammar will carry you beyond the
reach of all these little perplexities and embarrassments, and place
you upon the summit of this science, from whence you may view at a
glance the wisdom of those who are with you, and the folly of them
beneath you, without a second person to explain the one or point out
the other.

Vol. 7, p.69
There are persons who profess a knowledge of grammar, and yet they
pretend to say that there are no correct rules of language. Were I to
attempt to pass off upon any one of you a base or counterfeit dollar,
and, being detected in my dishonesty, should attempt to justify myself
by saying, "All dollars contain more or less alloy, and my bogus
dollar is just as good as any other,"—would my apology be satisfactory
to you? No. You would naturally conclude my self-justification to be
an index to a heart not wholly fortified by correct principles.

Vol. 7, p.69
I am free to admit that, since the original language was confounded at
the Tower of Babel, no perfect system of communications has existed on
earth to my knowledge; and consequently, a perfect set of rules could
not apply to an imperfect language. But is this a sufficient reason
why we should condemn all the rules of syntax, which are the result of
the combined wisdom and labour of ages, adapted in the best possible
way to the construction and use of speech? Such sweeping declarations
may generally be regarded more as an effort on the part of the
delinquent to hide some radical violations of just laws than the
display of any real wisdom or merit. We might lust as well say that
men are of no account or worth, because they are imperfect, and hence
go to heaven and deal with them there as they were before they came to
earth and made flesh their tabernacle. Even then, such rabid opposers
to anything that has the scent of imperfection might find themselves
disappointed and disgusted, even in the presence of the Holy One; for
we read that "He chargeth his angels with folly."

Vol. 7, p.69
There are some, also, who affect to place more confidence in their own
literary acquirements than many others can conscientiously do. They
often resort to the Greek and Latin languages to justify any
aberrations of theirs from the known and established rules of the
English language. There are just as many imperfections in those
languages as there are in the English,—all languages inheriting
similar effects from the great confusion. Hence, if you show the
"cloven foot" in the English language, you cannot hide it under the
folds of the Greek or Latin.

Vol. 7, p.69
Some of you, my friends, may have a limited knowledge of Hebrew,
Greek, and Latin,—some a pretty fair knowledge of German, French, and
Spanish: but permit me here to suggest one important rule or caution
to be observed by all who wish to be thought correctly educated. Never
volunteer the introduction of a [p.70] foreign language in
conversation with the unlearned. If you do, you may be regarded as
novices, and, in the light of "Holy Writ," as heathens and barbarians.
Moreover, such pedantic or ostentatious claims to superior knowledge
are palpable breaches of good manners. He that is at war with the
rules of the English language cannot fail to give unwelcome evidences
of the fact in his speech and writings.

Vol. 7, p.70
We are bound, my friends, to deal with men as we find them, perfect or
imperfect; and we are also bound to use their language as we find it
and as they use it, if we put ourselves in communication with them,
with the hope and expectation of doing them good and of guiding their
actions. We are met for the purpose, my brethren and sisters, of
acquiring this very kind of knowledge; and I trust that you are all
sufficiently impressed with the importance of this branch of learning
to stimulate you to that diligence, patience, and perseverance in
applying yourselves to its acquisition that cannot fail to secure to
you the object of your pursuit.

Vol. 7, p.70
Permit me here to speak to you in much plainness. To become thorough
grammarians requires much mental labour. The lazy and inactive mind
cannot penetrate far into the intricacies of language. You must give
to this branch your undivided attention, if you expect to progress
with the rapidity that you desire. It is worthy of all the attention
you can give it. How often have I heard men say—"I would give a
thousand dollars to understand the rules of language, and their proper
application to practical use." Consider, now, that in the short space
of fifteen weeks (a season of the year in which you can do little else
to profit,) you may be led by the hand of your teacher gently forward
in the pursuit of this study; and at the expiration of the term you
may continue your progress alone without an instructor to take you by
the hand. Suffer no sloth, inactivity, or ordinary business to prevent
your attendance at every lesson. If you will all be diligent between
lessons, and labour for yourselves as faithful as I intend to labour
for you, you will be able, at the close of this school, to march
boldly forward, without farther aid, to the most elevated heights of
grammatical science.

Vol. 7, p.70
I cannot flatter you with the expectation that you will know it all at
the close of this term, lest your disappointment should so far react
upon your minds as to induce you to cease your efforts to learn. There
is no end to the path of science and improvement. Learn all you can in
this world that is good and true, and it will only form the basis or
grammar of that higher order of education that awaits you among the
classified millions that have gone up to celestial institutions
through the ragged and thorny way that has been sanctified and
honoured by the footsteps of Him who "taught as one having authority,
and not as the scribes."

Vol. 7, p.70
I am pleased to see you all apparently cheerful and light-hearted,
buoyant with hope and expectation, indicating feelings good and true,
warm and kindly. Virtue and integrity, with due respect for others
according to station and circumstances, will secure to you a
continuation of that glow of charity and goodwill which now animates
your breasts. And when you shall bid adieu to earth, may your garments
be clean and white, thoroughly washed in the blood of the Lamb, and
meet with a kindly welcome in your Father's house! I will try to be
with you  there. Heaven bless the pure in heart, henceforth and for
ever![p.71] 

George A. Smith, July 4, 1855

Celebration of the Anniversary of American Independence

Speech by Elder G. A. SMITH, 
delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt rake City, July 4, 1855.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.71
My Friends,—I arise on the present occasion to address you, with my
heart filled with emotions that are not easily described, apart from
feelings which pervade my mind resulting from the present celebration
of the anniversary of our country's independence. It is with a high
degree of pleasure that I witness such an immense assembly, and
compare it with celebrations of this ever-memorable day which I have
attended in my native State, in my early life. The anniversary of the
day on which our fathers declared the independence of the American
States I have ever felt a disposition to celebrate, whenever
circumstances and situation would possibly admit of it, as the day on
which our fathers declared the independence and freedom of million s
of people yet unborn. It was a great step for a few colonies to take,
to attempt to wring from the hands of the king of the most powerful
nation upon the face of the earth their liberties, the right of
self-government—of choosing their own rulers,—those inalienable rights
which belong to man, and are the boon of his Creator, and which kings
had held in their grasp for ages. Our revolutionary fathers were
unwilling longer to be ground down by iron rules and cast-iron notions
of one stupid and corrupt ruler that oppressed them, and struggled for
their freedom. Under the guidance and fostering care of the God of
heaven, these colonies were made free—free to act in obedience to all
those principles he has given the sons of men their agency to act
upon.

Vol. 7, p.71
This is a great illustration of the importance and power of the
principle of union. When the signers of the Declaration of
Independence put their names to that heaven-born instrument, they were
perfectly aware that the success of their cause depended upon their
being united. It was absolutely necessary that they should all hang
together; for if they did not, they were perfectly sensible they would
all hang separately. The united colonies at that time were ready to
sustain the leader of the revolution almost en masse. There were a few
districts where divisions took place, and those divisions caused more
cruelty, bloodshed, and sorrow than any other circumstance pertaining
to the whole revolutionary struggle.

Vol. 7, p.71
By this grand step our fathers secured to us the right of
self-government. However much wicked men may have opposed and abused
the institutions the revolutionary fathers have established and put in
motion—whatever corrupt office-holders may have done in violation of
them, the great point is gained which enables the American people to
choose their own rulers and produce such a form of government and such
protection as are necessary for their growth, their freedom, and their
continual wellbeing.[p.72] 

Vol. 7, p.72
It was through the must flagrant violation of these sacred rights and
principles of the Constitution of our country by perjured officers,
who were sworn to do their duty and suppress mobs and violence, that
the rights of freemen, which were bequeathed to us a priceless legacy,
sealed with the blood of our fathers,—that the Latter-day Saints were
driven, en masse, from their peaceful homes in the United States, and
were obliged to flee, destitute, into a desolate wilderness, where we
are laying a foundation for a State in the great Federal Union, where
we can enjoy our own religious institutions and form a government, and
where we are organizing our own community, agreeable to the general
Constitution of our country, that we may be made partakers of the
blessings which are actually guaranteed unto us by that sacred
instrument. Under these circumstances we rest until the day shall come
that shall so revolutionize our American Government as to put every
treacherous scoundrel where he ought to be, to reap the reward of
perjury and corruption, that he may have the privilege of being
banished by his Maker—that he may enjoy the society of the father of
lies, until he is satisfied with that kind of fare. [At this point of
the speaker's remarks, a small round table, that had been brought for
the Honourable Judge Kinney to lay his papers upon, fell from the
stand upon which the speakers were sitting, and was broken by the
fall.] So, the end cometh suddenly, the day of corruption is short,
and its downfall is sure. [Great laughter.] The old fabric of
corruption is getting so rotten, it will fall of itself and crumble to
dust, without any effort to overthrow it; and the pure principles of
good government, justice, righteousness, and purity will become so
clearly unfolded, that we shall wonder that it was ever possible such
a mass of corruption ever shrouded our country, or that so great a
number of the rulers of the American States should ever give
countenance to the rule of mobs, or the destruction of the people's
rights by any common convention of scoundrels.

Vol. 7, p.72
The circumstances and pleasures of the day which have so far passed
would have been without alloy or a pang of grief; but I behold on this
platform the vacant seat of one who was associated with us on the last
cetebration—one who addressed us on that occasion with such a flow of
natural eloquence and pathos of feeling, and to whose talents and
instruction we were indebted for a great portion of the interest of
that occasion. The Honourable Leonidas Shaver, Associate Justice of
the Supreme Court, and Judge of this judicial district, has been
suddenly called from the busy scenes of this life into eternity,—a
worthy man and profound jurist, who, by his straightforward and
upright course, has honoured his profession. His studious attention to
his duty, his fine intellect, polished education, and gentlemanly
bearing have won for him the universal admiration and respect of this
community. It was only necessary to be acquainted with him to love
him. Our worthy instructor and expositor of the law has been called
from our midst suddenly. He not only administered the law, but
honoured it himself. Hear it, O ye indicators of the law, and pattern
after him. And we this day look round upon those that surround us,
with this solemn reflection, that but a short season can pass until it
will be our turn to follow him.

Vol. 7, p.72
This circumstance should caution us against sin of every description,
and prompt us to live uprightly, walking in accordance with all the
laws and principles of human right and Divine revelation, that we may
be [p.73] prepared for so great and solemn an event, when it shall
come, when it will be our turn to participate in the realities of
death.

Vol. 7, p.73
It is well understood that the principles of truth are bound to
prevail. It makes no difference what the opposition may be, or what
length of time that opposition may continue, or how much sin is
perpetrated to prevent it, or rivers of blood and millions of treasure
wasted to oppose it, yet truth will ultimately prevail; and the day
will come when a "Mormon" can be respected in other portions of the
world as much as any other man,—yes, exactly as much as though he
professed any other religion. Why? Because "Mormonism" is truth, and
truth will prevail. Those principles which are laid down in the very
formation and genius of the General Government of the United States
knew no religious sect: all were alike, And when these principles can
prevail as our fathers handed them down to us, freedom will not be a
name: and the day is approaching, and it is not far distant, when all
the corruption and wickedness which serve to bring distress and misery
upon a considerable portion of the community will be done away. That
order of things will vanish, and this people will have the opportunity
of enjoying all their privileges and rights in every portion of their
loved country that they can in these mountains.

Vol. 7, p.73
If ever William Tell was happy when he found himself free from the
grasp of his enemies, so this people felt to rejoice when they were
encircled within these vast deserts and almost impenetrable mountain
walls. It was not the beauty of the country, the barren deserts, the
rocky mountains,  this isolated position, that invited us here: we
came here simply because it was the only place of refuge which offered
to us security from the hands of our persecutors, where we could
actually enjoy our constitutional rights. We are here, thank God,
enjoying all the privileges of American freemen, and all the blessings
and ordinances and powers which lead to an eternal exaltation in the
celestial kingdom of our God.

Vol. 7, p.73
And I will tell you, my friends, what I hope. I hope that the first
mob that rises in these valleys will experience the same sensation
(and worse, if possible,) that a certain gentleman, a leader of a mob
in Jackson County, Missouri, did, whose name was James Campbell, who
had been long famed among his comrades as one of the bravest men in
that county. It was on the occasion of the Battle of the Blue. He
gathered up his men and fired fifty-three rifles into a small party of
the "Mormons" that were hastily gathered together for mutual
protection. There were only fifteen or sixteen guns among the
"Mormons." They returned the fire, at which many of Campbell's
comrades left in a hurry; but he concluded to stay and tussle it out
with the "Mormons." There was an old revolutionary soldier, named
Brace, in the "Mormon" company, who had fought in many battles under
Washington, in the war of Independence. He fired his musket at
Campbell without effect, and he fired at the old soldier also without
effect; but Campbell being able to lead quicker than he could, there
was no alternative for Brace but to run at him with the butt end of
his gun before he could re-load: so he commenced yelling like ten
thousand Indians, and charged Campbell with the butt end of his
musket. Campbell, to save himself, suddenly wheeled his horse and
plied the whip. This gave the old veteran a chance to re-load. He then
fired his piece, and killed Campbell's horse as he was jumping over a
fence, which left him hanging there; but Campbell in his terror did
not know whether he was [p.74] running on his feet or riding on his
horse. So he ran across the country with all the power he possessed,
whipping behind him, as he supposed, his horse, crying, "Get up, or
the Mormons will kill us!—get up, ,or the Mormons will kill us!" So I
want the first mob that rises in this country to feel, and all those
who hold power and influence in the nation, who, by that means seek to
distress and afflict the innoeent,—I want all such men to feel like
the illustrious Campbell. I want the same terror to fall upon them
that fell upon him, and the same powers of locomotion to clear out,
crying, "Get up, or the Mormons will kill us!" as he did, although his
horse lay on the fence dead, near a mile behind him.

Vol. 7, p.74
With these sentiments, these few ideas, which are offered without
having had tithe for studied reflection and preparation, I say, May we
long live on the face of the earth, and enjoy the blessings and
privileges of American Independence! Amen.

Orson Pratt, August 28, 1859

Elijah's Latter-Day Mission

A Sermon by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 28, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.74
I will call the attention of the assembly to the last chapter of
Malachi, 5th and 6th verses. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord;
and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the
heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse."

Vol. 7, p.74
I do not feel, this morning, to make apologies particularly, but
present myself before you because I am requested so to do, feeling
that I am fulfilling the duties of my office and calling to comply
with the requests of those set to preside. There is one subject which
I will briefly touch upon as a kind of preface to my remarks, and that
is in relation to one's preparing himself, as a servant of God, to
preach the principles of eternal truth. We should not study beforehand
the precise subject upon which we will preach, or the precise language
that we shall use in treating upon any subject; but this does not
preclude the idea of a man's informing himself upon all subjects.
This, I have often thought, is not understood as it ought to be by the
officers of this Church.

Vol. 7, p.74
There are many, perhaps, who feel a disposition to neglect all
improvement of mind, thinking that if they are placed in a position
where they are called upon to preach, God will give them, not only the
subject, but the language also, and everything pertaining to the
duties of their  callings as public speakers. Although we are taught
that we are to take no [p.75] thought beforehand what we shall say,
yet we are nowhere taught in the revelations of God to let our minds
run down—our understandings and our judgment to be spent in idleness,
without treasuring up the things of the kingdom of God, and storing up
useful knowledge. Indeed, we are commanded in the revelations of the
Most High directly to the contrary from the idea which has prevailed
among some.

Vol. 7, p.75
We are commanded over and over again to treasure up wisdom in our
hearts continually—to treasure up the words of eternal life
continually, and make ourselves acquainted not only with ancient
revelation, but with modern; to make ourselves acquainted not only
with things pertaining to time, but with things pertaining to
eternity; to make ourselves acquainted not only in regard to things of
earth, but also in regard to things that are in heaven; to inform
ourselves upon theories, principles, laws, doctrines,—upon things that
are at home, and upon things that are abroad. And the same Almighty
Being who has commanded us to do these things has commanded us to take
no thought beforehand what we should say; for every well-instructed
scribe, we read in the New Testament, bringeth out of his heart things
both new and old. It is not the ill-instructed scribe—it is not the
person who does not study—it is not the person who suffers his time to
run to idleness, but it is that man that instructs himself in all
things within his reach, so far as his circumstances and abilities
will allow. Such a one will bring forth before his hearers things that
will edify in relation to old times, and also in relation to the
present and future,—things both new and old. Moreover, we read that
the Holy Ghost shall give you in the very hour what ye shall say.

Vol. 7, p.75
What need, then; inquires one, is there for a person to inform his
mind, if the Holy Ghost will give him, in the very hour, what he shall
say? It is not every man that has sufficient faith to obtain that
amount of the Holy Spirit that will bring the subjects, the ideas, the
language, and the system of the subject all before his mind at once.
There are but a very few persons which ever lived upon this earth that
have had sufficient faith to obtain all this fulness of these gifts;
and it is one great reason why the Lord has commanded his servants to
instruct themselves, because of the weakness of their faith. Then, if
they have fulfilled this commandment, they will have more confidence
in God; but if they have neglected this commandment, what confidence
have they that the Holy Ghost will be given to them?

Vol. 7, p.75
Will the Lord bestow his Holy Spirit upon an unwise and unfaithful
servant—upon one who disobeys his commandments, who sits himself down
in idleness, and will not attempt to inform his mind upon all subjects
within his reach?

Vol. 7, p.75
If any person supposes this, he is greatly mistaken; but if he tries
to fulfil the commandments of God, making himself extensively
acquainted with the attributes of that Being whom he worships,—if he
tries to become acquainted with all useful subjects, he will then have
faith. He can then go before the Lord and ask him for his Spirit to
indite, in the very hour, that particular subject which he has
previously informed himself upon, and to bring it forth before the
people in a proper light and in a proper manner. But without this his
efforts will be in vain.

Vol. 7, p.75
It is most likely that an individual who has disobeyed this
commandment, instead of preaching by the Holy Ghost, will preach by
his own wisdom; and he will tell you about ten thousand things Which
the Holy Ghost never puts in his heart: he will [p.76] preach about so
many things, that it will be impossible for the enlightened among his
congregation to see anything in his ideas that will be calculated to
edify or instruct.

Vol. 7, p.76
I have made these preparatory remarks particularly for the benefit of
my brethren of the ministry; for I know the difficulties they
encounter when they go abroad. I have been abroad with several
companies of missionaries from this place, and I have seen them lament
and mourn, and have heard them tell their feelings one to another,
saying—"O that I had occupied my time that I have spent as it were in
folly, in treasuring up the principles of eternal life,—that I had
studied the scriptures—that I had made myself acquainted more
extensively with the doctrines of the Church—that I had made myself
acquainted with those principles revealed from heaven for our
guidance! I should then have been prepared to stand before the
inhabitants of the earth and edify them with regard to our
principles." I have heard these lamentations for months after they
were in their fields of labour; and I have really been astonished at
the idleness of those who are growing up, who expect to be servants of
God and to occupy a conspicuous place in the kingdom of God. I know
many of us can plead some sort of an excuse. The hard labours we have
to endure in irrigating the soil, in penetrating the mountain kanyons
for wood and timber,—all these things have a tendency to fatigue the
body and the mind, so that we have not the same opportunity for
information that we would have, if we were more at leisure. After all,
cannot every man look back upon many hours that have been spent in
foolishness—perhaps in going to dancing school, or in going to parties
wherein there is no particular profit? Not only hours, but days are
spent that might have been used for better purposes; consequently, you
have not a sufficient excuse to justify you in spending your time in
idleness.

Vol. 7, p.76
Having made these remarks, we will now call your attention to the
words of our text. How far I may, on the present occasion, treat upon
the subject that is laid down in the text, I do not know. I will
endeavour to treat upon it as far as my mind shall be opened by the
Holy Spirit; and if any other subject is presented to me, I shall
follow it, and deviate from the subject couched in the text. "Behold,
I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers
to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest
I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Vol. 7, p.76
What "great and dreadful day of the Lord" is meant in the words of our
text? Was it the great day of the coming of our Saviour in the flesh
to make an atonement for the children of men? Is there nothing
contained in the last chapter of Malachi that will give us a clue to
that day—that will give us an understanding of what is meant by the
great and dreadful day of the Lord? Go back to the beginning of that
chapter, and you will read thus—"Behold, the day cometh that shall
burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and they that do wickedly
shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise
with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves
of the stall, and ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be
ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that  I shall do this,
saith the Lord of Hosts." 

Vol. 7, p.76
Were these things predicted in [p.77] revelation to the first coming
of the Messiah? No. All the proud and all that did wickedly in that
day were not consumed as stubble, and the righteous did not go forth
and grow up like calves of the stall, and tread down the wicked as
ashes under the soles of their feet, at the first coming of our Lord.
Then surely this coming of our Lord had relation to the great and
terrible day, the day of burning, the day in which wickedness should
be entirely swept from the earth, and no remnants of the wicked left,
when every branch of them and every root of them should become as
stubble, and be consumed from the face of the earth. That is the
terrible day that was spoken of by the Prophet, before which a certain
messenger was to be sent. "Behold, I will send to you Elijah the
prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
Who was Elijah the Prophet? He was a man that lived upon the earth
some 2,500 years ago. He was a man of God that had power to call down
fire from heaven and consume his enemies.

Vol. 7, p.77
You recollect, on a certain occasion, that the king of Israel sent up
fifty men to take Elijah the Prophet, that he might be slain. Elijah
went up and sat on the top of a hill, and when those fifty men
approached him they said, "Come down, thou man of God," &c. Elijah
said, "If I be a man of God, let fire come from heaven and consume
thee and thy fifty." Fire descended, and they were consumed. Another
fifty were sent, and they repeated the same mockery, and the Prophet
of God repeated the same, "If I be a man of God, let fire descend from
heaven and consume thee also and thy fifty;" and it was done. That
same man of God was in his day filled with faith—with confidence in
God, and was armed with the power of God; and on a certain occasion he
came forth before the Israelites, and said to them, "How long do you
halt between two opinions? If God be God, serve him; if Baal be God,
serve him."

Vol. 7, p.77
How shall Israel test the matter? How shall the people know whether
God is really the God of Israel or Baal? Why, says Elijah, I will tell
you how to test it. You gather together all the prophets of Baal into
one assembly, and let them offer an offering unto their god Baal; and
I, as a Prophet of the other God, will offer an offering: and if Baal
answers by fire, then he shall be 'the true God; but if the God that
I, Elijah, worship answers by fire, then he shall be the true God.
They concluded to put the thing to a test; so they assembled the
Prophets of Baal (some four hundred and fifty in number,) into one
grand assembly, and they killed a bullock, and laid it upon the altar,
and commenced erring to Baal, "O Baal, hear us!" They were very
earnest and very zealous in their eries and petitions to Baal: but no
voice—no answer; no fires descended from Baal to consume the
sacrifice. By-and-by the Prophet Elijah began to mock them. Said he,
"Cry aloud, for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pursuing,
or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be
awaked:" cry louder! And they did so, and cut themselves with knives
and lancets, to excite the compassion of their god. But, with all
their cries, continued all day long, they could obtain no voice, no
revelation, no answer, no messenger, no fire.

Vol. 7, p.77
By-and-by, Elijah the Prophet killed a sacrifice and built an altar of
stones, and laid his sacrifice upon the altar, and told them to turn
out water in great abundance into the troughs around about the altar;
after which, Elijah merely offered up a simple petition to the God of
heaven, the true God; and behold, fire fell from [p.78] heaven and
devoured the sacrifice, and not only that, but it consumed the water
itself, and all things pertaining to the sacrifice were consumed by
the fire that descended from heaven. Many of the people were convinced
that Baal was not the true God, and that the prophets of Baal were
false prophets. What was the result? This true Prophet said to them,
Take those prophets of Baal and slay every one of them: so they went
to work and killed all the prophets of Baal. By-and-by, this same
Prophet went forth into a certain place, followed by Elisha, knowing
that the time was come for him to be taken from the midst of Israel;
and behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horsemen, and it came
down from heaven, and Elijah was placed in the chariot, and wafted to
heaven, body and spirit, flesh and bones.

Vol. 7, p.78
Then Elijah is not dead. If we could have a view of the heavenly host
at the present day, we should see Elijah there. But he is to be sent
from heaven on a mission to our earth. "Behold, I will send you Elijah
the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord shall come."
We need never look for the coming of the Son of God—for the day when
he shall suddenly come to his temple  and sit like a refiner of
silver, and as with fuller's soap to purify and purge the sons of
Levi, &c., until Elijah the Prophet is sent. But the great question
is, Has he been sent? If he has, it must have been of a very recent
date, for the great and dreadful day of the Lord has not yet come; for
there are still wicked men upon the earth. What is the testimony of
the Prophet Joseph Smith? We believe him to bathe Prophet of the Lord
in this great and last dispensation. We Latter-day Saints believe this
fact. What did he testify in the Kirtland Temple, after it was built
and consecrated and dedicated unto the Lord of hosts? He testified
that he, in connection with others, had the ministration of Elijah the
Prophet, who appeared to them in great glory. You can read this in the
History of Joseph Smith, the Prophet: we can read all the instructions
that were given in relation to his particular mission.

Vol. 7, p.78
We cannot suppose that that great Prophet is coming down upon the
earth to wander about among the nations, and to continue in this
wicked world. If he is sent at all, he will be sent with power and
authority, like other angels sent from heaven, to bestow the same
authority that is upon himself on some individuals on the earth, that
they may go forth holding the same authority that Elijah himself held,
having the same keys, receiving the same instructions, in regard to
the Latter-day dispensation,—a mission, in other words, sent from
heaven by Elijah as a ministering angel to seek out the chosen
vessels, and ordain them, and send them to administer to the
inhabitants of the earth. This is the way the Lord commits
dispensations: instead of sending angels to wander on the earth, he
sends them to ordain others, to restore the authority, and set the
work ageing. This Church had already been organized, and certain
authority and officers had been restored; but no Elijah, had yet come.
John the Baptist had come, in fulfilment of the 3rd chapter of Malachi
and the 40th chapter of Isaiah: he came to restore the Priesthood of
Levi, in order that those holding it might be purified as gold and
silver, to offer an offering in righteousness when the Lord should.
suddenly come to his temple.

Vol. 7, p.78
Peter, James, and John had also been sent as Apostles to restore the
Apostleship to the earth; for no man held that power and authority:
and in order that it might be restored, it was needful  that an
Apostle, holding the [p.79] office, and authority, and the keys,
should lay his hands upon an individual to restore these keys, and
authority, and power to act in the Apostleship. Peter, James, and
John, therefore, restored to the earth the same authority and power
that they themselves had. But no Elijah had yet come. Years had passed
along, and the Temple in Kirtland was at length built and consecrated
unto the Most High God.

Vol. 7, p.79
The time had now arrived for other ordinances to be made manifest, for
other things to be revealed, for greater light to shine forth, for
other keys, powers, and authorities to be bestowed upon chosen vessels
of the Lord. The full time had arrived for the prophecy of Malachi to
be fulfilled, when the hearts of the fathers should be turned to their
children, and when the hearts of the children should be turned to
their fathers, lest the Lord should come and smite the whole earth
with a curse.

Vol. 7, p.79
In order to restore a mission of that kind and magnitude, Elijah had
to be sent. We have the testimony of the servants of God in this
Church that this was accomplished in the Kirtland Temple, in the State
of Ohio, many years ago.

Vol. 7, p.79
But now let us inquire into the nature of this peculiar calling or
mission of Elijah. All that is said in Malachi on the subject is that
he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers, and there leaves it. What did he
mean? Did he mean only to bind the hearts of the fathers to the
children living with them in greater affection, or the hearts of the
children in greater affection to the fathers? Was that all the fulness
of the great mission that was to be intrusted to this great translated
man, called Elijah? I think not. And when we come to contemplate that
which God has revealed in these latter times, we find that the mission
of Elijah was something of far greater importance than merely to
accomplish this that I have named.

Vol. 7, p.79
In what sense of the word are the children to be turned unto their
fathers, or the fathers to their children? I will tell you what we
know and understand upon this subject. The strangers who have attended
our meetings have oftentimes heard from this stand that the
dispensation in which we live was intended to benefit not only the
generation living, but also past generations that have lain in their
graves for ages. You have heard this often hinted at; but perhaps no
one, since you have attended our meeting, has taken up the subject to
any great length, but merely a few words thrown out and there it was
left. A sufficient, however was said to give you an understanding that
we believe God will have something to do with the generations of the
dead; that the children that are living here on the earth would be
required to feel after their fathers that are in the graves; in other
words, that the hearts and minds of the children should be turned, by
the mission of Elijah, to the fathers, to search after them, to redeem
and save them, though they have lain in their graves for generations.

Vol. 7, p.79
Inquirers would really like to know if there is such a principle as
mankind living on the earth having any thing to do with the salvation
of those that are dead. The Saints believe that the Gospel was
ordained from before the foundation of the world: in other words, the
Lamb that, in the mind of God, was slain from before the foundation of
the world, has instituted a certain plan of salvation by which the
whole human family, from Adam down to the latest man and woman that
shall have place upon the earth, are to be judged. Thousands of
millions have gone down to their [p.80] graves who never heard one
single lisp of the Gospel. They know nothing about it. They know
nothing about Jesus Christ, nothing about his atonement, nothing about
the fall, and nothing about the true God; but they died in the
greatest of ignorance. Will it be consistent with the great attributes
of Jehovah to judge them by a law they had no knowledge of? It would
be inconsistent, if they were always to remain without that knowledge.
But if they are to be judged by that law—that great plan of salvation
ordained before the foundation of the earth, they must be made
acquainted with it, either in time or in eternity.

Vol. 7, p.80
There have been dispensations pertaining to time, and these
dispensations have generally been of short endurance. The wickedness
of the world has been such as to drive those holding authority and
power to administer in the various dispensations from the earth; and
the systems of men have been instituted in the stead thereof, and our
earth has been left from time to time overwhelmed with the darkness,
confusion, jars, and discords of men-made systems of religion; and the
people have been shut out, for many generations, from the true light
of heaven.

Vol. 7, p.80
What has been the condition of the people for some seventeen centuries
past on the great Eastern hemisphere? We have often told you that the
ancient Church was destroyed from the face of the earth—that the
authority of the Priesthood of heaven was taken from the earth—that no
such thing as a Christian Church, with all its authority and power, as
it stood upon the earth in ancient days, has existed for generations
and ages that are past. This we have proved to the people from time to
time, and we have showed them that this state of things has taken
place in fulfilment of prophecy: hence, the people who died during
these clark ages, have gone down in ignorance of the law by which they
are to be judged—in ignorance of the authority and power of the
Gospel—in ignorance of the Christian religion. They, having only a
history of it, had no one authorized to administer it. They could
barely read what it was in ancient days, and that was all.

Vol. 7, p.80
Were not those ancient fathers of ours as good, in many respects, as
we? And if they had had the same opportunities we enjoy, would not
many of them have embraced the Gospel as well as we? If they are not
permitted to hear the Gospel in the eternal worlds, could they not
come up before the Judge of all the earth, and say, You are a partial
Being; you are judging us by a law we never heard of—condemning us for
something we never had the opportunity of receiving?

Vol. 7, p.80
They would have the right to plead this excuse before the great bar of
judgment. But, that they may be left without excuse before the bar of
God in the last dispensation of the fulnes, of times, God will send a
holy messenger from heaven, called Elijah, the Prophet, to give power
to chosen vessels on the earth to officiate in the ordinances of that
Gospel in their behalf. Thus the hearts of the children will be turned
towards their fathers; otherwise the children must also perish with
their fathers, and all flesh would be smitten with a curse. Why?
Because we have the power given unto us from heaven to feel after our
fathers, and yet we will not do it; consequently, we would be cursed,
and we could not escape from it.

Vol. 7, p.80
Though the Gospel may be revealed to us, we cannot partake of it, and
enjoy its principles, and neglect the fathers. That is a duty enjoined
upon the children in the last dispensation; that is the duty enjoined
upon us, and [p.81] by no less a personage than the one I have named.
That Prophet who had such great power while he remained on the
earth—that had power to call down fire upon his enemies—that had power
to call fire from heaven and consume the sacrifices,—that Prophet who
was wafted to heaven in a chariot of fire—that same august personage
has been sent from the eternal worlds With this important message to
the children, that we might extend a helping hand to our fathers that
are dead, that they might be benefited, as well as we, by the great
plan of human redemption.

Vol. 7, p.81
Now, the great and grand question to be understood by us is, Wherein
do the children benefit the fathers? In what respect, how, and in what
manner are their hearts turned to them? And also, on the other hand,
in what way can the fathers benefit the children? For not only the
hearts of the children have to be turned to the fathers, but the
hearts of the fathers are to be turned to the children. Both of these
objects are to be accomplished in the great mission given to Elijah.

Vol. 7, p.81
Let us first inquire, In what way are the children that are upon the
earth to be benefited by their fathers that are dead? I have already
told you. Had it not been for the fathers that are dead, where would
have been the Priesthood?

Vol. 7, p.81
Could we have got it from the Church of Rome? No; for it never was
restored to them. Is there any possible way by which the people
calling themselves Latter-day Saints could have been benefited by the
authority and Priesthood of heaven, unless it were through our fathers
who were sent from heaven, holding the authority and conferring it
upon the children, that they might officiate in behalf of those who
died without the knowledge of the Gospel? There is no other way; and
this is the way we obtained it; and we have certainly been benefited
by it, and the hearts of our fathers holding the Priesthood have
really and truly been turned unto us. While they lived upon the earth,
they looked down through the dark vista of ages, and beheld their
children in the last dispensation, and the work they were to
accomplish. They beheld the time when all things in heaven and on the
earth, that are in Christ, should be gathered together in one; and
they called it "the dispensation of the fulness of times:" in other
words, a dispensation that includes all other dispensations. Do you
understand that? For instance, the former dispensations that have been
upon this earth have been dispensations only in part: they were
calculated in their nature to accomplish certain objects upon the face
of the earth, but they never embraced the fathers and the children
down to the end of time.

Vol. 7, p.81
In the last dispensation of the fulness of times all other
dispensations will be consolidated. It will be the winding-up
dispensation of this earth, introduced before the great and terrible
day of the Lord comes. It will be a dispensation that will take hold
of the fathers back to the earliest ages of the world. It will be a
dispensation in which the keys that were committed to the Apostles in
the ancient days will be delivered to chosen ones—a dispensation in
which all the keys and powers held by all the ancient Prophets will be
delivered—a dispensation that will reach back unto the days of Moses,
and that will take hold of patriarchal keys, and the righteous
institutions of those that lived in the days of the flood, and back to
the days of our father Adam; and there will be keys and powers
restored once revealed to him. All these dispensations could not be
perfected without the grand dispensation of the fulness of times  that
will encompass all the [p.82] inhabitants of the earth, of all ages
and generations, in one vast general assembly. All things in heaven,
recollect, and all things on the earth that are in Christ are to be
gathered in one.

Vol. 7, p.82
Did any other dispensations accomplish this? Contemplate the works of
all past dispensations, and you will find all were not gathered in
one. It is true they were gathered from time to time in the heavens,
to wait there for the time when all the righteous of this globe should
be gathered into one vast assembly—the fathers with the children, and
the children with the fathers: the one could not be perfected without
the other.

Vol. 7, p.82
Herein, then, both the fathers and the children are interested, and
the children are benefited through the assistance of the keys handed
down from heaven by the fathers; and on the other hand, that portion
of the fathers who died in ignorance are benefited by the assistance
of the keys committed into the hands of the children who will
officiate in their behalf.

Vol. 7, p.82
But now let us come to particulars in regard to this subject. How do
the children officiate in behalf of the fathers? We can officiate
while in the flesh so far as ordinances are concerned. We cannot
believe for our fathers, we cannot repent for them, we cannot receive
the Holy Ghost for our fathers, and we cannot attain to any other
point pertaining to the mind or the spirit of man.

Vol. 7, p.82
Wherein, inquires one, can we benefit our fathers, if we cannot repent
for them, nor believe for them, nor receive the Holy Ghost for them?
In what manner can we benefit them? I will tell you what we can do. We
can be baptized for the dead. Can it be possible that there is such a
principle? Turn to the 15th chapter of Paul's 1st Epistle to the
Corinthians, where you can read the words of the great Apostle upon
the subject of baptism for the dead. "Else," said he, "what shall they
do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why
are they then baptized for the dead?"

Vol. 7, p.82
He understood the matter; it was all plain before him; and he was
writing to a people who understood it: they had received previous
instructions, although these words are contained in what is called
Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians; and in this first Epistle we
read that he had written another epistle to that same people; but that
is lost. If we had that first epistle which Paul refers to in what is
now termed  "the first Epistle," we should probably find this doctrine
fully revealed, for he wrote to them as though they understood all
about it. He could with propriety have addressed them in a style
something like this:—You Corinthians have received the ordinance of
baptism for the dead; you have gone forth and been baptized for and in
behalf of the dead; you have been buried in water in the likeness of
Christ's death, and raised from it in the likeness of his
resurrection, in behalf of the dead: and now, inasmuch as you
understand it, what will you do, if the dead rise not at all? As much
as to say that baptism will give you a full and clear title to come
forth in the morning of the first resurrection; and also your dead can
rise in the morning of the first resurrection, inasmuch as you have
been baptized for them: but if the dead are not raised from their
graves, neither you nor they can be benefited by baptism.

Vol. 7, p.82
This is the argument of Paul. This looks consistent. Those spirits of
our fathers whose bodies are in their graves can repent, for they have
not lost their agency; they can believe in Jesus  Christ, for that is
an act of the mind: they can reform from [p.83] every evil, because
they are agents; for it is the spirit that can do good or evil. That
same being, called the spirit, can repent in the eternal worlds as
well as here; it can believe in Jesus Christ and in his atonement in
the eternal worlds as well as here: and if the Gospel is preached to
them there, they can receive it there, so far as the acts of the mind
are concerned; but they could not receive baptism there, for that is
an ordinance pertaining to the body: it is an outward ordinance—an
ordinance instituted particularly for those that are in the flesh.

Vol. 7, p.83
Baptism is for the remission of the sins of those who are in the body;
and it is the same for the generations of the dead, if their sins are
to be forgiven through the droning blood of Jesus Christ. The
conditions of forgiveness are the same in the spirit world as
here—namely, baptism for the remission of sins. But, inasmuch as they
have not the opportunity of being baptized in that spirit world, some
person else must officiate for them in their behalf. What power and
authority do the servants of God justly receive who administer here on
the earth? Do they administer as persons that have no authority? Do
they officiate as having received authority from man? Do they assume
authority? is this the kind of authority with which the true servants
of God administer in ordinances? No. The authority committed into the
hands of the servants of God, in all dispensations of the Gospel, is
the power to bind on the earth, and it is bound in heaven,—to seal on
the earth and it is sealed in heaven,—to loose on the earth, and it is
loosed in the heavens; and whosesoever sins they remit here on the
earth, they are to be remitted in the heavens; and whosesoever sins
they retain here upon the earth, they are retained against those
individuals in the heavens. This is the authority of the servants of
God in all dispensations of the Gospel from the earliest ages of the
world until the present timer Any authority which does not embrace
this power in the ministration of ordinances is altogether useless and
in vain. Baptism received at the hands of any unauthorized person is
good for nothing.

Vol. 7, p.83
When the children of men here in the flesh receive the Gospel for
themselves, they are baptized for the remission of sins, and receive
the fulness of the Gospel and the hope of eternal life in the kingdom
of God for themselves: when they also have a dispensation committed to
them for the benefit of their fathers who are dead, unless they
exercise their agency in trying to benefit the fathers, they will, as
Malachi predicts, be smitten with a curse:they will not be profited
themselves by the Gospel which they have received. Why? Because they
do not reach forward and try to reclaim others whose bodies are
sleeping in the grave.

Vol. 7, p.83
The Latter-day Saints have had this subject revealed to them; and the
great God that sent his angel to Joseph Smith, to give him power and
authority to translate the history of ancient America, with the Gospel
and prophecies contained in it, has spoken to the same man, revealing
to him the keys of Elijah, and power to seal on earth that which shall
be sealed in the heavens: therefore, when by that authority the
servants and handmaids of the Lord go forth and are baptized for those
that are dead, it is recorded and sealed on the earth. The
administrator who officiates for and in behalf of the dead does it by
authority. He says—Having authority given me in the name of Jesus
Christ, I baptize you for and in behalf of your father, of your
mother, of your grandfather, or of any of your ancestors, as the case
may be, that are dead; and I [p.84] do this in the name of the Father
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This is recorded in the sacred
records kept on the earth; and the recording angel who takes
cognizance of the ordinances on the earth makes a record of the same
in heaven. I do not know but Elijah himself may be the recording angel
for eternity.

Vol. 7, p.84
The sacred books kept in the archives of eternity are to be opened in
the great judgment day, and compared with the records kept on the
earth; and then, if it is found that things have been done by the
authority and commandment of the Most High, in relation to the dead,
and the same things are found to be recorded both on earth and in
heaven, such sacred hooks will be opened and read before the assembled
universe in the day of judgment, and will be sanctioned by Him who
sits on the throne and deals out justice and mercy to all of his
creation. Our fathers who are in the spirit world must have a message
sent to them. What benefit would it be for you and me to go forth and
be baptized for our fathers, or for our grandfathers, or for any of
our ancestors who are dead, if no message is to be sent to them in the
spirit world? A message must be sent to them.

Vol. 7, p.84
There are authorities in heaven as well as upon the earth, and the
authorities in heaven are far greater in number than the few who are
upon the earth. This is only a little branch of the great tree of the
Priesthood—merely a small branch receiving authority from heaven, so
that the inhabitants of the earth may be benefited as well as the
inhabitants of the eternal world; but the great trunk of the tree of
the Priesthood is in heaven. There you will find thousand and millions
holding the power of the Priesthood; there you will find numerous
hosts of messengers to be sent forth to benefit; the numerous nations
of the dead. They go forth having authority; they enter into the
prison, houses of the dead; they open their mouths by authority and
commandment of the Most High God; they preach to them Jesus Christ as
the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world: they show to
the inhabitants of the dead, in their prison-houses, that his
atonement was intended to reach them as well as people dwelling upon
the earth. And in proof of this, let me refer you to what the Apostle
Peter says in relation to Jesus our great High Priest and Apostle, who
was sent forth by the commandment of the Father to our world. Peter
says that after he was crucified and put to death in the flesh, he
went to preach to the spirits in prison which perished in the floods,
when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while
the ark was preparing.

Vol. 7, p.84
We learn from this that Jesus has set the example—that he came forth
while in the flesh to minister unto those in the flesh; and while his
body slept in the tomb, and his spirit was separate from the same, he
still felt himself authorized as an, Apostle and High Priest to go to
those prison-houses and open the prison doors and set the captives
free. He found those old antediluvian spirits that existed on the
earth some two thousand years before that time; he preached to them;
and, as Peter says, in the next chapter, he preached the Gospel to
them:—"For for this cause was the Gospel preached to them that are
dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, and
live according to God in the spirit." They could not be judged by the
same law, unless it was preached to them. The same Gospel must be
sounded in their ears that was sounded in the ears of the living. If
they reject it in their prison-houses, they will be punished by the
same law you and I will be punished by, if we reject, it in the
flesh.[p.85] 

Vol. 7, p.85
One of the powers of the Priesthood is that whatsoever you shall loose
on the earth shall be loosed in the heavens. Now, if a spirit does
sincerely receive a messenger in that prison—if he believes his
testimony and hearkens to all things that are said—if he believes that
Jesus Christ has tasted death for every man—for those who die in
ignorance, as well as for those who hear the Gospel in the flesh, he
will be informed that in yonder world, or in the world he came from,
there is authority given for men and women to be baptized for such.

Vol. 7, p.85
Those messengers sent to preach in prison will most likely interrogate
the prisoners in language something like this:—Will you receive our
testimony? Do you believe that Jesus Christ has tasted death for every
man? Do you believe that through your repentance and faith, and
through the ordinance of baptism in your behalf, by those that are
living in yonder world, you may have a remission of your sins? If they
believe it, and actually do repent, the ordinance of baptism
administered here in their behalf will benefit them there. But, says
one, this being baptized for another looks rather inconsistent to me.
Why does it? Suppose a man is placed in a situation that he could not
be baptized for himself, must his sins be retained unto him? Must he
remain in prison throughout all ages of eternity, because he has lost
his body, and has not the privilege of being baptized? Does that look
inconsistent with the justice of God? Then why not another person
administer in his behalf? How could you have atoned for yourselves? If
it had not been for the agency of another being that acted for you and
in your behalf, you must have perished eternally. You had forfeited
every right and title to the blessings of the kingdom of God: all
mankind were shut out from the presence of God, and became dead as to
things pertaining to righteousness: the sentence of the first death
was placed upon father Adam and his children, which was irrevocable,
if there had been no atonement.

Vol. 7, p.85
We would have had to lay down these bodies, never to rise from the
tomb, if there had been no atonement: our spirits would have been for
ever subject to that being that tempted our first parents, and we
could not have helped ourselves. Hence, the Son of God came forth and
made an atonement, not for himself, but for and in behalf and in the
name of his younger brethren, that they, through his blood, and
through certain conditions of the Gospel, might receive forgiveness of
their sins. One of these conditions is baptism: but spirits are placed
in a condition where they cannot receive this ordinance. And now, why
not somebody have authority to go and administer for them and in their
behalf? Not only Jesus has acted in behalf of the children of men, but
it pertains to the same Priesthood and Apostleship, wherever it is
placed, to act for and in behalf of the children of men: hence, Paul
says, We beseech you, not in our own name, but in Christ's stead, be
ye reconciled to God. They came forth to officiate, for the children
of men, that could not help themselves without authorized ministers. 

Vol. 7, p.85
Just so, the dead could not help themselves without messengers being
sent to them in their prison-houses, and without persons in the flesh
being authorized to receive Gospel ordinances for them and in their
behalf. How are we to know the individuals for whom we should be
baptized? We know nothing about our ancestors very far back. We can,
perhaps, go back to our grandfathers, and some of you may possibly
trace your genealogies back seven or eight generations, [p.86] and get
the names of your ancestors. But when you get these, there is a still
longer chain, with many links to it, before you get back where the
chain has been mended up by ancient administrators. How can we be
baptized for persons whose very names are lost? Do you suppose that
the Prophet Elijah would be sent from heaven with this great and
important mission to turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the hearts of the children to the fathers, and then leave them in
entire ignorance with regard to their genealogies?

Vol. 7, p.86
If Elijah the Prophet is to be sent before the great and dreadful day
of the Lord to turn the hearts of the children to the fathers, you may
be assured that we shall learn something about the genealogy of those
fathers.

Vol. 7, p.86
We shall learn by the spirit of revelation whom to be baptized for,
and whom to officiate for in the holy ordinances of the Gospel. Herein
is the necessity of revelation. Take away revelation from this great
dispensation of the fulness of times, and I would not give you much
for the mission of Elijah, or for the dispensation itself. Take away
that great principle that always characterized all other
dispensations, and you throw us into uncertainty on tens of thousands
of important subjects.

Vol. 7, p.86
But when a communication is opened between man and his Maker, and
angels are sent down to restore their keys and their powers, light
shines at once upon our pathway. It may be asked, Where are these
ordinances to be attended to? Can we run over the world and pick up
Saints here and there and baptize them for their dead? No. The house
of God is a house of order, the kingdom of God is a kingdom of order,
and everything must be conducted with order, and with power and
authority, so that when it is sealed on earth it is sealed in the
heavens, that the records on earth and in heaven may agree—that the
Priesthood on earth and in heaven may agree—that they may be one.

Vol. 7, p.86
These things cannot be attended to in all places on the earth. There
are certain appointed places for the ministration of these holy
ordinances, Temples must be built, by the commandment of the Almighty,
unto his holy name, that shall be sanctified and made holy from the
foundation stone unto the top thereof, consecrated to the living God
for the administration of holy ordinances, not only for the benefit of
the living, but for the benefit of the fathers who are dead. But in
what apartments in the Temple shall the baptism for the dead be
administered? It will be in the proper place—in the lowest story or
department of the house of God. Why? Because it must be in a place
underneath where the living assemble, in representation of the dead
that are laid down in the grave. There a baptismal font must be
erected by the commandment of the Most High, and after the pattern he
shall give by revelation unto his servants;and in such a font this
sacred and holy ordinance must be administered by the servants of God.

Vol. 7, p.86
We will mention another thing in regard to the authority that receives
these communications. Every man will not be his own revelator in these
matters, for there would be ten thousand revelators, and perhaps no
more than five hundred of them would be true.

Vol. 7, p.86
In the manifestation of spiritual gifts which God has given to his
servants in all ages of the world, he has had those appointed with
authority and power to discern which were from God, and which were
not. In the days of Moses there were many Prophets. The spirit of
prophecy  rested upon seventy Elders of Israel on a certain occasion;
and when Joshua [p.87] saw some of them in their tents prophesying, he
ran to Moses, with great zeal, and said, "My lord Moses forbid them.
He felt zealous for Moses, for fear he would lose his honour as a
Prophet among so many. Moses exclaimed, "I would to God all the Lord's
people were prophets." If they had been, it would have required a
great many having the gift to discern the spirits of the Prophets to
know which were true. So it will be in relation to the revelations of
genealogies of the Saints of the living God. If they are to feel after
their fathers that are dead, and redeem them by the holy ordinance of
baptism, they will not go to work in the dark, nor by the prophecies
and revelations of every person who may offer himself as a revelator
or prophet. There will be an order in the house of God; there will be
a Moses there, or, in other words, a man holding the keys and
authority of these things.

Vol. 7, p.87
Moses was the great Prophet in Israel, though there were other
prophets. Says the Lord, I will reveal myself to those other prophets
in dark sayings; I will instruct them in figures and dreams; but not
so with my servant Moses: I will talk to him face to face, and the
similitude of the Lord shall he behold. So, in the dispensation of the
latter days, a Moses will stand in the congregation filled with the
Holy Ghost, and the spirit of revelation will be upon him, to receive
instruction from the heavens in regard to the fathers and the
dispensation over which he presides.

Vol. 7, p.87
Now, let me refer you to a little Scripture on this subject. I have
already referred you to what Peter and Paul said. Isaiah, in the 24th
chapter, prophesies of the great day of burning—of the great day when
the earth shall reel to and fro as a drunken man—of the great day when
all nations of the wicked will perish; after which, he further adds,
"And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall punish the
host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth
upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are
gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after
many days shall they be visited. Then the moon shall be confounded,
and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion
and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Vol. 7, p.87
You see, from these passages, that in the last days many of those
kings and high ones who will not place themselves in a position to
receive the Gospel, and who die ignorant of its principles, will be
gathered together as prisoners in the pit, and be shut up for many
days, with a fearful looking for the judgment of the great day. They
will not know what is coming—what will befall them, like all prisoners
guilty of crime. But after many days they shall be visited by the
servants of God, as Jesus visited the antediluvians with a message:
the door of their prison will be thrown open, after they have been
sufficiently long confined; and if they repent, they can be redeemed;
but if they will not repent, they will be taken from thence and cast
into outer darkness.

Vol. 7, p.87
You know that men are taken up for crime and shut up in the calaboose,
or jail, or some such place to stay there for a length of time until
they are brought to judgment; and then they are sentenced to hard
labour, perhaps, in the Penitentiary. These will be in torment until
they obey the message sent to them; and if they do not receive the
message of pardon, they will be punished until they have paid the
uttermost farthing; that is, they will be punished with eternal
punishment.

Vol. 7, p.88
We might quote you many other passages in relation to this subject;
[p.88] but it is unnecessary for us to multiply passages on a subject
that ought to be familiar to all the Latter-day Saints: and as it is a
subject that does not particularly benefit strangers, I do not know
that it is necessary for them to have all the evidence; for they have
not authority to be baptized for their dead, because they have not
been baptized for themselves.

Vol. 7, p.88
They may like to know what the peculiar doctrines of the Latter-day
Saints are, and that is all the good it will do them. But, as
Latter-day Saints, we have principles to lay before the inhabitants of
the earth that embrace, not only the people living on it, but all the
generations of the dead. It is the most charitable doctrine that was
ever preached to the nations of the earth. The Universalists think
they are very charitable. Why? Because they send all to heaven,
whether they are good or evil, saints or sinners. Murderers,
drunkards, and all classes of society are to dwell together in heaven.
And what a heaven it would be!—Methodists contending against Baptists,
and Baptists against Methodists, Presbyterians against Quakers, Roman
Catholics against Protestants, and Nothingarians against Sectarians,
and Sectarians against Nothingarians; and then add to the whole
catalogue of contending sects drunkards, blasphemers, whoremongers,
murderers, and every species of wicked beings, all jumbled up
together. Oh, what a happy place! Brother Kimball says—"And all of
them with a revolver and bowie knife at their sides."

Vol. 7, p.88
I think I should pray for an outside corner without the walls. I
should want to get at a great distance from such a heterogeneous mass.
They call this charity; but it is different from the charity which
dwells in the bosom of God. I do not think he has charity enough to
associate with a company of this description. But the Latter-day
Saints have their Church founded on true principles, law, and
order,—principles revealed from heaven, that all on the earth, and in
the eternal worlds may be saved on pure principles, and pure
principles only. If they ever inherit the kingdom of God, they must go
there with hearts as pure as the angels of God; if they dwell in his
presence, they must be pure as he is pure, perfect as he is perfect,
that the holy order of heaven may be graced with all the perfection,
holiness, and godliness of character that we read of in the Scriptures
of eternal truth. Such a heaven will be a heaven indeed. It is the
goodness and virtue of beings that inherit a place which make it
desirable.

Vol. 7, p.88
You select a place that is surrounded  with many disadvantages, like
these deserts and mountain wilds, and place a pure people there—a
people perfectly organized and influenced by the Holy Ghost in all
things, doing unto others as they would have others do to them in
everything, meting out justice on the principles of righteousness and
truth; and let every one be perfectly honest in his deal, and let his
hands be continually stayed from stealing other people's property, and
let there be no quarrelling or evil speaking; and if such a people do
have to toil and labour in the midst of these mountains and kanyons,
yet they are happy; they carry heaven in their own bosoms, or the
principles that make happiness abide within them. When these Godlike
principles become there fully developed—when the Saints become more
rooted and grounded in them, and enter into the eternal worlds and
find everybody there, like themselves, pure in heart, it will make a
perfect heaven. You place the wicked there, with all their
abominations, and it will transform heaven into a hell.

Vol. 7, p.89
It matters not how beautiful a place [p.89] it may be,—although it is
as lovely as the garden of Eden—though everything in the eternal world
harmonizes and the elements all conspire to produce happiness, yet
place a people there with wicked hearts, and it is hell. You take a
man full of corruption and introduce him into the society of the pure
and just, and it would be a perfect hell to him.

Vol. 7, p.89
I have often heard blasphemers and drunkards and abominable characters
say, I really hope I shall at last get to heaven. If they get there,
they will be in the most miserable place they could be in. Were they
to behold the face of God, or the angels, it would kindle in them a
flame of unquenchable fire; it would be the very worst place a wicked
man could get into: he would much rather go and dwell in hell with the
Devil and his host. On the other hand, you take a man that is pure in
heart—a holy being, and place him in the society of the devils, and he
is not in his element; the society is disagreeable. If he were obliged
to stay there and behold the corrupt and evil doings of the wicked and
abominable, it would in some degree make a hell for him to look upon
their conduct, and still such a being would have one principle about
him that would enable him to control, in a measure, his feelings; that
is, he would have control over those characters; and herein is the
power of the Priesthood. If the servants of God are sent to the
spirit-prison to minister unto them, if they are sent to those who are
in a state of Wickedness and degradation to minister to them, they
have one source of comfort—they are not confined there as prisoners;
they go there voluntarily; they do not associate with their
wickedness, but hate it; they are willing to stay there, peradventure
they may bring some of them to repentance; and the Devil has no power
over them: they have learned to control him in this life, to rebuke
him, and to say unto him, Get behind us, Satan! When a Saint arrives
in that eternal world, if he be sent on a mission into the dominions
of Satan, to reclaim some under his power, he can say to Satan and to
all his armies, Depart hence! He has the power of the Priesthood to
command him and all powers under him, and they are obliged to obey.
Not so with a wicked man: he gets, into a perfect hell, wherever you
place him, so long as he harbours wickedness in his breast.

Vol. 7, p.89
But we have spoken concerning our fathers that are to be redeemed. We
have spoken concerning the work of the children to redeem them. Let me
here say that before this last dispensation ends there will be a
perfect unbroken chain from the first of the fathers to the time of
the close of the dispensation; and all will be saved who can be saved:
all who are placed within the power of redemption Will be
redeemed,—not redeemed to the same degree of salvation, but some will
inherit one kingdom, and some another; some receiving the highest or
celestial glory, being crowned with crowns of glory in the presence of
God for ever, shining forth like the sun in its meridian strength;
while others, though celestial, will be subject to them, inheriting a
less degree of celestial glory. Others will inherit a terrestrial
glory, or the glory of the moon. Others will inherit a glory still
less than this, which may be termed a telestial glory, like that of
the stars—a glory small indeed! They are all redeemed, according to
their repentance, faithfulness, and works of righteousness, into these
various degrees of glory. On the other hand, opposite to these various
degrees of glory, are various degrees of punishment; some inheriting a
prison, where they may be visited with rays of hope; others inheriting
outer [p.90] darkness, where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing
of teeth; others cast into a bottomless or lowermost pit to dwell with
the Devil and his angels throughout eternity, having committed the
unpardonable sin, for whom there is no forgiveness in this world nor
the world to come; and thus the justice of God will be magnified as
well as his mercy; for God is perfectly just, being just according to
our notions of justice; for among the original qualities of our minds
we have correct notions of justice implanted in Our bosoms originally
by God him. self: also what we know of mercy originated from God. He
implanted the principles of justice and mercy in our hearts, and he
implanted the same principles that dwell in his own bosom.

Vol. 7, p.90
What is justice with us, when we are truly enlightened, is justice
with God; and what is mercy with us, when we are truly enlightened, is
mercy with God: and these great attributes will be magnified in the
dealing out of punishments and rewards.

Vol. 7, p.90
Every man whack ever has lived, or ever will live, will be dealt with
according to his works and the law of the Gospel. There is another
thing I wish to lay before this congregation, and that is in regard to
those generations to whom the Gospel has not been committed in time.
While I have been travelling abroad, many have said to me, How is it?
You teach us that there has been no Church of God for many generations
on the earth. You teach us that our fathers and mothers in generations
gone past have died without the knowledge of the Gospel; you teach us
that God is a just being, and will punish men by the law of the
Gospel; and how is it that he suffered all these generations to remain
without the Gospel while in the flesh? I Want to answer this question,
and tell you why there was no Church on the earth six hundred or a
thousand years ago—why generation after generation have fallen into
their graves, without hearing the voice of God, or any communication
from him. I will give you the reason why, and then leave you to judge
in relation to the matter. It is well known that the nations killed
off the old Apostles and Prophets, and banished the Church of Christ
from the earth. Those who remained were corrupt, evil, and devilish,
desiring to work wickedness, having no desires for righteousness,
having apostatized from the truth. Because of the great wickedness
which reigned, the Lord Almighty saw that it was impossible for him to
reveal a dispensation and protect it on the earth; he saw that it was
impossible to be done in those dark ages. For if he had revealed
himself to any man, and that man should go forth and say, Thus saith
the Lord God, he might, before the sun went down, look for his head to
be taken off his shoulders, or to be stretched upon the wheels of the
Inquisition, to be tortured with all manner of cruelties as a heretic.
And if he should undertake to work secretly with mankind, after it was
found out publicly, he would have been hunted from one end of the
earth to the other, until he was destroyed and all his followers. This
would have brought innocent blood again upon the people. The Lord saw
that they would bring greater wickedness on themselves, if he revealed
a dispensation, than to withhold it; for they would have been sure to
take the lives of his servants, and bring innocent blood upon their
heads, even as their fathers did. This would effectually prevent them
from entering into that prison where they, in due time, could hear the
Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.90
To prevent the effusion of innocent blood and give them a chance, the
Lord withheld from them his Church.[p.91]  The Lord might have
reasoned thus :—I will not raise up my Church in their midst, for they
will put the people of that Church to death. If I restore the
authority to the earth, they will root it out; they will shed innocent
blood: therefore, I will send these generations into their graves in
ignorance; and when governments are established so liberal that there
will be some prospect of establishing my kingdom on the earth, then I
will send Elijah the Prophet, and he shall give authority to the
children to search after their fathers who died in ignorance of the
Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.91
We are willing to go the earth over to save the living; we are willing
to build temples and administer in ordinances to save the dead; we are
willing to enter the eternal worlds and preach to every creature who
has not placed himself beyond the reach of mercy. We are willing to
labour both in this world and in the next to save men.

Vol. 7, p.91
I will now close my remarks by saying, Let all rejoice that the great
day of the dispensation of the fulness of times has come. Let the
living rejoice; let the dead rejoice; let the heavens and the earth
rejoice; let all creation shout hosannah! glory to God in the highest!
for he hath brought salvation, and glory, and honour, and immortality,
and eternal life to the fallen sons of men. Amen.

Daniel H. Wells, March 9, 1856

Duty of Sustaining and Upholding the First Presidency 
in All Their Operations, Etc.

A Discourse by Elder DANIEL H. WELLS, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 9, 1856.

Reproted By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.91
It appears to have fallen to my lot to occupy a few moments of this
morning. Though unexpected to me, I rejoice in the opportunity of
addressing you in a public manner, in meeting with the Saints of God,
and learning those principles which are calculated for our exaltation.
I rejoice in being numbered with the Saints of the Most High, and that
I have a part in the great work of the last days in connection with my
brethren—those with whom I am more closely associated, and those who
are before me.

Vol. 7, p.91
I feel assured that this work is all-important, and that we consult
our own interests more than those of any one else in being engages an
it. I rejoice in the present position, prospects, and condition of
this people, and in the progress which they have made in gathering
those who are zealous of good works, and whose aim and designs are to
build up the kingdom of God on the earth. We are fast becoming a great
nation; we have passed on from stage to stage until we are recognized
as a nation composed of Saints—of "Mormons." We have made great
strides in power and influence since this people were organized, audit
is a matter of great rejoicing with me.

Vol. 7, p.92
Of all government organizations on earth, I deem the organization of
[p.92] this Church, with its First Presidency, its Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles, of High Priests, of Seventies, its Bishopric, &c.,
the most perfect. It is one great whole, and perfect in all its parts.
That First Presidency have called around them men to aid and assist in
carrying on the business requisite in rolling forth this work, to
build up cities and temples, and to assist in counselling and leading
the people.

Vol. 7, p.92
Then does it not become our duty to rally round the standard raised by
that Presidency, and to sustain and upheld them? I think it does; and
it is more particularly to this point that I wish to direct the
attention of the congregation.

Vol. 7, p.92
Our cause affords sufficient occupation to absorb the attention,
energies, and ability of every man and woman in the world, aside from
the few who embrace the faith. We will say, then, that whatever the
First Presidency wish to accomplish should be sustained; and they
should be supported by the entire mass of the people, in order that
the people may be united, and that all operations may be carried out
as directed from day to day.

Vol. 7, p.92
We expect to build up the kingdom of God on the earth, that we may
have access to the courts of heaven and participate in those
endowments and exaltations in this life and in the life to come which
we anticipate. Do the people understand, or do they not, that it is
their privilege and duty to devote all they have, as well as their
energy and ability, for the furtherance of this Gospel? It sometimes
appears to me that if they understood this matter in the light in
which I do, the First Presidency would not be so burdened with debt as
they now are. Many are probably not so well acquainted with the
business operations of the Church as I am; for they are not appointed
to specially operate in that, department. Last season's operations in
the emigration of the poor created over fifty-three thousand dollars
indebtedness, which was rolled in upon the Presidency to meet here. In
whose hands are these means? In the hands of those who have been
brought here, and the brethren who have lent them come with their
drafts to draw the pay. The past season has been financially
disastrous; and when disasters visit the people, they affect the heads
of the Church, who feel them more sensibly than do any other part of
the community. Large numbers of cattle perished on the Plains, our
crops were destroyed by drought and grasshoppers, and many cattle and
horses died during the winter. These losses have materially curtailed
the resources of the Church,  and it had not funds with which to
promptly meet all indebtedness. Worse than all, most of the creditors
require every dollar to be paid in money, and that, too, forthwith;
the amounts must be forthcoming in money. Suppose we say that the
Emigrating Fund Company are responsible for their debts, and should
be; but what are their resources? It is well known that they consist
of the debts which are held against those who have been assisted, and
the cattle and waggons with which they came. Unless these debts are
collected, and the oxen and waggons turned into mercy, how can the
Company meet their liabilities, so long as only cash will be taken in
payment? There has been no sale for this kind of property by which
money could be realized; and the poor, who have been assisted, have
not been in a situation to refund the money which has been expended in
their transportation. Wherefore it is easy to comprehend what becomes
of the means of the Perpetual Emigrating Company. The whole weight of
indebtedness falls upon the President, when at the same time he is not
obliged by law or by any fair, reasonable, [p.93] or honest
requirement to pay one farthing of it. He has absorbed the resources
of the Church to meet this indebtedness, for which nothing out money
would answer; and that is the source from whence money has come, and
not from the resources of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company.

Vol. 7, p.93
Why cannot the brethren who hold claims against the Company exercise a
little judgment and patience, and wait until the people who have been
assisted are able to pay? Some of the creditors may say that they are
poor. And what if they are? They say that they had means once, and
they take it hard to be shortened. What of that? What if they should
come on a level with the rest of their brethren? Is there no reward in
this? Are they not professedly Saints? and do they not wish to gain an
eternal exaltation with the Saints? Suppose you do let your means go
in this way, what of it? And suppose you never get it again in cash,
there are the resources of the Company. Take them, and that in
strictness is all you could do.

Vol. 7, p.93
But no: many are ready to apostatize if they cannot get their money.
Some were not in the city a week, and others not a day before they
came to see if they could not get their money, for fear they would
come to want. I mention this conduct because it is not right. I would
like brethren to come into this kingdom with an understanding that
their salvation will cost them all they have got and all they ever
will have. Perhaps there are a few who measurably feel and realize
what the Presidency have to encounter in these and other business
operations; for there is hardly a poor person in the Church but
expects to have the Presidency sustain them. They are the first ones
they apply to, it seems to me, to sustain them. This they are willing
to do, if they had the ability, and generally they have had the
ability; and perhaps that is one reason why the poor throng them.

Vol. 7, p.93
We have Bishops, Teachers, Deacons, and Priests in this kingdom,
according to its organization; and I would here ask one question: Is
it not manifest that these helps should stretch forth their hands and
strive to assist? There is such a thing as overburdening the
Presidency in these matters.

Vol. 7, p.93
I do not presume, in this crisis, that the Bishops and their helps
have food sufficient to support all the poor in their Wards; but what
do I suppose? That they have heads on their shoulders, and that the
Teachers have, and they can calculate, and devise, and manage, and
arrange for their neighbours, and those who are under their care; and
I suppose that it is their duty to do so, and take that care from the
Presidency of the Church. The conduct of many would indicate that they
think that the Presidency can easily attend to each of their
individual affairs, and those too of a trifling character. I almost
daily turn away numbers who press to the President with trifling
questions.

Vol. 7, p.93
I will mention one instance, by way of illustration. The other day a
man came to ask the President if he could not inform him how he could
collect a debt from one who owed him. What was that to President
Young? I told him to attend to his own business, and to go to the
proper authorities. Do you suppose that President Young is going to
collect all the debts of this people? Just reflect for a moment what
an immense amount of business would roll upon that man, if he would
let the numbers who wish to, consult him upon every trifle.

Vol. 7, p.93
I have referred to only one instance; but similar ones are as numerous
as the stars in the heavens. He has the most patience of any man in
the world, or he would not listen to nearly [p.94]  as many as he
does. I have observed one thing—the poor, the weak, and afflicted I
never know him to turn away: he will always condescend to their
smallest wishes. It is a great burden upon him, and I can tell the
people that it is wearing heavily upon him. Let any person, if he
wishes to comprehend the matter fully, tax his mind to the utmost in a
thousand different ways in a day, seeking to advise and counsel for
the best good of those who apply to him, and he will find that it will
fast wear him down to the grave.

Vol. 7, p.94
The power of faith and the blessings of the Almighty sustain our
President. Were it not for them, no man on earth could perform the
labour he performs; and I believe that no other man ever did.

Vol. 7, p.94
Circumstances render it impossible to go on with the Public Works. We
have work enough to do, but we have not provisions to give the
labourer. It is unpleasant to stop the Public Works, not only because
it retards improvement, but because those who have been labouring on
the works look to that quarter for their subsistence. Many who have
laboured there are without breadstuff or anything to eat;  and they
think that if they can get to work as formerly, they will get food.
The only wonder to me is that anything has been left until now, and
there is not much. We have to get along from hand to mouth in order to
conduct matters on the present limited  scale, and are obliged to stop
operations until after harvest. It is the counsel of the First
Presidency for every one to be diligent in raising grain and other
products of the soil, that we may replenish the granaries and
storehouse, and have food to sustain the labourors.

Vol. 7, p.94
The every-day duties of life are the ones which are particularly
incumbent on the Saints; and it is for them to be humble and perform
their duties faithfaithfully, and the great work of the last days will
go on. It is rolling forth with magnitude and power, and these small
appearing matters are as important as anything else towards the
accomplishment of that end.

Vol. 7, p.94
We have a few business operations that we would be pleased to keep in
motion, if we could get the provisions with which to do so. In this
connection I will make a few remarks touching the Deseret News. Is it
not a good paper? and are not the people edified and profited by it?
How do they pay for it? There is not enough received on subscription
to sustain the hands who publish it—the compositors, and pressmen, and
others necessarily engaged upon it. I know this fact from what little
knowledge I have of that department, although that is not particularly
the department I have much to do with. Subscriptions are paid in
everything except provisions and money, and other valuable articles
requisite in publishing a paper.

Vol. 7, p.94
Aside from that, there are not one-fourth as many papers subscribed
for as there should be, and then paid for in good available means, at
least so far as each one might be able. About 4,000 papers are now
issued, and certainly 12,000 should be. Then it might be afforded
cheaper and be paid for promptly; and the people can easily pay for
it, because EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE THOUGHT OF is taken in payment. Why
do not the people sustain their paper more liberally? They will do
some good by doing that both to themselves and the cause. A new volume
is now commencing, and I recommend those who take it to continue to do
so, and to use an exertion to have their neighbours take it. And let
those who realize its value procure subscribers and send in their
names, accompanied with the pay, so far as possible, and that will
help to sustain the paper. What [p.95] makes me think and speak of it?
Simply this: There are men who work on it that are weak, through want
of suitable provision, insomuch that working off the 4,000 per week is
too hard for them. They are now rationed on half a pound of breadstuff
per day, and they begin to look sickly and to sink under the labour,
for want of more food. We have to give extra rations for extra work,
on account of having to carve so closely. Then why not come on with
six dollars in advance for the new volume, that the men who work on it
may have something to administer to their health and comfort from week
to week?

Vol. 7, p.95
Has there been means enough in the hands of those who attend to that
department to sustain it? No: they have had to call upon the Church
for aid. The subscribers have failed to furnish provision enough to
feed the men actually at work on the paper, or money with which to
purchase it. There are many who have available means, but do not take
the paper. They could and should take it and pay for it: I am
satisfied of this.

Vol. 7, p.95
It is the wish of the President that the Big Cottonwood canal be
completed this spring. When provisions are again plenty, we may set
men to quarrying rock for the Temple, and the canal be prepared for
its transportation. It is desirable to have this work done with
labour-tithing, particularly so far as the labourers can furnish
themselves. Let the Bishops call out the brethren to complete that
work as speedily and as extensively as it can be done without
interfering with tilling the soil, that it may be timely secured
against high water. These are some of the labours which the First
Presidency desire to carry out, and everybody should respond and
manifest, by their performances, their faith concerning them.

Vol. 7, p.95
I am not much of a hand to go into the mysteries, or to strive to peep
into futurity, to see how this or that is going to be done in the
world to come, and to strive to find out how high an exaltation I am
going to attain to. Those are matters that do not concern me at all. I
have no uneasiness on those subjects. I have always felt that if I did
my duty from day to day, and remained faithful to the end, I should
get a reward that would be perfectly satisfactory to me, whatever it
might be: therefore I never concern myself about what is going to be
my reward in future life. It was sufficient for me, when I learned
this faith, that I might be permitted to have a name among the Saints,
be numbered with them, have the opportunity of showing by my works
whether I was a Saint of the Most High God, and be permitted to assist
my brethren, and do what little I could for the rolling forth of this
kingdom, and building it up, regardless of the consequences in the
future, and perform those duties set before me from day to day with
the best ability and talent I could command, devoting myself
exclusively to the building up of this kingdom.

Vol. 7, p.95
That is the way in which I at first looked at "Mormonism," and it is
the way I have looked at it ever since. I am so strong in the belief
of the doctrine, that I recommend every one of the brethren and
sisters to look at it in the same light in which I do. It is the
all-absorbing topic with me; and it is no matter what I am called to
do in this work, it is for the sake of truth,—no matter how tired and
fatigued I may be, it is for the sake of truth.

Vol. 7, p.95
The more we can do, so much the better; for it is our duty, nothing
more,—it is our privilege, nothing less. And it is one of the greatest
privileges that has ever been extended to the children of men. That
privilege is a blessing which should be appreciated, and which I have
often [p.96] found was not sufficiently so, by some portions of the
people. I have known people applying for inducements to dwell among
this community, asking, "Can I get a living, in case I obey the truth?
Shall I be sustained in my profession as a lawyer, teacher, &c.?" as
though that had anything to do with the question—as though "Mormonism"
must support and sustain them. It will do it, it is true; but it is
their business to do all they can to sustain and promote that.

Vol. 7, p.96
The heavens are ready to shower down blessings, if the people are
ready to receive and sufficiently appreciate them. The reasons that we
have not the blessings of the Almighty in greater abundance arise from
the fact that we are not at present capable of receiving more. When
and where have this people ever seen the day when they have not had
just as much labour to perform as they could stand under? I have never
seen that day, and I do not expect to.

Vol. 7, p.96
Then let the firmly bear up our Shoulders, and nobly bear off the
kingdom. it is our work, if we will do it. The Lord wants us to do it:
it is a privilege he has extended to us. We have this to perform, and
he is letting the duty rest upon our shoulders as fast as we are able
to bear it. Shall we complain that it does not come fast enough? Let
us gird up our loins and go forth in the strength of the Almighty, and
accomplish the work as rapidly as we can.

Vol. 7, p.96
The Lord has set his hand to gather his people. Then let us realize
the good he has called us to perform, and be more diligent to do his
will. Let us exert ourselves in this work to the utmost, and be more
humble, faithful, and diligent, and the labour will increase, inasmuch
as we are able to do more. Who does not wish to see a Temple reared?
Whose hearts would not long, for joy to see that structure going up?
Then let us go to with all our might and raise grain; and when we
raise it, let us be careful how we use those blessings, and not, as in
times past, treat them lightly and tread them under our feet.

Vol. 7, p.96
Let us improve, in this particular, as in all other duties, and the
blessings of the Almighty will be continued with us in greater
abundance as we progress. Let us do all we can to sustain the
Presidency in the operations they wish carried out. Let us respond to
their calls when made, and abide the counsel given from time to time.
Let us live unitedly and shape, our lives according to the Gospel,
both in the sight of our God and our brethren. Let us put away
quarrelling and contention, and be willing to edify and counsel one
another.

Vol. 7, p.96
Let us do these things, and remain prayerful and humble before the
Lord, and see if he will not pour out a blessing greater than we have
ever yet enjoyed. But when the blessing comes, there is the danger.
Let us remember that we are always dependent on the great God, the
giver of all good. Do the world realize this? He will make this people
know it, and make them understand that they are, whether he does the
world or not.

Vol. 7, p.96
If the past will not suffice, we shall be chastened until we do
understand that we are dependent on Him, and that we have to walk by
faith. Can we walk by faith? He is trying some of us, I think. Do you
feel afraid that you will not have plenty to eat? I never do. I
recollect a circumstance that took place with myself in 1849. I was
living in a family of twelve persons, and we were out of provisions. A
neighbour, whose family was sick, informed me that he had not anything
in the house to eat. I told him to call and I would give him some
flour. I went out to get some breadstuff, and when I was out he
called. My sister-in-law told him to call again.  When [p.97] I made
him that promise, I did not know where the flour was coming from, and
there was not half as good a chance as there is now. When he called
again, I had the flour for him. In that way we lived, and I felt no
uneasiness about where the next meal was coming from. We had to ration
ourselves, and had something every time we needed it. If the brethren
would feel that way, I think they would save themselves much anxiety.

Vol. 7, p.97
I think if the people will exercise their faith as well as their
works, and use every means in their power, that they will be able to
manage pretty well, with the help of their Teachers and Bishops. I am
not in the least concerned but what there are provisions among the
community sufficient to carry us through, if a proper disposition is
made of them, and economy is adhered to by all. i have no uneasiness
on this matter, and recommend my brethren to have none.

Vol. 7, p.97
I would recommend to every individual a proper diligence in providing;
and if the brethren who have would open their hearts and distribute in
wisdom, it would be a very good thing; and I know that they do in a
great measure. Some are apt, at times, to make complaints against
those who have a little grain stored away, if the owners do not deal
it out to suit their notions. Some will complain of the person who is
doing his best to accommodate them. Though there may, sometimes, be
cause for complaint, at other times, when the matter is fairly
scanned, there is no cause.

Vol. 7, p.97
I am rejoiced with being able to say that there are not many in our
midst who would refuse to divide to the last crumb they have, even if
they did not know where the next was coming from. Hence, the people
may feel encouraged, (those who are destitute,) because they have
assurance of faith that, so long as food is among the community, they
will have a part of it. I speak of these things, that the
inexperienced may have their faith increased, and that they may feel
to rejoice that they are as well situated as they are, amid Saints of
the Most High, and that the Lord loves them while showing them that
they are dependant upon Him.

Vol. 7, p.97
He has work for us to do. Do we realize that we are the persons he has
called to do it? That we are in his hands, and that he is teaching us
from day to day by his Prophets, and servants, and his hand-dealings
towards us? If we do not realize this, should we not? Remember that it
is our Governor who governs, rules, controls, and directs all matters
for the best interests of this people. Then let us be submissive and
humble in his hands, like clay in the hands of the potter, and let him
mould us to his likeness. If we will do this, the Lord will bless us;
and if we appreciate his blessings, he will continue them.

Vol. 7, p.97
Do you not know that he delights to give good gifts to his children,
more than any of us do to our children? Do you not know that the
heavens are fall of blessings designed for this people? Then why do we
not uniformly walk in the paths of righteousness, that we may continue
to be the people of the Lord's choice, to do his work in the last
days, and give him the honour and glory? Who can rise up and say, in
their own minds, I have done this; this is my work? No—the Lord has
done it. And if we are privileged to be his humble instruments, let us
be satisfied with that honour. Let us put on the harness and work a
work of faith, for the interest of the kingdom of God upon the earth.
This is my exhortation.

Vol. 7, p.97
I know that this Gospel is true, and I feel to bear my testimony that
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the [p.98] Most High God, that the Book
of Mormon is true, and that President Brigham Young is Joseph's lawful
successor; that the organization of this kingdom is the organization
owned of  the Almighty, even the kingdom of God upon the earth.

Vol. 7, p.98
That kingdom does exist, and it is our happy privilege to be numbered
with the Saints, and to have a part in this matter. Then let us
rejoice continually, and do what we can to promote the interests of
the cause of Zion, build up cities and temples, do whatever else may
be laid before us, and improve upon the blessings the Almighty bestows
upon us continually. May we improve our minds and strengthen our
understandings, that we may be fully qualified to perform those duties
incumbent upon us, from day to day, with ability before our God. Amen.

Wilford Woodruff, January 10, 1858

Early Events of the Church, Etc.

A Discourse by Elder WILFORD WOODRUFF, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, 
January 10, 1858.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 7, p.98
While I meet with the Saints in this Tabernacle, and partake of the
sacrament with them, especially with such a large body of people as
there are here in these valleys of the mountains, it leads my mind in
a train of reflection and thought concerning this work in which we are
engaged; and whether I think of it long or short, I have the same
feelings and come to the same conclusions; and I say within myself, It
is the work of God, and it is marvellous in my eyes.

Vol. 7, p.98
There is a marked difference between the work of God and the work of
men or the work of the Devil, and that difference is manifest in the
establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
There is one characteristic connected with the work of God that has
been manifested in its establishment in these last days, as in all
former periods, and that is, that whenever the Lord has attempted to
establish his Church and kingdom upon the earth, he always makes use
of instruments whose peculiar circumstances in life will naturally
lead them to acknowledge the hand of God in all that is manifested
unto them. You have the example of all the Prophets from the days of
Adam; and as far as we have any knowledge of them, they were nearly
all men of low degree and of humble birth; and the Lord has ever given
them his Spirit to enlighten their minds, and to qualify them for the
work assigned them. Men of this character have stepped forth and
obeyed the Lord in various ages of the world, and they have given him
the credit for what has been accomplished. This has been very, clearly
manifested in our own day.

Vol. 7, p.98
Thirty years ago the 22nd day of last September, the angel of God
delivered unto the hands of  Joseph [p.99] Smith the plates containing
the record from which the Book of Mormon was translated, in which is
recorded the  history of the ancient inhabitants of this country.
Joseph Smith was a man of humble birth, and in one sense of the word
he was poor and illiterate; and to look at things naturally, it looked
strange that the Lord should undertake to build up his Church and
kingdom with such a feeble instrument. To some this may  look a very
small matter, but the work was great, and here was an honest soul, and
the Lord made choice of that soul to give unto him the knowledge, the
blessings, and the glory associated with the coming forth of the Book
of Mormon, which should lay the foundation of the Church and kingdom
of God in these last days.

Vol. 7, p.99
What did that angel tell Joseph Smith when he gave him the plates? The
vision of his mind was opened, and the angel showed unto him the
condition of the nations of the earth, and said, "This record which I
now commit unto your hand contains the words of life—the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, and the Lord is now about to establish his kingdom upon
the earth. The world are in darkness; the Gentiles have departed from
the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they have forsaken the light, the glory,
and the power of the Priesthood of the Son of God, which was given to
and enjoyed by the Gentile nations when Israel was cut off."

Vol. 7, p.99
The Lord promised Joseph Smith, at this early age, that if he would
obey his commandments and hearken to the voice of the Holy Spirit, he
would make him an instrument of bringing about this great work, that
the Church may he brought out of the wilderness of darkness and error,
and my name glorified among men.

Vol. 7, p.99
The words that this record contains shall be preached to every
kingdom, tongue, and people; and whenever this doctrine is preached,
your name shalt be had in honourable remembrance among the virtuous,
the holy, the righteous, and those who desire to do good: but the
ungodly will vilify your character—hold up your name to ridicule and
scorn, wherever the sound of this Gospel goes, even to all nations.

Vol. 7, p.99
The Lord also told Joseph Smith, in the commencement of this work, as
you will see by the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, that he was laying the foundation of a great and mighty
work and kingdom, which should be the kingdom of God, and it should
not be thrown down, but stand for ever: but you cannot now comprehend
the extent of it. The mind of the Prophet was opened by the spirit of
revelation, so that he could see and comprehend a great deal; but he
required the Spirit of the living God—the inspiration of the Almighty
to, rest upon him continually, to qualify him for the great duties
that were constantly increasing upon him; and the same Spirit is
required by any man in this kingdom, whether he be old or young, rich
or poor, to enable him to bring about the work of God, or to do
anything that is of as much consequence as the upbuildlug of this
kingdom.

Vol. 7, p.99
The Prophet was repeatedly told of the importance of the work in which
he was engaged, and was commanded to obey the voice of God in all
things; and then he was told that all that had been promised should be
fulfilled. The Prophet saw the chains of darkness that were binding
the souls of men; and although at that time he had not received the
Priesthood, yet the Lord manifested himself to him in various ways and
at many times before he was ordained, or before there were any
baptized into the Church. In process of time—namely, on the [p.100]
15th day of May, 1829, he and Oliver Cowdery received the Aaronic
Priesthood and according to commandment they baptized each other. Then
on the 6th day of April following, the Church was organized, and the
work of God established on the earth, no more to be rooted out of it.

Vol. 7, p.100
What must have been the feelings of the Prophet, when the moment he
began to unbosom his thoughts, and to tell what the Lord had done for
him, the Christian world began to mock and deride him! The Devil
opposed him, wicked men opposed him, and there was a spirit among the
people to kick against the work of God; and there were whole
communities that were opposed to the doctrine of administration of
angels; and, consequently, his path was rugged and thorny. Sometimes
he would come across individuals who would listen to his message and
would receive his testimony. This made his soul rejoice, to see that
there were some persons who would receive the words of eternal life.

Vol. 7, p.100
True, in the commencement, this Church was small; and I frequently
reflect upon what has come to pass in the world since God spake to
Joseph the Seer; I also look at what has taken place with this people;
and I can clearly see the fulfilment of the word of God spoken by the
angel to Joseph before the Church was organized. The angel foretold
the very scenery that I behold to-day; and from that time to the
present, this people have been fulfilling what the angel told the
Prophet would come to pass, after he gave to him the plates containing
the record of the Book of Mormon. We are daily working for the
fulfilment of those things that were predicted from twenty-five to
thirty years ago. These very things thug we are now witnessing, both
in relation to our friends and our enemies, are in fulfilment of those
promises made in the commencement of this work.

Vol. 7, p.100
The Prophet's heart was made glad, while he lived among us, in
beholding the signs of the times; and there are many here to-day who
remember the early days of this Church and kingdom. Some of the first
Elders in this Church who went up to Kirtland to see the Prophet were
made to rejoice in his society. The Saints who were gathered together
were so few that they might all have been put in a small schoolhouse;
but wherever the Gospel had been preached, some few had been brought
to a knowledge of its truth, and occasionally a few had been gathered
up to Kirtland,—perhaps one of a family, and two of a city.

Vol. 7, p.100
When brother Brigham and brother Joseph Young went up to see the
Prophet, they found him chopping wood; for he was a labouring man, and
gained his bread by the sweat of his brow. They made themselves
acquainted with him. He received them gladly, invited them to his
house, and they rejoiced together in the Gospel of Christ, and their
hearts were knitted together in the spirit and bond of union.

Vol. 7, p.100
Those of us who gathered to Kirtland, in the early days of the Church,
can remember the scenes which happened in those days. I well remember
the time when I first met with the Saints in Kirtland: it was in the
spring of 1834. I had never joined any Church previous to hearing this
Gospel, and the first sermon I ever heard was preached by brother Zera
Pulsipher, one of the senior Presidents of the Seventies, and my heart
was made glad. I embraced the Gospel, for I knew it was the first
Gospel sermon that I had ever heard in my life. I was baptized by
brother Pulsipher; and shortly afterwards brother  Parley P. Pratt
came along to gather up the warriors of [p.101] the Lord to go up and
redeem Zion.

Vol. 7, p.101
I was deeply engaged in business at the time, but I felt that it was
my duty to do all I could for the cause of truth; and when brother
Parley came up, I felt resolved to volunteer. We called a meeting; and
when brother Parley got up and said he was weary with travelling, and
did not want to say much, but he would talk a few moments, (and when
he got through it was about twelve o'clock at night; in fact, he had
preached about half the night;) my feelings were such, when he got
through, that if all the gold in the world had been presented to me, I
could not have been hired to stay at home. I went with brother Parley
through Jefferson County to the North, and then immediately prepared
to go to Kirtland. I started to Kirtland on the 11th day of April,
1834, and arrived in Kirtland on the 25th day of the same month. I
then for the first time had an interview with the Prophet Joseph. He
invited me to his house. I rejoiced to behold his face and to hear his
voice. I was fully satisfied that Joseph was a Prophet before I saw
him. I had no prejudices on my mind against him, but I expected to see
a Prophet.

Vol. 7, p.101
My first introduction to him was rather singular. I saw him out in the
field with his brother Hyrum: he had on a very old hat, and was
engaged shooting at a mark. I was introduced to him, and he invited me
home with him.

Vol. 7, p.101
I accepted the invitation, and I watched him pretty closely, to see
what I could learn. He remarked, while passing to his house, that this
was the first hour he had spent in recreation for a long time.

Vol. 7, p.101
Shortly after we arrived at his house, he went into an adjoining room,
and brought out a wolf-skin, and said, "Brother Woodruff, I want you
to help me to tan this;" so I pulled off my coat, went to work and
helped him, and felt honoured in so doing. He was about going up with
the brethren to redeem Zion, and he wanted this wolf-skin to put upon
his waggon seat, as he had no buffalo robe.

Vol. 7, p.101
This was my first introduction to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the great
Seer of this last dispensation.

Vol. 7, p.101
I was not there long before I heard him talk about going to Zion, and
it did my soul good to hear him speak of many things concerning Zion,
the gathering of Israel, and the great Latter-day Work; and I felt
truly satisfied with what I saw and heard.

Vol. 7, p.101
I recollect that in the evening after I got there, several of the
brethren came in and talked with brother Joseph, and asked what they
should do, for they had not means to bear their expenses from there to
Missouri. Brother Joseph said, "I am going to have some money soon;"
and the next morning he received a letter containing a hundred and
fifty dollars, sent to him by sister Voce, of Boston. I don't know but
she is in the congregation to-day.

Vol. 7, p.101
I have felt to rejoice exceedingly in what I saw of brother Joseph,
for in his public and private career he carried with him the Spirit of
the Almighty, and he manifested a greatness of soul which I had never
seen in any other man.

Vol. 7, p.101
The reason I speak of these things is because I want to refer to this
congregation and to this people generally as they have passed along;
for truly it has required a stretch of faith to be enabled to
comprehend the accomplishment of all that has been done for the last
twenty-five years. The Lord said by revelation in an early day, "The
harvest is ripe, and any man that desires in his heart to preach the
Gospel, and will thrust in his sickle, he is called of God."[p.102] 

Vol. 7, p.102
The Elders that are called in this Church, you can notice in them the
spirit and disposition to preach the Gospel and redeem the people from
sin, tradition, and error. At the commencement of the Church, the Lord
gave revelations to the Church and to individuals, through the
Prophet, to tell them what to do—be baptized, ordained, go on
missions, and anything that was required at their hands; and hence you
can see in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants revelations given to
Martin Harris, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, the Whitmers, and many
others, calling them to go forth and preach the Gospel to the world.
In those revelations are promised many great and glorious things, and
the pattern is given and the foundation laid for a great and mighty
work—a work not to be accomplished in ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or
fifty years, but a work that embraces the gathering together of all
things which are to be saved, both in heaven and on earth, and the
establishing of the kingdom of God, to remain for ever; and the Lord
said, You are laying the foundation for a great and mighty work. But
we did not understand or comprehend its extent. He called upon us to
go forth and warn the world of the judgments to come, and to call upon
them to learn the ways of righteousness, and to walk therein; and what
has been the result?

Vol. 7, p.102
Every man that has embraced it, whose heart was honest before God, has
been inspired by the Spirit of God; he has been ready to engage in the
work, to shoulder the knapsack, and go forth and preach this Gospel to
all people whenever an opportunity presented itself; and the first
Elders of this Church did preach diligently and faithfully, and many
received the word with gladness and rejoiced in the truth.

Vol. 7, p.102
Finally, brother Heber C. Kimball was called to go to England, as you
learn by the Church history; and he laid the foundation of a great
work, as the angel declared to Joseph should be the case.

Vol. 7, p.102
The words of life that were engraven upon those plates have been
preached to almost all nations; and have not the people had an
opportunity of hearing? They have, in a great degree; for the servants
of the Lord have been inspired to go forth and bear a true and
faithful testimony to the nations of the earth, and the isles of the
sea, and have preached unto them the Gospel of Christ; and what has
been the consequence? The words of the Lord have been fulfilled to the
very letter; for wherever this Gospel has been preached there have
been hypocrites, the wicked and ungodly, and there also have been the
honest and the meek of the earth; and whoever have received this
testimony, been baptized for the remission of sins, and received the
laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, have had their
minds enlightened, and they have looked forward with an eye of faith
to see the fulfilment of what God has promised.

Vol. 7, p.102
Have we, as a Church, been disappointed in anything? No, we have not;
but the Lord has fulfilled his promises in relation to the things of
his kingdom.

Vol. 7, p.102
The Lord has chosen men like Joseph and Hyrum, the Smith family, and
the Twelve Apostles; and they have been humble men in this Church and
kingdom; and almost all the officers have been called from the
labouring class, from the plough, from the hammer and the anvil, and
from nearly every occupation; and their words have pierced the honest
in heart, for they have had all the power, blessings, and knowledge
which the Lord has given unto them, and they have given the honour and
glory to God. I will venture to say there is no people upon the earth
who have [p.103] been picked up as we have been, for we have been
gathered from all religions and sects.

Vol. 7, p.103
The Elders have gone forth teaching and baptizing the people; they
have laid their hands upon the sick and healed them, cast out devils,
and had power to do all those things which the Lord has promised unto
believers. Wherever the people have received the truth, the signs have
followed—the lame have been made to walk, the deaf to hear, the blind
to see; fevers have been rebuked, and the elements have been subject
to the Elders of Israel. Where is there a man who has gone out to
preach the Gospel who has not been constrained by the Spirit to warn
the people, as messengers of salvation, of the judgments that are
coming upon the earth?

Vol. 7, p.103
We have been called upon to warn all who came in our way, including
kings, rulers, the rich, and learned, as well as the poor and humble.
It is true that the Lord might have enlightened the minds of the
rulers, the rich, and learned, and chosen them to have performed his
work in the establishment of his Church upon the earth. But he never
has seen fit to work through that channel; but he has ever chosen the
poor and humble as his messengers upon the earth.

Vol. 7, p.103
There is another thing which I desire to allude to, and that is the
very excellent discourse we have heard to-day, and the testimony of
the servants of God in relation to our present position. The
opposition that we have had and the persecutions we have passed
through have been alluded to by brother Taylor, and all those matters
are in fulfilment of what the angel told brother Joseph; and as long
as Satan rules in the world, this spirit of mobocracy will manifest
itself, even until the scenery shall be wound up, and until He who
holds the keys of the bottomless pit shall bind him with a chain, cast
him into the pit, and shut him up, and put a seal upon him.

Vol. 7, p.103
We expect this. It is what we are looking for; and yet we, above all
people, have reason to rejoice. We have reason to rejoice in Him who
stands at the helm, and who has nourished and sustained this kingdom
from the beginning. The God of heaven has never forsaken this work,
but he has ever backed up his servants, and opened their way before
them.

Vol. 7, p.103
How the soul of the Prophet rejoiced when he beheld the work of God
spreading abroad in the earth, the truth received by the children of
men, and the promises of God verified to the letter in the gathering
of the Saints, and a way prepared for the establishment of Zion upon
the earth.

Vol. 7, p.103
We have had the holy Priesthood conferred upon us, and the power of
God has surrounded us, so that we have been preserved thus far from
the hands of our enemies in the midst of the many circumstances in
which we have been placed. Those things should increase our faith
before the Lord, and give us confidence in his promises, and it should
inspire our hearts to diligence in the fulfilment of every duty
required of us.

Vol. 7, p.103
The Lord says, in the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine
and Covenants, that this Gospel shall be preached in all the world;
and he commands his servants to call upon all nations to repent and
obey the voice of God—to receive the Gospel and the words of eternal
life. He says:—

Vol. 7, p.103
"Lift up your voices and spare rick Call upon the nations to repent,
both old and young, both bond and free, saying, Prepare yourselves for
the great day of the Lord: for if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice
and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the
day [p.104] cometh when the thunders shall utter their voices from the
ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying,
Repent and prepare for the great day of the Lord! yea, and again, when
the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and
shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears
of all tingle that hear, saying these words—Repent ye, for the great
day of the Lord is come!

Vol. 7, p.104
"And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying,
Hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who
made you. O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered
you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; but ye
would not! How oft have I called you by the mouth of my servants, and
by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice
of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of
tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes and great hailstorms, and by
the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great
sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of
mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honour and the
riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting
salvation; but ye would not! Behold the day has come, when the cup of
the wrath of mine indignation is full.

Vol. 7, p.104
"Behold, verily I say unto you, that these are the words of the Lord
your God: wherefore labour ye, labour ye in my vineyard for the last
time: for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth, for in
my own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people
shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth; for the great
Millennial, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall
come; for Satan shall be bound; and when he is lossed again, he shall
only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth;
and he that liveth in righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling
of an eye; and the earth shall pass away so as by fire, and the wicked
shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on
earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment."
(Doctrine and Covenants, sec. xiv., page 131.)

Vol. 7, p.104
I look upon these things; I reflect upon our Government in the manner
which has been referred to to-day; I look at the liberal laws and
Constitution that exist in our land, upon which our Government is
founded; and yet, in the midst of all this, we have not had the
privilege of enjoying our rights, or worshipping God, or enjoying our
religion, without persecution and oppresssion. The Lord has frequently
given us revelations upon these things, and he has spoken concerning
our Government and Constitution, and he has said—"Ye are justified in
maintaining the Constitution and laws of the land, for they make you
free, and the Gospel maketh you free; and you shall seek to sustain
good and wise men for rulers, and whatsoever is more or less than this
cometh of evil." Do you blame the Latter-day Saints? Can the Lord, can
angels, or can anybody blame the Latter-day Saints for rejecting such
cursed, corrupt scoundrels as we have had here? The laws of Heaven
command us not to uphold and sustain men, except they are good men,
who will sustain the Constitution of our country; and we are
fulfilling the revelations in this respect as in many others, and we
are carrying out the requirements of the Constitution of the United
States.

Vol. 7, p.104
We have fulfilled the law of God, and we have always been willing to
receive and respect all  [p.105] good and wise men in carrying cut the
laws and Constitution of our country.

Vol. 7, p.105
We have pleaded with the Government, we have pleaded with the
President, and we have pleaded with the Senate of the United States to
send us good men. Brother Taylor has told us they will not do it; and
why? Because they are not good themselves, they are not virtuous, they
are not holy, and they will net acknowledge the hand of God at all,
but seek to overthrow the blessings and spirit of that rich legacy
bequeathed to us through the blood of our fathers—the Constitution.
Here is where I consider that our nation and the whole people of the
United States are under condemnation. It is because they have a
Constitution and laws of government which the people control, for they
elect their own officers; for all citizens have the right to vote for
their Governors, Presidents, and officers in general; and hence they
come under condemnation.

Vol. 7, p.105
[Blessed the sacramental cup.] 

Vol. 7, p.105
The whole people have a vote in the selection of their officers; and
if they appoint wicked men for their Governors and for their rulers,
and then those rulers go to work and rule unrighteously, tyrannize
over the poor and humble, and sacrifice human life to satisfy their
wicked ambition, at whose hands will the Lord require the blood of the
innocent? He will require it of those who elected the officers; for
the responsibilty does not rest alone upon the Presidents, or
Governors, or Judges, but it rests in a great measure with the people
who placed them in power, when a nation becomes corrupt, and appoints
corrupt and wicked rulers, and sustains them in their wickedness.

Vol. 7, p.105
When Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered, the greater part of the
people rejoiced in it, and would remark that it was a pity the Smiths
had died in the way they had; but it was a good thing they were out of
the way. Governor Ford said, when speaking to the brethren in Nauvoo,
that almost every man he talked with would say it was a pity the
Smiths should die under the pledged protection of the Governor of the
State; but yet they were glad they were dead. Will not God require an
atonement at the hands of such men?

Vol. 7, p.105
Inasmuch as we have trusted in the Lord, and have found him true to
his word, why should we not trust him now? If the harvest was ripe
twenty or thirty years ago, surely it is ripe now; for the Elders of
Israel have gone forth to the nations, and the people have rejected
their testimony.

Vol. 7, p.105
The more I look at the words which the Lord has spoken concerning our
enemies, and especially those of this nation, the more I become
satisfied that they will not escape the judgments of the Almighty, any
more than the Nephites of old did, or any of the other nations who
have rejected the message sent unto them by the God of heaven. This
nation is ripe in iniquity, and the destroying angels are at their
doors; and I am as sure that the scourges will follow as I am that the
servants of God have borne a true and faithful testimony unto them. I
know what the consequence will be of the world rejecting the truth,
for I have the testimony of Jesus and the Spirit of God within me; and
therefore I say, Let us look well to our ways, remember our covenants,
our duties, and our prayers; and I do hope and pray that the Elders in
Great Salt Lake City will not, in the midst of their recreations,
neglect their prayers or their duties before the Lord, nor permit any
thing to stand between them and the building up the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.106
"Mormonism" is just as good as it was a year ago. The Gospel of Jesus
[p.106] Christ is as good as it was a year ago, or as it was in
Kirtland or Nauvoo; and it is our privilege to continue to increase in
blessings, glory, power, and virtue from this time henceforth and for
ever; and therefore I say, Brethren and sisters, let us lay these
things to heart, and let us look at them as they exist before us. Let
us read the revelations of God, and give heed to the teachings of the
living oracles, and have faith in their promises, that we may thereby
have the Spirit of God to enlighten us and to guide us through this
probation.

Vol. 7, p.106
The Presidency of this Church are good men; they are filled with the
Spirit of the Lord continually—with the spirit of teaching—of counsel;
which, if we follow, will lead us on to eternal life: therefore we are
blest and saved when we obey their teaching.

Vol. 7, p.106
We have our leading men and our Governor, all of whom have proceeded
out of the midst of us. Our judges, our wise men, and our rulers are
those that have come out of the house of Israel; and this is a
blessing and a privilege that Israel have not enjoyed for many
generations. We see that the Elders have gone forth and laboured for
the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, and for carrying out the
purposes of our heavenly Father, and for the accomplishment of the
great work of the latter days.

Vol. 7, p.106
We have the greatest reason to be thankful of any people upon the
earth; and we should realize that as we have been preserved
heretofore, so we shall be hereafter; and though the United States,
and though all Europe and hell may make war upon us, yet, if we listen
to the counsel that has been given, the blow wilt be warded off; and
whatever we may be called to pass through will be for our salvation,
exaltation, and glory.

Vol. 7, p.106
I pray the Lord, my heavenly Father, to grant us his Spirit, that we
may prize our blessings, keep our covenants, and continually have his
favour, and continue humble and faithful; and that he will pour out
those judgments upon the wicked, proud, and the rebellious which they
desire to inflict upon the people of God; which may the Lord grant,
for Christ's sake! Amen.[p.107] 

Orson Hyde, July 4, 1853

Celebration of American Independence

A Speech by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
delivered in Great Salt Lake City, July 4, 1853.

Vol. 7, p.107
Friends and Brethren,—I arise before you this morning to reiterate in
your hearing an interesting and an important truth, with which,
however, you are well acquainted. We are a branch of the tree of
liberty planted on the 4th of July, 1776; and as the first display of
oratory and burst of eloquence from this stand, on this interesting
occasion, was a flower that bloomed on our boughs, and was immediately
succeeded by the precious fruit, there remains but little for me to do
but to feast myself and you on the theme which has been so ably and
beautifully presented, illustrated, and enforced upon your hearts,
under the banner of our common country, on whose folds is inscribed
"The downfall of tyranny, and the rising star of Israel's hope."

