Journal of Discourses Volume 17

BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG, 

HIS COUNSELORS, AND THE TWELVE APOSTLES.

REPORTED BY DAVID W. EVANS,

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

VOL. XVII

LIVERPOOL:

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY ALBERT 
CARRINGTON, 42, ISLINGTON.

 LONDON:

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 20, BISHOP'S 
GROVE, BALL'S POND ROAD ISLINGTON.

1875.[p.iii] 

Preface

Vol. 17,  p.iii
WE take great pleasure in presenting to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints the Seventeenth Volume of the JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES
of President Brigham Young, his Counselors and the Twelve Apostles. In
doing so we feel confident that the work will be received by the
Saints with much satisfaction. It is replete with good teachings and
wise counsels, and it may be read with profit by all lovers of truth.

THE PUBLISHER.[p.1] 

John Taylor, February 1, 1874

What the Gospel Teaches—Revelation From God 
Necessary—the Faith and Doctrines of the Latter-Day Saints

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the 
Fourteenth Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake 
City, Sunday Afternoon, Feb. 1, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

[Continued From Page 376, Vol. 16.]

Vol. 17,  p.1
John the Revelator, when on the Isle of Patmos, wrapt in prophetic
vision, said—"I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the
earth, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, crying with a loud
voice, 'Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment
is come.'" He also saw a time when a certain power "would make war
with the Saints, and prevail against them, and they should be given
into his hand until a time, times and the dividing of a time."

Vol. 17,  p.1
Well then, to come back, to accommodate my strange friend, whoever he
may be, I will say that we, the Latter-day Saints, believe this Gospel
just as Jesus taught it. We believe in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
and that we should reverence him as the Son of his heavenly Father and
our Father. We believe in the ordinances that he introduced, and that
were practiced by his disciples; we believe in the same Spirit and
revelation that they believed in. I do not wish to argue these
matters, or to go into details, for time would fail on the present
occasion; but the Scriptures am before us, and I shall only attempt to
touch upon some of the principles that Jesus enunciated, and which
were taught by him and his disciples; and it is for believing in God
and Jesus Christ, in prophecy and revelation, that we are continually
arraigned before the world as impostors and deceivers. We believe in
being honest to ourselves and with every body, whether they are with
us or not; we believe in men acting all the time as though they were
in the presence of God and holy angels, and that for all their acts
they will be brought to judgment, for we believe that God [p.2] will
bring men into judgment "for every word and every secret thought." We
believe a good deal as David says—Who is he that can dwell with
devouring fire, and among everlasting burnings? That man who has
feared God in his heart, and who has not lied in his heart, that man
who will swear to his own hurt and change not, a pure, virtuous, holy
man who regards the rights of others as he regards his own; a man who
will concede to others all that he would ask for himself, and who
seeks to promote the welfare of the human family.

Vol. 17,  p.2
The Elders of this Church have been called, as the disciples of Jesus
were in former times, to go and preach the Gospel without purse and
script. I have traveled hundreds and thousands of miles on this errand
myself, and I see men all around me here who have done the same. What
for ? To benefit mankind, to tear away the veil of ignorance, to
combat error, to reveal truth, to make known the Divine will, to tell
to the human family that God has spoken, that angels have appeared,
that the heavens have been opened, that light and intelligence have
been communicated to man, that the everlasting Gospel has been
restored, and that we, in this age, can enjoy the same blessings that
the Saints enjoyed in former days, and to point out to them the way of
life and salvation. We have received this commission from our God, and
we have endeavored faithfully to fulfill it, so that our blood maybe
clear, and that when we come to stand before the Great Eloheim, when
all nations shall be gathered together, we can say, "Oh God, we have
finished the work which thou gavest us to do."

Vol. 17,  p.2
What else? We are standing now rather in a political capacity. How is
this? We cannot help ourselves, the Gospel told us to gather together.
Do the Scriptures say anything about it? Yes; but if they did not, and
God gave us that command, the silence of the Scriptures would make no
difference at all. But they do, for the ancient Prophets had a view of
the gathering of the Saints in the latter days; they saw them flocking
to the mountains like doves to the windows; and through them the Lord
declared that he would gather his people "from the east and from the
west, from the north and from the south." It is said—"I will take them
one of a city and two of a family and bring them to Zion, and give
them pastors after my own heart, who will feed them with knowledge and
understanding;" and in speaking of the calamities of the last days he
says that in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance."
But we gathered because the revelations given through our Prophet
commanded us to do so, these revelations agreeing with those given on
the same subject formerly.

Vol. 17,  p.2
Standing in this capacity, we form a large body of people. We have
lived in different places, and as the believers in the Gospel in other
ages were persecuted, so have we been; and having been persecuted and
driven we have come here, as Geo. A. Smith said on a certain occasion,
"because we could not help it." We could not live in Nauvoo, yet we
neither injured nor robbed anybody, neither did we interfere with
anybody's rights. They drove us from Missouri and from Illinois, and
here we are, and what now? We were on Mexican territory when we
arrived here, having been forced to flee from the United States
because we could not have protection. Why was it? Who can tell why it
was [p.3] that people who strewed their garments and spread branches
of palm trees in the path of Jesus, crying, "Hosanna, blessed be he
that cometh in the name of the Lord," should cry, a short time
after—"Crucify him, crucify him?" Said Pilate, "I wash nay hands of
this just man's blood;" and the people said, "let his blood be upon us
and our children." Terribly have they realized that invocation, for
the avenging hand of the Almighty has been heavy upon them, and in
every nation in which they. have sojourned, they have been robbed,
stripped, their property confiscated, and they have been deprived of
all the rights of men. The time will come when God's wrath will be
satisfied towards them, and when they will again be his elect people
and gathered to their own land, even to Jerusalem, where, as the
Prophet says, "The measuring line shall go forth, and little boys and
girls shall again play in the streets of that city;" and when the Son
of God will descend and "set his feet on the Mount of Olives, and it
will cleave in twain, and there will be a great valley, and they will
flee from before hint like as they fled in the days of Oziah, King of
Judah;" and "the Lord our God," we are told, "will come and all his
Saints with him," and there will be deliverance in Zion and in
Jerusalem in the remnant whom the Lord our God shall call."

Vol. 17,  p.3
Well, we are here in a political capacity, inhabiting a Territory, and
forming an integral part of the United States. Whom do we interfere
with? Nobody. Do we rob or pillage anybody, or interfere with the
rights of any? No. Do we make incursions on the citizens of
surrounding Territories? No, we interfere with the civil or religious
rights of no persona in this or any other city or Territory; we never
did, we do not now; but we can not help being in the capacity that we
occupy to-day. We form a body politic, and have necessarily become a
Territory, and we could not help ourselves if we would. But we do not
interfere with anybody, we observe all good and wholesome law. People
will lie about us; but that makes no difference, they lied about
Jesus. Our enemies say—"You are a bad people, and that is the reason
we persecute you." That is what the enemies of Jesus said about him;
it was not because he was good; you never saw a religious persecution
got up on that account, all such persecutions have been "because of
the wickedness of the people." The Scribes and Pharisees, after seeing
Jesus heal the blind man, said—"Give God the glory, for we know this
man is a sinner, it is true that he cast out devils, but he does it
through Beelzebub, the prince of devils." Well, if they persecuted the
Lord of the house, they will persecute the members of his household;
if they do these things in the green tree, what will they do in the
dry? The fact is, there is, and always has been, and always will be,
an antagonism between truth and error, light and darkness, between the
servants of God and the servants of the adversary. The devil is called
the father of lies, and he delights therein. What difference does that
make to us, what do we care about it? Very little. But suppose we are
oppressed. We have stood it before and we can stand it again. Suppose
they should pass prescriptive laws against us. All right, if the
nation can stand it we can. I will risk upholding and standing by
correct principles which emanate from God. We will cleave to truth,
honor, holiness, [p.4] and to all the principles that God has revealed
to us, and we will go on increasing in every good.

Vol. 17,  p.4
This nation and other nations will be overthrown, not because of their
virtue, but because of their corruption and iniquity. The time will
come, for the prophecies will be fulfilled, when kingdoms will be
destroyed, thrones cast down and the powers of the earth shaken, and
God's wrath will be kindled against the nations of the earth, and it
is for us to maintain correct principles, political, religious and
social, and to feel towards all men as God feels. He makes the sun to
shine on the just as well as on the unjust; and if he has enlightened
our minds and put us in possession of more correct principles than
others have, let us be thankful and adore the God of Israel. Let us
thank our heavenly Father for his goodness towards us in making us
acquainted with the principles of the everlasting Gospel, and let us
go on from strength to strength, from purity to purity, from virtue to
virtue, from intelligence to intelligence; and when the nations shall
fall and crumble, Zion shall arise and shine, and the power of God
shall be manifest among his people. No man can overturn or permanently
hurt those who do right. They may kill some of our bodies, but that is
all they can do. We shall live and shout among the assembled throng,
in the eternal heavens, "Hosanna, blessed be the God of Israel," and
his kingdom shall grow and increase until the kingdoms of this world
shall become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he will rule
and reign for ever and ever.

Vol. 17,  p.4
May God help us to be faithful in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Orson Hyde, February 8, 1874

Living Faith in Cod—the Providences of the Almighty in Behalf 
of His People—Lay Up Treasures in Heaven—the Meek 
to Inherit the Earth—the Word of Wisdom

Discourse By Elder Orson Hyde, Delivered in the Fourteenth 
Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City, Sunday Evening, Feb. 8, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.4
I rejoice very much, brethren and sisters, at the opportunity we enjoy
to-night of meeting together to worship the Lord our God, and to wait
upon him, that we may renew our strength. It is the desire of my [p.5]
heart to do all I can to inspire in you a living faith in God, and I
am sorry to say that there are those in our midst, against whom I have
no particular charge to make, but who, by reason of the favors which
fortune or this world has bestowed upon them, have become weak and
sick in the faith, and who, I may say, have almost no faith at all. I
feel on this occasion that if wealth would destroy what little faith I
have I would rather that it would take to itself wings and fly beyond
my reach. I have no faith to boast of, but what little faith I may
possess I think more of than I do of the wealth of this world, for the
wealth of this world will not carry me successfully through the dark
valley of the shadow of death; it will not open to me the portals of
bliss, but real and genuine faith in God will accomplish this. I
remember once, in Nauvoo, when we felt ourselves happy and fortunate
if we could get half a bushel of meal to make mush of, the Prophet
Joseph Smith, talking to some of us at the horse of brother John
Taylor, said—"Brethren, we are pretty tight run now, but the time will
come when you will have so much money that you will be weary with
counting it, and you will be tried with riches;" and I sometimes think
that perhaps the preface to that time has now arrived, and that the
Saints will soon be tried with riches; but if riches, would kill our
prospects of eternal life by alienating us from the Priesthood and
kingdom of God, I say it would be far better for us to remain like
Lazarus, and that all our fine things should perish like the dew, and
we come down to the bedrock of faith, and trust in the true and living
God. The question is whether we have to come there in order to inherit
eternal life. I will read a little of the words of our Savior, as
recorded in the 6th chapter of Matthew. Said he—"Take no thought,
saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall
we be clothed, for after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for
your heavenly Father knoweth ye have need of these things, but seek ye
first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things
shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for
the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient
unto the day is the evil thereof."

Vol. 17,  p.5
There are many Saints at this time who are laboring to acquire wealth;
and the kingdom, in the hearts of a good many, has become a secondary
consideration; if we were to reverse this order of proceeding and seek
the kingdom of God first, we could then put our heavenly Father to the
proof whether all these things shall be added to us, and thus also
test the truth of our religion, and I believe that this would be a
legitimate way to test it to our satisfaction.

Vol. 17,  p.5
I have heard several very able discourses, by good men, showing that
unless our exports equal our imports, we are not making headway
financially. This is all very good so far as it goes, but reasoning of
that kind is not our Savior's, it is the reasoning of this world, and
so far as this world is concerned, their reasoning, if correct is just
as good as any other reasoning; but if it is not correct, and we are
swerved by its force and power from the line marked out for us to walk
by, we shall become the losers. I wish now to refer you to certain
events that have transpired in days gone by, and then any of you may
tell me by what financial calculations these things happened, and
whether they were [p.6] brought down to the very nicety of worldly
reasoning, or whether they were left open to the providences of our
God.

Vol. 17,  p.6
Once on a time there was a great famine in Samaria, and so sore was
that famine that a mule's head sold for four score pieces of silver in
the market, and a cab of dore's dung sold for food in the market, I
can not recollect for how much. We should consider it pretty much of a
task or penalty to be compelled to use an article like that for food;
but the people of Samaria were sorely distressed with famine, and
which way to turn to save themselves they knew not. About this time,
the King of Syria, with a large army, came to besiege the city, and
there was a mighty host of them, and they brought everything in the
shape of food that was necessary for the comfort and happiness of man;
and although the famine was so sore among the Samaritans, the old
Prophet, Elisha I think it was, told them that on the next day meal
should be sold in the gate of their city at very low figures, lower
than it had ever been known to be sold before. A certain nobleman, who
heard the prophecy of Elisha expressed his doubt of its truth, and he
said that if the windows of heaven were opened and meal poured down
from above it could not fall to such low figures. Now see what he got.
by doubting the words of the Prophet—said Elisha to him—"Your eyes
shall see it, but you shall not taste it." That night the Lord sent
forth the angels of his presence and they made a rustling in the
trees, and sounds like horses' hoofs and chariots, as if the whole
country had combined to go out to battle against the Syrians, and they
did not know what to make of it, and they were frightened, and fled,
leaving almost every thing they had brought with them in the borders
of the town; and as they went, the rustling of the trees and the noise
of the horses and chariots seemed to pursue them, and in order to make
their burdens as light as possible, they threw away everything they
had with them, and their track was strewed with everything good and
desirable. The next morning the people of Samaria went out and brought
the spoils into the market, and it was overstocked with provisions,
and the word of the Lord through the Prophet was fulfilled.

Vol. 17,  p.6
Now, you see, the Lord knew they had eaten mules' heads long enough,
and that they had need of something more palatable; he had had the
matter under advisement, no doubt, when the crusade was inaugurated
against the people of Samaria, and he, in all probability, inspired
them to take abundant supplies, that they might feel all the more
confident on account of their great numbers being so well provided
for. They no doubt calculated that they had the sure thing, little
thinking that God was making them pack animals to take to his people
what they needed. Their Father in heaven knew that they had need of
them, and he sent them, and the people of Samaria brought them into
market, and behold and lo the multitude rushed together just as hungry
people will, and this nobleman came out also, and he was trodden down
under foot and stamped to death—he saw it but he never tasted it. That
is the reward of those who disbelieve the Prophets of God; it was so
then, and if the same thing does not occur in every instance something
of a similar character is sure to take place. There was no living
faith in that man, he could not believe the [p.7] testimony of the
Prophets, and in this he was like some of our—what shall I say, great
men, whose faith is weak and sickly, and they think they know it all,
and can chalk out right and left that which would be best for building
up the kingdom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.7
Well, after the flight of Sennacherib and his hosts, the starving
multitudes of Samaria had an abundant supply of food. By what
financial calculation was this brought about? Was it by worldly
financiering, or was it by the bounteous dispensation of kind Heaven,
who, disregarding worldly technicalities, sent a full supply to
administer to and supply the wants of those who put their trust in
Him, for at that time the people of Samaria stood fairly before him,
and he plead their cause.

Vol. 17,  p.7
Said the Savior—"Take no thought what ye shall eat or what ye shall
drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed, for after all these things
do the Gentiles seek." Have the Gentiles come here to make money and
to become wealthy? They say they have; I am told that that is their
sole errand. I have not the least objection to it, but I have an
objection to my brethren and sisters adopting their spirit by which
their faith withers and becomes like a dried reed. The Lord said to
Joseph Smith once—"As I live, saith the Lord, I give not unto you that
ye shall live after the manner of the world." Are we seeking to live
after the manner of the world by our trading and trafficking? I do not
know, however, that there is anything objectionable about legitimate,
honorable trading, and I am not going to speak against it; but in
these days it is a pretty rare thing to find an honorable dealer.
There may be, and undoubtedly there are, men who do nothing but
honorable business transactions, but most business men are eager to
lay up a fortune, and to get rich in a short time. Some of our
merchants think they ought to get rich in from five to ten years, and
then retire; but in honorable business transactions it takes almost a
lifetime to amass a fortune. I will not, however, speak of things that
occurred in old times, but will come down to our own experience.

Vol. 17,  p.7
I recollect when we were forced away from Nauvoo, at the point of the
bayonet, and when we crossed the river to the Iowa side there were
hundreds of our people camped along the shore, and what had they to
eat, or to make themselves comfortable with, in the scorching sun and
burning with fevers? Nothing. We wanted meat and other comforts, but
we had not the means to procure them, and the Lord in mercy sent
clouds of quails right into camp. They came into the tents, flew into
the wagons, rested on the wagon wheels, ox yokes and wagon tongues,
and our little children could catch them, and there was an abundant
supply of meat for the time being. Who financiered that, and by what
calculation of two and two make four did it happen? It was the mercy
and generosity of kind Providence. After the people arrived here in
Salt Lake, they had pretty hard times. I was not one of the honored
ones first here, but I arrived soon after, and I can recollect very
well hearing of the hard times, when the brethren and sisters were
forced to dig roots, and boil up thistletops, and anything that could
be converted in the seething pot into food for the stomach. In those
days the rations of our people were very short indeed. The Lord was
aware of the position of the Saints in these times, he knew that they
craved and had need of the [p.8] necessaries and comforts of life, and
he provided a way for them to obtain them. He opened the mines of
California, and he caused the news to fly eastward, and this inspired
the people of the East, almost en masse, to go to the Eldorado of the
West to secure the precious metals. I happened to be on the borders at
the time the excitement was in progress, and having crossed the Plains
once or twice, people came to me to know what they should lead with. I
told them to take plenty of flour, for that would be good anyhow, and
if they took more than they could carry they could trade it with the
Indians to good advantage for something that they needed. I also told
them to take plenty of bacon, the very best that they could bring;
plenty of sugar, and also plenty of coffee and tea, we were not quite
so conscientious in those days about using tea and coffee as we
profess to be now. I also told them to take plenty of clothing, such
as shirts, overcoats, blankets and everything that would keep the body
warm; and I told them that tools of every kind would be very
convenient ands almost indispensable, such as spades, shovels, planes,
saws, augurs, chisels, and everything that a carpenter needs, for said
I—"When you get to the end of your journey you may not find everything
to your hand that you want, and these things will be very convenient
for you to build with." And I gave them this counsel in good faith,
for I thought if they did not feel disposed to carry all these things
through, they could very readily exchange them in our valley for
something that our folks could spare and which the emigrants would
find useful.

Vol. 17,  p.8
Well, they fitted up train after train with these staple articles, and
to use a steamboat phrase, they loaded to the very guards, and when
many of them reached here, having been retarded by their heavy loads,
it was so late that they said—"If we attempt to go through to
California with this outfit, we shall be swamped in the snows of the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, and so we must leave it here." They had
brought it just where God wanted it, for said he—"I knew you had need
of these things;" and while many of those who brought them along were
good, honorable men, it so happened in the providence of God that his
people were abundantly supplied.

Vol. 17,  p.8
Did not brother Kimball prophecy here once, in a time of the greatest
strait, that goods and merchandize of every kind would be so cheap and
plentiful within a certain time, that they would have to be piled up
on the way side? Yes, and his prediction came true, and the
merchandize had to be placed by the wayside because there were not
houses enough to put it in. Well, when the emigrants got here with
their jaded teams, they were glad to trade them off. Said they—"Here
gentlemen, are the dry goods, merchandize, tools, and other things we
have brought along, they are at your service, give us a pack mule and
a pack-saddle, a lariat and a pair of spurs that we may go on our
way." This was the way matters were arranged in many instances, and
there was no fault to find, we did the best we could under the
circumstances, and they did the best they were obliged to for us.

Vol. 17,  p.8
Who financiered that? Was that on the principle of two and two make
four? I do not object at all to that principle, but one is the result
of human skill and wisdom, the other is based upon unshaken faith in
God. That is what I am coming to—unshaken faith in God, which in this
case, in our own experience, [p.9] brought deliverance to the Saints,
for they were well supplied with tools, wagons, clothing and all they
needed to make them comfortable. Our community was small then, a few
trains heavily laden were sufficient to supply it, but now it would
take a number of railroad trains. We are growing and increasing, and I
fear that we are growing beyond our faith, we are taking thought for
to-morrow too much.

Vol. 17,  p.9
To illustrate this matter I will suppose that I say to my sons—"Here,
my boys, I want you to go and plough, take care of the stock, or make
the garden beautiful;" and they reply—"Father, we want some boots,
pants and hats." "I tell them I know they have need of these things,
but I want them to attend to what I require of them without first
receiving the boots, pants and hats. What would you think of these
boys if, because father did not give them what they thought they
needed just at the time, they should say "we will strike out on our
own hook, for we must have, and are determined to have these things?"
How many of us are there now who feel as though We could chalk out and
financier our own course irrespective of what the Prophet says?
Perhaps some would be grieved if their faith in the ordinances of the
Gospel and in the servants of God were questioned; but, as I said in
the start, to come down to the bedrock, leaving fiction out of the
question, how many of us are there who are ready to strike hands with
the Prophet of God and to hang on to him blow high, or blow low, come
coarse or come fine? There are some men who have acquired fortunes and
who are rich, and I have reason to believe, though perhaps good men in
every other respect, there will be a divorce between them and their
silver and gold, or I fear they may not enter the kingdom of God. The
rich man may say—"Divorced! is it possible that I must be divorced
from that to which I am so devotedly attached—my riches—in order that
I may obtain life everlasting?"

Vol. 17,  p.9
In further illustration of the subject we have under consideration, I
will quote the saying of the Savior, "Lay not up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust can corrupt, and where
thievess break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven where neither moth nor rust can corrupt, nor thieves break
through and steal." If heaven be beyond the bounds of time and space,
as some of our religious friends believe, it would require a long arm
to deposit our treasures there; but I apprehend that the heaven here
referred to is not so far away. I believe it is near, and that when I
yield my treasures to the powers that govern the kingdom of God I lay
up treasure in heaven. Whenever I see the hungry and feed him, the
naked and clothe him, the sick and distressed and administer to their
wants I feel that I am laying up treasure in heaven. When I am
educating my children and embellishing their minds and fitting them
for usefulness, I am laying up treasures in heaven. I would ask that
little boy, who is well educated and well trained, "What thief can
enter in and steal the knowledge you have got?" It is beyond the power
of the thief to steal, it is out of his reach, that treasure is laid
up in heaven, for where is there a place more sacred than the hearts
of the rising generation which beat with purity, and with love to
their parents, and with love to God and his kingdom? What better place
can you find in which to deposit treasures than that? But all our
[p.10] obligations are not pointing to one source or quarter, there
are many ways in which we can lay up treasures in heaven by doing good
here on the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.10
The Bible says, "Take no thought beforehand, what ye shall eat or what
ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed." Says one—"If we
are to take no thought beforehand I would like to know how the farmer
will ever contemplate sowing his seed if he does not look with an eye
to the harvest, if he does not take some forethought?" I do not see
any necessity for this. I know that the times and seasons roll around,
and when Spring comes my natural senses tell me then is the time to
plough, and I go and plough, because I know it is my duty to plough. I
keep on ploughing day after day until I get through, and then I
commence sowing seed. It is no use for me to give myself any anxiety
about the harvest—I have no control over that, as the Scriptures
say—"Paul may plant and Apollos water, but God giveth the increase,"
and I, with all my figuring, can not swell the kernels of wheat and
cause them to germinate. I can do my duty in the time and the season
thereof, but I must leave the issue with God. When I see that the
grain wants watering I can turn on the water, but never mind
to-morrow, let that take care of itself. As each day rolls around I
can do the duties thereof, but tomorrow is beyond my reach or control.
We, however, are looking to great results from our present labors as
Latter-day Saints, and perhaps there is no particular harm in this;
but it is far safer for us to do the duties of to-day than to neglect
them by dreaming of the glory that is to be revealed in the future.
That is in safe-keeping. The hands of the Lord are strong and true,
they will keep the reward in reserve for the faithful, and none can
rob them of it. Let us do the work of to-day, then, and our heavenly
Father knoweth that we have need of all these things.

Vol. 17,  p.10
There is one very peculiar saying of our Savior in the New Testament
which I believe I will quote. Said the Savior, "It is easier for a
camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
into the kingdom of God." This is a saying which very few people who
live now seem to believe, for, apparently, the main object for which
most people labor is to get rich, and hence, according to the saying
of Jesus, to keep themselves out of the kingdom of God. I know men in
this Church whom I would have gladly seen here to-night, but I do not
see them. I suppose they have so much riches they have no time to
attend meeting. Maybe they are here, I hope so, my sight is not very
keen, and I can not see all over the room; but I do hope and pray that
I shall never get so much wealth that I shall have no time to attend
meetings, or so, much as to keep me busy taking care of it, so that I
shall not have time to enrich my heart with the knowledge of the Lord
our God by putting myself in the way to obtain it. "Easier for a camel
to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the
kingdom of God." Said the disciples "Who then can be saved?" The
Savior answered, "That which is impossible with man is possible with
God."

Vol. 17,  p.10
Now I want to look a little at the possibilities and impossibilities
of the matter, not that I claim to understand everything, but
sometimes a train of thought comes through my mind which cheers and
does me [p.11] good, That man who claims to be under the jurisdiction
of an authority that he professes to believe is paramount with God,
and yet is engaged in this way, that way and the other way, in getting
rich so that he has no time to honor it, the question is, Can that man
enter into the kingdom of God? I am not going to say, but I will bring
up another case that, perhaps, may have a bearing on, and serve to
illustrate this subject.

Vol. 17,  p.11
There was a certain rich man who fared sumptuously every day. He had
abundance of everything that was good. Then there was a poor man named
Lazarus, who lay at his gate, and the dogs came and licked his sores.
This poor man would have been glad of the crumbs that fell from the
rich man's table. By and by poor Lazarus died and was carried by
angels into Abraham's bosom. I was once conversing with a Presbyterian
minister on the subject of polygamy. Said I to him—"My dear sir, where
do you expect to go when you die?" He said—"To some good place, I
hope." "To heaven, I suppose?" "Yes," said he, "I hope to go there."
Said I—"Right into Abraham's bosom." Well, he said, figuratively, that
was correct. Said I, "If you go right into Abraham's bosom there will
be on one side Sarai and on the other Hagar, and if you make a
deadshot right into Abraham's bosom how do you expect to dodge
polygamy? If you get into Abraham's bosom you get into a curious
place." By this time his argument was exhausted and our conversation
closed. But Lazarus went to Abraham's bosom, I suppose he has a pretty
large bosom and a large heart, large enough to embrace all the
faithful from his day down to the end of time, for in him and his seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

Vol. 17,  p.11
By and by the rich man died, and it is said that he lifted up his eyes
in hell, or in torment, and he saw Abraham afar off with Lazarus in
his bosom: Said he—"Father Abraham, send Lazarus that he may dip the
tip of his finger in water that he may cool my tongue, for I am
tormented in this flame." Abraham replied, and he spoke to him very
kindly and fatherly, "Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime'
receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now
he is comforted and thou art tormented. And besides all this, between
us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they who would pass
from hence to you cannot, neither can they pass to us who would come
from thence." Here, then, we see illustrated the fate of the man who
obtained wealth independent of the Lord Almighty. He obtained wealth
and enjoyed it, and down he went to hell, while that poor man who, in
this life, lay at the rich man's gate and desired to be fed with the
crumbs that fell from his table, was carried by angels into Abraham's
besom. Probably, in life, this rich man had oppressed and dealt
wrongfully by that poor man, I cannot tell how that was, but at any
rate he went to hell.

Vol. 17,  p.11
Now, let me ask you who the mall is who may be rich, and still enter
into the kingdom of God. There was father Abraham himself, none of you
will dispute that he was a rich man while here, yet there he was, on
the other side of the great gulf, prepared to welcome Lazarus to
happiness and heaven. But how did Abraham get rich? Was it by cheating
and defrauding, by calculating and financiering? or did he get it by
doing his duty and trusting in God to bestow upon him what he [p.12]
saw fit. He trusted in the Lord, and the Lord gave to him all the Land
of Canaan, for an everlasting possession and promised him that his
seed should be as numerous as the stars in the sky, or the sands on
the sea shore. The Lord made Abraham rich, Abraham did not do it
himself; he did not cheat anybody, but in the providences of God he
was elevated and made rich. Why, there are some men who can not sleep
nights for laying plans to get rich, but I would advise them, if they
want to get riches that will last for ever, just to lay plans to build
up the kingdom of God, or in other words take the advice of
Jesus—"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all
things else shall be added unto you." I used to think—I can not get
married until I get rich, for I can not support a wife; and it was not
half so hard to support a wife in the days when I married as it is
now, because there was not half the pride or fashion to support then
that there are now. Then I did not make money very fast, and I thought
that if I waited until I got rich before I married I should wait too
long, and finally I concluded that I would marry and take hold with my
wife and we would work together. It is certainly better to have two
oxen than one, for if one is yoked up at one end the other end of the
yoke drags, and when one wheel is off and the other is on, the point
of one axle drags in the sand, and it is a complete nothing at all,
that is just what it is. Well then I would give the same advice to my
young brethren and sisters that I acted upon myself, and that is—Get
married and get rich afterwards, and dispense with this fashion that
so many are anxious to follow. We cannot very well, unless we are born
princes, heirs or millionaires, support the fashion of the present day
and prosper, and we had better dispense with it. I like to see
everybody cleanly and comfortable, but all this display and
paraphernalia that fashion demands of its votaries seems to me like
clogging the wheels and creating discomfort rather than comfort. When
I was in the old country, I recollect hearing a lady say—"Some people
wrap themselves up and put on so much that they are completely
clogged. If you draw a net over a fish, how can it swim in the water?
It is freedom they want, and it is a light covering we want,
especially in warm weather." I like to see persons neat and clean, and
would rather see them thus than adorned in fine feathers, dresses,
caps and jewelry. I believe God's people will be so. I have no
particular fault to find, I am only telling what I think would be
good.

Vol. 17,  p.12
The man that goes along and does his duty, and, without straining a
point, picks up honestly and fairly the blessings and means that God
strews in his pathway, can appreciate and do good with his means; and
as long as he keeps an open heart and is willing to do good, God will
continue to put wealth in his way, and wealth obtained in this way, no
matter how much, if it swells as large as the mountains on the east
here, can not keep its possessor out of the kingdom, because it is the
gift of God, and not the fruits of over-reaching dishonesty. God is
not going to keep me out of his kingdom because I have wealth, no
matter how much, if I obtain it honestly in his sight, and strive
continually to do good with it. The reason why men of God were rich in
old times was, that they were willing and desirous that God should
rule, govern and control them and [p.13] their means, while the
miserable calculators after the fashion of the world shut God out of
the question altogether. Such men are a stink in the nostrils of the
Almighty, and he will hurl them from his presence, and they will find
that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for them to enter into His kingdom. This is my faith, and I hope it
will last me all the way through and for ever, that if we will keep
the commandments of God, build up his kingdom, and lay up treasure in
heaven by doing good with whatever means and ability God may entrust
us with here, wealth will roll in upon us from quarters we are not
aware of, and in a way theft eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither
has it entered into the heart of man to conceive. All the world is for
the Saints, and if they only take the right course and do as they are
required, wealth will roll in upon them and can not go anywhere else.
The world say the Latter-day Saints are the lowest of all people, and
just for argument's sake we will grant it; but then, if we are so,
that fact is only a proof of our excellence, for everything that has
weight and worth rolls down and finds the centre, the froth only rises
to the top. I will venture to say float if you take a dollar and place
it on the edge of a nice washbasin, it will roll down to the centre,
and if we are there, we shall all be in the right place. It is the
meek and lowly who are to inherit the earth and the kingdom of God,
and enjoy the gifts of heaven.

Vol. 17,  p.13
I have spoken once to-day before pretty freely, and I begin to feel a
little sore about the sides, and I do not think I shall talk to you
much longer on this occasion. I was talking this afternoon about the
antediluvians. How strong they were in their own estimation! They were
able to carve out their own destiny, and to amass and spend their own
fortunes; but when the flood came they and their wealth went together.
They were nevin the ark, they had no interest in it whatever. I
suppose they were a good deal as some people are at the present day. I
saw a little ticket out here—I did not stop to read it—but in passing
I read the words—"Not one cent for Tithing." I suppose that was the
motto of the ante-diluvians. "Not one cent for Tithing," not one iota
to build up the kingdom of God. Well, they went to destruction.

Vol. 17,  p.13
I wish to say to my brethren I have had considerable experience in the
kingdom of God, and I have had some experience that a man never ought
to have, and let me here ask my brethren and sisters if everything
could be arranged to suit all, where under the heavens would there be
any trial of our integrity? There would be no such thing. As the
Methodist say—"When I can read my title clear to mansions in the
skies," and neither stumbling-block nor obstacle in the way, I shall
begin to think that I am on the wrong road, for I do know that in the
way of exaltation and eternal life there are stumbling-blocks and
difficulties to overcome, and if I keep in that way I shall have some
things to swallow that are unpleasant and uncomfortable. But they will
appear smaller and less difficult to overcome, if we swallow less
whisky. I would advise all my brethren to avoid it, and to have no
connection with it; and if we see those who are feeble in faith, and
more inclined to find fault than they are to approve, let us labor
with them and do all we can to bring them back to a sense of their
obligations.[p.14] 

Vol. 17,  p.14
"Take no thought for the morrow, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall
drink, nor wherewithal shall ye be clothed," but go to, and do just as
God, through your brethren, tells you, and never be the means of
administering a blow or doing one act that shall cause a division
among the Saints of God, for says Jesus—"Except you are one you are
not mine," and how many are there in this city and throughout the
country who are kind of half Jew and half Ashdod, and more Ashdod than
Jew in many instances? Do not understand me to apply this to the body
of the Saints, but to them that are pairing off, the disaffected and
dissatisfied, and those who seem as if they had just swallowed a dose
of fishhooks, and were choking over it. I would advise such to grease
it well, and it will go down. Let the oil of the grace of God be
applied, and there is no obstacle that we can not overcome. I say
then, let us never allow ourselves to be the entering wedge to divide
the people of God. If we cannot overcome a little difficulty or a
little trial, how much faith have we got? Not much. I say to my
brethren—God bless you; and to the weak, the Lord, through the
Prophet, says, "Be strong." Be as weak as you have a mind to, but when
there is need of strength put it on. If we have the right spirit, the
more strength we need the more we shall have, but keep the fire
burning, and may the Lord God of heaven bless you.

Vol. 17,  p.14
I could say many more things, but I have said as many as I should say.
May the Lord bless you here in the 14th Ward. I used to know all the
people who were here, but now I do not know a tithing of them; they
have either grown up out of my knowledge, or else there is another
set, or else we have lost our faith and our countenances are changed.
I do not know which. Well now, let these pipes and tobacco alone, and
let whisky alone; and sisters, let tea and coffee alone. I know I am
touching you in a vital place, but will you do it? "Oh dear, I shall
die if I can not have some." Well, we have got to die once, and it had
better be in a good cause than in a bad one. Then let us keep the Word
of Wisdom, and keep ourselves unspotted from the world and live to the
honor and glory of God, that when we have got through, having really
complied with the will of heaven, we may see opening before us fields
of everlasting bliss, and crowns and dominions beyond calculation
opening in the wide expanse of eternity. Oh, shall we come short, or
shall we not?

Vol. 17,  p.14
Brethren and sisters, live to God, and may God bless you. I want to
live until the power of God will be felt and acknowledged in this
world, and that day is not far remote. May God bless us for ever, is
my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.15] 

William C. Dunbar, January 4, 1874

Remarks to the Young

Remarks By Elder William C. Dunbar, Delivered in the Twentieth 
Ward School-House, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Jan. 4, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.15
Last Sunday evening I asked the privilege from the Bishop to give a
little lesson to the young, and to the old and middle-aged about the
young. It is something new for me to ask for the privilege of
speaking, for my weakness has generally led me to decline speaking
when asked to do so; but inasmuch as I have assumed the task, I trust
I shall be assisted by that Spirit that illuminates the understanding,
and that it will on this occasion dictate things which will be for our
good.

Vol. 17,  p.15
I have heard some say that they thought we made too much fuss and talk
about the rising generation; but when we take into consideration the
circumstances in which we are placed as Latter-day Saints, we shall
see that this is not the case. We are connected with the kingdom of
God, established in these last days never to be east down again. We
are not connected with a system of religion which is to expire When we
expire, but with one which is to exist when we are gone, and there is
a prospect of a great many of us departing this life before very many
years more pass away. There are thousands and tens of thousands of us
who embraced the Gospel soon after the Church was organized by the
Prophet Joseph Smith, and who are now arriving at an age when we must
naturally expect that we will not live long upon the earth, hence, in
the minds of all such who reflect, there is an anxiety about the
young. Why? Because they have an anxiety about the kingdom of God
being perpetuated; they have an anxiety about the young, realizing
that the responsibility of bearing off this kingdom and its principles
must shortly rest upon their shoulders, when they will have to preach
the Gospel and to administer the laws and ordinances of the kingdom of
God, and to bear off its principles while they shall live Upon the
earth, hence the anxiety of the old members of the Church to know that
their children are in a position to be able to perform the duties
devolving upon them as well as, if not better than, their
predecessors.

Vol. 17,  p.15
We have around us a multitude of children growing up. We are in the
habit of calling them children and of treating them as such, and all
the time our speeches to them are as if directed to children; but all
of a sudden it has come to our notice that some of these children have
arrived at the years of ace countability. Some of our sons, for [p.16]
instance, are as old as we were ourselves when we went forth to preach
the Gospel, and we see around us a multitude of young men and women
who were baptized when they were eight years old, and who, almost
unnoticed, have arrived at years when they begin to think and act for
themselves. Among them are those who have a knowledge, by the gift of
the Holy Ghost, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
is the Church and work of God, and perhaps a great proportion of them
have this knowledge. Then, them are a great many of them who say they
have not this knowledge, but they believe "Mormonism" is true because
father and mother say it is; that is, they believe it by education and
not by conviction and through understanding it for themselves. Among
these children to which I am referring is a small number who have come
in contact with certain influences, and who are becoming skeptical and
unbelieving as to the principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.

Vol. 17,  p.16
We may shut our eyes to these things, but they are facts, and the
question is, How shall we treat them? If we knew that two Gentiles
were in this meeting, we would so arrange our discourse as to be
suitable to them, and let all the rest of the congregation, who
already know these principles, sit and listen. But it appears to me
that we have to take a new departure in regard to our preaching. We
must adapt ourselves to circumstances, and remember that there are
those amongst us of the kind I have mentioned. It is true our children
have been raised and grounded, as it were, in the principles of
"Mormonism:" they have grown up and have scarcely heard anything else.
It is not these little ones here that I am so much concerned about,
but it is the young men and the young women, from sixteen to
twenty-two or twenty-three years of age, who go out in life for
themselves. Perhaps the sisters go to service in various parts of the
city and among various kinds of people; and the young men, they go to
learn trades—learn to be carpenters, masons, blacksmiths, or some
other occupation. They have to go out in life, and they meet with a
great many influences now that were not to be found in our midst years
ago; for amongst us now are those who are straining every effort to
undermine the education that we have been giving to our children. When
I say education, I mean the religious training which we have been
giving them. There are men in our midst who consider they have a
mission to perform, and that mission is to undermine our religion.
There are many amongst us now who do not believe in and who care
nothing about our religion. Some of these have come to dig in the
mountains, to extract the silver and get a fortune; they care nothing
about religion of any kind. There are others here who consider they
have a mission to undermine "Mormonism," and who think the only way
for them to do that is by undermining the education of our young
people. They say, "We can only reach the young, so far as faith in
"Mormonism" is concerned; but if we succeed in making the rising
generation skeptical, "Mormonism" will be a thing of the past and
almost forgotten in the next generation." There is a class of
so-called religious men whose aim is to make our young folks
skeptical; there is the apostate, who is either an infidel or a deist,
working to accomplish the same object; there is also the Gentile, who
is a deist or a freethinker, [p.17] and does not believe in God or in
a life hereafter; and they all feel that it is their special mission
to undermine what we have been doing during the last twenty years to
establish in the minds of the rising generation the truth of the
principles which we have espoused, and which we know to be true.

Vol. 17,  p.17
Now, if it has taken all the knowledge that we have, all the testimony
that we have received from the Almighty, to carry us through to the
present moment; if it has taken the power of the Holy Ghost and the
Spirit of God to enable us to stand and resist the various opposing
influences by which we have been assailed since we obeyed the Gospel,
it will take the same testimony and the same understanding to enable
the rising generation to carry off this kingdom triumphantly in spite
of all the combined opposition that may be brought against it. Hence
the necessity, my brethren and sisters, of being exercised about the
young, and hence the reason that they should have a knowledge of the
principles of truth that we have received, that when we are departing
this life we can lay our hands upon them and bless them, and set them
apart for the work that we have about closed. Then the fathers in
Israel can say—"Here are our sons, who will carry out what we have
begun;" and the mothers can say—"Here are our daughters, who will
carry out what we have commenced." Under such circumstances the
feelings of the dying will be those of joy and pleasure, for they will
know that they are leaving behind them a multitude upon whose hearts
is ineffaceably impressed the conviction of the divinity of this work.

Vol. 17,  p.17
I am pleased when I hear a young man or young woman testify that they
know this is the kingdom of God; but I should not be pleased to hear
them testify that they did know if they did not; I should not be
pleased to hear them say they believed if they did not believe. It
might cost me sorrow to hear my son or my daughter, or your son or
your daughter, say, "I do not know that 'Mormonism' is true," or "I do
not believe it is true," or to see them in a kind of betwixt and
between state of mind, not knowing what to believe; but at the same
time I would rather they would honestly say just what is the fact,
than to have them hypocritically say one thing and mean another. I
would not like to see this among children or among men and women. But
if a person is really sick and we can find out what the disease is,
then we can apply the remedy; if, however, the patient insists that he
is not sick, and that nothing is the matter with him, we can not touch
him. Hence I say, if we know the circumstances in which we are placed,
we know what remedy to apply. A young man or young woman will ask this
question, for instance, which is very natural—"Father, I hear you say
that all the sects in the Christian world are wrong except the
'Mormons;' but yet I find, when I attend the Episcopal, Roman Catholic
or Methodist church, that they quote from the very same Bible which
you quote from. How is it that they are wrong? Do you recollect,
brethren and sisters, how we were when first the Gospel reached our
ears? One of the first questions that we asked of the Elder who
preached to us was—"You say that 'Mormonism' only is right, but how is
it that all these other sects and parties, who say they believe in
God, the Bible and Jesus Christ, are wrong and you only are right?"
This was a [p.18] kind of a mystery to us, it caused a query to arise
in our minds, and we could not exactly understand it. This brings to
my remembrance a figure that was very frequently used by the Elders
when preaching the Gospel in the old country in early days. To explain
this seeming mystery to the minds of the new converts, they would
liken the Gospel and Church of Jesus Christ and its organization, to a
watch with all its complicated machinery, including wheels, pivots and
pins, face, fingers and mainspring. All these properly combined will
correctly tell the time of day. "But," said the Elders, "Suppose a man
comes along and takes one of these wheels away, and another man takes
another wheel, and another takes another wheel; another man takes a
pin, and another another pin; another man takes a pivot, and another
takes another pivot; one takes the face, another takes a finger, and
another takes another finger, and so on, until finally the whore watch
is divided up, say among six hundred different people, every one of
whom says—"I have got the watch, and I can tell the time of day." Says
the watchmaker—"Do you think I am such a feel as to believe that any
of you can tell the time of day? A watch can not tell the time unless
it is combined and united together, every wheel and pivot in its
place, with the mainspring in good order. It takes the whole machine
to tell the time of day, and when a man says—'I have got the watch,'
and he has only got a wheel, a pivot, or a pin, the face, mainspring,
or case, he does not tell the truth, whether he knows it or not."

Vol. 17,  p.18
So it is, my young friends and brethren and sisters, in regard to the
Bible; every religious sect takes that part of it which suits them,
and they all say they believe in it, and they have got the plan of
salvation. For instance, one sect or party will take faith in Jesus
Christ, and say that is all that is necessary for the salvation of
man. Another sect will perhaps take baptism, and say that faith and
baptism are necessary for salvation, and throw away something else;
and thus you find the whole Christian world, although professing to
believe in the same Savior and in the same Bible, opposed to each
other. And then the "Mormons" come along and they say—"All these sects
are wrong and we are right." They say to the sects—"Why, you have not
got the watch, you have only got one of the wheels, one of the pins or
fingers, or you have only got the case, and there is nothing in it,
and it requires the case with all its contents properly arranged to
tell the time of day correctly; in other words, if you would teach the
people how to be saved in the kingdom of God, you must teach them to
obey every principle of the plan of salvation." That is precisely what
the Elders of this Church do, and that makes the grand distinction and
difference between them and the so-called religious teachers of the
day.

Vol. 17,  p.18
Now to illustrate this. You attend a church or a chapel, and you
perhaps hear a minister preach from the 16th chapter of St. Mark's
Gospel, where the Apostles are commanded to go and preach the Gospel
to every creature, with the promise that he that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved, &c. Some of our young people have not read
the Bible a great deal. It is true that many of them who attend Sunday
school do read it, but as a general thing the class I am referring
rode not attend Sunday school. They [p.19] consider that they are too
old, that they know too much, or that it is rather humiliating to
associate with children; and, with a few exceptions, those I mean are
not of the kind who have read the Bible; but you will find, no matter
how much it may chagrin us to admit it, that they would rather read
the Ledger, Bowbells, or some other book of that character, than the
Bible, and consequently when they hear a sectarian minister quote from
it, that he that believeth in Jesus shall be saved, they take it for
granted that he is reading the Bible, when, if they had read and
studied its pages for themselves, they would know that he only quotes
part of it. Is it not singular that sectarian ministers, as a general
thing, manage to forget that little word "baptism" when exhorting
sinners to repent and be saved? Is it not singular that the divines of
the day, as a general thing, although they have made the Bible their
study, and have gone to college on purpose to study how to explain its
contents, should stop short and say, "He that believeth shall be
saved," leaving out all about baptism?

Vol. 17,  p.19
What is the difference, in this respect, between the "Mormon" and the
sectarian teacher? The "Mormon" teacher reads the whole of it—the text
and the context, and he declares to the people that he that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be
condemned. Is it not singular that men professing to be servants of
God and ministers of salvation, when they quote Scripture, should only
quote part of it? This is the course pursued by the ministers of
nearly every denomination in Christendom. One will take a pivot or a
wheel, and leave all the rest of the machinery; another will do the
same, and so on, and if we were to examine the whole, we should
perhaps find that all of the principles of the Gospel are scattered
amongst them, but all of them reject some portions of it.

Vol. 17,  p.19
On the day of Pentecost, when a large multitude of people where
assembled at Jerusalem, the Apostles of the Savior, who had been
endowed with power from on high, plainly and unmistakably declared
unto them the way of life and salvation. In answer to the earnest and
anxious inquiries of many on that occasion, Peter, the chief of the
Apostles, said—"Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the
remission of your sins, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost," &c. But
how is this Scripture quoted by those who take only one wheel or
pivot? They say—"Repent and be saved;" or, Believe in Jesus and be
saved;" but somehow or other, either through a defective memory, or
from some other cause, they fail to quote the rest of it.

Vol. 17,  p.19
Here is the difference between the sectarians and us who are called
"Mormons." We take the whole chapter, we want the whole watch. We know
we can not tell the time correctly if we only take a part of it, and
we know we can not get full salvation in the celestial kingdom of God
unless we obey the whole Gospel, which is the power of God unto
salvation unto all who believe it enough to obey it.

Vol. 17,  p.19
The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, lays down the
organization of the Church, as established by its founder, Christ. He
says that in the Church are placed Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists,
Pastors and Teachers. What for? For the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ, and for the perfecting of the Saints,
until [p.20] we all come to the unity of the faith. The Apostle also
says that there are in the Church a diversity of gifts, such as
tongues, the interpretation of tongues, healing, knowledge, faith,
wisdom, &c. Now, how much does a sectarian pick out of this when he
quotes it? He takes Pastors and Teachers, but he throws away Apostles,
Prophets, gifts, helps, tongues, healings, &c.; in fact, he claims to
have the whole watch, when, at the same time, he has but one little
pin or pivot, and throws away the principal part of the machinery.

Vol. 17,  p.20
Did you ever think of these things my brethren and sisters? If you
would read the Bible and New Testament you would get an understanding
of them just as we did. How was that? Most of us were trained to read
the Bible, and when we heard the Later-day Saints preach we
said,—"This is different from anything we ever heard before. The Bible
seems like a new book, we never knew there were such things in it. Our
ministers never taught us these principles, and when me mention them
to them they say they are done away, and no longer needed;" in other
words they say that a watch does not need a mainspring now; it was
necessary 1800 years ago for a watch to have a mainspring and a
variety of wheels and pins all united together in one case, but now it
is not necessary, for you can tell the time of day with one of the
fingers, or a pin, or with the empty case. We who had read the New
Testament, when we heard the Elders explain the organization of this
Church, could at once see that it was in accordance with the Scripture
pattern, and that it was different to the churches of Christendom; but
the reason that our young men and women are sometimes in a quandary
when they bear sectarians preach is because they have not read the
Scriptures, and hence when they hear a man in a pulpit make an
assertion, they are not able to tell whether he quotes the whole or
only a part of the passage, and hence the necessity for them to make
themselves more acquainted with the Bible.

Vol. 17,  p.20
When I was about seventeen years of age I first heard this Gospel
preached by Elder Orson Pratt. He quoted from the Acts of the
Apostles, and although I had another word of testimony within me that
what he said was correct, that he was a servant of God and that Joseph
Smith bad had the ministration of angels, when he quoted from the
Scriptures I could not say whether it was so or not, because I had
never read the Bible. I had never been allowed to read it, for reasons
which I stated this afternoon, but I went home directly and read the
Bible, and found that what he said was true. Then I went to another
place of worship and I heard a man quote the same chapter, but somehow
or other he failed to quote the whole passage, and quoted only a
little bit of it. This led some of us to investigate, and we did so
just as we would any other branch of knowledge. No young man would
think of reading Robinson Crusoe in order to make himself acquainted
with geography, neither would he read the history of Scotland in order
to master algebra; and no young man or young woman would think of
studying any branch of science or art by reading novels. But if they
really desired to acquire any branch of knowlege they would, of
course, procure works that treated on that subject, and make it a
matter of earnest study. I knew a man who did nothing but study
grammar from the time he was fifteen years old until he was
twenty-five. They used to call him "Old Syntax" for a by-name. [p.21]
So it is with our young—they must not expect to study "Mormonism" by
reading novels, but they must read the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine
and Covenants, Millennial Star, Orson Pratt's Works, the Voice of
Warning and many others. These are the works our children must study
if they ever find out for themselves the truth of the principles of
"Mormonism." And besides doing this, they must also pray unto the
Almighty for the testimony of his Holy Spirit. How did we, now growing
old in the work, get a knowledge of its truth? Many of us, after
hearing the testimony of the servants of God, went into our closets,
and some of us labored for months with the Almighty before we obtained
that knowledge. We prayed "Lord, if the testimony of this man is true,
make it known unto us, by some means or another;" and we finally
received impressions which induced us to repent and be baptized, and
we had hands laid upon us for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and still we
labored, and prayed, and contended for the faith once delivered to the
Saints, until God in his mercy manifested himself unto us in such a
manner that we knew this was his work and kingdom.

Vol. 17,  p.21
Now, if a young man rises and bears testimony that he knows this is
the kingdom of God, perhaps some other young man may make fun and say,
"How do you know it?" Perhaps he cannot explain, for the revelations
of God to the mind and soul of man can not always be explained, any
more than Columbus could explain when he asserted there was a vast
continent that had not then been discovered, or than the philosopher
could explain to unbelievers that the globe was round and not flat;
they could not understand it without studying natural laws as he had
done. The testimony of the Holy Ghost and the Revelations of God give
knowledge to the mind of him upon whom they are conferred but he can
not explain their operations to others. In the Scriptures we are told
that the things of man are known by the spirit of man, and the things
of God only by the Spirit of God, and the promise to those Who obey
the Gospel is that they shall know for themselves of its truth, and
this is the only condition on which the fulfillment of this promise
can be obtained. Said Jesus—"Do my will and you shall know of the
doctrine, whether it is of God, or whether I speak of myself."

