Journal of Discourses Volume 10

DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG,

HIS TWO COUNSELLORS,
THE TWELVE APOSTLES, AND OTHERS.

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

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

VOL. X.

LIVERPOOL:

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY DANIEL H WELLS, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON:

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

1865.[p.iii] 

Preface

Vol. 10,  p.iii
We have the satisfaction of again presenting to the Saints and the
public another Volume of the Journal of Discourses.

Vol. 10,  p.iii
The present Number completes the tenth Volume, and we expect it will
prove as interesting and instructive as the former have done. It would
be a work of supererogation to pen a preface upon the writings or
sermons of the First Presidency or the Twelve Apostles, they speak for
themselves; but, we can only say that as every day seems to increase
the prosperity of Zion, and crown with success the labors of the
Servants of God, the present Volume, containing as it does many
discourses on Temporal and Spiritual improvements, the development of
the Work, &c., ought to prove a valuable acquisition to all those who
love the truth, and long for the redemption of scattered Israel.

THE PUBLISHER.[p.1] 

Brigham Young, September 28, 1862

Eternal Existence of Man—Foreknowledge and Predestination 

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, September 28, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.1
We have had a very interesting journey to the southern settlements. In
twenty-five days we have travelled nearly eight hundred miles, held
thirty meetings, and spoken to thousands and thousands of Saints. I am
somewhat fatigued, and would like to be excused from speaking long
to-day.

Vol. 10,  p.1
My heart is full of blessings for the people; I feel to bear them
continually in my prayers before my Father in heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.1
I trust we shall be benefited by the discourse we have just heard from
Elder Amasa M. Lyman. We should seek to understand and know the
principles he has advanced, striving continually to know the things of
God for ourselves. All the works of mankind amount to but little,
unless they are performed in the name of the Lord and under the
direction of his Spirit. Let every man seek to learn the things of God
by the revelations of Jesus Christ to himself. The Gospel we have been
heating this morning I am seeking continually to understand. I reduce
the Gospel to the present time, circumstances and condition of the
people, and I can say truly, that the longer I live, and the more
experience I gain, the more I see the weakness of humanity. We are but
children, and are far from being capable of beholding the great things
of eternity.

Vol. 10,  p.1
As far as we can compare eternal things with earthly things that lie
within the scope of our understanding, so far we can understand them.
We can think of the greatest earthly wealth, grandeur, magnificence
and power that it is possible for mortals to attain, and somewhat
understand how great a blessing it would be to be entitled to the
possession of all this throughout eternity; but, to be told that there
never was a time When there did not exist an earth like this, peopled
with men and women as this is, is a declaration that reaches far
beyond the limits of our comprehension. No man can comprehend that
there never was a time when there did not exist an enemy to God, that
there never was a beginning to the order of creation in which we find
ourselves situated. Who can comprehend [p.2] the duration of time? To
return to our friends after an absence of some time and greet them
with a glad heart, to mingle our mutual joy, happiness and
congratulations, is one of the sweetest phases of human bliss, and
were we told that there never would be a time when this heaven of
happiness cannot be enjoyed, we could partially understand it; we only
understand it so far as we are capable of appreciating the co-mingling
of kindred joys at the reunion of parted friends. The present is that
portion of time that more particularly concerns us, and the greatest
and most important labour we have to perform is to cultivate
ourselves. That man may knew his fellow creatures, it is necessary
that he should first know himself. When he thoroughly knows himself,
he measureably knows God, whom to know is eternal life.

Vol. 10,  p.2
We have been hearing that Jesus Christ is our elder Brother. Yes, he
is one of us, flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone, and became a
partaker with us of all that is earthly. He also inherited a greater
portion of the divine nature than we can possess in this life. He was
the Son of our heavenly Father, as we are the sons of our earthly
fathers. God is the Father of our spirits, which are clothed upon by
fleshly bodies, begotten for us by our earthly fathers. Jesus is our
elder Brother spirit clothed upon with an earthly body begotten by the
Father of our spirits.

Vol. 10,  p.2
Our heavenly Father delights in his good children, he delights
continually to bless them, yea, "He maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." All
are equally his children. We are all the children of our common
Father, who has placed us on the earth to prove ourselves, to govern,
control, educate and sanctify ourselves, body and spirit, unto him,
according to his will and pleasure. When all that class of spirits
designed to take bodies upon this earth have done so, then will come
the winding-up scene of this particular department of the works of God
on this earth. It is his will that we should prepare ourselves to
build up his kingdom, gather the house of Israel, redeem and build up
Zion and Jerusalem, revolutionize the world, and bring back that which
has been lost through the fall.

Vol. 10,  p.2
The inhabitants of the earth are ignorant of the way to secure their
present and future happiness, but, if we are faithful, we shall see
the time when we can speak to the understandings of the people. It is
now very difficult to do that. Their minds are closed against every
conviction that would lead to their present and eternal welfare. They
take the downward road. This is very lamentable. Let all who call
themselves Latter-day Saints walk in the path that points to eternal
life. I mourn and lament when any of my brethren come to me and
confess that they have been guilty of this or that crime, especially
when I learn that they have been in the Church for years. We are yet
subject to sin, and more or less give way to it; and in so doing we
more or less disgrace the Priesthood and the high vocation to which we
are called. Latter-day Saints should live their religion, as they
would that. their neighbors should live it. If I delight to see my
brother walk in the path of obedience, let me pursue the same path,
saying come, brethren and sisters, walk as I walk, and follow Christ
as I follow him. Were this the case, but few could be found who would
raise their voices against the kingdom of God upon the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.2
To say that sin is necessary is an unusual saying. Sin is in the
wrold, but it is not necessary that we should sin, because sin is in
the world; but, to the contrary, it is necessary that [p.3] we should
resist sin, and for this purpose is sin necessary. Sin exists in all
the eternities. Sin is co-eternal with righteousness, for it must
needs be that there is an opposition in all things.

Vol. 10,  p.3
I exhort the Latter-day Saints to live their religion and learn to
take care of themselves. The elements with which we are surrounded are
as eternal as we are, and are loaded with supplies of every kind for
the comfort and happiness of the human race. It is designed by the
Great Architect of the universe that our bodily wants shall be
supplied from the elements, and by judicious and well-directed labour
and a reasonable amount of industry, the wealth of food, clothing and
shelter can be obtained by all.

Vol. 10,  p.3
It has been supposed that wealth gives power. In a depraved state of
society, in a certain sense it does, if opening a wide field for
unrighteous monopolies, by which the poor are robbed and oppressed and
the wealthy are more enriched, is power. In a depraved state of
society money can buy positions and titles, can cover up a multitude
of incapabilities, can open wide the gates of fashionable society to
the lowest and most depraved of human beings; it divides society into
castes without any reference to goodness, virtue or truth. It is made
to pander to the most brutal passions of the human soul; it is made to
subvert every wholesome law of God and man, and to trample down every
sacred bond that should tie society together in a national, municipal,
domestic and every other relationship. Wealth thus used is used out of
its legitimate channel. If a man wishes to stamp an honorable fame
upon the tablets of eternity, he can do so only by living a holy and
virtuous life. While stations, emoluments, sceptres, thrones, or any
honor this world can give, do not in the sight of God raise the
possessor above the standing of the poor, humble, hungry supplicant
for bread at his gate. God is cognizant of the acts of all men, and
dictates the results thereof to his glory, to the salvation of his
people, and to the interests of his kingdom on the face of all the
earth. "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them
shall not fall on the ground without your Father's notice; but the
very hairs on your head are numbered."

Vol. 10,  p.3
There cannot be a more truthful saying than that this people do not
yet fully know how to take care of themselves, and hence they expose
themselves to many unnecessary sufferings and inconveniences. After we
have smoothed the path through this life all in our power, by
accumulating ,around us all the common creature comforts, and done all
in our power to make those who depend upon us happy and comfortable,
still, there is enough of trial to sufficiently prove to God and the
faithful ones, whether we will be true to him and to our holy
religion, or false to him and to our best interests. Let God be first
in our thoughts when we awake in the morning, and let our actions
through each day reflect honor on ourselves, credit on the cause of
God, and secure to us the confidence and good-will of all good and
holy beings. While we should be diligent and industrious, filling
every moment of our time to some advantage and profit to ourselves and
others, we should not sutter a covetous and grasping spirit to take
possession of us. It is lamentable to see the ignorance manifested by
many of this people in that respect, for no man who possesses the
wealth of wisdom would worship the wealth of mammon. Let the people
build good houses, plant good vineyards and orchards, make good roads,
build beautiful cities in which may be found magnificent edifices for
the convenience of the public, handsome streets skirted [p.4] with
shade trees, fountains of water, crystal streams, and every tree,
shrub and flower that will flourish in this climate, to make our
mountain home a paradise and our hearts wells of gratitude to the God
of Joseph, enjoying it all with thankful hearts, saying constantly,
"not mine but thy will be done, O Father."

Vol. 10,  p.4
The earth must be redeemed, and it and all that have dwelt upon it be
brought back into the presence of God, for all have suffered more or
less by the sin that has entered into the world. This is indeed a
great work, and our God has given us the privilege of taking part in
it; then let us prepare ourselves for this stupendous undertaking by
seeking above all things to understand the things of God, by seeking
studiously to understand ourselves, remembering that no man can know
himself without so far knowing God. There is no mystery in the Gospel
of salvation for those who are heirs of salvation, and they can
readily comprehend the truth in many places of the Bible where the
language does not do justice to the principles designed to be set
forth.

Vol. 10,  p.4
Brother Amasa M. Lyman, this morning, quoted the following passage,
"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many
brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, he also called, and whom
he called them he also justified: and whom he justified them he also
glorified." The Apostle understood full well the principles here
advanced, but it would have filled volumes to have written them out in
full as they were revealed from God by the power and gift of the Holy
Spirit. God foreknows all, and has predestinated all who believe the
truth to the possession of eternal life, and this in short is all
there is of it. He foreknew Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and placed him
upon the throne of Egypt for the express purpose of showing forth his
power to Israel, and to the wicked nations of the Gentiles. The Lord
hardened Pharaoh's heart in the same way that he hardeneth the hearts
of his enemies at the present day, after they have rejected the
testimony of his servants and oppressed his elect.

Vol. 10,  p.4
The Lord has led this people out of bondage with a high hand and an
outstretched arm. No man acquainted with the history of this people is
ignorant of the almighty power of God that has been manifested in the
organization, growth and present condition of the Church, though they
may be unable naturally to account for it. and the more we grow and
prosper, the more our enemies are angry with us. They are angry with
us because we told them, thirty years ago, that Calamity would come
upon tiffs nation. Their anger still increases, while they are
drinking of the bitter cup; and at the same time the Saints are
increasing in numbers, in faith, in hope, in wealth and in power. I
have talked with men who professed to be gentlemen and dispensers of
life and salvation to the people, who, Pharoah-like, declared that
they would rather be damned than believe that Joseph Smith was a true
Prophet of God. I promised them they should have their choice. Who is
to blame for this? Moses was not to blame because Pharaoh's heart
became more and more hard. He was not to blame because an overwhelming
destruction came upon that devoted army. Neither is God, Jesus Christ,
Joseph Smith, myself, or the Apostles and Prophets of this last
dispensation to blame for the unbelief of this nation, and for the
dark and lowering tempest that now threatens to overthrow them with a
terrible destruction. Still, as Pharaoh's heart became harder and
harder, so will it be with the persecutors of God's people and
purposes in [p.5] the latter times, until they are utterly destroyed.

Vol. 10,  p.5
Not only did God foreknow the wicked and predestinate them, but he
also foreknew the righteous and predestinated them; he knew that they
would be conformed to the image of his Son and live according to the
words of Christ, while he knew that the wicked would not fulfil the
terms requisite to be conformed to the image of his Son, but would do
the works of the Devil whom they would list to serve. It is written
that God knows all thinks and has all power. He has the rule and
command of this earth, and is the Father of all the human beings that
have lived, do live and will live upon it. If any of his children
become heirs to all things, they in their turn can say, by-and-bye,
that they know all things, and they will be called Supreme, Almighty,
King of kings, and Lord of lords. All this and more that cannot enter
into our hearts to conceive is promised to the faithful, and are but
so many stages in that ceaseless progression of eternal lives. This
will not detract anything from the glory and might of our heavenly
Father, for he will still remain our Father, and we shall still be
subject to him, and as we progress, in glory and power it the more
enhances the glory and power of our heavenly Father. This principle
holds good in either state, whether mortal or immortal; "For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be
upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end; upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish
it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever."
There will be no end to the increase of the faithful. What a pleasing
thought! We shall enjoy each other's society in purity, in holiness
and in the power of God, and no time will ever come when we may not
enjoy this. Such great happiness is beyond the comprehension of
mortals.

Vol. 10,  p.5
There never was a time when man did not exist, and there never will be
time when he will cease to exist. Eternity is without confines, and
all things animate and inanimate have their existence in it. The
Priesthood of God, that was given to the ancients and is given to men
in the latter-days, as co-equal in duration with eternity—is without
beginning of days or end of life. It is unchangeable in its system of
government and its Gospel of salvation. It gives to Gods and angels
their supremacy and power, and offers wealth, influence, posterity,
exaltations, power, glory, kingdoms and thrones, ceaseless in their
duration, to all who will accept them on the terms upon which they are
offered.

Vol. 10,  p.5
It is very pleasing to dwell upon the glory to be revealed in the
future, but while our thoughts are thus occupied we should not fail to
give our attention to our present wants and necessities. Do we know
how to procure the means for our present subsistence? Have we learned
how to handle the things of this life in the name of Israel's God to
his glory, for the building up of his kingdom, for the bringing forth
of his Zion, for the redemption of the earth, for the establishment of
everlasting righteousness, and for the endless happiness of those who
will thus be made happy? I am satisfied that there are hundreds of
people in this community who would starve to death, if they were not
continually told how to obtain the means of subsistence. Do they know
how to cultivate the earth and draw from its bosom beauty and
embellishment? No; they would do no more towards this than the [p.6]
Indians do, unless some person not only tells them how, but also shows
them by his own works. How many of the ladies present have made the
ribbons they wear? How many of them have made the bonnets and hats
they wear? The time is at hand when you must make them or do without
them.

Vol. 10,  p.6
I love to see the human form and the human face adorned, but let our
adorning be the workmanship of our hands, from the elements with which
we are constantly surrounded. I love beauty whether adorned or
unadorned. I love chaste and refined manners, especially when they are
founded upon virtue. The etiquette that is of the world is not after
God and godliness. It bears upon it a false gloss; it has not for its
purpose the happiness of mankind. The etiquette which is after God is
to make my brother or my sister as happy as I am, if they will accept
of it. It is to teach men how to rise from a state of degradation to
an honourable standing in the society of the just.

Vol. 10,  p.6
In the days of the Apostles it was written, "And all that believed
were together and had all things common; and sold their possessions
and goods, and parted them to all men as every man had need. and they
continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from
house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of
heart, &c." This was all right in the Apostles, to show a certain
principle that was hereafter to be acted upon. It does not require
more than common enlightenment to discover that such an order of
things, if persisted in, would result in poverty, hunger, nakedness
and destitution. I say to my brethren and sisters, come let us learn
how to gather around us from the elements an abundance of every
comfort of life, and convert them to our wants and happiness, filling
our storehouses with wheat, wine and oil, filling our wardrobes with
woollen cloth and fine linen, with silks and satins of the finest
quality and patterns from the looms of Deseret, going onward and
upward until the whole earth is filled with the glory of God. Let us
not remain ignorant with the ignorant, but let us show the ignorant
how to be wise.

Vol. 10,  p.6
I am constantly trying to teach the people how to extract from the
elements the means for their present comfort and independence, and how
to first become perfectly obedient to the Gospel of Christ, and then
children will be obedient to their parents, and in the Church and
kingdom of God every person will learn to act in his order and
station, and wisdom will take up her abode with us. Let fathers be
willing to be taught by the Holy Priesthood, then let them in all
mildness, by example and precept, teach their families; and let wives
be one with their husbands in this labor of salvation, that the rising
generation may be a better class of people than is the present.

Vol. 10,  p.6
I have promised the people South, that if they will cultivate the
ground and ask the blessings of God upon it, the desert shall blossom
as a rose, pools of living water shall spring up on the parched
ground, and the wilderness shall become glad. The Lord has planted the
feet of the Saints in the most forbidding portion of the earth,
apparently, that he may see what they will do with it. I may
confidently, say that no other people on the earth could live here and
make themselves comfortable. If we settle on these desert and parched
plains, upon the sides of these rugged and sterile mountains, and
cultivate the earth, praying the blessing of God upon our labors, he
will make this country as fruitful as any other portion of the earth.
May the Lord bless the people. Amen.[p.7] 

Daniel H. Wells, October 26, 1862

Enjoyment of Liberty Under the Kingdom of God 

Remarks by President DANIEL H. WELLS, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, October 26, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.7
The Gospel of salvation is interesting to me, to you, and should be to
all the world, for by it we are to be judged. This test will be put to
all. The principles of life and salvation the Gospel offers to us,
which if we neglect will be brought up against us in a day to come.
The light of truth has been revealed by the Savior, and through the
mercy of the Lord he has sent forth his servants to proclaim this
Gospel to all nations. What for? To injure them? No; but to bless
them. The time has come in this age of the world when God has set
himself to take the rule and the power of the earth into his own
hands. He has sent forth Joseph, and Hyrum, and Brigham, and Heber,
and Jedediah, and Willard, and Daniel, and the Twelve Apostles and the
other authorities of the Holy Priesthood which is established upon the
earth. The communication has been opened up between the heavens and
the earth. He has sent forth a message to all nations, saying, "Fear
God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment has. come." It
has been proclaimed to the world by faithful men for many years—it has
been sounded in the by-ways and highways, in city and hamlet, and in
the nooks and corners of the earth; and, in a coming day the people
will be judged by it, because it has been sent forth by the direct
counsel of Heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.7
It is our duty to sustain the principles of truth, virtue and
integrity, and every principle that has been revealed from the
Almighty to his children on the earth. If it is the duty of one man to
do this, it is the duty of every man to do the same; and every man
will be found wanting unless he obeys this Heavenly message. How shall
we do it when we are compassed about by all the powers of earth and
hell to overcome, overthrow and destroy us? By cleaving to the Lord of
hosts, who is mighty to save, and by cleaving to those holy principles
of life and power which he has revealed. The more the floods of
iniquity surge up against us, the closer let us cling to those
principles, for they will bear us off victoriously to exaltation and
glory in this world and in the worlds to come. The same principles
have, exalted our Father and our God to his present state of glory and
power, and they will exalt you and me and all who will abide them in
the scale of human existence and eternal progression. They are the
same principles which have been revealed in the latter days for the
salvation of mankind, and for their exaltation to the presence of God
the Father in heaven. They have always existed, and always will
continue to exist. They will abide after the refuge of lies has been
swept away. It is not now as it has been in days and years gone by.
The kingdom is now established; it is upon the earth never again to be
prevailed against or to be overcome by sin and iniquity.

Vol. 10,  p.8
All men have their volition, and [p.8] are responsible to God alone
for it. As the kingdom of God grows and becomes mighty upon the earth,
laws will be given suited to the condition of the children of men, in
their respective governments and nationalities, according to their
views and principles. The supreme law of the world will be the law of
God, and all people will choose to obey or disobey as they list. All
will be governed according to their circumstances and the principles
which will be revealed from time to time for their best good. This is
not the work of a day, but of eternity—it is without beginning of days
or end of years.

Vol. 10,  p.8
I feel gratified that I live in this day and age of the world; I am
thankful for this privilege. "Would you not have preferred to live in
the days of Jesus?" says one. No, nor in the days of Moses, nor in the
days of Noah. Had I lived in Noah's days I might have been drowned in
the great flood. I prefer to live now—to-day—in the days of Brigham
and Heber, and in the days of the great Prophet Joseph and Hyrum,
although they did not stay long with us. They are not far away from
us, neither is the Lord. Brigham is here, Heber and Daniel are here,
and the Twelve Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ are here, and the
organization of the Church and kingdom of God is here, with the Holy
Priesthood which is after the order of the Son of God; and this is the
great chain which opens up a communication between the heavens and the
earth, and in it there is safety; and through it truth will prevail
over the face of the whole earth, and by its power the kingdom of God
will be established upon the earth no more to be prevailed against.
What matters it to us who speaks in anger against it? The truth is all
the same, no matter who walks it under their feet. The eternal
principles of salvation and exaltation are the same, no matter who
does despite to them.

Vol. 10,  p.8
In trying to injure the truth, and impede it in its progress, they
only injure themselves,. and will bring upon themselves swift
destruction and a righteous judgment according as it shall be ordered
by our Father in heaven. God is merciful and forbearing. Can we
forbear as well as he can? We can, although we are far from being as
good as he is. If he can forbear many years with a man who will not
say grace over his meat, or bend his knee to his God in acknowledgment
of his mercy, we surely can bear a little with the infirmities of our
brethren, and the ignorance of the ungodly world.

Vol. 10,  p.8
As a people and community we have borne much; and all we have ever
asked of any people or government has been our rights in common with
the rest of mankind; but these they seek to withhold from us, which
they have no right to do, hence they are under condemnation, and we
shall go free. We believe and worship as we choose, and live under a
Government that guarantees unto us that right. Inasmuch as they do not
give us those rights, they violate one of the holiest and most sacred
provisions of the Constitution of our country, and destruction will be
the consequence. The fathers of the revolution fought and bled to
secure this holy right to their children so long as the world should
last or the Government continue. We are therefore bold in declaring
our principles, and in defending our rights. There are countries in
the world where imprisonment would be the penalty of the free
expression of principles and rights; but they do not live under and
enjoy the blessings of the Constitution which we live under. Yet even
in this free country some have sought to deprive us of the free
enjoyment of the privileges granted unto us in the Constitution [p.9]
of our country, and they will have to pay the penalty for so doing,
for they trample under foot the Constitution that grants to them their
own liberties, and thus subvert their own liberties, which it becomes
them as well as us to preserve inviolate. It becomes us to cleave to
God and our holy religion, trusting in him because in him there is
power—in him there is strength; and if we remain faithful, we shall
come off victorious, and walk under our feet every principle that is
calculated to destroy, and rear the standard of truth and
righteousness in the world in spite of hell and all the hosts thereof.
Let us be encouraged, and go steadily on in the performance of our
duties, cultivating the earth, and bringing from the elements all we
need for our sustenance that we may be free and independent, so far as
we can, by depending on our own resources with which the Lord has
abundantly blessed us. We are greatly blessed in that the Lord has
planted our feet in these quiet valleys from those who sought our
destruction; while he has brought an overwhelming destruction on them,
he has brought safety to us. We can see his wisdom, and his mighty
hand manifested in this. Let us henceforth put our trust in that arm
which has been so prominently made bare in saving the righteous. May
God add his blessing. Amen.

Wilford Woodruff, July 27, 1862

Fulfilment of Prophecy—Power 
of the Gospel—Consistency of Its Principles 

Discourse by Elder WILFORD WOODRUFF, 
delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, July 27, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.9
Brother Taylor gave us a very interesting discourse this morning upon
the first principles of the Gospel, contrasting them with the religion
of the Christian world, showing the authority by which they
administered in different ages the ordinances of religion according to
the traditions of their fathers. He remarked that the Elders of this
Church went forth as the Apostles did in the days of the Savior,
promising to the people, on conditions of obedience, the gift of the
Holy Ghost; and he remarked that no other people would do that,
because they do not possess the authority to do it.

Vol. 10,  p.9
I do not know that I can spend the few moments that I may speak here,
better than to read a little on the authority that we have for
pursuing this course. This portion that [p.10] I am going to read, is
the word of the Lord to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, as well as to the whole world:—

Vol. 10,  p.10
"Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of Him who dwells
on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say, hearken
ye people from afar, and ye that are upon the islands of the sea,
listen together; for verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and
there is none to escape, and there is no eye that shall not see,
neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be
penetrated: and the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow, for
their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret
acts shall be revealed; and the voice of warning shall be unto all
people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these
last days, and they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the
Lord have commanded them.

Vol. 10,  p.10
"Behold, this is mine authority, and the authority of my servants, and
my preface unto the book of my commandments, which I have given them
to publish unto you, O inhabitants of the earth: wherefore, fear and
tremble, O ye people, for what I the Lord have decreed in them shall
be fulfilled. And verily, I say unto you, that they who go forth,
bearing these tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, to them is
power given to seal both on earth and in heaven, the unbelieving and
rebellious; yea, verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath
of God shall be poured out upon the wicked without measure; unto the
day when the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to
his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he
has measured to his fellow-man.

Vol. 10,  p.10
"Wherefore the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that
all that will hear may hear: prepare ye, prepare ye for that which is
to come, for the Lord is nigh; and the anger of tire Lord is kindled,
and his sword is bathed in heaven, and it shall fall upon the
inhabitants of the earth; and the arm of the Lord shall be revealed.
and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord,
neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of
the Prophets and Apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; for
they have strayed from mine ordinances, and they have broken mine
everlasting covenant; they seek not the Lord, to establish his
righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the
image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and
whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish
in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.

Vol. 10,  p.10
"Wherefore I, the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon
the inhabitants of the earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith,
jun., and spake unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments; and
also gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these
things unto the world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which
was written by the Prophets; the weak things of the world shall come
forth and break down the mighty and strong ones; that man should not
counsel his fellow-man, neither trust in the arm of flesh, but that
every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of
the world; that faith also might increase in the earth; that mine
everlasting covenant might be established; that the fulness of my
Gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of
the world, and before kings and rulers.

Vol. 10,  p.11
"Behold, I am God and have [p.11] spoken it: these commandments are of
me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the
manner of their language, that they might come to understanding, and
inasmuch as they erred it might be made known: and inasmuch as they
sought wisdom they might be instructed; and inasmuch as they sinned
they might be chastened, that they might repent: and inasmuch as they
were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and
receive knowledge from time to time: and after having received the
record of the Nephites, yea, even my servant Joseph Smith, jun., might
have power to translate through the mercy of God, by the power of God,
the Book of Mormon; and also those to whom these commandments were
given, might have power to lay the foundation of this church, and to
bring it forth out of obscurity and out of darkness, the only true and
living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the
Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not
individually, for I, the Lord, cannot look upon sin with the least
degree of allowance; nevertheless, he that repents and does the
commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven; and he that repents not,
from him shall be taken even the light which he has received, for my
Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.

Vol. 10,  p.11
"And again, verily I say unto you, O inhabitants of the earth, I the
Lord am willing to make these things known unto all flesh, for I am no
respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day
speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace
shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his
own dominion, and also the Lord shall have power over his Saints, and
shall reign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon
Idumea, or the world.

Vol. 10,  p.11
"Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the
prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.

Vol. 10,  p.11
"What I, the Lord, have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not
myself: and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall
not pass away, but all shall be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice
or by the voice of my servants, it is the same; for behold and lo, the
Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true,
and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen."—[See Doc. & Cov., pages
65-68.]

Vol. 10,  p.11
What do you think of that revelation, brethren? Does this look like a
Yankee scheme, or something made up to cheat somebody? No, this is the
word of the Lord; it is a sermon of itself. The Lord has sustained
that revelation from that day to the present, and that is the reason
why brother Taylor and the Elders of this Church go forth declaring
the words of life, and they know that they have not taken this honor
upon themselves, but that they were called of God as was Aaron. I do
not care how illiterate an Elder in this Church is, if he has been
faithful to his calling; it is a matter I care but little about if a
man can neither read or write, if he has been called and ordained to
the Priesthood in this Church and kingdom by Joseph Smith, or any of
those ordained by him to that Priesthood which was given unto the
Prophet by Peter, James and John, who by commandment came and ordained
him to the Melchisedec Priesthood. John the Baptist held the Aaronic
Priesthood, and the authority commenced there, and by those men that
held the keys of the kingdom of God in former dispensations. It is
that authority that has inspired this; it is this that has inspired
the Elders of Israel from [p.12] the commencement to the present day.

Vol. 10,  p.12
Why should the Elders and people now think it strange that those
messengers who have gone forth, shouldering their knapsacks and
travelling thousands of miles to preach the Gospel, should be the
especial objects of his favor?  The Almighty has proven them all the
day long, and he has been with them, and in fact there has never been
any portion of the Priesthood officiating in sacred ordinances but God
has been with them. In this revelation the Lord calls upon his
servants, and says, "I, the Lord, am willing to make this known to the
children of men, that I have called my servant Joseph, that the world
may be left without excuse."

Vol. 10,  p.12
Joseph Smith knew just as well as the Lord knew that he was called of
God, and that he was called to perform a work for the redemption of
man. Has he ever disappointed anybody when he has made a promise to
them? Has he ever disappointed a Prophet or lawgiver in any age of the
world? No, never. But he has declared that the heavens and the earth
shall pass away, but his word shall never pass away, but that it shall
all be fulfilled. It is just so in our day. All the words which the
Lord has spoken through his servants will be fulfilled to the very
letter, whether those words are in reference to the salvation of the
righteous or the condemnation of the wicked. Christ had his mind upon
this point when he said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my
words shall not pass away."—Matthew xxiv, 35. Again, it is written,
"For I will hasten my word to perform it;" and when the Lord spake
through Isaiah upon this subject he said. "So shall my word be that
goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not returns unto me void, but it
shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it." The Elders go forth to preach the Gospel to
the nations of the earth, knowing that the Lord will back up their
word by the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 10,  p.12
There is but one Gospel, neither will there be any other for the
salvation of this, nor of any other world that we know of; but this we
do know that tiffs Gospel preached in any age of the world will
produce the same effect.) We also know that any man who receives this
Priesthood, and is faithful thereunto, will receive the same blessings
and power in any and every age of the world. On this account and for
this reason, Utah—the valleys of Deseret are being filled with the
children of men. The Almighty has sent his servants to preach the
Gospel; they have not gone upon their own authority: had they done so,
they might have called upon the inhabitants of the earth fill
doomsday, and they would not have been successful, but this land would
still have been a desert, occupied only by Indians and wild beasts.
But the hand of God was with us, and hence we had no fear of telling
the people our message, and now there are tens of thousands who know
the truth as well as we do, for they have embraced the Gospel and
received this testimony for themselves. There never was a man that
embraced this Gospel, but has received this testimony of the truth, if
he has done so in sincerity and in truth. The Lord has always been
ready to redeem his promise, and in giving that testimony which was
necessary for the establishing of them in the most holy faith.

Vol. 10,  p.12
The Lord has sustained us as a people in all places and under all
circumstances. We have gone forth as sheep among wolves; among a
people full of tradition and superstition, and we have had all these
things to cope with in our administrations among [p.13] the people,
but the Lord was with us wherever we went, backing up our words by the
testimony and power of the Holy Ghost, and the people to whom we
administered received the same testimony as had been given unto us.

Vol. 10,  p.13
We are beginning to realize that the things which the Lord has
promised unto us thirty years ago are now being fulfilled to the very
letter. Is there much peace in the world of mankind? No, there is not:
peace is fast being taken from the children of men. We are at peace in
Utah, but let me tell you that the Lord has foretold by the
revelations of Jesus Christ all these things that are now fulfilling
before our eyes.

Vol. 10,  p.13
I copied a revelation more than twenty-five years ago, in which it is
stated that war should be in the south and in the north, and that
nation after nation would become embroiled in the tumult and
excitement, until war should be poured out upon the whole earth, and
that this war would commence at the rebellion of South Carolina, and
that times should be such that every man who did not flee to Zion
would have to take up the sword against his neighbor or against his
brother. These things are beginning to be made manifest, but the end
is not yet; but it will come, and that too much sooner than the world
of mankind anticipate, and all those things spoken by the mouths of
his Prophets will be fulfilled.

Vol. 10,  p.13
We are gathering together here for certain purposes understood and in
the mind of the Lord, one of which is that we may be sanctified and
prepared. for the great work of the future. We have carried this work
to the various nations of the earth, and the people to whom we have
preached have thought of us saying that there was no other Gospel than
that which we bad to proclaim, as was clearly and demonstratively set
forth to-day. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perfect in all its parts.
The words of the Psalmist David will apply to our religion, where he
says:—"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of
the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord
is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous
altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine
gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb."

Vol. 10,  p.13
According to the vision of John the Revelator, there are to be "six
hundred, threescore and six" false sects of religion: how many of
these already exist is a matter of dispute among theologists, but I
suppose that the number is nearly complete. Let me now ask if you
think things look or indicate that these contending creeds are all of
God. It is certainly not like the order carried out in the days of
Christ and his Apostles. It is much more like the confusion of the
Pharisees, Essenes, Herodians, Sadducees and Stoics, for they had
different creeds, principles and notions by which they were governed,
and it is just so now with the sectarian world. It is composed of
every sect and party that profess religion upon the lace of the earth.
But the honest in heart will be gathered out of all these creeds and
systems and be brought home to Zion.

Vol. 10,  p.13
There have been thousands of men and women who have listened to the
preaching of the Elders of this Church, who have not embraced it for
fear of their good name; and there have been many clergymen who have
listened attentively to the Elders of Israel, and they have spent days
and nights in meditating upon the things of God, and studying what to
[p.14] do, realizing within themselves that if they received this
testimony they would be dishonored in the eyes of the world. They fear
becoming a hiss and a by-word among the children of men in this
generation. Hence the majority of them have rejected it.

Vol. 10,  p.14
Many celebrated men have investigated this subject, and far more of
them have had fears that it was true than that it Was false. I visited
folks in Long Island in 1837; I talked with one minister named Newton,
in fact I stayed with him some twelve days and preached the Gospel to
him. He attended meetings, and finally became so that he could neither
eat, drink, nor sleep, he was so troubled about the Gospel; but
instead of embracing it, sent after a minister who lived on the south
side of the island for the purpose of having me put down or silenced.
I persevered and soon baptized most of the members of Mr. Newton's
church. Mr. Douglass, a Methodist minister of the south side of the
island came, stayed a short time and then returned. I followed him
home and succeeded in baptizing most of his church; and instead of
these men getting any honor by opposing me they were both brought into
disgrace. They lost their religion, their church and members, and were
really disgraced. When I was there last, one of them was in the
Penitentiary for one of the worst crimes that a man can be guilty of,
except murder, and the other was travelling the streets peddling small
articles for his bread. The chastening hand of the Lord will always
follow those that oppose the truth of Heaven as revealed through the
Prophet of God. This is in accordance with the experience of all our
Elders. The Holy Ghost has been with them to back up their words, and
I can say for all that, we have not done a thing but it has been
backed up by the power of the Almighty, so far as we have labored for
the upbuilding of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 10,  p.14
In regard to holding office in the Priesthood, I can truly say that I
never asked any man for any office in this Church, and I believe I
never asked the Lord but once, and my asking the Lord came about in
this way. I went up to Missouri in Zion's camp; I saw the Prophet
every day, and I knew he was a Prophet of God. About this time I had a
great anxiety to preach the Gospel; this desire increased upon me, and
I finally resolved to ask the Lord to open my way, so I went down into
a hickory grove and prayed, during which I asked him to give me the
privilege to preach the Gospel. I prayed fervently to the Almighty to
give me the privilege of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and
when I got through praying I started for the place from whence I came,
and I had not walked more than about forty rods before I met a High
Priest, and the first thing he said to me was, "It is the will of the
Lord that you go and preach the Gospel." I told him I was ready and
willing to do anything the Lord required of me; I was therefore
ordained a Priest and sent to labor in Arkansas.

Vol. 10,  p.14
I will now name a circumstance which I have never named in public
before. I went into Arkansas, travelled a hundred miles out of my way
to see a man that had embraced the Gospel some time before I went
there. He was full of wrath and indignation when I went in; he railed
against Joseph Smith, Bishop Partridge and Father Morley. The Lord
showed me the night before that I had enemies in that town. I talked
over my feelings with the brother who accompanied me, and he wanted to
leave the town, but I said no, I would not go away, for I wanted to
see what the Lord wanted of me. All the people were mad with rage, and
we [p.15] could not get anybody to preach to; in fact they were all
full of rage till they were mad with it. For some time I could not see
my way clearly, but we finally called upon an old man named Hubbard,
and engaged to go and clear timber. During the short time that we were
employed at that the Lord sent me three times to visit that old
apostate, and each time when I went there I could only bear testimony
to him of the truth of the Gospel. When I went the third time he
followed me out of the house as full of wrath as the Devil, and he had
not followed me more than about eight rods When he fell dead at my
feet. This is a short story and a very singular one.

Vol. 10,  p.15
At that time I had not power to lay on hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost, only holding the Aaronic Priesthood, but the Lord sustained me
and his work just as well as if I had been an Apostle. We baptized
father Hubbard and his wife, after which we went on our way rejoicing.
The Lord has fed and sustained his servants, and manifested his power
according to circumstances, and so he will continue to do through life
to all that are faithful and true to their covenants.

Vol. 10,  p.15
When the United States sent an army to this land for our destruction,
the Lord had his eye upon us for good and he delivered us from all our
enemies. The wicked have designed our destruction from the first
organization of this Church and kingdom, but our leaders have been
inspired by the gift and power of God. Who frustrated that army in
their design? The Lord our God; and now the judgments that have come
upon the nation in consequence of their treatment to this people, are
a sore vexation to them, but it is the hand-dealing of the Almighty
and we cannot help it. Every Elder in this Church who lives his
religion knows that this which is now transpiring is according to the
mind and forshadowings of the Holy Spirit, and those out of the Church
may know if they will. If persons will believe the Bible, the Book of
Doctrines and Covenants, and the Book of Mormon, they can therein
learn the fate of the world, for it is there pointed out in great
plainness. Who can stay this war that is devastating the whole nation
both North and South? No human hand; it is out of the power of man,
excepting by the repentance of the whole nation, for they have shed
the blood of the Prophets, driven this Church and people from their
midst, yes, the very people that hold the keys of salvation for the
world they have banished from their midst, they have turned those keys
that will seal their condemnation, and for this the Lord our God has
taken peace out of their midst. Will there ever be any more peace
among them? No, not until the earth is drenched with the blood of the
inhabitants thereof. When the spirit of the Gospel leaves any people
it leaves them in a worse condition than it found them, the spirit of
ferocity, darkness and war will take hold of that people, and the time
will come when every man that does not take his sword against his
neighbor will have to go to Zion for safety.

Vol. 10,  p.15
These things sound strange in the ears of our neighbors of the nation
with which we are connected, but let me tell you they are strictly
true. Remember Christ's words in regard to the temple, viz., "There
shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown
down."—Matthew xxiv., 2. The Lord Jesus Christ is as truthful now as
he was then, and no power can stay his hand. Have we any fears of the
consequences of what will transpire? No, we have not, for we know that
God is at the helm.[p.16] 

Vol. 10,  p.16
When this kingdom commenced it was like a mustard seed, very small,
but the Lord has sustained it and he will continue to control it to
the end of time. Although peace is being taken from the earth yet this
kingdom will thrive and prosper until every kingdom and government
shall be broken to pieces, and every power shall be subject to the God
of heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.16
Here are Elders who are faithful and true who have preached the Gospel
from Maine to Texas, and from the Atlantic to California, and the
warning voice has been lifted in Europe and in the Islands of the Sea,
and thousands have embraced it and been made to rejoice in the truth.

Vol. 10,  p.16
We know that this work is of God, and that it will roll forth and
prosper though all the world oppose. War is only one of the troubles
that the United States are going to receive; and I can further
testify, that there is no nation that will escape the judgment's of
the Almighty. There is no ear but what has to be penetrated with the
sound of the Gospel of Christ; and by-and-by the Elders of Israel will
be taken from those nations where they are now preaching, and there
will be another set of Missionaries sent amongst the people; there
will be the voice of lightning, the noise of war, and of all those
judgments which have been enumerated and prophesied of since the
beginning of time, and they will go forth among the nations until the
land is cleansed from the abominations that now reign upon the face of
the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.16
When this Gospel was first proclaimed to the world, darkness covered
the earth; and wherever this doctrine is preached by those having
authority and it is rejected, that people become more dark than they
were before, and go blindly along like the ox to the slaughter, and
they will sooner or later be overtaken by the judgments of the
Almighty.

Vol. 10,  p.16
This is the nature of our testimony, brethren and sisters, we know
that this work is true; we also know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet
of God, and the Bible could not have been fulfilled unless the Lord
had raised up Prophets to declare the everlasting Gospel unto the
children of men; he never could have brought his judgments upon the
nations until he had raised up those Prophets who were ordained to
come and warn the world. The Lord is now doing this work of warning,
first by his servants and then by his judgments. In speaking of the
kingdom of God I will here remark, that it is always alike, or in
other words it is always governed by the same laws, by Apostles and
Prophets, and you cannot have a Church of Christ without these
officers; there never was such a church since the beginning of the
world. If any person will show me a people that were acknowledged of
God, who did not have Prophets to lead them, I will confess that to be
something which I have not found.

Vol. 10,  p.16
Paul says, speaking of the Church of Christ, "And he gave some
Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some Pastors
and Teachers." Then, in another part of the writings of the same
Apostle, he shows that with such an organization one part cannot say
to the other "I have no need of thee," but that all are necessary in
the Church of Christ. It is just so with the gifts and graces of the
Gospel. A great many of you have seen men without some of their limbs,
and just as quick as I come to a man who has lost an arm I see it. I
remember once seeing a man in London without any legs, dragging along
as best he could, and of course it was very inconvenient for him to
travel: but I will tell you one thing which I never did see, I never
saw any man going around without any head. A man can live without arms
[p.17] or without legs, but he cannot without a head, and it is
precisely so with the Church of Christ; one is just as impossible as
the other. No other order has been manifested in this our day. We have
a Prophet to lead and govern this people; we also have pastors and
teachers, the Holy Ghost and the revelations of Jesus Christ right
from heaven unto us, and we are realizing every day the fulfilment of
these things that are promised to the faithful.

Vol. 10,  p.17
Brethren and sisters, we ought to be truly thankful to our Father and
God, for he has been merciful to us, he has bestowed upon us his
Spirit so that our ears have been opened to hear and our hearts to
understand and to rejoice in the good things of the kingdom of God.
And how lamentable it is that so few in the present generation have
embraced the fulness of the Gospel, perhaps not one in ten thousand
have received the truth. The Jews have suffered long and grievously
for their rebellion, and they will continue to suffer for some time
yet, but woe unto the Gentiles when they reject the light that is
offered, for when that stone, which is spoken of in Scripture, falls
upon them they cannot escape the crushing power thereof, it will grind
them to powder.

Vol. 10,  p.17
Let us be faithful, serve our God and trust in him, and then, through
the influence of his Spirit we shall know the signs of the times, and
be prepared and made meet for our Master's use.

Vol. 10,  p.17
I ask that this may be our portion, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Brigham Young, October 6, 1862

Never Ending Character of a Saints' 
Mission Organization of the Kingdom of God

Discourse by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.17
We have opened our Conference to present before the congregation such
principles and doctrines and to transact such business as may be
necessary for the instruction and edification of the Saints and the
advancement of the cause of truth.

Vol. 10,  p.17
It has been remarked by some of the Missionaries who have lately
returned, that though they had arrived at home, they did not consider
their missions at an end. When persons become subjects of the kingdom
of God they enter upon a mission that will never end. They may turn
away from the holy commandments, and forsake the kingdom, but so long
as they remain faithful so long will their missions as advocates for
God and his righteousness be continued. [p.18] There may be intervals
of rest, of relaxation from the more arduous duties of their missions,
but in such times they are not by any means to consider their missions
ended. Christ will not cease his labors pertaining to this earth until
it is redeemed and sanctified ready to be presented spot, less to the
Father.

Vol. 10,  p.18
Luke records the words of Christ as follows:—"But rather seek ye the
kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew
records the saving still fuller:—"But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto
you." Jesus Christ did not exhort his followers to seek something they
could not find, something that was not within their reach. He did not
exhort them to ascend up to heaven to bring the kingdom down, nor to
descend into the deep to bring it up, but he came to establish that
kingdom, and it was nigh unto them. I would say to the Latter-day
Saints, seek to know that the kingdom of God has been organized in our
own time. When this kingdom is organized in any age, the Spirit of it
dwells in the hearts of the faithful, while its visible department
exists among the people, with laws, ordinances, helps, governments,
officers, administrators, and every other appendage necessary for its
complete operation to the attainment of the end in view. Seek to know
that the kingdom of God is organized upon the earth, and be sure to
know that you have an interest, in that kingdom, and enjoy the Spirit
of it day by day, for this is, or ought to be, nearer to our hearts
than all earthly considerations. This privilege is within the reach of
all, when the Gospel is proclaimed to them. When men truly and
heartily repent, and make manifest to the heavens that their
repentance is genuine by obedience to the requirements made known to
them through the laws of the Gospel, then are they entitled to the
administration of salvation, and no power can withhold the good Spirit
from them. Cornelius is an instance of this. The Holy Ghost fell on
him and his household, through their faith and earnest repentance,
before they were baptized.

Vol. 10,  p.18
That we may understand things as they are, and thereby learn to
sanctify ourselves before the Lord our God, it is essentially
necessary that we practically bye our religion. Every true believer of
this Gospel is anxious to gather to the home of the Saints. I think I
am safe in saying, that if there was a highway cast up flora England
to the shores of the continent of America, there are men who would be
willing to measure the ground with their bodies to reach this place.
Even this does not tell their anxiety to be here; it must be seen in
the spirit, to know it as it really is. We are agreed in gathering the
Saints, as well as in the initiatory ordinances of the Gospel of
peace.

Vol. 10,  p.18
It may be said that the tug of trials has commenced when the Saints
begin to cross the plains to this place. This temporal duty puts all
their spiritual attainments to the test. Them are but few persons who
thoroughly understand how to organize and lead a company across the
plains, and in this alone arises many inconveniences and trials to the
immigrants. How many hearts are prepared to meet the difficulties,
privations, trials and labors to be encountered on the plains, without
murmuring and complaining? I should think but few. To believe the
Gospel and embrace it, to believe all that is written in the Bible,
Book of Mormon and Book of Doctrine and Covenants, is but a small
matter compared with giving up comfortable homes, friends and
relatives, being tossed upon the boisterous ocean, confined [p.19] in
narrow limits, and being jostled in railway cars, exposed to the
insults and ridicule of rude and wicked persons that always assemble
on the public highways, and suffering the hardships and privations
incident to travelling over the plains.

Vol. 10,  p.19
I wish the people not to lose sight of one thing: that every day's
labor, every moment's toil, every prayer and exertion which they make
points to the building up of the kingdom of God upon the earth. Let us
seek daily to know that the kingdom of God is established among us,
according to the pattern in the heavens. Under this knowledge our
actions will constantly point in the right direction, and every move
we make will enhance the interests of the general cause. When this
kingdom is established in its two-fold capacity—spiritually and
temporally—then it is given unto us to know how to secure everything
else that is necessary to enjoy on the earth. But it is our duty first
to seek to know that the kingdom of God is established and organized
upon the earth, that we have an interest in it, that that interest
above all others is the nearest and dearest to our hearts, as our
present and eternal welfare is embraced in it, and that we possess the
Spirit of this kingdom and enjoy it day by day.

Vol. 10,  p.19
Remarks have been made relating to the Saints travelling in
independent companies. When an independent company undertakes to
travel across the plains, they are generally too independent for their
own safety and good. There never was and never will be a people in
heaven nor on earth, in time nor in eternity, that can be considered
truly and entirely independent of counsel and direction. Our
independent companies entertain the same mistaken views of
independence as people generally do of the independence of a
Republican Government. Man in his ignorance is impatient of control,
and when he finds himself from under its influence he supposes that he
is then independent, or, in other words, that he is a free man.
Independence so viewed and so employed, either individually or
collectively, religiously or politically must open a wide arena of
action for all the evil, selfish and malignant qualities of depraved
men, introducing distraction into every ramification of society,
destroying confidence, checking the onward progress of industry and
universal prosperity, and bringing in famine, pestilence and
destruction everywhere. An independent company of immigrants can
appoint their own captain to guide them across the plains, and they
can also dispute every act of his for their good. They can find fault
with him for camping too soon or too late; for camping in this, that
or the other place; and if he offers them good advice, reject it
because they are iudependent and free, as they suppose. Individual
self-government lies at the root of all true and effective government,
whether in heaven or on earth. Those who govern should be wiser and
better than the governed, that the lesser may be blessed of the
greater. Were this so, then the people would willingly repose their
dearest interests to the trusts of their rulers or leaders, and with a
feeling of pleasure bow to and carry out to the letter their
instructions and conclusions on all matters that pertained to the
general good.  this will apply to great kingdoms and mighty nations,
to small companies of immigrants crossing the plains, or to the home
circle. A Republican Government in the hands of a wicked people must
terminate in woe to that people, but in the hands of the righteous it
is everlasting, while its power reaches to heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.20
I had the pleasure of leading the first company of Saints to these
[p.20] valleys, assisted by a few of my brethren. In this business we
have had a good experience.