Vol. 7, p.107
The great family of nations on this globe, among which ours occupies
the most enviable position, stands in the same relation to the Supreme
Ruler of all that servants do to their earthly master. There are some
designed to perform an honourable part, and shine with more brilliance
and splendour, and exert a controlling influence; while many others,
like "the vessels of dishonour," are equally necessary to cause action
and re-action, until the elements of nature, in all their various
ramifications, shall retire to their common level, "and the knowledge
and glory of God fill the whole earth as the waters cover the great
deep." Not every member of this great family does the will of God by
choice; but the wisdom, providence, and power of Zion's king will
over-rule the acts of every nation to the furtherance and execution of
HIS designs; and therefore the nations will be constrained to say—"Not
unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name belongs the glory." While,
therefore, we acknowledge the hand of Providence in all things, we
acknowledge not the designs, plans, and schemes of all nations, any
more than we acknowledge the correctness of the plans and designs of
Joseph's brethren in selling him into Egypt.

Vol. 7, p.107
Considering the earth a stage, and the nations and powers thereof so
many actors, what part has our nation chosen to act in the grand
scenes of the last days? The days of farces are gone by; realities now
claim our attention, and we should discipline our minds and accustom
them to sober thought, and prepare our hearts and nerves for the
substances that have so long east only their shadows before them to,
awaken our fancy and speculations, and pleasingly or painfully excite
our unstable souls.

Vol. 7, p.107
Observe Christopher Columbus in his silent meditations; mark his
untiring and faithful observations! Behold him watching the western
breeze, and marking, with zealous eye and anxious heart, every
substance that floated on the oeean's eastward-bound current as,
probably, from the New World he sought. Listen to the philosophy of
his reasoning, that a Western Continent was necessary to preserve the
equilibrium of the earth, and [p.108] to balance it correctly on its
own axis. Inspired of the Almighty God of heaven, he encountered the
ridicule and jeer of a faithless and unbelieving world. Bound and
hampered by the chains of poverty, he possessed not the ability to
prosecute the voyage of discovery so dear to his heart, and so
intimately connected with his hopes of future greatness and renown.
Brooking every difficulty—combating opposition, calumny, and reproach
from almost every quarter, he surmounted every obstacle, obtained an
outfit that was as little fitting and proper for the great enterprise
as was the manger for the birthplace of the Virgin's Son. The time had
arrived for the discovery to be made. Millions of spirits in the
spirit world, who bad not yet taken bodies, nor passed the ordeal, in
earthly tenements, of a residence on this benighted globe, were
waiting with anxious eye for the area of heaven-born intelligencies to
be extended or opened to the gaze of mortal eye, that them might be
room for them to come down and play their part, in their time and in
their season, on the stage of human life. The three old crazy vessels
were enough! The Spirit Angel was their guardian and their guide, and
was with them on the stormy deep. Another important reason why the
discovery should be made: The history and record of a fallen people,
containing light from the spirit land, and truth from heaven, were
buried in the soil of the Western Continent; and although engraven on
golden leaves in a strange and unknown tongue, still they must come
forth, being among the secret things that should be revealed.

Vol. 7, p.108
With the viewer raising up a Church pursuant to the doctrine contained
in these records of a fallen people, a government has to be
established on this chosen and promised land, whose provisions should
be liberal enough to allow and tolerate every principle, precept, and
doctrine of the new Church which then existed only in prophetic
vision. The Constitution of the United States forms the basis of that
government, extending protection to all, and showing especial favour
to none.

Vol. 7, p.108
After this government became fully established, and had time to
command the respect of all nations, lo! the angel of God from the
courts on high descended to earth, and "Cumorah's lonely hill," in the
State of New York, was made to yield up the golden records to the
stripling ordained and chosen of God as the agent to enlighten the
world with the words of nations long since extinct, whose ruined
cities, towns, forts, and various other works of improvement are left
as a striking memento of fallen greatness.

Vol. 7, p.108
Let it never be forgotten, but let the mind's eye always be directed
to it as the eye of the storm-beaten mariner is ever directed towards
the polar star or the beacon lights, that, while they ward off danger,
they inspire with joy. It is a prophetic saying, relating to the
destiny of this country, contained in the records found in Cumorah,
and translated by the stripling youth, whose blood has sealed the
truth of his translation;—hear it, all ye ends of the earth! "THERE
SHALL NO KING BE RAISED UP ON THIS LAND; AND WHOSOEVER SEEKETH TO
RAISE UP A KING ON THIS LAND SHALL PERISH." "This land," means both
North and South America, and also the families of islands that
geographically and naturally belong and adhere to the same. There are
promises and decrees of God in relation to "this land" of an
extraordinary character. No other land can boast of the same. How
beautifully does the spirit of the above prophetic sentiment chime in
with the great American principle, "that no foreign prince, potentate,
or sovereign will be allowed to interfere in the affairs of this
Continent!"[p.109] Spain must give up Cuba; England, Canada; and the
United States of America must hold, as her dependencies, every country
on the Western Continent, with the islands along its borders. Mexico
would not allow our agents to preach the Gospel within her borders.
The Catholic faith, sustained by political power, to the exclusion of
all others, is a cause sufficient for revolutions at home, and for a
conquest by a power whose policy it is to let religion stand upon its
own merits.

Vol. 7, p.109
The great design of Providence in raising up our nation, and freeing
it from the yoke of a foreign power, and in arming it with energy,
strength, and skill, was to make it the honoured agent to suppress
religious intolerance and usurpation, and to open effectual doors for
the free investigation of every subject that can enlist the interests
and attention of men; that every principle that will stand the test of
a close and scrupulous examination, whether moral, political, or
religious, may be drawn out and applied to practical use in that
department to which it belongs.

Vol. 7, p.109
The United States should therefore be regarded by the Latter-day
Church as the men that fell the timber and clear the land, removing
every obstacle in the way of ploughing and the sowing of seed.
Remember, that whatever land or country falls under the Government of
the United States, there you may go and preach the Gospel, and not be
thrust into prison for it as you now are in many countries. The press
also—that mighty engine of power, is free and untrammelled wherever
the American eagle builds her nest. I think I hear a voice in low tone
from yonder corner reproaching thus:—But, in the United States, your
Prophets have been killed, your houses burned, your fields laid waste,
your grain consumed by fire, your people driven and scattered before
the bitter Masts of persecution, like clouds before the wind!

Vol. 7, p.109
Ah, too true! But the Constitution and laws of the country were not
guilty of these cruel and bloody needs. It was a lawless mob that dill
the mischief—an outbreak to which every country is subject. But you
may ask, Why were the offenders not punished for their cruelty?
Because human legislation had failed to affix a penalty proportionate
to the offence: hence the Almighty has taken that matter into his own
hands, and will award to them a punishment that will be fully
adequate, by making them the eternal servants of the persecuted and
martyred ones. If the nation bad done all she could to wipe out the
stain of these cruel and bloody deeds, herself would have been
spotless.

Vol. 7, p.109
In the spring of 1834, a move was made from Kirtland, Ohio, to the
State of Missouri, by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and many of his
friends. During the journey, from time to time, some murmuring and
insubordination were manifest in the camp. This called out many
reproofs and admonitions from the Prophet, until at length, on one
beautiful day when the sun shone in all its beauty and splendour,
(having failed to silence the murmurings m the camp,) he uttered in
substance the following language:—Brethren, by your murmurings and
complainings, you have grieved the Holy Spirit. I have reproved you
often—reasoned and remonstrated with you from time to time, and you
have not heeded the admonition; and now, therefore, so sure and
certain as you behold younder sun shining in the heavens, without a
cloud to obstruct its rays, just so sure and certain will the
destroyer lay you waste, and your carcasses shall fall and perish like
rotten sheep. Only about two weeks after, the cholera broke out in
camp, and the awful prediction [p.110] was fully verified, to the
consternation of the stoutest heart. Some eight or ten died and were
buried in a night! But did the Prophet cease his anxiety for the
welfare of the camp? Did he become alienated in his feelings from his
friends in their hour of chastisement and tribulation? Did he turn to
be their enemy because he had spoken hard things against them? No! His
heart was melted with sympathy—his bosom glowed with love, compassion,
and kindness; and with a zeal and fidelity that became a devoted
friend in the hour of peril, he personally ministered to the sick and
dying, and aided in burying the dead. Every act of his, during that
severe trial, gave additional assurances to the camp that, with all
their faults, he loved them still.

Vol. 7, p.110
If the United States have been guilty of a great dereliction of duty
in not making an effort to redress the sufferings and wrongs of the
"Mormons," and the "Mormons" have said that this inaction and
indifference on the part of the Government in relation to their
grievances will draw upon the nation a scourge and chastisement from
God, we have no more idea that the great purposes and designs of the
Creator will be changed in relation to this nation, in consequence of
this merited chastisement, than the purposes and designs of a father
to rear up his son in honour, integrity, and truth will become changed
by the infliction of chastisement for some transgression or
misdemeanour.

Vol. 7, p.110
The "Mormons" feel their wrongs: they know them; and while they live
they will not forget them: they cannot if they would. They will
remember them also in the spirit world and in the exalted courts of
the celestial kingdom When they enter, it will be asked, "Who are
these? and from whence come they?" The answer will be—"These are they
who have come up through great tribulation," &c. They will not forget!
Still, like the Prophet, who stood by his brethren until death, so
will the "Mormons" stand by their country while any foe dares to set
his unhallowed foot upon our shores, or upon our borders.

Vol. 7, p.110
Under the guardianship of high Heaven, all things are moving
gloriously onward. We have reeently had a liberal slice off from
Mexico, but the whole loaf must come. The north must give up, and the
south keep not back, while the islands are waiting for thy law. The
voice of God, through American policy, with loud and thrilling notes,
cries, Come unto me, all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved from
the yokes of tyrants—from the chains and fetters of bigotry,
superstition, and priestcraft, and regale yourselves under the tree of
liberty, whose branches are rapidly extending, and whose fruit is rich
and desirable, and whose leaves are for the healing of the
nations.[p.111] 

George A. Smith, January 10, 1858

Divine Origin of "Mormonism"—Doings and Sayings 
of Early Opposers and Apostates

Remarks by Elder GEORGE A. SMITH, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 10, 1858.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.111
The Lord says, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are
my ways higher than your ways."

Vol. 7, p.111
The address we have listened to this afternoon is directly calculated
to inspire our minds with a full fruition of the truth of these
sentiments. If the religious nations of the world had been consulted
in establishing a new religion with the intention of superseding all
other sects and denominations, they would have selected a grave
council of the wisest, most most learned, and pious men they could
find,—learned in theology, in philosophy, in law, and in every
department of science. Yet we are told that the Saviour, when he
visited the earth, selected as his ministers and messengers fishermen
and other individuals from the lower orders of the people—men with but
little learning, and less reputation, to proclaim the Gospel, testify
of the truth, and be witnesses of his advent into the world—of his
miracles and resurrection from the dead. So it was in the present
generation.

Vol. 7, p.111
When the Lord commenced his work, he neglected to call upon Campbell,
Scott, Clarke, Doddridge, or any other celebrated divine. He passed
over his Holiness the Pope, and the Bishops that were presiding with
so much dignity, splendour, and authority over the different portions
of the Christian Church. He passed over the learned institutions of
the day, and went into a field and laid his hand on the head of Joseph
Smith, a ploughboy,—upon one who cultivated the earth, and had
scarcely education enough to read his Bible,—whom he inspired,
appointing him to translate the Book of Mormon, and authorizing him to
proclaim the Gospel and administer the plan of salvation.

Vol. 7, p.111
Ere long, this young man became the scoff, the by-word, and hiss of
all the learned Christians on the earth. But the Lord said, "My ways
are not as your ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts."

Vol. 7, p.111
When the early Elders of this Church began to preach the first
principles of the Gospel, how oft have we heard the question asked—Why
did not the Lord call upon some learned man—upon the presidents of
theological seminaries, or ripen some of our learned missionaries?
Why, if this work be true, did he call upon a person so low—so
uneducated—so foolish? This inquiry was made in every direction by
hundreds and by thousands, and was laid down by them as a sufficient
reason for rejecting the Book of Mormon and the testimony of the
servants of God.

Vol. 7, p.111
In a very short time a literary war commenced. The newspapers
announced to the world that an impostor had arisen that an impostor
had been [p.112] palmed upon them, a false religion had been
proclaimed, and that an ignorant, stupid, lazy, good-for-nothing set
of fellows were pretending to preach a new religion. Thurlow Weed was
the first to commence the literary war through the press, under the
head of "Blasphemy."

Vol. 7, p.112
This proclamation has been often reiterated up to the present time.
Pulpit orators announced to their congregations that three weeks would
be sufficient to dispel the whole delusion. Three weeks passed away,
and the word of God was still preached. Then pulpit proclaimers
announced that a year would terminate the delusion.

Vol. 7, p.112
Editors published their false statements, one of which, no doubt, will
be remembered—a pretended miracle of walking on the water. It was said
that the Prophets placed planks two or three inches under the surface
of the water, and walked on them, to convince the multitude of the
truth of his doctrine: but just as all were convinced, and the Prophet
was about to step on shore, some rogues pulled out the plank, and he
fell into the water, and was drowned.

Vol. 7, p.112
What next? "This printing lies about Mormonism—this blackguarding, and
preaching falsehoods about it, don't stop it: we must apply something
that will." They applied a suit of tar and feathers to the Prophet,
and other abuses, but with no better success than attended their
former efforts to stop the progress of "Mormonism." In fact, the
Prophet had not more than got the tar fairly washed off him, before he
had to go into the water to baptize.

Vol. 7, p.112
There is a class of personages who have acted a conspicuous part in
opposition to the progress of the work of the Lord in the last days,
who are never to be forgotten. The first members of the Church, it
will be recollected, came from almost every religious denomination;
and if they had never belonged to any religions sect, they had more or
less of their prejudices.

Vol. 7, p.112
I recollect when I first began to discern the operation of the spirit
of apostacy. A small company of us started for Zion. One of the
company (Norman A. Brown) lost a horse. This man had been baptized for
the remission of sins, rejoiced in the light of truth, and started to
gather with the Saints; but his horse died. "Now," said he, "is it
possible that this is the work of God? If this had been the work of
God, my horse would not have died when I was going to Zion." He
apostatized, fought against the work of God, and died a miserable,
lingering, and unhappy death; and all because of so great a trial as
the loss of a horse.

Vol. 7, p.112
Joseph H. Wakefield, who baptized me, after having apostatized from
the Church, announced to the astonished world the fact that, while he
was a guest in the house of Joseph Smith, he had absolutely seen the
Prophet come down from the room where he was engaged in translating
the word of God, and actually go to playing with the children! This
convinced him that the Prophet was not a man of God, and that the work
was false, which, to me and hundreds of others, he had testified that
he knew came from God. He afterwards headed a mob meeting, and took
the lead in, bringing about a persecution against the Saints in
Kirtland and the regions round about.

Vol. 7, p.112
One of the first apostates that published against this work was Ezra
Booth. He published nine letters in the Ohio Star, published at
Ravenna, Portage county, in which he used all the arguments and made
all the false statements he could; and it was generally believed by
our enemies, at the time, that the apostacy and revelations of Ezra
Booth would put an utter end  [p.113] to "Mormonism." But the wheel
rolled along unabated in its progress.

Vol. 7, p.113
Ezra Booth had been a Methodist preacher; but on a visit to Joseph
Smith, he had become convinced of the truth of the work of the Lord by
witnessing a miracle. Mrs. Johnson, an aged lady, had for several
years been afflicted with rheumatism, and for more than a year had not
been able to raise her arm at all. She was healed by the
administration of the laying on of hands by the Prophet, and was
enabled immediately to raise her hand to her head, comb her hair, or
do anything she wished. This convinced him it was the power of God. He
went to preaching the truth, but found, instead of living on the fat
of the land, as he did among his Methodist brethren, that he had to
labour and toil for the good of Zion, trusting in God, and in the
great day of accounts receive his reward; so he apostatized.

Vol. 7, p.113
The next publication which made a prominent show in the world was a
book entitled "Mormonism Unveiled," written by Doctor P. Hurlburt. In
consequence of improper conduct among females, he was expelled from
the Church. He confessed his wickedness to the Council. I was present,
and heard him. He promised before God, angels, and men that he would
from that time forth live his religion and preserve his integrity, if
they would only forgive him. He wept like a child, and prayed and
begged to be forgiven. The Council forgave him; but Joseph told him,
"You are not honest in this confession."

Vol. 7, p.113
A few days afterwards he published his renunciation of the work,
assigning as a reason, that he deceived that Council, and made them
believe his was an honest confession, when he only confessed to see
whether the Council had power to discern his spirit. Joseph, however,
told him at the time that he was not honest in his confession.

Vol. 7, p.113
He went to work and got up the "Spaulding story"—that famous yarn
about the "Manuscript Found." When about to publish this lying
fabrication, in several of his exciting speeches having threatened the
life of Joseph Smith, he was required to give bonds, by the
authorities of Ohio, to keep the peace. In consequence of this, the
name of E. D. Howe was substituted as the author, who published it.

Vol. 7, p.113
Hurlburt was cracked up in the world as a scientific man—as an M.D.;
but he happened to be the seventh son, and was called Doctor by his
parents. It was his given name—not the title of his profession.

Vol. 7, p.113
The public press heralded forth many encomiums on the book. Mr. Howe
agreed to give Hurlburt four hundred copies for the manuscript.

Vol. 7, p.113
Hurlburt took his subscription list and went from house to house for
names, until he had got subscribers for the four hundred copies, which
were to be delivered as soon as they were printed and bound, at one
dollar per copy.

Vol. 7, p.113
Howe refused to deliver Hurlburt the four hundred copies until he
managed to get his eye on Hurlburt's subscription list, which he
copied, delivered the books, took the money, and then gave Hurlburt
his four hundred copies. He thereby swindled Hurlburt out of his
manuscript, and he had to sell his books at from ten to twenty cents
each, or anything he could get; and great numbers were never sold.

Vol. 7, p.113
There is one thing in relation to publications against "Mormonism:" No
apostate has ever made his fortune by them; for, if he would tell the
truth, that would be no mystery; and when they tell falsehoods, the
spirit of lying makes them tell such big lies, [p.114] and so many of
them, that their work  goes into discredit.

Vol. 7, p.114
I think the first church attempted to be established in opposition to
"Mormonism" was that established by Wycam Clark, in Kirtland. He was
baptized about the same time as Sidney Rigdon, and, in company with
Northrop Sweet and four others, seceded from this Church, and said
they could carry the whole world with them by preaching "Mormon"
principles. They had two or three meetings; but the society would
never have been known in the world, had not a few of us remembered the
circumstance and told of it.

Vol. 7, p.114
Another species of apostacy took place in the neighbourhood of the
forge in Kirtland. A man named Hoten seceded from the Church,
renounced the Book of Mormon and the Prophet, and established himself
under the name of the Independent Church. A man named Montague was
appointed bishop. This church got to number about ten members. They
pretended, under the order of the New Testament, to have all things
common. In a few weeks the bishop, who had charge of the temporal
things, made a charge on the president for visiting his pork barrel,
and the president charged the bishop with visiting his wife, and that
broke up the society.

Vol. 7, p.114
I shall not undertake to detail all of this species of character that
have arisen; but there was another by the name of Hawley. He was
attacked by a spirit of revelation, somewhere in the State of New
York, while he was ploughing; and it took him in such a hurry that he
had not time to put on his boots, but travelled barefoot to Kirtland,
some six hundred miles distant, to warn Joseph that he was a fallen
Prophet; that God had cut Joseph off, and placed in his stead a man by
the name of Noah; and the reason Joseph was cut off was, he had
suffered the men to wear cushions on their coat sleeves, and the women
to wear caps. He went through the streets of Kirtland with a dismal
howl, crying, "Woe, woe to the people." On one occasion, about
midnight, Brigham Young went out, and took with him a cowhide, and
said to Hawley, "If you don't quit annoying the people with your
noise, I will cowhide you;" upon which he concluded he had suffered
persecution enough for his master's sake, and shut up his noise.

Vol. 7, p.114
I believe, if you will take the whole circle of the history of
apostates from this Church, that in ninety-nine cases out of every
hundred you will find that the spirit of adultery or covetousness was
the original cause.

Vol. 7, p.114
There was a man named John Smith came into the Church, and was
somewhat prominent in the State of Indiana. He preached some little,
and was considered quite zealous; but he said he had proved that the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants was not true; "For it says," said he,
"that if a man shall commit adultery, and not repent of it, he shall
lose the Spirit of God, and shall deny the faith. Now, I have done it,
and have not denied the faith; and so I have proved that the
revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is not from God." The
spirit of blindness had so taken possession of him that he could not
see that when he was proclaiming that the revelations were not true,
he was denying the faith. That spirit has such an effect over the
human mind as totally to blind them in relation to their own acts and
the spirit that governs them.

Vol. 7, p.114
After the organization of the Twelve Apostles, and the so far
finishing of the Kirtland Temple as to hold a solemn assembly and
confer the Kirtland endowment therein, the spirit of  apostacy became
more general, and the shock that was given to the [p.115] Church
became more severe than on any previous occasion.

Vol. 7, p.115
The Church had increased in numbers, and the Elders had extended their
labours accordingly; but the apostacy commenced in high places. One of
the First Presidency, several of the Twelve Apostles, High Council,
Presidents of Seventies, the witnesses of the Book of Mormon,
Presidents of Far West, and a number of others standing high in the
Church were all carried away in this apostacy; and they thought there
was enough of them to establish a pure religion that would become
universal.

Vol. 7, p.115
This attempted organization was under the direction of Warren Parrish,
who had been a Travelling Elder in the Church, and who sustained a
high reputation in the Southern States as an eloquent preacher, and
had for a short time been employed by Joseph as a clerk. He undertook
to organize those elements into a church, and I was told by them that
all the talented men among the Elders were ready to  join them.

Vol. 7, p.115
They named, for instance, Lyman Johnson, John F. Boyington, William E.
McLellan, Hazen Aldrich, Sylvester Smith, Joseph Coe, Orson Johnson,
W. A. Cowdery, M. F. Cowdery, and others, amounting to something like
thirty, who bad been prominent Elders in the Church.

Vol. 7, p.115
They were going to renounce the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and
take the "Mormon" doctrines to overthrow all the religions in the
world, and unite all the Christian churches in one general band, and
they to be its great leaders.

Vol. 7, p.115
What success did this great apostacy meet with? Brother Kimball, when
on a mission in 1844, (this apostacy took place in 1837-8,) while
crossing Fox River on the ferry, encountered Warren Parrish. He was a
grave-looking man—a straight-jacketed fellow, dressed in black, with a
white handkerchief around his neck. Says he, "Elder Kimball, will you
have the goodness not to say to the people here that I ever was a
Mormon. I am a Baptist minister. I am preaching at that meetinghouse
for a salary of $500 a year. If they find out I have been a Mormon, it
would hurt my influence very much indeed."

Vol. 7, p.115
Where was the big church he had tried to build up? He had tried
pleading law; that failed: peddling bogus money, and that failed, like
his big church speculation. And where was the origin of this?

Vol. 7, p.115
I recollect waking up late one evening when I was quite a young man,
and hearing my father and one of the brethren talk. Being a little
disposed to listen, I learned that there had been considerable of a
difficulty between Parrish and one of the brethren. This was when he
was in good standing in the Church. He had been too kind with the
brother's wife. Then I learned the commencement of his apostacy.

Vol. 7, p.115
You may go to every one of these men—I care not which one; you cannot
put your finger on any one of these thirty men but what you will find
that the spirit of adultery or covetousness had got possession of
their hearts; and when it did, the Spirit of the Lord left them. They
had not sense enough to repent and put away their iniquity, but
suffered themselves to be overthrown with the spirit of darkness; and
they have gone to hell, and there they may lift up their eyes, asking
for some relief or benefit from those they once tried to destroy; but
if they get the privilege of waiting on a servant to those who have
kept the laws of heaven, they will be exceedingly thankful and
fortunate.

Vol. 7, p.115
At the breaking up of Far West there was another Prophet appeared.
Isaac Russell undertook to lead the [p.116] Saints into the
wilderness. He gathered some twenty followers.

Vol. 7, p.116
The reason why he apostatized was, the commandment required the Twelve
Apostles to take their leave of the Saints on the foundation of the
Temple on the twenty-sixth day of April, and it could not be fulfilled
because those men were all driven away; but it happened that the
Twelve went to that spot, and twenty or thirty Saints recommenced the
foundation on the day appointed, held a Conference, and cut oft
Russell and his followers. He used his influence over a few
individuals until they scattered and wasted away.

Vol. 7, p.116
In Nauvoo we had another shower of dust around the Prophet. There was
a man by the name of William Law, who was a Counsellor to Joseph
Smith, and a man of great gravity. He preached a great deal on the
stand in Nauvoo, and told the people they must be punctual and pay
their debts; and he repeated it over and over again. Sunday after
Sunday he preached punctuality, PUNCTUALITY, PUNCTUALITY.

Vol. 7, p.116
I was then on a mission in England; but when I got home, I would hear,
Sunday after Sunday, these addresses. Thinks I, this is a very
righteous fellow; it will be perfectly safe to deal with him; and
everybody thought so.

Vol. 7, p.116
The first time I suspected but what he was as straight as a loon's
leg—at least in relation to his trading, was one day in his mill.
Brother Willard Richards and myself met Bishop Smoot, and he offered
to bet a barrel of salt that the Doctor was heavier than I was. We
went into Law's mill to be weighed. I was weighed on the scales where
he weighed wheat into the mill.

Vol. 7, p.116
To my surprise, I did not weigh as much by twelve pounds as usual. I
thought this was a curiosity. I saw there was another pair of scales
on the other side of the mill where they weighed out flour. I weighed
the Doctor twice, and he weighed me twice on both scales; and I found
that if I had been a bag of flour, I should have weighed twelve pounds
too much; and, if I had been a bag of wheat, I should not have weighed
enough by twelve pounds.

Vol. 7, p.116
The Doctor and myself soon discovered that the gain by this villainous
fraud would supply the mill with wood and hands to tend it.   Brother
Joseph and I saw brother Law come out of his house one day, and
brother Joseph said to me, referring to Law, "George, do you know that
there is the meanest man in this town?"

Vol. 7, p.116
"Yes," I said, "I know he is, but did not know you thought so." 

Vol. 7, p.116
"How did you find it out?"

Vol. 7, p.116
He has two sets of weights in his mill. He also told me something
about Law's visit to certain disreputable houses in St. Louis, and
gave me to understand that he knew something about Law's hypocrisy and
dishonesty in dealing, as well as myself.

Vol. 7, p.116
I only tell this circumstance because he pulled the leading string in
putting Joseph Smith to death. When he comes forth, he may expect to
find his white robe dyed in the blood of innocence, and he may expect
in all time to come to have that stigma upon him.

Vol. 7, p.116
The spirit of hypocrisy, covetousness, adultery, and corruption also
laid the foundation for Law's destruction.

Vol. 7, p.116
When a man professes a great deal of sanctity—a great deal of holiness
and piety,—when he can scarcely speak without a pious groan, he is to
be suspected; for such hypocrisy is in itself the most cursed
corruption that can exist.

Vol. 7, p.116
Law gathered around him a few followers, organized a church, and set
himself up for a  prophet, went out [p.117] from Nauvoo, joined the
mob, and led the van.

Vol. 7, p.117
In 1843, when Joseph was taken prisoner in the county of Lee, on a
demand from the Governor of Missouri. William Law turned out and
attempted to release him. While near Oquaka, and supposing that Joseph
had been smuggled to the river side, and that he was about to be
carried to the Mississippi, and put on board the steamer, and hurried
away to Missouri, says he, "They will carry him on board of a boat and
get him over the river; and if the Prophet is carried to Missouri and
killed, property in Nauvoo will fall to one-half its present value."
His anxiety was about the price of property going down. A few minutes
after, when he met Joseph, he went up, threw his arms around him, and
kissed him. He loved him tenderly as long as he kept the price of
property up.

Vol. 7, p.117
After the death of Joseph, a number of men appeared, professing to be
revelators. The most noted of them, I believe, was James J. Strang. He
gathered a few followers around him, and established himself first at
Voree, Wisconsin; then he removed to Beaver Island, Lake Michigan. He
remained there some length of time; and finally, in some disturbance
got up there, he was murdered. His followers clung together longer
than any of the other apostates. They were able to publish a monthly
paper, about half the size of the Deseret News, printed in large type
and coarsely leaded, in which they advocated James J. Strang as a
prophet.

Vol. 7, p.117
Charles Thompson, Francis Gladden Bishop, G. J. Adams, and others
arose, until prophets for awhile were at a discount. But all these
vanished into thin air; their names were forgotten, and their
pretensions are unknown, unless some of us happen to think and tell of
them.

Vol. 7, p.117
Oliver Cowdery said to the people, when he came to Pottawotamie and
requested to be restored to the Church, "Follow the Twelve: they are
the men with whom the Priesthood rests. If you follow the main channel
of the stream, you will go right; but if you run into a bayou, you
will find yourselves among snags."

Vol. 7, p.117
You may trace the course of all those characters, and you will find
that hypocrisy and adultery have been the leading-strings to lead them
astray. It is of the utmost importance that every Latter-day Saint
thoroughly and carefully tread his own path, correct his own conduct,
regulate his own life, banish from his heart the spirit of wickedness
and corruption, and see to it that his intentions, desires, and
actions are pure in the sight of God,—that he covets not that which
belongs to his neighbour; for our actions are between us and our God:
with him we have to account, and his Spirit will not dwell in unholy
temples.

Vol. 7, p.117
Then let us keep ourselves pure before Him, live the principles that
we have espoused, and be prepared for the great day when we shall
stand upon Mount Zion, where none will stand only those who have clean
hands and pure hearts.

Vol. 7, p.118
May God bless us. Amen.[p.118] 

John Taylor, January 10, 1858

The People of God in All Ages Led By One Spirit, 
and Subject to Persecution—Condition of the World

A Sermon by Elder  JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 10, 1858.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.118
It is always pleasing and interesting to listen to the statements of
any of the servants of God who may be in possession of his Spirit, and
to watch the motion and direction of that Spirit as it operates upon
the human mind.

Vol. 7, p.118
There are many things associated with the Church and kingdom of God
that are very peculiar: it differs from all other churches, and is
dissimilar to all other kingdoms. There is a spirit and wisdom
associated with it that the world knows nothing of, and there is a
power accompanying it to which mankind are entire strangers without
that spirit. There is generally a great amount of obloquy and reproach
associated with it; people are apt to treat the servants of God with
contempt; yet there is a spirit, and power, and intelligence imparted
by the gift of the Holy Ghost; that sustains his people under all
circumstances, in all places, and among all nations; and hence Paul in
his day said, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the
power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; for therein
is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith."

Vol. 7, p.118
Ordinarily speaking, Paul would have been considered a mean,
contemptible feel by the world. He was whipped, persecuted,
imprisoned, stoned, and had to escape from mobs, being let down in a
basket over a wall, like some mean, crawling scamp that had to get out
of the way of civilized society: he was despised and hated among men,
together with his associates. Yet says he, "I am not ashamed of the
Gospel of Christ." Why was he not? Because there was a spirit and
power in it that was in nothing else. Wherever he preached that
Gospel—wherever it was believed in and obeyed, there was a power and
spirit accompanied it that no earthly power could impart; and those
persons who received it received the gift of the Holy Ghost; and that
Holy Ghost took of the things of God and showed them unto them: they
partook of the same spirit that he did, were enlightened by the same
intelligence, and blessed in the same manner, and, consequently, were
united together in the bonds of the everlasting Gospel, and associated
by the gift of the Holy Ghost, having a hope that bloomed with
immortality and eternal life.

Vol. 7, p.118
I have seen, in my wanderings over the earth, hundreds of such cases
as the one we have listened to this morning. I have heard men speak in
different nations—in Germany, France, England, Scotland, Wales, the
United States, in the Canadas;—no matter where, go where you will, and
let a man receive the truth, and his heart is filled with joy and
rejoicing. I see people  around me here from all these [p.119] parts
that I have heard testify the same things as our brother this morning.

Vol. 7, p.119
It is this spirit, intelligence, and the gift of the Holy Ghost and
its operations on our minds, that has made us one. It is on that
account that we speak alike, think alike, write alike, testify alike,
because we are baptized into one baptism, and have all partaken of the
same Spirit, and we all feel the same thing and rejoice in the same
hope. Wherever the Spirit of God operates upon the human mind in any
part of the earth, it is productive of the same results; and hence you
see people coming in from the east, the west, the north, and the south
to this place, led and impelled by the same Spirit.

Vol. 7, p.119
Why did you leave your homes, break up your establishments, bid adieu
to your friends and associates, and traverse oceans, seas, deserts,
and plains, in order to come here? Because you were inspired by that
same Spirit. And why were you inspired by it? how did it originate?
and where did it come from? Why, the Lord has set his hand to
accomplish his designs in these last days; he has opened the heavens
and revealed his purposes to his servants the Prophets, and has called
his people from the ends of the earth to gather together, that he
might establish his Zion upon the earth, and bring to pass these
things which have been spoken of by all the holy Prophets since the
world was.

Vol. 7, p.119
We have listened to the voice of the charmer—participated in all the
blessings of the Gospel; and this has been the means of our gathering
together in this place. Why did we come here? For the same reason this
brother said he came—to serve God and work righteousness, gain
intelligence, and bring salvation to ourselves, to our wives and our
children, and obtain it for our progenitors. We came here to learn the
principles of eternal life, and be enabled to fulfil our destiny upon
the earth, and prepare ourselves and our posterity for a celestial
inheritance in the eternal worlds.

Vol. 7, p.119
It seems strange to many, perhaps, that a people like us—a people as
innocent as this people are—a people who have desired to serve God as
sincerely as this people have—a people who are living up to the
principles of truth as near as we do,—I say, it seems strange to them
that we should have to meet with any difficulty, be persecuted, that
our names should be cast out as evil, and we be treated with contumely
and bitter reproach, as the offscouring of all things; and that even a
nation like that of the United States should array itself against us.
Men, you know, all profess to be honest, more or less; and if they
are, this certainly has a very strange appearance.

Vol. 7, p.119
Yet, when we come to reflect, and look back upon men who lived in
other ages, whom we have been taught to believe were honest and good,
as we profess to be, and see their names cast out as evil too, and
that some of the best of men had to wander in sheep-skins and
goat-skins, and dwell in deserts, and dens, and caves of the
earth,—that they were destitute, afflicted, tormented, whipped,
stoned, imprisoned, and put to death,—we see that it is only now as it
has been heretofore. This has been the state of things generally in
the world, so far as the servants of God are concerned in this world.
With all its boasted magnanimity, with all its intelligence, with all
its erudition, with all its talent, with all its pomp and glory, and
professed intelligence and philosophy, there has never been a time,
since the world began, but men of the most elevated character, of the
most exalted natures, of the best and most moral habits,—virtuous men
that [p.120] feared God and worked righteousness, have been
persecuted, cast out, and trodden under foot.

Vol. 7, p.120
And there has never been a time, with but few exceptions, in some
isolated cases, that they had even equal rights among men, either
civil, religious, or political;—I say, with very few exceptions, there
has never been a time that the representatives of God on the earth,
his servants, his Priesthood, his people,—those that carried out the
principles of righteousness, and were obedient to his law, observed
his statutes, and kept his commandments,—that such a people possessed
either their civil, religious, or political rights among men.

Vol. 7, p.120
It is true that, on the continent of Asia, the Jews might be
considered an exception in this respect. They had a government which
lasted for a certain period of time; they made their own laws, and
governed themselves; and yet even among this people, who professed to
be God's people, those men who really did fear God, tell the truth,
and dared work righteousness, were generally trodden under foot. So
far even were they fallen, that when Jesus came among them he said,
"Which of the prophets have not your fathers slain,"—even you who
profess to observe his laws—you who boast of having Abraham for your
father, and have more knowledge of God than any other people?" He
could ask that with impunity to a whole nation, and they could not
answer him. If that was the case among them, what is the position of
others?

Vol. 7, p.120
There was a certain time on this continent, from the accounts given in
the Book of Mormon, that a few people observed the laws of Jesus and
his Gospel, and kept his commandments without persecution; but it only
lasted for a short time: they soon departed from every principle of
righteousness, and were cut off in consequence.

Vol. 7, p.120
What has been the position of others, if this has been the case among
good men? They began to persecute the Prophets and reject the word of
the Lord on this continent as on the other. You read of Sodom and
Gomorrah, and of the antediluvians, that every imagination of their
hearts was only evil, and that continually. You read again of the
abominations of Nineveh, of Babylon, of ancient Rome, and of the
bestiality that was practised among them: they were sunk in an awful
state of degradation and corruption. They still are under the
influence of the god of this world, who rules in the hearts of the
children of disobedience, and leads them captive at his will.

Vol. 7, p.120
Look at the world, and what does it present? Any one familiar with the
history of the nations must know that it has been nation against
nation, kingdom against kingdom, power against power, dominion against
dominion. The history of the world from the time of its commencement
to the present is a scene of war, carnage, and desolation; and if you
travel on the continent of Asia, where their history is more
familiarly known than that of the inhabitants of this country, their
monuments, their picture-galleries, and everything represent the very
thing of which I have been speaking.

Vol. 7, p.120
You may go, for instance, into some of the galleries in France, and
you may read on the canvas the history of that nation from the third
century to this time, and it is a history of battles and combats,
blood and destruction, wherein the fiercest passions of the human mind
are developed. Here is portrayed massacres that took place at a
certain time, and there the desolation and overthrow of a city at
another period; the fierce struggle, the falling heroes, and the
lifeless corpses are all portrayed on the canvas on the walls, showing
that the shedding of  human blood—that carnage [p.121] and desolation
have prevailed everywhere since that nation commenced; and this is
called their glory, their pride, their boast: they will point it out
as the glory of their nation; and this thing has existed everywhere
else, among all nations.

Vol. 7, p.121
Go into Asia, and you will find the same thing. Histories of the
Crusades furnish another example, together with the power, prowess,
and bloodshed introduced by Mahomet in his day. The history of the
whole world from that time to this presents a scene of war, tyranny,
cruelty, and oppression,—man struggling with his fellow-man, trying to
raise himself upon the ruin of others. The thrones of many kings have
been supported by a pyramid of human carcasses slain to gratify their
thirst for power and influence. There are heroes and great
men—statesmen, to whom we are to look upon as examples of power, of
dignity, and glory on the earth. Has right had anything to do with it?
No. Talk about God and his Prophets!—they never thought about any such
thing; but, as the Scripture says, "God was not in all their
thoughts:" that was out of the question entirely.

Vol. 7, p.121
Now, what has to be done in such a state of things? Will they for ever
continue? Must the wicked always triumph? If a man dare to rise as a
man of God, cut off his head and trample him under foot! What chance
has the principle of truth to obtain a hearing on the earth under such
circumstances? There is none. So far as national power has existed to
protect right on the earth, we cannot find it anywhere. I presume the
nearest approach to it was on this land a few years ago, because a
number of oppressed men that struck out against oppression fled to
this country to find an asylum. They maintained the principles of
liberty and freedom, which they started with for some time: they had
suffered the evils of religious oppression, and appreciated freedom
therefrom, and were enabled to make laws to protect themselves and
their principles for some time.

Vol. 7, p.121
By-and-by the same evil began to predominate here: religious
intolerance was practised, professed witches and wizards killed,
Quakers were outraged and abused, law and order began to be trampled
under foot, and evil principles prevailed and began to be tolerated,
instead of righteous ones.

Vol. 7, p.121
People affect to be astonished at the present time that we should feel
reluctance at having the appointees of so great and august a personage
as the President of the United States to rule over us; and they have
made this a cause for the cry of "Treason, rebellion," &c. We are
American citizens, and have at least some rights. Our fathers
professed to have, a few years ago, when they said that all mankind
had a right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Vol. 7, p.121
How was it that ten thousand armed men could come against us in the
State of Missouri? And what for? Because we dared worship God
according to the dictates of our conscience. Did the State know
anything about it? Yes. A memorial was presented to them, and
afterwards another to the President of the United States; and Martin
Van Buren, the then President, acknowledged to the justness of our
cause in the following words:—"Your cause is just, but we can do
nothing for you." And so fifteen or twenty thousand American citizens
were disfranchised, robbed of their inheritances, and many of them
murdered in prison, many put to death, and hundreds perished in
consequence of privations they had to endure; and the chief magistrate
of the U.S. Government and people could do nothing for them. There is
no justice for the servants of [p.122] God: you must not ask for it or
look for it. If it had been anybody else, they could have had it.

Vol. 7, p.122
With these facts before us, how can any people think it odd that we
should mistrust their proceedings, and not have implicit confidence in
everything they do. How was it in Illinois? Under the pledge of the
Governor of that State, when he pledged himself most solemnly to
myself and Dr. Bernhisel, he gave us his most sacred word, if we would
go there unarmed, we should be protected. He pledged his honour and
the honour of the State. How was it done? Joseph and Hyrum, with
myself and Dr. Richards, were cooped up in Carthage jail by mere mob
violence under the immediate eye of the Governor. We made a strong
protest against the proceedings at that time. Yet he left the
prisoners there to be butchered by a mob, and he knew they were coming
upon them to kill them. Yet we must believe every word they say, and
must rely implicitly upon their word as if it ads the oracles of God.
They are surprised we cannot do this and feel as they do.

Vol. 7, p.122
Those holy men were put to death and butchered in a manner that would
have disgraced the Algerian pirates. What are you doing here,
gentlemen? Why did you come here? Because they would not let you stop
in Illinois. Who was the foremost in these things—in counselling your
departure? Two United States Senators. Stephen A. Douglas was one; the
name of the other I forget. And it was also recommended by Henry Clay.
They recommended us to leave our homes, our possessions, and to let a
beautiful city then inhabited become desolate, our gardens and fields
laid waste, and 30,000 American citizens to be disfranchised. What
for? Because they could not find protection in the United States; and
I told them of it at that time to their face. There is no law for
"Mormonism;" but yet we must have implicit confidence in them. Then,
after negotiations had been made and we came away, they were so
damnable, mean, and cowardly as to make war on the sick and infirm
that could not leave. The poor, miserable, cursed, damned scoundrels,
I pray that they may go to hell. [The whole congregation shouted
"Amen."] They now trot on a smooth face: they have, perhaps, been at a
class-meeting, some of them, and wonder why we won't let these
officers come in here—why we won't let the judges come here, such as
they shall appoint,—why we won't let kind, gentlemanly men come here
and rule over us? You know such as we have had before in our midst.
Suppose we should ask a question or two about this, and reflect a
little about some of the proceedings that have taken place here. Here
was your Judge Drummond you had here. I was not here at the time, but
I heard all about it. He was one of the appointees of the Pierce
administration, that preceded this one. He came here and seemed
determined to get up a fuss, if he could: that seemed to be his sole
object from the time he came until he went away. He called upon a
corps of men here to go cut and act as a posee comitatus to take up
Indians which he wanted to destroy. He was determined to hang
somebody. And if he could not get hold of the guilty, he wanted the
innocent: he had a thirst for blood in his bosom. He called upon the
Marshal of the Territory to summons heaps of men and capture those
Indians; and he sent them out in a season of the year that men would
rather give anything than go. But he called upon his official powers
as U.S. Judge, and threatened them with the pains and penalties of the
law. They go; and after  wandering the [p.123] deserts, kanyons, and
plains, exposing their lives in the frost and snows, wearing
themselves and animals, after enduring every kind of privation, and
inconvenience,—what next? This judge, after he had been so anxious
they should go, when their bills were presented at Washington,
repudiated all he had done, and says the people ought not to have a
penny for what they have done, after forcing them into it by the power
which he held in his hands. Thousands and thousands of dollars in
labour had been expended by this people at the instance of that Judge,
which, remains unpaid. Such men are infernal scoundrels, and ought to
be damned; and they will be. Yet they are the representatives here of
Uncle Sam, and everybody must take off their hats and bow to such mean
reptiles. He is Judge so-and-so; he is such a humble gentleman! And we
must be subject to such a state of things as this again! I will say,
"We will be damned if we will." That is about my feelings, gentlemen.
Besides that he was such an honourable representative of the U.S., and
wanted to introduce such beautiful principles among us, this very same
individual was so pure, so religious and holy, so virtuous and
righteous, his soul was pained in consequence of the doctrine of
polygamy: at the same time, he must bring an eastern whore to sit on
the bench with him, and thus insult the people of this Territory, and
left his poor wife desolate and forsaken in Oquaka, Illinois. This is
one of these immaculate characters they sent out here to ameliorate
your condition.

Vol. 7, p.123
We need not say anything of their squaw operations. With that matter
you are familiar.

Vol. 7, p.123
On the back of these things, the Legislature last year petitioned
Congress that they would not send such men here, but send men that had
some claim to decency and propriety. But this is one of the greatest
insults considered to be, to petition Congress. What right have
American citizens to petition? If this is a crime, you will have to
blame your Legislature for it. Because they do not want such wicked
scoundrels as these to govern them, they have actually sent out an
armed force here, with another posse of the same kind of characters to
cram them down our throats, and are determined you shall swallow them;
and if you are not willing to take them, they are determined you shall
have them forced upon you by the point of the bayonet.

Vol. 7, p.123
These are some of the reasons why we act as we do. Would you like the
prospect of having such a set of scamps as those to rule over you—to
have them crammed down your throat, whether or not, and be obliged to
swallow them and everything associated with them, and allow them to
carry on their abominations here, to corrupt your wives and daughters,
and spread desolation around? Do you like the picture? The great
difficulty in the matter is that we are the people of God, and they
are not.

Vol. 7, p.123
God has set his hand to accomplish his purposes, and they see more
intelligence, wisdom, union, righteousness, and correct principles
manifested by this people than by any other; and they are afraid it
will grow into a great kingdom, and they will not be able to put it
down; and they want to nip it in the bud, and pull down righteousness
on the earth, that the Devil may triumph. Will they accomplish it? In
the name of the Lord God of hosts, they will not. The hand of God is
over them, and it will continue to be until they shall be; wasted away
and destroyed, and every power that is raised against Zion shall
perish and be brought to naught.

Vol. 7, p.124
Now the kingdom of God is assuming [p.124] another phase to what it
has done. The Lord has set his hand to work to accomplish his
purposes, and establish his kingdom, and the reign of right on the
earth. Is any man that fears God and works righteousness in torment,
trouble, and anxiety here? No. But if a man works iniquity, he is
afraid all the time that his head is going to be taken off; and many
of those mean scamps that fled from your midst went there with their
eyes staring wide open: they had just escaped with their lives. It was
very remarkable, but they did escape.

Vol. 7, p.124
The sinners in Zion are afraid, and fearfulness shall surprise the
hypocrite. And I will tell you upon what principle you can see it
developed and made manifest, in a portion of the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. It says, "When you shall go forth and deliver your
testimony, men shall rage against you and tremble because of you. How
many of you Elders, when you have borne your testimony, have seen
priests tremble like an aspen leaf! What makes men tremble here?
Because there is a concentration of the same power, which is the power
of God in opposition to the power of darkness. One thing I feel—I feel
like singing Hosanna—Glory to God for ever, that we have found a place
where a righteous man can live and be protected in his rights. You
cannot find it anywhere else.

Vol. 7, p.124
Is there a Methodist here, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, a Jumper, a
Shaker, a Spiritualist, or any other kind of religious person? They
can be protected here. Who injures them? They profess in the States to
protect everybody in their religious rights; but they are infernal
hypocrites: they do not do it.

Vol. 7, p.124
There is not a country in the world where there is more religious
intolerance than in this boasted republic. Where is there a people
that have suffered as we have, in any country, for a number of
centuries back? And yet we have lived in this model republic, where
they proclaim liberty to every man—where they have declared that all
men shall worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.

Vol. 7, p.124
The Lord has introduced a people, at last, among the human family that
will protect the people in their rights; that is, they can have a
right to do good, but not evil; and if they do evil, they will
tremble. Where you see a man shaking—his nerves unstrung, if you could
open his heart, you will see something black, unholy, and contrary to
the principles of righteousness. But there is nothing here that will
make men fear that work righteousness. But woe to the rebellious, to
the adulterer, the fornicator, the thief, and the ungodly man; for the
hand of God will be over such for evil, if they do not repent. They
will be rooted out of Zion.

Vol. 7, p.124
God has set his hand to work to accomplish his purposes, to gather
together his people, to establish the principles of righteousness
among men, and overthrow the kingdom of darkness, and establish his
kingdom, and afford protection to the honest in heart among all
nations, to introduce a reign of righteousness that shall ultimately
prevail over the world. The Devil has had rule and dominion, and
brought men into bondage, and subjected the righteous to be overthrown
and trampled under foot by evil men in every age; and they want to do
it now. But Brigham Young has said, Stop, and they have stopped. Why?
Because Brigham said so. When they go back, it will be said, "Well
gentlemen, why did you not go into Utah?" "Because Brigham Young
pointed his finger and said, Stop, and we stopped." "Were any of you
fired on?"  "No." "Their men were told not to fire on us, and they did
not; but Brigham only said,  Stop, and we stopped."[p.125] 

Vol. 7, p.125
It is the first time for a long while that the principles of
righteousness and truth have withstood the powers of darkness, yet it
has here so far. Upon what principle? Upon the principle of union,
faith, purity,—upon the principles of obedience to the laws of the
Priesthood, which are the laws of God; and because We have honoured
God thus far, he has honoured us. And what shall we do, to continue
his protection with us? Continue to improve, progress in doing right,
obey counsel, live our religion, and seek to carry out the designs of
the Almighty and his representatives upon the earth. And if we do
these things, in the name of Israel's God we shall arise and flourish,
and Zion will become a terror to all nations.

Vol. 7, p.125
Do you not feel a little of it in your bones—of that spirit growing
and increasing? and you feel as easy as can be. I was thinking the
other night, there are those poor devils out yonder shivering and
shaking in the cold, and we are acting as though there were no armies,
and as though there were no United States; and we, but a little
handful of people, are dancing, and rejoicing, and praising God, in
security. There is a spirit of peace here, and all is right and well.
How will that be maintained? By virtue, righteousness, purity, and
obedience to the laws of God, and carrying out his designs.

Vol. 7, p.125
I pray that God may bless you, and guide you on in peace, that we may
be saved in his kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Erastus Snow, September 18, 1859

The Work of God Among the Nations Effected 
By the Power and Testimony of His Spirit, and not 
By the Talents of Men, Etc.

Remarks by Elder ERASTUS SNOW, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, September 18, 1859.

Reported By G, D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.125
While brother Liljinquist has been addressing the congregation, I
thought of the saying in the Scriptures"With men of other tongues and
other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will
they not hear me, saith the Lord." This was spoken in reference to
ancient Israel. It would seem that anciently as well as in modern
times, the word of the Lord that went out from Israel to the
surrounding nations came back to them. And even Israel themselves
refused to hear the testimony of men of other tongues and other lips
the. Lord sent to them in the days of Jesus Christ and his Apostles.

Vol. 7, p.125
I remember having read in the Book of Mormon instances of a similar
kind among the ancient Nephites, when the spirit of apostacy was
creeping over them. The Lord raised up Prophets and righteous men from
among the Lamanites, and sent them to reprove the Nephites, to
prophesy unto them, and to warn them of impending destruction, if they
did not repent. Alma says, [p.126] "For I am persuaded that the Lord
deals out his word unto all the nations of the earth according as he
will, and raises up men to bear witness of him, and to carry his word
unto all people as they are capable of receiving."

Vol. 7, p.126
The way and manner the Lord has sent forth labourers with his Gospel
among the nations in the latter days has made me often think of these
words of Alma. Even among the remnants of Israel who are reaming
through the continent of America—the Indians, the Lord manifests
himself in various ways as they are capable of receiving those
impressions he wishes to impart to them. It has pleased our Heavenly
Father that the great work of the latter day which has been spoken of
by all the holy Prophets, the establishing of his kingdom upon the
earth, setting to his hand the second time to restore the house of
Israel, should commence on the land of America, and under the auspices
of the Government of the United States. This work he has commenced by
the hand of his servant Joseph Smith, and those whom he called to be
his associates and fellow-labourers.

Vol. 7, p.126
The land of America was a promised land to the pilgrim fathers, and an
asylum for the oppressed of all nations. To this land people from all
nations flocked, and the Lord inspired them to establish a free
government preparatory to the establishment of his kingdom in the
latter days. It was in this land he sought out and raised up his
servants in their weakness to be the messengers of eternal life to the
children of men, that it might go from this land to other nations.

Vol. 7, p.126
I believe it fell to my lot to be among the first who went to nations
of other tongues. Elder Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, and others who
accompanied them, opened the door of the Gospel of salvation first to
the nation of Great Britain. But, if my memory serves me, at the time
Elder Taylor went to France, Elder L. Snow to Italy, myself and Elder
Hanson to Denmark, and divers Elders to different nations, it was the
first mission of Elders to people of other tongues. This is about ten
years ago.

Vol. 7, p.126
It was after we located in the valleys of these mountains, and this
city had become a resting-place for the Saints who had been scattered
from Nauvoo. On our journey from this place, in the fall of 1839, to
visit the nations of Europe, we met large emigrating companies of our
brethren and sisters who had been scattered and driven from their
possessions in the East. It is marvellous to see the working of our
God among the nations of the earth, in gathering out his elect from
time to time from those nations. It is marvellous in the eyes of those
who understand not the Gospel. They have striven all the day long in
their blind zeal to hedge up the way of the servants of God and hinder
the spread of his Gospel. Still they perceive it steadily progressing,
and the Saints gathering home like doves to their windows. Every
effort they make to destroy the people of God, to scatter, divide, and
weaken them, seems only to advance their progress and consolidate them
in one. We have explained to them why it is they cannot hinder it; but
they cannot comprehend. They think it is all accomplished by the
talent, ability, ingenuity, and wisdom alone of those who direct the
affairs of this Church. They speak of Brigham Young and his
Counsellors, and other leading Elders of "Mormonism," as being smart,
cunning, shrewd men, who deceive, cajole, blind, and lead the people
astray. So far from this being the truth, it is in reality the
reverse, to all intents and purposes.

Vol. 7, p.127
Let any man undertake to dictate, [p.127] govern, control, lead, and
gather together this people by his own wisdom alone, and the result
will be like what we have seen within the last two years in this
Territory in regard to the endeavours of our enemies to break us up
and scatter us to the four winds. Their union is like a rope of sand,
and every plan they devise comes to naught, until they are discouraged
and say, "Damn it, let us quit and go home."

Vol. 7, p.127
Judge Black says, in his explanation in reference to the officials
sent to this Territory, that the Government sought the whole country
over and sent the best men they could find to administer the
principles of equity, justice, and truth to this people. But, in
addition to these, let them send special missionaries, the most gifted
and talented there are on the earth, to draw off and lead this people
by their own cunning, shrewdness, and wisdom, and would they produce
the results we now see every day? Would they see a people that move
and act in almost perfect harmony and oneness? Let them try it. Let
the smartest Elder that can be found in this Church try it.

Vol. 7, p.127
In bygone days Elders have imagined in their hearts that their wisdom
talent, and ability had something to do with it,—that the kingdom of
God could not move unless their shoulder was at the wheel,—that if
they held hack in the breeching, they would stop the onward motion of
the car. But the Lord left them covered with their own shame and
folly, after he had suffered them to try the experiment; and the great
car of truth still rolled steadily forward.

Vol. 7, p.127
Some are inclined to find fault with the Latter-day Saints because of
the murder, rapine, theft, adultery, and abominations that are
practised in Salt Lake City and in Utah Territory. Are the Latter-day
Saints to blame for this? No. The Latter-day Saints have better
business to engage themselves in, which is serving the Lord, working
righteousness, doing good to themselves and to all people who will
receive good at their hands. Nobody has anything to do with this
shooting and killing one another, stealing, breaking into houses,
whoredom, running off horses and mules and cattle, and all such sort
of abominations—getting drunk and screaming in the streets, but just
such as love it. They are not Latter-day Saints who do such things;
but, on the contrary, they are those who are striving to destroy
"Mormonism," and they are destroying themselves of answer to to the
prayers of all the faithful Latter-day Saints.

Vol. 7, p.127
The Latter-day Saints pray, if the wicked must kill somebody, they may
kill those that ought to be killed. You may perhaps think it is wrong
to pray that they may kill anybody. We would rather pray that they may
be saved. There are various ways of saving men, simply because they
will not all be saved in the same way, as there are various ways of
making men happy.

Vol. 7, p.127
There is a class of men who are always miserable only when they are
making everybody else so, and their happiness consists in doing all
the mischief they can, and injuring everybody around them.

Vol. 7, p.127
We teach them the principles of the Gospel. Can they hear it? They
hear with the ear, but they hear not; they have eyes, but they see
not; hearts have they, but they understand not; and they go backward,
and fall and perish. When the truth is told to them, they will not
believe it; but hand them out a pack of infernal lies, and they will
gulp them down as a thirsty ox drinks water. How can such persons
learn and understand the truth? As Jesus said to the Scribes and
Pharisees anciently, "How can ye believe which receive honour [p.128]
one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only."
How can your Judges judge in righteousness and shut their cars to the
voice of truth and to the testimony of innocence, and look around in
all directions to find some mean scoundrel to come up and testify
lies? How can any people be instructed in the things of God and
receive light, while they are labouring diligently to shut out every
particle of light from their tabernacles?

Vol. 7, p.128
If you wish to know why the simple testimony of the humble servants of
God gathers together this people from the nations of the earth, it is
because there was place found in their hearts for the word.

Vol. 7, p.128
When I went to Denmark, I could not speak the first word of their
language, or know the first letter of their alphabet. I was to all
intents and purposes a barbarian to them, and they were barbarians to
me. I went there because I was sent, with an intention to do the best
I knew how, as the Spirit of the Lord might direct me. You may ask if
I received the gift of tongues, that I could begin and speak to them
in their own language by the power of the Holy Ghost without studying.
I answer, Yes, when it pleased the Lord to give it to me; and when it
did not, I remained silent. I did not have any special anxiety to
preach to them in their own tongue any more than the Lord wanted to
have me do.

Vol. 7, p.128
I did not do a great deal of preaching in that country, but I did
whatever  the Lord put into my heart to do as  near as I knew how; and
I learned the language as fast as the Spirit of the Lord enabled me to
do so, that I might bear my testimony to them in  their own tongue,
and that I might  understand what they said to me when they asked me
questions and required explanations; and when they wished to
correspond with me, that I  might be able to write an answer. I had to
learn to read and write, and talk to them in their own language. Did
the Spirit of the Lord assist me? Yes. I learned their language, and
became so familiar with it as to write and speak with them in six
months' time.

Vol. 7, p.128
The Holy Ghost was with me to assist me. In twenty-one months I
published the Book of Mormon, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and
the Hymn Book, and eight or ten pamphlets.

Vol. 7, p.128
A gentleman upon the vessel, on my return home, having been informed
in how short a time I had learned the language, declared it was
impossible for any mortal man to become acquainted with the Danish
language and use it as I did in so short a time; and pronounced me an
impostor to some of the Saints on board who were travelling in company
with me to this place, for palming upon them some miraculous thing;
and expressed himself as having no doubt that I familiarised myself
with the language in college in some other country by years of study.

Vol. 7, p.128
I was there comparatively alone, and the harvest great and the
labourers few, and the Spirit bore testimony that the Lord had much
people there. I saw, if they were all to be sought out and gathered
home by the labours of men sent from America, and after travelling so
long a journey to learn their language, that it was a great work; and
the words of Alma came forcibly to my mind, that the Lord raises up
men among all the nations of the earth, to give them that portion of
his word which they are capable of receiving. And I cried unto the
Lord, saying, "O Lord, raise up labourers and send them into this
harvest—men of their own tongue, who have been raised among them and
are familiar with the spirits of the people. He has done it. Before I
left, there [p.129] was quite a little army of  Elders and  Priests,
Teachers and Deacons, labouring in the vineyard; and thousands have
rejoiced in the testimony of the Gospel borne to them by their
fellow-countrymen.

Vol. 7, p.129
Do any of you ask how this came to pass that so many thousands have
gathered from that land, and are now in these valleys of the
mountains; and why thousands more are longing to come here who are
rejoicing in the testimony of the Gospel in Denmark, Sweden, Norway,
Iceland, &c.? I answer—It was not done by the wisdom and learning of
man, or by any influence that man himself could exert ever that
distant people. If any person thinks so for a moment, he thinks so
because he knows no better. It is a mystery to them; and  they would
not believe, if it were unfolded to them.

Vol. 7, p.129
We testify and bear witness that it is not of man, but of God,—that it
is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—that it is the gift and
influence of the Holy Ghost that bears witness to the hearts of this
people. When in the simplicity of my heart I could speak but little
unto them with stammering lips, I said more with my eyes and fingers
than with my tongue. The power of the Holy Ghost rested upon the
people; and when I asked them if they understood me, "Yes," said they,
"we understood it all." It was not because I spoke it fully with my
tongue, but God made them understand me. If I asked them if they
believed it, "Yes," would be the reply; "we have the testimony of the
Holy Ghost bearing witness within us that it is true."

Vol. 7, p.129
I laid my hands upon the men that were raised up around about me, and
sent them to preach the Gospel; and they were just such men as the
Lord sent me; no matter if they were shoemakers, carpenters,
chimney-sweepers, or any other kind of trade. I told them to go forth
and bear witness of what they had heard, and of what they knew; and
every time they opened their mouth, a stream of light would flow from
them to the people, who were melted before them. This is the
experience of every man of God upon all the earth.

Vol. 7, p.129
You ask the people who are in these valleys who profess to be
Latter-day Saints why they are here, and they will tell you they could
not keep away; and many will say that if they could have kept away,
they would. Say they, "Mormonism is true: We know it." They feel like
Almon Babbitt: he said he would give ten thousand dollars if he could
only know "Mormonism" to be untrue.

Vol. 7, p.129
It troubles those who do not exactly love it, because it interferes
with some of their favourite desires: it will not exactly allow them
to gratify every wish and desire of their hearts. It curtails them in
some of their wickedness, pride, selfishness, and idolatry; and
because of this, they do not like it, and they wish it were not true,
that they might escape an awful condemnation. Because they knew it is
true, they cannot get off the hook, and must be drawn in. Ask them if
they were so influenced by the wisdom, learning, shrewdness, or
cunning of those who taught them the principles of life and salvation,
and they will answer you that they know better. There are but few
religions you can name, or preachers of any deonomination, that have
not been heard by the chief bulk of the Latter-day Saints. But did
their eloquence, learning, cunning, intelligence, and experience
govern and control them, or influence them in any uncommon way? No.
But when the simple, naked truth was told to them in child-like
simplicity, if it came from a babe, they understood it: it went to
their hearts. This is the reason why they are here, and why they star
[p.130] here. And those who go away are they who come flouncing all
the way like a fish caught by the gills, and they keep it up until the
gill breaks, when they return again to their native element. I have no
objections to this: it is all right.

Vol. 7, p.130
If men want to fight, and drink whisky, and roll in the mud, and spue
in the gutter, I have no objections. The only objection I have is,
that it hurts my feelings to find one of the Seventies, one of the
Elders, or one of the High Priests lying on my side walk or under my
fence in a state of intoxication, and I am obliged to pass by and call
him brother. I am obliged to have it thrown to me that I fellowship
him. I wish every person to understand that I do not fellowship any
such conduct. Still they will plead, and plead, and plead to be
forgiven and tried again. Yes, try him again until he reaches another
whisky shop.

Vol. 7, p.130
I think if those who keep the shop, who hang out the sign, who gather
the poison by the pailful, and keep it to retail out by the dimes'
worth, want that occupation in time, they ought also to have it in
eternity, and sell it to Pharaoh and his hosts in hell. I am ashamed
of all such Elders. They excuse themselves by saying, "People will
have the liquor; and if I don't sell it, somebody else will; and I
might as well have the money as anybody else." They might as well say,
There is a herd of cattle, horses, or mules on the range that will be
stolen, and I might as well steal them as anybody else.

Vol. 7, p.130
The principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do
not countenance such conduct. It is Gentilism—Devilism.

Vol. 7, p.130
It may be asked, Why do not the "Mormons" put a stop to this cheating
of one another? I do all I can towards it. When they wish to quit
their wickedness, I will try to help them do it. I would not care to
see burned down that row of buildings where whisky is kept and
drunkenness encouraged. I do not wish the buildings burned up, but I
say I never would occupy one of them. I would rather go and live on
the top of one of those mountains than have any of my family occupy
one of those cursed houses where all kinds of corruption is practised.

Vol. 7, p.130
In years gone by, it has been considered awful oppression here because
the Saints in the community did not feel to approve of these things,
and there were no army—no federal officers to hold out protection to
men when they violated every acknowledged rule of a well-regulated
society.

Vol. 7, p.130
Now, let me say to all such characters—federal officers, the army,
Saint and sinner, Jew and Gentile,—that instead of being protected in
wickedness, they will find the sword of justice that hangs over them
will soon fall heavily upon them, and when they least expect it. Do
you ask who will wield it? I answer, The Lord Almighty. He will not
always look on and see this land polluted by such curses. And those
who have professed the name of Jesus Christ, and have had the
testimony of Jesus, and depart from the way of the Lord, to pursue
covetousness and idolatry, will be the first to feel his wrath in the
day of the Lord, when he has borne with them sufficiently. Every man's
works will speak for him, and they will be weighed in the balance,
whether he be Jew or Gentile. Every man's works will make manifest
whether he is for law and order—for the principles of the Constitution
of the United States and the rights of man, or whether he is here to
ride over everybody that will not be influenced by him. The man that
does this will find himself in snag harbour, and he will run against
snags when, and where he  least expects it.[p.131] 

Vol. 7, p.131
The Lord says the wicked shall slay the wicked, and he orders it so. I
pray God that he will preserve the righteous, and endue his people who
love the truth with grace, that they may let their light shine, and be
able to bear testimony of the Gospel to all nations. Amen.

Brigham Young, December 18, 1859

Diligence in Preaching to the World—Providences of God 
Around the Saints—Charity—God's Spirit Distributed 
Among All Mankind—Trials, &c.

Discourse by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 18, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.131
My greatest desire to my Father and God is that I may so speak that my
remarks will be acceptable to him and beneficial to those who hear me.

Vol. 7, p.131
I do not know that I have the first desire to please myself or any
earthly being in the remarks I may make. I do not know that I have any
other purpose in view but the salvation of the people; and I wish the
people to have only one ruling desire—namely, to do the will of their
God.

Vol. 7, p.131
If my mind is led this morning in a channel to instruct the Saints—to
encourage them—to give them new life and vigour—to so strengthen them
in their faith as to better prepare them to pursue the journey of
life, God be thanked.

Vol. 7, p.131
I sometimes think that perhaps I have not that fervent desire to
preach to unbelievers that I ought to have. But one thing I can say—My
garments are clear and pure from the blood of all men. I will briefly
state why this is. For nearly thirty years I have sought to know the
truth, and to properly understand the principles of the holy
Priesthood revealed from heaven through the Prophet Joseph; and I have
ceased not, when I have had an opportunity, at the proper time and in
the proper place, to present those principles to my fellow-men. And if
those who have heard me had been as faithful and diligent as I have
been since I embraced the truth, in distributing the truth to their
neighbours, long before this time every family upon the face of the
earth would have heard the Gospel of the Son of God and the warning
voice of his servants, and have had the opportunity of believing or
rejecting it, solely through my preaching and its results. This frees
me from all blame on the score of preaching to the world. Blame upon
that point cannot be attached to me by any man upon the face of the
earth. If people of other nations rise up in the judgment and say, "If
you, Brigham, had been faithful in preaching to us, we also could have
been prepared, for the day we now see," my answer will be—"There is no
such sin resting upon me." That sin will fall, if anywhere, upon those
who have heard me and have witnessed that I have told them the truth,
but have not themselves been faithful in disseminating it to their
neighbours. You may call this an apology, if you please, for not
[p.132] feeling that anxiety to preach to unbelievers that some may
suppose I ought to feel; but I trust this matter with my God. I feel
anxious for those who are disposed to believe the truth: I feel after
the Saints. The facts I have related touching myself will also apply
to hundreds of the Elders of Israel—to men who are now sitting in this
stand and in this congregation. My desires daily and hourly are that
those who profess to be Saints actually be Saints in truth and verity;
and my constant prayer is for their welfare.

Vol. 7, p.132
I remember the poor and the needy; though I can say (and the remark
may astonish many of my brethren,) I never pray for the people to be
rich. I do not pray for gold and silver. I have never done so. I have
never had so much as a desire for this people to become wealthy in
gold and silver, in houses and lands, in goods and chattles. I do not
know that I ever offered a petition to a being superior to myself to
give me worldly riches and worldly honour and fame; but I have prayed,
O Lord, give me the power, the knowledge, the wisdom and the
understanding to secure to myself eternal life.

Vol. 7, p.132
We have the promise, if we seek first the kingdom of God and its
righteousness, that all necessary things will he added to us. We
should not be distrustful, but seek first to know how to please our
Father and God—seek to know how to save ourselves from the errors that
are in the world, from darkness and unbelief, from the vain and
delusive spirits that go abroad among the children of men to deceive,
and learn how to save and preserve ourselves upon the earth to preach
the Gospel, build up the kingdom, and establish the Zion of our God.
Then there is not the least danger, and there should not be the least
doubt but what everything necessary for the comfort, convenience
happiness, and salvation of the people will be added to them.

Vol. 7, p.132
True, we see many of this people that are poor. We have seen them in
their persecutions and sore privations. We have seen them flee from
city to city, from county to county, and from state to state. We have
seen them naked and barefooted on the way to these valleys. In the
companies that came here in 1847-8 and 9, probably not one in ten had
good shoes or clothes to keep them comfortable in moderate weather;
and but few had breadstuff sufficient to last them over four months.
They came here, and here they stayed and laboured; and what they
brought with them had to answer until they raised enough to supply
their wants. We can still see many who are not so comfortable as they
desire to be.

Vol. 7, p.132
Who among this people can discern the hand of God in all these
circumstances, and that it is necessary that afflictions should come
upon them to prove whether they will be Saints or not—whether they
will be the friends of God, or turn away from the holy commandments,
forsake their God and their religion, return to the beggarly elements
of the world—to the vain fashions and foolish spirits that are abroad
deceiving the children of men? My desire is that the Saints should
understand—that they should be wise, having eyes that see, ears that
hear, and hearts that understand as God understands us, that they may
not be ignorant of the providences that attend them. At present my
fervent desire is for the Saints. Doubtless, if, in the providences of
God, I am again called to preach the Gospel to the world, I shall have
as fervent a desire for them as I have ever had for the Saints. But I
now feel to. strengthen and comfort the Saints, inasmuch as I have the
ability, and the Spirit bearing witness with yours that we should live
 our religion and be [p.133] Saints indeed, and feel that affinity one
to another that becomes the Saints of the living God.

Vol. 7, p.133
I have no desire, at this time, to address you upon any particular
point of doctrine, or to select a text upon which to expound or
explain. I merely wish to inquire whether the Latter-day Saints
understand the eventful day in which they live—whether they appreciate
and understand the peculiar providences of God that are cast around
them—whether they partially comprehend the nature of their own being,
and the great object of their existence and place upon the earth. If
they understand and rightly practise upon all this, every soul of them
will keep the faith. After the existence of the Deity, his supremacy,
his right to rule, his knowledge, his power, and his great plan of
salvation for the children of men have been proved beyond the power of
truthful contradiction; and after tens of thousands have bowed to the
truths of the Gospel, been baptized for the remission of sins, and
received the ordinances of the holy Priesthood, and run well for a
season, it is lamentable to ace so many turn away, forsake their
covenants, and lose sight of all holiness and purity of life, becoming
like a ship upon the great waste of waters without a compass, sail,
rudder, or any means for guiding their course, and being wafted hither
and thither with every wind that blows, not seeming to have the least
idea of directing their own course. This is a matter of deep regret.

Vol. 7, p.133
I ask intelligent men—those in whose bosoms the spirit of revelation
continually abides, whether their souls do not mourn to see the
neglect, the weakness, the blindness, and stupidity of those who have
received the words of eternal life—who have received the promises and
covenants of God and have had the rights and privileges of receiving
the revelations of Jesus Christ to guide and direct them in the path
of truth and holiness, so that they could make sure to themselves
salvation and eternal lives in the celestial kingdom of our Father and
God. Is it not painful? Are you not astonished to see people who have
received the Holy Spirit of promise, the Holy Ghost,—who have received
visions—who have been endowed with faith and with the knowledge of
God—who have had power to lay hands upon the sick, and diseases have
departed at their command, and foul spirits at their word, turn away
and forsake their covenants and their God?

Vol. 7, p.133
If there should not be another meeting of the Latter-day Saints until
the winding-up scene, it would be astonishing that any man or woman of
good sound sense and judgment should ever forsake their faith. I do
not know that a comparison strong enough can possibly be framed to
exhibit the folly of such a proceeding. Were I to say to a son, The
whole earth is in my hands to dispose of as I will: I can make you the
sovereign of the universe—the possessor of the gold, the silver, the
mountains, the valleys, the rivers, the lakes, the seas, and all that
float upon them and that live upon the face of the whole earth; for it
is mine to give to you, my son, if you will serve me one month
faithfully. I require nothing of you that will give you the least
pain: all I require is strict obedience to my law. My son faithfully
serves me during twenty-nine days, and on the thirtieth day, for the
value of a straw, or for a mess of pottage, he sells his right and
title to all I  had promised him. This comparison falls very far short
of showing the loss a Saint sustains when he turns away from his God
and his religion.

Vol. 7, p.134
There is one virtue, attribute, on principle, which, if cherished and
[p.134] practised by the Saints, would prove  salvation to thousands
upon thousands. I allude to charity, or love, from which proceed
forgiveness, long-suffering, kindness, and patience. But the
short-sightedness and weakness in  some are marvellous. To make this a
little plainer, I will ask, Do any of your neighbours do anything
wrong? They do. People come here from different parts of the earth to
make this their adopted country, and the old residents expect them to
at once conform to and adopt their manners, customs, and traditions,
or they think the new comers are not worthy of their fellowship. In
other words, "If every man, woman, and child does not act, think, and
see as I do, they are sinners." It is very necessary that we have
charity that will cover a multitude of what we may suppose to be sins.
It is written in the Scriptures, "For charity shall cover the
multitude of sins." In its wording this is not literally correct, for
charity does not cover up, hide, or justify actual iniquity. It covers
up a multitude of improprieties and weaknesses that some are inclined
to suppose to be sins.

Vol. 7, p.134
In a community, and even in a family of children that have sprung from
the same parents, you can find a great difference in the dispositions
and temperaments of individuals. You observe an endless variety in the
dispositions of mankind. I will give you an example.

Vol. 7, p.134
Some Christian nations lately went to war with each other. What for?
Pride—to please a selfish, worldly, carnal, wicked heart. And the
priests, the majority of them being of the same faith, on both sides
the line of battle prayed to the same God for success in slaying the
opposing army. If they can have the Spirit of the Lord thus to pray,
they can have it there and then as well as anywhere else. They could
have it as well as the English and Americans in the revolutionary war.
When they went to battle, they prayed fervently, each side praying,
"Lord, save my countrymen, preserve our armies, direct every ball that
is discharged from our guns directly to the hearts of our enemies,
until they are completely used up."

Vol. 7, p.134
God distributes his Spirit to all, both Christian and Pagan. This to
some may appear very strange, but it is true; for there is not a
Christian or Pagan nation, family, or individual upon the whole earth,
to whom the Lord has not more or less at times dispensed his Spirit.
The Pagan is aS fervent in his desires to his god for a good and holy
influence to attend him in the worship of his idols, as we are to the
God of heaven—the Father of us all—the Being who has brought all
mankind into existence and sustains them by his providence and
fatherly care. He bestows blessings upon all his children, and
enlightens them more or less by his Spirit, and guides the affairs of
all nations, states, countries, and peoples. His kind benevolence and
influence, by the power of his Spirit, are over them all. In this
Territory are people gathered from almost all nations, where they have
been differently educated, differently traditioned, and differently
ruled. How, then, can we expect them to look, to act, and to have
sentiments, faith, and customs precisely alike? I do not expect to see
any such thing, but I endeavour to look upon them as an angel would,
having compassion, long-suffering, and forbearance towards them. How
many times can I forgive a brother? I do not know, for I have never
been particularly tried upon this point; but I think I could forgive a
brother seventy times seven in one day, if I had not learned that he
had a design to commit evil. He might commit overt acts every half
minute in the day; and if he felt to sincerely repent, I could forgive
him. [p.135] Everybody should do so, and especially the Saints.

Vol. 7, p.135
How many of us charge evil upon our neighbours, or upon members of our
families, when they have desired, according to the best of their
ability, and striven, according to the best of their knowledge, and as
fervently as they could, to do right! Where, then, is our charity, our
benevolence, long-suffering, and patience? We should overcome all
unfriendly desires to overthrow each other, and strive to inculcate
these principles that pertain to eternal life. Men are greedy for the
vain things of this world. In their hearts they are covetous. It is
true that the things of this world are designed to make us
comfortable, and they make some people as happy as they can be here;
but riches can never make the Latter-day Saints happy. Riches of
themselves cannot produce permanent happiness: only the Spirit that
comes from above can do that. If we are compelled to eat our morsel
under a rock in the wilderness, or in a log cabin, we are happy, so
that we possess that Spirit. If a man drinks at the fountain of
eternal life, he is as happy under the broad canopy of heaven, without
a home, as in a palace. This I know by experience. I know that the
things of this world, from beginning to end, from the possession of
mountains of gold down to a crust of johnnycake, makes little or no
difference in the happiness of an individual. The things of this world
add to our national comfort, and are necessary to sustain mortal life.
We need these comforts to preserve our earthly existence; and many
suppose, when they have them in great abundance, that they have all
that is needed to make them happy. They are striving continually, and
with all their might, for that which does not add one particle to
their happiness, though it may add to their comfort, and perhaps to
the length of their lives, if they do not kill themselves in their
eagerness to grasp the gilded butterfly. But those things have nothing
to do with the spirit, feeling, consolation, light, glory, peace, and
joy that pertain to heaven and heavenly things, which are the food of
the ever-living spirit within us.

Vol. 7, p.135
Hundreds and thousands of the Latter-day Saints, while passing through
persecutions, have gone to their graves for want of a little medicine,
or that kind of nourishment most proper in their condition. They could
not obtain such things, their strength gradually gave way to the
diseases that preyed upon them, and they sunk into death for want of
the comforts of life. But did they go to their graves mourning, and
bewailing their situation? I will venture to state that they felt
better than many who die on downy beds with all things around them
that earthly riches can command, or heart desire. In those times of
severe trial we laid our hands upon the sick, and tried to encourage
them all we could; but we had no earthly comforts in the shape of
food, clothing, medicine, &c., to impart, nor any physical comfort
designed to sustain life. We laid our hands upon hundreds, and saw
fathers, mothers, and children sinking and dying. Was there nothing
that could help them? Yes; if we could have made them some chicken
broth, or given them a little wine, it probably would have turned the
disease, and they might have lived; but we did not have such articles
to give. How did they die? Rejoicing that their pilgrimage was over,
saying, "I am happy within." If the question had been asked, "Do you
not think that if you had this or that, it would make you happy?"
their answer would have been, "No: I am happy without them They might
increase my bodily health, but they have nothing to do with my [p.136]
happiness." Yet how over-anxious the great majority of mankind are for
the vain and foolish things of this life!

Vol. 7, p.136
Are the people mourning for anything now? and do they think this to be
a day of trial and darkness? In the spring of 1857 we moved from our
homes at a time when it was pleasant for living out of doors and lying
upon the ground; but hundreds now present have had to leave their
homes in the dead of winter, with no habitation to shelter them. The
revelations declare that this people shall be tried in all things. If
we were not tried in the things that now try us, we should not be
tried in all things. We have had the trial of burying our friends: we
have been driven from our homes, leaving our possessions, our goods,
our farms, our houses, orchards, gardens, and furniture standing in
our houses. We gathered up teams, a little food and clothing, and
left. We have been tried in losing our fathers, our mothers, our
children, our sisters, and brethren. We have been tried in having a
mob butcher our brethren before our eyes, shooting them down as
deliberately as a mountaineer would shoot a wolf.

Vol. 7, p.136
It is necessary that we should be tried, in order to prove whether we
can be still in prayer time. You know that it is sometimes necessary
to correct our children for making a noise in prayer time. It is now
prayer time with us. Can we keep still, or shall we be found making a
disturbance in the family? Let us, as children, keep still, or our
Father may use the rod of correction. What a trial, to keep still in
prayer time! Oh, how this people are tried!! Those who turn away from
the holy commandments will meet trials that are trials indeed. They
will feel the wrath of the Almighty upon them. Those who are still and
are good children will receive the rich blessing of their Father and
God. Be still, and let your faith rest on the Lord Almighty. He is at
the helm; he is in the midst of this people, and guides the ship Zion.
Be good children until our Father has taught us our present lesson,
and be ready to answer every call, to render obedience to every
requirement, and have compassion upon each other. But if you should
happen to see John or Lucy climb up into a chair in prayer time, and
yet have no evil design in so doing, let charity cover that
impropriety. Do not tell Father that John was a naughty boy. Do not be
so full of religion as to look upon every little overt act that others
may commit as being the unpardonable sin that will place them beyond
the reach of redemption and the favours of our God.

Vol. 7, p.136
Some come to me saying, "Oh, brother Brigham, it does seem that all
the people are going to the Devil!" I can foretell a few things. Those
who are good children, and behave themselves until prayer time is
over, will by-and-by sit down to supper and have a joyful season. Some
may say, "I fear there will be but few left to eat supper, there are
so many going astray." Be patient: there are more than seven thousand
in this city who have not bowed the knee to Baal, without numbering
those of other cities who are ready and anxious to do right, and none
of them will be lost. "But some are stealing." Can you at present
prevent it? "No. But do you not think that it ought to be stopped?"
Yes, if we had the power; but we have not now the power. If I had the
power, I would send every thief to his long home. I will promise
thieves, drunkards, and other offenders against good order, morality,
and the wellbeing of society, that if I can learn of their committing
such sins, I will cut them off from the Church. I will not knowingly
fellowship [p.137] thieves, liars, and drunkards, nor any abominable
character. But can I prevent men from committing those crimes? No:
neither can you. Could the Lord? Yes, if he wished to. He could lead
them to some of our large streams, cause them to think that they could
cross over dryshod, and then drown them as he did the Egyptians; but
he does not feel to do so.

Vol. 7, p.137
I do know that some people are wanting in understanding when they
charge others with sin, which they do not suppose to be sin. They have
been differently educated, and consequently each party feels justified
in doing that which the other party would feel condemned in; and hence
they condemn each other. You may inquire how far a person can go and
be justified, and pray and receive a portion of the Spirit of the
Lord. Can he go so far as to steal? Yes; because, through his
traditions and customs, he would not deem that he had stolen, though I
might think he had. I presume there are those who would take your axe
or mine, if they found it in a road or kanyon, even though the owner's
name was upon it, and take it home and keep it. Will they pray to God,
while they do such things? Yes, as fervently as those who do not. Will
they have the Spirit of the Lord? Yes, a portion of it. Could I do so?
No. But there are those who have been thus traditionated, and the
Spirit of the Lord will find its way to their hearts as it would to
the hear; of an Indian.

Vol. 7, p.137
The very Indians who massacre men, women, and children on the plains,
have their religious ceremonies and pray to their God for succees in
killing men, women, and children. The French and Austrians meet and
slay one another by hundreds and thousands; and thousands of women and
children who were not engaged in battle are also sacrificed by the
folly of those Christian wars. The instigators of those wars are just
as guilty of murder, before God, as the Indians are for killing the
men, we men, and children who are passing through their country. What
is the difference in the eyes of our Father and God? It is just as
much murder to kill unjustly a million at a blow as it is to kill one,
though Dr. Young has stated that "One murder makes a villain; millions
makes a here." Were I to make war upon an innocent people, because I
had the power, to possess myself of their Territory, their silver,
gold, and other property, and be the cause of slaying, say fifty
thousand strong, hale, hearty men, and devolving consequent suffering
upon one hundred thousand women and children, who would suffer through
privation and want, I am very much more guilty of murder than is the
man who kills only one person to obtain his pocket-book.

Vol. 7, p.137
Our traditions have been such that we are not apt to look upon war
between two nations as murder; but suppose that one family should rise
up against another and begin to slay them, would they not be taken up
and tried for murder? Then why not nations that rise up and slay each
other in a scientific way be equally guilty of murder? "But observe
the martial array, how splendid! See the furious war horses, with
their glittering trappings! Then the honour and glory and pride of the
reigning king must be sustained, and the strength and power and wealth
of the nation must be displayed in some way; and what better way than
to make war upon neighbouring nations, under some slight pretext?"
Does it justify the slaying of men, women, and children that otherwise
would have remained at home in peace, because a great army is doing
the work? No: the guilty will be damned for it.[p.138] 

Vol. 7, p.138
Let this people called Latter-day Saints examine themselves and be
sure that they are right before God, and do as they should in all
things, and hurt not the oil and the wine. Never pray for riches; do
not entertain such a foolish thought. In my deep poverty, when I knew
not where I could procure the next morsel of food for myself and
family, I have prayed God to open the way that I might get something
to keep myself and family from dying. Those who do more than this are
off more or less from the track that leads to life eternal. When you
obtain eternal riches, and the true and living faith within you, and
the visions of your mind are opened to understand and see things as
they are, you will then be made aware that the riches of this world
are disposed of by a Supreme Power, and that all that is necessary
will be added to you. If it is to die while you are hunting out an
asylum for the poor persecuted Saints, die. If, while a missionary to
the nations of the earth, you should be shipwrecked on a desolate
island and starve to death, die like a man.

Vol. 7, p.138
Let the providence of God take its course. Ask for that which will
make you happy and prepare you for life or death. What is that? Food
for the mind, to feed the intelligent part of the creature. The Lord
has planted within us a divinity; and that divine, immortal spirit
requires to be fed. Will earthly food answer for that purpose? No; it
will only keep this body alive as long as the spirit stays with it,
which gives us an opportunity of doing good. That divinity within us
needs food from the Fountain from which it emanated. It is not of the
earth, earthy, but is from heaven. Principles of eternal life, of God
and godliness, will alone feed the immortal capacity of man and give
true satisfaction. But it is very lamentable to observe how so many
grovel in darkness, seeming not to understand anything beyond what
they can feel with their hands, see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears. They seem to feel, "Let me eat and drink today, for to
morrow I am not." Where are you to-morrow? "Gone into nonentity—passed
away like a vapour, for aught I know. My life, existence,
intelligence, my organism, the whole man has passed into the great
chaos of nature, never to be again reorganized to reflect, see, think,
understand, enjoy, or endure: it is all gone for ever." Like brutes
they live, and like brutes they die. Like the unconscious bullock that
is led to the slaughter-house, they know nothing until the knife
drinks the life-blood and they sink into death.

Vol. 7, p.138
My feelings are—O that men would understand the purpose of their
existence! Our organism makes us capable of exquisite enjoyment. Do I
not love my wife, my son, my daughter, my brother, my sister, my
father, and my mother? and do I not love to associate with my friends?
I do, and love to reflect and talk on eternal principles. Our
salvation consists in knowing them, and they are designed in their
nature to cheer and comfort us. Is that eternal existence in me that
feeds upon eternal truth organized to be destroyed? Is that organism
ever to come to an end, so long as it lives upon eternal truth? No.
Let me eternally enjoy the society of those I love. Let our
associations in time and in eternity never be destroyed.

Vol. 7, p.138
In this life we are full of pain, disappointment, and worldly trouble.
This gives us a chance to prove to God that we are his friends. Seek
unto the Lord for his Spirit, without any cessation in your efforts,
until his Spirit dwells within you like eternal burnings. Let the
candle of the Lord be lighted up within you, and all is right. Until
prayer time is over, be still, keep quiet, and all  is right. For
[p.139] the present, let the world go, for they have been repeatedly
preached to. It is necessary that all have the privilege of receiving
or rejecting eternal truth, that they may be prepared to be saved, or
be prepared to be damned.

Vol. 7, p.139
I pray that what I have said this morning may do you good, and do no
person any harm, and that your hearts may be comforted and made
stedfast in the truth. If you wish to know what you shall do, to do
right, I answer—Do all that you know to be good. Pray to the Father to
guide you in righteousness, and never permit yourselves to do that
which you know is evil. And if you do evil ignorantly and in good
faith, I promise you it shall result in good.

Vol. 7, p.139
By-and-by, when prayer time is over, many of those whom you think are
nearly gone to the Devil will feel and express their sorrow for their
foolishness, and promise henceforth to be good children. But you may
as well try to stop with sand the gushing streams that flow down our
kanyon gorges as to stop a man from committing sin who is determined
to sin. We can cut such persons off from our fellowship, which I am
determined to do. We will not fellowship the old, dead, dry limbs.

Vol. 7, p.139
May the Lord bless you, brethren! Amen.

Brigham Young, May 22, 1859

Necessity of Trials—Glory of the Saints' 
Religion—Government of God, Etc.

A Sermon by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, May 22, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.139
I wish to inform you that I am here and doing what many years ago I
resolved to do—the best I can. Watch for the signs of the times. All
is right, and the Devil is not dead; for which we have great reason to
be thankful. If you do not know whether "Mormonism" is true or untrue,
I am perfectly willing that the Devil should assail you until you
learn for yourselves.

Vol. 7, p.139
As brother Orson Pratt has just observed, the Elders of Israel have
laboured long and arduously to preserve this people in the faith and
in purity. Notwithstanding all this, some men and women, when they
have an opportunity to join heart and hand with the thoroughly
corrupt, make it their meat and their drink to turn their backs upon
every upright principle and practice. We wish that such persons would
leave our society, for we do not feel willing to fellowship them.

Vol. 7, p.139
I will say, for your consolation, that as soon as the time arrives
when this people have been proven sufficiently to satisfy justice,
mercy will interpose, peace be fully restored, and the valleys of the
mountains resound with the joyful voices of the Saints. Until then I
am perfectly willing that the people do without preaching. I will pray
with them and for them: what for? To keep the devils, the corrupt, the
hypocritical, the ungodly, and those that love and work iniquity in
[p.140] the kingdom of God? I say, God forbid.

Vol. 7, p.140
I am accused by our enemies and by the enemies of the Lord Jesus
Christ of possessing great influence over the people of this
Territory; and I would to God that I had sufficient influence to make
every man and woman work righteousness and cease iniquity, and so live
that angels and the Spirit of the God of peace would dwell with them
day by day. But that influence I have not. I have an influence; but I
have only what the Lord has given me. No man will gain influence in
this kingdom, save what he gains by the influence and power of the
Holy One that has called him to truth, holiness, and virtue. That is
all the influence I have, and I pray God that I may never have any
different influence.

Vol. 7, p.140
If I should lose my faith, forsake my God and my religion, I hope, and
it has always been my prayer, that I may never have influence over a
wife, child, friend, or neighbour to drag them down to hell. If I go
there, let me go alone. It has ever been ray prayer that if I have
influence over the people, it shall be exercised to induce them to
forsake their sins and cleave to righteousness. I seek for an increase
of that influence, and seek to the proper source. It is my constant
prayer that I may have influence over the spirits of the children of
men to lead them from the power of Satan to the living God. But we
must be tried in our faith and in our patience. The whole man must be
tried to know whether he is for God or for the powers of
darkness—whether he will cling to that which is a hater of
righteousness, or to his Father and Saviour.

Vol. 7, p.140
There are thousands in this kingdom who are willing to die for their
religion, but are not willing to live it. This is a great difficulty.
The most ignorant, blind, and superstitious pagan upon the earth will
die for what we call their nonsense, though to them it is as true and
sacred as our religion and God are to us. What a man will suffer for
his religion is no proof whether it is true or false Brother Pratt, in
his remarks, said that we should not be governed by tradition. Yet we
are, and so are the whole world, more or less; and those who are
traditioned in a false religion are as willing to die for it as men
and women are for a true religion and Priesthood. That a man is
willing to die for his religion is no proof of its being true; neither
is it proof that a religion is false when one of its votaries
apostatizes from it. Our religion teaches us truth, virtue, holiness,
faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ. It reveals mysteries, it
brings to mind things past and present—unfolding clearly things to
come. It is the foundation of mechanism; it is the Spirit that gives
intelligence to every living being upon the earth. All true philosophy
originates from that Fountain from which we draw wisdom, knowledge,
truth, and power. What does it teach us? To love God and our fellow
creatures—to be compassionate, full of mercy, long-suffering, and
patient to the froward and to those who are ignorant· There is a glory
in our religion that no other religion that has ever been established
upon the earth, in the absence of the true Priesthood, ever possessed.
It is the fountain of all intelligence; it is to bring heaven to earth
and exalt earth to heaven, to prepare all intelligence that God has
placed in the hearts of the children of men—to mingle with that
intelligence which dwells in eternity, and to elevate the mind above
the trifling and frivolous objects of time, which tend downward to
destruction. It frees the mind of man from darkness and ignorance,
gives him that intelligence that flows from [p.141] heaven, and
qualifies him to comprehend all things. This is the character of the
religion we believe in.

Vol. 7, p.141
Our ecclesiastical government is the government of heaven, and
incorporates all governments in earth and hell. It is the fountain,
the mainspring, the source of all light, power, and government that
ever did or ever will exist. It circumscribes the governments of this
world; and when men and women are filled with the power of God, they
can comprehend what the Prophet means when he speaks of the Lord's
weighing the earth as in a balance; and measuring the waters of the
great deep as in the hollow of his hand: that is, He comprehends all
things; and so can men who are filled with the Holy Ghost comprehend
all things needful for their salvation and exaltation. All human
governments and policies are weighed by them as gold is weighed in the
balance: they are comprehended by them with the same facility and
clearness that a farmer or mechanic comprehends his particular
pursuit. And no being possesses intelligence, in any degree, that he
has not received from the God of heaven, or, in other words, from the
Fountain of all intelligence, whether he acknowledges his God in it or
not. No man, independent of the Great Ruler of the universe, is
capable of devising that which we see and are well acquainted with.
All mechanism, good government, wholesome principle, and true
philosophy, of whatever name or nature, flows from God to finite man.
What for? To determine what he will do with it. It is for his
improvement and advancement in the arts of civilized life, morality,
and true religion. This has been taught you from the beginning as the
unmistakeable features of our holy religion.

Vol. 7, p.141
"Mormonism" is said to be different in Utah from what it is in other
countries. It should be very different. Let me explain. When the
Elders go forth to teach the people that Jesus is the Christ, and to
bear testimony to the truth of the Bible, though precious portions
have been taken from it, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that the
revelations given through Joseph Smith, the servant of God, are true,
and to call upon the inhabitants of the earth everywhere to repent of
their sins and be baptized for the remission thereof, and receive the
imposition of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and to confer
the holy Priesthood, that believers may magnify their calling until
they are gathered, what then? They should find "Mormonism" more than
it was taught them in foreign lands. How should they gather? With the
same spirit they received when they received the Gospel. Then, when
they are gathered to the fountain head, they are prepared to receive
the further things of the, kingdom. Is this the true spirit of
gathering? It is, and is preserved by those who come prepared to grow
in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. But the long journeys, the
perplexities, perils, and temptations darken the understanding and
becloud the minds of many, insomuch that when they are gathered they
are not so well prepared to receive the further things of the kingdom
as they were before they started. This is a pity: it is very
lamentable. But such is the fact.

Vol. 7, p.141
To some "Mormonism" appears very different here to what it did in the
countries of their nativity. Why? Because their eyes have become dim
and their hearts cold, so that they do not behold things by the Spirit
of God as they did when they first embraced the Gospel. In comparison,
they become as other Christians. The Christians of the 19th century
tell you how much light they received—how they were exalted on [p.142]
high: "Glory! hallelujah!—how happy I felt when I first got religion!"
How do you feel now? "Not so well." That is the experience of the
Christian world; and, unfortunately, it is the experience of many who
are called Latter-day Saints. Some exclaim, "O that we could feel as
we did when we first received the Gospel!" If you have not known and
understood more than you did when you first embraced the Gospel—if you
have not grown in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, it proves
that you are not yet worthy to receive further blessings. How can you
expect to receive blessings that you will not improve upon? Let every
man and woman that believes in the redemption of Zion, the gathering
of Israel, the calling of Prophets and Apostles in the last days; and
the building up of the kingdom of God, no more to be thrown down, come
here prepared to receive the mysteries of the kingdom and to learn the
further things of eternity, to bring heaven to earth, and in their
understandings be exalted to heaven; and would you see men and women
going back to the States and to California, and joining hands with the
most corrupt spirits that hell can spue out?

Vol. 7, p.142
I am still here, and intend to remain; but whether I shall continue to
have faith enough to carry out my desires is not for me to say, though
I am one of the best hands in the world to fight dogs in flocks of
sheep; and I desire to stay until the last one is kicked from off the
earth, and a place prepared for the habitation of Saints, and they
prepared to receive the Saviour when he comes.

Vol. 7, p.142
Jesus has been upon the earth a great many more times than you are
aware of. When Jesus makes his next appearance upon the earth, but few
of this Church and kingdom will be prepared to receive him and see him
face to face and converse with him; but he will come to his temple.
Will he remain and dwell upon the earth a thousand years, without
returning? He will come here, and return to his mansion where he
dwells with his Father, and come again to the earth, and again return
to his Father, according to my understanding. Then angels will come
and begin to resurrect the dead, and the Saviour will also raise the
dead, and they will receive the keys of the resurrection, and will
begin to assist in that work. Will the wicked know of it? They will
know just as much about that as they now know about "Mormonism," and
no more.

Vol. 7, p.142
When all nations are so subdued to Jesus that every knee shall bow and
every tongue shall confess, there will still be millions on the earth
who will not believe in him; but they will be obliged to acknowledge
his kingly government. You may calf that government ecclesiastical, or
by whatever term you please; yet there is no true government on earth
but the government of God, or the holy Priesthood. Shall I tell you
what that is? In short, it is a perfect system of government—a kingdom
of Gods and angels and, all beings who will submit; themselves to that
government. There is no other true government in heaven or upon the
earth. Do not blame me for believing in a pure and holy government.

Vol. 7, p.142
Is man prepared to receive that; government? He is not. I can say to
these Latter-day Saints, You are not prepared to receive that
government. You hear men and women talk about living and abiding a
celestial law, when they do not so much as know what it is, and are
not prepared to receive it. We have a little here and a little there
given to us, to prove whether we will abide that portion of law that
will enable us to enjoy a resurrection with the just.

Vol. 7, p.143
While I was in England I heard [p.143] much said about the revelation
touching the privilege of the living being baptized for the dead. A
High Priest, who had just come from America, thinking that he could
enlighten the Twelve upon the subject, said, "Brother Brigham, I heard
Joseph say that baptism for the dead was one of the first principles
of the Gospel, and that even the Twelve did not understand it." His
feeling was, "I am a High Priest, and the Twelve do not understand the
matter." I said to him, "My dear sir, do you understand all of the
first principles of the Gospel?" When I hear such expressions from
men, I know that they are very limited in their understandings about
the Priesthood.

Vol. 7, p.143
A man who has had his mind opened to the operation of the Priesthood
of the Son of God—who understands anything of the government of
heaven, must understand that finite beings are not capable of
receiving and abiding the celestial law in its fulness. When can you
abide a celestial law? When you become a celestial being, and never
until then. When you hear men and women talk about living a celestial
law, you may know that they are ignorant of the fact that no finite
being is living in its fulness, or can. As it is written, we have line
upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, and
it is something that accords with the capacity of finite beings, and
you improve upon this, and the Lord will open your minds to receive
more, and let you see the order of the eternal Priesthood; but if you
do not live your religion, you cannot receive more.

Vol. 7, p.143
Are the Latter-day Saints ready to receive Zion from above? Have they
wisdom and knowledge to receive and conduct themselves properly in the
society of angels? I think not. While I was in Far West, and the mob
began to gather there, determined to kill Joseph, he preached to the
people and said, "If you had faith and would live your religion, you
would prove the revelation to be true where the Lord says, 'I will
fight your battles, and, if necessary, send down angels to save you
from the wicked grasp of your enemies.'" There was an armed mob of
some 3,500 arrayed against some 300 of us. They sent in a deputation,
saying they wanted about three persons out of the town, for they were
calculating to destroy the people and the place. Some of those
self-glorious stars of "Mormonism"—stars that fell in that crisis,
looked round for the angels. They did not see them, and straightway
turned their backs upon their God and their religion, and joined the
enemy.

Vol. 7, p.143
I was glad that they went. I felt then as I feel now. I felt and still
feel that I would rather have ten righteous men with whom to contend
with the wicked of the whole earth, than to have at my command the
corrupt of all creation. When I am brought to the test to fight for my
religion, which I trust I never will be, I will call men who are full
of the power of God for such an emergency.

Vol. 7, p.143
Brother Pratt wishes that the miserable, dissatisfied spirits would
leave; but they will not all go. The question might be asked, "Why do
you wish them to go from this Territory?" We do not particularly care
whether they go or stay: they are at perfect liberty to please
themselves in that matter, because it is their constitutional right to
stay here, if they do not infringe upon the rights of others, and
observe the laws of the land as strictly as we do. The principal
reason why I do not wish them to go is because they will be constantly
troubling me to assist them back again. I had rather help somebody
else, for we have not means to [p.144] spare for bringing those who
will apostatize to this country a second and third time. After they
have came back once and twice, they stay awhile and want to go away
again: and after they have been away awhile, they begin to learn that
this is the kingdom of God, and some of them want help to come back.

Vol. 7, p.144
My faith reaches far beyond the faith of many touching the final
destiny of such persons, understanding that the Lord is more merciful
than human beings; and the faith of this kingdom goes far beyond the
faith of the Christian world upon this matter. There will not so many
people go into that awful place that burns with fire and brimstone,
where they sink down, down, down to the bottom of the bottomless pit,
as the Christians say,—not near so many as the Christian world would
have go there. That gives me great joy, notwithstanding all the perils
and persecution we have suffered through the wickedness of the wicked.
Liars, sorcerers, whoremongers, adulterers, and those that love and
make a lie will be found on the outside of the walls of the city; but
they will never get into the bottom of the bottomless pit. Who will go
there and become angels of perdition and suffer the wrath of an
offended God? Those who sin against the Holy Ghost. This kingdom
progresses. Who has eyes to behold the handiwork of the Lord? The
trials we have been passing through in this Territory, from our
enemies, we think are terrible; but these trials are only like a drop
to a bucketful, compared with what many of this people have heretofore
passed through. Contrasted with Missouri, our present and late trials
are very trifling, very light, and very easy upon us. You may let your
hearts be comforted, those of you who can see the hand of the Lord in
leading this people and restraining the wrath of our enemies. Can any
of you see? Yes, a great many. If your eyes were opened, you would see
his hand in the midst of the nations of the earth in the setting up of
governments and in the downfall of kingdoms—in the revolutions, wars,
famine, distress, and wretchedness among the inhabitants of the earth.
In these manifestations you would discern the footsteps of the
Almighty just as plainly as you may see the footsteps of your children
upon the soft earth.