Vol. 17,  p.21
Our children were baptized when they were eight years old, but that
was more by our agency that theirs. The gift of the Holy Ghost was
conferred upon them, and that Spirit is within them, and if they
understood its whisperings and dictates I believe that they would
admit they know a great deal more than they now think they do; and if
they would heed its teachings it would lead them in the way of eternal
life. But there is a great difference between the "Mormons" and the
rest of the religious world when we come to the fundamental principles
of all religion, namely, belief in God. The sectarian world say that
the believe in God, but that he has neither body, parts nor passions,
and yet there are three persons in the godhead—Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. If you were to attend the Sabbath schools of our friends who
are not of us, you would probably hear these principles taught. But
this is not in accordance with the Bible, for that teaches that God
made man in his own image. If you want to know what the Almighty looks
like, look at man, only he is in a fallen condition and clothed with
humanity. Jesus said that he was [p.22] the express image and likeness
of his Father. The "Mormons" believe this, but the sectarians believe
in a God without body, parts and passions; they believe in Jesus
sitting at the right hand of a God without body parts and passions;
they believe in a God who loves the righteous, and who is angry with
the wicked every day, but yet he has neither body, parts nor passions.
I am not saying this with a design to deride, or anything of the kind,
but I am simply stating facts as they are. The "Mormons" believe these
things just as the Bible tells them; they believe that God is a great
and exalted Being, filled with knowledge and understanding, that he
created this earth, but not out of nothing. One of the principles
taught by the religious world of Christendom, is that the earth was
made out of nothing, in six of our days. No wonder, as Brother Maeser
said the other Sunday evening, that people consider that science and
religion are opposed to each other. True science and true religion are
not opposed to each other; false religion and true science are opposed
to each other, and it is this very fact which has caused infidelity to
spread with such rapidity of late years. As men become acquainted with
the laws of nature, which are the laws of God, they are compelled to
lay false religion aside, and consequently they say religion is all
nonsense. For instance, the chemist finds that he can not bring one
particle of matter from nonentity neither can he annihilate one
particle, therefore he disbelieves in the world being created out of
nothing. When a man descends into the bowels of the earth and, through
science, becomes acquainted with the laws which govern the materials
there contained, he understands that the earth could not be made out
of nothing; he also understands that it could not be made in six of
our days, and consequently, rather than throw aside science, the truth
of which he can demonstrate, he throws religion to one side, the truth
of which he can not demonstrate. But if he were in possession of true
religion he would not have to throw it away, neither would he have to
abandon his science because they would harmonize.

Vol. 17,  p.22
We Latter-day Saints do not believe the world was created out of
nothing, but that it was created just upon the same principle that a
builder creates a house, that is, there is matter in existence and he
organizes it and changes its condition suitable to the circumstances
that he wishes to use it for; the builder changes the bricks, lumber
and other material into a house or other structure; the Almighty by
his power and wisdom takes existing matter and combines it and makes a
world; and he places the stars and the sun and moon in the firmament,
giving to each the laws by which its movements are governed. If we
understand it we should see that it was all done upon true scientific
principles. Scientific truth and God's truth are just the same, hence
when a man becomes acquainted with science or the laws of nature he
has to throw away his belief in a God without body, parts and
passions, and in the estimation of the religious world, he becomes an
infidel. But suppose he were to obey the Gospel as taught by the
Latter-day Saints, what would be the consequence then? His science and
religion would help and sustain each other, and would enable him to
bear testimony to the wonderworking hand of God, not only in revealing
the true principles of salvation, but also in revealing the laws of
nature or the principles of science, and he would embrace both as
emanations [p.23] from the same great Deity.

Vol. 17,  p.23
Here, my young, brethren and sisters, is another great distinction and
difference between the Latter-day Saints and the rest of the Religious
World, and if you were to study the Bible sometimes—I do not say it is
necessary to throw away every other book and study the Bible only—you
would come to an understanding of these principles for yourselves,
then you would know why your fathers and mothers declare that they
know "Mormonism" is true.

Vol. 17,  p.23
I have endeavoured to drop a few hints, to show the necessity of our
young people taking a course by which they may attain the same
realizing sense of the truth of the Gospel and work of God which their
seniors possess. If a son or a daughter belonging to any one of us
should say—"Father, I know you have always taught me to believe that
Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and you say that God has revealed it
to you, but he has not revealed it to me and I do not know it," shall
we get mad at them, and resort to coercion in order to make them
believe as we believe? No, we may be sorry to hear them make such an
avowal, but we must neither get mad nor use harsh language towards
them, for that might drive them to do that which we are so anxious to
prevent. We must treat them as men and women, or as rational,
intelligent beings, and reason with them, and labor with and pray for
them just as much as if we were sent to preach the Gospel to the
world. That is the Course I believe we, the fathers and mothers of
Israel, should pursue with the rising generation.

Vol. 17,  p.23
I have said all I desire to say on the present occasion. May God bless
us! May the spirit of the Gospel rest upon our young, that they may be
led to investigate its principles and come to an understanding thereof
for themselve, that they may be prepared for the responsibilities that
will rest upon those who will succeed us in carrying on the work of
the Lord, and be enabled to bear it off triumphantly is my prayer in
the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.24] 

Orson Pratt, April 6, 1874

The Kingdom not Organized By Man—Man Utterly 
Unable to Organize the Kingdom of God on the Earth 
Without Revelation—the Nephites and Lamanites 
Had All Things in Common—Consecration—the 
Danger of Pride—the United Order

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered at the Forty-Fourth 
Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 
in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Monday Morning, April 6, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.24
Forty-four years ago to day, the kingdom of God was organized on this
earth, for the last time, never to be broken up, never to be
confounded or thrown down, but to continue from that time, henceforth
and for ever, This kingdom was not organized by man, nor by the wisdom
of man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ, he having guided and
directed, by revelation, everything in regard to its organization, and
bestowed authority upon his servants to perform the work, and they
being only agents or instruments in his hands.

Vol. 17,  p.24
All other Christian denominations for many long centuries, have been
organized without revelation. The organizers of these various
denominations did not even pretend that God had given them any
information from Heaven; they did not even pretend that there was one
sentence which had been received in their day from the Lord, in
relation to the organization of their institutions, In this respect
the Latter-day Saints differ widely from all Christian denominations!
it is an essential difference, a peculiar characteristic, and one of
the utmost importance. Every person with a little reflection, can see
that without divine information, man is utterly unable to organize the
Kingdom of God on the earth. He may organize kingdoms, empires,
republics and various kinds of civil government and a great variety of
governments in a religious capacity, and when he has organized them
they are without foundation and authority. The nord communicates
nothing to them, but they are compelled to ponder over that which had
been revealed in former ages, and get all the information they can
from what God spake formerly. But how impossible it is for people to
learn their duties from what God said formerly to somebody else. We
might as well, in the organization of a civil government, say, "the
canon of laws is sealed up, we need no legislators or Congressmen," If
the question be asked why we do not need them, the answer is, "Oh, we
depend upon the laws which were made by our fathers; they are
sufficient for our guide." Just fancy the People of this great
republic being governed by the laws enacted in the first Congress
after the revolutionary fathers framed the constitution. [p.25] Only
think of all the people now appealing to those ancient laws, made
before any of them were born, and having nothing further to govern
them!

Vol. 17,  p.25
This would just be as consistent as it would be to suppose that God
some eighteen hundred years ago, gave all the information that he ever
intended to give in relation to the government of His kingdom and His
affairs here on the earth. You know that in civil governments laws are
continually required, circumstances call them forth. Laws made last
year are not always suitable to the circumstances of this year, and
those made ten years ago, might be altogether unsuitable for events
now happening, and hence the necessity of something new, direct from
the law-making department. So in regard to the kingdom of God. God
spake to the ancients, but many of the words he spake then are not
binding upon the people now. Some few of the great moral principles
revealed to the ancients are binding for ever, but the great majority
of the revelations from Heaven were only suited to the individuals to
whom they were given. Take, for instance, the case of Abram He was
living in Chaldea, the land of his fathers. The Lord spake to him, and
commanded him to arise and leave his native country, and journey tea
strange land, which was promised to him for an inheritance. Now, I
ask, was any other people upon the face of the whole earth bound to
obey this divine law given to Abraham? No; it was suited to him and to
him only. If we were all under this ancient law, then every one of us
would have to go to Chaldea; and after we got there we should have to
leave that country and go to some land which we should expect to
receive for an inheritance, which would be the very height of
absurdity.

Vol. 17,  p.25
Again, when God led forth Abraham into the, land of palestine, we find
that he not only communicated laws to him, but that he also made
precious promises relating to him and his seed, which did not pertain
to all the nations and kingdoms of the earth. God commanded Abraham on
that occasion to arise, and to pass through the length and breadth of
the land, and to go out on to a certain high place and to cast his
eyes eastward and westward and northward and southward, for said the
Lord unto him, "All this land which thou seest shall be given to thee,
and to thy seed after thee for a possession." Under this law have I
been commanded to go to the land of Palestine and walk through the
length and breadth of the land? Never. Have you been commanded to do
it? Never. It is not a law that is binding upon us, neither was it
binding upon future generations after the days of Abraham.

Vol. 17,  p.25
Again, when God made the promise to Abraham that he should have that
land for a possession, and his literal seed after him, he did not mean
you nor me, nor the generations of the earth who are not the literal
descendants of Abraham.

Vol. 17,  p.25
Again, when God revealed himself to Moses, and told him to go down
into Egypt and deliver Israel from bondage, that was a law binding
upon Moses and Moses alone. The Latter-day Saints are not under that
law, neither are any other people. So we might continue to multiply
instances by thousands where God spake to individuals, and they, and
they alone, were the persons who were to give heed to his laws. Again,
where he spoke in some cases to the nation of Israel, Israel and
Israel alone could obey those laws. But sometimes he would reveal to
an individual or to a people certain great [p.26] moral principles
that were binding upon them and upon all people unto the ends of the
earth, when they were made manifest Unto them. Such laws are
everlasting in their nature. Sometimes God revealed ordinances as well
as commandments and laws. These ordinances were binding just as far as
God revealed them for the people to attend to. For instance, the law
of circumcision was binding upon Abraham and his seed, and was to be
continued for a certain season, but by and by it was to be superseded
by some other. God also revealed, in the days of the introduction of
the Gospel, many eternal laws, different from those that had been
revealed in former times. He revealed many things afresh and anew when
he came personally on the earth, which had also been revealed prior to
his day. For instance, we will take the law of faith, and repentance.
These principles were taught in every dispensation, and were binding
upon all people in the four quarters of the earth, and in all
generations before Jesus came; they were eternal principles, and were
to be continued forever. We will take, again, the law of baptism for
the remission of sins. Wherever the Gospel was preached this ordinance
was binding upon the people. Wherever men were sent forth with the
fullness of the plan of salvation to declare to the children of men,
the law of baptism accompanied that message, and all people, as well
as Israel, were required to obey that sacred ordinance.

Vol. 17,  p.26
In the latter days, when God establishes hie kingdom on the earth for
the last time, there will be thousands and tens of thousands of
precepts and commandments revealed to certain individuals, which will
be binding upon them alone. Then there will be other commandments that
will be adapted to all the Church, and they will be binding upon the
Church and upon the Church alone. Then there will be certain
commandments that will be binding upon all nations, people and
tongues, and blessed are they who give heed to the commandments and
institutions and ordinances which pertain to them and which are
adapted to their circumstances, and which are given for them to obey.
But we will return again to the Church and kingdom.

Vol. 17,  p.26
Forty-four years have rolled over our heads since God gave commandment
to a young man, a youth, to organize baptized believers into a Church,
which was called the kingdom of God, not organized in its fullness,
for there were not materials enough at that time to institute all the
officers that were needed in that kingdom. The kingdom needed
inspired, Apostles, Seventies, High Priests after the order of
Melchizedec; it needed the Priesthood of Aaron—the Levitical
Priesthood, which the ancient Prophet said should be restored in the
latter days. The kingdom needed all the appendages and blessings of
these two Priesthoods, and there were not a sufficient number then
baptized to make the organization perfect and complete; but so far as
there were individuals the organization was commenced, although there
were than only six members. Two of these were Apostles, called of God
to be Apostles; called by new revelation to be Apostles; called by the
ministration of angels to be Apostles; ordained by the laying on of
hands of immortal personages from the eternal worlds. Hence, being
ordained by this high authority, called by this high and holy calling,
and chosen to go forth and organize the kingdom, and to preach the
message of life and salvation among the children [p.27] of men, they
were obedient; and the other four individuals were organized in
connection with them, upon the foundation that had been laid by the
Lord himself, and not upon a creed that had been concocted in some
council of uninspired men; not upon some articles of faith that were
framed by uninspired men to guide and govern them; but what they
received was by direct revelation. Not one step was taken without
obtaining a revelation in regard to the manner of proceeding in
relation to the laying of this foundation.

Vol. 17,  p.27
How very different this from the Methodists, the Baptists, the
Presbyterians, the Church of England, and the various societies and
denominations that exist throughout all the Protestant world; not one
of them was organized in that way! Supposing that some of these
Christian denominations should happen to get the form pretty nearly
correct, and yet not have the authority, that would make all the
difference. The form with the authority is one thing, and the form
without the authority and divine appointment and ordination is another
thing. One has power, but the other has not; one is recognized by the
Lord Almighty, but the other is only recognized by man. I think we can
see the difference between man's churches and God's Churches, between
man's organization and God's organization. In the first place there
never were a people, since Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden to
the present day, who were acknowledged of God, unless they were
founded and directed and counseled by him; unless there were a
Priesthood having authority from him; unless God spake to them, and
sent his angels to them. There never was a people, in any age of the
world, whom God recognized as his people, without these
characteristics. Says one, "How very uncharitable you Latter-day
Saints are! You exclude the whole of us, you do not except one of our
churches or good Christian denominations, and there are very good,
moral people in them." We do not dispute but what they are a very
good, moral people; that is one thing, and a Christian Church is
another. Morality is good in its place, and it must be in the
Christian Church. Morality may exist outside of the Christian Church,
but both can not exist together without God organizes the Church.

Vol. 17,  p.27
Perhaps I have spoken sufficiently long upon the subject of the
organization of the Church. I might enter fully into the investigation
of these matters, and give you the particulars about the angels of God
who descended from heaven and conferred the authority upon chosen
vessels. I might tell you about the day which God set apart, and upon
which he commanded that his Church. should be organized, for the very
day was mentioned by revelation. I might also relate to you many
instructions that were given at that time to all the members of the
kingdom of God. But I have other subjects upon my mind that seem to
present themselves before me.

Vol. 17,  p.27
There have been probably scores of revelations given from time to time
during the last forty-four years, which are not binding now, neither
were they binding upon all the people at the time they were given. For
instance, God gave a revelation, through his servant Joseph, on the
14th day of November, 1830, to your humble servant who is now
speaking, commanding him to go forth and preach the Gospel among the
nations of the earth, preparing the way of the Lord for his second
coming, and to lift up his voice, both long and loud, and cry
repentance to this [p.28] crooked and perverse generation. I ask this
congregation if there is an individual present here, but your humble
servant who. is under this direct command? No. If you have been
commanded to do the same, you have been commanded by a distinct
revelation. The revelation given to me Was not given to any other
individual, and was not binding upon say other, So in regard to the
gathering up of the Saints. We were dwelling in the State of New York,
and on the second day of January 1831, God commanded that all the
Saints in that State, the State in which the Church was organized, and
all who were dwelling in all the regions round about, should gather up
to the State of Ohio. Is that a commandment binding upon any of this
congregation? Not one of them, it was only suited to the circumstances
that then extend, and when fulfilled it was no longer even binding
upon them. The Lord gave a commandment after we bad gathered up to the
land of Kirtland, that some of his servants should go forth, two by
two, preaching through Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, that they
should meet together in general Conference on the western boundaries
of the State of Missouri, and that the Lord God would reveal unto them
the land which should be given unto them for an everlasting
inheritance. These persons were commanded to do this. This commandment
was binding upon them and them alone. They were the individuals who
were commanded to do this work—it was not required of the rest of the
Church. They fulfilled their appointment—as many as were faithful went
through, two by two, on different routes, preaching and calling upon
the people to repent and be baptized, confirming them by the water
side, and organizing Churches. Finally those persons thus commanded
assembled in August and September, on the western boundaries of the
State of Missouri, in Jackson County. Then the commandment was
fulfilled; and it was no longer binding upon those to whom it was
given. Thus you see that what is suitable for this mouth is not always
suitable for next month, and what is suitable for to-day is not always
suitable for tomorrow. It needs new revelation.

Vol. 17,  p.28
When these missionaries assembled in Jackson County, the Prophet
Joseph, being with them, inquired still further, and a commandment was
given on that occasion, before the Church had gathered, except one
small branch, called the Coalsville-Branch, and that commandment was
to be binding upon all the Latter-day Saints who should gather up to
that land. What was it? That all the people who should gather to
Jackson County, the land of their inheritance, should consecrate all
their property, everything they had—they were to withhold nothing.
Their gold and silver, their bedding, household furniture, their
wearing apparel and everything they possessed was to be consecrated.
That placed the people on a level, for when everything a people has is
consecrated they are all equally rich. There is not one poor and
another rich, for they all possess nothing. I do not know but you
might call that poor; but they have something in common, namely, that
which they have consecrated, and this brings me to an item which I
happened to think of just about half minute before I arose.

Vol. 17,  p.28
I will now read to you what took place on this American continent
thirty-six years after the birth of Christ. Jesus appeared here on
this continent and organized his Church. He chose twelve disciples and
commanded [p.29] them to go and preach the Gospel in both the land
south and the land north, and they did so. This extract gives us a
little information about the repentance of the people:—

Vol. 17,  p.29
And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all
converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites
and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among
them, and every man did deal justly one with another; and they had all
things common among them, therefore they were not rich and poor, bond
and free, but they were all made free, and partakers of the heavenly
gift."

Vol. 17,  p.29
Now, was not that a marvel? Perhaps you may ask how it was that they
were all so easily converted. That would be a very natural question to
arise in the minds of many, for they must have been a very different
people from those living now-a-days. We have preached, year after
year, and have only converted here and there one. But all those
millions, inhabiting both North and South America, were converted unto
the Lord. Was not float a wonderment? If I explain a little what took
place beforehand, it will clear up the wonderment a little.

Vol. 17,  p.29
Just before Christ was crucified in the land of Jerusalem, the people
on this land had become exceedingly wicked, and it was foretold to
them by their Prophets that, when Jesus, their Savior, should be
crucified in the land of their fathers, there should be great
destruction come upon those who were wicked in this land, and that
many of their cities should be destroyed—they should be sunk and
burned with fire, and God would visit them in great and terrible
judgments if they did not repent and prepare for the coming of their
Savior, for they expected him to appear afar his resurrection. The
wicked did not repent, and all those destructions came, just as the
Prophets foretold. Darkness covered the face of this land for three
days and three nights, while at Jerusalem it was only three hours.
Three days and three nights they suffered darkness upon all the face
of this land, and very many of their cities, which were great and
populous, were sunk, and lakes came up instead of them; a great many
were burned with fire, a great many were destroyed by terrible
tempests, and a great destruction came upon the wicked portions of the
people, who had stoned and put the Prophets to death, and only the
more righteous portion of the people were spared.

Vol. 17,  p.29
In the latter part of the year in which Jesus was put to death, he
descended among a certain portion of the people on this continent,
gathered in the northern part of what we term South America. He
descended from heaven and stood in their midst; and on the next day,
when a larger multitude were gathered together, he came a second time
and there were a great many thousands on that occasion. He often
appeared to them after that period, within the course of one or two
years, and he chose twelve disciples, and so great was the power made
manifest before those thousands, that when they went forth into the
north and south and preached the word, according to the commandments
of God, the more righteous portion of the people, who had been spared,
and who had humbled themselves and partially repented, but did not
understand the fullness of the Gospel, were easily converted, and that
is the reason why all the people in North and South America were
converted unto the Lord; and in the thirty-sixth year, reckoning from
the birth of Jesus, they were not [p.30] only all converted upon the
face of this whole land, but they were all organized upon a common
stock principle, and there were no poor among them, and they dealt
justly one with another.

Vol. 17,  p.30
Says one, "They did the same thing in the land of Jerusalem." Yes, but
they did not keep it up in the land of Palestine—they seem to have
failed, for we have no account that this common stock principle, as at
first organized, continued among the Saints on the Asiatic Continent.
Churches were built up in various parts of Asia and Europe, one in one
place, another in another, and they all seem to have had property of
their own; and I believe, myself, that they were unprepared, in their
scattered condition, to enter into this order of things. There was too
mush wickedness at Ephesus; in Galatia, at Corinth, and in the various
places where small branches were organized, to enter into this common
stock principle, and carry it out successfully. But on this continent
there Was a fine opportunity, for all the people, millions and
millions of them, were in the same faith. How easily, then, could they
be guided and directed, and put in their property, and organize it as
a common stock fund; and they did so, and were exceedingly blessed and
prospered in their operation. And I will tell you how long it
existed—about one-hundred and sixty-five years. But in the year two
hundred and one after the birth of Christ, the people began to be
lifted up, on this continent, in pride and popularity, and began to
withdraw their funds from this common stock, and take them into their
own hands, and call them their own, and they continued to do this,
until the great majority of the people had corrupted themselves and
withdrawn from this order. Then, after having broken up this common
fund in a great measure, only a few individuals here and there still
holding on to it, they became proud and highminded, and lifted up in
their hearts, and looked down upon those who were not so prosperous as
themselves, and in this way a distinction of classes was again
introduced, and the rich began to persecute the poor; and thus they
continued to apostatize, until, about three hundred and thirty-four
years after Christ, their began to have great and terrible wars among
themselves, which lasted about fifty years, during which millions of
them were destroyed. Finally, they became so utterly wicked, so fully
ripened for destruction, that one branch of the nation, called the
Nephites, gathered their entire people around the hill Cumorah, in the
State of New York, in Ontario County; and the Lamanites, the opposite
army, gathered by millions in the same region. The two nations were
four years in gathering their forces, during which no fighting took
place; but at the end of that time, having marshalled all their hosts,
the fighting commenced, the Lamanites coming upon the Nephites, and
destroying all of them, except a very few, who had previously deserted
over to the Lamanites.

Vol. 17,  p.30
Before this decisive battle the Nephites, who had kept records of
their nation, written on gold plates, hid them up in the hill Cumorah,
where they have lain from that day to this. Mormon committed a few
plates to his son Moroni, who was a Prophet and who survived the
nation of the Nephites about thirty-six years, and he kept these few
plates, while all the balance of them were hid up in that hill; and
then, Moroni, being commanded of God, hid up the few plates from which
the Book of Mormon was translated.[p.31] 

Vol. 17,  p.31
I make mention of these circumstances for the purpose of showing you
that, when people have been once enlightened as the Nephites were, and
have had all things common, and have been blessed with an abundance of
the riches of the earth, working together in harmony, until riches
were poured out upon them in vast abundance, and then withdraw
themselves from the order of God, they soon bring swift destruction
upon their heads. We see the Nephites, after taking this course,
descending lower and lower in their wickedness, going into idolatry,
offering up human sacrifices unto their idol gods, and committing
every species of abomination that they had ever known or heard of, all
because they had been once enlightened and had apostatized from the
truth, and withdrawn from the order of God, in which their forefathers
had had a long experience.

Vol. 17,  p.31
The Lord gave a caution to the Latter-day Saints, when he told them,
in a revelation, given in 1831, to enter into the same order
pertaining to our possessions in Jackson County. Prior to that, he
gave us a promise, saying, that if we would be faithful we should
become the richest of all people; but if we would not be faithful in
keeping his commandments, but should become lifted up in the pride of
our hearts, we should, perhaps, become like the Nephites of old.
"Beware of pride," says the Lord, in one of these revelations, "lest
you become like the Nephites of old."

Vol. 17,  p.31
I have no doubt that you Latter-day Saints are the best people on the
face of the earth. God has gathered you out from among the nations;
you were the only people, to whom the message of life and salvation
was sent, who received the missionaries of the Most High when they
came to your respective nations. You not only received the Gospel of
repentance and baptism, but you hearkened to those missionaries and
the counsels of God, and gathered to this land. Hence, you have done
better than all other people, and you have been blessed above all
other people. But there is danger, after having been made partakers of
the Holy Ghost, and having had the gifts of the Spirit, made manifest
more or less according to our faith, if we become lifted up in the
pride of our hearts and think, because we have gathered an abundance
of the wealth of this world, that we are a little better than our poor
brother who labors eight or ten hours a day at the hardest kind of
labor. Any person having the name of Latter-day Saint who feels that
he is better than, and distinguishes himself from, the poor and
supposes that he belongs to a little higher class than they, is in
danger. "Beware of pride. lest you become like unto the Nephites of
old."

Vol. 17,  p.31
In order that this pride may be done away, there must necessarily be
another order of things in regard to property.

Vol. 17,  p.31
Why does pride exist at all? Let us make a little inquiry about this.
Do you know the reason? It all arises out of the love of riches. This
is what generally constitutes pride. Now supposing you were all
brought on a level in regard to property by a full consecration of
everything that you have into a common stock fund, would there be
among that number one who should thus consecrate all that he had, who
would have anything to boast of above his neighbor? Not at all. He
might have the use of property, one man might have perhaps a hundred
times more than another, to use as a steward or agent for this general
fund; but when he has used it he has his [p.32] living out of it—his
food, his raiment, the necessaries and comforts of life, whether he
handles hundreds of thousands or merely a small stewardship, for the
man that takes charge of a great manufacturing establishment would
require more funds than he who has a small farm, but the funds would
not belong to him, he only has his food, raiment and the necessaries
and comforts of life. But here is another branch of business, just as
important, as far as it goes, as this large manufacturing
establishment. What is it? To make mortar, to lay up our buildings,
for without them we should soon suffer. The man who makes mortar,
then, is just as honorable as the man who takes charge of a large
establishment which requires five hundred thousand dollars to carry it
on. But in both cases, the surplus of their labor, after taking
therefrom the necessaries of life, goes to the common stock fund; and
the man who has had charge of the large establishment has nothing that
he can boast of over the man who makes mortar—one is just as rich as
the other.

Vol. 17,  p.32
But I know there are many Latter-day Saints who have formed an
erroneous idea or opinion in regard to this common stock fund. Some
for want of reflection, may suppose that every man and every woman
must have the same fashioned houses to live in, or there would not be
an equality; they must have the same amount of furniture, or there
would not be an equality. Some may suppose that all must have the same
kind of bedding and everything precisely alike or there would be no
equality. But this is not the way God manifests himself in all the
works of his hands. Go to the field, the pasture or meadow, and learn
wisdom. Search from one end of the pasture to the other and see if you
can find two blades of grass that are exactly alike. It can not be
done, there is a little deviation, a little variety, and hence we see
from this that God delights in variety. But because one blade of grass
might be formed a little more pleasing to the eye than another, would
the first have any right, if it could reason, to say, "I am above that
other?" Not at all. It was made for a certain purpose, and so in
regard to everything else. No two men upon the face of the earth have
the same features. We have the general characteristics of the human
form, and we do not look like the original of man according to
Darwin's idea; we do not look like the monkey or baboon, from which
Darwin says man originated. Men the world over, have many features
bearing a general resemblance, and their form is moulded in the image
of the Most High. But when you come to scan the features of man
minutely, you will see some deviation in the countenances of all men
throughout all creation. Now, are they not equal? Do those little
distinguishing characteristics in the features make them unequal? Not
in the least. Then, because it might fall to my lot to make mortar,
and to another man's to take charge of a great store of merchandize,
both of us being agents, that does not make the mercantile agent any
better than the man who makes the mortar, and I should not expect to
wear the same kind of apparel that the man did who was behind the
counter. If I was making mortar I should not want on broadcloth, silk,
or satin; I should want apparel adapted to the particular class of
labor I was engaged in. Hence, there will be a distinction in these
things.

Vol. 17,  p.32
Then again, do you suppose that when we come together it would be
pleasing in the sight of God for every [p.33] man and every woman to
have on a Quaker bonnet or dress, or to pattern after the Shaking
Quakers; that each of the ladies should have on a ribbon that should
come under the bonnet, and be of just the same length? Not at all. God
delights in variety; we see it throughout all the works of his hands,
in every department of creation. Therefore men and women will dress
according to their tastes, so far as they can get the means.

Vol. 17,  p.33
You draw your means from the common stock fund, and if you have
stewardships set apart to you to manage, and you make little in the
stewardships, the Bishops who take charge of these matters will not
begin to inquire of you, "Well, brother, what kind of a hat have you
worn? Was it straw, and was the straw just so fine or just so coarse,
or was it a palm leaf hat you wore? I should like to know what kind of
a hat band you have had? Was it a hat band having a bow knot, and, if
so, was it any longer than your neighbors?" No such questions as these
will be asked; but each man, each family in the stewardship, whatever
they make, can exercise their own judgment in regard to many of these
things, as they do now; and when you come together on Sunday, it is
not expected that every man's and every woman's tastes would be to
dress precisely like their neighbors, but have variety, and that out
of the means of your stewardship.

Vol. 17,  p.33
But when you come to render up an account of that stewardship to the
Bishop at the end of the year, there may be some prominent, leading
questions asked, but not about these little matters. It will be asked
if you have squandered your stewardship unnecessarily; have you been
very extravagant in things unnecessary, and neglected other things of
importance? If you have done these things, you will be counted an
unwise steward, and you will be reproved; and perhaps, if you have
gone too far, you may be removed out of your stewardship, and another
person more worthy may step into it, and you be dropped because of
doing wrong. But there never will be any Bishop, who has the Spirit of
the living God upon him, who will inquire whether you have the same
size stoves in your house, and the same kind of plates, knives, forks,
and spoons as your neighbor; but you will have to give an account of
those prominent items. That is the way I look at this common stock
operation.

Vol. 17,  p.33
Then again, I do not know that the common stock operation which God
commanded us to enter into in Jackson County, Mo., will be suitable in
the year 1874. I commenced my discourse by showing that what was
suitable one year was not always suitable the next. I do not know but
here in Utah it may be necessary to vary martially from the principles
that were commanded to be observed in Jackson County, Mo. I do not
know but we may be required here to not only consecrate all that we
have, but even ourselves as well as the property we possess, so that
we may be directed by the Bishops and their counselors, or whoever may
be appointed, in regard to all our daily avocations. I do not know how
it will be. I have not heard. Down in Jackson County they were not
thus directed. Every man got his stewardship, and he occupied it, and
rendered an account of the same from time to time. But I do not know
but it may be necessary here in Utah that we should be directed
oftener than once a year, it may be that we shall be told weekly, and
perhaps in some cases daily; and perhaps the Bishop or overseer may
[p.34] say to-day, "Here, brother, I would like you to do so and so
to-day," and to-morrow he comes along and says, "I would like you to
stop that now; we have something else on hand; come with me, I will
put in my hands as well as you, for, although you have selected me by
your own voice to take charge, I am no better than you are, therefore
I will take hold with you and do all I can in connection. with you,
and let us go at this business to-day." Tomorrow there may be
something else, and the next day something else, perhaps, according to
the judgment of the Bishop and those who are appointed with him. In
this way we could, perhaps, more effectually carry out the mind and
will of God here in this desert country, than we could if we tried to
imitate the pattern which was given to us in another country.

Vol. 17,  p.34
We can not work here as we could in Jackson County, Mo. In that
country we did not have to irrigate. We could settle on a piece of
rising ground there, and the rains of heaven Watered it. We could
settle in the valley, and there were no ditches to be made. We could
settle in any part of the county, or of the counties round about, and
the rains of heaven would descend and water our land. And furthermore,
there was timber all around, groves of timber, and we could go out
before breakfast and get a lead of wood, and in the course of a few
days split rails enough to fence considerable of a patch of ground.
Here we have to labor under other circumstances. Here we have not
timber so that every man can fence his little farmer stewardship; we
have not strength enough. If we happen to farm on some of these high
grounds, it is very difficult to dig canals and water-ditches to water
our little stewardships. What shall we do, then? Join in together, be
of one heart and one mind, and let there be a common stock fund, so
far as property is concerned, and so far as our own individual labor
is concerned. Consequently, we need not think, because we may not be
organized precisely according to the law that was adapted to Jackson
County, that this counseling is void of the Spirit of God. Do not let
any person begin to think this. You need to co-operate together in
your labors. This is necessary in fencing a great many of our farms.
You need to co-operate in getting out your water from your
water-ditches to water your land, and you need to do it in a great
many other respects.

Vol. 17,  p.34
For instance, these mountains, which rise so majestically on the east
and on the west, are full of rich minerals, this is one of the richest
countries in the world. Will not some of the Latter-day Saints
eventually be required to act in the department of mining as well as
in the department of agriculture? Yes. Can one individual do as well
as half a dozen, or as well as a hundred, at mining? It may require
the experience of a vast amount of labor in order to develop the
resources of these mountains, and in that case co-operation will be
absolutely necessary.

Vol. 17,  p.34
"But," says one, "the Gentiles have already done that." But very
little, I will assure you. Here and there they have opened a mine, but
not one thousandth nor one ten-thousandth of that which exists and
which will be developed hereafter. Now, in all these departments the
Latter-day Saints must learn to be united, and I am glad to see, I
rejoice exceedingly to hear, that the President has been moved upon,
not only before he left Salt Lake City to go down South, but while he
has been there, [p.35] to alter the order of things that has existed
for many years here in these mountains, among the Latter-day Saints.
In what respect? To bring about a united order of things in regard to
their property and labor, and the development of the resources of our
farming land; in regard to raising flocks and herds, building, and
developing the mineral resources of our mountains. In all these
respects the President has seen the necessity of beginning to bring
about, gradually, as the way may open, a different order of things
that will strike the axe at the root of this pride and distinction of
classes. I am glad; I rejoice in it. Several of the Branches of the
Church south have already entered into this order.

Vol. 17,  p.35
Inquires one, "What is it, what kind of an order is it? Tell us all
about it." I would tell you as much as I thought was wisdom, if I
understood it myself; but I do not; I have had but very little
information about it. Suffice to say that I know that the order of
things that could have been carried out successfully in Jackson County
cannot be carried out here, on the same principle, without a little
variation, It cannot be done—circumstances require different laws,
different counsel, an order of things suited to the condition, of this
desert country.

Vol. 17,  p.35
"Are all the people going directly into this thing at once." "Yes, if
they choose; but you may depend upon it that in all cases whenever God
has moved upon his servants to introduce anything for the good of the
people, it takes time for the people to receive it—they do not receive
it all in a moment. The Lord is long-suffering—he bears with the
weaknesses and traditions of the people for a long time. When, by the
mouths of his servants, he counsels the people to do this, that, or
the other, and they are a little backward about it, he does not come
out in judgment as he did to ancient Israel, and cut them off by
thousands and tens of thousands. He does not do that, but he bears
with them, waits year after year. How long he has borne with all of
us! Forty-three years ago we were commanded to become one in regard to
our property. Forty-three years we have been in disobedience.
Forty-three years have rolled over our heads, and we are far from
oneness still. God has not cut us off, as he did ancient Israel, but
he has borne with us. Oh, how patient and long-suffering he has been
with us, perhaps thinking, "Peradventure, they will, by and by,
return, reform, repent, and obey my commandments that I gave them in
the first rise of the Church. I will wait upon them, I will extend
forth my hand to them all the day long, and see whether they will be
obedient." That is the way the Lord feels towards us. Should we not
pattern after him? If this order of things should reach Salt Lake
City, if these different wards should begin to be organized in some
measure, and the people begin to be divided, some entering into the
order and others refusing, should we not bear with those who do not?
Yes, bear with them, just as the Lord has borne with us, and not begin
to think that we are better than our neighbors who have not entered
into the order, and flatter ourselves that we are alive them, and
revile and persecute them, and exercise our influence against them,
saying, "Oh, they do not belong to the united order of God, they are
outside of it, and consequently we have not much respect for them." We
must not do this, for perhaps, though we may think we are on a firm
foundation, it may slip from under us, and we also may be brought into
[p.36] straightened circumstances. If we exercise patience,
long-suffering, and forbearance with the people until they learn by
experience what God is doing in our midst, many of these rich people
may come into the order, who now say in their hearts, "We will wait
and see whether this thing will prosper." If they are honest in heart,
they will finally come to the conclusion that the people in the united
order are a happy people; they are not lifted up in pride one above
another, and they will say, "I think I will go there, with all I have;
I will become one of them;" and in a little while they will come
along, while others, perhaps, will apostatize entirely. However, if
they want to go, let them go, they are of no particular benefit if
they feel to apostatize from anything which God has established for
the benefit of the people. May God bless you. Amen.

Brigham Young, April 18, 1874

Cease to Bring in and Build Up Babylon—Separate 
Yourselves From Sinners and From Sin—Have not Come 
With Any New Doctrine—We Must Be One—Without Works It 
Cannot Be Proved that Faith Exists—the Time Come to Organize 
the Saints—the Time and Energies of the Saints All that is 
Wanted—Geological Researches of Prof. Marsh—Scientific 
Demonstration of the Truth of the Book of Mormon

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered in the 
Meeting-House in Nephi City, Juab County, 
Saturday Morning, April 18, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.36
I am thankful that I enjoy the privilege of meeting with the Saints
here this morning. While I attempt to speak, I pray that I may have
the spirit of the holy Gospel, and have strength to proclaim its
teachings to my own and to your satisfaction. I also pray that you may
give strict attention. This prayer is offered to you, my brethren and
sisters. Pray for the Spirit to open your minds, enlighten your
understandings, strengthen me, and so help me, that I may speak the
words of truth to you, and that your hearts may be prepared to receive
them.

Vol. 17,  p.36
My remarks this morning I design as a text for my brethren and sisters
to speak and act upon. We have not come to you with any new doctrine,
nor with a new Bible, not by any means. Yet the doctrine we are now
preaching, in order to bring about a union among the Saints, seems to
be about as new to them [p.37] as the preaching by the Elders when
they first came to their several neighborhoods and called upon them to
hear and obey the first principles of the Gospel of Christ. I can say,
with all thankfulness and gratitude, that we have never seen the day,
from the time we first became acquainted with Joseph and the Church
and kingdom of God upon the earth, when the hearts of the people were
So well prepared to receive the greater blessings of the kingdom as
they are now. We are happy in saying this, for it is true; this is
encouraging, and fills me with hope and consolation, that, after
laboring and toiling with Joseph, and since his death, to unite the
Latter-day Saints, this is the first time that we have seen that we
can bring their hearts into a union. This should be encouraging to
each and every Latter-day Saint, and should teach us that the Lord is
merciful to us, that he still remembers us, that he is still feeling
after us, and that he is sending forth his voice—the voice of his
Spirit, into the hearts of his people, crying unto them—"Stop! Stop
your course! Cease to bring in and build up Babylon in your midst." It
is the duty of each and every one of us to reflect upon the office and
calling we possess, and see whether we are doing the will of the Lord,
and, if we are not, we should stop and begin anew to establish the
kingdom of God upon the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.37
I will now read a portion of Scripture from the 14th chapter of the
Revelations of John, beginning at the 6th verse: "And I saw another
angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to
preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and
kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God,
and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and
worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the
fountains of waters." I will also read from the 18th chapter of
Revelation, commencing at the 4th verse: "And I heard another voice
from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not
partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her
sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities."

Vol. 17,  p.37
I will ask the Latter-day Saints, Do we, as a people, believe that the
angel referred to in the 6th verse of the 14th chapter of John's
revelation, has flown through the midst of heaven, that he has been to
earth, called upon Joseph, delivered the revelations of the Lord,
restored the Priesthood, &c.? Dowe, as Latter-day Saints, believe that
this angel has been to earth, and that he has committed the Gospel
unto the children of men? We certainly should not be here today, if we
did not believe this, and that, too, with all our hearts. This is the
answer given, for himself and herself, by every Latter-day Saint, "We
believe, most firmly, that the Gospel has been revealed in these last
days unto and through Joseph Smith the Prophet; that the Priesthood
and its keys were bestowed upon him, and through him upon others; and
that the proclamation has gone forth to the nations of the earth—"Come
out of her, my people," &c., as mentioned in that portion of Scripture
contained in Revelations, 18th chap. and 4th verse.

Vol. 17,  p.37
Has this proclamation been heard by any of the inhabitants of the
earth? Yes, the Latter-day Saints most assuredly believe that this
Scripture was fulfilled in the rise of the Church of Jesus Ohrist of
Latter-day Saints. By and by the cry will be, as prophesied by John
the Revelator, [p.38] "Babylon is fallen." This is in the future; but
this people believe that the voice of the angel has been heard,
calling upon the honest in heart in every nation, to come out from
confusion and discord, and from the transgressions of the children of
men. The cry has come to them—"Separate yourselves from sinners and
from sin." If we, as a people, had not believed this, we should not
have been here this day. "Be not partakers of her sins, lest ye
receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
hath remembered her iniquities." This we believe, consequently I have
to say to the people, we have not come with any new doctrine; we have
believed this ever since we were baptized for the remission of sins.
Have the people come out from. the nations? Yes. Have we separated
ourselves from the nations?Yes. And what else have we done? Ask
ourselves the question. Have we not brought Babylon with us? Are we
not promoting Babylon here in our midst? Are we not fostering the
spirit of Babylon that is now abroad on the face of the whole earth? I
ask myself this question, and I answer, Yes, yes, to some extent and
there is not a Latter-day Saint but what feels that we have too much
of Babylon in our midst. The spirit of Babylon is too prevalent here.
What is it? Confusion, discord, strife, animosity, vexation, pride,
arrogance, selfwill and the spirit of the world. Are these things in
the midst of those called Latter-day Saints? Yes, and we feel this.

Vol. 17,  p.38
I now ask my brethren and sisters who enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, if
we have not traveled as far as we should travel on this road—the high
road to destruction, the great highway, the broad gate through which
so many pass? The gate is wide the way is broad, and many there be
that go in thereat; and many calling themselves Latter-day Saints are
scrambling to see how quick they can get in. The spirit of confusion
is in the midst of this people, and we have traveled this road just as
far as we can travel it and be Saints. Is this the experience of the
Latter-day Saints? I can answer that it is; and now, that the Lord is
moving upon his servants to bring the Saints to a oneness, there is a
spirit resting upon them, and if you talk with them, they will say,
at. once, "Yes, this is right, we must be one. This is the doctrine
that Joseph taught, and the revelations that were first given through.
Joseph were for the Church to gather together. We were then commanded
to come out from the wicked and to consecrate what we had, lay it at
the feet of the Bishops, receive our inheritance, improve thereupon,
and be one—be as the family of heaven upon earth." This is the spirit
of the people, and they say: "Thank the Lord, I have prayed for this
for years and years. I have looked for and expected it, and I am
exceedingly thankful it has come."

Vol. 17,  p.38
I will now quote another portion of Scripture, which I think you are
pretty well acquainted with, if you read the Bible. it is one of the
last petitions that the Savior presented to his Father in heaven,
while he was upon the earth—a short prayer which he made on behalf of
his disciples. He had but very few, for, notwithstanding his many
miracles and wonderful works, very few seemed to cling to and have
confidence in him at all times and under all circumstances; but there
were a few who wished to and who did remain with him until his death,
that is, they stood a little way off; they said—"We are going to  see
what they are [p.39] going to do with him." But before Peter denied
him, and before he was taken by the soldiers, he offered a brief,
simple prayer to his Father He had been talking with and exhorting his
brethren, and showing them the necessity of living according to the
faith that he had taught them, and he offered up this
petition—"Father, make these my disciples one, as we are one, I in
thou, thou in me, and I in them, that we may all be one; and I pray
not for these only, but for all who believe on me through their
testimony." This is a simple prayer. Did he who offered it mean
anything, or did he not? If he meant anything, what did he mean? How
much did he mean, and how did he calculate his disciples to construe
this short prayer in their lives, in their walk, faith and practice
after he was taken from them? How far, how much and wherein did he
want them to be one? Can any of you show to us exactly what he meant?
If you say he meant that every one who believed on him should be one
in their belief, that is sectarianism. Take the mother Church—the
"Holy Catholic Church"—and the prayer of its members is that all may
be Catholics: "Father, I pray thee to make the people all holy
Catholics." This is the faith and prayer of the Catholics, and the
meaning they give to the petition of Jesus. The same with the
Calvinists; and when they present themselves before the throne of
grace, the burden of their petition is—"I pray thee, Father, make
these people one as we are one; influence them to leave the Catholic
Church, to revolt and come out from that wicked mother, that wicked
harlot, that wicked Church, and declare themselves believers in that
pure and holy doctrine that God has decreed all things that take
place." Go to those who believe in the doctrine of freewill, which,
you know, comprehends many of the so-called Christian societies of the
world, and they come up with a double and twisted storm,—"God
Almighty, make them all Methodists! Yes, lets all be Methodists." I
pray thee, Father, to take away the vail from the minds of this
people, that they may see it is free grace and free will! God be
praised, let's all be Methodists." This is how the sectarians explain
and define the meaning of that memorable prayer of the Savior that his
followers might be one; and you will excuse me for my manner of
illustrating it—I did this to illustrate facts just as they are.

Vol. 17,  p.39
Did Jesus mean this, or did he not? Had he any allusion whatever to
one here on the right, and to another on the left, each crying—"Lo!
here is Christ, and lo! there is Christ, He is not yonder? And another
one pointing this way, and another that way, and so on to every point
of the compass? What does all this portray before the mind of the
rational being, the philosopher, one who has the spirit of revelation,
and who understands the words of life and has the keys of life to the
people; and to all who believe in the revelations of the Lord Jesus in
the latter days? Confusion upon confusion, discord, strife, animosity,
vexation, perplexity, warring to the knife and slaying each other. Oh,
the number of Christian wars there have been upon the face of the
earth! We can very readily and truthfully say that true Christians—the
members of the true Church of Christ on the earth—never take the sword
unless to defend themselves.

Vol. 17,  p.39
Brethren and sisters, we want to understand what the Savior meant when
he prayed that his disciples might be one. One in faith? Yes. One in
doctrine? Yes. One in practice?[p.40] Yes. One in interests? Yes. One
in hope? Yes, and all concentrated in the kingdom of God on the earth
and the establishment thereof, the fulfilment of the Scriptures, the
gathering of the Saints, and the salvation of the inhabitants of the
earth. This is the oneness and the union the Savior meant. Let me here
ask the question, Did the Savior design that we should be one with
regard to faith in him, repentance of sin, baptism for the remission
thereof, the imposition of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, the
gifts and graces of the Spirit of the Lord, that there might be in the
Church first Apostles, then Prophets, pastors, teachers, helps,
governments, diversities of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of
discernment of spirits; also the gift, of faith, so that if poison be
administered it should not hurt the believer; and if there should be a
necessity to take up serpents, it should be done without danger? Yes,
all this is included in the oneness prayed for by the Savior; and some
of the gifts I have enumerated have been witnessed by most of us. I
myself have seen rattlesnakes handled as you would handle a piece of
rope. I remember one night, when going to Missouri, in the year 1834,
I was spreading our blankets on the tall prairie grass, which was
pretty thick and heavy, that a rattle-snake was under my hands and
warned me of his presence by his rattles. I called to one of the
brethren who was helping, and turning back the blanket said to
him—"Take this snake and carry it off and tell it not to come back
again; and to say to its neighbors do not come into our camp tonight,
lest some one might kill you." He took up the snake and carried it off
several reds from the camp, and told it to stay away, and to tell its
neighbors not to come into the camp, for they might get killed if they
did. Many such circumstances have transpired in the experience of the
Elders of this Church; but we need not stop to relate them, for it is
well known that the gifts of the Gospel are in this Church, such as
healing, faith, speaking with tongues, discerning spirits, prophecy,
&c., and I need not dwell upon them now.

Vol. 17,  p.40
I will now ask the question, where is the individual who can draw the
line and show us that, when Jesus prayed that his disciples might be
one, he meant a oneness only in spiritual things, and that it was not
to extend to temporal affairs? Will any of you draw the line and tell
us? For I am certain that I flare not wisdom enough to define the line
between spiritual and temporal things. I know notching about faith in
the Lord, without works corresponding therewith; they must go
together, for without works you can not prove that faith exists. We
might cry out, until the day of our death, that we love the Savior,
but if we neglected to observe his sayings he would not believe us. We
have his own words to prove this. There were a great many who
pretended to think considerable of him while he was here in the flesh;
but he said to his disciples—"If you love me, keep my commandments."
This was the proof he demanded, then works and faith went together.
The same principle holds good with parents and children. If any of you
have a child which says—"I love you, mamma, Oh, I love you dearly;"
you, to test the sincerity of the child's professions, say: "Well,
then, my child, you will desist from doing that which displeases me.
Come here, and I will give you a little work to do;" or, "I wish you
to sit down on that chair, and let that crockery alone;" or, "Do not
tear up that cloth, my [p.41] daughter; if you love me, come and sit
down by my side." "Oh, I love you dearly," says the little girl, but
she keeps tearing up the cloth, or sticking pins and needles into the
flesh of the other children. "Mamma, I love you most dearly." "Well,
then," says mamma, "you must not afflict or give pain to your sister,
or your brother; you are naughty to do so, and you must stop this
mischief." But the child continues her naughtiness, still declaring
that she loves her mother, though she will not do one thing her mother
wishes her to do. Such a child needs chastisement; if soft words will
not answer, severity must. Is not this a fact? You have older children
who profess to be very fond of you; they will say: "Father, I think
everything of you," and yet they will take a course that is grievous,
annoying and disagreeable, and quite contrary to your feelings and
wishes. Will a father believe the professions of such children? Not
much, I think. To use another comparison: Suppose a young lady dearly
loves a young gentleman, who states to others that he is equally as
fond of her, and would be very glad to express to her his feelings,
but he never calls to see her; now though he may declare to others how
much he loves her, the young lady will say—"I do not believe a word of
it, for I know that he would make it known to me, if he did." He might
declare until doomsday, that he loved her, but, unless he told her so
and proved it by his works, she would say—"That is all folly, he does
not mean what he says." Neither will you or I believe that anybody
loves us and wishes to promote our joy and comfort, so long as that
person acts contrary thereto; neither will Jesus. And unless these
Latter-day Saints stop now, and go to work and prove by their acts
that they are the disciples of the Lord Jesus, He will spew them out.

Vol. 17,  p.41
We have gone just as far as we can be permitted to go in the road on
which we are now traveling. One man has his eye on a gold mine,
another is for a silver mine, another is for marketing his flour or
his wheat, another for selling his cattle, another to raise cattle,
another to get a farm, or building here and there, and trading and
trafficking with each other, just like Babylon, taking advantage
wherever we can, and all going just as the rest of the world. Babylon
is here, and we are following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of
the earth, who are in a perfect sea of confusion. Do you know this?
You ought to, for there are none of you but what see it daily; it is a
daily spectacle before your eyes and mine, to see the Latter-day
Saints trying to take advantage of their brethren. There are Elders in
this Church who would take the widow's last cow, for five dollars, and
then kneel down and thank God for the fine bargain they had made.

Vol. 17,  p.41
I have come to this conclusion, which I have preached for years and
years and years, and Joseph preached it up to the time of his death,
that the people must leave Babylon and confusion behind them, and be
the servants and handmaidens of the Lord; they must be His family.
They have gathered out from Babylon, and they must prepare themselves
to stand in holy places, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man.
I have been watching and waiting, just as steadily, and as earnestly
and faithfully as ever a mother watched over an infant child, to see
when this people would be ready to receive the doctrine, or the first
lessons or revelations given when the center stake of Zion was first
located to consecrate [p.42] their property, and be indeed the
servants and handmaidens of the Lord, and labor with all, their hearts
to do His will and build up His kingdom on the earth; and I have never
seen the time when we could organize one little society, or one little
ward; but, thank God, the time has come, the Spirit of the Lord is
upon the people.

Vol. 17,  p.42
Is it a new doctrine to us that God's people should and must be one in
everything? It is an old doctrine; shall I say it is as old as the
hills, as old as the mountains, as old as this world? Yes, I can say
it is as old as my Father in heaven; it is an eternal doctrine; it is
from eternity to eternity. Ask yourselves the question, Do you expect
to go to heaven when you depart this life? "Yes, yes, I am going to
the Paradise of God;" I am going to dwell with the Saints of the Most
High in the presence of the Father and the Son." How many interests
will there be there? How many locations, or central places of deposit
for the affections, labors and wealth of all who dwell there? All in
one, all for God, all for his glory and his kingdom, and the extension
of his dominions through the immensity of space, kingdoms on kingdoms,
every heart and every breath, every voice and every eye, and every
feeling for the glory of God. Then ask ourselves,—Is the Lord going to
have a Church upon the earth? Is the Lord going to have a kingdom on
the earth? Certainly, Daniel saw this in the days of Nebuchadnezzar,
and gave a description, or rather a hint, in regard to the
establishment of that kingdom, when the kingdoms of this world would
be handed over to the Saints of the Most High, and they would possess
the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom for ever and ever.

Vol. 17,  p.42
Are we going to enter into the kingdom? Are we going to be prepared
for the coming of the Son of Man? Are we going to be prepared to enter
into the fullness of the glory of the Father and the Son? Not so long
as we live according to the principles of Babylon. Now we are, every
man for himself. One says: "This is my property, and I am for
increasing it." Another says; "This is mine," Another: "I will do as I
please; I will go where I please and when I please; I will do this,
that, or the other; and if I have a mind to raise grain here and take
it to market and give it away, it is none of your business." It will
be said to all such persons, who profess to be Latter-day Saints:—"I
never knew you; you never were Saints."

Vol. 17,  p.42
Now I wish to give you a little of our late experience with regard to
the Savior and his doctrines. We have organized in this United Order,
commencing at St. George. A thousand thoughts rise in my mind, looking
at the subject generally. "St. George! Are you going to send me down
to St. George? Why, it is like sending me out of the world!" But I
must not talk about this: suffice it to say that St. George is one of
the most beautiful places on this little farm—this world that we
occupy—this little farm of the Lord's, one of the choicest places on
the face of the earth. I see more wealth in that small place than in
any other location, of its size, in this Territory, or in these
mountains; and I always have.