Vol. 10,  p.20
I will here take the liberty of relating a little of my first career
in "Mormonism." In 1834, brother Joseph Smith the Prophet, started
with a company from the State of Ohio, picking up others as he passed
through various States on his route until he arrived in Missouri. We
had grumblers in that camp. We had to be troubled with uneasy, unruly
and discontented spirits. This was the first time we had ever
travelled in the capacity of a large company, and it was my first
experience in that mode of travelling. Brother Joseph led, counselled
and guided the company, and contended against those unruly, evil
disposed persons. When we arrived in Missouri, the Lord spoke to his
servant Joseph and said, "I have accepted your offering," and we had
the privilege to return again. On my return many friends asked me what
profit there was in calling men from their labor to go up to Missouri
and then return, without apparently accomplishing anything. "Who has
it benefited?" asked they. "If the Lord did command it to be done what
object had he in view in doing sow I was then comparatively ignorant,
to what I am now, in regard to the spirits and actions of mankind But
I then learned that those persons who asked me such questions were
weak in the faith and, like a faulty column in an edifice, could not
bear up under the burden designed to rest upon them. This has since
proved to be the case. I wish this fact to sink into your hearts, that
when men or women have doubts, they also have fear; and when they have
fear they are in danger of what? Of themselves. Want of confidence is
the parent of moral imbecility and intellectual weakness. Hear it, ye
Saints, that man or woman that is crowned with crowns of glory,
immortality and eternal lives will never be heard to grumble or
complain. I told those brethren that I was well paid—paid with heavy
interest—yea that my measure was filled to overflowing with the
knowledge that I had received by travelling with the Prophet. When
companies are led across the plains by inexperienced persons,
especially independent companies, they are very apt to break into
pieces, to divide up into fragments, become weakened, and thus expose
themselves to the influences of death and destruction.

Vol. 10,  p.20
I sometimes think that I would be willing to give anything, to do
almost anything in reason, to see one fully organized Branch of this
kingdom—one fully organized Ward. "But," says one, "I had supposed
that the kingdom of God was organized long ago." So it it is, in one
sense; and again, in another sense it, is not. Wheresoever this Gospel
has been preached and people have received it, the spiritual kingdom
is set up and organized, but is Zion organized? No. Is there even in
this Territory a fully organized Ward? Not one. It may be asked, "Why
do you not fully organize the Church?" Because the people are
incapable of being organized. I could organize a large Ward who would
be subject to a full organization, by selecting familes from the
different Wards, but at present such a Branch of the Church is not in
existence.

Vol. 10,  p.20
I am satisfied that the mechanical ability of the people of this
Territory will rank with that of any other people, but there is not
one in five hundred that knows how to husband his ability and
economize his labor when he first comes to this new country. They are
for a time like a feather in the wind, until some circumstance occurs
to settle them in some position where they can begin to do something
to provide for themselves. It is not easy to find a [p.21] Bishop that
knows how to settle, in a proper way, the smallest difficulty that may
occur in his Ward. There are but few men that can guide themselves,
and gather around them the comforts and wealth of this life. In the
settlements I passed through during my late visit south, I saw
comparatively. little wisdom manifested in the style and extent of
their improvements. Men who have been in this Church ten, fifteen, and
twenty years, and in this country from the first settlement of it,
possessing flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and horses running upon
the plains, what kind of houses have they? Log hovels and mud buts.
What have they in their houses? Two tin plates, a broken knife, and a
fork with one prong. If a person calls for lodgings, "O yes, you can
stay and welcome. Come wife, bake some potatoes and squash, and roast
some meat, bake some biscuit, and stew a little of that fruit I bought
at the store," and all this the poor woman has to do in one little
bake kettle. A good natured man enough, an easy going sort of person,
and his hair looks as though it had not been cut or combed for years.
After supper you retire to bed, and before morning you are made fully
satisfied that you are a man of feeling. Is such enterprise worthy of
Saints? Is this the way to build up cities and make the earth like the
garden of Eden? Do such people know that the kingdom of God is set up
on the earth? "O yes, I have it in me." You have the spiritual kingdom
within you but there is a literal kingdom to build up.

Vol. 10,  p.21
There are scores of Elders in this Church who can preach, baptize and
lay on hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, that do not know how
to produce a livelihood for them selves, a wife, and one child. It
requires but little experience to do this, and much less do they know
how to build a good house, how to lay out and build up a city, how to
lay the foundations of Zion, &c., &c. Can they lead a company of
Saints cross the plains? They can try, and very likely the company
will break to pieces, unless the power of God is among them. This
gives us a striking proof of the necessity of he people's having faith
and power with the heavens, that if their Bishop tees not know what he
ought, their faith will keep him in the right path and the Spirit of
the Lord will open to the vision of his mind the things hat be should
do. That is the duty of the people.

Vol. 10,  p.21
We have a kingdom to organize, and I say, Seek to know that you have
the kingdom within you and that you are in it. Seek to establish the
kingdom of God upon the earth, for that will give you wisdom to add to
yourselves everything necessary. The Lord will not himself plough our
grounds, sow our grain, and reap it when it is ripe. The man that
understands the kingdom of God will seek to understad the elements in
which he lives, and to know something of his own organization, the
design of it, and the designs of Heaven in it. Is the kingdom of God
in its perfection on the earth? It is not. True, we believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, we believe in his ordinances. We believe that the
Lord called Joseph Smith and ordained him an Apostle and Prophet to
this generation, giving him the keys and power of the Holy Priesthood.
We believe in the gathering of the house of Israel in the latter days,
in the redemption of Zion, in the building up and establishment of
Jerusalem, and in the gathering of the Jews from their long
dispersion; in short, we believe all that the ancient Prophets have
spoken, but where is the people that is willing to build up the
visible kingdom of God [p.22] and that is capable of dictating this
great work.

Vol. 10,  p.22
The Lord will make the people willing in the day of his power. This
cannot refer to making the people willing to acknowledge Jesus to be
the Christ; it must refer to something else. Shall we wait until we
are whipped from among the wicked before we are willing to gather out
from among them and flee to Zion? This has been the case with some,
and what are such persons good for when they get to Zion? I do not,
however, wish to disturb anybody's feelings; I am glad to see them
come to a place of safety when they are obliged to; but I would rather
have seen them come in the beginning, when they could have helped to
kill the snakes, build the bridges, make the roads, and manifest their
faith that we could raise fruit, grain and every staple necessary of
life in this country, help to open the kanyons, build the mills, bring
out the lumber and build towns and cities. But we are glad to see them
as they are, and we will do the best we can with them. There are more
coming.

Vol. 10,  p.22
Which will be best eventually, to go to with our might, to build up
the Zion of God on the earth, or wait until we are whipped to it? I
can only broach the subject of building up the kingdom of God as it
must be built up in the latter days; I will leave it for others to
talk upon during the Conference, or not, as they please. I know what I
have to do, and that is to teach this people to appreciate their own
present lives. There is no life more precious than the present life
which we enjoy; there is no life that is worth any more to us than
this life is. It may be said that an eternal life is worth more. We
are in eternity, and all that we have to do is to take the road that
leads into the eternal lives. Eternal life is an inherent quality of
the creature, and nothing but sin can put a termination to it. The
elements in their nature are as eternal as are the Gods. Let us learn,
under the guidance and direction of Heaven how to use these eternal
elements for the building up, establishment and sending forth of the
kingdom of God, gathering up the poor in heart to begin with, and the
further things we will learn as we progress.

Vol. 10,  p.22
Some of you may ask why the Lord did not perfectly organize at least
one Branch of the Church? When a great blessing is bestowed upon a
people, and that blessing is not strictly honored and lived to, in
proportion to the greatness of that blessing, over and above what has
been previously enjoyed, it will be a curse to them. I recollect that
Joseph once said to me, when he was talking upon the principle of the
Lord's raising up seed to himself upon the earth—a royal Priesthood, a
holy nation that can offer sacrifices acceptable to God"Brother
Brigham, it will damn many of the Elders of Israel." There are but few
men in this kingdom that are now worthy of that blessing, yet all who
are in full fellowship must enjoy it.

Vol. 10,  p.22
We will wait patiently until we can get the people to know how to
secure to themselves the comforts of life, good houses, for instance,
and know how to raise fruit as well as bread. the best fruit I ever
saw in any country I saw exhibited in our recent fair. It has been
told the people, from the first of our coating into this country,
there existed in these elements as good material for fruit as can be
found anywhere. Then let us go forth in faith and plant seed in the
ground, and cultivate mother earth and pray over the earth and over
our crops and over all we possess, and the curse will be removed, and
God will restore genialty to the atmosphere and fertility to the soil.

Vol. 10,  p.23
I wish to teach the Elders of this Church how to lead a company across
[p.23] the plains, as well as how to preach the Gospel; to learn them
how to be a Bishop, a father to the people, as well as how to kneel
down and pray, or to rise up and preach. I wish to learn them how to
reconcile the people one to another, how to build cities, how to
beautify and redeem the earth, how to lead and guide this people to
life eternal, how to preside over their families, and how to conduct
themselves in the common avocations of life. I have, all this and more
constantly before me.

Vol. 10,  p.23
Brethren is your Mission ended? No, it is as much upon you here as
when you are out in the distant parts of the earth preaching the
Gospel. Jesus Christ made water into wine by calling together from the
elements the properties of wine. He fed thousands of people with five
loaves and two small fishes by calling the elements together to
compose bread and fish; and he says, "Greater works than these shall
ye do, because I go to the Father." It is our privilege and our duty
to continue to learn, until we shall have wisdom enough to command the
elements as he did, and until the earth is brought back to its
paradisaical state. But we must first redeem ourselves from every root
of bitterness that may be in our nature, striving daily to overcome
the evil that is in the world and in ourselves, sanctifying our hearts
and affections until there shall he nothing abiding in us contrary to
the Holy Ghost in its perfect and full fruition of enjoyment to the
creature.

Vol. 10,  p.23
I think it likely that after a while I may be able to so humble myself
and become like a little child, as to be taught more fully by the
Heavens. Perhaps, when I am eighty years of age, I may be able to talk
with some Being of a higher sphere than this. Moses saw the glory of
God at that age, and held converse with better beings than he had
formerly conversed with. I hope and trust that; by the time I am that
age I shall also be counted worthy to enjoy the same privilege.

Vol. 10,  p.23
I pray you not to forget what I have said to you this morning, but lay
it up in your hearts, and pray that it may bring forth fruit for the
more perfect establishment of the kingdom of God upon the earth.
Amen.[p.24] 

Brigham Young, October 6, 1862

Future State of Existence

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.24
I will offer a few remarks in relation to the difference between this
and the next state of existence. The next state of existence is a
spiritual one. The spirit which is now clothed with mortal flesh will
be set free from that encumbrance, and the spirits of Saints will be
free from the power of sin and Satan.

Vol. 10,  p.24
This state is a state of trial, wherein the spirit clothed upon with
flesh labors to sanctify, redeem and save the flesh, that in the
resurrection the spirit and the body may be made eternally one,
through the power of the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Vol. 10,  p.24
The next state of existence is the paradisaical state of the spirit, a
state of waiting until the body shall pass through the purification
and refinement given to it by passing through death and the grave;
then cometh the resurrection which bringeth to pass the reunion of the
body and the spirit. "O, how great the plan of our God. For on the
other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirit of the
righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the
spirit and the body are restored to each other again, and all men
become incorruptible and immortal, and they are living souls," &c.

Vol. 10,  p.24
From the state of embryo to the time of birth, and from infancy to
ripe old age, unseen dangers lurk in our path to mar our bodies or to
render our senses inefficient; hence we see the lame, the maimed, the
blind, the deaf, dumb, weak, sickly and so on.

Vol. 10,  p.24
I think it has been taught by some that as we lay our bodies down,
they will so rise again in the resurrection with all the impediments
and imperfections that they had here; and that if a wife does not love
her husband in this state she cannot love him in the next. This is not
so. Those who attain to the blessing of the first or celestial
resurrection will be pure and holy, and perfect in body. Every man and
woman that reaches to this unspeakable attainment will be as beautiful
as the angels that surround the throne of God. If you can, by
faithfulness in this life, obtain the right to come up in the morning
of the resurrection, you need entertain no fears that the wife will be
dissatisfied with her husband, or the husband with the wife; for those
of the first resurrection will he free from sin and from the
consequences and power of sin. This body "is sown in corruption, it is
raised in incorruption; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;
it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body." "And, as we have borne the image
of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."

Vol. 10,  p.24
God has done his part towards putting us in possession of celestial
glory and happiness, by providing the means whereby we may [p.25]
attain to it; and if ever we possess it, we must do so by conforming
to the means provided. God has given the children of men dominion over
the earth and over all things that pertain to it, and has commanded
them to subdue it, and to sanctify themselves before him, and also to
sanctify and beautify the earth by their industry, and by their wisdom
and skill which cometh from God. Learn, for instance, how to yoke
together a pair of oxen, how to manage and drive them across the
plains, how to get timber from the kanyons, how to make brick, and how
to hew stone and bring them into shape and position to please the eye
and create comfort and happiness for the Saints. These are some of the
mysteries of the kingdom. To receive the Gospel and believe and enjoy
it in the spirit, is the simplest part of the work the Latter-day
Saints have to learn and perform.

Vol. 10,  p.25
God has made man lord of all things here below, and it is the labor of
man to bring all things unto subjection to God, by first subjecting
himself to the will of God, and then subjecting all things over which
he has control, in their time and order. The will of God is eternal
life to his people and to all they control.

Vol. 10,  p.25
May God bless you. Amen.

Brigham Young, June 8, 1862

Design of the Lord in Gathering Together His 
People Wisdom and Economy in Domestic Affairs

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, June 8, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.25
The miracles wrought in the days of Moses for the deliverance of the
children of Israel from Egyptian bondage, as they are recorded in the
Old Testament, appear to be wonderful displays of the power of God. I
need not here rehearse the history of the children of Israel, with
which the majority of this congregation are well acquainted, but I
wish to say that if all instances where the power of God has been
displayed through the Elders of this Church were written, we should
find that as great and wonderful, miracles have been wrought among
this people as have been wrought among any people in any age of the
world, and yet this Church is only in its infancy. The children of
Israel, it is written, were brought out of Egypt with an high hand and
an outstretched arm, to inherit a land flowing with milk and honey; we
have assembled in these distant valleys for the trial of our faith.
They were delivered out of a [p.26] dreadful bondage, leaving none
behind; we have willingly sold and otherwise left our possessions, at
the same time leaving friends, parents, companions, &c., behind. The
distance to their land of promise was but a few miles from the country
of their bondage, while a great many of this people have traversed
over one-half of the globe to reach the valleys of Utah.

Vol. 10,  p.26
Brother Goddard spoke this morning in relation to the words of the
Lord pertaining to the saving of paper rags. His remarks were amusing,
and had he coupled some of the ancient revelations and sayings,
recorded as the Lord's, with his remarks concerning paper rags, those
remarks would have been still more amusing; such for instance, as "If
a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way in any tree, or on
the ground, whether they be young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting
upon the young or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the
young; but thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, and take the young
to thee; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong
thy days." Again, "Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass
together." Again, "Thou shall make thee fringes upon the four quarters
of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself," &c., &c. Seeing many
such instances as these in the Bible, we cannot marvel at a man's
talking about paper rags in a religious meeting, and saying that it is
the word of the Lord or at least the word of wisdom that we should
save our rags.

Vol. 10,  p.26
Let us realize one fact in addition to the great miracles that have
ever been exhibited among God's people. From the beginning of the
world to this time, when the Lord has gathered together a people to be
a chosen people to him, he has always begun to educate them by
instructing them in the little things pertaining to life, which he
never does when his people remain mixed with the wicked. Before the
Lord, through Moses, called upon the children of Israel to leave
Egypt, he had no such instructions for them as we have quoted; he had
nothing to say to them about governing themselves, nor about driving
out their enemies before them, nor taking a course to sustain
themselves: in fact, they were far below this people in the scale of
independence and civilized life. In righteousness this people far
excel the ancient Israelites; indeed, I would not wish to compare the
righteousness of the children of Israel with the righteousness of the
Latter-day Saints, for multitudes of the Latter-day Saints will enter
into the rest of the Lord, but only two persons out of the hosts of
Israel were permitted to do so.

Vol. 10,  p.26
While the meek of the earth remain scattered among the wicked, the
Elders of this Church can go forth with the Old and New Testament in
their hands, and show what the Lord is going to do in the latter days,
the great miracles he will perform, the gathering of his people, the
saving of his Saints, the building up of Zion, the redeeming of the
house of Israel, the establishing of the ]New Jerusalem, the bringing
back of the ten tribes, and the consuming of their enemies before
them, overthrowing kingdoms, &c., &c., and this is proclaimed to both
Saint. and sinner. But when the people of God are gathered out to one
place, they are then taught the so-called little things that pertain
to every day life, which they cannot be taught while they are in a
scattered condition. Many come here under a mistaken impression; they
think they are gathered to this place to be told how people live in
heaven, to receive a minute description of the inhabitants of heaven,
to be told how they associate [p.27] together, whether they live in
cities, of what the houses are built, what kind of architecture
prevails there, how the cities are laid out, and how the heaven of
heavens is built, who dwells there, where the inhabitants came from,
their stature and complexion, whether God is a personage of tabernacle
or not, what means for locomotion he uses when he visits his friends,
what he eats for breakfast, how often he changes his clothes, what
style of clothing he wears, of what kind of material it is made,
whether they have winter and summer in heaven, seed time and harvest,
&c., &c. But no, my brethren, this is not what you have come here for;
the Lord has called the people together expressly to teach them the
things which pertain to this world and to this life, that they may
know how to honor the life he has given them here. 

Vol. 10,  p.27
The inhabitants of the earth are ignorant with regard to the design of
their being; they are as ignorant in this respect as the wild animals
that roam over the plains. They may be very religious, but the
religion that is popular in the world now is entirely another thing
from the ways of the Lord. Many of their traditions are good, and many
of the people possess much good moral religion; I may say, so far as
morality goes, that they are just as good as people can be, but they
are not taught how to govern and control themselves, they are not
taught the worth of their present life. The whole drift, labor, and
exertions of the priests of the day among the people are to prepare
them to die. I never had such a mission given to me, nor received such
a calling from the heavens; I have been called to preach life, and not
death. It is my business to teach mankind how to live, how to honor
their present existence, how to treat their bodies so as to live to a
good old age on the earth, and have power to do good and not evil all
their days, and be ready to enter into the rest prepared for the
Saints.

Vol. 10,  p.27
Almost any Elder in this Church can preach the Gospel, if he is humble
before God; he can tell all that the wicked would need to hear from
the Old and New Testament. Many of the Elders are scholars, and when
they preach we expect to hear almost a Bible and a half preached
before they get through; they can carry you through the historical
portions, repeat the sayings of the old prophets, dilate largely upon
the doctrinal portions of the New Testament, guage the morality of the
present age by repeating verbatim the moral lessons of the Savior, are
at home among the beasts of the Apocalypse and the prophetical heads
and horns of Daniel, are thoroughly posted in the time, times, and
half-a-time, know the contents of all the vials, when they will be
poured out, can deliniate to a nicety the different parts of Daniel's
metal image—in a word, they are paragons in Bible lore, butt if you
ask them whether they know how to raise potatoes to feed their wives
and children, their answer is "No." Do you know how to raise grain for
your bread? "No." Do you know how to raise watermelons? "No." Do you
know how to raise pigs for your meat? "No." Do you know how to raise
chickens? "No." Do you love to eat them? "Yes." Do you know how to
raise calves? "No." You may give them a cow and calf, and two years
will not pass before they have neither cow nor calf. Do you know how
to improve your fruit? "No." and thus they live without trying to
produce for themselves these necessaries and comforts of life.
Finally, what do you know? "Why, we know that we must prepare to die."
There are people who have been in this city twelve years, and [p.28]
have not planted in their gardens a single fruit tree. The Lord wishes
us to know how to provide for ourselves all tilings necessary for our
comfort in bread, fruit, and clothing.

Vol. 10,  p.28
Sisters, do you know how to make wollen cloth, linen cloth, or cotton
cloth? Probably a few of you do. Almost any female can, knit a
stocking, for this seems to be their employment when they sit down to
rest. Children are taught to knit, but the majority never progress any
further than this in the art of manufacturing. In addition to this,
needlework is generally understood by the female portion of the
community, but as a general thing what do they know about making
cloth? Very little. They need to be taught; yet they know as much
about these matters as the children of Israel did. They also need to
be taught, when their husbands bring into the house a hundred weight
of flour, not to throw it out of the door; and when they make bread of
it to make it light, palatable, and healthy, instead of making cakes
as indigestible as a whetstone, that when your husbands come from work
and your children from school they may have bread to eat that will sit
easy on their stomachs. Many husbands are made sick and many children
are sent to an untimely grave through eating badly prepared food, the
result of ignorance or carelessness.

Vol. 10,  p.28
This is the place to become acquainted with this knowledge. It is for
the husband to learn how to gather around his family the comforts of
life, how to control his passions and temper, and how to command the
respect, not only of his fatally but of all his brethren, sisters and
friends. It is the calling of the wife and mother to know what to do
with everything that is brought into the house, laboring to make her
home desirable to her husband and children, making herself an Eve in
the midst of a little paradise of her own creating, securing her
husband's love and confidence, and tying her offspring to herself,
with a love that is stronger than death, for an everlasting
inheritance. There is a saying that a wife so disposed can throw out
of the window with a teaspoon more than her husband can throw into the
door with a shovel. I am sorry to say that this is too much the case.
A good housewife disposes of her cooking utensils, dusters, towels,
floorcloths, barrels, buckets, &c:, in a neat, cleanly, and
labor-saving manner. A good mechanic has a place for every tool, and
when he has done using a tool it is returned to its place as by magic,
without any apparent effort. I have watched our mechanics here, and,
take them first and last, their ways, if not strewed to strangers, are
strewed to nonsense. A good farmer takes care of his implements of
husbandry. Instead of leaving them scattered all over the farm, they
are carefully gathered together, properly cleaned and greased to
defend them from rust, and put in a safe place until they are wanted.

Vol. 10,  p.28
There are very few of our farmers that know how to prepare the ground
and plant the seed in a way to secure a ready germination and quick
growth. I told my farmers this spring how to prepare the ground for
sugar-cane, and to plant the seed three-fourths of an inch deep. I
waited ten days for the plants to show themselves, when I found the
seed was put away six inches below the surface, and I thought well
laid away from the frost of the winter of 1862-3. It is now beginning
to show itself, five weeks since it was planted.

Vol. 10,  p.28
I would that people knew more than they do about these important
matters, but we are where we can be taught. Will the people be taught?
Will they cheerfully receive instruction [p.29] and profit by it? I
hire the best gardeners I can find, and they are ignorant of their
business; they scarcely know one apple from another or one fruit tree
from another. If I spend five hundred dollars to have a strawberry-bed
made, I may perhaps get a quart or two of the fruit; I may safely say
that I shall not receive enough fruit to half cover the outlay. I can
instruct any man how to improve seedling fruit, and have it as good as
the imported kinds. The best fruit that ever grew will deteriorate
under bad management and neglect. I advise farmers and gardeners to
understand their business and make it profitable; also to mechanics
would I give the same advice. and I would advise the sisters not only
to save their paper rags, but to learn how to properly and profitably
dispose of new cloth when they get it.

Vol. 10,  p.29
Cleanliness and neatness of person are desirable and good to see, but
this may be carried to an extreme that is both tiresome and expensive;
there is a class that is more nice than wise. Nothing less than linen
pocket-handkerchiefs by the dozen will answer for some of our ladies.
"Husband, don't get me less than three dozen handkerchiefs, for I must
have from three to half-a-dozen a-day, it is so nice to be clean."
When they have used a handkerchief twice or three times, it is thrown
into the wash-tub to be rubbed to pieces and wasted away. In this way
you get no good of your money; the article is not worn out in service,
but it is washed out. Then, when you hang and pin your clothes on the
clothesline, they are left to be whipped to pieces in a high wind, and
are more used up in one operation of this kind than if they had been
worn three months. It is useless for husbands to suggest to them the
expediency of taking the clothes in, for they will let them remain
notwithstanding, and be worn out. Go into the kitchens of these very
nice, neat wives who can nurse a pocket-handkerchief to a charm and
apply it to their nasal protuberances with such refined grace, and you
hear Sally asking Sue for the dishcloth. "Where is the dishcloth?" It
is found stuffed into a mouse-hole, or Jim has just come in from the
kanyon and is washing his feet with it. Then there is an outcry for
the knife they cut meat with. "Where is the butcher knife?" Billy has
had it out of doors, and has left it in a neighboring ditch. They may
have bread and meat, a bread knife and a meat knife, but neither of
these articles has a recognized home in the house, and you are just as
likely to find them in one place as another. "Where is the bag of
flour?" "I don't know; I think I saw it under the stairs this morning
when I was rummaging about." It is at last found stuck in a dirty
corner, with dirty clothes thrown over it, and perforated with
mouse-holes. The bread pan is lost; the rolling-pin and board cannot
be found, and when the board is found it has been converted into a
checker-board, and then used in the chicken-coop; and when the broom
is wanted little Jack is astride of it in the street, deliberately
walking through a mud hole. Instead of their houses being houses where
order and economy reign, confusion, disorder, and waste prevail.

Vol. 10,  p.29
Some of our professed good housekeepers, in my opinion, come far short
of really deserving that character, at least I should think so, were I
permitted to see them cook breakfast. There are potatoes to boil,
bread to bake, meat to cook, and fruit in stew. Perhaps the first
thing that is done is to put the tea to steeping, then fry the meat,
then prepare the potatoes for boiling, and about the time the potatoes
are done the bread must be [p.30] mixed; while the bread is baking the
tea is spoiling, the meat and potatoes are getting cold and unfit to
eat; when the bread is ready, as likely as not the fruit is forgotten,
and a great effort has to be made to prepare the fruit; much bustle,
contusion, labor, and time have been expended to get the food ready,
and when it is served up the tea is not worth drinking, the potatoes
are tough, watery, and cold, the meat is dry, hard, and unpalatable,
the biscuits are baked too much on the outside and not enough in the
inside, while the fruit is only half cooked; and taking it altogether,
it would be better for the stomach to reject such a meal of victuals,
if there existed a prospect. of dining upon a more wholesome and
better prepared meal at noon.

Vol. 10,  p.30
We have been gathered together in these valleys to be taught. We must
first learn to control ourselves before we can think to control our
fellow creatures. The Lord has given extensive lines of operation to
both Saint and sinner, but when he gathers his family he expects them
to first master these so-called little things; he wishes us to learn
to live with each other, and to surround ourselves with all the common
necessaries and comforts of life. Until this is done we are unprepared
to receive the greater blessings, for if we had them now we should not
know what to do with them. It is our business to live, to learn how to
preserve our lives, and labor to make the earth into a Garden of Eden;
unless we do this, we are unworthy to possess eternal life. "And he
said unto him, Well, thou good servant, because thou hast been
faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities." He
that is not faithful in the things of this world, who will commit unto
him the things which pertain to eternity? 

Vol. 10,  p.30
All things belong to the Lord, and we belong to the Lord, and if we
are faithful until we have passed the ordeal and proved ourselves
worthy before the heavens to receive our crowns, then we shall receive
a deed of that which the Lord gives to us. Until then, that which we
hold we hold only as stewards for the Lord. It is our privilege to
grow and increase continually, to receive knowledge upon knowledge,
and prepare to enter upon the higher duties of eternal life. We thus
proceed from one step to another until we merge info immortality. We
do not become another kind of beings in passing through the
resurrection, but we are more refined through the application of the
laws of the Gospel to our lives and passing through the grave. The
grave will take away every deformity from the mortal organisms of the
faithful, and they will be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

Vol. 10,  p.30
We have how space to prove ourselves worthy to receive the glory that
God has in store for the faithful, but we have to learn the little
things first. We are brought here expressly, in the first place, to
raise potatoes, grain, fruit, wool, flax, and every other necessary
and mortal comfort we can produce in this climate. Some of our Elders
will preach until they preach the people blind, and will die in their
ignorance and go to hell, unless they learn what their lives are worth
and how to preserve them. I am speaking to the Saints. If we do not
learn what God has brought us here for, and the nature of the mission
he has given us, we may preach the Bible until we are blind and old as
Methusela, and die and be damned at last. It is our duty to learn how
to govern ourselves, and how to conduct ourselves pleasingly in the
sight of heaven towards our friends, families, and neighbors, building
up cities and towns, opening farms, [p.31] planting vineyards and
orchards, and improving our country, until finally, we shall be ready
to rule.

Vol. 10,  p.31
May God bless the faithful, and overthrow the wicked and ungodly, and
establish his kingdom no more to be thrown down is my daily prayer.
Amen.

Orson Hyde, April 7, 1862

Bishops and Presidents

Remarks by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.31
Brethren and sisters, I have been highly edified this morning, as I
presume you all have, and I doubt not but the seed has fallen upon
good ground, and when we return to our homes we shall feel sensibly
that the seed sown has done good.

Vol. 10,  p.31
It has been in my mind to remark that the office of both President and
Bishop are in our President, and therefore he has the undoubted right
to place those two offices on one man, or to ordain two separate men
as he may see proper. There may possibly arise circumstances that may
appear to cause the authority of the two to conflict, and thus to be
incompatible one with the other, but this is only on account of the
ignorance of the people. We ought so to live as all to be capable of
being Presidents and Bishops, for there is certainly ample room for us
all to do all the good we can; but I have thought in the present state
of our limited knowledge it would be better to dispense with the
office of President in the country settlements. I am happy to inform
you that I have never heard of any feeling of difficulty between the
President and Bishop at Spanish Fork. Brother Young did not know of a
single exception to the rule, but I am informed by all parties that
these brethren have never conflicted. [President B. Young: I wish I
had never heard anything to the contrary.] My reason for desiring to
have this matter brought here was to have the duties of Bishops and
Presidents defined, thinking that probably the result of the
investigation would be the abolishing of the office of President for
the present in the country Branches, and I can truly say that I feel
thankful, brethren and sisters, for what I have heard, and I can say
with regard to the people in the region where I have labored there is
a good degree of union there among the people. In fact, I rejoice to
say that there is no schism in that region; we have no difficulty
there with our High Priests, none with our Seventies, only what we
have been enabled to arrange. A good feeling exists there, and I am
[p.32] glad and happy to know that there is an increase of good
feeling with the people of Sanpete. I feel thankful that when the
people from all quarters meet here the spirit and the atmosphere seem
to bear witness to what I have said.

Vol. 10,  p.32
Well, brethren and sisters, I have spoken before, and I do not wish to
occupy much time at the present, but the spirit that is here is good,
and all things that have been done feel like a balm to my soul.

Vol. 10,  p.32
God bless you all. Amen.

Brigham Young, April 8, 1832

Forming a State Constitution—Raising Agricultural 
Products—True Riches

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 8, 1832.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.32
I wish to inform all the inhabitants of the Territory of Utah, Jew and
Gentile, bond and free, male and female, black and white, red,
copper-colered and yellow, that, in organizing a State Government, we
shall not infringe in the least upon the Constitution of our country,
upon any principle contained in the Declaration of Independence, nor
upon any constitutional law that has been enacted by the Congress of
the United States. Will this step bring upon us the disapprobation of
the Government of the United States? That is not for me to say; it
will be as God may direct.

Vol. 10,  p.32
As the kingdom of God rises and advances upon the earth, so will the
power of Satan increase to impede its progress until God shall purge
that power from the earth, and so give the Saints the victory, that
they can bear off his kingdom triumphantly in spite of the powers of
Satan and wicked men. But so far as the power of Satan extends, just
so far will be seen his operations to overthrow all righteousness.
There is nothing that would so soon weaken my hope and discourage me
as to see this people in full fellowship with the world, and receive
no more persecution from them because they are one with them. In such
an event, we might bid farewell to the Holy Priesthood with all its
blessings, privileges and aids to exaltations, principalities and
powers in the eternities of the Gods.

Vol. 10,  p.32
I can say with confidence, if we will live so as to enjoy the
revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ to ourselves day by day,
overcoming every passion, feeling and desire that has been sown in our
nature through the fall, overcoming all that is contrary to the law of
Heaven and the principles of salvation that is purchased by Jesus.
Christ for us, which is the plan of God has devised to exalt the human
[p.33] family to immortality and eternal lives, if we will let that
Spirit and power of God reign within us; we shall never be afflicted
more than we can bear, and that is as far as I can promise.

Vol. 10,  p.33
We have seen the power and wisdom that have been displayed by our
enemies since we have been in these mountains, which has all amounted
to but little toward accomplishing what they desired. No more will be
accomplished than has been.

Vol. 10,  p.33
Brother Orson Pratt's remarks on the powers of the Congress of the
United States are strictly correct. It is well known that the Congress
of the United States has no power granted in the Constitution to
organize a Territorial Government, and every power that is not named
in the Constitution for Congress to act upon is reserved the people.
But Congress assumes powers that does not belong to it, and if it
continues to do so, soon the last vestige of the free, independent,
Republican and Democratic Government we have enjoyed will be merged in
a military despotism, if there is anything left.

Vol. 10,  p.33
Our Government is at present engaged in an expensive war. It has been
supposed that the South would soon be subjugated, that they would
yield the point and submit. They will not, and the war has scarcely
commenced.

Vol. 10,  p.33
The slave States do not as yet appear to be whipped or conquered. Both
North and South are in the hands of the Lord, and so are we.

Vol. 10,  p.33
Let us from this time strive more diligently to overcome our own evil
passions. We may talk about Priesthood, about power and authority,
about blessings and exaltations, about the kingdom of God upon the
earth, about gathering the house of Israel, about redeeming Zion and
enjoying its fulness, about preparing for the coming of the Son of Man
and enjoying celestial glory with him, but all this is vain if we do
not sanctify ourselves before God, and sanctify the Lord our God in
our hearts. We wish you fully to comprehend this; and when you go from
this Conference, we do not wish to hear of contentions. and as soon as
Elders have wisdom sufficient to magnify their calling and Priesthood,
we will give to every Branch, no matter how small the Ward, both a
Bishop and a President.

Vol. 10,  p.33
It is our privilege and duty to sanctify our own hearts. Perhaps I
have as much acknowledgment to make as anybody for sometimes suffering
my feelings to be a little ruffled. I cannot say that I felt entirely
free from vexations at remarks made, by one of the speakers this
morning, upon the impurity of seeds in our Territory. Notwithstanding
so much has been said upon that subject, there does not seem to be
care enough in the heads of Israel to provide even for themselves, to
say nothing about setting a proper example to the people. If it were
left to such men, there never would be a grain of pure sugar cane seed
in the country. Where is your care for Israel? You will preach the
spiritual things of the kingdom, and let your bodies and the bodies of
the people go into the grave. Before you preach to a starving man to
arise and be baptized, first carry him some bread and wine; first
unlock his prison house and let him go free. Is there a Bishop in this
Territory that knows whether there is a particle of pure cabbage seed
in the Territory, or in his Ward? whether there is a bushel of pure
buck-wheat, or California barley? whether there is a peck of clean,
pure flaxseed, &c. Bishops, how much flaxseed is going to be sown in
your respective Wards this season? "Don't know." How much wheat, oats
and barley? "Don't know. I have a little speculation on hand, and I
wish to provide for my own family, for the convenience and [p.34]
comfort of my own household, for this I esteem to be my first duty."

Vol. 10,  p.34
There was a Bishop in Far West, who, as Trustee-in-trust, held the
property of the Church; no other man had the means he had to help the
poor Saints. I tried to get my voice to his ears for days, and could
not. At last I accosted him and said:—"Bishop, what are you going to
do toward helping the poor Saints out of the State of Missouri, as we
agreed?" He was irritated in a moment. I supposed that he thought it
was none of my business, but I knew that it, was, and calculated to
attend to it. He did not speak good naturedly, although naturally a
mild-tempered man. At last he said, "I am going to take my family and
leave the State, and the people may take care of themselves." Many of
our Bishops feel like that; they will plant their potatoes, take care
of their calves and themselves, and the people may go to the devil for
ought they care.

Vol. 10,  p.34
I, perhaps, ought not to find fault about such things; but why not my
brethren of the Twelve take an interest in such matters, and not leave
everything of that kind for me and my Counsellors to attend to?

Vol. 10,  p.34
I ask the Agricultural and Manufacturing Society of this Territory, if
they have one ounce of pure cabbage seed on hand, or know who has. It
is doubtful whether an affirmative answer could be given to this
question. But if you have a few excellent peaches, or a basket of
choice apples give them to eat, they will be as proud as a little boy
with a new top, and boast long and loud about what nice things we have
in this Territory. I cannot complain of the vigilance of the tasting
committee, but what do they do for the benefit of the people? To eat
the people's fruit and praise them for raising it, calling them
"beloved brethren, and won't you bring us in a little more next fall?"
&c., may be well enough, but what does this Society do? What do the
Twelve and the First Presidency do in teaching this people to sustain
themselves? We all take care of ourselves, do we not? Is that all? No.
There is not a thing my eye is not upon, that will enhance the welfare
of this people. Who imported the first carding-machine to this
country, and the only good ones that have been brought here? Who
imported the nail-machines, the paper-machine, steam-engines land
other valuable machinery? I use everything I can rake and scrape
together for the interest of this people. I only need a little food
and a small amount of clothing, and as for the rest the people are
welcome to it.

Vol. 10,  p.34
I wish the other brethren to look after the welfare of the people, as
well as myself. I do not wish to again hear any of the leaders of
Israel complain that there is not any pure sugarcane seed, flaxseed,
cotton seed, &c., in the country, but I wish them to be fully informed
as to where pure seeds of all kinds can be had, and as to what is
going on among the people in every part of each Ward or district; and
then I want to inform the Bishops, and direct their tongues to speak
and their hands to act. I wish this particulary to apply to those who
preside where the First Presidency do not go.

Vol. 10,  p.34
The Agricultural Society ought to make arrangements to have and keep
on hand the best varieties of all kinds of garden seeds, the best
varieties of fruits, of grain, and every useful product of the soil,
that all may be able to procure the purest and best seeds, scions,
fruit and shade trees, shrubbery, &c. Brother T. W. Ellerbeck and a
few others have done considerable in introducing several valuable
varieties of fruits and seeds.

Vol. 10,  p.34
Brother Lorenzo Snow says, that the Lord will bless my brethren and
sisters. He says that all the mules [p.35] in the Territory can not
haul away the gold that is concealed in these mountains. Riches do not
consist of gold and silver. It may be said that with them we can buy
all the comforts we need for the body. That may be so under certain
circumstances; still gold and silver are merely a convenient means of
exchange. Earthly riches are concealed in the elements God has given
to man, and the essence of wealth is power to organize flora these
elements every comfort and convenience of life for our sustenance
here, and for eternal existence hereafter. The possession of all the
gold and silver in the world would not satisfy the cravings of the
immortal soul of man. The gift of the Holy Spirit of the Lord alone
can produce a good, wholesome, contented mind. Instead of looking for
gold and silver, look to the heavens and try to learn wisdom until you
can organize the native elements for your benefit; then, and not until
then, will you begin to possess the true riches. All the riches,
wealth, glory and happiness that we shall ever possess in heaven will
be possessed on and around this earth when it is brought up into the
presence of God in a sanctified and glorified state; and the
sanctified ones who enter through the gate and pass the sentinel into
the New Jerusalem, and into the presence of the Father and the Son,
are the ones who will inherit the new heavens and the new earth in the
presence of God, for here is the eternity, the glory and the power.
When We possess all things, it will he when we possess power to
organize the native elements that fill the immensity of space,
bringing forth and organizing, bringing forth and organizing, again
and again, dealing out the providence of God, dictating, guiding and
directing the kingdoms that will be made for ever and for ever. This
is eternal riches—it is eternal life.

Vol. 10,  p.35
"What, did Jesus mean, when he said, Lay up treasures in heaven, &c.
What mortal ever went there to lay up treasures? Is there an
apartment, a business house there, a Dr. and Cr. account, &c.?" Ask
the Lord yourselves, what he meant by that expression, and if you have
the Spirit of Christ, you will find out the truth. I think that the
Savior referred particularly to laying up in pure and sanctified
bodies, holy principles that belong to the heavens, until we are
brought back into the presence of the Father, and we, with the earth
upon which we stand, are cleansed and sanctified beyond the power of
Satan.

Vol. 10,  p.35
I will now say that we wish to go on with the Temple this year; we
shall also send out teams to bring home the poor, send Missionaries to
the nations, &c., &c. If the hearts of this people are right, if they
are filled with faith in God; if they act with an eye single to his
glory and the building up of his kingdom on the earth, they will lock
up their teams, secure their seed grain and farming utensils, will
look and live for rain, for water in abundance to irrigate their
lands, for sunshine, for day and night and everything, that will give
us a fruitful season this coming summer. What will you do with the
increase of your fields? Will you strew it to strangers? Some complain
at the hand of Jehovah for giving them wheat. I have heard it said,
"It is a curse to us; it annoys me to see so much wheat." There never
has been a land, from the days of Adam until now, that has been
blessed more than this land has been blessed by our Father in heaven;
and it will still be blessed more and more, if we are faithful and
humble, and thankful to God for the wheat and the corn, the oats, the
fruit, the vegetables, the cattle and everything he bestows upon us,
and try to [p.36] use them for the building up of his kingdom on the
earth.

Vol. 10,  p.36
There will be no lack of teams for doing our work, if we will go to
with our mights to bring the poor Saints here and to build this
Temple. There will be teams to bring us the rock from the quarries;
and let the young men come and learn to cut stone. I wish to hurry the
building of the Temple, for I would like to have it completed before
we are called to more important duties.

Vol. 10,  p.36
God bless the righteous. Amen.

John Taylor, April 27, 1862

Power Accompanying the Faithful Elders

Remarks by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 27, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.36
I have felt very much interested, as doubtless you all have, in the
remarks which we have heard from those brethren who have addressed us
this morning, and who are going abroad to proclaim the everlasting
Gospel of peace. I never see the Elders go forth on missions to preach
the Gospel, but I consider that they are going forth to take part in
one of the greatest works ever committed to the human family.

Vol. 10,  p.36
Whatever their feelings may be, they go forth as the angels of mercy
bearing the precious seeds of the Gospel, and they shall be the means
of bringing many from darkness to light, from error and superstition
to life, light, truth and intelligence, and finally, to exaltation in
the celestial kingdom of our God.

Vol. 10,  p.36
When these brethren go forth, it may be a new work to them, but they
will have to combat the errors of ages, to contend with the prejudices
which they themselves stated to you held such a powerful influence
over them; they will also have to preach to and reason with men who
have no regard for truth, much less for the religion which we have
embraced, yet these Elders go forth as the sent messengers of the Lord
Jesus Christ. They go to proclaim that God has established his work
upon the earth, that he has spoken from the heavens, and that the
visions of the Almighty have been opened to our view; the light of
ages is being revealed to the servants of the Most High, the darkness
which has enshrouded the world for ages is being dispersed, and these
chosen Elders of Israel are sent forth to proclaim these glad tidings
of Salvation to the dark and benighted nations of the earth. I
consider it a great privilege for any man to be set apart to so
honorable, so praiseworthy and so important a mission; and I am glad
to find that these brethren who [p.37] have spoken to us this morning
feel the importance of the mission in which they are soon to be
engaged. They go forth and they shall come back rejoicing, bearing
precious sheaves with them, and they will bless the name of the God of
Israel, that they have had the privilege of taking a part in warning
this generation.

Vol. 10,  p.37
As regards the circumstances of their families, it is proper and
correct that men should have some feelings for those they have left at
home. It is true there ought to be sympathy and some care for those
with whom they have been immediately associated; yet their families as
well as our families, and all of us and our affairs, are in the hands
of God, and, inasmuch as they go forth putting their trust in the
living God all will be peace, and they will find peace and contentment
from this time forth until they return, inasmuch as they will magnify
their callings and lean upon their God. In this is their safety, in
order that they may be enabled to bear a faithful testimony to the
world among whom they may travel to deliver their message of warning
and of glad tidings of great joy to the honest in heart.

Vol. 10,  p.37
There was one remark made by brother Shearman that would be a lesson
to any man going on a mission. If they possess the principles of
intelligence and truth, there will be a power and an influence
manifested in and accompanying all their words, and it will be just as
he felt when he went to brother Spencer's, he was convinced that
brother Spencer was sincere, and believed him to be a man of God. If
you go forth with the same sincerity it will manifest itself to
others. Just so with brother Richard Attwood, he first heard the
Gospel preached in an unknown language, a tongue that he did not
understand, and yet he knew there was a power accompanying the man who
was preaching, and that power accorded with his own feelings and
spirit, and if we live as we should there will be a halo around us
continually, and wherever we go, if there is a spark of sincerity in
men's bosoms they will know that whether "this man is a sinner or not,
the power of God is with him?" They will know, whether they know that
the doctrine is true or not, that the influence is good, and that
whether they have much language or little they have the Spirit of God
with them, and it will accompany every faithful Elder of Israel. and
if there are sheep they will hear, because, says Jesus, "My sheep hear
my voice, and they follow me, but a stranger they will not follow."

Vol. 10,  p.37
I feel to bless these brethren in the name of the Lord, and I would
say to them, brethren, be faithful and true to your missions, to God
and to his work, preserve inviolate your integrity and not a hair of
your heads shall perish; your families shall be comfortable and happy
during your absence.

Vol. 10,  p.38
Brethren, God bless you all, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus.
Amen.[p.38] 

Brigham Young, March 9, 1862

Constitutional Powers of the Congress of the United States—
Growth of the Kingdom of God

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 9, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.38
I am very much gratified with what I have heard from our brethren
today. I think they have spoken well. I have been interested and
instructed.

Vol. 10,  p.38
As I have often told you, I am unable to draw the dividing line
between the spiritual and the temporal. We set apart one day in the
week for the purpose of meeting together to administer the sacrament
of the Lord's Supper, and to speak upon things which pertain to
building up the kingdom of God on the earth. This is our business—this
labor is upon us—and I do not know that we have anything else to do,
for it comprehends the whole existence of man. Thus far we have been
successful in this great work; in it we have been blessed, and in it
we delight to be blessed.

Vol. 10,  p.38
Every person is seeking after happiness, and all persons pursue a
course that seems to them to lead to the possession of happiness; when
they pursue an opposite course to that they are fully aware of it. The
most profligate and wicked person is always ready to acknowledge, when
willing to tell the truth, that he knows that he does wrong and is not
happy in doing so; and that, if he ever enjoys happiness, he must
cease to do evil and learn to do well. We wish to obtain happiness; we
wish to obtain our rights.

Vol. 10,  p.38
In regard to our political rights, I will ask, have we ever seen a
day, since Joseph found the plates from which was taken the Book of
Mormon until this day, in which the Christian, the moral and the
political world, or any other portion of the inhabitants of the earth,
ever gave to Joseph Smith and his brethren one blessing that they
could possibly keep from them? They have withheld every favor, every
blessing, every accommodation that was possible for them to hold from
the Latter-day Saints. Yet every move they have made has actually
tended to sustain, build up, strengthen and increase the very power
they were trying to destroy. They have tried to destroy the truth, to
hinder the increase of the Latter-day Saints, to lessen their numbers,
rob them of their location and homes, and last of all drive them from
what is called civilization. But the results of all these acts,
instead of accomplishing what they desired, have given the Latter-day
Saints territory and comparative independence. All the evil they have
sought to bring upon us the Lord, through his inscrutable providence,
has converted into blessings for his people.

Vol. 10,  p.38
We are infinitely more blessed by the persecutions and injustice we
have suffered, than we could have been if we had remained in our
habitations from which we have been driven—than if we had been
suffered to occupy our farms, gardens, stores, mills, machinery and
everything we had in our former possessions. Had we not been
persecuted, we would [p.39] now be in the midst at the wars and
bloodshed that are desolating the nation, instead of where we are,
comfortably located in our peaceful dwellings in these silent, far off
mountains and valleys. Instead of seeing my brethren comfortably
seated around me to-day, many of them would be found in the front
ranks on the battle field. I realize the blessings of God in our
present safety. We are greatly blessed, greatly favored and greatly
exalted, while our enemies, who sought to destroy us, are being
humbled.

Vol. 10,  p.39
We want our political rights, and they are here within our reach; we
need not go to California, Oregon, Washington Territory, Nebraska,
Missouri, nor New York to obtain them. The people are here, and they
possess rights. We have a right to labor, to accumulate food and
clothing, to gather the various products of the earth to cut the
timber and saw it into boards, to make adobies and quarry rock and
build habitations, and then we have a right to inhabit them. We have a
right to drink of the water that flows from the mountains, and we have
a right to get up in the morning when we are sufficiently rested. We
have a right to go to the kanyons after wood, or to harness our teams
and go on a visit to Davis, Utah, or any other county. We have also a
right to assemble, as we did a short time ago, in the capacity of a
mass meeting, and we have a right to say that we will have laws, rules
and regulations for the public good, and officers and adjudicators of
the laws. It is our right to frame our own laws, and to elect our own
officers to administer them.

Vol. 10,  p.39
We were told this morning, that some brethren prayed but did not
believe they would receive an answer. I do not find fault with them
for this, but I say, pray on until you can make yourselves believe
that your prayers will be fully answered according to that which is
best for you to receive. Self-argument is the most effectual argument
that can be used. Let each person argue himself into the belief that
God will grant to him his request in righteousness. Some people are
naturally of a doubtful mind, and have to contend continually against
unbelief.