Vol. 7, p.144
The wonderful developments of his providence are oft-times mysterious
to us, and we exclaim, "Really, I did not expect to hear such news,
nor to see such astonishing and unexpected results in the actions of
the righteous and the wicked." The Lord takes care of the whole of
that, and dictates their conduct for his own purpose and glory. He
makes the wrath of man to praise him, and that which he cannot bring
about to promote his kingdom and his purposes he restrains. The wicked
he permits to go far enough to produce a result that will serve his
purpose. "For my kingdom must be established upon the earth in the
latter days," saith the Father, "and I have given it to my Son Jesus
Christ. He has died to redeem it, and he is the lawful heir pertaining
to this earth." Jesus will continue to reign with his Father, and is
dictated by his Father in all his acts and ruling and governing in the
building up and, overthrow of nations, to make the wrath of man praise
him, until he brings all into subjection to his will and government.
And when he has subdued all his enemies, destroyed death and him that
hath the power of death, and perfected his work, he will deliver up
the kingdom spotless to his Father. You may preach upon that text. It
is a source of great consolation to me, for it will be fully
accomplished, and all that transpires will be [p.145] overruled to
redound to the glory of God.

Vol. 7, p.145
A gentleman said to me, not long ago, "You 'Mormons' scare us. You are
here in the mountains, and this expedition would not have been sent
against you, but you frighten us by taking such big strides.
'Mormonism' is but a few years old, and it has circumscribed the
globe; it has penetrated into almost every nation under heaven, and
bears down, in a remarkable manner, all opposition wherever your
people go. It seems to swallow up our religion, political policies,
and philosophy; and, if we do not stop you, it would appear that you
will finally swallow up the world." I replied, "If the people will let
us alone, we will preach the Gospel in peace, civilly, kindly, mildly;
and we will teach the people how to obtain that eternal life that is
proffered to all. But will they let us alone? No. And you think we
take large strides." He rose from his chair, saying, "You take ten or
twelve strides at once. While we go creeping along, you are away
yonder." "Well, you kicked us there, and we cannot help going. Every
time you kick 'Mormonism,' you kick it up stairs: you never kick it
down stairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it. And let me tell you that
what our Christian friends are now doing for us makes more for the
kingdom of heaven than the Elders could in many years preaching."

Vol. 7, p.145
The Lord Almighty will exalt "Mormonism" and sustain his Priesthood.
Will he sustain wickedness? No. If we are wicked, we are wrong. We
should abstain from everything that is unholy—that is unrighteous;
that is the character of a true Latter-day Saint. Have we persons
among us who are degraded? Yes. As I have before told you, "Mormonism"
can beat the world as to the knowledge of God. The Saints know more of
God and godliness than all the world: they also know more of earth and
earthly things. Many are living so as to be saved in the celestial
kingdom, while all who do not embrace the doctrine of full redemption
will come short of attaining that glory. On the contrary, if you want
to see the principle of devilism to perfection, hunt among those who
have once enjoyed the faith of the holy Gospel and then forsaken their
religion. We have the best and the worst. Why the worst? Because the
Devil prompts men and women of the meanest and lowest grade to embrace
the Gospel and get a foothold in the kingdom of God to destroy it.

Vol. 7, p.145
Will he destroy it? He will not; that is beyond his power. Can you
destroy a true religion by persecuting it? No. What destroyed the
Priesthood of the Son of God from the earth in ancient days? Was it
persecution? No. The Emperor Constantine embraced it and sent out a
decree for all his people to embrace it. Let this people be prospered
and all persecutions cease, and then every description of characters
would hasted to join this Church. The Lord so orders and overrules as
to keep out a share of them, though he suffers some to enter the
temporal fold. We understand the root and trunk of the tree of
wickedness, and we have many of its branches—more than we want. The
Lord desires a pure people—a people that he can own and exalt—that he
can bring into his presence; and that is what the Priesthood of God is
designed to accomplish. I would to God that the people would live so
as to receive the blessings of the Priesthood, increase in all
godliness, have their eyes open to see, their ears to hear, and their
hearts to understand, instead of falling away.

Vol. 7, p.145
At times, seemingly good men falter in their feelings, and turn away
from their God and their religion to take the road that leads to
destruction. [p.146] This makes my heart mourn. But those who are
faithful will come out triumphantly, for God has established his
kingdom on the earth, no more to be thrown down. It was thought by our
enemies, in the days of Joseph Smith, that if they could kill him,
that would be the end of this fanaticism, as they called it, and of
this fanatical race. But did that murder in the least shake this great
Latter-day Work? No, brethren and sisters,—no. What did it effect? The
Church and kingdom of our God has risen from an individual family to a
great people, and we have been looked upon as a nation by our
neighbours, independent of all other people on the face of this earth;
and in their dealings they have dealt with us as such. Not that we
desire it, but it is so in the providence of our God. They are
determined, though they know it not, that they will make the kingdom
of God triumphant on the earth; and all the powers of earth and hell
cannot prevent it.

Vol. 7, p.146
If we wish to be blessed, let us live our religion. If we promote the
kingdom of God, it will bear us off triumphantly. If we falter in our
feelings, and say that we cannot abide this tirade of persecution, but
must leave this place and people, we shall be left in darkness and
sink in iniquity, and shall be left by the kingdom far behind in our
sins. The person that forsakes the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ will
find himself ruined for time and eternity. How are they looked upon
who have received the spirit of the Gospel and forsaken it? Heaven,
with all its shining hosts, despises and pities them: they will not
have them, and hell is ready to spew them out. With a few exceptions,
they are despised by the good and wise among men, by the noble and
ignoble: all despise them, and they are in a most miserable condition.

Vol. 7, p.146
I wish to have the blessed principles of civilization—of this
Christian nineteenth century—spread over Utah. I desire to see the
effect they will have on this ignorant people in the Territory of
Utah. The world say, "Poor people, how sorry we are for you! It is a
pity to have such intelligent men and women go to Utah to join those
fanatics. Let us send our Christian brethren there to civilize them."
And here, sure enough, they have their gambling-tables of
civilization, and grog-shops of civilization, and various other helps
and aids pertaining thereto; and they are working hard to spread the
principles of modern civilization. What would they do with their
civilization? "Oh this polygamy!—it is a dreadful evil," when, at the
same time, they would say to me, if they dare, "Look here, brother
Brigham, can I have the use of one of your wives to-night? It is not
so much polygamy that they are opposed to, but they hate this people
because they strive to be pure, and will not believe in whoredom and
adultery, but declare death to the man who is found guilty of those
crimes. This is the awful, unchristianlike, conduct of brother
Brigham! It appears, by our late news, that among our Christian
brethren it is death to adulterers; and so say I, and I ask no odds of
such characters. I am able to take care of myself, with the help of
God and my good brethren.

Vol. 7, p.146
Our faith and patience must be tried in everything, and it is not for
us to take judgment into our own hands. We must be tried, to prove
whether we can endure to be imposed upon and have our religion
derided, and not feel as some do when their names are called in
question. To illustrate, I will tell an anecdote concerning Captain
James Brown. When the emigrants were  passing through here and were
asked by Captain [p.147] Brown as to whither they were going, the
answer would be—"To the gold mines, G—d d—n you;" and with them it
was." G—d d—n Joe Smith," and "G—d d—n Brigham Young." But when it
came to "G—d d—n you, James Brown," the Captain was then ready to
fight. I wish to know how much you can bear. You can hear the name of
Deity, of the Saviour, and the names of all holy things abused; but
when it is "d—n you, Joe, Tom, or Dick," there is a fight on hand. You
have to learn to suffer abuse, and to be patient under it as the
Saviour was, if they spit in your face or abuse you in any way. You
have to learn to hear your own names abused as you can bear to hear
the name of the Deity abused. A few years ago a person m our streets
was abusing the name of Deity, and another stepped up and boxed his
ears, saying to him that he should not use that name in such a
disrespectful manner. But some of these good Elders can hear the name
of their Saviour abused with seeming satisfaction.

Vol. 7, p.147
We are here, and we, shall live and grow, and no power can hinder it.
I shall stick to the kingdom, God being my helper, and shall not let
go until this earth is revolutionized and all nations bow to the
Saviour, and I be his priest and servant.

Vol. 7, p.147
Cease bringing the names of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ
into disrespect, and learn to reverence those names.

Vol. 7, p.147
I have detained you long enough. May God bless you, brethren and
sisters, that you may have power to guide yourselves, by the aid of
the Spirit, into all righteousness, independent of any power of man on
earth. I do not want any power over my brethren, only to lead them in
the way of truth, and to run parallel with them in the ways of truth
and righteousness.

Vol. 7, p.147
God bless you! Amen.

Brigham Young, May 22, 1859

Government of God

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, May
22, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.147
I am very happy for the privilege of bearing my testimony to the
principles of the Gospel of salvation. It is the only doctrine by
which people can be saved in the celestial kingdom of our God, and
should concern all people, as it is the government of God on earth.
People have reason to fear a bogus or spurious theocracy. There are
but few upon the earth who do not in their hearts acknowledge a
Supreme Being, and also believe that Being to be holy; and if they
could be dictated by that Being and be sure that they were directed by
the influence from him, there are but few who would object to that
influence  and that government.[p.148] 

Vol. 7, p.148
The wickedness of the children of men is what influences them to fear.
They are not afraid of their own laws, because they originated from
themselves: they can manage them and blot them out of existence
whenever they wish. But when that which is said to be the kingdom of
God, or the theocracy of heaven, is upon the earth, many of the
inhabitants thereof tremble, and fear that it is not correct.

Vol. 7, p.148
What is the proof of the existence of the Priesthood of God upon the
earth? How would you find the positive proof that the Lord Jesus has
his Church upon the earth? As I observed to you in the forenoon, it is
not exhibited by the learning or the implicit faith of its followers.
I have never believed for a moment that the proof of the Christian
religion was established by a close adherence to it by any sect or any
person. We, as Christians, are divided and subdivided into many
systems varying in doctrinal points. This one says, "I am right;" and
that one says, "I am right;" another rises up and varies, more or
less, from the doctrines of the Church he has left, and says he is
right.

Vol. 7, p.148
What proof have you, and what proof is there now upon the earth that
this is the kingdom of God? If we had miracles to establish it, would
they be positive proof? No, they would not. They will not satisfy me,
nor have I ever seen the day when they would. Were I to see the sick
healed, the eyes of the blind opened, and the ears of the deaf
unstopped, that would not satisfy me. For me, the plan of salvation
must be a system that is pure and holy in all its points; it must
reveal things that no other Church or kingdom can reveal; it must
circumscribe the knowledge that is upon the face of the earth, or it
is not from God. Such a plan incorporates every system of true
doctrine on the earth, whether it be ecclesiastical, moral,
philosophical, or civil: it incorporates all good laws that have been
made from the days of Adam until now; it swallows up the laws of
nations, for it exceeds them all in knowledge and purity; it
circumscribes the doctrines of the day, and takes from the right and
the left, and brings all truth together in one system, and leaves the
chaff to be scattered hither and thither. That is the proof to me, and
has been from the beginning, that the principles are pure and holy;
and every person living to them will attain through them
sanctification.

Vol. 7, p.148
Truth will endure for ever and for ever, and every man that preaches
the Gospel of salvation may take the old text that some of us took in
the commencement of the building up of the kingdom of God upon the
earth in the last days. I took truth for my text, salvation for my
subject, and the whole world for my circuit, to go as far as I could
and talk all I could about it. It takes every truth from every sect
and party. What! in a civil capacity also? Yes. All law, all powers,
all kingdoms, and all thrones,—in fine, all things are under the
control of God.

Vol. 7, p.148
There is no nation or kingdom that has not received its power from
him, whether it be much or little—whether for a day, an age, or
century. Whether they make good or bad use of it, all power is
ordained of God and is in his hand. He sets up a kingdom here, and
pulls down another there at his pleasure. He breaks the nations like a
potter's vessel; he forms a nucleus, and around it builds up a kingdom
or nation, permitting the people to act upon their own agency, that
they may do right, or corrupt themselves, as did the children of
Israel; and after they have become ripe for destruction, they will be
scattered to the four winds. If the people of  God in ancient days had
[p.149] continued holy, they would have continued in power and
authority to this day.

Vol. 7, p.149
There is not a despot upon the earth whose power has not originally
sprung from the Priesthood, and there is not a law in the Priesthood
but what is founded on the revelations of Jesus Christ. These are the
laws upon which all governments were originally based. Truth will
endure for ever, and every person that cannot abide truth will fail in
obtaining eternal life. Truth is what we have. Let us live to it, and
we shall abide for ever, and no power can prevent it.

Vol. 7, p.149
Be faithful, brethren and sisters. If you have light, acknowledge the
hand of God in it, and improve upon it, and acknowledge his hand in
all things; for his providence overrules all things, and he will
triumphantly bring forth his kingdom, organize his people, and prepare
the earth for his angels to dwell upon, and it will be given into the
hands of his Saints when they are made pure and holy.

Vol. 7, p.149
I told you in the forenoon that it has ever been my prayer never to
have influence to lead men wrong, but that I would to God I had power
to make them refrain from evil and do that: which is right, that they
may live for ever and ever. You are organized independent beings,
framed to become Gods, even the sons of God; and yet it is astonishing
to see the use many make of their ability: they corrupt themselves and
continue to do wickedly until they are prepared to go down to
perdition. Why not turn away from their sins and love righteousness,
that they may endure for ever, and that all things may be given into
their hands?

Vol. 7, p.149
May the Lord help us to take that path that will lead us to victory
and glory. Amen.

Orson Hyde, February 12, 1860

Government of God—Progressive Character of 
"Mormonism"—Concentration of the Mind

Remarks by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 12, 1860.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.149
I did not anticipate speaking to you this morning, brethren and
sisters, but expected to be a hearer only. Since my return to the
city, I have been so busily engaged that I have not had time
[humorously] to prepare a sermon for this morning; and if I had had
ever so much time for that purpose, I should, probably, be no better
prepared to address you than I am at this moment.

Vol. 7, p.149
Jesus said to his disciples, "Take no thought beforehand what ye shall
say or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in the same hour
what ye ought to say." In this doctrine I repose implicit confidence;
and being requested to speak to you at this time, I readily comply,
and proceed at once to the work before me.

Vol. 7, p.149
The current of life is made up of small springs, streams, and
rivulets, [p.150] or rather of little incidents which in the aggregate
constitute the character of man here on earth. So small a thing as a
kind word timely spoken to the sorrowful and afflicted often results
in great good, and secures the esteem and gratitude of those to whom
it may he addressed, while an ill word may do much harm. My discourse
this morning may be made up of small items or incidents.

Vol. 7, p.150
I want to say a little about the government of God—of the manner and
spirit of its administration when infinite wisdom guides its policy. I
know no better way to illustrate the administration of this government
than to refer you to the government of parents over their children,
and to the manner of their teaching and character of their instruction
to them. When your child first begins to talk, do you attempt to teach
it grammar, algebra, astronomy, or anything else wholly beyond its
comprehension or understanding? No.    But you adapt your teachings to
the capacity of the child, using words and phrases of the very
simplest kind to teach and amuse it. By-and-by, when he runs about
pretty dexterously and begins to handle things, he attempts, for
instance, to take up a bucket of water. You say to it, "Don't do that;
it is too heavy for you; but take the hammer, the doll, the rattlebox,
or the toy." Your words are thus adapted to the ability of the child
and to his appreciation of the things that he handles. As his mental
powers become developed, you combine a little intelligence in your
sayings to him; and then, when his age and strength will allow him,
you tell him to bring a bucket of water from the spring or brook. Thus
you require him to do the very thing which you once forbade him to
attempt. Now, if any one should charge you with falsehood, because
your instructions to your child were not uniform under all
circumstances, you would consider the charge very ill-founded. I speak
thus to show you that what is suitable to the child at one time may
not at all suit it at another.

Vol. 7, p.150
Many persons who have joined the Latter-day Saints have run well for a
season; but, understanding not that the Gospel is a progressive work
with those who honour it, they have turned away from the faith—charged
the Saints with inconsistency, but yet claim to believe in what they
call "ancient Mormonism." The garment that is made for a child just
born must be worn by a man when thirty years of age, is the doctrine
of those stereotyped "Mormons." The Church is now nearly thirty years
old; yet this kind of "Mormons" want us now to wear our bibs and
diapers, and to be fed on milk and pap as in the days of Joseph. Paul,
however, tells us that when he was a child, he spake as a child, he
understood as a child; but when he became a man, he put away childish
things.

Vol. 7, p.150
Were I to invite you into my garden at a proper season and show a
plant just sprung up out of the ground, you might ask me its name, if
you were unacquainted with it. I tell you it is corn. In the course of
two months' time, you see it again when the silk and tassel appear.
You then ask me what it is. I tell you that it is corn. You may say
that I was mistaken in the first or last instance, as the two are by
no means alike. Some two months later you come along and see a basket
full of golden ears. You ask me what it is. I tell you that it is
corn. But say you, "I do not believe it, for it is unlike either of
the others that you told me was corn. You have now contradicted
yourself three times, and I will not believe that any of them is corn;
I will not believe you at all." To such conclusions many persons
arrive in relation to "Mormonism," from very similar [p.151] premises.
How very necessary that we increase in intelligence in a ratio equal
to the growth or increase of the kingdom of God! If we do not, we fall
in the rear, and our eyes become blinded by the god of this world.
When we become stereotyped in our feelings, there is an end to
corrections, enlargements, and improvements.

Vol. 7, p.151
To what shall we look as our guide in this our earthly pilgrimage?
Shall we look to the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or to the Book of
Covenants? Answer: To none of them. These sacred and holy records
contain the history, teachings, and results in part of the travels of
the ancient and modern people of God. They are true, but are not
designed to lead the people. Remember that the "letter killeth, but
the spirit giveth life." We do not want to be killed; but we want
life. God has set in his Church, first, Apostles; secondly, Prophets;
thirdly, Teachers, &c., to guide his people;—the oracles, (or in other
words, the Holy Ghost,) not on paper, bound in calf, sheep, or any
other manufactured article, but in the hearts of his chosen servants.
Paul says—"We have this treasure (not in a book, but) in earthen
vessels, that the excellency of the newer may be of God, and not of
us.

Vol. 7, p.151
I will produce an example where the spirit gave life when the letter
would have killed. There was, in the days of Christ, a woman taken in
the very act of adultery. The self-righteous Jews, by the letter of
the law, arrested her and brought her before the Saviour; and they
said unto him, "Master, Moses in the law commanded us that such should
be stoned; but what sayest thou?" Jesus said unto them, "He that is
without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." But they,
being convicted in their own conscience, went out, leaving the woman
alone with Jesus. He asked her if no man had condemned her. She said,
"No man, Lord." Said he to her, "Neither do I condemn thee.  Go and
sin no more." The letter of the law would have killed that woman then
and there. But the Spirit of God, in the person of his Son, the living
oracle, opened her way unto life. It is the living oracles that lead
the people of God. In them there is life; but in the letter of the law
there is death.

Vol. 7, p.151
The early commandments of God to his Church and the manner in which we
were led at that time will not fit our case in all respects now. We
must have teachings and revelations adapted to our present
circumstances and condition. Were we never to advance, but remain
stationary eternally, then the same code of laws and commandments
might with more propriety answer. But in this world of change, where
we are required to make advancement, we must have an increase of
intelligence to satisfy the craving development of our own mental
powers. There is no stopping-place for a man of God.

Vol. 7, p.151
I do not know but that I will now take my text. My sermon, however
will be short. Jesus says—"The light of the body is the eye. If,
therefore, thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of
light."

Vol. 7, p.151
You know that when we want to examine anything very
closely—particularly you marksmen and hunters, who are in the habit of
using arms, when you want to take deliberate aim, and make sure of the
object you desire to hit, you close one eye, and with the other look
along the barrel of the gun until the lead rests upon the object. Now,
says the Saviour, "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be
full of light."

Vol. 7, p.151
This had reference not only to the natural eye, but to the whole moral
powers of man as well. Set it down as granted that if thine eye be
single, thy whole body shall be full of light. [p.152] Now, let me
ask, do we not indulge the hope, if faithful in this life, of being
rulers over kingdoms and peoples, and nations, and tongues? Jesus
says—"He that is faithful over a few things shall be made ruler over
many things.

Vol. 7, p.152
Let me ask you how it is with you when you go to prayer. Have you that
control and dominion over your own minds that they cannot be caught
away by anything that is foreign to the purpose or object that engages
your attention? For instance, while we call upon the Lord for his
blessings, is it not sometimes the case that we think the old ox may
be in the stackyard? Do we not sometimes think we shall be cheated
here, and lose that amount of money there? If you have never been
aware of this, when you go home and pray again, see if you have power
to control your mind and keep it from wandering on something else.
Until we discipline our minds, and have the complete control of them,
we cannot make that advancement that we ought.

Vol. 7, p.152
If we cannot discipline and control our own minds, how can we
discipline and control kingdoms, nations, tongues, and people?

Vol. 7, p.152
Suppose any of you mechanics erect a mill, and the stream is a small
one,—though, if properly and economically applied, it would be quite
sufficient to drive the machinery you wish it to; but instead of the
water being properly confined to exert the greatest amount of power,
it is spread all over the face of the land;—has it that amount of
force to drive the machinery that it otherwise would have? No. But
conduct the water through a narrow channel, and apply it properly on t
the wheel then your machinery rolls. I It is just so with our minds:
when they are scattered on different objects,  when we are calling
upon the name of  the Lord, there is no power in that  mind. Why?
Because the eye is not single. "If thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light." Again: The agent steam possesses great power
widen confined and properly applied to shafts and wheels. But let the
boiler explode and the steam pass into the atmosphere, what power is
there then in that agent? None. Confine it, and it is as it were an
almighty power, or it is a portion of almighty power drawn out of the
elements that surround us. So it is with the mind: let it be
concentrated and applied to any subject, and it has great power. "If
thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." I have
wondered a great many times what our Saviour could mean when he said,
"If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this
sycamore tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in
the sea, and it should obey you." Again, he says, "For verily I say
unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say
unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove,
and nothing shall be impossible to you." What does this mean? I have
exercised all the faith, seemingly, that is in my power, and could
hardly heal the sick, let alone remove a mountain, or pluck up a
sycamore tree, or any other tree. What does it mean? I begin to
discover that the Devil comes along when I get my mind set, and throws
some object in view to divert it from the thing before me.

Vol. 7, p.152
"If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light." I
have in idea that the Devil comes and catches away the word that is
sown in our hearts, to defeat the designs the Lord has in sowing it.
Whereas, if we could control our minds, and not allow them to be
caught away, then our eye would be single, and the whole body would be
full of light.

Vol. 7, p.153
Again: When Moses was leading he children of Israel out of Egypt,
[p.153] they murmured because they had no water to drink. He was
grieved with them, but he had power to concentrate his mind. And what
power was there in that mind? He smote the rock, and out gushed the
water. Did his rod have power to split the rock? No; but the
concentration of his mind on that rock did. There was a power in it to
split the rock and bring out water to the thirsty thousands. The mind
is armed with almighty power; and if we could concentrate its powers,
and overcome the power of the Devil, we could remove that mountain as
easily as to heal a sick person. It requires only faith as a grain of
mustard-seed, or a concentrated effort of mind. Solomon was once
applied to by two women claiming one child, for his decision in the
case. Said Salomon, "Bring me a sword; and they brought a sword before
the king. And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give
half to the one, and half to the other. Then spake the woman, whose
the living child was, unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her
son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in nowise
slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but
divide it. Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child,
and in nowise slay it: she is the mother thereof." To divide that
child would have destroyed it, just like dividing the mind: it
destroys its power and efficacy. Let the mind be concentrated, and it
possesses almighty power. It is the agent of the Almighty clothed with
mortal tabernacles, and we must learn to discipline it, and bring it
to bear on one point, and not allow the Devil to interfere and confuse
it, nor divert it from the great object we have in view.

Vol. 7, p.153
It is a good deal of work to preside over our own families and keep
all things right side up there. But set a man alone, and it is just as
much as he can do to govern his own mind. He has great need to watch
and pray; and while he is watching, he must mind and not see any other
object but that he is praying for. What could we not do, if our minds
were properly disciplined? "For if thine eye be single, thy whole body
shall be full of light." If thine eye were single, thou mightest
sometimes see through the vail. We read something about the vail of
the covering that is east over all people being removed.

Vol. 7, p.153
Sometimes you see the sun covered with a thin fleecy cloud; yet you
can see that luminary all the time through that vail. Then again comes
up a dark thunder-cloud, and over-casts the whole sky, so that we
cannot see where the sun is. So, if our eye be not single, we do not
see clearly; but the vail becomes thick, and we are in darkness; we
cannot see the sun of righteousness; we cannot tell the place where he
is. But if thine eye be single, although there may be a thin fleecy
vail over the sun, we can see it. If we cannot see clearly, we may be
able to "see men as trees walking," at least. The fact is, if our eye
be single, and we train it to that, I do not know why mortal man here
in earthly tabernacles may not look through the vail, and see as he is
seen, and know as he is known.

Vol. 7, p.153
We have got to learn to discipline our minds. Sometimes, because our
children do not do as we want them, when out of our sight, we feel
grieved at it; but here we have our own minds to ourselves. Now, the
question is, Are they not as bad to control and govern as our
children, who are running here and there? If we could control our own
minds, we could control our children and our families and the kingdom
of God, and see that everything went right, and with much more ease
than we can now.

Vol. 7, p.154
Let it be, then, the labour of our [p.154] minds to train them when at
home, and when we bow down in our families, or in private.

Vol. 7, p.154
I recollect being once on shipboard; the wind was on her side, and the
ship was going very nicely. The captain looked at the compass, and he
ripped out something that is not uncommon with seamen, saying to the
man at the wheel, "Why do you let her round off? Keep her up." Do not
let the mind run off, but keep it up to the point; then we shall make
the port: but if you let it run off the course, it will be found
drifting on the lee shore somewhere. We have got to keep it up, and
not let it swing off. We must not let the mind depart, but keep it on
the true course. "If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full
of light."

Vol. 7, p.154
May God grant it, for Christ's sakes! Amen.

Orson Pratt, February 12, 1860

Concentration of the Mind

Remarks by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 12, 1860.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.154
I have listened with much pleasure to the remarks that have been made
by brother Hyde.

Vol. 7, p.154
The subjects upon which he has dwelt this morning are of great
importance to the Saints of the living God. They are subjects upon
which I have often meditated, and it rejoices my heart to hear them so
nobly illustrated before this congregation.

Vol. 7, p.154
The subject of the concentration of the mind is one that both old and
young are interested in, from the fact that it has not only a bearing
on this present life, but upon our future state of existence.

Vol. 7, p.154
If we should inquire how it is that mankind in this present life are
able to accomplish naturally many great and important things, the
answer would be—Because they have the power of concentrating their
minds upon the subjects that are before them. It is, therefore, not
only a subject that interests the Saints, but it is one which
interests all intelligent people more or less. Nothing very great can
be accomplished without a concentration of mind.

Vol. 7, p.154
If we had time, we might illustrate this subject still farther. We
might refer you to some of the great and remarkable examples on
record, in relation to those men who are denominated by the world
"learned men." See what they have accomplished. For instance, permit
me to refer to Sir Isaac Newton. How was it that he was able to make
his important discoveries? Because he had disciplined his mind to that
extent that he could concentrate it for a long period of time upon one
object. What discoveries did he make by this means? He discovered that
peculiar kind of force that holds together the celestial bodies of the
universe. He discovered not only  [p.155] the force, but its
intensity. He not only discovered the intensity of the force which
holds together the planetary bodies of our solar system, but he
discovered its variation, depending upon the distance of those bodies
one from another. But these were only the very elements of his
discoveries. Having, by the concentration of his mind upon these
subjects, learned some of the leading characteristics of this force,
he was enabled to trace out its results in many of its intricate
bearings upon the variety of motions which the different bodies of our
system have, explaining them as the results of the force which he had
discovered.

Vol. 7, p.155
What a remarkable concentration of mind there must have been in order
to solve a problem of so intricate a nature!

Vol. 7, p.155
It is true we find in some of our elementary treatises that Newton
discovered the law of gravitation by merely observing an apple fall
from an apple tree. But I would inquire, was it the first apple that
ever fell? No. Was he the first man that ever observed a falling
apple? No. Why, then, did not other people discover this universal
law, if barely seeing an apple fall was sufficient to open the
discovery? Such was not the fact: it was not every man that had
disciplined his mind to contemplate the subject of the forces of the
universe. It was not every man that had made himself thoroughly
acquainted with the dynamical action, or the laws of motion and
forces.

Vol. 7, p.155
Newton had trained his mind upon this subject. He had, while in
college, concentrated the energies of his mind for many 'years upon
the subject of mathematical and mechanical problems, inventing a new
species of geometry. All these studies were calculated to habituate
him to a control of his mind. Naturally speaking, there is no study
which is so well calculated to give a concentration of mind as that of
geometry or mathematics.

Vol. 7, p.155
If a person follows these studies, he becomes accustomed in time to
this habit, and obtains power to abstract his mind from surrounding
objects, and to make it bear with all its force on the problem he is
trying to solve. In geometry, for instance, he learns to distinguish
the relations one part of his diagram has to another. He reasons from
known relations to those which are unknown, and thus discovers many
new truths.

Vol. 7, p.155
By this means he not only discovers important geometrical truths, but
also at the same time disciplines his mind. The habitual concentration
thus acquired enables him to bring all the energies of his intellect
to bear upon any other branch of science, or to reason closely upon
all subjects which he may have occasion to investigate.

Vol. 7, p.155
For instance, when he rises before a congregration, if he is
accustomed to public speaking, he can bring all his mind to bear on
the subject before him, and concentrate his arguments to prove the
point he wishes. His mind is more powerful by this discipline and
habit than if he had, suffered his thoughts to ramble all his previous
life.

Vol. 7, p.155
I make these observations to show what great things have been
accomplished by concentration. Therefore, if a man can accomplish so
much without the particular aid of the Holy Spirit—that is, in a
natural point of view, how much more can he grasp within his
comprehension, and how much greater will be the work that he can
accomplish in a spiritual point of view? That is, when the Spirit of
the living God rests upon him. If a person trains his mind to walk in
the spirit, and brings his whole mind to bear upon its operations,
[p.156] and upon the principles of faith which are calculated to put
him in possession of the power of God, how much greater will be his
facilities for obtaining knowledge than those which any natural man
possesses.

Vol. 7, p.156
All those various problems solved by Newton and the great and
magnificent discoveries made by him could be learned by a
spiritually-minded man in one hundredth part of the time. In what
manner? In the manner which has already been pointed out to you by
Elder Hyde—namely, by the concentration of mind. By this, we can
penetrate, as it were, through the veil, and receive revelations from
the heavens—from those superior beings who comprehend not only the
discoveries that are made by man upon the earth, but ten thousand
times ten thousand more than have ever entered into the heart of man
to conceive of. Those beings to a properly concentrated mind can
reveal more knowledge in one day than what can be obtained by the
learned in a score of years.

Vol. 7, p.156
Here, then, the Latter-day Saints have the advantage of the present
generation. In the first place, we have the same natural facilities
that the learned of the world have; we have the same books they have,
and the same privilege of searching out knowledge; and, in addition to
all those facilities, if we are walking up to our privileges before
God, we are entitled to the gift of the Holy Ghost, which is the
Spirit of revelation, which, when we properly train our minds
according to the law of God, can open to us the hidden mysteries of
the works of God—the mysteries of astronomy, chemistry, geology, and
ten thousand mysteries which never could be unfolded by the natural
reasoning of man.

Vol. 7, p.156
Let us combine these two together; let us learn to train our minds
religiously and scientifically, and in the proper channel. "But,"
inquires one, "ought we not sometimes to let our minds rest?" Yes. God
has ordained day and night.  The night he intended for a season of
rest. If we observe the rest God has granted to us, and cast from our
minds everything which would trouble them, and sleep sweetly during
the shades of night, our minds will be abundantly refreshed, and we
shall be enabled in the morning to begin and discipline them anew with
fresh vigour.

Vol. 7, p.156
We can train the mind for several hours during the day, bringing it to
bear upon whatever subject is necessary. The Lord had in view, in
introducing day and night, not only the rest of our bodies, but also
that of our minds.

Vol. 7, p.156
But many suppose that we have so many temporalities to influence us,
and so many causes, perplexities, and anxieties of this world to
contend against, that we do not have power to concentrate our minds as
we could wish. I am aware of this. But different men have different
callings. Some are called to one purpose, and some to another. It is
not to be expected that the man who is called to labour at his farming
occupation, his mechanical business, or his manufacturing
establishment, can discipline his mind in relation to some scientific
pursuits to the same degree as another who has more leisure, or whose
calling differs. But there is in this thing, generally speaking, too
great a neglect, not only in scientific men, but in those who are
pursuing other callings.

Vol. 7, p.156
There are many hours that run to waste which might be profitably
employed in training the mind, when the body is not fatigued, which
are spent in idleness or foolishness, and which do not tend to benefit
you or your generations after you. There are hours and hours which
might  be profitably spent in disciplining the mind [p.157] and
treasuring up both spiritual and natural knowledge, that often run to
waste without benefiting any one.

Vol. 7, p.157
The study of science is the study of something eternal. If we study
astronomy, we study the works of God. If we study chemistry, geology,
optics, or any other branch of science, every new truth we come to the
understanding of is eternal; it is a part of the great system of
universal truth. It is truth that exists throughout universal nature;
and God is the dispenser of all truth—scientific, religious, and
political. Therefore let all classes of citizens and people endeavour
to improve their time more than heretofore—to train their minds to
that which is best calculated for their good and the good of the
society which surrounds them.

Vol. 7, p.157
I do not know when I have been so much interested as I have been in
hearing the remarks from Elder Hyde this morning on this subject. It
is a subject that has impressed itself on my mind. Last Sunday, in
Tooele city, I delivered a discourse, showing the necessity of the
concentration of mind in family prayer and in our secret prayers. But
these points have been ably handled by Elder Hyde.

Vol. 7, p.157
In conclusion, I wish to say that it is not only necessary to have a
single eye to the glory of God in searching for religious truths, but
also in acquiring scientific truths; and in all our researches for
truth we should seek the aid of the Spirit of God. Amen.

Brigham Young, May 29, 1859

Dependence on God As the Fountain of All Wisdom Etc.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning,
 May 29, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.157
I have been very much interested in the remarks by brother Z. Snow,
and wish to impress upon the minds of all that in oar capacity and
organization, without the aid of a superior influence upon the mind,
and that directly from the Fountain of wisdom, mankind are very liable
to what the ApostLe calls "vain philosophy." Depending solely upon
human reasoning leads many into vain and serious errors; and
self-imbibed and self-argued notions are often so tenaciously riveted
upon the mind that it is almost impossible for another to convince his
fellow-man of their erroneousness. To be correct in our reasonings, in
our doctrines, in faith towards God, and clear in our understandings
of his plan of salvation, nothing short of Divine revelation can
convince of and fasten upon the understanding the truth that God has
revealed from heaven for the salvation of his children.

Vol. 7, p.157
I repeat that I have been highly interested with the remarks by Judge
Snow. We have formerly heard him [p.158] speak many times in this
building, and those of you who have been acquainted with him can judge
of the effect of his late mission to Australia, to which he referred.
I will judge, for one, that it has been worth worlds to him; and all
present who enjoy the spirit of revelation can readily discern that
the philosophy and doctrine just advanced by him are excellent.

Vol. 7, p.158
When men are in the habit of philosophising upon every point, only
relying upon what we call human reason, they are constantly liable to
error. But place a man in a situation where he is obliged or
compelled, in order to sustain himself, to have faith in the name of
Jesus Christ, and it brings him to a point where he will know for
himself; and happy are those who pass through trials, if they maintain
their integrity and their faith to their calling.

Vol. 7, p.158
As was observed here last Sabbath, all intelligence is the gift of
God, whatever use is made of it. All valuable inventions and works of
mechanism are produced by a Spirit that flows from the Fountain of
intelligence, and no excellent and magnanimous work can be produced
without that Spirit.

Vol. 7, p.158
Men are apt to stray from truth—are apt to imbibe false notions;
principles, and ideas, if they do not cling closely to that Fountain
of intelligence and acknowledge the hand of God in all things. This
principle every person should watch closely, and be very careful that
they never imbibe any notion, doctrine, or idea that causes
selfishness in their hearts; but let their hearts be open to
conviction, to receive light and intelligence through every
manifestation from above, that they may rightly discern between things
that are of God and those that are not of him.

Vol. 7, p.158
Many, in their acts, seem closely to agree with the expression in holy
writ, that "God is not in all their thoughts." We might readily
conclude that many, though they use the name of the Supreme Being more
frequently than any other name on earth or in heaven, never carefully
reflect upon the character of that Being. He is the fountain of all
intelligence; and without the power of the Holy Ghost shed forth in
the hearts of the people, they are liable to be led astray.

Vol. 7, p.158
As has been told you frequently with regard to the proof of the truth
of a man's religion, it is not his faithfulness to it—it is not his
close observance of it, nor the sacrifices he makes for it, but it is
that intelligence which leads men from earth to heaven, which opens
the gates of heaven and reveals to the children of men heavenly
things, to lift their minds and affections above the things of this
earth, and cause them to view it and its inhabitants in their proper
light.

Vol. 7, p.158
The children of men are in ignorance and darkness, with their
superstitions, prepossessed notions, feelings, education, and
traditions. Look at them as they are—placed here for the express
purpose of proving themselves before their God. Darkness and sin were
permitted to come on this earth. Man partook of the forbidden fruit in
accordance with a plan devised from eternity, that mankind might be
brought in contact with the principles and powers of darkness, that
they might know the bitter and the sweet, the good and the evil, and
be able to discern between light and darkness, to enable them to
receive light continually. Christ is the light of the world, and
lighteth every man that cometh into it. No son or daughter of Adam
ever lived on the earth, or ever will, but has had or will have the
light of Christ within them.

Vol. 7, p.158
What do many parents virtually say to their children? That to believe
in revealed religion is nonsense. [p.159] How frequently we have heard
prayers offered in public that God would make one in their midst—that
the Holy Ghost would rest upon them while they endeavoured to worship
the Lord Almighty; and, as soon as the prayers were over, endeavour to
prove that the Holy Ghost is not given in our days as anciently—that
the Spirit of revelation is not on the earth—is not among the children
men! What inconsistency! God is here; his influence fills immensity.
He has his messengers throughout all the works of his hands. He
watches every one of his creatures: their acts, their affections, and
thoughts are all known to him; for his intelligence and power fill
immensity. Not that his person does, but his Spirit does; and he is
here teaching, guiding, and directing the nations of the earth,
notwithstanding their darkness, ignorance, and weakness; and he will
make the wrath of man praise him. Why, then, should we not acknowledge
his hand in all things? Why not believe in revelation? Why not
acknowledge that God whom we profess to serve? Why not seek unto him
for counsel? It should be in the hearts of all to seek unto the Lord
with all their might and affections, and so live as to have him guide
them, that they may never fall—that they may attain the goal they are
anticipating.

Vol. 7, p.159
All people desire to be happy. You cannot find an individual that does
not wish comfort and ease. You can obtain happiness in no other way
than by unreservedly submitting yourselves to your God. Let him lead
us through paths of affliction and cause suffering and trouble to come
upon us, still there is that consolation and comfort within that the
world cannot give nor take away. That is the only solid comfort there
is in this life. Men cannot enjoy comfort and satisfaction in the
accumulation of wealth. Wealth never was the source of happiness to
any person. It cannot be: it is not in the nature of things; for
contentment exists only in the mind. In the mind there is happiness—in
the mind there is glory. Place a man in extreme poverty, and let him
possess the sweet, benign influences of the Spirit of the Lord, and
you will find a happy man and a cheerful countenance; while the man
who does not possess the Spirit of heaven, though he may possess all
this world can afford beside, is almost constantly in sorrow and
trouble.

Vol. 7, p.159
Brethren and sisters, it is your privilege to enjoy the spirit of
revelation as much as any person or people that ever lived on the face
of this earth. As it was observed here last Sabbath, you see men and
women falter and depart from their God and religion: but does God
first forsake them? No; they forsake their God: they take such a
course that the Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell with them;
consequently they are left in darkness and uncertainty, and do not
know what truth is. How can you know what truth is? You can only know
by the spirit of revelation. This knowledge is not obtained in any
other way.

Vol. 7, p.159
How can you know the Latter-day Work to be true? You can know it only
by the spirit of revelation direct from heaven. How can people prove
that it is not true in any other way than by the revelations of Jesus?
Can you hear of any person's railing about its being untrue, and
convincing a congregation that it is untrue by the spirit of
revelation? No. All arguments, conversations, sermons, discourses, and
lectures delivered against it are delivered in darknes—are not
delivered in the Spirit of the great God who organized the Latter-day
Work. What proved this work true to you in England, Ireland, Scotland,
Germany, [p.160] France, the United States, &c.? Was it not the spirit
of revelation that rested upon you? Then why should you lose the
spirit? You should add to it day by day; you should add as the Lord
gives—a little here and a little there, and treasure up truth in your
faith and understanding, until you become perfect before the Lord and
are prepared to receive the further tilings of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.160
You must have the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to the
knowledge of the truth and teach you things as they are. Let every man
and woman, without exception, obtain that Spirit through an exemplary
life; and if they do not adhere to the spirit of revelation that is
felt by all who are partakers of this work, they will fear and fall;
for the Prophet has said that the Lord would work a great work and a
wonder in the last days,—that the report thereof would make all
nations tremble and fill them with fear.

Vol. 7, p.160
Is it darkness? No. Is it ignorance? No. Is it weakness? No. What is
it? It is light, intelligence, the power of God that makes the wicked
tremble and wish "Mormonism" out of the way. If it were a false
doctrine or a false theory, the Devil would not endeavour to disturb
it, wicked men would not fear it, Heaven would not smile upon it, nor
give a revelation to any man or woman to believe it, and we should
have poor success; and Heaven forbid that we should have success or
gain influence upon any other principle than the revelations of Jesus
Christ.

Vol. 7, p.160
May God open your eyes and the eyes of every honest person, that we
may see things as they are and secure for ourselves that eternal rest
we are looking for. Amen.

Brigham Young, June 5, 1859

Want of Governing Capacities Among Men—Elements of 
the Sacrament—Apostacy, Etc.

A Sermon by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, June 5, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.160
Some of the questions propounded by brother Clements, in his remarks,
produced in me rather a humoursome feeling,—especially the inquiry of
the lady as to why she was not a man; and I perceived that it had the
same effect upon the congregation. In the first place, permit me to
answer that inquiry according to the spirit that passed over the
congregation. It brought to my mind a conversation concerning a
certain gentleman who has been in high office in the United States.
The person I was conversing with placed much stress upon the
circumstance that both those gentlemen and myself were Yankees. I
thought that I was tolerably well acquainted with  his character. I
deemed him to be a good, kind, affable, [p.161] and honourable man.
After much conversation, I told the person that I had but one fault to
find with that gentleman, and that was not really a fault—only a
slight mistake. He ought to have come into the world a woman. And,
perhaps, the lady brother Clements has referred to should have been
the officer, and the officer should have been that lady. 

Vol. 7, p.161
Pardon my humoursome remarks, for I feel a little, perhaps, as I
should not, after hearing so serious and good a discourse as we have
this morning. At times there is a spirit in me to treat things
according to their nature, and then my style must of necessity be
somewhat in accordance with the subject. I will treat the question in
a more serious manner.

Vol. 7, p.161
Who the lady is I know not, and I have seen a great many like her, and
I think there would be much more sound judgment and true, sound
philosophy exhibited, if persons would inquire why about three-fourths
or seven-eighths of the men are not women. Why so? Because of the
imbecility in the brains of men. Look through Utah and over the world,
and how many who have beards are men in their capacities in the common
avocations of life, to say nothing about kings, rulers, statesmen,
presidents, and governors? How many men are there capable of
sustaining themselves, a wife, and two or three children? Men who from
their youth have been taught the strictest economy are incapable of
sustaining themselves and a small family, aside from ability to govern
and control a people, a nation, or a kingdom. Hundreds of
thousands—yes, millions of men, do not exhibit the mental ability that
one might suppose women should possess and exhibit. In our own
community there are plenty of ladies who, give them the entire control
of their own domestic affairs, will make a better living, live in
better style, and rear their families better than at present.

Vol. 7, p.161
Search among the various nations, and you can find men of very
respectable talent—men learned upon various subjects, skilled in
mechanism, philosophers of various grades, and historians; but can you
find a man that is capable of rightly dictating a nation? You may ask
the wisest men in a nation if there are great statesmen now living
among them, and they will tell you that their real statesmen have all
gone to the silent tomb. Have we any? Where can you now find statesmen
in the United States possessing the ability that Daniel Webster and
many others had—men who can foresee the results of the acts of
individuals, of legislators, and of Congress fifty years hence? Where
is there a nation that has been able to preserve its organization from
the early ages of the world until now? As you have been often told,
the providences of God are with them, though they know it not. He sets
up a kingdom here, and casts down another there, and overrules the
acts of the people to produce the results he desires. In regard to
ourselves, there is not a man or woman in this kingdom, if they
possessed the true principle of knowledge and wisdom, but what would
know at once that they are not yet capable of magnifying any higher
station than they now occupy. There is not a man or woman here but
occupies a position in which they have fall liberty, freedom, and
opportunity to dispense their skill and knowlege to benefit themselves
and the community: they are not coerced to lose one particle of time
and ability.

Vol. 7, p.161
If I find a man, as I do once in a while, who thinks that he ought to
be sustained in a higher position than he occupies, that proves to me
that he does not understand his true position, and is not capable of
magnifying [p.162] it. Has he not already the privilege of exhibiting
all the talents he has—of doing all the good he is capable of in this
kingdom? Is he curtailed in the least, in any wise or place, in
bringing forth his wisdom and powers, and exhibiting them before the
community, and leading out? No, not in the least. Are any of you
infringed upon or abridged in the least? Is there a sister who has not
the privilege of exhibiting all the talent and power she will, or is
capable of, for the benefit of her sisters and her children? Are the
sisters deprived of any liberty in displaying their taste and talent
to improve the community?

Vol. 7, p.162
When I hear persons say that they ought to occupy a station more
exalted than they do, and hide the talents they are in possession of,
they have not the true wisdom they ought to have. There is a lack in
them, or they would improve upon the talents given.

Vol. 7, p.162
I can say to the sisters, if you have superior talents, arise and let
your light shine. Prove to your neighbours and the community that you
are capable of teaching those sisters whom you deem to be ignorant or
neglectful. I have placed a low estimate upon the standing and
capacity of men; and now let me take the privilege to say a few words
to you—to the ladies who have reached the age of thirty years.
According to my view of the subject, there is not one in a hundred
that knows how to keep a house as it should be kept. I should judge,
from what I have seen, that there are many who do not know the
swill-pail from the milk-pail. Others do not know how to make butter
and cheese, nor how to keep their children clean. Others, again, do
not know how to teach their children as they should be taught.

Vol. 7, p.162
I will not say, as do many, that the more I learn the more I am
satisfied that I know nothing; for the more I learn the more I discern
an eternity of knowledge to improve upon. There is an eternity of
knowledge; and the little I have gained, through the blessings of the
Lord, I wish to improve upon. I can teach you how to become wealthy in
gold and silver, in silks and satins, and in all worldly
possessions,—also in the riches of eternal life. All I ask of you is
to believe that I tell you the truth, and then carry it out.

Vol. 7, p.162
Let me throw the lash at the "Mormon" Elders a little. Many of you
will exchange your last bushel of wheat with the stores for ribbons
and gewgaws when you really need it for bread. And, with
shamefacedhess I say it, some will take the last peck of their grain
to the distillery to buy whisky, and then beg their bread.

Vol. 7, p.162
I will now answer another question propounded by brother Clements,
when he said he could not answer all questions, stating that baptism
was instituted, but he could not tell why. You remember reading, in
the last book of the New Testament, that in the beginning God cursed
the earth; but did he curse all things pertaining to it? No, he did
not curse the water, but he blessed it. Pure water is cleansing—it
serves to purify; and you are aware that the ancient Saints were very
tenacious with regard to their purification by water. From the
beginning the Lord instituted water for that purpose among others. I
do not mean from the beginning of this earth alone; and although we
have no immediate concern in inquiring into the organization of other
earths that do not come within reach of our investigation, yet I will
say that water has been the means of purification in every world that
has been organized out of the immensity of matter.

Vol. 7, p.163
The Lord has instituted laws and ordinances, and all have their
peculiar [p.163] design and meaning. And though we may not know the
origin of the necessity of being baptized for the remission of sins,
it answers that portion of the law we are now under to teach the
people in their ignorance that water is designed for purification, and
to instruct them to be baptized therein for the remission of their
sins. If the people could fully understand this matter, they would
perceive that it is perfectly reasonable and has been the law to all
worlds. And this world, so benighted at present, and so lightly
esteemed by infidels, as observed by brother Clements, when it becomes
celestialized, it will be like the sun, and be prepared for the
habitation of the Saints, and be brought back into the presence of the
Father and the Son. It will not then be an opaque body as it now is,
but it will be like the stars of the firmament, full of light and
glory: it will be a body of light. John compared it, in its
celestialized state, to a sea of glass.

Vol. 7, p.163
Brother Clements inquired why we used bread and wine in the ordinance
of the Lord's supper. I will not teach a doctrine not found in the Old
and New Testaments. Bread is the staff of life: it answers to the
nourishment necessary to sustain the body of man and preserve its
organization. When Jesus took the bread and blessed it, he gave it to
his disciples and said, "This is my body." You eat the sacramental
bread—what for? What good does it do? What is it? Nothing but bread.
You bless it and partake of it as the staff of life that Jesus Christ
has given you, and emblematical of his broken body. He is the
organizer of your bodies; he is the author of this earth—the heir of
it from his Father, and has purchased it with his blood, which the
juice of the grape was instituted by him to represent. He poured out
his blood freely to redeem a fallen world—the wine answering to, the
blood which Jesus spilled, if you partake of it in faith; for it is
the faith that brings the blessing of life to you. It is through
obedience to the ordinance that God bestows renewed life upon you. By
this means the children of God have life within them to live and not
die.

Vol. 7, p.163
The wine answers to the blood of Christ, and the bread to his body:
His blood was poured out as we pour out wine, and his body was broken
as we break bread, to redeem a fallen world and all things pertaining
to it, so far as the curse had fallen.

Vol. 7, p.163
The blood he spilled upon Mount Calvary he did not receive again into
his veins. That was poured out, and when he was resurrected, another
element took the place of the blood. It will be so with every person
who receives a resurrection: the blood will not be resurrected with
the body, being designed only to sustain the life of the present
organization. When this is dissolved, and we again obtain our bodies
by the power of the resurrection, that which we now call the life of
the body, and which is formed from the food we eat and the water we
drink, will be supplanted by another element; for flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.163
In his remarks, brother Clements reasoned, touching persons forsaking
the faith, and urged the necessity of man studying himself. If we
could comprehend ourselves—could fully comprehend what our
organization is, and understand the power, wisdom, and magnitude of
intelligence it is capable of attaining, we should entertain many
ideas very different from what we now do. To make a nice distinction,
there is but a hair's breadth between the vulgar and sublime. There is
but a hair's breadth between the depths of infidelity and the heights
of the faith of the Gods. Man is here like a feather trembling [p.164]
between the two, liable continually to be operated upon by the power
of the enemy; and it is through that power that the children of men
are made to doubt the evidences of their own senses, when, at the same
time, if they would reflect for a moment and listen to the
intelligence which God has placed within them, they would know, when
they saw what is termed a miracle, the power by which it is wrought:
they would know when they have seen with their eyes and felt with
their hands, or when they have had a heavenly vision.

Vol. 7, p.164
Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates
and conversed with the angels of God, were afterwards left to doubt
and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel. One of the Quorum
of the Twelve—a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and
the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid
the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and saw the angel,
and conversed with him as he would with one of his friends; but after
all this, he was left to doubt, and plunged into apostacy, and has
continued to contend against this work. There are hundreds in a
similar condition.

Vol. 7, p.164
In comparison, there is but a hair's breadth between the depths of
infidelity and the heights of the faith of the  Saints; and the
organization of man is perfectly independent in its sphere. Life and
death, truth and falsehood, light and darkness, good and evil, the
power of the Devil and the influence of God, the things of God and the
things of the Devil, all these inducements and powers are interspersed
among the children of men; and they of necessity must undergo this
ordeal to prove themselves; and in the absence of the Spirit of
revelation, let their sound judgments arise and declare, "Though he
slay me, I will not forsake him."

Vol. 7, p.164
Some of the brethren come to me and say, "Brother Brigham, is it my
duty to pray when I have not one particle of the spirit of prayer in
me?" True, at times men are perplexed and full of care and trouble,
their ploughs and other implements are out of order, their animals
have strayed, and a thousand things perplex them; yet our judgment
touches us that it is our duty to pray, whether we are particularly in
the spirit of praying or not. My doctrine is, it is duty to pray; and
when the time for prayer comes, John should say, "This is the place
and this is the time to pray: knees bend down upon that floor, and do
so at once." But John says, "I do not want to pray; I do not feel like
it." Knees, get down, I say; and down bend the knees, and he begins to
think and reflect. Can you say anything? Can you not say, God have
mercy on me a sinner? Yes, he can do this, if he can rise up and curse
his neighbour for some ill deeds. Now, John, open your mouth and say,
Lord, have mercy upon me. "But I do not feel the spirit of prayer."
That does not excuse you, for you know what your duty is. You have a
passion, a will, a temper to overcome. You are subject to temptation
as other men; and when you are tempted, let the judgment which God has
placed within you and the intelligence he has given you by the light
of the Spirit be the. master in this case.

Vol. 7, p.164
If I could not master my mouth; I would my knees, and make them bend
until my mouth would speak. "But the cattle are in the corn." Let them
eat; you can attend to them when you have finished praying. Let the
will of the man be brought into subjection to the law of Christ—to all
the ordinances of the house of God. What, in his darkness and
depression? Yes; for that is  the time to prove whether one is a
[p.165] friend of God, that the confidence of the Almighty may
increase in his son. We should so live that our confidence and faith
may increase in Him. We must even go further than that. Let us so live
that the faith and confidence of our heavenly Father may increase
towards us, until he shall know that we will be true to him under any
and all circumstances and at all times. When in our darkness and
temptation we are found faithful to our duty, that increases the
confidence of our God in us. He sees that we will be his servants. To
use a comparison, the sandbars are numerous over which the people of
God have to pass, and I have not time now to notice them. You have
heard an excellent, heavenly discourse: remember it, brethren and
sisters; treasure it up in your hearts: treasure up every good and
forsake every evil, and learn to work the works of righteousness
continually, regardless of what wicked men and devils may say.

Vol. 7, p.165
But many think and others say that it is very hard to submit to
everything, and retaliation is begotten in every bosom. I often find
it so in my own. When we are lied about—when every kind of falsehood
is uttered and printed against us that can be invented by the millions
of devils that prompt the children of men to lie, it is sometimes
difficult for me to repress the spirit of retaliation. But I have
experienced that retaliation is seldom of any benefit. Then let them
lie: they cannot escape suffering the consequences. If they tell
nothing but the truth, all is right, and they will discover the
kingdom of God still to prosper—still to increase and grow, until
Jesus, whose right it is to reign, will rule King of nations, as he
now reigns King of Saints.

Vol. 7, p.165
How does he rule? If we believe in the providences of our God—in the
supremacy of his dealings, is he not merciful? Yes. Does he cut down
the children of men because they do not look at things and believe, as
I do? No. Will the Priesthood, when it bears rule upon the earth, ever
interrupt an individual or community for not embracing the religion of
that Priesthood? Never—no, never. What is the difficulty at present?
It is as much as we can do to keep the Christians of the nineteenth
century from cutting our throats because we differ from them in our
religious belief. That is, in fact, all the difficulty. Not that the
Latter-day Saints ever endeavoured to interrupt any person in their
faith and worship; and on this point I Will call to witness all men
who have been acquainted with us. True some Elders in this Church have
been foolish; but brother Clements has just told you that he never
crammed "Mormonism" down any man's throat, nor strove to do so,
neither has any Elder while faithful to his calling. Has your humble
servant ever attempted such a thing?

Vol. 7, p.165
Here is truth—here are life and salvation. Will you have them? If you
say, "Nay," all right; for you have the privilege of making your own
choice. It has never altered my feelings towards individuals, as men
or as women, whether they believe as I do or not. Can you live as
neighbours with me? I can with you; and it is no particular concern of
mine whether you believe with me or not. But my Christian brother
says, "You must lay down your religion and embrace mine? or I will
persecute you." Have I ever offered to persecute a person, or have
thin people? No. But others say, "You 'Mormons' must forsake your
religion."

Vol. 7, p.165
All I ask is for the grace of God to enable us to endure to the end
and be saved, and others are at liberty to make their choice. No
matter whether a person is killed or not, be [p.166] faithful to your
lives' end, and obtain a glorious resurrection. But a few days only
will pass before our mortal career will be ended, whether we are
"Mormons" or not. Those only have the promise of salvation who endure
to the end; and all I ask is that we may have faith to endure. Many
have lifted the sword to cut down "Mormonism" in the bud, and for more
than thirty years past they have striven to overthrow it, and have not
accomplished their purpose; but it has grown and increased, and will
continue to grow and increase, until it reigns triumphantly on the
earth, and it will deal justice to all. Even the rights of devils will
be respected,—also the rights of all men occupying every grade and of
every capacity. And those who have striven during so many years, and
so faithfully, to kill this people, they will be judged according to
the deeds done in their bodies: If they never had the Holy Ghost, they
can never be angels to the Devil to suffer the wrath of God to all
eternity. And those of them who have lived according to the best light
they had, (and this will apply to all sects and parties of professing
Christians, and to pagans and barbarians in all kingdoms, nations, and
countries,) will enjoy a glory hereafter that will be commensurate to
their lives and the way in which they have improved upon their
advantages; and by-and-by they will be freed entirely from the power
of the Devil. They will be shut out from the presence of the Lord,
which the ancients compared to hell; but no person can enter into the
presence of the Father and of the Son to dwell, unless he be
sanctified.

Vol. 7, p.166
To enter into the presence of God, we must be qualified. What
confidence could we have that he is the Father, only through our
qualifications? As brother Clements has said, were he to appear to an
unqualified person, he would have to appear as a man, and that person
would want the evidence and testimony of a third person to convince
him that he was not labouring under a grand deception; and then he
might, with the same propriety, call for the evidence of a fourth, a
fifth, etc., and never be satisfied. God is a spiritual being, and no
mortal being can behold him in his glory and live, though his mind may
be caught away in vision, as was Paul's. But man has a capacity given
him to have the vision of his mind open to discern heavenly things,
and to treasure up wisdom and knowledge by that means, until he is
prepared to  receive the kingdom of heaven. May God bless you!
Amen.[p.167] 

Heber C. Kimball, September 11, 1859

Inspiration—Importance of Heeding the 
Revelations of God, Etc.

A Discourse by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday,
September 11, 1859.

Reported By J. V. Long.

Vol. 7, p.167
Brethren and Sisters,—I want to talk a little to you from actual duty.
There are things upon my mind, not only now, but at many times, that
trouble me. I am satisfied that I am pretty faithful in regard to
warning this people to keep the commandments of God. All things that
are good are for us to do according to the dictations of the Holy
Ghost.

Vol. 7, p.167
Brother Pratt was telling about the ten commandments, which are all
very good. But I believe that there are at least as many commandments
as there are words in the English language. Jesus and his disciples
both said—"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Vol. 7, p.167
You believe in the living oracles of God that are appointed to
communicate to us daily and hourly, These oracles are clothed upon
with the holy Priesthood, which is given to enable us to receive
revelations to guide and lead us aright every day.

Vol. 7, p.167
We are instructed in the Scriptures to contend for that faith which
was once delivered to the Saints, and which inspired them with dreams
and visions, tongues and the interpretation thereof. Pray, tell me who
is capable of interpreting an unknown tongue without inspiration? It
cannot be done, except the person be dictated by the Holy Ghost. How
can I discern that a man is wrong, or that he is corrupt, except I
have the Spirit of revelation? I cannot do it. How can President Young
discern that there is is an evil designed against him, unless he has
the Spirit of revelation? He cannot know it beforehand, except it is
revealed to him.

Vol. 7, p.167
Now, I assuredly know it to be true that angels are ministering
spirits to minister to men who are heirs of salvation.

Vol. 7, p.167
Now, God says, in another part of his word, that he will reason with
us. But how will he do this, unless we are submissive like clay in the
hands of the potter? He says he will do it before the world, the
philosophers, the kings, and the nobles. He says he will do it before
all these, if we will be subject to him. We have all been to see a
theatrical performance; but you don't see it, except you look. Well, a
prompter is there; for sometimes the performers forget their pieces:
then the prompter is ready to help them out, as he stands behind the
vail. Just so it is with angels. They are not in sight; we do not see
them; but in the very hour that we need them they are here as the
ministers of the covenant to inspire and guide us aright. I know this,
gentlemen, just as well as I know that I am here to-day: I know it by
the senses that God has given me.[p.168] 

Vol. 7, p.168
I have been led to touch upon this thing by the dictation of the Holy
Spirit; but there are other things essential to our salvation.

Vol. 7, p.168
Yes, I feel many times to weep and am sorrowful, and I can hardly
sleep at night; and if I had Gabriel's trump, I would speak to the
Saints of all nations, and I would say, Gather! gather! and do not
wait even for a handcart to be made. I feel this in my soul. Do the
world believe it? Do the Latter-day Saints believe it? No. Many of
them are lifeless, and have no energy at all.

Vol. 7, p.168
Here is brother N. V. Jones: he expects to start on a foreign mission
in a few days, and I believe he never felt so well in his life. He is
going to wake up the people in Europe.

Vol. 7, p.168
There are a great many of the Saints coming here this year—many of
those men that have never gathered with us—men that have been
wandering about in the States, and that have almost entirely lost the
Spirit of the Lord; and there are some that have previously turned
away—apostatized. They are coming back, and that one circumstance
makes me think there is trouble near at hand. I never knew it to fail
yet.

Vol. 7, p.168
When I get up to speak here, I do not do it for the sake of hearing
myself talk or to please myself, but to do my duty and please God, for
I am his servant. I wish to exhort you to be faithful—to be dilligent
and watchful. There is nothing to prevent your living near to God and
having the light of revelation constantly within you. If your eyes
were single to the glory of God, you would see things as they are—you
would know and understand your duty.

Vol. 7, p.168
When I look through this Territory and see what there is in existence,
and when I consider that it was given through Joseph Smith, by
revelation, that we should let our garments be the workmanship of our
own hands, and that we should take care of our grain, I feel
sorrowful. You may take the people north of this city, in Davis
county, in Ogden and Box Elder, and they have not got wheat enough to
last them till next harvest, if they do not sell another bushel. If
you were keeping the commandments, you would not sell a particle.

Vol. 7, p.168
When the pioneers came here, President Young counselled the brethren
respecting laying up their grain against a time of famine and sorrow.
They were very short of provisions in Ogden last season: some of them
had not a particle of breadstuff, and I had to lend the people flour.
Bishop West told me that if I did not, the people would suffer much;
and it is just so in Box Elder and Davis counties; and that is what is
bearing so heavily upon my mind; and you will see sorrow yet, if you
neglect the counsel of God through his servants. I fear you will.

Vol. 7, p.168
Here is an army—probably 6,000 or 7,000, with the employees and
attachees; and they have got to be fed. I have no objection to their
having wheat and flour; but they cannot have mine, while my brethren
may be without bread. Do you hear it? Listen, all ye ends of the
earth! I will give you enough to keep you alive, gentlemen, just as
you do when men start on the Plains. The Scriptures say—"He that does
not provide for his own household has denied the faith, and is worse
than an infidel."

Vol. 7, p.168
Who are my brethren and sisters? You that have obeyed the same Gospel,
received the same Holy Spirit and the same Priesthood that I have. You
are connected with me by that Priesthood; you are connected with God;
I am connected with you; I am also connected with President Young, in
holding the keys and the Priesthood of the Almighty. And, O ye Elders
of Israel and  Saints of latter [p.169] days, why do you not wake to
these things? What do you suppose you will do when you have sold all
your bread? Will gold or silver keep you alive? Will whisky keep you
alive? or will any other liquor? Bread is the staff of life which God
has spoken of in his word. Then why do you expend it for those things
that you can do without, or that your wives and daughters can make?
Will you still do it? I know we do do it, and I cannot help or avoid
it in my family. I presume it costs me about as much to supply my
family and those that labour for me with coffee, tea, and sugar as
most men in this community.

Vol. 7, p.169
I have got considerable stock also; and all you that want my stock,
make it known. I have many mules, horses, and cattle; and you can have
them all, if you will furnish me the wheat. But if you do this, you
will see the day when you will be sorry. I say to the President of
this Stake of Zion, brother Daniel Spencer, and also to the Apostles,
and to all Saints, Wake up, and lay up your grain, and let your finery
go where it belongs; for that is where it will go, and you cannot
avoid it.

Vol. 7, p.169
How many friends am I going to get for telling these things? The
friendship of every good Saint, and of God the Father and his Son
Jesus Christ; and the angels will sustain me when I speak in the name
of the Father and the Son, and by their authority. There are more in
heaven for us than there are anywhere else against us; and there are
millions more of men and women in heaven saved than there are people
on the earth.

Vol. 7, p.169
I have now done my duty. I have told of these things for years. Some
inquire, "Why don't President Young say more about them?" Simply
because he has spoken and reiterated these things in your ears till he
is ashamed. Do you think our enemies will get his wheat? No, they will
not. If they were to go to him tomorrow, and offer him ten dollars per
bushel, they would not get it. Neither will they get mine. But I will
tell you what I have done: I have stepped forward and handed men bread
when they wanted to leave the Church. But I would not do that now.

Vol. 7, p.169
This is an important day in which we are living.

Vol. 7, p.169
You may make what you please of this kind of preaching: it is the
Gospel of salvation, and it has brought us into the fold of Christ;
and let us take care of the sheep that are in the fold. We are here in
the tops of the mountains, and here is where we shall stay, and all
hell cannot get us out until the Lord God says, "Come out!" Now you
may set your hearts at rest.

Vol. 7, p.169
I am astonished, when I look upon the people of the United States,
that they are not more friendly to us. They stand ready to debauch and
destroy this people. They want the money—the gold and the silver, that
the people have, and which you know is the god of this world; but I am
not going to employ them. If I cannot raise more than five hundred
dollars, I will send one of my boys; and if he has not money enough to
purchase a lead of goods, my team can live upon the Plains and haul
part of a lead for somebody else; for I am determined to transport my
own goods, unless I can buy them as cheep here. Uncle Sam's troops
drove our men off the road from the stations they had located, when we
calculated on running a daily express from here to the States and
importing our own goods. Do you think I fear the world? Why should I?
I have done nothing to be afraid of; and all the feelings that the
wicked can have arise on account of our keeping their troops back at
Bridger till they got cooled off; and we did that handsomely. [p.170]
And then, when they came in, they were very tame; and they would not
have been otherwise, if it had not been for some of our federal
officials. The army has been so much more gentlemanly than some of
those officials that have come to execute the law, that I am ashamed;
and I give the army the credit for that much.

Vol. 7, p.170
"Well, now," says one, "you had better hold your tongue, Mr. Kimball."
I shall when I get ready. I have no feelings of hardness, nor
disposition to hurt any one. Some seem to have a spite against the
gamblers; but, bless you, they are some of the best of the camp
followers. I am ashamed of the acts of some of you Elders of the
Church. You ought to be had in remembrance in the courts of heaven.
Were they sent here to lead you into such practices? What were those
judges sent here for? Not to teach this people, but to bring up those
murderers and handle them, and to send all the thieves to prison, and
punish them for their crimes. This is what you are sent for, you
judges, and you marshals, and all the rest of you officials; and why
don't you do your duty? know I wish there was a lawyer here to tell me
whether I have committed treason or not!

Vol. 7, p.170
For instance, here is Dr. Bernhisel—just as good a man as ever lived
upon the earth. We have sent him four times to Washington. Did he go
as our master? No; but he went as our servant to importune the
Government of the United States for our rights. Bless you, the rights
we ask are ours: they are mine: our fathers fought for them! Well, he
went as our servant, and not as our master; and these judges are sent
here by James Buchanan; and if they had done their duty, they would
have had scores of you transgressors of the law in prison, and some on
the scaffold. They should make you amenable to the laws of this
Territory as well as those of the United States.

Vol. 7, p.170
Gentlemen officials, you came to execute our laws. This is the way, as
Mr. Hord said to me yesterday—"I am of your opinion, Mr. Kimball, when
a man is among the Romans, he should do as the Romans do. When we go
to the polls, go with the voice of the people." "Yes," said I; "and
when we go to your States and Territories, we should do the same, and
be subject to your laws, just as you should be subject to our laws;
and so should all ministers that are sent to preach and administer
justice and righteousness."

Vol. 7, p.170
Now, have I committed treason this afternoon? No, gentlemen, I have
not. What do they want to kill us for? They are from the same father.
Now, we want to obey the laws of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and get
the Spirit of God; and because of this they are our enemies. It is the
same as it was with the family of Jacob, and he was the friend of God;
and because Joseph was in favour with God and with his father, his
brethren hated him. It was particularly so with Joseph. His own
brothers hated him; but the Lord honoured him, and he lived to see his
father and brethren bow down to him; and the king of Egypt honoured
him, and bowed to his wisdom. And so the nations will bow to this
kingdom, sooner or later, and all hell cannot help it. Then,
gentlemen, why don't you make peace? You will be glad to make peace,
for the wicked will see earthquakes, pestilence, and famine; for they
have caused thousands of men, women, and children to go to premature
graves. And Thomas H. Benton said, "Give them hell, and sweep them off
the earth." When we were in our waggons, Senator Benton advocated
this.

Vol. 7, p.171
I say to the Saints, Live your religion, [p.171] stop your murmuring,
take care of your crops, lay up your grain. I shall do it.

Vol. 7, p.171
Now, you women, go to work, as far as it is in your power to do it,
and do not be constantly teasing your husbands to dispose of their
grain. What better are you than I? I came here with good home-made
calf-skin boots on, and why can't you be contented with home-made
clothes as well as I? You are no better than I am, and I know you can
do these things.

Vol. 7, p.171
I try to carry out this counsel that I am giving to you; and not many
years will pass away before you will see the result of these things,
and you that are wise will go to work and act as though you believed
what I say. My sorrow is that trouble will come upon you unawares, in
consequence of your neglect of these counsels. I have no objections to
your selling your grain, but I want you to sell it to your brethren,
and not to those that will cut your throats. If you do not want to
sustain me, sustain one another. 

Vol. 7, p.171
How do you look, you who hold the Priesthood, going through the
streets drunk, and in company with those who are constantly planning
for the destruction of this people? I mean you that are guilty of
these offences. Those that are not guilty know that my remarks are not
for them.

Vol. 7, p.171
God bless the righteous—the peacemaker! and God bless the honourable
man that comes here and does unto us as he wishes us to do unto him.
Come to me, ye men that do not profess to believe "Mormonism:" I am
the lad to make you comfortable and happy. But let me live, do good,
and work righteousness. I will do this, whether you are willing or
not, God helping me.

Vol. 7, p.171
I say, Peace be upon the righteous, and upon every man that is willing
to do as he would like to be done by! But if you desire this blessing,
don't come here and interfere with our rights, when you are sent by
the Government to see that murderers and robbers are brought to
justice, and dealt with according to the laws. I want you to
understand this now, for I am a lawyer, and I understand as much about
it as any of you.

Vol. 7, p.171
God bless you, in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen.

Vol. 7, p.171
[After resuming his seat, President Kimball again arose and said]—I
just want to say a few words to the Elders of Israel, and to the
daughters of Zion. If you wish to manifest your  faith, go and prove
that you have faith by your works; for I would not give a dime for all
the faith there is without works. Let each man go to with his might,
and lay up his grain, and not preach about that which he is not doing
himself. This is my religion. If you follow my counsel, God will bless
you and increase you in the comforts of life; and let the world know
it. This is all I have to say at present.[p.172] 

Brigham Young, June 12, 1859

Resurrection of the Body—the Spirit World, Etc.

An Address by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered at the Funeral of his Sister, Fanny Young, June 12, 1859.

Reported By G.D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.172
Were we to conform to the traditions of our fathers, the brothers of
sister Fanny would not be permitted to speak on this occasion. But is
it wrong for a father to preach the funeral sermon of his child? or
for a husband to preach the funeral sermon of his wife? or for a
brother to officiate in like manner for a sister? If so, wherein is it
wrong or sinful? Four of sister Fanny's five brothers are here to-day,
and I wish them to do all the preaching to be done on this occasion.

Vol. 7, p.172
Our father long since departed to the spirit world: he is not here to
give counsel to his children. Brother Phineas resides in this city,
but he is not here; and we, the four brothers who are present, have
designed to say what is to be said, and to perform the funeral
ceremonies of our sister, in this respect.

Vol. 7, p.172
It would gratify me to spend an hour or two to express in part the
numerous principles, ideas, inductions, and connections between the
spirit world and our present condition, that frequently fill my mind
on such occasions as this. Many of you know that I especially delight
to dwell upon such subjects; but I do not wish to occupy so much time
now. We will make our exercises short and to the point, while we
perform the last act of kindness that can be bestowed upon mortals.

Vol. 7, p.172
It is customary to pay great respect to the dead. This I do; but holy
do I pay it? It is very fashionable and customary to mourn deeply for
the dead; and it is customary in some countries to hire mourners, and
observe much ceremony upon the death and interment of relatives and
friends. I wish to pay, in a strictly fitting and decent manner, the
respect due to the remains of my sister Fanny—due in reference to the
resurrection of the very dust that will moulder in the coffin before
us.

Vol. 7, p.172
If I am faithful to my religion, I shall see the component parts that
organized the body together. When those parts are gathered together
from the elements, they will appear as sister Fanny, not in mortal
flesh, but in an immortal state. When I meet her in the morning of the
resurrection, she will hail me as one who has acted the part of a
brother, son, and protector; she will hail me as her benefactor; and I
now wish to pay respect to her departure from this sphere of action.
We have made her as comfortable as we could through life; we will
honour her in death, and hope to be present when she is resurrected.
Now her body is subject to decomposition, and will return to its
mother earth, to remain until it shall be called forth again. 

Vol. 7, p.172
The organization of the human tabernacle is a great mystery; but it
[p.173] would not be, if we could see and understand. Could the vail
between us and the spiritual existence be rent, we should behold a
greater mystery in the organization of the spirit.

Vol. 7, p.173
As has been observed here touching the ideas that men have of the
principles of eternal life, mankind have been vailed in utter
darkness, in which the great majority remain at this day. The wicked
world inquire for the man who can inform them how and by what means
the mortal body and the immortal spirit are so intimately united. To
say nothing of their organization, the wisest and greatest
physiologists have failed to supply the information so earnestly
sought upon this subject. We see life spring into existence all around
us. Where is its fountain? and how is it originated? It exists for a
day, a night, a year, or an age, and it is gone; and who can say
where? Who can tell what has become of the life that dwelt in that
tabernacle, causing it to think,—that lit up the eye with living fire,
and caused the mouth to utter forth wisdom? Can mortal man tell? Not
unless he is inspired by the Almighty, and understands eternal things.
The origin of all things is in eternity. Like a cloud passing across a
clear sky—like a bird that suddenly flits across our path—like a pure
gushing stream from a hidden fountain, that soon sinks in some
mountain chasm,—so, apparently, life flashes into this mortal
existence, and passes away.

Vol. 7, p.173
I do not mourn for sister Fanny: I rejoice. She has lived upwards of
threescore years and ten, and exhibited the retention of sound sense
to her last days with us here. She said to her sister Nancy, a short
time ago, "If you hear of my being dead before you come to see me
again, let the first thing you say be 'Hallelujah!'" That remark, to
me, evidences the retention of sound judgment. It also appears to me
that very many of the Latter-day Saints are as far from good wholesome
ideas and principles, touching their heavenly privileges, as the east
is from the west. They covet the riches of this world, craving to
serve themselves—to satisfy the sordid disposition within them. Had
they the sense of an angel, and were they in possession of mountains
of gold, heaped up higher and deeper, broader and longer, than these
mountains on the east and west of us, they would say, "That vast
amount of gold is as nothing when compared with the privilege of even
living in this day and age of the world, when the Gospel is preached."

Vol. 7, p.173
And when the Lord has committed his holy Priesthood to men on earth,
without which no mortal being can he prepared to enter into the
celestial kingdom of God, how do many of the Elders treat it? That
question I do not wish to answer; but I really wish that such persons
would learn a little good sense. Generations have come and gone
without the privilege of hearing the sound of the Gospel, which has
come to you through Joseph, Smith—that was revealed to him from heaven
by angels and visions. We have the Gospel and the keys of the holy
Priesthood.

Vol. 7, p.173
Sister Fanny has been faithful: her spirit is now in the spirit world.
Where do you suppose that world is? We used to think and talk a great
deal about this subject, inquiring where heaven is, and where is the
heaven of heavens. Let me tell you that sister Fanny cannot dwell
there until she obtains her resurrection; neither can any other being.
The spirit world I now refer to pertains to this earth, so far as
spirits who have tabernacled or may hereafter tabernacle here are
concerned.

Vol. 7, p.173
Sister Fanny was baptized for the remission of sins, and received the
laying on of hands for the reception [p.174] of the Holy Ghost. She
lived according to the precepts and ordinances that God has revealed
through his servant the Prophet, by which men can be saved and brought
back into his presence. But is her spirit in the third heavens? No.
Will it go there? Not until she again possesses her body. Can she see
the Lord? Yes, if he unveils himself. Can she converse with angels?
Yes, if they are sent to converse with her. Is she in paradise? Yes.
Where do the spirits of the wicked go? To the same place or kingdom
pertaining to this earth. They do not go to the depths of hell,
neither can they until they become angels of devils.

Vol. 7, p.174
Is a Saint subject to the power of the Devil in the spirit world? No,
because he has gained the victory through faith, and can command
Satan, and he must obey. How is it with the wicked? The Devil has
power over them to distress and afflict them: they are in hell. Can
the angels of heaven administer to them? Yes, if they are sent to do
so. What can be done for them? The spirit of sister Fanny and the
spirit of every man and woman who has died in the faith of the Gospel,
since it has been restored, will have the power to teach those wicked
spirits and all who have gone to the spirit world without having heard
the Gospel in the flesh, and say to them, If you will now repent and
believe, the Lord will even now provide the means that you may be
officiated for on the earth in those ordinances that must be attended
to here. Sister Fanny can do good in her capacity and calling as well
as Joseph the Prophet can in his. He will hold the keys: he will rule,
govern, and control all things in the spiritual world pertaining to
this dispensation, until he has finished his work.

Vol. 7, p.174
I do not wish to occupy much of the time; but when I am led to speak
on these points I am much interested. How few there are who understand
how hard it is for a man's eyes to be opened! How few of the Elders of
this Church prefer the interests of the kingdom of God to their
worldly interests! With far too many it is, "My family!—my farm is
going to wreck!—my store is neglected!—my business must be attended
to!" and let the kingdom of God take care of itself. Such men will
remain in darkness.

Vol. 7, p.174
To possess and retain the spirit of the Gospel, gather Israel, redeem
Zion, and save the world must be attended to first and foremost, and
should be the prevailing desire in the hearts of the First Presidency
of the Elders of Israel, and of every officer in the Church and
kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.174
The Lord commands, controls, and governs. A little more faith in the
name of Jesus Christ, and I can say to my enemies, Be thou rebuked and
stay thou there. I then can say to the power of the Devil, Be thou
rebuked; and to evil spirits, Come not within these walls, and they
could not enter. A little more faith, and, by way of comparison, I can
say to my wheat and corn, Grow, and command the heavens to shed forth
rain.

Vol. 7, p.174
Suppose that the whole people could see things as they are, they would
soon be able to control the elements by the power of their faith. This
people, since we believe that they are in the kingdom of God, must so
live as to gain power and faith to control all things of a perishable
nature, and thus prepare themselves to endure for ever and ever; while
every other creature will, ere long, return to its native element.

Vol. 7, p.174
I am very much obliged to my friends for calling to pay their respects
to the living and the dead. We did not expect many here, for I have
not a house large enough to hold all the  relations of our sister
Fanny. To [p.175] convene them in a building, we should have to go to
the Tabernacle. She has many relatives, and I am increasing the number
of mine every day, through inducing people to increase in faith. The
spirit of the holy Gospel is going to the east, the west, the north,
and the south, and no power can hinder it; and the feelings of many
are taking hold of the principles of eternal life, and there is no
power that can hinder it. And all those who believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ with all their hearts, and believe that Joseph Smith was sent
of God, repent of their sins, are baptized for the remission of sins,
and then live their religion, the same are "my father, my mother, my
sister, my brother." in reality I have no other connections on the
face of this earth. If my blood kin would not believe the Gospel, I
should be as much alienated from them in my feelings as I am from the
people of the Chinese nation. There are thousands in the Church now,
and we are brethren and sisters.

Vol. 7, p.175
I say, Bless the people! God bless my brethren and sisters! I ask my
Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, to bless you every day. I am
looking for the time when I shall say, Be thou blessed, and we shall
be blessed, and the powers of earth and hell will stand afar off and
be rebuked at the command of the Priesthood.

Vol. 7, p.175
How far we are beneath our privileges! What! rejoice when a Saint
dies? Yes. Mourn when a Saint dies? No. There is no feeling of
mourning within me, though every living friend, wife, child, brother,
sister, cousin, aunt, and uncle of mine were lying before us, as
sister Fanny does now. I would shout, Hallelujah! "Would you not
mourn?" No. The world is before me, and I can gather all the fathers
and mothers, brothers and sisters, wives, children, and friends that I
wish around me. That is the way I feel. Glory! Hallelujah!

Vol. 7, p.175
Sister Vilate Kimball knows that I felt so when I buried Miriam, my
first wife. Heber C. and Vilate Kimball were as kind to me at that
time, when I was a stranger and penniless, as I have been to sister
Fanny. My heart said, "Hallelujah!" because the Priesthood is here,
and the way opened up from earth to heaven; and my wife was going
there.

Vol. 7, p.175
God bless you! When I have the power, I will bless you so effectually
that you will not be  afflicted by the Devil as you now are.
Amen.[p.176] 

Orson Pratt, July 10, 1859

Personal Reminiscences and Testimony Concerning the 
Prophet Joseph and the Church, Etc.

A Sermon by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, July 10, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.176
It is truly joyful to my feelings to assemble, Sabbath after Sabbath,
with the Latter-day Saints, to hear the testimonies of the servants of
the living God, and to hear the words of eternal life preached by the
power of the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 7, p.176
It is now nearly twenty-nine years that I have enjoyed this privilege
in this Church; and I esteem it as one of the greatest privileges to
be still alive and in your midst, and I acknowledge the hand of God in
preserving me for so many years in this kingdom. I believe most firmly
that if it had not been for the mercy, power, and goodness of God, I
should not be numbered among the living at the present time. When I
east my reflections back upon the past history of my life, and
contemplate the numerous scenes through which I have passed, in
connection with hundreds of others that have travelled to and fro
among the nations, I feel that it has been the hand of the Lord that
has delivered me from the hands of enemies and lawless mobs which have
often beset my path.

Vol. 7, p.176
It has been the hand of the Lord that has delivered this people
through all the dreadful persecutions that we have endured, and it
will be the hand of the Lord that will deliver us in all future time.
I oftentimes reflect back upon the early period of my experience in
this Church, having been baptized into the same only about five months
after its first organization, when there were but a very few
individuals numbered with the Saints. I presume that all who belonged
to the Church at that time might occupy a small room about the size of
fifteen feet by twenty. I then became intimately acquainted with the
Prophet Joseph Smith, and continued intimately acquainted with him
until the day of his death. I had the great privilege, when I was in
from my missions, of boarding the most of the time at his house, so
that I not only knew him as a public teacher, but as a private
citizen, as a husband and father. I witnessed his earnest and humble
devotions both morning and evening in his family. I heard the words of
eternal life flowing from his mouth, nourishing, soothing, and
comforting his family, neighbours, and friends. I saw his countenance
lighted up as the inspiration of the Holy Ghost rested upon him,
dictating the great and most precious revelations now printed for our
guide. I saw him translating, by inspiration, the Old and New
Testaments, and the inspired book of Abraham from Egyptian papyrus.

Vol. 7, p.176
And what now is my testimony concerning that man, founded upon my own
personal observations? It is the same to-day as it was when I first
received the testimony that he was a  Prophet. I know that he was a
[p.177] man of God. It was not a matter of opinion with me, for I
received a testimony from the heavens concerning that matter; and
without such a testimony it is difficult for us always to judge; for
no man can know the things of God but by the Spirit of God. I do not
care how much education a man may have—how learned he may be—how much
he has studied theology under the eyes of teachers that are
uninspired; I do know there is no man living that can know the tidings
of God for himself only by revelation. I could form some kind of an
opinion about Joseph Smith as a natural man, without receiving any
communication or revelation for myself. I could believe him to be a
man of God from his conversation, from his acts, from his dealings; I
could believe him to be a Prophet by seeing many things take place
that he prophesied of: but all this would not give me that certain
knowledge which is necessary for an individual to have, in order to
bear testimony to the nations.

Vol. 7, p.177
If I bear testimony to others that I know this Church and this kingdom
to be the Church and kingdom of God, and that Joseph Smith was really
raised up as a Prophet, and as a Seer, and as a Revelator, I must bear
that testimony from some certain information and knowledge I have
derived independent of what can be learned naturally by the natural
man. The testimony I have borne for twenty nine years past upon this
point is that the Lord revealed to me the truth of this work; and
because the Lord revealed this fact to me, I have the utmost
confidence in bearing testimony to it in all the world. It is true I
was then but a youth; I was ignorant and am still ignorant in many
points and in many respects: but I was then very ignorant so far as
the religion of heaven is concerned, until the Lord made manifest his
truth, and taught, informed, and instructed my mind.

Vol. 7, p.177
For about one year before I heard of this Church, I had begun
seriously in my own mind to inquire after the Lord. I had sought him
diligently—perhaps more so than many others that professed to seek
him. I was so earnest and intent upon the subject of seeking the Lord,
when I was about eighteen years of age, and from that until I was
nineteen, when I heard this Gospel and received it, that I did not
give myself the necessary time to rest. Engaged in farming and
labouring too by the month, I took the privilege, while others had
retired to rest, to go out into the fields and wilderness, and there
plead with the Lord, hour after hour, that he would show me what to
do—that he would teach me the way of life, and inform and instruct my
understanding. It is true I bad attended, as many others have done,
various meetings of religious societies. I had attended the
Methodists, I had been to the Baptists, and had visited the
presbyterian meetings. I had heard their doctrines and had been
earnestly urged by many to unite myself with them as a member of their
churches; but something whispered to not do so. I remained, therefore,
apart from all of them, praying continually in my heart that the Lord
would show me the right way.

Vol. 7, p.177
I continued this for about one year; after which, two Elders of this
Church came into the neighbourhood. I heard their doctrine; and
believed it to be the ancient Gospel; and as soon as the sound
penetrated my ears, I knew that if the Bible was true, their doctrine
was true. They taught not only the ordinances, but the gifts and
blessings promised the believers, and the authority necessary in the
Church in order to administer the ordinances. All these things I
received with gladness. Instead of feeling, as many do, [p.178] a
hatred against the principles, hoping they were not true, fearing and
trembling lest they were, I rejoiced with great joy, believing that
the ancient principles of the Gospel were restored to the earth—that
the authority to preach it was also restored. I rejoiced that my ears
were saluted with these good tidings while I was yet a youth, and, in
the day,  too, of the early rising of the kingdom of God. I went
forward and was baptized. I was the only individual baptized in that
country for many years afterward. I immediately arranged my business
and started off on a journey of two hundred and thirty miles to see
the Prophet. I found him in the house of old father Whitmer, in
Fayette, Seneca County, State of New York,—the house where this Church
was first organized, consisting of only six members. I also found
David Whitmer, then one of the three witnesses who saw the angel and
the plates.

Vol. 7, p.178
I soon became acquainted with all the witnesses of the Book of Mormon,
with the exception of Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, who had
started westward, and whose acquaintance I formed a few months
afterward. I heard their teachings, saw their course of conduct, saw
their earnestness, their humility, and diligence in prayer, and their
faithfulness in warning one another and in warnings their neighbours.

Vol. 7, p.178
I called upon the Lord with more faith than before, for I had then
received the first principles of the Gospel. The gift of the Holy
Ghost was given to me; and when it was shed forth upon me, it gave me
a testimony concerning the truth of this work that no man can ever
take from me. It is impossible for me, so long as I have my reasoning
faculties and powers of mind, to doubt the testimony I then received
as among the first evidences that were given, and that, too, by the
gift and power of the Holy Ghost. And while I am speaking upon the
subject, let me say that the gift and power of the Holy Ghost given to
an individual is the greatest evidence that he Can receive concerning
God, godliness, and the kingdom of heaven set up upon the earth. There
is no evidence equal to it. A natural man may see all the signs that
Jesus has promised should follow the believer; he may see them in
exercise by the faithful Saints of God. He may see them speak in
different tongues and languages, and then he may have his doubts in
regard to it, if he has not received the testimony of the Holy Ghost
himself. He may hear the sounds of these tongues; but how is he to
judge or know whether they do speak in another tongue or not? It is
true he hears sounds put together which resemble languages he has
heard foreigners speak; but it is not a testimony that imparts a
knowledge to his mind: he wants something greater than this. Again, he
hears others, who are ignorant and unlearned, by the gift and power of
the Holy Ghost interpret these tongues, and unfold the things spoken
by the power of the Spirit of God in another language: but how does he
know that they give the true interpretation? His own understanding
will not testify that they have. He must, therefore, have a testimony
independent of this,—a higher, a greater testimony,—even that of the
Holy Spirit. Again, he might see individuals, professing to be
followers of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, go forth and lay their
hands upon the sick, and pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus,
that they may be healed. He may see them raised up and apparently
restored to health and soundness; but then, how does he know that
these persons were really as sick and as much afflicted as they
pretended to be? Seeing these [p.179] things as a natural man, how is
he to know that the administration by the laying on of hands has
imparted power or virtue to heal them? Or is it the work of
imagination? Here would be left room for doubt. This testimony alone
is not sufficient to rest upon. He should have the gift and power of
the Holy Ghost resting upon himself to convince him that they were the
servants of God, and that the gifts they exercise were from heaven. He
might hear them prophesy many things that are to take place years in
the future; but he would not wish to wait for their fulfilment to know
whether they were of God; or, while he was waiting, he might be laid
in the dust. He therefore needs something to convince him, beyond all
doubt, that the individuals prophesying were filled with the Holy
Ghost, and that their predictions were true and could be depended
upon; and then, whether they come to pass or not in his day, he knows
they will be fulfilled in their times and in their seasons; and so
with all other gifts. He might see a miracle of any kind; he might see
the laws of nature apparently overcome by a person calling himself a
servant of God. How does he know he is the servant of God, or that he
performs that miracle by the power of God? Have not devils and fallen
angels power? Did they not have mighty power in ancient days? Yes.
Could they not smite the earth with plagues, and turn water into blood
anciently, as Moses the servant of God did? Yes. Could not the wicked
magicians of Egypt perform great signs by casting down their staves,
and causing them to appear like serpents, performing great, and
marvellous things similar to those the Prophet Moses performed?

Vol. 7, p.179
How is the natural man to judge? There is God on the one hand, and the
Devil on the other; and if one is to judge naturally of these things,
he would not be sure that the person performing a miracle before him
was really inspired of God. The gift and power of the Holy Ghost, as I
have already observed, is the greatest evidence any man or woman can
have concerning the kingdom of God. It is given expressly to impart to
mankind a knowledge of the things of God. It is given to purify the
heart of man, that he may by its power not only be able to understand
its operations upon himself, but he able to understand its operations
upon others also; and, indeed, if I could by any possible means
independent of the Holy Ghost ascertain that a miracle was wrought of
God, what particular benefit would it be to me?

Vol. 7, p.179
Scores of miracles were wrought in ancient times; but how did they
benefit the children of Israel? When they saw the waters of the Red
Sea divided and the Egyptians overthrown in its depths,—when they were
brought up before mount Sinai and heard the voice of the trumpet out
of the midst of the cloud and from the flaming mountain, proclaiming
the ten commandments in their ears, and saw Moses go up in the midst
of the fire,—when they beheld all this display of the power of God,
what effect did it have on the great majority who saw? Did it affect
their conduct? No. Miracles had become a little common with them, and
said they, What has become of this Moses? Perhaps they thought he had
perished in the mountain. They might have imagined a volcano on the
mountain, belching out its fires, accompanied by thunder and
lightning; and that some person had artfully concealed himself, having
a great trumpet, and through it pretending to give laws to Israel.
They might have said, We will not be cheated by this pretended
miracle: but while this thunder and storm is [p.180] lasting on the
mount, and while it is in this terrible convulsion, we will have a god
that we can see; we will cast our gold into the fire, and make one
that will just suit us. And so they did, and fell down and worshipped
it, and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, &c." Here, then, we
perceive what effect miracles have upon a people, without the power
and gift of the Holy Ghost to bear testimony that these miracles are
of God. The Holy Ghost bears testimony to the man who receives it, and
not to somebody else; and if he is pure enough to receive this gift,
he has power enough in his heart to regulate his actions according to
the law of God, instead of building golden calves.

Vol. 7, p.180
I have deviated from my experience, and perhaps it will not be
necessary to say any more on that subject; for it is about the same in
many respects as the experience of all the rest of the Saints of God.
It is true, I have travelled perhaps more by far than any other man in
the Church who is now living; but what of this? I expect to travel a
great deal more, if I am called upon; for my mission is to travel:
that is the command I received in connection with the Twelve and the
Seventies. We have been called upon to go into all the world and
preach the Gospel to every creature, as they were in ancient days; and
inasmuch as we cannot go personally and preach to every creature, we
have the responsibility upon us to see that it is preached to every
creature, to every nation, tongue, and people. And inasmuch as we do
not fulfil this responsibility placed upon us, we shall have to
suffer. In connection with others, I have gone forth and endeavoured
to fulfil in some little measure the great mission the Lord our God
has given us to the nations of the earth. I have borne testimony, all
the day long, first to my own nation, the people of the United States,
in the New England, Middle, Western, and Southern States, and in the
Territories, and also in the Canadas, Upper and Lower. For many years
my voice has been heard throughout the land, warning the people to
repent. And I most assuredly know that all the testimonies I have
borne are recorded in the heavens, and it is a comfort to me to think
they are not lost and forgot; and all the people that have heard them
will have to meet them in the great and coming day.

Vol. 7, p.180
I have not only borne testimony to my own nation on this continent,
baptizing believers, building up churches, travelling on foot
thousands and tens of thousands of miles without purse or scrip, being
mobbed and driven to-and-fro, and hunted by the enemy; but I have also
had the privilege of crossing the Atlantic Ocean ten times for the
word of God and the testimony of Jesus, to bear his name among the
nations afar off; and I have endeavoured in those distant lands, as
well as on this continent, to bear my testimony faithfully among the
people. And my testimony is this, that God has in his infinite mercy
and goodness sent his angel from heaven to restore the same Gospel
that was preached eighteen hundred years ago—that he has borne
testimony, by his angels, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and by his
own voice, of the fact that he has restored his Priesthood and his
kingdom upon the face of the earth, and that the kingdom now
established will continue to roll on until all the nations and
kingdoms of the earth shall see and hear of the power and glory of the
Almighty magnified and made manifest in it. This has been my
testimony, and I rejoice in it. I am not fatigued—don't feel like
retiring to private life; but I feel to continue in this holy calling
and ministry as  long as the [p.181] Lord my God shall permit me to
have a being here upon the earth, be it long or short.

Vol. 7, p.181
How long I shall stay here I know not: that is among the hidden things
of futurity, so far as I am personally concerned. I look forward with
joyful anticipation to the glory that shall follow in the rolling
forth of this kingdom, and in the fulfilment of the purposes of the
Most High God in relation to this last dispensation he has introduced
upon the earth. There are a great many things that are taking place
and have taken place that I have rejoiced in, because I have known
them; from diligent research, to be the fulfilment of modern prophecy.

Vol. 7, p.181
I have not been backward about searching both ancient and modern
prophecy that I might learn something about the events of the last
dispensation, and understand the signs of the times in which we live.
I have seen prophecy after prophecy fulfilled, not only among the
people of the Latter-day Saints, but among the nations of the earth,
that were uttered years and years before they came to pass; and there
are prophecies contained in the Book of Mormon which remain to be
fulfilled, and I am looking with joyful anticipation to the day of
their fulfilment. The prophecies are of great interest to the Saints
and to the world. As an instance, I  will give you the substance of a
prophecy contained in the Book of Mormon. About six hundred years
before Christ, a Prophet was raised up in Jerusalem, by the name of
Lehi, and another one by the name of Nephi; and the Lord commanded
them to leave Jerusalem and go to a land he  would give to them, and
he brought  them forth by his miraculous power  upon this American
continent. Before they arrived here, however Nephi had a vision, and
saw all the great events from his day down to the winding-up scene of
all things. Among other things, he saw the Jews would be carried away
shortly after the departure of himself and his father's family into
Babylon, and he saw they would be afflicted for a length of time, and
then be restored to Jerusalem. After their return, he saw the Messiah
would make his appearance, and they would crucify him, and then they
would be dispersed among all nations.

Vol. 7, p.181
He saw that the Gospel would be preached among all nations and
kingdoms, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles. He saw that
after the Gospel should be preached by the Twelve, Apostles of the
Lamb to the Jews and to the Gentiles, there would arise a great and
abominable church, the most corrupt of all churches upon the face of
all the earth, and that that great and abominable church should have
power given unto them over the Saints of the Lamb to destroy them,
&c., and that they should corrupt the Jewish Scriptures which should
issue from the mouth of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, and take away
from them many parts that word plain, and precious, and easy to the
understanding of all men; and by reason of this great stumblingblock,
the Scriptures being in such a state, there should be many among the
nations of the Gentiles in the latter times that should exceedingly
stumble and build up numerous churches after the forms of different
doctrines, and they should deny miracles and the power of God, saying,
"They are done away."

Vol. 7, p.181
After seeing all these things on the Eastern continent, he saw the
promised land to which he and his father's family were about to be
led; and he beheld his descendants in their various generations, and
he saw wars, &c., among them; he saw that Jesus, after his
resurrection, made his appearance bodily among them: this took place
on the promised land, which we call [p.182] America. He saw the
Israelites on this land become righteous, and he saw three generations
pass away in righteousness; then the more part of them fell into
wickedness and were destroyed, and the records kept among them
contained the fulness of the Gospel and many prophecies and visions
that were great and precious. He saw that a remnant of the nation
should dwindle more and more in unbelief, and have wars and
contentions among themselves, and become a degraded people, and be
scattered upon all the face of this continent.

Vol. 7, p.182
Then he saw in the latter days the nations and kingdoms of the
Gentiles who should discover this land, and send forth their emigrants
and form a great nation of Gentiles upon this continent; and he saw
that they should have power to free themselves from every nation under
heaven. Then he saw that by the power of God the records of his people
should come forth; and he saw that a Church of the Saints should
arise, and that it should spread itself upon all the face of the
earth, among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles; and he saw
also that the great and abominable church that was among all the
nations of the Gentiles, having dominion among all peoples and
tongues, should gather together in multitudes among the nations of the
earth and fight against the Lamb of God and against the Saints of the
Most High and his covenant people, and he says—"I beheld the power of
the Lamb, that it descended upon the Saints of the Most High that were
scattered among all the nations of the Gentiles, and they were armed
with righteousness and the power of God in great glory. And then he
said, I saw the mother of abominations begin to have wars and rumours
of war among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles; and the
Lord spake unto him, saying, Behold, the work of God is upon the
mother of harlots, &c.

Vol. 7, p.182
This vision continued down to the end of time. But what I wish to call
your attention to at this time is one event which has been in a
measure literally fulfilled. It is an event that no man, unless he
were a Prophet inspired by the Most High God, could have had a heart
big enough to prophesy of with the least expectation of of its
fulfilment; and that is, the Church of the Lamb of God that was to be
raised up after the coming forth of these records of the ancient
Israelites should be among all nations and kingdoms of the Gentlies.

Vol. 7, p.182
This was uttered and printed before the Church of Latter-day Saints.
was in existence. How could a young man, inexperienced as Joseph Smith
was, have had all this foreknowledge of future events, unless he was
inspired of God? How, did he know that any Church believing in the
Book of Mormon would arise? He was then in the act of translating
these records; the Church had not yet an existence; and he was young,
inexperienced, and ignorant as regards the education and wisdom of
this world. How did he know that, after his manuscript was published,
a church called the Church of the Lamb would arise and be built upon
the fulness of the Gospel contained in the book?  How did he know
that, if it did arise, it would have one year's existence? What
wisdom, education, or power could have given him this foreknowledge
independent of the power of God? How could he know, if a church should
arise, that it would have any influence beyond his own neighbourhood?
How did he know it would extend through the State of New York, where
it was first raised? How could he know that it would extend over the
United States, and much more, that it would go to all nations and
kingdoms of the Gentiles? [p.183] And how did he know that the
dominions of this Church among all the nations and kingdoms of the
Gentiles should be small, because of the wickedness of the great
"mother of abominations?" How did he know that the "mother of harlots"
among these Gentiles would gather together in great multitudes among
all the nations and kingdoms of the earth to fight against the Saints
of the Lamb of God? Common sense tells us that this would be taking a
stretch far beyond what any false prophet dare take, with any hope of
fulfilment.

Vol. 7, p.183
To prophesy that a church would arise and have place in all the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles and then to prophesy that the
"mother of harlots" would gather together vast multitudes among all
these nations and fight against the Saints, is taking a step far
beyond what an impostor would undertake, if he were disposed to
successfully impose upon mankind. How far has this been fulfilled?
Only in part; so far, however, as to give us no possibility of
doubting that the balance will be fulfilled, every jot and tittle. It
is true, the Saints of the Lamb of God are not among all the nations
and kingdoms of the Gentiles yet; but there are very many of the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles where this little Church that was
organized in 1830 actually has a dominion and place.