Vol. 17,  p.42
We have organized a small Branch there, or, rather, I may say a
tolerably large one. I preached a good deal in St. George. It seemed
to be the only place we could begin our work; they were the only
people we could organize; but we did organize there. God designs to
make the [p.43] people of one heart and one mind from Monday morning
to Monday morning again, and that everything they do on the earth
shall promote His cause and kingdom, and the happiness and salvation
of the human family. "Well," said they, "we do not understand; we
believe we ought to be one, and that we ought to go into the order of
Enoch. We understand very well that Enoch was so pure and holy that
his city was taken, and the saying went abroad that Zion is fled. This
we believe as firmly as you can." Then some others would say, "There
will not be one ward organized after the brethren go over the rim of
the basin." We organized every ward or town south of the rim of the
basin, and left them in tolerably good working order, so far as they
had advanced. The only trouble with them was, "they did not
understand." They would say, "It is right, and the Scriptures tell us
about it; but we do not understand the mode of its operation." One man
came to me, an old "Mormon," whom I have known over forty-two years,
just as we were organizing. and said—"Brother Brigham, I have preached
for you all the time. I did the same for brother Joseph. Brother
Joseph preached this doctrine; is it not strange that the people do
not see it?" "Then," said I, "you are ready to put down your name?"
His answer was—"I will think about it." You do not fully understand
your own faith, nor the doctrines you preach to the people, if you do
not understand this doctrine; and are not as ready to enter it as you
would be to lay down this mortal body and enter heaven if God should
call you, or to do any other duty. Suffice it to say, God will
establish this order on the face of the earth, and if we do not help
Him, others will, and they will enjoy the benefits of it.

Vol. 17,  p.43
When we came this side the rim of the basin, we found the people more
willing than south of the rim of the basin to come forward and
organize, for they felt that we have traveled as far as we can on our
present road, without going to destruction. One Bishop wrote to
me—"Please come and organize us. I am glad you are coming this way, we
want to be organized. I know that we have to consecrate to somebody,
and I would rather consecrate to the Lord than to the devil. We have
to consecrate to one or the other, and very soon too." He is a very
good Bishop; he is full of the spirit of this work, and can not keep
from talking about it.

Vol. 17,  p.43
We now want to organize the Latter-day Saints, every man, woman and
child among them, who has a desire to be organized, into this holy
order. You may call it the Order of Enoch, you may call it
co-partnership, or just what you please. It is the United Order of the
Kingdom of God on the earth; but we say the Order of Enoch off the
same principle you find in the revelation concerning the Priesthood,
which, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the name of the Deity,
is called the Priesthood after the order of Melchisedec. This order is
the order of heaven, the family of heaven on the earth; it is the
children of our Father here upon the earth organized into one body or
one family, to operate together.

Vol. 17,  p.43
As individuals we do not want your farms, we do not want your houses
and city lots, we do not want your horses and your cattle, we do not
want your gold and your silver, nor anything of the kind. "Well, then,
what do you want?" We want the time of this people called Latter-day
Saints, that we can organize this time systematically, and make [p.44]
this people the richest people on the face of the earth. If we are the
people of God, we are to be the richest people on the earth, and these
riches are to be held in God, not in the devil. God tells us how we
may accomplish this, as plainly and as surely as he told Joshua and
the people of Israel how to cause the downfall of the walls of
Jericho. They were to march around the walls once a day for seven
days, then seven times in one day, and the last time they went round
the walls they blew their horns with all their might, and down fell
the walls of Jericho. We do not understand all about this, if we did,
we should understand that it was as simple as any of the acts of the
Lord: as simple as being baptized for the remission of sins. We want
now to organize the people. Says one—"Don't you want my money and my
goods?" We want you to put them into the kingdom of God, into the
vaults that are prepared, into the archives, the safe, the
institution, to help to increase means for the kingdom of God on the
earth. And what are we to have when we enter this order? What we need
to eat, drink and wear, and strict obedience to the requirements of
those whom the Lord sets to guide and direct; that our sisters,
instead of teasing their husbands for a dollar, five dollars,
twenty-five dollars, for a fine dress, bonnet, or artificials for
themselves or their daughters, may go to work and learn how to make
all these things for themselves, being organized into societies or
classes for that purpose. And the brethren will be organized to do
their farming, herding and raising cattle, sheep, fruit, grain and
vegetables; and when they have raised these products, every particle
be gathered into a storehouse or storehouses, and every one have what
is needed to sustain him. But the people will stop going here, there,
and yonder, and saying—"I am after the gold," "I am after the silver,"
or this, that and the other. They will stop this folly and nonsense,
for they have already impoverished themselves too much by taking so
unwise a course. Looking at matters in a temporal point of view, and
in the light of strict economy, I am ashamed to see the poverty that
exists among the Latter-day Saints. They ought to be worth millions
and millions, and millions on millions, where they are not worth a
dollar. Should they spend their means in folly and nonsense? No, not a
dollar of it, but put all into the general fund for the benefit of the
kingdom. Organize the brethren and sisters, and let each and every one
have their duties to perform. Where they are destitute of houses, and
it is convenient, the most economical plan that can be adopted is to
have buildings erected large enough to accommodate a number of
families. For instance, we will say there are a hundred families in
this place who have not houses fit to live in. We will erect a
building large enough to accommodate them all comfortably, with every
convenience for cooking, washing, ironing, &c.; and then, instead of
each one of a hundred women getting up in the morning to cook
breakfast for father and the large boys, that they may go to their
labor, while the little children are crying and needing attention,
breakfast for the whole can be prepared by five or ten women, with a
man or two to help. Some may say—"This would be confusion." Not at
all, it would do away with it. Another one says—"It will be a great
trial to my feelings, if I am obliged to go and breakfast with all
these men and women. I am faint and sick, and do not eat much, and I
[p.45] want my breakfast prepared in peace." Then build side rooms by
the dozen or score, where you can eat by yourselves; and if you wish
to invite three or four to eat with you, have your table, and
everything you call for is sent to you. "Well, but I do not like this
confusion of children." Let the children have their dining room to
themselves, and let a certain number of the sisters be appointed to
take charge of the nursery and see that they have proper food, in
proper quantities and at proper times, so as to preserve system and
good order as far as possible, that a love of order may be established
in their youthful minds, and they learn how to conduct themselves.
Then let there be good teachers in the school rooms; and have
beautiful gardens, and take the little folks out and show them the
beautiful flowers, and teach them in their childhood the names and
properties of every flower and plant, teaching them to understand
which are astringent, which cathartic; this is useful for coloring,
that is celebrated for its combination of beautiful colors, &c. Teach
them lessons of beauty and usefulness while they are young, instead of
letting them play in the dirt, making mud balls, and drawing the mud
in their hats, and soiling their dresses, and cultivate their mental
powers from childhood up. When they are old enough, place within their
reach the advantages and benefits of a scientific education. Let them
study the formation of the earth, the organization of the human
system, and other sciences; such a system of mental culture and
discipline in early years is of incalculable benefit to its possessor
in mature years. Take, for instance, the young ladies now before me,
as well as the young men, and form a class in geology, in chemistry or
mineralogy; and do not confine their studies to theory only, but let
them put in practice what they learn from books, by defining the
nature of the soil, the composition or decomposition of a rock, how
the earth was formed, its probable age, and so forth. All these are
problems which science attempts to solve, although some of the views
of our great scholars are undoubtedly very speculative. In the study
of the sciences I have named, our young folks will learn how it is
that, in traveling in our mountains, we frequently see sea
shells—shells of the oyster, clam, &c. Ask our boys and girls now to
explain these things, and they are not able to do so; but establish
classes for the study of the sciences, and they will become acquainted
with the various facts they furnish in regard to the condition of the
earth. It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, according to the
revelations, to give their children the best education that can be
procured, both from the books of the world and the revelations of the
Lord. If our young men will study the sciences, they will stop riding
fast horses through the streets, and other folly and nonsense which
they are now guilty of, and they will become useful and honorable
members of the community.

Vol. 17,  p.45
I have been very much interested of late with regard to the studies
and researches of the geologists who have been investigating the
geological character of the Rocky Mountain country. Professor Marsh,
of Yale College, with a class of his students, has spent, I think,
four summers in succession in the practical study of geology in these
mountain regions. What is the result of his researches? There is one
result, so far, that particularly pleases me. There are some here who
know a man by the name of John Hyde, from London, formerly [p.46] a
member of this Church, who apostatized and went back; and his great
argument against the Book of Mormon was, that it stated that the old
Jaredites and, perhaps, the Nephites, who formerly lived on this
continent, had horses, while it is well known that horses were unknown
to the aboriginal inhabitants of America when it was discovered by
Columbus, and that there were no horses here until they were imported
from Europe. Now, since Professor Marsh and his class began their
investigations, they have found among the fossil remains of the
extinct animals of America no less than fourteen different kinds of
horses, varying in height from three to nine feet. These discoveries
made Professor Marsh's students feel almost as though they could eat
up these mountains, and their enthusiasm for studying the geology of
the regions around Bridger's Fort was raised to the highest pitch. In
their researches among these mountains they have formed the opinion
that there was once a large inland sea here, and they think they have
discovered the outlet where the water broke forth and formed Green
River. Here in these valleys and in these ranges of mountains we can
follow the ancient water line. This discovery of Professor Marsh is
particularly pleasing to us "Mormons," because he has so far
scientifically demonstrated the Book of Mormon to be true.

Vol. 17,  p.46
Here is the kingdom of God; do you want to enter into it, or not? Do
you want the future blessings of this kingdom, or do you not? Have
your choice; but whomsoever you list to obey, his servants you will
be, whether it is Jesus or the devil; please yourselves, have your
choice. But all know we can not serve two masters acceptably; if we
love one, we shall hate the other, and if we hold on to one, we shall
despise the other. We must either be for the kingdom of God, or not.
But we shall organize this holy order here before we leave. We give
the invitation to all of you to come and get organized. Let us be one;
let us carry out the order that God has established for the family of
heaven.

Vol. 17,  p.47
God bless you.[p.47] 

John Taylor, April 19, 1874

The United Order—We Want the Most Perfect Union—the 
Working of the Order to Be Such that All Honest 
Men Can Sustain It—Home Manufacture

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the Meeting-House, 
at Nephi, Juab County, Sunday Morning April 19, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.47
We have heard a good deal since we have assembled, in relation to what
is called the Order of Enoch, the New Order, the United Order, or
whatever name we may give to it. It is new and then it is old, for it
is everlasting as I understand it. I am asked sometimes—"Do you
understand it?" Yes, I do, no, I do not, yes I do, no, I don't, and
both are true; we know that such an order must be introduced, but are
not informed in relation to the details, and I guess it is about the
same with most of you. We have been talking about an order that is to
be introduced and established among the Saints of God for the last
forty-two years, but we have very little information given us
concerning it, either in the Scriptures or in the Book of Mormon. The
fullest detail that we have of it is in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, and that is the case with almost everything pertaining to
the kingdom of God on the earth; and hence I have said, and say now,
that I believe that Joseph Smith revealed more in relation to the
kingdom of God, and was a greater Prophet than perhaps any other man
who ever lived except Jesus. I do not know how far Enoch and perhaps
some others on this continent went; if we had further records from the
Book of Mormon they might throw more light on subjects with which we
are not at present very well acquainted.

Vol. 17,  p.47
We occupy a very remarkable position; we are living in a peculiar day
and age of the world, in the dispensation of the fullness of times.
When the President communicated with us a little before starting from
the south, about this new order, I really did not know what shape it
would assume or how it would be introduced, but it had got to come;
and then, on the other hand, I do not know that we need have very much
anxiety in relation to the matter, for if it be of God, it must be
right, and its introduction is only a question of time. As to the
modus operandi, that is another question. I have sometimes thought, to
tell the truth, that we might have different orders, perhaps the
patriarchal order, perhaps the order of Enoch, and perhaps an
all-things-in-common order, all operating under one head; but I do not
know anything definitely about it, and it is not my business. I have
had reflections of that kind running through my mind, inasmuch as it
[p.48] is "the dispensation of the fullness of times when God will
gather together all things in one." The greatest embarrassment that we
have to contend with at the present time is not in knowing what to do,
but knowing how to do it, and the circumstances with which we are
surrounded, not so much among our own people as outsiders, and then
again among our own people, for we find all kinds of persons amongst
us now, as we always have done. Some will start right into anything of
this kind, perhaps with a determination to do right, or at least half
right; but when they get started in the operation, something or other
comes up and they back up, break the traces and play the devil
generally. I expect there will be a good deal of the same kind of
thing associated with this, as there has been with other things that
have been started. I do not expect that every one that is loud-mouthed
and seemingly very anxious that this thing should be introduced is
going to stick by it for ever and ever, any more than many others have
done in other things. At the same time I think it is very proper that
the servants of God should be brought under an influence which
emanates from him, and that that influence should govern them in all
things, temporal as well as spiritual. For my part, I can not see why
it is that men should be so much attached to the things of this world,
and why they are so extremely desirous to have their own way in
relation to them; that is a thing I never could understand. We like
freedom, God has put it in our bosoms; and as I said to President
George A., the other day, in talking about this matter, in organizing
the Order of Enoch, as it may be called, we want on the one hand the
most perfect union; and on the other hand the most extended personal
liberty that it is possible for men to enjoy consonant with carrying
out the principles of unity. Not the liberty to trample on other
people's rights; not the liberty to take from people that which
belongs to them; not the liberty to infringe upon public interests or
the public benefit, but personal liberty so far as we can enjoy it.
These are my ideas and feelings in relation to these matters, based
upon the principles of truth and, as it is said,—"If the truth shall
make you free, then shall you be free indeed, sons of God without
rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation."

Vol. 17,  p.48
In relation to religious matters I would not have a religion that I
could not sustain, and that God would not sustain me in; I do not want
it, nor to have anything to do with it. One thing I have always felt
proud of, and that is, that the principles of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ were so plain, clear, pointed, definite and incontrovertible
that they defied the whole world, and so far as I have gone, and the
servants of God around me, no man has ever been able to successfully
gainsay one solitary principle connected with the Church and kingdom
of God upon the earth, that is, in regard to what we term sometimes
spiritual things. I want to see the same principle established in
relation to our temporal matters, and I believe, from what little
conversation I have had with the brethren, that that is their feeling.
In relation to these matters I do not want to see one solitary
principle flint an honest, honorable man cannot sustain; but let
everything be so that it can be dragged right forth to the daylight,
and turned over and over and over and examined all sides up, and
inside out, and see that it is [p.49] true, good, honorable, upright
and honest in every particular. That is the kind of thing we want, as
honest men, and we want to get at things in that kind of a way; and if
they will not bear investigation of that kind, I should have just the
same opinion of them as I have about unsound religious matters, and I
should not want anything to do with them. I do not want anything that
cannot be sustained in the face of open day, and in the face of God,
angels, men and devils.

Vol. 17,  p.49
It is asked—"Well, what is the Order?" We do not know exactly, we know
it in part; it is just as Paul said in his day—"We see in part, end we
prophecy in part" &c. But to begin with, unless some change does take
place in relation to our temporal matters, our situation is anything
but pleasant. The fact of the matter is, we are all of us on the
highway to financial or temporal ruin. The world is going to the devil
just as fast as it can go. Corruption, fraud, chicanery, deception,
evil and iniquity of every kind prevail, so that you cannot trust a
man in any place, you can not rely upon his word, you can not rely
upon any instrument of writing that he gets up, and there is nothing
you can rely upon. Every day's news brings accounts of defalcations,
frauds, infamies, rottenness and corruptions of every kind, enough to
sink a nation from the presence of God and all honorably beings. And
this is not only so in the United States, but other nations, in ours
especially.

Vol. 17,  p.49
We, as a people, have come out from Babylon, but we have brought a
great amount of these infernal principles with us, and we have been
grabbing, grasping, pinching, squeezing, hauling, horning and hooking
on every side, and it seems as though every man was for himself and
the devil for us all. That is about the position we are in to-day. We
want a change in these things. We have come to Zion. What to do? Why
to do the will of God, to accomplish his purposes, to save ourselves,
our progenitors and our posterity, and we have come because the Spirit
of God led us here through the instrumentality of the holy Priesthood
of God. Jesus Says—"My sheep hear my voice, and they know me and they
will follow me, and a stranger they will not follow, because they know
not the voice of a stranger." We who have gathered here have been
going in a curious, crooked kind of a way, but we have nevertheless
started to build up the kingdom of God and to establish correct
principles upon the earth and to help to redeem it. Can we accomplish
this by continuing in the course we have hitherto pursued? No, verily,
no. But I will tell you how I have always felt, both in Joseph's day
and since then, whenever the Lord has wrought upon the man who stands
at the head of his people to introduce anything for the welfare of his
kingdom, it is time to look out, and to carry out the counsels that
are given; and yesterday, after I arrived here, and had seen President
Young, and conversed with him, and then heard him and others speak on
these principles, I said to him, "The old fiddle is in tune, the
sacred fire is glowing and burning;" and I think so still. The old
fiddle is in tune, the right feeling, spirit and influence are
operating, and we all feel them.

Vol. 17,  p.49
A great deal has been said about the evils that exist, end we might
talk for days about the necessity of something being introduced for
the welfare and happiness of the Saints of God here in Zion. I
suppose, on a reasonable calculation, that there are ten thousand men
out of employment [p.50] in this Territory, perhaps for five months in
a year. Now, if they were at work, and only got one dollar a day,
there would be ten thousand dollars a day earned, which in five months
would make a very large sum, one million three hundred thousand
dollars I think. We are bringing in here all kinds of things that we
ought to make ourselves. What are our broom makers and coopers doing?
What are you doing with your molasses mills, and where do you get your
cloth, shoes, hats, shirts and things of this kind from? It takes
quite an amount to supply them, they must come from somewhere, and the
question is, where do they all come from? At a Bishops' meeting in
Salt Lake City I said I wanted to get a well bucket, but I could not
tell where to get it, and I wished some of them would tell me where;
but they could not tell me, although there were a good many Bishops
present. This is a pretty state of things It is true that we have made
some advances in some branches of manufacture. There is a big factory
in Provo, some near Salt Lake City, one at Ogden, one at Box-Elder and
one in the South. It has required great efforts on the part of
President Young and others to establish these institutions, and when
we get them we do not want the cloth. We do no not want our shoes made
here—we would rather send off our hides, and get somebody east to make
them, they can make shoes so much better there than here. Then we do
not want leather shoes here, we must send off and get a lot of paper
things, with heels high enough to put anybody's ankles out of joint.

Vol. 17,  p.50
Well, my opinion is, that with home labor properly directed and
applied, we shall have all the bread, butter, cheese, shoes, cloth,
hats, bonnets, shawls and everything that we need, and I think, as the
President has said, if we behave ourselves, we shall get pretty rich.
That is all right enough, though riches are only a little thing, in
comparison to the great principles of eternal lives and exaltation in
the kingdom of God, the riches of eternity. But my time has expired
and I must close. Amen.[p.51] 

Brigham Young, May 3, 1874

The Things of God Known By the Spirit of God—the Light and 
Intelligence of God Without Money and Price—Now 
True Religion Without Science—All Will Be 
Saved Except the Sons of Perdition

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered in the 
New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 3, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.51
It is nearly time to close this meeting, but I desire to speak a few
words. I have very much that I wish to convey to the Latter-day
Saints, but I can only say, in as few words as possible, a little at a
time, upon a few subjects which I wish to lay before the Saints.
First, looking upon the Latter-day Saints, the inquiry within myself
is—Do you know whether I am leading you right or not? Do you know
whether I dictate you right or not? Do you know whether the wisdom and
the mind of the Lord are dispensed to you correctly or not? These are
questions which I will answer by quoting a little Scripture, and
saying to the Latter-day Saints what was said to the Saints in former
times, "No man knoweth the things of God, but by the Spirit of God."
That was said in the days of the Savior and the Apostles, and it was
no, more true then than it is now, or than it was in the days of the
Prophets, Moses, Abraham, Noah, leech, Adam, or in any and every age
of the world. It requires the same manifestations in one age as in
another, to enable men to understand the things of God. I have a
request to make of each and every Latter-day Saint, or those who
profess to be, to so live that the Spirit of the Lord will whisper to
them and teach them the truth, and define to their understanding the
difference between truth and error, light and darkness, the things of
God and the things that are not of God. In this there is safety;
without this there is danger, imminent danger; and my exhortation to
the Latter-day Saints is—Live your religion.

Vol. 17,  p.51
Among all intelligent beings upon the earth there is a great mistake
in regard to dispensing to others the knowledge they possess. In the
political world, right here, and through our government and other
governments, there is a great desire in each and every one, who is
prominent and influential, to manage their political affairs by and
with their friends, and to keep their enemies from knowing anything
about them, which creates a party feeling, and parties promote
distrust and jealousy, which lead to discord and strife. Such is also
the [p.52] case in the financial world. In our trading and trafficking
we wish to confine the knowledge of our business in as small a limit
as possible, that others may not know what we are doing, lest we
should lose our good bargains and fail in our schemes.

Vol. 17,  p.52
It is more or less the same in the religious world. We wish to know a
great deal, and do not want our neighbors to know as much as we do,
but wish them to believe that we know it all. This trait of character
is very common, both here and through the whole world. We all wish to
know something that our neighbors do not know. With scientific men you
will often find the same trait of character: "My studies and my
researches are beyond those of my neighbors; I know more than they
know; I treasure this up to myself, and I am looked upon as a superior
being, and that delights me."

Vol. 17,  p.52
I say to the Latter-day Saints, and to all the world, this is all
wrong. We are here upon this earth as the children of our heavenly
Father, who is filled with light and intelligence, and he dispenses
that to his children as they can receive and profit by it, without
money and without price. Is not this a fact? It is. Go to every
department of life, to the mechanics, to the manufacturers, to those
learned in all the arts and sciences, throughout the world, and not
one of them possesses an item of knowledge or wisdom but what has come
from God, the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge. The idea that the
religion of Christ is one thing, and science is another, is a mistaken
idea, for there is no true religion without true science, and
consequently there is no true science without true religion. The
fountain of knowledge dwells with God, and he dispenses it to his
children as he pleases, and as they are prepared to receive it,
consequently it swallows up and circumscribes all. This is the great
plan of salvation; this is the "bugaboo" that the Christian world hoot
at so much, and which they call "Mormonism"—it is the Gospel of life
and salvation.

Vol. 17,  p.52
Confidence is lost in the hearts of the nations of the earth.
Confidence is lost one towards another, among the religious sects of
the day; confidence is lost in the scientific and mechanical world; in
the financial and in the political world, and it must be restored. I
make this statement, and there is not a scientist or divine on the
earth who can truthfully controvert it.

Vol. 17,  p.52
There is a great deal being said and rumored about what we are
teaching the people at the present time with regard to being one in
our temporal affairs as we are one in the doctrine that we have
embraced for our salvation. I will say to you that, erroneous
traditions at once begin to present themselves. Why we have received
these traditions, those who reflect, read and understand can pass
their own decision. You can not find a sect anywhere that strictly
believes in the New Testament. Read over the sayings of the Savior to
his disciples, those of the disciples one to another, and of the
people, with regard to being one; and then bring up the fact that they
believed in this doctrine, and that they taught and practiced it so
far that the believers sold their possessions and laid the proceeds at
the Apostles' feet. Now, what is the tradition on this point? To sell
your houses, your farms, your stores, your cattle, [p.53] and bring
the means and lay it down at the feet of the Apostles, and then live,
eat, drink and wear until it is all gone, and then what? Do without?
Yes, or be beggars. Our traditions lead us to this point, and that
throws us into a dilemma, out of which we know not how to extricate
ourselves. To the Latter-day Saints, I say, all this is a mistake;
these are false ideas, false conclusions. I am here to tell you how
things are, and, as far as necessary, to tell you how they were, and
then to tell you how they should be, and how they will be. To begin
with, we will unitedly labor to sustain the kingdom of God upon the
earth. Shall we sell our possessions, have all things in common, live
upon the means until it is gone, and then bag through the country? No,
no. Sell nothing of our possessions. True, the earth is at present in
possession of the great enemy of the Savior, but he does not own a
foot of it; he never did, but he has possession of it, and they say
that possession is nine points of the law, and it seems to be so.
Well, if I have a foot of land that I have dedicated and devoted to my
heavenly Father for his kingdom on the earth, I never dispose of that.
I have owned a great deal of land, and I now own a great deal of land
in the United States, and I have never yet sold a foot of it. I say to
the Latter. day Saints, keep your land, dedicate it to God, preserve
it in truth, in purity, in holiness; pray that the Spirit of the Lord
may brood over it, that whoever walks over that land, may feel the
influence of that Spirit; pray that the Spirit of the Lord may cover
our possessions, then gather around us the necessaries of life.
Dispose of nothing that we should keep, but continue to laver, praying
the Lord to bless the soil, the atmosphere and the water. Then we have
our crops, our fruit, our flocks and herds to live upon, to improve
upon, and then go on and make our clothing, build houses, improve our
streets, our cities and all our surroundings and make them beautiful;
beautify every place with the workmanship of our own hands. Keep what
is necessary, dispose of what we may have to dispose of. To whom? To
those who are operating in our mines to develop the resources in our
mountains, and to all who have need. By such a course the wasting of
our substance, as has been too much the case, will be stopped; and
when we labor, let our labor count something for our benefit. We ask
concerning the rich, Do we want your gold and your silver? No, we do
not. Do we want your houses and lands? We do not. What do we want? We
want obedience to the requirements of wisdom, to direct the labors of
every man and every woman in this kingdom to the best possible
advantage, that we may feed and clothe ourselves, build our houses and
gather around us the comforts of life, without wasting so much time,
means, and energy. And instead of saying that I shall give up my
carriage for the poor to ride in, we will direct the poor so that
every man may have his carriage, if he will be obedient to the
requirements of the Almighty. Every family will have all that they can
reasonably desire. When we learn and practice fair dealing in all our
intercourse and transactions, then confidence, now so far lost, but so
much needed, will be restored; and we will be enabled to effectually
carry out our operations for the friendly and profitable cooperation
of money and labor, now so generally and so injuriously
antagonistic.[p.54] 

Vol. 17,  p.54
It has been said that, a few evenings ago, in the 20th Ward, I made
use of the expression that the cooperative stores would be used up or
spoiled; if I did use such an expression, it must have been in
connection with others to qualify it. The question was asked, "What
are you going to do with the co-operative stores?" "Why, use them up,"
and some of the brethren got the idea that the destruction of these
stores was intended, because, to many, the idea of using a thing up,
is to destroy it; but this was not the meaning I wished to convey. But
I say swallow them up, or circumscribe them or incorporate them, from
time to time, in more extensive co-operative plans. By way of
comparison, suppose a rope with seven strands, and some one is
suspicious of its strength and we add a thousand strands, to it, who
then can suspect its strength? Now, comparing our present mercantile
and stock-raising institutions, our, factories and every thing else we
have in co-operation, instead of weakening this cord of seven strands,
we throw around it a thousand other strands, and weave them in to
strengthen it, is not the first cord swallowed up? Yes, it is, in one
sense, used up, we cannot see anything, of it; and so we shall make
our additions of thousands of strands to every co-operative
institution we have established, and, instead of having a few of the
people sustain this parent co-operative store, or the ward store, we
will have the support of the whole people. That is the difference; can
you understand it? How careful we should be in the use of language, to
prevent, so far as possible the drawing of false conclusions, and the
going abroad of erroneous impressions.

Vol. 17,  p.54
This is a comparison with regard to our co-operative stores and every
co-operative institution we have; we expect that the whole people will
support them and give them their influence; that the whole people will
work for the whole, and that all will be for the kingdom of God on the
earth. All that I have is in that kingdom. I have nothing, only what
the Lord has put in my possession. It is his; I am his, and all I ask
is for him to tell me what to do with my time, my talents and the
means that he puts in my possession. It is to be devoted to his
kingdom. Let every other man and woman do the same, and all the
surplus we make is in one great amount for accomplishing the purposes
of the Lord. He says, "I will make you the richest people on the
earth." Now, go to work, Latter-day Saints, and make yourselves one,
and all needed blessings will follow.

Vol. 17,  p.54
I will now briefly notice a trait in the Christian world in regard to
their continually misrepresenting us, which they most emphatically do.
Wherever we go they misrepresent us. They do not stop to reason, or
for the introduction of good sound logic. They do not stop to know
their own minds, and to ask themselves questions with regard to facts
as they exist, but are wholly uninfluenced by their erroneous
traditions. We Christians are divided and subdivided, but we all
believe that there are good people among all the sects of the day. As
a "Mormon" or Latter-day Saint, I believe this just as much as any
sectarian believes it, but I do not believe it as the sectarians
believe it. We all believe that good people do live and have lived
among the Christian sects. Says one, "My father was a good man; or, My
mother or my sister was a good woman, my brother was a good man, my
neighbor was a good person; they lived and died [p.55] believing in
their several faiths; some of them holy Catholics, who died shouting
and rejoicing that the time had come for them to be released from this
tenement of clay. Others were good Protestants, and they rejoiced and
were exceeding glad when the time came for them to lie down and rest
their weary bodies, and they were happy." Now, I, speaking as one of
the Christian world, when a man says to me, "Unless you are born of
the water and of the spirit you can not enter the kingdom of heaven,"
reply, "My dear friend, my father and my mother were just as good
Christians as ever lived on the face of the earth, and they died as
happy as they could be, and their souls were full of glory. Tell me
that they have not gone to heaven! It is all nonsence, it is folly; I
do not believe a word of it; you must be one of those deceivers theft
the Savior taught should come in the latter days." This erroneous
tradition is planted in the bosoms of the Christian world, and from
this they take the liberty of saying that the doctrine preached by the
Latter-day Saints can not be true, for if it is their fathers and
mothers are not saved. Would you not like to know the truth on this
point, O Christian world? Yes, yes, the honest ones would; I can not
say so much for the bread and butter Christians; but when you meet an
honest person, he says—"I wish I knew the truth about this. Our
beloved brother and father in the Gospel, the father of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, John Wesley, was he not a good man? Tell me that he
is not saved!" The Christian world can not endure such an idea. "John
Knox not saved! and thousands of others not saved!" They can not
endure the thought. I can say to them of a truth, but it will need
explanation, there is not one of these men who lived according to the
light that he received, and up to every blessing God bestowed upon
him, but what is happier to-day than he ever expected that he could
be. But the Christian world imbibe the idea that, if these good men,
who have died, have not gone into the presence of the Father and the
Son, and are not in the kingdom of heaven, they must be in the depths
of hell. This is folly in the extreme; but the Christians do not know
how to comprehend this, how to understand the words of life. I can say
this for all good people, I do not care where they lived and died,
they will be far happier hereafter than they ever conceived of while
here. Do you think that the good Chinaman and Hindo will be saved?
Yes, as much as the Methodist. But erroneous tradition prevents the
Christian world from seeing and understanding this. They ought to stop
and reflect, and ask the question—"Do we understand the Scriptures
when we read them?" I say that they do not, if they did they would see
that we have the words of eternal life, and would receive our
teachings with joy. I have not time to fully explain this, but I can
say that thins erroneous tradition palliates, in a measure, the
conduct and views of the Christian world when their prejudices arise
like towering mountains against these poor Latter-day Saints.

Vol. 17,  p.55
We shall labor and go forward, as long as we live, to redeem the world
of mankind. This is the labor the Savior has undertaken. The earth was
committed to him by the Father, who said, "My Son, go and redeem the
world and all things upon it; pay this debt, and your brethren, who
believe on you and who are one, as the Father and [p.56] the Son are
one, will be co-workers in this great and eternal work, until all the
sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, that can be saved, will be sated
in a kingdom of glory," and all will be saved, except the sons of
perdition.

Vol. 17,  p.56
Can the Christian world understand this? No. There is not a priest in
the pulpit, nor a deacon that sits under the pulpit, but what, if he
knew the facts as they are, would give glory to God in the highest,
that he lived in this day and age of the world, and thank the Father
that he has revealed his will from the heavens.

Vol. 17,  p.56
I thank you for your attention, brethren and sisters. I have detained
you a little longer than I intended to do. God bless you.

Brigham Young, May 7, 1874

The United Order—a System of Oneness—Economy and 
Wisdom in Becoming Self-Sustaining

Remarks By President Brigham Young, at the Opening 
of the Adjourned General Conference, Held in the New 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, May 7, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.56
I do not expect to be able to speak much during this Conference, but I
make a request of my brethren who may speak, to give us their
instructions and views for or against this general co-operative
system, which we, with propriety, may call the United Order. If any
choose to give it any other name that will be applicable to the nature
of it, they can do so. A system of oneness among any people, whether
former-day Saints, middle-day Saints, eleventh hour of the day Saints,
last hour of the day Saints, or no Saints at all, is beneficial; but I
wish the brethren to give us their views for and against union in a
family, whether that family consists of the parents and ten children,
or the parents, ten children, fifty grandchildren, or a hundred and
fifty great-grandchildren, and so on until you get to a nation. I ask
of my brethren who may address the congregations, to give us their
views for and against union, peace, good order; laboring for the
benefit of ourselves, and in connection with each other for the
welfare and happiness of all, whether in the capacity of a family,
neighborhood, city, state, nation, or the world.

Vol. 17,  p.56
We see the inhabitants of the earth, as individuals and nations,
struggling, striving, laboring and toiling, every one for himself and
nobody else; all are anxious to bless [p.57] their own dear selves. If
you will permit me I will quote an anecdote in illustration of this
trait of character among the human family. A man, in asking a blessing
upon his food, prayed, "O Lord, bless me and my wife, my son John and
his wife, we four, and no more. Amen." If we have generosity of
feeling sufficient to pray for blessings upon a fifth person, or upon
a whole family, neighborhood or community, all the better.

Vol. 17,  p.57
We are not entering into any new system, order or doctrine. There are
numbers of organizations of a similar character, as far as they go, in
our own country and in other countries. Our object is to labor for the
benefit of the whole, to retrench in our expenditures; to be prudent
and economical; to study well the necessities of the community, and to
pass by its many uselss wants; to study to secure life, health,
wealth, and union, which is power and influence to any community; and
I ask my brethren, while addressing the people during this Conference,
to take up these items of every-day life. It seems to be objectionable
to some, for the Latter-day Saints to enter into a self-sustaining
system, and the probability of our doing so causes a great deal of
talk. If we were infidels, any other sect of Christians, or neither
Christians nor infidels, but mere worldlings, seeking only to amass
the wealth of this world, nothing would be thought or said against it.
But for the Latter-day Saints to make a move to the right or to the
left, to the front or to the rear, a suspicion arises directly in the
minds of the people. I will say to the inhabitants of the whole earth,
that the Latter-day Saints are going to work to sustain themselves, to
do good to themselves, to their neighbors and to the whole human
family; they are going to labor to establish peace and good order on
the earth, just as far and as fast as they can, and to prepare them
for a happier world than this.

Vol. 17,  p.57
Talk about it, cry, about it, deride it, point the finger of scorn at
it, we care not, we are the servants and handmaids of the Lord, and
our business is to build up his kingdom upon the earth, and let all
the world say what they please, it matters not to us. It is for us to
do our duty.

Vol. 17,  p.57
Now let me present one little matter. Here are brethren from all parts
of the Territory, to represent the different branches of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We find our brethren in various
parts of the Territory are in possession of a little land; take a man,
for instance, who has got a five acre lot. He wants his team, he must
have his horses, harness, wagon, plow, harrow and farming utensils to
cultivate that five acres, just as though he was farming a hundred
acres. And when harvest comes; he is not accommodated by his neighbors
with a reaping machine, and he says—"Another year, I will buy one,"
and this to harvest five acres of grain. Take the article of wagons
among this people, we have five where we should not have more than
two; and the money that is spent needlessly by our people for wagons
Would make a small community rich. Again, take mowing and reaping
machines, and we have probably twice or three times as many in this
Territory as the people need. They stand in the sun and they dry up
and spoil, and this entails a heavy waste of property. We may take
also the article of harness for horses. If this community would be
united, and work cattle instead of horses,[p.58] they might save
themselves from two to five hundred thousand dollars yearly. Is this
economy or wisdom? A few years ago we raised our own sweet; but when
the railroad came it brought sugar to us very cheap, and where is our
sorghum now? There is hardly any raised in the whole Territory. The
people say—"The sugar is so cheap." Suppose sugar was only one penny a
pound, and you had not that penny and could not get it, what good
would it do you? None at all. If cotton cloth can be bought for
fifteen, ten, or six cents a yard, what does it profit a people if
they hard not the money to buy it? It does them no good. When they
have the ground to raise the cotton, and the machinery to work this
cotton up and make the fabrics they need, they can do it, money or no
money. And so we go on from one thing to another, and we would be glad
if our brethren, in their remarks, will give us their views and
instructions on these points, and the bearing they have had upon the
people in the past, and how they will affect them in connection with
the United Order which we are now seeking to introduce.

Vol. 17,  p.58
If any man, merchant, business man, or anybody else has anything to
bring forward to show, as they think, that the United Order will
militate against the interests of the community, we invite them to
speak it freely, and give us both sides of the question. We are for
the best, we are for the right, for that which will accomplish the
greatest good to the greatest number. I shall now give place for
others to speak.

George A. Smith, May 7, 1874

Zion to Be Redeemed Through the Law of Consecration—
Persecutions of the Saints—a Oneness Among the Saints 
Necessary—the Hearts of The Fathers to Be Turned 
to the Children, and the Children to the Fathers

Discourse By President George A. Smith, Delivered at the 
Adjourned General Conference, Held in the New 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, May 7, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.58
"Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet, before the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord, and he shall turn the heart of the
fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." This passage
will be found in the 5th and 6th verses of the 4th chapter of the
Prophet Malachi.[p.59] 

Vol. 17,  p.59
The Latter-day Saints were driven from their homes in Jackson County,
Missouri, about forty-one years ago. A portion of the mob commenced
the outbreak in June or July, and among their first deeds of violence
was the destruction of the printing office, plundering the storehouse,
and the tarring and feathering of Edward Partridge, the Bishop. This
was followed by whipping and killing the people and burning their
houses, and finally culminated, on the 13th of October, in driving
some fifteen hundred persons from their homes, on the public lands
which they had purchased and received titles for from the United
States. The people thus driven went into different parts of the State,
the great body of them, however, taking shelter in the County of Clay.

Vol. 17,  p.59
The settlements in Jackson County were commenced on the principle of
the law of consecration. If you read the revelations that were given,
and the manner in which they were acted upon, you will find that the
brethren brought, before the Bishop and his counselors, their property
and consecrated it, and with the money and means thus consecrated
lands were purchased, and inheritances and stewardships distributed
among the people, all of whom regarded their property as the property
of the Lord. There were, however, at that period, professed Latter-day
Saints, who did not see proper to abide by this law of consecration;
they thought it was their privilege to look after "number one," and
some of them, believing that Zion was to become a very great city, and
that being the centre stake of it, they purchased tracts of land in
the vicinity with the intention of keeping them until Zion became the
beauty and joy of the whole earth, when they thought they could sell
their lands and make themselves very rich. It was probably owing to
this, in part, that the Lord suffered the enemies of Zion to rise
against her.

Vol. 17,  p.59
The members of the Church at that period were very industrious,
frugal, and law-abiding, and there was no possibility of framing any
charges or claims against them by legal means, and the published
manifesto, upon which the mob was collected, boldly asserted that the
civil law did not afford a guarantee against this people, consequently
they formed themselves into a combination, a lawless mob, pledging to
each other "their lives, their property and their sacred honors" to
drive the "Mormons" from their midst. From that hour the heart of
every Latter-day Saint has been occasionally warmed with the
feeling—may I be permitted to live until the day when the Saints shall
again go to Jackson County, when they shall build the Temple, the
ground for which was dedicated, and when the Order of Zion, as it was
then revealed, shall be carried out! And it has been generally
understood among us that the redemption of Zion would not occur upon
any other principle than upon that of the law of consecration.

Vol. 17,  p.59
Forty years and more have passed away since these events took place.
We have been driven five times from our homes; five times we have been
robbed of our inheritances. Our leaders and presiding officers have
been killed, and not in a single instance, in any State or Territory
where we have lived, has the law been magnified in the protection of
the Latter-day Saints, until we were driven into these mountains. In
1834, Daniel Dunklin, the Governor of Missouri, said the laws were
ample, and the Constitution was ample, but the prejudices of the
people were [p.60] so great that he and the other authorities of the
State were powerless to execute the law for the protection of the
Mormons. We have had one protector—our Father in heaven, to depend
upon; but governors, judges, rulers, officers of any kind, high or
low, have utterly failed to extend protection to the Latter-day
Saints. God alone has been our protector, and we acknowledge his hand
in every deliverance we have hitherto experienced.

Vol. 17,  p.60
Several times the Church has made advances to organize the Order of
Enoch as it was revealed in the Book of Covenants in part, and in the
ancient history of the Zion of Enoch; these advances, however, the
Saints did not seem prepared to receive. We have been gathered from
many nations, and we have brought many notions and traditions with us,
and it has seemed that with these notions and traditions we could not
dispense. In 1838, an attempt was made in Caldwell County, Mo., the
Latter-day Saints owning all the lands in the county, or all that were
considered of any value. They organized Big Field United Firms, by
which they intended to consolidate their property and to regard it as
the property of the Lord, and themselves only as stewards; but they
had not advanced so far in this matter as to perfect their system
before they were broken up and driven from the State. I understand
that three hundred and eighteen thousand dollars in money was paid by
the Saints to the United States for lands in the State of Missouri,
not one acre of which any one of us has been permitted to enjoy or to
live upon since the year 1838, or the Spring of 1839; though at the
time of the expulsion, the Commanding General, John W. Clarke,
informed the people that if they would renounce their religious faith
they could remain on their lands. He said that they were skillful
mechanics, industrious and orderly, and had made more improvements in
three years than the other inhabitants had in fifteen, and if they
would renounce their faith they could remain. But they must hold no
more meetings, prayer meetings, prayer circles or councils, and they
must have no more Bishops or Presidents; and in view of their refusal
to comply with these conditions, the edict of banishment, issued by
the Governor of the State, was executed by this general with an army
at his heels, and the Latter-day Saints were driven from their happy
homes, and thousands of them scattered to the four winds of heaven.

Vol. 17,  p.60
Since our arrival in these valleys, sermons have been preached from
year to year, to illustrate to us the principles of oneness. We find
that we are one, generally, in faith. We believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ; we believe in the first principles of the Gospel—the doctrines
of repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost and the resurrection of the dead;
we readily receive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, manifested to us
through the Prophets, the doctrine of baptism for the dead, the holy
anointing and the law of celestial marriage. This principle came in
opposition to all our prejudices, yet when God revealed it, his Spirit
bore testimony of its truth, and the Latter-day Saints received it
almost en masse. In order to make a step in the right direction, and
to prepare the people to return to Jackson County, the principles of
co-operation were taught and their practice entered into; and for the
purpose of instructing and encouraging the minds of the people [p.61]
upon the benefits of united action, from the earliest settlement of
this Territory to the present time, the presiding Elders of the Church
have, every Conference, endeavored to impress upon their minds the
necessity of making themselves self-supporting. We have looked forward
to the day when Babylon would fall, when we could not draw our
supplies from her midst, and when our own ingenuity, talent, and skill
must supply our wants. The effect of all this instruction is, that we
have made some progress in many directions, but not so much as could
have been desired.

Vol. 17,  p.61
The cultivation of cotton was in. troduced in the South.
Sheep-breeding has been extensively adopted, numerous factories have
been erected to manufacture both the wool and the cotton produced.
Several extensive tanneries have also been established for the
manufacture of hides into leather, and various other kinds of business
have been introduced with a view to making ourselves self-supporting.

Vol. 17,  p.61
Within a few years the railroad has been constructed through our
Territory, and the expense of freighting has been greatly reduced.
Mines which, before the railroad was built, were perfectly worthless,
have been developed and made to pay, and the minds of many of the
people seem to have been impressed with the idea that we may expect
some regular, general business to grow out of the production of the
mines, and a great many have been led to neglect home manufactures,
and to depend upon purchasing from abroad. Some settlements have,
however, exerted themselves considerably to produce clothing, and many
articles within themselves. These circumstances are all clear before
us. You go through Utah County, to-day, and say to a farmer, "Have you
got any sorgum to sell?" "No, haven't raised any for two or three
years; sugar got so cheap, we could not sell it." "I suppose you have
plenty of sugar?" "No, we are out of sugar, we haven't any money to
buy it with." This is the position which our course of life has led us
to, and which we already begin to feel.

Vol. 17,  p.61
There is another principle connected with this matter which we should
consider, and that is, when we as a community, in the valleys of the
mountains, provide for our own wants, we are not subject to the
fluctuations and difficulties that result from a money panic, or an
interruption in the currency. When we came to this Conference a great
many of us came with the determination to take such measures as should
place us as a people on an independent footing, and hence we propose
through our brethren, to go to work and organize a united order. Them
is at present a deficiency in our organization so far as our business
relations are concerned. Of course, in every settlement, there are
many industrious men, then there's some who are schemers; and as each
man looks out for himself, that good principle which the Savior taught
so strongly, that a man should love the Lord his God with all his
heart, and his neighbor as himself, is in a great measure forgotten,
and a few gather up the property, while many of the laboring men, who
do most of the work, come out at the end of the year behind, without a
full supply of the necessaries of life. To avoid this, a United Order
would organize a community so that all the ingenuity, talent, skill,
and energy it possessed would inure to the good of the whole. This is
the object and design in the establishment of these organizations. It
is [p.62] perfectly certain that there is in every community a
sufficient amount of skill and energy and labor to supply its wants,
and put all its members in possession of every necessary and comfort
of life, if all this skill and energy be rightly directed. We propose
to take measures to direct aright the labor that we have in our
possession, and lay a foundation for comfort, happiness, plenty and
the blessings of life within ourselves.

Vol. 17,  p.62
We, further, do not believe that Latter-day Saints, in the service of
the Most High, can enjoy that high degree of respect in the presence
of the Almighty to which they are entitled, when they are biting,
devouring, shaving, skinning, and manoeuvering, and out-manoeuvering
and getting the advantage of each other in little petty deals. We want
to see these things cease entirely, for we know that we can never be
prepared for the coming of the Savior only by uniting and becoming
one, in temporal as well as in spiritual things, and being prepared to
enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

Vol. 17,  p.62
The principles of life, which we now present for the consideration of
the Latter-day Saints were carried out in times past, as we read in
the Book of Mormon, among the Nephites and Lamanites, who each enjoyed
over a hundred years of unity, peace, happiness and plenty, as the
result of adopting this system of unity; and if we will unite in one,
acting in good faith, every man esteeming his brother as himself,
regarding not what he possesses as his own, but the Lord's, all
carrying out these principles, the result is certain—it is the
enjoyment of the Spirit of the Lord, it is the light of eternity, it
is the abundance of the things of this earth; it is an opportunity to
provide education for our children, amusement and interest for
ourselves, a knowledge of the things of the kingdom of God, and all
sciences which are embraced therein, and an advance in the work of the
last days, preparatory to the redemption of the centre stake of Zion.

Vol. 17,  p.62
Brethren and sisters, think of these things, and as the spirit, of the
Almighty was in your hearts when you received the laying on of hands
and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, bearing testimony that the Gospel
of Jesus Christ was true, seek with all your hearts, and know, by the
same spirit, that the establishment of the United Order, is another
step towards the triumph of that great and glorious work for which we
are continually laboring, namely the dawning of the Millennium and the
commencement of the reign of Christ on the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.62
This is the Work of the Almighty. These principles are from God; they
are for our salvation, and unless we remember and abide in them our
progress will be slow. If we are slow to learn and progress, but try
to carry out the purposes of God, He will not cast us off. He has been
very patient with us these forty years, and he may continue to be so.
But understand that the hearts of the fathers must be turned to the
children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. A entry must
exist, thee Latter-day Saints must love one another, they must cease
to worship this world's goods, they must lay a foundation to build up
Zion and to be one, in order that they may be prepared for the great
day that shall burn as an oven.

Vol. 17,  p.62
I bear my testimony to you of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
of the Book of Mormon, of [p.63] the ministry of Joseph Smith and of
his servants the Elders that were called of the Lord by him, Brigham
Young and the Apostles and Elders who have borne these testimonies to
the nations of the earth, and I say, brethren, give diligent heed to
these things, lest by any means we should let them slip and come short
of entering into rest.

Vol. 17,  p.63
May the blessings of Israel's God be upon you for ever. Amen.

John Taylor, May 7, 1874

The Position the Saints Have Occupied Has Been a Peculiar 
One—the Unity of the Saints—Home Manufacture Preferable to 
Importation—Organization Necessary to Self-Sustenance

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered at the Adjourned 
General Conference, Held in the New Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, May 7, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.63
Those things which we have been listening to are of very great
importance to the Latter-day Saints. Situated as we are, entertaining
the views that we do, in possession of the light and intelligence that
have been communicated unto us, we stand, in these respects, in an
entirely different position from that of the world with which we are
surrounded; and, as has already been stated, it is necessary that we
begin to reflect a little upon that which has been revealed to us,
that we may understand our position and relationship to each other,
the duties and responsibilities that devolve upon us as fathers, as
mothers, as children, as Elders of Israel, and in all the various
relationships of life, and that we may comprehend the requirements
made of us by our heavenly Father. Some of those things which have
been presented before us are obvious to every reflecting mind, there
is nothing strange, anomalous or peculiar about them; they are things
which have been more or less advocated by different statesmen among
the various nations of the earth, and, according to circumstances,
they have been adopted, more or less, by a great many people, and we,
the Latter-day Saints, have approached nearer to them than many of us
seem to have any idea of. There would not be time, at present, to
enter into an elaborate detail of the various plans, ideas and
workings involved in the principles which have been presented before
us this morning; but in taking a cursory view of our position, we
shall find that it is very different [p.64] from that of any other
people. We have already carried out a great many of those things which
have been referred to, that is, a great many of us have; not all. The
position that we have occupied in this nation, in the States of
Missouri and Illinois, and in the various countries of those States,
and the history of this people has been a very peculiar one. It is
true, as has been said that if we would give up our religion, and act
and feel as others act and feel, we should be hail fellows well met
with the world, and we could have the fellowship of the devil and all
his imps. We could have this all the time if we would conform our
ideas to theirs. But what are their ideas? Who can describe them? They
are simply a babel of contrarities, contradictions, confusion,
ignorance, darkness, speculation, mystery, folly, vanity, crime,
iniquity and every kind of evil that man can think of, and if we were
willing to join in with this it would be all right, and we should be
hail fellows well met. But we do not propose to do that. God has
spoken from the heavens; the light and intelligence which exist in the
eternal worlds have been communicated, the heavens have been opened
and the revelations of God given to man, and we have participated in
them in part, and the light thus received has enabled us to look at
the world as it is; it has opened to our view the visions of eternity;
it has made us acquainted with our God, with the principles of truth,
and we would not barter that for all the world has to give us. We
rejoice, therefore, and thank God for the light and intelligence that
he has communicates to us, and so far we have measurably been one, and
we could not have helped ourselves and prevented it, if we had desired
to, for the world was determined to make us one, or make hypocrites of
us, like themselves; one of the two. We had either got to be one, or
deny the principles that God has implanted in every honest man's soul,
and we would not do that. No man will barter his independence, no man
will barter his convictions, no man, who is intelligent and honorable,
will barter his religion or his politics at the caprice of any other
man. God has implanted certain principles in man, and as long as
manhood is retained they can not be obliterated, they are written
there as in letters of living fire, and there they will remain so long
as we retain our manhood and standing before God. What has been the
result of this, so far as it has gone? Why, when the people in
Missouri proposed that we should live among them in peace if we would
leave our religion, did we do it? Not quite. What did we do? We clung
to our religion. And what did those honest, generous, gentle,
intelligent, Christian people do? Robbed us of nearly all we
possessed, and with the balance we agreed to help one another to get
to some place where men could worship God according to the dictates of
their conscience, if such a place could be found in republican
America. Well, we left. Did we unite? Yes, we did; and every man that
had a team, a wagon, two, three or four horses, two, three, four, five
or six yoke of cattle, or bread, money or clothing, distributed among
his brethren, and we helped one another out until every man who wanted
to leave had left. There might have been a few miserable "skeezeks,"
such as we have among us here, a few miserable hounds left, but what
of them? Why, nothing at all, they did not think anything of
themselves, and nobody thought anything of them.[p.65] 

Vol. 17,  p.65
We commenced again in Illinois, just on the same principle. There we
built a Temple, end performed the ordinances of God in his house;
there we attended to our sacraments, entered into our covenants, and
commenced anew to worship God according to the dictates of our own
consciences, and there again we found a lot of Christians, just the
same as in Missouri, who did not like our religion. Said
they—"Gentlemen, we do not like your religion; but if you will be like
us, you can live among us; if you do not believe and worship God as we
do, you can not stay here." Well, we could not quite come it then, any
more than we did before; and they killed Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith,
burnt our houses, destroyed our property, and let loose mobs upon us,
and deprived us of the rights of American citizens; and finally we had
to leave the States and come out among the red men of the desert, that
we might find that protection among the savages that Christendom
denied us. How did we get here? We helped one another. In the Temple
that we had erected, and dedicated to the Most High God, we lifted up
our hands before God, and covenanted before him that we would help one
another to leave that land, so long as there was one left in it who
desired to leave. Did we keep this covenant? We did. Why? Because we
felt an interest in the welfare of our brethren; we believed in our
religion, in building up the kingdom of God, and in carrying out his
purposes and designs. The Christians object to all this? Of course
they do, but who cares about them? I do not, not one straw; we have
had so much of their tender mercies, that they take no effect now upon
us. Again, we pay oar Tithing. Some may inquire—"Do not the Priesthood
rob you?" I do not know, I do not think we are robbed very much, or
that we are very much injured. We do not do enough of it to be injured
very much, we are something like what the boy said of his father. A
man asked a boy—"Are you a Mormon?" "Yes." "Is your father a Mormon?"
Said the boy—"Yes, but he don't potter much at it." There are a great
many of us who do not potter much at it, but still we make the
attempt.