Vol. 10,  p.39
The enemies of God and truth do not love us any better this year than
they did last year, nor will their love for us increase in the year
that is to come. They would dethrone the Almighty, and would have
destroyed Joseph Smith, when he had not three men to stand by him, had
they the power to do so; and they would blot out every vestige of this
kingdom if they could. The body may be destroyed, but the spirit still
lives.

Vol. 10,  p.39
According to the Constitution of our Government, we have rights in
common with our fellow-countrymen. We have a right to settle in any
unoccupied and unclaimed part of the public domain owned by our
Government, where the machinery of the Government has not extended,
and there govern and control ourselves according to republican
principles; and the Congress of the United States is not authorized in
the least, by the Constitution that governs it, to make laws for that
new settlement, and appoint adjudicators and administrators of the law
for it, any more than we have a right to make laws and appoint
administrators of the law for California, Ohio, Illinois, or Missouri.
This, however, is done by the Congress of the United States; but it is
an assumption of power not within the Constitution of the American
Republic. When Congress, or the President of the United States,
appoints a governor for a territory, that appointment is not according
to the Constitution, though it is according to laws enacted by
Congress. In [p.40] "Amendments to the Constitution of the United
States," articles nine and ten, it is definitely stated that "The
enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparge others retained by the people." "The
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people."

Vol. 10,  p.40
We were told this morning that we shall not always be driven. Were we
driven in 1857 and 1858? No. and they might have travelled up and down
Ham's Fork to this day, and we still would have remained here enjoying
our safe retreat. They had no power, and did not exercise any.

Vol. 10,  p.40
I say to the enemies of truth that I can fell them the words that are
spoken in their private counsels. The very thoughts of their hearts
are made known to me. They lay their plans to accomplish such and such
a work in so long a time, and then plan a movement to destroy the
"Mormons." That is what they talk about and what is in their hearts,
but they will be disappointed in it all. Every time they make a
movement against this kingdom they will sink still lower in the scale
of national power, while the kingdom of God will rise more and more in
influence and importance in the eyes of all people.

Vol. 10,  p.40
If any of you are afraid, think not that you can escape danger by
fleeing to the States east, or west to California, "For it shall come
to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of fear. shall fall into the
pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken
in the snare." Again, "the fear of man bringeth a snare; but whose
putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe."

Vol. 10,  p.40
The valleys of Utah are the safest places in the world. There is not
another place upon this globe where a people can with more safety
assert their rights before the heavens and in the face of all men.
Look at those ranges of rocky peaks with which we are surrounded, for
"He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly—he that despiseth
the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding bribes,
that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood and shutteth his eyes
from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall
be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him: his waters shall
be sure." "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of' the
mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall
flow unto it." "The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of
a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered
together; the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle."
Therefore, O Israel, fear not. If any are afraid, search out among the
caves of the impregnable rocks safe places to store up grain and other
nutritious substances, and when trouble comes you can retire and crawl
into your hiding places, while the more courageous of your brethren
shall fight your battles, and we will whip your enemies soundly, God
being our helper.

Vol. 10,  p.40
When I think of the weakness and littleness of men, and the folly of
their trying to thwart the purposes of the Almighty, it makes me feel
like the Prophet Elijah:—"For it came to pass at noon, that Elijah
mocked them and said, Cry aloud, for he is a god: either he is
talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he
sleepeth and must be awaked." I laugh at their folly; God laughs at
their folly. So long as the Latter-day Saints will live [p.41] their
religion, they shall never be confounded, worlds without end. Never be
afraid; your hearts are brave, your arms are strong, and God is our
defence. There are those among us who are timid, and are apt to flee
from Under the protecting care of our heavenly Father, and be caught
weak and unprotected by the very enemy they are trying to escape from.

Vol. 10,  p.41
We will cling to the Constitution of our country, and to the
Government that reveres that sacred charter of freemen's rights; and,
if necessary, pour out our best blood for the defence of every good
and righteous principle.

Vol. 10,  p.41
I heard a gentleman say, not long ago, that he was going to stick to
the Union. When the Southern revolt transpired, it was asked of him,
"Where is the Union now? There are now two Governments, instead of
one." His reply was, that he should stick to the Government that
protected him in the possession of freemen's rights. The spirit and
letter of our Constitution and laws will always give us our rights,
and under them we could have served God in Missouri and Illinois as
well as in the courts of high heaven, But the administrators of the
law trampled it under their feet, and wilfully and openly desecrated
the holy principles held forth in the Constitution of our country.

Vol. 10,  p.41
The kingdom of God has sustained me a good while, and I mean to stick
to it. We shall form a State Government, and you need not fear any
consequences that may arise from such a course. You may tell your
neighbors that in this step we do not violate any law, nor in the
least transcend the bounds of our rights. If we do not do this, we are
living beneath those rights set forth in the Declaration of
Independence, and the privileges granted to us in the Constitution of
the United States which our fathers bought so dearly for us. Let us
unfurl the Stars and stripes—the flag of our country; let us sustain
the Constitution that our fathers have bequeathed to us in letters of
blood; and those who violate it will have to meet the crushing and
damning penalties that will bury them in the mire of everlasting
disgrace. If we sustain it, it will be sustained; otherwise it will
not.

Vol. 10,  p.41
Let us so live that the spirits and power of our religion will be
constantly with us; that the Holy Ghost will be our constant
companion, opening for us an unobstructed intercourse with our
heavenly Father and his Son Jesus Christ, and all is right—there is no
danger then. Our own evils make for us danger; and if chastisement
comes upon us, it is the result of our own unrighteous acts. But if we
live our religion, honor our God and his Priesthood, then we shall
honor every wholesome government and law there is upon the earth, and
become aliens to all unrighteous, unjust and unlawful administrators,
wherever they may be found. In the various nations, kingdoms and
governments of the world are to be found laws, ordinances and statutes
as good as can be made for mortal man.

Vol. 10,  p.41
We have forsaken the kingdom of darkness, have come out in open
rebellion to the power of the Devil on this earth, and I for one will
fight him, so help me God, as long as there is breath in my body, and
do all in my power to overthrow his government and rule. and if he
complains that I am infringing upon his ground, I shall very politely
ask him to go to his own place, where he belongs. If any among this
community want to sustain the Government of the Devil, in preference
to the kingdom of God, I wish them to go where they belong. I want to
sustain the government of Heaven, and shall stick fast to it, by the
help of God. If we sustain it, it [p.42] will build us up and crown us
with victory and eternal life.

Vol. 10,  p.42
There is not a man upon the earth who can magnify even an earthly
office, without the power and wisdom of God to aid him. When Mr.
Fillmore appointed me Governor of Utah, I proclaimed openly that my
Priesthood should govern and control that office. I am of the same
mind today. We have not yet received our election returns; but, should
I be elected Governor of the State of Deseret, that office shall be
sustained and controlled by the power of the eternal Priesthood of the
Son of God, or I will walk the office under my feet. Hear it, both
Saint and sinner, and send it to the uttermost parts of the earth,
that whatever office I hold from any Government on this earth shall
honor the Government of heaven, or I will not hold it.

Vol. 10,  p.42
There was a notice read to-day for the High Council to meet next
Thursday: I would like to see the High Council and Bishops and all
Judges filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, that when a person
comes before them they can read and understand that person, and be
able to decide a case quickly and justly. When men have a just
appreciation of right and wrong, their decision can be made as well
the first minute after hearing a statement of the case, as to waste
hours and days to make it. I would like the Bishops and other officers
to have sufficient power and wisdom from God to make them fully aware
of the true nature of every case that may come before them. But there
are some of our great men who are so ignorant that a personal favor
will so bias their minds that they will twist the truth and sustain a
person in evil. This principle is to be found, more or less, in the
old, middle-aged and youth. Some, with a trifling consideration, can
so prejudice the mind of a High Councillor, a High Priest, a Bishop,
or an Apostle, that he will lean' to the individual instead of the
truth. I despise a man that would offer me money to buy me to his
favor. Goodness will always find stout supporters in the good, and
need not to buy favor. The man who tries to buy the influence of
another to cover up his iniquity, will go to hell.

Vol. 10,  p.42
The kingdom of God is indebted to no man; though a man should give to
it all he possesses, he has only given that which the Lord put in his
possession, and is not excusable in sin on that account, for in giving
his all to the kingdom of God he has done no more than his duty. I
hate to see a man bought. I hate to see High Councillors bought. It is
good to hold on to an old friend; and, no matter how many new friends
I have, I always hold fast to the old ones and never let them go,
unless their wicked conduct breaks the thread of fellowship between
us. But with all the friends I have, I hope in God never to see the
day, while I live, that I cannot decide a case as the Almighty would,
whether it goes against friend or foe. What my friends have done for
me, and the deep affection I bear them, are not taken into account in
the consideration of right and wrong. Let me judge in righteousness
before God, if it cuts off every friend I have.

Vol. 10,  p.43
May the Lord bless you. Amen.[p.43] 

Heber C. Kimball, May 4, 1862

Practical Religion—Instruction to Elders Going on Missions

Remarks by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, May 4, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.43
I feel continually in my heart desirous to do good. Our religion is a
practical religion. We administer the sacrament, for instance, in
remembrance of Jesus Christ, which ordinance he has established to
imitate the things he has suffered. We break bread as an imitation of
his body, which has been broken; and we pour out wine (which should be
of our own make) lind drink of it in imitation of his blood, which was
poured out that our sins might be remitted. Our sins are forgiven, on
condition that we observe these ordinances before all people, before
the Father, before the Son, before the Holy Ghost and before all the
holy angels that God sends to take charge of us. To repent is to
forsake our sins and sin no more. When we thus repent, it is a
repentance that needeth not to be repented of. True repentance
requires restitution to the injured, and such satisfaction as the
wrong demands. For by this you may know that a man truly repents of
his sins, and that the Father has forgiven them in the name of his Son
Jesus Christ. There are people out of the Church and in it, who are
stubborn and will not make satisfaction to those they have injured;
disobeyed or neglected, and will welter under it for weeks and months
before they will make an humble acknowledgement to give satisfaction
to the injured party. Remission of sins is given by going down into
the water with an authorized servant of God, who, after saying,
"Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in water for
the remission of your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Ghost," immerses him in the water. After this
ordinance has been administered, remission of sins is as sure as that
repentance and restitution have been truly made. This is the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth and practiseth it; which will be in them and round
about them, until they are full of the living oracles and attributes
of the Father and the Son. Paul says that baptism is not the washing
away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
before God.

Vol. 10,  p.43
How can a man's conscience be good, if, after the truth is made known
to him, he shall willfully neglect to comply with it? Then, after
baptism, the servant of God, having authority given to him through the
holy Priesthood, lays his hand on the baptized persons for the gift of
the Holy Ghost. When an authorized servant of God lays his hands on a
person, he receives the gift and power of the Holy Ghost as surely as
though God had administered the ordinance himself. This authority the
Father has given us, and we should honor it. It is impossible to honor
God and [p.44] his authority except we honor his ordinances; neither
can you honor him, and, at the same time, dishonor his delegates and
authorities he has sent.

Vol. 10,  p.44
In all these ordinances of the Gospel, we imitate Christ—we go forth
in his authority, and administer as he administered. He received his
authority from his Father and gave it to his Apostles, they gave it to
Joseph Smith, Joseph gave it to us and we place it upon you Elders of
Israel. The authority is one—the same as the roots and branches of a
tree are one; and the power of the Holy Ghost will dwell with you the
same as it does with us, showing us things to come and bringing things
to our remembrance that we may have a foreknowledge of future things,
and all this in proportion to our faith, confidence and integrity in
God and in his authority.

Vol. 10,  p.44
Baptism is an imitation—the candidate is buried in water in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, in likeness of the
death of Christ, and then he is raised up out of the water in likeness
of his resurrection. The Holy Ghost descended on the Savior in the
form of a dove after he was baptized; in imitation of this, we receive
the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Even in the endowments,
there is not a solitary thing but what is an imitation of the Son or
the Father in some way or other; and all this is done to keep us in
remembrance of him. When we sit down to eat food, we ask God to bless
it and sanctify it to our benefit, that we may partake of it in
remembrance of his kindness, generosity and blessings unto us. We ask
the Father to bless our wheat, to bless all the seeds we sow in the
ground, to bless the earth and to give us power and wisdom to nurse
and take care of the tender plants, which are an imitation of his
bountiful goodness to us. Our religion is not artificial—it is a
reality; it is natural. It teaches us how to keep ourselves pure, that
we may not become tainted with the world, the flesh and the Devil, but
hold ourselves sacred and pure as the children of God.

Vol. 10,  p.44
Let my brethren who are going on foreign missions remember these
things, holding them in view; all of which are comprehended in the
imitation of Christ and the sufferings he passed through; and I will
promise them, in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ that is
in me and my brethren, they shall be blessed as they never were
blessed; they shall win souls unto Christ, and when they come home
they shall bring some of them with them. I do not know how I could get
along upon any other principle, as a preacher of righteousness among
nations, than by the dictation of the Holy Ghost and doing as we have
been told, which is to teach nothing but repentance to this generation
and baptism for the remission of sins, administering the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper to believers, that they may have Jesus in
remembrance. It is the business of the Elders of this Church, when
they go abroad, to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel,
carrying the salt with them, or the power and the authority of the
holy Priesthood; let them go with their hearts full of the power of
God and their mouths full of the good words of life, suffering
themselves to be used by the Almighty as a musician would use an
instrument of music, letting God speak through them as the trumpeter
would speak through a trumpet.

Vol. 10,  p.44
Let the sheep lick a little salt through your fingers; do not give
them a handful at once, or it may blind them, but give them a mere
trifle, and that will make them hungry for more. If you wish, in the
soonest and most effectual manner, to destroy a flock [p.45] of sheep,
over-feed them. Under such a circumstance, you may call "Nan, nan,
nan," until you are tired, and they will not take any heed to the
voice of the shepherd, for they are surfeited with too much food. Let
the Elders gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel, bring them
home, and put them into the food, then go to the Good Shepherd and ask
him if you may have one, and if you receive one upon the principles of
honor and righteousness you will be blessed in the gift.

Vol. 10,  p.45
Preach the Gospel by the power of the Holy Ghost, and it will melt the
people into humility, and God will be with you to bless your labors to
that degree that they have never been blessed. You receive light and
knowledge here, and your minds begin to expand; yet some imagine that
they had more religion when they were first baptized than now. This,
however, is not so; your experience now is much greater than then,
according to your age in the Church and your integrity and submission
to the will of God and his authority. Your information is increasing,
and your power to ask of God, in the name of Jesus, and receive, is
greater now than when you first received the Gospel: "Ask and you
shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened
unto you." Learning is good, but learning does not give the power of
God to man. An unlearned man with the power of God upon him, can build
up churches and gather the sheep of Israel into the fold; and it has
been the case that learned men—men who trusted in their learning and
not in the power of the Holy Ghost—have stepped forward and taken
charge of the sheep that the unlearned man had gathered, trying to
supersede him in their affections by preaching some great and learned
sermon, seeking to destroy the influence of the true shepherd. Such
men were not after the sheep, but the fleece; and they have gone over
the dam. Instead of commencing at the root, where that poor, unlearned
man commenced, they go to the top of the tree he has planted, and jump
from limb to limb, knocking off the precious fruit. I have had an
experience in the vineyard labor, having travelled and preached near
twenty years of my life not only in America but in England, and I know
the nature of men and things pretty well. When I was on my mission
abroad I lived humbly before God. I did not know much—I know but
little now—but I knew that God worked and spake mightily through weak
instruments. A poor speaker may suppose his language is nothing, that
it is very small, yet God can make it pierce, like a javelin to the
hearts of Saints and sinners, arm the honest will conceive the truth
and bring forth fruit, while others will hear and will not receive the
truth—they will see but do not perceive.

Vol. 10,  p.45
The same cause will produce the same effect now as thirty years ago.
God is the same, the Gospel is the same, baptism is the same,
repentance is the same; none of these principles have changed in the
least. Then why should we leave the doctrine of Christ to go on to
perfection? For no man can become perfect in God without a constant
faith in, and observance of, those first principles of the doctrine of
Christ, any more than we can progress in learning and leave out of the
question the alphabet of our language and the first rudiments of
education. After people are baptized and' confirmed into the Church,
the first ordinance that is attended to is the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper, that they may think of Jesus and what he suffered to bring to
pass the remission of sin; that they may think of his Father and our
Father and God, who has organized this [p.46] earth and placed
everything in it that is in it. and when he came into the world we
came with him; the earth is his and the fulness thereof, and he has
handed over to his Son the work of redeeming it, of making it perfect,
when he will deliver it up to the Father. Not a single soul of us will
be lost if we will do as well as we know how, keeping these things in
view and practising them. When we practise them we honor them; and we
honor the Father by honoring his words and the words of his Son Jesus
Christ, and the Holy Ghost takes up his abode with us to comfort and
cheer our hearts. There are thousands of good and wholesome principles
that people do not see, because they have no spirit of comprehension
nor understanding of the works of God. The South and the North are at
war with each other—are slaying each other—and if they were not doing
that they would be trying to slay us; this they do already in their
hearts, and the sin is the same upon the nation as though they did, it
in reality. I am a martyr in the sight of God, and so is brother
Brigham and other men of God whose lives they have hunted. God will
chastise them and all those who had a hand in seeking our destruction.
There is great blessing to be placed upon faithful men in the latter
days—they are to be sealed up unto eternal life, and against all sins
and blasphemies, except the shedding of innocent blood, or consenting
thereunto, which is the same in the eyes of God. The wicked are
slaying the wicked, and the North calculates to use up the South in a
few days; in this they will be mistaken. They will whip each other,
first one and then the other. Let the Saints acknowledge the hand of
God in it all. War and bloodshed will follow the Gospel of the Son of
God, until it has spread over every nation, tongue and people who
reject the Gospel after it is proffered to them, and have spilled
innocent blood or consented to it. If you see these principles as I
do, you will see them clearly, though, in my weakness, I may not have
been able to make them plain to your understandings.

Vol. 10,  p.46
Ye Elders of Israel, never try to circumscribe each other, but build
each other up. God does not look with the same eyes that we do, He
looks at the hearts and intentions of men, and he will honor those he
can work with. When I worked at my business, and the clay was
rebellious and stiff, I would throw a little water upon it, and soften
and molify it, and then put it into the mill where it is ground up.
When it is passive, it is again brought upon the wheel after it has
been well cleared of all foreign matter, and it is turned into
pitchers, into jugs, into churns, milk-pans, bowls and cups, and every
kind of vessel to adorn the kitchen and the palace, and to make the
Church and kingdom of God interesting, and more magnificent than all
the glory of the kingdom of the world. All these vessels are made at
the dictation of the master potter.

Vol. 10,  p.46
When the brethren arrive at their fields of labor, brothers Brigham,
Heber and Daniel, and the Twelve Apostles will not be there to dictate
you. When I was sent to England twenty-five years ago, I felt myself
one of the very weakest of God's servants. I asked Joseph what I
should say when I got there; he told me to go to the Lord and he would
guide me, and speak through me by the same Spirit that dictated him.
He also told brother Brigham when he got there he would know all about
it. My experience is, the more I preach upon the first principles of
the Gospel, the more I discovered limbs and branches of the subject I
had never seen, leading to the fountain [p.47] of life. The Holy Ghost
led me all the time, and God spake through me when I would let him. I
have related a little of my experience for the benefit of my brethren
who are going out on missions. When you get to England, the Saints
will rejoice to see you, expecting you will tell them all about it.
Here is brother John Smith, the Patriarch, at the head of the Church,
he knows everything they will say, and he will tell us all about wives
we had in heaven or earth or in hell· Now, brethren, go in the name of
Jesus Christ and preach the first principles of the Gospel, and tell
the brethren and sisters to gather to the fold of Christ, where all
things shall be told them. Amen.

Orson Hyde, April 6, 1862

Trusting in the Almighty

Remarks by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.47
Brethren and sisters, I am called upon and requested to make a few
remarks to you this afternoon, in which privilege I feel thankful to
my heavenly Father, and also for the privilege of meeting with the
Saints in general Conference.

Vol. 10,  p.47
The representatives of every part of the Territory are here, and to be
privileged to speak, though perhaps but a few minutes, still it is a
gratification; and to look upon you and your countenances is a
privilege that I prize If we were prepared to crater info heaven, to
do according to Our ideas of heaven, or as we have been used to
believe, and should get up there in the presence of God, or in the
presence of the spirits that are greater than we are, and undertake to
teach and instruct them it would not seem exactly in place, and yet
perhaps it might be in place, for those spirits might wish to know
what was in us. It is in this manner that I do it at this time; it is
not with a wish to instruct those that bear rule in the kingdom of
God, but I suppose that they would like to know from us who have been
at a distance, to know what kind of spirit we possess. Therefore as
liberty is given to speak upon whatever subject is desired by the
person addressing you, it may be supposed that every speaker will
speak upon some favorite theme, that our spirits may be weighed in the
balances and compared with the principles of the Gospel. I feel when I
contemplate the principles of our holy religion very much as I do when
I go into a very nice orchard and get hold of a good ripe peach, I
naturally exclaim, this is excellent! I taste [p.48] another, and say
that is very good; of another I say it is luscious. Then I meet with
some apples; I get hold of a Rhode Island Grening in the season
thereof, and of course I say this is the finest going; then I get hold
of a golden pippin and I think this is the finest of all. So I think
with the spirits of great and good men in the Gospel; they are all
best, and I do not know which to select of the principles of life ant
salvation. President Young gave us a key some time ago, to certain
principles, and I thought I would make a few remarks upon a principle
that seems to present itself to my mind. Suppose that there is in this
town a man of honor, a man who fulfils his contracts, who never was
known to cheat the laborer or cut him down in his price. His character
is known; you enlist in his employment, and you have no doubt but you
will be rewarded, and you know be is abundantly able and qualified to
fulfil his word and promise, and you have no doubt or hesitancy in
regard to receiving pay for your labor. You go on working and
laboring, and you are confident that you will get your pay; not the
least doubt in the world. Well, really, that is no more than we should
do; it is no very high compliment to us, if while trusting in that
individual and believing that we will get our pay and get justly
rewarded unless we turn the tables and ask the question to ourselves,
"Has that individual who has employed us got confidence in us, that we
will execute and perform according to his wishes?" It is good to trust
in the Lord, to repose confidence in what he has said to us, but it is
better to secure and be sure that we have the confidence of the
Almighty. When a man that you have employed in this service has proven
that he is worthy, that he is faithful, wise, discreet and understands
what belongs to his duties in every branch of his profession, and who
understands well how to keep all things in order, then he can be
trusted and promoted according to his master's pleasure.

Vol. 10,  p.48
Your employer has looked down upon you and seen your wisdom and the
interest that you have taken in his affairs, till by-and-bye it comes
to something that is wanted to be done, then the employer goes to his
master and says, "Sir, how shall I execute this piece of work? In what
manner shall I perform this branch of business?" "Why," says the
master, "you understand my policy, and you understand that I have full
confidence in you, therefore go and do it in a manner that will suit.
yourself." Now, an employer won't say that to every individual, but he
might say it to one in whom he had the most unlimited confidence. May
we not arrive at a point where we can secure the confidence of the
Almighty, so that he will say, "Whatever you bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven You know my policy; I have full confidence in you,
indeed the light of Heaven shines in your hearts, and with this go and
do as seemeth good unto you?" Arriving at this point may we not get
the entire confidence of our heavenly Father in regard to all the
duties that lie before us.

Vol. 10,  p.48
Now, it would not be a very high compliment for us to trust in that
wealthy man who has plenty of means and who never violated his word,
still it is good to trust in him; it shows that we consider him
abundantly able and willing to fulfil his contracts. It is good to
trust in the Lord, but what fool would not? There are some men who
would not, especially if that trust touched their pockets. The gold,
the silver, and everything that we own belongs to him, and we cannot
trust too much in him. It is no very high compliment for us to say
that we trust in the Lord; still it is good, it [p.49] shows that we
appreciate his policy and goodness; but when we can take a course of
life to cause the Almighty to bust in us, and whenever he can find us
to be a people in whom he can trust, then all those blessings referred
by the President this morning will be poured out upon us. What will he
put upon us when we show our obedience to his laws? He will take from
the world their sovereignty and leave only desolation and confusion,
and he will take the power which they claim to have and will transfer
it to his chosen and anointed ones, just so soon as he can feel safe
in doing so.

Vol. 10,  p.49
Well, brethren and sisters, I just wanted in impress this idea upon
our minds. I say our, because I take it to myself, and it is my
determination to pursue that course in all my teachings and in all my
operations that will secure to me the confidence of our heavenly
Father, the Lord being my helper. My heart is fully set to secure the
confidence of the Almighty, and, also of all the just ones.

Vol. 10,  p.49
May this be the desire and determination of every heart, is my prayer
in the name of Jesus. Amen.

John Taylor, May 18, 1862

Vastness of the Wisdom and Intelligence of God Impotency 
of Man to Govern Righteously

Discourse by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, May 18, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.49
We have just heard that

Vol. 10,  p.49
"Angels from heaven, and truth from earth, 
Have met, and both have record borne."

Vol. 10,  p.49
We have also been hearing of things pertaining to the kingdom, of the
events that are about to transpire, and that are transpiring in these
last days.

Vol. 10,  p.49
Jesus said in his day, when speaking of a certain class of
individuals, "Because they seeing, see not; and hearing, they hear
not; neither do they understand."—Matt. xiii, 13. It has been so in
almost every age, and it is so at the present time in the world, and
to a certain extent among the Saints of the Most High God. It is
difficult for us, sometimes, to see and comprehend, and to appreciate
our privileges. Mankind have labored under this difficulty in every
age of the world. We come into existence; we find ourselves surrounded
with blessings; we entertain ideas in relation to the Great God who
rules and overrules in the affairs of the universe, but we are more or
less beclouded in our minds in relation to the great principles of
eternal truth. It is so among the people in the world, and also among
this people, although we see things more clearly and with a [p.50]
different vision, and understand things more correctly than the rest
of the human family, yet we do not comprehend our true position and
relationship to each other. If we do, we do not walk according to the
light which is given unto us by the Spirit of eternal truth. What is
more pleasant, naturally, for the mind of man to reflect upon than the
things of the kingdom of God? The power, the wisdom and intelligence
of the Great Eloheim in his works and designs, and our relationship to
him, to the world, and to each other? How deep and sublime and
incomprehensible to us, at present, is that wisdom and intelligence
that governs this world and all others, that, regulates the planetary
system, that produces seed time and harvest, summer and winter, that
causes all the varifying influences that operate to supply the
necessities of animal life in the myriads of the creatures of God,
that spreads throughout the universe and fills all worlds as well as
ours with life, being and existence. What could be more joyous and
pleasing than for this and every other world to be under the control
of that intelligence and wisdom that governs all animate or inanimate
matter. In relation to this world, it has been a thing that the
Prophets have delighted to dwell upon in days that are past and gone;
it is a theme that the poets have sung about; they rejoiced in the
prospect of the new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness; they have also delighted to dwell upon that which shall
exist in the animal creation, Where the stronger shall no larger press
upon the weaker. They have also deplored the fallen condition of
mankind generally; they have lamented over the evil passions and
feelings that prevail among the human family. They have deplored the
crime, the war, the bloodshed and strife, and in their songs they have
rejoiced in the prospect of the time coming when these things shall be
done away, when the Lord shall take the government into his own hands,
when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and the leopard
become docile and harmless, and when there shall be nothing to hurt
nor destroy in all the holy mountain of the Lord. But the earth shall
be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Vol. 10,  p.50
Among the," Red Republicans" of France, as they are called, a great
many of the leading and prominent infidels think that by their
influence they will be enabled to bring about the millennial glory.
They deprecate all those influences that lead to evil, and they would
like another state of things to be introduced among the human family.
In fact, as the President stated here not long ago, it is not natural
for men to be evil. All men admire that which is good; all men admire
virtue and truth, whether they possess them themselves or not, they
still admire that which is good in others. You may go to the most
wicked man that exists and talk to him upon this subject, and he Will
say at once, "I am not an example, but, such a man is and there are
certain principles that I admire, and if I could see them carried out
I should be glad." Who does not admire the truth? and if men carry out
good principles in their lives, all others admire both them and the
principles. Who is there that does not admire virtue, no matter how
lascivious they may be themselves? However dishonest the man may be
himself, there is a feeling of admiration of honesty in others. This
feeling prevails among the children of men. The only thing with them,
and that which puzzles is, how shall the world be redeemed? How shall
mankind be purified and correct principles [p.51] be introduced among
the human family? Men know that their hearts are evil, and they are
ever ready to charge this upon others. The question now is, how shall
good and godlike principles predominate among the human family? and
how shall fraud and unrighteousness be put down and correct principles
rise to the rescue of a fallen world? Tiffs is the problem that
philosophers have tried to introduce, and that, wise men in all ages
have endeavored to solve. Great men in every age have tried to
introduce something good—something that was calculated to do away with
the evils that have existed; and to this end they have introduced
something which they thought was more noble, more dignified, pure and
philanthropic, principles more holy than those that have prevailed.
This subject has attracted the attention of all men, and the design of
many of these philanthropists has been to lead mankind in the way of
life; to introduce correct principles amongst a fallen world, to bring
people to a state of truth, light, life, happiness and exaltation in
this world or in the kingdom of God.

Vol. 10,  p.51
What is it that missionary institutions are put on foot for? To
convert the heathen, that they may introduce among them correct
principles, supposing that, they have got them themselves, and that
all the world may be brought under this Divine influence which they
suppose they possess, and be civilized and evangelized and obtain an
exaltation in the kingdom of our God. All kinds of societies have been
organized in the world, which have had for their object the
amelioration of the condition of the human family. For instance,
almost all have seen that drunkenness was an evil, and hence men have
introduced temperance societies, which are very good; but that does
not constitute the kingdom of God, but it shows what feelings have
inspired the human bosom, striking at the foundation of evil.

Vol. 10,  p.51
Another large class of men have supposed that war was a great evil,
and so it is; and they have striven to introduce peace; and some of
the most influential men in Europe have united together to form peace
societies, but what do their efforts in this respect amount to? What
have they accomplished? Nothing; there is nothing done; iniquity
abounds just as much as it did before they tried to prevent it.
Temperance societies have tried to make people sober, but people are
as much given to intemperance as they were before the temperance
societies were introduced. There does not seem to be any difference.
Their agents have been sent forth, and their missionaries for years
and years have been laboring to ameliorate the condition of mankind
and to lead them to the knowledge of God, and what have they done? Let
the world answer. What have they done among the heathen nations? What
have they done among what are called Christians? The Peace
Society—what has it done? Let the United States answer; let the
present powers of Europe answer; let the world answer.
Notwithstanding, human exertions may have been very necessary in many
of these moves to try to better the condition of the world, it must be
acknowledged that they have signally failed, and that unless something
more be done, a more powerful and a better kind of religion
introduced, and a better kind of temperance, of philosophy, a better
kind of morality, a more wise and liberal kind of government, and a
better code of laws instituted, the world has got to go on as it has
done, without, any amendment; in fact it is getting worse and worse,
instead of better and better. The great problem, it is presumed, will
have to rest with us and the [p.52] Almighty in relation to this
matter. It requires something more potent, intelligent, powerful and
wise than anything that has existed heretofore among men to introduce
that change which is so desirable. Man by searching cannot find it
out. Man with the utmost stretch of his intelligence, is unable to
comprehend or introduce the kingdom of God upon the earth, and all the
earth, and all the various societies separate and combined have failed
to introduce any principle commensurate with the wants of humanity,
and in all respects calculated to ameliorate the condition of the
human family, and to place them in the condition in which the Prophets
have beheld them when wrapped in prophetic vision they beheld the
opening glories of the kingdom of God. Who doubts the sincerity of
many of the reformers, whether religious, social, moral or
philosophical? No man. Many of these men have been sincere, noble,
brave and ingenious, and have tried to stop the torrent of iniquity;
but their means have not been commensurate to the end designed;
iniquity, like the mountain snow when the sun shines upon it and the
south wind blows, is loosed from its resting-place and comes down like
a mighty avalanche breaking down all barriers, bursting all, bonds and
deluging and destroying all before it, leaving morality and religion
aghast, destroying social order, deluging philosophy and proving that
man alone may as well attempt to blow out the sun or stop the wheels
of time, as in his pigmy efforts to regulate the world. How shall
these things be accomplished?

Vol. 10,  p.52
I think we shall have to say as John Wesley said:—

Vol. 10,  p.52
"Except the Lord conduct the plan,
The best concerted scheme is vain,
And never can succeed."

Vol. 10,  p.52
I think that unless there is a more Comprehensive philosophy than that
which has entered into the brains of our learned men, that there can
be none of that intelligence that dwells in the bosom of the Great
God, to control and guide a man's feelings and desires and to bring
them into subjection to some law, by which all can be managed orderly
and systematically. There is something in the designs of God and in
all his operations that so far outstrip the operations of man in his
most mighty efforts, for they are all puny, weak and childlike. Look,
for instance, at the embarrassments which the United States at present
labor under in providing for their armies; at the difficulties they
are placing themselves under. In a very short time, unless some change
takes place, they will be bankrupts, and doubtless obliged to
dishonour their contracts; and yet the United States are a wealthy and
powerful nation. What is it they are running in debt for? To feed
their armies and their navy. There is upwards of 30,000,000 of people
in the United States, and about one million of them are engaged
fighting each other, and the others are busy supplying their friends'
wants. It would really seem as if they were all bankrupts,
notwithstanding all their financiering, their resources and their
wealth; and not only is that the case with them, but look at Great
Britain and what they have tried to accomplish; with all their
professed wisdom they have depended upon obtaining cotton from this
land and now cannot do it. It is supposed that they can never get from
under their indebtedness, which places a great part of the nation in a
state of vassalage and poverty. What is the case with other nations?
They are just the same or worse. They are maintaining their large
standing armies to preserve their dignity and their pride in the midst
of the proud spirited aristocrats of the old world. What does their
present condition [p.53] show? It shows there is a weakness and a want
of union and of confidence one in another.

Vol. 10,  p.53
Let us look at the acts of the Almighty and compare them with the acts
of men. Look at the human family: there is from 800,000,000 to
1,000,000,000 that inhabit the face of this earth, on the right-hand
and on the left, in the north and in the south; and who is it that
provides their dinner, supper and all their supplies? Why, it is the
Great God—Him who hears the young ravens when they cry, whose wisdom
is infinite and who is capable of taking care of flue human family.
Then look at the hills and valleys add the animal creation; the fish
in the sea, the beasts of the forest, all teeming with life; and yet
this intelligence which is in the Almighty, and the knowledge by which
he controls all things, and which enables him to take care of and
provide for all creation, the myriads and myriads of beings that fill
the air and sea, and yet, notwithstanding they exist; in countless
numbers, his wisdom provides for all of them, and he is not bankrupt,
but is still abundantly able to meet his engagements for fifty years
to come just as well as he is to-day. Now contrast the difference
between one thing and the other.

Vol. 10,  p.53
Well, it is not necessary to dwell long upon these things; enough
perhaps may have been said to show the wisdom, the knowledge and the
forethought of the Almighty. Now, what is it that we want? If we could
have it and know how to obtain it, and if there was any way of
accomplishing it, we want to get that wisdom which dwells in the bosom
of God; that intelligence which governs the universe, that produces
seed-time and harvest, and causes everything to progress in regular
order, under the sanction of that care, forethought and comprehension
and power that enables the Lord our God to provide for all of his
creatures, to supply our wants; and this shows something of that
beneficence that dwells in his bosom, that enables him to feel for the
wants of his neighbors as for his own, and to seek after common
welfare and interest. If we cannot get God to be interested in our
cause, if he won't put his hand to the wheel, we may despair of ever
bringing about that thing that the Prophets have spoken about, just as
much as Moses did in former days when Israel had sinned against God.
After that the Lord led them by the pillar of fire by night and a
cloudy pillar by day. If they had been faithful the Lord would have
allowed them to accomplish their journey through the wilderness in a
short time, but in consequence of their hard-heartedness and their
rebellion against the servants of God and the principles that he
introduced, the Lord got angry, as he had a right to do, at the
corruption and the prevarication and rebellion that prevailed among
that people. For their hard-heartedness he got angry with them and
said, "I won't go any longer with this people, you can go, Moses, but
they won't be governed by my advice, therefore you can take them
along." Moses knew very well that he could not do it, and therefore,
he said, "Oh Lord, if thou go not up with us, let us not go. There are
difficulties to contend with and the Philistines will be against us;
we have got to depend upon thee to feed us with manna from heaven. We
have had to defend upon thy wisdom thus far; we shall be swept from
off the land if thou go not up with us, therefore carry us not up
hence."

Vol. 10,  p.53
This was the feeling of Moses when he stood in the midst of the
rebellious children of Israel. Well, what is it that we are engaged to
do now? Why, we are engaged in just the very thing that we have been
singing about, viz.:—[p.54] 

Vol. 10,  p.54
"Angels from heaven, and truth from earth,
Have met and both have record borne."

Vol. 10,  p.54
God has sent his angels, and he has declared that he would introduce
his kingdom and his government, and establish his dominion and
authority according to the saying of one of the old Prophets, "The
Lord is our king, the Lord is our judge, the Lord is, our law-giver,
and he shall reign over us." That was the kind of feeling the people
had in those days when they felt right, and this is the kind of
feeling the people have in these days when they have the right Spirit;
and this is the feeling that we profess to carry in our bosoms, and
which we profess to carry out in our lives. We have generally been
able to see through the fallacy and weakness of all human
institutions. We believe that the Lord has revealed himself from the
heavens, and that the manifestations of the power of the heavens have
been revealed, and the intelligence that dwells in the bosom of the
Almighty and the records that have been hid up for ages we have found;
they have been developed and made known to us in connection with the
revelations of the Spirit of the Most High God, for the purpose of
establishing the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth, and
bringing in a reign Of righteousness, freedom and peace. These things
have been introduced for the very purpose of developing and
accomplishing those things that have been hid up in the bosom of
Jehovah from before the commencement of this earth. He well understood
his designs ere the morning stars sang together for joy; he knew what
he was to accomplish years and years ago, before any of our fathers
had an existence upon the earth; and for this reason the earth was
organised and framed, and for this purpose we came here. God had
designs generations ago to accomplish his purposes, and hose purposes
which he designed from the beginning will be accomplished in spite of
all the combined influences of earth and hell. What was the object of
our formation and the formation of the earth and of all intelligent
beings upon it? God in his own due time, after the folly, strength,
weakness and vanity of the human family have exhausted themselves, and
after trying all their experiments, and all their wisdom being exerted
to find out God, then the Almighty will show them that he can
accomplish his purposes. It is our Business to lean on the Lord and
seek unto him for wisdom and intelligence. The Lord has opened up this
work by opening the heavens, by communicating his will and unveiling
his purposes and designs to the children, of men, by the introduction
of the Holy Priesthood and by the manifestation of his power, and by
the marvellous deliverance which has been wrought for us, for our
guidance; in this way he has given proof upon proof, and intelligence
upon intelligence, and testimony upon testimony; and evidence upon
evidence have been given to convince us of the position that we occupy
and of the will of God that has been communicated unto us. The Spirit
of inspiration has been given unto us, and we have had our testimony
made as firm and sure as the Rock of Ages, upon the principles of
eternal truth, and all this that our steps might not waver and that we
might yield obedience to the laws of heaven and continue in the
observation of the statutes. But, notwithstanding all our privileges
and blessings, a great many of us seem to have ears to hear but hear
not, hearts but we understand not, and although we are made partakers
of the munificence and goodness of God, and notwithstanding his
intelligence continues to be poured out upon us from day to day and
from year to year, we seem to treat lightly [p.55] the blessings he
has showered out upon us. This is not the case with all; I believe the
great majority of this people feel it in their hearts to do right, to
keep the commandments of God and to yield obedience to his laws, and
to magnify their high callings and help to build up his kingdom on the
earth. This is the feeling and desire of the great majority of this
people; and probably as others learn more and comprehend more, they
will feel a stronger desire to walk in accordance with the
commandments of God and fulfil all his behests.

Vol. 10,  p.55
If we could see and feel our position we should feel, when men
surround us with their temptations, and tell us of privileges—we
should feel something like a man that was building the Temple in
former days, he said "I am doing a great work, hinder me not: why
should I come down?" If we as Elders, as Saints of the Most High,
could comprehend the responsibilities that rest upon us, and the
obligations that rest upon us, we should feel when these little things
come in our way, and we should say, "Get thee behind me Satan." We
should feel as this man said, "I am doing a great work, and I, myself,
and my family and all my interests, and in fact everything that I have
are bound up in the kingdom of God. I am a servant of the Great
Jehovah; God is my father, he has established his kingdom upon the
earth. I am one of his servants, one of his Elders, and I am trying to
help to build up his kingdom, and to introduce a reign of
righteousness, to roll back the dark cloud that has overspread the
world, and to do something that will tend to roll forth the Redeemer's
kingdom, and therefore I cannot condescend to the wordly vanity that I
see around me." This would be the feeling of all the Elders and of all
Saints, if they felt right and realized their true positions and
responsibilities, and they would feel, moreover, a good deal as all
goodmen feel who know themselves and feel correctly their calling.
They would likewise feel, that if men for generations past have been
erring and going astray for want of the knowledge of the laws of God,
and that if God called out men to carry the message of life and
salvation to this generation, that they would go and try, if they died
while trying, and thus enable mankind to approach God and to conduct
themselves aright; and also teach their families the first principles
of true government, that, peradventure, with the united efforts and
co-operations of the Priesthood and the members of the Church and
kingdom of God upon the earth, they might be able to introduce a reign
of righteousness into the world. This would be the feeling that would
exist. It is just as some men are over a picayune. Don't you know how
men will twist and pick and cringe to get hold of a dollar or two? If
men would be as valiant in trying to pray to God to give them wisdom
and power to control themselves and their thoughts and passions, then
in all their business transactions, they would feel that they know
themselves to be accepted of the Almighty. They would feel and know
that they had ears to hear and hearts to understand and comprehend the
mind and will of God; they would then feel ten thousand times more
interest in the kingdom and to work for the spread, of true and holly
principles, and in all things pertaining to the great work in which
they are engaged, than in those little temporal matters. Yet,
notwithstanding all our experience, how anxious we are about the one
and how careless about the other; yet our father is merciful and
remembers that we are but poor, weak, erring creatures. He knows the
things float are transpiring, and he comprehends all our faults and
infirmities, [p.56] and hence he is merciful unto us, and really we
ought sometimes to be ashamed of our own acts.

Vol. 10,  p.56
Many of you have doubtless heard people talk, and say, Why I thought I
could get a living better, get more money and clothes and everything I
needed. Yes, this is the way many felt, and they came here to the
gathering-place of the Saints with a view to get rich, that they might
eat and drink, get plenty of beer, spirits and wine, such as was made
in the old countries and in the Eastern States, whereas men should
come with a feeling to build up the kingdom of God. Not that you need
be united with the Temperance Society, for our religion comprehends
all that is good in that society. Is there a temperance society or
principle necessary? We have it. Is there any good principle in the
Peace Society? We have it with us; it is all comprehended in our holy
religion.

Vol. 10,  p.56
Now, Jesus said to his disciples, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I
give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your
heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." In another place he
says, when speaking to his disciples, "Let not your heart be troubled;
ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a
place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be
also."

Vol. 10,  p.56
Peace is the gift of God. Do you want peace? Go to God. Do you want
peace in your families? Go to God. Do you want peace to brood over
your families? If you do, live your religion, and the very peace of
God will dwell and abide with you, for that is where peace comes from,
and it don't dwell anywhere else. We had peace societies in the world,
it is true, for many years, but what have they done? Simply nothing;
but peace is good, and I say seek for it, cherish it in your bosoms,
in your neighborhoods, and wherever you go among your friends and
associates, for they are good principles and dwell in the bosom of
God, and if we only get that peace that dwells in the bosom of God all
will be right.

Vol. 10,  p.56
Remember that it is a great deal better to suffer wrong than to do
wrong. We have enlisted in this kingdom for the purpose of working
righteousness, growing up in righteousness, and in purity that we
might have a heaven in our families, in our city and neighborhoods, a
Zion right in our midst, live in it ourselves and persuade every body
else to abide its holy laws. Philosophers have been seeking after and
searching into philosophy. The Lord has revealed unto the great family
of heaven and of earth, and he is continually communicating his will
and giving us good principles. Others have been trying to understand
the things of God by their various creeds and systems, but we have got
all the truth combined, instead of having a multitude of systems.
There is not a religion upon the face of the earth but has truth in it
that is embraced in our religion, for it embraces all truth that has
or will exist, so far as we can comprehend it. Consequently, our
religion is something like the religion of Moses. You remember that
Moses had a rod, and the magicians had rods; the magicians cast down
their rods, and through some power and influence they became serpents.
When Moses cast down his, through some power and influence superior to
that of the magicians, it swallowed up theirs. We have cast down our
rod, we have set up our standard, and it will swallow up all the
rest.[p.57] 

Vol. 10,  p.57
Is there a true principle of science in the world? It is ours. Are
there true principles of music, of mechanism, or of philosophy? If
there are, they are all ours. Is there a true principle of government
that exists in the world anywhere? It is ours, it is God's; for every
good and perfect gift that does exist in the world among men proceeds
from the "Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning." It is God that has given every good gift
that the world ever did possess. He is the giver of all good
principles, principles of law, of government and of everything else,
and he is now gathering them together into one place, and withdrawing
them from the world, and hence the misery and darkness that begin to
prevail among the nations; and hence the light, life and intelligence
that begin to manifest themselves among us.

Vol. 10,  p.57
But, again, in relation to government, who can govern the human
family? The world have tried it, with all their great spirits, with
all their power and authority, and what have they done among the
nations of the earth? They have had misery pressed down, shaken
together and running over. At the same time there have been many good
principles among the nations of the earth; many good and equitable
laws; and among the rest religion and politics have had a liberal
share, and everything else that has had some good in it; but mankind
have not been able to introduce the millennial reign, and who knows
how the Lord and those to whom he will give wisdom, will govern
mankind? It cannot be known; man never could and never will be able to
govern his fellows, except the power, the wisdom and the authority be
given from heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.57
We have had a great deal of talk about Republican Governments, and
look what a specimen we have before us. Look at the desolation and
destruction that prevail through this once happy land. I ask the
question, can man govern himself? No, he cannot; and unless the Lord
takes the government and introduces correct principles, it cannot be
done; the intelligence we have will never do it, and in fact nothing
but the light and intelligence of the Most High will enable us to
progress in the things of the kindgom of God; and how few there are
that can govern themselves. What will enable you, brethren and
sisters, to govern yourselves? the Spirit of God; and you cannot do it
without the Spirit of the living God dwelling in you,—you must have
the light of revelation, or else you cannot do it. If you get the gift
of the Holy Ghost and walk in the light of the countenance of the Lord
you can govern yourselves and families, that is, if you retain it by
your good works. You may govern people in a certain kind of way, as
they have done in former days, but you will need the Spirit of the
living God to dwell in your bosoms. What would be the effect of such a
government? If carried out, it would be as we sing sometimes, that 

Vol. 10,  p.57
"Every man in every place 
Will meet a brother and a friend."

Vol. 10,  p.57
When you get the Spirit of God, you feel full of kindness, charity,
long-suffering, and you are willing all the day long to accord to
every arian that which you want yourself. You feel disposed all the
day long to do unto all men as you would wish them to do unto you.
What is it that will enable one man to govern his fellows aright? It
is just as Joseph Smith said to a certain man who asked him, "How do
you govern such a vast people as this?" "Oh," says Joseph, "it is very
easy." "Why," says the man, "but we find it very difficult." "But,"
said Joseph, "it is very easy, for I teach the people correct
principles [p.58] and they govern themselves;" and if correct
principles will do this in one family they will in ten, in a hundred
and in ten hundred thousand. How easy it is to govern the people in
this way! It is just like the streams from City Creek; they spread
through the valleys and through every lot and piece of lot. So it is
with the government of God; the streams of life flow from the Great
Fountain through the various channels which the Almighty has opened
up, and they spread not only throughout this city but throughout the
world, whereever there are any Saints that have yielded obedience to
the commandments of God. The fountain is inexhaustible, and the rivers
of life flow from the fountain unto the people.

Vol. 10,  p.58
The Lord said that his people should be willing in the day of his
power, and this principle commands the influence of his good Spirit,
connects with the fountain, with the intelligence that dwells in the
bosom of God, it is that which lights and fills every bosom, and
enters into every house, and every family and heart; all are made glad
with the joys of the Spirit of God; under its benigning influence they
are made to feel that the yoke of Christ is easy and his burden is
light. This is the feeling that governs the Saints and controls them
in all their acts, and this spirit has commenced to spread abroad and
will continue to spread until the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of God as the waters cover the great deep.