Vol. 7, p.183
If we go anywhere throughout the nation of the Gentiles called the
United States, we shall find in almost every State and Territory the
Church of the Saints of the Lamb of God, that the world call
"Mormons," "fanatics," "impostors," &c. If we go into Canada; we find
them there. If we go across the great ocean to the island of Great
Britain, we find them there numbering seven or eight hundred churches
organized, and some four thousand Elders and Priests ordained to
preach the Gospel contained in the Book of Mormon, as well as in the
Bible.

Vol. 7, p.183
The Saints in that country are scattered throughout England, Wales,
Scotland, and Ireland. Tens of thousands of them have shipped for
America, and tens of thousands still remain. Then cross the sea into
that inhospitable country called Norway, and there we find many
churches of the Saints. Then return a little south into Denmark, where
thousands more will be found. Then go to the northeast of Denmark into
Sweden, and we still find Latter-day Saints. Then go into Germany, and
we find them scattered, more or less, throughout that confederation. I
do not know that there is any Branch of the Saints in Prussia; neither
do I know that they extend through all the German States; but we find
them in several. Next, go into Switzerland and Italy, and we find them
there. Then go to France, and we find a few there. Then go upon some
of the islands of the sea, and a few thousands are found rejoicing in
this Church. In Asia and Africa a few will be found. They are not
among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles, but they are
scattered here and there among them; and their dominions are really
small, because of the wickedness of the great and abominable church.

Vol. 7, p.183
There may be many nations of Asia where the feet of Latter-day Saints
have not trod. I do not know that any of the Elders of this Church
have gone to Japan. If we go into the South Sea Islands, the Friendly
Islands, the Society Islands, and the Sandwich Islands, we find
Latter-day Saints on almost all of them.

Vol. 7, p.183
Go into the various governments and kingdoms of South America, and We
find the Latter-day Saints scarce. I don't know but there may be now
and then an Elder that has found his way there; but suffice it to say
that [p.184] the dominions of the Saints in South America are very
small. But we must look for the day when this prophecy shall be
fulfilled, that the dominions of the Latter-day Saints shall be upon
all the face of the earth among all the nations and kingdoms of the
Gentiles: and has there not been enough already fulfilled to show that
the man that uttered that before the rise of this Church was indeed
truly a Prophet of the Most High God?

Vol. 7, p.184
Again: Although the great "mother of abominations" has not gathered
together in multitudes upon the face of the earth among all the
nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles to, fight against the Lamb of God
and his Saints, yet there has been enough fulfilled to show that the
balance will be accomplished. Has this great and abominable power,
under the name of "the mother of harlots," popularly called
Christendom, fought against the Saints in this country? Let the
history of this Church answer that question; let the scenes we have
passed through in the land of Missouri testify; let the tribulation
this people had to endure in the State of Illinois bear witness. We
will not refer to persecutions in Utah, for here we have had but
little, compared with scenes we have past through in former years.
Suffice it to say multitudes have been gathered together—under the
influence of what? Under the influence of that great and abominable
church or system called "the mother of harlots."

Vol. 7, p.184
When we come to search to the bottom of this matter, we find that has
been the great influence which has produced all the persecutions that
have come upon the Latter-day Saints since the organization of this
Church. How many preachers were gathered together in the western part
of Missouri at the time we were driven from the State to give their
advice in a pretended court-martial to have some fifteen or twenty of
the leaders of this people taken out and shot on the public square the
next morning? There were not less than seventeen priests who advised
the measure.

Vol. 7, p.184
When we come to hunt for the great influence that has existed on the
multitudes that gathered to persecute the Saints of the Lamb of God,
we find it proceeding from the pulpit. Through the falsehoods of
priests and the publishing of false principles, they have endeavoured
to set on the frenzied multitude to put to death the Latter-day Saints
and deprive them of citizenship.

Vol. 7, p.184
It is not necessary to speak of the scenes of cruelty and bloodshed
caused to the Saints by this influence. I can read you in this book,
(Book of Doctrine and Covenants,) before we went to Missouri, that it
should be the land of our enemies—that they should seek to destroy our
lives; and it has been fulfilled to the very letter. We were told in
revelations printed in this book, and before the prophecy came to
pass, that we should be persecuted from city to city, and but few of
those who went up to Jackson County, Missouri, should stand to receive
their inheritance. It has been fulfilled to the very letter.

Vol. 7, p.184
Here, then, was the beginning, as it were, of the fulfilment of that
saying in the Book of Mormon. That abominable church, among one of the
nations of the Gentiles at least, was gathered together under a
religious influence to persecute the Saints contrary to the
Constitution of our country. They could not do it legally; they could
not be uphold in it by true and legal authority: but they could do it
illegally, under the sanction of priestcraft, under the advice of
those who proclaim from the pulpit.

Vol. 7, p.184
Let us now go into Canada, and there a religious influence existed,
mobs arose, multitudes  were gathered together, and the Saints were
stoned, [p.185] hunted, and driven to-and-fro, and had to flee from
place to place. This persecution was raised up by the "mother of
harlots," the "mother of abominations,"—because of what? Because we
told them the Lord had revealed the same kind of religion in our day
that he had eighteen hundred years ago. Go to England, and the same
has happened there. Multitudes and multitudes started up against us.
The Elders have had forty or fifty police to guard them from their
meetings to their homes, to keep them from being destroyed by the tens
of thousands of people that blockaded the streets for miles in length.

Vol. 7, p.185
I know these things to be facts from actual experience. I have passed
through them. I have had tens of thousands rush upon me with all the
fury of tigers, and they were only restrained by the power of God: but
as yet the Lord has spared me, and so he has the most of the Elders
that have travelled abroad. Go to Denmark, and we find the same
opposing power; and whenever this Church has been organized, or a
Branch established, the "mother of abominations" has marshalled her
best. So far the prophecy has been fulfilled in part, but not in full.
I will tell you what will come to pass before it is all fulfilled.
There must be the interposition of the Almighty to wake a change among
the nations of the earth before this Church can be established among
all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. This change will
probably be brought about by war overturning all the governments and
kingdoms of the Gentiles.

Vol. 7, p.185
A few years ago, many of the Saints, for want of a correct
understanding of prophecy, thought that the war between Russia and
France, England and Turkey, was the great war of extermination
foretold by the Prophets. There are prophecies of this kind that the
great "mother of  abominations" will go to war, and not a nation under
heaven will escape, as they will use each other up by millions. They
imagined that perhaps the time had come for the nations of Christendom
to be nearly exterminated by their great and terrible wars. But I
lifted up my voice in England, and put it in writing also, that the
war then commencing would not thus terminate. It was for another
purpose: it was for a chastisement, and in some measure to ameliorate
the condition of mankind, that the Gospel might more fully go forth
among them.

Vol. 7, p.185
How is it with regard to the war now taking place between Austria and
the allied powers of France and Sardinia? How extensive the present
European war will be we do not know; but this we do know from
prophecy—it will not result in the downfall of the "mother of
harlots." There will, be a time of peacc—a time that will be more
favourable to the promulgation of the Gospel, that you and I and
whosoever of the servants of God he pleases may be sent to these
European nations to fulfil the prophecy which I have referred to in
the Book of Mormon, and establish the kingdom of God among all the
nations of modern Europe. Where tyranny and oppression and all the
horrors of despotism now reign, will be heard the Gospel of peace.
Saints must be established in all those countries. Even in Russia,
that place where they would almost put you to death if you brought a
printed work of a religious nature into the empire,—in that country,
where they will not suffer you to propagate the Bible unmolested,
whose religion is established by law, has the Gospel of Jesus Christ
to be preached. Yes, the Church of the Saints is to be established
there; and after it is [p.186] established, there they are to gather
together in multitudes, like other nations, to fight against it; and
so they will in Austria, Spain, Portugal, and in all the modern
nations of Europe, as well as those nations that inhabit Asia and
Africa. This war that is now taking place will not result in that
dreadful extinction that is foretold in the Book of Mormon, and which
will rage among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles, or, in
other words, among the nations of Christendom. The one is a war
preparatory to the proclamation of the Gospel; the other is a war of
terrible destruction, which will not better the condition of those who
escape. The wars that are now taking place will have a tendency, in
some measure, to open the way for the Elders of the Church of Jesus
Christ to go and establish the Church and kingdom of God among those
nations.

Vol. 7, p.186
A great many have prayed unwisely, and no wonder they cannot get faith
to fulfil their prayers. How have they prayed? "O Lord, gather out all
thy Saints from those European countries, and bring them to Zion with
songs of everlasting joy upon their heads, that there may be none left
abroad upon the earth."

Vol. 7, p.186
If the Lord should do this, it would prove the whole system false.
When the time comes that the Saints of the Lamb of God are scattered
upon all the face of the earth, among all nations and kingdoms of the
Gentiles, and the multitudes gather against them to battles, we shall
not find such unwise prayers answered. The Saints, instead of being
all gathered out, will still be among the nations, for the power of
the Lamb of God to descend upon the Saints of the Most High that are
among all the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles, and not only upon
these, but also upon his covenant people, the descendants of Jacob;
and they are to be armed with righteousness and the power of God in
great glory. But gather them all out, and where have you got your
Saints? It would completely falsify this saying.

Vol. 7, p.186
The day will come when the nations of Europe will have warred among
themselves sufficiently long, and those despotic governments are torn
down, and when the hand of oppression and tyranny has been eased up,
and when the principles of religious liberty have become more fully
and more widely spread, that the Elders of this Church will traverse
all these nations; and then we shall have use for these Seventies that
have been organizing so long. They have apparently been resting upon
their oars, waiting to be called out into the vineyard of the Lord.
Then will be the time for missions and callings to be given to you.

Vol. 7, p.186
There are some sixty Quorums of Seventies: these have been organizing
for years, being instructed by their Presidents—being taught in the
things of the kingdom of God. What is your mission? The Book of
Doctrine and Covenants tells me it is among the nations of the earth;
that the Twelve are to open the doors; and wherever they cannot go,
they were to send; and when they send, they shall call upon the
Seventies in preference to any others, because it is more particularly
their mission to go and preach to all people under heaven. You have
not yet had an opportunity to magnify your calling; your mission has
not yet begun, only in preparation; your great mission is still in the
future among the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles. Some may have
thought that the times of the Gentiles was almost fulfilled. If the
Lord has fulfilled the times of the Gentiles, your calling is good for
nothing—it only exists in name. But let me tell  you, you have been
called to this high and holy calling, and you [p.187] will have your
hands full yet; and the Lord God of Israel, by his power, will hear
you off among the nations; and  He it is that will gird up your loins,
and give you power among these nations; and He it is that will enable
you to go forth from nation to nation, and from kingdom to kingdom,
and no power will be able to stay your progress. That has all got to
be fulfilled as sure as you have that calling upon your heads. And you
have got to do a great deal of preaching before the times of the
Gentiles are fulfilled; you have got to go and build up the Church of
the Lamb of God among those nations, and set ministers over them, and
go and build up more; and the High Priests that preside over them have
got to purify their own hearts, and the Branches over which they
preside to be prepared for the power of God that shall rest upon them
in great glory, that when the multitudes gather to fight against them
they may be armed with the power that comes from heaven, that will
cause their thrones and their kingdoms to shake to their very centre.

Vol. 7, p.187
By-and-by, after you have fulfilled your missions to the nations of
the Gentiles, and there will not any more of them repent,—that is,
when you have fully accomplished all that is required of you in
relation to them, you will have another mission, and so will the
Twelve, and that is to the house of Israel that may be among those
nations; I mean the literal descendants of Jacob—the Jews, and the
descendants of the other tribes that may be scattered among those
nations. There are some from the ten tribes among them; but the body
of the ten tribes are in the north country. You will find a few among
all these Gentile nations: you will have to direct your attention to
them after you have fulfilled your mission among the Gentiles, and
their times are fulfilled. You will have something to do among the
Jews, and then will be a time of great power, such as you and I have
not dreamed of. Indeed, we could not, with our narrow comprehensions
of mind, perceive the power that will then follow. The Lord has told
it in a revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. He has told
us, before the rise of this Church, that in bringing forth this
Gospel, it is a light that could not be hid in darkness: therefore, he
says, I must bring the fulness of my Gospel from among the Gentiles to
the house of Israel; or, this light of the fulness of my Gospel will,
as it were, be covered up and hid in darkness in many respects, and
will not shine with that brilliancy, power, and greatness: it will not
appear in that magnitude that it will when I bring it from the midst
of the Gentiles to my people, O house of Israel. Again, the Lord says,
in another revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that when
we have preached the Gospel faithfully to the Gentile nations, then
cometh the day of my power; and we already know what the Psalmist says
in regard to that day—"My people shall be willing in the day of my
power." The house of Israel have been unwilling in many generations
past to receive the Gospel; but in the day of his power, you
Seventies, that will go forth among the nations of Gentiles to hunt
out the literal descendants of Jacob, will be armed with that glory,
power, and majesty, and clothed upon from on high to that degree that
no power on earth can stay you; and then, in that day, the seed of
Jacob will be willing to receive the testimony of the Gospel. Then
many of the Jews will believe, although many of that nation will
gather to Jerusalem in unbelief. But the Book of Mormon has told us
that the main part of them will believe while yet scattered. They will
receive your testimony and gather to [p.188] Jerusalem; and because of
your testimony, the Gentile believers will gather to Zion; and because
of your testimony, all the elect of God, of whatever nation, tongue,
and people, will be gathered out year after year; and by-and-by, the
great and last gathering will be done through instrumentality of
angels. There will be two, as it were, grinding at a mill; the
faithful one will be taken, and the other will be left: there will be
two, as it were, sleeping in one bed; one will be picked up by the
angels, and the other will be left; and the remnant of the children of
God scattered abroad on all the face of the earth will receive their
last gathering by the angels. But between this and that day there will
be ship-load after shipload gathering continually of the elect of God,
of the Israel of God, and of the covenant people of the Lord to Zion
and Jerusalem.

Vol. 7, p.188
By-and-by, when the Lord has made bare his arm in signs, in great
wonders, and in mighty deeds, through the instrumentality of his
servants the Seventies, and though the instrumentality of the churches
that shall be built up, and the nations and kingdoms of the earth have
been faithfully and fully warned, and the Lord has fulfilled and
accomplished all things that have been written in the Book of Mormon,
and in other revelations pertaining to the preaching of the Gospel to
the nations of the Gentiles and to the nations of Israel, by-and-by
the Spirit of God will entirely withdraw from those Gentile nations,
and leave them to themselves. Then they will find something else to do
besides wanting against the Saints in their midst—besides raising
their sword and fighting against the Lamb of God; for then war will
commence in earnest, and such a war as probably never entered into the
hearts of men in our age to conceive of. No nation of the Gentiles
upon the face of the whole earth but what will be engaged in deadly
war, except the Latter-day Kingdom. They will be fighting one against
another. And when that day comes, the Jews will flee to Jerusalem, and
those nations will almost use one another up, and those of them who
are left will be burned; for that will be the last sweeping judgment
that is to go over the earth to cleanse it from wickedness. That is
the day spoken of in this book—And I saw there were wars and rumours
of wars among the Gentiles. and the angel said to me, Behold the wrath
of God is upon the mother of harlots; and when that day comes, then
shall the work of the Father commence in preparing the way to gather
in all his covenant people, and then great Babylon will come down.

Vol. 7, p.188
We have been telling you about modern prophecy delivered by Joseph
Smith. Is it false, or is it true? The Latter-day Saints know it to be
true, we have seen enough of its fulfilment to know that the balance
will come to pass; but the world perceive it not: they know it not;
they do not understand the future; they have not that spirit spoken of
this forenoon by brother Taylor, that was not only to take of the
things of the Father and show to the disciples, but show them. things
to come. They do not understand the spirit of prophecy. They do not
perceive that which is written by the ancient Prophets, much less will
they understand that plainly written by the latter-day Prophets;
consequently, all these things will overtake them unawares. Even the
coming of Christ, so great an event as that is, will be to them as a
thief in the night. After the kingdom of God has spread upon the face
of the earth, and every jot and tittle of the prophecies have been
fulfilled in relation to the spreading of the Gospel among the
nations,—after signs  have been shown in the heavens above, and on
[p.189] the earth beneath, blood, fire, and vapour of smoke,—after the
sun is turned into darkness, and the moon shall have the appearance of
blood, and the stars have apparently been hurled out of their places,
and all things have been in commotion, so great will be the darkness
resting upon Christendom, and so great the bonds of priestcraft with
which they will be bound, that they will not understand, and they will
be given up to the hardness of their hearts. Then will be fulfilled
that saying, That the day shall come when the Lord shall have power
over his Saints, and the Devil shall have power over his own dominion.
He will give them up to the power of the Devil, and he will have power
over them, and he will carry them about as chaff before a whirlwind.
He will gather up millions upon millions of people into the valleys
around about Jerusalem in order to destroy the Jews after they have
gathered. How will the Devil do this? He will perform miracles to do
it. The Bible says the kings of the earth and the great ones will be
deceived by these false miracles. It says there shall be three unclean
spirits that shall go forth working miracles, and they are spirits of
devils. Where do they go? To the kings of the earth; and what will
they do? Gather them up to battle unto the great day of God Almighty.
Where? Into the valley of Armageddon. And where is that? On the east
side of Jerusalem.

Vol. 7, p.189
When he gets them gathered together, they do not understand any of
these things; but they are given up to that power that deceived them,
by miracles that had been performed, to get them to go into that
valley to be destroyed. Joel, Zephaniah, Zechariah, Isaiah, Ezekiel,
and nearly all of the ancient Prophets have predicted that the nations
shall be gathered up against Jerusalem, in the valley of Jehoshaphat
and the valley of Megiddo,—that there the Lord shall fight for his
people, and smite the horse and his rider, and send plagues on these
armies, and their flesh shall be consumed from their bones, and their
eyes from their sockets. They will actually fulfil these prophecies,
with all their pretension to Bible and prophetic learning.

Vol. 7, p.189
But the Latter-day Saints are not in darkness; they are the children
of light, although many of us will actually be asleep. We shall have
to wake up and trim up our lamps, or we shall not be prepared to enter
in; for we shall all slumber and sleep in that day, and some will have
gone to sleep from which they will not awake until they awake up in
darkness without any oil in their lamps. But, as a general thing, the
Saints will understand the signs of the times, if they do lie down and
get to sleep. Others have their eyes closed upon the prophecies of the
ancient Prophets; and not only that, but they are void of the spirit
of prophecy themselves. When a man has this, though he may appeal to
ancient Prophets to get understanding on some subjects he does not
clearly understand, yet, as he has the spirit of prophecy in himself,
he will not be in darkness; he will have a knowledge of the signs of
the times; he will have a knowledge of the house of Israel, and of
Zion, of the ten tribes, and of many things and purposes and events
that are to take place on the earth; and he will see coming events,
and can say such an even; will take place, and after that another, and
then another; and after that the trumpet shall sound, and after that
certain things will take place, and then another trump shall sound,
&c., &c.; and he will have his eye fixed on the signs of the times,
and that day will not overtake him unawares; but upon the nations it
will come as a thief upon the mighty [p.190] men and upon the chief
captains, who will gather up their hosts upon the mountains, hills,
and valleys of Palestine, to fight against the Jews; and they will be
as blind as the dumb ass; and right in the midst of their blindness
the Lord will rend the heavens and stand his feet upon the Mount of
Olives, and all the Saints will come with him, and the wicked will be
destroyed from off the face of the earth.

Vol. 7, p.190
I meant to be short this afternoon; but really, when I get to studying
on these things, I forget myself, and oftentimes weary the patience of
the people.

Vol. 7, p.190
God bless you! Amen.

Brigham Young, June 19, 1859

Light of the Spirit—Morality—Independence 
of the Human Will—Incarnation of the Human Spirit

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, June 19, 1859.

Reproted By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.190
It is recorded in the New Testament, and said to be the words of the
Saviour while speaking of his doctrine and the things he taught, "He
that heareth and doeth my sayings shall know of my doctrine whether it
is of God or men." "Whosoever keepeth my sayings shall know of my
doctrine." I labour faithfully to instruct the people in the way of
life; and the most important point of all my preaching and sayings is
that they rest upon the words of the Saviour. Whosoever readeth the
doctrine of the Son of God and obeys it does know whether it is true
or false.

Vol. 7, p.190
Christ is the light of the world, and lighteth every man that cometh
into it. No human being has ever been born upon this earth without
more or less enlightenment that Spirit and influence that flows from
the fountain of intelligence. All people have been more or less taught
by the Spirit of revelation; and let me say further, there never was a
child born upon this earth that was not naturally endowed with that
Spirit; and when we try to make ourselves believe differently, we are
mistaken.

Vol. 7, p.190
It is extensively taught that nature must be subdued, and grace made
to take its place. I wish to inform you that it is nature for the
child to be influenced by the Spirit of God: it is nature for all
people to be influenced by a good spirit; and the evil that is spoken
of is the power the Devil has gained upon this earth through the fall.
He gained power to tempt the children of men, and wickedness is
produced through their yielding to his temptations; but it is not
nature in them. They are not "conceived in sin and brought forth in
iniquity" pertaining to their spirits: it is the flesh that is alluded
in that passage. Then why not follow the dictates of the Good Spirit?
We talk about it, read of it, believe in it—that Spirit which gives
joy and peace to the children  [p.191] of men, and wishes and does no
evil to any person; and that is the Spirit of the Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.191
If people would listen to the whisperings of that Spirit, they would
be led into the paths of truth and righteousness. If they would
overcome temptations to evil—cause their spirits to overcome the
flesh, they would bring themselves into subjection to the law of
Christ, and become Saints of God.

Vol. 7, p.191
You discern evils in your neighbourhoods, in your families, and in
yourselves. The disposition to produce evil, to annoy, to disturb the
peace of families, neighbours, and society, is produced by the power
of the enemy over the flesh, through the fall. Every person who will
examine his own experience—who will watch closely the leading of his
own desires, will learn that the very great majority prefer to do good
rather than to do evil, and would pursue a correct course, were it not
for the evil power that subjects them to its sway. In wrong-doing
their own consciences condemn them. They are taught what is right,
they read what is right, and at times the Spirit of the Lord is upon
them teaching them what is right, and would be upon them from their
youth, were it not that they give way to temptation and let the flesh
overcome the spirits that God has placed within us. I feel to
continually urge upon those who profess to be Saints never to grieve
that Spirit that enlightens their minds, teaches them righteousness,
to love God and their fellow-creatures, and to do good to themselves
and to all around them, to promote righteousness upon the earth, and
overcome iniquity in themselves and those around them as fast as
possible.

Vol. 7, p.191
Some may imagine and really believe that I am opposed to the great
majority of the inhabitants of the earth—to the religious and
political parties of the day; but it is not so. To individuals, as
such, I am not opposed. The doctrine I preach is not opposed to an
individual upon the earth. If I am opposed to anything, it is to
sin—to that which produces evil in the world. I believe that I may say
with perfect safety that I am as clear as the stars that shine in the
heavens with regard to opposing any mortal being on the earth, though
many construe the opposing of their sins into an opposition to
themselves. I do not feel opposed to an individual on the earth. I
have not any enmity in my heart, or at least I should not have. If I
have, I am thus far wrong. If we harbour vindictiveness, hatred,
malice, and a spirit that produces evil within us, we are so far given
up to the power of evil. But when I say that I am opposed to evil
principles and their consequent practices, I use an expression that I
think you can understand.

Vol. 7, p.191
I am much opposed, to men and women who say that they believe in God
the Father and in Jesus Christ his Son, and treat their names with
lightness. I am very much opposed to a dishonest spirit, and that,
too, in this community as well as in the world. I am very much opposed
to deception. I am very much opposed to evil speaking. Now, understand
me precisely as I mean. If I should hear a man advocate the erroneous
principles he had imbibed through education, and oppose these
principles, some might imagine that I was opposed to that man, when in
fact I am only opposed to every evil and erroneous principle he
advances. His morality, so far as it goes, is good.

Vol. 7, p.191
In the Christian world, thousands and millions of them are as close to
the truth as any than that ever lived upon the face of the earth, so
far as moral, Christian deportment is concerned. I can find a great
many of this community who live as moral lives as men and women can.
Is [p.192] there anything else necessary and important? Yes—to so live
as to have the light of the Spirit of truth abiding within you, day by
day, that when you hear the truth you know it as well as you do the
faces of your father's family, and also understand every manifestation
produced by erroneous principles.

Vol. 7, p.192
I plead with the Elders of Israel day by day, when I have an
opportunity, to live their religion—to so live that the Holy Ghost
will be their constant companion; and then they will be qualified to
be judges in Israel—to preside as Bishops, presiding Elders, and High
Counsellors, and as men of God to take their families and friends by
the hand and lead them in the path of truth and virtue, and eventually
into the kingdom of God. Let me now tell you, Latter-day Saints, that
you do not live to your privileges—you do not enjoy that which it is
your privilege to enjoy; and when I see and hear of contentions,
broils, misrule, bad feelings, ill conduct, wrong in my neighbour or
myself, I know that we do not live according to our profession. Why
not live above all suspicion and above the power of Satan? This is our
privilege.

Vol. 7, p.192
So far as morality is concerned, millions of the inhabitants of the
earth live according to the best light they have—according to the best
knowledge they possess. I have told you frequently that they will
receive according to their works; and all who live according to the
best principles in their possession, or that they can understand, will
receive peace, glory, comfort, joy, and a crown that will be far
beyond what they are anticipating. They will not be lost.

Vol. 7, p.192
I was highly gratified by a remark made by the Reverend Mr. Vaux, the
gentleman who has just addressed you, that the terror of the Lord
never can, neither should, in the nature of things, bring men to
repentance. Those of you who are acquainted with the history of the
world reflect upon the conduct of the inhabitants of the earth, and
when did tyranny ever cause repentance of evil? Never. It products
crime. When men are infringed upon in their rights and tyrannized
over, they are prone to rise in their might and declare, "We will do
as we please, and will let you know that we will have the ruling of
our own rights and dispositions. Tyrannical power may possess the
ability to behead them, hang them, or sentence them to prison; but
resolute men will have their will.

Vol. 7, p.192
Unless a ruler has the power of the Priesthood, he cannot rule the
minds of the people and win their unbounded confidence and love. To
illustrate my idea, I will relate an anecdote. A young man entered the
ministry, but soon learned that he could not rule the minds of the
people. He then turned his attention to the study and practice of
medicine, and directly discovered that the power of evil had induced
the people to care m ore for their bodies than for their souls. But
that profession did not give him the influence he desired, for he
found the will of the people first and foremost with them lie then
studied law, and could command all the influence he desired; for their
wills they would gratify in preference to either soul or body. You
cannot break down the indomitable will of the human family. I have
known children to be so abused and whipped as to render them almost or
entirely worthless and still the indomitable will remained. How came
it there? God organized us to become absolutely independent; and the
will I am speaking about is implanted within us by him; and the spirit
of every intelligent being is organized to become  independent
according to its capacity.[p.193] 

Vol. 7, p.193
You cannot break nor destroy the will. It is influenced and controlled
more or less by the evil that is sown in the flesh, but not in the
spirit, until the body has grown to years of accountability. Then
evil, when listened to, begins to rule and overrule the spirit God has
placed within man.

Vol. 7, p.193
The Apostles and Prophets, when speaking of our relationship to God,
say that we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. God is our
Father, and Jesus Christ is our elder brother, and both are our
everlasting friends. This is Bible doctrine. Do you know the
relationship you sustain to them? Christ has overcome, and now it is
for us to overcome, that we may be crowned with him heirs of God—joint
heirs with Christ.

Vol. 7, p.193
I feel to urge upon the people continually to depart from every evil.
We wish to see the kingdom of God in all its fulness on the earth; and
whose beholds it will see a kingdom of purity, a kingdom of holiness,
a people filled with the power of the upper world—with the power of
God; and sin will be overcome, and this independent organization will
be brought into subjection to that law. We call it the law of Christ:
it is the law of eternal life. When we speak of the law of Christ, we
speak of it as the power to keep matter in its organization.

Vol. 7, p.193
You read of the first and second death. We witness, day by day, the
dissolution of the body, and there is also a second death. Let a
person observe the law of Christ as set forth in the Bible, the Book
of Mormon, and in all revelations God has given from the days of Adam
until now, and his conduct tends to eternal life. It will not save
their bodies from death, for it is the decree of the Almighty that the
flesh shall die. They will be made pure and holy, and be brought into
a celestial kingdom through the body's being made pure by falling back
into the dust. Sin has entered into the world, and death by sin; so
death has passed upon all mankind, and there is no excuse: they must
meet this change.

Vol. 7, p.193
It may be said that Enoch and his holy city went to heaven, that
Elijah was caught up, and that it is generally believed that Moses did
not die; still the sentence that is passed upon all mankind will come
upon them at some time or other. They must meet this change, to be
prepared to enter into the celestial kingdom of our Father and God.

Vol. 7, p.193
It has also been decreed by the Almighty that spirits, upon taking
bodies, shall forget all they had known previously, or they could not
have a day of trial—could not have an opportunity for proving
themselves in darkness and temptation, in unbelief and wickedness, to
prove themselves worthy of eternal existence. The greatest gift that
God can bestow upon the children of men is the gift of eternal life
that is, to give mankind power to preserve their identity—to preserve
themselves before the Lord.

Vol. 7, p.193
The disposition, the will, the spirit, when it comes from heaven and
enters the tabernacle, is as pure as an angel.

Vol. 7, p.193
The spirit from the eternal worlds enters the tabernacle at the time
of what is termed quickening, and forgets all it formerly knew. It
descends below all things, as Jesus did. All beings, to be crowned
with crowns of glory and eternal lives, must in their infantile
weakness begin, with regard to their trials, the day of their
probation. They must descend below all things, in order to ascend
above all things. There could not be a more helpless child born of a
woman than was Jesus Christ; yet he so grew and increased in wisdom
and might, that in childhood he could confound the doctors and lawyers
in his questions and answers. He increased rapidly [p.194] in his
mental capacity, for he was the Son of the Father who dwells in
eternity, and was capacitated to receive the wisdom of eternity faster
than we can. But we are capacitated to shun every evil, if we listen
to the still small voice and to those holy principles that flow from
the fountain of all intelligence.

Vol. 7, p.194
Cleave to light and intelligence with all your hearts, my brethren,
that you may be prepared to preserve your identity, which is the
greatest gift of God. God bless you! Amen.

John Taylor, November 13, 1859

Trials, Etc.

A Discourse by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, November 13, 1859.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 7, p.194
In rising before, a congregation of Saints, I generally feel as though
I want to say something that will be for the benefit of my brethren
and sisters. Something that will be of some real practical use is, in
my opinion, what we want; but to talk about abstract theories,
idealities, and things that have not much substance or reality in
them, I do not think is of much use to anybody. In regard to the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is so great, so extensive, so
comprehensive, so deep, so high, and so various, that it is almost
impossible for a person to present anything that is wrong. A man can
never speak upon anything that is wrong, so long as he confines
himself to the limits of truth.

Vol. 7, p.194
In relation to our present position, the things with which we are
surrounded, the prospects that lie before us, and our hopes, cares,
and anxieties, these are things that operate upon our minds, or that
ought to have some influence with us. For instance, I am an Elder in
Israel; so are many of you; and we all profess to be Saints, nearly
the whole of this congregation. Now, the question is, What is it to be
a Saint? And how far am I, and how far are you fulfilling the
obligations that devolve upon us as Saints of God—as Elders in
Israel—as fathers of families and mothers of families? Let us ask
ourselves these questions—Are we performing our various duties in
building up the kingdom of God, in rolling forth his work upon the
earth? And what are we doing to bring about the latter. day glory?
Which of our acts tends to this? Do any of them? or do all of them?
And what is really our position? These are things that it is well for
us to weigh, consider, and find out the real responsibilities that are
resting upon us.

Vol. 7, p.194
Why did I become a "Mormon?" And why did we all become "Mormons?" We
should say, Because we believed "Mormonism" to be true. What is truth?
and what part of it did we believe? In this case we should say, All of
it. What did we embrace "Mormonism" for? It  certainly [p.195] was not
to profess religion, in order that we might have the honour of men;
for there was nothing of that associated with it. We had to endure
considerable reproach, and have our names cast out as evil, and to
associate with a people that were universally despised. And so they
are now. But we have got along with it, so that we now care nothing
about it. Now there is or ought to be a reality about it. So far as I
am personally concerned, if any one wants to know why I became a
"Mormon," I will answer, Because I considered that I was an
intelligent, rational being,—that I had to do with eternity as well as
time; and having to do with both, I wanted to act in that way I could
secure the approbation of my Father in heaven, that I might be
prepared to enter into a better, purer, and more exalted state of
being in the eternal world. These were some of the first thoughts and
sentiments that governed my mind.

Vol. 7, p.195
In the next place, I was called upon to be an Elder. What was my
object then? It was to obey the truth and teach others, that they
might have the same blessings that I possessed. I presume you felt so
too and rejoiced that you knew something of the life to come—that your
hope bloomed with immortality and eternal life; and when you were
ordained you tried to magnify that calling and Priesthood. You were
mobbed, persecuted, and afflicted, and passed through scenes of
difficulty, privation, and trial, which you endured patiently and
joyfully, knowing it was from the Lord and intended for your good; and
you were trying to obtain salvation in the eternal worlds.

Vol. 7, p.195
Many of you have passed through affliction of various kinds. If it was
an affliction to be robbed of your property—if it was a trial to be
robbed of your good name, you have endured that and passed through it.
What did you do it for? and why did you endure it? Just for the same
reason that the ancient Saints did. I never read in the Bible, nor
anywhere else, of the Saints having any other kind of treatment than
that which you have received.

Vol. 7, p.195
When I embraced the Gospel, I expected to have my name cast out as
evil. I expected to be persecuted and to be mobbed, and, if necessary,
to lay down my life; and I have come pretty near it a number of times.
But this was nothing particularly new; for I had learned before I was
a "Mormon" that there was an antagonism between truth and error,
purity and iniquity,—that the righteous always were persecuted, and
that many of the ministers of Jesus had been called to lay their lives
down for their religion; and I never expect to see anything different;
and my feelings and ideas are precisely the same on this subject as
they were twenty years ago. There is still that same spirit of
antagonism existing between truth and error that there was then. Let a
man join this Church;—I don't care how honourable he is—the moment he
does it, that man will be despised, as sure as Jesus was. Has he
injured anybody? No. He was probably a good man, and esteemed by his
neighbours, and continued so; but when he became a servant of God, the
powers of darkness were let loose upon him; men began to persecute him
and speak evil of him, and his name was cast out as evil. This is the
lot of every man that receives the truth—I don't care where he comes
from. In the United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France,
Switzerland, Germany, or any part of the world, you will find the same
spirit existing; and if you were to ask our persecutors, they could
not tell you the cause of their doing it. But although they cannot
explain the cause, yet it is "God damn the Mormons!" Ask them, [p.196]
Have they injured you? No, they have not. Have they taken anything
from you, or robbed you of your liberty? No they have not. But still
it is, "God damn the Mormons!" And the simple reason why they cannot
tell the cause is because they do not know by what spirit they are
governed and controlled. If they knew by what spirit they were
governed, they would know why they are constantly using their
influence against the workers of righteousness. You may go back to the
Apostolic dispensation. Take Peter, James, and John, and inquire who
interfered with them before they became Christians, while they were
fishermen? And supposing they had a knock down about  the separation
and division of the fish, no matter: they were all one; they were of
the world, all pulling in the same net, one with the world. After
awhile they became Christians, and then they were persecuted from city
to city, from state to state, and their names were cast out as evil.
Take Jesus for example: what harm did he do? He healed the sick,
opened the eyes of the blind, and unstopped the ears of the deaf. He
found some rascals in the Temple, it is true, and took a whip and
drove them out, and said, "It is written, my house shall be a house of
prayer, and you have made it a den of thieves." This, of course, made
a disturbance. Jesus amazed them by teaching them good principles, by
telling them of their evils, exposing their iniquities, and telling
them that they were whited walls and painted sepulchres. But it was
the truth. They did not wish to hear it: they loved darkness rather
than light. That was the kind of feeling and state of things then, and
it is the same now. Truth has precisely the same effect now that it
had then, and I presume it always will have. And if they will have
done these things in the green tree, what will they do in the dry?

Vol. 7, p.196
A good man is willing to have his deeds brought to light. He don't
care how big a light it is. He is willing to say, "If there is any
wickedness in me, search me and let it be seen." But not so with many
of the religious professors and hypocrites of the present day. Like
the ancient Pharisees, these modern sepulchres, the moment you open
them, are discovered to be filled with nothing but rottenness and dead
men's bones. And these whited walls are the same: there is the same
hypocrisy; and whenever you examine them, there is nothing but
rottenness and corruption. They might as well complain of the sun
shining as to complain of the establishment and spread of truth. The
workers of iniquity love darkness rather than light, because their
deeds are evil. If the evil did not exist, the light could not make it
manifest. All the harm we have ever  done the world is to tell them
the truth as God has revealed it, and seek to make them happy. For
doing this we have been persecuted, and expect it.

Vol. 7, p.196
Peter, in speaking of this subject, said—"Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are
partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be
revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." (1 Peter iv. 12,
13.) He might just as well have told them that it would be so, so long
as there was a God in heaven and a Devil in hell; and it is absolutely
necessary that it should be so. Concerning these matters, I do not
have any trouble. What if we have to suffer affliction! We came here
for that purpose: we came in order that we might be purified; and this
is intended to give us a knowledge of God, of our weakness and
strength, of our  corruptions, and to develop the evils that are
within us,—to give us [p.197] a knowledge of eternal life, that we may
be enabled to overcome all evil and be exalted to thrones of power and
glory. Hence, when people talk to me about being severely tried, I
have to inform them that I do not know much about it. I feel, however,
to sympathise with others. It is very natural for a man to say, Why am
I placed in such a position? Why have I to grapple with these
tilings—with these afflictions?

Vol. 7, p.197
So far as I am personally concerned, I am here as a candidate for
eternity—for heaven and for happiness. I want to secure by my acts a
peace in another world that will impart that happiness and bliss for
which I am seeking. If I am driven with my brethren as I have been, I
ask myself what is the meaning of it. If I have to pass through
afflictions, I wish them to be sanctified to my good. If I had nothing
to do, and you had nothing to do, but to sit and sing ourselves away
to everlasting bliss, as the Methodists and others do, it would be
very easy. Why, the Lord could easily remove these afflictions; but he
has not a mind to do it.

Vol. 7, p.197
We read about the patience of Job; but I do not think he was a very
patient man. Probably he was, sometimes, in some things: and in some
things he was not. He cursed the day he was born, and wished the light
had never shone upon him. He was a good man according to his own
account. It was said by some that his afflictions came because of his
iniquities; but nobody was found to say and show what they were. It
appears that the Gods had a council or conference together, and the
Devil appeared amongst them. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence
comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and
fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it. And the Lord said
unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none
like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth
God and escheweth evil?" (Job i. 7, 8.)

Vol. 7, p.197
It appears from this that he was a man such as we ought to be—one that
feared God and acted for eternity, and that he eschewed all evil. We
are told still further that the Devil complained that the Lord had set
a hedge round about him, so that it was next to impossible to touch
him; but promised, if he would take that away and let him have a rap
at him, that his faith in God would be shaken. From this same chapter
we learn that the Lord said he could have a chance—that he might try
Job, and see how he would act. I have no doubt but the Devil chuckled
over Job, and determined to destroy him and his family; and he went to
work and gathered together the lightning, knocked down the house where
the children of Job were assembled, and killed them all. Then be
stirred up the Sabeans, who stole his oxen and asses, and the
Chaldeans, who stole his camels and slew his servants. And the
servants of Job came in, one after another, and told him the news; and
each messenger said, "And I only escaped alone to tell thee."

Vol. 7, p.197
What was the reason? The hedge was taken away, and Satan was allowed
to do with him just what he saw proper, only to spare his life. What
did Job say? He is reported to have said a great deal; but he was
probably more patient than many of us would have been; for he said,
after the report of all his misfortunes, "The Lord gave, and the Lord
hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." He did not say it
was the "damned Gentiles" and Sabeans or Philistines that had done
these things.

Vol. 7, p.197
If I had cattle, houses, and possessions, the Lord gave them to me,
and he has the right to take them away, If I have any of the blessings
of this [p.198] life; I received them from the Lord. It was the
Almighty that gave them to me; and if they are taken away, I ought to
say with Job, "The Lord gave, and the Lord taketh away; blessed be the
name of the Lord." Was not that a good feeling that Job possessed? and
do you not think we should have similar feelings? I don't think that
these "damned Gentiles," as some of you term them, have so much to do
with it as you suppose. They are servants to whom they yield
themselves servants to obey; and therefore I do not think you ought to
blame so much as you do, for they are under an influence that they
cannot resist, and are merely doing the will of their father. They
calumniate you and they lie, as you say, like the Devil. But, bless
you, they cannot help it, and the Lord permits it to be so. They
cannot do any more than they are permitted to do. It is just as the
Scriptures say—"The wrath of man shall praise me, and the remainder of
wrath I will restrain, and I will put in order and accomplish my
purpose upon the earth." Now, if it was not the Sabeans, the
Philistines, and the lightning that did all this to Job, I do not
think it is the Missourians, but it is their father, who is—Where?
[Laughter.] We ought not to complain of our position, I think. I do
not want to complain. I never have felt a spirit of fault-finding or
complaining.

Vol. 7, p.198
From what I have quoted from the Book of Job, you discover that the
Devil was accustomed in those days to appear before the Lord, as he
has done in these last days; and I can assure you that he has been
above once. In regard to Job he said, "I have tried him, and only let
me touch his body: skin for skin, all that a man hath will he give for
his life." "Well," says the Lord, "he is in your hands, only you shall
spare his life." The Devil then smote him with boils, and Job began to
curse things around him, and it appears that the Devil was pretty near
right, about it.

Vol. 7, p.198
But Job would not deny his God. He was firm in his integrity, and he
possessed the spirit of revelation, had a right kind of belief in
God—in futurity, and was submissive to the will of the Almighty. It is
said that he got mad: and who would not be? I do not know that the
Lord would be displeased with a man for getting mad when the Devil was
let loose upon him. At any rate, we are informed that "In all this Job
sinned not."

Vol. 7, p.198
I remember hearing a woman say in Missouri, "I'll be damned if I will
stand it any longer; for this is the fifth house the mob have burned
down for me in less than two years." Job did not feel so. He was
indeed severely tried; but when he came down to sober reflection, he
said in his heart, "The Sabeans may take my asses, and the Chaldeans
may fall upon my servants, and kill them and steal my sheep, and my
house be thrown down with the storm, and I may lie in the ashes, and
men that I would not associate with the dogs of my flocks may wear
away my life, and my body may go to dust; yet, though worms prey upon
it, in my flesh shall I see God. Naked I came into the world, and
naked I shall go out: blessed be the name of the Lord." Was not this a
good feeling to manifest? Let us try to imitate it and acknowledge the
chastening rod of the Almighty.

Vol. 7, p.198
Now, I will consider the character of Jesus for a short time. I will
take him for an example, and ask why he was persecuted and afflicted?
Why was he put to death? We are told by the Apostle that it was
necessary for him, of whom are all things, to make the captain of our
salvation  perfect through suffering. It was absolutely necessary that
he should [p.199] pass through this state, and be subject to all the
weaknesses of the flesh,—that he should also be subjected to the
buffetings of Satan the same as we are, and pass through all the
trials incident to humanity, and thereby comprehend the weakness and
the true character of human nature, with all its faults and foibles,
that we might have a faithful High Priest that would know how to
deliver those that are tempted; and hence one of the Apostles, in
speaking of him, says, "For we have not a High Priest which cannot be
touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points
tempted like as we are, yet without sin." (Heb. iv. 15.)

Vol. 7, p.199
Here, then, we find the reason why he was tempted and afflicted. He
stood at the head of that dispensation, and came to atone for the
transgressions of men—to stand at the head as the Saviour of men.

Vol. 7, p.199
It was necessary that he should have a body like ours, and be made
subject to all the weaknesses of the flesh,—that the Devil should be
let loose upon him, and that he should be tried like other men. Then,
again, in Gethsemane, he was left alone; and so great was the
struggle, that we are told he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood.
In the great day when he was about to sacrifice his life, he said, "My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" He has passed through all
this, and when he sees you passing through these trials and
afflictions, he knows how to feel towards you—how to sympathise with
you. It was necessary that he should pass this fiery ordeal; for such
is the position of things, and such the decrees of the Allwise
Creator.

Vol. 7, p.199
In regard to any circumstances that have taken place with regard to
this people, my feelings are and have been for over twenty years, that
I am aiming at eternal life, and am independent of the derision of
fools. If a man has a mind to determine upon pursuing another course,
I have nothing to do with it. I believe in God, in Jesus Christ, and
in the exaltation of the human family, and consequently have acted and
do act in accordance with that belief. If others choose to do
otherwise, that is their business. But, says one, Don't you want to
send them all to hell? No, I don't; but I would be glad to get them
out of it; and if I could do them any good, I would do it with
pleasure. I do not believe in this wrath and dread; but if a man acts
meanly, I will tell him that he is a poor, mean curse. Then, if I find
him hungry, I would feed him; or if I found him naked, I would clothe
him; for the Gospel teaches me to do good and benefit mankind as far
as lies in my power.

Vol. 7, p.199
I believe that everything is permitted of God, although I am far from
believing that he sanctions everything. By this, some will consider
that I am a fatalist. So far as this goes, I am; but not in the way
that the term is generally understood. These things are permitted for
our good and perfection.

Vol. 7, p.199
Suppose that you are wealthy and abound in the things of this world,
and have everything good, and have the honour of the world, what would
it amount to? Let me know that I have the approbation of God, that I
am to my word, that I do not do wrong, that I treat everybody right,
and withal possess the favour of the Almighty, then I am satisfied. I
do not trouble as to these minor things. If I can only have the
blessing and smiles of my heavenly Father, whether that comes in the
shape of wealth or poverty, in the shape of affliction or peace, it is
a matter of very little consequence to me; but if prosperity, wealth,
and peace come along with it, all is right.  And I consider things of
this kind, for I know that all we have is in the hands of God.[p.200] 

Vol. 7, p.200
Now, suppose that the President of the United States should issue a
manifesto ordering the "Mormons" to leave or be destroyed, who would
care? If I were to express my feelings, I should say it was
exceedingly mean. Suppose he should send another army here, who would
care about it? We are in the hands of God, and he can say as he said
to the Devil in regard to Job. Do you think anybody can injure or take
the lives of God's people, unless he permits it? No; there is no power
this side of heaven that can do it. God controls his people and his
people's affairs, and there is no power can interfere farther than he
lets them. Now, who is hurt? Why a lot of the folks were tremendously
scared when those soldiers were sent out! (Laughter.) Were you not
very much afraid? I will admit that some few felt afraid; but was
there anything the matter? No, there was nothing the matter in
particular. If the Lord wanted to have me killed, I would just as soon
be killed as not. I do not believe in a religion that has not got all
my affections; but I believe in a religion that I can live for or die
for. I am not tallying about things that I do not understand. I have
wrestled with death, and had the Devil aiming at me, and I cared
nothing for it. Let me be deprived of this hope, and my religion is
vain. I would just join in upon the principle that the Gentiles
do—viz., "Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for to-morrow we die." It
is for us to act upon the principle that we started upon—to trust and
have faith in God—to let this influence us in our acts one towards
another.

Vol. 7, p.200
Let us now turn and examine ourselves. Why did you become a "Mormon?"
Simply because you wanted to be saved, and to work righteousness by
keeping your spirits and bodies pure. Did you not in times past hope
that you would become pure by obedience to the Gospel and helping to
build up the kingdom of God? How do you expect to bring this about
now? Do you expect to do it by riotousness and indulging in rowdyism?
Has the Gospel changed? or how is it?

Vol. 7, p.200
I observed that there are some very good scholars among us who can
learn some things very quickly. There are some men who call themselves
Elders that are trying if they cannot swear better than the Gentiles.
Now, let such men go before God with their mouths full of foulness, or
get their families together to ask God to bless them, and see what
liberty they have. Such acts are the result of ignorance, blindness,
and corruption. Are such going to be saviours upon Mount Zion? Some of
these are Elders who are going to teach the people the ways of
salvation!

Vol. 7, p.200
This reminds me of a man that went from Liverpool to introduce me into
Ireland. He told the people what a glorious Gospel we had got, and
what blessings were in reserve for the faithful, and he was drunk
three-parts of his time. He was a pretty messenger of life!

Vol. 7, p.200
I consider that all such persons ought to be ashamed of themselves. I
would like to see these things stopped; and if you won't stop them, I
will tell you one thing that will stop—you will cease to have the
Spirit of God upon you to give you light and intelligence, and you
will cease to be Saints of the Most High God. You will go back into
darkness and folly, like the sow that was washed and again returns to
her wallowing in the mire. I would like to see all the Saints do
better than the Gentiles, for they do not pretend to be religious. I
would like to see the Gentiles also do better; and if there are any of
them here, I hope they will pay attention to this.  It is [p.201] too
mean to utter such low-lived expressions: it is humiliating and
unmanly to go and get his brain muddled, and all the faculties of his
mind darkened with his intemperate habits. It is a disgrace for men of
education and intelligence to be unable to utter five words without an
oath. Every child ought to point the finger of scorn at any man that
will come down to such a mean standard; and you Elders in Israel and
Saints, do not let people laugh at you for getting drunk and rowdying
in the streets of Zion. Before I would be so mean, I would go and
stick my head into a barrel, and crawl out of sight, and would not be
seen for twelve months.

Vol. 7, p.201
Let us fear God with our hearts—not with our lips, store up the truth
in our minds, work righteousness, do good one to another, and do right
to everybody: then your peace will flow as a river; then we can bow
before the Lord our God, and ask his blessings upon us and our
families; then there will be no wrangling in our bosoms, nor any bad
or unpleasant feelings towards our fellow-creatures.

Vol. 7, p.201
If it was right for us to commence on these principles, it is right
for us to fear God in our hearts. Brethren and sisters, fear God in
your lives and conduct; speak nothing but what you know to true; keep
a guard over your actions; keep the Spirit of God within you, and the
Lord will be with you all the day long.

Vol. 7, p.201
I pray God to keep us in the way of truth, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Brigham Young, July 31, 1859

Priesthood and Eternal Life

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, July 31, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.201
I rejoice in the privilege of making a few remarks this morning, by
way of explanation and exhortation.

Vol. 7, p.201
If the Latter-day Saints assemble to worship merely because our
fathers did, or because we have been so taught by our schoolmasters,
we have not a correct view of the subject. The Being who organized us
did so upon principles which pleased him, and can please us only
through obedience to his laws. That Being placed within us a principle
that has been among all the nations of men from the beginning—the
principle of reverence, of worship, of seeking after something
superior to what we possess. Every person possesses more or less of
this principle; we all acknowledge it more or less, and all are
seeking something not in our possession.

Vol. 7, p.201
We are on this earth for an express purpose. The body is organized,
the spirit takes possession of it, and here we are as finite beings in
a world of sin, of darkness, and of the thraldrom of iniquity; and
that, too, for an express [p.202] purpose that cannot be accomplished
upon any other principle or plan. 

Vol. 7, p.202
Eternal existence depends solely upon adopting and carrying out in our
lives the principles couched in the term "holy Priesthood," which
alone tend to life and eternal duration and exaltation. We are seeking
for something that we are not now in possession of; and every
individual wishes to understand those true principles which will put
him in possession of the right plan by which to obtain what we are
seeking.

Vol. 7, p.202
Mankind are prone to seeking after perishable things, though we in
reality, if we did but realize it, are by no means doing so
exclusively. The spirit and intelligence that God has placed within us
prompt us to seek more or less after imperishable things. Had we
worlds to command and dictate in our finite state, with the authority
and power we now possess, it would not satisfy the mind.

Vol. 7, p.202
The holy Priesthood is a system of laws and government that is pure
and holy; and if it is adhered to by intelligent man, whom God has
created a little lower than angels, it is calculated to preserve our
tabernacles in eternal being; otherwise they will be resolved into
native element. Nothing is calculated to satisfy the mind of an
intelligent being only to obtain principles that will preserve him in
his identity, to enable him to increase in wisdom, power, knowledge,
and perfection. And when we meet to worship, we do or should meet to
speak of those principles and to strengthen our faith. But should it
please the Almighty to place us in circumstances that would preclude
our assembling to worship, if we understand these principles, they are
as dear to us in our closets, in our homes, and when we are labouring
in our fields, our shops, or in the kanyons, as when we are in this
Tabernacle.

Vol. 7, p.202
We are searching for these principles, and we are labouring
continually to obtain—What? You see mankind running to and fro, like
ants upon an ant-hill,—now forward, now wheeling and taking the back
track; then to the right and to the left, seemingly in a perfect state
of excitement and confusion. They are seeking they know not what. They
possess the foundation for eternal intelligence, and they do not know
how to obtain that which will satisfy their minds. Nothing can
satisfy, except being perfectly subject to the law that will preserve
them in their identity to all eternity, and that is the holy
Priesthood.

Vol. 7, p.202
And yet, so long as we have lived, and as much as the wisest of us
have seen and learned, we are still comparatively as infants. It is by
the law of the Priesthood that men are, and by that law they may
maintain their eternal identity. A strict observance of those laws
will secure an inheritance in that kingdom where death never enters,
and all else will sooner or later pass away as a night vision.

Vol. 7, p.202
When we undertake to worship the Lord, it is eternal principles that
we desire to learn. They are taught here from Sabbath to Sabbath, a
little here and a little there, pertaining to the doctrines of
salvation, like explaining the civil laws of the land. Lawyers are
called upon to explain the civil law, and we must be lawyers in the
law of the Priesthood, to read, comprehend, and correctly teach the
writings of Moses, of the Psalmist, of the Prophets and Apostles, or
to tell the truth as it comes fresh from heaven, independent of
reading from any book.

Vol. 7, p.202
No one can correctly dispute that mankind are possessed of
intelligence. Reflect upon the intelligence they possess in mechanism,
in astronomy, &c. Did they produce that? No. I obtained the principles
of intelligence [p.203] that I am in possession of from the same
source that they obtained theirs, and which I attribute to the Author
of our existence. But they cannot tell from whence those principles
came. They are searching and researching with an inherent principle
that never can be satisfied without true knowledge; and that true
knowledge flows through the Priesthood, to enable us to know how to
order our lives, to overcome every principle that tends to the death,
and to embrace every principle that tends to the life, that we may
preserve our identity to all eternity, which is the greatest blessing
bestowed upon man, and which we now have the privilege to place
ourselves in the way to secure.

Vol. 7, p.203
The laws given by the Almighty to the children of men, by which we can
preserve our spirits and our bodies to all eternity, are what the
world call "Mormonism." Those laws are what this people believe and
are in possession of. And are we obliged to faulter here and faulter
there? If I am presented with unwholesome food, or with poison that
would destroy my life, am I obliged to eat it? No, though I may be
obliged to have it presented to me. If a man hands you a dose of
arsenic, saying that you need it and that it will do you good, are you
obliged to swallow it? Or if those who prefer sin, and roll it under
their tongues as a sweet morsel, present to you principles that tend
to the death, are you obliged to receive them—to join in and commit
sin? Some who profess to be Latter-day Saints do so, and continue to
do so.

Vol. 7, p.203
What a pity it is! How strange it is that mankind do not better
understand and conduct themselves! True, as is written, sin was
introduced to the human family by the transgression of our first
parents, and thereby the Adversary of all righteousness gained great
power over our bodies, as we can daily see exhibited,—the flesh, as
the Apostle has written, warring against the spirit. So in a garden,
the weeds spring up spontaneously; and if you wish to produce certain
fruits and vegetables, you must carefully till the soil, because the
ground is cursed to produce thorns and thistles and obnoxious weeds.
The original transgression subjected the flesh to weakness and
infirmities, but not the spirit; which explains bow much easier it is
for a person to sin than to work righteousness, by the power sin has
obtained over earthly tabernacles, notwithstanding the promptings to
do right, and that a person feels better in doing right than wrong.

Vol. 7, p.203
We must have our day of trial—an opportunity to become acquainted with
the bitter and the sweet. We are so organized as to be able to choose
or to refuse. We can take the downward road that leads to destruction,
or the road that leads to life. We can constantly act upon the
principles that tend to death, or refuse them and act upon the
principles that pertain to life and salvation. This is a day of trial;
our faith and patience can now be tried: now is the time for your
fortitude and integrity to be tried. Let the trials come; for if we
should be so unspeakably happy as to obtain a crown of eternal life,
we shall be like gold tried seven times in the fire. Let the fiery
furnace burn, and the afflictions come, and the temptations be
presented;—if we wish to be crowned with crowns of glory and exalted
to dwell with our elder brother Jesus Christ, we must choose the good
and refuse the evil.

Vol. 7, p.203
According to our faith, we must strive to live our religion when in
the kanyons getting wood and lumber, when labouring in our fields, and
wherever we may be. We have to learn and practise eternal principles,
to obtain eternal life; and they are [p.204] the principles of the
holy Priesthood. God has given man an agency, and it behoves us to
understand and practise the principles of life—to live our religion
and walk humbly with our God, living according to the laws and
regulations of the holy Priesthood so far as it is revealed.

Vol. 7, p.204
The principles of eternal life that are set before us are calculated
to exalt us to power and preserve us from decay. If we choose to take
the opposite course and to imbibe and practise the principles that
tend to death, the fault is with ourselves. If we fail to obtain the
salvation we are seeking for, we shall acknowledge that we have
secured to ourselves every reward that is due to us by our acts, and
that we have acted in accordance with the independent agency given us,
and we shill be judged out of our own mouths whether we are justified
or condemned.

Vol. 7, p.204
When meditating upon matters as they are passing, I am happy and
rejoice that things are as they are. You do not often see me in this
building, neither do I often address you, neither do I wish at
present; but I want everything to be shaken that can be shaken, that
those who remain will be stedfastly determined to serve their God. As
I have often said, I would rather be associated with a dozen men who
would live their religion than to have the whole world for my
companions to hear off the kingdom to all nations. I would rather see
the people leave, until there are not ten men left in the mountains,
than to see what I see and hear what mine ears have to hear—the
blasphemy, corruption, wickedness, dishonesty one with another, and
running after the Devil, and ready to strike hands wherever they meet
him. I want to see those who will not live their religion sifted out.
Let them float off, and let the few who will live their religion—who
will live for God, remain until they are like the gold that is tried
in the furnace seven times.

Vol. 7, p.204
I understand that some of the people are remiss in coming to meeting.
Do they stay at home to weigh themselves in the balance, to know
whether they are actually in possession of the religion that we
profess? Or are their eyes, like the fool's, in the ends of the earth,
looking for a good job here, and a bargain there, and a speculation
yonder? You will know, by-and-by, whether you possess the religion you
profess. The Lord will sift the people, and the time is not far
distant when he will sift the nations with a sieve of vanity, and the
time is at your doors when he will hold a controversy with the nations
and will plead with all flesh, and it will be known who is for God,
and who is not.

Vol. 7, p.204
I often ask the Father to hasten his work—do you?—to hasten his Zion
upon the earth, and his work upon all nations. Have you any idea what
that work is? I am at times checked in my feelings, and make the
inquiry, Am I prepared, with this people, to receive what will come?

Vol. 7, p.204
Every time that my mind stretches forth to discern what the Lord is
doing, to contemplate upon his goings forth among the nations, and
what he is bringing about, according to all the sayings of the
Prophets and the designs of his Son Jesus Christ, and to reflect upon
the nations of the earth as they now are and will be, I I ask myself,
Am I prepared for all this? Are the people called Latter-day Saints
prepared for all this? I am checked in my feelings in a moment. Are
you? or do you think that you are ready? Suppose that the Lord should
make his appearance in his glory, how many in this Tabernacle could
abide the day of his coming? Is there an  individual in the valleys of
the mountains, or [p.205] upon the face of the earth, that could abide
the appearance of the Son of Man in his glory—that could look upon
him?

Vol. 7, p.205
Are you prepared for the distress that is coming upon the nations?
Many of you frequently think that your lot is very hard—that your
trials are numerous and severe, and imagine this and that; and there
is a great disposition with many of you, as well as with the rest of
the world, to pity yourselves. You had better continue to pity
yourselves, each and every one, lest we should not be right in all the
things of God as fast as he is rolling them along. I have been driven
from my home five times; I have left my houses and lands and
everything I had. Do I wish evil to come upon my enemies? Every time I
think of it, and when my mind is opened by the visions of the Lord to
see the weeping, the wailing, and distress of the nations, that many
who now live will see, there is not a person in this room that could
bear it. There are no eyes looking upon me that could bear to see the
awful distress that the nations are bringing upon themselves—to look
upon the judgments of the Almighty that they are bringing upon
themselves.

Vol. 7, p.205
You think that you see distress. I have seen poverty; I have seen the
gray-headed father and mother bowed to their graves with starvation; I
have seen the middle-aged, the youth, and young children going to
their graves through starvation: but I have seen nothing to compare
with what I shall yet see, if I live. I shall see the distress that
will be upon the nations. Look a little further and reflect upon what
the Lord will do when he has revolutionized the nations and cleansed
and purged this earth with fire. Are we prepared to sit down with
Jesus when he comes? We had better be careful to know whether we are
prepared.

Vol. 7, p.205
We think that we have great occasion for sorrow; but how should we
feel, after all our preparations, faith, labours, and looking forth
for the coming of the Son of Man, to be consumed by the brightness of
his appearance? We had better be purifying our hearts: that is the
best occupation I can recommend to the Saints. I would recommend such
a course, far beyond taking their neighbour's cattle, breaking down
their neighbour's fences, spending their Sabbaths in the kanyons
getting wood, or doing anything that they should not do. Ask such
persons whether they pray. "No." A man in the Eleventh Ward said, "I
prayed daily over my crops last year, and my harvest was very light:
this year I have not prayed, and my crops look first-rate." Those who
think that they can succeed without praying, try it, and I will
promise them eternal destruction, if they persist in that course. Some
think that they can prosper by lying a little, breaking the Sabbath,
and doing almost everything that they ought not to do. In the end they
will learn that they have trod the path that leads to the first and
second death, which will have power over them; and the time will come
when they will be as though they had not been.

Vol. 7, p.205
It is recorded that Job clung to the Lord and proved his integrity to
his Father and God. The Lord, to try him, suffered his crops to be
laid waste, his property to be plundered, his sons to be destroyed,
and sorely afflicted him in divers ways; and so it has been and will
be with thousands of other persons. And though their property,
families, and friends be taken from them, yet they should trust in
their God, even though he should slay them. And you will learn,
by-and-by, what reward he has prepared for them.

Vol. 7, p.206
I am striving for the crown that [p.206] awaits the end of the
faithful race—not alone for the potatoes and corn. Many come to me and
say, "Brother Brigham, are we going to have any potatoes this year?"
"I neither know nor care." "Have you planted any?" "Yes, a great
many." "Have you looked to see whether there are any sets upon them?"
"No: but it is my business to keep out the weeds, to water and till,
and wait until the harvest. I have not power to make potatoes set. If
I should plant and hoe, and raise nothing, it is the same to me as
though I obtained a good crop. God gives or withholds the increase.

Vol. 7, p.206
We are all organized to seek after something that will be durable—that
will not pass away like a dream. Then do not seek too much after that
which will perish. Such things belong to the world. They are to be
changed, and are not be relied upon. Seek for the principles that
pertain to eternal life—the principles of the holy Priesthood. Let us
prove ourselves to be friends of God, whether we raise potatoes or
not, whether our pigs and calves live or not, whether we are blessed
with much or little, or have nothing;—trust in God and be his friends,
and by-and-by he will put us in possession of that which will be
perfectly satisfactory. Our spirits and bodies will be preserved
before the Lord, and we shall be prepared to see him in his glory—to
live with him in his kingdom—to associate with him. That is what we
are seeking, if we did but know it.

Vol. 7, p.206
If any wish to apostatise, they have and always have had perfect
liberty to do so. Life and death are before you. You have had the
words of life sounded in your ears, year after year, in these valleys,
and we have been blessed with days of peace and pleasantness—days of
joy and days of comfort. Have all the people served God? No. Some have
been and are wicked, sinful, dishonest, and unfaithful; and the Lord
wants to prove us—to prepare the righteous for his glory, and the
wicked for their doom.

Vol. 7, p.206
I exhort you all to reflect whether you are ready for what is coming,
and are prepared to  receive what you anticipate. Amen.[p.207] 

Brigham Young, August 4, 1859

Duty of the Saints to Live Their Religion

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, August 4, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.207
On Sunday last I took the liberty to invite the different Wards of
this city to hold their fast-meeting here to-day, and I now wish those
who possess the Spirit of God to occupy the time. By the utterance of
the mouth, the feeling and impulses of the heart are made known; and I
wish to know how the brethren feel. Let those who enjoy the power of
the holy Gospel build up their brethren and inspire them with a spark
of that inward and eternal influence that will kindle into a flame of
true devotion.

Vol. 7, p.207
When the eternal living principles of the Gospel of the Son of God are
implanted in the heart of a genuine intelligent being, they do not
leave him when the wicked present their blandishments and the ungodly
their enticements to swerve the godly and the righteous from the paths
of rectitude. I put it down for a fact that those who will give way to
wickedness do not belong to the elect. With me it is a fact that
persons of sound sense, and possessing correct principles, and
striving for eternal life, will not exchange those principles for a
gill of whisky or a pinch of snuff, nor cast them aside for every
stranger who meets them and says, "How I love you!" Such persons, when
convinced that the sun shines, that it was dark last night, that it
stormed yesterday, that the river Jordan runs from Utah Lake and
empties into Great Salt Lake, that there are mountains on our right
and left, do not, after sleeping for five minutes, wake up and dispute
those facts, and declare it nonsense to believe that we are here, and
that we might as well at once cease all efforts to do right.

Vol. 7, p.207
We must meet periods of trial, or how can we prove that we have faith,
and do actually permit the power of the sensibility placed within us
by our Creator to have its free, untrammelled course? And those who
can be led away by the enticements of the servants of the Evil One do
not belong to the number of the elect.

Vol. 7, p.207
It is a pity that the Latter-day Saints who live here, who say that
they have embraced the Gospel of eternal life, and are willing to
sacrifice all for their salvation, or to give up all for Christ,
should be bought over by a gill of whisky. After they have travelled
thousands of miles for their religion—for their faith, it is pitiable
to see some enticed from their integrity through the proffering, by
the wicked, of a fancied good job—of a little speculation. The Lord
intends to know whether we will be led away in this manner and destroy
ourselves with such trifles; and for this reason temptations are
permitted.

Vol. 7, p.207
You remember my expressions of my feelings a year ago, both in public
and in private. I wanted to travel from one end of this Territory to
[p.208] the other, and cry aloud to the people, and ask them whether
there was one left in Utah who had not forgotten his God. That work
commenced, and you then understood and now understand there was a
reformation. Some of the results are plain to us—the results of that
reformation in which excessive care and labour and much exposure
caused the death of brother Jedediah M. Grant. I wished to go through
the Territory and ask whether there was one left for God, or whether
all had gone astray. I ask that question now, and can answer it. A
great many—the majority of those who profess to be Saints are trying
to live their religion. Blow upon the spark of the Holy Ghost within
you, and without which we need not anticipate building up the kingdom
of God, that the wicked may be foiled in their efforts to corrupt and
destroy. They say that it is dangerous for people to believe in the
Lord God and possess his Spirit. "O dear, it will trouble the
magnanimity of the law, and the supremacy of the law!" What do they
know about the Almighty and his purposes and work in the latter days?
Nothing. Live your religion, keep the commandments of God, and you
will have no occasion for breaking the laws of the land.

Vol. 7, p.208
If you can be enticed away, it proves that you are not worthy of the
salvation which Jesus purchased for you by his blood. Live your
religion, or else come but and say, "I am not wiling to live my
religion—I will renounce it," fearless of big men or little men. You
must be for God, and know tiler you are his friends, or he will disown
you. Fear not him that can only kill the body, and then has no more
than he can do; but fear Him who has power to cast both soul and body
into hell, which is the first and second death. Fear no man, but fear
the Lord God and keep his commandments. Walk righteously before God
and before each other; and though the enemies of Jesus howl—though
temptations come and the floods of persecution overflow, trust in him
and strive to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us
free.

Vol. 7, p.208
When I learn that some can be overthrown—can be enticed to run here
and there and forfeit every principle of right, of truth, virtue,
honour, and honesty, it is soul-sickening to me and discouraging to
angels and all good men. It is discouraging to see persons receive the
principles of eternal life, practise them for a season, and then
forsake them and follow the principles of death and destruction. If
you live your religion, you will be a Saint to day, to-morrow, the
next day, and all the time. You will walk humbly before God, and deal
justly one with another, and disregard the condemnation and aspersions
of those who are ignorant of the principles of the eternal law of
Jehovah, and of the intent of the laws of the nations of the earth.

Vol. 7, p.208
Blow upon the spark that is within you; blow it to a flame, and see
whether the fire of God's eternal love and the principles of the holy
Gospel cannot be kindled within you. Some may think that I am
discouraged. I am not. I have views of the nations of the earth and of
the situation of the people; and when I reflect upon the faith, the
feelings, and the conduct of those who try to live their religion, and
contrast that with the condition and conduct of the mass of the
children of men, I can plainly discern the great difference. This is
the best people upon the earth. True, some complain because
comparatively a few are going astray; but I do not feel nearly so
discouraged as did an ancient Prophet, when he said, "Lord, they have
digged down  thine altars, and I alone am left, while at the same time
the Lord informed him that he [p.209] had preserved seven thousand who
had not bowed the knee to Baal.

Vol. 7, p.209
Compare this people with the mass of mankind, and what other class
will sacrifice for, their faith what we have—will sell their
buildings, farms, and other property, subject themselves to poverty
and want, and travel thousands of miles? Not many who profess the
Christian religion, though some of the pagans might. The Latter-day
Saints sacrifice everything for their religion. Do not be discouraged,
for the Lord is on Israel's side, and it behoves us to prove to him
that we are on his side.

Vol. 7, p.209
Some are fearful that the Lord will forsake them. A child may begin to
cry right here and be distressed with the fear that this house is
going to leave it, and its conduct would be as consistent as to fear
that God will forsake any person who is walking in the path of truth.
Who does he forsake? None save those who first forsake him and begin
to walk in by-and-forbidden paths, where neither he nor his angels
walk; and then such persons say the Lord has forsaken them. They have
forsaken the path of rectitude and are upon the grounds of the Devil,
being led captive by his will, and do not enjoy the benign influence
that flows from the Fountain of all intelligence as they did when they
were in the path of truth. Never be fearful that the Lord will first
forsake you; for you have first to leave him, since he never forsaketh
those who are striving to do right. Abide in the truth, and you are
sure to enjoy, more or less, the sanctifying influence of the Holy
Ghost; and if you do not, you have strayed from the paths of rectitude
and truth—of love and mercy. You must forsake the ways of the Lord in
order to get out of the way, and then the Lord will forsake you.
Otherwise he is with you, more or less, by his influence—with you by
his angels and his protecting care. I want you to thoroughly
understand that you are not to fear any being in heaven, on earth, or
in hell, superior to fearing that Being who has created the heavens
and the earth, by whom we and all things are.

Vol. 7, p.209
Now, brethren, I wish to hear you express your feelings, and want you
to occupy the time. We have all the time allotted to us in a state of
probation, and then for ever and ever, worlds without end. And if we
do not live to enjoy truth, it is because we take the road that leads
to dissolution. We must live to be prepared for better or for worse
for all time to come; so we will not hurry the exercises of our
meeting.

Vol. 7, p.209
God bless you and fire your hearts to speak and to exercise yourselves
in the faith of the holy  Gospel, that we may know and understand for
ourselves. Amen.[p.210] 

Orson Pratt, August 14, 1859

Theocracy

A Discourse by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, on Sunday 
morning, August 14, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.210
I have this moment been requested to address the people upon the
subject of a theocratical form of government, or upon that particular
form of government called the kingdom of God. I will read a few
passages from the book of Daniel the Prophet relating to governments
in general:—

Vol. 7, p.210
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be
left to other people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest
that the stone was cut out of the mountains without hands, and that it
brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the
gold, the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to
pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation
thereof sure." (See Daniel ii. 44, 45.)

Vol. 7, p.210
"Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote
the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to
pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the
summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place
was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth." (See 34th and 35th verses.)

Vol. 7, p.210
"And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the the
Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting, kingdom; and all dominions
shall serve and obey him." (See Daniel vii. 27.)

Vol. 7, p.210
The form of government given to man immediately after the creation was
theocratical; that is, the Creator became the great  Lawgiver. He
appointed the officers of that government, established his own
authority, and arranged all things after his own order, which is
eternal. He himself instituted the same form of government here in
this creation that he established in other kingdoms, worlds, or
creations, so far as the capacities and circumstances of the
inhabitants would permit. Hence such a government might in reality be
termed a theocracy, because God was the author of the laws, forms, and
institution of the same. After a period of time, men departed from
God, apostatized from the form of government instituted from heaven;
and, still thinking that it was needful and necessary to hare some
kind of government, in order to control the people and keep them
within due bounds of subjection, they concluded  to form and establish
governments of their own, according [p.211] to the best judgment and
wisdom they had. Hence the various nations, both before and after the
flood, instituted governments according to human wisdom, some making
choice of one form, and some of another; some giving the whole
authority into the hands of a ruler, called a king, an emperor, or
monarch; others reserving a portion of the power in the hands of
various individuals, termed nobles or princes; others leaving the form
of government more or less in the hands of the people at large,
something resembling a republic. But all these various forms
instituted by man were entirely different in one particular from that
instituted of God.

Vol. 7, p.211
The Lord claims it as a right, in consequence of his wisdom and
superior power, and in consequence of his having created men, to
govern them; and if so, he claims the right of originating their laws
and of dictating the form of government by which they shall be ruled.
This is his right; and every man, when he seriously reflects on this
subject, will be willing to acknowledge that God surely has more
wisdom, power, and knowledge, in relation to the kind of government
which would be best adapted to the human family, than those finite
beings whom he has created; and if he has this superior wisdom, power,
authority, and knowledge, we ought to give to him that right.

Vol. 7, p.211
But mankind would not permit him to exercise the right which so justly
belongs to him. They usurped the authority and denied the right of the
Almighty to govern them, and thus originated all the forms of human
governments which have existed upon  this globe for the last six
thousand years. It is true the Lord had a hand in the establishment of
some of the laws connected with the government of Israel; but even
that people, in consequence of the hardness of their hearts, rebelled
against the righteous, just, and holy laws that God ordained for their
good, and desired laws of a different nature, and a form of government
more resembling the corrupt nations around them. They were a
hard-hearted people, and delighted to walk in the traditions of the
Egyptians, and to follow after the imaginations of their own hearts;
and when the pure law of Jehovah came forth and was presented to that
people, it was more than they were willing to endure; it was too pure
for them: they wanted something more suited to their carnal natures.
For instance, when a man married a wife, they wished to have the
privilege of divorcing her for every trifling cause that might happen
to take place. The Lord, seeing the hardness of their hearts,
permitted Moses to give them, according to their wishes, an inferior
law. But this additional law of carnal commandments formed no part of
a pure theocratical code such as the Lord intended to establish among
that people. Many other items of law were given to the children of
Israel, according to the hardness of their hearts, that were permitted
by the Lord through Moses. We cannot, therefore, suppose that all the
Mosaic code was acceptable and pleasing to God. Some of it was given
in wrath, that the wicked among them might stumble and fall, and not
be permitted to enter into the fulness of his rest. But God originated
the most of the Mosaic code, while Moses merely permitted the
additional laws applicable to a rebellious, hard-hearted people.

Vol. 7, p.211
The Israelites continued to be governed, more or less, by some of
those divine laws, until the coming of the Messiah; but they often
transgressed them through the traditions of their Elders; they often
departed from the living God, and lost the spirit of revelation and
communion [p.212] with him. The powers, privileges, and blessings of
the kingdom which were intended to continue among that people were in
a measure taken from them at different periods of their history.
By-and-by our Saviour came to abolish that portion of the law of Moses
which was given in consequence of transgression, and to retain that
portion which he intended should continue; for instance, the ten
commandments given by the Lord amidst the thunderings and lightnings
of Mount Sinai: these were never intended to be done away by the law
of Christ; but when he came, they were retained as a part of the
superior law of the Gospel. The kingdom of God was built up in the
days of Christ, under this superior law; but the most of the Jewish
nation concluded to reject the Gospel as their fathers did in the
wilderness: they cast it from them, and were not willing to be
governed by it; therefore the kingdom of God, instead of being a
concentrated government among Israel, existed in detached portions
here and there. The law of God, in the days of Christ did not have
place among them in a national capacity: it did not govern them as a
people. They were not subject to it: they fought against it. Hence the
kingdom, so far as it existed, after awhile was taken from them and
transferred over into the hands of the Gentiles.

Vol. 7, p.212
The Gentiles did not receive this transferred kingdom nationally, but
iudividually,—few individuals only embracing the same. As nations,
they rejected it as well as the Jews. The kingdom of God in those
days, though governed ecclesiastically by Divine laws, was not
sufficiently concentrated to exercise any national jurisdiction among
any of the nations of the great Eastern hemisphere. The isolated
individuals and branches receiving the kingdom were scattered here and
there through all the countries of the East, subject to the various
forms and municipal laws of man-made governments. This order of things
continued down for a short period after the martyrdom of the Apostles,
when mankind again departed entirely from the ecclesiastical laws of
the kingdom. There came a falling away, so that the kingdom, which
existed in a scattered and broken condition through the Gentile
nations, began to lose all the power and blessings pertaining to it:
the gift of healing was no longer made manifest; the gift of prophecy
no longer existed; and so complete and dreadful was the apostacy, that
one might travel through the whole of the Eastern continent and not
find a Prophet, or Apostle, or Revelator, or any one who had heard the
voice of God or received any communication or revelation from him.
Then visions ceased, angels no longer appeared, miracles were done
away, and every office and power and authority and gift characterizing
the kingdom of God, or in the least resembling a theocracy, ceased
from all the Gentile nations. They, like the Jews before them, lost
the fruits of the kingdom of God; and the few Saints who remained and
had in any degree faith in the cause they had espoused, became so
darkened in their minds, through the wickedness and apostacy which
prevailed, that they were counted worthy only to be trodden under the
feet of the Gentile nations. Hence the powers of the earth made war
with all those branches that professed to be the kingdom of God, and
they overcame and destroyed them from the earth, and the kingdom of
God no longer existed, so far as we have knowledge, on the great
Eastern hemisphere, for something like seventeen centuries.

Vol. 7, p.212
Nearly seventeen long centuries rolled over the heads of the Gentile
nations in Asia, Europe, and Africa; [p.213] and such a thing as the
kingdom of God was entirely unknown among them. It did not exist
either in a concentrated or scattered form. Instead of a theocratical
government, or one of Divine origin, you could behold nothing but
empires, absolute and limited monarchies, kingdoms, principalities,
dukedoms, republics, and heterogeneous masses of conflicting
revolutionary elements, thrown together, as if by some fortuitous
circumstances, fomenting, igniting, and belching forth the hot lava of
destruction, swallowing up millions of unhappy beings, and
overwhelming all countries with desolation, misery, and death.

Vol. 7, p.213
Next, let us turn to the ancient history of this great Western
hemisphere. We are informed by the sacred and Divine record, called
the Book of Mormon, that the kingdom of God flourished to a greater
extent here than in the Eastern world. On this Western hemisphere the
kingdom of God was established by the personal appearance of our Lord
and Saviour after his resurrection. Twelve disciples were appointed on
this land to administer the Gospel, laws, and institutions of that
kingdom. They went forth preaching, prophesying, working miracles,
receiving revelations, and administering with authority Divine laws,
Divine ordinances,—calling, appointing, and ordering in every
department of the kingdom,—inspired officers holding Divine authority
to judge, to execute the laws, to govern in all things according to
the mind of the King of heaven, whom they saw, and whose voice they
heard, and whom they obeyed in all the affairs of government. This was
a theocracy indeed—a national theocracy established in its pure form.
And the ancient Israelites of America became universally a favoured
and happy people. Their greatest settlements were in Central America
and the northern portions of South America. However, about three
hundred years after Christ, their settlements extended from Cape Horn
in the South to the frozen regions in the North—from the Atlantic on
the East to the great Pacific on the West. Large cities were built on
various parts of the land, arts and sciences flourished, and millions
of happy beings rejoiced in the blessings of universal peace and
liberty. This happy condition of things continued for some three
centuries, when they began to apostatize and contend one with another,
building up a variety of sects and parties on this Western hemisphere,
as well as in the Old World.

Vol. 7, p.213
At length one portion of the nation was permitted to overpower the
other. Those who survived the overwhelming judgments of war and famine
were left only to sink into the lowest depths of degradation and
misery. Their descendants are called by us American Indians. Thus we
see that the kingdom of God did not exist to our knowledge, either on
the Eastern or Western hemispheres of our globe for many generations.
It became entirely extinct from the earth about four centuries after
the Christian era, and there was nothing left on the face of the wide
earth but the wisdom of man, the governments of man, the religion of
man, the power of man, and the rule of man. God, angels, prophets,
revelators, and every vestige of Divine authority and government were
excluded from every nation under heaven and wholly rooted, out of the
earth. This was the benighted, woeful, lamentable condition in which
the year 1830 found the children of men, both on this continent and on
the great Eastern hemisphere.

Vol. 7, p.213
Governments! Yes, they have multiplied governments upon governments.
There are scores of them to be found in Europe, and scores to [p.214]
be found in Asia and in Africa, of all sorts and forms, from the proud
monarchy that crushes the liberty and hopes of millions down to the
petty chieftain who degradedly wanders with his little band of fifty,
all pretending to be governed by some sort of principles.

Vol. 7, p.214
While the iron hand of despotism thus held the nations within its
withering grasp, enslaving both soul and body, the great God, near the
close of the fifteenth century, moved upon the mind of a Columbus, and
inspired him to fearlessly launch forth upon the great expanse of
unknown waters on the west of Europe; and guided by the invisible
agency of the Holy Spirit, he revealed to the down-trodden, despairing
nations, a new world.

Vol. 7, p.214
Upwards of another century passed away, during which the shackles of
despotism began to be loosened. Dissenters from the Romish Church
multiplied, protesting against many of her abominations. Nations
espoused their cause. Wars raged—Protestants against Catholics, and
Catholics against Protestants, each nation establishing its man-made
religion by man-made laws. Dissenters from these new religions formed
other sects, the weaker being persecuted by the stronger, and all
being persecuted, more or less, by the governments from whose
established religion they they had dissented. Among this heterogeneous
compound of clashing creeds and clashing swords, no voice of God was
heard—no inspiration of the Almighty to calm the troubled elements—no
Prophet or Revelator to point out the kingdom of God and bid the
nations welcome.

Vol. 7, p.214
Human wisdom in religious or governmental affairs is the great source
of disunion and all its attendant train of evil. So great became the
disunion among the European nations, that many of the more honest,
humble souls, to escape persecution and death, came from the old
countries, and first landed in the New England States in 1620. They
are called the Pilgrim Fathers. They established morality and many
good institutions, although their laws in many respects were very
oppressive. They instituted strict laws against what they called
witchcraft, and the old blue laws of Connecticut were established. But
among all these pilgrims there could not be found a theocratical form
of government. We only find laws instituted according to the best
wisdom and judgment of our ancestors; and by-and-by they became
sufficiently strong in this country to rise up against the oppressions
of the mother country: they concluded to protest against the tyranny
and oppression heaped upon them by the King of England: hence arose
the revolutionary struggles. A new government sprang into being,
formed in accordance with more liberal principles.

Vol. 7, p.214
Let us inquire how far this government was established in accordance
with the mind and will of God. We believe, when our ancestors threw
off the yoke of tyranny and oppression placed on them by the
Government of England, that they were not only inspired in doing this,
but the Lord had something in view to accomplish: he had his plans and
purposes nil laid out before him, and our fathers were the instruments
to carry out and fulfil those purposes. Our ancestors had gained their
independence, and had framed the articles of the Constitution, and the
Government was established, giving unto the people a voice and
privilege of electing their own officers. In the Constitution, certain
rights were guaranteed to the people, such as liberty of the press,
the liberty of speech, and the liberty of emigrating from one part of
the Union to another, settling in whatever State or Territory they saw
fit. The people preserved [p.215] in their own hands the power to
protect their own rights; hence, when the voice of the people is in
favour of the guaranteed rights, the whole people enjoy a degree of
liberty. If the voice of the people is declared for that which is
wrong, then the minority, however right, has to suffer with the rest.
But this, perhaps, was as good a government as could be established
under the circumstances.

Vol. 7, p.215
Our brave and hardy ancestors were just emerging from the tyranny and
oppression of ages: the star of liberty had but just risen above their
horizon: their minds were still beclouded with the dense fogs,
traditions, customs, laws, and forms of governments in the Old World;
and in their experience, they were unprepared for a theocracy, and
could not even comprehend, as their children do, the extent of that
liberty into which they had so suddenly emerged. Before they could
enlarge their liberties, and seek for a government of a purer and more
heavenly form, it required a few years to wear off those traditions.

Vol. 7, p.215
Half-a-century passed away, during which the lessons of liberty became
deeply implanted in the hearts of the rising generation: they began to
comprehend and develop more fully those grand doctrines embraced in
the Constitution. Proud of their institutions and of the dignity and
honour of their great Republic, they began to suppose their form of
Government perfect, and that nothing could be added to increase its
grandeur and magnificence. But with all its glory and greatness and
perfection, it was only a steppingstone to a form of government
infinitely greater and more perfect—a government founded upon Divine
laws, with all its institutions, ordinances, and officers appointed by
the God of heaven. But our revolutionary fathers, having just broken
the bonds and shaken off the yoke, had not that experience necessary
to preserve inviolate the liberties they had gained. Although they
wrote the Constitution, and obtained power over a nation more powerful
than themselves, yet this did not wholly divest them of their
traditions; hence they were not prepared to have a Prophet rise up and
say—"Thus saith the Lord God."

Vol. 7, p.215
After the nation had struggled along, increasing in knowledge and
power and experience, and had maintained their independence and
liberty for upwards of half-a-century, and had made rapid strides in
teaching, developing, and enjoying the principles of physical, moral,
and religious liberty, the Almighty determined to assert his right and
establish an everlasting kingdom upon the unalterable principles of
eternal truth—a kingdom which could never be destroyed nor ever be
shaken, though the heavens should pass away and the worlds disappear
with a universal crash.

Vol. 7, p.215
The Lord now saw that there was one nation upon the earth where he
could venture to begin the great work—where a theocracy could exist in
an ecclesiastical form, being legally and lawfully entitled to all the
rights and protection guaranteed in the great American Constitution,
in common with all religious parties. The kingdom of God could not be
set up without calling officers, and inspiring men, and revealing
laws, while this Republic elects its own officers and makes its own
laws.

Vol. 7, p.215
The American Congress do not pretend to inspiration. The Speaker, who
occupies the highest and most honourable station in the Lower House,
is not a Prophet: he does not deliver the word of the Lord as law;
neither does the honourable President of the Senate say, Thus saith
the Lord God: but all the deliberations and enactments of that
illustrious body are the results of human wisdom. [p.216] They would
not suffer a Prophet of God to come into their midst and dictate the
laws that should be adopted by the nation. They would show him the
door. They would call upon the officers that are appointed to keep
order in that honourable assembly to put out such a character. They
would very likely say, "We will not for a moment listen to him, though
he may profess to be inspired, and to have received heavenly visions,
and to have seen God, and talked with him face to face, as Moses,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did; yet we will let him know that he must
not come among us and undertake to dictate us as to the kind of laws
we shall pass. This is not a theocratic form of government, and
therefore we will not listen to him."

Vol. 7, p.216
In ancient times, we find even kingly powers bowed to Prophets and
Revelators. Nebuchadnezzar, in all his glory, could give heed to the
Prophet Daniel—could listen to the interpretation of his own dream. He
believed in Prophets. But the people of these latter times have
strayed so far from a theocratical form of government that they do not
even believe in such things as dreams and visions inspired of God;
hence it would be a difficult matter for such a man as Daniel to
approach the august assembly annually convened at the capitol.

Vol. 7, p.216
I have often contrasted, in my reflections, the faith of the present
nations of Christendom with the faith of the ancient Egyptians and
Babylonians. These nations, as wicked as they were, did believe in the
spirit of prophecy and revelation; they did receive a Prophet. Hence
we find the Egyptians exalting a Joseph from a dungeon, because he had
a dream, and because he gave the true interpretation thereof. Said
Pharaoh, "There is no man among us that is so able to dictate, guide,
and direct the affairs of this nation as this man. He has had a dream.
The Lord has revealed to him something about our future condition—what
is to take place in Egypt and in the surrounding nations. The Lord has
revealed to him that there are to be seven years of plenty and seven
years of famine. What man is so well fitted to stand next to me in
authority, to dictate and guide the affairs of this people in regard
to the approaching famine? Let him be exalted and honoured."

Vol. 7, p.216
Would they thus honour a Prophet in this day? No. They would say, "He
is a false, visionary character, and is not fit for a Justice of the
Peace, or for any other office of the least responsibility." The
inhabitants of great Babylon—one of the most popular nations on the
earth, having gone forth, conquering and to conquer, until the Jewish
nations and all nations were brought in subjection to them, still had
confidence in Prophets; and their great king Nebuchadnezzar,
surrounded with all the magnificence of power, and sitting on his
throne, dreamed a dream, and he had confidence there was something in
it. He did not despise the Spirit of revelation as the American
Congress would, or as the kings, emperors, and nobles of the earth at
this day would do; but he considered it indicative of something in the
future; and a proclamation was sent forth among all the wise men of
Babylon, commanding them to reveal his dream and the interpretation
thereof, or they should be put to death. About the time they were to
carry out the sentence of the king, and put to death the astrologers
and wise men of great Babylon, Daniel exclaimed, "Why is the decree so
hasty from the king?" and desired of the king that he would give him
time, and that he would show the king the interpretation. Through the
prayer of faith, the secret was revealed to Daniel, and he came before
the king and said, "Thou, O king, sawest, and [p.217] behold a great
image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before
thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine
gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of
brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou
sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the
image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to
pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the
summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place
was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great
mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream."

Vol. 7, p.217
I will now relate the substance of the interpretation. This great
image which you saw represents the successive kingdoms of the world,
down to the setting up of the kingdom of God. The head of gold
represents the great kingdom over which you reign; the breast and arms
of silver represent another kingdom inferior to thee, that shall
succeed thy kingdom, which all commentators agree was the kingdom of
the Medes and Persians. The belly and thighs of brass represent
another kingdom which shall succeed the Medes and Persians, which all
agree in saying was the Macedonian empire. The legs of iron represent
the next in succession which shall have universal dominion. All agree
that the fourth represents the Roman empire. The feet of iron and clay
represent the ten kingdoms which shall spring out from the broken
fragments of the Roman empire. Governments in their weak and divided
state were to have place on the earth until the kingdom of God should
be set up in the last days.

Vol. 7, p.217
The kingdom of God was entirely distinct from this great image. It
formed no part of it, but it was represented as a stone cut out of the
mountain without hands. That stone smote the image on the feed—not on
the head, nor upon any other portion of the body: it was first to
commence its operations upon the feet and toes of the great image; and
then the feet, toes, legs, breast, arms, and head were to be broken to
pieces, and become like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and
the wind was to carry away the whole image, and there was to be no
place to be found for it, while the little stone was to increase to
such a magnitude that it should fill the whole earth; and the
dominion, even the greaness of the dominion under the whole heavens
was to be given to the Saints of the Most High. This is the true
interpretation of this remarkable prophetic dream.

Vol. 7, p.217
It is not my intention this morning to say much concerning the
particular relations which the kingdom of God will have towards the
religious views of men and nations. This department of this great
subject was so ably investigated by our President, Sabbath before
last, that I should esteem it a folly for me to attempt to throw any
new light upon it. Indeed, it would be very difficult to find language
to express the ideas more clearly and plainly than they were expressed
by him.

Vol. 7, p.217
My object has been this morning to take another branch of this
subject, and show you the times and the seasons of establishing a
theocracy upon the earth, and perhaps say something about its final
triumph.

Vol. 7, p.217
From what has been said, we can perceive that some parts of Daniel's
prophecy have already been fulfilled. The predictions were of such a
character that no man by his own wisdom, in the days of Daniel, could
have possibly foreseen those far-off events. What man, by his own
human wisdom, could for a moment have supposed that the [p.218]
kingdom of the Medes and Persians would overthrow the great empire of
Babylon, in the way that it was foretold by Daniel? Again, what man,
uninspired, could have foreseen that the Greek empire, under the
government and rule of Alexander, would go forth and overthrow the
Medes and Persians, and bear rule over all the earth; and finally,
that he should die, and the kingdom be divided among four of his
generals?—which is all clearly foretold in the 7th and 8th chapters of
Daniel. What man, by his own sagacity, without the inspiration of the
Almighty, could have understood that a great iron kingdom should
arise, and be diverse from all the other kingdoms, and should break in
pieces and devour the whole earth, and stamp them down with oppression
and tyranny?—which it is well known was done by the great Roman
empire. All these things were fulfilled literally.

Vol. 7, p.218
Again, what human foresight could have predicted that this great
kingdom should be overcome and broken up, and that the fragments
should compose the modern kingdoms of Europe, together with those
governments that have emigrated from Europe to this western continent?
All these prophecies have been literally fulfilled. Why, then, not
look for the kingdom of God to arise literally from the mountains as a
little stone, to break in pieces the great image? If one portion of
the prophecy has been literally fulfilled, why not look for the
literal fulfilment of the balance? I expect the literal fulfilment of
that prophecy relating to the Saints of the last days arising like a
small stone unconnected with this image, and disunited from all forms
of government, both civil and ecclesiastical. I look for such a
kingdom to arise, with a separate form of government, and to continue,
and prevail, and progress, until the dominion and the greatness of the
dominion under the whole heavens shall be given to the Saints of the
Most High. I look for that to be fulfilled literally, just as much as
I know the other to have been fulfilled literally. I know that it is
often argued, by those who profess to be wise men, that the kingdom
represented by this little stone cut out of the mountain took its rise
1800 years ago. Let us examine this, for it is of the greatest
importance that we should understand the times and the seasons.

Vol. 7, p.218
Daniel said that the kingdom which was to be established in the last
days never should be destroyed, nor left to other people, but should
exist for ever, and increase until the whole earth should be filled by
the Saints of the Most High. How did it happen with the kingdom of
Christ that was set up in ancient times? I have already related it;
but I will again briefly state that the kingdom of God, set up 1800
years ago, did not fulfil the terms of the prophecy. It was not set up
at the proper time. The whole image which Nebuchadnezzar saw was not
then standing complete from the head of gold to the feet of iron and
clay, which should have been the case before the stone is cut out of
the mountain without hands. Did it stand complete 1800 years ago? No.
Where were the iron legs in all their power and grandeur? Where were
the feet and toes, that were part of iron and part of potter's clay?
or, in other words, the ten kingdoms which were to succeed the great
empire of Rome? In the days of the ancient kingdom of Christ they were
not in existence. The image was not complete: it lacked the lower
portions; it lacked the legs and feet of iron and clay. It is true,
the Roman empire then existed, but not as the great western and
eastern portions. It is known, that it was long after Christ before
Rome was divided into two kingdoms representing the two iron legs. The
capital [p.219] of one was at Constantinople, and the capital of the
other at Rome, in Italy. But where were these legs, feet, and toes, a
few centuries before, when the kingdom of Christ was on the earth?
They did not exist.

Vol. 7, p.219
In those days there was no stone from the mountains, and there were no
feet and no toes to be broken in pieces. Instead of the ancient Church
fulfilling the prediction in breaking the image, events proved a state
of things directly the reverse. Some of the governments forming the
image made war with the Saints and overcame them, and the ancient
kingdom of Christ was destroyed from the earth.

Vol. 7, p.219
Hear what the prophets predict in relation to the ancient Church.
Daniel says, "And I beheld, and the same horn made war with the
Saints, and prevailed against them." (See Daniel vii. 21.) Again, he
says, "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he
shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and practise, and shall
destroy the mighty and the holy people." (See Daniel viii. 24.)

Vol. 7, p.219
He further says—"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be
corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be
strong and do exploits, and they that understand among the people
shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, by
captivity and by spoil many days. Now, when they shall fall, they
shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with
flatteries." (See Daniel xi. 32, 34.)

Vol. 7, p.219
John, the Revelator, in describing this same power under the figure of
a beast, says—"And all the world wondered after the beast." "And it
was given unto him to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them;
and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
(See John's Revelation, chapter xiii.) Therefore, instead of the
ancient Church overcoming the image, it was itself to be overcome by
the image. History shows the sad fulfilment of these predictions.
Therefore the former-day kingdom was not the stone of the mountain.
The ancient kingdom being overcome, fled to heaven, and the Priesthood
was caught up to God and to his throne; and there the Saints are
reserved in heaven until the coming of the Son of God to reign on the
earth, according to the predictions of the Prophets. Then he will
bring that kingdom which is in heaven with him. He has to set up a
kingdom on earth preparatory to that which will come from heaven. This
preparatory kingdom must be established on the earth, where men-made
governments exist. It will be a kingdom increasing in greatness and
power and glory on the earth for many years preparatory to the coming
of the King with the heavenly kingdom, at which time both the heavenly
and earthly will be united in one, under their great Head and
Lawgiver.

Vol. 7, p.219
Having demonstrated the fact that an everlasting kingdom is to be set
up in the last days, let us next inquire whether the period has
arrived for such a grand event to be fulfilled. Is there anything that
should be fulfilled before we ought to look for such a kingdom? Can
any one show one prediction that needs to be accomplished before the
kingdom of God is set up on the earth, never again to be destroyed?

Vol. 7, p.219
The remnants of the old Babylonish empire, under the form of other
governments, will be found mostly in Asia. The breasts and arms of
silver will also be found in Asia. The belly and thighs of brass will
be found part in Asia and part in Europe. The broken iron kingdom
still exists in Italy, Europe. The feet and toes exist throughout
Europe and among [p.220] the governments of America of European
origin. Thus the location of the image is known, its head being in
Asia, and the other extremity in America. No part is lacking. It lies
stretched out over lands and seas, occupying nearly the whole of the
two great hemispheres of our globe. The old, wrinkled, worn-out
monster seems ready to break in pieces. All that seems to be necessary
is for some power, distinct and independent, to set the old thing
crumbling, and its final dissolution will soon follow. Such a power
will be the kingdom of God cut from the mountain. The location of the
stone of the mountain could not be in Asia, Africa, or Europe, nor
upon any distant island of the sea; but it must be in America, near
the extremities of the feet and toes. This mountain kingdom could not
be found in the low countries of America, but in some high, elevated
region.

Vol. 7, p.220
There is no country which would better answer the terms of the
predicted location than that elevated region bordering upon the great
Rocky Mountain chain. A kingdom in that high region might well be
called a mountain kingdom, and be thus designated by the inspired
Daniel. Its proximity to the western extremity of the image would
almost preclude the idea of any other mountainous location.

Vol. 7, p.220
But to establish such a kingdom, some one must receive Divine
authority. And what is the testimony of the Latter-day Saints in
regard to the calling of any one in this Church? We want now to test
ourselves. Are we the kingdom of God that was to be established in the
last days? or are we not? Have we the characteristics of that kingdom?
Have we been called in that way and manner that the servants of God in
ancient days were called?

Vol. 7, p.220
To answer this question, let us go back to Joseph Smith—the one that
organized this Church by the commandment of the Almighty. When, where,
and how were you, Joseph Smith, first called? How old were you? and
what were you qualifications? I was between fourteen and fifteen years
of age. Had you been to college?  No. Had you studied in any seminary
of learning? No. Did you know how to read? Yes. How to write? Yes. Did
you understand much about arithmetic? No. About grammar? No. Did you
understand all the branches of education which are generally taught in
our common schools? No. But yet you say the Lord called you when you
were but fourteen or fifteen years of age? How did he call you? I will
give you a brief history as it came from his own mouth. I have often
heard him relate it.

Vol. 7, p.220
He was wrought upon by the Spirit of God, and felt the necessity of
repenting of his sins and serving God. He retired from his father's
house a little way, and bowed himself down in the wilderness, and
called upon the name of the Lord. He was inexperienced, and in great
anxiety and trouble of mind in regard to what church he should join.
He had been solicited by many churches to join with them, and he was
in great anxiety to know which was right. He pleaded with the Lord to
give him wisdom on the subject; and while he was thus praying, he
beheld a vision, and saw a light approaching him from the heavens; and
as it came down and rested on the tops of the trees, it became more
glorious; and as it surrounded him, his mind was immediately caught
away from beholding surrounding objects. In this cloud of light he saw
two glorious personages; and one, pointing to the other, said, "Behold
my beloved son! hear ye  him." Then he was instructed and informed in
regard to many things [p.221] pertaining to his own welfare, and
commanded not to unite himself to any of those churches. He was also
informed that at some future time the fulness of the Gospel should be
made manifest to him, and he Should be an instrument in the hands of
God of laying the foundation of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.221
Some few years after this, having proved himself faithful before the
Lord, he was commanded by an holy angel to go to a hill about three
miles from his father's house, and to take from the ancient place of
their deposit certain plates, on which was recorded the ancient
history of this great Western continent from the earliest ages until
the records were hid up by an ancient Prophet some four centuries
after Christ.

Vol. 7, p.221
In the year 1827 he was permitted to take those plates from their long
deposit, and with them the Urim and Thummin—a sacred instrument such
as was used by ancient Prophets among Israel to inquire of the Lord.
He was commanded of the Lord, notwithstanding his youth and,
inexperience, to translate the engravings upon those plates into the
English language. He did so, and others wrote from his mouth. Here,
then, was the way that the Lord commenced a preparatory work for the
raising up of the kingdom of God. What use would it have been to have
raised up the kingdom of God without giving new revelation on
doctrine? If a church were raised up without the Spirit of revelation,
it could not stand for ever: it would be broken up and scattered, the
same as the other systems of the day, into numerous fragments, one
contending that he was right, and another that he was right; and thus
it would be anything else but the kingdom of God: it would be a
perfect bedlam. But, to prepare the way, the Lord gave a lengthy
revelation, contained in the Book of Mormon, including prophecies and
the fulness of the Gospel, as taught by the mouth of the Saviour
himself on this vast continent 1800 years ago.

Vol. 7, p.221
With such a revelation, the kingdom of God could be set up, having an
unerring guide in doctrinal subjects—a something to show the true
points of the Gospel of Jesus and the first principles of the laws of
the kingdom, and thus remove all cause for any division of sentiment
and opinion.