Vol. 17,  p.65
What have we done since we came here? Before the railroad was made we
sent from here, year after year, as many as five hundred teams to help
the poor who were unable to help themselves. Hence you see that a good
deal of this unity of action has been carried out among us, but we
have only pottered a little at it, we have not got right into the
matter, only in part.

Vol. 17,  p.65
Our Ladies' Relief and other societies and organizations have done a
good deal of this kind of thing, and they are looking after the
interests of the poor, the widow and the fatherless. What is the
business of our Bishops? Why, to attend to these things. Do they do
it? They do. And then, if there is any enterprise, or anything
required, the people are ready to take hold and do it, independent,
say, of these covenants we have heard spoken of. A short time ago, in
St. George, they commenced to build a Temple. Men were called upon
from different parts, some from this city, a great many from Sanpete
County, and from the different settlements, to go and assist down in
that locality in building the Temple. Did they do it? Yes. Was there
much grunting about it? I have not heard that there was. I happened to
be in a meeting a short time ago, and it was said they wanted a little
means to help to clothe these [p.66] men, and to furnish them certain
things, and in a very little while there were some ten or twelve
hundred dollars subscribed, without any grunting. There is a feeling
of sympathy in the hearts of Latter-day Saints towards one another,
and for the upbuilding and advancement of the kingdom of God. But yet
some of us are a little startled when we hear about uniting our
properties, &c. I am amused sometimes to see the manifestation of
feeling by some on this subject. We have been praying a long while
that we might go back to Jackson County, and build up the Centre Stake
of Zion; that we might enter into the United Order of God, and be one
in both temporal and spiritual things, in fact in everything; yet when
it comes along it startles us, we are confused and hardly know what to
think of it. This reminds me of an anecdote, which I will relate to
you. Among the passengers on a steamer crossing the Atlantic, was a
very zealous minister who was all the time preaching to those on board
about, the glory and happiness of heaven, and how happy they would all
be when they got there. During the voyage a very heavy storm arose,
and the vessel was drifted from her course and was in great danger of
striking on a reef of rocks. The captain went to examine his chart,
and after a while returned with a very sorrowful face, and
said—"Ladies and gentlemen, in twenty minutes from this time we shall
all be in heaven." "God forbid!" said the minister. Many of us are a
good deal like this minister; for years we have been talking about a
new order of things, about union and happiness, and about going back
to Jackson County, but the moment it is presented to us we say—"God
forbid." But then on sober, second thought, another feeling seems to
inspire us, and wherever we go a spirit seems to rest upon the people
which leads them almost unanimously to embark in these things; and
when we reflect, saying nothing about our religion, an extended system
of co-operation seems to agree with every principle of good common
sense. Is there anything extraordinary or new in the doctrine that it
is well for a community to be self-sustaining? Why, the Whigs, you
know, of this country, have contended on that principle from the time
of the organization of the government, and they have sanctioned it and
plead in its behalf before Congress, in political caucusses, and
before the people up to the present time. There is nothing new in the
doctrine of a people being self-sustaining. The first Napoleon
introduced into France what is known as the "Continental system,"
which encouraged the production of all necessary articles at home, and
it is the results of this system which today gives stability to
France, and has enabled her, after the severe trials of the late war,
to pay off her indebtedness and stand independent among the nations.

Vol. 17,  p.66
Now, for instance, we require a great many things in connection with
human existence. We need boots and shoes, stockings, pants, vests,
coats, hats, handkerchiefs, shirts, we need cloth of various kinds,
and dresses, shawls, bonnets, &c., and in every reflecting mind, the
question naturally arises, Is it better for us to make these things
ourselves at home, or to have somebody abroad make them for us? Is it
better for each man to labor separately, as we do now, or to be
organized so as to make the most of our labor? We have a large number
of hides here in this Territory, what do we do with them generally?
Send them to the [p.67] States. We raise a large amount of wool here,
what do we do with it? We export a great deal of it to the States. We
have got a large amount of excellent timber here, what do we do for
our furniture? We send to the States for a great deal of it. Where do
we get our pails and our washtubs, and all our cooper ware from? We
send to the States for it. Where do we get our brooms from? From the
States; and so on all the way through the catalogue, and millions on
millions of dollars are sent out of the Territory every year, for the
purchase of articles, most of which we could manufacture and raise at
home. This is certainly very poor economy, for we have thousands and
thousands of men who are desirous to get some kind of employment, and
they cannot get it. Why? Because other people are making our shoes,
hats, clothing, bonnets, silks, artificial flowers, and many other
things that we need. This may do very well for a while in an
artificial state of society; but the moment any reverse comes that
kind of thing is upset, and all our calculations are destroyed.

Vol. 17,  p.67
I believe in organizing the tanners and having the bides tanned at
home. When the hides are tanned I believe in organizing the
shoemakers, and manufacturing our own shoes and boots, I believe in
keeping our wool at home, and in having it manufactured in our own
factories, and we have got as good factories here as anywhere. They
should work up all the wool in the country, and if there is not enough
raised to keep them running, import more. Then I believe in organizing
men to take care of our stock—our cattle and sheep, and increasing the
clip of wool, that we may have enough to meet the demands of the whole
community. Then, when our cloth is made, I believe in organizing
tailors' companies to manufacture that cloth into clothing—pants,
coats, vests, and everything of the kind that we need. Then for our
furniture, I believe in going into the mountains and cutting down the
timber, framing it into proper shape, and then manufacturing the
various articles of furniture that we need; if we require another kind
of timber, import that, but make the furniture here, When we talk
about co-operation, we have entered but very little into it, and it
has been almost exclusively confined to the purchase of goods. There
is not much in that. I wish we would learn how to produce them instead
of purchasing them. I wish we could concentrate our energies, and
organize all hands, old, middle-aged and young, male and female, and
put them under proper directions, with proper materials to manufacture
everything we need to wear and use. We have forgotten even how to make
sorghum molasses, and our memories are getting short on other points.
We can hardly make a hat or coat, or a pair of boots and shoos, but we
have to send to the States and import these paper ones, which last a
very short time and then drop to pieces, and you have your hands
continually in your pockets to supply these wants, and by and by your
pockets are empty. It is therefore necessary that we right about face,
and begin to turn the other end to, and be self-sustaining.

Vol. 17,  p.67
The President said he would like the Elders to give both sides of the
question; but there is only one side to this question, and that is
union in all our operations, in everything we engage in. They started
a little thing like this in Box Elder County some time ago, and I was
vary much pleased to see the way things west there. I have spoken
about it once [p.68] or twice in public. They have got their
co-operative store, it is true; but that is only a small part of it.
Sometime ago I asked them—"You have a factory here, haven't you?"
"Yes." "Well, do you sell your wool, send it to the States to mix up
with shoddy and get an inferior article, or do you make it up
yourselves?" "We make it up ourselves." "Then you don't sell your
wool, and keep your factory standing idle?" "No, we don't, our factory
has never stood idle a day for want of wool since it was organized."
Said I—"That looks right. What do you do with your hides? Do you send
them off?" "No, we have got a very good tannery and we tan them, and
make them into leather for shoes, and for harness and for other
purposes." "Oh, indeed? "Yes, that is the way it is." "Well, then,
what next?" "Why, when we get our shoes made, we have a saddlers'
organization, and they make all the saddlery and harness we want?"
"And what do you do with your cows? Do you let them run on the plains,
and live or die, just as it happens, without making any cheese or
butter?" "No, we have a co-operative dairy, and we have our cows in
that, and we receive so much from them all the time regularly."
"Well," said I, "that looks right. And are you all interested in
this?" "Well, about two-thirds or three-fourths of us are all engaged
in these matters." "How about your store, does it run away with the
best part of it?" "No." "Does the factory get the cream of it?" "No."
"Does some keen financial man get his fingers in and grab it?" "No, we
are all mutually interested in everything, the profits as well as the
losses." I have learned, since I was there, that they have made it a
great success.

Vol. 17,  p.68
Now, then, if you can organize one little thing in that way,
everything can be done in the same way. I was talking with President
Lorenzo Snow, and he told me that they pay their men every Saturday
night; they have a money of their own, and they pay their hands with
it, and that is good for everything they require. And they make their
arrangements unitedly, and they operate together for the general good.
Said I—"How do they feel about this United Order?" "Oh," I was told,
"They are ready for anything that God may send along." That is the
feeling among the Saints, I believe, generally. I was, I think, at the
biggest meeting I ever attended in Ogden City, along with some of the
Presidency and Twelve and others, and I never saw more unanimity among
the people on any question than on this one. That big Tabernacle was
full, and the aisles were full, and everything was jammed to
overflowing, and when a vote was called, nearly every hand went up. I
thank God that his Spirit is operating upon the Latter-day Saints, and
is leading them to a union in regard to these things.

Vol. 17,  p.69
May God help us, and lead us in the right path, in the name of Jesus,
Amen.[p.69] 

Wilford Woodruff, May 8, 1874

Union is Strength—United Order Will Bring About 
Temporal Salvation—the Time Has Come to Favor Zion—
the Judgments of God Are at the Door of this Generation

Discourse By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered at the Adjourned 
General Conference, Held in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City Friday Morning, May 8, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.69
We had a request given to us, at the opening of the Conference,
yesterday morning, by President Young, to give evidences for and
against the United Order of Zion. I do not know that I should be a
very able advocate against it. I have been looking over in my own
mind, the arguments which might be brought against it, and there are a
few things I wail name. If we were to undertake to unite according to
the spirit and letter of this order it would, in one sense of the
word, deprive us of having half a dozen candidates at elections, as is
the custom generally in the Christian world. It would, in a I measure,
deprive these candidates of the opportunity of spending a month or two
stump-speeching to get the votes of the people; then, when the
election came, of paying for two or three barrels of bad whiskey to
treat those who are going to vote for them. Then it might deprive
Alderman Clinton, or some other justice of the peace, of the chance of
collecting two or three hundred dollars as fines from those who had
committed a breach of the peace. It might deprive the Benedicts and
other surgeons of the opportunity of collecting five hundred or a
thousand dollars for mending broken arms and legs got in free fights.
Probably it would deprive the people of the opportunity of spending
fifty or a hundred thousand dollars a year in importing mustard into
this Territory, and require the farmers to collect and use that which
is now a nuisance on their fields. It might also deprive us of the
privilege of paying a hundred thousand dollars for imported brooms,
and require us to plant two or three hundred acres of broom corn.
These are about the only objections that I can think of against the
order, though you might carry it out in detail, perhaps, a good deal
further; but with regard to the benefits arising from it, they are so
numerous that it would take a long time to enumerate them. I do not
think it requires a great deal of argument to prove to us that union
is strength, and that a united people have power which a divided
people do not possess.

Vol. 17,  p.69
I am very glad that I have lived long enough to see a day when the
hearts of the people can be united so as to carry out these things,
while they also act upon their own agency in receiving and obeying
them. We [p.70] have been a good many years preaching up the necessity
of the Latter-day Saints being one in temporal as well as in spiritual
things, and I have felt, for a long time, in my own mind, that there
must be a change among us. The way we have been drifting, has not
seemed to have a tendency, as a general thing, to carry out the
purposes of the Lord, and to prepare us, as a people, for those events
which await us.

Vol. 17,  p.70
In our spiritual labors we have been united in a measure, and in some
things perhaps in a temporal point of view. Now, for instance, the
case I referred to in regard to our elections. I do not think that,
for the twenty-four years we have resided in these valleys, any man
has ever paid a sixpence in order to obtain any office to which he has
been elected by the votes of the people, whether as Delegate to the
Congress of the United States, Governor of the Territory, member of
the legislature, probate judge, or any other office. I do not think
that any man who has been in office has ever even asked for it in any
shape or manner. So far as this is concerned we have been united, and
we have one consolation in regard to our officers, I do not believe
there has ever been a single defaulter among them in the whole
Territory, so far as dollars and cents are concerned, in any office.
In this respect then we see the advantage of being united.

Vol. 17,  p.70
There are very many advantages that will accrue to Us if we unite our
hearts, feelings, labors, interests, property, and everything that we
are made stewards over, One thing is certain, we can not continue in
the course that we have pursued in regard to temporal matters. It is
suicidal for any people to import ten dollars' worth of products While
they export only one, and it is a miracle and a wonder to me that we
have lived as long as we have under this order of things. We have sent
millions of dollars out of the Territory every year, for articles for
our home consumption, while we have exported but very little; hence I
say that the establishment and success of this new order among us will
bring about our temporal salvation.

Vol. 17,  p.70
We occupy a different position from the rest of the world. We believe
in the revelations of Jesus Christ contained in the Bible as well as
in the record or stick of Joseph in the hands of Ephraim,—the Book of
Mormon, which gives a history of the ancient inhabitants of this
continent, We also believe in the Book of Revelations, which were
given through the mouth of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, to the
Latter-day Saints and to the inhabitants of the earth. Inasmuch, then,
as we believe these things, we, if we carry out our faith, must of
necessity go to and prepare ourselves for the fulfillment of the
revelations of God. When we are in possession of the Spirit of God, we
understand that there is a change at the door, not only for us but for
all the world. There are certain events awaiting the nations of the
earth as well as Zion; and when these events overtake us we will be
preserved if we take the counsel that is given us and unite ours time,
labor and means, and produce what we need for our own use; but without
this we shall not be prepared to sustain ourselves and we shall suffer
loss and inconvenience thereby. I am satisfied that as a people,
pursuing the course we have pursued hitherto, we are not prepared for
the Zion of Enoch or the kingdom of God. Them was an order carried out
anciently by the people of this continent and by the people of the
city of Enoch, wherever that was located, which was [p.71] very
different from the practice which has prevailed among the Saints of
latter days; and as far as such a system being any injury to us I can
see none in the world. I can see no injury that can overtake the
Latter-day Saints, by their uniting together, according to the law of
God, and producing from the elements that which they need to eat,
drink and wear, and I feel as though the time has come for such an
order to be instituted; and the readiness with which the people
receive the teachings of the servants of God in regard to this matter
is a testimony that the time has come to favor Zion. The Spirit of God
bears witness to the congregations of the Saints of the importance of
the principles which have been given unto us, and hence their
readiness to receive them.

Vol. 17,  p.71
From the commencement of this work to the present day, the labor has
been harder with the servants of God to get the people prepared in
their hearts to let the Lord govern and control them in their temporal
labor and means than in regard to matters pertaining to their eternal
salvation. It was hard work for Joseph Smith to get the minds of the
people prepared even to receive the Gospel in his day. But the Lord
opened the way, the Gospel was preached and the Church was organized
in its purity and in the order in which it existed in the days of
Jesus Christ and the Apostles, and wherever the Gospel has been sent
the ears of the people have been more or less opened and a portion of
them have been ready to receive it. This Gospel has been preached in
every Christian nation under heaven where the laws would permit, and
people from these various nations have overcome their traditions so
far as to obey it; but, as I remarked before, it has been hard work
for the Latter-day Saints to bring themselves to such a state of mind
as to be willing for the Lord to govern them in their temporal labors.
There is something strange about this, but I think, probably, it is in
consequence of the position that we occupy. There is a vail between
man and eternal things; if that vail was taken away and we were able
to see eternal things as they are before the Lord, no man would be
tried with regard to gold, silver or this world's goods, and no man,
on their account, would be unwilling to let the Lord control him. But
here we have an agency, and we are in a probation, and there is a vail
between us and eternal things, between us and our heavenly Father and
the spirit world; and this for a wise and proper purpose in the Lord
our God, to prove whether the children of men will abide in his law or
not in the situation in which they are placed here. Latter-day Saints,
reflect upon these things. We have been willing, with every feeling of
our hearts, that Joseph Smith, President Young, and the leaders of the
people should guide and direct us in regard to our eternal interests;
and the blessings sealed upon us by their authority reach the other
side of the vail and are in force after death, and they affect our
destiny to the endless ages of eternity. Men, in the days of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, and of Jesus and the Apostles, had blessings sealed
upon them, kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers, with all the
blessings of the New and Everlasting Covenant. The question may be
asked, are these eternal blessings of interest to us? They are, or
should be. Are these blessings worth our earthly wealth, whether we
have little or much? Is salvation, is eternal life worth a yoke of
cattle, a house, a hundred acres of land, or anything that we [p.72]
possess here in the flesh? If it is, we certainly ought to be as ready
to permit the Lord to govern and control us in all our temporal labors
as we are in our spiritual labors.

Vol. 17,  p.72
Again, when a man dies he can not take his cattle, horses, houses or
lands with him; he goes to the grave—the resting place of all flesh.
No man escapes it, the law of death rests upon all. In Adam all die,
while in Christ all are made alive. We all understand that death has
passed upon all men, but we none of us know when our turn will come,
though we know it will not be a great while before we shall be called
to follow the generations who have preceded us. When we reflect upon
these things I think we all should be willing to let the Lord guide us
in temporal matters. In the Book of Mormon we learn that the ancient
Nephites, who dwelt on this continent, entered into, and continued in,
this order for nearly two hundred years. They were wealthy and happy
and the Lord blessed them. They had no poor among them. They were
united in heart and in spirit, and the blessings of the Lord rested
upon them. It is true they occupied a different position in one sense
to what we do. They entered into this order just after the Lord had
brought judgment upon the whole nation on account of their wickedness,
and many of the wicked had been destroyed: their cities had also been
destroyed, and it was while humbled by these judgments that they
entered the United Order. But a reign of peace and prosperity rested
upon them and continued until they broke the order and began to go,
every man for himself and the devil for them all, then utter
destruction soon overtook them.

Vol. 17,  p.72
It is different with us. We are entering this order before the wicked
are destroyed. We commence it to prepare us for the great events which
are at the door, for if the judgments of God ever were at the door of
any generation it is this. The whole volume of Scripture points these
things out to us in plain language, and all the unbelief of the
inhabitants of the earth will not alter the fact, it will not change
the hand of God nor stay his judgments, which are at the door of Great
Babylon. She will come in remembrance before God, and he will hold a
controversy with the nations; his sword is unsheathed and it will fall
on Idumea, the world, and who can stay his hand? These things have
been proclaimed by almost every Prophet who has ever spoken since the
world began. They point to our day, and their words must have their
fulfillment.

Vol. 17,  p.72
Over forty years the Gospel of Christ has been proclaimed to this
generation and to the whole Christian world as far as we have had
opportunity. Light has come into the world, but men have rejected it
because their deeds are evil, hence the judgments of God will rest
upon the nations of the earth in fulfillment of his word through the
Prophets. The Lord has called upon us to unite together and take hold
of this work, and to prepare ourselves for the great events which are
at hand, that when the destroying angels go forth to reap the earth,
beginning at the sanctuary, they need not destroy any man upon whom is
the mark set by the writer with the inkhorn, who cried and mourned
because of the abominations done among men. The Prophet, in seeing the
vision of these things in the last days, saw that the earth was
reaped, and the reapers began at the sanctuary, and the wicked were
cut off by the judgments of God.

Vol. 17,  p.73
The world now do not believe this any more than they believed in the
[p.73] days of Noah and Lot, and they are no more prepared for it, and
they are growing wickeder and wickeder every day of their lives.
Wickedness is increasing, for the devil has great dominion over the
hearts of the children of men. The Lord is trying to direct and
dictate his Saints and I feel that it is our duty, as a people, to
unite our interests together, also our time, talents, labor, and all
that we are stewards over, that as men who have faith in God, we may
be prepared for those things which await us, and for the coming of the
Son of Man. We are observing the signs of the times, and we can
readily understand the necessity of entering into this order. I think
we can all see this if we enjoy any portion of the spirit of our
religion and the work of the Lord, which we profess to be engaged in.
I can see everything in favor but nothing against the United Order.
These teachings are of the Lord; the servants of God have been moved
to call upon the people, and the Lord has moved upon the people, and
their hearts are being touched by the light of the Holy Spirit, and
they are entering into this organization; and my feeling is that if
you and I, who profess to be the friends of God, and have entered into
a covenant with him, withdraw our hearts from him that we do not see
the necessity of uniting ourselves according to this law of God, we
shall begin to dry up, and what little life, light, or spirit we have
will leave us and we shall go down and we shall not walk in the light
of the Lord. I view it as a day of decision to the Latter-day Saints
throughout the whole Church and kingdom of God, and we shall find it
to our advantage to decide rightly, and to walk in the path marked out
for us by the servants of the Lord.

Vol. 17,  p.73
I feel to say God bless the Latter-day Saints and the honest in heart
and meek of the earth throughout the whole world, and I pray that the
nations may be prepared for that which is to come, for as God lives
there is a change at the door, and what the ancient patriarchs and
Prophets said will be fulfilled; and if I were to express my feelings
as the spirit reveals to me it would be a good deal as Daniel said,
that all who will not prepare themselves for the coming of Christ must
get out of the way, for the little stone that was cut out of the
mountains without hands will shortly grind them to powder, and they
will be cast away as the chaff of the summer threshing floor. The
kingdom of God, which Daniel saw, the Zion of God in embryo, is on the
earth, and is here in these mountains; and it will rise and rise,
until it is clothed with the glory of God.

Vol. 17,  p.73
May God help us to prepare for his coming and kingdom, for Christ's
sake. Amen.[p.74] 

Erastus Snow, May 8. 1874

The United Order of Zion Affords the Utmost Freedom and 
Liberty—Brotherly Love and Goodwill to Man—True Riches 
Relate to Eternity—Establish Confidence in Our Hearts With God

Discourse By Elder Erastus Snow, Delivered at the Adjourned 
General Conference, Held in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Friday Morning, May 8, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.74
The United Order of Zion, proposed for our consideration, as will be
seen from the remarks that have been made by former speakers, and from
the articles which were read yesterday afternoon, is a grand,
comprehensive, co-operative system, designed to improve us who enter
into it, financially, socially, morally and religiously; it will aid
us, as Latter-day Saints, in living our religion, and in building up
Zion, and help us, by a combined effort, to cultivate every virtue, to
put from us every vice, to conduct ourselves and our children
sensibly, and to dispense with childish follies; it will enable us to
adopt sensible and discreet fashions and habits of life and style of
dress and manners; all of which can be effected by combined efforts,
but not easily in our individual capacities. For what man, however
good be his desires, can control himself and his family in their
habits and manners of life and fashions, without the aid of the
surrounding community? What sensible man can hold me or my brethren
responsible, in all respects, either for ourselves or our households,
unaided by the community and while the community are all working
against us? But when the community learn to work together, and are
agreed in a common purpose, what is it that they can not accomplish?
Union is strength, and a combination of labor and capital will give us
power at home and abroad. Our former cooperative systems in this
Territory have accomplished very great good for us, but they have been
only combinations of capital; the proposed system embraces labor as
well as capital, and it designs to make the interests of capital and
labor identical. True, there is one feature in the articles read
yesterday which may require a little modification; it is at least a
good subject for mature reflection and consideration before their
final adoption; and these articles are presented before the people for
this purpose.

Vol. 17,  p.75
The combination of labor and capital in this order will enable us
[p.75] to promote all branches of industry which shall appear, in the
judgment of the common Order, to be for the general good. At present,
capitalists are loth to engage in any enterprise which does not
vouchsafe to them profitable returns. It has been said by some among
us that the best argument in favor of co-operation, was large
dividends; but this is an argument that appeals only to cupidity and
avarice, and is especially acceptable to the man who sees nothing but
the God of this world to worship. Large dividends corrupt the morals
of a community, just as large speculations and the profit resulting
therefrom; for however desirable in a financial point of view to those
engaged in them, their tendency is always to intoxicate the brain, and
lead those engaged therein to further follies, until they overreach
and ruin themselves. Moderation is as valuable in financial affairs as
in social ethics, moderation in all speculation and in all business,
fair profits for labor, fair dividends for capital, and the use of
that capital and labor to promote the greatest good of the greatest
number, and not for my own dear self. The selfishness that is limited
to our own persons savors of the lower instincts of our natures, and
comes not from above.

Vol. 17,  p.75
Objections arise in the minds of some. "Shall we not by entering into
this order, surrender our manhood, our personal liberty, and those
rights so dear to every human being?" I answer, no, not in the least.
We do no more than what all people do in the formation of government,
of every kind, or associations for any purpose, whether charitable,
religious or social. All organizations, corporations, and business
firms agree to surrender certain personal privileges in order to
secure mutual advantages. All governments, societies, corporations and
firms are founded upon the principle of mutual concessions to secure
mutual advantages. Without this there could be no government, no power
to arrest and punish criminals and protect the rights of the citizen
and the sanctity of home.

Vol. 17,  p.75
The Order proposed before us affords the utmost freedom and liberty.
All things shall be done by common consent, and all the Branches of
the Order, throughout all the land, are to be organized by the
selection of the wisest, best and most experienced persons in their
midst, to form their councils, and to direct their business affairs
and the labors of the community, for the best possible good of the
whole, and not to the individual advantage of a few, who may be
schemers or who may have acquired an education by which they are
enabled to over-reach their fellow-men financially.

Vol. 17,  p.75
The grand principle upon which the Gospel of life and salvation is
founded and on which Zion is to be built, is brotherly love and good
will to man. This was the theme of the angels of God in announcing the
birth of the Savior. Hitherto, under our old systems, it has been
"every man for himself, and the devil for us all;" but the principle
which the Lord proposes is that we should square our lives by a higher
and holier one, namely, every one for the whole and God for us all.

Vol. 17,  p.75
Will this Order benefit the rich? Yes, it will afford security for
themselves and families and their capital. It is a mutual insurance
institution. Will it afford security and protection to the poor and
the honest laborer? Yes, it will lay a foundation for wealth and
comfort for them, and their families after them. Is it a free school
system? It is a mutual education system. Free? Not to the lazy,[p.76]
vicious and wicked, but it is a mutual education system for the good
and industrious, who abide in the Order and fulfill the obligations
thereof. Who shall be heirs of the common property? Every child who is
born in the Order. Heirs to the whole of it. No, nobody will be heir
to the whole of it. To what portion of it will they be heirs? Just
what they need. Who shall be the judges? Themselves, if they judge
correctly; and if they do not, somebody will judge more correctly for
them. "Well, shall I surrender my judgment to anybody else?" Of
course, you will; we all agree to that, if it must needs be. But he
who judges for himself correctly shall not be judged, but he ,who is
unable to judge himself, but covets everything that he sees, and
wishes to scatter and destroy what others are seeking to accumulate
and preserve, must have a bit put in his mouth and nome, who are more
sensible, must handle the reins. This is no agrarian doctrine, to
level those who are exalted, down to the mean level of those who are
in the mire, but it is the Godlike doctrine of raising those who are
of low estate and placing them in a better condition, by teaching them
economy, and prudence; it is for the strong to foster and bear the
infirmities of the weak, for those who possess skill and ability to
accumulate and preserve this world's goods, to use them for the common
good, and not merely for their own persons, children and relatives, so
as to exalt themselves in pride and vanity over their fellow-men, and
sink themselves to ruin by worshiping the God of this world. This is
beneath the character of those who profess to be the people of God. We
have done that long enough, but the word of God to us is to change our
front, and to learn to love our neighbor as ourselves and so cultivate
the spirit of the Gospel.

Vol. 17,  p.76
As to the minutae of the workings of the various Branches of this
Order, the details of the business and the relations of life, one
meeting of this kind would not suffice to tell, nor could the people
comprehend it if we were able to tell it; but it will be revealed to
us as we pass along, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a
little and there a little, and everything necessary will appear in its
time and place, and none need be over-anxious to pass over the bridge
before they reach it. God does not reveal to us everything at once,
for our minds are not prepared to comprehend it. Like children we must
have experience as we pass along. One thing is sufficient for us to
understand, and that is that this Order has made all nations and
peoples who have entered into and practiced it prosperous.

Vol. 17,  p.76
If any one doubts for a moment the success and final triumph of these
principles, that doubt is founded only in his own weakness, and in the
weaknesses of his fellow-men around him, and the selfishness that is
in our natures. If we are determined to make it a success there is no
power beneath the heavens that can make it a failure. If we engage in
it with full purpose of heart, with faith towards God, and seeking to
cultivate confidence towards one another, and are outspoken and frank
in all our business relations and intercourse with each other, and do
all things by common consent, with a just and honest purpose of soul,
there is no power that can hinder our succeeding in our undertaking.
But if we are determined to be selfish, and seek to build ourselves up
on the weaknesses of our [p.77] fellows, instead of building up the
kingdom of our God, we ought to go down, and the sooner the better.
For the last dozen years many of this people have been going on in the
way that our fathers and the world generally walk in; and instead of
building up Zion, have been after their personal and individual
interests. Forty years have passed over us as a people during which we
have been trying a little to carry on the work of God; but we have
been like the wary trout in the stream, we have been nibbling around
the hook, but we have never swallowed the bait. Now the hook is placed
before us naked, and we are simply asked the question, "Will you take
it or not?" "What, are we going to be caught?" Yes, this is the
fear—"We are going to be caught by the wily fisherman—we are going to
be enslaved. Has not somebody got an eye on our property? Does not
somebody wish to have our horses and carriages, our fine houses, our
substance, and the property we have gathered together?" Yes, the Lord
has an eye on all this, for it belongs to him. Which of us has
anything that does not belong to him? Where have we got that which we
possess? Who has given us ability to accumulate and preserve? To whom
are we accountable for our talents and gifts, as well as our
substance? The Lord has his eye upon all this. Is he anxious about our
property? No. This anxiety is in our own breasts, and if we have any
idols the sooner we put them away the better. The Lord cares nothing
about our houses and lands, our goods and chattels, our gold, silver
or raiment, for all upon the earth belongs to him, and at the best it
is only something that perishes with the using. He requires us to be
faithful in the use of it, for he has said, "He that is not faithful
with the unrighteous mammon, who shall commit to him the true riches?"
True riches relate to eternity; the riches that relate to this life
all perish with the using. Our houses, horses, carriages, clothing,
and our gold and silver perish with the using, together with our
tabernacles. We look to a glorious resurrection, to a new and enduring
earth, to riches that are immortal, to the habitations that shall not
pass away, to a glory that is beyond the grave, as the only true
riches, which the Gospel enjoins us to look after. "Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all things else shall be
added unto you." They will be added in God's own way, and he wishes to
show us a better way, and, in order to deal with us as a kind father
does with his children, he proposes to enlighten and instruct us, and
he will impart to all of his people who will obey his voice the wisdom
that is necessary to make them the richest people on the earth. This
is the purpose of the Lord concerning Zion and his people—they are to
possess this world's goods in abundance, not to be foolish with them
and to destroy themselves and their children, but that they may
preserve themselves and their children from falling into the vices and
follies of great Babylon. He will rise up in their midst wise
counselors to provide for the welfare of the whole.

Vol. 17,  p.77
Will our trading and trafficking with the outside world cease? Of
course not. As long as we are in the world, gathering Saints,
preaching to the nations and building up Zion, Zion will be as a city
set on a hill, which can not be hid. But the Lord proposes to preserve
his people as far as possible from the influences of Babylon, and the
[p.78] transactions outside of the Order will be carried on through
the Council of the Order; agents will be appointed by the voice of the
Order, that what we bring, from abroad may be bought from first hands
and in the lowest market, that we may derive the benefits of it,
instead of giving the profits to middlemen who are not of us; and what
we have for sale we will sell in the best markets, and so enjoy the
benefits of our labor, and not by interior competition and
underbidding and underselling each other "scatter our ways to
strangers," as we have done in times past. By this combined effort we
shall be able to obtain the full market value of our products—the
products of the farm, dairy, orchard, vineyard, the products of the
woolen and cotton factory, of our shoe shops, and every mechanical
appliance, to enable us to procure all labor-saving machinery, by our
combined efforts, which men in their individual capacity are not able
to do. We shall also be enabled to start new enterprises, and if they
do not pay at first, they are bound to pay in the end, if they are
necessary adjuncts to the prosperity of society. Our common fund will
nourish these infant establishments, instead of individuals failing
and breaking down in their vain efforts to build up new enterprises in
a new country, as is often the case now. And if funds are needed from
abroad to aid us in any general enterprise, we shall have the combined
property and credit of the community as a guarantee to capitalists
abroad, instead of individuals mortgaging their inheritances to
procure money to carry on individual "wild-cat" speculations by which
thousands are ruined. If they were operating in a United Order and
would submit their enterprises to the candid decision of that Order,
many an enterprising man would be saved from foolish ventures and from
ruin, and the wise and prudent would receive the necessary
encouragement and financial aid, to make their undertakings a success
for the benefit of the whole.

Vol. 17,  p.78
Will our merchants be worse off? No, our merchants, those who belong
to this Order, will be just as well off as any of the rest of the
Order· They will work where they are appointed, go on missions when
called, or tan leather, or make hats or wooden shoes, if they are
better adapted for that than for standing behind the counter; but if
they are best suited to handle the products of the people and to carry
on mutual exchanges among ourselves within the Order and with branch
Orders and with the outside world, we will appoint them to this labor
and service, and hold them to an account of their stewardships, and
the results of their transactions go into the common fund. Then they
will not be stimulated to avarice, overreaching, lying and deception,
to put what they call an honest, but what I call a very dishonest,
penny into their pockets. We will endeavor thus, by a union of effort,
to take away temptations from our midst to be dishonest, and let the
dishonest share the fate of Ananias and Sapphira; but let the
virtuous, upright and good be frank and outspoken, and give their
sentiments, the witness of the word of truth in their hearts, for the
good of the whole. Those who lack business capacity and experience
will labor where they can be useful, that the ability of all may be
available for the general good.

Vol. 17,  p.78
These are the principles embraced in the instrument we heard read
yesterday afternoon. As to these little personal objections that arise
[p.79] in the mind, we shall find that they exist only in the
imaginations of our own hearts, arising from our ignorance or a want
of proper understanding, and partly from knowing each other too well,
and comprehending each other's selfishness and weaknesses; because of
this we are afraid to trust each other. The remedy for this is for
every one to set himself to work to better his own condition, first
establishing confidence in his own heart between himself and his God,
and so deporting himself that he can command the respect and
confidence of his brethren and sisters. Every man and every woman
should set themselves to do this, and should enter into this Order
with a firm determination to do this. Confidence will then soon be
restored in our midst. Then every man and every woman will speak the
honest sentiments of their hearts, and vote as they feel to do on
every question, in the selection of officers and in the transaction of
all business, and we will do whatever we do for the general good,
according to the light that is in us. Such a people are bound to draw
down from the heavens above the revelations of light and truth; they
will tap the clouds from above; every man will be a lightning rod to
draw electricity from the clouds, in other words, the revelations of
light and truth, into their own hearts and minds; they will possess a
combined intelligence that will accomplish all they undertake in
righteousness, and they will prevail before the Lord and before the
world, and will command the respect and honor of the virtuous and
good, at home and abroad. Those who refuse to engage in these
enterprizes, and to eater into the holy Order, will become the
unpopular ones; and after we have once succeeded in this effort, we
shall marvel and wonder that we did not enter into it before.

Vol. 17,  p.79
We have been over forty years trying to learn these lessons, and all
the time putting them off to a future day, waiting for our children to
carry them out; but we shall marvel that we did not rise up and carry
them out before. Thousands of Saints have been anxiously waiting and
might, perhaps, have entered into this before now; but we have been
continually throwing new clay into the machine, drawing new materials
from abroad and raising new elements at home, and the elements brought
from Babylon has brought Babylon with it, and our habits, customs,
notions and individuality have been so prominent, that we could not
see the benefits of mutual concessions to secure the mutual advantages
and benefits of combined labor.

Vol. 17,  p.79
I am aware that some capitalists will object to the idea of drawing
only fifty per cent. of what remains to their credit, if they should
conclude to withdraw from the Order. Be this as it may, I can see no
principle appertaining to the Gospel and to the building up of Zion,
no principle of justice between man and man, which would permit the
capitalist to-day to bring his capital into the Order and surrender it
to the custody and care of stout hearts and strong arms to protect and
preserve it and to increase it by the erection of factories and
machinery and buildings and improvements, by the combined labor of the
people, and then all the original capital, together with all the
dividends, to be left at the disposal of the few capitalists
originally composing the firm, and their be permitted, fifty years
hence, to get up and walk off with the whole of it, leaving the great
mass of the community, that have grown up from infancy, and preserved
and insured [p.80] and made it valuable, without anything but their
daily wages, which they have eaten up as they passed along in
supporting themselves and their growing families. I say I see no
justice in allowing a few capitalists to draw the whole of their
original deposits, together with the whole of the dividends and
profits which have been made by the labor of the whole community, and
I consider the provision which limits that withdrawal to half the
original amount and half the dividends both wise and necessary. It is
a question in my mind whether we should, in this Order, recognize the
right of capital as above that of labor. This is a point which wild
bear criticism. But I will pass that over now.

Vol. 17,  p.80
There are many objections which will arise in the minds of the people.
The enemy will endeavor to throw every possible objection before our
minds; but the more we scan it, and the more we seek to understand the
principles of this Order, as set before us in this instrument, the
more we shall see the wisdom of God manifest therein, and the
revelations of light and truth; the more this spirit goes abroad among
the people, the more will their hearts be opened and prepared to
receive it. I praise God that he has moved upon the heart of his
servant Brigham to call this people to "right about face," that they
may enter in at the strait gate, which may God grant we may be able to
do in the name of Jesus. Amen.

George A. Smith, May 9, 1874

The Blessings of Eternal Life Attained at the 
Sacrifice of All Things—Tithing—Economy Necessary to 
Self-Sustenance—Home Manufacture

Discourse By President George A. Smith, Delivered at the 
Adjourned General Conference, Held in the New Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 9, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.80
The principles which we have presented before us in the plan of
salvation require of us an effort, for we are told that if we would
have the blessings of exaltation, we must continue unto the end; and,
in the Lectures on Faith, contained in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, we are informed that if we would attain to the blessings of
eternal life, we do it at a sacrifice of all things. The principles
connected with this law call upon us to study our acts, designs and
intentions in life.

Vol. 17,  p.80
We came into the Church in different parts of the world, under the
influence of the Spirit of the Almighty, and we gathered here by the
[p.81] aid of our brethren, or by our own efforts. We came to this
land to learn the ways of the Lord and to walk in his paths; but we
fail to understand or appreciate, altogether, the importance of a
strict attention to our faith, and we become negligent and
thoughtless, we are anxious to obtain wealth, and there arises among
us a scramble, a kind of emulation one with the other, to obtain a
greater amount of this world's goods than our neighbors. On this
account many of us neglect to pay our Tithing, notwithstanding we are
very anxious to receive the ordinances which are administered in a
Temple. The real time to pay Tithing is when we have the means. When
we receive money, merchandize or property, if we, in the first
instance, go to Bishop Hunter and pay the tenth, making our record
square with our faith, we can then use the remainder with a conscience
void of offence, and we shall be blessed therein.

Vol. 17,  p.81
Men may commence reasoning on this subject, and say, "We will figure
all the year, and if at the end of it we find that we have saved
anything, we will pay some Tithing; but if we do not save anything, we
think the Bishops ought to pay us something." The spirit which prompts
this feeling is entirely wrong, and those who come to this conclusion
will, in the end, feel that if they lose a crop any year they ought to
keep back their Tithing for several years after to make up that loss;
but the fact is that a Tithing of what we receive from the Lord is due
to him, and the residue we are entitled to use according to our best
wisdom. The Prophet Malachi says—"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have
robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and
offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even
this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that
there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the
Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive
it." Jesus said, he that gives a cap of cold water, in the name of a
disciple, to one of these little ones, shall in no wise lose his
reward; but in order to have the blessing of faith connected with the
payment of Tithing, it is necessary to realize the importance of the
commandment of God concerning it, for no man can attain to the faith
necessary to salvation and eternal life without a sacrifice of all
things. Now, if we prefer the things of this world and the pleasures
of life to the things of the kingdom of God, we can have our own
choice, but, so far as the comparison is concerned, "eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, nor yet hath it entered into the heart of man to
conceive," the glory that is in store for those who keep the
commandments of God, and live in accordance with his requirements. If
we are to adopt the order of Zion now, it should become in our hearts
a cherished desire, an earnest and determined purpose that, in all our
actions, we will seek to love our neighbor as ourselves, that we will
labor for the good of Zion, and put away selfishness, corruption and
false principles.

Vol. 17,  p.81
We have been instructed upon the necessity of economy, of living
within ourselves, and of sustaining ourselves by the production of our
own hands, yet we carelessly drift in another direction. How often we
have been counseled to avoid getting into debt. When the Order of
Enoch was organized in Kirtland the brethren were commanded, in the
laws, not to get into debt to their enemies, and on a [p.82] certain
occasion it was commanded that we should make it our object to pay all
our debts and liabilities, and that we should take measures to avoid
the necessity of incurring more. One of the earliest things I can
remember in my boyhood was an answer to the question—How to get rich?
The answer was—"Live on half your income, and live a great while." We
know how easy it is to live beyond our income, and to go on the credit
system. Credit is a shadow, and debt is bondage, and I advise the
brethren to realize that the balloon system of credit so general in
our country and among ourselves is dangerous in its nature, and it is
our duty, at the earliest time in our power, to close up all our
liabilities, pay all our debts, and commence living as we go. I would
rather walk the streets in a pair of wooden soles that I own and owe
no man for, than in the finest morocco that some merchant was
presenting a bill to me to pay for; I should, in my estimation, be
more of a gentleman and more of an independent man with the wooden
soles than with the fine boots, and I would advise our brethren, if
necessity requires, to adopt the wooden sole leather in preference to
being in debt.

Vol. 17,  p.82
I visited the land where my ancestors lived in America, the graves of
three or four generations of them, and I saw on the old farm, still
occupied by some distant kinsmen, a shoe shop. Said I—"What are you
doing here?" Said they—"Here is where we make our money, we work the
farm in the summer, and in the winter we sit down here and earn three
or four hundred dollars making shoes." "Where do you sell them?" "We
make them for some houses in Salem and Lynn, that send them to
California and the western Territories and sell them there." Now,
brethren, think of this, a man can learn to make a shoe very quick it
he has any ingenuity, and many of us spend our time in partial
idleness through the winter, and we buy our shoes from manufacturers
in the East, when we could just as well make them ourselves. Another
bad feature connected with imported shoes is, that when we put them on
and walk into the streets, if the weather is wet, our feet are damp
very quick, and I believe, as a matter of health as well as economy,
that if, in wet weather, we were to adopt the wooden sole, it would
save our children from much sickness, and a great many of us from
rheumatism, sore throats and coughs, for much of the imported sole
leather is spongy, and that holds the water and makes the feet damp
and cold, producing sickness; and I am inclined to believe the
statement made by the agricultural societies of Europe, that the use
of wooden soles for shoes has a tendency to prevent a great many
diseases which are incident to the use of leather. But if we are
determined to wear leather, if we set ourselves to the work with a
will, we can produce as fine leather of every variety, and as fine
shoes and almost every other necessary within ourselves as we import,
and a great deal better. But we must stop sending away our hides by
the car lead and must tan them ourselves. We have plenty of workmen
who understand the business, and more can be trained, and we shall
then not be compelled to ship car-loads of hair from the States for
the use of our plasterers, in mixing the lime to finish our walls.
This is true political economy.

Vol. 17,  p.82
When I went to St. George last fall, I had a very good pair of boots,
made of nice States sole leather, under my feet. The soil of St.
George has a cold mineral in it, and although [p.83] it may be dry and
pleasant to walk about, a man wants a thick sole under his feet. I
have bled a great many years from a rupture of the left lung which I
got while preaching in the streets of London it, 1840, and I have
suffered a great deal from it, and the moment I would go out to walk
on the streets of St. George, a shock, almost like electricity, would
strike, through the spongy leather of my boot, from the hollow of my
foot to this lung and cause a pain there. I went and got an extra sole
put on and a thickness of wax cloth put between the soles, and in this
way I wore, all winter, a boot just as stiff in the sole as a clog,
and had no rheumatism and escaped cold. This set me to reflecting why
I should pay two dollars for those soles, brought from the States,
when a piece of cottonwood was just as good, and would answer my
purpose just as well. Says one—"Why not wear overshoes?" Who wants the
air kept from their feet by wearing a coat of india-rubber, which
sweats them and makes them tender? They keep the feet dry, it is true,
but for my own part it is not convenient to wear overshoes, and never
has been, and on this account I have been compelled to go without. I
also observe that some of those who do wear them, if they are not very
careful, or if they should happen to forget and step out into the wet
without them are almost sure to take cold, and have an attack of
rheumatism, especially if they have delicate health. But with us
throughout the Territory, I believe it has become almost a financial
necessity that we economize our shoe bills. Think of these things and
remember that it is within our power to manufacture just as good
leather and as much of it, and as good and handsome shoes here as
anywhere else, only let us take the time necessary to do it.

Vol. 17,  p.83
The same thing may be said in relation to hats and clothing, and in
fact about nine out of every ten articles that we import. One car-load
of black walnut brought here from the States, and paid for as a lower
class of freight, will probably make half a dozen car loads of
furniture, and we have the mechanics who know how to make it up; and
if we lack the necessary machinery we can procure it. If we please we
can also bring lumber for every variety of furniture that we want,
that our mountain lumber will not make. The same rule will also apply
to wagons, carriages and agricultural implements. This course will be
much better than wasting ourselves by being slaves to others, and
paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars for furniture of a not
very durable quality, and other articles that we can manufacture
ourselves.

Vol. 17,  p.83
With me this is a very important item of religion, and it is time for
us to cease importing shoes, clothing, wagons and so many other
things, and that we manufacture them at home. This will reduce instead
of increasing our expenses. When a man buys imported articles for the
use of his family he helps to create difficulties for himself, for by
and by the bills begin to come, and bonds and mortgages and all this
sort of thing have to be met, and then he begins to worry and stew;
but if he used home-made products the means is kept in the Territory,
and he has a chance of working at some branch of trade which will in a
short time bring it back to him again; whereas if it is sent out of
the Territory it helps to impoverish all. Why not retrench? Says
one—"I want to wear as good clothes and as fine shoes as anybody else,
and I think I should be laughed at if I were to put clogs[p.84] on."
Well, if they did laugh they could not do a more foolish thing. Why
not feel proud and independent of our own high character, that what we
have is our own, and we are slaves to nobody? That is my feeling about
it. By continually importing we run into debt and cast our ways to
strangers, when it is perfectly in our power, if we will do it, to be
independent, comfortable and happy, and owe no man anything.

George A. Smith, May 10, 1874

Education of Children—the Necessity of Supporting Home 
Publications—Ladies' Relief Societies—St. George 
and Salt Lake Temples—Sabbath Schools

Discourse By President George A. Smith, Delivered at the 
Adjourned General Conference, Held in the New Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 10, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.84
I rise on the present occasion, desiring the faith and prayers of the
brethren and sisters that I may be able to address them by the majesty
of the Spirit of the Almighty. When we come before the Lord to partake
of the Sacrament, in memory of his death and suffering, we witness
unto him that we do remember him, that we love one another, and that
we are willing to endeavor to do all in our power to fulfill our
several duties on the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.84
One of the first and most responsible duties that rest upon us is the
education, training and cultivation of the minds of our children. A
child learns from us by our examples, the actions or examples of the
parents being ever remembered by the children. A pious old deacon who
may, by the way, have been a hypocrite, and had two half bushel
measures, one to buy, and the other to soil with, may be very sure
that his children will be dishonest. So it may be with our children if
we do not act before them as becometh Saints; our precepts may be very
good, but their effect will not be very powerful unless our examples
correspond.

Vol. 17,  p.84
We are more or less careless as to the observance of the Sabbath; and,
in consequence of the neglect of the Latter-day Saints in this
respect, I feel anxious to stir them up to diligence in attending
meetings on the Sabbath and on fast days, and in having their children
do the same. I have visited a number of Sunday schools, and I have
found that there was a good deal of interest manifested in them, and
that much benefit to the rising generation is resulting from spending
a couple of hours on [p.85] the Sabbath in giving them religious or
such other instruction as may be necessary to cultivate their minds;
and, I wish the Bishops and presiding Elders, on their return to their
several Branches, to stir up the minds of the brethren and sisters to
the necessity of encouraging the Sunday schools, that they may be
interesting and agreeable as well as instructive. Stir up the parents,
too, that they may be alive and awake in getting the children ready
for school in season, and that punctuality in attendance be
encouraged. Endeavor also to induce parents and other elder members of
families who can do so, to attend the Sunday schools, that there may
be no lack of teachers, for one of the most useful callings for
persons who can possibly or reasonably attend to it, is to teach the
youth in Sunday schools.

Vol. 17,  p.85
I also advise that the "Juvenile Instructor" be circulated extensively
among our children. It is a work calculated to inform their minds on
the principles of the Gospel; from its pages they may also gain a
knowledge of the history of the Church, as well as a variety of other
useful and entertaining information. It is a very useful publication,
and the benefits it is capable of conferring upon our young people are
numerous and great. While speaking on this subject, I will refer to
other papers published by our brethren in these valleys—the "Deseret
News," the "Salt Lake Herald," "Ogden Junction," "Provo Times," and
the "Beaver" and "St. George Enterprise," all of which contain a good
deal of information about our home affairs specially, and of events in
the world generally. I hope that, in all the Stakes of Zion, the
people will manifest a spirit and determination to support papers
which are published for their benefit. The "Deseret News," daily,
semi-weekly, and weekly, besides the general news of the world, also
contains many of the sermons of President Young and others of the
Church authorities, and it should be widely circulated in all the
settlements of the Saints. The mails now run to all parts of the
Territory, and though we can not boast a great deal about the
punctuality of some of them, yet in nearly every settlement a mail
comes along once in a while bringing the "Deseret News," and a man is
pretty safe on the main thoroughfares in taking the weekly, and in
many locallities the semi-weekly or daily may be ventured upon.

Vol. 17,  p.85
We must do something more in relation to printing. The Women's Relief
Society are publishing a paper called the "Woman's Exponent," which is
a very ably edited sheet, and one containing a great deal of
information. I am surprised that all the gentlemen in the Territory do
not take it. I invite all the Elders, Bishops and presiding officers
in the Stakes of Zion, on their return home, setting the example
themselves, to solicit all their brethren, and especially the sisters,
to become subsribers to this little sheet, for I am sure that they
will be interested in the instruction and information it contains. I
will say that. we expect in a short time, through the patronage of the
brethren and sisters, that the ladies will be able to enlarge this
paper, and to extend its influence far and wide.

Vol. 17,  p.85
It has been my privilege to make visits to, and to become acquainted
with the Ladies' Relief Societies in many of the settlements in the
Territory, and I am convinced that great good results from the labors
of these organizations; and I feel certain that unless the ladies take
hold of any movement designed to forward the [p.86] work of the Lord
in the last days, its progress will be tardy. In all parts of the
world, when nations are at war, unless the women take an interest in
the matter, the war goes on very heavily. I am of the opinion that in
the next war between France and Germany, the French will get the best
of it. Not but what I have a great opinion of German skill, energy and
pluck, but I am satisfied, from traveling and personal observation,
that the women of France are thoroughly aroused, and that in the next
war between those two nations, the Prussians will have to fight the
women of France, and then France will be likely to win.

Vol. 17,  p.86
I say to our sisters of the Relief Societies, be encouraged, meet
together and discuss all questions that are calculated to interest or
benefit the community, as you have the ability; and as no man can be
elected to office in this Territory without the vote of the ladies,
make yourselves thoroughly acquainted, not only with the politics of
the country, but with every principle of local government that may be
advanced, and then, whatever is calculated to benefit the people in
their private or domestic circles, you will be enabled to vote
intelligently, and to carry it through without difficulty.

Vol. 17,  p.86
We spend a great deal of money in following vain fashions, and in
purchasing a great many articles that are useless. These societies, if
they choose, can make their own fashions and they can make them
according to wisdom, and so as to promote health; a great many of the
fashions of the world are calculated to destroy health. A hundred
questions connected with domestic economy—housekeeping, cooking,
making bread and kindred subjects, that are of importance to the
stomach, health and longevity of every man and woman in the Territory
may be properly discussed in these Relief Societies, and useful
information disseminated. A great many of the women in these valleys
have not had good opportunities to become acquainted with the art of
cooking, and that is an art which has something to do with every
person's happiness. The example of the ladies, and the influence which
they exercise, have a tendency, above all things else, to maintain,
create, and preserve good morals. Men are apt to behave themselves in
the society of women, and if women act wisely and prudently in guiding
and controlling the course and conduct of each other, they will be
able, to a great extent, to guide, control, and regulate the morals
and the conduct of men. We think, however, that the policy of the
Christian world, in throwing the responsibility, so far as morality is
concerned, entirely upon the heads of women, is a blunder; the men
should be held responsible for their own acts, and when they are
guilty of that which is corrupt, low or degrading, they should be
looked upon as transgressors and cast aside until, by repentance and
uprightness, they prove that they are worthy of confidence.