Vol. 10,  p.58
Some in speaking of war and troubles, will say are you not afraid? No,
I am a servant of God, and this is enough, for Father is at the helm.
It is for me to be as day in the hands of the potter, to be pliable
and walk in the light of the countenance of the Spirit of the Lord,
and then no matter what comes. Let the lightnings flash and the
earthquakes bellow, God is at the helm, and I feel like saying but
little, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth and will continue his
work until he has put all enemies under his feet, and his kingdom
extends from the rivers to the ends of the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.59
Brethren, God bless you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.59] 

George A. Smith, April 7, 1862

Necessity of Understanding the First Principles of the 
Gospel—of Union Among the Priesthood, and Attention to 
Temporal Duties

Discourse by Elder GEORGE A. SMITH, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.59
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one
teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For
every one, that useth milk, is unskilful in the word of righteousness:
for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full
age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to
discern beth good and evil."—Hebrews v. 12, 13 and 14 verses.

Vol. 10,  p.59
It may seem to my brethren and sisters a little surprising, that I
should introduce the remarks which i have the privilege of addressing
to you this morning, by reading the sentiment which is conveyed in
this text. For when for the time we ought to he teachers, we have need
that one teach us again the first principles of the oracles of God.
But how often is it necessary, and has it been necessary, for those
who are inspired of the Lord to complain Of the brethren making such
slow progress in the things of the kingdom of God? How often do we
hear Our Presidency lament the igorance, folly and vanity that are
exhibited by many of those who are called upon to be and who should be
teachers indeed. I have thought that in some circumstances there was a
neglect in the Branches of preaching to and rehearsing in the ears of
the rising generation, those first principles of the Gospel which were
taught to us when we received the Work of the last days, and
especially the principle of faith. We grow up in this community and
the principles of the Gospel become, to a great extent, natural to us.
But many of the young are untried and without experience, and they
lack the power to contrast the principles of truth with those of
error, and hence it is regarded as important by the Elders that they
should have the opportunity, at some period, of going abroad to preach
the Gospel and have a chance to test, by actual experience, the power
of the principles of truth when brought in contact with the wild
fanaticisms which the world has dignified with the title of religion.

Vol. 10,  p.59
It was remarked yesterday, that the progress of the people was so
slow, that the Presidency could not develope those principles which
were for the benefit of the people, for their glory and exaltation,
only at a very slow rate, powerful as we may think the "Mormon" mill
to be. The President tells us that he has to regulate the feed very
moderately, or injure the weak minded. Some of the brethren, for want
of a more perfect understanding perhaps, give way to temptation and
turn away, and become to a considerable extent like a man who comes
out of the dark into a well lighted room, he is blinded with the
light, his eyes are unprepared to meet such brilliancy. This is
illustrated very clearly in the organization [p.60] of the several
Branches, settlements, and stakes of Zion throughout Deseret. To use a
figure, in almost all the Branches containing from one hundred to
three hundred families, it has been found necessary to combine all the
authority of Presidency in one man, at least I will say this has been
the ease in many instances; there are a few exceptions to this rule,
but not many. A Bishop while he presides at the meetings locks after
the spiritual welfare of the settlements; he preaches on the Sabbath
day, gives counsel to the people, spiritual and temporal; he gives
counsel in relation to the donations, public buildings, the erection
of school-houses; and almost everything is made to devolve upon the
head of the Bishop.

Vol. 10,  p.60
In the first instance many of these places were organized with a
President and Bishop who were expected to act in concert, and, with
their counsellors, work and exert themselves for the general good of
the people, and with a strong hand all pull together and strive to
strengthen each other. And when for the time these men ought to have
been teachers they have proven that they required to be taught, for
the very first question that would arise, was "which of us is the
biggest man, for it is important that we should know the precise line
between our authority, to know where the jurisdiction of the one ends
and the other begins." A man of this disposition and feeling would
want a rule and tape-line to draw his line of jurisdiction on the
ground and stake it out. Then it would be, Bishop you must toe this
line, and President you must keep your side of it. No familiarity. You
must not tread on my toes, remember that.

Vol. 10,  p.60
Now, I have had experience in these matters to some little extent, by
visiting and attempting to regulate, explain and set in order these
difficulties. At one place, containing about three hundred families,
the President held the doctrine that the Bishop was a mere temporal
officer, and therefore he had no right or business to talk on the
Sabbath day on temporal matters. If he wished to talk about donations,
emigration, teams, building meeting-houses, or of Tithing, he was told
that that was temporal business and that he must call a meeting on a
week day. Elder E. T. Benson and myself went to that place after they
had been contending upon this subject, and it had become well
understood that no man must talk there on temporal subjects on the
Sabbath day. But we occupied the whole day in telling how make bread,
build cities, make farms, fences, and in fact we told them how to do
every useful thing that we could think of. We asserted that a certain
amount of temporal preparation was necessary in order that a man might
enjoy his religion. We also asserted, that if a man made no
preparations for the future he was constantly subjected to annoyances.
For instance, a man lives in one of our agricultural villages, and he
makes little or no preparation for taking care of what he has around
him; he neglects to fence his field and stack-yard. Now, I have
thought that a man could not enjoy his religion as he should do unless
he had a good fence around his field and stack-yard; for if he has no
fence, or only a poor one, when he gets ready for praying there is
perhaps a rap at the door, and when the door is opened, the message
delivered is, "there are twenty head of cattle destroying your wheat
in your stack-yard." "The Devil there is," says the man, "and whose
are they?" He puts them in the astray pound, and he puts an exorbitant
tax upon them, and charges the pound-keeper not to let them go until
he gets this pay, say, damages to the amount of $50. The [p.61] next
thing is, another neighbor who is religious also, but perhaps a little
later in his devotions, is aroused by the report, "your cattle are all
in the astray pound and there is $50 damage against them." "The Devil
they are, who put them there?" Why brother—; his feelings of reverence
and devotion having been badly shaken by this report, he rises from
his prayerful mood in a rage and uses very violent language; and,
suffice it to say, that much trouble is caused by men not having a
good fence, and it is exceedingly doubtful whether many men can
preserve an even temper of mind under such circumstances. Now, all
this was the result of ignorance. If that Presidency had known their
duties they would never have closed a meeting without asking the
Bishop if he had anything to say, or any business to attend to; it Was
a matter of courtesy and of duty also; and instead of pulling against
each other they should have united and all pulled together for the
accomplishment of the same object. For this reason we have had to
organize several Branches with a Bishop and his counsellors only, and,
as I express it sometimes in the settlements where I visit, we have
had to use a wheel-barrow instead of a six horse coach. The Bishop
must do this, that and the other, in fact everything. He must preach,
collect the Tithing; for if we set another man to assist him, men are
so ignorant, they have learned so little that they will immediately
start up and strive for the mastery, and hence contentions have risen
among the brethren acting in the capacity of Bishops and Presidents.

Vol. 10,  p.61
In most of the settlements there have been quorums of High Priests
organized, and they call meetings and watch over each other, blow the
coal and keep the fire alive within each other's bosoms, and see if
they can keep one another wide awake. The same thing has occurred in
reference to the Seventies, and the organizations are very numerous.
Well, the question arises have these Quorums a right to call meetings
at the same time the President has called a public meeting of the
whole Branch? Here comes a question of jurisdiction. For instance,
when half of the males in a Branch are Seventies, the President of the
Mass Quorum notifies that they are to have a meeting at 10 or 11
o'clock, the very hour that the President of the Branch has his
meeting. Has the President of the Seventies a right to do this? No, he
has not; it is a discourtesy. Every Quorum should so arrange its
appointments that there will be no difficulty, no necessity for any
law to regulate the matter, but that of common decency and common
manhood, and it does seem that a man with less than half a share of
discernment Could see that while the meeting called by the President
is going on all the Branch ought to be there, and therefore that there
should be no other meeting holden at the same time.

Vol. 10,  p.61
Brethren, we should so arrange our appointments when our High Priests
and whatever other Quorums meet, as not to conflict, and in this way
have and show our respect to the President of the Branch. Have our
meetings of course, but submit to the President of the Branch, as the
first to be attended to, and then have our other meetings subordinate
in point of time.

Vol. 10,  p.61
Well, now, almost any man in the world would say that a man is a feel
that would raise such a question, but men that have been ordained
Elders, High Priests and Seventies are just such teachers, for when,
for the time that they should be teachers, they have need to be
taught, for they seem to operate like children and pull against each
other; they labor to define each others duties, to mark out [p.62] the
whereabouts of the line of demarcation, whereas they should each and
every cue strive to build up the kingdom of God, and so live as to
enjoy the Holy Spirit; each man should strive to be humble instead of
exalting himself; instead of drawing the line and saying I belong
just, here and nobody must interfere with my rights, he should feel to
sustain the hands of his brethren. I will here say that there have
been places where these two organizations have existed for years
without any difficulty, and there are other places where the two have
existed at the same time, and the matter has been taken up by the
people and worked at until it has been found necessary to reduce the
organization by uniting the Presidency and Bishopric in one person,
or, as I term it, the wheelbarrow arrangement, or if you please, a
three wheeled coach.

Vol. 10,  p.62
There was one settlement where the people got so very wise that the
Bishop had to have two sets of counsellors, and they had to be
selected according to the wishes of the parties that took sides with
the President, or rather that were in favor of having one, and then
those who were willing to be contented with a Bishop had is have their
choice, and thus was formed what I call an unlimited democracy.

Vol. 10,  p.62
The fact is float as soon as the brethren can realize that they are to
be servants of God, and that it is their individual duty, to sustain
each other and put away that jealousy which in many cases, exists at
the present time, and which in fact is the chief cause of all this
trouble; and so soon as they find that they are not to be as large as
they desire to be, and as they think they ought to be, it will be
found that these organizations will be increased in numbers; they will
also increase in faith, in good works and in power and influence with
the heavens, and if they will be faithful the idea will be fairly
illustrated that a man with a wheelbarrow cannot travel as fast nor
accomplish as much as the man who drives a four horse coach. Still, I
know, that owing to the ignorance and short-sightedness of the people,
a case of this kind will occasionally occur. There seems to be a
disposition to put everything in a nut shell. For instance, a few
years ago, there were some Bishops sent out of Salt Lake City to
explain to the country Bishops their duties. These brethren would go
into a settlement where there were both a Bishop and a President, and
they would go on and tell the Bishops what their duties were, and in
doing so, embrace the whole circle of duties required of both Bishop
and President, and never think that in that Branch of the Church those
duties were not united or centred in one man but divided between two.
And in some instances, there would be a sort of half sharp-looking
fellow get up and ask what the President was to do, if all those
explained and fully defined duties were centred in the Bishop. "O,"
they would say, "we were not sent to instruct anybody but the
Bishops;" and as might be expected, the result was a contention, if
not among the authorities, among the people, and I had some of these
difficulties to settle, and I found that the best way to do it was to
dispense with one of the officers.

Vol. 10,  p.62
There are several stakes of Zion in the Country, where High Councils
have been organized, composed of twelve Councillors and a President of
the Stake and his two Counsellors, in settlements where, in the
commencement, the inhabitants were very small in numbers, and it was
natural that some member of the Council should represent or be
personally interested in each and every party in the town that might
be litigant before that body. In some such instances it has [p.63]
become necessary to dissolve the High Council altogether. The fact is,
that every High Council should have enough of the Spirit of the Lord
with them to investigate every ease, so that when the decision is
given, it will be the decision of Heaven. Instead of this, little
petty disputes arise among the brethren, and two or three members of
the Council, perhaps, would have their minds made up beforehand what
they would do. There is one thing I have noticed in regard to High
Councils; the organization is well understood. One portion of the
Council takes the side of justice and investigates the facts in the
case, presenting them as they should be presented by an honest
attorney; then the other portion of the Council brings up the defence
and shows what the side of mercy is, in an unprejudiced manner. After
the Council have investigated the subject before them thoroughly, the
case is submitted by both complainant and defendant. There have been
eases where men have tried to drag in attorneys to plead their cause
before these councils, and in some instances, it has been permitted.
If this kind of practice were allowed, and petty-fogging, contriving
lawyers allowed to practice before the High Councils, the organization
of heaven would soon be superseded altogether. I wish to see all High
Councillors magnify their own callings. I do not know that I would
carry out this rule strictly myself, but I believe that, if I were a
judge, and a lawyer were to come before me and assert an absolute lie,
and I should find it out, I never would allow him to plead in my
presence again; I should set him down as a lawyer not of good moral
character, and not legally entitled to be a member of the bar. It
appears that I have got off from religion to law, still I believe that
however a man may try to pour on the oil and soft soap, the decision
of the High Council will be according to the principles of equity. If
there is to be an investigation before a council of this kind, it is
the duty of that body of men to strive to learn the truth for the sake
of doing justice to both parties; and if a man for the sake of a fee,
for the sake of gain, if bound and will come into court or council,
and state a lie, he has no business there, and I am sorry to believe;
if this principle was tried, it would pinch some of our brethren who
have dabbled in the law. (President B. Young: I wish it would pinch
them to death.)

Vol. 10,  p.63
I believe that there never was a more correct organization of a court
on earth than our High Councils, for these men go to work and
investigate a case, hear the testimony pro and con, the Councillors
for each party litigant present the case, it is submitted to the
President who sums up, gives his decision and calls on the Council to
sanction it by their vote, and if they are not united, they have to go
to work and try the case over again in order that they may ascertain
more perfectly the facts in the case and be united in their decision.
Why, all the courts in the world are boobies compared to it. It is an
organization that shows its own authenticity and divine origin.

Vol. 10,  p.63
Perhaps it is not well for me to further describe the operation of the
High Council, but I will take the liberty of saying that men occupying
this high position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
should constantly cultivate the principle of justice and study to know
what is right and what is wrong, always keeping within them the Spirit
of the Almighty. If they have got prejudices against anybody, they
should do as the President said yesterday. And so long as a man acts
upon this principle upon which President [p.64] Young gave us
instruction, he has me for a friend, and just so sure as a man comes
up without envy or prejudice, simply to learn what is right, and I
understand my position and my duty, and so long as I can vindicate
myself, I will put that man in the path of right and in the way of
salvation.

Vol. 10,  p.64
What has caused the corruption and wickedness that exist in the world
at the present day? It is the feeling that exists among the people
that one man cannot tell another his faults, because he tells them to
everybody else to the injury and prejudice of the guilty party. The
Prophet Joseph in his day would tell a man of his faults to save him
from error and destruction, but he offended many Because he told them
of their faults; they thought he wished to injure them, because they
were unwilling to forsake their follies, but his purpose in thus
reproving was to redeem, to bless and to save. It frequently happens
that men who commit faults are not aware of it. The man who can and
will show you your faults, your follies and blindness, and make you
fully aware of your position, can awaken up in your mind those
reflective powers that will cause you to square yourselves up with
correct principles and cause you to prepare yourselves to inherit
life, light and glory. But the very moment that a "Mormon" Elder can
be instructed by the wicked, and allow those acts of folly and vice to
creep in in all their hideous deformity, that man is on the road to
destruction. The Elder, Priest, Teacher or any man in this kingdom
that will suffer position to cause him to compromise principle for
wealth, is blind and cannot see afar off, and is bound to destruction.

Vol. 10,  p.64
We have got to turn right round from that track, if we have been
walking in it; if we have coveted other men's goods, if we have
suffered or caused our hearts to fall in love with property that is
not our own, we are laying the foundation for destruction.

Vol. 10,  p.64
I can look over the history of this Church, the great apostacy there
has been from it at different periods, and I can see that the apostacy
of many has been the result of dishonesty, adultery, selfishness and
wickedness in general, and this has been the key to the whole trouble.

Vol. 10,  p.64
These are my sentiments, the honest convictions of my heart, drawn
from long experience and attentive observation; and I know that the
man who would stand upon the holy hill of Zion, his hands must not be
filled with bribes.

Vol. 10,  p.64
Brethren, I know these principles to be true, and it is my desire to
walk so that I may be prepared to stand upon the holy hill of Zion.
This is what I labor and strive for. I can tell you, if you encourage
a spirit of fault-finding and complaining, you will suffer the canker
worm to gnaw at your vitals, to cause you to distrust everybody, and
you will begin to say that you have not been respected, put in office
and encouraged as you ought to have been. Suffer these feelings to
come into your bosoms, and they will speedily gain possession and
control of the whole passion.

Vol. 10,  p.64
What a glorious thing it is for men to meet the Elders of this Church,
as some met me in the States in 1856! They would say, we should have
been with you still if we had been treated right! What a glorious
consolation it will be when a man lifts up his eyes in hell and says,
I should have been up there in heaven If I had been treated right!

Vol. 10,  p.64
Brethren and sisters, let us ever remember that it is our business to
tread ourselves right.

Vol. 10,  p.64
May the Lord enable us to do right, is my prayer in the name of Jesus
Christ. Amen.[p.65] 

Ezra T. Benson, April 7, 1862

Gratitude for the Blessings of the Gospel

Remarks by Elder EZRA T. BENSON, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.65
I have the privilege of making a few remarks to my brethren and
sisters, upon the condition that I stop speaking or pumping when the
pond is out. This may seem a singular introduction, but I feel
perfectly free and at home when I meet with you in general Conference.

Vol. 10,  p.65
I have enjoyed myself very much during this Conference, and I really
feel that we have been well instructed on the great principles of our
holy religion. I am fully satisfied that our brethren who have spoken
from this stand have laid before us the things that we need, and
especially for the benefit of those that are laboring in the different
portions of Utah, or, as I was about to say, in different portions of
Deseret.

Vol. 10,  p.65
I am proud of the name of being a Saint of God, for there is something
that is sweet—there is something that is glorious about it.

Vol. 10,  p.65
I rejoice that we have the privilege here in Deseret of naming our own
children when they are born; it is not so in the nations of the earth,
but here we have organized a State Government; the child is born and
we have given it a name, and it is one of our own choosing. We are a
blessed people. How are we blessed this morning? We are blessed by
being taught of the Lord; we are instructed in those things that
pertain to our peace; we are in possession of those heavenly
principles that have been so plainly laid before us; they are things
that immediately concern us as Saints of the Most High. If we have
been gathered here to these valleys of the mountains to be taught of
the Lord, if we do not have the spirit of humility, how can we be
taught? and if we are taught, what good will it do us? We require to
be in that state of mind that will render us susceptible of
instruction; then, at the close of this Conference we shall all have
it to say that we have been well paid for coming together to worship
the Lord, and we shall also feel that the teachings and instructions
have been applicable to our organizations and circumstances in the
different departments of the Holy Priesthood, which the Almighty has
conferred upon his servants in these last days.

Vol. 10,  p.65
I feel that it is indeed good to be here; it is good to listen—to
dwell and rejoice in the midst of this people, for this is the work of
the Lord; and we are the only people upon the face of the earth that
are so highly favored at the present time. We can meet together in
peace, as we are doing to-day, and worship God according to the
dictates of our own consciences; yes, here we can do this, where the
true liberty guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States is
fully carried out, and extended to all people who wish to reside in
our community.

Vol. 10,  p.65
I feel to take up the admonitions and treasure them up in my mind and
carry them home in my bosom. Every time that I come to a Conference,
[p.66] I can see where I can do a little better, and discover where I
have been a little slothful in regard to the duties of my calling.

Vol. 10,  p.66
You are aware that I hail from the northern part of our flourishing
Territory, (Cache Valley,) and I am really proud of the county and of
the people who live there, and of the desire they have to aid and
assist in building up this kingdom.

Vol. 10,  p.66
With reference to the Quorums of High Priests and Seventies, I have to
say that we have them with us, and we try to make them a blessing to
the people. We have the piety, the principles and order of the Gospel
among us, and I feel that such doctrine as was taught yesterday is a
blessing to the people who hear, and I know it. But where people are
trying to get all the honor, influence and power to themselves it is
then a detriment instead of a blessing. Well, then, it behoveth us as
Elders, Presidents and Bishops to lay these principles to heart and
have them riveted to our minds; to lie down and sleep and wake up
again with them fresh in our minds in the morning, and go forth
attending to the duties required of us by our callings in the
Priesthood; and then we will profit by these instructions. Do not let
us allow these wholesome teachings to go in at one ear and out of the
other.

Vol. 10,  p.66
I do not wish to make many remarks this morning, but I feel truly
thankful to God and my brethren that I hold a standing in this
kingdom, and I intend to labor and do all I can for the spread of
truth, and strive to the best of my ability to endure unto the end.
And may this be our happy position and desire is the sincere prayer of
your brother in the New Covenant, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

George A. Smith, September 4, 1859

The Privilege of the Saints to Enjoy the Spirit of Prophecy

A Discourse delivered by Elder GEORGE, A. SMITH, 
September 4, 1859.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.66
At the request of my brethren, I arise to offer a few remarks. And in
order to give them to some extent the character of a sermon, I will
read the seventh verse of the third chapter of the Prophet
Amos:—"Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret
unto his servants the prophets."

Vol. 10,  p.66
It is my design merely to draw the attention of our friends to the
subject presented in this text. When God has a people upon the face of
the earth he can own and bless as his, he always has Prophets among
them. "Surely," says the Prophet Amos, "the Lord will do nothing, but
he reveals his secret unto his servants the prophets."

Vol. 10,  p.66
Now, it is not certain that the Prophet always reveals those secrets
unto the people. It may happen in [p.67] many instances, that the Lord
will reveal unto his servants the Prophets many things that are to
come, and yet leave those who are not enlightened by the Spirit of
Prophecy to wait until those things transpire before they are apprised
of them.

Vol. 10,  p.67
There appears to be in the midst of the Saints a very great stress
laid upon the word prophet, and the words of Amos seem to be
definitely pointed at in the minds of a great many individuals, to
show, as it were, there was but one. But when the Spirit of the Lord
was poured out in the camp of Israel, and Eldad and Medad began to
prophesy, persons whose minds were contracted went to Moses and
complained that Eldad and Medad were prophesying. "Would to God," said
Moses "that all the Lord's people were Prophets?' There are in the
Church a variety of gifts, and these gifts are all combined together,
and are necessary for the development of the principles we understand,
the diffusion of knowledge, and the complete organization of the whole
body. There are Apostles, Prophets and Teachers, and all these
officers bring about the great and complete organization of the whole.
In tracing through the history of the sacred writings, we find that
the Lord in some instances chose men that were ignorant. I presume he
did this in many instances from necessity, for those who had been
learned in the world were seldom found to possess humility enough to
humble themselves before the Lord to get the Spirit of Prophecy, and
to be a Prophet is to have the Spirit of Prophecy, and to have the
testimony of Jesus, "for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of
Prophecy," nothing more nor nothing less. The man who can testify that
Jesus is the Christ has this testimony, and as he improves upon his
gift he becomes a Prophet. It is not one individual it is not three,
it is not twelve individuals, but it is for all the Saints who have
the testimony of Jesus and live in the exercise of that testimony. A
man that does not foresee by the Spirit of God, who does not learn
things to come by it, is not living up to his privilege and
profession, is not living in the enjoyment of that testimony which he
has received; he is blinded by the mists of darkness and is liable to
fall into a snare. The Apostle Peter in exhorting his brethren tells
them that it was necessary they should add to their faith, virtue; and
to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly
kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in
you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, that
you will be made partakers of the Divine mind, the Holy Spirit
dwelling in you, you will know for yourselves of the principles and
the doctrines which you have received. The storms of adversity which
surround us amount to nothing with the man who has this knowledge
planted in his breast, he cares not for slanders, for abuse, for
sacrifices or losses of earthly goods. He who does not possess this
testimony, and is not made a partaker of the Divine nature, and does
not struggle to attain to exaltation, is turning away and falling into
darkness. It is strange to me that persons who have been many years in
this Church, who have borne their testimony of the truth of the work
of God in the last days many times, should finally come to the
conclusion that they have gone astray, and must go in some other
direction. Why is this? It is simply because they have suffered the
mists of darkness to, overcome them; they have not lived up to the
[p.68] principles they have professed, and instead of advancing to be
made partakers of the divine nature and overcome the wiles that are in
the world through lust, they suffer them to have dominion over them,
and they fall back into darkness. When the storm of persecution
surrounds us, then, of course, we are apt to be zealous, but when we
are as it were left to ourselves we are tried in another way; and when
the Lord commenced giving revelations to this people he said to them,
through his servant Joseph, that they should be tried in all things.
If there is any one thing that is calculated to try us more than
another, that thing we may expect to encounter. I know this people
will bear poverty and affliction, they will bear persecution, they
will suffer their houses to be burned, their property to be destroyed,
and sacrifice what the Lord has given them of earthly goods, expose
themselves to suffering and hardship for the sake of the principles
they have received, joyfully; but how many of these, when the smiles
of Providence have beamed upon them, when prosperity has surrounded
them, and they have been blessed and are in affluent circumstances,
have forgotten the Lord, like the Prophet said of Jeshurun, "They
waxed fat and kicked, and forgot the Lord." Such is the fact with
hundreds of Latter-day Saints. Now a man that expects to be exalted to
thrones and dominions must be just as good a Saint when he is
surrounded with wealth, with the comforts and blessings of life in
abundance, as he is, when he is in poverty—when being robbed of his
possessions, and deprived of the means of subsistence; and throne
condition is just, as necessary to try some individuals as the other
condition is to try any other.

Vol. 10,  p.68
From the time that I first became acquainted with the principles of
this Church, I have watched the progress of the development of the
Spirit of Prophecy among the Saints. I have never made pretensions to
prophecy, though many things have been made manifest to me before they
were fulfilled. I have foreseen many results which have been
astonishing, in many instances, to others. The man that wishes to know
the future let him study well the present, let him be careful that the
present is all right; that the principles which he professes are not
abused; that he lives up to the doctrines which he has received, and
that he maintains his integrity towards his fellow-beings as God
requires at his hands; let him do this, and the future will be
unfolded to him, and he will be prepared for it just as fast as
necessary.

Vol. 10,  p.68
As Elder Middlemas said, he knew some things that were manifested to
him, and knew how it would be beforehand. There are hundreds that can
foresee by the Spirit of the Almighty, the Spirit of Prophecy, things
that are to come to pass, without being able to know the precise
manner how it will be effected. But I can tell you from the day of
Joseph Smith's first commencement to testify of the things of God unto
the present, that the very results that have been predicted have come
to pass, but the manner has seldom been understood until it came. When
the Saints were in Jackson County, surrounded by our enemies who were
determined to destroy us, and had no other idea but what the steps
that were being taken would put an utter end to our organisation as a
religious society, the future was as plainly laid open to thousands,
and the present time was as plainly understood by hundreds of the
Saints as it is now. The future is before us and many can look into it
and know its results. This is the work of the Almighty. God has set
his hand in the last days to establish [p.69] a people on the earth,
he has not only commenced to do it, but is now accomplishing it,—all
the efforts of our enemies to hinder it to the contrary; and all
efforts to stay its progress will be futile. They may cast men into
prison, cause men to make great sacrifices, cause them to be brought
into trying circumstances and endure much suffering, but the result is
a fixed fact, no man can help it, no power can interfere with it, even
the folly and corruptions of men that profess to be associated with
the Saints cannot stay its progress. The work has commenced and onward
it will roll, and no power can stay it. I know it is so. They may
destroy my life, they may destroy yours, they may cause us to see much
sorrow and trouble, place us in a hundred unpleasant positions; the
corruptions of our own brethren may cause our hearts to bleed; our
blood may be spilled, our enemies may beset us on every side, but we
are engaged in the work of the Almighty God who says in the Doctrine
and Covenants, "I will save those who fall in the defence of Zion."
Brethren, let us then be faithful, and diligently observe and do all
things that are required at our hands by our heavenly Father, that the
light of his countenance may constantly shine upon us, for we are
engaged in the great and glorious work he has commenced in the last
days. His hand steadies the ark, his arm guides and sustains it, his
Divine mind, will and power control it, and all that has been done by
those who have interfered with it, simply shows the weakness and
vanity of men that think to stay the hand of the Almighty. and this
testimony I bear continually. It is a day for us to act, to act upon
principle, to conquer ourselves by doing right, and while we conquer
ourselves by doing right we are enabled to control others. What we do,
we should do because it is right, and refuse to do wrong.

Vol. 10,  p.69
And the great questions that should reign in our breast are What is
right? What is wrong? and when we are not certain, wait until we
understand, until we know we are right, and then go ahead. May the
blessing of Israel's God rest upon us, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.[p.70] 

Orson Hyde, October 7, 1862

How to Obtain a Part in the Kingdom of God—Assisting 
the Poor to Emigrate—Classifying Labor—the 
Times We Live in

Discourse by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.70
Brethren and sisters, being invited to address you, I cheerfully arise
to make a few remarks, for I truly feel thankful for the privilege I
enjoy of speaking to you this morning. Be patient, my friends, I will
start on as high a key as I can so as not to break down. I feel
thankful for the opportunity of meeting with the Saints in General
Conference, and of mingling my testimony with this vast number of
Saints in endeavoring to advance the interests of the kingdom of God,
according to the intelligence I possess; and I feel truly thankful to
the Lord for the experience I have had. I do not know that I can feel
thankful for all the experience I have had, but suffice it to say that
I am spared by our heavenly Father.

Vol. 10,  p.70
I do not at present know what I shall select for the foundation of my
remarks. Sometimes I take my text from the spelling book, sometimes
from the Bible, also from the Book of Mormon and from the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, besides another Book which seems to be above
all other books—the Book of Nature; one page above and the other
beneath. There we behold the finger of God; it is plain and legible to
every heart that is inspired of the Almighty, that is filled with the
love of God, and burning with the light of truth.

Vol. 10,  p.70
On this occasion there is a scripture that occurs to my mind, where
our Savior in his parables puts forth a sentiment like this, "Again,
the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which
when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and
selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."—Matt. xiii., 44. The
Savior taught a great deal in parables, and the servants of God in
these days teach by parables and comparisons in order that we may
understand the more clearly, and that we may take a larger view of
things than we should or could from the plain, simple statement of
facts in common language.

Vol. 10,  p.70
Now, brethren and sisters, we are all seeking the kingdom of our God,
we are seeking to become heirs of that kingdom, to be lawful and loyal
subjects of the same. With this a question arises, whether we shall
attain to a place in that kingdom at any less cost than did those I
have quoted the Scripture about in your hearing. The man purchased the
field and hid his treasure there. He went silently, lest, if he made a
great bluster, some other individual might go and steal the march upon
him and purchase the field of treasure, then the bargain would have
been complete; but no, he was wide awake, and sold all that he had and
purchased that field, for he was determined to have that treasure. It
took all that he had to purchase it, but the treasure concealed there
was far beyond the cost of purchase in value, and in purchasing it he
knew that it would increase in time [p.71] and throughout all
eternity, for that treasure was the kingdom of God, and salvation to
that man's soul.

Vol. 10,  p.71
A question comes up in the minds of some; I have frequently heard
persons say, "What becomes of our Tithing? and what is the propriety
of paying so much? The calls come from this quarter and calls from
that; and what are we doing when we are buying that field in which the
treasure lies concealed?" Did we ever think, when responding to the
calls on the right and on the left, that we were purchasing that
field, and that having gone to the extent of our power and ability in
that transaction, that there is our deed and title to the kingdom of
God, signed, sealed and delivered?

Vol. 10,  p.71
Look back upon our privations that we have undergone, and there is joy
and gladness, there is hope which is full of immortality. The kingdom
is ours. We have purchased it, and by it our salvation is secured, by
faithfulness in the kingdom. Now do we expect to get something for
nothing? If we do, the transaction is not suspended upon an even
balance. To expect something for nothing is just what many in our
community want to do in their trading and trafficking, and putting on
prices that are far above the standard. You naturally call such
persons dishonest, and such they truly are. If you expect to gain the
kingdom of our God without purchasing it by your labors, with me the
question is, Will you not be mistaken in your calculation?

Vol. 10,  p.71
This parable to which I have invited your attention is a good lesson
for all of us, and we should endeavor to so conduct ourselves as to
show that with us the kingdom of God is all in all. This parable is an
ensample for us to copy and adopt. A word to the wise is sufficient on
this subject. You have considered this matter having read about it,
and by reciting it over it may be of service to you. It is no matter
what that man did, or what the other said, so far as the field spoken
of is concerned, for I do not suppose the purchaser gave him any
trouble whether he paid out his money for this, that or the other. It
was the field that he paid it for; he wished to have the field
containing the treasure. It is not the price we pay for the kingdom,
it is the kingdom of God we are bound to purchase at any price.

Vol. 10,  p.71
Enough upon that subject. As short sermons seem to be the order of the
day, I may be allowed to touch upon that which will benefit myself,
that which will increase our faith and tend to our education and good,
that we may go to out homes rejoicing in the truth and in the
privileges of the new and everlasting covenant.

Vol. 10,  p.71
Now with regard to the poor, I have a few words to say. I have a text
about sending to the Missouri river to bring home the poor. The Lord
says, "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver
him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive;
and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him
unto the will of his enemies."—Psalm xli., 1, 2. Such an one will be
blessed of the Lord for sending out his beasts, and for taking the
poor, even the stranger to his house; his light shall shine in
darkness, and shall appear as at the noon-day. Now then we have
considered the poor, we have sent our teams, our oxen and all that was
necessary to bring them to our houses. and I will here observe that I
wish, that inasmuch as they have come to our mountain home, to the
thresh-hold of Zion, that every man would so conduct himself as to
meet with the approving smile of Heaven, then their light would break
forth and shine in the darkness as resplendently as the noon-day sun.
We all want [p.72] our brethren and sisters at home; then let us lend
a helping hand. Now just go down there to the public square and see
what you can do. Take the poor home to your houses, and God Almighty
bless you from this time henceforth and for ever. It is our imperative
duty to walk in the light, to see that our pathway is clear and plain
before us, and let us so live that it may be clear.

Vol. 10,  p.72
Bishops, allow me to say a word to you. In the vicinity where I have
been laboring for the last two years and-a-half, I have seen the evil
of spreading out so far. We are and have seemed to be anxious to take
up all the land that we could find, and then keep putting in seed
until the first we put in is ripe and ready for harvesting. This has
been the case with all of us, more or less, in fact it has been so
much so that neither man nor woman has had time to clean out the filth
and bedbugs, so much so that they have got the upper hand of us. We
talk of subduing nations, of becoming kings and priests unto God, but
amidst all our great talk we have not subdued the vermin with which we
are pestered in our newly created homes. We sometimes talk about
messengers coming from heaven to visit us, but I doubt whether the
angels will come to commune with us until we are in a different
situation.

Vol. 10,  p.72
I will now go back to the wheat field, and speak a little of that. The
brethren in our section thought they would not plant so much grain but
let the ground rest. In process of time the wheat came up in large
quantities; we had water plenty, and we had such immense crops that we
had not men enough to reap the grain that was raised, and hence we
hall all the work to do ourselves. We did all we could, but much of
the grain has gone back into the earth because we had not help enough
to gather it. Our wives and sisters volunteered to assist their
husbands and fathers, and they did all they could. We hear a great
deal of talk about women's rights at times, but if you will come down
to Sanpete you will see women's rights conventions, and they take
especial pleasure in doing as they like.

Vol. 10,  p.72
To return to the subject of grain, I can truly say that we can sustain
our present population and all the emigration that is coming this
year. We have this to say of our blessings in return for sending all
our teams to gather the poor; no we did not send them quite all, there
was one yoke of oxen left to five farms, after filling up the bill for
the Missouri river. In addition to these we had a few first-class
horse teams, and thus we managed to put in a little grain, but a great
deal of it grew without our doing anything to it ourselves, and thus
the Lord blessed us with the desires of our hearts, and with a rich
reward for what we had done towards the gathering of his people.

Vol. 10,  p.72
We are now showing that we can raise fruit down there, and by-and-bye
I may have the satisfaction of dating the fruit of my own raising in
Sanpete, for I have no doubt but our apple trees will produce good
fruit in due time.

Vol. 10,  p.72
Our teams are now returning; I met some of them as I was coming to
Conference, and I felt to say the Lord be praised, you have performed
a good mission, and the Lord has blessed our labors and also the
labors of those who have been out on the plains. I feel that the crops
that have been raised in such great abundance with so little labor
have been by the goodness of the Almighty, and I feel that we have
worked ourselves almost into life everlasting.

Vol. 10,  p.72
You may think that I am going into a great many things, but I do not
expect to hit them all, but I shall touch a few of them as they come
up before me. I want to say to the Bishops, that it is their business
to [p.73] direct the energies of the Saints, and where they see a man
who is inclined to spread out and sow some forty or fifty acres of
wheat, I want them to tell such men to go to work and build good
houses. Tell the blacksmiths to go to blacksmithing, the carpenter to
his trade, and every other mechanic to his business, and do not let us
be as we have been heretofore. When a man has wanted anything doing by
a mechanic it has been almost impossible to get it done. For instance,
I would go to a blacksmith's shop and say I want a horse shod, "Oh,"
says the smith, "I can't, I must go and cut my grain, or I must go and
irrigate it ;" and there are perhaps half-a-dozen men that are in this
manner cut short of their labor, by one man refusing to work at his
trade, and all men being determined to be farmers. Then I say let the
blacksmith attend to his blacksmithing and let him charge a reasonable
price for his labor, and not, as has been the custom, charge three or
four prices. Let the joiner do likewise, working constantly at that
which will most conduce to the building up of Zion, and let the farmer
raise the grain. Where you find a man who has plenty of grain to serve
him from three to five years, and plenty of teams and wagons too, tell
him to go to work and build for his family a comfortable dwelling
house, and point out to him that he is in this way finding employment
for the mechanics, making his family comfortable and building up Zion.
Teach each man to work at his trade and calling, and let the farmer
take hold with his might of that which is his profession, but have a
little time to breathe and rest. As it is now, we go into the garden
and we work like Sam Hill, leaving no time for rest. "By-the-bye that
means me," but I must hew to the line, no matter who is hit. (A voice:
Never mind yourself, just go ahead.)

Vol. 10,  p.73
Now then for the flax. Have we got it on hand that we can make our own
ropes? No, only a very little in comparison to the demand. We have a
rope factory, and we have hemp growing in our county, and we have made
many attempts to raise flax, and we do raise a little but we never use
it. It is either left in the sun till the coat is burnt off, or we
allow it to be trampled down in the yard by the cattle. In this
country we cannot rot the flax in the dews, we must put it into water,
a shallow pond is the most suitable, so far as I understand the
matter. Now, it is better for each of us to raise about ten acres of
wheat, and then devote the rest of our time to the flax and hemp. I
was raised to wear a tow frock, but the tow would wear off in a short
time. If we would raise some and devote a little time to the proper
culture of it, attend to each department in its season, the rotting,
the hetcheling and the spinning and weaving we should be much better
off than we now are. But no, it takes us the whole time, and it seems
that we must devote the entire season to raise and take care of our
grain, and especially the wheat. The time has now come for us to
classify our labor and change our policy. I believe I have said as
much as is necessary on these subjects, as I wish to say a few things
concerning the times and seasons.

Vol. 10,  p.73
Now concerning the times and seasons in which we live. The Lord says
by the month of Isaiah "Thus. saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God
that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of
thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury;
thou shalt no more drink it again: but I will put it into the hand of
them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, bow down, that we
may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the [p.74] ground, and as
the street, to them that went over."—Isaiah li. 22 and 23. What are
you going to do with this text, my friends? I will put it into the
hands of them that have afflicted thee. What was that army up here
for? They were sent as agents of the Almighty to take away this cup of
trembling, which had afflicted us for so many years, and they carried
it away with them down yonder, and they then began to drink of it and
have been drinking of it ever since. Do you know that there was a kind
of tremor with some of us at that time? But I tell you what it is, the
nerves have become settled, and those who sought to make us drink the
dregs are drinking them now, and they will continue to do so until the
dregs are all drunk out. I have no feeling against any one, and I
regret exceedingly that these of whom I speak should have brought upon
themselves these terrible calamities which now afflict our once happy
country.

Vol. 10,  p.74
If I understand the spirit that I am of, those that do the will of God
will not hereafter feel that pitta-pat of trembling which they have
been accustomed to feel, for the Lord says, "I will take it away from
them," and he has done it, and we feel it. If they have not got the
cup full yet, and do not get it in 1863, all I can say is I will wait
till they do, for the Almighty will make them that have afflicted his
people drink the dregs of that bitter cup of trembling. and this is
not all, I can look very far into the future, but as far as I can see
it is a dark and gloomy picture. I could not but be forcibly struck
with the remarks of brother Young in relation to the nation growing
more guilty and more corrupt, therefore are they being scourged so
severely. The Prophet and Revelator John says, "and I heard a great
voice out of the temple, say to the seven angels. go your ways, and
pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. and the first
went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome
and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and
upon them which worshipped his image. And the second angel poured out
his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and
every living soul died in the sea. and the third angel poured out his
vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters: and they became blood.
and I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous O Lord,
which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For
they have shed the blood of Saints and Prophets, and thou hast given
them blood to drink: for they are worthy. And I heard another out of
the altar say, even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy
judgments."—Rev. xvi. 1—7.

Vol. 10,  p.74
Did not the enemies of the Lord attempt to feed the martyrs Joseph and
Hyrum Smith with the flesh of their brethren? Look at the testimony of
Hyrum Smith. Now they have set the example of war, of cruelty, and it
will come double upon their own heads; but, says the Lord, upon my
house shall it begin. And now these afflictions have been rolled off
from our shoulders on to them, and they will be sorely punished for
their iniquity. These things will come to pass. I need not predict
anything about these calamities, greater men than I am have predicted
in reference to these things, therefore I only need to bear my
testimony to the truth of that which has been predicted. In the
fierceness of the battle the fainting soldier will bow down to slake
his parched thirst with the blood of his fellow. If this has not
transpired it may in the future, for the horrors of war will be
terrible to contemplate. Many curious things lie hid in the future
which will astonish the world.[p.75] 

Vol. 10,  p.75
It is now a great time for digging gold; and this reminds me that I
had a dream, in which I learned how to dig gold. I saw the gold
where-ever I went, lying about on the ground; I could pick it up in
the night, but in the day time it could not be seen by anybody. While
contemplating this, the Spirit said unto me, "Don't you know that
light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not?" Now
here it is, in the form or shape of a reward that cometh to the
faithful, and with our purified gold we are called upon to buy that
field, even the kingdom of God. Never ask yourselves what the seller
of that field does with the price of it; this is nothing to you or me.
and if there are liabilities upon the President of this Church let us
raise them from his shoulder, and let the servants of God go as free
as the lark of the morning.

Vol. 10,  p.75
Brethren and sisters, I do not wish to occupy more than my share of
the time, therefore my remarks I bequeath to you with the best
feelings of my soul, and I feel that if the services of such an humble
individual as myself can be of use, I shall feel ever ready to render
this service.

Vol. 10,  p.75
God bless you for ever. Amen.

Heber C. Kimball, October 6, 1862

Our Duties to God Paramount to All Other 
Obligations—Danger of Speculation

Remarks by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.75
I wonder if there is a person in this vast congregation to-day but
what feels that all those instructions given apply to himself. I feel
disposed for one to take what has been said to myself, and I do not
think there is a man here who is so righteous that he cannot apply the
greater portion of what brother Brigham has said to himself. I know it
is very common for us to make observations like this when any of the
brethren have been chastised: Well, I guess some of the brethren have
received a pretty good chastisement to-day, but it don't touch me.
Don't you know that this is very common? That jacket does not suit me,
says one. Why did it not suit you? Because you did not put it on. If
you had put it on, it would have been like a piece of raw hide or a
piece of India-rubber, then it would have pinched when it became dry.
Now I do not believe that there is a person here who might not be
benefited by these lessons of correction and instructions, for we can
all make improvement in ourselves, in our daily walk and conversation.
I know that I can cultivate myself and improve in [p.76] many ways,
and I feel that I am improving and advancing in the things of God.

Vol. 10,  p.76
Some will say, are you not too old to learn? I say no, for I consider
if I am too old to improve, I am too old to live. When a man has done
learning, he had better leave and go hence.

Vol. 10,  p.76
I think I understand correctly what President Young has been talking
about, and he wishes every one of us to accept of it and put it in
practice.

Vol. 10,  p.76
In regard to those independent companies alluded to, I really do not
know whether I would lead them or not. I know that the first company
that I was gathered with, of which President Young has spoken to-day,
and which embraced nearly all the male members there were in the
Church, brother Joseph said, come brethren, bring your money with you
and bring all you have. We gathered brethren from Nova Scotia and from
all the States where we had any, and then we travelled forty miles in
an independent condition, that is, every man had his money in his
pocket and was calculating to have, but when we got to Portage, Joseph
called upon that independent company and organized it with captains of
hundreds, of fifties and tens, with officers to lead and control them.
Then he nominated and we accepted a pay-master and treasurer, and
every officer necessary to a permanent organization. Then he said,
Brethren, I want you to come together, and bring your money with you.
I do not want any donations, but I want every one to bring every cent
he has got. Some had not any, some had a hundred dollars; some had a
shilling, and the brethren handed over what they had to the
pay-master. We were then taught that we should be subject to the law
and government of God.

Vol. 10,  p.76
It is an important thing for a man to lead the people of God, and
unless they will subject themselves to him and to the officers of the
Church a Prophet cannot lead them; it is an impossibility. This course
of obedience is the one we have to take. Talk about building up the
kingdom of God on the earth, how can you do it except you go to work
with your might to practice as well as preach, and labor and toil with
all your might by day and by night, and by this means every man in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will become independent. I
was reflecting upon these things when brother Joseph brought things to
terms. Then if we are ready to do as we are told, to follow the
counsel of the servants of God, won't our offerings be accepted? I say
they will.

Vol. 10,  p.76
When we went on that journey, Joseph told us there was an endowment
laid up for us; for what? Because we had done just as we were told;
and I can bear testimony that we received that endowment. Have we got
through with our endowments? No, we have not; we have only just
commenced, merely received the initiative ordinances, and we are only
children in these things yet, but if we are faithful, we shall receive
all that our hearts can desire, for the Almighty will withhold no good
thing from them that love him and keep his commandments.

Vol. 10,  p.76
You will doubtless recollect reading of a certain woman in the
Scriptures who was rather ambitious, and therefore wished to have her
sons occupy a conspicuous place about the Savior's person. The account
of the circumstance is related by St. Matthew in the following
language:—"Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children, with her
sons worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. and he said
unto her, what wilt thou? She saith unto him, grant these my two sons
may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on [p.77] thy left,
in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, ye know not what ye ask.
Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but, to sit on my
right hand, and on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given
to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."—Mat. xx 20—23.

Vol. 10,  p.77
Here we find set forth by the Savior the doctrine that it belongs to
the Father to give each one his place in that kingdom, hereafter to be
inherited by the faithful Saints. Now let me ask, can we walk with
Jesus in the regeneration that is spoken of? But before I proceed
further, let me ask, what is the regeneration? I should call it an
improvement, or an advancement in the things of God. By some it is
said to be the change and renovation of the soul by the Spirit and
grace of God. Then again, it is called the new birth. Titus is
somewhat more explicit upon the subject. He says, "But after that the
kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works
of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he
saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy
Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our
Savior; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life." and our Savior speaking to
Nicodemus, says, "Verily I say unto thee, except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God." In another place Jesus
says:—"Verily I say unto you, that ye which followed me in the
regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of his
glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel."—Matt. xix. 28.

Vol. 10,  p.77
Many other passages might be quoted to show how the doctrine of
regeneration was taught by Christ and his Apostles, but these will be
sufficient for my purpose at the present. I know that we, the Elders
of Israel, are walking with Jesus in the regeneration, and we are
becoming regenerated in Christ Jesus, and the blessings of the kingdom
are being multiplied unto us day by day, and we shall continue to be
enriched for ever and for ever. What! in property? Yes, and in every
thing that is good. If it were not so, how could you possess all
things, which are certainly promised through progression and
faithfulness.

Vol. 10,  p.77
I suppose I felt as the Apostles did anciently, when I went with the
Elders into the State of Ohio, and through the New England States to
the State of Maine. We called the people together and organized them
into Conferences, and we went to work and selected wise men to receive
and take the moneys of the brethren and purchase lands in Missouri. We
performed our duties and were faithful unto the Lord, and if all the
people had been as faithful as we were we should have gained an
advantage; but as it is, I know that the day will come when we shall
possess that land, and I can tell you that I expect to have and
possess all that I merit, in the own due time of the Lord. When the
kingdom triumphs, every man will be rewarded according to his works,
and will receive that which is designed for him, and in all things be
blessed according to his merits. By merit I mean that which a man
earns, and you will see the day when you will get nothing but what you
earn by your works and your integrity to God and your brethren.

Vol. 10,  p.77
I recollect when we returned from our mission to Missouri, Joseph
said, "Now, brethren, it is a good time to get property; now is the
time for you to get rich." Well, it was one of [p.78] the most trying
times the Church ever saw. Most of the Twelve went into speculation,
and half of them turned away. I went to Joseph and asked what I had
best do, and he replied that it was a good time to get an education,
or, said he, you may go a preaching, just as you please, and God will
bless you in either. I went out preaching, and also some others and
some went to speculating, and we have never seen them since, excepting
one or two of them. It was so with the ancient Apostles. When Jesus
was crucified his disciples said, "Come, brethren, let us go a
fishing," and off they went fishing. But their did not make much till
Jesus came along by the sea side, made a fire and broiled some fish,
and when he asked them if they had any meat, they answered him, No.
Then he said unto them, cast the net on the right side of the ship,
and ye shall find.