Vol. 7, p.221
This inspired book was revealed to Joseph Smith in fulfilment of those
prophecies which I have often repeated before you, and which clearly
predict that such a work should come to establish the kingdom of God
on the earth. The book was printed in the early part of the year 1830,
after which the Lord gave express commands to this young man to
assemble together a few who believed in the work, and lay the
foundation of the Church. Accordingly, on the 6th of April, 1830, the
Latter-day Kingdom of God commenced in its organization, consisting of
only six members, in the town of Fayette, Seneca County, State of New
York. Was this in reality the kingdom of God? Yes; it was its
beginning, or merely a nucleus around which proper materials were to
gather and be organized. In the beginning of January, 1831, the Lord
gave a revelation for the few members of his kingdom to gather
together from the State of New York and Pennsylvania to the State of
Ohio. They gathered to the place called Kirtland, Geauga County. They
stayed there a few years, during which the Gospel of the kingdom was
extensively preached in the United States and the Canadas. The Saints
continued gathering to Kirtland and to Jackson County, Missouri.

Vol. 7, p.221
The enemy was on the alert; and knew the difference between the
establishment [p.222] of the kingdom of God and those systems
established by man. If the Church was permitted to prosper, he feared
that his time was short. With the hopes of destroying the kingdom, the
Devil waged war against the Saints in Jackson County, and 1,200 men,
women, and children were scattered abroad in the cold months of
November and December, 1833, wandering houseless and homeless, without
food or fire, over the wild prairies and desolate wilderness of that
country, pursued on every side by ruthless mobs. After this they
settled on the north side of the Missouri river, in Clay County, where
they resided some two years; they were again forced to leave, and
sought refuge from their persecutors still further north, in the
unsettled portions of the State. In the meantime, the Saints in
Kirtland were forced to leave their homes, fleeing from their enemies
into Missouri. In 1839 they were driven out of Missouri into Illinois.
In 1844 the great Prophet of this last dispensation was murdered while
under the pledged protection of the Governor of Illinois. In the
winter of 1846, some fifteen or twenty thousand were forcibly expelled
from their homes in Illinois. In the summer following, the sick, and
the poor, and the aged, whose circumstances had not permitted them to
accompany their brethren, were cannonaded out of Nauvoo.

Vol. 7, p.222
In the midst of these most inhuman and dreadful persecutions, the
United States called for five hundred of these suffering, wandering
exiles to leave their families upon the Plains in the midst of wild
savages, without shelter or food; to fight the battles of the nation
against Mexico. In 1847, after incredible hardships and suffering, the
Saints arrived in these mountains.

Vol. 7, p.222
The object of our persecutors in driving us here was to destroy the
kingdom. They threatened us with utter extermination if we stopped
short of these mountains. They supposed that, when once here, our
destruction would be inevitable. "On those and and sterile deserts
they cannot subsist; famine will speedily waste them away: we shall be
rid of them." These were their expectations. But the Lord had another
object in view in suffering us to be driven into these elevated
regions: he intended to fulfil the prediction of Daniel, that the
stone might be located in its appropriate place, and be more fully
organized and prepared against the day when it should be taken from
the mountain to fulfil the purposes of Jehovah, and itself to become a
great mountain and fill the whole earth.

Vol. 7, p.222
While down yonder in those low countries, the stone was not in the
right place: it was not fully organized. They drove us into these
mountains; and when we arrived, we found now and then a small valley,
and here and there a bush growing, covered with crickets so thickly
that you could scarcely see the limbs. It looked dreary to many to see
nothing but parched grass, barren land, and crickets in abundance,
eating up everything in the form of vegetation. We began to build
houses; but I need not give you the history of the particulars during
the twelve years of our sojourn here. Look abroad in this Territory:
behold the flourishing settlements, forming almost a continuous chain
for some 400 miles north and south. Look at this city for a sample. Do
not our comfortable buildings, our public works, our extensive
improvements testify before heaven and earth, God, angels, and men,
that the Latter-day Saints have been an industrious people, if nothing
else? Look at the amount of labour required of men here to make a
living that is not required in a more fertile region. A man has to
spend two or three tedious [p.223] days to get one small lead of wood
from our almost inaccessible mountain kanyons. He has to irrigate the
land, and spend as much labour in that one thing as the Illinois
farmer would in raising his whole crop. Independent of all this, look
at the scores of cities which have sprung up as if by magic; the tens
of thousands of houses that have been erected, many of which are large
and, commodious, and may be pronounced splendid for a new country.

Vol. 7, p.223
All this immense labour has been within the short space of twelve
years. By whom has it been done? By a down-trodden, persecuted
people—a people who had already been driven five times from homes and
farms, suffering the loss of millions. We might query here, Have the
Latter-day Saints had much time to do evil, even if they had been very
much disposed to do so? You generally find that an industrious people
are a moral people—that a people whose hands are engaged, whose
physical powers are exerted from sunrise till sundown, whose weary
limbs are obliged to be active in irrigating the soil by night as well
as by day, and who are obliged to ascend the mountain heights in quest
of wood and timber, exposed by night to the chilling blasts and
drifting snows of those elevated and dreary regions, have not much
time to devise mischief. On the other hand, you go among the nations
where they are eating and drinking and feasting on the best, and what
do you find there? All manner of evil, drunkenness, lasciviousness,
blasphemies, and every species of degradation and immorality. Such a
class of lazy, indolent loungers can imagine up more mischief in
twenty-four hours than what the whole people of the Saints would live
to do in twenty-four years.

Vol. 7, p.223
But the Devil is as mad as ever. His wrath has not ceased. He feels as
indignant, and a little more so, as when we were in the States. We
really thought, say our enemies, that they would have perished in
those deserts: we supposed that there could not be an ear of corn
raised in the neighbourhood of the Rocky Mountains, and that if we
could not only get them there, we were sure they would come to naught.
But behold, they prosper! What shall we do? We cannot organize mobs
now before breakfast, and go up against them as we did in Missouri and
Illinois. Mobs are out of the question now. We must get something more
plausible to operate upon them, to make the people think that we do it
legally. We must persecute them anyhow. And off went the officials
that were here to spread all manner of lies, that they themselves and
everybody else knew were lies; and the people have since proved them
to be such.

Vol. 7, p.223
But, without appointing a committee of investigation, and without any
farther information, the Chief Executive puts an army on the march,
while nothing but devastation, death, and utter extermination were
denounced by the whole nation, as well as the army, upon the heads of
the devoted citizens of Utah. The mail was withheld, and months passed
away before the peaceful, industrious citizens of this Territory knew
that an army were approaching, or that anything had occurred to
disturb our peaceful relations with the General Government. Under
these startling circumstances, it was concluded to preserve our heads
upon our shoulders, if possible, until we could get some official
intelligence as to the intentions of the Government and the army. In
the providence of God, the army did not reach our settlements, as they
intended, until the following summer. No battles were fought, no blood
was shed, and we still lived. Commissioners arrived from Washington,
when we [p.224] were for the first time informed that the whole
nation, with ourselves and the army, had been labouring under an
entire mistake,—that the President had no intentions against the
people of Utah, but was merely wishing to establish some military
posts.

Vol. 7, p.224
If the nation had been informed of this one year before, what terrible
commotion and excitement would have been avoided? But the President,
no doubt, enjoyed the joke at the nation's expense. The kingdom of God
is destined to stand for ever and fill the whole earth. How are our
enemies going to help themselves? They have tried to do something, but
we are here in our habitation yet; but if not, the kingdom of God
would roll on. We are occupying our farms yet; but if not, the kingdom
of God would roll on. Generally speaking, we are alive yet; but if
half of us were dead, the kingdom of God would roll on. And as yet our
houses are not burned, our crops destroyed, nor our cattle killed off;
but if they were, the kingdom of God would roll on.

Vol. 7, p.224
Neither the United States' army nor all the armies of the earth can
destroy the kingdom. All that we claim is, as I have stated
heretofore, in relation to ourselves, the right guaranteed to us by
the American Constitution. We do not ask for any other rights: we ask
for no more privileges under that Constitution than what are enjoyed
by the people of every other Territory of the American Union. And even
these rights we do not ask for: they are ours without asking for them.
We do not beg for them: we will not bemoan ourselves so much as to
crouch to the Congress of the United States to ask for rights that we
are already in possession of, and that every American citizen should
enjoy here upon this boasted land of freedom.

Vol. 7, p.224
What! ask for that which we already possess, which is guaranteed to us
by the great Constitution of our country, and which was purchased for
us by the blood of our noble ancestors! No; we will do no such thing?
We will take the privileges already ours, and enjoy them, until force
shall deprive us of them; and this is the feeling which every American
citizen should have. Every person in the States, as well as in the
Territories, who has the least particle of the blood of freedom
running in his veins, should maintain the dignity of the Constitution
of our country and the national laws, and should esteem them as the
great shield and bulwark of our defence against tyranny and
oppression, and should maintain them inviolate, and claim them, if it
be necessary, to the shedding of the last drop of blood that runs in
his veins. We should claim them to the last, and say, Those rights are
ours, and we will maintain them or die! These are my feelings.

Vol. 7, p.224
The kingdom of God is here. Is it a theocracy? Yes, so far as
ecclesiastical law is concerned. Is there anything in the Constitution
of this Government that prevents us from establishing any kind of laws
that we please to govern us ecclesiastically, so long as we do not
infringe upon the laws of the United States, or go against any of the
rights guaranteed in the American Constitution? No. What is guaranteed
to us in that noble instrument handed to us by our fathers? It gives
every class of people, whether few or many, the privilege of
organizing themselves; and establishing whatever laws they please to
govern them in it Church capacity; and no one has a right to molest
them. Do we hold ourselves subject to the civil laws? Yes. God,
notwithstanding he has given us Church laws, has not freed us from the
authority of the civil law. We are subject to the Constitution as much
as Kansas is, and to the laws of the United  States [p.225] as much as
any Territory of the nation. Have we in any respect transgressed? If
we do not transgress the law, then let us be free, like any other
American citizens, and let us worship God according to the dictates of
our own conscience. Search the Book of Doctrine and Covenants of this
Church—go through all the sections of that book, and you will find
that the voice of the Lord is unto the people, Do this, do that, and
the other thing. That is the word of the Lord: it is the law given to
govern his Church; and the Lord says in that book, You are bound to
keep the laws of the land; and be that keepeth my laws hath no need to
break the laws of the land.

Vol. 7, p.225
The Lord has not come cut and said to the Latter-day Saints, Do you go
against all human or civil laws; but the reverse: he has given these
heavenly laws while in our infancy to govern us in a Church capacity;
and in so doing, we do not infringe upon the laws of man. Again: Here
is the Book of Mormon, which contains a theocratical law to govern the
Saints of God. You can find nothing in this book that comes in contact
with the American Constitution or the laws of the United States.

Vol. 7, p.225
Where, then, are we transgressing by establishing a theocratical form
of Government in the midst of this republic? We are not transgressing
any more than the Methodists or the Baptists, or any other religions
sect. All have equal rights. I would as soon take up the weapons of
war to defend the rights of the Presbyterians as any other sect and
party on this American Continent: they all have equal rights with the
Latter-day Saints, and therefore they should be protected with them. I
do not know all things which are in the future; but Daniel's prophecy
has pointed out that the little stone will smite the image on the
feet, and break in pieces the feet, iron, clay, brass, silver, and
gold, and that the whole great fabric should come tumbling down
together with a mighty crash. That is not fulfilled. But one thing we
do know—if they will let us alone, we will let them alone, and do them
good; but if they illegally and unlawfully trample on our toes, I do
not know but we shall try to fulfil that which is in the prophecies.
If they undertake to oppress us and bring us down into bondage, and
deprive us of our just rights guaranteed by the Constitution, I do not
know but the great Jehovah has it in his mind to do unto them as they
would do unto us, if they had the power; and I do not know but we, as
American citizens, will be compelled to rise up and defend our just
rights and fulfil that which is spoken by the ancient Prophets, while
merely acting in self-defence.

Vol. 7, p.225
We calculate to maintain the Government of the United States and the
principles of the Constitution. They were given indirectly by the
voice of inspiration to our ancestors: they were given to maintain
inviolate the principles of civil and religious liberty to all people
under heaven. Can the idolater come here and build a temple to worship
idols in? Yes. Go into California and you will find one erected by the
Chinese: they are worshipping dumb idols there. The people undertook
to punish them by law; but judgment was given that inasmuch as they
did not infringe upon the rights of others, they had a right to
worship idols. Is it the privilege of the idolater to worship here? It
is the privilege of the Mahometan to come here with his many wives? it
ought to be; but so far as the local State laws are concerned, they
have deviated from the Constitution. These State laws make the
Mahometan divorce all his wives but one, or else they will confine him
in prison for years. These State laws will break up his [p.226] family
and make him disown and turn out his children upon the wide world,
fatherless and unprotected. They say to the Mahometan, You can live
here in Missouri, or in any other State, if you will only do this.

Vol. 7, p.226
What wonderful liberty! Shame on the State which will thus pass laws
in open violation of the Constitution. I would see them all in heaven
or somewhere else, before I would thank them for offering me liberty
on conditions of breaking up my family.

Vol. 7, p.226
Where can you put your finger on a law passed by the American Congress
which deprives a man of the rights guaranteed to him relative to the
government of his family, no matter whether he takes one wife or many?
Undertake to deprive the people of this one domestic institution, and
you can, upon the same principle, deprive them of all others.

Vol. 7, p.226
Imprison the polygamist for having more than one wife, and you have
the same right to imprison a man for having more than one child, or to
punish the slaveholder for having more than one slave. The same
Constitution that protects the latter also protects the former. It is
just as much the right of the people to have twelve wives as to have
twelve children. What would you think of a State law that would
undertake to deprive you of the privilege of having only one child?
This would be no more barefacedly unjust than the State laws against
polygamy.

Vol. 7, p.226
The Mahometan can come to Utah with his wives; anybody can come here,
without having his family broken up, his wives torn from his bosom,
and his children cast out to the world. We say to all the world, Come
to Utah; and so long as we have the power to elect wise legislators,
we will protect you in your domestic rights, according to the national
Constitution.

Vol. 7, p.226
From what has been said, we begin to understand something about the
kingdom of God. It is to originate in the mountains and roll down out
of them, like a stone; and as it rolls it will gather force and
greatness, until it shall become in due time like a great mountain,
and fill the whole earth. And when the great King shall come, sitting
upon the throne of his glory in the midst of the armies of heaven,
every eye will see him—every ear hear his voice. Then shall all the
proud and they that do wickedly be consumed as stubble; then all who
will not give heed to the Prophets, and Apostles, and Jesus will be
cut off from among the people, as was predicted by Moses; then shall
all people, nations, and tongues who are spared upon the face of the
whole earth serve and obey the great King;—then there will be no sects
and parties—no idolaters or unredeemed heathens; then will be
fulfilled the prediction of Zechariah—"And the Lord shall be king over
all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."
(Zech, xix. 9) Then shall the knowledge of God cover the earth as the
waters cover the bosom of the great sea.

Vol. 7, p.226
But between the time of the setting up of the kingdom and its final
triumph, there will be successive stages of its increasing greatness
and glory. Many of the Saints will see their King long before he comes
in the clouds of heaven. Before that great day the Saints will have
great dominion and rule on the earth. Zion will send forth her laws
and her institutions, and her peace officers to protect every sect of
Christendom and all flesh in their religious rights, as was so clearly
and eloquently laid before you by our beloved President two Sabbaths
ago. While time shall last, the free agency of man should be
protected; but when the archangel shall stand  forth upon the land and
upon the sea, and swear, in the name [p.227] of Him who liveth for
ever and ever, that time shall be no longer, then woe be unto the
wicked and those who have rejected the servants of God, for they shall
be consumed by the brightness of his coming and punished for the abuse
of that moral agency given them, and in the exercise of which they had
been so carefully protected by the laws of Zion.

Vol. 7, p.227
You see the difference between the period of time in which the kingdom
is growing and spreading forth and enlarging its dominions, and that
more glorious period when the kingdom of heaven shall come to meet the
earthly kingdom—when all the powers of heaven shalt be made manifest
and have place on our transfigured and sanctified earth. May the Lord
our God, our great King and Lawgiver, bless the people! May he open
the eyes of the honest, that the words of truth may penetrate them!
May the power of the Holy Ghost, like a gentle stream, flow over them!
May the Spirit of truth rest down mightily upon the Saints of the
latter days! May they be armed with power and with the righteousness
of God in great glory! May they rise up in mighty faith, like the
people in the days of Enoch, that the heavens may clothe them with the
glory of God! and may they go forth, conquering and to conquer, until
the false tradition and evils and sins and abominations of the
children of men shall be swept from the earth, and until the King of
kings and the Lord of lords shall reign triumphantly with omnipotent
power! Amen.

Brigham Young, April 7, 1860

Voting to Sustain the Authorities of the Church—
Appointment of Elder Cannon to Fill Up the Quorum of the 
Twelve—Remarks to Departing Missionaries

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1860.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.227
I have not inquired whether there are any cases of difficulty between
brethren or differences in doctrine that should be presented before
the Conference. I have heard of none; consequently I have not given an
opportunity to present any. I do not expect there is any such business
requiring our attention.

Vol. 7, p.227
We will first present the authorities of the Church; and I sincerely
request the members to act freely and independently in voting,—also in
speaking, if it be necessary. There has been no instance in this
Church of a person's being in the least curtailed in the privilege of
speaking his honest sentiments. It cannot be shown in the history of
this people that a man has ever been injured, either in person,
property, or character, for openly expressing, in the proper time and
place, his objections to any man holding authority in this Church, or
for assigning his reasons for such objections. Persons have frequently
ruined their own [p.228] characters by making false accusations. Some
say they dare not tell their feelings, and feel obliged to remain
silent. They, no doubt, tell the truth. Why do they feel so? This,
probably, arises from some vindictive feelings against a certain man
or men whom they would injure, if they could; and they conclude that
their brethren are like them and would seek their injury, if they
should avail themselves of the privilege of speaking or acting
according to their wicked sentiments and thoughts: therefore they dare
not develop the evil that is within them, lest judgment should be
meted out to them. They know that they have evil designs; they know
that they would bring evil on their brethren, if they had the power;
and fear seizes them: they skulk off, and in the midst of the enemies
of this people they say they are conscience bound—that they are tied
by the influence, power, or authorities of this people. What is it
which thus binds them? It is the power of evil which is in their own
breasts: that is all that in the least abridges them in their
privileges.

Vol. 7, p.228
When I present the authorities of this Church for the Conference to
vote upon, if there is a member here who honestly and sincerely thinks
that any person whose name is presented should not hold the office he
is appointed to fill, let him speak. I will give full liberty, not to
preach sermons, nor to degrade character, but to briefly state
objections; and at the proper time I will hear the reasons for any
objections that may be advanced. I do not know that I can make a
fairer proffer. I certainly would, if it were reasonable to do so. I
would not permit contention; I would not permit long argument here: I
would appoint another time, and have a day set apart for such things.
But I am perfectly willing to hear a person's objections briefly
stated.

Vol. 7, p.228
The first name I shall present to you is that of Brigham Young,
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If any
person can say that he should not be sustained in this office, say so.
If there is no objection, as it is usual in the marriage ceremony of
the Church of England, "Let them for ever afterwards hold their
peace," and not go snivelling around, saying that you would like to
have a better man, and one who is more capable of leading the Church.

Vol. 7, p.228
[The names of the authorities and the votes thereon were printed in
the Conference minutes.]

Vol. 7, p.228
The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve have made choice of
George Q. Cannon to fill the vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve. He
is pretty generally known by the people. He has been raised in the
Church, and was one of our prominent Elders in the Sandwich Islands.
He went upon that mission when he was quite young. He is also known by
many as the Editor of a paper which he published in California, called
The Western Standard. He is now East, assisting in the transaction of
business and taking charge of this year's emigration. I will present
his name to the congregation to become a member of the Quorum of the
Twelve, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Parley P.
Pratt. If this is pleasing to you, you will be so kind as to vote
accordingly.

Vol. 7, p.228
[The vote was unanimous.]

Vol. 7, p.228
As to evil-speaking, I will say that if men will do the will of God
and keep his commandments and do good, they may say what they please
about me.

Vol. 7, p.228
[The names of persons selected to go on missions were read, and the
President continued his remarks.]

Vol. 7, p.228
We have at times sent men on missions to get rid of them; but they
have generally come back.  Some think it is an imposition upon the
[p.229] world to send such men among them. But which is best—to keep
them here to pollute others, or to send them where pollution is more
prevalent? Ten filthy sheep in a flock of a thousand will so besmear
the whole, that, to the eye of a stranger, they all appear to be
worthless, when nine hundred and ninety of them are as good as can be,
but for the outside smearing by the ten filthy ones. We have tried to
turn the filthy ones out of the flock, but they will not always stay
out. A few such defile, to outward appearance, the whole flock; and we
have it to bear.

Vol. 7, p.229
I wish the Elders to go and preach the Gospel, instead of begging from
the poor their last picayune. I could say a good many things with
regard to this subject, but I dislike doing so. My feelings are keen
upon this matter. I wish the Elders to go and preach the Gospel, to
bind up the brokenhearted, to hunt up the lame, the halt, the blind,
and the poor among men, and bring them home to Zion. Do they do this?
Not always. My feelings have been sufficiently hurt by a different
course; and if the Elders do not stop it, I do not intend to bear it
much longer. Perhaps some of them may say—"Brother Brigham, I think
our lives and preaching and general deportment will compare very well
with yours." Yes, about as well as white will compare with black,
blue, or red. I ask the people of this Church, Who of you have helped
me in the days of my poverty? Sometimes a brother or a sister has
given me a shilling or a few coppers. The second time I went to
Canada, which was after I was baptized, myself and my brother Joseph
travelled two hundred and fifty miles in snow a foot and a half deep,
with a foot of mud under it. We travelled, preached, and baptized
forty-five in the dead of winter. When we left there, the Saints gave
us five York shillings with which to bear our expenses two hundred and
fifty miles on foot, and one Sister gave me a pair of woollen mittens,
two-thirds worn out. I worked with my own hands and supported myself.

Vol. 7, p.229
I have borrowed money, but where is the man I have refused to pay what
I borrowed of him? If such a man can be found, let him come forward. I
have supported myself and my family, by the help of the Lord and my
good brethren. Some of the brethren have helped me very liberally, for
which I thank them. After I was ordained into the Quorum of the
Twelve, no summer passed in which I did not travel during the summer:
I also travelled during much of each winter. Who supported my family?
God and I. Who found me clothing? The Lord and myself. I had a large
family, and in the States have paid as high as eleven dollars a barrel
for flour.

Vol. 7, p.229
My business is to save the people, not to oppress, plunder, and
destroy them. It is also the duty of all the Elders to labour to save
the people. Who supported me when I was in England? I was sick and
destitute when I started for England, with not a member of my family
able to bring me a drink of water. When I was able to walk ten or
fifteen yards to a boat, I started. For an overcoat I had a little
bed-quilt my wife used to put on a trundle-bed. When I landed in
England, I had six shillings. Who administered to me? The Lord,
through good men. The brethren were good and kind to me; but they did
not gather me five pounds in this, and a hundred pounds in that
Conference, and twenty pounds in another Branch. Have our Elders
gathered money in this way? Yes, too often, if not all the time; and I
am sick and tired of it; and if they do not stop it, I will expose
them.

Vol. 7, p.230
My practice in England, when I [p.230] went from my office, was to put
a handful of coppers in my pocket to give to the poor. Did I feed
anybody there? Yes, scores. Did I help anybody to America? Yes, to the
last farthing I possessed. By keeping the  office and doing business
myself, I had money enough to come home; but brother Heber and brother
Willard borrowed money and helped others. When we arrived home, were
we flush with means? No; we were nearly destitute. I had a little
clothing, and the most of that I gave away to poor brethren. I also
had one sovereign, and, by obtaining fifteen cents more, was able to
buy a barrel of flour. Brother Joseph asked me what I was going to do.
I told him that I did not know, but intended to rest with my family
and friends until we ate it up, and then I would be ready to walk in
the way the Lord should open before me. Joseph would often ask me how
I lived. I told him I did not know—that I did my best, and the Lord
did the rest.

Vol. 7, p.230
Do men get rich by this everlasting begging? No. Those who do it will
be poor in spirit and in purse. If you desire to be rich, go and
preach the Gospel with a liberal heart, and trust in God to sustain
you. If you cannot by such a course come home with shoes, come with
moccassins; and if you are obliged to come barefooted, tar the bottoms
of your feet: the sand sticking in the tar will form a sole; and thank
God that you have arrived here in that way rather than in carriages.
But no; many of our Elders must come in carriages: they must have
gold, and silver, and fine clothing to enable them to flirt around
with their wives.

Vol. 7, p.230
Let my, wives take care of themselves. "But," says one, "I have
gratified and pampered my wives so long, were I to go away, what would
become of them?" Leave them to plan and provide for themselves.

Vol. 7, p.230
Will those Elders I am talking to to-day take the hint? or will they
follow the practice of too many, and beg, and make that their chief
joy and occupation? If you take the hint, go from here without purse
or scrip, unless the brethren give you something: leave all you can
with your families, and do not beg creation dry. Preach the Gospel,
gather the poor, and bring them home to Zion. Return naked and
barefoot rather than come in carriages procured with money obtained
from the poor and destitute. If the rich give to you, receive it
thankfully. Return with a wheelbarrow or hand-cart, and bring some of
the honest poor with you. If you do not pursue this course, I shall
conclude that we have made a selection of grovelling, worldly-minded
men,  whose brains, at least in my estimation, are not as their should
be.[p.231] 

Heber C. Kimball, August 28, 1859

Greater Responsibilities of Those Who Know the Truth, &c.

A Discourse by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, on 
Sunday afternoon, August 28, 1859.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 7, p.231
A great many things pass through my mind, not only here, but when I am
about here, transacting business and attending to those things that
devolve upon me: yes, there are thousands of principles and ideas come
into my mind in my ruminating moments, and I frequently wish that I
could send them, like the sound of Gabriel's trumpet, to the hearts of
the Latter-day Saints, and especially of the Elders of Israel that
dwell in these valleys, and of all those who preside over the people
of God in the North and in the South, in the United States, in South
America, in Europe, and in all the nations of the earth, and of those
on the islands of the sea, and finally, of all Saints.

Vol. 7, p.231
How do you think I feel when I see the conduct of some of the Elders
of Israel, who are guilty of cursing and swearing and getting drunk?
I feel disgusted.

Vol. 7, p.231
I wish the Saints abroad felt as I do. If they did, they would come to
these valleys, if they had to come with handcarts, or pack their
provisions upon their backs: they would gather to the headquarters of
the Church, for there is the head of God's government on the earth—the
keys of power; and there is the authority, and every person that comes
into this Church is connected with that authority.

Vol. 7, p.231
This is upon the same principle that brother Pratt was speaking of
this morning. He said the main trunk of the Church was in heaven; and
I can tell you that that is not all, for the main root is in heaven,
even in our Father and our God, and his Son Jesus Christ; and the
moment that the Almighty sent Peter, James, and John, and ordained
Joseph Smith an Apostle, the seed of that Priesthood and Church was
planted: it was planted in him; and as he received it, he planted it
first in one, and then in another; and this Gospel has gone forth into
many parts of the earth. Still remember that this is one seed; that
is, it all sprang from one, the same as one mustard seed will produce
ten thousand, and then continue to multiply so long as it is planted;
and so it is that this Priesthood has spread and increased in the
world.

Vol. 7, p.231
Now, we use figures as Jesus did; for said he, "I speak unto you by
parables, but the world understand them not." They do not understand
the work of God; they do not know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet, or
that Hyrum Smith was a Patriarch; neither do they comprehend that
Brigham Young is an Apostle and a Prophet. If the people in Carthage
or in Illinois had known these things, they never would have killed
Joseph.

Vol. 7, p.231
If William Law, William Marks, and hundreds of others had known that
Joseph was a Prophet, they would [p.232] not have betrayed him, nor
tried to take away his life.

Vol. 7, p.232
Do you suppose that the people would have killed Jesus, if they had
known that he was the Son of God? In this dispensation they have
killed Joseph and Hyrum and thousands of others. Yes, thousands of
men, women, and children have gone to their graves prematurely, in
consequence of the persecutions of some portions of the inhabitants of
the United States; and many of those who did not participate in the
actual persecutions said amen.

Vol. 7, p.232
Do I know this? Yes, I do. I visited the cities of Washington,
Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, about the time of the
martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and I know that the majority of
the people rejoiced in it: still it was a shock on many of the people.
Even now there are apostates that are laying the foundation to kill
many others.

Vol. 7, p.232
How do you think I feel? Why, I feel precisely as Jesus felt under
similar circumstances, and he said it would be better that such
characters should have a millstone about their necks, and they be sunk
to the bottom of the sea.

Vol. 7, p.232
Some who profess to be Saints and even Elders will get drunk, fight,
and swear most horribly. Their state and condition is much worse than
that of those who do not understand the law of God, and who have not
been educated in the principles of virtue, righteousness, purity, and
holiness.

Vol. 7, p.232
Brethren and sisters, if you feel willing to do as I do, you will stay
at home and let the liquor go to hell, with those that corrupt
themselves with it. The only wish I have to offer is, I wish there was
a little more strychnine in it. I wish it for the sake of all those
that will not forsake their evils; for, if I were in that position, I
should wish I was where I could not sin any more.

Vol. 7, p.232
The present state of our society is permitted for a wise purpose, and
all things have transpired according to the will of God; but these
evils and this looseness of character that have been brought in here
were never designed for you and me. It was published in the papers, by
Congress-men and judges and others in authority, that they would send
a people here to improve our morals, and to change them; so that if we
had a man to send to Congress, we might have a dozen candidates and as
many parties, and finally be the same as they are in the House of
Representatives. But, gentlemen, this will never be with the
Latter-day Saints. If the United States ever admit us into the Union
and give us a State Government, we will carry out the principles of
union, justice, and righteousness in these mountains, according to the
will of Heaven.

Vol. 7, p.232
Some of my brethren think that I had better not say anything about the
United States; but they will give us a State Government just as soon
if I talk about them as if I never named them.

Vol. 7, p.232
It is as I used to tell Dr. Bernhisel, when we sent him to Congress,
about the time that plurality was preached, that the cats were not all
out of the bag yet. I told him that the cats were going to have
kittens, and then the kittens would have cats. But it is all right
whether they give us a State Government or not. Still, if our Father
in heaven designs that we should have a State Government, we shall
have one, whether I say much or little about it; and when he intends
to bring it about, he will change the minds of the President, Cabinet,
and Senate, and House of Representatives; and he can do it as easily
as I can change this pitcher from one side of the stand to the other,
and I know it. He handles the nations of the earth, the President of
the  United [p.233] States and his Cabinet, and he will finally handle
the whole world for the good of his people.

Vol. 7, p.233
This seems a good deal to believe. [Voice: I believe it.] You believe
it! Bless your soul, I know it. "Mormonism" is right, and I am here
telling James Buchanan what will be. I suppose you will say that the
Lord never will do this. But the Lord can change Mr. Buchanan's mind
in five minutes, just as easily as I can change the potter's vessel,
or take a lump of clay and change it into more than one hundred and
fifty different shapes.

Vol. 7, p.233
You know that I am a potter by trade. Do you think the Lord can turn
and twist you into as many shapes of mind as I can a piece of clay? I
want you to be one—to be united in all things, that you may have the
blessings of heaven upon you.

Vol. 7, p.233
I can say that I feel cheerful; I feel well; I enjoy the good Spirit
continually, and wish that every Saint enjoyed the same blessings to
the same extent that I do. Who ever saw any one misused by me? No one.
When I speak plainly of the conduct of men, some will say that I mean
them. All I have to say is that I mean those who are guilty.

Vol. 7, p.233
I want you to remember that there are a great many steps to be taken
in this kingdom; and if people will try to do right in all things, the
Lord will bless and prosper them; and I feel in my heart to bless all
good men, and all that have done good to this people. I bless those
that have brought us goods—sugar, tea, coffee, &c.

Vol. 7, p.233
Now, friends and neighbours—you that have come to bring us goods, you
are God's servants, and you shall be blest if you sill continue to
bring us goods.

Vol. 7, p.233
Brethren, in regard to our friends that are here, I wish to say that
they are the children of our Father and our God, and they have come
here and brought their goods; and I will take the liberty of using a
Yankee phrase, and say we were pretty ragged before they came here.
Gentlemen, you have conferred a favour upon us, and no doubt many of
our people will purchase goods from you. Now, when you get our money
and our favour, do try and speak a good word for us; and when I come
up and speak to you, don't look as if you would bite my head off. I
have never cheated you out of one dime, neither have I taught my
brethren to do so. I treat all men honourably, and teach others to do
likewise.

Vol. 7, p.233
I will here give you merchants a little advice. Let our people have
your goods at a reasonable price, and don't; have a dozen different
prices for the same article in your stores. If you will pursue this
course, you will gain confidence and secure custom; but if you don't,
you will lose it, for we shall turn merchants ourselves. You have done
good in bringing goods here, and I wish you would bring from one to
two thousand waggons next year, all heavily laden with such things as
we require. Why? Because, when goods come here, they have to be sold;
and if more were brought, they would come down in price, and we should
be able to get about as much for one dollar as we can now get for
three. I say, God bless you! for you rescued us from the sharks. You
know that a shark is a fish that eats up all the other fish.

Vol. 7, p.233
I am a backwoods Yankee, born in Vermont, in the mountains, and I
don't fear any man on the earth, and never did. If I continue to abide
in the principles of truth, I shall go to a place where truth dwells
unsullied. I am a friend to this people, for they are the people of
God, and they  will prosper in all their righteous
undertakings.[p.234] 

Vol. 7, p.234
We are blessed with plenty of all things necessary for our comfort
this year, and we shall have enough next year, for I have no idea that
these things can be taken out of the country. But I look for pretty
keen times after that, and therefore I would recommend the brethren to
buy goods and lay them away, and don't sell them; for the time will
come when many will be destitute of the necessary comforts of life.

Vol. 7, p.234
Take your grain and lay it away against a day of famine. "But," says
some one, "he is repeating what he said a few Sundays ago." Well,
never mind how often I speak of these things: they are for your good.
Some have tried to make you believe that you cannot keep your grain;
but I say you can, if you choose, and preserve it for years.

Vol. 7, p.234
I will relate a fact in relation to my own affairs. I have been
removing a bin containing 1,200 bushels of my wheat that has lain in
the basement story of a stone house three years, and a portion of it
four years; and it is as good as it was when I had it put in there. I
moved it because the brethren said it would spoil, and I thought I
would put it in another bin, which I am doing; and, by the help of
God, I intend to keep it. And I will say that if I had ten or fifty
thousand dollars, I would lay it out in wheat.

Vol. 7, p.234
Some are afraid of speculating in wheat; but I am not, for I shall
live to see the day when I shall be able to feed many of you. Why,
don't you believe that wheat is the best property you can have on
hand? Test it; try my words, and see if I tell the truth about it, as
well as I do about other things. Many of you say you believe it; and
if you do, repent of your sins and forsake them, and for ever turn
away from them, and then be baptized for the remission of sins, and
you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the blessing of that
Priesthood which is now upon the earth. But some say they do not
believe it; therefore they won't forsake their sins.

Vol. 7, p.234
With regard to grain, I will say, If you do not lay it up and keep it,
you will be sorry in a day to come; for you will see hard times,
trying times, plagues, and famines, and bloodshed. Be advised and
provide in time, and while you have the opportunity.

Vol. 7, p.234
The Apostle James, in speaking of faith, says, "Show me your faith
without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." That is
the way I intend to show mine. I will lay up my grain, my cloth, and
all the comforts of life, that my family may be comfortable—be made to
rejoice and praise the Lord. I am sometimes joyful and sometimes sad,
but I try so to live that I may always enjoy the Holy Spirit.

Vol. 7, p.234
I have no doubt about the time coming when we shall feel the pangs of
hunger and destitution; and when that time comes, what will be the
state of things with the world? Just as well as I know what brother
Pratt said to-day was true, and that it will come to pass, do I know
that these things will be of which I have been speaking.

Vol. 7, p.234
I see the course that is being taken here. Every few days a man or two
has to die. What is the cause of this? It is the liquor and strychnine
they take that fills them with the Devil. When I first heard of these
things that have been occurring, I thought they proceeded from a few
rowdy boys; but I learn that it is a few wicked men who are slaves to
their appetites. It originates with drunkenness, whoring, and lying.

Vol. 7, p.234
Now, are we not moralized? Have we not become highly civilized? There
never were such things known in these valleys until the army came. I
never knew of such drunkenness,  [p.235] whoring, or murder, until
then. Every little while there is somebody shot. I am ashamed of such
conduct in our streets.

Vol. 7, p.235
Brethren, away to your labour, live your religion, and serve your God
with full purpose of heart, and keep away from places where there is
no good to be obtained. What are you down that street so much for? If
you have not special business with them, do not associate with the
wicked. Have I advised one of my children to go there? No, nor my
wives either: they had better be at home cleaning their clothes,
mending their stockings, and doing those things that are required of
them. This is what they ought to be at. Every woman in these
mountains, throughout these valleys, ought to be attending to these
important duties. I never saw such things in the country I came from,
and I did not know that there was so much sin and corruption as I now
see in the world. I was honest, and I thought everybody else was
honest. I am honest now, and virtuous and upright, and always have
been; and this is what makes me bold.

Vol. 7, p.235
I do not fear the face of man, or anything that lives on the earth. I
only fear to do anything that would grieve my heavenly Father, as a
child should fear to disobey his earthly parents. But there is not
that care now that there was when I was a boy under age. When a son is
eighteen or twenty-one years of age, he now says, I shall do as I
please. This, however, is only in fulfilment of the words of the
Apostle Paul, where he says, "This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own
selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,
truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure
more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which
creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led
away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the
knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy, 3rd chap., 1 to 7 verses.)

Vol. 7, p.235
These are Paul's words used when he was prophesying of the last days,
and they have verily come to pass. Bless your souls, I never thought
of being disobedient to my father and mother; and in the land where I
was born I never heard of such a thing. I was born in Vermont, and
brought up in Ontario County, in the State of New York, where I stayed
until I embraced "Mormonism." But times have changed wonderfully since
I was a boy, and more especially since the revelation of the Gospel to
Joseph Smith. The spirit of disobedience and, I may say, of every
species of wickedness, has increased among the people.

Vol. 7, p.235
From the time I embraced the Gospel, I have been knocked about
considerably; but I am now here in the mountains, and I am ten times
better off than I ever was before; and I have not got the means out of
your hands, neither Saints nor sinners. I have had things stolen, and
have had men come and confess it to me; but they never brought
anything back yet. I told every man that came to me that I would
forgive him, but I never told any one that he could keep the article
he had feloniously taken; and all such acts will stand against men,
and I shall meet them at the bar of God, if I remain faithful. This is
my religion, and these are my feelings respecting sinners who know
what the law of God is.

Vol. 7, p.235
Now I will speak a few words about Mr. Ethan Allen, the grandson of
Colonel Ethan Allen, who was in the [p.236] Revolutionary war. He came
along with the troops that came here this season: he travelled with
them, because there was a little danger from the Indians, and the
officers advised him not to come through this city at all. But he told
them that he was acquainted with President Brigham Young and with
Heber C. Kimball; and said he, "I am going to see them, for I have
been acquainted with Heber C. Kimball nearly forty years, and I am
satisfied that they are as goodmen as I need wish to associate with."
The officers he was talking to said that he would find us to be
"damned scoundrels." But notwithstanding this, he came and spent
several days with me, and visited President Young several times; and
when he went away, he wept, and I felt to bless him: therefore I said,
"Ethan, peace be with you!—peace and salvation attend you and your
family!" I then told him to inquire of the Lord, and he would reveal
to him a knowledge of the truth.

Vol. 7, p.236
He said to me, "I have heard a great many things against your people;
but I have found things just as I supposed I should: I find you are
all doing right and feeling well. "But," says he, "Mr. Kimball, there
are thousands of your old friends and neighbours that would have been
glad to spill your blood, and they have expressed such sentiments both
from the pulpit and from the press."

Vol. 7, p.236
I told him I knew it, and that I was just as good a man then as I am
now, and now as I was then, and that I expected to continue to do good
as long as heaven exists, and righteousness prevails, and God reigns.
"Now," said I, "tell such men to help themselves, if they can; for
'Mormonism' will prevail, and they cannot put it down, and I know it."

Vol. 7, p.236
I do not care what anybody writes, if they tell the truth—tell things
just as I tell them, and that is just as they are. You cannot
prejudice the world any more than they are now prejudiced. If you go
to the Devil, you will have nobody to blame for it but yourselves. I
do not mean the sectarian's hell, but I mean the hell that the
"Mormons" believe in, and that is a hell of torment.

Vol. 7, p.236
When the wicked find that they are separated from their fathers and
friends—from those that are saved, they will feel sorrowful and be in
torment. Where are the wicked going? I do not know:the Lord may break
off a piece of the earth, and let them slide." I do not know anything
about a sectarian hell, but I know what God says about it—"He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned."

Vol. 7, p.236
Now, the extent of that damnation is net here revealed; but I believe
that all will be saved that can be reached by the redemption of Jesus
Christ; and there is a way to save everybody, except those that sin
against the Holy Ghost, or shed innocent blood, or consent thereto;
and they will be judged as brother Pratt said they would. If a man has
shed innocent blood, he will have to pay the atonement, or he never
can atone for his sin; therefore, at the day of judgment he will be
judged according to men in the flesh, and condemned according to the
law.

Vol. 7, p.236
Repent of your sins now, and have them forgiven, and do not wait till
after you leave this probation.

Vol. 7, p.236
May the peace of God be with you! Peace be upon the righteous. But the
wicked won't prosper: they will wither and be forgotten; and though
they may plot evils against this people from this time forth, they
will be frustrated.

Vol. 7, p.236
This is the kingdom of God, and that makes me so bold and fearless,
because I know it; and I  know it would go on and prosper, if they
were [p.237] to kill me and President Young; for we have 10,000 Elders
in the United States and in this Territory, and about 12,000 in
Europe; and therefore there is no fear of the work falling to the
ground for want of men to represent it.

Vol. 7, p.237
Brethren and sisters, be faithful, be humble and diligent, and the
good Spirit of the Lord will attend you from this hour, and you will
finally be saved in our Father's kingdom; which I earnestly pray may
be the happy lot of you and all good Saints, in the name of Jesus
Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Brigham Young, September 1, 1859

Providences of God—Privileges and Duties of the Saints—
Spiritual Operations and Manifestations—the Spirit World, &c.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, September 1, 1859.

Reproted By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.237
I wish you to understand and practise the lessons you have already
received, or you cannot consistently look for more. And do not become
tired or discouraged if you cannot learn your lessons all at once, for
with diligent and close application you can learn how to live to all
eternity, which is the object of our being here. Be patient; do not
murmur at the dealings of Providence. The Lord rules in the heavens
and works his pleasure upon the earth. Can you comprehend the meaning
of the Prophet Amos in the question, "Shall there be evil in the city,
and the Lord hath not done it?" His providences are constantly ruling
and overruling, to a greater or less degree, in the affairs of the
children of men. Do all people discern and understand that his
providences are over the workmanship of his hands, and that he
controls all things? No, they do not. The lessons you have been taught
tend to instruct you upon these points.

Vol. 7, p.237
Can this people understand that the Lord—that Being we call our
Father, as also the Gods and all heavenly beings, lives upon the
principles that pertain to eternity? Can the people comprehend that
there is not, has not been, and never can be any method, scheme, or
plan devised by any being in this world for intelligence to eternally
exist and obtain an exaltation, without knowing the good and the
evil—without tasting the bitter and the sweet? Can the people
understand that it is actually necessary for opposite principles to be
placed before them, or this state of being would be no probation, and
we should have no opportunity for exercising the agency given us? Can
they understand that we cannot obtain eternal life unless we actually
know and comprehend by our experience the principle of good and the
principle of evil, the light and the darkness, truth, virtue, and
holiness,—also vice, wickedness, and corruption? We must discern and
acknowledge that the providences of the Lord are over all the [p.238]
works of his hands—that when he produces intelligent beings he watches
over them for their good. He has given human beings an intelligence
designed to become eternal, self-existent, independent, and as Godlike
as any being in the heavens.

Vol. 7, p.238
To answer such design, we are given our agency—the control of our
belief, and must know the darkness from the light and the light from
the darkness, and must taste the bitter as well as the sweet.

Vol. 7, p.238
You need exhorting rather than teaching. You have been taught doctrine
in abundance, and I have sometimes thought it a pity the Lord has
revealed quite as much as he has. And I can truly say that I believe,
if I am guilty in any one point in my walk before this people, it is
in telling them things they are not worthy of—that I have given unto
them things that they could not receive. For this reason I deem it
mainly needful to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.

Vol. 7, p.238
Brother Spencer referred to the carelessness and forgetfulness of the
people, and to how prone we are to get out of the way, to depart from
the love, enjoyment, peace, and light that the Spirit of the Lord and
of our religion gives unto us. We should live so as to possess that
Spirit daily, hourly, and every moment. That is a blessing to us,
which makes the path of life easy. For a man to undertake to live a
Saint and walk in darkness is one of the hardest tasks that he can
undertake. You cannot imagine a position that will sink a person more
deeply in perplexity and trouble than to try to be a Saint without
living as a Saint should—without enjoying the spirit of his religion.
It is our privilege to so live as to enjoy the spirit of our religion.
That is designed to restore us to the presence of the Gods. Gods
exist, and we had better strive to be prepared to be one with them.

Vol. 7, p.238
The people wish to know what to do to do right. When those who live
their religion meet to speak to each other—to mutually strengthen
their faith and encourage one another in good principles, in good,
wholesome, loving lives—in morality, tradition causes some to say that
they mean to do better—to alter their lives and live better than they
have, when, if it was to save the world, they could not live any
better unless they knew more. Have we not made mistakes? Yes, a great
many. If we had known better, we could have done that which would have
resulted in greater good. But, considering their knowledge, those who
are striving to do right cannot conduct themselves any better than
they do. I know a great many that I have that opinion about. Do they
err? Yes. Do they knowingly do wickedly? They do not; but they do as
well as people can. And I do not believe that brother Spencer, the
President of this Stake, could, with the same knowledge, better his
life in past years; and I have the same feeling in regard to many with
whom I am acquainted. I know this by my own experience, which is a
most excellent schoolmaster when we do the best we can.

Vol. 7, p.238
We will seek unto the Lord for more knowledge; we will get wisdom and
forget it not, but treasure it up in our hearts, and treasure up every
holy principle as fast as our ability will permit us to do so. And if
our minds am strong enough, and we are so constituted as to comprehend
and retain, let us strive to receive every principle that pertains to
life and salvation, and treasure them up in our hearts against the
time of need. Walk humbly before our God, and learn correct principles
as fast as you can; and then, when you discover you have missed it
here and there, where you imagine that you could have done better,
never find fault  with the knowledge [p.239] God has given you, nor
with your own faith, virtue, and works; for you have done the best you
could.

Vol. 7, p.239
This people are familiar with very many principles pertaining to
eternal life; and I will ask you what principle that will endure—what
that is valuable in life is there, so far as you have learned, and
what is therein life which you know, have known, can learn, or that
exists, that "Mormonism" has not given to you? "Mormonism," or, in
other words, the Gospel of salvation, embraces the whole. It
incorporates every true principle there is in heaven and on earth. If
a person learns a truth, he learns so much of the Gospel of salvation.
And when he learns that, he wants to understand the bearings of the
great plan. He wants to understand—I will not say the extent of it,
because he cannot do so, but as much thereof as his ability can
comprehend, and to discern that the Gospel of salvation, the eternal
Priesthood of the Son of God, is the life that is, that was, and that
is to come,—eternal life. Those principles are given to the children
of men to practise upon, that in so doing they may come up and inherit
eternal life. This is for us to learn, treasure up in our hearts, and
practise. Do not seek for that which you cannot magnify, but practise
upon that which you have in your possession.

Vol. 7, p.239
I know very well that, whether we are active or not, the invisible
spirits are active. And every person who desires and strives to be a
Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that came here when Lucifur
fell, and by the spirits of wicked persons who have been here in
tabernacles and departed from them, but who are still under the
control of the prince of the power of the air. Those spirits are never
idle; they are watching every person who wishes to do right, and are
continually prompting them to do wrong. This makes it necessary for us
to be continually on our guard—makes this probation a continual
warfare. We do not expect to be idle. The individual that obtains a
celestial kingdom will never be idle in the flesh. It is a spiritual
warfare. He contends against the spirits of darkness and against the
workers of iniquity, and wars all the day long against his own
passions that pertain to fallen man. it is therefore necessary that
the people speak often one with another, encourage each other in every
good word and work, sustain every one in every good act, operate
against every evil act, and continue so to do through life.

Vol. 7, p.239
Some, who understand more or less of the principles of the Gospel,
appear to be a trifle discouraged. Such do not thank more of the life
to come than they do of the present life. When the breath leaves the
body, your life has not become extinct; your life is still in
existence. And when you are in the spirit world. everything there will
appear as natural as things now do. Spirits will be familiar with
spirits in the spirit world—will converse, behold, and exercise every
variety of communication one with another as familiarly and naturally
as while here in tabernacles. There, as here, all things will be
natural, and you will understand them as you now understand natural
things. You will there see that those spirits we are speaking of are
active: they sleep not. And you will learn that they are striving with
all their might—labouring and toiling diligently as any individual
would to accomplish an act in this world—to destroy the children of
men.

Vol. 7, p.239
Pertaining to the present state of the world, you know what evil
spirits are doing. They are visiting the human family with various
manifestations. I told the people, years and years ago, that the Lord
wished them [p.240] to believe in revelation; and that if they did not
believe what he had revealed, he would let the Devil make them believe
in revelation. Do you not think that the Devil is making them believe
in revelation? What is called spirit-rapping, spirit-knocking, and so
forth, is produced by the spirits that the Lord has suffered to
communicate to people on the earth, and make them believe in
revelation. There are many who do not believe this; but I believe it,
and have from the beginning.

Vol. 7, p.240
If true principles are revealed from heaven to men, and if there are
angels, and there is a possibility of their communicating to the human
family, always look for an opposite power, an evil power, to give
manifestations also: look out for the counterfeit.

Vol. 7, p.240
There is evil in the world, and there is also good. Was there ever a
counterfeit without a true coin? No. Is there communication from God?
Yes. From holy angels? Yes; and we have been proclaiming these facts
during nearly thirty years. Are there any communications from evil
spirits? Yes; and the Devil is making the people believe very strongly
in revelations from the spirit world. This is called spiritualism, and
it is said that thousands of spirits declare that "Mormonism" is true;
but what do that class of spirits know more than mortals? Perhaps a
little more in some particulars than is known here, but it is only a
little more. They are subject in the spirit world to the same powers
they were subject to here.

Vol. 7, p.240
If we live faithful to the doctrine and faith of the holy Gospel we
have embraced, we shall understand the real benefit and advantage that
we will have over those who are not in possession of the true
principles of salvation or the Priesthood. If we are faithful to our
religion, when we go into the spirit world, the fallen spirits—Lucifer
and the third part of the heavenly trusts that came with him, and the
spirits of wicked men who have dwelt upon this earth, the whole of
them combined will have no influence over our spirits. Is not that an
advantage? Yes. All the rest of the children of men are more or less
subject to them, and they are subject to them as they were while here
in the flesh.

Vol. 7, p.240
If we conquer here and overcome in the Gospel, in the spirit world our
spirits will be above the power of evil spirits. Not that we can so
overcome, while here, as to be free from death; for though Jesus
overcame, yet his body was slain.

Vol. 7, p.240
Every person possessing the principle of eternal life should look upon
his body as of the earth earthy. Our bodies must return to their
mother earth. True, to most people it is a wretched thought that our
spirits must, for a longer or shorter period, be separated from our
bodies, and thousands and millions have been subject to this
affliction throughout their lives. If they understood the design of
this probation and the true principles of eternal life, it is but a
small matter for the body to suffer and die.

Vol. 7, p.240
When death is past, the power of Satan has no more influence over a
faithful individual: that spirit is free, and can command the power of
Satan. The penalty demanded by the fall has been fully paid; all is
accomplished pertaining to it, when the tabernacle of a faithful
person is returned to the earth. All that was lost is passed away, and
that person will again receive his body. When he is in the spirit
world, he is free from those contaminating and condemning influences
of Satan that we are now subject to. Here our bodies are subject to
being killed by  our enemies—our names to being cast out [p.241] as
evil. We are persecuted, hated, not beloved; though I presume that we
are as much beloved here as the spirits of the Saints are in the
spirit world by those spirits who hate righteousness. It is the same
warfare but we will have power over them. Those who have passed
through the vail have power over the evil spirits to command, and they
must obey.

Vol. 7, p.241
You require to be stirred up to reflection, to examine your
religion—the faith of the holy Gospel—the Priesthood; for it is worthy
of your notice, lest perhaps a little gold becomes too precious in
your thoughts. The individual who builds all his hopes upon property,
upon gold and silver, and the possessions of this world, making these
treasures his idol, has never yet seen, by vision, the glory of the
celestial world,—has not had a foretaste of it. He has little or none
of that knowledge which God designs to give to the faithful. When that
is possessed, what is the world to Saints? It is subject to them, and
it is not in the power of Satan to blot out or destroy that heavenly
knowledge.

Vol. 7, p.241
You see men eagerly striving for gold, riches, wealth, and mourning
and fretting—"We wish we had done so-and-so, for then we should have
made a few more dimes. And now we wish to go and obtain piles of gold,
and to do this and that—to heap up wealth and gain power." As Lorin W.
Babbitt said, who used to belong to this Church, but went to
California, "I am going to sell my house and go away. I have laboured
eighteen years for the Lord, and now I am going to work for Lorin W.
Babbitt." What an expression!—as though he could control the elements.
If he possessed a mountain of gold and gambled it away in one night,
it would still be in the world, whether in his possession or out of
it. Suppose that I, through covetousness and dishonesty, had
accumulated millions of dollars, and then should lose it all in an
hour, in neither case is it out of the world, and there is as much
property in the one case as in the other: it has merely changed hands.
Solomon, when speaking of these things, says, The race is not to the
swift, nor riches to men of wisdom. Do not fret, nor be so anxious
about property, nor think that when you have gathered treasures, they
alone will produce joy and comfort; for it is not so.

Vol. 7, p.241
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor riches
to men of wisdom. The Lord gives the increase: he makes rich whom he
pleases. You may inquire, "Why not make us rich?" Perhaps, because we
would not know what to do with riches. You remember that a while past,
nine waggons went through this city on their way to California,
accompanied by some soldiers as an escort and guard. One of our
missionaries, returning home, met them on the northern route, and
asked one of them what caused him to apostatize? The man replied—"To
tell you the truth, I was used so well at Great Salt Lake City that I
could not endure it. I came there with a hand-cart company, and had
not a mouthful of anything to eat, no clothing, nor anything to make
me comfortable. As soon as I arrived in the city, Heber C. Kimball,
having learned my name, met me and said, 'Brother, there is a house;
there are flour, meal, and fuel: you have had a hard time; go there
with your family, and make yourselves comfortable, and eat and drink,
and get rested; and when you wish to go to work, I will give you
employment and pay you for your labour.' From that day my heart was in
me to do evil. I have been trying to apostatize ever since and have
finally made out to do so; and I cannot attribute it to anything
[p.242] in the world, only that I was used so well."

Vol. 7, p.242
This exhibits the spirit that is in many. They are faithful while they
are extremely poor; but give them wealth, and they are thrown off
their guard, forget their sacred vows and solemn covenants, and the
property they have around them occupies their whole attention and
affections; their minds become wholly engrossed in their possessions.
Doubtless there are some instances opposite to this; but probably, in
nineteen cases out of twenty, poverty and hardship will tend to make
people humble and faithful.

Vol. 7, p.242
Oppression, persecution, afflictions and other trials and privations
are necessary as a test to all professing to be Saints, that they may
have an opportunity to witness the workings of the power which is
opposed to truth and holiness. Go into East Temple street (now
commonly called "Whisky-street"), and you will see all the wickedness
you can reasonably wish to. You can there see it, smell it, taste it,
and learn enough about it, without going anywhere else. It is all
necessary, that we may have the privilege of proving whether we prefer
good or evil. There are robbery, theft, drunkenness, lying, deceiving,
gambling, whoring, and murder; and what evil is there lacking? Scan
the civilized world and ask what evil they have that we have not; and
if there is one lacking, it will come, for every variety is necessary
to prove whether we will preserve our integrity before God.

Vol. 7, p.242
You will know that the evil done here is laid to me. Let them pursue
that course until they are tired of it. I defy them, from the gate of
the celestial kingdom to the bottom of the bottomless pit, to
truthfully substantiate a single accusation against me. They may
continue to lie, and hire others to lie, and trump up false I
accusations against me; for I am accustomed to that kind of treatment
from the wicked, and I am fully able, God being my helper, to endure
it: it does not hurt me one particle. If the Devil and his servants
loved me, and wrote and spoke well of me, I should be jealous of
myself. But if I keep the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, I shall also
have the fellowship of Saints and angels. Then let the wicked howl and
foam; it is all right.

Vol. 7, p.242
I wish to know whether I can stand the power of temptation and
preserve my integrity. I know not but what I may be thrown into
circumstances that will be pretty hard, but feel tolerably well
assured that I shall not apostatize.

Vol. 7, p.242
Evil temptations and abuse are necessary to prove our faith, to
determine whether we will sacrifice our carnal appetites and desires,
or forsake the knowledge of God and godliness. If we are not willing
to make sacrifices for the truth and the Gospel's sake, we are not
worthy celestial glory. What is there of an earthly nature, even
though dear to us, that we cannot live without, so we have that which
will sustain nature and enable us to perform the duties and labours
resting upon us? With the exception named, I do not know of anything.

Vol. 7, p.242
I can let you all go, so far as I may be required. I do not know that
I ever thought enough of tobacco, tea, snuff, or anything else of that
description, to alter the natural traits of my character. My passions
must be in subjection to my spirit. Perhaps I am not possessed of such
ungovernable passions as many are. But let our passions be as they
may, the whole man must be the servant of that Being who gives us
life. We need to talk with each other, pray with each  other, and
encourage each other, until our spirits have overcome [p.243] all
propensities to evil. Do you understand, what I have often taught you
as plainly as my language will permit me, the warfare pertaining to
the spirits of the children of men while in the flesh? The spirit is
pure and holy upon its entrance into the tabernacle, and God, by the
power of his Spirit, operates upon it; but the flesh, and no more, is
unholy; and here are the holy and the unholy united. Which shall be
the master? Let the spirit that comes from the eternal world, which at
the outset is pure and holy, with the influence God gives to it,
master all the passions of the body, and bring it under subjection to
the will of Christ. That course makes us Saints.

Vol. 7, p.243
I have flattered myself, if I am as faithful as I know how to be to my
God, and my brethren, and to all my covenants, and faithful in the
discharge of my duty, when I have lived to be as old as was Moses when
the Lord appeared to him, that perhaps I then may hold communion with
the Lord, as did Moses. I am not now in that position, though I know
much more than I did twenty, ten, or five years ago. But have I yet
lived to the state of perfection that I can commune in person with the
Father and the Son at my will and pleasure? No—though I hold myself in
readiness that he can wield me at his will and pleasure. If I am
faithful until I am eighty years of age, perhaps the Lord will appear
to me and personally dictate me in the management of his Church and
people. A little over twenty years, and if I am faithful, perhaps I
will obtain that favour with my Father and God.

Vol. 7, p.243
I am not to obtain this privilege at once or in a moment. True, Joseph
Smith in his youth had revelations from God. He saw and understood for
himself. Are you acquainted with his life? You can read the history of
it. I was acquainted with him during many years. He had heavenly
visions; angels administered to him. The vision of his mind was opened
to see and understand heavenly things. He revealed the will of the
Lord to the people, and yet but few were really acquainted with
brother Joseph. He had all the weaknesses a man could have when the
vision was not upon him, when he was left to himself. He was
constituted like other men, and would have required years and years
longer in the flesh to become a Moses in all things. For the length of
time he lived, he was as good a man as ever lived in the flesh, Jesus
excepted. It was so ordered that a man has to live and gain by his
experience that knowledge and wisdom, and that degree of stability in
his character that will present him favourably to the heavenly hosts
at all times and under all circumstances. Let us, then, resolve and
act upon the principle of constant improvement.

Vol. 7, p.243
As to doing any better than I have done, I have to know more, and so
have you. You have done as well as you knew how. This is a matter of
rejoicing to me. And though we are still far from being perfect, the
Latter-day Saints are not far from a deep desire to be perfect. They
are far from being what they should be; but they are not far from an
abiding desire to be what they should be. But have you so trained
yourselves as to be able to say, for instance, that if the potatoes
you have planted yield, abundantly well; and if they do not, that is
just as well? Can you feel to say that in all sincerity? Can you say,
after you have prepared the ground, cast in the wheat, watered it, and
taken good care of it, and then found the crop destroyed by blight or
smut, Well, all right? Can you honestly say so? If you cannot, you
have not schooled your hearts to what you should have done—to learn
that [p.244] it is God alone who gives the increase. We can plough, we
can plant, sow, water, and tend, because we are ordained to do these
things; but no man on the earth is ordained to give the increase.

Vol. 7, p.244
It is for us to frame our acts. We shape our lives—we do this, that,
and the other agreeably with the best knowledge we have; but do we
produce the results of our acts? We do not. The Lord controls the
results of the acts of all nations under heaven. He casts down a
throne here, and sets up another yonder,—brings forth a nation out of
obscurity, and causes the most powerful nations to crumble to dust. We
have this to learn, and to study and learn ourselves, and to control
our own dispositions and passions, so that when we see others out of
the way, we can have compassion on them, and say—"Thank the Lord, we
have not been suffered to go astray and give way to our passions." The
merciful man shall find mercy. When a man designedly does wrong, he
ought to be chastised for that wrong, receiving according to his
works. If a man does wrong through ignorance, and manifests sincere
sorrow for the wrong, he is the one whom we should forgive seventy
times in a day, if necessary, and not the one who has designedly done
wrong and repents not.

Vol. 7, p.244
It is for us to so live that our lives will become sweet and more
precious than gold or silver. And our communion one with another, may
it increase in all the sublimity and heights and depths of consolation
known only to those who are truly united on the earth by interests and
bonds that are eternal.

Vol. 7, p.244
May the Lord bless you for evermore! Amen.

Daniel H. Wells, Octber 7, 1859

Privileges and Duties of the Saints—Home 
Manufactures, &c.

Remarks by President DANIEL H. WELLS, 
in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.244
The President, in his remarks this morning, dropped a sentence like
this—"Let us manfully man the ship Zion." To do this I conceive to be
the duty of the Elders of this Church and kingdom. It is a privilege
which the Almighty has conferred upon us, and one which we should
esteem as the greatest that could be conferred upon us: but do we
realize this fact? Do we realize that the Lord has revealed to us true
knowledge and intelligence—that we have become the happy recipients of
true principles of life and salvation revealed from heaven in our day?

Vol. 7, p.244
None of us, with our present limited understanding of God and his
dealings with mankind, can realize fully the extent of our present
privileges: but do we understand enough of them to  stimulate us to
make the work of God [p.245] the business of our lives? Is the Lord
about to establish his kingdom, and is he beating about in the world
for recruits to man the ship, and have we enlisted under his banner,
to sail with him, and then do we falter—feel cold and lukewarm? This
question is for each one to answer for himself.

Vol. 7, p.245
What is this ship Zion—this great work we have undertaken? How can we
do the most good, and how accomplish the work we have undertaken in
the best and most approved way? These are questions we must answer for
ourselves. Are the people of these mountain valleys Israel? If we are,
can we not control and bear rule in a proper manner over all matters
that come under our supervision?

Vol. 7, p.245
If we have faith, which it is the privilege of all the Saints to have,
can we not exert a powerful influence among the nations of the earth
for our protection and salvation as a people? And may we not be yet
more successful in disseminating the principles of life and salvation
among all nations? That righteousness may be exalted among men by our
efforts, we must nurse and cherish the principles of righteousness in
our midst. Can we rebuke evil and walk it under our feet? We can, if
we have faith as we ought to have it, and have that oneness the
President spoke of this morning. If we have this, we can do all
things, because faith is mighty when concentrated in a oneness of
action. Let Israel arise and frown down evil, and the fear and the
might and the power of the Almighty will burn more and more in the
bosoms of the Saints. How can we serve our master and the cause in
which we have enlisted in the best possible manner? By being perfectly
obedient to those who are placed to preside over us in our various
Wards and settlements, and by living above the power of the law, as
our President has remarked.

Vol. 7, p.245
Are we ready now to take hold with one heart and with one mind to man
the ship Zion—build a temple for instance? Are you ready, by a skilful
and judicious husbandry of the soil, to bring forth its rich fruits,
and store them up until you are called upon to contribute your stored
wealth, as well as your energies, for the further development and
spread of the power and influence of the kingdom of God? Are the
mechanics ready, should a call be made upon them to go as preachers of
righteousness to the nations, or to engage in any other work that may
be allotted them? I say, Are the Elders of this Church ready to spring
at once into these various avenues, when they shall be opened again,
without a single word of complaint? Are we all willing to devote
ourselves, our interest, and all we possess to the building up of this
cause and kingdom upon the earth?

Vol. 7, p.245
I believe a great majority of this people are willing to do this; but
I think they might improve in this respect as well as in many others
pertaining to their duties as Saints. I think, if they felt to devote
themselves and all they have, the hands of the President would be
loosed more than they are in many respects, the public works would
begin again, and Israel scattered abroad would begin to flock by tens
of thousands to the gathering-place of the Saints; and I think those
who have received benefit from the P. E. Fund Company would strengthen
that company by rolling back into their hands the means they have
expended for them, the treasury of the Lord would be replenished, and
these Gentile stores would be less patronized, and handle less of your
cash.

Vol. 7, p.245
We have been instructed over and over again how to make ourselves
independent, and these are some of the things that have been told to
us. It is for us to build up the kingdom [p.246] of God individually,
as well as collectively. Union of effort and feeling—practice as well
as precept, is what is required. Let every man thus do his duty, and
things would be as you would like to see them. Very soon there would
be no necessity for millions of dollars' worth of goods to be brought
across the Plains every year, nor of patronizing those who spend
nothing whatever to build up our cities or improve our country. There
is a lack in this respect in this community—a lack which rests with
ourselves. I think our good friends are beginning to learn that the
people called "Mormons," who should be Saints, are really the people
of this Territory, and have some rights which they would strenuously
preserve from being trampled upon.

Vol. 7, p.246
By respecting themselves, the Saints would patronize each other as far
as they can do so, instead of patronizing those who stand ready to cut
our throats on the first favourable opportunity.

Vol. 7, p.246
A few, however, cannot bring about that state of things so desirable
to the many: it requires a union of effort by the whole. The many can
freeze out iniquity from our midst, by simply letting them severely
alone; and they can patronize home manufactures, if they are disposed
to do so, and be united in it. This is of great importance to our
community. Many would like to commence manufacturing useful articles,
if they could be encouraged by the patronage of the people.

Vol. 7, p.246
We know not how soon we shall be thrown upon our own resources, and I
say, the sooner the better: but I would like to see the day when
Israel will do themselves good of their own will and accord, without
being obliged to do so.

Vol. 7, p.246
It has been said that the Devil could make the Saints consecrate, when
the Lord could not. The Lord may permit the Devil to do so; but he
does not force any man: he leaves all men to act upon their agency.

Vol. 7, p.246
We have enlisted to build up the kingdom of God. And who are so blind
as not to see that much of this work depends upon our producing within
ourselves that which we consume? But what is the truth? Why, the very
moment a few goods are brought into the market a little cheaper, you
get them in exchange for your money, and home manufactures are
suspended.

Vol. 7, p.246
Suppose the gate was shut down upon imported goods for one
twelve-months, you would be in the same situation you were in eighteen
months ago. I wish to impress this strongly upon your minds. Remember
that now is a good time to produce for our own support everything we
can.

Vol. 7, p.246
Do not suffer your flax to go to waste because goods can be bought
cheaper than you can make them, and do not let your wool waste for the
same cause. Recollect that what you do yourselves is within: it is not
an outward expense. If you are obliged to get some things you cannot
make, unite together and send for them, and buy them where you can get
them the best and cheapest, and not suffer yourselves to be bled to
death by those who have no interest in common with you.

Vol. 7, p.246
By this procedure, you can plainly see that the temporal interests of
Israel would be consulted, and there would be some means left to build
up a town or a city, and help to gather scattered Israel. This is our
business. All other considerations sink into insignificance in
comparison to our duty of building up the kingdom of God. My mind
continually dwells upon this all-absorbing subject, and I would like
to see Israel wise in regard to these important items.

Vol. 7, p.247
If those who are engaged in home manufactures were fully patronized,
[p.247] they could afford to sell cheaper. The objection is, they
charge more for home manufactured articles than better articles of the
same kind can be bought for of those who import them: but if they had
your best pay, they could probably produce better and cheaper
articles. Instead of giving them your best pay, you expect them to
take firewood, or some other kind of pay, upon which they cannot
sustain their business, and you take your cash to the stores. That is
an insurmountable difficulty the home manufacturer has to encounter.

Vol. 7, p.247
Hundreds of articles can be produced among us that are now brought
from the States; and there are those in this community who are skilful
in the manufacture of them. I would like to see those artizans
commence to produce every kind of useful article within their power,
and let the brethren in the different Wards sustain them by freely
giving them their support; and as long as they can produce as good an
article as can be imported here, give them as good a price as you
would give the importer, and in as good pay. I do not care so touch
what the price of an article is; but I think it should be manufactured
and sold here a little cheaper than it can be afforded by the
importer.

Vol. 7, p.247
For instance, to the disgrace of this people, they buy brooms that
have been imported from the States. They can bring them here and sell
them to you from fifty cents to a dollar each. Can they be raised and
made here cheaper than that?    They can. Twelve-and-a-half cents per
pound is a permanent tariff on the importation of brooms to this
country, which the home manufacturer has the benefit of; and he can
certainly produce the material almost as cheap as it is produced in
the States. I think, then, we should manufacture and sell this article
cheaper than it can be afforded by the importer. This principle would
be my guide for the price of almost every other article of home
manufacture.

Vol. 7, p.247
I have dwelt a little longer on this subject than I had intended, but
my mind has been led out upon it; and I acknowledge I think a good
deal about it, for it is an item of vast importance to us to produce
that which we consume.

Vol. 7, p.247
At our meeting yesterday I was much interested. My heart was full to
overflowing. I felt very humble. I knew the Spirit of the Lord was
with us. I feel so to-day. When I heard from the congregation how they
felt—how they desire to do right, when I heard them exhorting their
brethren how they might do this and that for the advancement of the
cause of Christ, and to be faithful in the service of the Lord, I felt
there was a good time near at hand for Israel—that the ungrateful
influences that have been around us were mellowing down, that the dark
cloud was beginning to break up, that we were about to be greatly
blessed of the Lord our God, and that he is near unto us. I feel so
to-day.

Vol. 7, p.247
"Mormonism" is not a thing of to-day only, but it is a lifetime work.
Let us take hold of it in the way that we can sustain ourselves and
build up the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.247
To manufacture the articles we consume is all in the line of our daily
duty. Everything that is necessary for our subsistence as a kingdom,
as families, and as individuals, has to be furnished. We have to live,
and we must have rules, regulations, and authorities. We have to dig,
plough, raise grain, and produce everything we need. While we live,
make rules and regulations, and walk by them, we are building up the
kingdom of God. There is every variety of talent and genius needed,
and there is a place for every man and woman, wherein they can be
useful in building [p.248] up his kingdom. All these ingredients are
necessary.

Vol. 7, p.248
We want what any other community has that is good and great. We want
to make the desert blossom as a rose, to build up cities, and make
useful and ornamental improvements that will beautify the dwelling
places of the Saints—make them lovely and fit habitations for angels.

Vol. 7, p.248
Should heavenly messengers be sent to our cities, called Zion, what
have we to show them that is gratifying and pleasing? Become wealthy?
Yes; it is for the inhabitants of Zion to become wealthy, if they only
use their means for the building up of the kingdom of God. We have
done very well in a great many respects, considering the difficulties
we have had to encounter: but the word is—Continue to improve, do
better, and never forget that the building up of the kingdom of God is
the only business we have on hand. I have thought the people are not
aware that the Spirit of the Lord is with them as much as it really
is.

Vol. 7, p.248
When people are striving to do right all the time, they become
accustomed to its influences, and they are not apt to mark the
progress of their individual improvement as they go along in the
faithful performance of their daily duties. If the visions of our
minds had been opened twelve  years ago to see the Saints as they are
situated now in this country, what a  vision of remarkable events it
would have been to us! and how few would have believed it! If we
improve in the same ratio ten years to come, and could now see in
vision our situation as a people at the expiration of that time, it
would be to us a most glorious vision, and almost past belief.

Vol. 7, p.248
We have been greatly and marvelously blessed; but we are sometimes
forgetful of our blessings and of our ability to do a great many good
acts, and too often think there is nothing to do, when there is a
great deal to be done. Thus many have become slack in their duties,
and have made shipwreck of faith so far that they cannot reclaim
themselves. They do not realize that they are living in the blaze of
the glory of God continually.

Vol. 7, p.248
Let me exhort you to be faithful, prayerful, and humble, that you may
realize the blessings you enjoy, continue to progress in improvement,
and have more abundant blessings poured upon you; for the Lord is
willing to pour out blessings as fast as we are prepared to receive
them.

Vol. 7, p.248
Let us spring forth when the word is given to perform any and every
duty we are called upon to perform. Let us present a firm and unbroken
phalanx of strength against evil of every description, and be united
in frowning it down.

Vol. 7, p.248
We pray that righteousness may be exalted. Let us exalt it ourselves;
then the habitations of the Saints will be beautiful in the eyes of
God and angels, although some of them may be homely in the eyes of
men. Let us build up cities, towns, wards, and families, wherein
righteousness shall be exalted; and it will not be a great while
before it will spread over the face of the wide world, and wickedness
will be walked under foot.

Vol. 7, p.248
The Latter day Saints are on a mission to perform this labour, and it
is a great one as well as a glorious one. Let us take hold and do it
manfully, always being mindful of those duties we are called upon
daily to perform.

Vol. 7, p.248
Let us be faithful to the covenants we have made. We have made them of
our own freewill and accord, and have delighted to make them, and
blessed God for the privilege. Shall we, then, utterly disregard
them—walk them under our feet, as it were? or shall we treasure them
as the  most [p.249] sacred treasure? In the life of the Saint, let
the duty of a Saint be the first and foremost consideration; let the
public interest be his greatest wish, form the burden of his prayers,
and be the chief duty of his life. Let him put away all covetousness,
and be wholly devoted to God and his holy religion.

Vol. 7, p.249
Let us live our religion to-day. to-morrow do the same, and so
continue unto the end of our lives; then the purposes of God will
ripen as fast as we can desire them and be prepared for them. This is
my exhortation to the Saints.

Vol. 7, p.249
For my part, I know I have your prayers and faith. I feel it every day
of my life, and am exceedingly thankful and grateful to God and his
people for this mark of their confidence.

Vol. 7, p.249
I desire to live to see Zion redeemed, Israel gathered, Jerusalem
built up, and the people of God in all the world sustained by the
manifestations of the omnipotent power of the  Almighty. For this I
live: it is more than my meat and drink. The most sacred and cherished
wish of my life is to see Israel prevail and become victorious over
their enemies—to see the mighty power and wisdom of God, as it is
transpiring before our eyes from day to day, more abundantly displayed
in their behalf.

Vol. 7, p.249
We read with considerable satisfaction how Moses led Israel out of
Egypt across the desert to the land of Palestine; but do we realize
how the Lord and his servant Brigham have led us day by day, month by
month, and year by year, from the beginning to the present day? As I
have said, the manifestations of the  mighty power of God and the
marvelous displays of his unsearchable wisdom  are so common with us,
that we think  but little of them; and so it was with  Israel of old.
It became an old story with them when the Lord interposed his power in
their behalf—so much so that, if they did not have miracle after
miracle continually before their eyes, they were ready to backslide
and go into darkness, and earned for themselves the name of being a
stiff-necked generation of people. I hope better things of the
Latter-day Saints. 

Vol. 7, p.249
The Prophets of ancient Israel prophesied evil upon them continually,
because of their hard-heartedness and rebellion, when the Lord would
have led them with a gentle hand.

Vol. 7, p.249
In this generation I do not look for  Israel to be scattered on
account of  their transgressions, although various  chastisements may
be necessary; but  I look for Israel to be gathered from every nation,
tongue, and people, to concentrate their energies in building up and
establishing the kingdom of God in the latter days. I 1ook for them to
be humble, obedient, and ready to receive and perform the work of the
Lord, and realize day by day that they are led gently by his hand. It
is their privilege to see these things all the time, and continually
live in the light; for it is a day of light with the faithful, wherein
is no darkness.

Vol. 7, p.249
I like to see Israel obedient, on hand, and ready to man the ship, and
do anything they shall be called upon to do. Let us realize these
things, my brethren and sisters, and not get into that sing-song style
the world are in. It is for us to keep up with the times.

Vol. 7, p.249
Let us take hold with our might, and put forth our energies in the
place they are most needed; and there let us work diligently, no
matter in what department, if it is for the good of Israel, whether it
is to plough, sow, reap, dig rocks, rear temples, build cities, preach
the Gospel, or gather Israel.

Vol. 7, p.249
Do you think the Lord will stop in his work? No; his ship will be
manned, whether we man it or not; and those who stand in the [p.250]
way of the onward progress of this great work will be overthrown and
ridden over.

Vol. 7, p.250
There is no time or opportunity to stop, for the Lord has undertaken
the work, and he does not look backward, nor stay his hand. If we do
not wish to be removed out of the way, we must be diligent, active,
and energetic in our duty, and respond willingly and at once to any
call that may be made upon us by the servants of the Most High.

Vol. 7, p.250
Let our minds be active, wide awake, and eager to reach out after
those things that shall best promote the interests of the kingdom of
God. Let us not forget for a moment the mission we are called upon to
perform, and not become dull and sluggish in the performance of our
duties, and think we have no part or lot in the matter. There is need
of every faithful man and woman in this kingdom, and for millions
more; and then, by concentrating all these efforts, it is easy to
understand what a mighty phalanx Israel will present, making the
wicked nations tremble because of their wickedness. There would be a
mighty shaking amongst them, if Israel was only united, firm, and
stedfast to a man.

Vol. 7, p.250
If the Saints could offer one prayer, with one spirit, to the
Almighty, in behalf of any one measure, I believe that prayer would be
promptly answered in a way that would be felt and realized. If Israel
will pursue this course, it will not be a great while before they will
have things as they want them, not only here but over the face of the
wide world; for the kingdom of God will progress, and the kingdoms of
this world become subservient to its sway.

Vol. 7, p.250
May the Lord help us to live to his name's glory and honour, and for
his cause and kingdom on the earth! May he help us to build it up and
appreciate the blessings we enjoy—live in the light of truth and
intelligence, that our minds may be filled with it continually!—help
us to frown down wickedness, and walk it under foot, both at home and
abroad!—help us to send forth the Gospel to all nations, that his
angels may always work with us, which they do and will continue to do
with us who remain at home and with those who go abroad; and kingdoms
and nations will be cast down for the good of his people and the
furtherance of his work! That he may help us to do all he has designed
we shall perform as a people and as individuals, is my  prayer, in the
name of Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.251] 

Orson Pratt, September 11, 1859

The Ancient Gospel—Adam's Transgression, and Man's 
Redemption From Its Penalty, &c.

A Sermon by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, September 11, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.251
It is my intention this forenoon, if the Lord will assist me by his
Spirit, to say a few words upon the principles of the Gospel; or, in
other words, the first principles of that great plan of salvation
which was devised before the, foundation of the world, for the benefit
of the inhabitants of this earth. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is of
great antiquity. It was ordained in the councils of heaven before the
world was, and all its principles, ordinances, promises, and blessings
were instituted in the beginning, before man was placed upon the
earth. These principles have been revealed to the human family in
various ages of the world,—not only revealed in the meridian of time
by Jesus and the Apostles, but to generations and ages before the
Apostles lived on the earth.

Vol. 7, p.251
Before I commence investigating these principles, to know precisely
what they are, I will read from some new revelations which were
revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the month of December, 1830.
They are revelations concerning Adam, Enoch, Noah, and the Gospel of
salvation, as it was made manifest to them. That which I am about to
read is an extract from the prophecy of Enoch—a book revealed by
inspiration to the Prophet Joseph Smith, some twenty-nine years ago:—

Vol. 7, p.251
"And Enoch spake the words of God, and said, Hath God made known unto
my fathers that all men must repent? And he called upon our father
Adam by his own voice, saying, I am God: I made the world and men
before they were. And he also said unto him, Turn unto me, and hearken
unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and
be baptized, even by water, in the name of mine only begotten Son,
which is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ,—the only name
which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto
the children of men. Ye shall ask all things in his name; and whenever
ye shall ask, it shall be given. And our father Adam spake unto the
Lord and said, Why is it that men must repent and be baptized by
water? And the Lord said unto Adam, Behold, I have forgiven thee thy
transgressions in the garden of Eden. Hence came the saying abroad
among the people, that Christ hath atoned for original guilt, wherein
the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the
children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.

Vol. 7, p.251
"And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying, Inasmuch as thy children are
conceived in sin, even so, when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth
in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to
prize the good. And it is given unto them to know good from evil;
wherefore they are [p.252] agents unto themselves. And I have given
unto you another law and commandment; wherefore teach it unto your
chidren, that all men everywhere must repent, or they can in no wise
inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or
dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of holiness
is his name; and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even
Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge which shall come.

Vol. 7, p.252
"I give unto you a commandment to teach these things freely unto your
children, saying that inasmuch as they were born into the world by the
fall, which bringeth death, by water, and blood, and the spirit which
I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be
born again of water and the Spirit, and cleansed by blood, even the
blood of mine Only Begotten, unto the mysteries of the kingdom of
heaven, that ye may be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of
eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come,
even immortal glory. For by the water ye keep the commandment, by the
Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified; that in
you is given the record of heaven, the Comforter, the peaceable things
of immortal glory, the truth of all things, that which quickeneth all
things—which maketh alive all things, that which knoweth all things,
and hath all power, according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and
judgment.

Vol. 7, p.252
"And now, behold, I say unto you, This is the plan of salvation unto
all men—the blood of mine Only Begotten, which shall come in the
meridian of time. And, behold, all things have their likeness, and all
things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which
are temporal and things which are spiritual, things which are in the
heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are
under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.

Vol. 7, p.252
"And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father,
that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of
the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the
water, and was brought forth out of the water; and thus he was
baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him; and thus he was
born of the Spirit, and he became quickened in the inner man. And he
heard a voice out of heaven, saying, Thou art baptized with fire and
with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father and the Son,
from henceforth and for ever; and thou art after the order of Him who
was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity.
Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my
sons. Amen."

Vol. 7, p.252
I have read this that the Latter-day Saints who have not had the
opportunity of reading these inspired translations of the Prophet may
have an opportunity of learning the fact that the Gospel was revealed
unto man in the earliest ages of our world. I will read also a short
extract from the prophecy of Enoch in relation to a commandment and a
mission given unto him:—

Vol. 7, p.252
"And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me, Look; and I looked
and beheld the land of Sharon, and the land of Enoch, and the land of
Omner, and the land of Heni, and the land of Shem, and the land of
Haner, and the land of Hanannihah, and all the inhabitants thereof;
and the Lord said unto me, Go to this people, and say unto them,
Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die. And
he gave unto me a commandment that I should baptize in the name of the
Father and the Son, which is full of grace and truth, and [p.253] the
Holy Spirit, which bears record of the Father and the Son."

Vol. 7, p.253
Thus we see that not only Adam understood the principles of faith,
repentance, baptism, the new birth, and the gift of the Holy Ghost;
but Enoch also understood the same plan, and had authority given him
to administer in the ordinances of it. We will now pass along to Noah,
still reading from the new translation of the Old Testament, not
translated by King James's translators, but by the Prophet of the
living God—translated by the gift and power of inspiration from on
high:—

Vol. 7, p.253
"And in those days there were giants on the earth; and they sought
Noah, to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power
of the Lord was upon him.

Vol. 7, p.253
"And the Lord ordained Noah, after his order, and commanded him that
he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men,
even as it was given unto Enoch.

Vol. 7, p.253
"And it came to pass that Noah called upon men that they should
repent; but they hearkened not unto his words; and also, after they
had heard him, they came up before him, saying, Behold, we are the
sons of God. Have we not taken unto ourselves the daughters of men?
and are we not eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in
marriage? Our wives bear unto us children, and the same are mighty
men, which are like unto them of old, men of great renown. And they
hearkened not to the words of Noah.

Vol. 7, p.253
"And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the earth;
and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his
heart, being only evil continually.

Vol. 7, p.253
"And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the
people, saying, Hearken, and give heed unto my words; believe, and
repent of your sins, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God, even as our fathers did, and ye shall receive the gift of
the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if you
do not this, the floods will come in upon you. Nevertheless, they
hearkened not; and it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the
Lord had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

Vol. 7, p.253
You recollect King James's translators render it—"And it repented the
Lord that he had made man on the earth;" but the translation given by
inspiration says—"It repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the
Lord had made man on the earth. And the Lord said, I will destroy man,
whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast,
and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth
Noah that I have created them, and that I have made them, and he hath
called upon me, and they have sought his life."

Vol. 7, p.253
These extracts which I have read concerning Adam, Enoch, and Noah you
will find in a little work called "The Pearl of Great Price,"
published by F. D. Richards, in England, a few years ago. We might go
on and read further extracts from the Book of Abraham—a book also
revealed by inspiration to the Prophet Joseph Smith, showing that the
Gospel was revealed to him, and how he received the promise that all
the children of men that would obey that same Gospel preached by him
should be justified and become his children—called his seed, and heirs
according to the promise. But I have read sufficient for the
information of the Latter-day Saints upon this subject.

Vol. 7, p.253
I know it is customary, at the present day, to select some passage of
Scripture as a text upon which to make remarks. Sometimes I follow
this custom, and sometimes I do not. I will just observe, however,
that we [p.254] have no examples on record that Jesus or his Apostles
followed this plan in their preaching. Neither have we anything on
record showing that Jesus or his Apostles opened their meetings by
singing, and then praying, and then singing again, and then preaching.
We frequently conform to the present-day custom in this respect, and
we often do not conform to them, as we feel led by the Spirit of
truth. Neither was it customary, in the days of the Apostles, to make
long prayers; but if they had something very important to communicate
to the people, they did not wish the time occupied in any other way
only in delivering the message they had for them: hence we generally
find their prayers consisting of a very few sentences.

Vol. 7, p.254
I shall select this morning a text of Scripture corroborative of those
I have already read. I shall select it from King James's translation.
You will find it in the Gospel according to John, 3rd chap., 5th
verse:—"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man
be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God."

Vol. 7, p.254
There is much comprehended in this passage that is not fully realized
and understood by the great mass of the human family. To fully
understand it, it is necessary we should understand the true condition
of fallen man; then we shall see the necessity of a new birth:
otherwise, perhaps, we should see no necessity for it. It is recorded
in Scripture history that our first parents, while in the garden of
Eden, transgressed a certain law and commandment of the Almighty, by
partaking of a certain forbidden fruit; which transgression brought
them under condemnation, and subjected them to a certain penalty,
which was the death of their bodies of flesh and bones. "Dust thou
art, and unto dust thou shalt return," was the penalty pronounced upon
Adam. Previous to this, Adam was a pure, innocent being: he was not
contaminated with sin, and was entirely destitute of the knowledge of
good and evil. He was a being intended in his construction to endure
for evermore. Death had no dominion over his tabernacle: the principle
of blood which flows in the mortal tabernacles of men did not exist in
his immortal body; but his veins and arteries contained a fluid of a
far purer nature than that of blood: in other words, they were filled
with the spirit of life, which was calculated to preserve them in
immortality. Though they partook of various kinds of fruit in the
garden, yet there was no fruit in that garden, except one called the
forbidden fruit, which would have the least tendency to destroy the
principles of immortality that reigned within them. They were
organized to endure, bodies and spirits united, millions of ages. By
the transgression of that simple law given to them, they fell from
immortality to mortality: their bodies partook of disease; the seeds
of death were sown within them; and in the day that Adam eat thereof
(reckoning according to the Lord's time,) he passed away and returned
to his mother dust.

Vol. 7, p.254
The probability is, there were deleterious properties or poisonous
qualities in the food he ate, which were calculated to introduce into
the system the seeds of mortality, and so change it that various
forces of nature should have power over it, that in time it should die
and be dissolved to dust.

Vol. 7, p.254
Was this the only penalty pronounced upon father Adam? No: this was
only a part of the penalty. There was dwelling in each of the
tabernacles of Adam and Eve a personage of spirit, formed of more
refined materials than flesh and bones—materials that were
intelligent, immortal, and eternal. Immaterialists of the present day
may object to this:[p.255] but we do not believe in an immaterial
substance.

Vol. 7, p.255
The spirits that dwelt in our first parents were capable of thinking,
feeling, understanding, perceiving, acting, possessing a will and a
judgment: in other words, they were a part of that great substance of
life, or Spirit, which fills the immensity of space, that is in all
things, and through all things. The spirit of man had also a penalty
pronounced upon it, because it yielded to disobedience, by giving heed
to the Tempter; for, by yielding to his teachings, it became subject
to him as a servant.

Vol. 7, p.255
If we become subject to a being, we are under his dominion and power,
and he controls us and exercises authority over us, whether good or
bad. Adam and Eve had placed themselves in a condition that the
Tempter had complete control over their spirits: they became servants
to the fallen angels, to do according to their bidding.

Vol. 7, p.255
Let us now examine how the fall affected their posterity. We do not
inherit Adam's transgression, but the consequences of it. There is a
difference between inheriting the original sin and feeling the
consequences of it. To illustrate: We do not say, when children
inherit the diseases of their parents brought on by drunkenness,
debauchery, lasciviousness, and wickedness of every description, that
it is the effect of the children's individual sins. This is not so:
they only inherit the consequences of the sins of the parents. So it
is with all the posterity of Adam. The consequences of the
transgression of Adam and Eve have flowed down upon us; hence we find
that all the sons and daughters of Adam have become mortal. The seeds
of dissolution are within our tabernacles, because our first parents
sinned, and yet we are not guilty of their sins.

Vol. 7, p.255
Furthermore, Adam and Eve became subject in the spirit to the being
that tempted him. The children that were begotten by him, inheriting
unholy, fallen tabernacles, also became subject to the same being, on
the supposition that there had been no atonement provided. Hence you
perceive the baneful consequences of the fall, considered separate and
apart from any atonement which was to be made.

Vol. 7, p.255
Next let us inquire as to the duration of the penalty. Was the penalty
to cease at the end of a certain period? I want you to look at this,
independent of any considerations of the atonement. If there had been
no atonement provided, the bodies of our first parents, as well as the
bodies of all their children, would have crumbled back to their mother
earth, to rise no more. Would not that have been an eternal death of
the flesh and bones? If there were no atonement, there could be no
resurrection. How could man, being fallen and corrupted, atone for his
own sins? He could not do it. How could he deliver himself from the
power of Satan to whom he had made himself subject? He could not do
it. Satan had claim upon him, and there was no power in man, in the
least degree, to redeem himself from that bondage.

Vol. 7, p.255
This is what we call fallen man, and this is what we call spiritual
death,—not a dissolution or disorganization of the spiritual elements,
but the subjection of the spirit to the power of Satan as eternal in
its duration as the subjection of the flesh and bones to death.

Vol. 7, p.255
Now let us take into consideration for a few moments the great plan
which God devised before Adam was placed in the garden of Eden in
order to redeem man. God, by his foreknowledge, beheld that man would
fall from his first estate, by turning  aside from his
commandments,—that [p.256] he would bring upon himself an eternal
death both of body and spirit. Now is the opportunity for mercy to
step in. Justice had consigned them to eternal death and misery, and
mercy could not step in without destroying the claims of justice, only
upon certain conditions. And what may be those conditions? Would God
accept the sacrifice of a corrupted, sinful, degraded, fallen being as
an atonement for his own sins? No; that would not satisfy the demands
of justice. God could not exhibit the attribute of mercy on any
principle whatsoever, only for a sinless being to suffer in behalf of
sinful man. Inasmuch as the sin was against an infinite being—a
transgression of of a law issued by an infinite being, the atonement
must be an infinite atonement. Hence God sent forth his only begotten
Son in the meridian of time, who took upon himself the form of fallen
man: that is, he entered into a tabernacle of flesh and bones,
although he had not been guilty of the original sin. This he did
voluntarily on his part.

Vol. 7, p.256
For the edification of the Saints, I will refer to a passage in the
inspired translation of the book of Abraham, where we read that in the
counsels of eternity, before the foundation of the world, the Lord
devised the great plan of salvation. When he came to that part of it,
in relation to the future redemption of man, which pertains to a
sacrifice, he made an inquiry—"Whom shall we send?" He did not feel,
as it were, willing to say to any one of the council, You are the
person, and you must go and make this atonement: he did not seem
willing to exercise this authority upon an innocent being, but looked
around upon the assembly as though he would have some one to
volunteer. "And one answered like unto the Son of Man, Here am I; send
me." Here, then, was an offer on the part of the Son of God, the
Firstborn—"I will go and redeem the human family upon the conditions
that thou hast devised."

Vol. 7, p.256
But how could he go and redeem them? He could not redeem them, unless
he suffered for them and in their behalf. The penalty of death had
passed upon them. His father might have reasoned with him in words
something like these:—If you, a pure sinless being, my only begotten
Son, are willing to go and take upon you the same kind of body that
the fallen sons of men have taken upon themselves—a fallen body of
flesh and bones, subject to pain, disease, sickness, temptation, and
finally death, and offer yourself as a sacrifice, (although it is not
required of you, for you have committed no sin that I should cause
death to come on your body; yet if you do this voluntarily, and keep
my commandments in all things, and not sin against me,) I will accept
the sacrifice which you make in behalf of your younger brethren; and I
will have mercy on them, otherwise no mercy can be shown to them:
justice must have its full effect, and they must suffer eternal
misery, being captive to that being whom they have consented to obey.

Vol. 7, p.256
Here, then, was the principle in which could be made manifest mercy in
behalf of the fallen sons and daughters of men. When could this
principle of mercy begin to be exercised? Could it be exercised before
the blood of the atonement was shed? Yes. There was the free,
voluntary offer of the Son of God to do all this work, and suffer and
die for his brethren, before man was placed in the garden: hence, in
the mind of God, it was just the same as though it had actually been
fulfilled. Therefore he is called a lamb slain, as it were, before the
foundation of the world: hence he could have mercy on Adam, on Enoch,
on Noah, on Abraham, on [p.257] the Prophets, and on the children of
men while the earth should stand, because of the atonement that was to
be made in the meridian of time.

Vol. 7, p.257
But the great question for us to consider, on this occasion, is, in
what way the fallen sons and daughters of men can be made partakers of
the benefits of this atonement? Are they to be unconditionally
redeemed by the blood of Christ? Is it to be done by free grace alone,
without any works on the part of the creature? or are there required
on the part of the man certain conditions by which the atoning blood
of Christ can have effect upon him. I will answer this question. The
atonement of Jesus Christ redeems mankind, so far as the fall is
concerned, unconditionally. Now, I want you all to understand this
clearly. There is no faith, repentance, baptism, or works of any kind
required on the part of man to be redeemed from the fall, or from the
sins committed by our first parents. Not one of you are guilty because
Adam and Eve sinned. Did you eat the forbidden fruit? Were you there,
on that occasion, to put forth your hand, and take of that fruit, and
eat of it? The united response of all the world in this and all
generations of man would be—"We were not there." You are not condemned
for a sin you did not commit. Can you repent of something you never
have done? I defy the whole world to repent of Adam's sin, for they
never committed it. You did not exercise your agency on that occasion:
why, then, not be redeemed from it without exercising your agency? Why
not be redeemed by free grace alone, without works? Why be required to
believe, repent, and be baptized for Adam's sin? It would be
foolishness. The atonement of Jesus Christ will redeem every son and
daughter of Adam from his day down to the end of the earth, so far as
that sin is concerned. Hence, all little children have been redeemed
from the fall, and are perfectly innocent and pure before God. The
original sin is not imputed to them. Why? Because of the atonement.
The atonement is just as broad as the original sin and the effects of
it. If the original sin extends its effects to the latest generations
of Adam, so the atonement will extend its effects to all his
posterity, and redeem them from these consequences. But you may
inquire, If we are to be redeemed from Adam's sin and its
consequences, unconditionally, by the atonemont, shall we not be
restored into the condition Adam was in before he fell? I answer, You
will be. What condition was he in? He was an immortal being, and you
will be restored to immortality, whether you be Saints or sinners. The
decree has gone forth that every man is to be raised to immortality.
Then you will be as Adam was in the garden of Eden before be fell.

Vol. 7, p.257
Furthermore, Adam, before he fell, was in the presence of God, and
could behold the face of his Maker, hear his voice, look upon his
glory, behold his angels, and associate with those pure and holy
beings. Will you be restored, back to the presence of God? Yes, after
the resurrection; for Jesus says, "if I be lifted up, I will draw all
men unto me,"—that is, lift them up from their graves, and bring them
into his presence, to stand before the bar of his judgment. What for?
To be judged. For Adam's sin? No. We have nothing to do with that sin
in the day of judgment; but we shalt be brought before the bar of God,
and be restored from the fall, with flesh and bones, but not blood,
and be capable of enduring for ever and ever; and there we shall
behold the face of our God and of Jesus Christ, and the face of his
angels, and be able to converse with them, and hear them converse, as
Adam did before the fall. Is not this a complete restoration?
Yes.[p.258] 

Vol. 7, p.258
Now I want to tell you of something that will come a little closer
home than Adam's sin. Every man or woman upon the face of this globe,
that has come to the years of understanding and accountability, has
committed sin himself or herself. You have had commandments given to
you as well as our first parents had. The holy law has issued from
heaven to us, and penalties have been affixed. And when we come up to
years of understanding and accountability, we transgress the holy law
and commandment given us from heaven, even as Adam transgressed the
first law in the garden of Eden.

Vol. 7, p.258
Now let us consider the consequence of this second trasgression. God
has given a law to the posterity of Adam, after coming to a knowledge
of good and evil by the fall, that they should not do evil. If he has
given a strict law that we shall not do evil you may depend upon it he
has affixed a strict penalty to it; for what would a law be good for
without a penalty? What is the penalty? It is, that if the posterity
of Adam shall do evil they shall, after the resurrection, be banished
again from the presence of God, and from the glory of his power; they
shall endure the pains of the second death. The violation of the first
law given to Adam brought the first death, and the violation of the
second law given to the posterity of Adam will bring the second death,
which is the penalty attached to it. How are we going to help
ourselves? We have all sinned after we came to the years of
accountability. When we were little children, we were perfectly pure,
even as the angels of God; and of such, said Jesus, is the kingdom of
heaven, being redeemed from the fall by the atonement. But are we
redeemed from our own actual sins? We have used our agency in
committing these actual sins, and we have no excuse to plead. We could
justly excuse ourselves in relation to the sin committed by Adam, but
there is no excuse in relation to breaking these second commandments.
We have violated them with our eyes open. Can we escape the penalty?
Says one, There is the atonement. Yes, that is true; but will that
have effect to redeem us from this second death and banishment
unconditionally on our part? No. If we are redeemed from this second
penalty, it will be by exercising our agency—by complying with certain
conditions; and these conditions I intend to lay before you, which are
called the Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.258
I think I have pointed out, as clearly as my feeble language will
permit, the condition of the whole human family, so far as it regards
their fallen state, and so far as it regards their own individual
transgressions. I have tried to be simple in my explanations.

Vol. 7, p.258
What are the conditions by which we are to be redeemed from our own
actual sins and escape this second penalty? After being redeemed from
the grave and brought back into the presence of God and angels, what
would be more terrifying than to hear the words, "Depart, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels?"
Unpleasant as this would be, it must be pronounced, if God is a God of
truth and holiness: his justice must take effect; and, notwithstanding
the atonement, there is no way for him to exercise his mercy in behalf
of the children of men, only through their agency. You can save
yourselves through the atonement, or let it alone. Jesus has done his
part: he has died for us—has got the plan all laid; his blood has been
shed, and he has suffered the pains of all the children of men, and in
their behalf, if they will only accept the conditions.

Vol. 7, p.258
What is the first condition required of the human family? It is to
believe in Jesus Christ as the  true Redeemer, [p.259] and in his
Father as the true God. This condition stands before repentance,
baptism, the sacrament, or keeping the Sabbath day holy; for no person
can keep the Sabbath day holy until he complies with the Gospel. This
faith or belief is the first principle of the Gospel. "He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved," says Jesus Christ; "and he
that believeth not shall be damned." Much has been said about faith.
What is it? Many definitions have been given, but there is nothing
more easy to be comprehended than faith. It is simply an act of the
mind—a belief in those things that are true. It is also a simple act
of the mind to believe those things which are not true. You may have a
false faith or a true faith. Faith should be founded upon evidence.
Where substantial evidence is presented to the mind, it should be
received, and should produce faith in our minds. We should be very
careful in regard to our faith, that we do not receive false evidence,
for this would give us a false faith. I might refer you to many
examples of false evidence producing a false faith. For instance, a
few centuries ago, almost all the world believed that our earth did
not turn upon its axis once in twenty-four hours from west to east;
but they believed the sun, moon, and stars went round it once in
twenty-four hours, and that the earth stood still. This was a false
faith—the result of believing without sufficient evidence: they were
guided by the tradition and popular testimony of the ago. Copernicus
set forth evidence in his day to prove that it was the earth that
revolved on its axis, instead of the sun, moon, and stars revolving
around the earth. The evidence he produced began to beget in the
hearts of the people a true faith, which was founded upon true
evidence; and since his day many demonstrations have barn given to
prove the great fact that it is the earth which moves, instead of the
starry firmament. Upon that subject the world now have true faith,
founded upon true evidence demonstrated to them.

Vol. 7, p.259
So it is in regard to Jesus, the great Redeemer, and God his Father:
evidence is granted to prove to us that there are such beings. Chosen
vessels are called, and have their eyes opened to behold the Father
and the Son, and go forth as witnesses to the inhabitants of the
earth, and bear testimony of that fact, setting forth the doctrine of
the Father and the Son. This evidence begets in the minds of the
people a true faith, while a traditionary evidence often begets a
false faith. For instance, Paul, previous to his conversion, was a
zealous, good man as far as he understood. He went forth, being
governed by his faith, to persecute the Church of the living God. He
verily believed he ought to do many things contrary to the name of
Jesus Christ, the Nazarene. He believed he was doing God service in
putting the servants of Jesus Christ to death. He had a false faith,
founded upon sufficient evidence. By-and-by he received a testimony
for himself that Jesus was really and truly the Christ—that he was
persecuting the followers of the true Redeemer. His faith now became
corrected, a true faith was given him, and the testimony he received
prepared him to bear witness of the fact to tens of thousands of
others,—not a second-hand testimony, but he could testify, My eyes
have seen him; my ears have heard his voice; I have beheld his glory.
He went forth as a witness goes forth into our courts of justice to
testify that he knew positively, and not to testify what some other
men had said, or to what some other person knew. Such witnesses go
forth to the world, and their testimony produces faith in the minds of
those who carefully weigh the evidence. [p.260] Believe that Jesus is,
and that he has atoned for the children of men; believe that without
his death and sufferings there could have been no forgiveness of sins;
believe that his is the only name given under heaven whereby mankind
can be saved. It is a principle requisite to the new birth.