Vol. 17,  p.86
I have been, from the commencement of the formation of this Territory,
more or less identified with its politics. I was a member of the
Legislature of Deseret, before Utah Territory was organized, and while
it was a provisional government. I was a member of the first
Legislature of the Territory, and served twenty years. During that
period I was brought in contact with five different sets of federal
officers, and I had a pretty good knowledge of some forty-eight or
forty-nine judges. They were men sent here, from different parts of
the country, to administer the law. They had a general knowledge
[p.87] of politics, and of the law as administered in their own
immediate localities. But few of them were of high minds and noble
sentiments, and many of them were incapable of occupying, with honor,
the high positions they were selected to fill. Our people here in
these mountains did not take much pains to acquaint themselves with
the politics of the country. We had been five times robbed of all we
possesed. Our leaders had been murdered and we had been expatriated
and driven from the United States into these valleys, then a portion
of the republic of Mexico, but afterwards acquired by the United
States. We were a great way from any other settlement. It took a
month, generally, to get a mail, and for about twelve years we had
about seven mails a year; and in the latter part of October or about
the first of November, portions of the mails for the winter before
would be brought in here with ox teams. This was our condition in
early days. We did not pay a great deal of attention to politics; we
were not very much divided and hence we cared very little about our
elections, and did not pay much attention to them; and a good many who
came from abroad were so careless that they did not obtain their
naturalization papers, although, from time to time, we advised them to
attend to this matter; and I now call upon the Bishops and presiding
Elders, when they return home, to recommend the foreign brethren who
are not naturalized to see to this; and in all localities or districts
which are favored with judges who have more respect for the law than
for religious bigotry, let the brethren take all pains to get
naturalized, that they may have the benefits of the laws of our
country, and be permitted to perform any duty required thereby, and be
faithful to do so in all cases; and never let an election go by, or
any other occasion in which it is important for us to take part,
without paying attention to it. This advice is for the ladies as well
as for the gentlemen, for every lady of twenty-one years of age, who
is a citizen of the United States, or whose husband or father is a
citizen of the United States, has a right, under the laws of Utah to
vote; and no one need hope to hold office in Utah if the ladies say
no.

Vol. 17,  p.87
I wish to call your attention to the Saint George Temple. We have got
the foundation of that Temple up to the water table, about eighteen
feet from the ground, and a very nice foundation it is. The building
is about one hundred and forty-one feet long and about ninety-three
feet wide, and when the walls are up they will be about ninety feet
high. We have a very fine draught and design. The building is in a
nice locality and in a very fine climate, where, all winter, and in
fact the whole year, there is almost perpetual spring and summer
weather; and when the Temple is completed there will be an opportunity
to go there and spend the winter and attend to religious ordinances or
enjoy yourselves; and if you want to go there through the summer you
can eat as delicious fruits as ever grew out of the earth in any
country I believe. As far as I have traveled I have never seen
anything in the way of fruit that I thought was superior to that which
is produced in St. George. We invite a hundred and fifty of the
brethren to volunteer to go down there this summer to put up this
building, and to find themselves while they are doing it. We shall
call upon the Bishops, presiding Elders, teachers and others from the
various stakes of Zion to take this matter in hand when they [p.88]
reach home, and find brethren, if they can, who are willing to go and
do this work, so that by Christmas the building may be ready for the
roof, that we may, in a very short time, have the font dedicated and
the ordinances of the holy Priesthood performed in that place. We
appeal to our brethren and sisters in behalf of this St. George
Temple. Our brethren in that vicinity are doing all they can to push
forward the work, but five or six months' help from a hundred or a
hundred and fifty men is very desirable.

Vol. 17,  p.88
I will invite all the brethren and sisters from the settlements who
may visit Salt Lake City this summer to step on to the Temple Block
and see what we are doing for the Temple here. See the beautiful
stones that have been quarried in the Cottonwood and brought here,
every one cut and numbered for its place. And it is the duty of the
brethren to call upon the Lord for his blessing upon the work and upon
the workmen. I also call upon the Bishops and teachers in all the
stakes of Zion, to be on hand and to see that, in the building of this
Temple, in the centre stake of Zion in the mountains, we are not under
the necessity of involving ourselves in disagreeable liabilities in
order to move the work forward. For the last year we have had from
sixty to ninety men engaged in cutting stone on this block, and a
number of other mechanics to supply them with tools and other
necessaries; last summer we had a considerable force of men laying
these stones on the walls. In Little Cottonwood canyon we have
continually at work a force of from twenty-five to sixty men quarrying
granite, and every day, Sundays excepted, two or three car loads of
this granite, from ten to twelve tons each load, are brought from the
quarry to the Temple Block. It is really a delightful thing, to a
person who has never seen it, to go on to the block and see the
skillful manner in which our architects and workmen pick up these big
stones and pass them all over the building, and lay them in their
place to a hair's breadth. It shows what can be done with a little
management, skill and ingenuity.

Vol. 17,  p.88
We earnestly appeal to all Saints, Tithe payers, to donate liberally
and punctually for the prosecution of this work. While we employ so
many skilled mechanics and other laborers, their families constantly
require a supply of not only home products, but of money, and
merchandize which costs money, and unless the brethren furnish the
means to supply these necessities, we shall be obliged to dismiss many
of the workmen. We have already incurred liabilities which press upon
us, and we call upon the brethren to supply the means necessary to
enable us to maintain our credit and continue the work.

Vol. 17,  p.88
It is the design of the teachers and superintendents of Sunday
schools, to get up a children's musical jubilee. Some songs have been
composed, and they are being learned and practiced, and they calculate
to assemble some eight or ten thousand children in this building and
have a general time of grand musical song. The enterprise is a very
laudable one. We do not know when the festival will take place but
brother Goddard, the Assistant Superintendent, and a number of others
who are interested in Sunday schools are doing all they can, and we
ask the co-operation of the Bishops, presidents, teachers and brethren
and sisters in the several Stakes of Zion to take a part in it, and
make it one of the finest festivals of the kind ever held. The
progress of our Sabbath schools will be encouraged, and the elevating
tendency [p.89] of music may be appreciated by all who participate
therein. We ask our brethren to act wisely and prudently in carrying
this matter out, that it may be done in such a manner as shall be
satisfactory; and if a little means is necessary on the part of
parents or friends let it not be wanting. In the course of my year's
travel I visited schools in various parts of the world, but I found
none superior to our own. I think that ours compare favorably with
them, and in many respects they are superior to most that I visited,
and I hope that a spirit to encourage them will be developed.

Vol. 17,  p.89
I wish to see the common school system encouraged as far as possible.
The brethren in many settlements are forming Branches of the United
Order, and as soon as they get fairly to work they will be able to
introduce improved systems of teaching. I notice, in visiting our
settlements, more or less carelessness in relation to schools. Very
little pains will make a school-room quite comfortable, and I wish to
stir up parents to the importance of visiting the schools and seeing
what their children are doing, and what the teachers are doing, find
out whether the little fellows are sitting on comfortable seats;
whether they put a tall boy on a low seat, or a boy with short legs on
a high seat, making him humpbacked. The happiness and prosperity of
the whole life of a child may be a good deal impaired while attending
school through a blockhead of a teacher not knowing enough to get a
saw and sawing the legs of the seats his pupils sit upon, an as to
make them comfortable. It is the duty of the people to look after the
comfort of their children while at school, and also to procure proper
books for them; and to see that the schools are provided with fuel,
that in the cold weather they may be warm and comfortable. In a new
country I know there are a good many disadvantages to contend with,
but I feel anxious that nothing, within our power to promote the
welfare of our children, should be neglected. There is no need,
however, to send to the States to buy school benches. There is plenty
of timber in these mountains, and a few days' work properly applied
will seat any school room perfectly comfortable, for we can make just
as good benches in this country as anywhere else, it is only a
question of time and attention. Of course if we can do no better, send
and buy; but in order that we may have means to buy what we are forced
to buy, it is necessary that we exercise prudence and economy and
supply our own wants as far as possible. The wholesale Co-operative
Store here imports probably five million dollars' worth of goods per
annum. One half of these goods could be produced at home with our own
labor; it is only a question of time and management to do it. If we
were to produce one-half of these goods we should be in easy
circumstances all the time, and should have plenty to buy everything
we wanted to buy. We could also produce many things to sell; but by
purchasing, in such immense quantities, articles that we can make
ourselves, we impoverish ourselves all the time, hence we advise our
brethren and sisters, in all their councils, meetings, orders,
associations, and relief and retrenchment societies, to take into
account every question where economy can be exercised and prudence
observed, and where we can save a dollar instead of spending one let
us do it, for by taking this course we can lay a foundation for
permanent comfort at home, and this will prevent us from being
dependent upon abroad. This is a part of my religion and this I shall
[p.90] continue to preach.

Vol. 17,  p.90
In relation to this United Order, I will say to those who are entering
it, if questions arise that trouble you and that you wish to have
explained; or if anything should arise upon which you wish for advice
or counsel, it you will write your queries and send them along here to
the President's office, we will answer them, and show you that the
whole affair can be carried out with perfect ease. Only let this
people act with one heart and one mind, as the Nephites did, and
success is certain; and in a short time a great many will wonder, as
some in the southern settlements have already expressed it, "Why did
we not unite before?" I feel satisfied that the spirit which has been
manifested here and elsewhere on this subject, is the same spirit
which bore testimony to you, when you went down into the waters of
baptism, that this was the work of God; and when we have this spirit
in our hearts we can move forward with joy and thanksgiving, and can
accomplish that which is required of us.

Vol. 17,  p.90
I wish to return my thanks to our musicians—those who direct and all
who have participated in the musical exercises of our Conference. I
have enjoyed them. I have visited many parts of the world, and have
been to see their organs and to hear their music; but I have heard
none with which I am so well pleased as with our own. There is
something sweet and lovely here, and I feel that the Spirit of the
Lord has warmed the hearts and inspired the souls of those who have
made melody for us during the Conference. I pray that God may bless
them, that he may enlighten their minds, enliven their souls, and make
their songs songs of glory for ever. Amen.

George A. Smith, May 24, 1874

General Doniphan's Connection With the Early History of the 
Church—Persecutions of the Saints—Mormon Battalion—Hardships 
Experienced in the Settlement of Utah—Plurality of Wives

Discourse By President George A. Smith, Delivered in the 
New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 24, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.90
About two days since the daily papers announced the arrival, in this
city, of General A. W. Doniphan, of Liberty, Clay County, Missouri.
This circumstance brought to my mind incidents thirty-six years passed
[p.91] by, to which I shall briefly refer on the present occasion.
There are few men whose names have been identified with the history of
our Church, with more pleasant feelings to its members, than General
Doniphan. During a long career of persecution, abuse and oppression
characters occasionally present themselves like stars of the first
magnitude in defence of right, who are willing, notwithstanding the
unpopularity that may attach to it, to stand up and protest against
mob violence, murder, abuse, or the destruction of property and
constitutional rights, even if the parties who are being thus abused,
robbed, murdered or trampled under foot have the unpopular name of
"Mormons." The incident of General Doniphan exercising his influence
by which means he prevented the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and
some other Elders, who bad had a mock trial by court-martial, in the
State of Missouri, some thirty-six years ago, is familiar to the minds
of all the Latter-day Saints who are acquainted with the history of
that period, and there is one man in the Territory who was present on
the occasion, that is Timothy B. Foote, of Nephi, who witnessed the
court-martial. It was represented to Joseph Smith, by a man known
among our people as Colonel Hinkle, that Major General Lucas and
certain other parties wished to have an interview with him. In the
vicinity of the town of Far West there was at that time a large body
of armed men, under the orders of the Governor of Missouri, but
temporarily under the command of General Lucas, of Jackson County,
Mo., who was the ranking officer. It is understood by us that Hinkle
had deceived Joseph Smith and the brethren with the idea that the
interview was to be of a peaceful and consultory character; but when
they came, as they supposed, to hold the interview, they were taken
prisoners, tried by a court-martial and sentenced to be shot; the
execution, however, was prevented by the protest of General Doniphan,
who, at that time, was commander of a brigade, composed, I believe, of
the militia of the County of Clay, and who declared that the execution
of that sentence would be cold blooded murder.

Vol. 17,  p.91
It was not long after this that General Clark, who had been appointed
by the Governor to this command, arrived and took command of this
militia. General Atchison was the ranking officer, being the general
of a division on the north side of the river, commanding a division
containing, I think, six counties, but he was superseded by the
appointment of Clark. If I remember right there were as many as
thirteen thousand men ordered out, and there were probably five or six
thousand collected together on the ground, their object being to expel
the Latter-day Saints from the State of Missouri.

Vol. 17,  p.91
The number of Latter-day Saints at that period is not accurately
known, but there were, I suppose, in the neighborhood of ten or twelve
thousand. The settlements had been rapidly formed. They had occupied
the County of Caldwell when there were only seven families in it. A
party of Elders visited Caldwell County to look for a location. On
their arrival they fell in with these seven families, who were living
in log cabins and had made very little improvements. They said the
country was a worthless, naked prairie, there was very little timber
in it, and, their business being bee-hunting, they had hunted all the
bees out of the woods, and they wanted to go somewhere else, as they
learned there was better bee-hunting and more honey to be obtained
[p.92] up Grand River; and within an hour after the arrival of the
first of these Elders, every one of the seven men had sold their
places and received their pay, congratulating themselves on their good
fortune in leaving a country where the taking of wild honey had ceased
to be a paying business, and there was not a family, other than
Latter-day Saints, residing in the county. A good many of our people
were settled in Ray County, a few in Clay, and some in Livingstone,
Davies, Clinton and Carroll. I understand that three hundred and
eighteen thousand dollars had been paid to the United States for lands
in the State of Missouri, the titles of which were held by Latter-day
Saints. The Order of Governor Boggs exterminated these people from the
State. To be sure they owned their lands, and they were industrious
and law-abiding. They were increasing rapidly and making vast
improvements. The city of Far West had several hundred houses, and
other towns and villages were springing up. United firms were being
organized, which were putting into cultivation very extensive tracts
of land in addition to the large amount already brought under
improvement.

Vol. 17,  p.92
In consequence of the influence exerted by General Doniphan, General
Lucas hesitated to execute the sentence of his court-martial, and he
delivered Joseph Smith and his associates into the charge of General
Moses Wilson, who was instructed to take them to Jackson County and
there put them to death. I heard General Wilson, some years after,
speaking of this circumstance. He was telling some gentlemen about
having Joseph Smith a prisoner in chains in his possession, and said
he—"He was a very remarkable man. I carried him into my house, a
prisoner in chains and in less than two hours my wife loved him better
than she did me." At any rate Mrs. Wilson became deeply interested in
preserving the life of Joseph Smith and the other prisoners, and this
interest on her part, which probably arose from a spirit of humanity,
did not end with that circumstance, for, a number of years afterwards,
after the family had moved to Texas, General Wilson became interested
in raising a mob to do violence to some of the Latter-day Saint Elders
who were going to preach in the neigborhood, and this coming to the
ears of Mrs. Wilson, although then an aged lady, she mounted her horse
and rode thirty miles to give the Elders the information. Year before
last when I was in California, attending the State Fair, I met with a
son of Mr. Wilson: he was president of an agricultural society, and
was attending the fair, and I named this circumstance to him. He told
me that his mother deeply deprecated the difficulties with the
Mormons, and did all she could to prevent them.

Vol. 17,  p.92
You can readily see from what I have said that our community, at that
time, was very handsomely situated. the poorest man in it, apparently,
owned his forty acres of land, while some of the richer had several
sections. Farms had been opened, and prosperity seemed to smile upon
the people everywhere. Mills were built, machinery was being
constructed, and everything seemed to be going on that could be
desired to make a community prosperous, wealthy and happy, when
suddenly, in consequence of the exterminating order issued by Lilburn
W. Boggs, and executed by General Clark, and those under his command,
the people were driven from the State. If we would renounce our faith
we could have the privilege of remaining, but [p.93] we were told
pointedly that we must hold no prayer meetings, no prayer circles, no
conferences, and that we must have neither Bishops nor Presidents, and
that if we indulged in any of these forbidden luxuries the citizens
would be upon us and destroy us. A very few accepted the conditions
and remained, and I believe that, to this day, one or two families
occupy their inheritances who then renounced their faith.

Vol. 17,  p.93
This people landed in Illinois destitute. Most of their animals had
been plundered from them during the difficulties, and, to use a
comparative expression, they arrived in that State almost naked and
barefoot. They were, however, a very industrious people, and they
immediately went to work; anywhere and everywhere that they could find
anything to do their hands laid hold upon it, and prosperity very soon
began to smile upon them. Joseph Smith was kept in prison during the
winter, but in the spring he and several of his fellow prisoners,
among then Bishop Alexander McRae of the 11th Ward, escaped and made
their way to the State of Illinois.

Vol. 17,  p.93
Our people had a very singular idea of justice and right; they
supposed, having paid their money to the United States for their
lands, having actually purchased and received titles for them, that it
was the business of the United States to protect them thereon; having
little acquaintance with law they entertained the somewhat wild idea
that that was no more than justice on the part of the Government. Of
course, the government could only be expected to protect them against
any adverse titles that might arise; but so far as protecting them
from mobs or from illegal violence from the State in which they lived,
from oppression from those in authority, or from marauders who might
burn their houses, or murder them and ravish their wives, this was no
part of the business of the United States; but in their lack of
knowledge on these subjects they fancied that the United States should
protect them on their lands, hence Joseph Smith and several of his
brethren went directly to Washington, carrying the applications of
some ten thousand persons, and asked the Government to protect them in
the possession of their lands and in their rights, and to restore them
to their homes. They had an interview on the subject with Mr. Van
Buren, at that time President of the United States, and the answer
that he gave has become almost a house. hold word. Said he—"Gentlemen,
your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you." Joseph accordingly
returned to his friends in the western border of Illinois, and they
commenced purchasing lands in the vicinity of Nauvoo, and they laid
out and built a city and remained there.

Vol. 17,  p.93
This occurred in the Spring of 1839, and Joseph remained there until
the Summer of 1844, during which time he had several very grevious
law-suits, which arose out of attempts on the part of the authorities
of Missouri to carry him back to that State. He was arrested several
times, and had one trial, and was discharged on habeas corpus in the
circuit court, before Judge Stephen A. Douglas; one trial, and
discharged on habeas corpus before Judge Pope, United States judge in
the district of Illinois; and one trial before the municipal court of
Nauvoo. These several trials cost a great deal of money and a great
deal of time, and were a very discouraging feature in the progress of
the settlements in that vicinity, though the industry and enterprise
of the people were [p.94] such that they purchased a large portion of
the lands in that county and in adjoining counties. They laid out and
built the city of Nauvoo, containing some twelve thousand inhabitants,
and they were building a Temple and making other improvements, when
Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were murdered, which took place on
the twenty-seventh of June, 1844.

Vol. 17,  p.94
I will say in relation to the progress of the work, that missionaries,
among them the Twelve Apostles, had been sent abroad to preach, and a
great many people had received the Gospel. The Apostles took their
departure directly from the re-commencing of the foundation of the
Temple in the city of Far West, on the 26th of April, 1839. They went
on a mission to Europe for about two years, baptizing some seven
thousand persons, and laying a foundation for the gathering from the
old world, which has continued up to the present time. The
circumstances connected with the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith were
such as to impress upon their enemies even, the disgrace inflicted
upon the State by their murder, and upon the world the importance, of
their mission. The governor of the State pledged himself, when they
gave themselves up, that they should be protected and have a fair
trial, but he placed them in the hands of men, who, he was assured by
many, were their enemies, and who would murder them if they had the
power. Joseph Smith had been brought before legal tribunals
forty-seven times, and had in every instance been acquitted.
Everything in the shape of a vexatious law suit that could be trumped
up against him had been, and in this instance he was arrested on the
affidavit of a man, whose word would not have been taken at a saloon
in Carthage for a glass of grog, who swore that he was guilty of
treason, and he was thrown into prison, and murdered while being
detained waiting for an examination. The governor, in a communication
to the Elders in Nauvoo, said that the people felt that it was very
wrong that he should be murdered in that way, but the great mass of
them was very glad that he was dead; and I have reason to believe that
this feeling was caused by religious prejudice, which arose from the
fact that he came preachingwhat was considered a new doctrine, which
attacked all the hireling priests and religious crafts, and offered
free, to all people, a religion, plain and simple and in accordance
with the Bible, and which, if accepted, would have a tendency to throw
a large portion of the hireling clergy of the age out of employment,
or compel them to do as the Apostles did in the days of Jesus—preach
the Gospel without purse and scrip. Vexatious law-suits, mob violence,
tar and feathers, and finally, bloodshed were successively adopted in
hopes of stopping this religion, and it was believed by those who
regarded "Mormonism" as a wild theory, that the death of Joseph would
scatter the people and destroy their faith in the work. They did not
realize that he had laid the foundation of a living, truthful
organization, which would be likely to increase the faster the more it
was persecuted. But so it was, for the people continued to gather, and
the public buildings—Temple and Nauvoo House—were being pushed forward
more rapidly than ever, and when this was ascertained, there was an
organization formed which expelled the people from the State.

Vol. 17,  p.94
The authorities of the Church at Nauvoo being aware of this
combination, petitions were sent to the [p.95] government of the
United States, and also to the governer of every State in the Union,
asking each one to give us an asylum in his State. The governor of
Arkansas gave us a respectful answer, all the rest treated our
petition with silent contempt.

Vol. 17,  p.95
In September, 1845, the mob commenced burning houses, and they
continued burning in different parts of the settlements, mostly in
Hancock County, until they burned one hundred and seventy-five houses.
The governor and authorities of the State were notified, and finally
the sheriff of the County took a posse, mostly Latter-day Saints, and
stopped the house-burning. The instant this was done the people of the
nine adjoining counties rose up and said—"You 'Mormons' must leave the
county or you 'Mormons' must die." They then made an agreement that we
should have time to move away and dispose of our property, and that
vexatious law-suits and mob violence should cease. This we kept most
faithfully, but so far as they were concerned the agreement was never
observed, mob violence continued, house burnings and murders occurred
occasionally, vexatious law-suits were renewed; and before the remnant
of the people were permitted to get out of the county they were
surrounded by armed mobs, as many as eighteen hundred in a single
body, and cannonaded out of their houses.

Vol. 17,  p.95
The people thus driven commenced a journey to seek the home where we
now reside. The white settlements extended sixty or seventy miles west
of the Missouri River, Keosauqua was the most western one. From that
place we made the roads, and bridged the streams, some thirty in
number, across Iowa, to Council Bluffs, arriving there in June, 1846.
The people who started on this journey started under the most forlorn
circumstances. They left their houses, lands, crops, and everything
they had if they could get a yoke of cattle, wagons without iron
tires, carts, or anything of which they could make an outfit, and
commenced a journey to hunt a home somewhere where so-called
Christians would not be able to deprive them of the right to worship
God according to the dictates of their consciences, a right which is
actually more dear than life itself.

Vol. 17,  p.95
I think between thirteen and fourteen hundred miles of road were made,
though we occasionally followed trappers' trails, and on the 24th of
July, 1847. President Young led the pioneer party—numbering one
hundred and forty three men—on to this ground, then a portion of
Mexican Territory and one of the most desolate, barren looking spots
in the world, and dedicated it to the Most High, that we might once
more find an asylum where liberty could be enjoyed. We should most
probably have reached this place before we did, but the United States,
the year before, invited our camps to send five hundred men to aid
them in the war with Mexico, which they did, and they were mustered
into service on the 16th of July, 1846, and made the route through
from New Mexico to the Pacific coast.

Vol. 17,  p.95
It is a remarkable fact in history, that while these five hundred
Latter-day Saints, mustered into service at Council Bluffs, were
bearing the American flag across the desert, from New Mexico to the
Pacific Coast, a march of infantry characterized by General Cook as
unparalleled in military annals, the remnant of their families in
Nauvoo were surrounded by eighteen hundred armed men and cannonaded,
and driven across the river into the wilderness, without shelter, food
or protection, in consequence of which very many of them [p.96] lost
their lives.

Vol. 17,  p.96
Our friends pass through here and they say—"What a beautiful city you
have got! What beautiful shade trees! What magnificent fruit trees,
what grand orchards and wheat fields! What a splendid place you have
got!" When the pioneers came here there was nothing of the kind, and a
more dry and barren spot of ground than this was then could hardly be
found. Still the little streams were running from the mountains to the
Lake. We knew nothing, then, about irrigation, but the streams were
soon diverted from their course, to irrigate the soil. For the first
three years we had but little to eat. We brought what provisions we
could with us, and we eked them out as well as we could by hunting
over the hills for wild segoes and thistle roots. There was very
little game in the mountains, and but few fish in the streams, and
hence we had but a short allowance of food, and for three years after
our arrival there was scarcely a family which dared to eat a full
meal. This was the condition in which this settlement was commenced.
There was no intercourse except with Western Missouri, and it was ten
hundred and thirty-four miles to the Missouri river, if we struck it
at the mouth of the Platte, where Omaha is now; and our supplies,
which were generally brought, by way of that place, were all purchased
in Western Missouri.

Vol. 17,  p.96
In 1850 a sufficient crop was raised here to supply the inhabitants
with food, but previous to that time we had divided our scanty
supplies with hundreds and thousands of emigrants, who drifted in here
in a state of starvation while on their way to California, for the
discovery of the gold mines there had set the world almost crazy. Many
people started on the Plains without knowing how to outfit or what to
do to preserve their supplies, and by the time they reached here their
outfits would be completely exhausted. We saved the lives of thousands
who arrived here in that condition, many of them our bitter enemies,
and we aided them on their way in the best possible manner that we
could.

Vol. 17,  p.96
There are several incidents which occurred here in early times which,
to us, were miraculous. The first year after our arrival the crickets
in immense numbers came down from the mountains and destroyed much of
the crops. The people undertook to destroy them, and after having done
everything they could to accomplish this object, they gave it up for a
bad job; then the gulls came in immense numbers from the lakes and
devoured the crickets, until they were all destroyed, and thus, by the
direct and miraculous intervention of Providence, the colony was saved
from destruction.

Vol. 17,  p.96
While crossing the Plains we had to form in companies of sufficient
size to protect ourselves against the Indians, there being from fifty
to a hundred men in each company. In these companies existed our
religious organization, and we also had a civil organization, by which
all the difficulties that arose in the companies were settled; and
then a militia organization, composed of ablebodied men, whose duty it
was to guard the camps from attacks by Indians, and from accidents. We
had our meetings every Sabbath, at which the Sacrament was
administered; we had days also set apart for washing, and occasionally
we had a dance, and our travels were so regulated that the
cultivation, enjoyment and associations of society were experienced
almost as much as when living together in a settled and well regulated
community.[p.97] 

Vol. 17,  p.97
When we started on our journey we knew very little about Indians, but
we exercised towards them such a spirit of justice, and such vigilant
watchfulness, that we lost very little, and suffered very little on
account of difficulties with them during the many years that we were
crossing these plains.

Vol. 17,  p.97
Before we left Nauvoo we had covenanted, within the walls of our
Temple, that we would, with one heart and one mind, abide by each
other, and aid one another to escape from the oppressions with which
we were surrounded, to the extent of our influence and property, and
just as soon as the brethren were able they formed a perpetual
emigration fund in Salt Lake City, and in 1849 Bishop Hunter, with
five thousand dollars in gold, was sent back with instructions to use
that and what other means he could gather in helping those to come
here who were not able to come before; and from year to year this work
has continued, being a grand system of brotherly love and united
co-operation. In a few years after reaching here we sent a hundred
teams back to the frontiers, each team being a wagon and four yoke of
oxen or six mules or horses; and as we increased in strength, we sent
annually two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, five hundred, and
finally six hundred, to bring home those who wished to settle in these
valleys; and even at the present time, our system of emigration has
been extended across the sea, to gather all who wish to gather with
the Saints. There are many thousands of people in these valleys who,
had it not been for the organization of the Latter-day Saints and the
kind and fatherly care of President Brigham Young, would never have
owned a foot of land, or any other property, but they would have been
dependent all their lives upon the will of a master for very
precarious subsistence.

Vol. 17,  p.97
Our plan of settlement here was entirely different from that we had
adopted in any other country in which we had ever lived. The first
thing, in locating a town, was to build a dam and make a water ditch;
the next thing to build a school house, and these schoolhouses
generally answered the purpose of meeting houses. You may pass through
all the settlements, from north to south, and you will find the
history of them to be just about the same—the dam, the water ditch,
then the school house and the meeting house. Crops were put in, trees
were planted, cabins were built, mills were erected, fields were
enclosed, and improvements were made step by step. This Territory is
so thoroughly a desert that unless men irrigate their land by
artificial means they would raise comparatively nothing. The
settlements at the present time stretch some five or six hundred
miles, extending into Arizona on the south and into Idaho on the
north.

Vol. 17,  p.97
We have had some difficulty with the Indians, resulting principally
from the interference of outsiders. Those of you who have read the
history of John C. Fremont's journey through Western Arizona, may
remember that he gives an account of some of his party killing several
of the native Plate Indians. From that time the war seems to have
commenced between the Indians and the whites. Some of you may also
remember the declaration, in regard to the Indians, made by Mr.
Calhoun, one of the early governors of New Mexico. He informed the
government that the true policy in regard to the Digger and Plate
tribes, in the western part of the Territory, which then embraced
Arizona and portions of Utah, was to exterminate them,[p.98] that it
was utterly useless ever to attempt to civilize them, or to do
anything else but exterminate them. This was the policy adopted by a
great many travelers who passed through, and when they saw an Indian,
the feeling was to shoot him. This was especially the case in the
district of country now comprised in the southern portions of this
Territory and the western part of Arizona.

Vol. 17,  p.98
When we came into the country our motive was to promote peace with the
Indians, to deal justly with them and to act towards them as though
they were human beings, and so long as we were permitted to carry out
our own policy with them we were enabled to maintain peace, and there
were but few instances in which difficulties occurred. A band of men,
rowdies, from Western Missouri, on the way to the mines, shot some
Snake squaws and took their horses, up here on the Malad. This aroused
the spirit of vengeance in the Indians, and they fell upon and killed
the first whites they found, and they happened to be "Mormons" who
were engaged in building a mill on the northern frontier, just above
Ogden. This difficulty, of course, had to be arranged, and a good many
circumstances of this kind, at various times, have made it difficult
to get long without having a muss with the indians.

Vol. 17,  p.98
Again, we had people among us who were reckless in their feelings, and
who were not willing always to be controlled and to act wisely and
prudently. All these things considered, when we realize that we always
had four frontiers, and that we were about thousand miles from any
white settlement in any direction, that the Indians were on every side
of us, and many of them very wild and savage, it is perfectly
wonderful that we have had as little difficulty with them as we have.
But the United States, in sending agents here, have frequently been
not altogether fortunate in their selection, and in some instances
have not sent very good men. Some who have been sent have been very
good men, but they were totally ignorant of the business of dealing
with, controlling or promoting peace with the Indians. This, of
course, has been more or less detrimental to the settlements, and it
has cost them a great deal to supply the natives with food and to aid
them in getting along, for it is much cheaper to feed the Indians than
to fight them. But the general feeling among the Indians is, that as
far as the "Mormons" are concerned, they desire to deal with them in a
spirit of justice and friendship. There is now little difficulty
except from distant Indians, and we sometimes think that white men,
perhaps, have employed Indians to plunder ranches and drive off cattle
four or five hundred miles and sell them. Some instances of this kind
may have occurred, but we have got along wonderfully well.

Vol. 17,  p.98
The people here have shown a vast amount of enterprise in the
construction of the roads through the Territory. Strangers who come
here run down to this city, go down to Provo and up to Logan, and to
various other places on the little branches of our railroad system;
but if they were to travel through these mountains and extend their
investigations into the valleys, which are well worthy the attention
of any traveler for their beauty, they would find that in many places
they are so rugged that it is almost · wonder there were ever men
enough in the country to make the roads. Then the telegraph wires have
been extended some twelve hundred miles through a number of the
settlements, north and south;[p.99] these wires have sometimes been
used to prevent the plunder of the ranches by the Indians. From year
to year we are extending our railroad system. We have had no
encouragement from the General Government in relation to railroads; we
have never been permitted even to have the right of way, by act of
Congress, over a foot of ground, until we have occupied it with a
railroad for a year or two, and sometimes not then; and we are
extending our railroad system without any aid from Congress or any
other source, but our own ingenuity and means, and that of our
friends.

Vol. 17,  p.99
We are doing all we can to unite our brethren to co-operate in the
building of factories, in the construction and establishment of
machinery of various kinds, in commercial operations, in the building
of railroads, the enclosing of farms, and in every branch of business
possible we are, endeavoring to unite the people in order to save
labor, economize, and produce within ourselves as many articles as we
possibly can that we need to consume, and some to sell, for our
history for the past few years has proved that we have traded too
much—we have bought more merchandize than the products of the country
would justify, and a system of manufacturing is very important, and
our people have constructed some very fine mills for the manufacture
of woolen and other goods.

Vol. 17,  p.99
While we are tracing, for the consideration of our friends, our
progress, we here say that we have had very little encouragement from
the outside. Our mines were worthless in this country until the
railroad was built. In 1852, we presented to Congress, by our
Delegate, Dr. Bernhisal, a petition for a railroad across the
continent. Members of Congress then ridiculed the idea as being a
hundred years ahead of the ago. Our Delegate invited his friends to
come and see him when the road was constructed, and some of them have
done so. The memorial was presented six or eight times, being repeated
session after session, before any steps were taken by Congress towards
the construction of the road, and it was finally completed much
earlier than it would have been had it not been for the co-operation
of the people of this Territory, who made the road-bed for four
hundred miles over the worst part of the route, and, also furnished a
good deal of business for the road to do when it was finished.

Vol. 17,  p.99
As soon as the railroad was completed mines here, containing lead,
with a small per cent. of silver, became valuable. They were not
worked before. Of course we worked them a little when we wanted a
little lead, but the silver mines, as they are termed now, were not
worth a dollar then. But as soon as the great railroad and our branch
lines were completed the mining property of the country became
valuable. It would have seemed that a wise government would have
encouraged such enterprises, but this has not been the policy of the
General Government towards Utah. They have seemed to think that all
that was necessary was to send governors and judges, and to pick the
most bigoted men they could find to fill these positions; though I
must say that, during the twenty-four years that we have been a
Territory, we have had many very excellent men sent here, including
very good governors, and very good judges, and some who, I think,
would have been better employed in other callings. It is really an
unfortunate circumstance to pick up men and send them to any country,
to occupy important offices, who are [p.100] totally unacquainted with
the country and who have no interest in it, and whose prejudices are
against the people· The better policy is the one announced in the
Declaration of Independence, that, in relation to these United States,
the consent of the governed should be had. This would be a better
policy, more republican and more agreeable, but we seem to be a
special people, and, of course, acts have to be performed for our
special case.

Vol. 17,  p.100
There is one ground of complaint that is alleged against us here, and
that is, we believe in a plurality of wives. A great many men and
women have practiced this principle rigidly, in all good faith; and
until we can find some man who can show us a single passage in either
the Old or New Testament, that actually prohibits it, we feel
justified in following the examples of Prophets, Patriarchs, and holy
men, fathers of the faithful, believing that if it were right in their
case it can not be wrong in ours. We are told that the Old Testament
sets forth such an example, but that the New Testament condemns it,
for that the Savior did it away. The only question I would ask in
reference to this subject is—If the Savior did away with plural
marriage, why didn't he say so? If the Apostles put it down why did
they not tell us of it? In the last two chapters of the Bible we have
an account of the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, the gates of which we
are told are to be named after the twelve sons of four wives by one
father; and if we enter the gates of that city we face this polygamy,
and if we can not face this polygamy we cannot enter the gates into
the city. So we understand the New Testament. On account of our belief
in and practice of this Scriptural doctrine, extraordinary legislation
has been asked against us, that our lives, liberty, property and
pursuit of happiness may be at the control of four or five
individuals. This is the extreme of folly.

Vol. 17,  p.100
In considering this subject, let us ask where, in all the world, has a
Territory been settled under as many disadvantages as this? Where have
a hundred and fifty thousand people been collected together and
exhibited more order, and given proof of more industry and prosperity
under the circumstances than we have? Nowhere. Brigham Young, as
President of the Church and leader of the people, from the death of
Joseph Smith to the present time, through the influence that he has
exercised with his brethren and friends throughout the world, has been
able to bring thousands of people from America and other nations, and
to locate them in these valleys and put them in possession of happy
homes, and to make thriving, flourishing and prosperous communities.
"By their fruits ye shall know them." Then, the true policy is to
leave men to the enjoyment of their religion, to the enjoyment of the
holy Gospel as they may receive it, extending liberty, peace, good
order and happiness to all. I believe to-day there is no Territory so
lightly taxed and, with all the drawbacks, none so well governed as
this. It is true that since the railroad has come here there has
drifted in a population in favor of sustaining grog-shops. I notice
that in the last week a petition has been signed by four thousand
ladies, asking the City Council to shut up the drinking hells. These
institutions are a portion of civilization that has followed the
railroad, and that would have caused astonishment here a few years
ago. I wish the City Council would grant the petition of the ladies; I
suppose they may be restrained by [p.101] a decision of a court which
claims to question their jurisdiction; but I have no doubt the City
Council will shut up these hells if it is in their power, consistent
with the relations that exist between the Territorial authorities and
those of the United States. But I am ashamed of our Congressmen, I am
ashamed of our judges, I am ashamed of our federal authorities for
fastening upon a people such a system of drunkenness, licentiousness
and debauchery, while they are making such a terrible howl over a man
who may have two wives, and who labors hard for their support, and for
the education of their children, and acknowledges them honorably
before the world. Everybody to his taste.

Vol. 17,  p.101
When Mr. Morrill, of Vermont, the author of what is termed the
anti-polygamy bill of 1862, told me that he would not care anything
about plurality of wives if it were not in the United States, and he
was afraid that Vermont was partly responsible for it, I told him that
they had a system of licensing prostitution in Vermont. I, however,
should raise no objection to that, but I felt myself disgraced and
ashamed because I was associated with a State that licensed such a
system as that; and that if I could put up with Vermont, he could put
up with Utah, that was no more than fair, it was shake for shake.

Vol. 17,  p.101
I heard it stated, or read, not long since, that a hundred thousand
infanticides annually occur on Manhattan Island. That is a most
horrible state of affairs if it is half true, or quarter true. Can
nothing be done to change this system? I will refer my friends to the
pamphlet published by a very learned minister, Rev. Doctor Tood, of
Pittsfield, Mass., showing the spirit of death, corruption,
licentiousness, and murder that exists, even in the churches among
professing Christians in Massachusetts and other parts of New England.
I felt not a little surprised to go back into the neighborhood where I
was raised, where they used to have fifty scholars annually, to find
that they were borrowing one or two from another neighborhood to make
out fifteen, so that they could draw the public money. There were as
many houses in the neighborhood as formerly, and a few more, new ones,
had been built; there were also more families in the neighborhood, but
they had stopped having children. I, as an American citizen, feel
myself disgraced to be associated with any community who have adopted
these expedients, at the same time I do not expect, under any
circumstances, ever to undertake to interfere with their local
regulations, and I simply ask my fellow men to give us the same
opportunity.

Vol. 17,  p.101
The Lord has blessed us with many children, and there is no Latter-day
Saint, who has an abiding faith in the Gospel and in the great command
which God first gave to the children of men, to multiply and replenish
the earth, but what rejoices in them, and regards them as a blessing
from on high; and nobody in the mountains that I know of has ever
complained of the number of children, except some of our friends up
here in Idaho. When they ran the southern line of Idaho, it was found
that several settlements and parts of three counties, before then
supposed to be in Utah, were in that Territory. The people of Idaho
have a school law and a school fund, and the most that had been done
before with this fund was to give it to the officers; but with the
addition of the "Mormon" settlements to the Territory, there was an
addition of several thousand "Mormon" children, and [p.102] they were
included in the school report. The officers said—"This cannot be, this
must be a humbug, there cannot be anything like this number of
children;" but when they carne to investigate and count noses they
found it verily true, and there were "Mormon" people raising hearty,
hale little fellows to walk over these mountains and make them blossom
like the rose.

Vol. 17,  p.102
I remember once, in traveling through the State of Indiana,
encountering a gentleman who called himself Professor Jones, connected
with a university there. He asked me a great many questions about our
system in the mountains, and wanted to know how we did this and how we
did that. I explained it to him as correctly as I could. I traveled
with him a day or two, and he kept asking questions and making notes.
When we parted he said he was very much surprised, he had supposed
that our system was one of immorality, but he had learned to the
contrary. He did not pretend to say anything about its justness and
correctness; of course he did not sympathize with it, but one thing
was sure, said he, "If you continue the course you are now pursuing,
you will produce a set of men in those mountains who will be able to
walk the rest of mankind under their feet." I suppose, like enough, he
may be one of the men who would like to proscribe us now. I know this,
if the reports of learned men are true, the course now being pursued
by a great many of our Christian friends in the East, will, in a few
generations, wipe out the race of '76 and give the country into the
hands of strangers. It is time that somebody was fulfilling the great
command of God, to multiply and replenish the earth, and put away
licentiousness, and labor for the up-building and welfare of the human
race.

Vol. 17,  p.102
Men take up "Mormonism," and they say it is a humbug. There is where
they make a mistake. My friends, the Gospel, as preached by the
Latter-day Saints, is true. "Mormonism" is no humbug. Joseph Smith was
a true Prophet; he revealed a true religion, and all attempts to
destroy it will prove vain. I bear this testimony, I know this to be
true, and I warn my fellow-men to receive this faith, and to repent
and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Repent of your sins and be
baptized for their remission, and receive the laying on of hands, that
you may enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost, for that Spirit will rest
upon you if you receive and obey this Gospel with full purpose of
heart. Then add to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge, to
your knowledge temperance, to your temperance patience, to your
patience godliness, to your godliness brotherly kindness, to your
brotherly kindness charity, and if these things be and abound in you,
you will neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior. Jesus Christ. You will know these things for yourselves,
and you will testify, as I testify, that you know this work is the
work of God.

Vol. 17,  p.103
May God enable us to do so, is my prayer in the name of Jesus.
Amen.[p.103] 

Orson Pratt, June 14, 1874

Interest Manifested Relating to Temporal Affairs—
Revelations Pertaining to Being One in Temporal, As in Spiritual
Things—Consecration—Stewardship—Jackson County—Sanctification

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 14, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.103
There seems to be at the present time a great deal of interest
manifested among the Latter-day Saints, and even among those who are
connected with our Church, in regard to some instructions that have
been imparted to the Latter-day Saints in relation to their temporal
affairs. The instructions which have been imparted, and which the
people are, in some measure, receiving, are comparatively new in their
estimation, that is, it is supposed they are new, and something which
we, in times past, have not practiced. But if we appeal to the
revelations of God, we shall find that no new thing has been required
of us. It is generally termed, however, by Latter-day Saints, the New
Order. You hear of it in all parts of the Territory. What is meant by
the New Order? Is it really new in the revelations of God, or is it
something new for us to practice it? We have been required, in the
year 1874, to come back again to an old order, as taught in ancient
Mormonism. What I mean by ancient Mormonism is Mormonism as it was
taught some forty-three or forty-four years ago. There is a generation
now living on the earth who seem to be comparatively ignorant of the
doctrines which were taught some forty years ago to men who are now
old and have grey heads and gray beards. Since that time a new
generation has arisen; and they begin to think that something new,
something that will turn things upside down, is being introduced into
Mormonism. I will say to all who have such ideas, you are entirely
mistaken, it is not so; we are trying to get the people to come back
again to the old principles of Mormonism, to that which God revealed
in the early rise of this Church.

Vol. 17,  p.103
Every man, whether he is or is not a Latter-day Saint, when he comes
to study our written works, the written revelations which God has
given, will acknowledge that the Latter-day Saints cannot be the
people they profess to be, they cannot be consistent with the
revelations they profess to believe in and live as they now live; they
have got to, come into the system which the Saints call the New Order,
otherwise they cannot comply with the revelations of God.

Vol. 17,  p.103
I believe that I will quote a few revelations this morning, in order
to show you what God said in relation [p.104] to property or temporal
things, in the early rise of this Church. The first revelation that
now occurs to my mind will be found in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, on page 217; it was given in March, 1831, forty-three years
ago last March. In the third paragraph of this revelation we read
these words:

Vol. 17,  p.104
"For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and
that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for
food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance; but it is
not given that one man should possess that which is above another,
wherefore the world lieth in sin."

Vol. 17,  p.104
Do you believe this revelation, Latter-day Saints? "Oh, yes," says
one—"we believe Joseph Smith was a Prophet." Have you practiced it?
Oh, that is another thing. How, then, are we to know that you believe
this revelation if you do not practice it? How are the world to know
you are sincere in your belief, if you have a revelation which you
profess to believe in, and yet give no heed to it. I do not wonder
that the world say that the Latter-day Saints do not believe their own
revelations. Why? Because we do not practice them. "It is not given
that one man should possess that which is above another, wherefore the
world lieth in sin." There may be some strangers here, and they do not
believe this book, but I will tell you what they would say as men of
reason, they would say that if you Latter-day Saints call this your
book of faith, and doctrines, and covenants, to be consistent you
ought to comply with it. That is what they would say, and it is really
a true saying, and consistent and reasonable. If we believe this, let
us practice it; if we do not believe in it, why profess to believe in
it?

Vol. 17,  p.104
I will now refer you to a revelation given on the second day of
January, 1831, it is on page 120 of the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants. I will tell you how this revelation was given, for I was
present at the time it was given. The Church, then, was about nine
months old. The Prophet Joseph, who received all the revelations
contained in this book, was then living in the State of New York, in
the town of Fayette, Seneca County. He called together the various
branches of the Church that had been organized during the nine months
previous in that State, and they assembled together in the house in
which this Church was organized, namely, Father Whitmer's house. You
will recollect, in reading the Book of Mormon, that the sons of Father
Whitmer, young men, are noted as witnesses of the Book of Mormon,
David Whitmer having seen the angel, and the plates in the hands of
tee angel, and heard him speak, and the hand of the angel was placed
on his head, and he said unto him—"Blessed be the Lord and they that
keep his commandments." And he heard the voice of the Lord in
connection with three other persons testifying out of the heavens, at
the same time that the angel was administering, that the Book of
Mormon had been translated correctly by the gift and power of God, and
commanding him to bear witness of it to all people, nations and
tongues, in connection with the other three that were with him. These
were some of the individuals also who saw the plates and handled them,
and saw the engravings upon them, and who gave their testimony to that
effect in the Book of Mormon. It was in their father's house where
this Church was organized, on the 6th of April, 1830; it was in their
father's house where this little Conference was convened [p.105] on
the 2nd of January, 1831, and this Conference requested the Prophet
Joseph Smith to inquire of the Lord concerning their duties. He did
so. He sat down in the midst of the Conference, of less than one
hundred, I do not know exactly the number, and a scribe wrote this
revelation from his mouth. One item contained therein, in the fifth
paragraph, reads thus:—

Vol. 17,  p.105
"And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practice virtue
and holiness before me. And again I say unto you, let every man esteem
his brother as himself; for what man among you having twelve sons, and
is no respecter of them and they serve him obediently, and he saith
unto the one, Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the
other, Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou there, and looketh upon
his sons and saith, I am just. "Behold this have I given unto you a
parable, and it is even as I am: I say unto you, be one; and if ye are
not one ye are not mine."

Vol. 17,  p.105
Perhaps the Saints may think that this has reference to spiritual
things alone, and means to be one in doctrine, principle, ordinances,
faith, belief, and so on, and that it has no reference whatever to
temporal things; but in order to show you that this has reference to
temporal as well as to spiritual things, let me quote that which God
said a few months after this in another revelation. I have not time to
turn to all these revelations, but I will quote them. The Lord
says—"Except ye are equal in the bonds (or bands) of earthly things,
how can you be made equal in the bands of heavenly things?" Here was a
question put to us: How can you be made equal in the bands of heavenly
things, unless you are equal in the bands of earthly? Surely enough,
we can not be made equal. If we are unequal in this life, and are not
one, can we be entrusted with the true riches, the riches of eternity?
I believe I will read to you a small portion of another revelation
that was given on stewardships. The Lord commanded certain ones among
his Servants to take charge of these revelations when they were in
manuscript, before they were published, that they might be printed and
sent forth among the people, and he also gave them charge concerning
the Book of Mormon, and made them stewards over these revelations and
the avails arising from them. And the Lord said—"Wherefore, hearken
and hear, for thus saith the Lord unto them, I, the Lord, have
appointed them and ordained them to be stewards over the revelations
and commandments which I have given unto them, and which I shall
hereafter give unto them; and an account of this stewardship will I
require of them in the day of judgment; wherefore I have appointed
unto them, and this is their business in the Church, to manage teem
and the concerns thereof, and the benefits thereof, wherefore a
commandment give I unto them that they shall not give these things
unto the Church, neither unto the world, nevertheless, inasmuch as
they receive more than is needful for their necessities and their
wants, it shall be given into my storehouse and the benefits shall be
consecrated unto the inhabitants of Zion, and unto their generations,
inasmuch as they become heirs according to the laws of the kingdom.

Vol. 17,  p.105
Now, you notice here, the Lord did not intend those individuals whom
he named to become rich out of the avails of the sale of the Book of
Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and other revelations
and the literary concerns of his Church, he never intended that they
should become rich while others were [p.106] poor, that was not the
order; but inasmuch as they received more than was needful for their
support what should they do with it? Should they aggrandize themselves
while their poor brethren were destitute? No, not at all; they were to
give all the surplus, over and above what was really necessary to
support them, into the Lord's store-house, and it was to be for the
benefit of all the people of Zion, not only the living but for their
generations after them, inasmuch as they became heirs according to the
laws of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.106
There was a certain way to become heirs according to the laws of the
kingdom of God. Heirs of what? Heirs of the avails arising from the
sale of the revelations which all the inhabitants of Zion were to be
benefited by. Says one—"But perhaps that was limited to these six
individuals who are here named, and did not mean the whole Church."
Wait, let us read the next sentence—"Behold, this is what the Lord
requires of every man in his stewardship, even as I the Lord have
appointed or shall hereafter appoint." From this we learn that all the
stewards which the Lord bad appointed; and all that he should appoint,
in a future time, to stewardships, were to hand over all their
surplus—all that was not necessary to feed and clothe them—into the
Lord's store house. None who belonged to the Church of the living God
are exempt from this law. Does that law include us? It includes all
who belong to the Church, not one is exempt from it. Have we been
doing this, Latter-day Saints, for the last forty-three years, since
this revelation was given? Have we been complying with the order we
undertook in the year 1831, to enter into? This old order is not a new
order that you talk so much about.

Vol. 17,  p.106
In the year 1831, we commenced emigrating to the western part of the
State of Missouri, to a county, quite new then, called Jackson County;
most of the land at that time was Government land. When we commenced
emigrating there the Lord gave many revelations. The Prophet Joseph
went up among some of the earliest to that county, and God gave many
revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, in
relation to how the people should conduct their affairs. Among the
revelations then given was the commandment that every man who should
come up to that land should lay all things which he possessed before
the Bishop of his Church. Another revelation, given before we went up
to that land, speaking of a land which the Lord, at some future time,
would give us for an inheritance, commanded that we should consecrate
all our property into his store-house. If we had wagons, horses,
mules, oxen, cows, sheep, farming utensils, house, hold furniture,
gold and silver, jewelry, wearing apparel, it mattered not what it
was, the Lord said, in a revelation given in February, 1831, that it
should all be laid before the Bishop of his Church, and that it should
be consecrated to the Lord's store-house. This reduced us all on a
level. If a man had a million dollars when he gathered up to Jackson
County, if he complied with the law, he would be just as rich as the
man who had not one farthing. Why? Because he consecrated all he had,
and the poor man could not do any more than that, hence all who
complied with the law were equally poor or equally rich.

Vol. 17,  p.106
What was the next step after this consecration? In those days we had
but one Bishop—his name was Edward Partridge, and he was called by
revelation—and the next step after this general consecration, the Lord
[p.107] commanded the Bishop and his two counselors to purchase all
the land in Jackson County, and in the counties round about, that
could conveniently be got, the general price being one dollar and a
quarter an acre. And what next? After purchasing these lands as far as
they had the means to do so, every man that had consecrated his
property was to receive an inheritance. Now recollect, none except
those who consecrated, none who disobeyed that law, were to receive an
inheritance or stewardship; but all who consecrated their properties
according to this law were to receive their stewardship.