Vol. 10,  p.78
In regard to this work, I know that it will roll on, and the kingdom
will be built up, the elect gathered, and the chosen ones go back to
the centre stake of Zion. There are a great many that are remaining in
the States till we go back, but I can tell them they will have to come
here, for this is the only way there is for the true Saints to get to
Jackson County, and they will find it out to be so in due time. Let us
serve God, brethren and sisters, with all our hearts, minds, might,
souls and strength, and all will go well and we shall triumph. As it
was anciently, so it is in this age, the Saints must come to the
mountains, the depot of the kingdom of God to get their blessings and,
prepare them for the future glory of Zion.

Vol. 10,  p.78
Let us take that course which will make us independent of all other
people upon the earth; I know that this is the course for us to take
all the time. Then we should put our minds together, and our mites
also, to build up the kingdom of God; and if we will do this, being of
one spirit, we shall prosper in all things. I know of no other way for
us to become of one heart and one mind in regard to the things of the
kingdom of God. By pursuing this course we shall increase in the
knowledge of the truth, and ere long the angels will come to visit us,
and Father will talk to us in relation to his purposes and the
introduction of his government. Let us endeavor to attain these
blessings, for they are ours through faithfulness and diligence in
well-doing.

Vol. 10,  p.78
No good man wishes to force anybody into heaven, but it is for every
one of us to strive and labor in righteousness to secure an interest
there for ourselves. The righteous have no reason to fear, though all
the combined powers of the wicked, visible and invisible, be arrayed
against them; faithfulness will preserve them.

Vol. 10,  p.78
Brethren and sisters, we should all be like clay in the hands of the
potter, and I want the people to learn that we shall all be rewarded
according to the amount of our works, just as the potter is paid for
his labors, in proportion to what he does.

Vol. 10,  p.79
God bless this people for ever. Amen.[p.79] 

Orson Hyde, January 25, 1863

God Alone Bestows the Evidences of His Divine Interpositions—
Opposition to the Kingdom of God Coming Events

Remarks by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 25, 1863.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.79
Notwithstanding the inclement and uncomfortable state of the weather,
the wheels of time do not cease to roll and bring a few of us together
on the morning of the first day of the week, to worship the King and
Lord of Hosts.

Vol. 10,  p.79
I am grateful for this opportunity of addressing you, my brethren and
sisters, for a short time. It is not the weather, it is not the might
and power of nations that can stay the progress of Jehovah's designs.
We are living, as you all know, I trust, in a momentous period of the
world. I will here remark that in the course of some conversations I
have recently had with certain individuals, we have had occasion to
enquire somewhat into the purposes and designs of the great Creator in
these days in which we live. It would be impossible to point out all
his purposes and designs; suffice it to say that it is highly
satisfactory to the just and to the upright that we can know somewhat
concerning them; and the fact of our being called as co-workers with
him to labor in the carrying out of his purposes and designs is an
honor to us that few can appreciate. We are permitted to assemble here
and in other places also from time to time to be instructed in the
ways of the Lord, for the express purpose of making us acquainted with
his purposes designed in the bosom of eternity, to be brought about
and accomplished in this dispensation, called the Fulness of Times;
and this, that we may be the better prepared to co-operate with our
Lord and Master in the bringing of them about, and also be better
prepared to meet those events when they shall transpire.

Vol. 10,  p.79
A short time ago a gentleman asked me if I really knew this to be the
work of God, for, said he, "If I did, most cordially would I embrace
the doctrines which are taught by your people as emanating from the
Most High; yes, I would willingly resign all worldly honor and my
position in life also, and bow with humble submission to the
requirements of your faith." I observed something like this, We are
not to be the judges of the amount of evidence required to bring
mankind under condemnation before God for rejecting the truth. We may
fancy to ourselves that we would like to see the dead raised from
their sleeping tombs; we may fancy that we would like to see the
mountains broken down, the valleys exalted or the floods in their
course stayed at the behest of the servants of God; we may indulge in
ideas and desires similar to these, yet said I, if there be an amount
of evidence addressed to your understanding, which seals conviction
upon your heart with regard to the truth, how will you meet that
conviction in a coming day, when we come to stand before God and the
spirits of just men made perfect? Do you think you can then open your
mouth and say, "I knew thee that [p.80] thou art a hard man, reaping
where thou hast not sown, and gathering where then hast not strewed:
and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there
thou hast that is thine. His Lord answered and said unto him, "Thou
wicked and slothful servant, then knewest that I reap where I sowed
not, and gather where I had not strewed? thou oughtest therefore to
have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should
have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him
and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that
hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that
hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the
unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth."—Matthew xxv. 24—30. Or will you be like the man
who was found in the assembly without the wedding garments, and unto
whom it was said "Friend how camest thou here?" What argument did he
make, and what had he to say for himself? He was dumb. Remember then,
I say, that it is the Judge of all the earth that parcels out the
evidences of his divine interposition unto man, not according to man's
traditions but according to that wisdom which is in the bosom of the
Eternal, knowing just the calibre of men and what it will require to
turn the scale of reason and to penetrate the soul of every
individual. It is for High Heaven to do this, and the Lord Almighty
will not judge according to our desires, but he will judge according
to the amount of evidence that he himself is pleased to give to each
person.

Vol. 10,  p.80
A few remarks upon this subject, brethren and sisters, may not be
amiss at the present time. I have noticed the providences that have
attended this people from their origin in the year 1830, and I have
noticed this, that a prejudice has been indulged in, by those who did
not choose to embrace the Gospel, against the people of the Saints.
There has ever been a kind of feeling indulged in by the world that
the Saints were going to do something very bad, something dreadful;
but what have they done up to the present time? The reply is, Why
really nothing that we can establish against them. This is the view
that has been taken of the Saints by those who knew us not, but the
very course that we are now taking has been the course that has
thwarted the wicked in their every design. The way their sails are new
set indicates that they design some evil, some mischief, and they have
said within themselves, Let us forestall the pending difficulty and
remove the danger before we encounter it. This has been the feeling of
the world, so far as my acquaintance extends in connection with the
progress of events and advancement of this people. Storms have been
drawn around us repeatedly, and caused us to be broken up and expelled
from the land where we had made our homes; not that we had done
anything, but because the wicked foolishly believed that we were going
to do something that was dangerous and desperate.

Vol. 10,  p.80
Now all the world is against us, and the learning of this world has
ever been opposed to the righteousness of God. In the beginning of
this work those that were sent to advocate the Gospel were unlearned;
as a general thing they were unskilled in the ways of the world.
Uncultivated and untutored boys were sent forth to proclaim the words
of life, and what was the simple message they were sent to bear?
Repent, for the hour of the visitation of Jehovah is at hand, repent
and embrace the Gospel. It did not require much [p.81] learning to
make this announcement; it was a plain simple message. If, for
instance, your house was on fire, and the news went to the sources of
help, the most illiterate could declare the fact as well as the most
learned man in the world. He would simply have to say, such a man's
house is on fire, and every one could understand that. The simple
proclamation of the Gospel was just as easy to be understood. Now, if
it were some difficult diplomatic negotiation which required to be
entered into, it would require all the embellishments of art to secure
it a passage through, but the simple message of the Gospel required no
such learning, it was simply to call upon the people to repent and to
inform them. that the chastising arm of Jehovah was about to fall upon
the nations. We went forth, we made this announcement throughout the
length and breadth of the United States, not only once but twice and
thrice, and in fact all the day long until we created such a storm
around us as to drive us beyond the confines of civilized man, and how
cruel was the ordeal! It was no less cruel on the part of those that
inflicted the wrong, although on the part of Jehovah it was an act of
mercy to allow the wicked to drive us, or to cause us to be placed in
these valleys of the mountains. The Heavens foresaw the danger, but we
knew it not; but our Father knew it and that was enough. Was there not
a Providence over us? Did he not deal kindly with his people? and has
he not done so from the beginning?

Vol. 10,  p.81
When the Saints escaped from Missouri and subsequently from Illinois;
when we wandered over the prairies and found a resting place for a
season in an Indian country, and when we furnished five hundred of our
best men, leaving our women and children unprotected in an Indian
country, while they went to fight their country's battles, and to
secure to the country that had permitted us to be driven from our
homes the very land upon which we now dwell was there not, I ask, a
kindly Providence over them that went and also over them that
remained? Yes, there was. We came into these valleys under the
protecting care of our heavenly, Father. We came with a few old crazy
wagons, and many of us but very poor teams, for be it known unto you
that the people who took our homes put them at their own prices, and
paid out their own commodities; and if they had an old wagon which
they thought would bear up till we got beyond the confines of
civilization they would turn it out, considering that would be long
enough for it to last us.

Vol. 10,  p.81
In this way we came to these valleys, and had to so live till we got
something from an untried soil, not knowing whether a peck of wheat,
corn or potatoes could be raised from it, but Heaven blest our labors,
Providence smiled upon our exertions and we made out to continue along
until the land became abundantly blessed, and now our granaries are
filled with plenty If the wrath of God had been against this people to
the same extent that the wrath of man was against us, where would we
have been to-day? Annihilated! Nothing would have been left of us, and
our career would have been highly colored on the pages of history, and
sent down to posterity with the sting of the Anathemist upon it. But
the wrath of Heaven was not upon us; it was only the wrath of man. Do
you not see the difference between the wrath of Heaven and the wrath
of man? If our enemies had been one with the Almighty, or if he had
been one with them, we should have been obliterated long before this.
But here, in us, is the evidence that the world and the Almighty do
not [p.82] exactly agree. They never did, and they never will agree,
and hence I say the Saints will live when the ungodly shall wither and
die; when the wicked are in ruin and disgrace, this people will
flourish under the blessing of our Father and God.

Vol. 10,  p.82
These things, although silent, are upon the pages of history, they are
still in the memories of men, but though silent they speak in language
too powerful for the world to conceive their strength and weight in
the balances which shall determine their future destiny. Like the
other portions of Jehovah's creation, the great family of planets
revolve around their centre, they move in their majesty, although in
silence; you can see them but not hear them; they cease not to move;
the course of their speed and their velocity is the same continually,
and yet, though they move in silence, they speak in language too
powerful to be misunderstood, and in thunder tones declare the voice
of the Almighty. Well might an individual, say, who does not consider
these shining works of the Creator, O, that I had some evidence that
these are the works of the Almighty, I would adore him for ever! Bless
you, these are better evidences that the Almighty exists and rules in
the heavens above than any that recital can adduce, showing hourly,
daily and nightly, that they are governed by law, and proclaiming to
all nations that the Lord is God, that by him they are made, by him
they are controlled, and that he views all the works of his hands with
an impartial eye.

Vol. 10,  p.82
Whoever will look upon the history of the Saints and see the
providences of the Almighty that have attended them, must see that
these Divine interpositions speak in evidence too powerful to be
resisted. I confess that these are arguments more potent than I am
capable of adducing at the present time, Now he that will look at
these things and run them over in his mind, will readily see that
these are evidences of divinity in our religion. Where is there
another people over whom Heaven has exercised these peculiar
providences? Why is the world at war with us? It is because we are not
like them. If we would go to work and establish about forty tipling
shops, as many gambling houses, and as many houses of ill-fame, bless
you we could get into the Union without any trouble; the track would
be clear, the wheels greased, and we would go right in; but, because
we are not so inclined there is a good deal of friction about it, they
fear that we are going to do something dreadful. Now, I can tell you
that we are not going to do anything very wonderful nor very shocking,
but if we are faithful and keep ourselves unspotted from the world,
our God is going to astonish the nations; he is going to do something
both wonderful and mighty, and it will be dreadful to the wicked; he
will show this and every other nation that lift their hands against
his anointed that they will henceforth cease to be a nation. He has
commenced his work already, but he is only giving the alphabet now, we
shall be getting into the pictures by-and-bye. When I was a boy and
went to school we studied Webster's spelling book, and when we got
along a piece with our lessons, we used to say I have got over to the
pictures now, and the time is near at hand when we shall see such
pictures exhibited by the hand of the Almighty as were never before
witnessed by mortal eye; that will be a trying time.

Vol. 10,  p.82
The field of learning is boundless, and I venture to say that the most
learned man in the world is far more studious when he gets into higher
branches than when he first commenced [p.83] his studies, for he can
discover fields of learning which before he could not conceive of, and
so it is with the works of Jehovah; there is always a field in which
the Almighty can display his power and his goodness, and it is
enlarging all the time.

Vol. 10,  p.83
Brethren and sisters, I do not feel disposed on this cold morning to
detain you any great length of time, but suffice it to say that I am
glad of the opportunity of meeting with you, and I feel in my heart to
say God bless the Saints—Heaven's blessing be with them. This is my
desire, it is my earnest prayer, and if we can so live as to be
without spot, and blameless in the day of the coming of the Lord Jesus
it will amply compensate for all our toils, all our privations, and
for all our labors of love in the kingdom of God.

Vol. 10,  p.83
That this may be the case, with us, is my earnest and sincere prayer,
in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Amasa M. Lyman, October 7, 1862

The Object of Gathering—the Happy Effects of Obedience 
to the Gospel—the Means By Which the Kingdom of 
God is to Be Established on the Earth

Discourse by Elder AMASA M. LYMAN, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
October 7, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.83
I do not know that it is necessary for me to tell you that I am glad
to be here. If you have but a little of the feeling that influences
me, you know very well that I am glad to be here. I am not glad to be
here because my mission is ended, for such I do not consider to be the
case at all. We often say we have been on a mission, and have
fulfilled a mission, and have returned as though that something had
been completed and accomplished. I have been on a mission, but I have
not come from a mission, or from that mission. I have been on a
mission; I have come home on a mission; I am still on a mission. The
obligations of that mission, I feel, are not ceasing, not becoming
less, but they increase from day to day and from year to year with the
increase of knowledge and understanding and the apprehension of the
principles of truth. I am here to-day for the same purpose, for the
prosecution of the same labor that I have been in, in every place that
I have occupied as a minister of the truth since I first became
acquainted with its principles, and by such acquaintance I became
connected with the Work of God.

Vol. 10,  p.83
My text is furnished me in the people that are before me to-day. Who
could look upon this assembly and be so dull, so stupid that the
inquiry would not arise in his mind, What are we here for? Why all
this gathering together of this mixed [p.84] multitude of people;
people from so many nations; people of different tongues, of different
customs, different traditions and notions, yet having one and the same
feeling in reference to a few of the details that make up the great
aggregate of life's actions? For what purpose have we been gathered
together from distant nations? Some may have thought that our
gathering here was only for the sake of being together, for the sake
of creating a multitudinous community. The multitude we see assembled
here to-day are here because the kingdom of God is to be built up; for
if the kingdom of God is to be built up, there must be people to
constitute it; there must be a people to be ruled, or the rulers would
have nothing over which to rule. If the mere assembling of the people
together constitutes the kingdom of God now, why has it not
constituted the kingdom of God at other times? People have assembled
together before; communities have existed before, yet the existence of
such communities has not and does not now constitute them the kingdom
of God. One reason why the gathering together of the people does not
constitute the kingdom of God is, that the more gathering of the
people is not particularly art intellectual operation, it does not of
itself particularly inform the judgment or enlighten the mind in
reference to God, and man's relationship to God and his purposes.

Vol. 10,  p.84
We commenced our labors with you in lands far distant from this we
preached the Gospel to you; listening to that, and receiving the
testimony of the servants of God and following the course that was
indicated by them, you have become changed in your circumstances and
locality. You were located in other parts of the globe and were
citizens of other nations, but now you are here located in the
peaceful vales of Utah. It is now time for the gathered Saints to
begin to learn still more, if they have not already begun to do so;
and if they have begun to learn, to continue to learn something of the
reason why they are gathered together, that they may be able to
discover the true relationship between the actions they perform, the
labors, duties and services that are required of them, and the
development, increase and growth into strength and power of the
kingdom of God on the earth. When we talk about the kingdom of God our
thoughts are apt to travel away from scenes of earth, as though it
were a matter of the ideas alone and not connected with our earthly
operations, labors, duties and services.

Vol. 10,  p.84
There is no action in life, no labor that we perform, no relationship
that we sustain to God and one another, but what should be connected
directly with the development of the kingdom of God. Says one,—"We
must become perfect and holy; we must become God-like; we must become
like the angels or like the spirits of the just who dwell with God."
This is true; but where is that transformation, that change in our
condition, feelings and circumstances to be wrought out—in heaven or
on earth, at home or abroad? Where is the school in which we are to be
taught the plain, simple, unvarnished administrations of truth in a
way to bring it within the range of our feeble comprehension of truth
that we may understand it? Are we to learn it in any one place to the
exclusion of all others? No. Are we to learn God and truth where we
live? Yes. If not, where in Heaven's name do you expect to learn of
him? Do you live in heaven with God and his angels? No; you live here
on the earth, here in Utah among the rugged mountains that are around
us. All you know you know here, and all you can learn you must learn
here [p.85] while you are here. To acquire a knowledge of God is
eternal life. That appears to many to be a great something. I say
something, because people know nothing of God. Where are you going to
obtain a knowledge of God.

Vol. 10,  p.85
People talk about going to heaven, but when we find ourselves in
heaven we shall find that we have reached it, without going to it.
Heaven is a development of internal powers and external changes. We
learn to know God now as human beings, influenced by the effects of
sin and folly, degraded and surrounded with darkness, misery and
wretchedness. Shall we wait until these are pat off before we can
learn of God and get to know that which will constitute in us that
knowledge which is eternal life? No. We came here to the valleys of
Utah in obedience to the requirements of the Gospel, simply that we
might here continue to be taught. We came to this distant region to
learn of God. How? By, in the first place, learning ourselves. Can we
know God in this way? Yes; we can know him in no other way. We cannot
go to where he is, to be taught of him personally and to associate
with him. What have we in this world that gives a truthful indication
of his character to the mind that is open to the light of truth? We
have ourselves been made in the image of God. Then it is essentially
necessary that we should learn ourselves as an all-importuner step to
the knowledge of God. We must learn to correct our lives and our
actions; we must learn to govern ourselves and sanctify our
affections, that we may be prepared to hold communion with heavenly
intelligences.

Vol. 10,  p.85
The kingdom of God is established now for the development and increase
of its principles within us, to reflect light on the darkness that
surrounds us and reveal to our understanding the true relationship we
sustain to God, and the reason why the requirements of the Gospel are
laid upon us and why we can be saved by listening to them, and why we
are not saved if we refuse to listen to them.

Vol. 10,  p.85
When the sound of the Gospel first reached me, I used to have this
childish idea, that if I ever knew the truth it must be because the
heavens would be opened for me to gaze upon the glory that is within
the vail, and this would be the only assurance I could receive that
the Gospel is true. I lived under the influence of this idea until I
passed measurably from the condition of childhood, of hearing as a
child and understanding as a child. When I began to approximate
towards a riper condition of mind, I became satisfied that it was not
by merely looking at something that the mind became enlightened; that
it was not by merely guessing at something that is incomprehensible
that knowledge is developed in the soul. I learned that the Gospel was
true in a very simple way. The Gospel required me to pursue an
upright, just, virtuous, honest course of life with all the world
around me and to live at peace with all men. I commenced living in the
world without quarreling with anybody; I followed the dictation of the
Gospel and its requirements, and it has saved me from war, contention
and strife with my fellowman, from quarreling with my family, with my
brethren, with my friends and with my neighbors. In this way I found
out that so much of the Gospel was true, and I did not have to go to
heaven to find this out neither. This is the way I want you to begin
to learn God, and the consequences will be peace and the joy that
springs from peace. Then heaven will be in the home where you dwell,
in the land and country where you live, in your associations with year
friends and neighbors and kindred in all life's varied relations. And
or consequence [p.86] will be constant in-dwelling of the Spirit of
God; that Spirit that brings life and light, and knowledge and
understanding to the soul of man, that quickens the intellect of man
and sanctifies every power to hold communion with still higher and
holier principles.

Vol. 10,  p.86
We say we want the Holy Spirit; then let us so live our religion that
we may have the Holy Spirit, which will improve our condition
continually, making us better and better citizens of the kingdom of
God with every degree of gain over ourselves. In this way we may
cultivate and develop in us individually the principle of immortality
that will constitute, when applied to the great body of the people of
God, the immortality of his kingdom, the basis of its eternal and
deathless perpetuity. Then the development of the kingdom of God in
power on earth, temporally, depends upon the self-culture of its
members, upon the culture of the feelings that rule the soul and that
give character to the action of the creature. When we consider that
purity of life is necessary and requisite to qualify a man to be a
citizen of the kingdom of God, we shall cultivate that quality and
labor for its development and increase. To how many of the
infinitesimal details of life's actions does this principle extend? It
should extend to them all. We cannot do any wrong that will render us
acceptable to God and make us better. That is right which improves and
gives life. There is a right way and a wrong one to all we do.

Vol. 10,  p.86
If we cultivate the ground there is a way which, if pursued, will be
fruitful of consequences the most disastrous, while an opposite way
will produce profit and reward us for our labors. There is a way that
is fruitful of noxious weeds where something better should grow, and
this is as truthfully the result of the conduct of the farmer as is
the rich harvest of healthy grain that affords him bread and
sustenance. Some people think they can pray the weeds out of their
fields and gardens, but their prayers can only be effectual when
accompanied with a reasonable amount of honest labor rightly and
wisely applied. I am in favor of praying. I love to pray myself, and I
love to have the Saints pray. But when you have a great many weeds
growing on your land, pray for your land, and do not forget to go out
on to that land and pull up, remove and destroy by your diligent labor
the weed-plants that so much annoy you.

Vol. 10,  p.86
We have been told that the Lord will not plant our grain for us and
cultivate our fields. We are here to learn how to do that for
ourselves, if we do not know. This part of our education we have to
gain, if we have not already gained it; and this will enable us to aid
in the building up and development in its greatness and power of the
kingdom of God. Let our labor be so applied, that when we bow down
before our heavenly Father to ask him to bless anything we have or do,
that we can do so consistently. Let us hoe up the weeds and enrich our
fields, and ask God to give us a bountiful crop to reward our toils.
We will do all we can do, and then ask God to bless that labor and
leave the result with him. If your wagon has been fixed in the mud get
hold of the wheel yourself and lift all you can, and then ask somebody
else to help you if you need help.

Vol. 10,  p.86
There is another field that is equally taxed with the support of a
noxious growth: I refer to ourselves at home. We carry about with us
our notions, our habits of thought; and our habits of thought give
character to our actions. When, for instance, the storm of passion is
aroused in our bosom, we yield ourselves up to it without an effort
and unresistingly [p.87] allow ourselves to be carried away by its
influence from a course of propriety and right, and we do wrong and
say wrong things. Let rising anger be suppressed; let the place where
it had its incipient being become its grave. Never let the mouth utter
the word that should not be spoken. This counsel is just as applicable
to myself as it is to you. I have learned long since that I was not
called to preach the Gospel because I had no improvement to make on
myself, or because I could not become any better. I have come to the
conclusion that the more I talk about the right and the less I talk
about the wrong, and the more I become occupied with the right the
less danger I shall be in of becoming occupied by the wrong. This is
good for me, and, being good for me, I recommend it to the Saints. I
want them to live peaceably and quietly with one another and learn to
do the little things in life's duty right. That we may learn to do
this, it is necessary that we should control our passions, for if we
do not control them they will control us, and under such control we do
wrong. When we control ourselves, the result is equanimity of feeling
such as is necessary to the exercise of an enlightened judgment, if
such judgment exists within us. Cannot God help us? It altogether
depends upon whether we are disposed to help ourselves or not. God
will help and bless us when we pursue the course that is acceptable to
him. If we strive to subdue stormy passions within us, he will assist
us in the good work until the Spirit of God is not merely a casual
visitor, but a constant dweller within us to increase our store of
knowledge, extend our views and make our conceptions of God and truth
more as they should be. Let us live in this way and we shall speak
kindly of one another and be more charitable to all men.

Vol. 10,  p.87
The result of our education is differences of feeling and differences
in our way of life; we have brought these differences with us from our
distant homes. We have brought with us to Utah more or less of the old
notions that have grown with our growth and strengthened with our
strength; throughout our lives their influence has been upon us. So
far as these are in opposition to the truth and the right, they must
be overcome, for as we learn the truth we must exchange our incorrect
notions for notions that are correct in reference to living with one
another and in reference to our general conduct in life. It is not
some service we have to perform at some remote place from where we are
now living that will benefit us, but it is how we deport ourselves
here towards one another and towards God; how we shall make our farms,
cultivate our grounds, and how to use that which we have been blessed
with as faithful stewards of the manifold mercies of God. We have much
yet to learn; the improvements we have not yet made are all to be
made, whether they relate to the cultivation of our fields and gardens
or to the cultivation of our minds; it is our duty to garnish and
embellish them and make them beautiful and lovely as the residence and
heritage of intellectual men and women. This will bring into existence
God's temporal kingdom on the earth; then the sanctified and holy and
acceptable of his children will dwell in palaces, will be surrounded
with wealth, and there will be no desire of their hearts but what may
be satisfied. There will be a fountain opened to them where they may
satisfy their thirst, however intense it may be for ought that is
good, great and ennobling.

Vol. 10,  p.87
Learn, sisters, when you teach the truth to your children who prattle
around your knee, and are trying to cultivate a love of it in them,
that [p.88] you are determining their destiny and your own, and their
relationship un-changeably with the increase, perpetual and eternal
growth of God's kingdom. Think of this, and do not for a moment pass
by those labors of love to your children as matters of comparatively
little value, for in them are your hopes of glory, heaven, happiness,
bliss and joy in that great future of glory we are looking for. How
can a mother teach her children the Tight if she is reckless of it
herself? How can a father do that if he neglects to set before his
household the example of propriety that should constitute the constant
and ceaseless labor of a father? Then, let us remember that all this
work is upon us; it is to redeem the earth, to be learning how to
cultivate and improve its condition; it is to bring into existence a
holy nation of men and women before God.

Vol. 10,  p.88
Who are they which constitute the bright hosts that worship around the
throne of God? They are men and women and children, such as we see
here to-day; intellectual beings like ourselves, who have been
educated, taught, trained, led onward and upward from a condition of
ignorance to the possession of that infinitude of knowledge that makes
so incomprehensible a difference between us. As we are, so were they;
and as they are in all their brightness and glory around the throne of
God, so may we be with our wives and children, friends and associates
in the kingdom of God on earth, when we have travelled along to that
state of exaltation to which they have attained, when we have learned
to vanquish the monster of Sin and death, rising above him to live in
the elements of truth and holiness in a state free from corruption and
sin. This has had its beginning here, in all our life's labor, care
and relationship to one another; the existence beyond this is only the
finished constellation of the glory which is commenced here, an
advanced stage of its development. We are not so blind and dumb that
we cannot comprehend the difference between the household where the
words of righteousness are uttered, where examples of purity are set,
and that household where such noble examples are not seen. Would you
see your children around the throne of God? Would you see them clad in
glory and crowned with immortality and eternal lives? Then teach them
truth while they prattle around your knee; learn them to lisp the
truth, teach them to love it ere they can fully know its worth, and as
they grow in capacity to reason and understand they will then, bless
the father and mother that taught them truth and purity, and to hate
and despise the wrong and choose the good. Truth will regulate all
life's details; I care not how numerous they may be, all will yield to
the saving, sanctifying, hallowed influence and supreme love of truth.
When we teach the truth to our children, it is one of the best proofs
that we love the truth ourselves with all our minds, might and
strength. If we take this course we shall see the kingdom of God
growing; its outward embellishments will appear, its wealth will
increase and its power will spread abroad on the right hand and on the
left until untold millions of earth's children will repose in
security, safety and happiness, and be blessed beneath its banner.
Then, its temples will rise in beauty, grandeur and glory, and the
home of every Saint will become a temple where God will delight to
reveal the richness of his blessings to his faithful children. If our
God shines as the perfection of beauty out of Zion, Zion must reflect
that beauty; it must have an existence in Zion reflecting its beauty
outwardly upon the world around. The glory of Zion must be created by
the children of [p.89] Zion. We cannot attain to this all in a moment.
We first begin to make our homes tidy and to subdue every enemy to our
peace, that we may have more comfort. If we wish our children to have
an exalted taste for the lovely and beautiful, create something lovely
for them to look upon, let them behold a practical example and
exhibition of the beautiful and lovely when they are at home; when
they go into the garden let them see the development of beauty, and
when they come to maturity and remove far away they will think of the
paternal home with delight and pleasure as the place where peace
reigns, where joy is developed, where the odor of sweet flowers are
inhaled by the visitors, greeting our early rising or cheering us when
we retire to our rest. This is the picture of the home of a Saint, of
him who loves to beautify Zion and exalt the children of Zion above
all other people on the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.89
It does not fellow of necessity that the poor man must possess broad
acres. If your garden is no larger than this stand, cultivate it
properly, plant fruit trees and other useful plants, and rivet the
attention of your growing family to the contemplation of their duty;
let them see an example in you from day to day and from year to year
which will exercise a salutary influence upon the minds of your
children throughout their future lives. If I have not myself been able
hitherto to make such a home, it is the home that lives in my mind. I
show you the ladder over which you may travel from any condition of
degradation and ignorance to all that is noble, exalted and Godlike.
We must start from where we are, and we shall soon see better houses,
more fruitful and lovely gardens; the residences of the Saints will
grow into beauty and the cities of the Saints into magnificence.

Vol. 10,  p.89
The Prophet Joseph once took me by the arm in the street, and said, "I
have so many blessings, and there is nothing but what you can enjoy in
your time and place the same as I do, and so can every man." But I
have prayed this prayer, "If the bestowal of wealth upon thy servant,
O Lord, will make him a fool and cause him to forsake the truth, may I
remain poor until I can bear it." We might as well complain that we
were not all born at the same time as to complain of any disparity
that may exist between us in pecuniary matters. Let the Saints who
have just come to these valleys from their fatherland learn to be
contented in whatsoever position they are placed in, that is, when you
are in circumstances that neither you nor your friends can change for
the better. To complain of circumstances that cannot at the present be
improved would simply be a waste of your time, and your time is
precious, for we are not going to live many years according to the
common course of things to improve ourselves here. It will be to our
advantage to live in this world as long as we can improve, and the
longer we live here and improve, the stronger grow the ties that bind
us to this existence. I want to see the kingdom of God grow from this
small beginning that is right around us, until the whole earth is
filled and blessed with its glory as it now blesses and fills the
valleys of Deseret in a degree. We are connected with an enterprise
that is great, noble and honorable, with an enterprise that is not
satisfied with a limited acquisition, with a small victory over sin,
but it is an enterprise that grasps the world's emancipation from sin,
darkness and death; it looks at no smaller object than the world's
freedom from sin and its consequences.

Vol. 10,  p.89
Being connected with so great an enterprise, I do not feel any more
that I am a worm of the earth, but that [p.90] I am associated with
the Gods of eternity, and that angels are my kindred and of my family.
This is the way I want the Saints to feel If they feel this way they
will shun all wickedness, and seek for right and try to do it all the
time. I for one am engaged in the great work of building up the
kingdom of God upon the earth, and I want to get the Saints to see the
value of that practical purity of life that will utterly destroy the
power of sin, purge out the transgressor from our assemblies and
render us more and more acceptable to God all the time, because better
calculated to bless the world.

Vol. 10,  p.90
God bless you: Amen.

Charles C. Rich, October 6, 1862

Present Opportunities of Obtaining a Knowledge of the 
Principles of Truth—Importance of Improving Them

Remarks by Elder CHARLES C. RICH, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, October 6, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.90
I feel great pleasure in meeting with the brethren and sisters, having
just returned from a mission. I do not speak of this because of a
feeling that I am now relieved from a mission, for I feel that I have
been on a mission all the time, and I expect to remain a Missionary
from this time henceforth and for ever. This is the height of my
ambition, that I may have the pleasure of laboring to build up the
kingdom of God on the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.90
The instructions we have had today have been joyful to my heart, for
they are those principles that are calculated to save, to exalt and to
prepare us to dwell with the Gods in the eternal worlds. I have often
said that of all the people upon the face of the earth the Saints of
the Most High God have the greatest reason to be thankful. This is my
feeling and has been ever since I embraced the Gospel; and the longer
I live, the more I see and experience, the more I feel and know that
we are the favored people of the Lord. If we can appreciate this as it
is, it will lead us continually to take that course theft will be
right and proper in the sight of Heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.90
While I have been absent from this Territory I have been laboring
wherever my lot has been cast to convince the inhabitants of the earth
of the truth of the principles of our holy religion, and to point out
to them the path of life, and how far I have been successful I shall
leave for a higher power to judge.

Vol. 10,  p.90
I find that we are all like children, so far as knowledge is
concerned: that is, we know nothing, excepting what we have learned
from others or by observation, and inasmuch as we do not now know
anything but that which we have learned, the prospect [p.91] is that
what we may know in the future we shall have to learn. We are in a
school, one which our Father has prepared for us, and in which he
designs to instruct us, to give us counsel and point out the course
that we should take day by day, in order that we may be saved. If we
adopt the principles that have been revealed they will bring to us
happiness and an abiding joy, and that, too, at the time and in the
place where we are in need.

Vol. 10,  p.91
One reason why I consider that we are so much more highly favored than
other people is simply this, that in generations that are past and
gone there was no man capable of rising up and pointing out the way of
life and salvation—there was no man to dispense the blessings of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ to them that were willing to embrace the truth.
But it is not so now, for the kingdom of God has been established upon
the earth, a knowledge of the ordinances of the kingdom has also been
committed to man upon the earth, and the keys of that kingdom have
been given, and the principles which pertain to that kingdom can now
be taught to us. We have now the power to embrace the principles of
life, because they are presented to us by those having the authority
to teach. The principles of our religion have emanated front our
Father and God, with whom there is no variableness, nor the least
shadow of turning; and these principles have been revealed for the
express purpose that we might embrace and practice them and thereby
bring about our own salvation and secure that happiness which is
promised to the faithful sons and daughters of God.

Vol. 10,  p.91
When we are in the world and hear the sectarians teaching their
peculiar dogmas about heaven, hell and many oilier topics, their
discourses sound empty, foolish and incomprehensible. Their subjects
are generally very distant; in fact altogether beyond this world. When
we hear individuals talking about having a father and a mother we do
not then understand them to be talking about anything that is very
remote, but it is something that is right here with us, and so it is
with the kingdom of God. When the servants of the Lord commence to
teach the human family principles pertaining to that kingdom, it is
brought right home to us, so that we can understand it in this present
life. This is the way the Gospel came to us when it was first sounded
in our ears; it was brought home to us, no matter what kind of place
we were in, and it set before us salvation, not after this life
particularly, but it offered salvation to us at the time we heard it.
The kingdom of God being established on the earth, the salvation of
that kingdom was announced in our ears, and we had the offer of its
benefits. If we saw proper to embrace the doctrines presented, we had
the privilege of doing so; and inasmuch as we adopted and do now adopt
the principles of that kingdom it brings to us a present salvation;
and if we do not have a present salvation it is for want of adopting
the principles that have been revealed. This is a matter that we
should inquire about, and see and know for ourselves whether we have
adopted those principles which the Almighty has made known for our
salvation. If we have adopted them in our lives, then we are in the
path of life and truth, which gives us salvation all the time; but if
we have not, then we do not partake of that present salvation which is
offered.

Vol. 10,  p.91
When the Savior was upon the earth he told his disciples to pray that
his kingdom might come and that his will might be done upon the earth
as it is done in the heavens. We might with the same propriety ask in
our [p.92] prayers, that the will of God might be done upon the earth
in our day as angels do it in heaven. Is there anything upon this
earth that will prevent the establishment of the same principles and
the imparting of the same blessings that are enjoyed in the eternal
worlds? If there is, the prayer of the Savior which he taught his
disciples could not be fulfilled, and we know that our Father in
heaven would not set us to do that which could not be accomplished. We
can adopt the principles of that kingdom and practice them in our
lives, and this will make us precisely what we are praying for.

Vol. 10,  p.92
Happiness is what we are striving for in this life, and this is what
we want in the life which is to come. That happiness is obtainable
upon the principles of truth and right that have been and that will be
revealed from heaven. As I before remarked, we are in a school, and it
is our business to be industrious in that school. It is our business
to work diligently to learn that which is taught in the school of
Christ, to make ourselves acquainted with the principles of salvation
as far as revealed unto us. I can say truly and bear testimony that
the people have never had to wait for the knowledge of God; the time
never has been when it has not been poured out faster than the people
were ready to receive. Principles of light and truth have all the time
been taught faster than the people were ready to adopt and practice
them. It has always been the good pleasure of the Lord, and it is
still his wish to enlighten our minds and enlarge our understandings
in reference to the things of his kingdom, that we may have just
conceptions of his ways, and understand correctly the principles that
pertain to the development of all that wisdom and knowledge necessary
for our present and future advancement in the principles of eternal
life.We should endeavor to appreciate and continually feel thankful
for the blessings bestowed upon us, and strive to improve upon all the
girls of God that are bestowed.

Vol. 10,  p.92
There are a great many people, and I have met with some of them, who
are very anxious to know all about heaven, the other worlds, and all
about the people that dwell in eternity; but I will tell you how I
feel, it is that I want to discharge the duties that devolve upon me,
and strive to comprehend the object and design of everything that is
required of me. We should all seek for a knowledge of those duties
that pertain to us at the present time, and we should practice
principles that will bring present salvation, and we should labor to
learn that which will be both for our present and future good.

Vol. 10,  p.92
What we have been told to-day is good and strictly true, and we ought
to understand that we are as much in the midst of eternity as we ever
shall be, and our chances and opportunities for gaining knowledge and
salvation here are as good as they will ever be. We have all the
opportunities of learning the principles of h even just as good as we
shall ever have. Then if we do not improve upon these opportunities we
are certainly to blame, and we are injuring ourselves more than
anybody else, and the time will come when, if we are deprived of any
blessing, we shall blame ourselves only. We will have it to say that
the blessings and salvation pertaining to the kingdom of God were
presented and we despised them. Then we will find that the scripture
is true which says, "Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou
wicked servant." in view of this, then, it is for us to be awake to
that which we have presented to us, to those principles which God has
revealed from the heavens, for he has revealed them for the express
purpose of having us practice [p.93] them upon this earth. Those
principles were not revealed with the intention that we should wait
till we got to heaven, but everything is for us to practice in this
life. Now, if we do not adopt the truth in this life, what is there to
make us believe that we will adopt it in the life to come? I look upon
our opportunities as being as good to know things in this life as they
will be to know them in the life to come, for light and truth are
before us, and they will only be before us there. We have no time to
spare; all out opportunities should be laid hold of. If we have not
adopted the principles of salvation in this life, there is no
assurance that we shall adopt them in the life to come. What is there
to make you and I think that we shall have power to apply them to
ourselves hereafter? We ought to think of this, in order that we may
be ready day by day for the performance of any duty required of us; we
ought to know the principles so perfectly that we can apply them to
the performance of evers duty and feel and know that we are
right—understand them for ourselves that we may be capable of applying
them both in this life and in that which is to come. If we could do
this, it would be a very good sign that we could apply these doctrines
in the future life; but if we are to be told every day what we have to
do, the probability is that we should be in the same situation in
eternity.

Vol. 10,  p.93
We have the privilege of working out our salvation before God, and we
have the opportunity of testing the practical workings of these
principles, and in doing this our minds would expand to see the
necessity of our words and our actions being right. Supposing the
actions of every man and woman were right and in strict accordance
with the doctrines of our religion, where would be the evil? If
everybody always said and did right, the evils that we now find in the
world would no more afflict the human family.

Vol. 10,  p.93
The evils that we do find grow out of two causes, and mostly out of
one, and that one is ignorance. But there are some who are fast to do
wrong; others do it ignorantly There must be means adopted for
teaching such persons the way of life, that where they do not know how
to do right they may be taught; and then, when they are taught the
right and embrace it with full purpose of heart, they can act upon the
principles that are right and proper for them in this great school, in
which we are being taught by the servants of God those duties that are
required of us day by day, even those principles that will produce
happiness, contentment and salvation. These things are being pointed
out to us from week to week and from time to time, just as they have
been this forenoon. How rich these instructions! They will be worth
nothing unless we practice them in our lives. We read of a time when
the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the
great deep; and we live in a time when that knowledge is being taught
by the Prophets of God, and when it is the privilege of all mankind to
he exalted upon principles of obedience to the laws of heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.93
Why are we not divided and distracted as the world are? and especially
the country round about us? The reason is, we are and have been taught
correct principles. How easy it would be to put the world of mankind
right, if they would be set right and if they would hearken to the
voice of God. In this age, as in all others, the inhabitants of the
earth have been told what would come upon them, but they heed not the
warnings of the servants of God. When we view the kingdom of God
[p.94] in the heavens we view it as an eternal kingdom. This is its
condition, because truth and nothing but the truth exists with the
inhabitants; they are governed by it in all their actions. Let the
same principles be with us, and we shall find that the effect produced
will be a oneness of purpose; our labors will be to promote happiness
upon the earth and our lives will be peaceful ones. It is a good sign
for us to adopt those principles that we can test and prove to be good
or bad. I am perfectly willing to trust all in this kingdom, and to
look to the world to come for an exaltation with the sanctified, and I
know that all will be right if I continue faithful.

Vol. 10,  p.94
I can hear testimony that the Saints of the Most High God have not
been waiting for labor; there has always been sufficient laid out to
occupy their attention, and if they have attended to their duties they
have no time to complain of anybody else. There is nothing very
difficult for us to do, but there is enough to keep us busy all the
time. And there are a great many safe-guards which our Father has
placed in his Church for the purpose of taking care of the sheep and
pointing out to us those individual duties which are daily required at
our hands. We find Presidents, Bishops and counselors in every
direction, ever ready to impart to us a word of comfort and
consolation; and if we are not taught we are to blame ourselves and
nobody else. God has always spoken through his anointed servants,
through those holding his Priesthood and authority, and he will be
obeyed; and it is our duty and the duty of all men to give heed to
those instructions and to receive knowledge from God by his servants
as well as by his Spirit, for unless we do enjoy that Spirit and be
guided by its influences we shall lack the perfection we are destined
to arrive at.

Vol. 10,  p.94
We have a great labor to perform, and we have a great enemy to meet
and overcome, and therefore it will be well for us to take a safe
course and do a few things right, for should we attempt to do many
things and fail we shall be sorry for it. I feel to rejoice in the
plan of salvation, and I rejoice to have the privilege of laboring to
establish these principles upon the earth. The more we do the better
we feel. While we see mankind going to ruin because of their
wickedness, I rejoice in the prospect of seeing the kingdom of God
rising in splendor and greatness, and I do feel that we have abundant
reason to be thankful, for we have been led by the hand of the
Almighty from the first organization of this Church.

Vol. 10,  p.94
It is our business as Saints to put away from us everything that is
wrong, that tends to corrupt the people of God. We are called upon to
honor our callings and to labor to perform what the Bishops and
Authorities of the Church require of us. Evil will produce evil, and
good will produce good, and a bitter fountain will produce bitter
water, and so it is throughout all the ramifications of the kingdom to
which we belong. I trust that we shall all so live as to secure
happiness and obtain peace with ourselves, so that we may live in
peace at home. I do not want to see any of us neglect our own welfare,
but I wish to see every Saint live as a man of God, as one who is
striving to secure eternal life in the kingdom of our heavenly Father.

Vol. 10,  p.94
If I understand the principles of life and salvation, and with this
understanding should lay down this body, I should then continue the
good work which I have commenced here. All that wisdom and knowledge
which we have obtained we will carry With us to the spirit world, and
this, you can readily perceive, would make just, about such a heaven
on the other [p.95] side of the vail as we have made on this side. I
do not think we would make it much different. Of course we will have
to learn beyond the vail as much so as we have need of learning while
here. Then, let us endeavor to feed upon those principles of life and
salvation day by day, and labor to put them in practice while in this
life, then we shall have joy, happiness, peace and a present salvation
right where we are. We have the power to prove these principles all
the time, and we can bear testimony to their truth, for we experience
their benefits and blessings in our everyday life.

Vol. 10,  p.95
Let us be faithful and love the truth more than we love anything else,
for there is a fulness of it offered to us; and we ought to know that
there are no other principles or system that has a fulness of truth to
offer to us. Now, there is not any of us that would be satisfied with
anything short of a fulness of all that knowledge and wisdom which are
hid up in the eternal worlds. But we need not think of attaining that
position upon any other principles than those offered to us by our
heavenly Father, for if we do, we deceive ourselves and are preparing
for ourselves disappointment, and at the great day of reckoning we
shall find ourselves disappointed, simply because we have not adapted
the principles that alone will secure what we want in time and in
eternity.

Vol. 10,  p.95
I do not feel to occupy more than my share of the time, but I feel
exceedingly well, and, as some of the brethren have remarked, I always
intend to feel well, for I intend to do the best I can all the time.
When I first embraced the Gospel, I had a testimony of its truth and I
have had evidence increasing with me all the day long. I have often
remarked to individuals that I would pursue the course that I was
pursuing if there was no other life than this; I would do this because
it brings the most good, the most happiness, more than anything else I
know anything about. Let us be humble and faithful in keeping the
commandments of God and in performing the labors that are allotted to
us; and sanctify ourselves before God that we may constantly have
within us the light of the Holy Spirit; be guided by his Priesthood,
that when we come to lay down these bodies we may be prepared for that
which is to be enjoyed on the other side of the vail, having been
faithful and diligent on this side, Which I pray may be the case, in
the name of Jesus: Amen.[p.96] 

Brigham Young, April 7, 1862

Authority of Bishops—Branch Organizations—
Assisting the Mail and Telegraph Companies

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.96
This is the place to give items of instruction to the people. I am
satisfied that it is my duty to improve this opportunity, and should
be very happy if I could speak with ease; if I could do so I should
talk a great deal more than I do.

Vol. 10,  p.96
Ask a Bishop by what authority he is acting as a Bishop; "I suppose I
am a Bishop according to the Priesthood." By what Priesthood do you
act as a Bishop? "I really cannot answer that question." Are you a
High Priest? "Yes." Why do you so officiate? "Because I have been
ordained to so officiate; the First Presidency ordained Bishop Hunter
to ordain me a High Priest, and set me apart to be a Bishop in this
district." After a person is ordained a High Priest he then has
authority to act in all the duties of the lesser Priesthood, when
called upon by the proper authority so to do. Some of the Bishops
understand their true position and some do not, for which reason a few
remarks in addition to those I made this forenoon will, perhaps, not
be amiss.

Vol. 10,  p.96
There is no retrograde movement in ordaining a High Priest to the
office of a Bishop, for, properly speaking, he is set apart to act in
that office. When we ordain a man to officiate in a branch of the
Church as a Bishop, he does so according to the best of his knowledge;
and now and then one believes that he has a right, when ordained as a
Bishop, to officiate and preside over every temporal and spiritual
interest in his district by virtue of his Bishopric; he believes that
he ought to go into a Seventies' Council in his Ward and preside
because he is a Bishop: and under this impression he dictates, guides
and directs all flyings in his district; he baptizes, confirms and
administers the sacrament as a Bishop, performing, under this
impression, every spiritual and temporal duty. Were we to inquire of
the Bishops of this Church what duties, are assigned to the Aaronic
Priesthood they hold, and what are assigned to the Melchisedek, those
who could answer correctly are in the minority. I am satisfied of
this, for I have been placed in positions that made it necessary to
propound questions to some of our most intelligent Bishops relating to
misunderstandings and difficulties that have occured in their
districts touching their authority, when their answers convinced me
that they knew little about it; perhaps from not having an opportunity
of finding out, or, in a word, they have not so lived that the heavens
have been opened to them to teach them so fully and effectually their
duties that they need no man to teach them. The duties and powers of a
Bishop cease the very moment he steps over the Aaronic Priesthood,
which is to officiate in temporal things; when he passes this he
immediately begins to officiate by the authority and power of the
Melchisedek [p.97] Priesthood, though he may not know it.

Vol. 10,  p.97
We have scores of branches of this Church in different parts of this
country, and had we better now place officers, helps and governments
in these branches, or wait till the people come to understanding, and
learn to appreciate and honor such appointments? It is chiefly because
of the ignorance of the people that we often concentrate in one man
these different offices and callings, but when the people are
sufficiently informed and have advanced further in the knowledge of
the truth, it will not be so, but every branch will have its fall
quota of officers—a Patriarch, President, Bishop, High Council, and
all officers that are necessary for the work of the Ministry, and the
edifying of the body of Christ. Until the people can receive and honor
these helps and governments, and be benefited by them, the different
offices will be concentrated in as few men as possible, for men will
contend for power, and as to which shall be the greatest, until they
are better informed.

Vol. 10,  p.97
If the people fully understood and would observe the relationship
these offices have to each other, there would never be a word of
altrcation. In this city we have no altercation about authorities. We
but seldom get up a trouble for a High Council case. When the people
come to sufficient understanding, we shall not put the onerous task
upon one man to act both as President and Bishop, but we will give you
a full organization of helps, governments, &c.; but at present we
shall take a course to confine the offices of the Church in such a
manner as to give the least cause for contention and trouble. There
are men who have a contentious disposition; they will contend against
a Bishop, a Magistrate, a Judge, or any man holding an office; in
short, they wish to destroy every power in Heaven and on earth that
they do not hold themselves. This is the spirit of Satan that was made
so visibly manifest in Heaven and which proved his overthrow, and he
now afflicts this people with it; he wants to dictate and rule every
principle and power that leads to exaltation and eternal life, and
those whom he influences wish to walk underfoot every person who
stands in authority over them.