Vol. 7, p.260
My text informs us that unless a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he can in nowise enter into the kingdom of God. Before you can
be born of water, you must have faith in such a principle as birth of
water. "Faith," says the apostle, "comes by hearing, and hearing by
the word of God." That is, in ancient days they had no printing
presses to circuit to the written word, so that faith could come by
reading: they produced faith by their verbal testimony in the hearts
of their hearers who were honest, and who investigated the subjects
laid before them. Will this faith alone save a person in the kingdom
of God? No. This is only faith without works, such as devils have; and
yet it is necessary in a true believer, to precede the works which he
must perform. Devils believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and they
believe it on good substantial testimony. Mankind are required to
believe the same fact as well as the devils; but such faith will never
save an individual without works: there are other conditions to be
connected with it before he can be saved.

Vol. 7, p.260
What is the next step? It is to repent of all our sins: we know what
they are. These persons sitting before me, in this congregation, can
look back upon the past years of their lives, and can reflect upon the
many sins they have committed before God, that perhaps no other person
living knows anything about. You can recollect many laws you have
broken. Perhaps many of you have forgotten some of your
transgressions; but in the next world they will be brought before you.
But you can call to mind some of the most prominent evils and
transgressions which you have committed. Have you taken the name of
God in vain? What saith the law of God? "Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain." Are there not many people in this city
who have used that name in vain? Are there not many persons present
this morning who have blasphemed His name? If there are, you are the
persons I mean: you are the individuals who have need of repentance.
You are the persons that must reform from this sin, or else your faith
that Jesus is the Christ will do you no good. Are there any persons
under the sound of my voice who have cheated their neighbour, and who
have been dishonest in their dealings generally? Look within your own
hearts; look back upon your past dealings with your neighbours in
former days. Have you defrauded them out of the least particle of
their property? If you have, you have broken the law of God—that law
that was thundered from Mount Sinai by the voice of the trump of
God—that law that was continued under the Christian
dispensation—namely, the ten commandments. If you have coveted your
neighbour's property, or stolen, you have broken that portion of the
law. It is just as bad to cheat a man out of his property as to go in
the night-time and secretly steal it from him. Both of these are
strictly against the law of God, and the penalty of that law will be
fulfilled upon every individual that has transgressed it. You cannot,
get from under it, only by repentance and restitution. What said
Zaccheus in ancient times? He was very anxious to see Jesus Christ.
He, no doubt believed in him, and felt to repent, and said,  "Lord, if
I have wronged any man, I am ready to restore  fourfold." [p.261] Are
you ready to do the same, you that have wronged your neighbours—that
have dealt dishonestly and cheated them,—you that have put forth your
hand and taken your neighbour's goods, or his money? If you have true
repentance, you will go and restore fourfold; you will not only say to
him, "Neighbour, I am sorry I have wronged you, and I will do so no
more" (that would not be acceptable in the sight of God); but you will
go and make restitution, which is the way Samuel the Prophet was
willing to do before his death. After having lived to a good old age,
he called together the mighty hosts of Israel, and said to them,
"Behold here I am: witness against me Before the Lord and before his
anointed; whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom
have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I
received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it
to you." No man came forward to accuse the Prophet; and if there is no
just accuser in time, there will be none in eternity but God and your
conscience. If you know that you have wronged a man, your conscience
will accuse you in the day of judgment. Repent of that sin, for
repentance has got to be connected with your faith, or your faith is
good for nothing. Again: Is there any man m this congregation who has
committed adultery? That is against the law thundered by the voice of
the trump of God in the midst of the lightnings and quakings of Mount
Sinai. If you are guilty of that evil, repent of it, and turn to that
God against whom you have offended, and confess your sins, and forsake
them, and do that thing no more.

Vol. 7, p.261
Are there any persons in this congregation who have murdered—who have
shed innocent blood, and have done this in their ignorance of the law
of God, or perhaps in the blindness of their minds, not knowing his
law? There is a chance for you to repent. But if there is a person who
has been enlightened by the Spirit of truth—a person who has received
the gift of the Holy Ghost, and has put forth his hand to shed
innocent blood, we do not call upon you to repent, for there is no
repentance for you. It is a sin that you will have to meet before the
bar of God. It is a sin for which there is no forgiveness in this
world, nor in the world to come. It depends altogether how much light
a murderer has before he commits the deed, as to his chance of
forgiveness; but you have to suffer the penalty that is attached,
which is death.

Vol. 7, p.261
I am now preaching the first principles of the Gospel, and some of the
most prominent sins of this generation I have named over before this
congregation. Look abroad among the nations of the earth, and see the
spirit of murder and bloodshed that exists in the hearts of millions
towards their fellow-men. Look at the feeling of this generation in
regard to our youthful Prophet, who was martyred for his testimony and
for the revelations he received from heaven. In the year 1844 he was
smitten down by the hands of his enemies. Even they are called upon to
repent, if they did not know any better—if they did it in their
ignorance. But if they did it with their eyes open, we would say to
such persons, "There is no repentance for you." Perhaps, after they
have suffered in the eternal worlds, there may be a possibility of
some of those murderers who were not enlightened to find redemption at
a certain period, and some degree of glory. This applies not only to
those who put forth their hands to shed the blood of the servants of
God, but to those who have sanctioned the deed: they are guilty
also.[p.262] 

Vol. 7, p.262
Are there any persons in this congregation who feel to sanction the
shedding of the blood of innocent men in this generation? If you do,
though you were not present to put forth your hand to stab the fatal
blow, remember you are guilty. What said Jesus to the people in his
day? "Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and
scribes; and some of them ye shall kill and crucify, and some of them
shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to
city; that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the
earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias,
son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Verily, I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this
generation." How is it that those who lived two thousand years ago had
to answer the blood of the martyrs slain five or six thousand years
ago? Because they sanctioned the deed by putting to death the living
Prophets sent to them. When a man puts forth his hand to shed the
blood of a living servant of God who bears testimony of the truth, and
has been sent by authority of God, that man is guilty of the blood of
all the servants of God who have been slain from the creation; and all
who sanction the deed will have to be punished with those murderers
that actually perpetrated the same.

Vol. 7, p.262
There will be a great many murderers in this generation; for there are
hundreds and thousands of pious, sanctified hypocrites in the pulpit,
and editors of the press, and the people that feel to say, concerning
the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith, I am glad of it; thank the
Lord that they have killed him, &c., just as they said about Jesus in
his day, and about all the Prophets in former times; and the blood of
all these ancient martyrs will be required at their hands.

Vol. 7, p.262
Murder is a prominent evil of this generation. And again, behold other
prominent evils that exist in our large cities. Look at the city of
New York, for instance, which contains twenty thousand female
prostitutes, that get their daily living by prostitution, of course
encouraged by hundreds of thousands of male prostitutes, who are just
as bad or worse than the female prostitutes. Here is a sample of one
city. Then go to Boston, Albany, St. Louis, New Orleans, Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and to all the principal cities of the American Union,
and you will find the same proportion of prostitutes among those
cities who are sunk in the lowest depths of degradation, daily and
hourly prostituting themselves, and disobeying one of the most strict
and holy commandments of God ever issued from his throne; and this is
only a beginning as it were. Read the statistics of the great city of
London, which show there is in it something like ninety thousand
female prostitutes; and all these must be encouraged and supported by
millions of male prostitutes. This is carried on not for one year only
or two years, but for a whole generation, and from generation to
generation. Then step across into the European governments. Go into
France, into Germany, Prussia, and all those old countries of the
East, and you will find in many of those nations, as the statistics
show, one-half of the children that are born to be illegitimate; and
that is only a beginning of the corruptions that exist. There are more
that are covered up in the dark, that am not made so publicly
manifest, than what are made manifest by the births of illegitimate
children. There am probably a hundred sins that are dark and hidden
from the gaze of the public to one that comes to light. Than [p.263]
realize that these things have existed for generations that are past
upon our earth, and then all reflecting men will think there is a
necessity for the people to repent. Perhaps some one may say, I am not
guilty of these things. But have you ever done anything to prevent
them? Have the wise legislators and representatives of those nations
ever devised any laws to put a stop to this wickedness? If they have
not, they are included in the guilt. Whether they are actually engaged
in these crimes or not, they will be included among the guilty ones,
while they suffer these things when it is in their power to stop them.
How can you stop them? Let the law-making departments of those various
governments enact laws that shall put an utter stop to them. What law
should they enact to stay this flood of iniquity? Not a law that can
be trampled upon with impunity by millions; but let it be the law
pointed out in the Scriptures—namely, the law of death. Let the
penalty of death be attached to your laws, and let it be put in force
upon the adulterer and the whoremonger, both male and female; and if
you do not find these floods of prostitution assuaged, then you may
depend upon it that I do not understand these things. You would find
these prostitutions become as rare as murders, if you have the same
penalty attached. Death was the penalty for the sin of adultery in
ancient days, and the enlightened of Europe and of all Christendom
pretend to found their criminal laws, more or less, on the Bible. All
these sins and crimes need to be repented of.

Vol. 7, p.263
After a man has repented, will his faith and repentance bring the
forgiveness of sins through the atonement? Are these all the
conditions required? No. You may confess your sins; but if you never
make restitution to the persons you have wronged, your confession will
be of no service. You may confess your sins to the Lord, and promise
him you will never sin any more, and after all your sins will not be
forgiven. Why? Because he has ordained a still further condition. And
what is that? Be baptized for the remission of sins. Now, says one, is
there anything in that ordinance that actually atones for the sins of
the people? Baptism does not atone for a single sin. Then how is it
that the sins are remitted after it? Because of the atonement of Jesus
Christ—because he has opened the way whereby these conditions can be
granted to the creature—because the gifts of faith, repentance, and
baptism have been granted to you through the atonement; and these are
the conditions on which your sins can be pardoned. Is that all? No. If
you stop there, you are lost. You have only a forgiveness of past
sins; you are not a new creature: you must be born, not only of water
(which is baptism for the remission of sins), but you must be born of
the Spirit also, or you cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.263
I will give you some few ideas in relation to baptism for the
remission of sins. This is instituted of the Lord our God as the birth
of the water. There are a great many things we cannot give reasons
for, because we do not know them ourselves. We have no knowledge why
such and such ordinances are instituted and revealed; but when we come
to baptism, we can tell why that was revealed: we can understand the
reason, because God has revealed it. If he had not, we should be in
the dark relating to it.

Vol. 7, p.263
In the passage from the new translation which I read at the
commencement of my remarks, we find the first teachings of the Gospel
to Adam:—"That inasmuch as they (thy children) were born into the
world by the fall which bringeth death, by water [p.264] and blood and
the spirit which I have made, and so become of dust a living soul,
even so ye must be born again of water and the Spirit, and cleansed by
blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten." This is in order that
you may become a new creature, otherwise you cannot inherit the
kingdom of God. One thing is instituted because of the other. How came
we with these mortal bodies, corrupted and degraded? Because of the
fall. We are born into the world, through the fall, with the
particular kind of bodies we inherit. When we came into this world, we
were born out of the watery elements into the element of air. We also
partook of the blood, when we were in embryo, that flawed through the
veins and arteries of our mothers, and from thence circulated through
our embryo tabernacles: our infant tabernacles were also quickened by
the human spirit; and thus, by the water and by the blood, and by the
human spirit, we were born naturally a living soul into a world of
death. If we would be restored from this fallen state, and become a
new creature, it must be by baptism—the new birth—the birth of the
water, the atoning blood of Jesus, and the birth of the Spirit,—all
three corresponding to the water, bloods and spirit of man that enters
into the tabernacle; one thing corresponding to another—one principle
to another; and hence the ordinance of baptism was instituted, that
man might be brought forth from the liquid element of water, which is
called a birth, the same as the child is brought forth from the same
element in the womb into the air; and as the child is quickened by the
human spirit taking possession of the embryo tabernacle, so must the
individual that comes from the watery element be quickened by the Holy
Spirit, and be prepared to enter into the kingdom of God,—one thing
being in the likeness of the other. And as, through transgression, the
blood has brought death into the world, so by the blood of Jesus
Christ we must be sanctified, that eternal life may come into the
world,—one thing answering to the other. Hence we can see the
propriety of the new birth that is spoken of in the fifth verse of the
third chapter of John.

Vol. 7, p.264
How definite are the remarks of our Redeemer to Nicodemus on this
subject—"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." No
man can get there without both of these births—the birth of the water,
or baptism for the remission of sins; and baptism by the Holy Ghost,
or the new birth of the Spirit. Both of these must be received, or we
fail to enter into that kingdom which is called the kingdom of God.
How many in this congregation have not complied with these conditions?
Are there any individuals here who believe that Jesus Christ is the
only name given under heaven whereby you may be saved, that believe in
his atoning blood? If there are, to you I say, Repent of all your
sins, (if you have not repented of them already,) and then be baptized
in water for the remission of them, and come forth again out of the
water born unto newness of life, that you may be filled with the Holy
Ghost, or be immersed with the Spirit of truth, that you henceforth
may live in newness of life, and then you can enter into the kingdom
of God. And you may set it down as one of those immutable principles
that cannot be moved, that, you never can get there without obeying
these conditions. You may flatter yourselves as much as you please to
the contrary; you cannot get there on any other terms, unless you can
prove Jesus Christ an impostor.

Vol. 7, p.264
But, says one, did not the thief on the cross get there? No. He turned
to Jesus in his expiring  moments, and [p.265] said unto him, Lord,
remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto
him—"Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in
paradise." And where is that? Is it in the kingdom of God? Let us
inquire into this matter. We find that paradise, according to the
definitions given by the most eminent writers, is a place of departed
spirits. Where did Jesus go? Peter said he went to preach to the
spirits in prison, while his body was in the tomb. The Church of
England, in one of their articles, say that Jesus Christ suffered
death and descended into hell, and after three days he rose again and
ascended to his Father. What did he go there for? Peter says to preach
the Gospel to them that were dead, that they might be judged according
to men in the flesh. Did the thief go with him? Yes: "This day shalt
thou be with me in paradise;" and there I will preach to you among the
rest. But to enter the mansion where God dwells, and where the holy
angels dwell, you must be born of water and of the Spirit, or you
cannot enter that kingdom. Adam could not go there; Enoch could not;
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the Prophets, none of them could get
into that kingdom without being born of water and the Spirit. This
astonished Nicodemus; and Jesus said—"Art thou a master of Israel, and
knowest not these things?"—as much as to say, the new birth had been
unfolded to the people since the beginning of man, and handed down
from generation to generation, and yet you are "a master in Israel,"
and do not know these things! It was the only way of salvation before
Jesus came, and it was the only way after he came. And these
ordinances must be administered by properly authorized persons. But as
time will not admit us to make remarks on this point, we conclude by
bearing testimony that the great God has restored this same plan or
system of things, by which you can be born of water and the Spirit by
legal administrators—by those who have received power and authority
from heaven, from under the hands of holy angels. This is the
testimony we have to bear to all nations. It is the testimony we have
borne far beyond these United States. We have crossed the great ocean
into foreign countries, and borne this testimony in many lands. I see
sitting before me hundreds in this assembly that have crossod the
ocean and come to these Rocky Mountains to settle with the Saints of
God, to live or to die with them if necessary. You heard the servants
of God bear testimony in your native countries, that holy angels had
been sent from heaven, clothed with authority and power, who laid
their hands upon chosen vessels, and restored the authority and
Apostleship again to the earth, in order that people might be
baptized; for they could not be born of water unless the administrator
had authority to administer If a man undertake to administer the
ordinance of baptism, and he is only called by his fellow-men, it
would not be worth anything. It would not be legal in the great
judgment day. A person cannot be born again legitimately without a,
legal administrator. If you are born of the Spirit, there must needs
be a man authorized to administer that Spirit. Paul says, "Who hath
also made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter,
but of the spirit, for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth
life." Why? because he was authorized to lay his hands on baptized
believers, and confirm upon them the gift of the Holy Ghost, that they
might be born of the Spirit and become new creatures.

Vol. 7, p.265
In the last days the same Apostle-ship has been restored, and you are
the witnesses of the servants of God that occupy these seats. We may
say [p.266] thousands of the people in this territory are witnesses
that this authority is restored. How do you know? Did you see the
angel? No. Did you have a heavenly vision? How do you know that these
are the servants of God—that angels have come from heaven and restored
the Apostleship? You answer, We believed their testimony on good
substantial evidence, but we did not know it to be true; we acted on
our faith, repented of our sins, were baptized, and the administrator
laid his hands on our heads, and confirmed the Holy Ghost upon us. Did
you receive it? Yes, and we received a perfect knowledge that they
were the servants of God. This is what Luke means when he says, "And
we are witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom
God hath given to them that obey him."

Vol. 7, p.266
Now, strangers, if you want to obtain a knowledge that this work is of
God, obey the word of God, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost; and when you receive that gift, you will know: you will be
beyond belief, so far as that one thing is concerned. You will know
that this is the truth which we have told you: you will know that an
angel of God has been sent from heaven; that the Book of Mormon is a
Divine revelation—the history of ancient America, containing the
Gospel preached in ancient times in this land; that God has raised up
his kingdom on earth for the last time; that this is the winding-up
dispensation; and that the great day of the Lord is at hand." This you
will know through the administration of the ordinances of the Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.266
Are you willing to try it? Are you willing to believe our testimony?
We say to infidels—you who do not know whether there is a God or not,
tess our words and prove them whether they are true or not. If you do
as we tell you, you shall know there is a God—that this is his
work—that these testimonies given by the servants of God are
testimonies given for your benefit, to prepare you for the great day
of his coming. Infidels and all other men may know whether this work
is true or not. You can prove whether we are false teachers or not. We
set these things before you: comply with them, and the blessing is
yours, as sure as the Lord lives and reigns on his eternal throne. But
if you do not comply with them, you cannot know until it is too late.
May God bless those that are inquiring after the truth, and all that
obey it, is my prayer, in the  name of Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.267] 

Brigham Young, October 6, 1859

Blessings of Association—Original Purity of the 
Human Spirit—Trials and Temptations, &c.

Instructions by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
given in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.267
We have assembed this morning in the capacity of a Conference; and as
it is also our fast-day, we will conduct the forenoon services as we
generally do in our fast-day meetings, when the Saints meet to express
their feelings and to strengthen each other in their faith of the holy
Gospel. We will, so far as the time will permit, give all the Saints
who may wish the privilege to freely express their views and
reflections to this congregation; and I hope we shall be enabled to
appreciate the privilege we enjoy. I am aware that the Saints like to
speak often one to another, if the candle of the Lord is lit up within
them; and it is their delight to walk in the light thereof, and
diffuse that delight to others, that they also may enjoy its
blessings.

Vol. 7, p.267
You are well aware, by your own experience, that mankind in their
feelings and spirits are more or less subject to be operated upon by
surrounding influences. You, no doubt, discover that you are very much
inclined to mingle with and participate in the feelings and exercises
of the society in which you are. Mankind are naturally inclined to
associate one with another. Deprive an individual of the society of
his fellow-beings, and life becomes wearisome and a burden to him; his
hours and days become monotonous and tedious.

Vol. 7, p.267
This people, as a religious people, are more blessed with the spirit
of association than are the generality of those called Christians. A
gathering and social spirit seems to be the order of heaven—of the
spirit that is in the Gospel we have embraced. Though it may be
esteemed as a fault—as an unwarrantable act to separate ourselves from
those who do not believe as we believe, yet such is the nature of a
portion of our religion pertaining to the performance of outward
duties. If the Latter-day Saints can associate together, free from the
contaminating influences that are in the world, it is a blessing and a
great privilege. What would induce a child to grow up in the
wickedness of the wicked world, if it never saw or heard any of it?
Would you see the fruit you now see produced? You would not. If
children never heard language unbecoming intelligent beings, in their
most heated passions, they would not know what to say; they would have
no words to express their wicked feelings, until reflection would take
the place of anger, and they would refrain from it.

Vol. 7, p.267
It is very true that, through the fall, we are all prone to evil. It
is also true that the spirit in man is also pure and holy upon its
entrance into a tabernacle, and perfectly prepared to be influenced
and receive instruction. Being united with the body, which was brought
under condemnation through the fall, they are inseparably connected in
a probation.[p.268] And while they remain together, the spirit of
evil, through the fall, has great power with the body; and the body,
through its intimate connection, has great power with the spirit; and
for this reason both are prone to evil. Still it would be difficult to
find a person upon the earth so vile—so wicked—so overcome by the
grossness of earth, that the holy principles and acts in the lives of
the righteous are not more beautiful to them than are the wickedness
and corruption in the lives of the froward and disobedient. The human
family naturally admire a life of virtue and truth, and abhor
falsehood and every kind of wickedness. The spirits that the Almighty
has put into their tabernacles will more or less admire goodness,
inwardly if not outwardly, though they are often overcome by the evil
propensities that pertain to the flesh.

Vol. 7, p.268
Since we are permitted by our Father and our God to do good, let us
never suffer ourselves to be tempted, to be drawn aside, to be
overcome, or thwarted in the pure and holy purpose that the pure
spirit of intelligence (the spirit that is in us) reveals to the
understanding. Not but that it is necessary in the very nature of
things, in the economy of heaven, that we should be tried and tempted
in all things, in order to prove ourselves and prepare ourselves to
enjoy that eternal life that is prepared for the just. The time will
be when people will not be tempted as they now are—when there will be
no Tempter upon the earth. The knowledge and intelligence that will be
diffused among the people will enable them to live a time and a season
without the Tempter. But we live in a day when the power and rule of
that evil principle is more excessive upon the earth that it ever has
been. As the Prophet said, "For every one, from the least even unto
the greatest, is given to covetousness; from the prophet even unto the
priest, every one dealeth falsely." Mankind, in the present day, are
further from the intelligence, the light, the glory, and the power of
the Invisible than ever they were before, from the days of Adam until
now. There never was a day of such heathen darkness and unbelief as
now prevails. We have had the privilege of receiving those holy
principles calculated to give us power to secure to ourselves eternal
life and happiness, if we follow out those principles. It is a
constant warfare. As the apostle expresses it, "The flesh lusteth
against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are
contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would." The spirit that is put into man is pure and holy; but through
the power of evil with the flesh, it is more or less contaminated,
influenced, seduced, and brought into bondage by the evil that exists
upon the earth. Let the spirit overcome and come off conqueror.

Vol. 7, p.268
While we have the privilege of speaking to each other, let us speak
words of comfort and consolation. When you are influenced by the
Spirit of holiness and purity, let your light shine; but if you are
tried and tempted and buffeted by Satan, keep your thoughts to
yourselves—keep your mouths closed; for speaking produces fruit,
either of a good or evil character.

Vol. 7, p.268
If persons think they have greater sorrow and affliction than any
others, when they reveal that sorrow and affliction, it produces
fruit. You frequently hear brethren and sisters say that they feel so
tried and tempted, and have so many cares, and are so buffeted, that
they must give vent to their feelings; and they yield to the
temptation, and deal out their unpleasant sensations to their families
and neighbours. Make up your minds thoroughly, once for all, that
[p.269] if we have trials, the Lord has suffered them to be brought
upon us, and he will give us grace to bear them; and that they do not
concern our families, friends, and neighbours, we can bear them off
alone. But if we have light or intelligence—that which will do good,
we will impart it; but our bad feelings, our desponding feelings, our
dark hours, and disagreeable sensations we will keep to ourselves. Let
that be the determination of every individual, for spirit begets
spirit—likeness, likeness; feelings beget their likeness; and custom,
custom. You know very well, by your own experience, that you are
naturally inclined to more or less adopt the customs, feelings, and
manners of the people you associate with. If, then, we give vent to
all our bad feelings and disagreeable sensations, how quickly we beget
the same in others, and lead each other down with our troubles, and
become sunk in darkness and despair! If you have anything good to say,
speak it and comfort the hearts of the Saints. If you have that which
tends to death, keep it to yourselves: we do not want it, for we
already have plenty of it.

Vol. 7, p.269
Frame your lives according to the precepts of the Gospel. Let your
deal, walk, and conversation be that upon which an angel can look with
pleasure. And in all your social communications, or whatever your
associations are, let all the dark, discontented, murmuring, unhappy,
miserable feelings—all the evil fruit of the mind, fall from the tree
in silence and unnoticed; and so let it perish, without taking it up
to present to your neighbours. But when you have joy and happiness,
light and intelligence, truth and virtue, offer that fruit abundantly
to your neighbours, and it will do them good, and so strengthen the
hands of your fellow-beings, even though you may be looked upon as an
outcast, vile people, not worthy of the society of what are commonly
deemed the intelligent portion of the world. This reminds me of what a
man in Connecticut said when he was preparing to emigrate to Utah. His
aunt was deeply regretting that he was going away off to Utah to live
with that dark and outcast people. "Why, my dear boy, you are going
entirely away from the Christians!" He replied—"Aunt, I have prayed
for years to be delivered from these Christians." I am happy, brethren
and sisters, that we are measurably delivered from the so-called
Christians.

Vol. 7, p.269
Do you wish to know why I am happy for this deliverance? Because we
have the privilege of associating together and pouring out the
intelligence God has given us and is revealing from time to time, that
we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, and are not
much trammelled by the fashions, customs, and contaminating influences
of the world. Are there good men and women among them? Yes, a great
many who are just as good, so far as they know, as we are We have the
benefit of further knowledge and further commands in this generation,
being actually the disciples of the Lord Jesus, understanding our
Master and his business and mission upon the earth. We have the
privilege of diffusing this knowledge to the nations, and calling out
those who wish to join hand and heart in building up the kingdom of
God in the last days—in bringing forth the Zion of God, and bringing
about one universal reign of peace and righteousness upon the earth.
It is our business, and is all the business we have on our hands, to
redeem the nations of the earth, and produce righteousness and the
knowledge of God, until it shall go forth like the light of the
morning sun. And let [p.270] me say to you Latter-day Saints, Wake out
of your slumber, and prepare yourselves for days that are fast
approaching; for times are approaching of which you are little aware.
Forsake the spirit of the world, bid farewell to your love and
affections for the things of the world, and cleave unto God and unto
those things that are calculated to prepare you to dwell in his
presence. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, and he
deals with the children of men according to their agency—according to
their knowledge and power, to let each and every one have an
opportunity of proving themselves worthy to be crowned with crowns of
glory, immortality, and eternal lives; and if they forfeit them, they
must abide the consequences. But if they live the principles of the
holy religion that Jesus Christ has produced on the earth, they will
be prepared to dwell eternally in his presence.

Vol. 7, p.270
Brethren and sisters, I will make one request of you. When you speak,
speak so that we can hear and understand you, whether it be much or
little, good or bad. If you have nothing to say, take my counsel, and
keep your seat. If you have anything to say, say it; and when you get
through, stop. Let your feelings be governed and controlled by the
principles of eternal life, as should the children of God, delighting
in truth and righteousness. Let the wicked say what they please, for
their breath is in their nostrils, and all their glory is like the
grass and the flower of the grass that passeth away. They are here but
for a moment, and soon those who know them now will know them no more
for ever. They will soon be as though they had not been upon the
earth.

Vol. 7, p.270
Let not your feelings be afflicted or in anywise troubled by the
sayings and doings of the wicked, for they are in the hands of the
Almighty, and he will dispose of individuals and nations as seemeth
him good. He must give them an opportunity to receive the truth and
prepare themselves to dwell eternally with him, or to reject it and
prepare themselves to be cut down as cumberers of the ground, suffer
the wrath of the Almighty, and perish and be wasted away until they
will be known no more. Seek for that which will endure. Set your
hearts upon those things that will abide not only to-day, to-morrow,
this year, and throughout your lifetime, but also the coming of the
Lord Jesus Christ and the presence of the Almighty who dwells in
eternal burnings.

Vol. 7, p.271
May God bless you! Amen.[p.271] 

Brigham Young, October 6, 1859

Possession of the Spirit, &c.

Rernarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.271
Brethren and sisters, I rejoice exceedingly for the manifestation of
the Spirit of God I have witnessed here to-day. We have heard good
testimonies and good counsel, and the Spirit of the Lord is upon the
people; and I trust that I shall see an increase of this Spirit, which
I have felt in a signal manner to-day, and which I also feel day by
day.

Vol. 7, p.271
The world could not hire me to be a "Mormon," unless I enjoyed the
spirit of my religion. I need that spirit in my business, as well as
in my worship; and I surely would need it, if I had to go to the
kanyons and drive cattle: I would need a double portion of it.
Whatever we do should be in accordance with the mind of the Holy
Spirit. We are not at all under the necessity of falling into the
mistake that the Christian world falls into. They think, when they are
handling or dealing in the things of this world, that those things
have nothing to do with their religion. Our religion takes within its
wide embrace not only things of heaven, but also things of earth. It
circumscribes all art, science, and literature pertaining to heaven,
earth, and hell. Is there any good? It belongs to you and me. Is their
virtue? It is ours. Is there truth? It is ours. Is there knowledge? It
is for us.

Vol. 7, p.271
All eternity is before us. Let us deal with ourselves like men and
women of God. Let us deal with one another like intelligent beings.
Our religion drinks up all truth. and the Lord Almighty will gather
unto Zion all the intelligence and wisdom that has ever been exhibited
among men.

Vol. 7, p.271
When I see men craving for and lusting after the things of this world,
it looks very childish to me. These things belong to the Lord, and we
are his. The gold and the silver, the fine flour, the wine and the
oil, and all the treasures of the earth are his, and he disposes of
them as he will. When we are prepared, we shall have gold sufficient
to pave the streets, and we will tread it under our feet. Shame on men
and women, professing to be Saints, who worship and love the perishing
things of earth. Love God and his work, and all is ours in time and in
eternity.

Vol. 7, p.272
May the Lord help us so to do! Amen.[p.272] 

Daniel H. Wells, September 1, 1859

Importance of Home Manufactures, Produce, &c.

Remarks by President DANIEL H. WELLS, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, September 1, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.272
Brethren and sisters, I feel there is a good spirit with us here
to-day: all is peace; and we have had remarks from the President which
have been very gratifying, at least to me, and I presume they have
been to you.

Vol. 7, p.272
There is not a great deal to say after hearing such a discourse. I
feel a deep solemnity resting upon my feelings, and a strong desire to
treasure up the words I have heard, and apply them in my daily walk
and practice.

Vol. 7, p.272
Under those feelings I would not be free to rise and speak at all, at
this time, were it not that the President has requested me to do so.
He wishes to hear others speak, that he may judge of the state of
their feelings.

Vol. 7, p.272
The inducements for the Saints to be faithful are certainly very
great. There is no happiness, no joy, nothing worth living for,
outside the religion of Jesus Christ—the principles of life and
salvation, or "Mormonism," as it is now called by many. These
principles embrace everything, as our President has told us, which is
worth knowing or possessing.

Vol. 7, p.272
By means of our religion we may participate freely in the great
blessings which all the world are seeking, but cannot find outside
this Church and kingdom. We may have a permanent joyce happiness that
is unalloyed.

Vol. 7, p.272
It is to our greatest advantage to be faithful in living our religion,
although we may have to suffer poverty and persecution, which matters
not so long as our faith fails not; for as we pass along we feast upon
a joy and a peace that the world cannot give nor take away, to say
nothing of the reward that lies at the end of the race.

Vol. 7, p.272
Every person feels well in the consciousness that he is living in that
manner that is pleasing to our Father and God. If we live according to
the understanding we have of right, the promise is that more light and
truth will be imparted to us, and in this way may we go on unto
perfection.

Vol. 7, p.272
We have been told year after year how to conduct ourselves;—not to
give way to temptation, but live our religion faithfully;—to be honest
in all our dealings with one another—to be pure-minded, and seek, in
all our temporal economies as a people, to be free and independent. We
have had our minds occasionally lit up with the idea of being
independent; and you know that the way to do this is to encourage
domestic or home manufactures—to supply our own wants.

Vol. 7, p.272
Some may say, What is the use of striving to do this, so long as
clothing is plenty and cheap? and hence neglect to raise their flax,
cotton, wool, and hemp. Instead of pursuing this course, it would be
best for us now to improve the present time, secure such things as we
need, and not abate a single particle in our efforts to produce, for
our own sustenance, clothing and food, that we may be free and
independent. In a day to come the Lord may shut down the gate, and
[p.273] throw us upon our own resources. Then let us not be off our
guard because a few loads of merchandize have been brought into our
country. The Lord has no doubt permitted this to supply the present
necessities of the people. But will he continue to supply them in this
way? or will there be a scarcity of such things that are now
plentiful? There will be a scarcity, as Brother Kimball has said.

Vol. 7, p.273
I see no other way to escape pinching necessity than to go to with all
our might and produce the things we need the most. The Lord blesses us
with years of plenty against the time of need, and in these tinges of
plenty it would be well for us to treasure up grain and other rich
products of the earth.

Vol. 7, p.273
To be righteous towards God is to obey. Jesus said, "If a man loveth
me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will
come unto him and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not
keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but
the Father's which sent me."

Vol. 7, p.273
Let us be truly obedient in the things we do know; and then, if we
have a desire for the things we do not know, the Lord will perhaps
give them to us. A father feels more like giving to a child that has
complied with his requests than to one that has not. Another thing: We
frequently ask for things that we have no business with. Let us be
careful about this, and faithfully practise upon that we have already
received.

Vol. 7, p.273
I feel a peculiar joy and an unspeakable satisfaction myself in the
things of God. I have desired a greater degree of intelligence, that I
might be more useful and of greater benefit in the kingdom of God. I
do not know that I have coveted anything in this world, only to be
more useful in building up the kingdom of Christ in my day and
generation.

Vol. 7, p.273
May the Lord help us to overcome evil with good—to sustain the
principles of righteousness and the authorities of the Priesthood of
God now on the earth.

Vol. 7, p.273
We would like to build a temple. Suppose we had one now; are we
prepared to enter into it? My earnest desire is that we may be
faithful and be found worthy to go into it when it is built, and
receive the blessings of eternity; but we shall not be, unless we
progress in all the principles of eternal life. As soon as we are
worthy to go into the house of the Lord and receive those blessings,
we shall have a house.

Vol. 7, p.273
The Lord delights to pour out the riches of eternity upon his faithful
children. Why does he not do it more abundantly? Because we are not
worthy to receive them. Then let us, by our godly lives, prove
ourselves worthy of those blessings.

Vol. 7, p.273
May the Lord help us to accomplish all he requires of us, in the name
of Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.274] 

Brigham Young, October 6, 1859

Eternal Life—Blessings and Privileges of Saints 

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.274
I am pleased with the privilege of standing before the Saints to bear
my testimony to the truth and to express some of my thoughts
pertaining to eternal life. The knowledge of the truth should be
prized by all Saints. There are no people blessed to the same degree
as those who are blessed with the words of eternal life. Men may be
blessed with the things of this life—may possess all the blessings
this world can furnish—may have the honour and glory of man; but all
this bears no comparison to the blessings that are bestowed upon those
who understand the ways of life and salvation.

Vol. 7, p.274
One generation passes away, and another succeeds. Mankind are
continually changing. Kingdoms and thrones arise, and are gone like a
vapour that passeth away. The glory of man is but for a moment. Are
the nations that have arisen, flourished, and passed away prepared to
dwell in eternal life in another state of existence? We are blessed
with the words and way of life, through the Gospel, by One who has
deigned to call us brethren—not by adoption, in the strict sense of
the word, but is flesh of our flesh and hone of our bone,—One who has
redeemed us.

Vol. 7, p.274
The generality of mankind are ignorant of the real relationship that
exists between them and Heaven. They do not understand that God is our
Father. By adoption? No; but we are his children by a legal
inheritance. He gave his only begotten Son, pertaining to the, flesh,
to redeem the whole family of man.

Vol. 7, p.274
Who can define the divinity of man? Only those who understand the true
principles of eternity—the principles that pertain to life and
salvation. Man, by being exalted, does not lose the power and ability
naturally given to him; but, on the contrary, by taking the road that
leads to life, he gains more power, more influence and ability during
every step he progresses therein. Mankind have power given them to
propagate their species. An exaltation to the celestial kingdom of God
by no means lessens that power. On these points the children of men
are shrouded in mystery and uncertainty.

Vol. 7, p.274
When we say that we are blessed above many of our fellows, we may also
say that we have the greatest reason to rejoice in and love our
religion, to walk humbly before our God, do good to each other, and
forsake all evil and the appearance of it. Is this too much to say and
do? Does it rob the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us of any of
their rich enjoyments? The greater our privileges and the greater the
blessings bestowed upon us, the more faithfulness and diligence are
required in our callings to save the children of men.

Vol. 7, p.275
When you approach the throne of grace and petition the Father, in the
[p.275] name of that Saviour who has redeemed the world, do you use
that name as the name of a stranger? If you understand your own
religion, you petition that Personage as you would one of your
brethren in the flesh. Is this strange to you? It should bring near to
you things that pertain to eternity, give your reflections and views a
more exalted cast, stamp your daily actions with truth and honesty,
and cause you to be filled with the Spirit and power of God.

Vol. 7, p.275
I have reflected much upon the subject of religion, the world of
mankind, their relations one to another and to the Author of their
being, and the object of their existence. We are now endowed with that
knowledge, a proper improvement upon which will enable us to secure an
inheritance in the celestial kingdom of our God. Millions of the
inhabitants of this earth have striven to their uttermost—stretched
their minds to the greatest extent to become acquainted with what the
Lord has seen fit to bestow upon us, without any outlay of labour or
energy on our part. He has seen fit to call his servant Joseph Smith,
jun., and submit to him the keys of the kingdom of heaven,—to reveal
to him the mysteries of salvation, and bring to light things that have
been hid for many ages—things that the world have been seeking
for—wrestling with the powers of heaven to obtain, that they might
know how to make their escape from this wicked world, and secure to
themselves a sure abiding-place—an inheritance that passeth not away.
Thousands have spent their lives—the best part of their days, to
search out what has been revealed to us without the least exertion of
ours.

Vol. 7, p.275
When we say that we believe the Gospel and rejoice in it, let us not
forget that it is to us a free gift. How far did you travel to obtain
it? How much money did you pay for it? What penance did you perform to
prove yourselves worthy of it? The blessings we enjoy came to us
without money and without price. Have we not great reason to be
thankful that the Spirit of the Lord has touched the eyes of our
understandings that we may see, and that he has given us his Spirit to
bend our dispositions to his requirements?

Vol. 7, p.275
We talk about our trials and troubles here in this life: but suppose
that you could see yourselves thousands and millions of years after
you have proved faithful to your religion during the few short years
in this time, and have obtained eternal salvation and a crown of glory
in the presence of God; then look back upon your lives here, and see
the losses, crosses, and disappointments, the sorrows arising from
disobedient children—from wicked parents who have opposed their
children who wished to embrace the truth, the persecutions from city
to city, from state to state, being hunted and driven, you would be
constrained to exclaim, "But what of all that? Those things were but
for a moment, and we are now here. We have been faithful during a few
moments in our mortality, and now we enjoy eternal life and glory,
with power to progress in all the boundless knowledge and through the
countless stages of progression, enjoying the smiles and approbation
of our Father and God, and of Jesus Christ our elder brother."

Vol. 7, p.275
The child who has his father's razor, or any other article dangerous
for him to handle, and about the use of which he has no knowledge,
when deprived of it, his trials are equal to ours, according to his
capacity. We seldom think of the trials of our little ones when we say
to them, You must not have this or that; you must do so and so to
receive my smiles and approbation; you must not think for a moment
that your judgment, wisdom, [p.276] experience, and wishes are to be
compared with mine. Does not the Father of all living conduct himself
in  this wise towards his children? He has revealed to us that he will
prepare us for glory, for life eternal,—will preserve our identity for
ever, if we will  be guided by him. But we must be  obedient to him,
for he understands more than we do. We should destroy ourselves if we
were suffered to take our own way; hence we are taught to suffer the
Father to point out our path to an eternal duration hereafter, where
our present afflictions will appear as flimsy as the shadows of the
morning that flee upon the approach of day. God bless you! Amen.

Brigham Young, October 7, 1859

Union, Etc.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.276
Jesus Christ, in his teachings, made plain the difference between the
powers calculated to destroy, annihilate, dissolve, reduce to native
element, and those which will eternally endure. In view of this, he
prayed to his Father for his disciples, and wished them to pay
particular attention to this one principle in their faith. The words
he is recorded to have made use of are—"Sanctify them through the
truth: thy word is truth. As thou has sent me into the world, even so
have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify
myself, that they also might he sanctified through the truth. Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word, that they all may be one, as thou Father art in me
and I in thee, that they also may be one in us, that the world may
believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I
have given them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them
and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one."

Vol. 7, p.276
The Saviour sought continually to impress upon the minds of his
disciples that a perfect oneness reigned among all celestial
beings—that the Father and the Son and their minister, the Holy Ghost,
were one in their administration in heaven and among the people
pertaining to this earth. Between them and all the heavenly hosts
there can be no disunion, no discord, no wavering on a suggestion, on
a thought or reflection, on a feeling or manifestation; for such a
principle would differ widely from the character of Him who dictates
them, who makes his throne the habitation of justice, mercy, equity,
and truth. If the heavenly hosts were not one, they would be entirely
unfit to dwell in eternal burnings with the Father and Ruler of the
universe.[p.277] 

Vol. 7, p.277
A perfect oneness will save a people, because inteligent beings cannot
become perfectly one only by acting upon principles that pertain to
eternal life. Wicked men may be partially united in evil; but, in the
very nature of things, such a union is of short duration. The very
principle upon which they are partially united will itself breed
contention and disunion to destroy the temporary compact. Only the
line of truth and righteousness can secure to any kingdom or people,
either of earthly or heavenly existence, an eternal continuation of
perfect union; for only truth and those who are sanctified by it can
dwell in celestial glory. This truth we have, and we offer it, without
money or price, to the world who are beguiled, benighted, and deceived
by the artful mass of superstition, bigotry, tradition, fashions,
customs, cliques, and plans that have been growing and ripening from
the days of Adam until now, introducing discord, strife, animosity,
anarchy, and crime of every grade, suffering of every kind, and
premature death to millions. They are embracing shadows and trying to
retain that which will perish in their grasp and leave them desolate.
All organized matter must dissolve and return to its native element,
unless it is made pure and holy—capable of enduring eternal burnings.
All principles, principalities, powers, thrones, kingdoms, dominions,
communities, neighbourhoods, and individuals, with their actions
public and private, their feelings and aspirations, that are not
concentrated in the oneness taught by our Saviour, will come to
dissolution into native element. Says Jesus, "I and my Father are
one." They are one in their faith, purposes, and actions,, the Saviour
being subject to the Father in all things. Again, he says—"For I came
down from heaven not to do my own, will, but the will of him that sent
me." Again—"I come to do thy will, O God." Many more of the sayings of
Christ might be quoted, which set forth this principle of oneness,
that I have upon my mind and wish to impress upon the minds of the
people.

Vol. 7, p.277
I do not hesitate in saying that, if the people will concentrate their
faith and works to accomplish the great object of their existence,
their troubles, sorrows, anxieties, difficulties, contentions,
animosities, and strife would be at end. This idea I wish to apply
more particularly to those who are called to act in the capacity of
President's, Bishops, Counsellors, High Counsellors, and to every man
holding office in this Church; but I also wish it to apply to every
member, both male and female. I will say to my brethren and sisters,
Were your faith concentrated upon the proper object, your confidence
unshaken, your lives pure and holy, every one fulfilling the duties of
his or her calling according to the Priesthood and capacity bestowed
upon you, you would be filled with the Holy Ghost, and it would be as
impossible for any man to deceive and lead you to destruction as for a
feather to remain unconsumed in the midst of intense heat. I may not
be able to convince you of this fact, but I can tell you that it is
true. I can reveal principles that pertain to this oneness—to this
holiness of life; but to make the people believe and practise them is
another thing. I can preach the Gospel, but I cannot make people obey
its mandates when they are not so disposed: that is a matter left
entirely to themselves. I can tell you how to avoid your difficulties,
jars, contentions, and sorrows. I can tell you how to establish peace,
prosperity, plenty, and happiness in your midst, and how to maintain
them; but I cannot make you follow my directions, if you are not so
disposed. This is also a matter that is left entirely with yourselves;
and you must reap the [p.278] reward of your own doings, whether they
be good or evil.

Vol. 7, p.278
In some instances, the people lose confidence in their Bishops, and
the Bishops lose confidence in themselves and in the people. Were it
in my power to bring the people to understanding and obedience, I
would place them in such a degree of advancement that their Bishop
could not live in their midst, unless he administered in his office
with holy hands and with pure heart. Then, if he lacked the wisdom and
discretion to judge righteously between man and man, he would be
filled with the revelations of eternity, to enable him to judge like
an angel, to discriminate between right and wrong, to point out the
path of duty to every one, and to designate what is required of each
person in his respective calling. But this advancement is for the
people and Bishops to obtain for themselves, through the means the
Gospel supplies.

Vol. 7, p.278
I have lived in the days of Prophets and Revelators. I have been
subject to rule—to the powers that have been and now are. This is not
new to me. My own experience has led me, step by step, from day to
day, and from night to night. When fear comes upon the people that a
Bishop or President is leading them astray and introducing evil among
them, it proves to me that the people are wrong and are destitute of
the power of their holy calling. They are willingly deceived. It is
folly to say that a community of Saints who are living up to their
callings can be led astray by their Bishop or President. There is no
such principle in all the kingdoms God has made.

Vol. 7, p.278
It may be that some pray that their Bishop may be led wrong, that they
may get rid of him. If so, is that taking a course to save the
children of men? Take a man of the weakest intellect of any in a Ward
and ordain him a Bishop, and then let  every other man in that Ward be
filled with the power of his holy calling; are they not ready and
willing to give a word of counsel to their Bishop when they meet him?
Their faith is concentrated upon him; they pray for him early and
late, that the Lord will fill him with wisdom, enlarge his
understanding, open the visions of his mind, and show him things as
they are in time and in eternity. You all know that even such a man
would become mighty in the house of Israel, if he had the faith of his
Ward. The capacities of all sane persons are capable of enlargement.
You may take the weakest man in the Church, if he is faithful, and
ordain him a Bishop, and he will grow into wisdom, knowledge,
strength, power, light, intelligence, and the spirit of his calling.
If he does not thus advance, it is because he more or less forsakes
his calling and sets his heart upon something besides the holy
Priesthood that is placed upon him. There is not a faithful man in
this Church but what will increase in his understanding of the ways
and duties of life. His mind will expand, the visions of heaven will
be opened to him, and truth pertaining to all subjects of art and
science will increase within him.

Vol. 7, p.278
Does not the weakest intellect of a properly organized person know
more at ten years of age. than it did at five—more at twenty than at
ten—more at forty than at twenty, and so continue? Yes. This proves
that he has grown, increased, and expanded in his capacity from his
infancy. Now I will apply this to an officer in the Church. He once
knew, but little; he now knows considerable. Any Bishop, under the
influence of the prayers and confidence of his brethren and sisters,
with a faithful and holy life on his part, will increase in faith and
good works, and the rich fruits of his mind will manifest from day to
day increased wisdom and intelligence.[p.279] 

Vol. 7, p.279
You hear the remark that such and such a man is not fit to be a
Bishop? I acknowledge that many who are called to be Bishops are not
fit for the office, for it is one of the most important offices in the
Church to rightly administer in temporal things. A Bishop also
ministers in spiritual things, and is required to devote time to the
wellbeing and prosperity of his Ward, like a father to a family. It is
an office that keenly tries the patience, faith, and feelings of a
man. If the brethren and sisters prayed for that man continually, and
lived their religion, he would know how to settle certain business
transactions without running to me about this, that, and the other.
Brethren would not run to me about things as simple as, "So-and-so has
been building a fence on the line between us, and has put his polls
wrong end foremost. Will you not counsel him to turn them?" And
sisters are running to me about things as simple as, "Sister
So-and-so's hens have laid on my premises, and they do not lay with
their heads in the right direction." Does such conduct proceed from
true knowledge among the Latter-day Saints? No. I do not wish to talk
about such folly, neither to have my time wasted by visits upon such
unimportant subjects. I do not wonder that the Lord suffers us to be
more or less abused by our enemies. I do not wonder that the devils
laugh at our folly.

Vol. 7, p.279
Let men and women who profess to be Latter-day Saints live their
religion, and they will be filled with wisdom, and all these little
trifling traits of life will vanish. If my brother or sister commits
an overt act, all I wish to know is whether the wrong was intended. If
so, I cannot fellowship you; but I will bear with the inconvenience
you have put me to. If no wrong was intended, all is right—we have
nothing to say. How is it? Do you seek unto the Lord early and late,
constantly, from morning until evening? Are your secret devotions and
the impulse of every moment filled with the desire to have the Lord
Almighty lead you, direct you, and prepare you for the discharge of
every duty in building up his kingdom on the earth and the promotion
of righteousness?

Vol. 7, p.279
I do not wonder that some say that this or that Bishop is not fit for
his calling. It is true; for there are Bishops who condescend to
notice childish trifles, unworthy the notice of a child five years
old. They love the world—are covetous. Their minds are upon this,
that, and the other, instead of upon the duties of their office, which
are to them a secondary consideration. Such men are not fit for this
office.

Vol. 7, p.279
I will here offer advice that rosy apply to every officer and member
in this Church, from myself down. I will say to wives, whose husbands
are unruly and will not walk in the parKs of rectitude and truth, Live
your religion faithfully; and if you have sons and daughters, let them
do the same. and be one with you, and you will burn the wicked man out
of the house, for he will not be able to resist the power of God that
is within you. Let the people in Wards live their religion; let every
man and woman be filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, and you will
burn out an unfaithful Bishop, without being obliged to complain of
him and quarrel him out of the Ward. If you are not one, you cannot be
Saints. How can we be one? Shall we seek to establish a perfect
oneness by means of the order God has instituted upon the earth? or
shall we set up our individual judgments against that order?

Vol. 7, p.279
If my individual judgment must be the standard, then farewell to
union—farewell to oneness. God can never save us upon any such
principle. He [p.280] is the Author of our existence—the Giver of
every good and perfect gift, and he must be obeyed, If he has restored
the holy Priesthood to the children of men and organized his Church
upon the earth; it is time that we knew it. If we do not know it, let
us, in the first place, find out whether his Church is here or not and
wherever we find it, with its keys and powers, let us bow to its
mandates and observe religiously its order.

Vol. 7, p.280
I will here make a few remarks which I think will check some of the
complaints from women about their husbands. I acknowledge that many
women know much more than their husbands, and for this reason the
faith and confidence in them droop; they do not seek to uphold them in
the dignity of their position and calling. And again, maybe the
husband does not magnify his priesthood, follow diligently the duties
of his calling, and increase in the faith of the Gospel, as it is his
privilege to do. He should be the head of the wife all the day long. I
will venture to say a little more upon this point. I like to see
people consistent with the wisdom they profess to have. Were I a woman
possessed of great powers of mind, filled with wisdom, and, upon the
whole, a magnanimous woman, and had been privileged with my choice,
and had married a man, and found myself deceived, He not answering my
expectations, and I being sorry that I had made such a choice, let me
show my wisdom by not complaining about it. A woman's wisdom and
judgment has failed her once in the choice of a husband, and it may
again, if she is not very careful. By seeking to cast off her
husband—by withdrawing her confidence and goodwill from him, she casts
a dark shade upon his path, when, by pursuing a proper course of love,
obedience, and encouragement, he might attain to that perfection she
had anticipated in him. When the enemy once gets advantage over you,
he is very apt to improve upon it, and to gain a greater when he has
another opportunity.

Vol. 7, p.280
If wives have wicked and unfaithful husbands; if children have wicked
and unfaithful parents, if Wards have unfaithful Bishops, and if there
are Presidents who are not capable of magnifying their Priesthood and
calling, let wives, children, and people seek unto the Lord to be
filled with that power of the Holy Ghost that will remove those
unfaithful persons to other quarters. Let them remove them by the
power of faith in such a way as not in the least to infringe upon the
rights of a single person, giving them no just ground for complaint
Let all the Saints fulfil every duty, and manifest in their lives true
and full obedience to the commandments and requirements of the Gospel,
then our Bishops and presiding officers can say, "God bless you,
brother!" or "God bless you, sister!—you are following your calling
and  mission, and magnifying your being on the earth." If all the
people would so live, there would be no High Council or Bishops' Court
necessary to adjudicate upon matters of contention and strife. If a
man did  not lay his polls on his fence to please me, I would go and
turn them, and  he would be quite willing that I should  be
accommodated.

Vol. 7, p.280
I will give you a text: Except I  am one with my good brethren, do not
say that I am a Latter-day Saint. We must begone. Our faith must be
concentrated in one great work—the  building up of the kingdom of God
on the earth, and our works must  aim to the accomplishment of that
great purpose. This people, I am  happy to say, are fast improving. In
our testimony meeting yesterday, I could not refrain from weeping for
joy. What a peaceful, joyous, happy, heavenly spirit rested upon the
congregation. [p.281] Live so, my brethren and sisters, that you can
enjoy that Spirit all the time.

Vol. 7, p.281
The brethren, in testifying yesterday, used the common expression,
"The Lord is here." If he was not here in person, he was by his
ministers, by his angels, by his Spirit. It is well for us that he did
not raise the vail; for if he had we should have been consumed by the
brightness of his glory and the majesty of his power. The Lord was
here by his Spirit, and he is here in like manner to-day. The Spirit
of the Lord is in the midst of the people. Then why not yield perfect
obedience to his Priesthood? if we have it, we are in duty bound to
live to it and be guided continually by its sacred order.

Vol. 7, p.281
Let every man stand in his let and calling as long as he can; and not
complain that this Bishop and that President cannot perform his duty.
Why can he not? Because you are exercising your faith against him,
which, m many instances, is the reason why he is trammelled. If the
faith, spirit, and life of the people are right, they would not be
troubled with bad Bishops and bad Presidents, and I would not be so
troubled with affairs which should be attended to by others. Live so
that you can discern the things of God—so that you can at  once
discern between the things of God, the things of man, and the things
of the Devil.

Vol. 7, p.281
I would beseech and pray the people to so live that if I do not
magnify my office and calling, you you will burn me by your faith and
good works, and I shall be removed. Salvation is what I am seeking and
striving for, and it is also your aim and object. The Lord has
restored the Priesthood in our day for the salvation of Israel. Does
he design to save anybody else? Yes; he will save the house of Esau,
and I hope to  live until I see Mount Zion established, and saviours
come up to says those poor, miserable beings who are continually
persecuting us—all who have not sinned against the Holy Ghost. Our
labour is to save ourselves, to save the house of Israel, to save the
house of Esau, and all the Gentile nations,—every one that can be
saved.

Vol. 7, p.281
The salvation offered in the Gospel is one of the most consoling, one
of the most merciful, one of the most magnanimous principles that can
be advanced in all the revelations of God to man. All the sons and
daughters of men will be saved, except the sons of perdition.

Vol. 7, p.281
Brethren and sisters, I feel as calm and serene as the autumn sun of
our mountain home. All is right. I have minded my own business, and I
intend so to do. I have known many to become rich by minding their own
business. I have seldom seen enough affliction to prevent my dropping
to sleep in a minute after I had lain down to rest and my business for
the day was done, and sleeping as soundly as a healthy child in the
lap of its mother. God is at the helm. He guides the ship, and will
bring us safely to port. All we have to care about is to take care of
ourselves and see that we do right. Let us man the ship manfully,
every one standing faithfully and firmly to his post, and she will
outride every storm and safely bear us to the harbour of celestial
bliss.

Vol. 7, p.281
I have said but a small part of what I wish to say, but I will give
way for others. God bless you!  Amen.[p.282] 

Brigham Young, October 9, 1859

Intelligence, Etc.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859.

Reported by G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.282
I shall address you this morning upon a subject that is more
interesting to me than any other pertaining to the life of man. It is
a subject of deep study and research, and has been from age to age
among the reflecting and philosophical portions of the human family.
The intelligence given to the children of men is the subject to which
I allude, and upon which has been expended more intellectual labour
and profound thought than upon any other that has ever attracted the
attention of man.

Vol. 7, p.282
The Psalmist has written, "What is man, that thou art mindful of him?
and the son of man that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a
little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and
honour." This passage is but one of many which refer to the
organization of man as though it were a great mystery—something that
could not be fully comprehended by the greatest minds while dwelling
in earthly tabernaeles. It is a matter of vital interest to each of
us, and yet it is often farthest from the thoughts of the greater
portion of mankind. Instead of reflecting upon and searching for
hidden things of the greatest value to them, they rather wish to learn
how to secure their way through this world as easily and as
comfortably as possible. The reflections what they are here for, who
produced them, and where they are from, far too seldom enter their
minds.

Vol. 7, p.282
Many have written upon this great; subject, and there exists a great
variety of reflections, views, and opinions which I have not time to
dwell upon in detail. I will merely give you a few texts, or what you
may term a text-book. Nor shall I now take time to minutely elaborate
any particular point, but will present such views as shall come into
my mind, trusting that I shall have your faith and prayers to be able
to edify both Saint and sinner, believer and unbeliever.

Vol. 7, p.282
If the inhabitants of the earth throughly understood their own being,
their views, feelings, faith, and affections would be very different
from what they now are. Many believe in predestination, while others
of the Christian world oppose that doctrine and exclusively advocate
free grace, free will, free offering, etc.; and each party of
Christians has its pet theory or doctrine, upon which it builds its
hopes of eternal salvation. Such a course is like five or six hundred
men each selecting and running off with a piece of the machinery of a
cotton mill, and declaring that he had the cotton mill entire. This
comparison may be truly applied to the Christian. world as it now is
with regard to the holy and divine principles which have been
revealed pertaining to eternal life and salvation.[p.283] 

Vol. 7, p.283
Many of you, no doubt, have concluded that the doctrine of election
and reprobation is true, and you do so with propriety, for it is true;
it is a scriptural, doctrine. Others do not believe this doctrine,
affirming with all their faith, might, and skill that free grace and
freewill are or ought to be the foundation of man's faith in his
Creator. Very well. I can also say to them that free grace and
freewill are scripturally true. The first-named doctrine is as true as
the second, and the second as the first. Others, again, declare that
mankind have no will, neither free nor restrained, in their actions;
for instance, the Rationalists or Freethinkers, who deny the existence
and divinity of the Gods that we believe in. But so far from their
believing their own theory, Mr. Neil, of Boston, while in prison for
having no religion, wrote an essay, in which he declared that "All is
God."

Vol. 7, p.283
I might enumerate many more instances, and say that they are all right
so far as they go in truth. The doctrine of freewill and conditional
salvation, the doctrine of free grace and unconditional salvation, the
doctrine of foreordination and reprobation, and many more that I have
not time enumerate, can all be fully and satisfactorily proved by the
Scriptures, and are true.

Vol. 7, p.283
On the other hand, many untrue doctrines are taught and believed such
as there being infants, not a span long, weltering in the flames of
hell, there to remain throughout the countless ages of eternity, and
the doctrine of total depravity. Some have gone so far as to say that
a man or woman who wishes to be saved in the kingdom of God—who wishes
to be a servant or handmaid of the Almighty, must feel that deep
contrition of heart, that sound repentance, and such a sense of his or
her unworthiness and nothingness, and of the supremacy; glory, and
exaltation of that Deity they believe in, as to exclaim before God and
their brethren and sisters that they are willing to be damned. To me
that is one of the heights of nonsense; for if a person is willing to
be damned, he cares not to make the efforts necessary to secure
salvation. All this confusion is in the world—party against
party—communities against communities—individuals against individuals.
One sets out with five truths and fifteen errors, making the articles
of his faith twenty; another dissents from him, rejects those five
truths, selects perhaps five more, and adds as many errors as did the
former one, and then he comes out a flaming reformer. Men, in
dissenting from one another, have too often exercised no better
judgment than to deny and dissent from many truths because their
ancestors cherished and believed them, which has produced numerous
parties, sects, and articles of faith, when, in fact, taking them in
mass, they have an immense amount of true principles.

Vol. 7, p.283
It was the occupation of Jesus Christ and his Apostles to propagate
the Gospel of salvation and the principles of eternal life to the
world, and it is our duty and calling, as ministers of the same
salvation and Gospel, to gather every item of truth and reject every
error. Whether a truth be found with professed infidels, or with the
Universalists, or the Church of Rome, or the Methodists, the Church of
England, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Quakers, the Shakers, or
any other of the various and numerous different sects and parties, all
of whom have more or less truth, it is the business of the Elders of
this Church (Jesus, their elder brother, being at their head,) to
gather up all the truths in the world pertaining to life and
salvation, to the Gospel we preach, to mechanism of every kind, to the
sciences, and to philosophy, wherever it may be found in every [p.284
] nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and bring it to Zion.

Vol. 7, p.284 
The people upon this earth have a great many errors, and they have
also a great many truths. This statement is not only true of the
nations termed civilized—those. who profess to worship the true God,
but is equally applicable to pagans of all countries, for in their
religious rights and ceremonies may be found a great many truths which
we will also gather home to Zion. All truth is for the salvation of
the children of men—for their benefit and learning—for their
furtherance in the principles of divine knowledge; and divine
knowledge is any matter of fact—truth; and all truth pertains to
divinity.

Vol. 7, p.284 
When we view mankind collectively, or as nations, communities,
neighbourhoods, and families, we are led to inquire into the object of
our being here and situated as we find ourselves to be. Did we produce
ourselves, and endow ourselves with that knowledge and intelligence we
now possess? All are ready to acknowledge that we had nothing to do
with the origin of our being—that we were produced by a superior
Power, without either the knowledge or the exercise of the agency we
now possess. We know that we are here. We know that we live, breathe,
and walk upon the earth. We know this naturally, as the brute creation
knows. We know that our food and drink come from the elements around
us: by them we are nourished, cherished, refreshed, and sustained,
with the addition of sleep. We live and breathe, and breathe and live.
Who can define and point out the particularities of the wonderful
organization of man?

Vol. 7, p.284 
It enters into the minds of but few that the air we inhale is the
greatest source of our life. We derive more real nourishment to our
mortal tabernacles from this element than from the solid food we
receive into our stomachs. Our lungs expand and contract to sustain
the life which God has given us. Of the component parts of this great
fountain of vitality I have not time to treat; but this interesting
information you may gather in part from numerous works on natural
philosophy. I will, however, say that the air is full of life and
vitality, and its volume fills immensity. The relative terms height,
depth, length, and breadth do not apply to it. Could you pass with the
velocity of the electric fluid over telegraphic wires, during the
continuation of more years than you can comprehend, you would still be
surrounded by it and in the bosom of eternity as much as you now are;
and it is filled with the spirit of life which emanates from God.

Vol. 7, p.284 
Many have tried to penetrate to the First Cause of all things; but it
would be as easy for an ant to number the grains of sand on the earth.
It is not for man, with his limited intelligence, to grasp eternity in
his comprehension. There is an eternity of life, from which we were
composed by the wisdom and skill of superior Beings. It would be as
easy for a gnat to trace the history of man back to his origin as for
man to fathom the First Cause of all things, lift the veil of
eternity, and reveal the mysteries that have been sought after by
philosophers from the beginning. What, then, should be the calling and
duty of the children of men? Instead of inquiring after the origin of
the Gods—instead of trying to explore the depths of eternities that
have been, that are, and that will be,—instead of endeavouring to
discover the boundaries of boundless space, let them seek to know the
object of their present existence, and how to apply, in the most
profitable manner for their mutual good and salvation, the
intelligence they possess. Let them seek to know and thoroughly
understand [p.285] things within their reach, and to make themselves
well acquainted with the object of their being here, by diligently
seeking unto a superior Power for information, and by the careful
study of the best books.

Vol. 7, p.285
The life that is within us is a part of an eternity of life, and is
organized spirit, which is clothed upon by tabernacles, thereby
constituting our present being, which is designed for the attainment
of further intelligence. The matter composing our bodies and spirits
has been organized from the eternity of matter that fills immensity.

Vol. 7, p.285
Were I to fully speak what I know and understand concerning myself and
others, you might think me to be infringing. I shall therefore omit
some things that I would otherwise say to you if the people were
prepared to receive them.

Vol. 7, p.285
Jesus Christ says, "And this is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent." We are
not now in a capacity to know him in his fulness of glory. We know a
few things that he has revealed concerning himself, but there are a
great many which we do not know. When people have secured to
themselves eternal life, they are where they can understand the true
character of their Father and God, and the object of the creation,
fall, and redemption of man after the creation of this world. These
points have ever been subjects for speculation with all classes of
believers, and are subjects of much interest, to those who entertain a
deep anxiety to know how to secure to themselves eternal life. Our
bodies are organized from the eternity of matter, from such matter as
we breathe, and from such matter as is found in the vegetable and
mineral kingdoms. This matter is organized into a world, with all its
appendages, by whom? By the Almighty and women who are made in the
image of God.

Vol. 7, p.285
All this vast creation was produced from element in its unorganized
state; the mountains, rivers, seas, valleys, plains, and the animal,
vegetable, and mineral kingdoms beneath and around us, all speaking
forth the wonderful works of the Great God. Shall I say that the seeds
of vegetables were planted here by the Characters that framed and,
built this world—that the seeds of every plant composing the vegetable
kingdom were brought from another world? This would be news to many of
you. Who brought them here? It matters little to us whether it was
John, James, William, Adam, or Bartholomew who brought them; but it
was some Being who had power to frame this earth with its seas,
valleys, mountains, and rivers, and cause it to teem with vegetable
and animal life.

Vol. 7, p.285
Here let me state to all philosophers of every class upon the earth,
When you tell me that father Adam was made as we make adobies from the
earth, you tell me what I deem an idle tale. When you tell me that the
beasts of the field were produced in that manner, you are speaking
idle words devoid of meaning. There is no such thing in all the
eternities where the Gods dwell. Mankind are here because they are the
offspring of parents who were first brought here from another planet,
and power was given them to propagate their species, and they were
commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. The offspring of Adam
and Eve are commanded to take the rude elements, and, by the knowledge
God has given, to convert them into everything required for their
life, health, adornment, wealth, comfort, and consolation.  Have we
the knowledge to do this? We have. Who gave us this knowledge? Our
Father who made us; for he is the only wise God, and to [p.286] him we
owe allegiance; to him we owe our lives. He has brought us forth and
taught us all we know. We are not indebted to any other power or God
for all our great blessings.

Vol. 7, p.286
We see man upon the earth, and discern that he is endowed with great
intelligence, which displays its scope and power in various ways to
meet and provide for the exigencies and wants of the human race. Wise
statesmen know how to devise and plan for a kingdom, and can closely
calculate the results of the policies they adopt. They understand the
course to be pursued to induce the people to submit to a wholesome
government or to a despotic rule as may please the will of the rulers.
There are historians of various grades, philosophers wise and simple,
and an exceedingly great variety of capacities and tastes. In our
Republican government we see some who are acute politicians, but that
seems to be the extent of their knowledge. You may find others who are
good statesmen, but poor politicians. Some are excellent
mathematicians, and understand and care for but little outside that
science. Still, if a man is capable of learning the geography of the
earth, he is also capable of learning the laws of the nations that
inhabit it, if you will give him time according to his capacity. One
scholar in a school may far outstrip the rest; but give them
sufficient time, and they can learn what the quick; bright scholar has
learned so easily and quickly. If we are capacitated to learn one
thing to-day, we can learn another to-morrow. It is the height of
folly to say that a man can only learn so much and no more. The
further literary men advance in their studies, the more they discern
there is to learn, and the more anxious they are to learn. This is
made manifest before us day by day, and is observed upon the face of
the whole earth.

Vol. 7, p.286
The principle of intelligence is within us. Who planted it there? He
who made us. That which you see developed in the children of men (you
may call it disposition, or whatever else you please,) is the force of
the mind or the spirit, and the body is a tabernacle organized for its
temporary habitation.

Vol. 7, p.286
It is written of the Saviour that he descended below all things. If he
did, he descended in capacity. I will merely tell you what I believe
on this point. I believe that there never was a child born on this
earth with any less capacity than dwelt in the child that was born in
a manger of his mother Mary. I believe, according to the natural
ability which he received from his mother and from his supposed father
Joseph, that there never was a child that descended lower in capacity,
or that knew less. Yet, according to the history given of him, his
power of mind developed with such wonderful rapidity that when he was
but a few years old he propounded questions to the learned doctors of
his day which they could not answer, .and answered questions
propounded to him which the querists could not answer. He increased in
wisdom and knowledge, and came into communication with his Father. The
Being whom we call Father was the Father of the spirit of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and he was also his Father pertaining to the flash.
Infidels and Christians, make all you can of this statement. The
Bible, which all Christians profess to believe, reveals that fact, and
it reveals the truth upon that point, and I am a witness of its truth.
The Apostles who were personally acquainted with Jesus Christ did know
and understand what they wrote, and they wrote the truth.

Vol. 7, p.286
He was endowed with capacity to receive intelligence. We, his
brethren, are also endowed with capacity to receive intelligence. And
what some [p.287] would call the volition of the creature the will of
the creature—the disposition, the power of willing or determining, is
bequeathed to us in like manner as it is to the Son of God; and it is
as independent as it is inherited by the angels or Gods—that  is, the
will to dispose of this intelligence at our pleasure in doing good or
evil. It is held by the followers of Robert Owen that men are more or
less influenced entirely in their actions by the force of
circumstances: but is there a man or woman in this house that could
not walk out, if you wanted to—if your will was set in you to do it?
or sit here until meeting is out, if you are disposed? The volition of
the creature is made independent by the unalterable decree of the
Almighty. I can rise up or sit still—speak or be silent. Were this not
so, I would at once request parents never to correct a child for
another disobedient act.

Vol. 7, p.287
We are organized to be so independent in this capacity as to determine
and act for ourselves as to whether we will serve God and obey him in
preference to serving ourselves. If we serve ourselves and evil
principles, we do not subserve the object of our creation. This
element of which our tabernacles are organized is calculated to
decompose and return to its mother earth, or to its native element.
This intelligence, which might be called divine intelligence, is
implanted in mortal or human beings; and if we take a course to
promote the principles of life—seek unto our Father and God, and
obtain his will and perform it, the spirit will become purified,
sanctified, cleansed, and made holy in the body, and the grave will
cleanse the flesh. When the spirit overcomes the evil consequences of
the fall, which are in the mortal tabernacle, it will reign
predominant in the flesh, and is then prepared to be exalted, and
will, in the resurrection, be reunited with those particles that
formed the mortal body, which will be called together as with the
sound of a trumpet and become immortal. Why? Because the particles
composing these bodies have been made subject and obedient, by the law
of the everlasting Priesthood, and the will and commandment of the
Supreme Ruler of the universe, who holds the keys of life and death.
Every principle, act, and portion of the lives of the children of men
that does not tend to this will lead to an eternal dissolution of the
identity of the person.

Vol. 7, p.287
"Why," some say, "we thought that the wicked were to be sent to hell
to dwell with eternal burnings for evermore." They go to hell and will
stay there until the anger of the Almighty consumes them and they
become disorganized, as the elements of the fuel we burn are
disorganized by the action of fire and thrown back again to their
native element. The wicked will endure the wrath of God and be "turned
into hell, with all the nations that forget God." What will be done
with them there? Those who did not persecute the Son of God in the
flesh while acting for themselves and following the direction of their
own will—those who did not persecute the holy Priesthood of the Son of
God—those who did not consent to the shedding of innocent blood—those
who did not seek to obliterate the kingdom of God from the earth,
will, by-and-by, be sought after.

Vol. 7, p.287
You read about a first resurrection. If there is a first, there is a
second. And if a second, may there not be a third, and a fourth, and
so on? Yes; and happy are they who have a part in the first
resurrection. Yes, more blessed are they than any others. But blessed
also are they that will have part in the second resurrection, for they
will be brought forth to enjoy a kingdom that is  more glorious than
the sectarian world ever dreamed of.[p.288] 

Vol. 7, p.288
The "Mormon" Elders will tell you that all people must receive this
Gospel—the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and be baptized for the remission
of sins, or they cannot be saved. Let me explain this to you They
cannot go where God and Christ dwell, for that is a kingdom of
itself—the celestial kingdom. Jesus said, "In my Father's house are m
any mansions," or kingdoms. They will come forth in the first, second,
or some other resurrection, if they have not been guilty of the
particular sins I have just mentioned; and they will enjoy a kingdom
and a glory greater than they had ever anticipated. When we talk about
people's being damned, I would like to have all understand that we do
not use the term "damnation" in the sense that it is used by the
sectarian world. Universal salvation or redemption is the doctrine of
the Bible; but the people do not know how or where to discriminate
between truth and error. All those who have done according to the best
of their knowledge, whether they are Christians, Pagans, Jews,
Mohammedans, or any other class of men that have ever lived upon the
earth, that have dealt honestly and justly with their fellow-beings,
walked uprightly before each other, loved mercy, tried to put down
iniquity, and done as far right as they knew how, according to the
laws they lived under, no matter what the laws were, will share in a
resurrection that will be glorious far beyond the conception of
mortals.

Vol. 7, p.288
How many times have I been asked, "Do you believe that such a man as
John Wesley will be damned?" I could answer the question either way,
for they do not know what it is to be saved or damned. John Wesley is
in the spirit-world. He did not receive the ordinances of the
everlasting Gospel in the flesh, and consequently is not prepared to
hold the keys of the kingdom and be a minister of the great work of
God in the last dispensation, but is dependent upon others to attain a
celestial glory. Has he gone to hell? No. When the spirit leaves the
body, it goes into the spirit-world, where the spirits of men are
classified according to their own wills or pleasure, as men are here,
only they are in a more pure and refined state of existence. Do you
suppose that John Wesley is lifting up his eyes in hell, being in
torment? No; he is talking to those who heard and would not believe
him when he was on the earth. He may be asking them whether they do
not now see the justice of a reformation from the Church of England
mode of religion—whether they do not now see that that Church had gone
astray from the true religion, and that he was right. Yes; and they,
no doubt, see it as John Wesley does, and are willing to worship God
according to the best knowledge they have. As death left him, so
judgment will find him, trying to worship God in the best manner he
was acquainted with. John Wesley and his true followers will receive a
glory far surpassing what they ever thought or dreamed of while under
the influence of their greatest inspirations, and they will be saved.
Are they also damned? Yes, because they have not attained the victory
over the enemy of all righteousness. It is the holy Priesthood of God
that gives man the victory in this world, and he begins to reign over
the power of the enemy here. The keys of the kingdom of the Son of God
outreach and circumscribe the power of the Enemy.

Vol. 7, p.288
Much has been said about the power of the Latter-day Saints. Is it the
people called Latter-day Saints that have this power, or is it the
Priesthood? It is the Priesthood; and if they live according to that
Priesthood, they can commence their work here and gain many victories,
[p.289] and be prepared to receive glory, immortality, and eternal
life, that when they go into the spirit-world, their work will far
surpass that of any other man or being that has not been blessed with
the keys of the Priesthood here.

Vol. 7, p.289
Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation, and is now
engaged behind the vail in the great work of the last days. I can tell
our beloved brother Christians who have slain the Prophets and
butchered and otherwise caused the death of thousands of Latter-day
Saints, the priests who have thanked God in their prayers and
thanksgiving from the pulpit that we have been plundered, driven, and
slain, and the deacons under the pulpit, and their brethren and
sisters in their closets, who have thanked God, thinking that the
Latter-day Saints were wasted away, something that no doubt will
mortify them—something that, to say the least, is a matter of deep
regret to them—namely, that no man or woman in this dispensation will
ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of
Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the
earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must
have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their
entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are—I with you and you
with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of
that kingdom for the last dispensation—the keys to rule in the
spirit-world; and he rules there triumphantly, for he gained full
power and a glorious victory over the power of Satan while he was yet
in the flesh, and was a martyr to his religion and to the name of
Christ, which gives him a most perfect victory in the spirit-world. He
reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling,
as God does in heaven. Many will exclaim—"Oh, that is very
disagreeable! It is preposterous! We cannot bear the thought!" But it
is true.

Vol. 7, p.289
I will now tell you something that ought to comfort every man and
woman on the face of the earth. Joseph Smith, junior, will again be on
this earth dictating plans and calling forth his brethren to be
baptized for the very characters who wish this was not so, in order to
bring them into a kingdom to enjoy, perhaps, the presence of angels or
the spirits of good men, if they cannot endure the presence of the
Father and the Son; and he will never cease his operations, under the
directions of the Son of God, until the last ones of the children of
men are saved that can be, from Adam till now.

Vol. 7, p.289
Should not this thought comfort all people? They will, by-and-by, be a
thousand times more thankful for such a man as Joseph Smith, junior,
than it is possible for them to be for any earthly good whatever. It
is his mission to see that all the children of men in this last
dispensation are saved, that can be, through the redemption. You will
be thankful, every one of you, that Joseph Smith, junior, was ordained
to this great calling before the worlds were. I told you that the
doctrine of election and reprobation is a true doctrine. It was
decreed. in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of
the earth were laid, that he should be the man, in the last
dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the
people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the
Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eye upon him, and upon
his father, and upon his father's father, and upon their progenitors
clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood
to Enoch, and, from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that
blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the [p.290] birth of
that man. He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last
dispensation, as much so as Pharaoh was foreordained to be a wicked
man, or as was Jesus to be the Saviour of the world because he was the
oldest son in the family.

Vol. 7, p.290
Abraham was ordained to be the father of the faithful,—that is, he was
ordained to come forth at a certain period; and when he had proved
himself faithful to his God, and would resist the worship of idols,
and trample them under his feet in the presence of their king, and set
up the worship of the true God, he obtained the appellation of "father
of the faithful." "For whom he did foreknow he also did predestinate
to be conformed to the image of his Son." He knew, millions of years
before this world was framed, that Pharaoh would be a wicked man. He
saw—he understood; his work was before him, and he could see it from
the beginning to the end. And so scrutinizing, penetrating, and
expanded are his visions and knowledge, that not even a hair of our
head can fall to the ground unnoticed by him. He foreknow what Joseph,
who was sold into Egypt, would do. Joseph was foreordained to be the
temporal Saviour of his father's house, and the seed of Joseph are
ordained to be the spiritual and temporal saviours of all the house of
Israel in the latter days. Joseph's seed has mixed itself with all the
seed of man upon the face of the whole earth. The great majority of
those who are now before me are the descendants of that Joseph who was
sold. Joseph Smith, junior, was foreordained to come through the loins
of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and so on down through the Prophets
and Apostles; and thus he came forth in the last days to be a minister
of salvation, and to hold the keys of the last dispensation of the
fulness of times.

Vol. 7, p.290
The whole object of the creation of this world is to exalt the
intelligencies that are placed upon it, that they may live, endure,
and increase for ever and ever. We are not here to quarrel and contend
about the things of this world, but we are here to subdue and beautify
it. Let every man and woman worship their God with all their heart.
Let them pay their devotions and sacrifices to him, the Supreme, and
the Author of their existence. Do all the good you can to your
fellow-creatures. You are flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone. God
has created of one blood all the nations and kingdoms of men that
dwell upon all the face of the earth: black, white, copper-coloured,
or whatever their colour, customs, or religion, they have all sprung
from the same origin; the blood of all is from the same element. Adam
and Eve are the parents of all pertaining to the flesh, and I would
not say that they are not also the parents of our spirits.

Vol. 7, p.290
You see some classes Of the human family that are black, uncouth,
un-comely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly
deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is
generally bestowed upon mankind. The first man that committed the
odious crime of killing one of his brethren will be cursed the longest
of any one of the children of Adam. Cain slew his brother. Cain might
have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line
of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him,
which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the
flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race—that
they should be the "servant of servants;" and they will be, until that
curse is removed; and the Abolitionists cannot help it, nor in the
least alter that decree. How long is that race to endure the dreadful
curse that is upon them?  That curse will remain upon them, [p.291]
and they never can hold the Priesthood or share in it until all the
other descendants of Adam have received the promises and enjoyed the
blessings of the Priesthood and the keys thereof. Until the last ones
of the residue of Adam's children are brought up to that favourable
position, the children of Cain cannot receive the first ordinances of
the Priesthood. They were the first that were cursed, and they will be
the last from whom the curse will be removed. When the residue of the
family of Adam come up and receive their blessings, then the curse
will be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will receive blessings
in like proportion.

Vol. 7, p.291
I have but just commenced my remarks, and have presented you a few
texts; and it is now time to adjourn. The exertion required to speak
to you somewhat at length seems to injure me. I will therefore stop.

Vol. 7, p.291
I bless you all, inasmuch as you have desired and striven to do right,
to revere the name of Deity, and to exalt the character of his Son on
the earth. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ! Amen.

Daniel H. Wells, October 16, 1859

Devotedness to "Mormonism"—Responsibility 

Remarks by President D. H. WELLS, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 16, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.291
Brethren and Sisters,—I arise before you this afternoon without having
any particular subject on my mind upon which to speak, hoping and
believing that the Lord will help me, that I may say what I shall say
to your edification and comfort.

Vol. 7, p.291
"Mormonism" presents themes sufficient for our consideration at all
times and upon all occasions. We never need be at a loss for a
subject, for there is no part of it that we can contemplate that is
not fitting and suitable to almost any occasion that may arise.

Vol. 7, p.291
I feel that the principles of the holy Gospel are all-absorbing. In
them are concentrated all my hopes of happiness—my life, my business,
all my interests, both temporal and spiritual, in time and eternity,
and I trust will ever be. There is nothing else that I esteem worthy
to engage my attention in comparison, and i have no hopes outside my
interest in this kingdom, neither do I wish to have.

Vol. 7, p.291
When I embraced "Mormonism," I let go everything else; and since then
I have had no wish or desire but to attend to those things required at
my hands. I take peculiar pleasure and delight in doing anything that
is for the advancement of this kingdom.

Vol. 7, p.291
I feel an ardent anxiety to see Israel rise triumphant over every
opposing object that may lie in their onward course. With me it is
"Hosanna!" and "Glory to God!" when [p.292] Israel obtain a single
victory. It is "Israel for ever!" all the time.

Vol. 7, p.292
These are a part of my feelings with regard to this work.

Vol. 7, p.292
I expect one of the distinguishing features between the Latter-day
Saints and the sectarian world is that they feel so devoted to the
cause they have espoused, that they are willing to pass through any
amount of suffering, even to the loss of their lives, to subserve its
interests.

Vol. 7, p.292
The outsiders look on the devotedness of the Latter-day Saints to this
cause and kingdom with great astonishment. There is a reason for this
devotedness they know nothing about. They cannot conceive how men
should let their religion occupy their whole affections.

Vol. 7, p.292
How is it in the United States? They have no confidence in their
religious leaders. Have they any in their God? I do not Wish to be
severe in my strictures on them. They virtually say to their religious
leaders, Stand there, and do not dare to interfere with our temporal
affairs, or interfere with us in any way except in religious matters.
They look upon them as their spiritual leaders only.

Vol. 7, p.292
The world generally have an idea, and it is too true with many of the
Latter-day Saints, that they know better about their every-day affairs
than the Lord. They even go so far as to exclude religious teachers
from holding offices in their political circles. They do not elevate
their religious ministers to the civil offices of the country.

Vol. 7, p.292
Would not we, as a people, be willing to let the Lord dictate our
affairs temporally and spiritually? This is a distinguishing feature,
I say, between the Latter-day Saints and the rest of the world: they
are not willing that the Lord should dictate their temporal affairs,
and we profess to be willing that he should.

Vol. 7, p.292
If ever we are prospered exceedingly, we shall have to submit
ourselves to his dictation temporally, because he is building up a
temporal kingdom on the earth, as well as a spiritual kingdom, in the
last days. He is gathering the people together from the four quarters
of the earth, that he may concentrate a power to bring forth his
purposes in the last days—that he may magnify his name in the
earth—that he may have a people who will do as he wishes them, that he
may exalt and bless them.

Vol. 7, p.292
The Lord takes us through many channels, through a chequered path, to
bring us to the position to be capable and worthy to receive the
blessings he is desirous of dispensing to the children of men who will
acknowledge him as having a right to rule on a portion of the earth,
at least, if not on the whole of it.

Vol. 7, p.292
Has he not a right to rule on this earth? Who has done so much for it
as our Lord and Saviour? The Prophets have intimated that all his
enemies should be laid beneath his feet, that he should triumph over
every opposing foe, and that the kingdoms of this world should be
broken in pieces, and become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ.

Vol. 7, p.292
This is what we are expecting in this our day and generation. The work
has commenced, and we have become participants in it—citizens of the
kingdom of God, if you please. This thought carries with it joy and
satisfaction to the soul of every true Saint, and to every person who
is desirous of seeing righteousness obtain a foothold on the earth,
and wickedness walked underfoot.

Vol. 7, p.292
This is what makes the people of God so enthusiastic in regard to
their religion. Great blessings are held out to them in having the
Lord to reign over them, in being submissive to his will in all
things, and thereby doing the work he has allotted them to do in the
last days.[p.293] 

Vol. 7, p.293
It is very encouraging to the Saints to know and realize that this
duty and privilege rests on their shoulders. The Lord in his kindness
has enlightened their minds to see the ripening of the work he has
commenced and will perform.

Vol. 7, p.293
The world cannot understand the work in which we are engaged. They
look upon this Church as another sect or persuasion of people. In one
sense we are. Our forms of worship are similar to theirs; but this
abiding faith they do not have. We have something to cling to about
which they know nothing—which their doctrines do not teach. The
blessings we enjoy they think of as being a great way off—something to
be hoped for, but not expected. We understand things they do not;
therefore we have great cause to rejoice and offer thanksgiving and
praise to our God. We have great cause to be industrious and active in
the discharge and full performance of our duties, and to concentrate
our interests in this kingdom and in its advancement.

Vol. 7, p.293
Let that be our daily work. Let us have no other business—nothing that
shall come between us and our duty in regard to this. Let not the Evil
One place any barrier between us and our daily righteous walk.

Vol. 7, p.293
It is the duty of each and every one of the Saints to feel that share
of responsibility that belongs to them. Upon our shoulders the kingdom
rests, and the Lord is perfectly willing to roll it forth so fast as
he shall have a people that are willing and capable to bear it off.
Let us not be impatient if things do not come about as fast as we wish
to see them; for, let me assure you, if the Lord were to answer our
desires with respect to this, we should not be able to bear up under
it. So fast as he can get a people who will be able to bear the
kingdom off, he will roll it onward.

Vol. 7, p.293
The people of God must strengthen their knees, gird up their loins,
endeavour to have their faith increased by living nearer to the Lord,
and by shaking off the Evil One.

Vol. 7, p.293
There are too many among us who shake bands with the Devil; and while
this is so the Lord cannot bless this people as he wants to bless
them. Were he to pour out the multiplicity of blessings he has in
store upon them now, it would send many of them to destruction;
otherwise his great blessings will save them when they understand
them. It is necessary we should live near to the Lord.

Vol. 7, p.293
I am not obliged to mingle with evil because it surrounds me. An Elder
whose duty calls him into the Gentile world can keep himself as pure
and as holy as he was in the midst of the Saints. He may enwrap
himself as in a cloak against every evil that would surround his
footsteps.

Vol. 7, p.293
It is in the power of every man to resist the Devil, and he will flee
from him. He will not take possession of any man's heart unless he
makes him a welcome inhabitant and invites him to share in his
affections.

Vol. 7, p.293
It is in the power of every man and every woman not to give way to
evil thoughts and speak evil against their neighbours. If they do
this, the first thing they know they are overcome. They will think
evil in the first place; and if they encourage the evil thoughts, they
will finally give utterance to them; and when they do this, they are
still further from the true path than before. And so they go on, until
they are overtaken by apostacy, which they did not think of when they
commenced this course.

Vol. 7, p.293
Every one has his own peculiar feelings, and it is well enough for
people to be courteous one to another: but suppose a thing is done
that comes across our natural feelings and judgment a little,—why
should we set our judgment to be above that of our brethren? Why
should one [p.294] man suppose he knows better than anybody else? Why
not yield at once to the superior judgment of another? And if another
man's view is not as good as your own, what of it? Let us lay aside
our judgment, and let our neighbour have his way in regard to matters
that do not particularly concern us. Why not, rather than contend?

Vol. 7, p.294
If we encourage a spirit of contention, we shall fall into darkness.
Why not take a course to live in the light? The result will show which
is the best.

Vol. 7, p.294
Let us all be for the kingdom. Another man's policy for the kingdom
may be just as good as mine. If you are called upon to act in a
particular place, act in it until you shall be displaced, and act in
it according to the best light and judgment you have, though another
might go about the same thing differently. Let us, however, sustain
that man who is appointed to act, and act with him, so long as he is
honest and sincere within. If all the people in this city and in other
settlements could see this, there would be less contention.

Vol. 7, p.294
I have seen good men get at variance, in the outside settlements,
because their Bishops did not do as they thought they ought; and I
have seen Bishops removed, and others put in their places, and they
would do exactly the same things in their own way.

Vol. 7, p.294
I feel like being generous. I feel like letting men go about a thing
in their own way, to benefit the people and the kingdom. Let us look a
little beyond the surface, and see a benefit in another man's policy
as well as our  own, and think that another man has got a little
common sense as well as ourselves.

Vol. 7, p.294
In this way, I think, there would be a great deal less to find fault
with; and then we can see and appreciate the policy of our brother
that is as desirous of doing well, even as we are. Then we should get
rid of a certain thing called envy, which very frequently besets some
people.

Vol. 7, p.294
I would like to see my brethren learn wisdom. I would like to have
more myself. I would like to have them increase in the knowledge of
God—in things pertaining to eternal life, as well as in things
pertaining to our every-day life and business; and thus let us learn
to save ourselves daily, that we may be saved with a full salvation at
last.

Vol. 7, p.294
It is not the great things of the kingdom that cause men to fall away
and go to destruction. It is the small. things of life—matters of
traffic and deal, upon which people stumble. Large mountains are
magnified from small molehills, and they loom out greater and greater
the longer persons travel in that path.

Vol. 7, p.294
If I do not want one of my wives or children to go to the Devil—if I
do not wish them to be overcome by evil, I consider it my duty to keep
them out of the way of evil, and not suffer them to visit places and
company that would be likely to lead them astray.

Vol. 7, p.294
Suppose I place myself and family under the power of influences that
are from the Devil—influences that are calculated to lead us into
darkness and apostacy; or if I have characters about my house who are
filthy, wicked—who curse God and use profane language, having no
respect for my religion, for God, for angeles, and, holy beings,—how
far do you think I shall be held responsible, should one of my family
go into apostacy through this influence which I have thrown around
them? Would I be held responsible, or not?

Vol. 7, p.294
How far is that mother responsible for her daughter, when she
surrounds her with influences that are calculated to lead her astray
and into darkness? [p.295] How far can the father be held responsible
for the future conduct of his daughters, after surrounding them with
pernicious influences, and they should, in consequence thereof, fall
away?

Vol. 7, p.295
It appears to me as though persons in pretty good faith, who think
they may stand themselves, will be held responsible for many of these
things. It seems to me, if I surrounded my family with evil
influences, and they were led astray thereby, I should have nobody
else to blame for it but myself.

Vol. 7, p.295
It is true sons and daughters may go contrary to fathers' and mothers'
counsel, and parents employ every means in their power to keep them
from wandering into by-and-forbidden paths.

Vol. 7, p.295
Under these circumstances they may not be considered responsible; but
when parents place bad influences around their children, or introduce
them into their houses, I look quite differently upon the matter of
responsibility.

Vol. 7, p.295
Even at the present time, many are caused to mourn: they have real
sorrow of heart, in consequence of their own injudiciousness—of their
want of thought and good understanding. They now see where they have
missed it; and many a heart will yet sorrow for not pursuing a
different course.

Vol. 7, p.295
Let us not forget these important items, but have our minds stirred up
to them, and be careful as to what kind of influences we surround our
families with. Let the mother be careful what kind of company she lets
her daughter keep. This is the way to preserve their own hearts from
bitter sorrow, and their daughters from degradation and death. How far
will the father of that young man be held responsible, whose
pernicious practices have led him to drunkenness?

Vol. 7, p.295
I like to have liquor in my house for family use, in case of sickness;
and if I could have my own feelings gratified, I would always have it
in my house: but I would rather forego all the benefit it would do my
family than to see any member of this Church and kingdom, or any true
friend of mine, led into drunkenness and into death. I would rather
that not a drop more should ever be manufactured, from this time
forth, than that it should be the means of destroying one soul.

Vol. 7, p.295
If my influence and words could blot out of existence the excessive
use of it, I would do so. When I see otherwise faithful and
intelligent men overcome and rendered perfectly useless by the
intemperate use of ardent spirits, I feel like saying, Never let a
drop more be made, but let it go entirely out of existence. But when I
reflect, I see it is like other temptations of the Devil: men must
know the evil as well as the good.

Vol. 7, p.295
This is all right; and it is to try them, whether they will show their
integrity, by wallowing in the mire, or by using it without abusing
themselves by it. If men who have an appetite formed for it overcome
it, so much greater will be their reward; but if they subject
themselves to it, it becomes their lord and master. We see a good many
who are controlled by it.

Vol. 7, p.295
I despise this abominable practice. At the same time, men must have
their agency, and do as they please. If the holy influences of the
Gospel will not fetch them out of it, I do not know anything that
will.

Vol. 7, p.295
I do not expect any reward for being tempted with ardent spirits, for
i have no disposition to be tempted by it. I have no liking for it,
although I could be benefited by the the use of it, in the way I would
use it; but I would rather forego that for my brethren's sake. I have
not that [p.296] evil desire to overcome. I have other things to
overcome; but this is no besetting sin of mine.

Vol. 7, p.296
May God bless us and help us to triumph over sin, is my prayer in the
name of Jesus. Amen.

Amasa Lyman, December 25, 1859

The Gospel of Salvation, &c.

Discourse delivered by Elder AMASA LYMAN, 
in the Ninth Ward School House, Great Salt Lake City, 
December 25, 1859.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 7, p.296
I feel very much to appreciate the privilege and blessing extended to
me, and this opportunity of meeting with the brethren and sisters in
this Ward, and also to have the opportunity, for a little time, to
discuss with you those things that are of interest to us as Saints.

Vol. 7, p.296
There are a great many things connected with the publishing of the
Gospel, and its being believed on the part of the people, and being
received by them as a rule of practice, that is interesting for us to
consider. There is a great deal of variety connected with it, although
its principles are ever the same, and the truth is unchangeable. Yet
truth never, even with us, puts on all its beauty, until we comprehend
it fully, and realize the great influence that the views we entertain
with regard to the truth may exercise over our actions. It becomes
important, then, that we should learn to think correctly, and that we
should learn to adopt correct views about things which we believe; for
as we think of a matter, so we will treat it. If we adopt such views
of the Gospel that will lead us to conclude that a large amount of all
that has to be done for our benefit and salvation is the work of some
other individuals besides ourselves, it would be very natural for
this, in its tendency, and in the influence it would have and exert
over us, to lead our minds from that which would tend to our
emancipation from sin and iniquity.

Vol. 7, p.296
There are certain prominent things connected with the Gospel as it is
generally treated, and as it has been revealed to us. The Son of God,
the Saviour of the world, in the way that it has been taught to us, is
made to have a great share in it and a great deal to do with it. Some
suppose that he has done so much, and has made such peculiar kinds of
provisions for our wants and necessities, that there is but little
left for us to do,—little more, perhaps, than to attend to a few
ordinances that are instituted for us: this is about all; but that the
great plan and work that bring salvation are things that belong to the
mission of Jesus Christ. If this is correct, it is what we ought to
believe; if it is not, it is that which we should expose; and we
should labour to undeceive the people; for we certainly ought to begin
to entertain correct [p.297] views. If there is a work left for us to
do, it will be accomplished as the result of our exertions.

Vol. 7, p.297
When we cling to what Jesus Christ has done for us, do you not see
that our part will never be done? We may pray and sing, and pay
Tithing, and go to church, and attend to all the outward forms of
religion, and attend to all those things that thousands believed in
doing, and then we shall find that our salvation will not be wrought
out.

Vol. 7, p.297
Now, I am not myself very much in favour of preaching long sermons
about things that are a great way from home. Some people interest
themselves at times by telling and undertaking to explain how Gods are
made, and what they are made of, and all about it. There is only one
way that i have any idea of knowing anything about Gods. There is only
one class of them that I have had the privilege of forming an
acquaintance with; and I would only wish, on the present occasion, to
allude to this matter with a view to bring it down to our
capacities—to our circumstances, as a matter that is practical.

Vol. 7, p.297
We entertain various notions with regard to the Saviour of the world.
Now, whether this excellence that he possessed constituted him the Son
of God—the heir of all his Father's vast dominions, whether there were
any of them that he inherited, or whether he acquired all the great
and glorious qualities that he possessed, we will not now stop to
inquire. Now, if Jesus is regarded as God, and if we wish to learn his
history, let us read it as it is developed in the Scriptures; and if
he is God, and you would know the history of the Father, learn it in
the Son; for he assures us that he came do the works which he saw his
Father do. Of Jesus it was said,  "He was anointed with the oil of
gladness above his fellows," and for this reason—"he loved
righteousness and hated iniquity."

Vol. 7, p.297
This is the way matters look with us—the way we examine everything
that is presented to us. We are promised a victory over sin. if we
will break off our iniquities and our sins by turning to God. There is
no remarkable difference between us and Jesus, if he was anointed
because he loved righteousness. What is the difference? We have the
promise of becoming heirs of God, and joint-heirs with him to all
those extensive domains possessed by the Father, upon the conditions
that we are as obedient to the commandments of God as Jesus was. Jesus
was anointed and preferred before others, from the simple fact that he
loved righteousness better than others, and hated iniquity more. And
hence it is written—"For it became him, for whom are all things, and
by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the
captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Heb. ii. 10.)

Vol. 7, p.297
We are told, you perceive, in the history of the Son of God, that he
was made perfect through sufferings; and therefore we must conclude
that if he was made perfect, he must at some time, (no matter when
that time might have been,) have lacked that perfection which he
appears to have gained by the sufferings he experienced. "Well, but,"
says one, "of what practical benefit is that to us?" Simply this: We
learn that Jesus—the individual whom we have been taught to adore from
our infancy,—to worship and revere—God our Father, possessed of an
infinitude of power, ability, and capacity for happiness and glory,
and for the accomplishment of his own will and pleasure, was once as
we are. Then to think that the same opportunity is extended to us,
that we may become all that he is that is great and good—to think
that, with all our faults and weaknesses—with [p.298] all the
temptations that hang around us, the same privilege that is extended
to him of attaining salvation is also extended to us,—that it is
simply salvation that was extended to Jesus, and that the same as that
which is extended to us. That heaven of glory and perfection which is
offered to us in the Gospel is the same that was offered to Jesus; and
the right to the possession of all those riches and this great glory
that was attained by him are equally open to us. This is encouraging
to me. Why? Because I am not only contemplating myself as a mortal
worm—a creature that is annoyed with the faults and follies of fallen
humanity, but I view myself in connection with this principle that is
associated with the work that is to prepare us to be associated in
that better condition, in which we view the Saviour of the world as
existing in that perfect sunshine of bliss, enjoying the rich reward
of the saved and sanctified in the presence of God.

Vol. 7, p.298
This view of the subject should create within us an ardent wish for
the same glory, remembering that this is the door—this the salvation
that is offered to us in the Gospel that we have received. But upon
what principle shall we avail ourselves of these blessings? Has Jesus
done anything that will bring salvation to you and me? The chief of
what he has done is that he has revealed the plan of the Gospel—the
scheme of human redemption, and manifested himself among his brethren;
and we may say he has done a great deal more, for he has shed his
blood for it. So have others shed their blood. But whose blood has
cleansed you and me? It is said that the blood of Jesus cleanses from
all sins. Then why is it that we remain sinners? It is simply because
the blood of Jesus has not cleansed us from sin—because it has not
reached us. What is the reason? It is because we have not been found
in that perfect path of obedience that ensures us a freedom from sin.

Vol. 7, p.298
One of the old Apostles boasts of having been made a king and priest,
washed in the blood of Jesus. What was required of Jesus? He was
required to be baptized the same as you and I. He was required to walk
in the path of obedience, in order that he might be an example of that
obedience which is required of you and me, by which we may be cleansed
from sin.

Vol. 7, p.298
We will suppose that Jesus had come into the world and died on Calvary
as he died, but that he had not left the principles of life in the
world. Suppose he had never called the humble fishermen and endowed
them, how much wiser would the world have been? Who would have been
delivered from sin? Who would have realized the blessings of the
Gospel of salvation? But Jesus lived, and Jesus died. Then what is it
that should make us rejoice? It is that Jesus, who was here, has
returned to the heavens,—that his work is done. We should also be
thankful for the truths that he taught, for the many good things that
he said, for the Priesthood he left, through which the Gospel is
revealed, and a meduim opened through which you and I could be brought
to the knowledge of the truth, accomplish that which will produce a
deliverance from sin.

Vol. 7, p.298
Then let us not rejoice altogether because Jesus lived, or that he
died in the world, but that coming into the world he brought with him
the Priesthood—that he brought with him the power, the right to
officiate as well as to teach the Gospel of life; and by virtue of his
appointment he had power to appoint others to act in his name. When he
was crucified, and for a few days left this state of existence, it was
to open the door of [p.299] salvation to a fallen world. Well, then,
it is the Gospel, after all, for which we respect Jesus. There was
nothing about Jesus but the Priesthood that he held and the Gospel
that he proclaimed that was so very singular. But he died for the
world. Yes; and what man that ever died for the truth that he died
for, did not die for the world? Prophets have died in our day. Men
have testified to the truth, and for that truth have died; but has
their blood redeemed us from the sin and transgression we were
previously guilty of? Have we found redemption through them? As far as
we have obtained it, it has been by walking in the truth. Jesus, who
was the bright and full reflection of the character of his Father, was
himself a perfect pattern of obediences. He not only recommended to
the world obedience, but was himself a living pattern and example of
that obedience which he taught, and through that obedience merited
that which was conferred upon him. Hence we read that he was exalted
above his brethren, simply because he loved righteousness and hated
iniquity; and it is that same principle that saves you and me. We may
talk of men being redeemed by the efficacy of his blood; but the truth
is that that blood has no efficacy to wash away our sins. That must
depend upon our own action.

Vol. 7, p.299
Can Jesus free us from sin while we go and sin again? What is it that
frees us from sin? Did not Jesus preach the word of life? Yes. But who
is it that shall believe—that shall be benefited and instructed? It is
we that are to be redeemed. Jesus could preach of heaven, of the works
of Omnipotence, and the vastness of his creations, because he
understood them. And if we were only a little more enlightened, we
could probably understand a great deal more than we do; but in our
present darkness we need further instruction. Truth exists all around
us to a vast infinity, yet we pass on in our darkness from year to
year, and add folly to our transgressions, and still continue to hope
that yet, through Jesus, we shall be redeemed; but it will be when, by
our own actions, we shall be released from the thraldrom of sin.