Vol. 17,  p.107
What is the meaning of a stewardship? A steward is one who is
accountable to somebody for the property that he manages, and that is
his stewardship, whether it be landed property, farming utensils,
wagons, cows, oxen, horses, harness, or whatever may be committed to
him. To whom were the brethren in Jackson County accountable for the
stewardship committed to them? To the Bishop. The Bishop was called in
these revelations a common judge in Zion, ecclesiastically speaking,
not according to the civil laws; so far as our ecclesiastical laws
were concerned he was to be a common judge, and each person was to
render an account of the stewardship which he had to the Bishop. I do
net know how often; perhaps once a year, perhaps longer than that,
perhaps oftener. I do not know that there was any specified time given
in these revelations about how often these accounts should be rendered
up. But how were the people to live out of the avails of the
stewardship committed to their charge? They were to have food and
raiment, and the necessary comforts of life. Well, of course, a wise
and faithful steward, having health and strength, and perhaps a good
deal of talent, might so take charge of a stewardship that he might
gain more than he and his family needed, and keeping an account of all
these things, and rendering the same when required, some of them would
have a considerable surplus above that which they and their families
needed. What was to be done with that? Why, as stewards, they would
have to consecrate it into the Lord's storehouse, the Lord being the
owner of the property and we only his stewards.

Vol. 17,  p.107
There were some men who were entrusted with a larger stewardship than
others. For instance, here was a man who knew nothing about farming
particularly, but he might be a master spirit as far as some other
branch of business wail concerned. He might understand how to carry,
on a great cloth manufactory and everything in the clothing line
necessary for the inhabitants of Zion. Such a man would require a
greater stewardship than the man who cultivated a small farm, and had
only himself and a wife and two or three children to support. But
would the fact of one man having a greater stewardship than another
make one richer than another? No. Why not? Because, if one received
fifty or a hundred thousand dollars to build and stock a large
manufactory for the purpose of manufacturing various kinds of fabrics
for clothing, although he might have a surplus of several thousand
dollars at the end of the year, he would not be any richer than the
farmer with his few acres of land, and let me show you how they would
be equal. The manufacturer does not own the building, the machinery,
the cotton or the flax, as the case may be, he is only a steward, like
the farmer, and if, at the end of the year, he has five, ten, or fifty
thousand dollars surplus, does that [p.108] make him a rich man? By no
means, it goes into the Lord's storehouse at the end of each year, or
as often as may be required, thus leaving him on the same platform of
equality with the farmer and his small stewardship. Do you not see the
equality of the thing? In temporal matters it is not given that one
man shall possess that which is above another, saith the Lord.

Vol. 17,  p.108
Now did the people really enter into this, or was it mere theory? I
answer that, in the year 1831, we did try to enter into this order of
things, but the hearts of the people had been so accustomed to holding
property individually, that it was a very difficult matter to get them
to comply with, this law of the Lord. Many of them were quite wealthy,
and they saw that on that land a great city called Zion, or the New
Jerusalem, was to be built; they understood that from the revelations,
and they said in their hearts—"What a fine chance this will be for us
to get rich. We have moans and money, and if we consecrate according
to the law of God we can not get rich; but we know that people by
thousands and tens of thousands will gather up here, and these lands
will become very valuable. We can now get them at the government
price, a dollar and a quarter an acre, and if we lay out a few
thousands in land, we can sell it out to the brethren when they come
along at a thousand per cent. profit, and perhaps in some cases at ten
thousand per cent., and make ourselves wealthy, so we will not
consecrate, but we will go ahead for ourselves individually, and we
will buy up the lands to speculate upon." These were the feelings of
some who went up to that country; but others were willing to comply
with the word of God, and did just as the revelation required, and
they laid everything they had before the Bishop, and received their
stewardship.

Vol. 17,  p.108
After he had organized these things, Joseph the Prophet, in August of
the year 1831, went back to Kirtland, about a thousand miles east, and
while there the Lord revealed to him that the inhabitants of Jackson
County were not complying with his word; hence Joseph sent letters up
to them containing the word of the Lord, chastening them because of
their disobedience and rebellion against the law of heaven. He did
this on several occasions, and one occasion, especially, as you will
find recorded in the history published in some of our periodicals. I
think you will find it in the fifteenth volume of the Millennial Star,
in language something like this—"If the people will not comply with my
law, which I have given them concerning the consecration of their
property, the land shall not be a land of Zion unto them, but their
names shall be blotted out, and the names of their children and their
children's children, so long as they will not comply with my laws, and
their names shall not be found written in the book of the law of the
Lord."

Vol. 17,  p.108
In another revelation, published in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, the Lord says—"The rebellious are not of the blood of
Ephraim, wherefore they shall be plucked up and shall be sent away out
of the land." When this revelation was given all was peace in Jackson
County. We had no enemies there any more than we had elsewhere,
wherever the Church might be located; all was comparative peace. But
the Lord said that the rebellious should be plucked up and sent away
out of the land. The people thought there was no prospect whatever of
that revelation being fulfilled. All was peace, [p.109] and to say
that they were to be plucked up and driven out of the land was out of
the question. They did not repent, that is all of them, but continued
in their disobedience, neglecting to consecrate their properties,
according to the requirements of the law of the Lord; and hence, when
they had been there about two years and five months from the time of
their first settlement or location, they were literally plucked up and
cast away out of the land. You have the history before you. Their
enemies arose upon them and began to tear down their houses, and they
burned two hundred and three of the dwellings our people had built in
that land. They burned down their grain stacks, hay stacks and fences,
and chased the Latter-day Saints around from one part of the county to
another, sometimes tying them up to trees and whipping them, in some
instances until their bowels gushed out. They tore down the printing
office and destroyed it, also one of our dry goods stores, and
scattered the goods through the streets; they went into houses and,
taking therefrom the bedding and furniture, piled them up in the
streets and set fire to them, and thus they continued their
persecutions until, finally, they succeeded in driving the Latter-day
Saints from the county, and thus the word of the Lord was fulfilled
which said—"I will pluck them up and send them away out of the land,
for none but the obedient shall eat of the good of the land of latter
Zion in these latter days."

Vol. 17,  p.109
Another revelation God gave, to warn the people, in which he told them
to remember the Book of Mormon, and the new covenant which he had
revealed, and which, if they did not observe, he said—"Behold, I the
Lord have a scourge and a judgment which shall be poured out upon your
heads." This was given between one and two years before we were driven
out of that county, in Kirtland, Ohio, through the Prophet Joseph, and
sent up to them to warn them. Another revelation said if the people
did not do thus and so, they should be persecuted from city to city,
and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few should stand to receive
an inheritance—meaning those who had gone into that county.

Vol. 17,  p.109
Now go through this Territory, from one end thereof to the other, hunt
up the greyheaded and grey-bearded men and the old ladies, who were
once in Jackson County, and see how many you can find who lived there
then, and you can judge whether the word of the Lord has been
fulfilled or not. I guess that you will find but very few if you hunt,
all through the Territory.

Vol. 17,  p.109
Let us read a little further in the revelations, and see whether God
has cast us entirely offer not. In one of the revelations, given after
we were driven out across the Missouri River into Clay County, and
into the surrounding counties, the Lord said, concerning the people
who were scattered and driven—"Behold, I have suffered these things to
come upon them because of their sins and wickedness; but
notwithstanding all these afflictions which have come upon my people,
I will be merciful unto them, and in the day of wrath I will remember
mercy, wherefore I, the Lord, will not utterly cast them off." Though
but few should stand to receive an inheritance, the Lord said he would
not utterly cast them off.

Vol. 17,  p.109
What next? He gives an inferior law, called the law of Tithing, suited
and adapted to us. After we had been driven for neglecting to comply
with the greater law of consecration of all we had, he thought he
would [p.110] not leave us without a law, but he gave us an inferior
law, namely, that we should give in one-tenth part of our annual
income. This law was given in May, 1838, I do not remember the exact
date, and I believe that we have tried to comply with it; but it has
been almost an impossibility to get the people universally to comply
with it.

Vol. 17,  p.110
There is another item connected with this law of Tithing that has but
seldom been complied with, namely, the consecration of all surplus
property. Now go round among the Saints, among the emigrants who have
gathered up from time to time, and there has been only now and then a
mare who had any surpus property, let him be the judge. If a man had
fifty or a hundred thousand dollars, he said in his own heart—"I
really need all this, I want to speculate, I want to buy a great deal
of land to sell again when the price of land shall rise; I want to set
up a great store in which to sell merchandise to the people, and if I
consecrate any of this it will curtail my operations, because it will
diminish my capital, and I cannot speculate to the extent I should if
I retained it all, and I shall therefore consider that I have no
surplus property. Now an honest-hearted individual would have a little
surplus property, and he would put it in; but from that day until the
present time I presume that the tenth of their annual income has Been
paid by the majority of the people. I do not really know in relation
to this matter, at any rate the Lord has not utterly forsaken us,
hence I think we have kept his law in some measure, or in all
probability he would have east us off altogether.

Vol. 17,  p.110
But how is it that we have been smitten, driven, cast out and
persecuted, and the lives of our Prophet and Patriarch and hundreds of
others destroyed by rifle, cannon, and sword in the hands of our
enemies? How is it that such things have been permitted in this free
republic? "Oh," says one, "It is because you practiced polygamy." I
answer that we did not practice polygamy in the days of the
persecutions which I have named, they came upon us before we began
that practice, for the revelation on polygamy was not given until some
thirteen years after the rise of this Church, and that was after we
had been driven and smitten and scattered to and fro, here and there
by the hands of our enemies, hence, it was not for that that we were
persecuted. But if we take the printed circulars written by our
enemies, we can give you their reasons for persecuting us. One of
their reasons was that we believed in ancient Christianity, namely,
speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, healing the sick,
etc.; and our enemies did not believe in having a community in their
midst who claimed to have Apostles and Prophets and to enjoy the gifts
of the Gospel the same as the ancient Saints. Our enemies said they
would not have such a people in their society, and if we did not
renounce these things they would drive us from our homes. You can read
this with the names of the mob attached to it, in connection with a
great many priests and ministers of different denominations. The Rev.
Isaac M'Coy and the Rev. Mr. Bogard, and many others who might be
named, were among the leaders of the mob who persecuted the Latter-day
Saints.

Vol. 17,  p.110
Now, why is it, Latter-day Saints, that we have been tossed to and fro
and smitten and persecuted for these many years? It is because we have
disobeyed the law of heaven, we have not kept the commandments of the
[p.111] Most High God, we have not fulfilled his law; we have
disobeyed the word which he gave through his servant Joseph, and hence
the Lord has suffered us to be smitten and afflicted under the hands
of our enemies.

Vol. 17,  p.111
Shall we ever return to the law of God? Yes. When? Why, when we will.
We are agents; we can abide his law or reject it, just as long as we
please, for God has not taken away your agency nor mine. But I will
try to give you some information in regard to the time. God said, in
the year 1832, before we were driven out of Jackson County, in a
revelation which you will find here in this book, that before that
generation should all pass away, a house of the Lord should be built
in that county, (Jackson County), "upon the consecrated spot, as I
have appointed; and the glory of God, even a cloud by day and a pillar
of flaming fire by night shall rest upon the same." In another place,
in the same revelation, speaking of the priesthood, he says that the
sons of Moses and the sons of Aaron, those who had received the two
priesthoods, should be filled with the glory of God upon Mount Zion,
in the Lord's house, and should receive a renewing of their bodies,
and the blessings of the Most High should be poured out upon them in
great abundance.

Vol. 17,  p.111
This was given forty-two years ago. The generation then living was not
only to commence a house of God in Jackson County, Missouri, but was
actually to complete the same, and when it is completed the glory of
God should rest upon it.

Vol. 17,  p.111
Now, do you Latter-day Saints believe that? I do, and if you believe
in these revelations you just as much expect the fulfillment of that
revelation as of any one that God has ever given in these latter
times, or in former ages. We look, just as much for this to take
place, according to the word of the Lord, as the Jews look to return
to Palestine, and to re-build Jerusalem upon the place where it
formerly stood. They expect to build a Temple there, and that the
glory of God will enter into it; so likewise do we Latter-day Saints
expect to return to Jackson County and to build a Temple there before
the generation that was living forty-two years ago has all passed
away. Well, then, the time must be pretty near when we shall begin
that work. Now, can we be permitted to return and build up the waste
places of Zion, establish the great central city of Zion in Jackson
County, Mo., and build a Temple on which the glory of God will abide
by day and by night, unless we return, not to the "new order," but to
that law which was given in the beginning of this work? Let me answer
the question by quoting one of these revelations again, a revelation
given in 1834. The Lord, speaking of the return of his people, and
referring to those who were driven from Jackson County, says—"They
that remain shall return, they and their children with them to receive
their inheritances in the land of Zion, with songs of everlasting joy
upon their heads." There will be a few that the Lord will spare to go
back there, because they were not all transgressors. There were only
two that the Lord spared among Israel during their forty years
travel—Caleb and Joshua. They were all that were spared, out of some
twenty-five hundred thousand people, from twenty years old and
upwards, to go into the land of promise. Them may be three in our day,
or a half dozen or a dozen spared that were once on that land who will
be permitted to return with their children, grand-children, and
great-grand-children unto the waste places of Zion and build them
[p.112] up with songs of everlasting joy.

Vol. 17,  p.112
But will they return after the old order of things that exists among
the Gentiles—every man for himself, this individualism in regard to
property? No, never, never while the world stands. If you would have
these revelations fulfilled you must comply with the conditions
thereof. The Lord said, concerning the building up of Zion when we do
return—"Except Zion be built according to the law of the celestial
kingdom, I can not receive her unto myself." If we should be
permitted, this present year, 1874, to go back to that county, and
should undertake to build up a city of Zion upon the consecrated spot,
after the order that we have been living in during the last forty
years, we should be cast out again, the Lord would not acknowledge us
as his people, neither would he acknowledge the works of our hands in
the building of a city. If we would go back then, we must comply with
the celestial law, the law of consecration, the law of oneness, which
the Lord has spoken of from the beginning. Except you are one you are
not mine. Query, if we are not the Lord's who in the world or out of
the world do we belong to? Here is a question for us all to consider.
There is no other way for us to become one but by keeping the law of
heaven, and when we do this we shall become sanctified before God, and
never before.

Vol. 17,  p.112
Talk about sanctification, we do not believe in the kind of
sanctification taught by the sectarian religion—that they were
sanctified at such a minute and such an hour and at such a place while
they were praying in secret. We believe in the sanctification that
comes by continued obedience to the law of heaven. I do not know of
any other sanctification that the Scriptures tell about, of any other
sanctification that is worth the consideration of rational beings. If
we would be sanctified then, we must begin to-day, or whenever the
Lord points out, to obey his laws just as tar as we possibly can; and
by obedience to these laws we continually gain more and more favor
from heaven, more and more of the Spirit of God, and thus will be
fulfilled a revelation given in 1834, which says that before Zion is
redeemed, let the armies of Israel become very great, let them become
sanctified before me, that they may be as fair as the sun, clear as
the moon, and that their banners may be terrible unto all the nations
of the earth. Not terrible by reason of numbers, but terrible because
of the sanctification they will receive through obedience to the law
of God. Why was Enoch, and why were the inhabitants of the Zion built
up before the flood terrible to all the nations around about? It was
because, through a long number of years, they observed the law of God,
and when their enemies came up to fight against them, Enoch, being
filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, and speaking the word of God
in power and in faith, the very heavens trembled and shook, and the
earth quaked, and mountains were thrown down, rivers of water were
turned out of their course, and all nations feared greatly because of
the power of God, and the terror of his might that were upon his
people.

Vol. 17,  p.112
We have this account of ancient Zion in one of the revelations that
God has given. What was it that made their banners terrible to the
nations? It was not their numbers. If, then Zion must become great it
will be because of her sanctification. When shall we begin, Latter-day
Saints, to carry out the law of God, and enter upon the process
necessary to our sanctification? We are told by the [p.113] highest
authority that God has upon the earth that now is the accepted time
and now is the day of salvation, so far as entering into this order
which God has pointed out is concerned. Shall we do it? Or shall we
say no? Shall there be division among the people, those who are on the
Lord's side come out and those who are against the law of God come
out? I hope this division will not be at present. I hope that we shall
take hold with one heart and with one mind. The time of the division
will come soon enough. It will be in the great day of the Lord's
power, when his face shall be unveiled in yonder heavens, and when he
shall come in his glory and in his might. Then the heavens will be
shaken and the earth will reel to and fro like a drunken man. "Then,"
saith the Lord, "I will send forth mine angels to gather out of my
kingdom all things that offend and that do iniquity." That will be
time enough for this great division. Let us not be divided now,
Latter-day Saints, but let us manifest our willingness to comply with
the word and law of the Most High, and be prepared for the blessings
which he has in store for us.

Brigham Young, June 26, 1874

The Calling of the Priesthood, to Preach the Gospel and 
Proceed With the Organization of the Kingdom of God, Preparatory 
to the Coming of the Son of Man—All Good is of the Lord—Salvation 
and Life Everlasting Are Before Us

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered in the 
Bowery, at Brigham City, Saturday Morning, June 26, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.113
A few of us have come to talk to the people in this place upon the
things of the kingdom of God, as our calling is to preach the Gospel,
initiate people into, and proceed with, the organization of the
kingdom of God as far as we can, preparatory to the coming of the Son
of Man. We have commenced to organize, I will say partially, in the
Holy Order that God has established for his people in all ages of the
world when he has had a kingdom upon the earth. We may call it the
Order of Enoch, the Order of Joseph, the Order of Peter, or Abraham,
or Moses, and then go back to Noah, and then step to our own position
here, and say that we will organize as far as we have the privilege,
taking into consideration and acting under the laws of the land. Many
branches of industry [p.114] have been organized here to help to
sustain each other, to labor for the good of all, and to establish
cooperation in the midst of the Church in this place.

Vol. 17,  p.114
In most of the business transactions of this Church and people, as far
as I have directed, I have waited for business to be presented, and
endeavored to so live that the Lord will dictate according to his own
mind and pleasure, and, at the very time it is necessary, have that
knowledge which will enable us to perform every labor acceptably to
God and to the heavens, and to discharge our duties one to another,
and to accomplish in every particular the work which our Father in
heaven has given us to do. I am a minute-man. It is very seldom that I
take thought what I shall say or what I shall do. When we meet in the
capacity of a Conference, the business matters are presented, and I
generally know what to do, and I do not know but what I understand the
workings of the kingdom of God upon the earth, by the manifestations
of the Spirit at the moment, as well as I should if I had studied them
for months; and I can truly say that I have fulfilled one of the
sayings of the Savior tolerably well—to take no thought what ye shall
say, for in the very hour or moment when you need it, it shall be
given to you.

Vol. 17,  p.114
I hope that, during our meetings here, the people will be edified and
comforted, and that the system of laboring together for each other's
good will be wisely and satisfactorily laid before them, and that each
and every one of us, with ready minds and willing hearts, will proceed
to do the things that are required of us by our heavenly Father.

Vol. 17,  p.114
Much can be said upon the doctrine of life and salvation, but I will
say this to the Saints in this place concerning the workings of the
kingdom of God upon the earth—all good comes from heaven, all good is
of the Lord; whatever promotes the happiness of mankind and the glory
of God, whatever increases peace and righteousness upon the earth, and
leads the people in the way of godliness, comfort, contentment and
enjoyment, and tends to increase health and wealth, and life here and
hereafter, is of God; and, in laboring for each other's welfare and
happiness, if we can not do all that we want to do, let us do what we
can, and leave the event with the Lord, and wait for the time when we
can fully enter into the organization of the kingdom of God upon the
earth, and fully upon those initiatory steps which will hasten the
perfection of the Saints, and prepare them to enter lute the joy of
their Lord. When we are permitted to do in part, we will step forward
and do in part, go as far as we can, and do as much as we can to
perfect ourselves and prepare for the building up of the Centre Stake
of Zion.

Vol. 17,  p.114
We hope and pray that all who may speak during our meetings here will
be filled with the Spirit of the Lord, and that those who pray, sing
and hear may be filled with the same Spirit, that we may increase in
knowledge and wisdom, and grow in the things of God. This is what we
desire and what we pray for, and we hope that our meetings will be
profitable to all.

Vol. 17,  p.114
This is a hard place to speak in, and we request the brethren and
sisters to be as still as they conveniently can, so that they can hear
what is said. Let all be quiet, and every heart be lifted to God, that
we may learn his mind and will concerning us; then ask for power to do
his will, for a disposition to give us victory over every passion and
slothful feeling, that we may be awake to righteousness.[p.115] 

Vol. 17,  p.115
Salvation and life everlasting are before us; it is our business to
secure them in the kingdom of our God, and to prepare for the
restoration of the inhabitants of the earth who have slept without the
Gospel. Let us do what we can to bless ourselves, our posterity and
our progenitors, and to save the human family, and so fulfill the
mission which the Lord has given us.

Brigham Young, June 28, 1874

The Belief of The Saints in the Mission of the Savior—Pertaining 
to Inheritances Upon the Earth that Shall Be Everlasting—It 
Takes a Higher Power Than a Bill of Divorce to 
Take a Woman From a Good Man

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered in the 
Bowery, Brigham City, Sunday Afternoon, June 28, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.115
I should like the people to keep as quiet as possible, I have a few
words to say to them concerning the inheritances of the Saints. I will
talk to those who are believers in the Old and New Testaments, as this
book which lies before me is called—the Bible, and in the mission of
the Savior. I will ask the Latter-day Saints if they believe that the
man Christ Jesus, who was crucified at Jerusalem, over eighteen
hundred years ago, was the Savior of the world, and that he paid the
debt contracted by our first parents, and redeemed the children of men
from the fall? Of coure, they will answer in the affirmative. You
believe, then, in the mission of the Savior to the earth? "Of course
we do," is the answer. Do we believe that the Savior is heir to this
earth. I will answer for all Saints end all believers in the Savior
and say we do. Do we believe that this man Christ Jesus has received
his inheritance; has he finished the work which he came into the world
and was manifested in the flesh to accomplish? I will answer for all
Christians and say he has not, as yet, finished his work or received
the kingdom. As for the proof of this you can go to the Bible and all
the other revelations that we have in our possession, and you will
find it there. Are we co-workers with the Savior to redeem the
children of men and all things pertaining to the earth? I will answer
for the Saints and say that we most assuredly believe we are. All who,
while in the flesh, received and were faithful to the Priesthood,
labored with the Savior while they [p.116] remained here, and when
they passed into the spirit world their labors did not cease, but they
passed into the prison, and, to this day, they are preaching to the
spirits there, and laboring for the salvation of the human family and
for the earth and all things pertaining to it.

Vol. 17,  p.116
Have these men, who have lived upon the earth and enjoyed the
blessings of the holy Priesthood, received their inheritances? I take
the liberty of answering for all Saints in the negative. They have not
received their inheritances, but they have received promises like
Abraham of old when he was shown the land of Canaan, and it was
promised to him that it should be his inheritance, and that of his
seed after him forever and ever. To this day they have not inherited
the land according to the promises that were made to Abraham. So it is
with all others. Have any of us, in the latter-days, received
inheritances upon the time of this earth that shall be everlasting?
No, we are not prepared to receive them, and they are not prepared for
us. I am telling you these things that you may know and understand
that, when we talk about property, or anything else that we seem to
possess, we have not yet received anything for an everlasting
inheritance. If we are faithful we shall receive after a long time,
that is, it may seem long to us who reckon time by years, months,
weeks, days, minutes and seconds. I should like to have the Latter-day
Saints understand what their labor is, and to have each one understand
his duty, and then understand the reward of obedience to that duty.

Vol. 17,  p.116
We get a great many good gifts here—we enjoy a great deal that the
Lord gives us; gifts that we will say are inherent natural gifts. What
a beautiful gift the power of the eye is for a man to enjoy! What a
beautiful gift the power of hearing is to the people, and all our
senses—tasting, smelling, &c., and the passions when they are governed
and controlled, how beautiful they are! Shall we inherit them for ever
and ever, or shall we take a course that they shall be taken from us?

Vol. 17,  p.116
We are talking now to the brethren about being one, operating
together, submitting all to the kingdom of God. What for? Am I to give
what I have? "Why, this is my house, this is my farm, these are my
cattle!" We only seem to have them, they are only in our possession
for the present. "This is my wife, these are my wives, here are my
children!" We seem to possess them, but whether we shall possess them
forever depends entirely upon our future course. How long will this
state of things last? Until we have passed the ordeals allotted to
finite, intelligent beings, and have passed from one degree and state
to another; until the work is completed by the Savior, pertaining to
this earth, and our eternal salvation is sealed to us. While we live
here in the flesh we are subject to turn to the right and to the left,
and we have the vanities and allurements of the world to contend with;
and we see Latter-day Saints, after traveling five, ten, twenty, and
even forty years, faithful in the kingdom of God, turn away from the
holy commandments. They will be lost, and all that they have had, and
all that they think they have will be taken from them and given to
those who are faithful; and those who are faithful will not receive
their inheritances, so that they can say they are their own, until
they have passed all these ordeals, and until the Savior has completed
the work of redemption. He is now trying to get the people to avail
themselves of the advantages of his [p.117] atonement, and we,
professedly, are enjoying these advantages, but how slow and slothful
we are! What trifling, frivolous shadows, I may say vain ideas, will
turn the hearts and the affections and judgment and will of man from
the principles of truth! I want you to understand that you have not
your eternal inheritances, although you may have an inheritance here
in this city.

Vol. 17,  p.117
By and by the centre stake of Zion may be redeemed. We may go there,
and Zion may be built up and spread abroad and we receive our
inheritances; and if we are faithful we shall receive all that has
been promised to us. But suppose that we turn away from our covenants,
all will be taken from us and given to others.

Vol. 17,  p.117
When shall we receive our inheritances so that we can say they are our
own? When the Savior has completed the work, when the faithful Saints
have preached the Gospel to the last of the spirits who have lived
here and who are designed to come to this earth; when the thousand
years of rest shall come and thousands and thousands of Temples shall
be built, and the servants and handmaids of the Lord shall have
entered therein and officiated for themselves, and for their dead
friends back to the days of Adam; when the last of the spirits in
prison who will receive the Gospel has received it; when the Savior
comes and receives his ready bride, and all who can be are saved in
the various kingdoms of God—celestial, terrestrial and telestial,
according to their several capacities and opportunities; when sin and
iniquity are driven from the earth, and the spirits that now float in
this atmosphere are driven into the place prepared for them; and when
the earth is sanctified from the effects of the fall, and baptized,
cleansed, and purified by fire, and returns to its paradisiacal state,
and has become like a sea of glass, a urim and thummim; when all this
is done, and the Savior has presented the earth to his Father, and it
is placed in the cluster of the celestial kingdoms, and the Son and
all his faithful brethren and sisters have received the welcome
plaudit—"Enter ye into the joy of your Lord," and the Savior is
crowned, then and not till then, will the Saints receive their
everlasting inheritances. I want you to understand this. We seem to
have something now, but how long shall we keep it?

Vol. 17,  p.117
The Latter-day Saints are believers in the atonement of the Savior,
and I would like to have the Elders of Israel understand as far as
they can all the points of doctrine in regard to the redemption of the
human family, that they may know how to talk about and explain them.
No one who believes in the Bible and in the mission of the Savior
believes that the wicked are going to possess this earth; but they
believe that when it is prepared it will be given to the Saints and
they will inherit it. The Savior has requested us and all of his
disciples to remember him as oft as we meet together, and to break
bread in remembrance of his body which was broken for us, and to drink
from the cup in remembrance of the blood that was shed for us. We
meet, as we are doing to day, and partake of the bread and the water
in compliance with this request of the Redeemer. We have a great work
before us; and that portion of it we are now trying to inaugurate is
not new. The doctrine of uniting together in our temporal labors, and
all working for the good of all is from the beginning, from
everlasting, and it will be for ever and ever. No one supposes for one
moment that in heaven the angels are speculating, that they are
building railroads and [p.118] factories, taking advantage one of
another, gathering up the substance there is in heaven to aggrandize
themselves, and that they live on the same principle that we are in
the habit of doing. No Christian, no sectarian Christian, in the world
believes this; they believe that the inhabitants of heaven live as a
family, that their faith, interests and pursuits have one end in
view—the glory of God and their own salvation, that they may receive
more and more,—go on from perfection to perfection, receiving, and
then dispensing to others; they are ready to go, and ready to come,
and willing to do whatever is required of them and to work for the
interest of the whole community, for the good of all. We all believe
this, and suppose we go to work and imitate them as far as we can.
Would it be anything derogatory to the character of a gentleman or a
lady? I think not. As far as I understand true principle the title of
gentleman should not be applied to any man on the earth unless he is a
good man. No gentleman takes the flame of the Deity in vain. Some who
do take his name in vain may be called gentleman, but it is a mistake,
they are not gentlemen. A gentleman carries himself respectfully
before the inhabitants of the earth at all times, in all places and
under all circumstances, and his life is worthy of imitation. She who
is worthy of the title of lady adorns her mind with the rich things of
the kingdom of God; she is modest in her attire and manners; she is
prudent, discreet and faithful, and full of all goodness, charity,
love, and kindness, with the love of God in her heart. Such a woman
has a right to the title of lady, and I do not consider that any
others have, whether they are elect or not.

Vol. 17,  p.118
We will try to imitate in some small degree, the family that lives in
heaven, and prepare ourselves for the society that wilt dwell upon the
earth when it is purified and glorified and comes into the presence of
the Father.

Vol. 17,  p.118
For us to think that we have an inheritance on the earth is folly,
unless God has declared, and sealed it upon us, by revelation, that we
shall never fall, never doubt, never come short of glorifying him or
of doing his will in all things. No person, unless he is in the
possession of this blessing, has the least right to suppose that he
has an inheritance on the earth. For the time being we have our wives,
children, farms and other possessions, but unless we prove ourselves
worthy, what we seem to have will be taken from us and given to those
who are worthy, consequently we need not worry with regard to the
defects of one another. I say to the brethren, you need not have the
least concern in the world about meeting a man in the celestial
kingdom that you, if you are worthy and are so happy as to get into
the celestial kingdom, can not fellowship; and if you should happen to
be the one that is in fault and you cannot pass the sentinel, and your
neighbor or brother does, he will not see you there, you need not be
concerned in the least about being joined to any person by the holy
sealing power, that will not do right in the next world. I say to my
sisters in the kingdom, who are sealed to men, and who say, "We do not
wang this man in eternity if he is going to conduct himself there as
he does here"—there is not the least danger in the world of your ever
seeing him in eternity or of his seeing you there if he proves himself
unworthy here. But if he honors his Priesthood, and you are to blame
and come short of doing your duty, and prove yourself [p.119] unworthy
of celestial glory, it will be left to him to do what he pleases with
you. You will be very glad to get to him if you find the fault was in
yourself and not in him. But if you are not at fault, be not troubled
about being joined to him there, for no man will have the privilege of
gathering his wives and children around him there unless he proves
himself worthy of them.

Vol. 17,  p.119
I have said a number of times, and I will say again, to you ladies who
want to get a bill of divorce from your husbands, because they do not
treat you right, or because you do not exactly like their ways, there
is a principle upon which a woman can leave a man, but if the man
honors his Priesthood, it will be pretty hard work for you to get away
from him. If he is just and right, serves God and is full of justice,
love, mercy and truth, he will have the power that is sealed upon him,
and will do what he pleases with you. When you want to get a bill of
divorce, you had better wait and find out whether the Lord is willing
to give you one or not, and not come to me. I tell the brethren and
Sisters, when they come to me and want a bill of divorce, that I am
ready to seal people and administer in the ordinances, and they are
welcome to my services, but when they undertake to break the
commandments and tear to pieces the doings of the Lord, I make them
give me something. I tell a man he has to give me ten dollars if he
wants a divorce. For what? My services? No, for his foolishness. If
you want a bill of divorce give me ten dollars, so that I can put it
down in the book that such a man and such a woman have dissolved
partnership. Do you think you have done so when you have obtained a
bill of divorce? No, nor ever can if you are faithful to the covenants
you have made. It takes a higher power than a bill of divorce to take
a woman from a man who is a good man and honors his Priesthood—it must
be a man who possesses a higher power in the Priesthood, or else the
woman is bound to her husband, and will be forever and ever. You might
as well ask me for a piece of blank paper for a divorce, as to have a
little writing on it, saying—"We mutually agree to dissolve
partnership and keep ourselves apart from each other," &c. It is all
nonsense and folly; there is no such thing in the ordinances of the
house of God; you cannot find any such law. It is true Jesus told the
people that a man could put away his wife for fornication, but for
nothing short of this. There is a law for you to be obedient, and
humble and faithful.

Vol. 17,  p.119
Now, brethren, the man that honors his Priesthood, the woman that
honors her Priesthood, will receive an everlasting inheritance in the
kingdom of God; but it will not be until this earth is purified and
sanctified, and ready to be offered up to the Father. But we can go to
work now and live as near as we can like the family of heaven, that we
may secure to ourselves the blessings of heaven and of earth, of time
and of eternity, and life everlasting in the presence of the Father
and the Son. This is what we want to do. Remember it, brethren and
sisters, and try to live worthy of the vocation of your high calling.
You are called to be Saints—just think of and realize it, for the
greatest honor and privilege that can he conferred upon a human being
is to have the privilege of being a Saint. The honor of the kings and
queens of the earth fades into insignificance when compared with the
title of a Saint. You may possess earthly power, and rule with an iron
hand, but that power is nothing, it will [p.120] soon be broken and
pass away; but the power of those who live and honor the Priesthood
will increase forever and ever.

Vol. 17,  p.120
Now I am going to yield for my brethren to talk to you. I have said a
few things. Remember the exhortation I gave you this morning. Live
according to the faith of our religion. Let contention, all contention
cease; cease finding fault with and casting reflections upon those who
are not exactly with us. Let us show by our daily walk and doings that
we have something better than they have. I will say to you who enter
this Order, with regard to your temporal affairs, cease your
extravagance. The Lord has said he would make the Latter-day Saints
the richest people on the earth; but all he will do is to give us the
ability and place means in our possession, · and we must go to work
and organize this means and make ourselves rich; and the first step is
to stop our extravagance, cease this needless expense, learn to make
that which we wear, raise that which we eat, live within ourselves,
accumulate the good things of life, and so make ourselves wealthy.

Vol. 17,  p.120
I pray the Lord our God to bless you and to inspire every heart to
faithfulness, that we may be prepared for a better place than this—for
this world when it shall be sanctified and glorified, that we may then
enjoy the society of each other without sin and without these
annoyances.

George Q. Cannon, July 12, 1874

God Has Created Us to Be Happy—Experience As Delegate 
From Utah in Congress—There is Nothing Like 
Communion With the Holy Spirit

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon, Delivered in The 
New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, July 12, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.120
I rejoice, to-day, in the opportunity which I have of meeting with my
brethren and sisters, but it would give me much greater satisfaction
to sit and look upon their faces, and to listen to the voice or voices
of others, than to occupy the time myself. I am thankful, however,
that I am in your midst, and that circumstances are so favorable with
us as they are.

Vol. 17,  p.120
I expect, from all I have heard that this past season has been one of
some degree of anxiety on the part of the Latter-day Saints in the
Territory of Utah. But I do not believe that your happiness has been
much interfered with, if I am to judge of your feelings by my own. We
have had so many things to contend with all the days that we have been
associated [p.121] with this work, and we made calculations when we
espoused it upon the character of the opposition to be contended with,
that when we meet it there is no disappointment. In this respect the
Latter-day Saints differ from every other people with whom I have met.
If any other people in this government were assailed as the Latter-day
Saints have been, and were to have so many intolerant and sweeping
measures suggested for legislation by the Congress of the United
States, real estate would he of very little value, and all kinds of
business would be unsettled and ruined. But I cannot perceive that
values, business, or your faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
has been in the least disturbed.

Vol. 17,  p.121
I have been questioned a good many times since I returned, as to my
feelings during my absence. My reply has been that I never felt better
in my life than during the past eight months. I have been absent from
home a good many times, and I have traveled in a good many lands, and
mingled with many people under a variety of circumstances, but I can
say truly this day, that at no period in any of my travels, or under
the different circumstances in which I have been placed, have I ever
felt better than I have during my recent absence from home.

Vol. 17,  p.121
This may surprise some who are not acquainted with this work, and, in
fact, it may excite some degree of surprise in the breasts of those
who are familiar with it; but my theory is that when a man is
conscious, or a people are conscious, that he or they are in the path
of duty, doing that which is right in the sight of God, they should
always be happy, no matter what the circumstances may be which
surround them. I think that God has created us to be happy, and my
belief is that he has placed happiness within the reach of all, and it
is man's own fault if he is not happy and does not enjoy himself every
day of his life. This is one of my reasons for liking my religion,
this system called "Mormonism," because it bestows full happiness and
joy upon its believers. They can he happy in the midst of the most
adverse circumstances; they can rejoice when surrounded with enemies,
and when their lives are imperilled. During my absence my feeling has
been that God was with his people; I also felt that the faith of the
Latter-day Saints was greatly exerted in my behalf, and that it was
sustaining and strengthening me.

Vol. 17,  p.121
In some respects my position as delegate from this Territory was not
an enviable one, and from the time that I reached Washington until the
close of Congress there was one paper, at least, which poured out
unlimited abuse upon myself and upon my constituents. Scarcely a day
passed that some falsehood was not circulated or some vile slander or
charge published about the people in these mountains, or about myself.
Appeals of every imaginable character were made to the Congress of the
United States, that is, to the House particularly, to take instant
measures to expel me, and when, as these writers thought, a
disposition was manifested not to comply with their demands, recourse
was had to the charge of bribery—that we were spending money, and that
members of Congress were paid to prevent their action upon my case. In
this respect the condition of a delegate might be considered an
unenviable one, but I felt a strength, I felt a power, I had an
influence, or thought I had, at least, that no other member of the
House of Representatives possessed. For instance, the members of the
House generally were [p.122] constantly harassed with the thought as
to what their constituents would think of them, how they would view
their action, how they would like their votes, &c., whether they would
be displeased with such and such a measure, &c. Their future election,
they knew, depended upon their having a popular record, and to secure
this required considerable thought and ingenuity upon the part of
many. I was divested of this fear, I had no thought as to what my
constituents would think of me, it never cost me a single moment's
reflection, because I knew that I had the entire confidence of the
people whom I represented; and I knew that whatever I did, so long as
I did the best I could, I should be sustained in doing it by you and
by all the people throughout these valleys, and in this respect I had
a strength which no other one had. I often told members, when it was
convenient and appropriate to speak in this strain, that I had the
faith of the entire people, and that they were praying for me. This
would amuse a good many, but I have never failed, during my absence,
to convey, whenever I could, the idea that we were a people who
believed in and prayed to God, and that we had faith in our prayers.
One of the great lessons that we have to teach the world to-day is
faith in God, and though a member of Congress, dealing with political
questions and matters which are considered foreign to religion by the
great majority of men, I have not thought that religion was like a
Sunday garment, to be worn on Sunday in the meeting house, tabernacle,
chapel or church, and to be laid aside again on Monday morning. I have
never had that idea of religion, I do not have it now.

Vol. 17,  p.122
There is at the present time an almost entire absence of faith in God
among men. I have been struck with this more than any other feature
that I have witnessed during my absence. Converse with well meaning,
intelligent men, men of good moral character, and you will be
surprised at the extent of the unbelief there is in the world. There
seems to be an idea that God our Eternal Father resides in some remote
place so far removed from us that he takes no special cognizance of us
or of our actions, that he governs the universe and the affairs of men
by great natural and unalterable laws, that there are no special
providences in favor of men, but that man prospers according to his
wisdom, strengh and talent, and that weak men and a weak people stand
no chance in opposition to the strong; hence the remark was made to
me, I may say, hundreds of times during my absence—"You people must
conform to the ideas of the rest of the world, or you will go to the
wall." "You people must abandon your strange ideas and your peculiar
views, or you will inevitably be overthrown." On such occasions I
would not fail to give the ideas that we believed in God, that we
believed this was God's work, that God had sustained and delivered us
in the past, that we were still willing to trust him for the future,
and that he would provide a way of escape. But while men would listen
patiently and kindly to such remarks, you could see incredulity on
every lineament of their countenance, a sort of pitying incredulity,
as though they looked upon you as very well-meaning, but in this
respect a very much mistaken person. The idea that prevails is that
God or Providence is on the side of the strongest artillery, and that
if we are weak and are warred against we must go down because of our
weakness.

Vol. 17,  p.123
Of course, where this idea prevails [p.123] there can be but little
faith in God's special providences. If this were a correct idea, there
would be little use in prayer, in supplicating God, in entreating him
for his blessing and his power to be bestowed upon us. But we have
proved the efficacy of prayer so often ourselves, that there is no
need for us as a people to be fortified upon this point, or to have
arguments urged upon us. My own life is full of incidents—as is the
life, doubtless, of every individual present who has faith in
God—which are evidences of his interposition in answer of prayer, and
my feeling is that one of the great duties devolving upon us is to
teach the world that there is a God, and that he has power to save
to-day, as much as in ancient days, those who are willing to trust
him. It is this peculiar feature that makes everything connected with
this work so incomprehensible to men. Those of you who have kept
posted in relation to affairs, know how wonderfully matters have been
arranged for our good. When I look back at the seven or eight months
that are past and see what has been done, I am amazed, knowing how
thorough have been the measures and the efforts to strip us of every
right and to bring us into bondage. No less than eight or nine bills
were introduced into Congress early in the session, for the express
purpose of reaching the "Mormon" case. These bills were referred to
various committees, and arguments had to be made upon them before
these committees; but there was a determination on the part of a great
many members to vote upon any bill, no matter what its features might
be, that might be introduced into the House from a committee. You
cannot judge, however, in every instance, of the private feelings of
men by heir votes. A great many members of Congress would rather not
cast their votes against us if they could have their way; but the
timidity of members upon the "Mormon" question is the strength of the
enemies of the people of Utah, and they count upon that as a means of
insuring the success of their schemes of villainy. They are well aware
that there is a feeling of reluctance on the part of public men to
place themselves on the record in favor of anything that would look
like sustaining or giving countenance to what is called "Mormonism."
Our enemies counted upon this last session. In the beginning of the
session they depended upon that as the means by which they would
prevent me from taking my seat in the House of Representatives.
Disappointed in that, they then commenced operations before the
committee on elections and, as you are doubtless well aware, did
everything in their power to precipitate that question upon the House.
I need not rehearse to you how these attempts have been overruled. To
my mind the hand of God is as plainly manifest in all these
circumstances. as is this light, or these objects which I see before
me in the light of this day.

Vol. 17,  p.123
When the bills against Utah were introduced, they were referred, as I
have said, to committees. They were principally copies of the bill
that passed the Senate in the last session of the forty-second
Congress, called the Frelinghuysen bill. One of these was introduced
by the chairman of the Committee on Territories and was called the
McKee bill. This bill was argued at great length before the Committee
on Territories, and it was reported to the House.

Vol. 17,  p.123
To the astonishment of its reputed author, a point of order was raised
upon it for which he was not prepared, and, before he scarcely knew
it, the [p.124] bill was taken out of his hands and referred to the
committee of the whole and virtually defeated for that session. Of
course, our enemies were not suited with that arrangement, they wanted
some other bill passed, and hoping that the Poland bill would be the
least objectionable and would pass the easiest, they brought that
forward and urged its passage before the Judiciary Committee. A number
of meetings were held, arguments were made for and against the bill,
and finally, through laboring hard with prominent members of that
committee a modification was obtained in one important section of the
bill, namely, that referring to the selection of jurors. As the bill
originally stood it possessed the same feature that all the rest did,
giving to the Judge of the District Court, his clerk and the U.S.
Marshal, the right to select all our jurors. This section was fought
earnestly, and finally Judge Poland was induced to modify it
sufficiently to have three commissioners appointed, who should have
the selection of jurors. Eventually another change was made in that
section, and the feature that now stands in the law as it passed was
introduced giving the right to select jurors to the Probate Judge of
each county and the clerk of the District Court, each to select
alternately a juror from lists already prepared. I felt that this,
itself, was a very great triumph, because as the bill originally stood
it virtually left us, our lives, our liberties and all our property,
at the mercy of three individals who, judging by past experience in
this Territory, would pack juries upon us without any scruples; and I
felt that it was a great advantage to us that the infamous raid bad
been made upon us two years ago by the Judge of this district and
those associated with him, for it gave me an opportunity of setting
forth what had been done in the past when there was no law to sustain
such operations, and to argue what we might expect if there were a law
to sustain them.

Vol. 17,  p.124
When the Poland bill was brought before the House there seemed to be a
forgetfulness on the part of its sponsor—not its author but its
sponsor—Judge Poland, that there was a rule in operation requiring
every bill that contemplated an appropriation from the federal
treasury to be referred to the committee of the whole. He had
forgotten the point that had been made on the McKee bill, and when his
reputed bill was introduced that point was again made, and sustained
by the Speaker. Judge Poland saw that he could not carry it over the
decision of the Speaker and the decision of the best parliamentarians
in the House and, to save his bill from being referred to the
committee of the whole, he withdrew it. At this point a man who had
been down there, very anxious to get legislation, and urging it with
his might, met me on the floor of the House, and said—"Mr. Cannon,
before you left Salt Lake you told me that God was on your side, and
I'll be d—d if I don't begin to believe it." I told him He was, and
was on the point of telling him that he would be damned if he did not
believe it, when we separated. For the moment, his fears being alive,
I suppose he thought there was some power with us, as this was the
second bill that had been so nearly killed for that session. Judge
Poland succeeded afterwards in getting the privilege of reporting the
bill to the House and having it there considered as in committee of
the whole, and this saved the point of order.

Vol. 17,  p.124
As I have told you, the strength of our enemies did not consist in the
justice or rightfulness of their cause;[p.125] it did not consist in
the strength of their arguments; it did not consist, in fact, in
anything of this character that could be brought before members; but
their principal reliance was upon the circulation of abominable
falsehoods and slanders and the unreasoning prejudices which existed
against the people of this Territory, which made members timid in
dealing fairly with our question. A people who profess the
characteristics of many of the residents of this Territory, and who
have shown such willingness to suffer all things for what they
consider the right, have difficulty in comprehending how men in power
can be timid where principle is involved. But the power of members of
Congress is very ephemeral. The tenure of office of many is frequently
based upon slight grounds. Some have to struggle hard to get to
Congress, and they struggle still harder to keep there. Viewed from
their stand point such reason in this wise: I follow politics as a
profession; I expect to live by that profession; I reach Congress with
difficulty, for my district is closely contested. I must vote in a way
not to lessen my majority in my district, or to decrease my influence.
There is a prejudice against the Mormons, and if I seem to favor them,
my opponents would use it against me on the stump in the next
campaign, even if I should succeed in getting a nomination from the
convention of my party.

Vol. 17,  p.125
As you know, the Poland bill passed the House and was sent to the
Senate. It was expected that it would pass the Senate almost
instantaneously; that it would be referred, as a matter of form, to
the Committee on the Judiciary and be instantly reported back for
passage. But the members of the Judiciary Committee in the Senate,
although the Frelinghuysen bill had passed during the previous
Congress, were not disposed to pass this hastily through. There had
been considerable said, a good many arguments made, and conversations
held with Senators, and the true state of affairs, as far as possible,
had been represented to them, and they had this fear—that this whole
attempt at legislation was merely a pretext by which a raid could be
made on the property of the "Mormons" in Utah Territory.

Vol. 17,  p.125
There were two very powerful aids that I had in Washington. One, that
idea to which I have just referred, that all this was a scheme on the
part of certain interested parties for the purpose of getting up a
raid under cover of polygamy and "Mormonism" to rob the people of
their hard-earned possessions. Many Senators and members had been to
Utah and were aware of the increased value of property through the
discovery of mines. They had no faith in carpet-buggers, hence there
was a reluctance on the part of considerate men to lend themselves to
anything like a scheme of this character.

Vol. 17,  p.125
The other great aid I had were the looks of the men who were urging
legislation. All I had to do was to point to these men and ask
Senators and members how they would like to have power put in the
hands of such persons if they resided in Utah Territory? The argument
was a conclusive one if they had the opportunity of seeing the persons
who were urging legislation at that time. I do not exaggerate when I
say that those who went down there to contest my seat and urge
legislation were the best aids that could have been furnished me. Some
have thought I ought to have had some help, but I tell you truly that
they were the best helps that could be sent. I have [p.126] been asked
repeatedly what we paid one of them at least to be there. The first
time the question was put to me I was a little surprised at it, and
could not help expressing my surprise, not understanding exactly its
drift. I said—"We pay him nothing, what do you mean?" "Well," said the
gentleman who asked the question, "if you do not pay him you certainly
can afford to pay him to keep him here." These were strong reasons on
our side, and they contributed materially to help our cause. 

Vol. 17,  p.126
When the bill, as I have said, came from the Judiciary Committee to
the Senate, it came in its original form except the striking out of
one section which extended the common law over this Territory. But
there was a disposition to so modify the bill that it could not be
used in the way that it was designed by its originators, and you know
how it has been pruned. To me, as I have said respecting this other
matter, so I can say concerning it, that the hand of God was very
visible to me, and I felt that he was laboring on our side, and that
he would help us and deliver us as he had delivered others in other
times and in past ages; and the Lord did soften the hearts of men,
cause them to feel favorable to us and to feel favorably disposed to
our cause. 

Vol. 17,  p.126
It has been said as an explanation of this, so I have understood, that
we have used money at Washington to defeat legislation. I have not
rosen these statements myself, for I made it a point never to read
books or papas which villify this people. I really have too little
time to read the works and papers which are instructive and pleasant
to me, and with which I ought to be familiar, to spend one moment of
time in reading abusive, lying and slanderous writings concerning this
people or myself. While I was absent, there was a paper published in
Washington that had almost daily, as I have remaked, articles against
you and myself. I made it a point never to read one of them. I did not
want to be disturbed in my feelings.' "Where ignorance is bliss," the
poet says, "'tis folly to be wise." I thought the scheme was a
blackmailing one; I knew the influences which were put in operation to
keep up this abuse and I was determined it should not annoy me.
Whenever the use of money has been alluded to in the hearing of
President Young he has stated, emphatically, that so far as he was
concerned he would not spend one cent of money to preserve our rights,
or to obtain extended liberties for us as a people. This has been his
emphatic declaration, his expressed determination. His views on this
subject have been accepted as every way correct.

Vol. 17,  p.126
I want to say to you here, to-day, my brethren and sisters, that not
one cent of money has been spent with any man for the purpose of
influencing him. I believe my word can be relied upon by this people;
you have known me all my life, and when I say this you can put
implicit and perfect reliance in what I say. We have had no aid of
this kind, we have used no means of this character, we have had no
lobbyist. That which has been done has been fairly and above board,
and it has been the blessing of God upon us in answer to the united
faith and prayers of this people that has produced the results that we
have witnessed. I am thankful that we have been enabled to take this
course and that we can trust in God and rely upon him, for he will
save to the very uttermost.

Vol. 17,  p.126
I recollect writing home a letter some weeks ago, some weeks in fact
before the adjournment, in which I said that so far as the sight of
the eye, the hearing of the ear, and natural [p.127] judgment were
concerned men might be justified in thinking there would be
legislation that would be very severe, and that I would lose my seat.
And yet I can truly say that from the day of my election up to the
time that I left Washington I never had a single doubt, not a shadow
of a doubt as to my keeping my seat—it never cost me one moment's
thought. I knew when I left here that I would be admitted to my seat;
I knew when the attempt was made to expel me that it would be
unsuccessful; I knew farther, that every attempt to get legislation
such as was contemplated would be defeated, and if a bill did pass it
would be in a comparatively mild form. Of course, having these ideas,
I have felt, as I stated in the commencement of my remarks, very
happy. I have had joy all the time, I have had peace all the time, and
I have had good cause to be thankful to God our heavenly Father for
his blessings upon me.

Vol. 17,  p.127
That I was not expelled from my seat, however, was not due to the
absence of effort on the part of the person who wanted it. It was
really amusing to hear the pathetic manner in which the poor creature
and his confederates alluded to the technical and legal reply which I
made, (and which was published in this city,) to his charges against
me in his notice of contest for the place of delegate. He had piled
charge upon charge against me, nothing being too false, vile or
malignant to embody in these accusations, and because I acknowledged
nothing, but threw the onus of the proof upon him, he murmured
considerably. It would doubtless have been very gratifying to him to
have had his case completed for him. As it was, recourse was had to
the most despicable methods to obtain such evidence as was thought
necessary. Spies pryed into my domestic affairs, and from them and
apostates cooked affidavits were obtained with which it was hoped the
desired end would be achieved. If vile slanders, base falsehoods,
false affidavits or atrocious attacks could have had the desired
effect I would not have kept my seat in Congress. If grossly libelous
newspaper articles, if shameless and indecent lectures, if frantic
appeals to popular prejudice, or the secret circulation of documents
signed by perjured affiants could have influenced Congress to take
hasty and ill-considered action, the place of delegate from Utah might
lave been declared vacant. My opponents attacked me for being a
"Mormon" of the most ultra and pronounced type; their great efforts
were to prove that in the enunciation and practice of every feature of
my religion I was bold though shrewd and not a whit behind the
foremost, and because of this should not have a seat in Congress. This
endorsement, if it had been worth anything, would have pleased me. But
it did not always suit to give me this character. For circulation
here, another plan was adopted. I was accused of not standing up to my
principles. This charge was false but did not displease me, any more
than the others pleased me. I am thankful to say that I have learned
to view all such charges with complete indifference. Conscious of the
propriety of my own course and that I had the confidence of my
constituents, my enemies' attacks gave me no concern. Indeed, I
accepted them as compliments. I was quite willing to be investigated.
I had tried to live so that I had no fear of a microscopic
investigation of the acts of my life. At the same time I never
conceded that Congress had the right to investigate my domestic
affairs,[p.128] I have no idea that, I shall ever be convinced that it
has that right.