Vol. 10,  p.97
I now wish to say a few words about assisting the mail and telegraph
companies. It has been asked, "Shall we assist these companies? Shall
they be supplied with grain and that help which is necessary to
facilitate the expeditious and safe carrying of the mail?" I say, yes.
Shall the telegraph company receive favors at our hands? Yes. I do not
know of two greater temporal bessings of the kind that can be bestowed
upon this people. If we happen to lay in bed a little later than
usual, by the aid of the telegraph wires we can read the news of the
morning from Washington and New York; and by-and-by we may be favored
with the news of yesterday from London, Paris, and St. Petersburg, and
all the principal cities in the old world. We are among the people of
this world; our bodies are of the earth, and our spirits are like the
spirits of corer people and from the same source, only we are trying
to establish the kingdom of God on earth, to introduce righteousness,
and prepare the people for the reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. One
man says, "I have agreed to do thus and so." Then go and do it.
Fulfill your contracts and sacredly keep your word.

Vol. 10,  p.97
What should be the course of this people in these matters? Let them
act by the counsel of the men who understand such things better than i
they do. When I say supply so much [p.98] labor, or so much grain, or
do so much hauling, you will be justified, otherwise you will not. If
I might dictate this matter and get my pay for it, I would fill this
whole mail routs with "Mormon" boys who would labor faithfully,
conduct honorably, and see that the mails were carried safely and
promptly. If it were left to me, I would fill this whole route, as we
would have done a few years ago if the contract had not been unjustly
taken from us, with a line of conveyances, wherein men might sleep by
day or by night in perfect safety as to their persons and property;
and if a pocket book dropped out of a pocket it would be as safe as
though it were under lock and key, so far as its being stolen is
concerned. How is it now?

Vol. 10,  p.98
If A, B and C say they will begin to sell whisky, then if it is right
for them to sell whisky in the streets of this city, it is right for
me. Whisky is useful in making vinegar, and we need it for cutting
camphor gum, for medicine, washings, &c., but is it necessary to keep
a whisky shop? No. and if it is right for one man to keep a whisky
shop, it is right for another, until all become whisky peddlers and
whisky drinkers, and all go to the devil together. It does not require
much illumination of mind to comprehend that unless the selling of
spirituous liqours is managed by proper persons, it will result in the
ruination of many of the community. So with the selling and disposing
of our produce to outside interests; for those who expend their means
and labor in a way that does not enrich and build up Zion will
apostatize and go out; of this kingdom, sooner or later. When you are
appointed to haul grain here or there, you will feel justified. Or, if
you wish to drive a train, or to go as a guard on the mail route, or
to attend to this or that, and the counsel is yes, go, and be honest
and upright before God and man and deal justly with everybody, and if
you do not so conduct, you will be brought home and dealt with, then,
if you go in this way, you will be justified. Whatever is done let it
be done by counsel and common consent; then we can be paid for our
labor and our produce; wealth will increase around us, which we can
put to use in gathering home the poor Saints from all nations by
hundreds and by thousands. In the course the people have taken they
will make themselves poor, while we might be rich. I feel very
friendly towards Mr. Street and many others connected with the
telegraph line. They have treated this community as gentlemen will. I
have rendered them some assistance, and am ready to render them more;
and they have been very accommodating to us. The Overland Mail company
brings our letters, books, magazines, &c., and is as great an
accommodation as can well be until we have a railroad through here,
which I hope we shall have ere long, if it is right. They should be
assisted, and that by the Counsel of the Kingdom of God in these
mountains; and let it be done by common consent, or no longer say that
we are one with the interests of this kingdom. If you are one with the
vine, you are one with the main branch; if you are not thus one, you
will be severed from the vine and will wither and die.

Vol. 10,  p.99
May the Lord bless the Latter-day Saints, is my prayer all the time.
Amen.[p.99] 

Ezra T. Benson, March 8, 1862

Obedience to Counsel—the Beautifying and 
Building Up of Zion

Remarks by Elder EZRA T. BENSON, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, March 8, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.99
I do not arise with any desire to interfere with the call of brother
George A. Smith for brethren to go to the cotton district of our
Territory, for I am very much in favor of brethren going to locate in
the different settlements of Washington county to raise cotton and
such other staple articles as are necessary for the welfare and
prosperity of the Saints, and for the building up of Zion in the last
days.

Vol. 10,  p.99
I live in the north part of the Territory, in Cache Valley, as most of
you are aware, and I wish to say to those who are not wanted to go
south, that if any of you feel like moving into the country, we would
like to strengthen the settlements in our valley, and especially in
the northern part of the County. By way of inducement we can promise
you plenty of bread, if you will go there and help to till the earth
and put in the seed in the season thereof, paying proper attention to
your crops in the season when irrigation is required. It is a new
country, possessing good facilities for stock raising, and in fact
every facility for making home and friends comfortable and happy.

Vol. 10,  p.99
So far as I am individually concerned, it matters not to me what part
of the Territory I go to labor or to reside in, if I can know and feel
that I am doing the will of Heaven and carrying out the counsel and
instruction of my brethren who preside in the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. From the experience I have had in travelling
with the President on his last mission south, I am able to say in all
sincerity before God and my brethren, that all my prejudices are
removed, and I feel perfectly willing to labor in any part of the
Lord's vineyard wherever my services are required.

Vol. 10,  p.99
Now we want about a hundred good sturdy fellows that feel themselves
able to go to work to raise wheat and cattle, and to do all that is
necessary for the beautifying and building up of Zion. It is a good
place to raise flax, hemp, and vegetables. To be sure the altitude is
considerably greater than it is in many other parts of the Territory,
but this should not prevent us from performing our duties. If we are
called to labor there that is the place for us to exert ourselves. It
is sometimes argued that there is too much water there, and others
will urge that there are too many Indians there; but, my feeling and
the feeling of the bretren up there is to follow the counsel of our
President and leader, and to labor in concert with all those who are
set to guide our footsteps in the building up of Zion. We feel
perfectly satisfied in doing this, for we know that while we pursue
this course we are performing the duties that devolve upon us as
Saints of God. We feel satisfied with our lot and place, and rejoice
in the blessings that are bestowed upon us in that portion of our
mountain home, and we feel to pray that we may ever be so in whatever
position we may be called to labor for the accomplishment of the
purposes of the Almighty.

Vol. 10,  p.100
May the Lord our God bless us [p.100] and enable us to carry out the
instructions that have been given us this day. This conference has
been a happy time, and I can truly say that I have never felt better
in our holy religion than I do to-day, and I know that the counsel
that has been given to us is for our salvation.

Vol. 10,  p.100
You all know when you feel well, and you all know the Gospel of the
Son of God, and there is nothing will give you satisfaction but the
doctrines taught by the servants of God.

Vol. 10,  p.100
I bear my testimony to the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as
revealed by the Prophet Joseph, and to the correctness of the
organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; also
to the revelations given through the prophets of God both ancient and
modern.

Vol. 10,  p.100
May God Almighty preserve us in the faith, enable us to round up our
shoulders, and assist in bearing the burden of the kingdom. When we
have anything to say to our families let it be according to the
counsel of the Spirit of God, that union may prevail. We all know that
there is plenty ten the Saints to feast upon, but some are too apt to
look upon the dark side of the picture, instead of remembering the
blessings promised to us by the Prophets of God. Why should we shrink
from our position for one moment, when we have so many glorious
blessings promised unto us?

Vol. 10,  p.100
Let us strive to be of one heart and one mind and all will be well
with us. God bless you, my brethren and sisters, is my sincere prayer
in the name of Jesus Chirst. Amen.

Heber C. Kimball, February 6, 1862

How to Gain Eternal Life—the Gathering of the Saints 
and the Agency By Which It is to Be Accomplished—Angels—
Who and What Are They

Remarks by President HEBER C. KIMBALL, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Feb. 6, 1862.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.100
The spirit and the body are the soul of man, and one is not perfect
without the other, any more than we can be perfect in the immortal
state without those who have gone before us, or they without us. There
will be a restitution of all things in heaven and on earth to make
things perfect. That which we call this present life, in reality, has
no end; that which we call time is in reality eternity. We say the
dead have departed this life as though they had departed to some other
life. This, however, is not so; dying is like going from one room to
another, or from one part of the earth to another, the life still
exists though the body decays, but the life which dwelt in it is
indestructible.[p.101] 

Vol. 10,  p.101
We read of men who have been translated, but they must pass through a
change which is equal to death, for it is appointed that all men shall
die, and after that cometh the judgment. These things are not new to
you, but it is well to speak of them that we may constantly be
reminded that we shall live for ever in some state. If this were not
so, then immortality would be as an idle tale, and utter annihilation
must follow the dissolution of this body. By observing strictly the
precepts of the Gospel, we can learn how to live forever, and how to
receive our tabernacles again in the morning of the first
resurrection, to dwell on this earth for ever. To attain the
possession of these blessings, we must live worthy of them.

Vol. 10,  p.101
There is no sin more heinous in the sight of God than the sin of
ingratitude. All beings that pertain to this earth, whether visible or
invisible, draw their sustenance from it. The heavens and the earth
associate together and minister one to the other. If the earthly is
separated from the heavenly, or the temporal from the spiritual, then
is the earthly or the temporal dead; the one is necessary to the other
for a fulness of joy and an endless duration. The earth abideth the
law by which it was made; if it could break that law it would have to
receive damnation. If we violate the law by which we were made, then
we forfeit our title to exaltation and eternal lives. The earth is the
mother of us all, and from its bosom we are fed, and receive our
growth and strength as an infant receives its nourishment from the
maternal breast. I want us to obtain power to dedicate and consecrate
the earth unto God, that his Spirit may continue upon it for ever;
that by this means the earthly may partake of the attributes of the
heavenly, and become sanctified and prepared to enter the presence of
God.

Vol. 10,  p.101
It is often said here that this people are blessed above all other
people; this is truly so. We are in the mountains; we did not come
here of our own accord, but we came by the will of the Father. We are
in the tops of the mountains where the prophet said the people of God
would be in the last days.—"And it shall come to pass in the last
days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in
the tops of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and
all nations shall flow unto it." The ancient prophets have joy in
seeing the fulfilment of the words they spoke when they were upon the
earth. Jesus spake a parable to the Pharisees and Scribes,
saying—"What man of you having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of
them doth not leave the ninety and nine and goeth into the mountains
and seeketh that which is gone astray? and when he cometh home, he
calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, 'Rejoice
with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' I say unto you
that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth,
more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no repentance."
We are here at home in the tops of the mountains; and there was joy in
heaven when we embraced the truth and were gathered into this safe
fold. The sheep that are still scattered need our aid and pity. Those
that are at home, many of them, think they ought to be pitied now more
than anybody else, when there are thousands still wandering from the
true fold. We shall be the saviors of men sooner or later if we are
faithful, and shall have power to redeem and save mankind through the
atonement made by Jesus Christ.

Vol. 10,  p.101
Why should those who are in the house, well fed and clad, be jealous
and envious of a poor sheep I may [p.102] seek and save? If we cannot
save a person temporally, it is a very hard case to save him
spiritually, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." That is,
let every man save himself as far as he can The Saints that are yet
scattered among the nations are as good people as we are but they
cannot get away from their present bondage; they have not the means
necessary to work out their temporal deliverance. This year we will
probably give you a chance to help to gather in the sheep that are
still wandering in the desert, seeking the friendly shelter of this
fold which we so happily enjoy. I understand President Young intends
to call for five hundred teams this season to send to the frontiers
for the Saints. Some have supposed that so many teams could not be
loaded. The teams we sent down last year were loaded to the brim, and
those this year will be to their utmost capacity. It is a true saying,
that "God helps them that help themselves;" and the Savior says, "Draw
near unto me, and I will draw near unto you." If we send down teams
and say to the poor Saints among all nations, Come—shall we be
frustrated in our noble design? We shall not, for that would not be in
keeping with the character of God, nor with the character of his
angels.

Vol. 10,  p.102
Who are his angels? They are men who steed fast through tribulation;
they are prophets and apostles and patriarchs who once lived upon the
earth, and bore testimony of the truth of the Gospel of the Son of
God, the same Gospel that we preach. If we try to gather the poor, the
Lord and his angels will help us and open the way before us, and as we
return with the poor Saints to this hind he will shut up the way
behind i us. It is our privilege to step forth and show ourselves
approved, and if it is not the mind of the Lord we should prosper in
the way and at the time we wish, let us be contented, knowing that we
have shown our good will. If the Lord tells us to do anything and our
enemies hinder us, the Lord will require it at their hands and they
must pay that debt, and fully satisfy the demands of justice. One half
of the people we gather may not be true Saints, but that makes no
difference, for if there is not more than one Saint to ten who profess
to be Saints, the Almighty will preserve the ten unworthy persons for
the sake of the one good Saint. For the sake of a few true-hearted
Saints travelling in a large company, the Lord will preserve their
ships, the cars they travel on, and their teams; this I know from
actual experience from the first day I entered into this Church to
this day. God is the same to-day as he was fix the days of the great
flood, he loves and respects his friends, and so should we love and
respect the faithful and true, and nourish and cherish them. We have
not proved the Saints that are scattered abroad, nor they us; they may
have proved themselves with their brethren in their own country and
kept the commandments; but out of a thousand persons whom we emigrate,
if we get only one hundred Saints how great will be our joy with them
in the kingdom of our Father.

Vol. 10,  p.102
Let the brethren be ready when the call is made upon them to supply
teams, and if the call is not made, then they are prepared to go to
plowing and cultivating the ground and filling the earth with seed.

Vol. 10,  p.102
We are now partaking of the sacrament of the Lord's supper; when we
partake of the bread, let us pray the Father that strength may be
given to our bodies that they may not wither, but be strengthened to
reach a good old age; when we partake of the wine—or water, which is
emblematic [p.103] of his blood, let us ask the Father that our blood
may never be spilled unless it is necessary for the advancement of his
Kingdom and the glory of God. We are in the true fold and are fed with
the bread of life, the Word of God, which, if we receive faithfully
and truly, will create within us that which will be as a well of
water, springing up to everlasting life, and we shall never he barren
nor unfruitful in the knowledge of God, for we shall partake of the
attributes of our Heavenly Father. My prayer is that our hearts may
become pregnant with the word of God and with the power of God,
showing our connection with God, with Jesus Christ, and with the Holy
Ghost, with the angels, and with the prophets and apostles that dwell
in heaven.

Vol. 10,  p.103
I will make another remark regarding angels. God sent an angel to John
on the Isle of Patmos, and John says, concerning it, "and I fell at
his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, see thou do it not; I am
thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus—worship God." Men are made a little lower than the angels for
the suffering of death, but when men are clothed with the holy
priesthood and sent forth to minister the word of life, the comparison
between them and the angels is somewhat different. "And of his angels
he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of
fire." While in the act of ministering the Gospel, the servants of God
may be considered angels. "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers,
for some have entertained angels unawares." The servants of God are
angels in one sense, sent forth to gather the house of Israel from the
four corners of the earth; and the Elders of this Church in their
labors have fulfilled, partly, the sayings of the Savior, when they
have found two working in the field, one has received the Gospel and
been gathered, and the other left; two working in a mill, one has been
taken and the other left; two lying in a bed, the one has been taken
and the other left. But no doubt these sayings will have their final
and complete fulfilment about the time of the second coming of the
Savior. "For as in the days of Noah that were before the flood, they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the
day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came
and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man
be." Again, there are hundreds who profess to receive the Gospel from
our hands, and the sacrament, but they do not receive the power of
God, and do not gather with the true sheep into the sheepfold. There
are scores of people in England that I baptized twenty-six years ago,
who are there yet, firm and steadfast, so I hear,—they will be
gathered to the fold in due time. The angels of this Church travel
without purse and scrip, they are destitute of the means necessary to
bring them along; but we are watching for an opportunity to deliver
them, before universal destruction shall come upon the wicked nations.

Vol. 10,  p.103
The Lord sent three angels to watch over Abraham and Lot anciently.
They stayed with Abraham, and Sarah baked a cake a-piece for them;
Abraham killed a calf, and supplied butter and milk to refresh them,
after they had washed their feet. Jacob, on one occasion, wrestled
with an angel all night long, but could not throw him. Jacob had hold
of a being full of spring and power like unto a man, and he did not
know the difference; he was a man and an angel. We are exhorted daily
to conduct ourselves like the angels of God, to try and be like them:
we are exhorted [p.104] to be godlike; and to be godlike is to do as
God wishes us to do. God feeds the wicked and the good, clothes the
righteous and the unrighteous, and is merciful to all the workmanship
of his hands. I see the necessity of being more pure, more merciful,
more faithful, and more true. If we pursue this course, my brethren
and sisters, how great will be our blessings. No blessing will be
withheld from the truly faithful. When a man is placed to preside over
us, let us nourish and sustain that man as though he were an angel
direct from the presence of God. I wish you to understand and
appreciate what I say, and treasure it up.

Vol. 10,  p.104
A man who raises up his puny arm against the priesthood of God on the
earth, is measuring arms with the Almighty. If an unfaithful wife
shall raise the standard of war against her husband who is faithful to
God, she is making war against the Almighty, and she will be wasted
away, and she will ultimately curse God and die.

Vol. 10,  p.104
May God bless his people from the rivers to the ends of the earth, in
all their settlements and abiding places. Amen.

Brigham Young, March 8, 1863

The Persecutions of the Saints—Their Loyalty to the 
Constitution—the Mormon Battalion—the Laws of God Relative 
to the African Race 

Remarks by President BRIGHAM YOUNG, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 8, 1863.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.104
I do not wish to confine myself to any particular subject this
afternoon.

Vol. 10,  p.104
The rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its
history up to this day are vividly portrayed in my memory. I referred
to that subject this morning, and to the persecution we, as a people,
have received, and the persecuting the Prophet Joseph Smith unto
death. I have also in my mind the condition of the Christian world, as
well as the revealed religion of the Savior; also the Jewish as the
forerunner of the Christian religion.

Vol. 10,  p.104
This morning I referred to the intelligence we have, and the position
of the world. The people want to know a great deal—they want to know
all, but it cannot all be learned in one day nor in a short period of
time. We expect to learn to all eternity.

Vol. 10,  p.104
This people are an object of derision and astonishment to our
Christian neighbors, and to the whole world an object of reflection
and serious thought. Almost every man occupying a public position in
the political, religious or heathen world wishes to possess great
influence and to extend his power. There is only one way to obtain
power and influence in the kingdom of God, and only one [p.105] way to
obtain foreknowledge, and that is to so live that that influence will
come from our Creator, enlightening the mind and revealing things that
are past, present and future pertaining to the earth and its
inhabitants, and to the dealings of God with the children of men; in
short, there is no source of true information outside of the Spirit of
revelation; it maketh manifest all things, and revealeth the
dispositions of communities and of individuals. By possessing this
Spirit, mankind can obtain power that is durable, benefical, and that
will result in a higher state of knowledge, of honor and of glory.
This can be obtained only by strictly marking the path of truth, and
walking faithfully therein.

Vol. 10,  p.105
We are objectionable to our neighbors. We have a warfare. As the
Apostle says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities and against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." This
warfare commences within us.

Vol. 10,  p.105
The spirits that live in these tabernacles were as pure as the
heavens, when they entered them. They came to tabernacles that are
contaminated, pertaining to the flesh, by the fall of man. The
Psalmist says, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my
mother conceive me." This Scripture has established in the minds of
some the doctrine of total depravity—that it is impossible for them to
have one good thought, that they are altogether sinful, that there is
no good, no soundness, and no spiritual health in them. This is not
correct, yet we have a warfare within us. We have to contend against
evil passions, or the seeds of iniquity that are sown in the flesh
throngh the fall. The pure spirits that occupy these tabernacles are
operated upon, and it is the right of Him that sent them into these
tabernacles to hold the preeminence, and to always give the Spirit of
truth to influence the spirits of men, that it may triumph and reign
predominently in our tabernacles the God and Lord of every motion. We
not only have this warfare continually, day by day, within ourselves,
but we also have an outside influence or pressure to resist. Both the
religious and the political world have influences to contend against
that very much resemble each other; they are more or less exercised,
governed and controlled by surrounding influences. We Latter-day
Saints have an influence of this kind to contend against.

Vol. 10,  p.105
The inquiry has often been made of us in the coarse of our history,
why we do not, contradict such and such statements, "Why do you not
confute this or that?" "Why do you not enlighten the people in regard
to certain statements which are urged against you, and disabuse the
public mind?" Our position at the present day is far superior to what
it was sixteen, twenty and thirty years ago. Sixteen years ago we were
on the inhospitable prairies, and in an Indian country. Five hundred
of our able-bodied men had been taken from us by the call of the
Government, and went to fight the battles of their country. There are
women and children sitting here to-day, whose husbands, sons and
fathers went on that campaign to prove to our Government that we were
loyal, who became widows mid orphans in consequence of that
requisition. Those noble men left their wives and children and their
aged fathers and mothers houseless and without protection upon the
wild prairies and surrounded by savages, exposed to all the rigors and
changes of the weather, to heat and cold, to rains and storms without
protectors, until many sank under it and left their lifeless remains
to be laid beneath [p.106] the prairie sod. When this call was made
upon us, to put to the test our loyalty, we had travelled from Nauvoo
and were resting in the western part of Pottowattamie county, Iowa.
Had we boots and shoes to our feet? No. A few had, but the majority of
the people had not. Had our wives clothing to last them five years?
No. Had our children clothing to last them that length of time? No.
The great majority of the people had not clothing nor shoes to make
them comfortable a single day. We were obliged to leave our property
behind us, with the lame and blind and feeble who were pounced upon
while we were absent to find them a safe abiding place.

Vol. 10,  p.106
This is the outside pressure. It forced us from Ohio to Missouri, from
Missouri to Illinois, and from Illinois into the wilderness. We were
accused of disloyalty, alienation, and apostacy from the Constitution
of our country. We were accused of being secessionists. I am, so help
me God, and ever expect to be a secessionist from their wickedness,
unrighteousness, dishonesty and unhallowed principles in a religious
point of view; but am I or this people secessionists with regard to
the glorious Constitution of our country? No. Were we secessionists
when we so promptly responded to the call of the General Government,
when we were houseless and friendless on the wild prairies of
Pottawattamie? I think not. We there told the brethren to enlist, and
they obeyed without a murmur.

Vol. 10,  p.106
With regard to our going into the wilderness, and our there being
called upon to turn out five hundred able-bodied men to go to Mexico,
we had then seen every religious and political right trampled under
foot by mobocrats; there were none left to defend our rights; we were
driven from every right which freemen ought to possess. In forming
that battalion of five hundred men, brother Kimball and myself rode
day and night, until we had raised the full number of men the
Government called for. Captain Allen said to me, using his own words,
"I have fallen in love with your people. I love them as I never loved
a people before." He was a friend to the uttermost. When he had
marched that Mormon battalion as far as Fort Leavenworth, he was
thrown upon a sick bed where I then believed, and do now, he was
nursed, taken care of, and doctored to the silent tomb, and the
battalion went on with God for their Friend.

Vol. 10,  p.106
That battalion took up their line of march from Fort Leavenworth by
way of Santa Fe, and over a desert and dreary route, and planted
themselves in the lower part of California, to the joy of all the
officers and men that were loyal. At the time of their arrival,
General Kearney was in a straitened position, and Colonel P. St.
George Cooke promptly marched the battalion to his relief, and said to
him, "We have the boys here now that can put all things right." The
boys in that battalion performed their duty faithfully. I never think
of that little company of men without the next thoughts being, "God
bless them for ever and for ever." All this we did to prove to the
Government that we were loyal. Previous to this, when we left Nauvoo,
we knew that they were going to call upon us, and we were prepared for
it in our faith and in our feelings. I knew then as well as I do now
that the Government would call for a battalion of men out of that part
of Israel, to test our loyalty to the Government. Thomas H. Benton, if
I have been rightly informed, obtained the requisition to call for
that battalion, and, in case of non-compliance with that requisition,
to call on the [p.107] militia of Missouri and Iowa, and other States,
if necessary, and to call volunteers from Illinois, from which State
we had been driven, to destroy the camp of Israel. This same Mr.
Benton said to the President of the United States, in the presence of
some other persons, "Sir, they are a pestilential race, and ought to
become extinct."

Vol. 10,  p.107
I will again urge upon this people to so live that they will have the
knowledge they desire, as we have knowledge not of all, but only of
that which is necessary. Have we not shown to the world that we love
the Constitution of our country and its institutions better than do
those who have been and are now distracting the nation? You cannot
find a community, placed under the circumstances that we were, that
would have done as we did on the occasion of furnishing the Mormon
Battalion, after our leading men had been slain and we had been
compelled to leave our farms, gardens, homes and firesides, while, at
the same time, the general Government was called upon in vain to put a
stop to such a series of abuses against an innocent people.

Vol. 10,  p.107
The people said, "Give us redress for our wrongs?"

Vol. 10,  p.107
Government: "Did you say anything? Hard of hearing; can't hear a
single word you say."

Vol. 10,  p.107
"Mr. President, Mr. Senator, Messrs. everybody else, can you hear the
cries of the widow and fatherless?"

Vol. 10,  p.107
Government: "Did you speak? Can't hear you gentlemen; mark what I say,
I can't hear you."

Vol. 10,  p.107
After all this, to prove our loyalty to the Constitution and not to
their infernal meanness, we went to fight the battles of a free
country to give it power and influence, and to extend our happy
institutions in other parts of this widely extended republic. In this
way we have proved our loyalty. We have done everything that has been
required of us. Can there anything reasonable and constitutional be
asked that we would not perform? No. But if the Government of the
United States should now ask for a battalion of men to fight in the
present battle-fields of the nation, while there is a camp of soldiers
from abroad located within the corporate limits of this city, I would
not ask one man to go; I would see them in hell first. What was the
result a year ago, when our then Governor, and I thank God for such a
Governor as we had a year ago, called for men to go and guard the mail
route? Were they promptly on hand? Yes, and when President Lincoln
wrote to me requesting me to fit out one hundred men to guard the mail
route, we at once enlisted the one hundred men for ninety days. On
Monday evening I received the instruction, and on Wednesday afternoon
that hundred men were mustered into service and encamped ready for
moving. But all this does not prove any loyalty to political tyrants.

Vol. 10,  p.107
We guarded the mail route; but they do not know what we know with
regard to guarding this route, and they will find that out by and by.
We do not need any soldiers here from any other States or Territories
to perform that service, neither does the Government, as they would
know if they were wise. I will, comparatively speaking, take one plug
of tobacco, a shirt and three cents' worth of paint, and save more
life and hinder more Indian depredations than they can by expending
millions of dollars vested in an army to fight and kill the Indians.
Feed and clothe them a little and you will save life; fight them, and
you pave the way for the destruction of the innocent. This will be
found out after a while, but now it is not known except by
comparatively a few.[p.108] 

Vol. 10,  p.108
We complain of the barbarity of the red men for killing innocent men,
women, and children, especially for killing women and children. They
are to blame for this. But remember that they are savages, and that it
is an usage among them to kill the innocent for acts of the guilty.

Vol. 10,  p.108
I will ask every person who is acquainted with the history of the
colonization of the Continent of North and South America, if they ever
knew any colony of whites to get along any better with their savage
neighbors than the inhabitants of Utah have done. Talk about making
treaties with the Indians! Has there been any one treaty with the
Indians fulfilled in good faith by the Government? If there is one, I
wish you would let me know. But we call them savages, while at the
same time the whites too often do as badly as they have done, and
worse, when difference of intelligence and training are taken into
account. This has been so in almost every case of difficulty with the
red skins. When soldiers have pounced upon these poor, ignorant, low,
degraded, miserable creatures, mention a time, if you can, when they
have spared their women and children. They have indiscriminately
massacred the helpless, the blind, the old, the infant, and the
mother.

Vol. 10,  p.108
I am a human being, and I have the care of human beings. I wish to
save life, and have no desire to destroy life. If I had my wish, I
should entirely stop the shedding of human blood. The people abroad do
not generally understand this, but they will. Like Paul, they do that
they would not do, and leave undone that they would do because of the
sin that reigns in their members. The nations of the world may apply
this same text to their own case. They want to do something, but what
to do rightly they do not find.

Vol. 10,  p.108
We have not only the man of sin to contend with, but also the outside
pressure. Now then, what should we say concerning this people? I will
answer. There has never been a time or circumstance since this
Territory was organized, but what the civil law has reigned
triumphantly in the hearts and acts of this people. The outside
pressure now is that this people, called the Latter-day Saints, are
secessionists in their feelings, and alien to the Constitution and
institutions of our country. This is entirely false. There is not
another people upon the face of the earth that could have borne what
we have, and still remain as loyal to our brethren as we have been and
are. They might be displeased with some of the acts of the
administrators of the law, but not with the Constitutional laws and
institutions of the Government.

Vol. 10,  p.108
This people are filled with patience and long suffering, clinging to
the institutions bequeathed to us by our fathers as closely and as
tenaciously as ever babe clung to the Maternal breast, and we would
that the Government had always been so wisely administered as to bind
the best feelings of the people together, and to create and still
continue to create a union instead of alienation. The affections of
the masses of American citizens,—both of the people in the North and
in the South, are alienated from each other, and they are divided. We
would it could be otherwise, but this is the result of the acts of
leading politicians of our nation. When the people's affections are
interwoven with a Republican government administered in all its
purity, if the administrators act not in virtue and truth it is but
natural that the people become disaffected with mal-administration,
and divide and sub-divide into parties, until the body politic is
shivered to pieces. There is no other platform [p.109] that any
government can stand upon and endure, but the platform of truth and
virtue.

Vol. 10,  p.109
What can we do? We can serve God, and mind our own business; keep our
power dry, and be prepared for every emergency to which we may be
exposed, and sustain the civil law to which we are subject. We have an
adjudicator of the law in this Judicial District who has been here
some eight or ten years. Has he found any difficulty or trouble in the
performance of his official acts in this district, which we may say is
the brain, the lungs, the vitals of the whole Territory? Has he met
with any difficulty in administering the civil law here? He has not,
except in the case where tyrants have sought to interrupt the even
course and administration of it. Those who aim to soar to power and
fame by taking such a course, pluck out the pinions of their own
wings, and rob themselves of the glory and power which they so
earnestly seek.

Vol. 10,  p.109
We have our own difficulties to encounter as a people, arising from
influences that cannot be fully comprehended by those who are not of
us and are not living with us. As for offering refutations to charges
made against us, it would be impossible to keep pace with the
thousands of freshly invented falsehoods that the powers spiritual and
the powers temporal would produce to feed the credulity of the
ignorant masses. Bunyan says that it requires a legion of devils to
watch one Christian; it would require a legion of refutations to keep
pace with one infernal liar, therefore we say, "lie on, falsify every
thing you want to falsify, and say what you please; there is a God in
Israel, and if you have not yet learned it, you will learn it."

Vol. 10,  p.109
Some of my friends and brethren have lately thought that there is an
influence being got up against us. I would not give the ashes of a rye
straw for any influence that our officials here, who are operating
against this people, have in Washington. If their true characters were
only known there, their influence would be devoid of weight in the
mind of any right thinking man. I am in no way concerned about what
they can do against us. I wish one course to be pursued by this
people, and all the rest will be right. If they will walk faithfully
in the path of their duty, in uprightness before God, clinging to
right, and so conducting themselves that no being in the Heavens, on
the earth, under the earth, or in hell, can say in truth that they are
guilty of any unjust or wicked action committed knowingly, all will be
right. God rules in the Heavens, and he does his pleasure among the
inhabitants of the earth, he causes victory to perch here, and defeat
and disgrace there, as he will, and contending armies know not the
cause of their victory or their defeat. It is God who rules.

Vol. 10,  p.109
We are in the midst of these mountains, and we have good and salutary
laws to govern us. We have our Constitutional laws and our Territorial
laws; we are subject to these laws, and always expect to be, for we
love to be. If there is any man among us who has violated any
constitutional law, try the law upon him, and let us see whether there
is any virtue in it, before we try the strong arm of despotism and
tyranny. I stand for Constitutional law, and if any transgress, let
them be tried by it, and, if guilty, suffer its penalty.

Vol. 10,  p.109
In 1857 it is estimated that eleven thousand troops were ordered here;
some seven thousand started for this place, with several thousand
hangers on. They came into this Territory when a company of emigrants
were traveling on the south route to California. Nearly all of that
company [p.110] were destroyed by the Indians. That unfortunate affair
has been laid to the charge of the whites. A certain judge that was
then in this Territory wanted the whole army to accompany him to Iron
county to try the whites for the murder of that company of emigrants I
told Governor Cumming that if he would take an unprejudiced judge into
the district where that horrid affair occurred, I would pledge myself
that every man in the regions round about should be forthcoming when
called for, to be condemned or acquitted as an impartial, unprejudiced
judge and jury should decide; and I pledged him that the court should
be protected from any violence or hindrance in the prosecution of the
laws; and if any were guilty of the blood of those who suffered in the
Mountain Meadow massacre, let them suffer the penalty of the law; but
to this day they have not touched the matter, for fear the Mormons
would be acquitted from the charge of having any hand in it, and our
enemies would thus be deprived of a favorite topic to talk about, when
urging hostility against us. "The Mountain Meadow massacre! Only think
of the Mountain Meadow massacre!!" is their cry from one end of the
land to the other.

Vol. 10,  p.110
"Come, let us make war on the Mormons, for they burnt government
property." and what was the government doing there with their
property? They were coming to destroy the Mormons, in violation of
every right principle of law and justice. A little of their property
was destroyed, and they were left to gnaw, not a file, but dead
cattle's bones. I was informed that one man brought five blood hounds
to hunt the Mormons in the mountains, and that the poor devil had to
kill them and eat them before spring to save himself from starving to
death, and that he was feel enough to acknowledge it afterwards in
this city. This is the kind of outside pressure we have to meet with.
Who wanted the army of 1857 here? Who sent for them? Liars, thieves,
murderers, gamblers, whoremasters, and speculators in the rights and
blood of the Mormon people cried to government, and government opened
its ears, long and broad, saying, "I hear you, my children, lie on, my
faithful sons Brocchus, Drummond and Co.," and so they did lie on
until the parent sent an army to use up the Mormons. Now I say, for
the consolation of all my brethren and sisters, they cannot do it; and
that is worse to them than all the rest; they cannot do it.

Vol. 10,  p.110
The rank, rabid abolitionists, whom I call black-hearted Republicans,
have set the whole national fabric on fire. Do you know this,
Democrats? They have kindled the fire that is raging now from the
north to the south, and from the south to the north. I am no
abolitionist, neither am I a proslavery man; I hate some of their
principles and especially some of their conduct, as I do the gates of
hell. The Southerners make the negroes, and the Northerners worship
them; this is all the difference between slaveholders. and
abolitionists. I would like the President of the United States and all
the world to hear this.

Vol. 10,  p.110
Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the
while man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed
of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This
will always be so. The nations of the earth have transgressed every
law that God has given, they have changed the ordinances and broken
every covenant made with the fathers, and they are like a hungry man
that dreameth that he eateth, and he awaketh and behold he is empty.

Vol. 10,  p.111
The following saying of the prophet is fulfilled: "Now also many
nations [p.111] are gathered against thee, that say, let her be
defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the
thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel; for he
shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thrash O
daughter of Zion, &c." God rules in the armies of Heaven and does his
pleasure upon the earth, and no man can help it. Who can stay the hand
of Jehovah, or turn aside the providences of the Almighty? I say to
all men and all women, submit to God, to his ordinances and to His
rule; serve Him, and cease your quarrelling, and stay the shedding of
each other's blood.

Vol. 10,  p.111
If the Government of the United States, in Congress assembled, had the
right to pass an anti-polygamy bill, they had also the right to pass a
law that slaves should not be abused as they have been; they had also
a right to make a law that negroes should be used like human beings,
and not worse than dumb brutes. For their abuse of that race, the
whites will be cursed, unless they repent.

Vol. 10,  p.111
I am neither an abolitionist nor a pro-slavery man. If I could have
been influenced by private injury to choose one side in preference to
the other, I should certainly be against the pro-slavery side of the
question, for it was pro-slavery men that pointed the bayonet at me
and my brethren in Missouri, and said, "Damn you we will kill you." I
have not much love for them, only in the Gospel. I would cause them to
repent, if I could, and make them good men and a good community. I
have no fellowship for their avarice, blindness, and ungodly actions.
To be great, is to be good before the Heavens and before all good men.
I will not fellowship the wicked in their sins, so help me God.

Vol. 10,  p.111
Joseph Smith, in forty-seven prosecutions was never proven guilty of
one violation of the laws of his country. They accused him of treason,
because he would not fellowship their wickedness. Suppose the land
should be cleansed from its filthiness and the law of God should
predominate, if a man or woman should be found who had corrupted
themselves and thereby become diseased, that man or woman would be
placed by themselves, as the lepers were anciently, never more to
commune with the human family. Purify your flesh and blood, your
spirits, your habitations and your country, and then you will be pure
before God. This change has got to be before this earth will be taken
back into a celestial atmosphere.

Vol. 10,  p.111
Find fault with me because I have wives! They would corrupt every wife
I have, if they had the power; and then they cry to the government,
"You had better do something with the Mormons; they are deceitful and
disloyal!!" I am disloyal to their sins and filthiness. Cleanse your
hearts and the whole person, and make yourselves as pure as the
angels, and then I will fellowship you.

Vol. 10,  p.111
I say to every man and woman in this community, suffer not your
affections to wander after that which is unholy; do not lust after
gold, nor the things of this world. Sanctify yourselves before your
God and before one another, until you are pure outside and in and all
around you, and see that you faithfully perform every duty.

Vol. 10,  p.111
Now, as we are accused of secession, my counsel to this congregation
is to secede, what from? From the Constitution of the United States?
No. From the institutions of our country? No. Well then, what from?
From sin and the practice thereof. That is my counsel to this
congregation and to the whole world.

Vol. 10,  p.112
May God bless everybody that wishes well to his kingdom on the earth.
Amen.[p.112] 

Orson Hyde, October 7, 1862

All Nationalities Merged in the Kingdom of God the 
Unity and Happiness of the Saints

Remarks by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
made at the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, October 7, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.112
I do not wish to monopolize the time to the exclusion of my brethren,
and I do not design to detain you long, still a few remarks, perhaps
may not be unacceptable. I thank my Heavenly Father for the privilege
and blessing of meeting with the Saints, and for allowing my spirit to
mingle with yours, to increase each other's joy.

Vol. 10,  p.112
The words of edification and instruction we have had from our brethren
are truly cheering to all of us, and I trust that the spirit of the
living God may continue to abide with us, that wherein we have
received an increase of light and truth we may carry it to our homes,
and revive the work of the Lord in our towns and villages, and in
short carry this feeling and influence to every quarter and part of
the kingdom of God. Truly the remarks made this morning were cheering
and good. The spirit of the Lord is calculated to remove everything
that may be in the heart which is opposed to that which is good, to
Godliness and peace.

Vol. 10,  p.112
Much is said about the tribes of Israel from which most of us are
supposed to have descended. With some there is quite a feeling of
choice in regard to the tribe from which they sprang, but let me say
that whether we sprang from Judah, Ephraim, Manasseh or from a family
of gentile origin, that of all these tribes and classes, whoever
receive the Gospel and are moulded and fashioned by the spirit of the
living God, will be entitled to a place in the kingdom of our Heavenly
Father. Hence it is written "For by him were all things created, that
are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: All
things were created by him, and for him." and again it is written,
"and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the
image of Him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew,
circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free;
but Christ is all, and in all."—Col. i. 16 and iii. 10, 11.

Vol. 10,  p.112
I feel that in these two particulars we are distinguished from the
world, while we are made one by being baptized into one spirit and all
embracing the one faith, becoming members of one body, having one
common father, even the King of Heaven. And by submitting to be guided
by his spirit, and obeying the precepts that are given by him in our
daily deportment we are transported into the image of that lovely
being of whom it is said, that at his name every knee shall bow and
every tongue confess.

Vol. 10,  p.113
Brethren, I feel happy and childlike in your presence to-day, and I
[p.113] intend to continue in well doing that I may ever have the
Spirit of the Lord to guide me aright. If, by my labors, I can make
others feel as well as I feel myself, it is the joy of my heart, it is
that for which I labor and toil. I feel at many times that I would
rather sit down and muse in silence than to speak.

Vol. 10,  p.113
When I think of our friends in the east I feel sorrowful; their
condition is deplorable. I have no enmity towards any one, but my
general feeling is, Heaven bless the Saints and may Heaven destroy
every influence that is arraigned against Zion. and the Lord will do
this; and I will prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Hosts that if
we continue to walk in the light of truth, to labor to build up Zion,
that cup of trembling spoken of by the Prophet Isaiah shall never
return to your lips nor to our habitations, but we will float along
increasing in power and strength from day to day, continually
rejoicing in the truths of our holy religion.

Vol. 10,  p.113
God bless you all for ever: Amen.

John Taylor, February 22, 1863

Reflections on the Sacrament, the Atonement and the 
Second Coming of Jesus

Discourse by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, 
February 22, 1863.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.113
"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them,
saying, This is my body which is given for you, this do in remembrance
of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new
testament of my blood, which is shed for you." There is nothing very
peculiar in this ordinance, though it is rather a strange institution
when we reflect upon it. This ceremony has been attended to throughout
generations that are past, and still it is attended to. Jesus said
also, "Do this until I come again." Notwithstanding the great falling
off—the great apostacy since the days of Christ and his Apostles, this
ordinance has generally been adopted by the Christian churches, so
called, however they may err in many other principles of faith and
doctrine. This ordinance has been renewed to us, and is part and
parcel of the new covenant God has made with his people in the latter
days. It was practised among the ancient Saints who resided upon this
Continent, long before it was discovered by Columbus, as well as upon
the Continent of Asia among the Saints that lived there. When we
attend to this ordinance we do it upon the same principle that they
did anciently, whether among the Saints of God on the Asiatic
Continent or among the Saints on the American Continent.[p.114] 

Vol. 10,  p.114
I was a little struck with the hymn that was sung:—

Vol. 10,  p.114
"Behold the Savior of mankind."

Vol. 10,  p.114
My mind was led to reflect back to the time when he was upon the earth
and to the time previous to his sojourn here, and to the way and
manner in which he came upon the earth, and the designs of his
heavenly Father in his coming here, also the designs of God relating
to the world and to his Saints in particular. As we find ourselves
upon this stage of action, it is very natural that we should inquire
something about the position that we occupy here and our relationship
to God, and something about the plan of salvation and about those who
have acted and operated in this plan. It would seem from all that we
can gather, both from old and new revelations, that God has had a
design to accomplish in relation to the world whereon we dwell, and
also in relation to the inhabitants that have dwelt and will dwell
thereon, and also in regard to the heavens; in relation, also, to
those spirits that have not yet come into existence, as well as those
that have; in relation to those who have lived and died without the
Gospel, as well as those who have had the privilege of the Gospel—to
bring to pass things that he has contemplated before the world was.
We, as a portion of the human family, are interested in these events,
and ought to understand our position in relation to them and also to
God, and, at the same time, we ought to comprehend in some measure our
relationship to each other. We ought to know what course to pursue to
secure the approbation of our heavenly Father, and fulfil our destiny
upon the earth in the best possible manner, and aid with all our might
to accomplish those things God has designed before the world was.

Vol. 10,  p.114
It would seem that the coming of the Savior to the world, his
suffering, death, resurrection and ascension to the position he
occupies in the eternal world before his heavenly Father, has a great
deal to do with our interests and happiness; and hence this continued
memorial that we partake of every Sabbath. This sacrament, is the
fulfillment of the last request of Jesus Christ to his disciples. "For
as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup ye do show forth the
Lord's death till he comes." Faith in this ordinance would necessarily
imply that we have faith in Jesus Christ, that he is the only begotten
of the Father, that he came from the heavens to the earth to
accomplish a certain purpose which God had designed—even to secure the
salvation and exaltation of the human family. All this has a great
deal to do with our welfare and happiness here and hereafter. The
death of Jesus Christ would not have taken place had it not been
necessary. That this ceremony should be instituted to keep that
circumstance before the minds of his people, bespeaks its importance
as embracing certain unexplained purposes and mysterious designs of
God; they are explained in part, but they are not fully comprehended.
It is not fully comprehended why it was necessary that Jesus Christ
should leave the heavens, his Father's abode and presence, and come
upon the earth to offer himself up a sacrifice; that he should,
according to the Scripture saying, "Take away sin by the sacrifice of
himself;" why this should be, why it was necessary that his blood
should be shed is an apparent mystery. It is true that we are told
that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins; but
why this? Why should such a law exist? It is left with us as a matter
of faith, that it was necessary he should come and, being necessary,
he shrank not from the task, but came to take away sin by offering up
himself.[p.115] 

Vol. 10,  p.115
Jesus Christ is spoken of in the Scriptures as "The Lamb of God that
taketh away the sins of the world." What sins of the world did he take
away? We are told that it is the sin which Adam committed. We do not
know much about Adam nor what he did; but we know that this sacrifice
took place and that we are in the position we now occupy, and we are
ready to believe from the testimonies we have received in relation to
this sacrifice that it was the will of God he should thus offer
himself up and that he came here for that purpose. He was "The first
begotten of the Father full of grace and truth;" and suffered his body
to be broken and his blood to be spilled, doing "Not his own will but
the will of him that sent him," not to accomplish his own purpose
particularly but the purpose of him that sent him, and hence we are
told to observe this rite until he comes again.