Vol. 7, p.299
"Well," says one, "you do not think much of Jesus." Yes, I do. "How
much?" I think he was a good man. "But," says the inquirer, "I think
that is a very low estimate of him." What, then, would you have him to
be better than a good man? What and who is he? "Why," says one, "he is
the Lord from heaven." Who are the characters or beings of whom the
Apostle spoke, when he said—"There are gods many and lords many?" I
suppose them to be good men. Jesus himself, when speaking in these
last days, and explaining to the Prophet of this great and last
dispensation, says, "Man of holiness is my name: man of counsel is my
name." Well, what does this all show? Simply that Jesus was a man. We
also learn that his Father was a man.

Vol. 7, p.299
Jesus came to do the will of his Father, and none other work than that
which he saw his Father do. And we, through our obedience, became
brethren and sisters with him, and joint-heirs to the rich
inheritances that he is heir to. Why, the practicability of this
principle is demonstrated in the case of Jesus himself. He came to
this earth as a living example of the truth—of the fact that it was
possible that man, though weak and feeble, can be exalted, saved from
his ignorance, and exalted to the capacity of a God,—that we, poor
worms of the dust, partakers of the evils and afflictions that trouble
and torment mortality,—that we could be exalted—that we could come
into this [p.300] low condition, and pass from that low state of
ignorance that we were in, and thereby gain an experience that would
fit us for exaltation. Then the Gospel comes to us as a source of
encouragement and comfort: therefore it should give us strength in our
weakness, when the way may appear dark and almost without hope—when
afflicted through the perplexities and hardships that we have to
encounter for Jesus has travelled on the way himself: he has travelled
it, step by step, and piece by piece, and degree by degree, and has
experienced all the grievous afflictions that flesh is heir to. Has he
been exalted by it? We shall all say that he has. He has been exalted
from that degree of imperfection in which we exist to his present
condition, with power, might, and excellence, even all that is
possible for him to enjoy. Then if it is possible for you and I to
travel this same road, let us begin to inquire if we are doing it; for
be assured that if we obtain that victory and exaltation that he
possesses, it will be by doing as he did. He was obedient to the
truth. He did not even presume to shrink from the bitter cup, though
his feeling, as a man, rather inclined him to the seat of life. Hence,
said he, Father, I would a little rather that this cup pass by; but on
reflection he said, "Father, not my will, but thine be done."

Vol. 7, p.300
Well, now, how would we have distinguished between this offering and
one similar to the natural eye, but different in its design? Suppose a
thing of this kind had transpired with us—supposing that it would have
taken place in our midst, would we have any idea that it was a goes
man, a man of integrity, that died? How could we have known this? When
he gives his own account of himself, he simply says, "Man of holiness
is my name." He did not wish to have it understood that there was any
being in existence, no matter by what majesty, might, and power he
might be surrounded, that could go beyond the good men—the holy men.

Vol. 7, p.300
What view does this lead us to take of the Gospel that this Jesus has
led us to look into? Simply that it is a practical system of piety,
purity, holiness, and truth,—truth that is to be exhibited in our
actions, purity that is to extend to all our motives and designs, and
holiness that is to be a characteristic of our lives, and to extend to
all there is connected with our lives, our actions, and all that we do
and say; for the action of the mind is considered. If these thoughts
be correct—be pure, the actions that will reflect those thoughts will
be good and beneficial, and the body that sees it will be
correspondingly pure.

Vol. 7, p.300
Then where is this purity to be wrought out—this propriety of
thought—this perfection of holiness? Where is it to be read of, that
we may be benefited by it—that we may travel in the way that Jesus has
travelled—that we may follow in the example that he has set? Can we
get our neighbour in the way to be the holy man, the righteous man,
for us, and We reap the reward in heaven? Oh no. We must be the
obedient men and women ourselves. We must be the patient men and
women, and feel oil that forbearance and mercy, that loving-kindness
and charity ourselves; we must be the men and the women that will put
on the habiliments of truth—the garments of holiness, end wear them
for ourselves. We must wear them day by day, month by month, year by
year, and for ever.

Vol. 7, p.300
I want you to see this, and to comprehend that the whole matter of
your salvation is your own business and work. What else has Jesus
done? What did he require of man? You examine  principle in the Gospel
as it is taught to you, and what [p.301] requirement of that Gospel
has been obeyed for you? None.

Vol. 7, p.301
We are required to be obedient from the beginning unto the practice of
every virtue that the Gospel can open out. This is what is required of
you and me, that we may be saved and become just like Jesus. Then you
see that it is entirely a practical affair with every one of us. We
may theorize as much as we please, and talk about purity and holiness;
and as long as we theorize about them, we shall find that they will do
us no good—never, until we reduce them to practice and adopt that kind
of holiness that is acceptable to God. How can we know that one great
principle of obedience, excepting we comply with the requirements of
the Gospel? How can we know what is good for us, excepting we be tried
in these things? The Almighty is gratified when his puposes are
accomplished, and when we are preparing ourselves to be exalted and
admitted into his presence, that we may be prepared by that education
to be filled with that knowledge and clothed with power as himself—be
filled with that infinitude of capacity that he himself enjoys, and
that those principles may be so implanted in our being and sought by
us during our existence upon the earth, that we shall increase our own
greatness and the glory and power of our God.

Vol. 7, p.301
"Well, but," says one, "where does this power come from? Does it come
from God?" We should answer, "Yes." Well, then, where did He get it
from? Did he inherit it? No, he did not. When we talk of the Father
and of Jesus, we can say they did not inherit it. Why do we say that
Jesus did not inherit this greatness and glory? Because he is
recommended to us as one who came to do nothing but what he had seen
his Father do, (who, like Jesus, had once been imperfect,) and that,
like him, he had risen to might, majesty, and power, and clothed
himself with the truth and with knowledge that endowed him with power
to act and to be acted upon, to design and to execute those designs.
Well, then, the power of God is—what? Why, it is the Gospel; and the
Apostle said that the Gospel was "the power of God unto salvation;"
and it is the salvation of every individual and everything that is
clothed with it.

Vol. 7, p.301
Who is saved? Why, the individual that has power; and the individual
that possesses knowledge has power. It is just as the Apostle says—he
was not ashamed of that Gospel that was the power of God unto
salvation, that was revealed by Him that loved righteousness and hated
iniquity.

Vol. 7, p.301
The Gospel, then, as preached unto us, is the power of God that saves.
What does it do? It enlightens that which is dark; it gives us power
where all is weakness before; it endows us with capacity where before
there was no capacity, and where there was no strength.

Vol. 7, p.301
This is what the Gospel does for us: it is that which saves and fills
our minds with that which we need not be ashamed of; and it is the
simple fact that we should carry to our home, to our firesides, to
correct the evils that exist between man and man, between parents and
children, husbands and wives: but it is, nevertheless, the power of
God that saves. It is that which tranquilizes the power of the soul
that is not wholly under the principles of truth. It is not like the
empty proclamation of enthusiasm, but it is deliverance to the
captives; it is freedom to the sick soul—to the soul that is in the
dark, that knows not the truth, that has no hope that reaches into the
vast future, and opens up prospects for the immortality and the
salvation of the souls of men. This is the way that the Gospel opens
to us in regard to the salvation of the [p.302] soul: it will make
everything in the soul tranquil as the blest in heaven. It is that
which must abide constantly within us; it is that which must be
developed in our homes. Why? That all the members of that home may
become legitimate lovers of the truth, be truthful in all they do and
say, and be calculated by their good works to subserve the ends of
righteousness and peace; and to bring about the purposes of God.
"Why," says one, "the Gospel seems to be a great matter to be carried
to the simple circles of our homes, and for it to enter into the
trivial affairs of our every-day life; it seems to be a small matter
to that vast infinitude of greatness and glory in its fulness that we
seek to enjoy in a future state."

Vol. 7, p.302
Brethren and sisters, what greatness you expect to enjoy, what you
intend to enjoy in the fountain of bliss that lies before the Saints!
the origin of all this, the region where it must be commenced is in
the soul, at the firesides, within the circle of your family. Where is
it to come from? If the blessings developed that constitute the
happiness of the saved and sanctified, that enrich the pleasures of
those that have passed away, are attainable, why have we not been
blessed? Why has not the Gospel brought salvation to our firesides and
to our homes? Why, we have naught but imperfections of our own. But
these could not stand in the way; for the blood of Jesus could have
cleansed us from sin, aside from our own works, according to the
feelings of some. Then why is it that we are these slaves of sin, and
are afflicted with the consequences thereof? Why is it that the
sanctuary of home is deprived of these blessings? The  Gospel that
saved Jesus, that clothed him with power, that bestowed upon him all
the perfections that he posessed as a God, why has it not wrought out
its work with us? Our firesides have not been blessed with the harmony
and bliss that is affected by its purity and hallowed influence. We
would not inquire where is heaven, or say how far it is from us, from
our homes; for there would be a fountain of bliss to any one who would
partake of the food that angels feed upon—who would partake and
realize the perfection in which they dwell, and the harmony by which
they are associated, and those that dwell with them. Then it would be
no matter of uncertainty with us; neither should we care whether
heaven was a little way off, or at a vast or immeasurable distance;
for then in our homes, within our own family circles, would be that
heaven and happiness for which we are seeking. There would be
perfection; there would be the beauty of holiness in spirit and in
truth.

Vol. 7, p.302
Now, this is the religion that should be developed at home; it should
be of domestic manufacture as well as the clothes that we wear; and
their beauty, you know we are told, should consist in the beauty of
the workmanship of our own hands.

Vol. 7, p.302
If we realized that our salvation depended upon our living in peace at
home with our wives and children, and upon our cherishing the
principles of virtue, of holiness, and of purity, do you suppose that
we should ever be at a loss for an opportunity of doing some good? Do
you suppose we should ever be at a loss to do something that would
save the cause of truth? Our homes and our heaven would ever be with
us. The constitution and establishment of our homes in peace, and
making that happiness, and giving that satisfaction which will produce
it, constitute the burden of our labour at home and abroad.

Vol. 7, p.302
But we are called to go and preach the Gospel to distant nations,
simply that the honest may be  gathered. together and have homes like
you and [p.303] I, until a nation shall be imbued with the principle
of that heavenly government that we talk and read so much about, that
the will of God may be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Vol. 7, p.303
According to this, then, the object is the same, whether you labour at
home or abroad. I want this riveted on your memories—,to have you
think upon it every day. I do not want you to think that you can live
your religion while you are quarrelling with your wives every day; I
do not want you to think that you are travelling the road to salvation
while you are quarrelling with everybody around you. What is the
difficulty? What causes this quarrelling? "Why," says the man, "my
wife has a contentious spirit: she is not going to heaven; she is not
going on the road to those perfections that will bring her to a
perfect and sanctified state: she has put far from her the day of
sanctification." Then, as ministers of righteousness, I want you to go
to work at home. Why? Simply because home is the place where you
should live your religion.

Vol. 7, p.303
"But," says one, "I am going to wait until I go on a mission; then I
will devote all my time to serving the Lord."

Vol. 7, p.303
If you wait till then, when you are gone thousands of miles away, what
will your wife and children do? Who, having wife and children, and
having laboured to bring them here, and lived with them here from year
to year, will neglect to develop in them the principles that will save
and make them happy in time, and exalt them in eternity? I want you to
save them by implanting in them correct principles; and then, if you
are called to go abroad, you can teach the people the principles that
will save, for you will have learned them at home. Then, if they
should apostatize when they have been gathered here, as some do, to
our own sorrow and to theirs too, you would have the confidence and
consolation of knowing that your own family were saved, because you
had taught them the principles of salvation while you were with them.
Then why do some seem so anxious to live their religion abroad, while
they neglect to teach and practise it at home? It is evident that they
do not enjoy the spirit of the Gospel; and if they have not within
them the principles of purity and holiness, and do not live their
religion at home, what assurance have we that they will live it when
they get thousands of miles from their friends?

Vol. 7, p.303
I want you to go to work in your own circles, and cultivate the
principles of righteousness, and let the world go their own way. Do
not trouble about how your neighbours are getting along, but seek to
make your own home the dwelling place of God; seek to make it a
sanctuary where the richest blessings of God shall be enjoyed—where
the truth shall be kept in rich stores to bless you and yours. Then
that point will become a point of attraction to which your affections
may repair with feelings of satisfaction. And if you go abroad, your
peace will be increased with the reflection that you have left your
family stationed upon the immutable and sure basis of eternal truth;
and while time passes, and the angels of heaven carry you safely
along, your friends and connections at home are still wending their
way onward to the haven of peace and rest, where all is right—where
peace and joy flow like a river to those who are sanctified through
the truth.

Vol. 7, p.303
Now, do not excuse yourselves because you are Seventies, and are
therefore called to go abroad as special witnesses to the nations; for
we are called to save our own: that is our first duty. It is true we
can do a great deal towards bringing others to [p.304] a knowledge of
the truth; and if we can preach to the world—to those that are afar
off, we can also preach to those that are near to us, and save them;
and how? Do as much to save them as Jesus has done, and then we shall
have done our duty. What is it that he has told us? He told us how to
save ourselves with the principles of virtue, righteousness, and
peace; and let us so live that those principles may be in the young
men that are growing up around our hearths. There is nothing that is
important to some except it is a great way off. But the foundation of
purity should be at our homes: there God should dwell; there God
should reign in all the greatness of his glory, and in all the
perfection of his attributes. Where will this be? Why, wherever there
is a good man—a man devoted to the truth. whose affections are
identified with it and for it, and who loves righteousness and hates
iniquity, as Jesus did. This is the way I want you to live, and then
there will be less wickedness—fewer lies told—less tattling by the
fireside about your neighbours. The husband and wife will have less
difficulties of a character and kind that are unendurable. If we can
come down from the exaltedness of our feelings and humble ourselves,
we can avoid most of the evils that are common among mankind.

Vol. 7, p.304
Who have these kinds of difficulties to which I have alluded? People
that are very religious—people that go to church—people that are
favoured in various ways, and who preach long sermons for the benefit
of such as themselves. What is the reason that they are not saved?
Why, simply because they never have time to live their
religion—because they never had an idea that to live their religion
was to be at peace at home—that the paying their Tithing was offering
an offering that would be acceptable to God; and those who did think
so, had an idea that that of itself would save them. I want you to
understand that it is all nonsense to take the latter position.
"What," says one, "should we not pay our Tithing?" Should we not pray?
Yes, pray, and pay your Tithing. But this is not all: I want you to
pray God Almighty to bless you with strength, with forbearance, with
charity, that you may be merciful to each other's weaknesses, and that
you may look with tender compassion upon one another, as God looks
upon us, his children, all the day long. This is what I want you to
pray for. And husbands, if your wives speak harsh words, don't speak
another in return. "But," says one, "how can I bear it?" Why, hold
your tongue. You talk of ruling nations, kingdoms, principalities, and
powers, and yet cannot hold your tongue! What wise rulers you would
make!

Vol. 7, p.304
I suppose, when the Bishop was made or ordained, you all thought that
you ought to have been made Bishops,—you were so clever, so
accomplished, and so well qualified to rule, in your own estimation. I
want you to prove that you are capable of being Bishops, by keeping
your mouths shut when a storm of passion arises within you. Let it
die. Never let the world hear the breath of heaven wafting away the
ill-spoken word—the hasty declaration. No, never. Why not? Because, if
hell is within you, keep it there. "Why," says one, "is it not just as
bad to think of hell as it is to speak it oat?" No—not half as bad.
Why? Because, if you thought of killing me, and were not to do it, I
should not be hurt. But, if you took away my life, then I should be
hurt. Hence, then, you see, there is a difference between thinking and
doing. I want you husbands and wives to carry this home with you, and
learn to hold your tongue, when you have nothing but some miserable,
provoking thing to say. [p.305] "Well, but," says one man, "my wife
acts so like the Devil that I cannot get along with her. I thought I
was married to an angel, but I have found out I was deceived, and that
she is a fiend." If you were such a fool as to marry a wife of that
kind, you ought to learn a little by experience.

Vol. 7, p.305
Now, knowledge is power; and if you have married a woman that does not
answer your expectations, that is not an angel, that does not abound
in goodness, and that is not the very quintessence of perfection, what
will you do? I will go and get a divorce. Then what will you do? Live
single? No. You will marry another, then? You answer, "Yes." Then you
will live with her, conquer her, and control her, I suppose? "Yes,"
says one, "that seems like the idea; and I will go home and let my
wife know that she has got to mind me and obey me." Why, what are you
going to do? "If she don't obey me, I will chastise her; I will beat
her." I presume you mean to treat her in the way that some of us are
accustomed to treat our mules? "Yes," says the man, "I will let her
know that she has got to obey me."

Vol. 7, p.305
You poor miserable souls who think thus, if you go home and whip your
wives because of what I say to you to-night upon family government,
the sin shall lie at your own door, and the lash that will be upon you
shall be far more severe than anything that you can inflict upon your
poor wives.

Vol. 7, p.305
I want you to go home and let them know that you are better men, that
you are improving, that you are better than they, and that you are
improving in righteousness faster than they are. Then, if your wife is
disposed to quarrel, she will soon get tired of it; she will turn to
righteousness and follow your holy example. Then let me urge upon you
the necessity of proving to your wives that there is more consistency,
in your conduct than there is in theirs, and that you are capable of
living without saying harsh things yourselves.

Vol. 7, p.305
Brethren, this is the way I want you to govern your wives, and in
ninety-nine cases out of every hundred you will succeed in governing
them in righteousness; they will be faithful and true to you, and to
the Gospel that has been revealed in this dispensation. And if you get
a little mortified with something that may transpire, which is often
the case, your wife would adopt the course that she has seen adopted
by you: she would hold her tongue, unless she could say some very
pleasing thing; and in this way there will be peace established in
your home. Whenever there is peace, and the home circle lives in peace
and quietude, the blessings of heaven and the revelations of the Holy
Spirit will be there; its inspiration will be there, and it will be
like a burning, never-dying flame within you, and you will walk
together in peace and in harmony. You won't stumble and die in the
way; there will be no difference of feeling; but the twine of family
affection will grow stronger, day by day, and year by year; and the
passing year will add intensity to that affection that is within you,
and you will have an increased determination to live your religion.

Vol. 7, p.305
Then your children would see in their parents an example for speaking
the truth and acting truthfully to each other. Then there would be an
example before them, and they would, no doubt, obey the truth, and
regard you as truthful and sincere in all your expressions, whether in
regard to the things of God or those of a more trivial character. They
would then see that you struggled not only to speak of the truth, but
to exhibit it in all the actions of your lives.

Vol. 7, p.305
This is the way I want you to live your religion in this Ward; this is
the way I want you to sustain your [p.306] Bishop, that he may not be
taxed with all the little difficulties of your domestic circles. He is
a little man, and it is enough for him to be taxed with the general
business of the Ward. I want you to understand that he has need of
what you promised him. Did you not promise him that you would sustain
him by your works as well as by your faith? I want you to redeem that
promise; for if it had not been necessary for you to do this, it would
not have been asked. Then sustain your Bishop, and uphold him. "But,"
says one, "I do not know that it is my business. If he is not smart
enough, let the proper authorities put in another." Why, bless you,
the authorities did not want the smartest men; but they wanted to
prove to the world that the Lord could make those smart whom he called
and ordained. "Why," says one, "you do not think much of our Bishop;
you do not appear to estimate him very highly." Yes, I do; but I want
you to understand that he has got his own weaknesses and faults to
contend with, the same as other men, and just as much of yours as you
put upon him. I want you that are smart men to resolve yourselves into
bishops, and to play the Bishop's part at home, and to adopt the
principles that he inculcates in your home circles. How very few there
are who do this! But it is not too late to learn to judge
righteously—to create quietude and peace, virtue and holiness, at your
own homes. Then who will there be to annoy the Bishop with their
troubles? Who will be sending to the President for a divorce, when you
all get your little wards at home thoroughly disciplined? This you can
do, by being united, more effectually than he can; for he cannot be
always with you. Then you can bring out your little wards, and let him
have the advantage of a leaf out of your books.

Vol. 7, p.306
But if you cannot do this, hold your tongues and be ashamed, and just
conclude that you will fulfil the promise that you made, and
strengthen him, and simply because he needs strength; and aid him all
you can; afford him all the comfort you can; and this will bring you
together in the principles of truth: it unites you in one, so that
your action will be one; your feelings and your spirit will be one,
and you will walk in the same path together and be agreed.

Vol. 7, p.306
Take this course in regard to living your religion, and you do well.
But possibly you do not need any of this instruction. If you do not, I
am very glad of it. And if you have qualified yourselves and
cultivated your minds to that degree of perfection that you do not
need it here, you may just pass it over to your neighbours. Let
righteousness be developed in this Ward, and let that unanimity of
feeling be manifested that will cause the instructions of your Bishop
to be warmly received; and let faith be exercised for him, that he may
be fall of knowledge and power, and have influence among the people
for whose good he labours day by day. This is the way I want you to
act in regard to this matter; and, to do this effectually, you must
make all things right at home. Do not leave this great work for the
Bishop alone, but let it be the duty of every man in the home circle,
and there will be unanimity throughout the Ward; and to the Bishop
will be given what is required in his official capacity, and he will
have power and strength, and he will be estimated to some extent by
the influence which he exercises over the men that are in his Ward.

Vol. 7, p.306
Well, then, what else shall we do? you may now inquire. There is
another matter I want to engage you in. I want your help in a
cautious, but effectual crusade against stealing. "Well, but," says
one, "the President said we could not stop stealing." This is not what
I was going to ask you to do; [p.307] but I want every good man in
this Ward to consider himself a missionary and a minister. I want you
to get hold of the young men, and to advise them as fathers should
advise them. "Well, but," says one, "the young men here in this Ward
have fathers; and if I should presume to give them advice, their
fathers will be displeased." I do not suppose they would. At least, I
think you may venture to carry out my advice.

Vol. 7, p.307
The spirit of thieving stalks abroad in our land, and it has its
advocates among the people. It gets hold of the unguarded youth, and
causes them to steal from their neighbours, being unguarded by the
truth. You fathers, do you know this to be true? "Yes," say some, "we
hear that there is stealing done over yonder (pointing towards the
west), and that it is Bill Hickman and his gang that do it. But do you
know that there is a thief who visits your son and corrupts his
morals, and who is making him believe there is no harm in stealing
from a Gentile?

Vol. 7, p.307
"Oh, to be sure," say you; "I know that such a man visits my son. I
don't know exactly where my son is now, but he is about the city
somewhere." This is what I want you should know. Make it your business
to know where your sons are, for they have only to go into some of the
streets of the city to meet with thieves who tell them there is no
harm in stealing from the Gentiles, and who tell them that the
Presidency of the Church say so. This is the way the lies were told
about us, to lead the unwise and unwary from the truth. Do you want to
save yourselves from the scorn and disgrace that will cover your son
wherever he goes? If you do, watch over your sons and also over the
associations that they form. To you that have daughters, I would say,
Watch over them, or by-and-by you will come to your friends with a
pitiful face, saving, O my poor daughter, she is gone! Where? To Camp
Floyd, to the States, and to the Devil. O my daughter, that we have
raised carefully, and we thought she would live to honour us; but,
alas, she has gone!

Vol. 7, p.307
Yes; but you did not know, while she was with you, that she was
forming an acquaintance with habits and making associations with those
things that have succeeded in removing her beyond your reach. "True,
she went to every dancing party," says the unsuspecting father; "but
how could I refuse her the privilege?" Perhaps the Bishop was called
to go and pray for them, in order to sanctify the affair; and perhaps
she went with the son of your neighbour whom you regard; and hence you
will say, How can I refuse and offend my brother? Yes, offend your
brother; for that is worth less than the salvation of your. child.
"But," says one, "shall we not let our children go to parties?" Yes,
let them go; I would not dare to advise you not to let them go. And
why? Because it would not do any good.

Vol. 7, p.307
If your daughters associate with those that have no interest in the
truth, advise them to discontinue their intimacy with such persons,
and enjoin upon them the necessity of pursuing that course that will
preserve them in purity and keep them in the truth. If your daughter
will go, what then? why, let her go. Do not break her neck to keep
her, for she would not be in heaven if her neck was broken.

Vol. 7, p.307
I allude to this simply to elucidate the truth, and to show the way
those things are accomplished of which I have been speaking. Perhaps
your daughters have not associated with Gentiles, you may say. I would
as soon my daughter would associate with some Gentiles as with many
that profess to be Saints, especially those who have nothing to talk
about but balderdash, and nothing in their minds but the wicked plans
concocted. by corrupt hearts.[p.308] 

Vol. 7, p.308
I allude to these things thus pointedly and minutely, because they
will affect your happiness and wellbeing, as well as that of your
children. Do not undertake to crowd things to extremes, to obtain any
of the blessings I have alluded to. Do not commit a greater evil than
those that already exist, by creating others.

Vol. 7, p.308
I pray that you may so strive to cultivate a love for the Spirit of
God, and a love for his people, that you may constantly be under the
guidance of that Spirit, and always have it abiding in you, that you
may do everything in favour of the truth, dwell happily beneath its
influence, and lead your children in the way of life. That this may be
your happy lot, through diligence and obedience in the Gospel, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Orson Pratt, September 18, 1859

Privileges and Experience of the Saints, Etc.

Exhortation by Elder ORSON PRATT 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, September 18, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.308
I have been extremely gratified in the remarks that have been made by
brother Gates. The instructions which he has given us have been
imparted, as I believe, by the gift of the Holy Ghost. I feet truly
grateful that we live in an age of the world when we can receive
instructions by the power and wisdom of that Spirit which searches all
things—that Spirit that understands all things, and discerns the
thoughts and intents of the heart. All other preaching is vain. I can
any, with him, that it is one of the greatest pleasures of my life to
speak, when I can have the Spirit of the Lord to assist me. Without
it, I would rather do the hardest kind of bodily labour. Indeed, I do
not think that it is the privilege of any of the servants of God to
speak in the name of the Lord without that Spirit. But I have
oftentimes thought that no person who was living according to the
commandments of God could rise before a congregation of Saints like
this before me, and open his mouth in humility and simplicity of
heart, but what the Lord would give him something to say. It is
through the united faith of the people of God—through that confidence
which they have in the Being whom they worship, that he, for their
edification and benefit, will grant his Spirit unto his humble and
faithful Saints. But we oftentimes deprive ourselves of the blessings
and enjoyments which we might receive, through the darkness of our
minds, through our selfishness, through our neglect of keeping the
commandments of God, through our disobedience, and through the
abundance of cares and perplexities with which we  have to contend in
this mortal existence. All these things have a tendency, more [p.309]
or less, to darken the understanding and drive away from the heart
that peaceable Spirit which whispers peace to the minds of the sons
and daughters of God. I often reflect upon this subject much, and
inquire in my own mind, and try to search out some of the causes of
our being so far beneath the privileges which are guaranteed to us in
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not because the promises of God have
failed. It is not because we are not worshipping the same Being whom
the Saints worshipped in ancient days. It is not because there are
insurmountable obstacles in our way; but the cause lies in our own
selves. We are the individuls that shut out this light of heaven—this
light of truth that would otherwise shine upon our understandings. Do
you ever compare yourselves with those people that we read of in
ancient times that were called the people of God? I mean some of the
best of them. Not but that there were individuals who lived then,
professing to be the children of God, who were just as imperfect in
their ways and doings and conduct as some of us are. But, then, there
were others who lived in ancient times who were far in advance of us.
They attained to greater faith and to greater privileges than those we
enjoy.

Vol. 7, p.309
Where is there a servant of God in all the Church of Latter-day Saints
that has enjoyed the same privileges that many of the first of the
servants of God did 1,800 years ago on the Eastern continent? There
are scarcely any. Have we beheld Jesus face to face? Have we conversed
with him as Peter, James, and John, and the others of the Twelve did
in that day and age of the world? No, we have not. There may have been
some few exceptions. Have we attained even to the blessings of the
lesser Priesthood, to say nothing about the higher blessings of the
greater Priesthood? What are the blessings promised to the lesser
Priesthood? They are not only to hold authority and administer in the
name of the Lord in temporal things, and administer in certain outward
ordinances; but there are privileges that the lesser Priesthood enjoy
far exceeding those temporal administrations. They were to have the
privilege of conversing with angels. Did you ever reflect or realize
how great a privilege this is?

Vol. 7, p.309
Is it not a great privilege to go before the Lord and receive the
ministration of angels, and instructions from their mouths with regard
to what should be spoken to the people? But very few of the lesser
Priesthood who sit under the sound of my voice, or who are to be found
upon the whole earth, have attained to this privilege. If the lesser
Priesthood have not attained to it, let us inquire concerning those
that hold still higher authority, concerning the Elders, Seventies,
High Priests, the Twelve, the various Bishops, and the various
authorities and presiding Elders over different Branches and
settlements. Have they even attained to the blessings of the lesser
Priesthood? No. With the exception of a very few individuals who may
have come up to their privileges, who may have had the visions of
eternity opened to them, and may have conversed with angels, and
received instructions with regard to their callings and duties, and
what they shall say to the people; but, with the exception of these
few individuals, the others are away in the back grounds. And when we
come to speak of the higher privileges, beyond that of receiving the
administration of angels, you can scarcely find a man in all the
Latter-day Kingdom that has coma up to them. I have not. I speak it to
my shame, and I speak it, as brother Gates spoke concerning himself,
with shame, that I have not attained to [p.310] the privileges that
pertain to the higher Priesthood. What are these privileges? They are
plainly laid down in the word of God. Those holding that Priesthood
have the privilege not only of receiving the ministration of angels,
but to have the heavens opened to them, and to behold the face of God.

Vol. 7, p.310
Now, no man, without the Spirit of the Lord resting upon him to
quicken him in body and mind, can have this great and exalted
privilege to behold the face of God the Father who is in the heavens.
But few have attained to this great and exalted privilege. Are there
not some reasons—some causes? Have we not been members of this Church,
some of us for sixteen, eighteen, or twenty years, and some of us for
twenty-five and almost thirty years? It will be twenty-nine years
to-morrow since I was baptized into this Church; and I feet ashamed
that I have not made greater progress in the things of the kingdom of
God, when compared with the promises that have been made to us.
Notwithstanding all this, when I reflect upon the advancement which we
have made, compared with our former ignorance, I can truly say that
the contrast is very great. We have learned many things pertaining to
the first principles of our religion, and pertaining to the first
principles of our conduct as Saints of the Most High; and we have
learned this lesson most thoroughly too. It is not merely a
theoretical lesson, but we have learned it practically.

Vol. 7, p.310
Many of us have learned to be subject to every word that proceeds from
the mouth of God. We have learned that it is not only necessary for us
to cease from taking the name of the Lord our God in vain, but to
never mention his name only by constraint of his Spirit. We have
learned to impose a guard upon our tongues, to speak no evil
concerning the children of God. We have learned not to backbite our
neighbours and friends. Many of us have learned this lesson, but not
all of us.

Vol. 7, p.310
We have learned, also, practically, the necessity of ceasing from all
light-mindedness and levity and excessive laughter. But there are
many, I am sorry to say, who have not learned the first principle of
this lesson. We have learned that we Can be cheerful without yielding
to much laughter; for this is accounted in the revelations of God as
sin in the sight of Heaven.

Vol. 7, p.310
We have learned a great many important principles pertaining to family
government. We have learned many important principles pertaining to
giving heed to all the counsels of the Priesthood that may be imparted
unto us, from time to time, by the voice of the Spirit of God. We have
learned, in a great measure, to discern those who have the Spirit and
those who have it not, when they speak to us in Church or in Ward
meetings. We have learned that our religion consists in doing the
things required at our hands, instead of hearing from Sabbath to
Sabbath, and not doing.

Vol. 7, p.310
We have learned the necessity of giving the most earnest heed to every
counsel and word which the Lord our God has given to regulate our
conduct. And many of us have learned, also, that when the Lord speaks,
not by command, but by the word of wisdom and advice, that we should
give heed to the same, in order to enjoy that flow of the Spirit of
the living God in our hearts which is necessary to prepare us for
further blessings. But, after all we have learned during the last
quarter-of-a-century in this Church, we have not yet prepared
ourselves sufficiently to receive the great and important blessings I
have named pertaining to the two Priesthoods of the living God.

Vol. 7, p.311
When shall we learn this lesson? [p.311] When we have learned to
govern ourselves more perfectly than we have hitherto done—to guard
ourselves on the right hand and on the left from the encroachments of
evil—to set a seal upon our mouths and tongues, and only to use them
according to the principles of eternal truth—according to the mind and
will of God. When we have learned to do unto others as we would have
them do unto us in all things, and to regulate ourselves not only by
the written commandments of the Most High God, but by the words of
wisdom and counsel imparted to us day by day through his servants—when
we have learned these important lessons more perfectly, then we may
expect the promise of the Lord to be more perfectly fulfilled to us,
and not before.

Vol. 7, p.311
I can recollect, twenty-nine years ago this present autumn, that I
went into the chamber of father Whitmer, in whose house the Lord
manifested himself in the organization of this Church, consisting of
six members. I went into that chamber with the Prophet Joseph Smith,
to inquire of the Lord; and he received a revelation for my benefit,
which was written from the mouth of the Prophet by John Whitmer, one
of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon. I was then only about nineteen
years of age, and was desirous to know what my duty was. The Lord
commanded in this revelation that I should preach his Gospel. I
thought that was a very great and important calling, and I felt
altogether incompetent unless the Lord qualified me by his Spirit.

Vol. 7, p.311
Among other things contained in this revelation, the Lord gave me a
command in these words:—"Therefore lift up thy voice and prophesy, and
it shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." I thought to
myself, that unless the Lord shall pour out his Spirit upon me more
fully than anything I ever yet have experienced, I never can perform
these duties acceptably in his sight.

Vol. 7, p.311
To prophesy without the Holy Ghost—to reveal—was something I dare not
do. I would rather have had my head severed from my body than to have
been guilty of so great a crime. Indeed, there is one of the most
awful denunciations pronounced upon that man who undertakes to
prophesy in the name of the Lord, without the Holy Ghost to inspire
him. Such a man in ancient days was to be cut off from the midst of
Israel.

Vol. 7, p.311
I felt, therefore, the importance of those sayings; and truly, when I
looked at the magnitude and importance of the command given to me to
prophesy by the power of the Holy Ghost, I felt oftentimes to tremble
and shrink, for fear I never should be able to fulfil and accomplish
so great a work.

Vol. 7, p.311
And I recollect another revelation that requires all the servants of
God who are sent forth, to lift up their voices and preach and
prophesy as it shall be given by the Spirit of God. Have we attained
to this gift of prophecy as we ought as the servants of the living
God? How few of us have obtained a message beforehand by the Spirit of
the living God to deliver to the people, as Jacob, one of the ancient
servants of God, did on the American continent. Jacob, the brother of
Nephi, came into the temple to preach to the people, and declared to
them that the Lord had previously revealed to him what he should say
to them. He went and inquired of the Lord, and he revealed his mind
and will, and thus Jacob found out what was wanted for the people: he
understood their condition and what sins they had committed before the
Most High. and he knew how to reprove them, because God had visited
him by the Spirit of revelation.

Vol. 7, p.312
How many of us have gone forth [p.312] and received our errand from
the Lord by the voice of the Spirit of revelation, before we have
ventured before the people to teach the things of the kingdom of God?
Although I have often prayed and sought earnestly and humbly that I
might be assisted to preach to the people, and to say something to
benefit them, yet I have not, by my earnestness and diligence and
faith, been able to obtain those revelations and visions that belong
to the High Priesthood and to the Apostleship, that I might know what
to preach to the people to the extent of our privileges for their
edification. Yet I do know the Lord has blessed me and my brethren,
and given us a portion of his Spirit; and our hearts have been
dictated, as I believe, by the spirit of wisdom and counsel; and the
things of the kingdom of God have been made known to us in the very
moment; and we have been able to speak to them, but not in that power
and demonstration that belongs to the Priesthood of the living God.

Vol. 7, p.312
I recollect reading the prophecy of Enoch, that he, after having
gathered together his people from the different parts of the earth,
the same as we are doing, commenced preaching righteousness to them.
He built up the city called Zion, and the Lord revealed himself to
Enoch, and he saw him face to face. God walked and talked with him,
and he dwelt in the midst of the city of Zion for the space of three
hundred and sixty-five years; and then God took Enoch, city, people
and all, to heaven.

Vol. 7, p.312
I recollect reading of Enoch's having gathered his people, and that
their enemies came up against them to battle. What kind of weapons did
EnoCh use to destroy his enemies? It says, "And he (Enoch) spake the
word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled
according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of
their course, and the roar of the lions was heard out of the
wilderness, and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word
of Enoch, and so great was the power of language which God had given
him."

Vol. 7, p.312
That was the power given to that Priesthood and authority which was
conferred upon Enoch in the early ages of the world. It is also your
privilege, ye servants of the living God, to obtain by faith the same
blessings and the same power, that when you shall be appointed upon
foreign missions, you can open your mouths by the power of the same
Spirit that rested upon Enoch—that you can not only teach them what
they shall do, but prophesy to the people and tell them what shall be
in the future—tell them of the judgments and calamities that shall
overtake the wicked. It is your privilege to prophesy to the great and
to the low, to the king on his throne, to great men in high places, to
the inhabitants of the earth, and to foretell that which shall befall
their cities, villages, nations, countries, and kingdoms,—to foretell
all these things, not by your wisdom, nor by the spirit of false
prophecy, but by the power of that Spirit which rested on Enoch in
ancient days. With such a qualification, you could go forth and
perform the mission appointed to you acceptably in the sight of God.

Vol. 7, p.312
What is the privilege of the servants of God that are remaining here
in the midst of the settlements of Zion? It is our privilege to
sanctify ourselves and have even greater power than those who go to
the nations. Why? Because here is the great central place of
gathering, and here should centre all the powers of the everlasting
Priesthood. Here, in our midst, should be  poured out the blessings of
that Priesthood to their fullest extent. Here the servants [p.313] of
Goal should be clothed upon from on high with the glory of God, and be
able to foretell all things which would be for the welfare and benefit
of the children of Zion. All these blessings belong to the Priesthood
here.

Vol. 7, p.313
You have the keys of the Priesthood; you have the key-words of the
Priesthood here; you have the signs of the Priesthood here; you have
all the ordinances of the Priesthood here which have been revealed;
you have learned the rules and laws of the Priesthood; and why not, ye
Elders of Israel—ye servants of the Most High God, rise up in the
power of the Priesthood and magnify your callings throughout the
settlements in this Territory? Why give way to darkness, to
debauchery, to low and degraded things, and mix with those who are
calculated to fill you with the spirit of evil continually?

Vol. 7, p.313
Why suffer a cloud of darkness to hover over your minds, even a cloud
of thick darkness that is almost impenetrable? Why suffer your faith
to die away, that you cannot prevail with the heavens and obtain the
blessings of the Priesthood revealed in the last days?

Vol. 7, p.313
Awake, awake, O ye Elders of Israel, and be clothed with the spirit
and power of your callings, and do the work assigned you, and prepare
for the great day of the Lord, which is at hand.

Vol. 7, p.313
I feel, in some measure, the importance of these things. It rests on
my mind; it weighs me down by day, and oftentimes I lay awake at
nights contemplating the greatness of our privileges and the
backwardness of the Saints of God to claim them.

Vol. 7, p.313
But I do not wish to occupy too much of the time. May God bless you!
Amen.

Orson Hyde, October 6, 1859

Sowing and Reaping—Fulfilment of Covenants

Remarks by President ORSON HYDE, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1859.

Reproted By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.313
As liberty was extended this morning to confess our faults and speak
our feelings and our experience, I now avail myself of the privilege
granted.

Vol. 7, p.313
For some length of time I do not know that I have committed any very
grievous sins or serious iniquities. At the same time, I feel that the
light of heaven in me reproves me for many things; and I seek to
receive the admonitions of the Spirit, and profit continually by them.

Vol. 7, p.313
I am sensible that I am subject to weaknesses, to many foibles and
failings; yet, as I before said, I am not conscious of having
committed any very grievous sin,—at least, since the [p.314]
reformation. My desires are to keep the commandments of God, and to
retain in my own bosom his good Spirit. That Spirit was particularly
manifested here this morning; and while it was upon me, I endeavoured
to look at myself, and it seemed as though a live coal was in my
heart, that caused it to burn with joy and gladness, with thanksgiving
and praise to our God. Had I given vent to my feelings, without
restraint, I might have made more noise than would have been
acceptable to this congregation. But "the spirit of the prophets is
subject to the prophets, and wisdom is justified of her children."

Vol. 7, p.314
The counsel we received this morning commends itself to every man's
conscience. The good which we feel, and with which we are often
exercised, may be freely dispensed to others; but the bad feelings
which we sometimes possess should not often be suffered to burden
others, but should be buried—smothered, until they die out. The good
which we possess we may reveal to our friends for their edification
and comfort, but withhold from them our griefs and sorrows, and reveal
them unto God, who bears our sorrows willingly, without endangering
himself.

Vol. 7, p.314
If we never sow gloomy, desponding, or evil principles, we shall not
be likely to reap them. If we sow cheerful, lively, and good
principles, we shall most likely reap an abundant harvest of the same;
for, according to that which a man soweth, that also shall he reap.
Let us learn to restrain every evil feeling; for if we give them
birth, there is no telling the amount of evil they may create, and
when or where they will end their work of death.

Vol. 7, p.314
The Son of Man sowed good seed in his field; and while men slept, the
enemy came and sowed tares: consequently, there was a mixed crop. Let
as sow pure seed, as did the Son of Man, and watch, lest the enemy sow
bad seed, and cause a great amount of trouble thereby.

Vol. 7, p.314
A few thoughts have suggested themselves to my mind in connection with
some remarks I made last Sunday in the afternoon. It is not my
province always to say that things are so-and-so; yet, under some
circumstances, it is. But I will now do as I did last Sabbath. I will
suppose a case.

Vol. 7, p.314
We all acknowledge that we had an existence before we were born into
this world. How long before we took our departure from the realms of
bliss to find tabernacles in flesh is unknown to us. Suffice it to say
that we were sent here. We came willingly: the requirement of our
heavenly Father and our anxiety to take bodies brought us here. We
might be sent on a mission to some foreign country, and feel under
obligation to go, not only from respect to the moral condition of the
people to whom we are sent, but also out of respect to the authority
which required the service at our hands. But if we were to consult our
own feelings, and be allowed our choice to go or stay with equal
approval, we might prefer to remain at home. But we understood things
better there than we do in this lower world. Here, in this world, Paul
says, "For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but
by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope" [of return]. The
creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and
brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Vol. 7, p.314
Then, if it be true that we entered into a covenant with the powers
celestial, before we left our former homes, that we would come here
and obey the voice of the Lord, through whomsoever he might speak,
these powers are witnesses of the covenant into which we entered; and
it is not impossible [p.315] that we signed the articles thereof with
our own hands,—which articles may be retained in the archives above,
to be presented to us when we rise from the dead, and be judged out of
our own mouths, according to that which is written in the books.

Vol. 7, p.315
We are situated here in various relations, not only to the servants of
God that are given us to guide our energies, but we also stand in
various relations to one another, as husband and wife, parent and
child,—which relations are branches of that everlasting covenant,
because they are legitimate and ordained of God. Did we covenant and
agree that we would be subject to the authorities of heaven placed
over us? What do you think about it? Do you think we plighted our
faith and came here with that view and under that covenant? And, in
this respect, is the whole world on the same footing? Yes, verily: "He
that receiveth you receiveth me."

Vol. 7, p.315
The vail is thick between us and the country whence we came. We cannot
see clearly—we cannot clearly comprehend—we have forgotten! For
instance, when we leave our homes on earth for a long time, and roam
abroad in foreign lands, we forget many of the little incidents of our
nativity, barely recollecting and being impressed that we have a home
m some far-off country, while in others the thought is entirely
obliterated from their memory, and is to them as though such things
had never existed. But our forgetfulness cannot alter the facts.

Vol. 7, p.315
Did we covenant to be subject to the authority of God in all the
different relations of life—that we would be loyal to the legitimate
powers that emanate from God? I have been led to think that such is
the truth. Something whispers these things to me in this light. Again,
for instance, the husband and wife unite their destinies under the
seal of this everlasting covenant, for this covenant covers all the
just transactions of the legitimate authorities and powers that be on
earth. We therefore regard marriage as a branch of the everlasting
covenant. 

Vol. 7, p.315
What did we agree to before we came here? If to anything, I suppose
the very same things we agreed to since we did come here, that are
legitimate and proper. The husband agreed to be a faithful servant of
God, to do his duty to all that were placed under his charge. The
wife, on her part, covenants that she will be a faithful and devoted
wife, and will obey her husband in the Lord in all things. If this
were so, it is all right; for it is just as we are taught on the
earth.

Vol. 7, p.315
But the question is, Did we subscribe to any such doctrine as this on
the start? I will not say that we did; yet I have had such thoughts,
and they whisper strongly in my heart.

Vol. 7, p.315
Children agreed to obey their parents, as parents agreed to obey their
superiors in the kingdom of God; and parents were brought under
obligation to train their children in the way they should go. This is
written in the Bible, if nowhere else. How many of us look upon the
rearing and training of our children, and the correction of their
wrongs, as about the least duty that is enjoined upon us? There are
too many that look upon it in this point of view. Do you ask what
evidence I have of that fact? When I go among the children of the
city, and hear them use profane and unbecoming language, there we have
the evidence not only, of their parents' neglect, but of their shame
and dishonour. It is said, "Honour thy father and thy mother, that thy
days may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." What
is it to honour thy father? Is it to say, "Oh, father, how I love
you!" [p.316] or, "Oh, how I love you, mother! how glad I am to see
you! I really feel glad and happy to be with you!"

Vol. 7, p.316
As far as these go, they are all very well. But suppose the child
would never lie—would never curse and swear, but observe the rules of
propriety; do you not see that he honours his parent? and the observer
comes to the conclusion that the fountain is pure. The tree is known
by its fruit. The children are our fruit, and the character of the
children is an index, more or less, to the quality of the tree that
bore them. It appears so to me.

Vol. 7, p.316
I find that after covenants have been entered into among the Saints,
as, for instance, between husband and wife, there are sometimes
divorces called for, and the covenant is broken. When we go back
whence we came, to give an account of our stewardship, what apology
can we plead before the King of kings and Lord of lords? If either
party have been guilty of adultery, then divorce may be justifiable;
but upon what other ground? I await the answer. Will the plea of the
hardness of hearts meet with favour at the final bar?

Vol. 7, p.316
Look, for instance, at the person who renounces his faith, and goes
again to the spirit and practices of the world. He has broken the
terms of the everlasting covenant, and is gone whoring after other
gods, and is consequently divorced. What kind of an account can he
render, if he repent not? How is he going to meet it in a coming day,
when the vail shall be rent asunder, and he shall see his own
handwriting subscribing to the everlasting covenant produced against
him. Is it not written in the beautiful song sung by brother
McAllister this morning, that "Angels above us are silent notes
taking?" and was not that song inspired by the Spirit of God, and just
as true as any line in the Bible, and just as faithful?

Vol. 7, p.316
Well, then, it stands us in hand, brethren and sisters, to look well
to ourselves, and be sure that neither the husband nor the wife is the
transgressor; for the one that is really in the fault, when weighed in
the balance, will be found wanting; and I fear for such.

Vol. 7, p.316
It is well for us to look at these things, and make ourselves fully
acquainted with the obligations we are under one to another, to
discharge them in the fear of God; and I know not how we can discharge
them, unless we have the Spirit of the true and living God; for that
is what gives life—what gives energy and animation, and should inspire
us in all our ways.

Vol. 7, p.316
In relation to the wickedness that is alleged to exist among the
Saints, I will tell you what conclusion I have come to. When I have
seen persons that I thought were out of the way, if a convenient
opportunity offered, and I have felt it was wisdom, I would reprove
them. At the same time I say, Let me take that as an admonition to
regulate my own conduct, and see that I do not go astray, that I may
not be swamped in the spirit of evil—in the spirit and pride of this
world. Let me take care of number one, and keep him clear of all
iniquity, free from a spirit of murmuring or fault-finding.

Vol. 7, p.316
Some suppose that because men in higher authority than themselves do
so-and-so, they can do so-and-so with less impunity. It is immaterial
to us what So-and-so does; it gives no license to us to do wrong; and
we may plead that argument before God and angels, but it will avail us
nothing. Our own improprieties and unwise course will be so plain in
our minds that we shall never think of giving utterance to any such
argument.

Vol. 7, p.316
If we have good, let us distribute it as we have heard this morning.
Let  us sow good. It is  immaterial what [p.317] others do, so far as
we are concerned. If we sow good, we shall reap good.

Vol. 7, p.317
I do not feel to prolong my remarks. There is one word more I want to
say, however; and that is, I feel that there is good near at hand for
this people; and I have felt so for a number of weeks and months.

Vol. 7, p.317
Now, for heaven's sake, let us go to and regulate ourselves, and
prepare for it, lest, peradventure, by postponing to do this, our dish
may be bottom-side up when it comes. I tell you, Good is coming to
those whose dish is right side up. May God bless the faithful! Amen.

John Taylor, October 7, 1859

Union, Etc.

A Discourse by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.317
I have been very much edified since the commencement of this
Conference. My heart was led to rejoice yesterday exceedingly, when I
saw the spirit and feeling that was manifested among the Saints, and
in listening to the remarks made by President Young and others to-day.
I have felt joyful in the Lord, and I bless the name of the God of
Israel that I am associated with his Church and kingdom on the earth.
These feelings I wish at all times to cherish in my bosom and carry
out in my life; and I believe there are hundreds, if not thousands,
before me to-day, who have the same spirit and feeling, and the same
desires.

Vol. 7, p.317
It is true, we have seen, for a few months past, many things that are
painful for good men and women to reflect upon. Wickedness has seemed
to triumph; but when we see the spirit and feeling that is manifested
among the Saints, we are confident that we can find many more faithful
men and women among them than the Lord did in Elijah's day, when
idolatry, wickedness, and corruption of various kinds prevailed.

Vol. 7, p.317
The old Prophet felt a little sorrowful. He thereupon went alone, and
there was a voice, as it were the voice of thunder; but the Lord was
not in the thunder: there was the voice of an earthquake, but the Lord
was not in the earthquake: finally, there was a still small voice
whispering in his ear, saying—"What doest thou here, Elijah?" He
answered and said—"Lord, they have killed thy prophets and dug down
thine altars, and I am left alone, and they seek my life." But the
Lord gave him to understand that it was a mistake, informing him that
he had reserved to himself seven thousand men in Israel who had not
bowed their knees to Baal. 1 think he would find more here, without
finding so much of the evil which the Prophet  complained of in that
day and age of the world.[p.318] 

Vol. 7, p.318
One thing in particular strikes my mind, and probably strikes the
minds of many, that the spirit of evil is bold, uproarious, rampant,
and fond of exhibiting itself everywhere, while the spirit of
righteousness, virtue, integrity, and truth is modest and retiring,
and not very anxious to exhibit itself: consequently, when a spirit of
this kind prevails, it seems as though the Devil is to pay. When you
feel after the heart-strings of the people and touch them with the
touch-stone of truth, all good men and women will answer to the test,
showing that the spirit of truth, of intelligence, of union, of
virtue, and integrity still exists and prevails in the bosom of all
the faithful so that when we meet together lathe capacity of a
Conference, every opposing feeling to these noble qualities and truths
in the character of a Saint is subdued, the Spirit of the Lord becomes
the prevailing influence, and we feel as we have often felt on former
occasions.

Vol. 7, p.318
We realize that we have not lost his Holy Spirit; and if we continue
to encourage it, it will be in us a spirit of life; light,
intelligence, and truth,—in fact, a spirit springing up unto
everlasting life. It is the principle embodied in the words of Jesus
to the woman of Samaria.

Vol. 7, p.318
We feel that we are in possession of the principles of eternal life,
which are as a well of water within us and around us, and of which we
drink and participate in when we live our religion. It emanates from
God, issues from the Fountain of life and truth—the Source of all
intelligence, and is imparted to us through the medium of the
everlasting Gospel. It has enlightened our minds, enlarged our
understandings, extended our feelings, informed our judgment—has
warmed up our affections to God and holiness; has nourished and
cherished us, and put us in possession of principles that we know will
abide for ever and for ever.

Vol. 7, p.318
We have been seeking, in a great measure, to do the will of our
heavenly Father. to keep his commandments, magnify our Priesthood,
honour our calling, and do that which is right in the sight of God
continually.

Vol. 7, p.318
Inasmuch as we have done this, the Spirit of God is yet with us—a
living, abiding, eternal principle, which is extending, growing, and
increasing within us, until we shall be prepared to associate with the
Gods of eternity.

Vol. 7, p.318
What makes us so buoyant and joyful on occasions like this? Why is it
that the Spirit and power of God is more visibly manifested at the
time of our General Conference, when the authorities of the Church
from all parts are assembled together to talk on the things of God,
regulate the affairs of his kingdom, to put in order anything that may
be wrong, and counsel together pertaining to the interests of Zion and
the building up of Israel? It is because there is a union of good
footings, good desires and aspirations; and one spirit inspires the
whole, forming a phalanx of power, of faith, and of the Spirit of the
Lord. A single taper will give a light, and it is pleasant to look
upon; but thousands of the same kind of light make a general
illumination. With us it is a time of union, of light, of life, of
intelligence, of the Spirit of the living God. Our feelings are
one—our faith is one; and a great multitude possessing this oneness
forms an array of power that no power on this side of earth or hell is
able to cope with or overcome.

Vol. 7, p.318
We feel mighty to-day. We are satisfied that we are associated with
the kingdom of God upon the earth, We know that this is the Church and
kingdom of God, and our temporal and eternal interests are centred in
it. We know that it was established for the gathering of Israel, for
the  redemption of the Saints, for the permanent [p.319] establishment
of the principles of righteousness upon all the earth, for the
introduction of correct principles of government, for the salvation of
the living and the dead—for the salvation of our progenitors and
posterity.

Vol. 7, p.319
We believe that we, as a body of people, embracing all the various
Quorums of this Church and kingdom, are engaged in this one great
work; and hence there is a feeling of faith, union, and intensity—or
power, if you please—of the Spirit of the living God, that quickens
and vivifies the mind, gives energy to the body, and joy to the bosom.
In this we all feel to participate. The Lord is here by his Spirit and
power, and our hearts are joyful.

Vol. 7, p.319
Speaking, then, upon the principle of union among the Saints, for this
seems to be the topic of conversation at this Conference,—union with
each other, union in families, union with our Bishops and Wards, union
with the Twelve and with the first Presidency, union throughout the
Church and kingdom in all its various ramifications;—this seems to he
the spirit and feeling and teaching that flows from the various
speakers who have during this Conference addressed us.

Vol. 7, p.319
How can this union he brought about more extensively? All agree that
union is a great and powerful principle. The several States of this
great American confederacy have chosen for their national motto—"E
Pluribus Unum" which means—"Many in one." They think that union is
very good. Professedly every good man thinks that it is good to be
united in anything that is good; but the great difficulty with the
world is to bring this about. The nations of the world are not united,
and each nation is divided and split up, and confusion and the spirit
of war and animosity and evil abound everywhere: They are not united,
but they are full of jealousy, hatred, strife, envy, and malice.

Vol. 7, p.319
Witness the late European wars. What did they fight for? Who can tell?
They fought for nothing, and they made peace for nothing. I have
searched the papers diligently, but I must confess that I have been
unable to discover what they fought for; and I question very much if
the Emperor of France, the King of Sardinia, or the opposing powers
could tell you: yet one hundred thousand men have been sent into
eternity to satisfy the caprice of a few individuals, and for what
purpose? I cannot tell, and I do not know anybody else that can. I
have not met with a man or with a writer yet that knew what they
fought for, or what they made peace for. What are they now doing?
France is building extra ships, and England is building extra ships.
What for? They do not know.

Vol. 7, p.319
A nation is afraid its neighbouring nations are going to possess a
little more power than it possesses, and it must create more power to
cope with them. That is all the union I know anything about in the
world.

Vol. 7, p.319
What is the union that exists in these United States? And what are the
feelings that prevail among them? Pretty much the same that prevail
among the European nations.

Vol. 7, p.319
Look at the animosities, strife, hatred, and jealousy, and the spirit
of war that prevail between the North and the South. Yet the Northern
and Southern States are said to be united together: they have entered
into certain compacts to make what they call "E Pluribus Unum." How
far they are united, the past, present, and future events must
declare. What do the world say about the Saints of God? They say we
are united, and they are fearful of our union. They say we think as
one, act as one, believe as one, and are "led by the nose by one
man."[p.320] 

Vol. 7, p.320
Horace Greeley says it is nonsense for the United States to send any
public officers here, and advises the Government to appoint President
Young Governor of the Territory of Utah; for he says he carries the
"keys of the Territory in his breeches pocket" anyway.

Vol. 7, p.320
The world do not like the Saints, because they are united; and another
thing is very evident—they do not understand the principle of our
union. Some suppose it is a species of Daniteism or terrorism—a sort
of tyrannical power that is made use of to bring men down into
subjection; and hence, in accordance with these ideas the Government
sent out an army to give protection to the oppressed people of Utah,
and escort back all who want to go back to the East or to California,
and dare not, for fear of Brigham and the Twelve.

Vol. 7, p.320
When Governor Cumming came here first, he offered deliverance to the
captives in Zion, and told the people in public that if there were any
that wanted his protection, it should be had. How many sought it? I
think his Excellency's mind has become better informed since his
association with the people. He has found out that, with very few
exceptions, the people are well contented to remain in Utah and build
up their adopted country.

Vol. 7, p.320
I speak of this as an example, to show the spirit and feeling that
exists in the minds of many of the leading politicians of the United
States, and the erroneous ideas they form in relation to us as a
people; for Governor Cumming was instructed in relation to this
matter. They do err, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God,
as the Sadducees did in the days of Jesus. They do err, because they
understand not the fundamental principles of the kingdom of God. They
do err, because they do not know how it is that this whole people can
be controlled by one influence and spirit, and how they are under that
control willingly and voluntarily, and of their own free individual
action and accord; and so far from their being controlled, it is
impossible to drive them out of it.

Vol. 7, p.320
The world do not know the all powerful influence that pervades the
minds of this people, called Latter-day Saints, creating the union
they so much wonder at and fear.

Vol. 7, p.320
The governments of the earth make use of different means to unite
their people, or, rather, sustain their power. In some of the despotic
governments they have vassals, or serfs, whom they make serve them in
the capacity of armies. With these and police forces, they make use of
the people to rivet their own chains by concentrated earthly power.
They appeal not to the will, judgment, feeling, or spirits of men.
They make them obey by force. In this way they bring about a kind of
false union. This prevails, to a great extent, in Turkey and Russia;
and as far as I can learn, the same prevails in China and Japan, and,
to a certain extent, in Austria, Germany, and other European
governments. There men are absolutely forced, to a certain extent, to
bow down in servile submission to the will of one man in right and in
wrong, as the case may be.

Vol. 7, p.320
The same principle exists, to a great extent, in France, but not so
extensively as in those other countries; yet she went forth with
magnanimous enthusiasm to deliver downtrodden Italy, while in that
very France twenty men were not permitted to meet together without a
permit from the police department. Were we assembled in France as we
now are, without a license, the police force would have power to
possess themselves of the keys and lock up this door, after  turning
out every one of the congregation.[p.321] 

Vol. 7, p.321
These are some of the blessings of despotism. That is a kind of union
which they enforce, and hence they can command the popular vote for
anything they please. The people dare not resist the will of their
rulers; they are brought down into subjection by force, bound in
chains, and their chains riveted upon them in every imaginable form.

Vol. 7, p.321
In the British Constitution, as it now stands, there are three powers,
all opposed to each other, called kings, lords, and commons. The king
pulls one way, the commons another, and the lords another, on the same
principle that you prop up a steamboat pipe by chains pulling
different ways: the moment you cut one of those chains, down comes the
chimney-pipe. The British Government presents a sort of pulling policy
instead of propping up. It is so with all other political institutions
of our day.

Vol. 7, p.321
The great cause of all this evil is, God has not established their
governments, nor framed their laws, nor inspired their law-makers, nor
given wisdom to their kings and emperors. They have governed by their
own wisdom, but heavenly intelligence they have not possessed. One
evil has followed on the heels of another, corruption has followed
corruption, and there has been no man to point them out the right way;
or, if there was, they have not listened to his counsels.

Vol. 7, p.321
What is to be done in this deplorable state of things? The Lord wants
to establish a kingdom that shall break in pieces all these kingdoms.
The Devil has held the reins long enough; kings and rulers have borne
rule without the Lord long enough; the nations have groaned under
tyranny and oppression and every kind of maladministration long
enough; and it is now time for the Lord to regulate his own vineyard,
and put things to right that have been put wrong by the reign of
wickedness.

Vol. 7, p.321
To bring this about, does he speak to the Emperor of France, or to the
Emperor of Russia, to the King or Queen of England, or to the
President of the United States, to the Emperor of China, to the Ruler
of Japan, or to any other earthly power? They would not listen to him.
What do they know about God, his rule, or his authority? Nothing at
all. What could he do with them? Simply nothing at all. Suppose he
were to speak to the Pope, what does he know about God? Nothing.

Vol. 7, p.321
The Almighty wishes to accomplish: a great purpose on the earth in the
last days. Whom is he going to speak to, and send to prepare the way
for the fulfilment of his latter-day purposes?

Vol. 7, p.321
Suppose you were God, and placed in such circumstances, and had such a
set of kings, governors, rulers, potentates, and priests to deal with,
how could you put them right? And suppose you wanted to introduce your
form of government upon the earth, your spirit, your law, your
intelligence, and the way your government in the heavens is
administered,—and were you determined to establish your kingdom on the
earth, how would you do it? [Voice in the stand: "The only way would
be to lead them all into the Red Sea together."] How could you get at
these kings and great men of the earth? You could not. Would they
listen to a revelation from God? Verily, no.

Vol. 7, p.321
You may go to any of the priests of the day, presidents of colleges,
and you will find them too great to bow to God: their reputation would
be at stake: if God should reveal his will to them, they would be
called false prophets, and this they could not endure.

Vol. 7, p.322
Under the circumstances, what could God do? He could not do [p.322]
better than he has done. Men are now wandering in darkness, like you
and I were before the Gospel greeted our ears. What did we know
previous to that? ]Nothing. I did not know that it was necessary to be
baptized for the remission of sins until the Gospel taught it to me;
yet I knew the Bible from A to Z. I could read a great many things in
the prophecies, and make calculations about the Millennium and the
gathering of Israel, but did not know the first principles of the
Gospel of Christ; and there is not a man here that knew them.

Vol. 7, p.322
I have travelled extensively in the world, and have never met with a
priest or scientific man that knew the first principles of the Gospel
of Christ in any country.

Vol. 7, p.322
What could the Lord do with such a pack of ignorant fools as we were?
There was one man that had a little good sense and a spark of faith in
the promises of God, and that was Joseph Smith—a backwoods man. He
believed a certain portion of Scripture which said—"If any man lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and
upbraideth not." He was feel enough in the eyes of the world, and wise
enough in the eyes of God and angels and all true intelligence, to go
into a secret place to ask God for wisdom, believing that God would
hear him. The Lord did hear him, and told him what to do.

Vol. 7, p.322
Yes, there was one man that believed God—that had simplicity, honesty,
truth, and integrity enough to ask wisdom of him, while the presidents
of churches and men of extensive erudition and research sought wisdom
from the musty records and uncertain traditions of the ancient
fathers. The votaries of the Catholic and Greek churches all do this:
they have all sought to their idols for a knowledge of God, except
Joseph Smith, who sought true intelligence from him; and he sent his
angels, one after another, to instruct him; and thus the Lord
commenced to communicate his will, his knowledge, and wisdom to him
and others as fast as they were able to receive them.

Vol. 7, p.322
Joseph Smith was considered a fool—a gold-digger. Although all the
world nearly have turned gold-diggers since that, it has become a
respectable profession; but it is highly unpopular to be a Prophet and
receive revelation from God. And these priests and professors have
always been the most bitter opposers of God and his revelations.

Vol. 7, p.322
Some twenty years ago, when I was out preaching the Gospel, I always
expected some priest to pop up and create a disturbance by opposing
the truth; and I never had any peace until I met them and made
manifest their folly before their own congregations. Then I could go
peaceably about my business.

Vol. 7, p.322
The priests were always the first to oppose the truth, the Bible, the
revelations of God, containing the principles God had revealed for the
salvation of the human family.

Vol. 7, p.322
The Lord sent Joseph Smith, gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost, and
the spirit of wisdom and intelligence rested down upon him, and he
unfolded and made plain the Scriptures to the Elders that first came
to him. They were not educated, but they spake as I had never heard
man speak before. They knew the Bible a thousand times better than I
did. Where did they get their information? From the Bible. Where else?
From that record which the Lord revealed through a holy angel to
Joseph Smith, and gave him power to translate the same. That record
contains wisdom and intelligence we knew nothing about.

Vol. 7, p.322
Again, God gave sundry revelations, and in them he unfolded things
pertaining to our position and the position of men of God who have
lived in the different ages of the world, and  pertaining [p.323] to
the condition of all classes of men and angels in the eternal worlds,
the future destiny of the human family, the salvation that has been
wrought out for them, and how they are to obtain it.

Vol. 7, p.323
Again, the Lord has imparted the gift of his Holy Ghost to his people,
and opened a communication between the heavens and the earth.
Worldly-wise men stumble at these things, while the Saints of God are
being built up in intelligence and in light by the administration of
angels—by visions of the Spirit of the living God, teaching them,
guiding them, and instructing them under all circumstances, opening
out their way in time of persecution and trials in a way that the hand
of God is visible to all intelligent Saints.

Vol. 7, p.323
What else did the Lord do through Joseph Smith? He restored the holy
Priesthood. And what is that? It is the government of God, whether in
the heavens or on the earth,—the principle and power by which he
regulates, controls, dictates, and manages his affairs, his worlds,
his kingdoms, his principalities, his powers, his intelligencies, and
all things that are underneath him and above him, and with which he
has to do. He has restored that Priesthood, and a restoration of that
Priesthood necessarily implies a restoration of his rule and power,
and an organization of his kingdom and government on the earth. This,
therefore, is that kingdom, and is organized according to the
revelations, wisdom, communications, or order of God: hence it has its
First Presidency, its Prophets and Apostles, its Seventies and High
Priests, its Bishops, Teachers, and Deacons, and every appendage that
is necessary to completeness, and to promote the happiness and welfare
of the human family, and for all purposes of government on this earth
and in the heavens. Or, in other words, this organization is a pattern
of things in the heavens, and is the mediums or channels through which
the blessings of God flow to his people on the earth, and through
which intelligence is communicated concerning all subjects with which
the Saints are concerned, whether they relate to this world or to the
world which is to come.

Vol. 7, p.323
We are not left to grope any longer in the dark about what kind of
government we are to have, for the Lord has revealed it; and if you do
not yet know it, you will. Do you want to know what is our
Constitution, what our laws, and who are our lawgivers? The Scriptures
shall answer—"The Lord is our king, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is
our lawgiver, and he will rule over us." How? Through the Priesthood.
Do you want to know what kind of courts, what kind of judge, and what
kind of lawyers you ought to have? Go and ask your High Council and
Bishops. They will instruct you in relation to your judiciary, and
tell you who should judge matters, and regulate them, and put them in
order. Do you want to know what kind of morals you ought to be
governed by? You ought to be governed by the morals contained in these
books. Do you want to learn the duties of husband and wife, of parents
and children? The Gospel of Jesus Christ unfolds them, and the
Priesthood are the true exponents of that Gospel; in fact, what we
have here—the government of God restored again to the earth. We have
here a people who are not ashamed to acknowledge God, who are not
ashamed to acknowledge his law and his power, who are not ashamed to
acknowledge his authority, nor afraid to submit to his laws.

Vol. 7, p.323
How extensive has this union to be? and who understands anything about
correct principles—how to put in order things that are wrong, and
straighten up the crooked paths? [p.324] The same power that governs
in the heavens, that rules and regulates the planetary system, that
causes seedtime and harvest, day and night, summer and winter, and all
the regular changes of the heavenly bodies in their proper
succession,—this same intelligence is required to govern the world,
produce order out of chaos, and bring back that same state of things
which has been forfeited in consequence of the transgressions of
man,—to restore correct government, legitimate rule and dominion, true
religion, morals, and science, and every other correct principle; for
there is no good or perfect gift that does not proceed from God,
either in regard to religion, government, mechanism, or science.

Vol. 7, p.324
What do we wish to do? To obtain more and more of the same spirit, of
the same light, and of the same intelligence. We read some curious
manifestations of power that occurred in the days of the disciples of
Christ. Peter, after he had baptized the eunuch, was caught up by the
Spirit and carried to another place. Much has been developed in latter
times as to the application of the power of steam to machinery, and
great results have been attained in the application of electricity to
the conveyance of intelligence.

Vol. 7, p.324
The principles always existed, but it remained to be discovered how to
apply them to the wants of mankind, which information was given by
revelation. But there is one power we cannot yet find out—how to lift
ourselves up as Philip did, and pass to another place. Such a power
exists, or Philip could not have exercised it. That power we cannot
know until the Lord reveals it.

Vol. 7, p.324
What do we know about the resurrection? What do we know about a great
many more things we talk about? We are only, as it were, in a state of
embryo. We have scarcely learned the first letters of the alphabet; we
have only learned some of the first principles of the Gospel of
Christ; but we have not yet learned how to be in perfect subjection to
the authorities of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.324
We see in part, and we know in part, we prophesy in part, believe in
part, and we try in part to do right. The Lord has blessed us with
great blessings, but he has only blessed us in part.

Vol. 7, p.324
We are in the school of the Prophets, trying to learn; and the Lord
teaches us by peace and by wars, by prosperity and by adversity. He
teaches us by bringing our enemies upon us, and by taking them away
from us. He shows forth his great power, and maketh manifest our
wickedness and infirmities, leading us to know that our trust and
confidence only is in God.

Vol. 7, p.324
The Lord has given us the blessings of the knowledge of the fulness of
the Gospel of Christ, through his servant Joseph Smith. And when he
was martyred, the Lord raised up his servant Brigham to be his
mouthpiece to tell his mind and will. What for? Because he has got a
little handful of people here in these mountains, gathered from the
nations of the earth, who are beginning to open their eyes to the
truth, and can see men and trees walking, as it were. We sometimes
think we were very intelligent and wise; but our actions do not show
that we know much.

Vol. 7, p.324
What we have learned, we have learned from this book, and from this,
and from that, and from Joseph Smith, and from a little of the spirit
of revelation, which we have obtained by being obedient to the Gospel,
by the laying on of hands, and the reception of the Holy Ghost, and by
our faith from time to time. In this way we have obtained a little
smattering of something pertaining to eternal life: [p.325] we feel
it, and it makes us jubilant and happy; but in reality, the extent of
our information is very limited in comparison to the eternity of
knowledge that is in store for the faithful. He has organized the
different Quorums, authorities, helps, and governments in his Church
and kingdom, to convey his will to his people, and through them to the
people of the world, to bring them to a knowledge of correct
principles, laws, and ordinances, that they may learn to do right and
fear him, that there might be a people on the earth who will fear him,
acknowledge his law, and submit to his authority, which is the power
of the holy Priesthood.

Vol. 7, p.325
Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice: they know me and follow me; and a
stranger they will not follow, because they know not the voice of a
stranger."

Vol. 7, p.325
The reason this people will not break up and follow strangers is
because they know not their voice. Some few have gone after strangers;
but, as it was formerly said, "They went out from us because they were
not of us." They fell into darkness, and were led astray. But those
who have within them the true and living principle of life eternal, it
leads them to rejoice: they have something that buoys them up and
unites them together. What is it? It is the Spirit of the living
God—the Holy Ghost, which flows to them through the proper channel.

Vol. 7, p.325
Could any of you have that Spirit and not have fellowship with
President Young and the other authorities of the Church and kingdom of
God? No, you could not.

Vol. 7, p.325
When you hear a man talk against the authorities of this Church and
kingdom, you may know he is sliding down hill. He does not know what
spirit influences him; he is ignorant that he is in the dark; and,
unless he retraces his steps quickly, he will go overboard. You may
set that down as a fact all the time. Why? Because, if this is the
Church and kingdom of God, and President Young is the elect of God,
and his Council and the Twelve and others are the elect of God, and
you seek to injure them, you run a great risk, and will be found
fighting against God; for Jesus says, "He that receiveth you receiveth
me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me; and he that
rejecteth you rejecteth me, and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him
that sent me."

Vol. 7, p.325
You cannot say that you love God while you hate your brethren. You
cannot say that you submit to the law of God while you reject the word
and counsel of his servants.

Vol. 7, p.325
There was a man in Missouri who said he did not believe in Joseph
Smith, because he said he was not a true Prophet. Why? Because the
revelations say, "If any man committeth adultery, he shall lose the
Spirit of God and apostatize." "Now, [said he,] I have committed
adultery, and have not apostatized." You can judge where he was. He
did not see that he had apostatized when he discarded Joseph as a
false Prophet. The Scripture says, "The branch cannot bear fruit of
itself except it abide in the vine, neither can you bear fruit except
you abide in me." "If I abide in you and you in me, you may ask what
you will, and it shall be granted unto you." Why? Because there is a
spirit of union, of faith, and concentration upon correct principles.

Vol. 7, p.325
I want to show you the difference between this kind of spirit and the
spirit of the world—between this kind of government and the government
of the world, and the influence that has been made use of by despotic
governments, emperors, kings, and rulers, who have abused the  power
vested  in their hands. What is the difference?[p.326] 

Vol. 7, p.326
Did anybody force you into this Church and kingdom? Is there a single
person here that can say that he was compelled to join this Church? If
there is, let him speak. Did anybody force you to come to Utah against
your will? If there are any that were coerced, let them speak.
[Voices: "No."] You entered this Church, and came here voluntarily.
Did ever anybody force you to stop here when you wanted to leave?

Vol. 7, p.326
There are some few instances where men have been forced to stay who
have been guilty of stealing, and would like to escape, but cannot.
There are also men who have wanted to go away without paying their
debts, and were followed by their creditors. Independent of those
instances, has there ever been any influence exercised over any man
that would in the least jeopardize him in liberty in body or in limb?
There has not. Then where is there any coercion. I am at the defiance
of this congregation and of the world to show it.

Vol. 7, p.326
Let us look at others. Who places kings, rulers, and potentates upon
their thrones? Napoleon Bonaparte was more honest than the rest. When
the Pope was about to put the crown on his head, he took it from him,
and placed it on his own head, and crowned himself, saying, "I have
won it." Other kings have obtained their authority by the sword, or
received it from those who have thus obtained it; and the very people
that they coerce and rob of their freedom are made to give them their
power, and it is permitted by the Great Ruler of the universe. But in
relation to us, we are here of our own accord. We have embraced the
Gospel of our own accord. We continue here of our own accord.

Vol. 7, p.326
I will go a little farther. All the authorities of this Church, from
President Young down, will be presented before this Conference for
reception or rejection. If any of us have committed any mean act, you
have a chance to tell us twice a year. Will they allow that in any
other kingdom upon earth? No.

Vol. 7, p.326
There has not been a President of the United States yet that could
have held his office twelve months, if this privilege had been given
to the people. Where is there an authority or a government that is
subjected to the same ordeal that the authorities of this Church are?
Nowhere; and yet people are afraid of bondage.

Vol. 7, p.326
Great conscience! what bondage can there be that you have not the
privilege to resist? People have got to do right, or else be
disfellowshiped from this Church. And I tell you now, before you vote
for me, if you know anything against me, tell it; or if you know
anything against any of the authorities you are called upon to
sustain, tell it. But if you do not, and vote to sustain the men God
has chosen, you cannot complain if they expect you will sustain them
in their endeavours to establish the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.326
We talk sometimes about Vox populi, vox Dei—the voice of the people is
the voice of God; yet, sometimes it is the voice of the Devil, which
would be more proper by Vox populi, vox diaboli; for the voice of the
people is frequently the voice of the Devil. In the first place, it
should be the voice of God, and then the voice of the people.

Vol. 7, p.326
Formerly God made known his law, and all the congregation said Amen.
They acknowledged it. It is so now in the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.326
If you vote for the constituted authorities of this Church, you must
be notoriously mean, and as corrupt as the Devil, if you find fault
afterwards with the way in which they manage. I tell you  this before
you vote, that you may have an understanding of what you are doing. If
[p.327] these authorities are sustained by your voice, it is then the
voice of God, and his kingdom is in full organization, going forth to
do his will.

Vol. 7, p.327
What next? The Lord speaks to President Young and manifests his will
to him, and he says, Do this, or do that. What is your duty? Why, to
do it. A good Saint would never dream of anything else. I should be
anxious to know the President's will, and should think I was knowing
the will of God, and should want to be doing it as quick as I could.

Vol. 7, p.327
There is union in faith and in intelligence. God must have a
mouthpiece, and his words must be obeyed. He must speak through his
servant, and he to his people, and thus through the various channels.
This is the way with the Lord. We read in the creation that the Gods
said, "Let there light." And the Gods said, "Let the light be divided
from the darkness;" and it was so. And the Gods said, "Let there be
beasts of the field, and fowls of the air, and creeping things to
creep on the face of the earth;" and it was so. The moment that the
Gods spoke, there were personages ready to carry out their will and
fulfil their designs on the earth. He that is wise can understand.

Vol. 7, p.327
Jesus taught his disciples to pray. "Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven." How is his will done in heaven? In just the way that
I have told you.

Vol. 7, p.327
If you realize the true nature of this prayer which you have often
prayed, when President Young, or any of the authorities of this Church
would tell you to do anything, it would be done. When this is so,
there will be that kind of union We have a right to look for and
expect; then the will of God will be done with us as it is done by the
angels in heaven; and whenever this kingdom shall extend over all the
earth, the will of God will be done over all the earth as it is done
in heaven; and there will be one government, one law, one spirit of
truth, of light, and of intelligence. That is God's law, God's
government, God's Spirit, God's truth, and the people will be God's
people.

Vol. 7, p.328
May God bless you all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.328] 

Heber C. Kimball, October 7, 1859

Oneness, &c.

Remarks by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.328
I have been much gratified to hear the remarks of brother Turley. And
I was exceedingly pleased to see him this morning. I naturally love
him, for he is a true man. He is as true as gold that has a little
dross in it. There is a good deal of the true metal in him. We all,
more or less, partake of the world and the flesh and the Devil, and
that is the dross which is in us.

Vol. 7, p.328
Brother Brigham has given us a text upon oneness; and, in support of
it, I would quote another portion of the words of Jesus when he says,
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman: that is, he
sprang from his Father, and was trained and nursed by him. "Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh away; and every branch
that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I
am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit; for, without me, ye can do
nothing."

Vol. 7, p.328
How is it possible for us to exist as true disciples of Christ without
partaking of his attributes and the attributes of the Father? If a
limb abide in the tree, and the tree in the root, they are one. Upon
the same principle, the Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and his
disciples are one. The Father gave up his Son to be sacrificed for the
sins of the world, that he might draw all men unto him. "Greater love
hath no man than this—that a man lay down his life for his friends.
And ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

Vol. 7, p.328
He called Apostles—Peter, James, John, and nine others, and committed
unto them the keys of his salvation. He says to them—"Ye have not
chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that
whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father, in my name, he may give it
you." Jesus Christ is the heir of the Father pertaining to this world,
and we are his brethren.

Vol. 7, p.328
Peter, James, and John committed the same keys to Joseph Smith in this
last dispensation, and he committed them to his Twelve Apostles before
his martyrdom, Brigham Young presiding over them, who is now our
Prophet and leader, and holds the keys of the kingdom of God on the
earth in the last days; and he will hold them for ever; and Joseph
holds those keys in the spirit-world, and will continue to hold
them,—President Young holding them in connection  with him, and every
other man in his order and standing in this Church [p.329] holding
them in connection with President Young.

Vol. 7, p.329
Again, Jesus says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a
branch, and is withered; and men gather them and cast them into the
fire, and they are burned." It is the nourishment which flows from the
true vine that preserves all those who remain in the vine, giving them
eternal life. A branch that remains in the vine cannot be burned, but
it endureth for ever.

Vol. 7, p.329
You expect our leader, his Council, the Twelve Apostles, and the
Bishops to honour their callings because they are your leaders; but
they are under no more responsibility to honour their calling, abide
in the vine, and live their religion faithfully, than other
departments of the Priesthood are. Unfaithfulness would lead to their
destruction lust as quick as it would lead to yours. it is neccssary
we should be one, as the branches are one in the vine, that we may
partake of the nourishment that cometh from the Father, through the
Son and the  Holy Ghost, and through the different authorities in
heaven and on earth. 

Vol. 7, p.329
I feel to thank God. that the little branch that was down in San
Bernardino is on its way here; and my prayer to God is that all the
distant branches will gather themselves closer and closer together,
and unite themselves as one man; and when they have done that, in the
name of Israel's God, we can rise above the world, the flesh, and the
Devil; for they can then have nothing in common with us. Let us be one
in principle, one in righteousness, one in heart and action, seeking
in all the pursuits of our lives the chief interest of the kingdom of
God; and in doing this we seek the individual interest of the whole,
doing unto one another as we would wish others to do unto us under
like circumstances; for upon this practice hang the law and the
Prophets. Prophets and righteous men and women of all ages have clung
to these principles as perfectly as they could in the flesh. That we
may attain to the salvation they have gained, it is necessary we
should pursue the same course they pursued to gain it.

Vol. 7, p.329
If I do not wish a man to take the advantage of me, I should not take
the advantage of him. If I do not want a man to steal from me, I
should not steal from him. If I want my neighbour to held my property
sacred, I should hold his property sacred.

Vol. 7, p.329
That which the world calls "Mormonism" is the kingdom of God—the
kingdom which Daniel saw; and this kingdom Joseph Smith was sent by
the Almighty to establish, with its Priesthood and authorities; and we
shall prosper exceedingly, if we cleave to it, keeping ourselves pure
and clean.

Vol. 7, p.329
It is very painful to my feelings when men who hold the holy
Priesthood in this Church set an example that is unworthy their high
calling, and would influence simple men and women to go astray.
Instead of being saviours of men, they destroy them, and will sooner
or later have to account for their conduct for the injury they have
done by an unwholesome and destructive example.

Vol. 7, p.329
Let us wake up and keep the commandments of God more perfectly,
cleansing our hands from evil actions and our hearts from unholy
affections, keeping humble and lowly at the feet of Jesus. I find that
I have to live near unto God, exercise all the faith in my possession,
and practise all the integrity I can command. An Elder said yesterday,
"When a man goes in secret before his God, he does not act the
hypocrite; but often before men he will make a beautiful flowery
prayer, to be heard of men." When I was a Baptist, I learned some of
their prayers to deliver in public, to tickle the ears of men, and
have them [p.330] say, "What a beautiful prayer that was!" I do not
feel so now; but I feel to ask my Father and God for just what I need;
and I find it very useful to say, "Father, I ask thee, in the name of
Jesus, to teach me how to pray, and inspire me to ask for the things
thou desirest to confer upon thy son." When I go before the Father in
this way, I notice I have a powerful spirit of prayer.

Vol. 7, p.330
It has been said, "A man needs a portion of the Spirit to drive oxen."
[Voice in the stand: "Yes, a double portion of it."] I know, as well
as I know my name is Heber C. Kimball, that a spirit of kindness in a
man will beget the same in his animal, in his child, or in persons
over whom he exercises control. The Holy Ghost in the people of God
will control not only our domestic animals, our families, our
servants, and our handmaids, but it will control the armies of men
that are in the world, the mountains, seas, streams of water,
tempests, famines, and pestilence, and every destructive power, that
they come not nigh unto us, just as much as we can keep sickness from
us by the power of faith and prayer and good works. If we live our
religion, we shall never suffer as the world suffers. We shall not be
perplexed with famine and pestilence, with the caterpillar, and other
destructive insects, which the Lord will send in the last days to
afflict the wicked.

Vol. 7, p.330
God will sustain us, if we will sustain him and be his friends. But
how can you be his friends, except you are friends to his cause and to
his servants? You cannot find favour with your God while you are
opposed to his authority, or to the ordinances and regulations of his
house.

Vol. 7, p.330
This is the work and kingdom of God, and it will triumph over every
opposing foe. Joseph Smith was ordained a Prophet of the Most High.
His brother Hyrum was ordained a Prophet and Patriarch to hold the
same Priesthood his father Joseph Smith, senior, held. Brother Brigham
is Joseph Smith's successor, and holds the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and every man who stands by him will stand while heaven and
earth shall continue, and they will never lack for the comforts of
life while the earth stands.

Vol. 7, p.330
The Spirit of the Lord God was upon every Elder here yesterday, and my
prayer is that it may increase upon all the people. If you had a
fulness of that Spirit that President Young, brother Heber, brother
Daniel, and hundreds of others in this community have got, the sutlers
and followers of this army and these merchants would not get another
kernel of wheat from us.

Vol. 7, p.330
I fear you will bring yourselves unto want and sorrow, to hunger and
nakedness, through your improvident and reckless procedure in relation
to your breadstuffs, and not listening to what has been told you by
your best friends. I know, as the Lord God liveth, the words which
have been spoken by our President will surely be fulfilled; for his
instructions are the words of God to this people.

Vol. 7, p.330
I do not wish to dwell on this theme all the time; but I know
thousands of this people have not bread to subsist upon for three
months to come. In many portions of this Territory—the northern part
of it for instance, they have not enough grain to last them until
another harvest, and supply seed. Then, why do you go and dispose of
that wheat when we are threatened with a scarcity? It is written in
the New Testament, "But if any provide not for his own, and especially
for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse
than an infidel."

Vol. 7, p.330
"Well," says one, "that means my wife and children; and if I provide
for them, it is enough."  Yes; but a man [p.331] has to provide "for
his own," and especially for those of his own house. Are you not of
the family of Christ? Are you not required to provide for the
household of faith to which you belong?

Vol. 7, p.331
If there are members of that household that have not means to step
forward and save themselves, it is our duty to support and encourage
them, setting them an example worthy of imitation.

Vol. 7, p.331
May God bless you. May the peace and blessing of our Father be upon
you, in connection with the whole of Israel throughout the earth.
Amen.

Brigham Young, October 8, 1859

Progress in Knowledged, &c.

Rermarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 8, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.331
In the remarks I am about to offer, I do not design to cast the least
reflection upon the honesty, integrity, truthfulness, and faithfulness
of this people; but I really feel to praise them. And I repeat what I
have frequently said, that, in my opinion, Enoch and his people,
during the first twenty-nine-and-a-half years of their history, did
not make greater progress in the knowledge of the Father and Son than
this people have. This thought gives me great comfort, encouragement,
and consolation.

Vol. 7, p.331
Our traditions and education, from our birth until we embraced this
Gospel, were in many instances contrary to the plan of salvation,
antagonistic to the word of God, and opposed to his character,—not
designedly; but we and our fathers grovelled in the deepest shades of
mental darkness and ignorance touching God, his character, and the
Gospel plan. Our teachers were no better than ourselves, for thick
darkness covered all. The blind were leading the blind. They are still
doing so, and both will fall into the ditch.

Vol. 7, p.331
Under these considerations, I think that we, as a people, are doing as
well as we know how. We are advancing from year to year in the
knowledge of God. Before we came into this Church, we knew,
comparatively, but little in regard to the true religion of Christ. Is
there now a man in all the world, outside of this Church, that can
tell the first thing about it? Although they have the Old and New
Testament, and day by day scrutinize every letter, word, and sentence
of those books, yet they cannot rightly tell one thing in regard to
the kingdom of God.

Vol. 7, p.331
Brother Taylor said that, before he heard this Gospel, he did not even
know that it was necessary to be baptized for the remission of sins.
He had read the Bible many times and really did not believe it, though
he supposed that he believed every word in it. Had a person said to
him, "Mr. Taylor, here is the New Testament, which gives [p.332] a
true history of the Saviour of the world and of the religion he
produced for the salvation of the children of men, but you do not
believe it," Mr. Taylor would have considered himself persecuted for
righteousness' sake, and perhaps would have put the person out of his
house.

Vol. 7, p.332
There is not one of us who professed to be Christians before we
embraced this Gospel could have borne to be told that we did not
believe all that is written in the Old and New Testaments. We should
have deemed such a statement very unwarranted and past enduring; yet
such was the fact.

Vol. 7, p.332
We had read, over and over again, that baptism was for the remission
of sins; yet none of us knew that it was true and requisite. We had
often read the commission of the Saviour to the disciples, that the
believer in their words should be baptized to be saved; yet who of us
fully believed that he spoke the truth? We read the Bible with the
idea that it gave a history of something that was, but is not now, and
never will be.

Vol. 7, p.332
In this state of ignorance and blindness the Gospel found us; yet we
have learned many great and glorious truths during the short
experience we have had in this Church. We now see the Consistency of
the vital truths that the ancient Apostles left recorded for the world
to read. We might say that the Bible is a guide-board to the world, as
it points out the path for them to walk in: it draws a line to guide
their conduct.

Vol. 7, p.332
We have learned much from the Bible. We have also learned much from
the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; but all the
salvation you can obtain by means of those books alone is
comparatively of little value. They contain a history of what other
men have  done, show the path they walked in, and the way in which
they obtained the words of eternal life for themselves; but all the
Scriptures from the days of Adam until now cannot, alone, save one
individual. Were they all committed to memory so perfectly that they
could be recited with the greatest ease, that alone would not save one
of the smallest of God's creatures, nor bring any person nearer the
gate of the celestial kingdom. In visiting a foreign nation, an
understanding of their language, geography, manners, customs, and laws
is very agreeable and beneficial. So the reading of the Bible gives
comfort and happiness to the traveller to eternity, and points out to
him in part the character and attributes of the Being whom to know is
life eternal. We have not yet attained to that knowledge, and the mere
reading of the Scriptures can never put us in possession of it.

Vol. 7, p.332
When the vision of your mind is opened by the Eternal Spirit, you
measurably see Zion in its beauty and perfection, and are filled with
ecstacies of joy; but when the vision closes, you still find
yourselves in this dark and benighted world. In a vision of Zion in
its glory, you do not see your own and your brethren's foibles, while
you are struggling from day to day to prepare yourselves to
participate in the glory you gaze upon while you are in the spirit.

Vol. 7, p.332
We are still warring against the darkness and imperfections,
temptations and vicissitudes inherent to the flesh in this dark and
benighted world; and it is by a steady, unwavering course of daily
progression that we can be prepared to enjoy the glories of the
celestial kingdom with God our Father.

Vol. 7, p.332
If a person is baptized for the remission of sins, and dies in a short
time thereafter, he is not prepared at once to enjoy a fulness of the
glory promised to the faithful in the Gospel; for he  must be
schooled, while [p.333] in the spirit, in the other departments of the
house of God, passing on from truth to truth, from intelligence to
intelligence, until he is prepared to again receive his body and to
enter into the presence of the Father and the Son. We cannot enter
into celestial glory in our present state of ignorance and mental
darkness.

Vol. 7, p.333
I know that we have been taught from our infancy, and it is now a
popular doctrine with all the denominations of the Christians of the
nineteenth century, that, when the mortal tenement is committed to the
grave, there is an end of all further progress in intelligence and
learning with regard to this probation. In support of this idea, they
advance the scripture, "If the tree fall toward the south, or toward
the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be."
Again, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave
whither thou goest."

Vol. 7, p.333
The worms have work to do in the grave until the body is reduced to
mother earth. But the active, intelligent, divine organization that
inhabited the body does not descend with it into the grave to work
with the worms; but it goes to the spirit-world, and is much more
busily engaged there than when it was a tenant in a mortal tabernacle.

Vol. 7, p.333
Suppose, then, that a man is evil in his heart—wholly given up to
wickedness, and in that condition dies, his spirit will enter the
spirit-world intent upon evil. On the other hand, if we are striving
with all the powers and faculties God has given us to improve upon our
talents, to prepare ourselves to dwell in eternal life, and the grave
receives our bodies while we are thus engaged, with what disposition
will our spirits enter their next state? They will be still striving
to do the things of God, only in a much greater degree—learning,
increasing, growing in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.

Vol. 7, p.333
The people called Christians are shrouded in ignorance, and read the
Scriptures with darkened understandings.

Vol. 7, p.333
Do you read the Scriptures, my brethren and sisters, as though you
were writing them a thousand, two thousand, or five thousand years
ago? Do you read them as though you stood in the place of the men who
wrote them? If you do not feel thus, it is your privilege to do so,
that you may be as familiar with the spirit and meaning of the written
word of God as you are with your daily walk and conversation, or as
you are with your workmen or with. your households. You may understand
what the Prophets understood and thought—what they designed and
planned to bring forth to their brethren for their good.

Vol. 7, p.333
When you can thus feel, then you may begin to think that you can find
out something about God, and begin to learn who he is. He is our
Father—the Father of our spirits, and was once a man in mortal flesh
as we are, and is now an exalted Being.

Vol. 7, p.333
How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time
when there were not Gods and worlds, and when men were not passing
through the same ordeals that we are now passing through. That course
has been from all eternity, and it is and will be to all eternity. You
cannot comprehend this; but when you can, it will be to you a matter
of great consolation.

Vol. 7, p.333
It appears ridiculous to the world, under their darkened and erroneous
traditions, that God has once been a finite being; and yet we are not
in such close communion with him as many have supposed. He has passed
on, and is exalted far beyond what we [p.334] can now comprehend. Eye
hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the
heart of man to conceive all the things of God. We are not capacitated
to receive them all at once; but God, by his Spirit, reveals to our
spirits as we grow and become able and capacitated to comprehend,
through improving upon every means of grace placed within our power,
until we shall be counted worthy to receive all things.

Vol. 7, p.334
"All is yours," says the Apostle. Do not become disheartened, give up
your labours, and conclude that you are not to be saved. All is yours,
if you will but live according to what you know, and increase in
knowledge and godliness; and if you increase in these, you will also
increase in all things pertaining to the earth; and by-and-by, you
will be satisfied that all is the Lord's, and that we are Christ's,
and that Christ is God's. All centres in the Father; wherefore let us
all be satisfied that he gives to us as we are capacitated to receive.

Vol. 7, p.334
We need not be discouraged; but, as I have exhorted on another
occasion, Let the Elders of Israel manfully man the old ship Zion—let
every man faithfully stand to his post, and they will ultimately be
worthy to enter into celestial glory. This is all the business we have
on hand at present.

Vol. 7, p.334
Doubtless you understood and bear in mind what brother Taylor said
with regard to voting for the authorities of the Church. I wish all
the brethren and sisters to vote by raising their right hands, the
meaning of which many of you understand. If there are any who do not
feel like voting in the affirmative, when the name of one of the
authorities in the Church is presented, and they suppose that they
have sufficient cause for withholding their support, they may have the
privilege of entering their complaints or objections before the
Conference. If you present good and sufficient reasons for not voting
for an individual, we will give the subject a candid investigation.

Vol. 7, p.335
We will now present the authorities.[p.335] 

Brigham Young, October 8, 1859

Re-Organization of the High Council—Appointment of 
Young Men to Offices in the Priesthood, &c.

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 8, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.335
With regard to the High Council, I wish to make a suggestion which has
just occurred to me. It seems to me best, in voting for the
authorities, to pass over their names for the present. I do not think
there is much fault to be found with the High Councillors now in
office. We are willing to give them credit for all the good they have
done, and we do not wish to know anything against them, although some
of them have injured themselves more than they have others. Solomon
declared, "Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish
king who will no more be admonished." This is a true saying; and I
wish to apply it, in some respects, in the present instance. In the
remarks I shall now make, some may think that I am quite plain-spoken
and frank with my brethren. Grant it: so also I am with myself.

Vol. 7, p.335
When I was baptized into this Church, it was in its infancy, although
a considerable number had been baptized before me, and many of them
were older when they were baptized than I was. They improved, their
minds expanded, they received truth and intelligence, increased in the
knowledge of the things of God, and bid fair to become full-grown men
in Christ Jesus. But some of them, when they had gained a little
spiritual strength and knowledge, apparently stopped in their growth.
This was in the eastern country, and but a few years passed before the
fruit-trees began to cease bearing fruit. The cherry and plum-trees
where this work commenced began to fail in fruit-bearing, and the
black bunches began to increase on their trunks and branches, caused
by the depredations of insects which destroy the sap and life of the
trees. The apple-tree also has nearly ceased bearing in that and the
adjacent regions. One of our old neighbours, whose name is Allen, says
that good apples have for years been very scarce in that country,
where, to my certain knowledge, they used to be excellent and
abundant. And in the few that mature, a worm is generally found at the
core. So it has been with many who embraced the Gospel in that
country: like the fruit-trees, they have ceased to grow and increase
and bear the fruits of the Spirit.

Vol. 7, p.335
It is a common adage, "Old men for counsel, and young men for war."
Until men born in the Priesthood grow old therein in faithfulness, I
would say, with comparatively few  exceptions, "Young men for counsel,
 and young men for war." For knowledge and understanding, I would
rather, as a general thing, select young men from eighteen years of
age—the sons of men who have been in this Church from the beginning,
than to select their fathers. Their minds have been but little, if
any, [p.336] trammelled with erroneous traditions and teachings. Let
the yoke of the Gospel be put upon those young men brother Joseph
referred to in his remarks, who have been sowing their wild oats for
years, and they are generally better and more correct in the offices
of the Priesthood than many of the gray-haired fathers. They
understand more about God, about Jesus Christ, and the government of
God on the earth, than do many of the fathers and grandfathers.

Vol. 7, p.336
It never hurts my feelings to see young exuberant life and animation
manifest themselves; but I do not like to hear swearing: to that I
strongly object. I also strongly object to their getting drunk, to
their pilfering their neighbours' property, and to their doing
anything else that is wrong. I love to see our young men wide awake,
ready for anything in the line of right, having their minds bent in
the channel of truth. They learn the truth from their childhood, and
know but little else, if their parents have done their duty in
properly directing the growth of the young branches. Their wild,
foolish, childish, boyish caprices will occasionally be exhibited; but
when those pass off, you find in them a solid basis of truth and good
principle. Some few of those who give rein to their wild and foolish
notions, and seemingly give themselves up to destruction, will meet
hard times: suffering and trouble will arrest them in their wild
career, and then they will begin to inquire after their friends. They
will seek those whose bosoms are filled with compassion and goodwill
towards them, will cease their follies, and their friends will rejoice
over them in their efforts to become good and wise. Do not be
discouraged about the follies of the young.

Vol. 7, p.336
I know that parents are often much troubled about their children. I
have heard many relate their troubles and sorrows in this respect,
though they are comparatively trifling, unless your children disregard
all your tender solicitude and wise counsels and examples, and, when
arrived at maturity, forsake you and go headlong to destruction, when
you will think that you never had any trouble until then. The want of
bread for them in their infancy was no sorrow, when compared with such
a trial. Parents—you who continue to live the life of true Christians,
and are filled with faith, virtue, and good works, I promise you, in
the name of Israel's God, that you will have your children, and no
power can rob you of them; for all will be saved, except the sons of
perdition. If they go to hell, you will have the privilege of dragging
them from there, if you are faithful. That is the promise made to
Abraham. You are aware that the children of Israel acted as badly as
the Devil could make them, and the Lord afflicted them in this life,
because of the promise he made to their father Abraham that he would
save his seed.

Vol. 7, p.336
You may inquire of the intelligent of the world whether they can tell
why the aborigines of this country are dark, loathsome, ignorant, and
sunken into the depths of degradation; and they cannot tell. I can
tell you in a few words: They are the seed of Joseph, and belong to
the household of God; and he will afflict them in this world, and save
every one of them hereafter, even though they previously go into hell.
When the Lord has a people, he makes covenants with them and gives
unto them promises: then, if they transgress his law, change his
ordinances, and break the covenants he has made with them, he will put
a mark upon them, as in the case of the Lamanites and other portions
of the house of Israel; but by-and-by they will  become a white and
delightsome people.[p.337] 

Vol. 7, p.337
Brethren, I wish you to understand things precisely as they are. We
shall dissolve the present High Council of this Stake. Many of them
are far advanced in years, and some of them live at considerable
distances from this city. They have laboured according to the best of
their ability; but I would like to see men who never become so old
that they cannot learn. I desire to see everybody on the track of
improvement, gaining all the knowledge, power, and advancement
possible for them to gain and possess. But so it is: many of the first
members in this Church appear as though they never could keep pace
with the times, increasing in the knowledge of the truth and improving
thereupon.

Vol. 7, p.337
I will tell you how to expand and increase as far as I know. Let your
whole soul—affections, actions, wishes, desires, every effort and
motive, and every hour's labour you perform be with a single eye to
the building up the Zion of God on the earth. If you will pursue this
course, you will learn every day and make advancements every hour. But
when you so love your property as to quarrel and contend about this,
that, or the other trilling affair, as though all your affections were
placed upon the changing, fading things of earth, it is impossible to
increase in the knowledge of truth. The thrones and kingdoms of earth
are frequently changing hands. Adventurers rise up or go forth and
establish new governments, and in a few short years they are cast down
to give place to more successful powers. All earthly things are
changing hands. The gold, the silver, and other property pass from my
hands to yours, and from yours to the hands of others. Shame on a
people that place their affections upon this changing matter! Love God
and the things that change not.

Vol. 7, p.337
I have a little more counsel that I wish to give during this
Conference, and you may tell it to your Presidents, Bishops, High
Councillors, High Priests, Seventies, &c. My counsel to the Elders of
Israel is to let whisky, brandy, and other strong drinks alone. I will
tell you how drunkards appear to me. Although I have been a man of the
world, yet I have never seen a moment, since I thought I had a
character or had to establish one, when, with very few exceptions, I
would count them worthy, in regard to moral character, to wipe my
shoes upon, figuratively speaking. I would not abuse them, but I would
give them something to kill the life of the liquor, and, when they
were sufficiently sober, ask them if they did not think they were
extremely foolish. Probably scores, who are not here, are drunk now;
and it is my positive counsel and command that drinking liquor be
stopped. If I had the influence the world gives me credit for, I would
not have a single drunkard, thief, or liar in this society. I do not
profess to have that influence, but I can raise my voice against those
evils.

Vol. 7, p.337
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command the Elders of
israel—those who have been in the habit of getting drunk—to cease
drinking strong drink from this time henceforth, until you really need
it. But some may think they need it as soon as they go out of this
house. Let me be your physician in this matter. So long as you are
able to walk and attend to your business, it is folly to say that you
need ardent spirits to keep you alive. The constitution that a person
has should be nourished and cherished; and whenever we take anything
into the system to force and stimulate it beyond its natural capacity,
it shortens life. I am physician enough to know that. When you are
tired and think you need a little spirituous liquor, take some
bread-and-butter, or bread-and-milk, and lie down and rest. Do not
[p.338] labour so hard as to deem it requisite to get half-drunk in
order to keep up your spirits. If you will follow this counsel; you
will be full of life and health, and will increase your intelligence,
your joy and comfort.