Vol. 17,  p.128
So far as my personal treatment has been concerned, I have been
treated with respect and consideration. A few individuals, a few
members, have sought to do us injury; a few men can make a great
disturbance on a question upon which men ale so tender as this
question of "Mormonism." But by the great majority, by ninety-nine
hundredths of the men with whom I have been brought in contact, as
members of the House, as senators, as heads of departments, I could
not ask any better treatment than I have received, I could not expect
it. I have endeavored to deport myself as a gentleman in all the
relations of life, to treat everybody with the consideration and
respect that were due to them, and I have, in return, been treated in
the same manner. I take pleasure in bearing this testimony, because
one might imagine, from reports that have reached here, that I have
been in a constant war and difficulty. It has been a constant war, but
it has been a war that has been confined to fighting and counteracting
the lies, the machinations, the slanders and the miserable schemes of
those who have been plotting against us. And I wish to bear testimony
to you this afternoon, that if you will put your trust in God he will
never desert you. I never felt for a moment concerned about our
affairs but once, and that was when I heard of the divisions in our
elections here; that gave me concern. If these Latter-day Saints are
only united, if they will keep the commandments of God and do his
will, let me say to you that there is no power on earth or in hell
that can injure us or retard the onward progress of this work. I know
this as well as I know I stand here. But you be divided, you lose your
faith, you array yourselves one against another, and then where is
your strength? You are no better than any other people, and God will
visit you with scourges and with disaster, and you will be punished
and your enemies will have power over you. I hear of men being in
doubt concerning their faith in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I
am astonished at it. It seems to me that every evidence that is
necessary to convince people of the divinity of this work, people who
examine it carefully and prayerfully, has been given unto us as a
people.

Vol. 17,  p.128
I thought I knew something, before I left here, concerning the power
of God; I thought I knew something of the providences of God our
heavenly Father; but I never had such an experience in my life as I
have had while I have been absent. I know that God is with this
people. I know that God has chosen Brigham Young to be his servant,
and to preside over his Church on the earth. I know this as well as I
know that I live, and I might as well doubt my own existence, doubt
the existence of the heavens above my head, or the earth on which I
stand, as to doubt this, and I know that those who follow his counsel
will be blessed and will be delivered, while those who reject his
counsel will have to suffer therefor.

Vol. 17,  p.128
This may sound strange that a man should have this power given to him
in these days, but it is consistent with the plan of salvation as
revealed in ancient days. Recollect the power that Jesus gave to
Peters that he should bind on earth and it should be bound in heaven,
and that ha should loose on earth and it should be loosed in heaven.
What great power this was to give to one man, Jesus said to him, "And
I will give unto thee the key of the kingdom of [p.129] heaven, and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Vol. 17,  p.129
When God chooses a man to be his servant, he expects all his children
to honor that man when they became acquainted with the character of
his mission, and those who honor him He will honor, and they who
despise him He will despise, and I know that the Latter-day Saints
have prospered, it has been the experience of my entire life, from my
boyhood up to this day, in obeying the counsel of God's servant.
During the days of Joseph, when the Latter-day Saints obeyed his
counsel they were prospered; and since his death, for thirty years
now, when they have obeyed the counsel of Brigham they have been
blessed and prospered. And there is this evidence, which I consider
one of the greatest evidences that we can have—whenever we do that
which is required of us we have peace in our hearts, and when we
oppose it we are disturbed in our spirits. I look upon this as one of
the best guides to judge of the character of a spirit by which we may
be assailed, or which may present itself for admission to our hearts.
Whenever a spirit presents itself that produces disturbance of
feeling, agitation, pain, darkness or doubt, we can know if we will
judge as we should do, that it is not of God; but a spirit that
produces peace, a spirit that produces joy, light and happiness, comes
from God, and as a people we should be able to judge between these two
classes of influences.

Vol. 17,  p.129
I said, in the commencement, that it is the privilege, in my opinion,
of avery man, every human being on the face of the earth to be happy,
if he will seek happiness in the right direction. The heathen who
lives up to the light God has given him can be a happy man. The
idolater, no matter what his condition or belief, if he lives up to
the light God has given him, can be happy if he will observe those
laws which God has made plain unto all of us. Now, my brethren and
sisters, there are lying spirits gone forth in the world who seek to
deceive. The spirit of falsehood reigns to-day in the midst of the
earth. Men delight in slander and in that which is false. You have
proved this sufficiently, and if you are not careful you will be
assailed by this spirit and partake of it before you are aware of it.
How can you know a good spirit from a bad spirit? By the effect it
produces upon your minds. I know that there are some who think that
unless a man doubts he cannot acquire knowledge. This to me is great
folly. I do not think it at all necessary to doubt or to hold
controversies with the devil in order to acquire knowledge. I never
saw a man who pursued that course who was not disturbed in his mind
and darkened in his understanding. Seek for that which produces a good
effect upon your minds; if we follow that it will bring us back to
God. We need never be deceived by any spirit or influence, and we may
always know the truth when we hear it. We have a guide within
ourselves, which all of us carry, and that is the power to detect
truth from error, right from wrong, good from evil, the spirit of
light from the spirit of darkness. I want no spirit within me that
produces any unhappy feeling. I want no spirit to enter into my heart
that produces darkness and doubt. I want a spirit that produces peace
and joy, and that will cause me to rejoice in the midst of my enemies
and when threatened by danger; or if I have to walk that narrow and
[p.130] dreadful path that leads to death because of my faith, or any
other terrible consequence, that I can walk it and have the Spirit of
God, the spirit of peace, joy and resignation therein, without doubt
or darkness assailing me. That is the spirit that we as a people
should seek for. And when you are disturbed in your feelings and
assailed with doubt and do not feel happy, withdraw yourselves from
the world, leave the cares that press you, lay them aside, withdraw to
your secret chamber, and bow yourselves down before your God and
entreat him, in the name of Jesus, to give you his Spirit, and do not
leave your chamber until you are, as it, were, baptized in the Spirit
of God and full of peace and joy, all your cares and troubles
dissipated and dismissed. This is the course we should take as
Latter-day Saints, and this will be far more profitable to us than
anything else we can do during that period. There is nothing like
communion with the Holy Spirit, there is no blessing to equal it. I
have proved it abundantly during my absence, and I rejoice that I can
bear this testimony to you to-day.

Vol. 17,  p.130
I expect it sounds strange for a man who has been occupied as I have
been to talk in this strain; but there is nothing of greater
importance to me, according to my understanding, than the salvation of
the human family, temporally and spiritually, in the kingdom of God
our heavenly Father; nothing of greater importance than teaching men
and women how to live so as to be always in the enjoyment of light and
wisdom and the peaceful Spirit of God our heavenly Father.

Vol. 17,  p.130
That God may bless you, that God may preserve you, that God may unite
your hearts and make you one, and make you a people who shall prove to
the inhabitants of the earth that God still lives and that he is
unchanged, that he is the same today that he was yesterday, and that
he will be the same forever, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

John Taylor, July 19, 1874

It is of Little Import How We Leave this World, so that We 
are Prepared to Live or Die—God Has Ordained that All Must Die

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered An the Funeral 
Services of Elder Thomas Williams, in the Fourteenth Ward 
Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July 19, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.130
We are met this morning to attend to one of those ceremonies that are
intimately connected with human existence. People generally feel
reflective on sorrowful occasions like the present, and there is
something [p.131] about the manner in which this, our beloved brother,
was taken from us, that rather tends to increase this feeling of
commiseration, not for the departed, but for his family, friends and
associates. Taken away in the bloom of life and health, without a
moment's warning, snatched off in the face of his family and ushered,
as it were, immediately from this world into another state of
existence, it produces feelings that are more easily imagined than
described. However, my ideas in relation to this matter are that so
long as we are prepared to live or to die, so long as we are living in
the fear and favor of the Almighty, no long as we are fulfilling the
various obligations, duties and responsibilities that devolve upon us,
it is a matter of very little importance how or in what manner we
leave this world and go into another. It is appointed for man once to
die, and we can not evade the fiat which fate has decreed. No persons
have yet been able to avoid the operations and summons of the grim
monster whenever his call has been made. And when we reflect upon the
position that we occupy upon the earth it is analogous, in this
respect, to that of myriads of human beings who have existed before.
In various paris of the world there have been a variety of opinions
about the resurrection and about the state of man after death; but
there has been very little difference of opinion about death itself.
The myriads of human beings who have lived upon this earth have all
gone in the same way, that is more or less. Some have died peaceably
and quietly in their beds; others have been submerged in the ocean,
and drowned far from friends and homes, some in the violent struggles
of the battle-field, and some have departed this life after enduring
the agony and pain of lingering disease. There are phases associated
with human existence and the departure of humanity from this world
that are more pleasant than others, and we should like generally, if
we could have our way, to make all preparations, have everything
arranged, and to leave this world, bidding adieu to our friends and
companions as quietly and easily as practicable. We should all like
this if we could have our own way about it. But we do not have our
choice. "God moves in a mysterious way," we are told, and the
dispensations of Providence are inscrutable. Nor is it a matter of
very much moment, according to my ideas, how, or in what way, we leave
this world; the great object is and the great questions for us to
solve are, are we prepared? Have we formed a union with God our
heavenly Father? Have we obtained the forgiveness of our sins? Are we
living our religion? Are we keeping the commandments of God? Have we
made arrangements for our everlasting associations with beings in the
eternal worlds? If we have, if this is our position, it matters but
little how or when we leave this world, that must be left for the
Almighty to regulate and to decide upon.

Vol. 17,  p.131
God, in his eternal decrees, has ordained that all men must die, but
as to the mode and manner of our exit, as I said before, it matters
very little. As part of the household and family of God, as beings
associated with eternity as well as time, it behooves us to reflect,
and that calmly and deliberately, upon our present position, and our
relationship and standing before God our heavenly Father. These are
important questions for us to solve, and if we can solve them
satisfactorily, then all is right.[p.132] 

Vol. 17,  p.132
These events that are continually transpiring around and among us
convince us of the fallacy of all earthly enjoyments as associated
merely with this life. No matter what our acquirements—no matter what
our talents or abilities, no matter what our wealth, position or
circumstances in life, we all have to submit to the same grim monster,
hence the question naturally comes to our minds, why are we thus
situated? We seem attached more or less, to this world. We are
struggling, and striving, and grappling and grasping to possess the
things of this world. Of what use are they now to this brother whose
lifeless remains lie before us? And yet our whole lives, and thoughts,
and energy, and talent are generally bent on their acquisition. In a
short time, the body now lying here, with whose face we have been
familiar, and whose company we have enjoyed, will be lying up there,
enclosed in mother earth. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, the worms
preying upon his system, and his spirit gone into another state of
existence. That which we see here to-day, will be our case in a short
time. Myriads who have lived before us have gone the same way. Where
are the statesmen, warriors, orators, princes, potentates, emperors,
philosophers, and great men whose names are found upon the pages of
history? They have gone! gone! gone! and we are all sliding down the
plane of time and hurrying into eternity. This is the position of all
men that ever have lived on the face of the earth. Is this our abiding
place then? Is this the land of our immortal, eternal inheritance? Not
until a change takes place. And what of the affairs of the earth—the
baubles, tinsel, glitter and show, the empty name and appearance of
earthly things? Why, just as a great and very sensible man expressed
himself: Said he, "When I am gone you will build a monument over me,
and you will write upon it—

Vol. 17,  p.132
"Here lies the great;—

Vol. 17,  p.132
but if I could rise from the tomb, and could again speak, I would say—

Vol. 17,  p.132
"False marble, where? 
Nothing but poor and sordid dust lies there!"

Vol. 17,  p.132
So it will be with all of us, with me with you, we shall soon all be
in that position. I do not care what our hopes, aspirations or
position in life may be, we have all got to go through the dark valley
of the shadow of death. We have all got to appear before the tribunal
of a just God to give an account of the deeds done in the body,
whether those deeds have been good or evil.

Vol. 17,  p.132
And in the various changes that have taken place, in the cycles of
time as they have rolled forward, and as they will continue to take
place, what of the earth, what of the men who have lived and died and
live again, and what of us? What are our position, ideas and
prospects? We believe that God has spoken; we believe that light has
emanated from the eternal worlds; we believe that God has given us
revelation for our guide in time, and to prepare us for an eternal
inheritance. For this the Gospel has been preached; for this the
Elders of the Church and kingdom of God have gone abroad; for this we
have gathered from distant lands; for this we build our Temples and
our Tabernacles; for this we preach and pray daily that God may
inspire our hearts with the spirit of revelation that emanates from
him, and that the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, may rest upon and
dwell within us, that when we get through with this time, we may be
prepared,[p.133] with our progenitors and our posterity, to inherit an
eternal exaltation in the celestial kingdom of our God. And what is
anything withoutthis? Do I mourn over that man? No, I do not, I feel
sorry for his family, I do not mourn over him, not a particle. I would
not shed a tear over him. He was a good man, a man who feared God,
loved his religion, kept the commandments of God and walked humbly
before him; he was a man who was honored and respected by the good,
respected and honored of God and of  holy angels, and it is all right
with him. Do I mourn that he is taken away? No, we would like to have
our good men stay among us, but perhaps they have something to do in
another sphere. Perhaps the services of brother Williams are required
somewhere else. There are other positions for men to occupy besides
this earth. We had an existence before we came here. We came here to
do a certain work. He has done his and gone. Perhaps God required him
and has taken him away. All right, we will say, it is the Lord, let
him do what seems him good.

Vol. 17,  p.133
In regard to ourselves, that is another thing that we have
individually and personally to do with. It is all right with him, how
is it with us? I talk to the living, to those who are in existence,
who have their volition, who have the power of action and their
reasoning faculties, and I say unto them, look where you will be in a
short time, and ask yourselves are you prepared, like him, to meet
your God, and to have an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God?
These are the questions that I would ask, and I would say that no
matter what your position, what your wealth, what your prospects or
ideas pertaining to this world, they are none of them worth anything
except sanctified by God and appropriated for the building up of his
kingdom and the establishment of righteousness upon the earth. 

Vol. 17,  p.133
But the question is, are we the friends of God? Is God our friend? Are
we living and walking in the light of his countenance? Do we feel that
our spirits, feelings and consciences are right before him, that we
have consciences void of offence towards God and towards man? These
are some of the thoughts and reflections that we have to do with, and
it is for us to think seriously, calmly and deliberately upon these
things, and to act as wise, prudent, intelligent beings, that we may
keep the commandments of God, live our religion and obtain an
inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God when we shall have got
through with the affairs of time, with which we are surrounded.

Vol. 17,  p.133
May God help us to be faithful and keep his commandments, in the name
of Jesus, Amen.[p.134] 

George Q. Cannon, July 19, 1874

Faith of the Latter-Day Saints in Relation to the Resurrection

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon, Delivered at the Funeral Services

of Elder Thomas Williams, in the Fourteenth Ward Assembly Rooms, 
Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July 19, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.134
While Elder Taylor was speaking of the future condition of the
departed, the words of a writer in the Book of Mormon came to my mind,
and I think that, probably, reading it will be as appropriate on the
present occasion, to refresh the minds of the Saints in relation to
their faith, and if there should be strangers present, it will give
them an idea of the faith of the Latter-day Saints in relation to the
resurrection. I think, I say, it would be as appropriate as anything I
could say. They are the words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, and are
recorded in the second book of Nephi and sixth chapter. Speaking to a
people who were there, Jacob says—

Vol. 17,  p.134
"Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye
may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings
which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children. For I know that ye
have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore
I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die;
nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see God. Yea, I know that ye
know, that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem,
from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them;
for it behoveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become
subject unto man, in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men
might become subject unto him. For as death hath passed upon. all men,
to fulfill the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be
a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man
by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression;
and because man became fallen, they were cut off from the presence of
the Lord; wherefore it must needs be an infinite atonement; save it
should be an infinite atonement, this corruption could not put on
incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man, must
needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must
have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no
more.

Vol. 17,  p.134
"O the wisdom of God! his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh
should rise no more, our spirits must become subject to that angel who
fell from before the presence of the eternal God, and became the
devil, to rise no more. And our spirits must have become like unto
him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the
presence of our God, and to remain with the father [p.135] of lies, in
misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first
parents: who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and
stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder,
and all manner of secret works of darkness.

Vol. 17,  p.135
"O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our
escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea; that monster, death
and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of
the spirit. And because of the way of the deliverance of our God, the
Holy One of Israel, this death of which I have spoken, which is the
temporal, shall deliver up its death; which death is the grave. And
this death of which I have spoken, Which is the spiritual death, shall
deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death
and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its
captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and
the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other;
and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

Vol. 17,  p.135
"O how great the plan of our God! For on the other hand, the paradise
of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave
deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is
restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and
immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like
unto us in the flesh; save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect;
wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our
uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect
knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed
with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

Vol. 17,  p.135
"And it shall come to pass, that when all men shall have passed from
this first death unto life, insomuch an they have become immortal,
they must appear before the judgment seat of the Holy One of Israel;
and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according
to the holy judgment of God. And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for
the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot
pass away, that they who are righteous, shall be righteous still, and
they who are filthy, shall be filthy still, wherefore, they who are
filthy, are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into
everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of
fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up for ever and ever, and
has no end.

Vol. 17,  p.135
"O the greatness and the justness of our God! For he executeth all his
words, and they have gone forth out of his mouth, and his law must be
fulfilled. But, behold, the righteous, the Saints of the Holy One of
Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who
have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it;
they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them
from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever.

Vol. 17,  p.135
"O the greatness of the mercy of our God; the Holy One of Israel! For
he delivereth his Saints from that awful monster the devil, and death,
and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless
torment.

Vol. 17,  p.135
"O how great the holiness of our God! For be knoweth all things, and
there is not anything, save he knows it. And he cometh into the world
that he may save all men, if they will hearken unto his voice; for
[p.136] behold, he suffereth the pains of all men; yea, the pains of
every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to
the family of Adam. And he suffereth this, that the resurrection might
pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and
judgment day. And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be
baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel;
or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God. And if they will not
repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and
endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One
of Israel, has spoken it; wherefore he has given a law; and where
there is no law given, there is no punishment; and where there is no
punishment, there is no condemnation; and where there is no
condemnation, the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon
them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of
him; for the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all
those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from
that awful monster death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire
and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that
God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel."

Vol. 17,  p.136
There is much more in this chapter of a similar character, very
instructive to those who read and have faith to believe the testimony
of this man.

Vol. 17,  p.136
In speaking to you, my brethren and sisters, who are familiar with the
life of him whose remains are in our midst this morning, I need not
say to you scarcely what our views and hopes are concerning him. We
know when a man dies, inasmuch as he dies faithful to the truth,
having kept the commandments of God and obeyed the ordinances of the
house of God as far as they have been revealed and as he has had an
opportunity, that he is secure, that his future is assured. He goes,
as we are taught, to the Paradise of God, there to await the morning
of the first resurrection. We know that his body will be called forth
from the dust and from the tomb, and that his spirit will re-animate
it, and he enter upon that glorious condition of existence concerning
which so many promises have been made. In this respect the faith of
the Latter-day Saints is not a chimera, it is something tangible.

Vol. 17,  p.136
While I sat here and listened to the words of our brother the
reflection came across my mind—how often we are called upon to
participate in sad scenes like the present, and yet throughout all
this Territory, among all the Latter-day Saints, there is this
peculiarity, which was not witnessed in the case of our brother
because of the suddenness of his taking off; but I have never yet
found, in any instance where people have been summoned hence by death,
that there were death and sorrow, and feelings of pain and anguish,
and dread concerning the future as I have witnessed elsewhere. In the
early days of this Church God promised unto the Latter-day Saints that
their deaths should be peaceful, and that the dread of death should be
taken away from them, and after forty-four years' experience we,
today, and in all the years that are passed, have realized the truth
of this promise.

Vol. 17,  p.136
There is something tangible about the faith which God has revealed. If
I go forth believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, and am baptized for the
remission of my sins, and receive the Holy Ghost, I know that [p.137]
I have done that which God requires at my hands, and if I should die
at such a time what have I to fear? If the Holy Ghost has descended
upon me it is a witness and evidence to me that I have received a
remission of my sins, and that the promise of God has been fulfilled
to me, and that the man who administered that holy ordinance to me was
an authorized servant of Jesus Christ.

Vol. 17,  p.137
That was the case with brother Williams. His testimonies were of the
most remarkable character. I have heard him speak about the evidences
of its truthfulness he had when he joined this Church, and I have been
almost overpowered with joy that I lived in a day and age of the world
when God revealed his mind and will unto man as he did in ancient
days. A more powerful testimony, probably, could not be heard than has
been borne so repeatedly by our deceased brother. And then what? Why
the Spirit of God rested upon him and impelled him to leave his
friends and his former home and associations and gather with the
Saints. Did he do this because some "Mormon" Elder told him it was
right to do it? No, he did this because the Spirit and power of God
rested upon him and impelled him to do it. He was filled with joy and
peace in obeying this commandment of God, and it was so after he came
here in all the works that devolved upon him. Only the day before he
died we had a long conversation about these things together, and I
trust I shall never forget the spirit that rested upon him and myself
while talking. Speaking about the unfaithfulness of men, he did not
say in these exact words, but he conveyed the idea to me that he would
rather die, rather lay down his life than prove recreant to the
principles of the Gospel which he had espoused, he valued them so
highly, more than life and everything else on the face of the earth.
He has done all that he could do. That power which God promised, or
which Jesus rather gave unto Peter, when he said that he should have
the power to bind on earth and it should be bound in heaven, and the
power to loose on earth and it should be loosed in heaven, has been
exercised in behalf of our deceased brother. He took a wife and she
was sealed to him by the power of the holy Priesthood, and he entered
into this holy ordinance and obeyed celestial marriage as it was
revealed to him in the fullness of his faith, although it was a trial
to him. But he was impelled to do so by the power which rested down
upon him, and he knew he did that which was right. He went forward in
obedience to the commandments, putting his trust in God, and I know,
as he knew and still knows, though gone behind the vail, that he has
secured to himself, so far as his own works could secure, through the
grace and atonement of Jesus Christ, his eternal exaltation in the
presence of God our heavenly Father.

Vol. 17,  p.137
It is not a strong assurance or hope that the Latter-day Saints have,
that they will receive these blessings in the eternal worlds; but when
the promise is sealed upon their heads that they shall come forth in
the morning of the first resurrection and be crowned with glory,
immortality and eternal lives, there is a testimony from God, our
eternal Father in the heavens above, which rests down upon them and
confirms the truth of these words upon the soul of a faithful man or
woman, and they know, when words are pronounced upon them by a man who
has the authority, sealing upon them blessings, keys, thrones,
principalities, powers and exaltations in [p.138] the eternal kingdoms
of God our Father, I say they know, by the testimony. of the Spirit of
God which rests down upon them at such times, that these words are not
the words of men, but that they are the words of the Spirit of God
inspiring that man, and that God takes a record of that ordinance in
the heavens, and that it is sealed upon them and upon their children,
and that they will actually come forth in the morning of the first
resurrection, according to the promise, hence, there is no fear of
death in the minds of the Latter-day Saints. If the stake was standing
before us, prepared for our execution—if we had that faith that we
should have, and which animated the Saints of God in ancient days, we
would walk as calmly to that stake and be bound to it as we would walk
to eat a meal of victuals, knowing that God, our heavenly Father, will
bestow all the blessings that have been sealed upon us.

Vol. 17,  p.138
This was the faith which animated the ancients and sustained them in
the midst of persecutions, and this is the faith that we should
cherish and cultivate as a people and as individuals. Woe to the man
who has lost that faith! Dreadful is his condition if he has not that
faith living within him. Woe to that man, for his condition is far
worse than his first condition, that is before he had these blessings
sealed upon him.

Vol. 17,  p.138
My associations with our brother who has gone have been of the most
tender character. I have known him as I have known a brother. Our
associations have been very intimate from the day I first made his
acquaintance, on the Missouri river, in 1860, until the present time.
I have watched his course, and have been pleased with his
faithfulness. A more amiable, more kind-spirited or more loving man I
scarcely ever met. I do not know that I ever met one more so. He has
been beloved by all who have known him. A modest, unobtrusive man,
never setting himself forward, but faithful and diligent, performing
the labors assigned to him without any parade but with the greatest
devotion and zeal.

Vol. 17,  p.138
That God may bless his wives and his children, and pour out upon them
the spirit of consolation, that he may preserve his little ones, that
they may grow up in the truth, and tread the straight and narrow path
which he has trodden to the end, and like him be crowned with glory,
is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.139] 

Brigham Young, July 19, 1874

Nothing Strange or New to Live and Die—Must Die in 
Order to Be Qickened—the World of Mankind Ignorant of 
Immortality—the Righteous Should Live to Enjoy the 
Light of the Spirit—All People Are the Children of 
God—They Learn By Contrast—Worlds to Be 
Organized and Peopled in Future Existence

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered at the Funeral 
Services of Elder Thomas Williams, in the Fourteenth Ward 
Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July 19, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.139
I do not wish to detain the congregation, for I realize that it is
very warm and uncomfortable; but on this occasion I feel to offer a
few reflections, and pray that they may be instructive to the living,
and encourage us in the faith of the holy Gospel, strengthen us in the
little faith that we now possess, and open up to our minds the future
prospects and blessings that the Lord has in reserve for the faithful.

Vol. 17,  p.139
We call this a solemn occasion, for we have met together to pay our
last respects to one who has lived with us, and with whom we have
associated, and we delight to show our respect to the mortal remains
of those who, in life, have been near and dear to us. But for me to
address a lifeless lump of clay would be useless, while to address the
living, who have ears to hear and hearts to understand, may be
profitable. I requested the brethren to speak who have already
addressed you, and there are more here who would like to speak on the
present occasion.

Vol. 17,  p.139
The testimony that has been borne concerning the character of our
beloved brother, whose body is now a lifeless mass of clay before us,
is true, and more we can say than what has been said.

Vol. 17,  p.139
The scene that we are now called to witness is painful to near and
dear friends—it is a scene calculated to wring the very heart—the
inmost heart. Such scenes are always painful, still we witness them
day by day, and when we contemplate the vast number of souls that come
into existence and inhabit bodies here on this earth, and the vast
number that are departing, almost every moment, it is nothing strange
or new. Except this plant die it cannot be quickened; except this
mortality is put off it can not put on immortality; except this body
that we have received from the earth returns to mother earth, it can
not be brought forth in the morning of the resurrection. This we know
and understand; yet how strange it is, and yet we may say it is not
strange, that [p.140] the living, with all that they witness
concerning the departure of the living to another state of existence,
how few there are who lay it to heart, how few there are who profit by
it, how few there are who seek ante God for wisdom, knowledge and
understanding to enable them to acquit themselves well here
preparatory to this change. There are some who do, but very few, and
though we mourn at the loss of our friends, when our natural feelings
have passed away, and our hearts have ceased to mourn, cheerfulness
takes the place of these mournful feelings, and we think no more of
it. This is the common condition of the children of men, those who
profess to be Christians, and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as
the Savior of the world. They have made many inquiries with regard to
this passing from one state of existence to another. It seems to be a
great mystery to them. A great deal has been said and a great deal has
been written, and there have been many reflections—more than has been
spoken or written, and yet it is one eternal mystery to the world.
Why? Because they have not eyes to see, nor ears to hear, and they do
not understand the providences of God; and if they read the word of
the Lord—the revelations that he has given concerning the living and
the dead—they do not understand them, and so the world is left in
darkness, to grope their way like the blind man by the wall. Thus it
is with the children of men, taking the whole of the Christian world.

Vol. 17,  p.140
It is true the Latter-day Saints have received a little more—they have
received something beyond the imagination of the heart. We have facts
before us, we have experience that is satisfactory, and we can rejoice
in the hope that God has given us. But if we will be prepared, as this
our beloved brother was prepared, to go at a moment's warning; if we
live in this way, we live just as we should live. No person who
believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has a right to spend a day, an hour,
or a minute of his life or her life in a manner unbecoming the
profession of a Saint; they should be ready to depart this life any
moment. I say that those who understand the things of God have no
right, neither have they any wish, to live only so that they may enjoy
the light of his Spirit, enjoy communion with God, with his son Jesus
Christ and with the Holy Ghost, so that they may be instructed day by
day how to walk in the path that lies before them, the path that leads
to life everlasting. But how easy it is for those who profess to be
Saints, to be of the earth, earthy, and to seek after and love the
world, and fall into the spirit of the world. How easy it is for them
to receive the spirit of the world, and to forget the spirit of
salvation that has been in their hearts. If we could keep constantly
in our minds and before us what we really know, what the Lord has
taught us, what we have read and what we have received by the
whisperings of the Spirit, this would be satisfactory; but many do not
retain these things, they pass from them, and when they have passed
away doubt seizes their minds, and they are at a loss to determine
whether they ever understood anything or not.

Vol. 17,  p.140
In the great providences of God, in bringing forth worlds into
existence, as he has this, which worlds are continually coming into
existence and passing from one state to another, inhabitants come
forth; every living creature that we have any knowledge of God sends
forth upon the earth that he frames, there to [p.141] live and to
enjoy, or to endure all that his providences bring forth upon the
earth, that they may have an experience, that they may be prepared for
another change. These changes are taking place continually, and have
been from the beginning. In the vegetable and in the mineral kingdoms,
as well as in the animal kingdom, these changes are continually going
on. Man comes on to this stage of action, and he is continually
undergoing a change until the time of his departure. He comes here—he
knows not how. We know we are here; but who is it understands how we
came, and the design and purpose of our Heavenly Father in sending us
here? Here is the mystery to the Christian and scientific world; they
do not understand it. "Would that we could" say the inhabitants of the
earth, and especially those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. "How
glad I should be to know where Jesus lives!" "How glad I should be to
know whether I am going to him when I leave this world! But it is a
mystery." Why should it be a mystery? Because the curtain is shut down
before us, and the vision of our minds is closed up for a trial for
us, for us to prove ourselves, and to show whether, while passing
through darkness and affliction, in ignorance and with clouds of
unbelief over us, after being made acquainted with the things of God,
we will persevere and be firm to our faith, and so prove ourselves
worthy to receive a glorious resurrection, a change to a more exalted
state of being than we can possess and enjoy here on this earth.

Vol. 17,  p.141
We are made expressly to dwell with those who continue to learn, and
who receive knowledge on knowledge, wisdom on wisdom; we belong to the
family of heaven. I am looking now upon a body of divinity. Every face
that I see sheds forth a certain amount of the divinity I worship—my
Father in heaven. Here we are, we are God's children, and we are
brought forth to give us an experience, that we may know good from
evil, light from darkness; that we may know how to serve God; that we
may know why and wherefore we should refuse the evil and choose the
good. I ask the philosophers—and I think it is probable there are some
here to-day—how do you prove facts? By their contrast. How do you know
this or that? By its contrast. We know and prove things by their
opposite; we understand the evil because the good is present with us,
and the Lord sends forth his intelligent children on the face of the
earth to prove whether they are worthy to dwell with him in eternity.

Vol. 17,  p.141
How frequently the question arises in the minds of the people—"I wish
I knew where I was going!" Can you find out? Well, you will go into
the spirit world, where brother Thomas now is. He has now entered upon
a higher state of being, that is, his spirit has, than when in this
body. "Why cannot I see him? Why cannot I converse with his spirit? I
wish I could see my husband or my father and converse with him!" It is
not reasonable that you should, it is not right that you should;
perhaps you would miss the very object of your pursuit if you had this
privilege, and there would be the same trial of faith to exercise you,
not so severe a path of affliction for you to walk in, not so great a
battle to fight, nor so great a victory to win, and you would miss the
very object you are in pursuit of. It is right just as it is, that
this veil should he closed down; that we do not see God, that we do
not see angels, that we do not converse with them except through
strict [p.142] obedience to his requirements, and faith in Jesus
Christ. When we contemplate the condition of man here upon the earth,
and understand that we are brought forth for the express purpose of
preparing ourselves through our faithfulness to inherit eternal life,
we ask ourselves where we are going, what will be our condition, what
will be the nature of our pursuits in a state of being in which we
shall possess more vigor and a higher degree of intelligence than we
possess here? Shall we have labor? Shall we have enjoyment in our
labor? Shall we have any object of pursuit, or shall we sit and sing
ourselves away to everlasting bliss? These are questions that arise in
the minds of people, and they many times feel anxious to know
something about hereafter. What a dark valley and a shadow it is that
we call death! To pass from this state of existence as far as the
mortal body is concerned, into a state of inanition, how strange it
is! How dark this valley is! How mysterious is this road, and we have
got to travel it alone. I would like to say to you, my friends and
brethren, if we could see things as they are, and as we shall see and
understand them, this dark shadow and valley is so trifling that we
shall turn round and look upon it and think, when we have crossed it,
why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have
passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain,
anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can
enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a
body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no
more, I hunger no more, I fire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go,
I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like
pain or weariness, I am full of life, fall of vigor, and I enjoy the
presence of my heavenly Father, by the power of his Spirit. I want to
say to my friends, if you will live your religion, live so as to be
full of the faith of God, that the light of eternity will shine upon
you, you can see and understand these things for yourselves, that when
you close your eyes upon mortality you wake up right in the presence
of the Father and the Son if they are disposed to withdraw the vail,
they can do as they please with regard to this; but you are in the
spirit world and in a state of bliss and happiness, though we may call
it Hades or hell. It is the world of spirits, it is where Jesus went,
and where all go, both good and bad. The spirits of the living that
depart this life go into the world of spirits, and if the Lord
withdraws the vail it is much easier for us then to behold the face of
our Father who is in heaven than when we are clothed upon with this
mortality. I have not time at present to follow these reflections
further.

Vol. 17,  p.142
Then we should be encouraged, we should strengthen our faith by our
hope, we should seek unto the Lord until our hope is made perfect,
that we may have power to bear like Saints all the afflictions we meet
with here on the earth. If we do this, when we have crossed the dark
valley of the shadow of death it will be so easy to turn round and
behold the path that we have walked, wherein we have had the
privilege, the same as the Gods, of learning the difference between
good and evil.

Vol. 17,  p.142
You recollect that it was said in ancient days, to her that we call
Mother, "Your eyes will be opened if you will eat of this fruit, and
you will know as the Gods know, good from evil." This probation is
given us that we may learn this lesson, and if we are faithful in it
we shall learn [p.143] how to succor those who are tempted and tried
as we are, when we have the power to rescue them from the ravages of
the enemy.

Vol. 17,  p.143
This earth is our home, it was framed expressly for the habitation of
those who are faithful to God, and who prove themselves worthy to
inherit the earth when the Lord shall have sanctified, purified and
glorified it and brought it back into his presence, from which it fell
far into space. Ask the astronomer how far we are from the nearest of
those heavenly bodies that are called the fixed stars. Can he count
the miles? It would be a task for him to tell us the distance. When
the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed
upon it, it was near the throne of our Father in heaven. And when man
fell—though that was designed in the economy, there was nothing about
it mysterious or unknown to the Gods, they understood it all, it was
all planned—but when man fell, the earth fell into space, and took up
its abode in this planetary system, and the sun became our light. When
the Lord said—"Let there be light," there was light, for the earth was
brought near the sun that it might, reflect upon it so as to give us
light by day, and the moon to give us light by night. This is the
glory the earth came from, and when it is glorified it will return
again unto the presence of the Father, and it will dwell there, and
these intelligent beings that I am looking at, if they live worthy of
it, will dwell upon this earth.

Vol. 17,  p.143
As for their labor and pursuits in eternity I have not time to talk
upon that subject; but we shall have plenty to do. We shall not be
idle. We shall go on from one step to another, reaching forth into the
eternities until we become like the Gods, and shall be able to frame
for ourselves, by the behest and command of the Almighty. All those
who are counted worthy to be exalted and to become Gods, even the sons
of God, will go forth and have earths and worlds like those who framed
this and millions on millions of others. This is our home, built
expressly for us by the Father of our spirits, who is the Father,
maker, framer and producer of these mortal bodies that we now inherit,
and which go back to mother earth. When the spirit leaves them they
are lifeless; and when the mother feels life come to her infant it is
the spirit entering the body preparatory to the immortal existence.
But suppose an accident occurs and the spirit has to leave this body
prematurely, what then? All that the physician says is—"it is a still
birth," and that is all they know about it; but whether the spirit
remains in the body a minute, an hour, a day, a year, or lives there
until the body has reached a good old age, it is certain that the time
will come when they will be separated, and the body will return to
mother earth, there to sleep upon that mother's bosom. That is all
there is about death.

Vol. 17,  p.143
Brother Thomas Williams is no more dead than he was a week ago. His
clay is simply dead; and inasmuch as he honored this tabernacle that
lies before us, it will take a sleep in the dust, to come forth
immortal in the day of the first resurrection.

Vol. 17,  p.143
This will be the case with us all; if we honor our being here. This is
our path, and our great object should be to honor our calling here. We
have bodies which, in infancy, childhood and youth, are just as pure
as the angels, and if we honor these bodies, and preserve them in
chastity, purity and holiness, they are just as good as the bodies of
those that dwell in endless life, and they will be prepared to come
forth in the glorious [p.144] resurrection, and be crowned with glory,
immortality and eternal lives. This is the privilege of all, and the
work that the Savior has undertaken is to save all that will come unto
him; none will be eternally lost except the sons of perdition; and the
great work that God has brought forth in the latter-days in restoring
the Priesthood is for the living and for the dead, to bring them up
that they may enjoy a glorious resurrection.

Vol. 17,  p.144
Brother Thomas has honored his body here, and he now goes into his
glory, that is, as far as he can in the spirit world. He goes where he
can do more good. He has gone where he can preach to those who have
lived and died on the earth without the Gospel, that they may have the
privilege of receiving and obeying it, that they may be judged
according to men in the flesh, and have the privilege of a glorious
resurrection.

Vol. 17,  p.144
This is the work of the Latter-day Saints, and if we are hated for
anything, it is for trying to save the people; if we are persecuted it
is for trying to do good to those who are living and those who are
dead. I say, then, to the Saints, pursue your course, live your
religion and be ready at a moment's warning. Brother Thomas Williams,
while he sat at table eating his dinner, had not the privilege of
speaking a word. A blood vessel broke, and his mouth and throat were
instantly filled with blood to that degree that he could not speak a
Word. He tried to swallow a little salt and water, and probably he got
a little down, but I doubt it very much. The blood gushed most
probably from both stomach and lungs. The vessels were ripe and
prepared to break, and the blood within him gushed out so copiously
that he never spoke another word. How could he repent of his sins if
he had not been prepared? What kind of a confession could he have made
if he had wished to? None at all. He could not ask a Priest to pray
for him if he had wanted to do so; no, he was prepared to go; he never
spoke a word, but committed his soul to God without a moment's
warning. I try to so live that my work is always done; I have done
everything that can be done up to the moment, just as he did it. I
wish our business men would take pattern by him who lies before us. He
was our paymaster in the Parent Branch of Z.C.M.I., and attended to
this Branch of the financial business of the Institution, and there
was not an order that was to be paid or filed, but what he had written
a description of it and pinned it on to that order before he went to
his dinner. In all his business there was not one scratch of the pen
wanted to be done by other clerks, but every iota was done just as
much as though he had known that he was going to breathe his last in
twenty minutes.

Vol. 17,  p.144
Saints, I wish you would take pattern by this man, and live your lives
as he lived his life. I pray you in Christ's stead live your religion.
If you want to know whether I live mine judge by my works, judge from
my daily walk and conversation. You have the right to judge, but you
be sure and live so that you will know whether I do or not. I live so
that I know whether you do or not, exactly. Latter-day Saints live
your religion and honor your God.

Vol. 17,  p.144
I say to this family, the wives and children of brother Williams, God
bless you and comfort your hearts; and I say, will you please live
your religion so that you may be prepared to meet him? If you do not
live so as to honor your Priesthood, you will come short of meeting
him in the resurrection, I assure you. Now live your religion. God is
not to [p.145] be mocked, the laws of God are to be honored, and all
of his ordinances and requirements are to be filled and fulfilled. He
requires strict obedience of his children, and if we are not obedient
we shall come short of that glory that we anticipate now.

Vol. 17,  p.145
I hope and pray that the Lord will bless you all. Amen.

Orson Pratt, July 19, 1874

All Nations Believe in a Future State of Existence—All Inherit the 
Curse in the Death of the Body—the Zion of Enoch Taken to the 
Bosom of God—Celestial, Terrestrial and Telestial Spheres—
Baptism in Water Essential to Salvation—Divine 
Authority—Eternal Marriage Ordained of God

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Old Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, July 19, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.145
I hope the congregation will give their attention and pray for the
Holy Spirit to be shed forth upon all those who are upright in heart,
that we may be edified and instructed by the inspiration and power
thereof, for this is one of the objects which we have in view in
assembling ourselves together, from Sabbath to Sabbath, to be
instructed in the things pertaining to the kingdom, and also to
partake of the emblems of the death and sufferings of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.

Vol. 17,  p.145
We find ourselves here, upon this creation, intelligent beings, and
questions no doubt arise in the minds of almost every man and every
woman in relation to the future destiny of the human family, and what
is the object of our being placed here on this earth for a Short
season and then passing away. It is a question not only asked by
intelligent beings who believe in divine revelation, but the heathen
and semi-barbarous nations, in fact all people reflect, more or less,
concerning the object of their existence here, and what awaits them in
the future. Mankind gain very little light on this subject unless
through the medium of divine revelation, hence we and among all people
a great variety of views in relation to this matter. Our American
Indians have some ideas of a future state of existence—they cannot
persuade themselves to believe that man is destined, when he lays
aside this mortal tabernacle, to be annihilated, but they, look
forward to a future state, and the pleasures they will hereafter enjoy
in their happy hunting grounds. Some people believe [p.146] one
principle and some another in relation to this matter, and the only
way man can be satisfied on a subject of so great importance is by
receiving revelation from that order of beings—far in advance of
us—who have a knowledge of the future state and condition of man.

Vol. 17,  p.146
We find rocorded in the revelations of the Most High, called the
Bible, as well as in the Book of Mormon and the various modern
revelations which God has given, that man is destined to live forever.
God having revealed this fact to ancients and to moderns, raised up
witnesses to bear testimony to the children of men that they are
immortal beings, and that this change which comes upon them,
denominated death, is not an annihilation of their being or an end of
their existence, but it is merely a casting off or laying aside of the
mortal tabernacle; that man lives in the eternal world even after he
appears to be dead, and that, if a righteous man, he has joy and
happiness, but if a wicked man, he has the gnawing of conscience, and
misery, and wretchedness; and that he expects, according to divine
revelation, to receive again, in due time, the tabernacle that he has
thrown off for a moment. It is sown in weakness, says the Apostle
Paul, it is raised in power; it is laid down as a mortal body, it is
raised up as an immortal body.

Vol. 17,  p.146
If we, by study or research, could discover some method or principle
by which we could remain in this world and live in this tabernacle
forever, we should be willing to do so with all the inconveniences of
the present order of things, and still be joyful in our hearts. If any
man could by research or learning discover some kind of a way, or
means or medicine that would give immortality to the children of men,
even in their present state, he would be considerded one of the
greatest men that ever lived, and the one who had bestowed the
greatest blessing upon his fellow-creatures; he would be lauded to the
very skies, and his name would be handed down among all people and
nations as one of the greatest benefactors of mankind; so earnestly do
we feel to cling to life and desire to live, that we would be very
willing to put up with the inconveniences of the present state if we
could only remain and the monster death have no power over us. But it
is in the order of God that man should die. Man brought this upon
himself by transgressing the laws of heaven. By putting forth his hand
and partaking of that which God had forbidden, he brought, this great
evil into the world. Death not only came upon our first parents, who
committed the first great transgression, but the curse has been
inherited by all their generations. None can escape the curse so far
as the mortal body is concerned.

Vol. 17,  p.146
I think, perhaps, this broad assertion may be contradicted in the
minds of some. They may tell us of Enoch, who was translated to
heaven; they may speak of Elijah, who was caught up in a chariot of
fire, and say, "Here, at least, are two exceptions to the general
rule." But what do we know concerning translation? What has God
revealed in all the revelations contained in the Old and New
Testaments in relation to a translated being? Are we assured that such
beings never will have to undergo a change equivalent to that of
death?

Vol. 17,  p.146
Our new revelations that we have received inform us of a great many
individuals that were translated before the flood. We read that a
great and mighty Prophet of the Most High God was sent forth in the
days [p.147] of Adam, namely Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam,
who lived contemporary with his ancestor Adam; that in his days a
great number of people heard the plan of salvation preached to them by
the power of the Holy Ghost that rested upon Enoch and those who were
called with him; that they received this plan of salvation and
gathered themselves out from among the various nations of the earth
where they had obeyed the Gospel; that they were instructed, after
they assembled in one, in righteousness, for three hundred and
sixty-five years; that they learned the laws of the kingdom, and
concerning God and every principle of righteousness that was necessary
to enable them to enter into the fullness of the glory of heaven; they
were instructed to build up a city, and it was called a city of
holiness, for God came down and dwelt with that people; he was in
their midst, they beheld his glory, they saw his face, and he
condescended to dwell among them for many long years, during which
time they were instructed and taught in all of his ways, and among
other things they learned the great doctrine and principle of
translation, for that is a doctrine the same as the doctrine of the
resurrection of the dead, which is among the first principles of the
plan of salvation; and we may also say that the doctrine of
translation, which is intimately connected with that of the
resurrection, is also one of the first principles of the doctrine of
Christ. They were instructed in relation to this government, the
object of it, &c.

Vol. 17,  p.147
According to the light and knowledge which the Latter-day Saints have
upon this subject, revealed in the revelations given through Joseph
Smith, we find that those people, when they were fully prepared,
having learned the doctrine of translation, were caught up into the
heavens, the whole city, the people and their habitations. How much of
the earth was taken up in connection with their habitations we are not
informed. It, might have been a large region. You may ask—"Where was
this city of Zion built in ancient days?" According to new revelation
it was built upon this great western hemisphere. When I speak of this
western hemisphere I speak of it as it now exists. In those days the
land was united; the eastern and the western hemispheres were one; but
they dwelt in that portion of our globe that is now called the western
hemisphere, and they were taken up from this portion of the globe. No
doubt all the region of country occupied by them was translated, or
taken away from the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.147
Does this prove that they were immortal beings from the time of their
translation? No; it does not prove any such thing. How are we to know
anything about it? We can not learn anything in relation to it, except
by revelation. God has revealed to us that they are held in reserve,
in some part or portion of space; their location is not revealed, but
they are held in reserve to be revealed in the latter times, to return
to their ancient mother earth; all the inhabitants that were then
taken away are to return to the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.147
Some five thousand years have passed away since they were caught up to
the heavens. What has boon their condition during that time? Have they
been free from death? They have been held in reserve in answer to
their prayers. What were their prayers? Enoch and his people prayed
that a day of righteousness might be brought about during their day;
they sought, for it with all their hearts; they looked abroad over the
face of the earth and saw the corruptions [p.148] that had been
introduced by the various nations, the descendants of Adam, and their
hearts melted within them, and they groaned before the Lord with pain
and sorrow, because of the wickedness of the children of men, and they
sought for a day of rest, they sought that righteousness might be
revealed, that wickedness might be swept away and that the earth might
rest for a season. God gave them visions, portrayed to them the future
of the world, showed unto them that this earth must fulfill the
measure of its creation; that generation after generation must be born
and pass away, and that, after a certain period of time, the earth
would rest from wickedness, that the wicked would be swept away, and
the earth would be cleansed and sanctified and be prepared for a
righteous people. "Until that day," saith the Lord, "you and your
people shall rest, Zion shall be taken up into my own bosom." Ancient
Zion should be held in reserve until the day of rest should come,
"then," said the Lord to Enoch, "thou and all thy city shall descend
upon the earth, and your prayers shall be answered."

Vol. 17,  p.148
They have been gone, as I have already stated, about five thousand
years. What have they been doing? All that we know concerning this
subject is what has been revealed through the great and mighty Prophet
of the last days, Joseph Smith—that unlearned youth whom God raised up
to bring forth the Book of Mormon and to establish this latter-day
Church. He has told us that they have been ministering angels during
all that time. To whom? To those of the terrestrial order, if you can
understand that expression. God gave them the desires of their hearts,
the same as he gave to the three Nephites, to whom he gave the
privilege, according to their request, of remaining and bringing souls
unto Christ while the world should stand. Even so, he granted to the
people of Enoch their desire to become ministering spirits unto those
of the terrestrial order until the earth should rest and they should
again return to it.

Vol. 17,  p.148
Joseph inquired concerning their condition, whether they were subject
to death during that period, and was informed, as you will find in the
history of this Church, as printed in the Miillenial Star and other
publications thereof, that these personages have to pass through a
change equivalent to that of death; notwithstanding their translation
Lorn the earth, a certain change has to be wrought upon them that is
equivalent, to death, and probably equivalent also to the resurrection
of the dead. But before that change comes they minister in their
office unto those of another order, that is the terrestrial order.
Strangers will not understand perhaps what we mean by the terrestrial
order. If they will take the opportunity of reading the doctrines of
this Church, as laid down in the revelations given through Joseph
Smith, they will learn what our views are in relation to this matter.
God revealed by vision the different orders of being in the eternal
worlds. One class, the highest of all, is called the celestial;
another class, the next to the celestial in glory, power, might and
dominion, is called the terrestrial; another class, still lower than
the terrestrial in glory and exaltation, is called the telestial. This
middle class, whose glory is typified by the glory of our moon in the
firmament of the heavens as compared with the sun, are those who once
dwelt on this or some other creation and, if they have had the Gospel
laid before them they have not had a full opportunity of receiving it;
or they have not [p.149] heard it all, and have died without having
the privilege. In the resurrection they come forth with terrestrial
bodies. They must be administered to says the vision, and God has
appointed agents or messengers to minister to these terrestrial
beings, for their good, blessing, exaltation, glory and honor in the
eternal worlds.

Vol. 17,  p.149
Enoch and his people understanding this principle sought that they,
before receiving the fullness of their celestial glory, might be the
instruments in the hands of God of doing much good among beings of the
terrestrial order.

Vol. 17,  p.149
We read in the New Testament concerning certain angels that are in the
eternal worlds, and the question is asked by the Apostle Paul—"Are
they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who
shall be heirs of salvation?"—not for those who were already heirs of
salvation, but for those who shall be—those who were to be redeemed,
that were to be brought forth and exalted. Enoch and his people were
appointed to this ministry, holding the Priesthood thereof, with poser
and authority to administer in order that those beings may be exalted
and brought up, and inherit all the glory that they are desirous to
receive.

Vol. 17,  p.149
Much might be said concerning these different orders of glory, but we
feel to pass on, and we will speak a few words now concerning the
resurrection from the dead of those who have fully prepared themselves
for the highest glory, the glory of the celestial kingdom, the highest
of all, the holiest of all, the kingdom where God the Father sits
enthroned in glory and in power, ruling and governing all things.
There is a certain law, which God ordained before the foundation of
the world, an irrevocable decree that those who would obey that law
should have this great and most glorious of all the resurrections, be
raised to celestial power, thrones and exaltations, where they could
dwell in the presence of their Father and their God, throughout all
the future ages of eternity.

Vol. 17,  p.149
Do you enquire what this law is which God revealed, and which was
fore-ordained in the counsels of eternity, to be made manifest unto
the sons and daughters of men for their exaltation to this highest
heaven? Do you desire to know the road, the ordinances, the
principles, by which we may attain to that highest of all exaltations?
I will begin and say to all, that every individual that ever attains
to the fullness of that glory, I mean those who have come to the years
of understanding and maturity not referring at all to little
children—must be born of the water and of the Spirit in order to be
prepared to enter that highest glory of all. No one gets there upon
any other principle. No ordinances, principles, laws or institutions
laid down by the children of men that vary from that principle, will
ever bring us into the celestial kingdom. We have the words of Jesus
on this subject, when speaking to Nicodemus—"Verily, verily, I say
unto you, except a man be born of the water and of the Spirit, he can
in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." It is an impossibility,
because the word of the great Jehovah has gone forth, and will not be
revoked, and unless we are born of the water and of the Spirit, we
cannot enter there.

Vol. 17,  p.149
What do we understand by being born of the water? What we understand,
what God has revealed to us, as well as to the ancients, is, that we
must be laid under the water and be brought forth out of the water,
typical of birth, for this is a birth of the water. Who is a fit
subject for this birth of the water? None [p.150] but those who truly
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world; those who
believe that he died to redeem the world and that he shed his blood to
atone for the sins of the world; those who believe this and truly
repent of all their sins are the only subjects who are justified
before God in going down into the waters of baptism, being immersed in
the water and brought forth again out of the water, which is the new
birth of the water. It will do no person any good to be baptized a
hundred times if his baptism is not connected with true faith in God
and in Jesus Christ, and in his revelations and commandments; and
unless he sincerely and truly repents of his sins, reforms his life
and enters into a covenant with God to serve him in all righteousness,
humility, meekness and lowliness of heart, his baptism would be good
for nothing, it would not be acknowledged in heaven, it would not be
recorded in the archives of eternity to his justification in the great
judgment day. Let me go still further, and say, that if we have
repented of and been baptized for the remission of our sins, if we do
not seek after the birth of the spirit also, our baptism will avail us
nothing; they must go hand in hand—the birth of the water first and
then the birth of the spirit.