Vol. 10,  p.115
There is something also to be looked to in the future. The Son of God
has again to figure in the grand drama of the world. He has been here
once and "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away." It would
seem that his ancient disciples upon this Continent or upon the
Continent of Asia actually looked forward to the time when Jesus would
come again and hence he is frequently spoken of in the Scriptures
having a reference to his second advent, that to these who look for
him "He would appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Again, Isaiah, in speaking of him, says, "All we, like sheep, have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord
hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he was brought as a lamb to
the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he
opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and
who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land
of the living: for the transgressions of my people was he stricken,"
&c. Again, the same Prophet spoke of him as coming in power, glory and
dominion, and as having his wrath and indignation kindled against the
nations of the earth. "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed
garments from Bozrah? This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling
in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness,
mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel and thy
garments like him that treadeth in the wine-vat? I have trodden the
wine press alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will
tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury and their blood
shall be sprinkled upon my garments and I will stain all my raiment.
For the day of vengeance is in my heart and the year of my redeemed is
come." Jesus accomplished what he was sent to do, and, feeling
satisfied of this, when he was about to leave the earth he said he had
finished the work his Father gave him to do. But there was another
work, another event that was to transpire in the latter days, when he
should not be led as a lamb to the slaughter or be like a sheep before
the shearers; when he would not act in that state of humiliation and
quiescence, but when he will go forth as a man of war and tread down
the people in his anger and trample them in his fury, when blood
should be on his garments and the day of vengeance in his heart, when
he would rule the nations with an iron red and break them to pieces
like a potter's vessel. There must be some reason why he was allowed
to suffer and in endure; why it was necessary that he should give up
his life a sacrifice for the sins of the world, and there [p.116] must
be a reason why he should come forth in judgment to execute vengeance,
indignation and wrath upon the ungodly. In these reasons we and all
the world are intimately concerned; there is something of great
importance in all this to us. The whys and wherefores of these great
events are pregnant with importance to us all. When he comes again he
comes to take vengeance on the ungodly and to bring deliverance unto
his Saints; "For the day of vengeance," it is said, "is in my heart
and the year of my redeemed is come." It behoves us to be made well
aware which class we belong to, that if we are not already among the
redeemed we may immediately join that society, that when the Son of
God shall come the second time with all the holy angels with him,
arrayed in power and great glory to take vengeance on them that know
not God and obey not the Gospel, or when he shall come in flaming
fire, we shall be among that number who shall be ready to meet him
with gladness in our hearts and hail him as our great deliverer and
friend. In relation to all events that have transpired and to the
designs of God connected with the earth and all grades of men upon it,
and to the events that transpired before we came into this existence,
if there is anything we cannot clearly comprehend we can leave it for
the future to reveal. True it is the privilege of a certain class of
people to have the Holy Ghost that Jesus said should bring things
past, present and to come to their remembrance and lead them into all
truth. We can have a portion of that Spirit by which we can draw back
the vail of eternity and comprehend the designs of God that have been
hidden up for generations past and gone; we can go back to oar former
existence and contemplate the designs of God in the formation of this
earth and all things that pertain to it; unravel its destiny and the
designs of God in relation to our past, present and future existence.
If we can comprehend all these things so much the better. If we do not
understand everything in relation to every event of the past and the
future, it is necessary we should know something about the things that
now exist, something about the position of the world we live in, and
something about our relationship to that God who still lives and will
continue to live, and something about our interests in that redemption
wrought out for us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose death
and sufferings we are now commemorating. We should know enough about
this to save ourselves and to know how to save the generation with
which we are associated; enough to know how to save our families and
to teach them the laws of life and the way that leads to God and
exaltation; enough to know how to live and enjoy life and how to avoid
the calamities that are coming upon the earth and how to prepare
ourselves for celestial glory in the eternal worlds. How shall we know
the laws of life? How shall we know anything about God? How shall we
know anything of futurity? I know of no other way than that which has
been communicated to man formerly; I know of no other way than the way
that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Enoch, Moses end the prophets, Jesus
and the Apostles obtained their knowledge, and that was by revelation.
Jesus said, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father,
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." No matter
what ability and talent a man may possess, all must come under this
rule if they wish to know the Father and the Son. If knowledge of them
is not obtained [p.117] through revelation it cannot be obtained at
all. Hence we are told, "This is the stone which was set at naught by
you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby we must be saved," and unto him every knee
shall bow and every tongue shall confess, and hence he is called the
Mediator of the New Covenant, and hence we are told to ask for
blessings in the name of Jesus Christ and to approach the Father in
his name. We are told that to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has
sent is eternal life. This knowledge cannot be obtained independently
of revelation. We cannot come to God except through Jesus Christ; he
is the only medium through which we can approach the Father. "When
Jesus came into the coasts of Cesarea Philippi, he asked his
disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am? and
they said, Some say that then art John the Baptist, some Elias, and
others Jeremias or one of the Prophets. He said unto them, But whom
say ye that I am? and Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God. and Jesus answered and said unto
him, Blessed art, thou, Simon Bar-Jonas; for flesh and blood hath not
revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. and I say
unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What
rock? The kind of evidence he had that Jesus was the Christ,—the
principle of revelation; flesh and blood had not revealed it unto him,
but his Father in heaven, and upon this rock Jesus built his church.
Upon the same principle that we know that Jesus is the Christ and that
God is his Father is the church of Christ built in this and has been
in all ages. This principle alone can give the knowledge of God which
is life eternal and the only power by which a man can stand unscathed
in the trying hour. Those who possess this principle are one with
Jesus Christ and one with the Father, as says Jesus, "I in them and
thou in me, that they all may be one even as I and the Father are one,
that they may be one in us." They are baptized with the same baptism,
they are baptized with the same Spirit., they are in possession of the
same knowledge and they knew God, whom to know is life everlasting.
When built upon this rock the storms may blow, the rains may descend
and beat upon the house, but it cannot fall because it is founded upon
a rock. These are some of my reflections in relation to this ordinance
of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. As to the whys and wherefores
of this, there are a great many of them; the world is full of them,
and eternity is full of them; all comprehensive, just, true,
reasonable, all scientific and according to the strictest principles
of philosophy, if we could only understand the philosophy. The
philosophers in the world understand something of the rules of natural
philosophy; but those rules will never lead a man to the knowledge of
God; if he ever obtains this knowledge it must be by the principle of
revelation. All the works of God, whether on the earth or in the
heavens, are constructed on strictly philosophical principles. We
understand in part the things of earth; when we see things as God sees
them, we shall then understand the philosophy of the heavens: the
mysteries of eternity will he unfolded and the operations of mind,
matter, spirit, purposes and designs, causes and effects and all the
stupendous operations of God will be developed, and they will be found
to accord with [p.118] the strictest principles of philosophy, even
the philosophy of the heavens. In regard to the events that will
transpire on the earth, we have had a thousand ideas and many of them
probably correct. We have believed that God had an object to
accomplish in relation to this world; we believe we came here for this
purpose and that the myriads of human beings that have inhabited this
earth since its organization have come and gone for a certain purpose.
We have believed that there have been conflicting elements and
conflicting spirits and powers, and we have believed that God has
designed ultimately to root out and remove from the earth everything
that is contrary to his will, designs and purposes in relation to the
earth. As a people we believe that God has commenced in these last
days to build up his kingdom and root out the ungodly from the earth
and establish correct principles. We believe there is an antagonism in
the world to God and to his laws and to the principles of truth, not
only with the bodies of men but with the spirits of men who have left
the earth and the spirits who are in opposition to God. There are
various influences at work to oppose God and his laws and the
establishment of his kingdom upon the earth. We believe, moreover,
that he will ultimately accomplish his own purposes, establish his own
government, root out the wicked, take the reins of government into his
own hands and possess the kingdom himself. We are not singular in this
belief. The same things have been believed by every man that has known
God in all ages of the world; all who have ever been inspired by him
have had the same views in relation to these matters that we have,
hence Paul says, "That the times of restitution have been spoken of by
all the holy Prophets since the world began." So all men who are
inspired of God know him and can look into futurity; and all who ever
have lived who were thus inspired looked through the vista of future
ages to the time we are speaking of, and which we commemorate when we
partake of the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus
Christ. They looked forward to the time when he would come again and
when a reign of righteousness would be introduced on the earth. The
next time he comes he will see that right bears the sway and the meek
of the earth increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among men
rejoice in the Holy One of Israel; when trouble and sorrow shall have
an end and the scorner shall be consumed and those who watch for
iniquity shall be cut off Righteousness will take the place of error,
wrong give place to right, falsehood and guile to truth and sincerity
and every principle that has demoralized, corrupted and enthralled the
inhabitants of the earth will be destroyed; when not only one people,
one individual, or an isolated few will participate in this blessed
state of things, but every knee shall bow to him and every tongue
confess to him that he is the Christ to the glory of God the Father,
whose authority will be acknowledged throughout the world. The earth
no more will groan under corruption and sin, and its inhabitants will
no more suffer from the powers of darkness, but will be fully and
thoroughly redeemed from the thraldom thereof, and truth,
righteousness, judgment and equity will reign with universal empire.
We believe the commencement of these great changes has come in our
day. We believe that God has revealed to the human family, through
Joseph Smith, the great principles upon which the latter-day kingdom
is founded. We believe that God has begun now to gather together his
elect, as the [p.119] Scriptures have foretold he would do. We believe
the Lord is beginning to put forth his law as fast as the people will
listen to it and feel willing to obey his precepts. Says John the
Revelator, "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, kindred, tongue and people, saying with a loud
voice: Fear God and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is
come: and worship him that made the heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters." This Gospel, it appears, was again to be
sounded in the ears of all people, all the world was to be made
acquainted with the revelations God had communicated, and they were to
be told to fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment
is come. We believe that God has commenced this operation, and that we
are gathered for this purpose that we may learn the way of life and be
instructed in the things of God, to be prepared for all that is about
to transpire. In the old world and in the new world I have mixed up
with philosophers, divines and politicians, and with all grades of
men, but I never found anybody that knew anything about these
important matters. Years ago I found a man by the name of Miller, who
took up certain Scriptural numbers and began to calculate when Jesus
would come; he found himself, however, under a great mistake, for
Jesus did not come at the time he had set for him to come. He might
have known that, for no man can know the things of God but by the
Spirit of God. This people have obeyed the Gospel and felt the effects
of it, notwithstanding all our infirmities and weaknesses. This people
know something of God; and if they do not there is not anybody under
the heavens that does. But do we know how to regulate, manage, control
and dictate the affairs of the Church and kingdom of God? No—if we are
destitute of the principle of revelation; and if we have it, only then
according to our Priesthood and calling. God has organized his kingdom
and set in order his Priesthood, setting every Quorum in its place and
position, and it is for all the Saints to bow and yield obedience to
it and be governed by it; if they do not, what better are we than the
world? It would be with us as with some of the ancient Saints, who
were told they had commenced in the spirit and sought to be made
perfect in the flesh; they commenced with the wisdom of God and sought
to perfect themselves by worldly wisdom and human judgment. To know
God and the ways of life is infinitely more important than any worldly
consideration. "What will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Jesus
said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell." We ought to know something about God and the laws of
life and the laws of his kingdom, and seek to be made acquainted with
the events that will transpire in the latter days, events with which
we are intimately associated at the present time. Things take place
that we cannot always reconcile to our judgment. I do not know why
Jesus should leave his Father's throne and be offered up a sacrifice
for the sin of the world, and why mankind have to be put through such
an ordeal as they have to pass through on this earth; we reason upon
this, and the Scriptures say that it is because man cannot be made
perfect only through suffering. We might ask why could not mankind be
saved in another way? why could not salvation be wrought out without
suffering? I receive it in my faith [p.120] that this is the only way,
and I rejoice that we have a Savior who had the goodness to come forth
and redeem us, and I rejoice that we have a Savior who yet looks
forward to the redemption of the world. I rejoice that we are watched
over for good by invisible agencies of God who are determined
ultimately to put an end to sin, darkness, confusion and misery with
which the world has been enveloped, and deliver us and not only us but
the spirits of the dead. O what a glorious principle this is when we
reflect upon it; our progenitors will not be lost. When I first read
the revelation which was given to Joseph Smith upon this subjects, I
thought it was one of the most sublime revelations I had ever read.
God will bring order out of all the confusion that has existed,
measure out mercy to all Adam's posterity and give to all a fair
opportunity of being saved· What a glorious thought. If it is a
delusion, it is a pleasant one. I have thought over these things and
rejoiced over them, as I do this day If I cannot understand all the
whys and wherefores about the purposes of God if he brings to pass all
that is spoken in the revelation I have referred to, with the many
glories mentioned, and we discover that God has extended mercy so far
as he possibly could to the veriest wretch that ever crawled on the
earth, and has brought forth and redeemed all the human family, as far
as possible, and exalted them as far as they are capacitated to
receive exaltation, we can afford to excuse a great many things we
cannot now comprehend in relation to God and in relation to his laws
and dealings with the human family· It might look curious to some for
God to talk of treading the people in his anger; but as we have to do
with eternity as well as with time, and as it is necessary the earth
should be purged and righteousness should take the place of
corruption, which will some time have an end here, we can then
conclude that the Judge of all the earth will do right. We should seek
to magnify our calling and honor our God, being co-workers with God in
the things he has engaged to do. The Lord has begun to vex the
nations, beginning with our own nation; he is vexing it and will vex
other nations, and his judgments will go forth and all the wicked
nations of the world will feel the avenging hand of God, and he will
continue to overthrow nation after nation until tie whose right it is
will take the government, into his own hand, and he will continue to
increase and progress until every creature which is in heaven and on
the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all
that are in them shall be heard to say, Blessing, and honor, and
glory, and power, and might, and majesty, and dominion be unto him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Shall we be found among that number who will thus magnify the name of
God, crying, "Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth?

Vol. 10,  p.120
I pray God this may be the case, that we may not be compelled to call
for rocks to fall upon us and mountains to hide us from the face of
Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. May
God bless us and guide us in the way of peace, in the name of Jesus
Christ: Amen.[p.121] 

George A. Smith, October 8, 1862

The Importance of the Mission to the Cotton Country

Remarks by Elder GEORGE A. SMITH, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, October 8, 1862.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.121
Brethren, there is a subject which has been spoken of during this
Conference in regard to the mission to the cotton-growing district of
our Territory, to which I desire to again call your attention.

Vol. 10,  p.121
We have been instructed in the principles of the kingdom to a
wonderful extent during this Conference. The instructions which we
have received have been of a character that they may be reduced to
practice by every person whose feelings are so disposed.

Vol. 10,  p.121
The President remarked that he desired to strengthen the missions to
the cotton country by sending down two hundred more families. It will
be recollected that a request was made last year for the brethren to
volunteer to go on that important mission. There were a few who came
up and gave in their names, but the great mass of the brethren did not
feel to do so. They were aware that it was the wish of the Presidency
that certain things should be done, but they seemed as though they
needed taking by the ears and shaking to make them sensible of the
great importance that ought to be attached to this mission. It
appeared as if some of the brethren (to use a figurative expression)
had become fastened to the earth with tremendous roots, so that it was
with considerable difficulty that they could be got up, but they had
to be taken up root and branch.

Vol. 10,  p.121
We, as a Conference, voted that the President should call, but none of
us felt like volunteering. [President B. Young: I volunteered, on the
condition that the people would consent to it.] Yes, the President
volunteered, but it is well known that the Presidency are required
here; most of the time they must he present to superintend the
building of the Temple and direct the affairs of the Church in all the
world, but the Elders are set apart to go into all the earth and labor
as directed by the Presidency. It is also well known that the master
builder has influence and power here and that he understands how the
foundation, the walls, the timbers, the roof and all connected with
the Temple of our God should be put together. It is likewise well
known that the Presidency never ask men to do a service except that
their labors are required in that new position. One particular remark
which I wish to make is, that notwithstanding the unprecedented high
water in Washington county and the damage and disappointment
consequent upon the flood, the settlements made by the last year's
mission have proved a decided success. That mission has proven the
nature of the climate more perfectly than it had before, it has tested
the soil, and accomplished many other things of immense advantage and
worth. It was stated by many that the mission [p.122] would prove a
failure, that there was no country there, but the truth is, that the
elements, including the water, the soil and all that surround them are
actually aching for the brethren to combine them together and make
them into good cotton and other choice productions of a mild climate;
all these elements are ready to render aid to build up Zion.

Vol. 10,  p.122
I consider that we should feel ready and willing to do anything that
may be required of us, to lend our exertions to establish the kingdom
of God permanently upon the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.122
When the people first settled in San Pete Valley some were
discouraged, they never thought that wheat could be produced in such a
country as that; they did not believe that anything would grow there;
the white-colored soil alarmed them, but it is now the granary of the
mountains. Now, there has recently been just such a feeling in regard
to Washington county, but the past year's experience has demonstrated
more fully that most excellent cotton, sugar cane, grapes, peaches and
many other commodities of life can be successfully raised there in
that desert-looking country.

Vol. 10,  p.122
There are quite a number of men who have remarked to me that they
would willingly go if they were called on. I wish to say to such
brethren that they are called on now, and I sincerely wish that two
hundred brethren would volunteer to-day by giving in their names to me
at the Historian's office. By going this fall you have all winter to
prepare, and the advantage can be taken of the early spring season,
thus giving the brethren an excellent opportunity to raise a crop of
cotton the first year. By sowing wheat in October tolerable crops can
be raised, and by planting corn early in March two crops can be raised
in one year, or one good crop of cotton. The fact, in brief, is, that
so far as the country has been tried it has proven a success, and many
of the brethren have said that the country is a great deal better than
they expected to find it.

Vol. 10,  p.122
I hope all that has been said by the brethren in reference to the
culture of hemp, flax, indigo, and in fact all that will tend to build
up Zion will be attended to, for let it be remembered that it is
coming to this necessity of producing for ourselves or to go without,
and the question resolves itself into the simple proposition, "Clothes
or no clothes." We must make our own woollen, flax, hemp and cotton
goods or we must go naked. We cannot get these articles much longer
from the States, according to the present prospect. The vengeance of
the Almighty is sweeping the land with the besom of destruction;
millions of men are forsaking their industrial pursuits for the
purpose of destroying each other. Let us each and all attend to this,
that the beauty of our garments may be the beauty of the workmanship
of our own hands, or we shall find ourselves without many of the
necessaries of life altogether.

Vol. 10,  p.123
May God bless the people, in the name of Jesus: Amen.[p.123] 

John Taylor, March 1, 1863

The Discord and Wars Among Christian Nations Contrasted 
With the Unity of the Saints

Discourse by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 1, 1863.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.123
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is perhaps one of the most comprehensive
subjects that mankind can reflect upon. It not only embraces things as
they now exist, associated with the human family, but it takes us back
to days that are past and gone, to the organizations of this world and
of other worlds, and by the principle of revelation it develops,
unfolds and makes manifest unto the human family the great purposes of
God as they shall transpire throughout every succeeding age. There are
thousands of details or minutiae mixed up with these great projects,
purposes and designs, some of them we comprehend correctly, or think
we do; others are not so clear and comprehensible to our minds.

Vol. 10,  p.123
There are some things we, as a people, have to do with perhaps more
than any other people that exist, though they have to do with all
people, if the people would have to do with them. But, in relation
more particularly to the position that we occupy before God, before
the world and before each other; and the faith we have in God, in his
Work, in his ordinances, in his laws and in his kingdoms—and the
reasons of that faith are to me and to all Latter-day Saints matters
of very great importance—we are led to inquire upon what is our faith
based, why are we Latter-day Saints? why do we believe, as we do, in
the doctrines of this Church? and whence do we obtain our faith or our
knowledge, as the case may be, in relation to these matters? Why is it
that there has been so singular a religious movement as that which has
taken place within the last thirty years, introducing views that are
contrary to the commonly established views of the whole religious
world? Why is it that this people, say in this Territory, embracing a
scope of country of some five hundred miles in extent, with a
population that, comparatively speaking, may be called dense for a
country like this, has assumed the proportions of a body politic, if
you please, that have organized themselves into a Territory and have
asked for admission as a State into the great American Confederation?
Why is it that a thing so singular as this has taken place? Is it
because there has been a desire among the originators of this Work, or
any part of them, to establish a political power? I am not aware that
this is the ease. If there has been any such feeling and desire apart
from other leading principles it is something I am not acquainted
with. We have commenced to gather ourselves together under certain
influences, certain principles and under a certain faith. We have
gathered ourselves together from various parts, and although there has
been a strong influence used to separate us, to scatter us abroad, to
produce disunion, to [p.124] sever us one from another; yet no
influence, no power, no reasoning, nor anything whatever that has been
brought to bear on this people to accomplish that object has
succeeded; there is some cause, some reason for this. There are mighty
motives underlying, overruling and overreaching all motives of a
political character. The first thing that, ever was proclaimed by the
Elders of this Church war the Gospel of peace on the earth, and
good-will towards men has continued to be preached, and among other
influences there has been a certain influence that has gathered the
people to together. There has been no influence that could be brought
to bear upon this people that could sever or separate them.

Vol. 10,  p.124
There must be, therefore, some reason for movements of this kind. Such
movements are not very common in the world. It is common for various
religious societies to arise in the world; but, generally, they are
very narrow and contracted in their notions. They are not adhesive or
cohesive, they do not unite or combine. You may take the Methodist
society, the Presbyterian society, the Baptist society, the
Episcopalian Church, the Roman Catholic Church or any other you
please, and you will find that motives of a political character will
separate them and make them enemies to one another and make them take
up arms against one another, fight one another and shed each others
blood. They not only seek to destroy each other, but they all pray to
the same God to help them to do so. There is nothing strange or
singular in this; for there is no motive, principle or power to cement
or unite them together further than a sort of fancied religion which
does not possess the principles of union; for instance, in some of the
great wars that took place in Europe some years ago; one of the last
with which we are the most familiarly acquainted, was between Russia,
England and France. Who took up sides in the struggle? There was the
Greek Church under the Russians, Protestant England, Catholic France
and the Mohammedan or Turk fighting against each other. The Catholics
were Christians, the Protestants were Christians, the Russians were of
the Greek or Christian Church, the Turks were Mohammedans; all
worshippers of the same God, under different forms. These were strayed
against each other in deadly strife all praying to the same God to
give them power over their enemies, and their enemies were also
Christians; then they went to slaying and destroying each other. Let
us notice the difficulties between France and Italy against Austria.
In this case there were two Catholic powers engaged against, another
power which was also Catholic. Religious considerations do not confine
or control them in the least. They fought just as hard to kill their
fellow-Christians, as the Mohammedans or any other people would fight
to kill their enemies. They were all in the same church, all partaking
of the same sacrament, all believing in the same doctrines and
worshipping the same God.

Vol. 10,  p.124
How has it been in the United States? Precisely the same. Who were the
first to separate? It was the religious communities of the country
that separated first, Baptist from Baptist, Methodist from Methodist,
Universalist from Universalist, &c. The churches made a division 1ong
before the States divided, showing that there was less virtue or unity
in churches than in the state of the body politic. The Northern and
Southern armies are composed of members of these different sects that
exist in the Federal and Confederate States.

Vol. 10,  p.125
I mention these things to show you that there is no adhesive principle
[p.125] sufficiently powerful to unite the people of any portion of
the earth, similar to the one that has sprung forth in our day and
right among this people; if there is anything of that sort abroad in
the world i am not acquainted with it. Then it follows, as a natural
consequence, that if there is nothing to unite the people together
they are deficient in some principle, doctrine, faith or practice.
Philosophy has not united the people together; politics has never done
it; no social principles have ever accomplished it.

Vol. 10,  p.125
Freemasonry is one of the strongest binding contracts that exists
between man and man, yet Freemasons are mixed up in those different
armies, trying to kill each other, and so they have contended against
each other for generations past. There must be something, then, to
control this people different from that which seems to control other
people socially, religiously, politically or any other way. There is
some kind of a cohesive power, some kind of an attractive principle,
something that unites and concentrates this people together in a
manner altogether different from that of any other people under flue
face of the heavens; and so singular is it, that it attracts the
attention of philosophers, of statesmen, of politicians and of leading
men of every grade—they wonder at it, as they wondered at Jesus when
he was upon the earth; they wonder what this state of things will grow
to; they are fearful of the consequences and results of this union. We
are naturally led to inquire how these things originated; from whence
springs this principle, this influence this power, for it is a very
important one. It has dragged us from our homes; it has sent hundreds
of Elders wandering up and down the earth for these ten, twenty and
thirty years past; it has made us, in the estimation of our friends we
used to associate with, laughing-stocks and fools, and it has finally
brought us together in this place; it has also assumed a political
power as a natural consequence or result, simply because there was no
other course for us to pursue. Whenever a body of people are thrown
together, the inevitable consequence is a political power. It cannot
be otherwise. They must have organizations, representation, laws and
administrators of law; there must be a body politic formed whenever a
body of people are gathered together as we are; and the very fact of
our organization, religiously and politically, the very fact of that
oneness that so universally prevails among this people produces a
terror to evil-doers and to those who are opposed to us. Why is it
that a principle of this kind should exist among this people? for we
can readily discover, in looking abroad in the world, that it does not
exist anywhere else. Is it because we are more learned than they are?
Is it because we are more intellectual and refined? because we are
greater philosophers, better statesmen, more acquainted with cause and
effect, have studied more extensively the position of the world
generally and its government and laws? I do not so understand it.
There is something besides this; naturally, we are no smarter than
other men and no more intelligent than they are; but there is a kind
of principle of some sort that infuses itself into our very nature, is
a great principle in our body politic and is mixed up with our
religion and with our morals; it is a sort of secret spring of some
kind that governs, actuates, controls, unites and cements us together
in a manner that no other people under the face of the heavens are
united. I would like to try to make it plain to others, if the Lord
will help me, why it is that these things have taken place. To [p.126]
begin, we will go back to the time when this movement first commenced.
It would seem that a record had been hid up upon this continent for
generations past. It would seem that a people had lived upon this
continent who were full of the Holy Ghost, who had a knowledge of God,
who possessed revelation, who had Prophets inspired by the Spirit of
God, as they were on the Asiatic continent or in any other part of the
world. It would seem that these Prophets, in common with the Prophets
on the Asiatic continent and with the men of God in former ages, had
looked forward to a time that we read of in the Bible, called the
"Dispensation of the fulness of times; when God would gather together
all things in one, whether they be things in the heavens or things
upon the earth."

Vol. 10,  p.126
It would seem that these Prophets bad recorded these things in this
record, that in the time of the dispensation of the fulness of time,
when God should commence his great Latter-day Work, that among other
things men should be taught the laws of life and the knowledge of God,
and that the coming forth of this Work was to be the starting point of
a great event; one of sufficient magnitude to have attracted the
attention of all the ancient Prophets that ever did live; one of
sufficient magnitude to influence the attention of the Gods in the
eternal worlds; one of sufficient magnitude to cause that a medium of
communication should be opened between the heavens and the earth, that
light should again burst forth from the heavenly world, that the
spirit of prophecy and revelation should again be unfolded, that an
era should be inaugurated pregnant with life, light, and intelligence
unto those that then lived, that they might have an opportunity of
becoming acquainted with God, of knowing his laws, purposes and
designs, his Gospel, the principles of eternal truth, the laws of
life, that men should again be acquainted with things that had been,
with things that were and with things that were to come.

Vol. 10,  p.126
The ancient Prophets of the two continents foresaw that the issuing
forth of that record was to be the commencement of the Latter-day
Work; one said, "Truth shall spring out of the earth; and
righteousness shall look down from heaven." "The meek shall increase
their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men rejoice in the Holy One
of Israel." It is one of those sticks that Ezekiel saw should be
written upon, even the stick of Joseph which should be written for
Ephraim, and be united with the stick of Judah, and become one
stick—one in prophecy, one in revelation, one in doctrine, one in
ordinances, one in unfolding the purposes and designs of God, and in
leading mankind to a knowledge of the truth, as it was to be
introduced in "the times of the restitution of all things spoken of by
all the holy Prophets since the world began."

Vol. 10,  p.126
The revealing of these records was to be one of the starting points in
relation to this matter. Then it needed some instrument, some
individual, some messenger, some communication, because it would be
impossible without something of this kind that these things could
transpire. There needed some authorized messenger, some communion from
the Lord to reveal, unfold and make these things manifest. To talk
about the world as it is, and the authority they have to preach the
Gospel and administer the ordinances and dictate the affairs of the
kingdom of God, is foolishness to reason upon; but we will merely give
it a passing notice. Where did the different religious sects get their
authority from? who ordained them to administer in the name of God?
who gave them that [p.127] authority? The Church of England gave
authority to all the seceding sects that have sprung out of her, and
they left her because she was corrupt. Where did the Church of England
obtain her authority? From the Church of Rome, which they say is the
mother of harlots and the abomination of all things. Where does the
Church of Rome obtain her authority? They tell you that they get it
down in an unbroken chain of descent from the Apostles' times. Their
statement is the most reasonable, rational and consistent of them all.
The Greek Church professes to be governed by the same authority. When
we apply a test to them we find that they do not stand upon a very
good foundation. When, and wherein, and how have they departed from
the true authority of God? I will quote a certain Scripture by one of
the old Apostles, "He that transgresseth and abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ hath not God." Do they abide in the doctrine of
Christ? I think not.

Vol. 10,  p.127
Who taught them to sprinkle little children? Did the Gospel of Jesus
Christ teach them this? No. But they rely on an unbroken descent for
their authority. In answer to this, the Protestants tell them that the
chain of their Popedom has been broken at different times. I do not
care whether it has or not. If the Pope transgressed, it is not to say
that the bishops and priests and the whole community did; this would
not be a sufficient argument to satisfy me that the Roman Catholics
had departed from the faith of Christ; but when they gathered together
the authorities of the church from all the world in a solemn conclave,
as they did at the Councils of Nice and Trent, and passed resolutions
which admitted of doctrines and principles in direct violation of the
laws of God and of the Church of God, then as a church, with the voice
of their representatives they forsook God and introduced the doctrines
of men. "He that transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God;" and if they do not abide in the doctrine of
Christ they do not retain their priesthood and authority to administer
in the ordinances of God. Then we are left without authority on the
earth.

Vol. 10,  p.127
Shall we go to the Greek Church for the true authority? It is based
pretty much upon the same principle as the Roman Catholic Church is,
and all the sectarian bodies of Christendom are as destitute of the
true authority of God as the mother church is.

Vol. 10,  p.127
Where shall we look for the true order or authority of God? It cannot
be found in any nation of Christendom. There is no people that have
held communion with God, no true church, priesthood or authority, no
medium of communication between God and man for church government, to
dictate, regulate, manage and control the affairs of his kingdom upon
the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.127
How did this state of things called Mormonism originate? We read that
an angel came down and revealed himself to Joseph Smith and manifested
unto him in vision the true position of the world in a religious point
of view. He was surrounded with light and glory while the heavenly
messenger communicated these things unto him, after a series of
visitations and communications from the Apostle Peter and others who
held the authority of the holy Priesthood, not only on the earth
formerly but in the heavens afterwards. That they hold it in the
heavens we know from the Scriptures. In them there are certain
principles revealed in relation to that matter that nobody could
reveal unless they were acquainted with the principle of revelation.
Moses and Elias were seen [p.128] with Jesus on the mount, when Peter
and his brethren saw them, who said, "Master, it is good for us to be
here, let us build three tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses and
one for Elias." Who was this Moses? He was a man who had officiated
before on the earth, had held the holy Priesthood, had been a teacher
of righteousness, and who, with the Elders of Israel, had talked with
God, and had received revelations from him, holding the Priesthood
that administered in time and and eternity. When he got through with
this world his official duties were not ended, for he appeared to
Jesus, Peter, James and John upon the mount, to confer on them certain
principles, authorities and Priesthood, theft they might also be
enabled to administer in the ordinances of salvation, and officiate as
the representatives of God upon the earth. And hence, when Joseph
Smith came, those who had held the keys before came to him, so he told
me and others, and revealed unto him certain things pertaining to the
kingdom of God upon the earth, and ordained him and set him apart to
the ministry and Apostleship unto which he was called. He presented
himself before the world and informed the people that God had spoken,
and that he had spoken to him. He told them that the heavens had been
opened and that angels clothed in light and glory had appeared to him
and revealed unto him certain things. Then we have Oliver Cowdery, who
tells us something about these things, and gives his testimony as a
living witness. Again, there were eleven witnesses in relation to the
Book of Mormon, who testify that the Book of Mormon was a divine
revelation from God. And some of these witnesses tell us that an angel
of God came and laid before them the plates from which the Book of
Mormon was translated, and they knew that their testimony was true and
faithful. Others tell us that they saw and handled the plates from
which the record was taken. I have conversed with several of those men
who say they have seen the plates that Joseph Smith took out of the
hill Cumorah; I have also conversed with Joseph Smith, who has told me
of these things and many more that it would be unnecessary on the
present occasion to relate. Here, then, is an abundance of testimony
that assumes a supernatural agency—an interposition of the Almighty—an
opening and an unfolding of something to the human family with which
they have been unacquainted. These things are left for the human
family to reason upon; they are presented unto us in that capacity,
just as things were presented formerly to others. We were told
formerly that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,
and how can they hear without a preacher, and how can he preach unless
he he sent." Here, then, was a medium introduced by the Almighty to
excite the faith or unbelief of the people. Here are certain records
unfolded, and here is a man presenting himself before the people,
declaring that God was about to usher in the dispensation of the
fulness of times; and for this purpose he had introduced an ancient
record that had belonged to the aboriginal inhabitants of this
continent, together with that, he tells them that the so-called
Christian churches had gone astray, and all mankind were laboring
under gross darkness, and that darkness had covered the whole earth.
He furthermore tells them that God had it in his mind to reveal unto
them his will, and draw back the dark vail that overspreads the minds
of the people—to introduce the principles of eternal truth, and that
he came as a messenger from [p.129] God, having been set apart by holy
angels sent by the Almighty for that purpose, that, in the first
place, he might be acquainted with correct principles, and then be
able to teach them to others. This is the phase which this thing
assumed at that time; and the people felt about it as the old Jews did
when Jesus told them that they were deceivers, whited walls and
painted sepulchres; they said, Away with such a fellow from the earth.
When Joseph Smith told the priests, the good Methodists, the righteous
Presbyterians and the holy Roman Catholics that they were all wrong,
how could they endure it. But you must endure it, for God has spoken
and the word has gone forth. The Lord, in the first place, commanded
all men everywhere to repent and to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins giving them a promise that they
should receive the gift of the Holy Ghost This is different to
anything that has been before in the world. That which was before,
assumed no shape and came with no authority from God. The various
sects of the world imagined that they had the Holy Ghost, but they
forgot that it was to lead men into all truth. That spirit which they
have mistaken for the Holy Ghost has led them into confusion,
contention and strife, and consequently it is not the Holy Ghost
spoken of in the Scripture. Joseph Smith, having found and made
manifest these things, and having turned the key that unlocks the
destinies of the human family, having had committed unto him the key
of this dispensation, he began to unfold and make manifest the things
of God to the world, to all who were desirous to listen and yield
obedience thereunto. A good many felt as the people felt when Jesus
came, that "This man speaks with authority and not as the Scribes;"
there were other principles and another spirit introduced developing
other precepts, laws, ordinances) manifestations and doctrines, and a
greater power was associated with it than had been with any previous
manifestations. What then? Why, the Lord was reasonable—he always has
been; he is a good and gracious God, a benefactor and friend) suiting
his doctrines and principles to the capacities of the human family.
What was the consequence when men heard those principles? Many of them
had a portion of the Spirit of the Lord among them, and as light
cleaves to light, truth to truth, and intelligence to intelligence,
wherever there was the light of the Spirit of God in the mind of man
it discovered, comprehended and embraced the truth. What is it? God
has spoken; a record has been revealed, making manifest the events
that have transpired on this Continent, and prophecy, and revelations,
and visions, and the purposes of God, &c. This agrees with the Old
Record; there is no need to bring argument here on that question, for
it has been argued and investigated throughout the world. What then?
Did I know because Joseph Smith knew? Not exactly. Joseph Smith had
certain things revealed to him, and he was commanded to communicate
those things unto others. What then? He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved, and he shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and
shall know for himself of the things which he has believed in. This
was the principle upon which my faith was based at the commencement.
For instance, an Elder came to me and preached the Gospel and told me
all these things. I was struck at once with them. I was well
acquainted with the Bible, yet I had never heard such teachings
before; had never seen such principles developed; had never listened
to such words as came from his mouth,[p.130] illustrating, making
manifest and explaining the Scriptures, the Book of Mormon and the
revelations of God, and opening the heavens as it were to my view. It
was to me one of the greatest things I had ever heard. He said to me,
"If you will be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission
of sins you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, inasmuch as you
go in faith and humility and obedience to the law of God and forsake
your sins," &c. This was precisely the same thing that Peter told the
people in his day. Said he, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins, and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." What will it do for us,
Peter? "It will cause your old men to dream dreams, and your young men
to see visions, and your servants and handmaids shall prophecy; it
will bring things past to your remembrance, lead you into all truth,
and show you things to come." Here was quite a chance for a man to
detect whether Peter was an impostor or not; and there was a favorable
opportunity to detect whether the Mormon Elder was an impostor or not,
for he promised the same things that Peter promised to believers, and
all the Elders do the same. Can you find a Methodist, a Presbyterian,
a Baptist, an Episcopalian, a Roman Catholic that dare tell you what
Paul said anciently, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ?" Why?
Have you not been persecuted and afflicted and been let down in a
basket over a wall, been driven from place to place and considered a
deceiver? Yes. "But I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it
is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, and
therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith." I
have obeyed the same Gospel. What then? Did the signs follow? Yes; I
believed before I obeyed, and after I had been baptized in the name of
Jesus for the remission of sins, and received the Holy Ghost by the
laying on of hands, that Holy Ghost took of the things of God and
showed them unto me, so that I then knew for myself. But did I believe
particularly because I heard tongues and prophesyings and saw
healings? No; but these made me glad, for in them I saw the ancient
order of things brought back again. It made me rejoice to see the sick
healed, the lame to leap for joy and the blind receive their sight,
the deaf to hear and the dumb speak. This was a certain amount of
testimony for the doctrines that had been advanced. But, besides this,
there was an inward evidence—an invisible manifestation of the Spirit
of the living God, bearing witness with mine that this was the work of
God that he had established in the last days, and I knew it for myself
and not because anybody said so. At first I believed it on the
testimony of others, and then obtained a knowledge for myself. If
there is no other man under the heavens that knows that Joseph Smith
is a Prophet of God I do, and I bear testimony of it to God, angels
and men. How did it operate upon others? In the same way, inasmuch as
they were sincere and faithful, and diligent in observing the laws of
God, and hence, as the Scriptures say, "You are all baptized into one
baptism, and have all partaken of the same Spirit," and that is the
Spirit that first commenced to be revealed through Joseph Smith, and
the administration of holy angels, and the development and restoration
of the holy Priesthood. If you do not know in the same way that I know
this is the Work of God, I would not give a straw for your religion.

Vol. 10,  p.130
Having received this knowledge, it operates the same upon all and
hence [p.131] the union that exists among us. It is the same in
Canada, the same in the Northern States, the same in the Eastern
States, the same in the Western States and the same in the Southern
States; the same in England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France,
Denmark, Germany, the islands of the sea and the different parts of
the earth wherever this seed has been sown and the Elders have gone
forth in the name of Jesus Christ bearing the precious seeds of
eternal life. Wherever that has rested in good hearts it has produced
the, same results, giving the same signs, if not the same degree of
evidence, and this has cemented and united us together; it is the
little leaven that begins to leaven the whole lump; it is a part of
the Spirit of God—a living spark that is struck from the fire of his
eternal blaze that has made itself manifest on the earth; it is the
still small voice that whispers peace to the soul—the thing that Jesus
spoke of when he said,—

Vol. 10,  p.131
"My peace I give unto you; my peace I leave with you; not as the world
giveth give I unto you. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my
Father's house are many mansions; I go to prepare a place for you,
that where I am, there you may be also."

Vol. 10,  p.131
They feel the peace that passeth all human understanding. They possess
the Spirit of God, though they cannot always tell the whys and
wherefores. It is not because a man is learned and polished after the
learning of this world that he knows, but because he comprehends and
listens to the whisperings of the Spirit of God speaking peace to his
bosom and giving him understanding that he is accepted of his Heavenly
Father,—"I in thee and thou in me," &c. It is this which has drawn us
together—this that has cemented and united us, that has led us from
our homes to the position we now occupy in these mountains.

Vol. 10,  p.131
An Elder whose mind was darkened once came to me to tell me that
something was seriously wrong in the Church. How am I to believe you?
said I. I was told by you one year ago that if I were to obey the
Gospel I should know of the doctrines whether they were of God. I have
obeyed and I know for myself, and am no longer dependent upon your
testimony, and you cannot make me now unknow it. No matter what your
ideas and notions are, now I know for myself. God is our teacher; he
has organized his Priesthood and government upon the earth, which is
the cementing influence that unites this people together, and as the
Lord said formerly, "If you are not one you are not of me." I remember
on a certain occasion in Liverpool we were told not to say anything
about the gathering. A lady came to me and said she had had a singular
dream. "I dreamed," she said, "that the whole Church was going off to
America, and that you was there; we were going on board of a ship and
leaving for America." What was the reason of this singular dreaming?
She had embraced the Gospel, and it revealed certain things to her
that she could not know in any other way. "Your old men shall dream
dreams," &c. Can you keep people in the dark in relation to these
things? No. and when a people live their religion, and all the Quorums
of the Church are walking up to their privileges, then a certain
ancient aphorism would be correct, "The voice of the people is the
voice of God," and the voice of God is the voice of the people—it
would suit either way. It is upon this principle that we are united;
and hence, no matter where this people come from nor what their former
views and prejudices, they may have been different in regard to many
[p.132] things and opposed each other previously in politics,
governments, rights, morals, religion and theories, yet they will all
agree now that they know this to be the Work of God.

Vol. 10,  p.132
The Gospel of Jesus Christ produces the same results among all people
and in all generations, and if they cannot fully understand the whys
and wherefores about it, they feel a good deal as the man did about
Jesus and the child that had been healed. When Jesus had healed the
child, some of the righteous people said, "Come, now, give God the
glory, for we know this man is a sinner." The man replied, "Whether he
is a sinner or not I cannot say, but I do know that this child was
blind, and now he sees." So with the people of this Church, they know
that, whereas they were once blind, now they see. Having partaken of
this, what can separate us? "Shall life, or death or principalities,
or powers, or things present, or things to come, or anything on earth,
in heaven or hell, separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord." Hence the secret of the union of this people.

Vol. 10,  p.132
One of the most irrefragable proofs of the Divinity of this Work is
found in one thing—that everything that has been spoken by Joseph
Smith in relation to these things has thus far been literally
fulfilled, and you are his witnesses, as also is the Holy Ghost that
bears witness of him. What next? Why, it is as it was in former times,
"All are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's," we are one
with him, and one with the Father. "I in thee, and thou in me, that
they all might be one, as I and the Father are one." This is the
reason we are found together in a religious capacity, and why we are
not disunited like the rest of the world. This is the reason why we
are united politically, because this is bound to follow. You get some
thousands of people together and they are obliged to be governed by
law, and form themselves into a body politic. We have been kicked and
cuffed and abused almost all the day long, yet we are not much hurt,
so far. We are here, and all is right, all is well, and we are bound
to grow and increase.

Vol. 10,  p.132
Do you think the Lord, and the holy Prophets that have existed on this
and on the other Continent, and the Gods in the eternal worlds have
started this thing to end here? No. It is simply a nucleus of light,
of intelligence, of truth, of virtue, of correct principles, of the
holy Priesthood, of the revelations of God, and of something that has
got to spread and to grow, increase and expand until it becomes a
great nation and fills the whole earth; until all that has been spoken
of by the holy Prophets shall be fulfilled in relation to these
matters; until error shall give place to truth, wrong to right; until
corruption and tyranny shall give place to justice and equity: instead
of man bearing rule and having his own way, "God shall be king over
the whole earth, and his name one;" "and unto him every knee shall
bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ to the glory of
God the Father." We are only just commencing in this Work, which will
grow, and spread, and increase, and no power on this side of hell
shall stop its onward progress; it is onward, onward, onward, until
the purposes of God and all he has designed shall be fulfilled and
accomplished.

Vol. 10,  p.132
This is truly a great Work—a Work with which God and angels and Saints
that have lived before us, and the souls that are beneath the altar
praying unto God for the accomplishment of these things, are engaged
in. The heavens and the earth, at the present time, are in
communication, [p.133] and God is our judge, our ruler, our law-giver,
our guide and director to lead us on in the ways of life, and no
matter about events that may transpire; no matter whether our path is
very rough and rugged or smooth, it makes little difference: it is for
us to do right, maintain our integrity, honor our calling and magnify
it and honor our God and one another, obeying faithfully those who are
placed over us. Do I know that Brigham Young is called of God to lead
this people? I do, upon the same principle that I Knew Joseph Smith
was. What can any of us do without God, without his law and without
the principles of eternal truth?

Vol. 10,  p.133
I pray that we may be enabled to work righteousness and be exalted
into heavenly places in Jesus Christ! that we may fear God in our
hearts, do the thing that is acceptable to the Most High, prepare
ourselves for a celestial inheritance and an exaltation in his
kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ: Amen.

Daniel H. Wells, March 29, 1863

The Great Blessings Enjoyed By the People in Deseret—the 
Gathering of the Saints—Proper Training of Children

Remarks by President DANIEL H. WELLS, 
made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, March 29, 1863.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.133
I feel thankful for a part and lot in the great Work of the last days.
It is a calling that ought to engage all our interests and welfare,
being inculcated in the maintenance of those principles which alone
can bring salvation to the human family. My soul delights in them.
They must be sustained, though all the world should rise in
opposition.

Vol. 10,  p.133
We live in that age of the world which the ancient Prophets have
foreseen, when the wicked would "make a man an offender for a word,
and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the
just for a thing of nought." I have often thought that the world does
not know what righteousness towards God consists in; they place great
stress upon this, that and the other doctrine or principle as being
necessary to salvation, which has not been thought of by any person
who has been sent of God to lay before the children of men the true
way They have made laws and rules of faith, and set up church
governments that cannot be drawn from anything to be found in the holy
Scriptures or in any revelation I know anything about.

Vol. 10,  p.133
Obedience towards God is righteousness towards God. "Jesus answered
and said unto them, If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my
Father will love him," &c. In order to become a holy and righteous
people, it is necessary to listen to and obey [p.134] every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God through his servants whom he has placed
to guide his kingdom, on the earth. This is righteousness towards God.
It is said we can do nothing for the Lord, that if he was an hungered,
he would not ask us for bread, &c.; but we can perform the duties we
owe to him by the performance of the duties we owe to each other; in
this way we can show ourselves approved before our Father who is in
heaven. "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily, I say
unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Who has a greater opportunity
of doing good to the brethren than the Latter-day Saints? Who has a
finer chance of showing their faith by their works?

Vol. 10,  p.134
The gathering of Israel I will mention as one of the many
opportunities that this people have of showing their good works to
their brethren in distant nations, who are now suffering for want of
the common necessaries of life; who are pleading day by day with their
brethren and with the Lord continually for temporal deliverance. In
these Valleys the people are well provided for, are wealthy and
exceedingly prosperous, and can well afford to prove their loyalty to
the heavens in expending a portion of their means to gather Israel. A
great many are doing what they think they can do, but I think we might
do more, as a people, in aiding to gather Israel, which is one portion
of the great Work of the last days. This is a part of our religion, to
do all the good we can in aiding and assisting our brethren in
distress who are of the household of faith, and in placing them in a
condition like unto ourselves in these quiet vales of the mountains,
where they can he freed flora the thraldom of sin and oppression in
which they have lived to the present time. We have so far effected our
deliverance, and in this the Lord has been extremely kind to us, in
planting our feet in these goodly valleys where we have been blessed
and prospered. No person here need go without the common necessaries
of life. How much will we devote to the deliverance of our brethren,
who are as anxious as we are to identify their interests with the
kingdom of God at head-quarters, where they, like us, can be benefited
in the instructions we receive here from time to time? I have often
thought that we do not fairly comprehend the great mercies and
blessings the Almighty has conferred upon us; if we did, we should
show our appreciation of them by our actions in aiding those who are
so anxious to be delivered from Babylon to be planted in these valleys
and participate in the blessings we enjoy.

Vol. 10,  p.134
As I said in the beginning, the world is opposed to us, but we have
nothing to do with them in one sense, but to do our duty and sustain
righteous principles with an eye single to the glory of God; in this
he will sustain us and bring us off victorious at last. We have great
reason to be thankful this morning for the great peace and prosperity
which attends us as a people; we have great cause to rejoice before
the Lord of Hosts, who has been a kind Father unto us from our early
infancy to this time. What has he not done for us? Do we not live in
an age of the world in which he has revealed his holy Gospel and sent
his messengers with the light of the Gospel, and have we not become
the happy participants of this knowledge? Are not our feet planted
upon the rock of salvation? Has he not delivered us from the power of
wicked, ungodly and designing men, and given us an inheritance far
from their power, where we can worship him, none daring to [p.135]
make us afraid? Has he not blessed this land in a miraculous manner to
bring forth for the sustenance of his people? He has shielded us from
the savage foe, and given us influence over them, whereby we can
travel to and fro among them and from place to place in comparative
safety. How can we render unto him sufficient homage, thanksgiving and
praise to prove unto him that we do appreciate his great and manifold
mercies? I know of no better way than to be obedient to the calls made
upon us from time to time, to respond to them in that free way that
shall prove to God that all we have and all we can do is held and
devoted to the promotion of the cause we have espoused, regardless of
the consequences.

Vol. 10,  p.135
We should not hesitate when anything is proposed to be done for the
promotion of the cause of God on the earth, but should say, Make way,
prejudices; go by the board, whatever traditions would rise up. When
the Lord speaks, let everything else give way; as the masses of the
people would fall back on the approach of the king, so let our own
ideas and prepossessed notions give place to the word of the Lord and
to the wisdom that emanates from him; let everything else become
subservient to those principles, doctrines and truths. This is the way
I have always felt since I became acquainted with this Gospel and with
this people.

Vol. 10,  p.135
This Work is not done in a corner, but it has been sent to the whole
world, and all men have the privilege of adopting the same principles
of truth which we have embraced, if they shall choose to do so; but
because they do not choose to do so, it should not become a rock of
offence and a stumbling block to them nor to us. We have undertaken to
sustain these holy principles which have been revealed in the last
days. Shall we now falter? or shall we, because others point the
finger of scorn at us, be ashamed of this holy cause and back out from
it? Does it make any difference as to what other people think of it?
No. It is for us to cling together and go onward continually in the
path we have chosen to walk in.

Vol. 10,  p.135
There are few, probably, in this Church and kingdom but what have in
their possession some kind of a testimony which proves to their
satisfaction that this is the Work of Heaven; it has touched their
hearts. Thousands who do not belong to the Church have evidence of its
truth, but will not admit it. The mind is bound to receive and to
believe the truth according to the amount of testimony given and the
evidence produced, but through pride the majority of the human family
will not admit the truth openly, although they may do so secretly and
believe in the same doctrines we do. Let them do as they please, that
is no reason why we should falter, change our course in the least, or
alter our views; but let us press onward continually and prove to the
Lord that we are true and faithful to him.

Vol. 10,  p.135
We live in a land of liberty, where the power and the control rests
with the people, or should do so; to a great extent it does so. We
have great liberty, we have great freedom, not, withstanding the
efforts of some to abridge our liberties and our freedom; still the
Lord is not unmindful of us, for he directs and governs the affairs of
the children of men, more especially now since he has commenced his
Work in the last days: I think I might qualify this a little, by
saying more especially to our understanding. I have no doubt but what
he has always done so; but the heavens, in a manner, have been shut up
to the vision and view of mankind for a long time, but now his
dealings with them have become more manifest [p.136] than in ages gone
by; we can now see his foot-prints more clearly and can realize more
sensibly the Work in which he is moving, bringing to pass his purposes
for the redemption of the world, for the overthrow of sin and iniquity
and for the establishment of his kingdom, which Prophets, long ages
past and gone, have seen would be set up in the last days. We have
undertaken to do our part towards establishing his kingdom, which will
eventually reign over the whole earth, where all nations, kingdoms,
tongues and people will acknowledge Emanuel's sway and the earth be
lit up with the glory of God and be prepared for his kingdom and
coming.