Vol. 7, p.338
As I have already requested, I now again request the authorities of
this Church in their various localities to sever from this society
those who will not cease getting drunk. If you know a man to be guilty
of pilfering, or any species of dishonesty, disfellowship that man in
his Quorum, and let his Bishop cut him off from the Church. I have no
fellowship with thieves, liars, murderers, robbers, whoremongers, or
any such characters. I never have had, and I hope I never shall have.
[The congregation exclaimed," Amen."] If I had the influence that the
wicked accuse me of, I would straighten up the perverse among this
people, and  bring that Zion we see in vision. They would either
repent and do right, or go where society is more congenial to their
evil habits and practices.

Vol. 7, p.338
Brethren, I desire to so live that I can remain with you until my work
on the earth is finished. But were I as good as you wish me to be, I
could not. Brother Greeley says that Brigham appears to be in no hurry
to get to heaven. No: I wish to stay here and fight the Devil until he
is bound, and all wickedness is cleansed from the earth, and it is
made ready for Christ to come and receive his right. And it is for us
to be ready to abide the day of his coming.

Vol. 7, p.338
May God bless you! Amen.

Amasa Lyman, December 25, 1859

The Gospel—Tithing—Religion in the Home Circle

A Discourse by Elder AMASA LYMAN, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 25, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.338
I am glad this morning, brethren and sisters, to enjoy the privilege
again of meeting with you, with the opportunity that is afforded me of
occupying a portion of time devoted to worship; and I would indulge a
hope that the little time we are together may be so devoted as to be a
benefit to us all. To effect this, I know of nothing better than to
have our attention called again, as it has so often been, to a
consideration of the principles of our religion.

Vol. 7, p.338
One might suppose that all had been said that could or that need be
said upon this subject. The necessity for our attention being called
to the consideration of the principles of our religion must exist
until such time as we properly and fully comprehend those principles,
and from comprehending them are unable to reduce them to practice; for
it is not until they are reduced to practice that they yield to us the
fruits of salvation. Hence we shall have to refer to the principles of
the Gospel again and again, that they may be kept before [p.339] our
minds, that we shall not lose sight of them in the multiplicity of
things that exist around us to engage our attention.

Vol. 7, p.339
When we consider the great amount of wrong that are to be corrected by
the Gospel, in connection with our being in the world, and then the
amount of opposition against which we have to receive and practise the
truth, a little reflection will lead us to conclude that the
consummation of our work is far in the future.

Vol. 7, p.339
When we consider the condition of the mind, influenced as it is by the
prejudices of education, by the influences of those habits of thought
and reflection which have been established in the mind, which is the
result of the influences of circumstances with which we have been
surrounded, we find that there is but a very small portion of the
powers of our minds that are faithfully, patiently, and undividedly
devoted to the consideration of the principles of our religion.

Vol. 7, p.339
We have fallen into a habit of fashion with regard to the preaching of
the Gospel, that if we say but a very little—preach but very short
sermons, they must generally extend over a large extent of country.
Comparatively speaking, we travel over earth and heaven frequently,
when in our notions of things we have made these places to be a great
way apart: we travel often over the extreme of degradation,
wretchedness, misery, and ignorance in which we ourselves exist, to
that better condition of things that we hope for in the vast future,
when sin, with all its concomitant train of evils, shall cease to
afflict us, or to oppose an obstacle to our enjoyment of the happiness
and blessings promised by the Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.339
This is the way, in short, in which we look at the subject, when the
Gospel is presented to us as a remedy for all the evils that afflict
us—a sovereign balm for all our ills. We only think of what we are
now, and of what we shall be when our salvation is consummated.

Vol. 7, p.339
A moment's reflection will satisfy you, as well as myself, that this
view of the matter leaves all that extensive and unexplored region
that intervenes between our present sinful and our future saved and
happy condition out of the question.

Vol. 7, p.339
In order that we may be saved by the Gospel we have embraced, it
becomes indispensably necessary that we should reduce the principles
of that Gospel to practice. In order to do this, we must, for a little
while, leave out of the question this general view of things, and
perhaps refrain from the gratification of our feelings in the
contemplation of that brighter picture of what we may be by-and-by, to
contemplate in the light of truth our present condition, and learn how
to apply the principles of the Gospel that will save us to the details
of life.

Vol. 7, p.339
We may say the Gospel will save us from all that afflicts us—from all
that to us is a source of trouble and annoyance of any kind whatever.
That embraces a great deal; it covers all the ill feelings that may
ever be again awakened in the human bosom—every unholy passion and
every evil in the soul, resulting from the influences of any corrupt
habit that may have been formed from the education that we have
received. I say it covers all this: it promises to remove all this;
but in what way?

Vol. 7, p.339
There are certain generalities in our religion that we all seem to
become acquainted with more or less—those things that are preserved to
us as requirements—that are placed before us in a form that is defined
so that we can comprehend them. Those things we understand to be
binding upon us to attend to as a people.

Vol. 7, p.340
We consider it right and proper to [p.340] observe the institution of
the Sabbath. We regard it to be right and proper to observe the
institution of Tithing. In short, we regard it as being right to
observe sacredly every duty that is defined and pointed out to us; so
that we, like the people of old, are particular about paying our
Tithing, although perhaps not any more than we should be. But this
duty we can think of; we can remember it. "It is not right," says one.
Yes, it is right. But as it was with the people of old, so it is a
little with us Latter-day Saints: we think that the Tithing of what we
produce by our labour will open to us the gates of celestial bliss and
happiness—that it will bring us to that redemption from sin that we
look for, when the Saviour has declared simply and plainly, and in a
manner that it would seem no one needs be mistaken, that "it is
eternal life to know God," &c.

Vol. 7, p.340
Now the thing to which I would direct your attention is this, that you
should remember your Tithing; but be sure at the same time to remember
the object for which you are required to pay Tithing. "Well," says
one, "is it not to support the poor?" That is one thing. You suppose,
then, that, if the Tithing goes to feed the poor, build up temples and
houses of worship, to establish institutions of learning, to forward
the cause of education in our midst, that the great object of its
institution is reached. If this were all, then probably Jesus might
have said that this is eternal life, to pay your Tithing punctually
and faithfully: but he did not say this.

Vol. 7, p.340
What is the greater object for which this institution was ordained? I
speak of this because it is before all the people. The reason for this
institution is simply the same as that for which the institution of
the preaching of the Gospel, as it is denominated, was ordained of
God.

Vol. 7, p.340
Why was the Gospel taught to you in your scattered condition among the
different nations of the earth? For the simplest of all reasons—the
preaching of the word became an ordinance of the Gospel; that is, that
it is necessary mankind should be enlightened, and for that very
reason are the Saints gathered together, and for that very reason are
they surrounded by institutions ordained to preserve them together.

Vol. 7, p.340
By the preaching of the Gospel you will discover, by a reference to
the course you are induced to take, following the direction indicated
by it, that you all walk in the same path. In gathering you are
brought to the same place, and you are supposed to receive the same
instructions: the same principles are taught, the same advantages are
extended to you, and the same blessings promised to you all, through
your faithfulness.

Vol. 7, p.340
What, then, can be plainer to the mind than that the great object was
to bring mankind to the knowledge of the truth? For this cause you are
required to pay Tithing, to favour the accomplishment of this great
object. For what should the poor be nourished? For what should the
Priesthood be sustained? For what should temples be built, and
educational establishments be reared in our midst? Simply for the
accomplishment of this great work of educating the human mind in the
knowledge of the principles of truth—for the correcting, as a matter
of course, of every error that may have found place in their minds.

Vol. 7, p.340
This, then, is the object for which we are brought together; and here
we are taught from time to time what is denominated the Gospel. We are
told to live our religion. What does this embrace? Everything. It
extends to every duty that devolves upon us in the accomplishment of
the work  that is before us. It is to give the principles of the
[p.341] Gospel that application to ourselves and to our actions that
will leave in us and with us no error that shall not be corrected—no
wrong principle whose deformities shall not be dragged into the light
that we may see it and turn away from it, that we may be able to
substitute in its place a view  of things that is correct and fully
consistent with the accomplishment of the object for which we labour.

Vol. 7, p.341
What I would wish with regard to the Saints is simply this, that they
may learn to apply the principles of the Gospel to the details of
life—to the small matters in our moral existence, which, when
associated together, constitute the great sum of all that fills up our
time.

Vol. 7, p.341
I want you to pay Tithing faithfully, and respond with an affection
that is undivided to every requirement. For what? For contributing to
that amount of means that is necessary and requisite for the
accomplishment Of this work that has for its object the emancipation
of our race from the ignorance that has bound them. But remember that
it is to learn to know God that we are associated together, and that
all these institutions are established around us and in our midst.

Vol. 7, p.341
I want you to learn that to live your religion is to apply the Gospel
to the regulation of your actions in every department of human life. I
do not wish you to think that you are living acceptably before God,
and in the manner that he requires you to live when you pay your
Tithing, and are doing other things that you know to be wrong, and
that you are fully aware is not acceptable in his sight or conducive
to your own happiness!

Vol. 7, p.341
I want you to remember that the Gospel must have its application at
home. I might preach to you here for forty years to live your
religion. Is it possible, while doing this, there are people who would
listen that length of time to the proclamation, day after day, week
after week, month after month, and year after year, and then practise
in the circle at home things that are directly opposed to all good.
principles, to good, and to happiness.

Vol. 7, p.341
Who is it that commits sin in all Israel to-day? Do the best among the
people? Do the most faithful and the most humble and the most contrite
in spirit? Are they afflicted. with any evils? Are they afflicted with
any temptations to do wrong? Do they in any case whatever do wrong?

Vol. 7, p.341
Who are they that do wrong chiefly? Those who have been taught,
perhaps, for a quarter-of-a-century to do right. This has been
sounding in their ears continually from year to year—"Do right, live
your religion, break off your sins, be righteous, and forsake your
iniquities by turning to God."

Vol. 7, p.341
Why is it they are yet afflicted with sin? Is it because they have not
paid their Tithing? Perhaps they have been punctual in paying it. They
may have been constant in their observance of the institution of the
Sabbath, in attending meeting, and of ceasing all unnecessary labour
on that day; yet once in a while a very curious thing gets out in the
wind. What is it? "Brother So-and-so has done wrong; sister So-and-so
has done wrong. Why—would you believe it?—they have actually had a
little family disturbance, or what we sometimes call a quarrel!" Why
is it? I know of no reason only that that religion, to the institution
of which they have been paying so strict attention for so many years,
has failed as yet to have an application—to what? To that portion of
their lives and actions that pass within the circle at home. They come
here and pray, and, for aught I know, they go home and pray as much as
they can for the ill-feelings they have.

Vol. 7, p.342
The point that I would like to impress upon your minds to-day is
[p.342] that to live our religion acceptably before God, and in a
manner that will be conducive to our happiness and salvation and
permanent exaltation in the kingdom of God, we must give it an
application to the details of life. The minutest of life's details
must be rendered holy, just, true, and proper, by its application to
them.

Vol. 7, p.342
I do not want men and women to consider they are living their religion
when they indulge in quarrelling at home. Husbands and wives living at
variance with each other in their feelings at home are not living
their religion. They are not applying the principles of the Gospel
around their hearths and within the home circle.

Vol. 7, p.342
Says one, "If we pay our Tithing, do you not think we shall get to
heaven, though we do quarrel, &c.?" It will be a peculiar kind of
heaven! It would be, as a matter of course, that heaven where men and
women quarrel, simply because it is the only one for which they are
prepared and adapted. If they were in any other, they would be
rendered wretched to a certain extent. Why? They would want to get mad
and have the old difference of feeling, to gratify a disposition to
say a rash word for a rash word, instead of adopting the old
scriptural maxim which is so good and heavenly—"A soft answer turneth
away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger."

Vol. 7, p.342
Perhaps people may suppose it is none of my business to allude here to
matters that are transpiring within your home circle. If it is not,
then I have nothing to do with your salvation. Is there no obligation
resting on me as a servant of God—as a minister of righteousness in
the midst of the people, to administer the words of truth to them in a
way to save them, that they may have the advantage through an
application of the truth to the regulation of their actions of
deliverance from sin?

Vol. 7, p.342
Then if this is the case, and I find a dark spot in your lives which
is not developed in the public congregation, when you meet with the
assembled thousands to hear the principles of righteousness treated
upon in a general way, what must be done? Simply to require, in a
spirit of kindness, a disposition to discharge faithfully the duties
that rest upon us in these dark portions of your lives, if they exist;
and if they do not, no one will be hurt.

Vol. 7, p.342
Were you to bring to this assembly the feelings and the actions that
evidence the existence of these feeling sail through the week, we
should have a very different assembly, so far as appearance,
condition, and spirit are concerned, from what we generally have here.
"Would you wans to have us bring them here?" No.

Vol. 7, p.342
I want to give you a few plain, direct hints, that you may take home
with you as a sort of Christmas present, that you may give them an
application around your hearth, that you may become better men and
women, better husbands and wives, and become there the ministers of
righteousness and truth, to correct the evils that exist there, if
there are any; and if there are none, you can go home and rejoice, and
thank God that you are delivered so far from the power of sin.

Vol. 7, p.342
We have been taught, with regard to the Gospel, in general terms, what
we are to do, and how we are to act; and we are told again and again
to live our religion. I want husbands and wives, fathers and mothers,
and their children that have arrived at years of accountability, to
understand that the great place of places where the principles of our
religion should be applied, where they should be treasured, where they
should produce their own legitimate fruit, is the circle of home. It
is around the fireside in every home where the principles of
righteousness [p.343] must be developed, where the principles that
will give stability, power, and eternal endurance to the kingdom of
God and to its institutions, must be in full force and daily
application: they must there obtain a place within the affections of
the persons associated in those circles.

Vol. 7, p.343
We may talk about attending to the generalities of religion; but so
long as we neglect its details that enter into the home circle, that
are concentrated around our fireside,—so long as we neglect the
cultivation of the principles of heaven and happiness there, so long
we shall fail to enjoy the fulness of what the Gospel promises to us.
Here is where heaven must have its beginning—where its foundation must
be laid, not only for our present happiness, but for its eternal
perpetuity.

Vol. 7, p.343
What do these home circles make? They make what I see around me
to-day. They constitute the people, the community, the nation. If the
principles of the Gospel are developed at home, when you come to the
place of public assembly, you bring them with you: you bring with you
the spirit of heaven, the spirit of peace and harmony. It is that
principle which will lead to the consummation of that great work, the
object of which is to bring about that condition of things wherein the
will of God will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

Vol. 7, p.343
If you could do all this with a reference to those little things that
disturb the peace at home, that plant a thorn where a rose should be
planted, that cultivate principles of strife where quietude and
harmony should prevail, great would be our happiness as a people, both
at home and in our public assemblies.

Vol. 7, p.343
If you neglect the cultivation of these virtues, their opposite will
prevail and exert a deleterious influence over the minds and actions
of men and women, which are made evident in their lives.

Vol. 7, p.343
Would we live to enjoy the Spirit of God? This we are exhorted to do.
If we would secure tills inestimable blessing, there is no better way
than to cultivate in the home circle that frame of mind and feeling
that will render the Holy Spirit a constant and welcome visitor there;
and not only a welcome visitor, but he might be changed to a constant
guest that would be present ever to impart that knowledge which is
life, that understanding that causes the soul to be fruitful in the
elements of peace, happiness, and glory.

Vol. 7, p.343
But while that little circle of home is distracted by broils,
quarrels, dissension, and strife, by a lack of that affectionate
regard for the principles of truth that should characterize all the
children of God devoted to the principles and interests of his
kingdom, the Spirit of Truth cannot find a resting-place there. The
soul may complain that it is barren and unfruitful in that happiness
it fain would enjoy.

Vol. 7, p.343
Here, then, is the great field of our labour. If we have thought, in
our own extended views of the work of God, that we should go from one
end of the earth to the other to publish salvation and save men, we
find here a field is opened at our very homes—a field that should
engage the attention of every man, woman, and child that has arrived
at years of understanding in all Israel.

Vol. 7, p.343
Here is a field for the Seventies. "Should the Seventies engage in
this field?" says one. "They are called to preach in all the world."
Yes; and because they are called to preach the Gospel in all the
world, they seem to have no idea that Salt Lake—the place of their
homes—is any part of the world. They never seem to have the spirit of
their calling, unless they are called to go away from home. [p.344]
Why is it so? I know of no reason only because they do not court that
spirit at home—that they do not make their homes the same field of
faithful, honest, and persevering exertions that they would make in
the field away from home.

Vol. 7, p.344
If the same prayers were to ascend to God with the same degree of
fervency—was the same attention paid to the propriety of examples that
are set—was the same word of wisdom and truth and goodness and virtue
constantly flowing from them in the midst of the home circle that
night characterize all their labours abroad, then the misery at home
would become prolific in truth, in which plants of righteousness would
spring up and yield the fruits of peace.

Vol. 7, p.344
"I am a Seventy, and consequently have nothing to do here! There is a
First Presidency here, a High Council, and a whole host of Bishops. I
shall only be regarded as guilty of meddling with other men's
business, if I should say anything." Then you will not even presume to
talk to your wife at home—to call your sons and your daughters around
you to advise with them and explain to them the parental anxiety and
care you have for them, by making them acquainted with the duties that
they are strangers to, by placing them above that which would lead
them from the path of virtue, that they may escape the evils that
surround them.

Vol. 7, p.344
I want to say to the Seventies, High Priests, Elders and Apostles,
Prophets and Presidents, It is your privilege and duty to extend the
principles of righteousness in the field at home. You need not tell
me, you Seventies, that you are qualified to preach salvation to the
people of distant nations, when you cannot preach it around your own
hearth at home. You must be a Saint, an Elder, a Seventy, an Apostle,
&c., around your fireside, in the circle of your home, in the midst of
the Saints gathered home. The best and most conclusive evidence that
you can tell the truth abroad, and show an example worthy of
acceptation, is to do it at home. If I am satisfied a man can tell the
truth and live it at home, I have no fear of him anywhere else.

Vol. 7, p.344
I want to say to all Israel, Wake up to your interests at home. "But
how can this condition of things exist among us when the great mass of
our community here are ordained to public service—to service abroad?"
I want you to carefully consider one thing—that your calling, whatever
it may be, was not to neglect your home and the cultivation of the
principles of salvation within the home circle.

Vol. 7, p.344
You may never be called to go abroad. "But," says one, "I was ordained
to be a Seventy, to preach in all the world." Some that have been thus
ordained die before they fulfil their mission, and some
apostatize;—which, by-the-bye, is a matter that can be most
effectually remedied by simply adopting my little advice I have thrown
out this morning—to cultivate perseveringly and faithfully those
principles that are calculated to emancipate the soul from the
thraldrom of sin, misery, and death.

Vol. 7, p.344
Cultivate this in your homes, and you will become ministers of
salvation indeed, whether you go abroad or not. You will then
discharge the duty you owe to God, to mankind, to yourselves, and to
your families around you.

Vol. 7, p.344
I want the Seventies to remember that this is a part of all the world
where we now live. And if an evil exists in our streets here, it is as
much an evil as though it existed a thousand miles from this place.

Vol. 7, p.344
Is there a benighted soul here that can be enlightened by the words of
instruction imparted by  the servants of God? If so, why wait until
you travel ten thousand miles? Make [p.345] that benighted soul that
lives here the object of your care. If you win it through the words of
truth and knowledge, it is a soul saved, as much so as though you had
brought it ten thousand miles.

Vol. 7, p.345
What would be the result of this course of procedure? Vice, folly, and
wickedness would receive a constant and firm rebuke, and no great
noise would be made about it. We would simply be minding our own
business in a quiet way. The young, in whose minds the habit of
thought and reflection are being formed, could be corrected; their
footsteps could be directed in the paths of truth and virtue; and
there would be less inclination to steal, and less corruption of the
youth in our midst.

Vol. 7, p.345
"But," says one of the Seventies, "Is all this lawful for the
Seventies to do? Would we not be found fault with if we were to make
it our business to talk with our neighbour, old or young, in the
street, touching these things? I do not think you would be taken up
for treason by the authorities of the Church, at any rate; and I do
not think the civil authorities in this country would take any
exception to the preaching of honesty, virtue, and truth. But, above
all, try to preach it in that most effectual way by your own truthful
example. If you would preach to the wayward to restrain themselves
from their folly, showy an example yourselves of circumspection in
your conduct—of propriety, consistency, and truth. Would you win the
wayward to paths of rectitude, address them in a spirit of kindness,
charity, compassion, sympathy, and love.

Vol. 7, p.345
If this principle is good in a public and general way, apply it also
at home. And before you go away on that distant mission you anticipate
among distant nations that may occupy years of time, try to develop
the principles of righteousness in the home circle, and establish them
there, that they may be growing thriftily there—that in your absence
the fruits of heaven may be developed,—that blessings of peace and
harmony may have their existence there: then your home circle is the
seat of heaven—the nursery of truth, where all the perfections must
originate that will constitute all your future greatness and glory.

Vol. 7, p.345
Seek to make your heaven in your home; seek to develop its perfections
there; seek to develop its truthfulness there. Why? Simply because you
cannot make it anywhere else. It is not possible, because home is the
nursery where all the constituent principles of heavenly bliss and
glory are to be developed. Why, then, think of finding them in year
wanderings over the face of the earth, when home is the only place
where they are to be found, and where they must be developed. You
bring the people from distant nations, that homes of this character
may exist—homes that shall be rich in treasures of heavenly bliss
developed and perfected in their circles.

Vol. 7, p.345
This is the way I look at and think of our religion, and this I
consider to be the right, the proper way for us to patiently,
faithfully, and properly live our religion. We are afflicted in our
country with a great deal of evil: there are evils of an out. door
character that are very troublesome and annoying, aside from those
things that annoy us at home, when, if we lived our religion at home
effectually, them would be less inclination of the youthful mind to
vice, folly, and nonsense.

Vol. 7, p.345
Now, that we may, as a people and as individuals, be wise, prudent,
humble, and faithful in prosecuting this work of ours to its final
consummation, is my prayer in the name of Jesus  Christ. Amen.[p.346] 

Heber C. Kimball, January 1, 1860

Oneness of the Priesthood—Independence of 
Zion—Time and Eternity—Evil Habits and Practices, &c.

Remarks by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 1, 1860.

Reported BY G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.346
Excuse me, brethren and sisters, if I appear before you with my head
covered, as the day is cold and uncomfortable. I deem it necessary to
adopt every means in my power to ward off death, and remain as long as
possible in this state of existence. We cannot live too long, if we
live our religion, worship the Lord our God in the way that pleases
him, and continue to be his friends.

Vol. 7, p.346
How can we be the friends of God? We are acquainted with but one way.
We cannot approach his presence so as to see him in person, while in
the flesh and unchanged; but we can approach him and see him in his
representatives. Then, to become the friends of God, it is plain that
we should be the friends of his legally authorized representatives on
the earth—the men whom he has placed to lead his people—the men who
hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Vol. 7, p.346
There are many, no doubt, who do not believe that the servants of God
possess any greater power and authority from him than other men. Such
persons have a perfect right to their belief, and must risk the
consequences, of it.

Vol. 7, p.346
I know that President Brigham Young holds those keys and power to seal
on earth and in heaven—to loose on earth and in heaven. I know also
another thing—that I hold that authority in connection with him; and
not only do I, but hundreds of others. All those who do should be one
with him, the same as the branches are one with the trunk and the
roots of a vine. For it is impossible for a branch to continue in the
vine and bear fruit, if it is not one with the vine. I think you
understand the simple and beautiful comparison used by Jesus Christ
where he says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away, and every
branch that beareth fruit, he pruneth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit." This applies particularly to this principle of oneness.

Vol. 7, p.346
Jesus Christ spoke very frequently by comparison, and no doubt used
that style of language because it is the most impressive. I speak a
great deal by comparison, and know of no better way to express myself
and make plain to my hearers the idea or principle that is on my mind.

Vol. 7, p.346
What a pleasure it would be to us to see every Elder of Israel
pertaining freely of the Spirit and power of God, being clothed with
the power and and realizing the responsibility of his calling, and
separating himself from the wickedness of the world, that we might be
one in Christ, as he is one with the Father, that the Holy Ghost might
take up his abode with us, and abide with us  continually, showing us
[p.347] things to come, and bringing things to our remembrance.

Vol. 7, p.347
All those who possess this Spirit cannot help becoming Prophets, and
it would be as much in their nature to prophecy, as it is in the
nature of the fountain of City Greek to give out its constant supply
of water; and that fountain depends upon another for its supplies. So
the Holy Ghost taketh of the things of the Father, and revealeth them
unto us. There never was a fountain that had not itself a fountain
from which it drew its supplies; and so it is with the creation of all
things in heaven and in earth. It always was and always will be.

Vol. 7, p.347
There are some people in our community who feel very much discouraged
for fear we shall have to leave the valleys and flee into the
mountains. Supposing we have to flee into the mountains, what of it? I
care not. I would as readily go into the mountains as stay in the
valleys, if it were the will of God. But we never shall be forced into
such circumstances, if we do right. I have told you, President Young
has told you, and hundreds of others have told you that we never
should leave this country until the Lord wanted us to.

Vol. 7, p.347
There was a man here a few days ago, who has been in the Church nearly
as long as I have, who told me we should have to leave the valleys and
flee into the mountains—into the secret chambers, and close our doors
around us. I told him the mountains were nothing more than sloping
masses of Mother Earth—that we were now in the chambers, and should
not yet go on to the roof. You need not trouble yourselves upon that
matter.

Vol. 7, p.347
Let us be more diligent than ever in building and improving, in
cultivating the earth, and raising from it wheat, corn, flax, cotton,
fruit,—everything necessary for our comfort and the sustenance of
life—sheep, and cattle, and horses, and all kinds of useful animals.
Cease to cultivate the earth, and it is impossible for us to exist in
life. It supplies us food and clothing, silver and gold, and precious
stones; yea, everything to comfort and bless our mortal
existence—everything to adorn, beautify, and embellish. Let us, then,
by a diligent and judicious cultivation of Mother Earth, and by a
careful husbanding of her products, work our way into permanent
independence as a people. Industry and true economy are the elements
of the independence of any people. If every man in this kingdom would
pursue this wise and profitable course, there would not exist among us
much more trouble.

Vol. 7, p.347
The United States and all the nations of the earth are about to have
as much to do as they can attend to, without troubling us. Not many
years will pass away before we will build our temple here, and the
sons and daughters of the Almighty will enter into it and receive the
endowments and blessings that are in store for the faithful. But do
not expect that I shall prophecy that that house will be built without
hands. Though the kingdom that was to be set up in the last days,
according to the Prophet Daniel, was compared by him to a stone that
was cut out of the mountain without hands, we cannot suppose that
temples can be built without hands. The Prophet had reference, us
doubt, in this comparison to a block of rock detached by an invisible
power from a mountain side, which commenced in its rough and
unpolished state to roll down to the plains beneath.

Vol. 7, p.347
Joseph Smith, in his day, used  similar comparison when speaking of
men who are polished. He compared them to a smoothly polished stone,
which, when set to rolling, would loss all its fine polish, and turn
up marred and bruised, without even leaving a line to mark its course.
On the other [p.348] hand, set a stone to rolling that is unpolished
and rough from the mountain side, and it will do great execution in
its course, and leave a visible path behind it, and become smoother as
it rolls. Joseph compared himself to a rough stone. What is the use of
polishing stones for building purposes before they are taken out of
the mountains?

Vol. 7, p.348
It is not always the outward appearance that shows the true man. That
man who has a good heart is very apt to manifest outwardly good
fruits. There are thousands in this place who are nearly as good as
they can be at the present time, though the next minute it is possible
for them to be better.

Vol. 7, p.348
People talk much about time and eternity, and they say they do not
care so much for eternity as they do for time. And again, others say
they do not care so much about time as they do about eternity. They do
not think for a moment what they are talking about. What is time?
(striking the pulpit.) That is all there is about it, That little
circumstance of my striking the pulpit is in eternity. It is eternity
on the right and on the left, behind and before, and the time being,
as it appears to us, is the centre of it. So we pass on from time to
eternity every day we live. We are in eternity, in eternity. Civilized
nations have divided a portion of eternity into seconds, minutes,
hours, days, months, and years for their own convenience, to mark
their passage through time.

Vol. 7, p.348
The uncivilized, or savage tribes of men, the American Indians, for
instance, have no other calendar than incidents in nature, such as the
rising and setting of the sun,—hence they count by so many sleeps; the
full and dark of the moon,—hence they count by so many moons. In
short, the only idea we have of time is gathered from natural
phenomena in eternity. We might introduce here a beautiful comparison
of a ship in the middle of the Atlantic. Is it not a pathless waste of
waters all around to the passengers on board, except on the frail
timbers where they stand? So it is with eternity, with this
difference—eternity is shoreless.

Vol. 7, p.348
Let the brethren and sisters come to the conclusion that now is the
time to set out anew, and then continue from this time henceforth and
for ever in doing right. If any of you have been in the practice of
drinking spirituous liquors to excess, cease at once the wicked and
destructive practice. If such a practice is committed, it has its
time, and makes its mark on the broad face of eternity: if you cease
the practice, no time is given to it, and it cannot leave its trace on
eternity from that instant until you again commit the same wrong. This
reasoning will apply to every other wrong committed by the children of
men.

Vol. 7, p.348
Let us spend time in doing right, and we shall receive in the Lord's
time right for right, grace for grace. If we do not associate with the
wicked world any more than is unavoidably necessary for the time
being, do you think they will have anything in common with us in
eternity, or we with them? No. This is all I have to say now about
time and eternity.

Vol. 7, p.348
If we were to take the right course, it would not be long before we
should be nearly independent of supplies from abroad. It would not be
long ere we should be able to sustain ourselves independently, and
then with greater ability bring about the purposes of our God; and
this would make all men amenable to him and to his rule. A man will
give all he has to save his natural existence for the time being; at
the same time he can neglect with perfect impunity the things that
pertain to his eternal existence and interests.

Vol. 7, p.349
Is it not better for us with one [p.349] accord to determine to he
Saints indeed—to live our religion every moment by serving our God and
keeping his commandments? How can a man keep the commandments of God
and suffer himself to be dishonest, to be deceitful, to steal, and
take the advantage of his neighbour in every possible way, and lie to
him to gain a dollar? A man cannot both be a Saint and be dishonest.
No doubt the dispositions of the parents have some influence in laying
the foundation of the character of the child, morally and physically;
and God, in one of his revelations to Joseph Smith, has said, "But
behold, I say unto you, that little children are redeemed from the
foundation of the world, through mine Only Begotten; wherefore they
cannot sin, for power is not given to Satan to tempt little children
until they begin to become accountable before me; for it is given unto
them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things
may he required at the hands of their parents." And Jesus said,
"Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of
such is the kingdom of heaven."

Vol. 7, p.349
How do people become dishonest? By, in the first place, yielding to
temptation, and suffering the spirit which is in them to become
contaminated by the power of the evil one. Men become confirmed
drunkards by nourishing a depraved appetite for spirituous liquor, and
thus they become slaves to a destructive habit.

Vol. 7, p.349
If men by their organizations were compelled to steal, to murder, and
do a thousand other evils, they could not be held accountable, and the
agency of man would be destroyed. Satan tempts men to evil, and they
have power to resist the temptation. The more sin is cultivated, the
stronger it grows, until it binds down men with strong chains.

Vol. 7, p.349
Satan whispers in the ears of those who list to obey him, "Lie a
little; deceive a little, take the advantage of your neighbour a
little, drink whisky a little: it will not harm you;"—leading them
along, as it were, with silken cords, until he binds them with his
strong chains, and readily leads them down to destruction.

Vol. 7, p.349
Do you inquire whom I mean? I mean those who are guilty. Are there any
of this character here? Yes; I see some of them now. Are they to be
seen disgracing themselves in the public streets? Yes: you may go down
into "Whisky" street, and you can see them every day. How does it
appear in the eyes of good men and in the eyes of God and angels, when
they see those professing to be Saints and Elders in Israel, holding
the Priesthood of God, drinking whisky and swaggering with those who
hate God and his people, who, if they had the power, would kill
Presidept Young, and me, and Daniel, and any of our friends who are
determined to uphold and sustain righteousness?

Vol. 7, p.349
The scene that occurred down that street on Christmas-day is still
fresh in our minds. O heavens! what a celebration of the day on which
Christ the Saviour of the world was born! O horrible example! for men
professing to be Saints and friends of God, with murder in their
hearts, to thirst for each other's blood! The duty of the Seventies
and Elders of this Church is plainly defined. I would separate all
such unprofitable branches from the vine, and let them wither and be
burned. I say unto you Seventies—ye authorities of the Church of God,
You are not doing your duty if you do not do this.

Vol. 7, p.349
President Young has cried unto you loud and long, ye Elders of Israel;
and he has shaken his garments, and the responsibility is upon you. It
seems as though you cannot prune the vineyard, in the righteousness of
your [p.350] calling, unless he shall step forward and do it at the
peril of his own life. Hear this, ye Bishops and Elders, for I will
tell you of it. Why do not you do your duty? "Why," some of you,
perhaps, can say in great truthfulness,  I was drunk myself last week,
and dare not, for fear of being told of it." Then go forward and
repent of your sins before the people, and then step forward and
separate; take the diseased sheep from the rest of the flock.

Vol. 7, p.350
O ye Elders if Israel! how long are you going to sit under these
things in tame inactivity and let the wickedness of the world debauch
and lead away this people? How long shall we wait for you to go
forward in the faithful performance of your duties? Shall we have to
wait until the Spirit shall say, "Cut off the unprofitable servants"?

Vol. 7, p.350
In the few remarks I have made, I have expressed my feelings very
pointedly, and mean what I say.

Vol. 7, p.350
I am now near sixty years of age, and I have no need of spirituous
liquor. I do not use it. I feel much better without it than with it.
Without it, I enjoy the natural exercise of the functions of my
nature; whereas, were I to use it, the opposite would he the case.

Vol. 7, p.350
I look upon men who keep whisky shops, and vend it, in the same light
as I do those who frequent such places, and get drunk, and swear, and
wallow in the mire. A few days ago a drunkard was severed from the
Church; and it will not be long before more of them will be, if they
do not repent.

Vol. 7, p.350
Would I suffer a wicked man to hire any house to sell whisky in? No.
If I did, the moment he went out of it I would put fire to it, and
clean the whole thing out.

Vol. 7, p.350
There are men whom we have nourished and cherished in our midst and
purchased their goods, and comforted them, invited them to our
parties, and blessed them, and made them rich; and for the space of
nine years and over they have been lurking like an adder in our path.
Will I still feed them? Yes, when they are hungry and destitute. But
will I cherish them to cut my throat? That is what you are doing. You
are nourishing men who would cut our throats the very first
opportunity. Why do you do it? Because they sell goods a little
cheaper than they can be manufactured here. Let us send for our own
goods, and raise in our own country, as much as possible, all the
staple articles of our own consumption.

Vol. 7, p.350
Let us love according to the order of God, according to the principles
of righteousness and truth. It is not the tabernacle that I love, but
the spirit that dwells in it,—not the tenement, but the tenant. Why
should I love the poor, sickly, frail body that is daily going back to
the dust? Let us place our affections upon spiritual and heavenly
things, that endure for ever, and not upon things that are earthly and
perish with the using; but let us regard them in the light for which
they were created by the Great Creator and Ruler of the universe.

Vol. 7, p.350
Money was not made to worship, but to be a convenience. You cannot eat
it, but you can buy bread with it, which will keep you from
starvation. When I was in London, I used to think I was well off if I
could get two penny loaves a day and a little water. The pennies were
of no use to me only to buy the bread. So with all earthly things. As
I have already said, Let us love heavenly things; let us place our
affections upon the things that are eternal. I honour, love, and
reverence the spirit of a good man who honours his calling. I do not
care if he has but one eye, one arm, or one leg.

Vol. 7, p.351
You may take away almost any [p.351] member from the body, and the
head can live, though it may not accomplish the same amount of good as
it could if all the members were healthy and in active usefulness. The
head is the mainspring of the body, the centre of light and
intelligence. Take away the head, and the natural body teasers to live
and to be intelligent. If the man who leads us was destroyed, it would
very materially affect the body. But if every one of this people
should turn away but him, he holds the Priesthood and power of God
just the same. All those who hold the Priesthood and honour their
callings can put it upon others in every part of the earth where they
may be in the discharge of their duties.

Vol. 7, p.351
May God bless you, brethren! Peace be upon you! The peace and blessing
of God be multiplied upon all the righteous here—upon all the
righteous that are in the east, in the west, in the north, and in the
south, throughout the extension of the whole earth! May this blessing
be upon the righteous, and upon their righteous seed after them for
ever!

Vol. 7, p.351
May he help you to withdraw yourselves from unrighteousness and cleave
to righteousness in time, and then you are eternally in it. May the
Lord comfort the righteous, and help them to overcome the little
evils. It is the little frivolous disputing and contention in families
that creates the greatest difficulties and troubles, and hinders us
from merging into the blessings of God, and from that communion with
the Holy Ghost we might enjoy. Now, ye Elders of Israel, step forward
and do as you have been told in righteousness and truth. If you are
not righteous, repent and begin anew. Amen.

Erastus Snow, January 5, 1860

Submission to the Divine Will—Eternal Life, &c.

A Discourse by Elder ERASTUS SNOW, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 5, 1860.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.351
I have lately held certain conversations which have caused a train of
reflection in my mind this morning, and a few passages of Scripture to
float across my mind, which, unless I should be led in another train
of thought, I will give to my brethren and sisters: but I desire not
my own will, but the will of my Father who is in heaven. That which is
meet to me might not be to a mixed multitude of people. God knoweth
best that which is suitable unto our circumstances.

Vol. 7, p.351
If we would do the most good, we must feel the most passive in the
hands of our heavenly Father. We must be like a musical instrument in
the hands of a skilful performer. Shall the instrument say to him that
performs upon it, Why do you play thus? Or shall the law say to him
that speaketh it, Why dost thou use me thus?

Vol. 7, p.352
True, every individual intelligence [p.352] is possessed of a will,
which is a propelling power within himself. Good and evil are placed
before us, and we have to choose between them Light and darkness
exist; and if we are not influenced by the one power, we shall be by
the other. When we entered into the fulness of the Gospel—into a
sacred and holy covenant with God, we virtually agreed to surrender
our will to him; we agreed to place ourselves under his direction,
guidance, dictation, and counsel, that our will should be merged in
his. Hence we are in duty bound, and it is for our best interest to
strive to attain to that state of mind and feeling that we shall have
no will of our own, independent of the will of our Father in heaven,
and say in all things, "Father, not mine, but thy will be done." Let
me speak, therefore, not according to any selfishness that is in
me,—not to speak simply my own feelings, but that the mind of Christ
may be in me, that I may speak as he would, were he in my place this
morning, and act as he would if he were in my circumstances. Nor have
we the promise of our Father that he will dictate in us, unless we
arrive at this state of feeling.

Vol. 7, p.352
If our spirits are inclined to be stiff and refractory, and we desire
continually the gratification of our own will to the extent that this
feeling prevails in us, the Spirit of the Lord is held at a distance
from us; or, in other words, the Father withholds his Spirit from us
in proportion as we desire the gratification of our own will. We
interpose a barrier between us and our Father, that he cannot,
consistently with himself, move upon us so as to control our actions.
He may set bounds around us and hedge us in round about, that beyond a
certain point our will cannot be gratified. When he cannot influence
our wills in any other way, by bringing a combination of circumstances
to bear upon us to circumscribe us, he may eventually bring our wills
into subjection, like we would corral a wild horse, or one that has
grown cunning and is unwilling to be caught and bridled, and keeps out
of the way of his pursuers. They are under the necessity of taking him
by guile, by alluring him into some large field or corral, to
gradually hem him in, until he is brought into a small compass, where,
before he is aware of it, he finds himself taken. Our Father operates
in a similar way.

Vol. 7, p.352
I might say also that our Adversary profits by a similar example,
understanding the same policy to a degree. When he would involve us in
his snares, he is careful to do it in a way we shall not know it until
our feet are in. This arises from our limited capacity—from our
weakness, and the weaker power becomes a prey to the greater.

Vol. 7, p.352
Our Father in heaven is labouring for our exaltation; his work for
ever and ever is doing good: good is the part he has chosen; evil he
escheweth. He seeks to unite and concentrate the faith and feelings of
intelligent beings to improve them, to teach them the benefits of
doing good, and the consequences resulting froth doing evil, that the
one principle tendeth to dissolution and to eternal death and
disorganization, while the other principle tendeth to life, to
perpetuate the organization which has already been effected, and bring
it to the highest state of perfection; or, in other words, to secure
to intelligent beings the boon they most earnestly desire—namely, the
continuation of lives.

Vol. 7, p.352
What desire has been planted in the human breast that is equal to the
desire of life? What will a man not give in exchange for his life? To
us, the words of the Saviour—"For what is a man profited, if he should
gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give
in exchange [p.353] for his soul?" What man under the sentence of
death for a breach of law that would not give all he possessed of
earthly substance to atone, if his life could only be spared? How few
there are that would not be willing to give the whole world, if they
possessed it, for their lives.

Vol. 7, p.353
Why is this universal desire planted in the human breast to live? It
is a law ordained in nature for good. We may call it instinct, or by
what name we please,—it is a universal law in all intelligent beings
to seek to, retain the organization they possess. Hence when sickness
assails us, an enemy appears in deadly array with a show to lay us low
in death; every faculty of the soul is aroused to repel it, and we use
all the means in our power to stay the progress of disease.

Vol. 7, p.353
The Scriptures inform us that the greatest gift of God is eternal
life. Is this a gift of God in deed and in truth? Yes; I understand it
to be, to all intents and purposes, the gift of God. Yet eternal life
is not attained without compliance on our part with those principles
that lead to the attainment of it. I will illustrate this by what We
see daily in our natural life. We understand, by what we learn daily,
that there are certain things that tend to destroy this tabernacle;
and there are other things which, if we deserve, have a tendency to
prolong the organization of this tabernacle and our temporal
existence.

Vol. 7, p.353
For example, we have learned, by numerous observations and examples,
that if an individual cast himself into the sea, without having any
means of floating, he will sink in the water and under it, and he
cannot live. A certain thing is necessary to his existence, which is
the pure, wholesome air inhaled into the lungs. Anything that cuts us
off from this supply terminates our earthly existence: the machinery
of this tabernacle cannot be kept in motion without it. We have also
learned that excessive heat or excessive cold will stop this machinery
of life. There are various other causes which stop the machinery of
life in our mortal tabernacles. If we would prolong our organization
for any certain number of years, we must carefully guard against those
evils that endanger our tabernacles. Excesses of every kind have a
tendency to weaken, and ultimately to destroy the tabernacle of man.
An excessive appetite, if encouraged with rich viands, and this
persisted in, will make the possessor a glutton, and shorten his
mortal career.

Vol. 7, p.353
If a person having a strong desire for stimulants, such as spirituous
liquors, tea, coffee, tobacco, opium, &c., that stimulate the nervous
system to excess, and continues to gratify this appetite, will soon
destroy the elasticity of his nervous system, and become like a bow
that is often bent almost to breaking. If a bow be kept strung up to
its utmost tension, it loses its power and strength, until it is of
little or no use.

Vol. 7, p.353
So in nature: the more any powerful stimulant is made use of in the
human system, the sooner the human machinery will be worn out. It
follows, then, if we will secure life and preserve the organization of
this tabernacle, we must observe the laws of life—we must abstain from
intemperance of every description. We must neither indulge in
excessive eating, excessive drinking, nor in excessive working,
whereby to overtax our physical energies or our nervous system.
Perhaps no kind of labour will so rapidly, weaken the power of life
within us, or strength of these tabernacles, like excessive mental
labour, because it has a more direct influence upon the nervous
system. The nervous system seems to be a sort of connecting link
between our spirit and our tabernacles. Yet a proper amount of labour,
physical and mental, becomes [p.354] necessary to the proper
development of the faculties of both body and soul.

Vol. 7, p.354
The child that has never faith to attempt to walk, as a matter of
course, will never learn to walk. When he first begins to exercise his
feet and legs to walk, they are weak, and scarcely capable of
supporting his little frame; but the more he exercises them, the more
he receives strength. And so with every other portion of the
tabernacle. The same may be said of all mental gifts and endowments.
The mind that is naturally stupid, dull, and inactive, and no outward
circumstances are brought to bear upon it, to impel it to
exercise,—that mind remains comparatively undeveloped; that spirit
does not improve, nor increase in strength and capacity.

Vol. 7, p.354
The more the mental faculties are brought into exercise, if it is not
immoderate exercise, the more these faculties receive strength, and
the greater powers of research are developed in that spirit; and where
shall the end thereof be?

Vol. 7, p.354
There is no end to its increase of knowledge and truth, unless we turn
round and go the other way; in other words, unless we persistently
pursue the path of death and violate every law, both physical and
mental, until  we become dissolved.

Vol. 7, p.354
If we cease temperate habits, and give ourselves up to the
gratification of our lusts and appetites, and pursue this course from
year to year, we shall find ourselves steadily going down to the
chambers of death, and no power can hinder it: it is a fixed law of
our  physical existence. Can the Lord change it? I will not stop to
inquire whether be can or not. I will say, however, I never heard of
his doing it on any other condition than that individual repenting of
his evil course. When he does this, and observes the laws of life and
health, God will add his blessing to his efforts, and he will begin to
ascend the hill again, and he may regain in some measure that which he
has lost. But as long as he continues that course of evil, no power
can redeem him.

Vol. 7, p.354
What I say, therefore, in regard to the mortal body is equally
applicable to the eternal life of the soul.

Vol. 7, p.354
There is no such principle as saving a man in his sins, neither
physically nor spiritually. Our Saviour has never offered himself as
an atonement for mankind to redeem and save them in their sins. I
regard this as an utter impossibility.

Vol. 7, p.354
Some of my friends who may have been reared up in the old straitjacket
school of modern theology may be startled with the idea of anything
being impossible with God. But I conceive it to be a fixed axiom that
two and two make four, whether the addition is made by man or God.

Vol. 7, p.354
It is just as impossible for God to add two and two together and make
ten of it as it is for me or you. Mathematical truths are as true with
God and angels as they are with man. I understand that what has
exalted to life and salvation our Father in heaven and all the Gods of
eternity will also exalt us, their children And what causes Lucifer
and his followers to descend to the regions of death and perdition
will also lead us in the same direction; and no atonement of our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ can alter that eternal law, any more than he
can make two and two to mean sixteen.

Vol. 7, p.354
One may ask wherein the atonement of Jesus Christ has affected us.
Through his atonement is granted unto us repentance and remission of
sins. He came from the Father to sojourn in the flesh among men, to
take upon him the infirmities of the flesh and the weaknesses of human
nature, subjecting himself to the contradiction of sinners, exposing
himself to all the physical  ills that prey upon [p.355] the human
system, and to all the powers of darkness that prey upon the
intellectual faculties of man, exposing himself to the temptations of
the hosts of hell. He had to combat all these contending powers, to
resist Satan and all his armies, and to resist every other evil flesh
is heir to, and set forth an example of purity and perfection to the
human family. In the language of sacred writ—"For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the
flesh."

Vol. 7, p.355
Thus he demonstrated to human beings that it is possible for them to
live without sin, that our God might be just in condemning sin in
every form, and in every place, and in every being; so that in truth
he might say, as he says in the preface of the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, that he cannot look upon sin with the least degree of
allowance. We can understand also why he is of a merciful and
forgiving spirit, exercising a fatherly tenderness over us, to pardon
our follies and weaknesses; yet he cannot justify them in the least
degree.

Vol. 7, p.355
Should we seek to become like him, to be actuated by the same
principle, striving to ascend to the same glory? We should: we should
imitate his  example. And while we exercise the same unbounded mercy
and compassion over the weakness of our fellows, yet in no case
whatever should we look upon sin with the least degree of allowance,
or in any manner justify it. However much may be said in palliation of
the faults of mankind, nothing can be said in justification of them.
The Scriptures say that our Saviour was tempted in all things like we
are, yet without sin. And in order that he might be tempted in all
things like we are, he was born of a woman as we were, possessing like
passions with ourselves, and was exposed to the same kind of
temptations to which we are exposed in life. Yet he withstood them
all.

Vol. 7, p.355
The Scriptures say he tasted death for every man. Did he taste death
for every man with a view that every man should be saved from death?
No. If so, it would destroy the principle I have been speaking of, and
would save the children of men in their sins. But while death had
passed upon all mankind because of sin, there was no power that could
avert it; yet, by offering himself an offering for sin, he opened a
way for mankind to be raised again from the dead, and for ever
afterwards be set free from its power.

Vol. 7, p.355
His death has also opened up a door of repentance unto us, giving unto
us a hope of redemption through his blood. Has it given us a hope of
salvation in our sins? Not to me. I hope not to be able to eat fire
with impunity, and still prolong my days. I have no such promise that
I can have melted lead running down my throat instead of wholesome
diet, and expect it is going to be converted into life-giving food in
my system. I have no better grounds to hope that I shall, by the death
of Christ, be saved from the consequences of persisting in a wicked
course of life.

Vol. 7, p.355
The consequences of our transgressions must fall upon us. Yet Christ
has placed before us the principles of faith, hope, and charity. If we
will exercise faith in him, we may have hope of redemption through his
blood, on condition that we repent of our sins and turn about and
pursue the path of life. We and our fathers before us have so far
partaken of the elements of death that we cannot save our mortal
tabernacles from that change that awaits them.

Vol. 7, p.355
This promise we have—that when the time comes that is written of in
the Scripture, that Satan shall be bound, and shall cease to exercise
his [p.356] power and dominion over the hearts of the children of God
for the space of a thousand years, the children that shall grow up
unto the Lord shall not taste of death; that is, they shall not sleep
in the earth, but they shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, and they shall be caught up, and their rest shall be
glorious.

Vol. 7, p.356
I thus distinguish between them and us, because at that time they
shall grow up with a more complete and perfect understanding of the
laws of life and health, and they will observe them. And the
temptations and evils that surround us on every hand shall be removed
from them. The elements that are now under the control of the prince
and power of the air, and charged with death, which we are constantly
brought in contact with, will then be removed; the elements will be
sanctified, the curse will be removed from the earth and its
surrounding atmosphere, and the powers of darkness that rule in the
atmosphere will be confined to their own region, and the tabernacles
of the children of men shall grow up without sin unto salvation.

Vol. 7, p.356
Hence their tabernacles shall not be subject to pain and sickness like
unto ours. There will be no pain and sickness, because there will be
no breach of the laws of life and health. There will be no
intemperance of any kind, because there will be no evil spirit at the
elbow continually ready to allure and draw into sin. But the Spirit of
the Lord will be with every person to guide him constantly, and the
law of the Lord will be written in his heart, so that one will not
need to say to another, "This is the way; walk ye in it." There will
be no Devil to tempt on the right hand and on the left, saying, "This
is the way, walk in it." Thus having this good influence continually
around them to keep them in the straight path, they will grow up
without sickness, pain, or death.

Vol. 7, p.356
There will be a change wrought in their tabernacles, which is
equivalent to death and the resurrection; but they will not sleep in
the dust of the earth. Their tabernacles shall not moulder back into
corruption; but they shall be like Jesus Christie most glorious
tabernacle, who never knew sin; and he is the only being we read of
whose tabernacle did not see corruption, except a few who obtained
beforehand the privilege of translation.

Vol. 7, p.356
We read—"Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." The
Apostle Paul says he was translated. The revelation given through
Joseph Smith teaches that a great many others in Enoch's day obtained
the same blessing.

Vol. 7, p.356
We read in the Book of Mormon of three Nephites, upon whom the Lord
wrought a change, that their bodies should not see corruption; but
that change was in itself equivalent to death and the resurrection.
Whether the complete change took place in that day, or whether a still
greater change remains to take place with them, we are not informed
positively. But Mormon, writing about it, gives it as his opinion, and
says it was so signified to him by the Spirit, that there remained for
them a greater change in the great day when all should be changed.

Vol. 7, p.356
Suffice it to say that because of the fall of Adam, the elements of
the earth of which we partake have sown the seeds of mortality in the
earthly tabernacle, so that it becomes necessary they should all
undergo the same change, whether by returning to the dust, and being
raised again, or by that change which takes place in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye.

Vol. 7, p.357
The principle to me is inevitable, that the penalty of our
transgressions [p.357] must fall on us, and that salvation and full
redemption from our sins is only to be obtained by ceasing to do evil,
and learning to do well,—by turning from the path that leads to death,
and taking the road that leads to life. In this way we secure to
ourselves the blessings of the atonement, which opens the door of
salvation to all such, and points out the way of life which he himself
has entered.

Vol. 7, p.357
Let us follow him. As it is written, "I am the true shepherd. The true
shepherd entereth in at the door, but a thief climbeth up some other
way." He is also denominated "The Captain of our salvation," "The
Great Apostle and High Priest of our profession, to show our feet the
way."

Vol. 7, p.357
There is one precious privilege  which the Gospel of Jesus Christ has
extended to those that believe and obey it—their sins go to judgment
beforehand. It is written, "Some men's sins go to judgment beforehand,
while others follow after." Who is it that has the privilege of being
judged beforehand? And who is it whose sins follow after? All who
repent of their sins and turn to the living God, their sins go to
judgment beforehand. "What, immediately at the time they repent?" Yes.
When they repent and pursue the course that is marked out to them by
which to obtain pardon, their sins go to judgment beforehand; that is,
they obtain pardon to the extent they are capable of receiving it.

Vol. 7, p.357
Do I obtain pardon for my transgressions, so that I shall escape the
penalty of death? No, I do not. I may so far obtain forgiveness by
faith in Christ that the sentence of death may be commuted, and life
prolonged, like it was with Hezekiah of old, whose life was lengthened
out fifteen years.

Vol. 7, p.357
There are hundreds and thousands before me here and in this Territory
who have had their lives lengthened out through obedience to the
Gospel of peace, who were languishing upon beds of death, under the
sentence of death, and they were on the verge of the grave; but,
through repentance, and the Elders of Israel administering to them,
the power of death was stayed, and their lives were prolonged: yet the
sentence of death was not revoked, but it must pass upon all mankind.
Through the exercise of faith we may gain a reprieve for a few days
longer, or at the farthest for a few years, to live and do good. And
some might possibly attain to that glorious privilege Enoch and others
obtained, that they should not sleep in the earth, but be changed in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and pass from mortal to
immortality, by which means the penalty is executed and the law
satisfied.

Vol. 7, p.357
But it pleased God our Father that the Saviour should be subjected to
all the temptations and pangs to which flesh is heir. I will say that
his grief and sorrow was not that which is unto death, but it sprang
from his sympathies for his blood-relatives; I mean his Father's
family that is here on the earth, for whom he came to suffer. He bore
our sorrows and carried our griefs, He took upon him the sicknesses of
us all and felt our infirmities. No blind man or leper cried to him
for help in vain; but he felt their infirmities, and stretched forth
his hands and helped them, and exerted himself to ameliorate their
sufferings. Did he suffer hunger and fatigue? Yes. And when his hour
was coming, and he felt his end was nigh at hand, all the infirmities
of the flesh, as it were, crowded upon him, and he felt even to shrink
from drinking that bitter cup; and said three times, "O my Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not; as I
will, but as thou wilt."

Vol. 7, p.358
It pleased our Father that he should be clothed in mortality, that he
might [p.358] be subjected to all these sensations and feelings of our
infirmities, that he might fully comprehend them all to the extent
that henceforth, in his mediatorial services for mankind, he might of
a truth be touched with the feelings of all our infirmities,
understanding them most perfectly, in order that he might be filled
with compassion, not to justify our sins, but to have mercy and
compassion upon our infirmities. Thus, by his atonement, he has opened
a door, that, after we have paid the penalty, which is death, we may
be raised again from the dead.

Vol. 7, p.358
This is the salvation that is wrought out for us; this is the hope
which was begotten in the disciples of Jesus Christ by his
resurrection from the dead, which Peter alludes to in his Epistle, let
chapter, wherein he says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you."

Vol. 7, p.358
Here is a promise that the faithful should receive immortal
tabernacles—an enduring inheritance in the world to come. But they
were never authorized to hope that the penalties of their
transgressions should never be inflicted upon them: but after they had
suffered the penalty of the law, then they might find redemption, that
the eternal death should not pass upon them.

Vol. 7, p.358
"Blessed and holy are those that have part in the first resurrection,"
saith the Scriptures; for on such the second death hath no power."

Vol. 7, p.358
"The second death," what is that? In this we are more directly
interested, for this mortal tabernacle must die; and we have a sure
and certain hope it shall be raised again from the dead. I can endure
this: I can pass through the momentary afflictions I am called to
suffer in this life; and I will try not to complain, if I see there is
a prospect of not being again subjected to that second death. What is
it? There are some sayings in the Revelations of St. John in reference
to the lake of fire and brimstone, which is the second death, where
their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched, where there is no
end to their torment. There are a great many sayings in the Scripture
of the same import, which is denominated "the second death."

Vol. 7, p.358
There is a revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which, to
my mind, is more explicit than any I find in the Old and New Testament
on this subject. It is in that revelation in which our Father speaks
unto us concerning the transgression of Adam, and death that passed
upon him because of his transgression. He partook of a spiritual
death. That which was spiritual was first, and afterwards that which
was temporal. Again, says the revelation, "The last shall be first,
and the first shall be last."

Vol. 7, p.358
The spiritual death is that which shall be passed upon the wicked when
he shall say unto them, "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the Devil and his angels." You can read this revelation
in the Beck of Doctrine and Covenants when you go home.

Vol. 7, p.358
I understand that that second death is a spiritual death. Is it meant
that the spirit shall die? Each of yea can draw your own conclusions
as well as I. Your traditions may be such that your thoughts do not
run in the same channel with mine in this respect. But I can conceive
of no other spiritual death than dissolution. I understand, when
applied to the mortal tabernacle, it  alludes to the dissolution of
that tabernacle: it [p.359] ceases to act in its functions, being
dissolved, to return to its native element.

Vol. 7, p.359
I conceive that the same term is applicable to the spirit in like
manner. Whether it be a dissolution, or whether it be an eternal
preservation of that spirit in a state of torment and misery, which I
do not admit, one thing is certain—that the hope of redemption and
eternal life is past for ever from those who are the subjects of the
second death.

Vol. 7, p.359
I understand this to be a curse upon those who give themselves up
altogether to work wickedness and abominations, who have sinned so far
that they have no longer any part in life: they have sinned that sin
which is unto death, for which there is no redemption or forgiveness
in this world, nor in the world to come.

Vol. 7, p.359
Some people entertain the idea from the sayings in the Revelations of
St. John, that those wicked ones are to be preserved in a literal
liquid lake of fire and brimstone, to suffer the torments of fire for
ever and ever, without the possibility of being consumed or changed. I
do not so understand the meaning and intention of the sacred writers.
The Saviour says—"Fear not him that is able to destroy the body only,
but rather fear him that is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell." "Hell" may be an analogous term, and applicable in different
places to different things; but in this passage it is evident he
implies the destruction of the soul as well as the body.

Vol. 7, p.359
These reflections of mine I do not teach as doctrine, binding your
consciences, but as views which I have of the sacred Scriptures,
referring to the second death.

Vol. 7, p.359
One thing is taught clearly in all the revelations, ancient and
modern, that there is a class on whom the second death shall pass; and
the thought of their returning to their native element is the thought
which all intelligent beings Shrink from. The instinct within us is to
cleave to life—to cleave to our organization; and the greatest joy we
feel is in the certain hope of a resurrection from the dead. The idea
of the second death, or dissolution of the spirit, is that which is
the most terrifying to the soul. But our Father has so ordained that
our spiritual organizations as well as our tabernacles, can only be
maintained and perfected through obedience to the laws of eternal
life.

Vol. 7, p.359
Blessed is the child that is corrected, for he shall learn wisdom.
Blessed is the man who is called to an account for his sins from day
to day. Blessed is the congregation of the Lord and all Saints who are
permitted to have the Holy Ghost manifested on them, and through the
servants of the Lord, to call them to account for their sins,
reproving them for their transgressions, that they may be corrected.
This is far better for us all, that our sins be brought to judgment in
this life, than to have them put off to a future day.

Vol. 7, p.359
May the Lord help us to repent day by day, and to receive the
chastisements of the Almighty,  that we may attain to everlasting
life. Amen.[p.360] 

John Taylor, January 15, 1860

The Gospel

A Discourse by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 15, 1860.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 7, p.360
I came here this morning anticipating the pleasure of listening to
some of my brethren. But it seems to have fallen to my lot again to
address you, and I do so with pleasure at this time, as upon all such
occasions, and willingly communicate anything that may be imparted
unto me which may be a benefit or blessing to those who may listen.

Vol. 7, p.360
The great principles of truth are so varied and comprehensive, that it
is difficult to know where to commence our illustrations of a portion
of them, and where to leave off. They reach back into the past, exist
in the present, and stretch forward into the future. In the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is embodied all truth, so far as the salvation of the
human family is concerned; and hence it is spoken of in the Scriptures
as being the everlasting Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.360
To those who have not reflected seriously upon the dealings of God and
his laws, the Lord appears to be changeable in his way of saving the
human family. In the different dispensations from Adam until Christ,
they suppose that he has adopted as many different ways of salvation.

Vol. 7, p.360
We are told by Christian divines of the dispensation that existed
before the flood; we are informed of the Patriarchal dispensation, the
Mosaic dispensation, and finally of the Christian dispensation; and it
is a prevailing idea among the uninformed that each of these
dispensations presented a different system of salvation adopted by the
Almighty in teaching the human family, in enlightening their minds,
and in giving unto them correct information in regard to God and
eternity. Hence I have often heard eminent divines refer to the
dispensation before the flood as a day of almost utter darkness; then
to the Patriarchal dispensation as one in which a faint glimmer of
light began to be made manifest; of the Mosaic dispensation as a time
in which the sun began to rise a little above the horizon; and of the
Christian dispensation, as it now exists in the world, as being the
fulness of light and intelligence, or the full blaze of Gospel day.
These views of the different dispensations generally obtain among
professors of Christianity.

Vol. 7, p.360
I entertain a very different opinion of the Almighty. God, like his
Son, Jesus Christ, is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,"—the
same in intelligence, the same in purity, the same in his projects,
plans, and designs. He is, in short, unchangeable. And I apprehend, if
the Saints who had communication with him in ancient days were to
appear on this earth at the present time, they would find the same
medium of communication, the same way of imparting intelligence, and
the same unchangeable Being that existed 1,800, 4,000, or 6,000 years
ago. [p.361] 

Vol. 7, p.361
It is true mankind have not at all times been susceptible of receiving
and appreciating the same degree of light, truth, and intelligence
that they have at other times. God has in certain instances withdrawn
the light of his countenance—his Holy Spirit—the light and
intelligence that proceeds from him, in a certain degree, from the
human family; but his laws are immutable, and he is the same eternal,
unchangeable Being.

Vol. 7, p.361
The truth does not change. What was true 1,800, 4,000, or 6,000 years
ago, is true to-day; and what was false in any age of the world is
false to-day. Truth, like the great Eloheim, is eternal and
unchangeable, and it is for us to learn its principles, to know how to
appreciate it, and govern ourselves accordingly.

Vol. 7, p.361
As the Gospel is a principle that emanates from God, like its Author,
it is "the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever,"—eternal and
unchangeable. God ordained it before the morning stars sang together
for joy, or ere this world rolled into existence, for the salvation of
the human race. It has been in the mind of God, and as often as
developed it has been manifested as an eternal, unchangeable,
undeviating plan by which to save, bless, exalt, and dignify man, and
to accomplish this end by one certain, unalterable method of
salvation, according to its degree or manifestation.

Vol. 7, p.361
I speak of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness and of the
blessings associated therewith. It is perfect folly to entertain the
idea that the Gospel has only existed about 1,800 years, and yet this
foolish idea is strongly entertained and almost universally believed
throughout Christendom. This mistake is for want of calm reflection
and correct information upon that subject.

Vol. 7, p.361
It may here be necessary to inquire what the Gospel is. Commentators
tell us it means good tidings of great joy. This language had
particular reference to the announcement of the birth of the Saviour
to the shepherds of Galilee, by the angel of God. "And lo, the angel
of the Lord came upon them (the shepherds), and the glory of the Lord
shone round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said
unto them,  'Fear not; for behold I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in
the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.'" This was
simply the announcement of the birth of Christ. As to its referring to
the Gospel, it might certainly admit of an argument. The birth of our
Saviour and the message he came to deliver are two different things.

Vol. 7, p.361
I do not think the message Jesus came to communicate was at all joyful
to the Pharisees and hypocrites of his day, for he told them they
could not escape the damnation of hell; nor to those individuals Whom
he proclaimed to be "like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear
beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and of all
uncleanness." They looked upon him as an impostor, who said to them,
"He that believeth and is baptized shalt be saved, and he that
believeth not shall be damned." It is not to be supposed for a moment
that those men would receive such an announcement as good tidings of
great joy, which was to be to all people.

Vol. 7, p.361
Again: We are told the Gospel is the New Testament. I do not find any
such declaration even in the New Testament itself. There are certain
records in the New Testament giving an account of the birth, life,
suffering, and death of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It contains
also an account of the doctrines he taught, the discourses he
delivered, and the moral sentiments he inculcated. It gives us an
account of the organization of his Church, and of the teachings
[p.362] of his Apostles, and the manner of their administration, &c.
But this is not the Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.362
The Gospel is a certain living, abiding, eternal principle. That which
is written in the New Testament is like a chart of a country, if you
please; but the Gospel is the country itself. A man having the map of
the United States in his possession would be considered foolish if he
supposed he possessed the United States; and because a man may have
the Old and New Testament in his possession, it does not argue that he
has the Gospel. But is it not written in some of our good Bibles, "The
Gospel according to St. John," "The Gospel according to St. Matthew,"
&c.? Certainly. But what has that to do with it? The Gospels according
to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe certain teachings and
instructions which Jesus gave, and among the rest the officers
constituting his Church are named. "And God hath set some in the
church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers;
after that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps, governments,
diversities of tongues," &c. These are the living substance of which
they write an account.

Vol. 7, p.362
Well, but the Gospel is contained in the Old and New Testament. It is
not, nor in the Book of Mormon, nor in the revelations we have
received. These are simply records, histories, commandments, &c. The
Gospel is a living, abiding, eternal, and unchangeable principle that
has existed co-equal with God, and always will exist, while time and
eternity endure, wherever it is developed and made manifest.

Vol. 7, p.362
We will quote from the Gospel according to St. Paul, and see what he
has to say in relation to this matter:—"For I am not ashamed of the
Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as
it is, written, The just shall live by faith."

Vol. 7, p.362
Now, I presume Paul knew a little more about the Gospel than some of
our learned commentators, and was better acquainted with its
operations, organization, spirit, and power. In addition to what Paul
has said, I Will here assert that the Gospel of Jesus Christ always
was, from the very commencement of this earth, "the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth;" and the righteousness of God
was always revealed through the Gospel as specified by this Apostle.
Whenever and wherever the the Gospel of Jesus Christ existed, there
the power of God and the knowledge of God existed; and therein at all
times, and in every age, the righteousness of God was revealed through
it from faith to faith. That is an assertion of my own for the time
being, and I do not know but I have as much right to assert that as
Paul had the other.

Vol. 7, p.362
But as it is proper that men should give a reason at all times for
their statements, this I am willing and ready to do. Before, however,
we enter into the investigation of this subject, we will look at
another for a short time, which seems to be intimately associated with
it.

Vol. 7, p.362
Paul in his time reasoned about a certain Melchisedec Priesthood, and
about a certain Melchisedec, who he says was greater than Abraham, and
who he said was without father or mother, without beginning of days or
end of years, and abideth a priest continually, and that Christ was "a
priest for ever, after the order of Melchisedec." I speak of this
because it will be necessary to refer to it in the argument we may be
led to adduce in relation to this subject.

Vol. 7, p.363
Who was this man Melchisedec? [p.363] He was simply a man which the
Bible gives an account of, and he positively had a father and a
mother. It is not really said he had not. I say he had, and can prove
it, if the Bible be true. We might differ so far as words are
concerned, but not in ideas and facts. Paul was talking about a
Priesthood: Melchisedec had this Priesthood. It was the Priesthood of
which he was speaking, and not the man. It was this Priesthood of
Melchisedec that was without beginning of days or end of years. "And
he abideth a priest continually, and ever liveth to make intercession
for us;" that is, the Priesthood continues in the eternal world as
well as in the world of time.

Vol. 7, p.363
We will now go back to the Gospel and endeavour to show that wherever
the Gospel existed, there existed also the power of God and the
revelations of God, and therein men had a knowledge of God, and
"therein was revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith."
But let me make another remark here concerning the priesthood. We are
told it holds the mysteries of the revelations of God. These are
sayings we have a right to look into and investigate, to find out upon
what principle they are based.

Vol. 7, p.363
How did Adam get his information of the things of God? He got it
through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and through this same Priesthood
of which we have been speaking. God came to him in the garden and
talked with him. We are told that no man can see the face of God and
live. How was it that he obtained his knowledge of God? Through the
Gospel; and he was the first man upon this earth that had the Gospel
and the holy Priesthood; and if he had it not, he could not have known
anything about God or his revelations. But God revealed himself to him
and told him what he might do and what he might not do, what course he
was to pursue and what course not to pursue; and when he transgressed
the laws which the Lord gave to him, he was driven from the face of
God, and left in a measure to grope in the dark.

Vol. 7, p.363
Let us pass on to Enioch's day. The Bible only gives a very short
account of Enoch. We are told that "he walked with God, and was not,
for God took him." Then he had the Gospel, for it is through the
Gospel that "the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith." It is that which holds the keys of the mysteries of the
revelations of God. It is that which imparts a knowledge of the
Priesthood, and it is by the Gospel that mankind can commune with God:
it is that which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth. Enoch had this through the Gospel. Being in possession of
this, he was enabled to communicate with God—had revelations from him.
And further revelations which have been given in these last days go to
show us that Enoch built a city, and that he taught the citizens of
that city the great principles of eternal truth as they emanated from
God; that God communed with them—taught them correct principles; and
that by-and-by, when the people waxed fall of iniquity and the earth
became ripe for destruction, Enoch and his city were caught up into
heaven.

Vol. 7, p.363
The Bible gives a very short account of this, saying, "Enoch walked
with God, and he was not, for God took him." Jude also speaks of
him—"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these,
saying, 'Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints, to
execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among
them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and
of all their hard speeches which  ungodly sinners have spoken against
him.'"[p.364] 

Vol. 7, p.364
Enoch, how did you happen to know about things that should transpire
some thousands of years hence—you that lived so far back in the remote
ages of the world, that were so dark and benighted, according to the
ideas of modern theologians? "I had the Gospel, and the Gospel holds
the keys of the mysteries of the revelations of God; and by the spirit
of that Gospel I was enabled to look through the dark vista of the
future, to draw back the curtain of eternity, and contemplate the
things of God, and his purposes concerning the nations of the earth,
until I gazed upon the winding-up scene."

Vol. 7, p.364
And Jude, how did you happen to know that Enoch prophesied of these
things? for we have no account of it in the Bible. Where did you
obtain your information? "I had the same Gospel that Enoch had, and
the same power of revelation, and the same Spirit that he had, so that
I was enabled to develop the same things, and to know precisely what
Enoch prophesied about, and have given my testimony in relation to
that matter."

Vol. 7, p.364
But Joseph Smith, where did you get your information from? "I had just
the same Gospel that Enoch had, and the same that Jude had; and I also
testified of the same things, and we all agree."

Vol. 7, p.364
In tracing out this history, we find it written that God was about to
destroy the inhabitants of the earth with a flood. How did he make
this known? "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the
earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually." All flesh had corrupted its way before the
Lord, with the exception of a few. There was Noah, who was a man that
feared God and worked righteousness, and had in his possession the
Gospel and the holy Priesthood; and the Lord God communicated with
him, and this he did by revelation, and told him to build an ark to
save himself and family from the flood. And he gave Noah the
dimensions of the ark—how it was to be constructed, and with what kind
of materials. He also told him what kind of animals he was to bring
into it, giving him instructions relating to the whole matter. How did
you happen to know all thiN, Noah? "I had the Gospel, which is the
power of God unto salvation; and it proved my salvation and the
salvation of my family; and through it I was enabled to understand the
designs and purposes of God, and prepare for those great events about
to take place on the earth."

Vol. 7, p.364
We next come to old Abraham, and we find that the Lord talked with
him:—"And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre; and he
sat in the tent door in the heat of the day." And the Lord talked with
Abraham and with his wife Sarah, and told her she should have a child
at a certain time. They had quite a long conversation. Sometimes the
messenger that was sent to Abraham is called an angel, and sometimes
the Lord. Suffice it to say that the Lord did reveal himself and
communicated his will unto him; and finally he tried and tested him in
every variety of way. "And it came to pass after these things that God
did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, 'Abraham;' and he said, 'Behold,
here I am.' And he said, 'Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom
thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there
for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee
of.'" In this manner the Lord tried Abraham.

Vol. 7, p.364
The great principle I wish to keep before your minds is, that men in
those different ages of the world did have a knowledge of God, and
they obtained it through revelation and a knowledge  of the Gospel.
Through this, Abraham [p.365] obtained a knowledge of God—of his
purposes and designs; and there was no other way in which he could
have a knowledge of God, only in the way here specified; and hence the
Gospel to Abraham was a principle wherein the righteousness of God was
revealed from faith to faith; and it was to him as much the power of
God unto salvation as it was in the days of Jesus Christ and the
Apostles, or any other day.

Vol. 7, p.365
Jesus, in speaking of Abraham, says, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to
see my day; and he saw it and was glad."

Vol. 7, p.365
Then, Abraham, you saw the day of the Son of God and was glad some two
thousand years before the dawn of that day burst upon the earth. How
did you happen to see it? Was it not enough for you to know that God
spoke to you and gave you certain great and glorious promises
concerning your seed? No. You must actually penetrate events that
should transpire in after ages. How did you know all this? "By the
Gospel." Do you mean to say that you, too, had the Gospel? "Yes; for
life and immortality are brought to light by the Gospel; and the
Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,
and therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;
and whoever knows anything about life and immortality and the power of
God must know something about the Gospel of salvation."

Vol. 7, p.365
"Well," say some, "we would really like a little more testimony from
the Bible on this subject; for we have great confidence in the Bible."
You shall have it. What does Paul say?—"And the Scriptures, foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached the Gospel
before unto Abraham, saying, 'In thee shall all nations be blessed.'
So, then, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham."

Vol. 7, p.365
Then Abraham had the, Gospel preached to him, and so had Melchisedec.
"How do you prove that?" Paul says, speaking of this ancient king of
Salem, that he was "made like unto the Son of God," and "abideth a
priest continually." And "Now consider how great this man was, unto
whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils." "He,
whose descent is not counted from them, received tithes of Abraham,
and blessed him that had the promises. And without all contradiction,
the less is blessed of the better."

Vol. 7, p.365
Abraham had the Gospel, and was the father of the faithful; yet
Melchisedec was greater than he—greater in the Priesthood and in the
Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.365
We dill now inquire a little about Moses—a deliverer that was raised
up to Israel, who was set apart to deliver his people from the bondage
under which they groaned in the land of Egypt. The Lord spake to Moses
and sent him to Pharaoh, and kept sending him from time to time until
Pharaoh let Israel go; and Moses was their leader, and led them forth
out of the land of Egypt.

Vol. 7, p.365
How did Moses know about this deliverance? How did he know how to give
Israel instruction and revelation? Because he had received it himself.
The Lord had spoken to him, and had revealed his will to him, and
manifested his purposes to him from time to time. When the Lord first
called him, he felt incompetent for the task, and answered the Lord as
follows:—

Vol. 7, p.365
"And Moses said unto the Lord, 'O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither
heretofore nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; but I am slow
of speech and of a slow tongue.' 'And the anger of the Lord was
kindled against Moses, and He said—'Is not Aaron the Levite thy
brother? I know that he can speak well. And he also cometh forth to
meet [p.366] thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his
heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth; and
I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth, and will teach you what
ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he
shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt
be to him instead of God.'"

Vol. 7, p.366
Thus Moses led the people out from the bondage of Egypt: by visions,
by revelations, by the voice of God, by the manifestation of the power
of God, with a high hand and outstretched arm, he led them out, and
destroyed the Egyptians when they essayed to follow them, after
smiting them with plagues and various afflictions that overtook them,
in consequence of their rebellion against God and the testimony Moses
delivered in their midst.

Vol. 7, p.366
How was it that Moses understood anything about the will of God in the
leading forth of that people? It was because he had the Gospel, which
is a principle of revelation, as we have before stated; and through it
intelligence was communicated unto him.

Vol. 7, p.366
But you say you would like to see something from the Bible to prove
this. I should think what has been already said in illustration of
this great leading principle is sufficient to satisfy anybody. It
satisfies me.

Vol. 7, p.366
But I will give you a little of the Bible touching Moses having the
Gospel. Paul says, "But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it
not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the
wilderness?"  "So we see that they could not enter into it because of
unbelief. Let us therefore fear lest, a promise being left us of
entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the
word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it." Here Paul not only declares they had the Gospel as
well as we, but he makes use of them as an example to all unbelievers.

Vol. 7, p.366
We will now touch upon a lesser dispensation, if you please to call it
by that name, and try to find out how that happened to come. I speak
of that dispensation that existed previous to the ushering in of the
Gospel, as people suppose.

Vol. 7, p.366
Paul says, "And this I say, that the covenant that was confirmed
before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty
years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none
effect." "Wherefore, then, serveth the law? It is added, because of
transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was
made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." He
further writes on this subject, saying, "Which was a figure for the
time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices,
and could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to
the conscience, which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of
reformation."

Vol. 7, p.366
What was the transgression of ancient Israel? They rejected the
teachings of Moses. When he came down from the mount, where he had
been talking with God face to face, he found the people had made unto
themselves a golden calf, and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel,
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." They had forsaken
God, the Fountain of living Waters, and bowed out to themselves
cisterns—broken cisterns, that could hold no water. And Moses was
wroth with them; and so was the Lord, who was about to destroy them:
but Moses  pleaded with him, and he spared them. But [p.367] seeing
they judged themselves unworthy of eternal life, and the Gospel  of
Jesus Christ, and revelations, and communications with him, he placed
them under a law of carnal commandments and ordinances, placing a yoke
on their necks, which one of the ancient Apostles says, "Neither we
nor our fathers were able to bear." He placed them under ceremonies
and forms, and it was said, Do this and live; refuse to do it, and
die.

Vol. 7, p.367
This code of laws and ordinances was given to them under the auspices
and direction of the Aaronic Priesthood; and the Melchizedec
Priesthood was taken away from them to a certain extent, which
deprived them of its succession, &c.

Vol. 7, p.367
Still the spirit of revelation was among the Prophets that still
remained among them; but, as a nation, they were placed under a system
of carnal ordinances, because of their transgressions.

Vol. 7, p.367
What was the law added to? It was added to the Gospel. This we should
have known, if Paul had never said a word about it, because Moses held
the keys of the revelations of God, could go into the mount of God,
and by that power led seventy Elders of Israel into the presence of
God, and they saw the God of Israel. I know that the law was added to
the Gospel on that principle, because the Gospel always was a power
that enlightened the eyes of men, and put them in possession of
revelation and communication with God, and that gave them a knowledge
of things past, present, and to come.

Vol. 7, p.367
We will pass by the time when they were under a law of carnal
ordinances, consisting of burnt offerings and sacrifices, &c., and
come to the time when the Gospel is again restored, and when a Priest
after the order of Melchizedec, Enoch, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Adam,
again appeared upon the earth,—namely the Son of God, who was "a
priest for ever, after the order of Melchizedec." It was not necessary
that he should be enabled genealogically to prove that he was of the
seed of Aaron and of the tribe of Levi; but ads Priesthood was after
the order of Melchizedec, which was without beginning of days or end
of years,—a Priesthood not indebted directly to human descent, but one
that administers both in time and eternity.

Vol. 7, p.367
At the time Jesus Christ came upon the earth we find the same kind of
revelations began to be made manifest,—the same Spirit, and the same
power, blessing, and the same communications with God. And hence, when
he came he went forth baptizing, as John, his predecessor, had done,
John said concerning him, "I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance; but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose
shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost and with fire." Did he do this? He did. When he made choice of
his Apostles, he breathed upon them and said—"Receive ye the Holy
Ghost." And they began to have visions and revelations, and the power
of God was made manifest on them. Paul, in writing of this power,
says—"I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the
body I cannot tell, or whether out of the body I cannot tell: God
knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a
man, (whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell: God
knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard
unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
By-and-by, Paul begins to let out some of these things. He says he saw
the dead, small and great, stand before God, speaking of the
resurrection, and the state of man after death, and the glory that
awaits the faithful.[p.368] 

Vol. 7, p.368
An angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors, and set Peter and some
others at liberty. The angel of the Lord appeared to Paul in a dream,
and comforted him when he was in danger of being shipwrecked, and told
him that no one on board should perish. How came they in possession of
all this knowledge? and how came they to be such favourites with the
heavens? It was all through the Gospel.

Vol. 7, p.368
We find the Apostle John driven as a poor exile and outcast to the
Isle or Patmos, in consequence of his religion, where he had to labour
among the slaves in the lead mines, oppressed and bowed down in
consequence of the tyranny and severity of his task-masters. But he
was in the spirit on the Lord's day, and the heavens were opened to
his view, and he gazed on the past, on the present, and on the future,
contemplating events that should transpire through every subsequent
period of time until the winding-up scene. He told of the time when
the grave should deliver up its dead, and when the sea should deliver
up the dead that are in it, and all nations should stand before God
and give an account of the deeds done in the body.

Vol. 7, p.368
He told of Jesus Christ coming with his holy angels to execute
judgment on the ungodly. He told of the New Jerusalem that should
descend from God out of heaven as a bride prepared for the bridegroom.

Vol. 7, p.368
He told of the Millennium, when not only the Saints should burst the
barriers of the tomb, but come forth and live and reign with Christ a
thousand years on the earth, when righteousness and truth should
prevail, and iniquity hide its hoary head, and the power of God be
made manifest; and every nation, tongue, and people bow to the sceptre
of King Immanuel, and all acknowledge him as Lord over all.

Vol. 7, p.368
How did you know all this, John? "I had the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
that restored this power to the earth, which unfolded unto me these
things; and I have communicated only part of the things I saw."

Vol. 7, p.368
This power was enjoyed not only by the Apostles, as some suppose, but
it existed among the Saints; and hence Paul, writing to the Church,
says—"Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not hate you,
ignorant. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to
profit withal. For to one is given, by the Spirit, the word of wisdom;
to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another,
faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gift of healing by the same
Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to
another, discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues;
to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that
one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he
will. For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
For the body is not one member, but many," &c. Consequently, this
Spirit extended not only to the Apostles and permanent disciples, but
to the whole Church, the Spirit being given to every man to profit
withal. And what was that? It was the gift of the Holy Ghost, which
Peter told the people, on the day of Pentecost, they should receive;
for on that day he told them to repent and be baptized in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and they should receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. Why? Because, says he, "The promise is to you
and your children," &c.

Vol. 7, p.368
"To us who are Apostles," and to whom else? "To you, and to your
children. Whom else? To all that  [p.369] are afar off, even as many
as the Lord our God shall call." You show me a people that the Lord
our God does not call, and I will show you a people to whom this
premise does not apply.

Vol. 7, p.369
There is the Gospel, as I understand it; and wherever this principle
exists, the principle of revelation and the knowledge of God exists—a
principle wherein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith—a principle that opens a communication between God and man.
Wherever this exists, the Gospel exists; and wherever this does not
exist, the Gospel does not exist. It is a principle that places man
into a legitimate relationship with God, who is our Father. Hence,
when Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he said, "When you pray, say,
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." He is the God and
Father of the spirits of all flesh, and we are told to approach him as
such, and have faith in him. And he says, "Ask, and it shall be given
you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you;
for every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and
to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Vol. 7, p.369
Or, what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give
hims stone? Or, if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye,
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how
much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to
them that ask him?

Vol. 7, p.369
By means of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are brought into a
relationship with God. As one of the ancient Apostles says, "Beloved,
now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be; but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is." God is our Father, and a medium of
communication has been opened between God and us. And inasmuch as we
live our religion, we shall be prepared at all times to receive
blessings at his hands, and learn to understand correct principles in
regard to our salvation as individuals, and the salvation of the human
family.

Vol. 7, p.369
John said, among other things, "And I saw another angel fly in the
midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them
that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred and tongue
and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him,
for the hour of his judgments is come; and worship him that made
heaven and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." This
angel had the same Gospel to preach that Adam possessed, and the same
that Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus Christ, and the Apostles
preached.

Vol. 7, p.369
Joseph Smith, what did you proclaim? "I called on the Lord and a holy
angel appeared to me, and God revealed his will to me, and showed, me
the true position of the world religiously and every other way; and he
told me what I was to do to obtain eternal life, and he told me what
his designs and purposes were concerning this earth." What aid he do
besides? "He sent some of those who existed in former ages, who held
the keys of the everlasting Priesthood, to administer to me and set me
apart." We read in this good book an account of Peter, James, and John
being with Jesus on the Mount—"And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter,
James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain
apart, and was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the
sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And behold there appeared
unto them Moses and Elias talking with him." How happens it that you
are upon the earth, Moses? for we thought you were dead long ago! "I
am not dead, as you suppose; for I drank of [p.370] that well Jesus
spoke of, the water of which, if any man drinks, shall be in him a
well of water springing up to eternal life. I hold the keys of the
Melchisedec Priesthood and the everlasting Gospel, that administers in
time and in eternity; and after having got through with this world and
its cares, holding still that Priesthood behind the vail, I have come
to administer to you, Jesus, James, Peter, and John, on the earth."

Vol. 7, p.370
In consequence of the same Priesthood, Elias was translated, and got
associated with Moses behind the vail, and became his companion in
bringing a message of comfort to Jesus and his companions on the
Mount. Peter, who held the Priesthood while he was upon the earth and
after he left, could come and administer to Joseph Smith, and impart
to him the same blessings and the same power, and reinstate those
principles and powers upon the earth that had been lost in consequence
of transgression. What is it that we have received? We have received
the everlasting Gospel—the same that existed in the days of Jesus; and
it is this that has enlightened our minds, enlarged our capacities,
and given us a knowledge of the past and of the future; and it has
thus revealed to us the purposes of God; and through the order and
organization of this Priesthood we are blessed, saved, protected, and
upheld as we are at this day.

Vol. 7, p.370
Why is it that the world rage? Why is it that the priests of the day
are angry—that politicians are mad? It is because the Lord has set
forth his hand to accomplish his purposes and bring to pass the things
spoken of in the holy Prophets.

Vol. 7, p.370
As one of old has said, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people
imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the
rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and east away
their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the
Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his
wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."

Vol. 7, p.370
The Lord will bring to pass his strange purpose, and accomplish the
thing he has designed. It is for us to live our religion, to fully
appreciate the Gospel we possess, and fully obey its requirements,
submit to its laws, and yield to its dictations, following the
direction of the holy Priesthood, which hold the keys of the mysteries
of the revelations of God, magnifying our callings, and honouring our
God, that we may be prepared to fulfil our destiny upon the earth, and
be enabled to be a blessing to those around us, and to pour blessings
upon our posterity, and spread forth the great principles of eternity,
which are calculated to bless, enlighten, ennoble, and exalt all who
will yield obedience to their dictates.

Vol. 7, p.370
May God bless you all, and guide you in the way of truth, which I ask
in the name of Jesus  Christ. Amen.[p.371] 

Orson Pratt, January 29, 1860

Union of Spirit and Sentiment—Submission to the Living 
Oracles of the Church—a Confession, &c.

Remarks by Elder ORSON PRATT, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 29, 1860.

Vol. 7, p.371
I will read a passage of Scripture to be found in Isaiah, 52nd chap.,
8th verse:—"Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice
together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord
shall bring again Zion."

Vol. 7, p.371
I will, this morning, take the words of the ancient Prophet as the
foundation for a few remarks, applying them more directly to myself.
And if they should be applicable to the congregation before me, I hope
that they, together with myself, will be benefited by the same.

Vol. 7, p.371
It is very evident from this passage of holy Scripture that there is a
period of time to come in the last days, in which all the Elders of
Israel and all the watchmen of Zion will understand alike, see alike,
and have the same views in regard to doctrine and principles, and all
division of sentiment will be entirely done away. Then that scripture
will be fulfilled recorded in our Lord's prayer, where he taught his
disciples how to pray:—"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is done in
heaven."

Vol. 7, p.371
When I reflect that in heaven there is a perfect union of spirit and
feeling among the celestial throng,—when I reflect that in that happy
place there is no disunion one with another—no different views, but
that all will have the same mind and feeling in regard to the things
of God; and then reflect that the day is to come when the same order
of things is to be established here upon the earth; and then look at
the present condition of mankind, I am constrained to acknowledge that
there must be a great revolution on the earth. Where are there two men
abroad in the world that see eye to eye—that have the same view in
regard to doctrine and principle—that are of the same mind? They can
scarcely be found. I doubt whether they can be found in the world.

Vol. 7, p.371
How is it among us, the Latter-day Saints? One thing is true in regard
to some few of them—shall I say few? No. I will say many of them: they
do actually, in the great fundamental principles of the doctrine of
Jesus Christ, see eye to eye. I cannot suppose that in our infancy and
childhood we can attain to all this great perfection in a moment, and
be brought to see and understand alike. But there is one great
heavenly standard or principle to which we must all come. What is that
heavenly standard or Phrinciple? It is the restoration of the holy
Priesthood, the living oracles of God, to the earth; and that
Priesthood, dictated, governed, and directed by the power of
revelation, through the gift of the Holy Ghost,—that is the standard
to which all the Latter-day Saints and the kingdom of God must come,
in order to fulfil the prophecy I have read in your hearing.

Vol. 7, p.371
It matters not how much information any man may have before he comes
into this Church; it matters not how extensively he may be taught
[p.372] in the arts and sciences of the day—how extensively he may be
taught in regard to various branches of learning; it matters not how
much natural wisdom he may be qualified with; it matters not whether
he has occupied a high station in the eyes of the world, or a low one;
it matters not what his prior condition may have been, when he repents
before God and enters into a covenant with the Father and the Son and
with his brethren, and manifests before them, and the whole world that
he forsakes the world and the wisdom thereof, (that is, that which is
called wisdom by the world,)—that he is willing to forsake all things
which are of the world that are inconsistent with the character of
God, his attributes, his word, and his kingdom,—that very moment he
comes to that point and goes forward in baptism he becomes subject to
a different power from what he had before been subject to. He becomes
subject to a certain authority that is different; he becomes subject
to an authority which has come from heaven—not an authority ordained
of man—not an authority which has been originated by human wisdom or
by the learning of mankind—not by inspired or uninspired books, for
books never yet bestowed authority, whether inspired or uninspired.

Vol. 7, p.372
The authority of Jesus Christ sent down from heaven, conferred upon
man by his holy angels, or by those that may have previously received
Divine authority, is the true and only standard here upon the face of
our earth; and to this standard all people, nations, and tongues must
come, or be eventually taken from the earth; for this is the only
standard which will endure, and this is the only authority which is
everlasting and eternal, and which will endure in time and throughout
all eternity.

Vol. 7, p.372
This brings to my mind a revelation which was given in a General
Conference on the 2nd day of January, 1831, the Church then having
been organized about nine months. All the Saints were gathered
together from various little Branches that had been established in the
house of Father Whitmer, whose sons became conspicuous in this last
dispensation as being witnesses of the Book of Mormon,—whose house
also became conspicuous as the place where the Prophet Joseph Smith
received many revelations and communications from  heaven. In one
small room of a log-house, nearly all the Latter-day Saints east of
Ohio) were collected together. They desired the Prophet of the Lord to
inquire of God and receive a revelation to guide and instruct the
Church that were then present. Brother Joseph seated himself at the
table. Brother Sidney Rigdon, who was at that time a member of the
Church, having just arrived from the West, where he embraced the
Gospel through the administration of some of the Elders, was requested
to act as scribe in writing the revelation from the mouth of the
Prophet Joseph. I will read a portion of this revelation:—"And again I
say unto you, Let every man esteem his brother as himself; for what
man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and
they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one, Be thou clothed
in robes and sit thou here; and to the other, Be thou clothed in rags
and sit thou there; and looketh upon his sons and edith, I am just?
Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I
am. I say unto you, Be one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine."

Vol. 7, p.372
This I consider is a very important item—Behold, "I say unto you, Be
one; and if ye are not one, ye are not mine."

Vol. 7, p.372
This is very pointed, plain, and definite language, that no man can
misunderstand.[p.373] 

Vol. 7, p.373
Upon what principle are we to he one? It is by hearkening in all
things to that eternal and everlasting Priesthood which has been
conferred upon mortal man upon the earth. When I say that Priesthood,
I mean the individual who holds the keys thereof. He is the
standard—the living oracle to the Church.

Vol. 7, p.373
"But," says one, "suppose that we hearken to the word of God in the
Old and New Testament—suppose that we hearken to the word of God in
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—suppose we hearken to the word of
God in the Book of Mormon, and at the same time we feel disposed in
our hearts to lay aside the living oracles, what then? I would answer,
in the first place, that the premises are false. Why? The very moment
that we set aside the living oracles we set aside the revelations of
God. Why? Because the revelations of God command us plainly that we
shall hearken to the living oracles. Hence, if we undertake to follow
the written word and at the same time do not give heed to the living
oracles of God, the written word will condemn us: it shows that we do
not follow it according to our profession. This is what I wish to
bring home to myself as an individual; and if the same thing will suit
any other person in the congregation, I hope that he will take it home
to himself.

Vol. 7, p.373
"But," inquires one, "how is it that you are going to apply this to
yourself?" I will tell you. But first let me quote from another
revelation contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Perhaps I
had better read the passage which I wish now to bring to your
understanding:—"Behold, there shall be a record kept among you; and in
it thou shalt be called a Seer, a Translator, a Prophet, an Apostle of
Jesus Christ, an Elder of the church, through the will of God the
Father and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, being inspired of the
Holy Ghost to lay the foundation thereof, and to build it up unto the
most holy faith; which Church was organized and established in the
year of our Lord, eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month,
and in the sixth day of the month which is called April. Wherefore
(meaning the Church,) thou shalt give heed unto his words and
commandments, which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them,
walking in all holiness before me; for his word shall ye receive as if
from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith."

Vol. 7, p.373
Here, then, we perceive what is binding upon the Church of the living
God, what was binding upon them thirty years ago, and what has been
binding upon them ever since, from the day that it was given, until
the day the Prophet was martyred, down until the year 1860, and until
the present moment of time. All this time there have been a kingdom
and Church of the living God on the earth, and a man placed at the
head of that Church to govern, direct, counsel, preach, exhort,
testify, and speak the truth to the people, and counsel them in the
things pertaining to their duties and pertaining to the kingdom of
God.

Vol. 7, p.373
Now, then, let me get back again. 

Vol. 7, p.373
The great subject before me this morning is the words, I have been
repeating before you, and how they apply to myself. There have been a
few things wherein I have done wrong, wherein I have disobeyed these
instructions that are here laid down, wherein, no doubt, I have
offended, the Lord, and wherein I have, no doubt, grieved the feelings
of my brethren; and inasmuch as I have done this, no doubt I have also
brought at many times darkness upon my own mind. I want to make a
confession to-day. I do not know that brother Brigham, or any of the
rest of the [p.374] Twelve who have come here this morning, except
brother Benson, knew of my intentions. I did tell brother Benson I
thought of making a confession this morning, but the others were not
aware of this. There are a few things which have been a source of
sorrow to myself, at different times, for many years.

Vol. 7, p.374
Perhaps you may be desirous to know what they are. I will tell you.
There are some points of doctrine which I have unfortunately thrown
out before the people.

Vol. 7, p.374
At the time I expressed those views, I did most sincerely believe that
they were in accordance with the word of God. I did most sincerely
suppose that I was justifying the truth. But I have since learned from
my brethren that some of the doctrines I had advanced in the "Seer,"
at Washington, were incorrect. Naturally being of a stubborn
disposition, and having a kind of a selfwill about me, and moreover
supposing really and sincerely that I did understand what true
doctrine was in relation to those points, I did not feel to yield to
the judgment of my brethren, but believed they were in error. Now, was
this right? No, it was not. Why? Because the Priesthood is the highest
and only legitimate authority in the Church in these matters.

Vol. 7, p.374
How is it about this? Have we not a right to make up our minds in
relation to the things recorded in the word of God, and speak about
them, whether the living oracles believe our views or not? We have not
the right. Why? Because the mind of man is weak: one man may make up
his mind in this way, and another man may make up his mind in another
way, and a third individual may have his views; and thus every man is
left to be his own authority, and is governed by his own judgment,
which he takes as his standard.

Vol. 7, p.374
Do you not perceive that this would, in a short time, cause a complete
disunion and division of sentiment throughout the whole Church? That
would never fulfil the words of my text—would never bring to paSS the
sayings of Isaiah, that their watchmen should lift up their voice, &c.

Vol. 7, p.374
In this thing I have sinned; and for this I am willing to make my
confession to the Saints. I ought to have yielded to the views of my
brethren. I ought to have said, as Jesus did to his Father on a
certain occasion, "Father, thy will be done."

Vol. 7, p.374
"You have made this confession," says one; "and now we want to ask you
a question on the subject: What do you believe concerning those points
now?"

Vol. 7, p.374
I will answer in the words of Paul—"I know nothing of myself; yet am I
not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. So far as
revelation from the heavens is concerned, I have had none in relation
to those points of doctrine.

Vol. 7, p.374
I will tell you what I have had revealed to me: I have had revealed to
me that the Book of Mormon is from God; I have had revealed to me that
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is also from God; I have had
revealed to me that this is the Church and kingdom of God; I have had
revealed to me that this is the last dispensation of the fulness of
times. These things are matters of knowledge with me: I know them to
be true, and I do know about many things in relation to God and to
future events. But, when I reflect upon the subject, I have very
little knowledge concerning many things. What do I know, for instance,
about much of what is revealed in the last book of the New Testament,
called John's Revelations? What do I know about much written in the
book of Daniel? Some few things are quite plain: but what do I
understand in relation to some few of the predictions in the 11th
chapter of [p.375] Daniel? I doubt whether there is a person, unless
he has been favoured with direct revelation from heaven, who knows but
little about John's Revelations. What do I know about many things in
relation to the celestial kingdom?  Has the celestial kingdom been
opened to my mind? No. Have I gazed upon it in vision? No. Have I seen
God sitting on his throne, surrounded by his holy angels? No. Have I
knowledge of the laws and order and government and rule which regulate
that kingdom? No. if the revelations seem to apparently convey this or
that idea, still I may be entirely mistaken in regard to the meaning
of those revelations.

Vol. 7, p.375
There is one thing I will assure you of—God will never reveal anything
to me, or to any other man, which will come in contact with the views
and revelations which he gives to the man who holds the keys. We never
need expect such a thing.

Vol. 7, p.375
"But," inquires one, "have you not felt anxious that the Church should
follow your ideas as laid down in the Seer?" I have not. If I had, I
should have preached them; I should have tried to reason with you to
convince you of their apparent truth.

Vol. 7, p.375
I have always been anxious the Church should be governed by him who
has the right to govern it, to receive revelations, and to give
counsel for its guidance, through whom correct doctrine comes and is
unfolded to the children of men.

Vol. 7, p.375
God placed Joseph Smith at the head of this Church; God has likewise
placed Brigham Young at the head of this Church; and he has required
you and me, male and female, to sustain those authorities thus placed
over us in their position; and that authority is binding on all
Quorums and individuals of Quorums. He has never released you nor me
from those obligations. We are commanded to, give heed to their words
in all things, and receive their words as from the mouth of God, in
all patience and faith. When we do not this, we get into darkness. God
has placed them where they are, and requires you and me to continue in
our faith and patience to receive the truth at their hands. I am going
to do it. I am going to repent. I arose this morning to unburden my
feelings in regard to these matters.

Vol. 7, p.375
What is repentance? Is it merely to say we will do thus and so, and
then go and do directly to the contrary? When I say I am going to
repent of these things, I mean that I am going from this time
henceforth, through the grace of God assisting me, to try and show by
my acts and by my words that I will uphold and support those whom I do
know God has placed over me to govern, direct, and guide me in the
things of this kingdom.

Vol. 7, p.375
I do not know that I shall be able to carry out those views; but these
are my present determinations. I pray that I may have grace and
strength to perform this. I feel exceedingly weak in regard to these
matters.

Vol. 7, p.375
I know what I have got to conquer. I have to conquer my natural
disposition and feelings, and bring them to bow to the authority God
has instituted. I see no other way. That is the only way for me and
the only way for you. I see no possibility for the words of my text to
be fulfilled and brought to pass in any other manner. You cannot
devise or imagine any other way. The world have tried for six thousand
years to become united, and they never have been, and never will be
able to do it, if they should continue to remain as nations, kingdoms,
and peoples for six millions of years to come. They never can bring
about this oneness of sentiment and feeling by each man being his own
[p.376] standard. No: it never was ordained by the Almighty to be
brought about in that way.

Vol. 7, p.376
The only way for us is to have a true standard, which must be from
heaven—a standard ordained of God, which we can follow with the utmost
confidence—a standard we can have faith in—a standard to which all
human wisdom and human judgment must give way. Such a standard only
will be eternal, and will prevail when all other standards will fail.

Vol. 7, p.376
Do my ideas suit anybody else? It matters not whether they do or not:
they suit me, and I am going to put the coat on. I am preaching to
myself this morning. I did not come here to preach to the world, nor
particularly to preach to the Saints; but I wanted to preach to
myself, and see if I could not convert myself; and when I can get
converted myself, perhaps I may do some good in preaching to the
Saints and to the world.

Vol. 7, p.376
Inasmuch as there may have been any feelings in the hearts of the
Latter-day Saints that are now before me, I desire to do all in my
power to bring about a complete reconciliation. I wish the whole
Territory were here, and all the good people of England, and all the
Saints that have ever seen any of my writings or read my views; I
would say to them all, Brethren, I make a confession: I have sinned; I
have been too stubborn; I have not yielded as I ought; I have done
wrong, and I will try to do so no more. And if the whole kingdom of
God can be reconciled with me, I shall be very glad. At least, I will
do all I can to obtain their reconciliation.

Vol. 7, p.376
These are my feelings to brother Brigham. I will make reconciliation
to the Presidency, and to the Twelve, and to the Church, so far as it
is in my power, so far as I have not yielded to my brethren.

Vol. 7, p.376
I consider these to be true principles. However imperfect I may have
been, it has nothing to do with the principles: the principles are
from heaven. Amen.