Vol. 10,  p.136
In these valleys of the mountains a nucleus is finally formed of a
people who have been gathered out from all the nations of the earth,
for the express purpose of sustaining holy and righteous principles
which the Almighty has revealed from the heavens and to form a
community that shall be self-sustaining. Latter-day Saints associate
together in a community to prove to the Lord and to the world that
they can sustain themselves; that the doctrines and principles God has
revealed to them are self-sustaining in their nature—so much so, that
a whole community may be sustained by practicing and living faithfully
up to them. Hence it is that the shafts of the enemy are directed
against us for the overthrow and destruction of those holy principles.

Vol. 10,  p.136
We know of a verity that the Work in which we are engaged is of God;
we know we have the knowledge of God our Father and of his Son Jesus
Christ, whom to know is life everlasting; we know in whom we have put
our trust; we know the principles which we have espoused are based
upon a solid and sure foundation; we know they are true, and truth is
eternal and will lead to exaltation in the kingdom of God if we are
true to each other and to the principles which have been revealed. We
are not guessing at these things, nor groping our way in the dark in
relation to them. Should not our course be to turn aside every shaft
of the enemy aimed at our brother as Well as at ourselves? When we see
danger, should we not warn our brother against it and use every
exertion to assist each other to walk faithfully in the right way,
shielding each other from the power of the enemy and endeavoring to
pick up those who are wandering into bye and forbidden paths, pointing
out to them the right way and exhorting them to walk in it? We should
guide the footsteps of the young and ignorant, and teach them the
principles which have a tendency to bring them into the path of life
and glory. We should try to overcome all weaknesses and eradicate from
our bosoms every unholy desire and remove from our footsteps every
evil way. We too often see carelessness and indifference in the midst
of this people with regard to these small matters; I call them small,
because they are so often passed by and neglected.

Vol. 10,  p.136
We ought to instil into our children. a nice sense of honor and
truthfulness in their words, that when they come to act in real life
they may receive and reverence principles of holiness that will lead
them ultimately to the possession of eternal life and salvation.
People often speak jestingly of the holy things which we hold, or
should hold sacred. I have heard people do it, and always tell them
they would satisfy my feelings much better if they would not make a
jest of things I hold sacred. I remember a man in Nauvoo, who was
conspicuous in this Church, once at a party saying to the fiddler,
"Let me lay hands on that old fiddle, and then perhaps you will not
have so much [p.137] trouble with the strings." I was then a Gentile,
as they called them, and he, no doubt, thought that such jesting with
holy things would please me, but I always despised him afterwards for
making use of such an expression and making light of one of the holy
ordinances of God which he professed to believe in. Jesting on sacred
matters grates on my ears. I do not suppose people mean any harm when
they do it, but it has a deleterious influence upon our children, whom
we ought to teach to reverence sacred things. I would like their sense
of honor to be such that they will do right because they love to do
right, and not refrain from doing wrong merely because they are afraid
somebody will see them do wrong. Let the love of right be bred in
them, that feeling of honest consciousness of doing right, and not
evil, that shall preserve them in the hour of temptation. Let the love
of right be instilled in their young and tender minds, that it may
grow with their growth and strengthen with their strength, learning to
love the truth for its beauty and the things of God because they are
worthy of being loved. Often people are deterred from doing right
because of what the world will say and for fear of fire pointing of
the finger of scorn. That is not what we should care about; we should
care to please God and do the things that are right before him, and
then let the world wag as it will. This ought to be our motto, and we
ought constantly to seek to instil this feeling into the bosoms of our
children, that they may act upon the principles of right because they
love them and prefer them because they are good before the Lord, and
eschewing evil because it is hateful to them. The child is naturally
inclined to this way. It is their associations with the wickedness
that is in the world that teaches them hypocrisy and evil of every
description, and the fear of the world's scorn, their laugh and ribald
jest have their influence upon the mind of the child. Hence it becomes
necessary that more pains should be taken in instructing them and
showing them the propriety of truthfulness and honest uprightness of
conduct to strengthen and protect them in the hour of temptation.

Vol. 10,  p.137
This great work in regard to training our children should not be
neglected, because it is while they are young that we can have the
greatest and most lasting influence over them. It is the privilege of
the Latter-day Saints in these valleys of the mountains more
especially to attend to this sacred duty, because when we mingled with
the outside world we could not there enjoy the rights, the liberty and
the freedom we enjoy in these mountains. No child is laughed and
scoffed at here because his father and mother are Mormons. Then let us
attend to these matters and govern ourselves by the holy principles
that have been revealed to our understandings, live our holy religion
faithfully and bring forth the blessings of peace, the blessings of
the Almighty which are ready to drop from the heavens upon us as first
as we are able to receive and use them profit ably to ourselves and to
the Work in which we are engaged. The child needs first to ripen in
judgment and good understanding before the father can commit any great
trust to his charge. So it is in the dealings of our Heavenly Father
with his people; he knows better than we do when to bestow great
blessings upon us and what is for our best good. We should improve
upon the blessings he has already given us to the fullest extent of
the light and information we can get, and not trouble ourselves as to
what is in the future, because that is just beyond our reach. If we
travel in the path I have been trying to mark out, we shall attain
everything we can [p.138] ask for in due time. By improving upon what
we have, by keeping ourselves unspotted from this untoward generation,
by walking in faith and obedience before our God, we can attain to
more than we have now any knowledge off "Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the
things that are in store for the faithful," when they shall attain to
that stature in Christ that will entitle them to receive them.

Vol. 10,  p.138
I do not, however, wish to throw the mind of the community upon
something great in the future to the neglect of present blessings and
present duties. Let us count over the blessings we this day enjoy; let
us look into the past and mark the constant flow of blessings with
which the history of this people has been attended from the beginning.
Neither do I wish us to stop here and say that we have all we need;
but while we are desiring blessings that are still future to us, let
us not neglect the things which are now within our reach day by day,
but live constantly our holy religion, being faithful and diligent in
all things that are for us today, cleaving closely to the Lord,
knowing that we are in his hands and that we are his children, having
all confidence in him and in his constituted authorities on the earth,
then will our knowledge and intelligence increase and our blessings
will continue in a steady flow. This is all the business we have on
hand to attend to, to serve our God and make ourselves comfortable and
happy, securing from the elements everything we need for our
sustenance and support, building houses, making roads, opening farms,
planting orchards and vineyards, bringing from the mountains timber
and lumber and all things else we need. All this labor is necessary to
sustain us, and that the Lord may have a people who are zealous of
good works and who will do his bidding, and through whom his kingdom
may be established upon the earth and become a self-sustaining
community, being governed and controlled in every particular by the
revelations of the Most High, and by the principles which he has
revealed. We are now the best governed people in the world, and for
the best of all reasons—we have the best Government and the best
Governor; our Heavenly Father is at the helm, from whom emanates all
wisdom, truth and righteousness. No matter what the difficulties are
which we are called upon to overcome, still we have everything to
encourage us; we can go to the great fountain of all good; nothing can
compare with this. Should we not feel encouraged and rejoice, and give
praise and thanksgiving to God, who is so good a Father to us, who has
watched over us to this day, to say nothing of the glorious future
which is opening up before us continually.

Vol. 10,  p.138
This people have a future which the world little dreams of. They will
see the time when those who seek to destroy them from under heaven
will come bowing and scraping to them obsequiously and sycophantic
enough, no doubt. That, however, does not affect us one way or the
other; it is for us to do right and please our God with full purpose
of heart, that his will may be done on the earth as it is done in
heaven. The Lord will not slacken his hand nor look backward, but will
progress onward with his people who will abide faithful and true to
him. Righteousness must predominate in the midst of this people, and
iniquity will have no part or lot with them, but if any among them
wish to work iniquity and do not delight in holy principles, this is
not the place for them; they had better go where there are influences
more congenial, where they will not [p.139] be abridged of their
desires to do evil. No man has liberty to do evil, though he may have
the power, nor has he any right to do evil. There is no law against
doing right, but the law is against doing wrong. Man has power to do
right or wrong as he pleases, but he is held responsible for that
power and the exercise of it.

Vol. 10,  p.139
May God bless us and help us to do right, to keep his laws and
commandments and statutes holy, and be obedient to him in all things,
is my prayer in the name of Jesus: Amen.

Daniel H. Wells, April 6, 1863

Building the Temple and a New Tabernacle—Labor, 
Tithing—Call for Faithful Laborers

Remarks by President DANIEL H. WELLS, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1863

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.139
Right here we want to build a Tabernacle, to accommodate the Saints at
our General Conferences and religious worship, that will comfortably
seat some ten thousand people; and over there we want to build a
Temple. These two items I wish to call your attention to to-day.

Vol. 10,  p.139
We have organized the different districts throughout the Territory so
that fifty teams can be at work for the Temple, hauling granite rock
from Big and Little Cottonwoods. There has been some hauling done, but
I wish to suggest a little amendment on our present operations and
plans touching this part of the work. We shall want the same number of
teams this season. We have never had as many as was designed in the
first place, which was fifty, at any one time. If we could have even
twenty-five or thirty teams constantly at work, they would keep the
stonecutters employed. There was a difficulty last season about feed
for the animals engaged on this work, but we are prepared to feed hay
this year, but grain must be furnished by the Wards.

Vol. 10,  p.139
I wish to say a word in regard to the teamsters. Send men to drive the
teams and not boys; men who will have some interest in the work they
are sent to do; men who will not sell the grain sent to feed the teams
to buy whisky with; men who will not take their teams to haul wood
with instead of rock for the Temple. Let the teamsters be fitted out
with at least one spare shirt, that they may not be placed under the
necessity of wearing one shirt five or six weeks, and then leave the
work to go home if they are not supplied with more; this same remark
will apply to shoes also. Either send men that do not use tobacco, or
send them with a supply, that they may not come to me and tell me they
will have to leave the work if they are not supplied with tobacco.
Some of the [p.140] Bishops sent word if I would find the men from the
Wards tobacco they would pay for it, which they have not done, and you
may expect that in the future we shall not find them in this article.
We expect these things to be found them and men sent who will take
care of their teams and wagons. It is a heavy tax upon us to repair
unavoidable breakages; this we expect to do. We have a pretty good
road to the rock, and if men will be careful in the management of
their teams they need not break wagons as much as they have.

Vol. 10,  p.140
On the heel of the teams going down to the States for the poor, we
want the teams ready for the hauling of rock. I will make a suggestion
here, that the city be divided into ten working Wards, each Ward to
pay its tithing labor punctually every tenth day, that we may have all
the common labor we need on labor tithing and not be placed under the
necessity of hiring labor with available means. This tithing labor can
be done by the people in this city; but, you say, the hauling of rock
and sending teams to the States takes up all the tithing labor we owe.
If this be so, you may call the hauling of the rock and teams going to
the States a free-will offering if you please. I care not how you fix
it. I know there is a great portion of the community who care not much
which way it applies. Those who have teams are the ones who supply
both the hauling of rock for the Temple and going to the States. A
great mass of the people do not do any labor of this kind. Let the
Bishops in each Ward look to it and find out who in their Wards do not
pay labor tithing in sending teams to the States. We want the common
labor on the block, this season, to excavate, to attend masons and do
a variety of work that is necessary be accomplished for the building
of our contemplated Tabernacle. Let there be an organization of the
people in order to bring a portion of that labor on this block.

Vol. 10,  p.140
The labor tithing of mechanics cannot be settled by sending a person
to work at a dollar and a-half a day if the Bishop understands his
business. All our tradesmen make more than a dollar and a-half a day;
they should pay what their tenth day's labor is worth. The shoemakers
can furnish boots and shoes, which can be used to a good advantage. If
there is an objection raised to paying the material on labor tithing,
it can be credited on their property tithing. We would not wish our
tradesmen to leave their shops to work out their labor tithing in
common labor with the shovel, the pick, &c., for they would not earn
as much as a common laborer would who daily follows this kind of
labor. We want them to pay their tithing in the kind of labor they are
constantly employed at, and the products of this we can place to an
excellent use. Common labor is more plentiful than mechanical labor.

Vol. 10,  p.140
I have been particular in noticing this matter. Great abuses are
springing up among us for want of proper attention to the business of
tithing labor upon the public works.

Vol. 10,  p.140
Sometimes men are found fault with because they spoil the work; they
do not, for instance, cut the stone to line and do not improve in
their work as much as they should. If anything is said to those
persons they feel gouty and as though they did not care whether they
continued to work or not on the public works; "For," say they, "my
work is as good as the pay." Perhaps you do not know what kind of pay
you get. What does the Tithing-office pay to the hands on the public
works? it pays money, it pays clothing, it pays good flour and plenty
of it, all that the hands need; it pays vegetables of every kind that
is raised in these [p.141] mountains, it pays molasses, chickens,
eggs, butter, beef and pork, some hay and wood. I wish to ask if this
is not good pay, and especially when you consider that the public
hands get all their wages and more too; for in many instances they are
behind on the books. They get all they earn and more, unless they are
more diligent than some generally are, because we pay high wages.
These are facts that cannot be truthfully denied. Men who work on the
public works should be satisfied and contented, and give their best
services, and try to improve and do the best they can; a good many do
this. There is no place in the Territory that pays better pay and
better wages than is paid to the hands that work on the public works,
upon an average. If they can better themselves, why do they not do it?
Some would quickly leave the public works in the best season of the
year for a few dollars in money, and in the winter, when employment is
scarce elsewhere, return to the public works; this is not righteous
before God; men who do this do not do their duty as Saints If any
person can do better than to be a Latter-day Saint and abide the
counsels given to them, why do they not do it? If there is more peace
and comfort and salvation in the world than among the Saints, why did
they not stay in the world? and if, after they come here, they think
they can enjoy themselves better somewhere else, why do they not go
there instead of staying here as grumblers in the kingdom of God? The
kingdom of God is as independent of all such men as the Lord himself
and it will be built up whether they assist in the Work or not.

Vol. 10,  p.141
I speak thus plainly that you may know how we feel about such things,
and that you may realize that you are equally interested in the
building up of the kingdom of God as I am or as anybody else is. It is
as much your duty to come here and spend your time as it is mine,
whether you get anything for it or not. I am no more interested in
building up the Temple than any other Latter-day Saint is. I am no
more interested in building a new tabernacle than you are; it is no
more the business of the First Presidency or Twelve Apostles than it
is yours. This, however, may need qualification; some feel a slothful
interest in it that we do not have. It is as much your duty as ours,
and I expect we can do as well without it as you can. We, however,
expect to accomplish this work whether you aid us or not; but we call
upon the people in this sense, it is your privilege to aid us if you
feel willing to do so. We expect you to do as you shall be directed
and abide the law you have enlisted to obey; this is your privilege.
We expect you will guide your labors according to the rule laid down
for you to follow. We wish to proceed with this labor immediately upon
the close of this Conference. Let the men who seek labor, seek it not
so particularly for individual aggrandizement as for the interest of
the kingdom of God. This work will be an equal benefit to all, if we
will be diligent and contented. There is no job men can be engaged in
that will pay half as well. Those who will cling to the faith and work
on faithfully, diligently and humbly, will be the best off in the end.
I do not care what inducement is offered to them, there is no
enterprize so remunerative as the great enterprize in which we are
engaged, or half so profitable, though we may not realize all things
we desire or need at the present moment as fully as we would like.
Look at the faithful laborer who is putting forth his hand in building
up the kingdom of God, even if it is connected with the bringing of
rocks from the quarry, lumber and timber from the mountains, &c.; that
soul [p.142] has peace and quiet within, though in temporal matters
comparatively destitute. But in this country no person need suffer for
the common necessaries of life. It is not so in distant nations where
many of us came from. Remember the appeals that are made to us for
assistance, for starvation has entered their dwellings; it is not, so
here. Do we realize the blessings we enjoy in contrast with those of
our brethren in distant countries? While we are doing all we can to
aid them, let us remember not to slacken our hands in endeavoring to
build up the kingdom of God, in answering to the calls made upon us
here.

Vol. 10,  p.142
No person can release us from the duties that devolve upon us as
individuals. We each of us should shoulder our responsibilities and
rejoice to embrace the privilege of performing the duties devolving
upon us to do good in the Church and kingdom of God in the last days.
This is an inestimable privilege which, once neglected, may never
again return. No person should lose the opportunity of doing good, if
they do they will be sorry afterwards. Look back upon your own history
and experience in the Church and kingdom of God, and point out a
single duty that has been manfully and righteously performed that does
not to this day bring to you a feeling of great satisfaction and
gratitude to the Almighty that you were called upon to perform that
duty, and you are glad that you did perform it faithfully before your
God and your brethren. I do not believe there is a single individual
who has ever performed a single duty in the Church and kingdom of God,
but what is grateful to the Almighty that they had strength and power
and ability to perform that duty. Then so let it be in the future;
whenever we are called upon to perform a duty let us hasten to perform
it with a free and glad heart and with a ready hand, doing it as it
should be done with all the wisdom, ability and power that we can
bring to bear on it, feeling grateful to the Almighty for the
privilege, and we shall have joy and rejoicing before the heavens.
This is the true light in which we ought to look at this matter. There
is a great labor before this people, it is a life-time work, and then
it will be taken up by those who will follow after us, who will
continue to develop the things which the Almighty is trying to
establish upon the earth—the work of the salvation of our dead and the
great millennium. The work we are now doing is preparatory to that
work, and that work is preparatory to another that shall follow after.

Vol. 10,  p.142
We will build a new Tabernacle of sufficient dimensions to accommodate
the people much better than they can be at present, and the time
probably is not far distant when we may commence to administer for our
dead. But the duties of to-day and all the work and labor we are
called upon to perform is preparatory to something else; if we perform
this work faithfully it will tell in its place in the due season and
time of the Lord. Then let us be faithful and never neglect the
opportunity of doing good when presented to us, be it ever so small in
our estimation. There is nothing so small but what is necessary, when
we are told to do it by those who preside over us. Small things reach
to great things. We cannot baptize for the dead without a font, and we
cannot get a stone to build it of without going to the stone quarries
to get it. It looks a small thing to quarry rock and to pick up the
pebbles and cobble rock or to take the spade and go and labor a single
day's work, but those small matters form together a grand whole in
bringing to pass the great purposes we are anticipating will come to
pass in the Lord's due time. Then let us listen [p.143] to and respond
to the calls made upon us by our Bishops, by our Presidents, by those
who are appointed to direct and govern and control and shape our
labor. It is the business of this people to build up this kingdom in
any channel and direction in which they are called to labor. Let us
abide these teachings and calls, for in this we can attain an
exaltation in the presence of our Father in heaven. Let us seek to be
exalted therein and enjoy eternal lives in the mansions of the
blessed. This is my sermon for to-day.

Vol. 10,  p.143
May God help us to do these things is my prayer in the name of Jesus:
Amen.

George A. Smith, April 6, 1863

Missionary Fund—Support of the Families of Elders 
Who Are on Missions

Remarks by Elder GEORGE A. SMITH, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1863.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.143
I have been a witness for many years, to a considerable extent, of the
labors, toils and exertions of the Elders of this Church. I have
rejoiced in the result of their labors and the blessings which God
hath bestowed upon them. Though many, as has been observed, have
fallen out by the way, yet a large majority of the Elders of Israel
who went in early days to proclaim the Gospel are still in our midst,
or have died in the honorable discharge of their duty, with promises
of salvation and eternal life upon their heads.

Vol. 10,  p.143
Circumstances have changed. When Presidents Young, Kimball and others
left Nauvoo to go to England without purse or scrip, they left a few
houseless, homeless people, a great proportion of them sick, lying out
of doors, with no covering only the broad canopy of heaven, on the
banks of the Mississippi, robbed of everything they possessed by the
benevolent Christians of the State of Missouri, and driven away into
Illinois, and from exposure and over-exertion and suffering reduced by
disease and sickness to the last extremity of human endurance. It was
under such circumstances as these that the brethren started forth on
their mission to England. When they had gone a few miles they were met
by an old friend, who, on seeing their sick and wan condition,
inquired who had been robbing the burying-ground. These are
circumstances which have passed into history.

Vol. 10,  p.143
What is our condition now? We can hear occasionally from our brethren
in England; many of them who have been long years in the Church,
saying to their children, "I will give you a little bit to eat, but
when you get to Zion you can have as much as you want, but now you
[p.144] must make this little do." In the cotton-spinning districts of
Great Britain there are thousands of such cases among persons
belonging to this Church; they are reduced to the last extremity of
want in consequence of the great revolution in America.

Vol. 10,  p.144
We should not send Elders there to beg of them a division of their
scanty pittance, or to solicit aid in paying their passage back again
to America, or to give them something to carry home to their families;
not at all God has given us possession of this goodly land; the labors
of the brethren and the blessings of God have caused it to bud and
blossom as the rose. Where desolation dwelt, now is the abode of
plenty. We are under no necessity of sending forth the Elders of
Israel in the condition that we have hitherto had to do; in fact, it
would not be safe for a man to shoulder his valise and tramp through
the States as the Elders used to do. Bloodshed, robbery, murder,
jay-hawking (a polite name for robbery,) stalks abroad throughout the
land, and the only chance for safety is for every man to pass along
about his business and be silent; this is the case in many parts of
the country.

Vol. 10,  p.144
The fact that Joseph Smith predicted the present trouble and state of
affairs—prophesied the result of mobbing the Saints in Missouri and
elsewhere, enrages them; instead of the fulfilment of that prophecy
making the people of the country friendly to us, it makes them
bloodthirsty, more filled with hell, more eager to waste and destroy
and crush out the last remaining particle of truth that may exist on
the face of the land. 

Vol. 10,  p.144
Again, the places of our missionary labor are a long distance away,
and it is important, when an Elder leaves here, that he should
commence the exercise of his calling at the place he is destined to
labor at the earliest practical moment. A few dollars contributed to
this purpose will pass the Elders directly to the fields of labor to
which they are appointed. Perhaps when a missionary gets to Italy, as
my brother tells me, he would be cordially received and treated to a
few honeysuckle leaves put into some water, boiled, seasoned with salt
and dished up for a meal. A man could make a meal of this with a loaf
of bread by the side of it and a shank of good Tithing-office beef to
season it. Some of the Elders have had cause to rejoice at receiving
from the hands of the poor and needy a small pittance of this kind;
and, perhaps, when the cold weather comes, these poor persons may be
found crawling among the sheep to keep from freezing. We do not want
to take any donations at the hands of such people, and where men are
working for ten cents per day and paying eight dollars per cord for
wood, we do not expect them to contribute much to the Elders. Such is
the condition of a great number of Saints in Switzerland.

Vol. 10,  p.144
In relation to the families of the Elders at home, there is plenty in
the land. If we have listened readily to the call made upon us to-day
to donate to the support of the missionary interest, there will be no
difficulty whatever. The suggestion of placing in the hands of the
families of our missionaries cotton, flax and wool, and the means for
them to work it up, is very important; I recommend it especially to
our wool and flax growers in this country. Remember this in your
donations: let the wives and daughters of our Elders, some of whom
have been absent six out of eight years in foreign lands, have an
opportunity of making some homespun clothing and of fixing up
something that is comfortable to wear.[p.145] 

Vol. 10,  p.145
Let us be diligent in these matters and thoughtful, and remember that
when we do these things we participate in the blessings of sustaining
the Elders who are preaching the Gospel to the nations of the earth—a
great duty which Joseph, the Prophet of God, has laid upon this
people.

Vol. 10,  p.145
May God bless us to accomplish this work is my prayer: Amen.

John Taylor, April 6, 1863

The Blessings the Saints Will Enjoy—How the 
Kingdom of God is to Be Established—Building Temples Tabernacles and 
Houses—Gathering the Poor

Remarks by Elder JOHN TAYLOR, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1863.

Reported By G. D. Watt

Vol. 10,  p.145
This morning we have heard a number of things, in which we are
individually and collectively interested as a people. It is difficult,
however, for us to comprehend our true interests and the things that
that would be for our best good; this arises frequently from want of a
correct understanding of matters that are laid before us, from which
cause we arrive at wrong conclusions. I do not know of any way whereby
we can be taught, instructed and be made to comprehend our true
position, only by being under the influence of the Spirit of the
living God. A man may speak by the Spirit of God, but it, requires a
portion of that Spirit also in those who hear, to enable them to
comprehend correctly the importance of the things that are delivered
to them and hence the difficulty the Lord and his Saints have always
had in making the people comprehend the things that are especially for
their interests. We all consider that if we could be taught of God it
would be very well; I suppose the world generally would consider it to
be a great blessing. Then the question arises in their minds, whether
the teachings they receive come from God or not. How are they to know
that? I know of no other way than that which is spoken in the
Scriptures, "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the
Almighty giveth it understanding." And, again, we are told in the New
Testament, that, "No man knoweth the things of God but by the Spirit
of God." Hence all the wisdom, all the intelligence, all the
reasoning, all the philosophy and all the arguments that could be
brought to bear on the human mind would Be of no avail unless the mind
of man is prepared to receive this teaching—prepared by the Spirit of
the Lord, the same Spirit which conveys the intelligence.[p.146] Hence
we frequently make a very great mistake in relation to our duties, in
relation to our responsibilities, in relation to the obligations that
rest upon us, in relation to the Church and kingdom of God upon the
earth and its government, its laws, its influence and the bearing of
those laws and their influence upon us, and what part we have to act
in relation to these matters. But if we had the Spirit of God, and
walked in the light of revelation, and were guided by the principles
of truth, and were in possession ourselves of the same Spirit by which
the truths of God are communicated, then it would be plain and
comprehensive to our understanding, and everything we try to
accomplish would be easy, pleasant, comfortable and joyous, and we
should all of us feel that; we are the children of the living. God,
that we are basking, as it were, in the sunbeams of heaven, that God
is our friend, that we are his friends and are ready to unite with him
in the accomplishment of his Work under any and all circumstances
whatever; and I frequently consider that it is in consequence of the
ignorance and darkness and short-sightedness of the Saints of God,
that we do not walk up more readily to enjoy our privileges and fulfil
the various obligations that devolve on us to attain to.

Vol. 10,  p.146
Now, ask yourselves, when you have been living up to your privileges,
and the Spirit of God has beamed upon your minds, and your souls have
been enlightened with the candle of the Lord, with the intelligence of
heaven, and you have walked according to the light of eternal truth,
if in these moments you have not always felt ready to fulfil any
obligations that were required of you, and whether you have not always
performed your duties with pleasantness and satisfaction to
yourselves. But when our minds are carried away with the things of
this world, when we lose sight of the kingdom of God and its
interests, its glory, the happiness and well-being of the human
family, and the events that we are expecting to transpire on the
earth, and the part that we are to take in them; when we lose sight of
our various duties as fathers, mothers, husbands, wives and children,
and get carried away with our own notions, ideas and selfishness, and
we become involved in evil, it is then that is is difficult for us to
comprehend the things of God. We say that we are the Saints of God, so
we are. We have repented of our sins, we have been baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, we have received the
laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost: we have become a
part and parcel of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. We
have believed that we were forsaking the world and its devices, evils,
corruptions, frauds and vanity; and we have possessed and do possess
the principles of eternal life. We have believed and do believe that
God has spoken, that angels have appeared and that God has opened a
communication between the heavens and the earth. This is a part of our
faith and creed. We believe that God is going to revolutionize the
earth, to purge it from iniquity of every kind and to introduce
righteousness of every kind, until the great millennium is fully
introduced. We believe, moreover, that God, having commenced his Work,
will continue to reveal and make manifest his will his Priesthood, to
his Church and kingdom on the earth, and that among this people there
will be an embodiment of virtue, of truth, of holiness, of integrity,
of fidelity, of wisdom and of the knowledge of God. We believe that
there will be a temporal kingdom of God organized that [p.147] will be
under the direction and auspices of the Lord of Hosts, and that in all
our affairs, whether they relate to things temporal or things
spiritual, as we have been in the habit of calling them, we shall be
under the direction of the Lord, as the Scriptures say, "It shall come
to pass that all the people shall be taught of the Lord." This is part
and parcel of our creed. We believe that we shall rear splendid
edifices, magnificent temples and beautiful cities that shall become
the pride, praise and glory of the whole earth, We believe that this
people will excel in literature, in science and the arts and in
manufactures. in fact, there will be a concentration of wisdom, not
only of the combined wisdom of the world as it now exists, but men
will be inspired in regard to all these matters in a manner and to an
extent that they never have been before, and we shall have eventually,
when the Lord's purposes are carried out, the most magnificent
buildings, the most pleasant and beautiful gardens, the richest and
most costly clothing, and be the most healthy and the most
intellectual people that will reside upon the earth. This is part and
parcel of our faith; in fact, Zion will become the praise of the whole
earth; and as the Queen of Sheba said anciently, touching the glory of
Solomon, the half of it had not been told her, so it will be in regard
to Israel in their dwelling places. In fact, if there is anything
great, noble, dignified, exalted, anything pure, or holy, or virtuous,
or lovely, anything that is calculated to exalt or ennoble the human
mind, to dignify and elevate the people, it will be found among the
people of the Saints of the Most, High God. This is only a faint
outline of some of our views in relation to these things, and hence we
talk of returning to Jackson county to build the most magnificent
temple that ever was formed on the earth and the most splendid city
that was ever erected; yea, cities, if you please. The architectural
designs of those splendid edifices, cities, walls, gardens, bowers,
streets, &c., will be under the direction of the Lord, who will
control and manage all these matters; and the people, from the
President down, will all be under the guidance and direction of the
Lord in all the pursuits of human life, until eventually they will be
enabled to erect cities that will be fit to be caught up—that when
Zion descends from above, Zion will also ascend from beneath, and be
prepared to associate with those from above. The people will be so
perfected and purified, ennobled, exalted, and dignified in their
feelings and so truly humble and most worthy, virtuous and intelligent
that they will be fit, when caught up, to associate with that Zion
that shall come down from God out of heaven. This is the idea, in
brief, that we have entertained in relation to many of these things.
If we could keep our eyes upon this a little while, and then look back
to where we came from, examine our present position and see the
depravity, ignorance and corruption that exists where we have come
from and that yet exists among us, it is evident that some great
revolution, some mighty change has got to transpire to revolutionize
our minds, our feelings and judgment, our pursuits and action, and, in
fact, to control and influence us throughout, before anything of this
kind can take place, and hence it is when the light; of heaven comes
to reflect upon the human mind, when we can see ourselves as God sees
us and comprehend ourselves as he comprehends us, and understand our
position as he understands it, we should have different views of
ourselves than we have when unenlightened by the Spirit. No [p.148]
wonder that Joseph Smith should say that he felt himself shut up in a
nutshell, there was no power of expansion, it was difficult for him to
reveal and communicate the things of God, because there was no place
to receive them. What he had to communicate was so much more
comprehensive, enlightened and dignified than that which the people
generally knew and comprehended, it was difficult for him to speak; he
felt lettered and bound, so to speak, in every move he made, and so it
is to the present time. Yet this being a fact and these being part of
the things we expect to accomplish, there must be a beginning
somewhere; and if the chips do fly once in a while when the hewer
begins to hew, and if we do squirm once in a while it is not strange,
because it is so difficult for the people to comprehend the things
which are for their benefit. We have been brought up so ignorantly and
our ideas and views are so contracted it is scarcely possible to
receive the things of God as they exist in his bosom. 

Vol. 10,  p.148
It is easy for us to talk about heaven, and about going to Jackson
county, and about building up the kingdom of God, &c.; it is easy to
sing about it and pray about it, but it is another thing to do it; and
hence the difficulty the servants of God labor under all the day long
is in consequence of the ignorance, weakness and infirmities of those
they have to do with, and yet we are more enlightened in regard to
these things than any other people and have made more progress; yet
how far we come short. What does it necessarily resolve itself into?
We are Saints of the Most High, and we actually, all of us, believe in
those doctrines embraced in our creed. I question whether I could find
a dozen here but what believe in those things I have spoken of. Who
does it affect? The kingdom of God has to be built up, and a
revolution must necessarily take place, not only here but throughout
the world. We expect we are going to accomplish the things of which I
have spoken, for they are a part and parcel of our religious faith.
How shall we do it? Who will do it? Do we expect the folks in the
States will do it, or do we expect the Government of England to
establish the kingdom of God, or the people and nations of any other
part of the world? I could not get five men in this congregation that
would believe this. We suppose that the honest-in-heart from different
nations will be gathered together for the accomplishment of these
purposes, but we do not believe the other nations will do it. In fact,
it is as much as a bargain to get them to believe some of the first
principles of the doctrines of Christ; then, when they have made out
to do that and have arrived here, it is a little more than a bargain
to get them to believe other things as they are revealed, not
withstanding we all believe somebody has got to do this Work, that it
has to be done somehow and somewhere. Then, if they won't do it in any
other nation, who has to do it? We are the only people under the
heavens that are making an attempt at it, and a blundering one it is,
no doubt. The majority of this people really do feel in their hearts a
strong desire to keep the commandment of God and help to establish his
kingdom when they can comprehend correctly. How shall these things be
accomplished? The nations of the world will not do it, for they are
opposed to God and his kingdom. If ever the latter-day glory, which we
have so often spoken of, sang of, prayed about, and about which the
ancient Prophets have prophesied, is brought about, it will be done by
this people, for there is not another people under the heavens that
[p.149] will listen to it. Then it is a matter that attaches itself to
every one of us, from the President down. We are bound to the Lord by
a covenant to help to build up his kingdom upon the earth. How shall
we do it? Shall we do it by every one of us having our own way? No; we
had that where we came from as much as they would let us. We hear
people say sometimes that things are not done here exactly as they are
done in England and in the United States; of course they are not; we
do not expect it—we do not look for it.

Vol. 10,  p.149
We are associated with the Church and kingdom of God, we are
individual members of that Church and kingdom, and individually we are
under responsibilities in that kingdom. Taking this view of the
matter, have we joined this great interest and come to this country to
build up ourselves, to seek our own will and pursue our own plans, and
let our children grow up in the same way we have grown up, in the same
ignorance and darkness, folly, weakness and imbecility, or shall we
try to lead out in another path, seek the guidance and direction of
the Most High God, lead out in the paths of righteousness ourselves,
and let our wives and children follow our example and learn to be
better and more intelligent and wise than we are. If it is only to
live that we have embraced this Gospel, we could have lived somewhere
else—if it is barely to exist, that we could have done in another
place; but if it is to build up the kingdom of God upon the earth,
then there is a great work devolving upon us to attend to individually
and collectively, and that is whatever the Lord reveals to us. For
instance, there are ordinances to attend to of what has been termed of
a spiritual nature; we are required to build a Temple, this labor we
have got to perform. It has always been a maxim with the Lord that "To
obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

Vol. 10,  p.149
Here, then, is a Temple to be built, the foundation of which is laid,
and considerable rock has been hauled for the walls, and large amounts
of hewing done. This work must be consummated, and in doing that, we
are learning to listen to the word of the Lord to us and becoming used
to the harness. It is a nice thing to get our endowments, and there is
something yet to be got which we have not vet received. The Scripture
says, "First temporal and then spiritual," and the temporal things are
mixed up with spiritual tidings; but before we are worthy of the one
We must take hold of the other.

Vol. 10,  p.149
One plain matter of fact connected with that Temple is, somebody will
have to go to quarrying rock, to breaking up rock, others have got to
take Buck and Bright and hitch them on to a wagon, and feed and take
care of the cattle, and drive them, and bring the rock safely, without
breaking things, where it can be prepared for the wall. It does not
show a man smart because he can break a wagon, for any feel can do
that. It is generally fools that break wagons. And suppose you do not
get everything you want while you are building this Temple. You would
like to have better clothing and better food; do the best you can and
let everybody do the same, and when you have done that thank God for
it, and thank God that you have the privilege to help to build up a
Temple unto the Most High. By and bye you will go into that Temple,
and when you have received your endowments in it and the spiritual
blessings that you can get, you will learn more about building another
Temple, and then will come temporal things again. The Temple we are
now building, in comparison, [p.150] is no more than a little
plaything, but in doing it we shall learn better how to perform
temporal things and spiritual things.

Vol. 10,  p.150
Then the Saints have to be gathered; it is the Lord's work and it is
our work. The Lord will influence his people to help him to gather his
poor from the four quarters of the globe, and the Lord puts it into
the hearts of his servants to call for five hundred teams to help in
this work. This is the greatest honor that could be conferred on us—to
build a Temple to the name of the Most High God, and your children
after you will be proud that their fathers were engaged in such a
work, in building a Temple wherein thousands can receive their
endowments. The adverse circumstances in which this work was done will
not be thought of. The young man takes his ox goad in his hand, and
becomes a Missionary to redeem the poor from bondage and bring them
here to participate with us in the blessings of Zion; he goes with his
heart vibrating with the love of God, and he brings the poor Saint
over the Plains, who look upon their temporal deliverers as saviors;
in after time, when the kingdom of God has become powerful and mighty
on the earth, as it will be, these young men will say with pride, "I
participated in the labor of laying the foundation of this great Work,
and my fathers and brothers all helped." I do not say that this people
are not forward in doing these things; from what I have heard I
believe they are. There is a general desire to turn out teams, and
they are not backward in going themselves or in sending. I think this
is much to the praise of the Saints of God in the mountains. There may
be a few who will not aid in this Work; those who do will receive the
blessing, and there are plenty who have the means and the disposition.

Vol. 10,  p.150
Then, here is a Tabernacle to be built; we want a building of this
kind to convene the people, to protect the people from the wind, sun
and rain while they are worshiping God. Then, the President is
continually preaching to us to make good improvements, good buildings,
good gardens, and make ourselves more comfortable, to elevate
ourselves in the scale of existence, that our children after us may
become more elevated also in their sentiments and ideas, and learn to
comprehend their position in the land of Zion and magnify it. If we
understand ourselves and our position, it ought to be with us, The
kingdom of God first and ourselves afterwards. If we can learn to
accomplish a little thing the Lord will probably tell us to do a
greater, because we are prepared to do it. If we were to build a very
nice house nobody would be troubled about it, or if we were to make a
pretty garden and cultivate good taste; or if we could educate
ourselves and our children in the arts and sciences and in everything
that is calculated to extend our search after intelligence. In this
manner we can do ourselves and children great good, and aid much in
building up the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. If we are
the people of God, and he is trusting to us to accomplish these great
purposes, we have got to do a little more than we have done, and we
have got to be willing and obedient to the dictation of the Spirit of
the Lord and his servants whom he has placed over us. If we do this,
every labor we engage in will be joyous and pleasant to us, peace will
reign in our bosoms and the peace of God will abide in our
habitations, the Spirit of the Lord will brood over us, and we shall
be full of joy and rejoicing all the day long, and so it will be to
the end of the chapter. I know of no other way to accomplish all this
Work only [p.151] to be taught of the Lord, and for that purpose he
has organized his holy Priesthood. We all pray for President Young
continually, that God would inspire his heart and the hearts of his
counsel, that he may be able to lead Israel in the path they should
go. Let us add another prayer to that, that the Lord our God would
inspire our hearts to receive their teachings when they come through
them from the Lord of Hosts; then all things will move on well and no
power under the heavens will be enabled to injure the Saints, but they
will go on increasing from strength to strength, until the kingdom of
God shall be established and all nations bow to its scepter.

Vol. 10,  p.151
God bless you, in the name of Jesus: Amen.

Ezra T. Benson, April 6, 1863

Practical Duties of the Saints—Blessings Resulting 
From Their Performance

Remarks by Elder EZRA T. BENSON, 
made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 6, 1863.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.151
I feel thankful for the opportunity of meeting in Conference, for I
feel that thereby I may be posted and instructed in those principles
that are necessary to qualify us in the building up of the kingdom. I
need not say that we are a blessed people, for we all know it, and to
some extent we realize it. At least I can say for one, or, in other
words, I can speak for myself. So far as I am concerned, I can
realize, and I fully believe more than ever since I joined the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, that God our Heavenly Father is
with this people, and that his hand is over us to preserve us all the
day long, and as Saints of the Most High we ought to be grateful to
the Giver of all good for the many tokens of his beneficent care.

Vol. 10,  p.151
If we inquire after the welfare of the Latter-day Saints, we are told
that all is peace and quietness. How did we come by these glorious
principles of life and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost? Where did they
emanate from? They came from God our Heavenly Father, by embracing the
Gospel of Jesus Christ in faith and in sincerity. And our testimony to
this effect has been felt from the rivers to the ends of the earth.
And by carrying out these principles the Gospel has brought thousands
into these valleys.

Vol. 10,  p.151
There is no necessity for the Work of the Lord to stop in its present
condition and circumstances. Why so? Simply because the kingdom of
God, as an organized body, is just like the introduction of the
doctrine of plurality [p.152] of wives, it has got a first-rate good
start, and I know that the Devil and all the emissaries from the
infernal regions cannot stop it. The Devil don't like it, but he
cannot help himself, for the Work of God will roll on as long as there
is an opposing power upon the earth, and then it will continue to
spread after every species of opposition is banished from the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.152
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been organized
thirty-three years to-day, and according to the success and spread of
the Gospel of the Son of God at the time when it was first presented
to the human family, if we may judge comparatively, it will not take
thirty-three years more to redeem Zion and to usher in that reign of
righteousness and peace which we all anticipate and for which we all
pray most devoutly.

Vol. 10,  p.152
In the days of Jesus there was just as much opposition as there is
today; then the Work had but just commenced—it was in its infancy, and
did not God our Heavenly Father bear off his kingdom then? He
certainly maintained it till he saw that the Priesthood could no
longer remain upon the earth. He did then and he bears it off to-day
and will so continue until his kingdom triumphs and those who get
under the wheel will be crushed to powder.

Vol. 10,  p.152
My testimony is, that this is the Work of God, that it emanated from
the Father of light, and I know that it will roll forth and prosper
until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and of
his Christ. I know that God is able to make the wrath of man praise
him just the name now as he was in the days of the Prophets of old.
Who can frustrate the Work of God? It is written, "The wisdom of the
wise shall perish and the understanding of the prudent shall be hid."
It is verily so in this age and generation, for we see the Elders of
Israel going forth without purse and without scrip, preaching by the
power of God the peaceable things of the kingdom to those who sit in
darkness and in the shadow of death, and they confound the gainsayer
and put to silence the fault-finder. Then, when I see the wisdom that
is displayed through the ministers of this Church, I ask myself the
question, Are we doing our duty as Saints? Because if we are not, it
is time we were waking up to a sense of our obligations to the
Almighty and to his cause.

Vol. 10,  p.152
I am fully satisfied that we are thehappiest people upon the face of
the earth, and it has been brought about by our union and by our faith
in God; but have we been doing the best we could to live our religion
according to the best; light and knowledge we have possessed? If we
have, we have within us the satisfaction of having done our duty.

Vol. 10,  p.152
Now, the order is to call a number of Missionaries to go to the
European nations, and we are selecting our young men, the sons of the
Apostles and Elders of Israel, so as to give them an experience in
preaching the words of life, and that they may feel their dependence
upon God our Heavenly Father. These young men going to gather the
people home to Zion that they may enjoy the society of their brethren
and friends here in the valleys of Ephraim, and participate in the
blessings of that counsel that is so liberally imparted unto us by our
leaders.

Vol. 10,  p.152
We have come here to build temples and tabernacles for the purpose of
worshiping our God therein, and if we do not do these [p.153] things
we shall fall short of accomplishing that great Work that is laid upon
us to perform. Then, I say, let us build temples, let us gather up our
teams and send for the poor and thereby accomplish the Work that God
has set on foot in this our day. Notwithstanding we are weak
creatures, yet we can do something in the rolling forth of the kingdom
of God. I wish a great many times that I could do a great deal better
than I do, but, at any rate, I can say that I am trying with all my
soul to combat the powers of darkness, and I intend to out-general the
common adversary of our souls. Supposing we are united as the heart of
one man, then what have we to do with the world? A great many think
that we want to fight the world, but I till you it is all nonsense,
excepting so far as that spiritual warfare is concerned, in which we
are all engaged more or less. Our enemies imgaine that we want to wage
war with them, but they are greatly mistaken, for we are only at war
with their corruption, meanness and degraded conduct. We are upward,
and we have taken steps forward in the kingdom of God, advancing from
one degree of light to another, and the world are mad about it, but we
cannot help that, our business is to serve God and keep his
commandments, and therefore we should endeavor to walk uprightly,
remembering that the promise is, "I will not withhold any good thing
from them that walk uprightly."

Vol. 10,  p.153
Do we expect to realize a fulness of these blessings to-day. No, but
we expect to realize some of them—a little to-day and a little more
tomorrow, and thus go on from step to step and from grace to grace
until we find ourselves safely landed back in the presence of our
Father in heaven. As regards preaching to this people and gathering up
the poor from other lands, I can truly say that I have never seen a
time in my experience when there was such a willing spirit in Israel
as there is at the present time. I can truly say that we have raised
the fifty-three teams this year just as easy as we did the thirty last
year, and there is quite a difference between thirty and fifty-three.
And I feel that this people will be more blessed in their fields, in
their teams, in all their stock and in their labor of every kind than
they were last year. Did we miss our teams last year? We might miss
them from our sight, but the Lord so abundantly blessed us that we
scarcely ever heard them mentioned: everything moved on harmoniously
during the entire season. The Lord blessed the seed that we put into
the ground; he watered the earth from the heavens, and the Saints of
God felt amply rewarded for their labors to help to build up the
kingdom of God.

Vol. 10,  p.153
Though many may have felt a little faint-hearted because of the
war-cloud that has hung over us, but which has now burst without doing
anybody any harm, yet I feel to say that if we go to war it will be in
self-defence, but at present there is no danger of any serious
trouble. We delight not in the shedding of blood, and my testimony
before High Heaven, before this people and before the nations of the
earth is, that we are for peace, and we intend to have it, if we have
to fight for it. You know it may be possible that a man may have to
fight for his religion. This may seem strange, but if a man has got
wives, children, flocks, herds, and Priesthood and gifts from God, and
would act fight for them, I would not give much for him. I say we will
[p.154] fight like the angels of heaven, and we will call upon our
Father in the heavens, upon Jesus Christ, upon the Prophets and upon
the Spirits of just men that have perfected themselves in the Gospel
of the Son of God, and then by their help we will win every time, and
the Devil knows it. Is this boasting? No, not one particle; but if we
do boast we boast in our God, and in those liberal principles which
our Father has revealed unto us.

Vol. 10,  p.154
Brethren, let us attend to our duties, and let it ever be uppermost in
our hearts to build up the kingdom of God. The promises have and are
still being fulfilled. I have seen the wonder-working hand of the
Almighty ever since I have been in this Church, and I have realized,
to some extent, when preaching the Gospel, that the power of God has
accompanied my words. The Lord has sustained his Work wherever the
Elders have gone forth preaching the Gospel, and he will continue to
do so; he will feed them and clothe them, and his Work will roll forth
under the administration of these young men; the blessings of God will
go with them. This is my testimony to you young men who are called
upon to go on missions.

Vol. 10,  p.154
Jesus said to his disciples, "If I go away I will send you another
Comforter, and when he is come he will reprove the world of sin and of
righteousness and of judgment." This Spirit will go with these, our
young brethren, and it will back up their words when they stand up and
bear testimony to the truth. Then let us all try to keep this Spirit
within us; let us also labor to build temples, tabernacles, and all
necessary public buildings; let us labor to gather the poor and then
the Lord will bless us in all things; prosperity and peace will attend
our every effort to build up God's kingdom on the earth.

Vol. 10,  p.154
May God bless you, brethren and sisters, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus Christ: Amen.[p.155] 

Orson Hyde, April 7, 1863

Destruction of Babylon—How the Saints Are to 
Become Saviors of the World

Remarks by Elder ORSON HYDE, 
made at the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 7, 1863.

Reported By J. V. Long

Vol. 10,  p.155
Brethren and sisters, I feel thankful for this opportunity of speaking
to you for a short time. I feel under obligation for this privilege of
speaking a second time before an assembly like this, and I will try
not to infringe upon the time of the brethren who have not yet spoken
to you, but who I know are anxious to do so. To this end, I will
endeavor to confine myself to matters that are directly before us and
to present them as they appear to me.

Vol. 10,  p.155
I may refer to some things that are a little foreign to the texts we
have had given to us, but I hope I shall not be tedious.

Vol. 10,  p.155
We discover that the nation and people from whom we have come are
engaged to the utmost of their ability in waging war upon each other.
In consequence of this, there is tax upon tax, or rather I should say
one tax levied after another to pay the enormous cost of this
fratricidal war. One draft after another is being made to bring into
the field as many men as possible, the best and those that will be the
most efficient to fight the battles of the nation. It is also
perceivable, by reading the late dispatches, that there are
apprehensions of a serious war with the Indians and a partial
squinting at a foreign war with England and possibly with some other
power. How this may be and how it may turn out, it is not necessary
for me to predict, but as the life springs to these deliberations and
to these transactions that are now going on, I refer you to the
predictions and revelations given of the Lord through Joseph Smith.
Brethren and sisters, the nation of them that afflicted Israel have
now found a way to use all their muscular power, and have they not use
for all their beef cattle, for all their horses and for all the mules
and wagons that they can muster into service? The nation go to war for
the purpose of saving themselves, for the purpose of protecting
themselves in their nationality, and they intend to make the banner of
the nation universal, swayed without let or hindrance. Well, now the
question is, How will these things result? What will be the result of
them? They saw fit to decline the offer that Heaven made to them when
it presented to them the sceptre of peace through the everlasting
Gospel. The means used was by many considered to be too insignificant
to bring down the high and lofty, to bring them to consider the
diminutive things of