Vol. 17,  p.150
What do we understand by the birth of the spirit? I answer, that there
is a birth of the spirit, in other words, those persons who receive
the Holy Ghost are filled with it, are immersed within it, they are
clothed upon therewith, and consequently are born anew of it, and they
are without desires to do evil, their desires to do that which is
wrong are taken away, and they become new creatures in Christ Jesus,
being born of the spirit, as well as being born of the water. Here
then are certain laws, ordinances or principles, as a beginning or
starting point, by which we may gain an entrance into that highest
glory of which I have been speaking.

Vol. 17,  p.150
Another thing to be considered in receiving these ordinances—I may be
ever so sincere and humble and ever so willing to repent of my sins; I
may have ever so much faith in God and in his Son Jesus Christ, and
yet if I am not baptized by a man holding divine authority from God,
having the right to baptize me in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Ghost, my baptism will not be legal, it will not
be the new birth, and I cannot enter into the kingdom of God,
according to the words of Jesus. What then does it require to
constitute a man having divine authority? Can any one by a mere
impression upon his mind consider that he has divine authority to
baptize his fellows? No; it needs a call from heaven, it needs a new
revelation cotemporary with the individuals that act, a revelation
from God calling the persons by name, setting them apart, ordaining
them and calling them to officiate, commanding them to administer. Any
other person who attempts to administer baptism will not be
acknowledged in heaven. But a man holding the right by virtue of his
divine calling and ordination, and by virtue of the power that God has
bestowed upon him and the commandment that God has revealed to him,
can go down and administer the baptism of water, and it will be
recognized in heaven; it will not only be recorded on earth among the
Saints in the Church hers on the earth, but it will be recorded in the
books of eternity, the records that are kept on high, and in that day,
when all men shall be judged out of the books that are written, it
will be found that the books kept [p.151] here on earth will accord
with those books that are kept in heaven, and by these books will
parties be justified, and by these books will the legal ordinances
that have been administered be acknowledged and recognized in heaven.

Vol. 17,  p.151
This calls forth another query by the world—"Why is it that you
Latter-day Saints are so exclusive in the administration of the
ordinances that you will not admit me, a Baptist, to join your society
on my old baptism? I have been immersed," says the Baptist; "I was
sincere, I repented of my sins, and yet you Latter-day Saints will not
receive me into your communion and to become a member of your Church
unless I am baptized by one of your authorities." The answer is, we do
not recognize, as I have already stated, the authority of the
Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Roman Catholics, nor of any
Christian society upon the whole face of our globe to administer in
the sacred ordinances, unless God has called them by new revelation,
even as Aaron was called in ancient days. Have they been thus called?
Ask them, and they will tell you no. Ask them if there has been any
later revelation than the Old and New Testament, and all these
societies will tell you that God has nut given any revelation, raised
up any Prophets or inspired Apostles, sent any angels, or given any
visions, since the day that John the Revelator, the last of the
Apostles, closed up his writing. Oh what an awful condition they must
be in if this is the case! And who, with the exception of the
Latter-day Saints, I ask again, among tall nations, kindreds, peoples,
tongues, and religious denominations, upon the face of our globe, has
any divine authority? Not one, hence their baptisms are illegal, their
administrations of the Lord's Supper are illegal, and all their
administrations in ordinances are not recognized in heaven. If God has
not said anything since the days of the ancient Apostles, no wonder
that he commanded, in these latter days, that we should not receive
any into our Church unless they came in by the door of baptism.

Vol. 17,  p.151
But we have only told you some of the first principles of the Gospel
of the Son of God, which are necessary to prepare the human family to
enter into that highest glory that is spoken of by the Apostle
Paul—the glory of the celestial. He says in the fifteenth chapter of
the first epistle to the Corinthians—"There is one glory of the sun,
another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for as one
star differs from another star in glory, so also is the resurrection
of the dead." The glory of the sun is the highest, it is called by
Paul the celestial, and I have told you some of the first principles
of the celestial law. If you would inherit a celestial glory you must
lab willing to abide by the celestial law, otherwise you will come
short. But do we stop with these first principles? No, there are many
other great and glorious principles, connected with the celestial law,
which God has revealed, and set forth as necessary for his people to
receive, in order to prepare them to enter into that glory. I will
name one—marriage.

Vol. 17,  p.151
We know very little about the order of heaven, so tar as marriage is
concerned, and all that we do know God has revealed. He has told us in
the New Testament, "What God hath joined together, let no man put
asunder." It seems then that there is a marriage wherein God
officiates, or in other words, he officiates by his power and
authority, he officiates [p.152] in the uniting of men and women in
marriage, hence it is called joining them together of God—what God
joins, not what man joins. It is a divine institution, it cannot be
administered by the law-making department. There may be marriages
under the civil law; Congress, or the Legislatures of the various
States and Territories may pass laws regulating the marriage
institution, and marriages performed according to the provisions
thereof would be legal, so far as the laws of man are concerned. But
has God anything to do with these marriages? Just as much as he has
with baptism when it is administered illegally. I have already shown
you that a baptism administered by a man without authority is good for
nothing; and a man and woman united in marriage by any civil law ever
framed since the world began, are illegally married in the sight of
heaven; to be legal there, it must be performed by a man called by
revelation and ordained and commanded to celebrate that ordinance.

Vol. 17,  p.152
Now I want to say a few words to our young people who dwell in
different parts of the Territory. I have heard that some of them,
perhaps through a want of understanding of the laws of God, have
suffered themselves to be married by the civil law—for instance, by a
justice of the peace, alderman or judge. That will do very well so far
as the laws of the land are concerned, but has God anything to do with
such marriages? Nothing at all. Has he ever authorized marriages to be
solemnized after this order? Not at all. Are children born of such
marriages your legal sons and daughters in the sight of heaven? Not at
all; they are in one sense bastards. That is a pretty hard saying, is
it not? They are actually bastards. For instance, there are many old
people who never heard of the divine appointment and authority which
God has sent forth from heaven in relation to marriage, who have been
married according to the laws of the countries in which they resided
before they heard of this work. They complied literally with their
laws, and so far as the law was concerned that was all right. But were
they, legally, in the sight of God, husband and wife? Just as much as
I would be a son of God and born of water, if I were sprinkled by a
sectarian priest, or baptized by a Baptist priest, just as much. Could
we claim a celestial glory, and all the privileges and blessings and
exaltation that God has ordained from the foundation of the world to
be bestowed upon those who comply with the celestial law, unless we
complied with this law? Could our children, in the morning of the
resurrection, come up and say unto us—"We claim you as our legal
parents;" "I am your son," "I am your daughter, and you are my
parents, and therefore I claim the privilege of partaking of all the
glory that you partake of, and of receiving thrones and dominions and
kingdoms and powers and principalities in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus?" They could not claim any such thing; neither could the parents
have a claim upon these children; neither could they be gathered
together and organized into a family capacity. Why? Because the
celestial law has not been attended to. Inquires one—"Do you mean to
make us all out bastards?" Not in the eyes of the law, but in the eyes
of heaven. I am pointing out the difference now between the two
laws—the law of man and the law of God, or the celestial law. Parents,
if you would have your families connected with you in a social
capacity hereafter, you must take steps [p.153] to secure them by
obeying the celestial law.

Vol. 17,  p.153
Inquires one—"Is there any remedy for these illegal marriages that we
entered into before we heard the Gospel?" Yes, God has ordained from
before the foundation of the world, laws and institutions adapted to
the condition of all the human family, which, when revealed, if they
are attended to by the children of men, will bless and exalt them, and
consequently the propriety of gathering. God has not revealed a law in
relation to marriage which may be officiated in everywhere, at random,
without any record; he has ordained that in the last days, in Zion and
in Jerusalem, and in the remnant whom the Lord our God shall call,
there shall be deliverance. Deliverance from what? From all our former
foolish traditions, and from the powers of darkness and everything
evil. For this reason the people are gathering up from the nations of
the earth, that they may be taught the law of deliverance; that they
may be taught, legally and properly, how to become connected as
husbands and wives in the sight of heaven; and inasmuch as our
children have been born unto us under the covenants of the civil law,
that our marriages may be renewed under the new covenant that God has
revealed, and be recorded and sealed on earth and in heaven for the
benefit of our children and their posterity for ever and ever. You
will find, when you learn further concerning the celestial glory,
Paul's words to be true, that in that glory, those who are in God must
themselves be connected in marriage; for says the Apostle Paul, "the
man is not without the woman in the Lord, and the woman is not without
the man in the Lord." This is an eternal principle, an eternal law
pertaining to that glory. You may try to get the fullness thereof
singlehanded, but you can't do it, for God has made this a point of
order and law, that all beings who are exalted to that highest glory
shall be nutted in the Lord, as husband and wife.

Vol. 17,  p.153
Inquires one—"Do you mean that such relationship is going to continue
after this life in the eternal worlds?" Yes, that which God has
appointed and ordained in eternity, in relation to the creations and
worlds that he has made, must be fulfilled. There is no such thing as
a woman dwelling separatety and independently, and inheriting a
fullness of the glory of heaven, or a man either; they must be united
together in the Lord.

Vol. 17,  p.153
Now you begin to understand a little of the principle of marriage, as
believed in by the Latter-day Saints. We might point out a great many
other principles of the celestial law, necessary to observe in order
to attain the highest glory, but as the heat is intense, it would not
be wisdom to detain you. Let me say to my young brethren and sisters,
do not transgress the law of heaven. These things could be done
without any very great condemnation by people abroad, but when we are
at the place where we can be taught and instructed in the ways of the
Lord, if we then, with our eyes wide open, go and get our marriages
celebrated by the civil authorities of the land alone, we shall find
ourselves under great condemnation. God will judge the people
according to the light they have, and if you have been properly
instructed in regard to his laws and ordinances do not transgress
them, but attend to them according to the order of heaven, as you are
instructed. Let all your marriages be, not for time only, according to
the Gentile system of marriage, but let them be covenants for
eternity, and let them be sealed upon you by a man of God [p.154]
having authority to do these things; and let them be recorded, and let
these records be such that, when the books are opened, they will be
found to accord with the records of heaven, then, if you are faithful,
you will be entitled to your wife and your children, to all eternity,
by virtue of the covenants which you have entered into, and which have
been sealed on earth, by divine authority, and sealed in heaven in
your behalf. Amen.

Brigham Young, August 9, 1874

The United Order is the Order of the Kingdom Where 
God and Christ Dwell—the Law of the Kingdom of Heaven 
Protects All People in Their Religious Worship—in 
Obeying Counsel There is Salvation

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Meeting 
House, at Lehi City, Sunday Afternoon, August 9, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.154
There are a few ideas and reflections that I wish to give to the
people I shall have to make my remarks brief in order to be prepared
for our journey northward. You hear a good deal from time to time; and
you think a good deal, about the condition of the Latter-day Saints,
and what we are trying to do with them concerning the United Order. I
wish you to understand that this is no new revelation; it is the order
of the kingdom where God and Christ dwell; it has been from eternity
and will be to eternity, without end, consequently we have nothing
particularly new to offer you, but we have the commandments that have
been from the beginning. With regard to those who wish to have new
revelation they will please to accommodate themselves and call this a
new revelation. On this occasion I will not repeat anything particular
in respect to the language of revelation, further than to say—Thus
saith the Lord unto my servant Brigham, Call ye, call ye, upon the
inhabitants of Zion, to organize themselves in the Order of Enoch, in
the New and Everlasting Covenant, according to the Order of Heaven,
for the furtherance of my kingdom upon the earth, for the perfecting
of the Saints, for the salvation of the living and the dead.

Vol. 17,  p.154
You can accommodate yourselves by calling this a new revelation, if
you choose; it is no new revelation, but it is the express word and
will of God to this people.

Vol. 17,  p.154
How many do you think would like and have hearts to enter into this
Order? Let me ask you a question. You sisters as well as the brethren
who have read the Bible and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants,
[p.155] whether you have read the Book of Mormon and the sermons or
not, who is there among you who does not know and understand that, the
people called the Saints of the Most High, or the disciples of the
Lord Jesus, must be of one heart and of one mind? I do not think there
are any of you who do not know, feel and understand this just as I do,
and yet perhaps you do not realize it. We can see that it does not sit
upon the hearts and take hold of the affections of the people; it does
not break up every particle of the fallow ground of their hearts so
that they can receive this into their affections and bring forth fruit
to the glory of God. If those now before me, brethren and sisters, who
profess to be Latter-day Saints, were of one heart and of one mind in
the sense of the Scripture that is given to us, revealed in days of
old and in our day, we never should have to say to them—Pay your
Tithing; but the feeling of every heart, and the language of every one
who has come to years of discretion would be if there is a Temple to
be built—"What can I do to forward this Temple? Do you want my work? I
have abundance for my family to eat, they are capable of clothing
themselves with a little help from me, I can spend all my time;" and
the sisters would say—"We can make the stockings and the shirts, and
we can make up the cloth, if you will give it to us, for the hands,
and we can make their hats and, if necessary, we can make their
shoes." If this was in the hearts and affections of the people it
would no longer he Tithing alone, but the inquiry would be—"What do
you want? We have abundance."

Vol. 17,  p.155
We ask nothing but the labor of the people, and if the Latter-day
Saints felt the importance of the mission that is upon them, and of
fulfilling the requirements of heaven that are resting upon them, you
would see Temples rising here like magic; it would be nothing but a
breakfast spell for us to build a Temple. How do you think those feel
who do understand the mind and will of the Lord, and view the
condition of the Latter-day Saints as it really is? Unless you see it
by the Spirit, you know nothing about it.

Vol. 17,  p.155
We can say to the Latter-day Saints, it is the mind and will of God
that we organize according to the best plans and patterns and system
that we can get for the present. We can do this, and thus far give to
the Latter-day Saints the mind and will of the Lord; but we can not
make a man or a woman yield to the will of God unless they are
disposed to. I can plant, I can water, but I cannot give the increase;
I cannot cause the wheat and corn to grow. It is true I can break up
and prepare the ground and cast the seed therein, but I cannot cause
it to grow, that can only be done by the people having willing hearts,
ready minds, and a disposition to go forth with a firm determination
and a willing hand to build up the kingdom. I will do my part—I have
done it. Brother Erastus Snow has made certain eulogistic remarks
about my career in the Church, but I will say this with regard to
Brother Brigham—I do not know anything about, what he has earned, I
never inquired about that or about what he deserves. All I have to do
is to take good care of everything that the Lord gives me, improve
upon every means of grace and every talent he gives me, improve upon
the visions of the Spirit and speak the word of the Lord to the
people. My mind has been and it is to-day, that there is not an Elder
in all Israel that can do his duty in declaring the things of God to
the nations [p.156] of the earth unless he declares those truths by
the power of revelation. He must speak by the power of God or he does
not magnify his calling. The theory of our religion will not answer
the purpose of saving us. I can call upon the people, but will they
organize themselves? Some inquire, "Is this exactly the order that the
Lord requires? It is just exactly what the Lord requires.

Vol. 17,  p.156
I will say to you with regard to the kingdom of God on the earth—Here
is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, organized with its
rules, regulations and degrees, with the quorums of the holy
Priesthood, from the First Presidency to the teachers and deacons;
here we are, an organization. God called upon Joseph, he called upon
Oliver Cowdery, then others were called through Joseph, the Church was
organized, he with his two counselors comprised the First Presidency.
In a few years the Quorum of the Twelve was organized, the High
Counsel was organized, the High Priests' quorum was organized, the
Seventies' quorums were organized, and the Priests' quorum, the
Teachers' quorum and the Deacons'. This is what we are in the habit of
calling the kingdom of God. But there are further organizations. The
Prophet gave a full and complete organization to this kingdom the
Spring before he was killed. This kingdom is the kingdom that Daniel
spoke of, which was to be set up in the last days; it is the kingdom
that is not to be given to another people; it is the kingdom that is
to be held by the servants of God, to rule the nations of the earth,
to send forth those laws and ordinances that shall be suitable and
that shall apply themselves to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints; that will apply themselves to the mother Church,
"the holy Catholic Church;" they will commend themselves to every
Protestant Church upon the earth; they will commend themselves to
every class of infidels, and will throw their protecting arms around
the whole human family, protecting them in their rights. If they wish
to worship a white dog, they will have the privilege; if they wish to
worship the sun they will have the privilege; if they wish to worship
a man they will have the privilege, and if they wish to worship the
"unknown God" they will have the privilege. This kingdom will
circumscribe them all and will issue laws and ordinances to protect
them in their rights—every right that every people, sect and person
can enjoy, and the full liberty that God has granted to them without
molestation.

Vol. 17,  p.156
Can you understand me? Thin Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is organized for the building up of this Church alone; it is
not for the building up of Catholicism, it is not for promoting any or
all of the dissentients from the Mother Church, it is alone for the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and for no other body of
people. When we organize according to these laws and ordinances we
make this people one, but we do not bring in the Methodists,
Presbyterians or Calvinists, they are independent of themselves. But
the kingdom of God, when it is established and bears rule, wilt defend
the Methodists in their rights just as much as Latter-day Saints, but
it will not allow them to infringe upon the rights of their neighbors;
this will be prohibited. These sects may want to afflict the Saints
just as now; they may want to persecute each other just as they now
do; they may want to bring everybody to their standard just as they do
now. But the kingdom of God, when it is set up upon the earth, will be
after the [p.157] pattern of heaven, and will compel no man nor woman
to go contrary to his or her conscience. They would compel us to go
contrary to our consciences, wouldn't they? I recollect when there
were but few Methodists, when they were poor, and when there was
scarcely a college-bred minister on the continent of America in the
Methodist Church. I recollect them in their infancy, but what would
they do now? Then they were persecuted, and thought they bore a great
deal for Christ's sake. Perhaps they did.

Vol. 17,  p.157
Now I want to give you these few words—the kingdom of God will protect
every person, every sect and all people upon the face of the whole
earth, in their legal rights. I shall not tell you the names of the
members of this kingdom, neither shall I read to you its constitution,
but the constitution was given by revelation. The day will come when
it will be organized in strength and power· Now, as the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we work our way along the best we
can. Can you understand this?

Vol. 17,  p.157
A few words upon the organization of this United Order. We regret that
we are not in a capacity to make our own laws pertaining to our
domestic affairs as we choose; if we were in a State capacity we could
do so. The legislature could then pass laws by which we would have the
right to deed our property to the Church, to the Trustee-in-Trust, if
we chose, or in any other way the people would like to deed their
property to God and his kingdom. But we can not do this now, we are
not a State. We are in the capacity of servants now, where we have to
bow to the whims and caprices of the ignorant, and to the prejudice of
wilful, ignorant sectarianism; consequently we are under the necessity
of getting up our constitution or the articles of our association so
that they will agree with existing statutes and be legal, that we can
carry on business as we wish without being infringed upon or molested
by anybody.

Vol. 17,  p.157
Some have complained, and say—"This does not incorporate the whole, we
want articles of agreement under which we can give all that we have
got." Let me say to you that our articles of confederation, agreement
or association will allow us to deed every particle of property that
we have got to this co-operative institution—our houses, farms, sheep,
cattle, horses, our labor, our railroad stock, bank stock, factories,
and evervthing that we have we can deed to the trusses of this
association. Whatever you have here in Lehi that you wish to deed over
to those you have selected to be a board of trustees you can deed to
them to take the supervision of it, and then you will put it out of
the hands perhaps of unruly froward children and spendthrifts, and do
good by so doing. And if you can put in every particle of your
property, and have this governed and controlled by the best men you
have here, why not do this just as well as to deed it to George A.
Smith, the Trustee-in-Trust? Does not this answer every purpose? It
does. Look at the reason of it if you wish to. If it is the word and
the wish and the will of the organization here to deed only part of
the property, I expect they will take the liberty of doing so; but
this would not suit me. If I had property here in this place I should
wish to deed every particle of it to this association. I wish to deed
every particle of my property in Provo, just as quick as there is an
opportunity, and have it done in a way that it will be beneficial to
the people. I am laboring under a certain embarrassment and so are
many others, with regard to deeding [p.158] property, and that is to
find men who know what to do with property when it is in their hands.
I will relate a circumstance here, which I related to some of the
brethren the other day. There was a very excellent good man in this
Church who found it very hard to get along with his large family. He
received a very fine present, for which he was very thankful to the
donor; but after it was given to him, he said he did not know what to
do with the elephant now that he had got it. He called his present an
"elephant" on his hands; he could not plow with him, he could not ride
him to meeting, he could not harness him to a carriage, and in fact he
could not do anything with him, the "elephant" was too large for him
to handle. When this factory at Provo can go into the hands of men who
know what to do with it, it will go; when my factory in Salt Lake
County can go into the hands of men who know what to do with it, it
will go. There is my beloved brother James W. Cummings, who has worked
my factory ten or twelve years; he counts himself A No. 1 in all
financial business. I have offered the factory to him and his workmen
on the co-operative system, in the order that we wish to adopt. I said
to him—"Take it and manage it, you are welcome." Said he—"If I only
had plenty of money to furnish it I suppose I could do it." Have not I
furnished it without money? Yes, I had not the first sixpence to begin
with. I furnished my factories, and I have built what I have built
without asking how much they cost, or where I was to get the money to
do it. When we find somebody that knows what to do with property,
somebody who knows how to handle the "elephant," we will give them
charge of it. If I had him I would make the "elephant" get down on his
knees to me and keep him there until I allowed him to get up, and then
teach him to get up with his burden on his back, and carry it where I
said. As quick as we can find men who know what to do with the
"elephants" we will put the "elephants" into their hands; but here, as
elsewhere, you will find, in all these business transactions, that the
greatest difficulty will be to find men who know what to do with money
or means when they have it. Can you understand this? I want to say to
you who have a little money, a farm or other property, seek first to
know where God wants you to put that property. That is the word of the
Lord to you. Hearken and hear it, men and women, seek to know where
God wants you to put it, and if it is into a factory where you will
not get a farthing for ten years, put it there, and in the end the
Lord will bring out more means to you than if yell let it out at
twenty four percent. You will make by it. "How do you know, brother
Brigham?" I know by my own experience; my character and my life have
shown that from the first time I had fifty cents after I came into the
Church my first desire was to know what to do with it. In the days of
Joseph where we lived and worked, it was harder then to get fifty
cents than it is for a poor man to get a hundred dollars now, but if
Joseph carne along, and said—"Brigham, have you got fitly cents?"
"Yes, I have." "I want it." "You can have it always and forever." If
it was a hundred dollars, or two hundred dollars, he had it, and had
it freely, and I never asked for it again. And if ever I could work at
home and get fifty cents in money to buy a little molasses for my
family to sop their johnny cake in, if Joseph wanted it he always had
it, and I got rich by it, and I can say so of all who [p.159] take the
same course; while the covetous, those who are striving continually to
build themselves up in the things of this life, will be poor indeed;
they will be poor in spirit and poor in heavenly things.

Vol. 17,  p.159
You have heard me say, a great many times, that there is not that man
or woman in this Church, and there never was and never will be, who
turn up their noses at the counsel that is given them from the First
Presidency, but who, unless they repent of and refrain from such
conduct, will eventually go out of the Church and go to hell, every
one of them; and I expect one thing will be true that Joseph said when
living. A gentleman came to see him and asked him a great many
questions, and among the rest he said—"I suppose you calculate that
you are just right, and that you "Mormons" are all going to be saved
and everybody else will be damned." Said Joseph, "Sir, I will tell you
this one thing, all the rest of the world will be damned, and I expect
that most of the "Mormons" will be unless they do better than they
have done." The man did not stop for an explanation. What Joseph meant
by being damned was that people will go into the spirit world without
the Priesthood, and consequently they are under the power of Satan,
and will have to be redeemed, or else they will be forever under his
power. That is all there is about that.

Vol. 17,  p.159
Now Latter-day Saints, I want to say this to you, when a man lifts his
heel against the counsel that we give him, I know that man will
apostatize, just as sure as he is a living being, unless he repents
and refrains from such conduct. Brother George A. Smith has been
reading a little out of the revelation concerning celestial marriage,
and I want to say to my sisters that if you lift your heels against
this revelation, and say that you would obliterate it, and put it out
of existence if you had the power to nullify and destroy it, I say
that if you imbibe that spirit and feeling, you will go to hell, just
as sure as you are living women. Emma took that revelation, supposing
she had all there was; but Joseph had wisdom enough to take care of
it, and he had handed the revelation to Bishop Whitney, and he wrote
it all off. After Joseph had been to Bishop Whitney's he went home,
and Emma began teasing, for the revelation. Said she—"Joseph, you
promised me that revelation, and if you are a man of your word you
will give it to me." Joseph took it from his pocket and said—"Take
it." She went to the fire-place and put it in, and put the candle
under it and burnt it, and she thought that was the end of it, and she
will be damned as sure as she is a living woman. Joseph used to say
that he would have her hereafter, if he had to go to hell for her, and
he will have to go to hell for her as sure as he ever gets her.

Vol. 17,  p.159
You sisters may say that plural marriage is very hard for you to bear.
It is no such thing. A man or woman who would not spend his or her
life in building up the kingdom of God on the earth, without a
companion, and travel and preach, valise in hand, is not worthy of God
or his kingdom, and they never will be crowned, they cannot be
crowned; the sacrifice must be complete. If it is the duty of a
husband to take a wife, take her. But it is not the privilege of a
woman to dictate the husband, and tell who or how many he shall take,
or what he shall do with them when he gets them, but it is the duty of
the woman to submit cheerfully. Says she—"May husband does not know
how to conduct himself, he lacks wisdom—he does [p.160] not know how
to treat two wives and be just." That all may be true, but it is not
her prerogative to correct the evil, she must bear that; and the woman
that bears wrong—and any number of them do in this order—patiently,
will be crowned with a man far above her husband; and the man that is
not worthy, and who does not prove himself worthy before God, his wife
or wives will be taken from him and given to another, so the women
need not worry. it is the man who has need to worry and watch himself,
and see that he does right. Where is the man who has wives, and all of
them think he is doing just right to them? I do not know such a man; I
know it is not your humble servant. If I would only be dilated by
women I should make a hell of it; but I cannot be, I can humor them
and treat them kindly, but I tell them I shall do just what I know to
be right, and they may help themselves the best they can. I do not say
that in so many words, but that is what I mean, and I let them act it
out.

Vol. 17,  p.160
It is time to close this meeting. I say to the brethren and sisters,
peace be with you, and may God bless you. If you walk humbly before
Him so as to enjoy his Spirit, it will lead info all truth. I have one
little sermon to the Bishops, Bishop Young and all the rest of them,
and to the Elders. I want to see a pattern set for this holy order,
and, I give to each one of them a mission to go and call together
five, ten, twenty or fifty families, and organize a complete
organization, and show the rest of us how to live.

George A. Smith, October 11, 1874

Prayer Must Be Remembered in Families—Elders to Be Sent 
on Missions—Building Temples—Temples Necessary to 
Salvation—Home Manufactures—the United Order

Remarks By President George A. Smith, Delivered at 
the Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Sunday Afternoon, October 11, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.160
I have been much interested in the remarks of the Elders this morning,
as all through the Conference, and I hope the instructions we have
received will be treasured up in the hearts of all, and carried home
to our households and wards, and that the Elders who have attended
Conference will stir up the people to diligence, teach them to
remember the Sabbath day and to keep it holy, and instead of fooling
away their time in labor or pleasure, to devote that day to the
worship of God and to rest, according [p.161] to the original design
of heaven. We should remember our prayers at all times in our
families, we should also remember to observe the word of wisdom, and
be careful to continually pursue such a course as will entitle us to
the blessings of the Lord, and that his Spirit may unceasingly abide
in our hearts. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints we should let our light shine before men, by observing the
principles which we profess to have obeyed. We need not be troubled
because false reports are sent abroad into the world concerning us;
this has been the universal lot of Saints in all ages of the world.
The Savior said—"Blessed are ye when men shall persecute you and say
all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake." If we are
only conscious within ourselves that these charges are false we need
not fear, and we should never hesitate to lift up our voices among the
children of men in bearing testimony of the truth revealed in these
latter days, through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Vol. 17,  p.161
We are anxious to publish the standard works of the Church to a
greater extent than hitherto. Some of them have been republished, and
others are in progress, and we wish to have the co-operation of the
Saints, generally, throughout the Territory, in helping on this work.
Our publications should be in every family of the Saints, and we wish
to exercise that kind of influence in the midst of our people that
will lead them to make themselves acquainted with the contents of the
Bible, Book of Mormon, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and such other
Works as are or have been published illustrative of the principles of
life and salvation made known in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that they
may be more generally understood by those professing to he Latter-day
Saints.

Vol. 17,  p.161
We expect, before the Conference closes, to call a considerable number
of Elders to go and preach the Gospel in the United States. There have
been but few missionaries sent to the States, and the present
generation there have, to a great extent, formed their notions of us
and oar faith from the false reports sent through the press; and as we
all know that notions so formed can not be other than erroneous, we
shall call a considerable number of Elders to go and travel through
the States, representing the Gospel in its true light, and bearing
testimony to the truth, that the generation that have grown up Since
we were driven into the wilderness, may learn and know for themselves
the facts concerning us.

Vol. 17,  p.161
We are laboring, as has been referred to by some of the brethren who
have addressed the Conference, to build a Temple in St. George, and
one in this city. The work is moving on in both places: I feel quite
gratified at the success of the workmen the present season on the
Temple here. Taking the granite from the boulders in the mountains,
bringing it here, cutting the blocks, placing the pillars in position,
and getting everything in the mechanical style that it is, in the last
two years, is perfectly wonderful to me. The erection of a Temple like
this is a great work, it requires a vast amount of means, energy and
skill, We have not had as much means to sustain the brethren who have
been laboring upon it as we anticipated, in consequence of the change
of the times, and the failure of some to come forward and pay their
Tithing and thereby supply the demand. Yet we have moved the work
forward gloriously. Brother Pinnock has the [p.162] gates open, and I
invite the Bishops and all the brethren and sisters from distant
places to go and see the beautiful work we have done on that Temple;
and while you are inspecting what has been done try and realize the
amount of labor and means that have been required to accomplish it.
Think of the millions of dollars that King Solomon expended in
building the foundation of his Temple, and of the heavy tax it was
upon the people; and then, if you want to compare his work with ours,
think of the manner in which we are carrying this forth. I wish the
Saints, also, when visiting the Temple, to raise their hearts in
prayer to the Most High, that he will bless the efforts that are being
made to rear a house to his holy name. We invite all the brethren and
sisters to contribute their monthly offerings in money, that these
workmen may have a portion of their wages in money, and such
necessaries as can not be obtained without it. For a considerable
portion of the present season the Temple workmen have had to do almost
entirely with home products. Some of them have stuck to it faithfully,
others have been compelled to quit. In fact, for want of means, we
were under the necessity at one time of dismissing fifty hands. But we
have kept the work moving, and if the brethren will go and see what we
have done they can but be surprised and delighted. It is a glorious
work, and one that is to be dedicated to the Most High God. Then let
our hearts be lifted to him in prayer that this work may continue,
that we may be protected from the wrath of our enemies and from the
vengeance of the wicked one, and be able to complete this Temple and
dedicate it, that the glory of the Lord may rest upon it, the various
quorums of the Priesthood be organized within it, and that we and our
children may be permitted to enter its sacred precincts, and receive
the ordinances of the Priesthood and the blessings of the Gospel of
peace which can be received only in a Temple of the Lord.

Vol. 17,  p.162
I wish to bear my testimony to the principles of the Gospel which have
been revealed. I never wish to stand before the Saints without doing
that, for when I was called as one of the first Seventies to bear
testimony to the people, I lifted my hand to heaven and said—"If I
ever forget to bear testimony to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the
true mission of Joseph Smith, let my right hand forget its cunning and
my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." From that day to this I
always remember to bear my testimony when I address the people, for I
know that this Gospel and plan of salvation, revealed by Joseph Smith
and taught by the Apostles of this Church, is true. Men may say that
Brigham Young and the Elders of this Church are impostors; but I know
that they were called by revelation and ordained and set apart to do
this work through Joseph Smith, and they are the servants of the Most
High God. They were called to proclaim the Gospel and to administer
its ordinances, and with all their hearts they have labored to
accomplish the work assigned them.

Vol. 17,  p.162
It is written that "Elias was a man subject to like passions as we
are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it rained not
on the earth by the space of three years and six months." This shows
that a man of like passions to ourselves may obtain faith to perform
great and good works, to give, wise instructions, to proclaim the
principles of the everlasting Gospel, to bear testimony to the truth,
to administer [p.163] in the work of the Lord and bear of his kingdom.
And it is our duty, as we have already been warned, to exercise faith
for those in authority, that, while they contend with like passions
with ourselves, they may have the Spirit of the Almighty to preserve
and guide them, and to sustain their hands, and in all cases be
careful never to be found speaking evil of the Lord's anointed. A
tattling tongue is a curse, and, as the Apostle James expresses it,
"is set on fire of hell;" and when we are found speaking evil against
the servants of God and accusing the brethren we are only following in
the wake of the wicked one. Let us then avoid these things, and learn
to speak those things that are good, upright and true, and bear a
faithful testimony of the Gospel.

Vol. 17,  p.163
As I said before, I wish the Saints generally to remember the brethren
who are laboring on the Temple at St. George. They have been working
all the season, with very little to supply them, and some of them are
destitute of clothing, and other necessaries. Some of the workmen
there have labored on the Temple from the very beginning, and the
walls are now thirty feet high, and the work is going ahead
prosperously. We have invited the people in every settlement to
contribute of their means to continue the work and we have also
invited brethren to go down to St. George, and labor upon the Temple
this winter, that the building may be prepared for the roof as soon as
possible. It will be a magnificent Temple, and will contain all the
conveniences of the Temples of Kirtland and Nauvoo. It will be one
hundred and forty-three feet long and ninety-seven wide, and the walls
will be eighty-eight feet high. It is desirable that the brethren
contribute their means to supply the wants of those who are laboring
on that Temple, that they may be encouraged to continue. We are
anxious to push this Temple forward to completion as early as
possible. It is not so large nor so elaborate in its design as the one
in course of erection in this city. St. George is a place in which
parties living in the northern settlements, who may desire to do so,
can go and spend the winter, and attend to the ordinances of the
Priesthood. When that Temple is finished we can go down there and be
baptized for our dead, receive our anointings and ordinances and all
the blessings pertaining to the Priesthood, and get our records made
to perform that great work which is placed upon us for the salvation
of all the generations from the time that the Priesthood was lost, the
covenant broken, the laws trampled under foot and the ordinances
forsaken, unto the present time, for the salvation of all who have
died since then rests upon us as a generation. But if any of us suffer
ourselves to be led into darkness by the cunning and craftiness of the
wicked one or evil spirits, we lose great and glorious blessings, and
a great and glorious responsibility which is laid upon us pertaining
to the salvation of ourselves and our ancestors. We call upon all the
brethren to consider these things, and we do not wish any to go and
labor on that Temple this winter unless they desire to do so, and have
got the spirit to go in order that they may assist in forwarding the
work.

Vol. 17,  p.163
It is very probable that some who live in the northern settlements,
who are able to do so, will make practice of spending the winter in
St. George, because of the mild pleasant weather which prevails there
during the winter season. Last winter the masons worked on the [p.164]
walls of the Temple all the winter, except seven and a half days, when
they were prevented by rain. But to all who may have any intention of
going there to spend the winter, I would say, never go with light
shoes and thin clothing, but take good warm clothing and thick-soled
shoes. Do not be deceived with the idea that you will find summer
weather there in the winter season, it is more like pleasant spring
weather, and when evening comes, good thick warm clothing is needed.

Vol. 17,  p.164
In speaking of the press I wish to name especially the paper published
by our sisters—The Woman's Exponent. I feel as though I hardly need
suggest, to the brethren that natural gallantry would require them,
all through the Territory, to subscribe to this little sheet, and I
believe that if the brethren would do so the paper would be much more
widely circulated and would do much more good than at present. The
brethren should remember that our sisters hold the ballot in this
country, that they have equal influence at the polls with the men, and
I certainly think that we should patronize them in their press, for I
am satisfied that the prospects of any man being elected to the
Legislature of Utah Territory would be very poor if the women were
opposed to him, for I presume that the women compose a majority of the
legal voters of the Territory, hence, under these circumstances, one
natural gallantry and the national characteristic to desire office
should prompt us to sustain their publication.

Vol. 17,  p.164
I hope also that the brethren, in reflecting upon the instructions
which have been given during Conference, will not forget what has been
said in relation to sustaining ourselves with our own material. We
have mechanics here who can make good coffins, yet a great many
coffins am imported from the States into this Territory, for which the
money has to be paid. I say that we ought to be ashamed of this, and I
here publicly request my friends, whoever may live to place me in the
ground, to place me there in a coffin made of our mountain wood by our
own mechanics, and I prohibit anybody who may outlive me paying a
dollar for a coffin for me that is imported from the States. That is
my sentiment, and I wish it was of every man and woman in the
Territory. It may be said to be a small matter, but it takes thousands
of dollars of our money away just to gratify pride. Says one—"I am
just as good as such a one, and why not I have a coffin from Chicago
or St. Louis as well as he have one?" This is a sentiment resulting
purely from pride and love of display, which is unworthy of a
Latter-day Saint. Carry this principle out and it leads us to reject
homemade shoes and other articles which are far superior to the
foreign-made imported articles.

Vol. 17,  p.164
We have been talking about the United Order, and getting up tanneries,
shoe shops, &c., and initiatory steps have been taken in some of the
settlements with these objects inview; but it takes time to carry out
and successfully accomplish such projects. But we can produce these
things within ourselves, and it is our duty to do it, and instead of
manifesting a disposition to oppose anything of this kind, we should
exert all the influence and energy we possess to bring it about, and
to make ourselves self-sustaining. It is true that the principles of
the United Order are such that a great portion of our people at the
present time are not in a condition to take hold of it with all they
have, for many of them have been foolish enough during the success of
[p.165] business for the last four years, instead of paying their
debts, to launch into business of various kinds and get deeper into
debt. That class of men have to get their hands untied before they can
take bold to promote the great project of uniting the whole of the
Latter-day Saints in all their business affairs. But this must be done
as fast as possible, and the work of making Zion self-sustaining must
be regarded as part of the work of the Lord; for it is an obligation
devolving upon us to provide within ourselves labor and the
necessaries of life. We must take hold of this matter, brethren and
sisters, with all our hearts, and never let ourselves rest until Zion
is independent of her enemies and all the world.

Vol. 17,  p.165
May peace and the light of truth abide with you, that you may
understand these things and act upon them with all the spirit and
power of the gospel of peace, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus,
Amen.

Albert Carrington, October 11, 1874

Crime a Transgression of Law—Saints Are Under Divine 
Law—the Gospel a Perfect Law—the Constitution of the United 
States a Just Instrument—Saints Must Be Patient and 
Long-Suffering—Latter-Day Saints Prepare By 
Good Works to Meet the Savior

Remarks By Elder Albert Carrington, Delivered at the Adjourned 
Semi-Annual Conferfnce of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Sunday, October 11, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.165
I have been much interested during our meetings in this Conference,
and, with you, I measurably realize the benefits to be derived in thus
assembling together. In my reflections in reference to some remarks
that have been made I have been led to ask myself—What is crime?
Simply a transgression of the law, human or divine. What is law? It
is, or should be, a rule of order founded in justice, for the benefit
of those to whom it may apply. Now, so far as we are concerned in
regard to law, we are under divine law, the Gospel, the grand plan of
salvation—a law that is perfect, plain and simple as well as just, and
applicable to the whole human family at all times, and in this we
should rejoice. But we are also under human laws as well, we pertain
to a number of what are termed human governments, subject, in a
greater or less degree, to man-made institutions, and are they
perfect? No, each and [p.166] every one of them, notwithstanding the
intelligence possessed by mankind, and their centuries of experience,
contain the seeds of their own dissolution, and, in the providence of
God, they are all destined, in their times and in their seasons, to be
superseded by the government and kingdom of God upon the earth—a fact
at which every human being should rejoice. But do they? Does even that
portion of the world termed Christian rejoice in the ushering in of
the kingdom of God upon the earth? I am sorry to say, and chagrined
for humanity at being compelled to say, that all Christendom, almost
to a unit, perhaps as much a unit on that subject as upon any one
thing, although they have the Bible in their hands, are opposed to the
establishment of the government of God upon the earth. What folly,
absurdity and inconsistency on the part of so-called Christendom to
oppose that which was devised in the wisdom of the Gods in the eternal
worlds and which, in its very nature and constitution, is calculated
to benefit and to promote, to the utmost possible degree, the welfare
of mankind in all their relations!

Vol. 17,  p.166
What about the government under which we live? Why, it is one of the
very best, as to its form, that the human family have ever devised. It
was founded by excellent, honorable, upright, liberal and high-minded
men who, in framing the constitution, were measurably inspired by that
Holy Spirit which our Father in the heavens bestows upon whom he will.
That is the view that we, as Latter-day Saints, have in regard to the
fundamental or basic instrument of the government of the United States
termed the Constitution; and however much we may be misrepresented,
maligned or lied about in regard to that matter, as a people we are
loyal to that constitution to the minutest, principle therein
contained. We  understand that constitution its spirit as well as its
letter—and, so far as it is observed, it is a very excellent
instrument for the conducting of human affairs. We are a people that
uphold that constitution, and we ever have done so, and take great
pleasure in doing so, and so also with every constitutional law; and I
am at the defiance of the wide world to truthfully controvert the
statement that we, as Latter-day Saints, have ever transgressed one
single particle of constitutional law, or have ever had any occasion
to do so, or ever Will have in obeying the principles of the Gospel
and laboring to build up and establish the kingdom of God on the
earth. What do you think of that? The world will tell you that we are
a terrible set, that we are disloyal, ignorant, stupid, fanatical,
bigoted, deceivers and deceived, and in all these statements and as
many more about the Latter-day Saints, the world will lie like the
devil.

Vol. 17,  p.166
Now, you heard me say constitutional law. Mark it well. I understand,
as a general thing, somewhat of what I am saying when I speak, and I
made use of the expression understandingly. The constitutional laws of
this government, what are they? They are laws enacted in pursuance of
the principles couched in that constitution under the authority given
the Congress of our nation to enact. laws for the whole United States,
and to make treaties for our government. All that is beyond that one
hair's breadth is just that far usurpation, tyranny and wrong. Have we
obeyed that, more or less? Oh, no doubt; we have had to do so now
these many years. In the days of the stripling Joseph, when he was
first called of, God to bring forth this [p.167] great latter-day work
that the Lord our God has set his hand to accomplish, he was assailed
unconstitutionally, So far as the constitution of the State of New
York was concerned, by the citizens of that State; and again, the same
thing occurred in Ohio, in Missouri, and, finally, in Illinois, where,
contrary to the plighted faith of the governor of the State, he was
slain by a mob, because, according to their own testimony, the law
could not reach him, for he had lived above it. What right, then, had
they to assail or interrupt him? No right whatever.

Vol. 17,  p.167
Now, we as a people, left the States, and I may say we left
Christendom, from the simple fact that we were obliged to do so in
order to live our religion. But would they let us alone after we had
left the States? No. After having aided in the conquest of the very
region to which we fled to avoid persecution and religious tyranny,
they were not satisfied even then to leave us unmolested to worship
the true and living God according to the dictates of our own
consciences; but they have followed us as a nation, and are following
us to this day—a professed Christian nation is trying to force upon us
the tyranny and oppression of unconstitutional law, administered by
officers for whose appointment there is not a scintilla of right under
the constitution. What do you think of that? And we are enduring their
interference with our domestic affairs with as much patience as we
may. We have endured these things with considerable patience for many
long years, and I trust that we shall still be able to do so,
realizing that patience is one of the great requirements of our Father
concerning us as his children. He desires that we should be
longsuffering towards those who seek to afflict and oppress us, as he
is longsuffering towards the haman family in their wickedness and
waywardness, and we must become like unto him in these respects if we
are his; and if we expect to become perfect in our sphere as he is in
his, we not only have to be patient and longsuffering, but we shall
have to continue in patience and longsuffering. Will we do so? I trust
so, knowing the blindness, ignorance, bigotry, superstition, and
consequent intolerance of our fellow-beings; knowing also that they as
well as we are answerable to the Lord our God, being careful, while
leaving events in the hands of the Supreme Ruler, that our conduct,
day by day, is such that it Will bear, not only the strictest
examination and scrutiny of our fellow-beings, but also of our Father
and his angels; realizing, also, now as anciently, that whosoever will
live godly in Christ Jesus, must needs suffer persecution. Do not
forget that, this is in the very nature of things, from the simple
fact that, in order to constitute this a probation, wickedness has
been permitted upon the earth, and hence good and evil; and wickedness
is and ever has been aggressive, tyrannical, oppressive, cruel and
murderous, and so it will ever continue to be. Do not forget these
plain facts, and when you hear the wicked lie, and see them strive to
oppress you and to deprive you of your rights do not get impatient
about it and fancy that it is anything new, but remember that it has
ever been so since the days of Cain, and that it will continue until
wickedness is swept from this footstool of Jehovah, and not before
that time can we hope to cease to be oppressed and wronged. And this
is necessary to prove whether we will endure all things, as the great
Captain, pattern, and exemplar of our faith and the great High Priest
of our salvation [p.168] endured, in his time. He was buffeted,
scourged and mobbed and led like a lamb to the slaughter—a being in
whom was no guile, who finally terminated his mortal career by a cruel
death on the cross. He was opposed by his own when he came to call and
gather them as their king and ruler. Who were his own? The tribes of
Israel, and he came more particularly to that, most stubborn and
stiffnecked of all the tribes—the tribe of Judah. And did the scribes
and pharisees, the rabbins and lawyers, the wise, intelligent and
noble hail and welcome him? No, most assuredly not; then how much less
need we expect that they will hail and welcome us, his professed
followers! When, instead of himself, his word, through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, came to Christendom with its almost numberless free
schools and its millions of bibles and legions of priests, did the
people hail that word? No, they spurned it, and in every conceivable
way derided him who brought it; and, as in the days of the Savior, the
Priests, the pharisees and sadducees, the lawyers and scribes, the
wise in their own estimation and the wealthy all banded together to
keep from the children of men the word of God, which is truth, and
which is the power of God unto salvation to all who will believe and
obey it. Are not these facts? I know they are, though the whole world
may gainsay I know that I am telling you the truth, as God lives I
know it for myself.

Vol. 17,  p.168
Now, then, with regard to these matters that we are immediately
passing through—the attempted enforcement of laws that are not
constitutional and, through not being constitutional, that are not
valid, and consequently of no force or effect whatever, in justice,
what are we going to do about it? I trust that we will endure, with
all patience, whatever the Lord our God may permit the evil one and
those who, through the exercise of their agency, list to serve him, to
accomplish; and while enduring with all patience, that we seek, in all
faithfulness and uprightness for the guidance of his Holy Spirit to
lead us in the path of truth and to enable us to walk therein, and to
endure meekly and patiently all things that he in his providence may
see fit to place upon us, in order to prove whether we as individuals
and as a people will serve him in evil as well as in good report. Is
there anything bigoted or contrary to the principles of eternal truth
as taught by the Savior and his Apostles in all this? No. Then why not
the world turn to the Lord our God, and live? Why not, Latter-day
Saints, for our own sakes, live faithfully, humbly and uprightly and
in all respects honor the requirements of the Gospel, until we become
powerful through good works and able to meet, with joy, the coming of
the Savior, and prepared to hail with gladness the society and
companionship of just men made perfect, being worthy to associate with
them and to share in their blessings, and finally, be saved in the
celestial kingdom of our Father? That this may be our lot is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.169] 

Charles C. Rich, October 11, 1874

Guard Against Temptation—Those Who Trust in God Will not Be 
Disappointed—Joseph Saith a Prophet of God—If There Were 
No Cause Creating Evil, There Would Be No Evil Works

Discourse By Elder Charles C. Rich, Delivered at the 
Adjourned Semi-Annual Conference of the Church or Jesus 
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Salt Lake City, Sunday, October 11, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.169
I have rejoiced in listening to the instructions that we have received
this morning, as well as during the whole of this Conference. It seems
to me that they ought to make an everlasting impression upon the minds
of the Saints, and that we, one and all, should be determined, under
the influence thereof, to live more faithfully, and to keep the
commandments of God as near as possible in all things; and I have no
doubt that this is the feeling, at the present time, of most of those
who have attended this Conference. It is for us to guard against
temptation that may be presented before us, and, when we leave this
place, that we suffer not ourselves to do or to say anything that is
wrong, but be willing, with an eye single to the glory of God, to
carry out the counsels of his servants, and to perform all the labors
required at our hands in aiding to advance his cause and to build up
his kingdom upon the earth, that we may prepare ourselves for that
which is to come both on the earth and in the eternal worlds. I know
very well that there is no being upon the earth who is thus engaged,
but what feels well; all such rejoice in their labors, and the Spirit
and power of God will rest upon the Saints when they take this course
and adopt this policy.

Vol. 17,  p.169
We have been permitted to live in one of the most auspicious times or
dispensations that, has ever been ushered in upon the earth—the
dispensation of the gathering together of all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven and which are on earth. We may feel our weakness
and inability, but it it not our strength or wisdom that is to bring
about the triumph of the purposes of God upon the earth, we are simply
co-workers with our heavenly Father, and his power will bear off his
Saints in the future as it has done in the past and up to the present
time. It is upon his arm that we have to lean, and in him we must put
our trust. When has there been a time when the Saints have trusted in
God and been disappointed? Never; inasmuch as we have done our part,
the Almighty [p.170] has never failed to do his and fulfill his
promises. We have the power to carry on this work and to perfect
ourselves, and also to perform a labor for our benefit and for the
benefit of our friends who lived before us, who did not, have such an
opportunity as we have. This should be impressed upon our minds, and
we should not suffer ourselves to neglect any duty that is incumbent
upon us, whether for our benefit or for the benefit of those who have
lived before us. When we pass behind the vail and meet with our
friends, if we can tell them that, while we were in the flesh, we
attended to and performed certain ordinances and ceremonies in their
behalf which they, while here, had not the privilege of attending to
and performing for themselves, and which they had not power to
accomplish in the spirit world, it, certainly will be a matter of
rejoicing to us and also to them; but if, on meeting them there, we
have to admit that we neglected to do that for their benefit which it
had been in our power to attend to, we shall not feel pleasant, and
our friends will most assuredly be disappointed.

Vol. 17,  p.170
In speaking of the Temples now in course of erection in which to
perform the ordinances for the dead, our hearts ought to he inspired
with determinations to do all we can to push them forward to
completion, that, in our day, while we yet live in the flesh, we may
have the privilege of doing a work therein for our dead friends as
well as for ourselves. All these things are before us, and our eyes
should be single to the glory of God, and our hearts set upon building
up his kingdom upon the earth, and not upon objects that do not tend
in this direction. I have felt, for many years, that I was not safe in
any place or upon any errand, and had no business to be engaged in any
labor, no matter what it might be, unless that business, errand or
labor was directed by the Priesthood; and I feel to-day that all the
labors and operations of the Latter-day Saints, temporal and
spiritual, ought to be organized and directed by the Priesthood which
God has established to lead his people. If our labors are time
directed they will tell in the right direction—for the upbuilding of
the kingdom of God, and not for the promotion of evil upon the earth.
This is a thing against which we should be continually on our guard.
Human nature is weak, and many people when brought in contact with
evil influences are liable to be led away, they are in danger, and the
best, the safest policy is to keep away from dangerous ground and
beyond the range of evil, and we should not associate with those whose
influence is evil.

Vol. 17,  p.170
Our lives are made up of small items, of labors performed a little at
a time. If our acts are good, if our words are such that the righteous
can approve of them, we need not fear when they are summed up and
judgment rendered, for our lives having been spent in the performance
of good deeds, it will be all right With us, and if we have this
consciousness we can rejoice wherever we are. I can bear testimony
that I have never been disappointed when I have been engaged in the
work of the Lord, and in carrying out the counsels of his servants
unto me. I can bear testimony that this is the work of God, and that
Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, that Brigham Young is a Prophet of
God, and that the Gospel which they have preached to the Latter-day
Saints is the Gospel of the Son of God; and inasmuch as we live
according to its precepts we shall be delivered from evil. Salvation
is revealed in the Gospel, and [p.171] that salvation commenced to be
received by us when we obeyed it. We can be freed from our sins when
we learn and obey the truth, for in the Gospel there is deliverance
from rain if we will but apply its principles to our lives. When we
find a difficulty in the midst of the people, it is simply because
some one or more have done that which they ought not to have done, and
had they applied the principles of the Gospel applicable to that
particular case, the difficulty might have been avoided. When we
practice the principles of this Gospel to perfection, we shall be
delivered from evil, whether in this world or in the world to come.
For instance, if no murders are committed, none of the evils will be
experienced which grow out of that crime; if the people generally
would cease lying, the evils now resulting because of the great
prevalence of falsehood in the world would be unknown. And so we might
enumerate all of the evils that are committed by the human family and
say that, if the principles of the Gospel of Christ were universally
observed, the evils of every kind now so abundant in all parts of the
world would be known no more. Then it is for us, to whom this Gospel
has been revealed, to learn what is right, and to be faithful in
practicing it, and the more faithful we are in applying ourselves to
this important duty, the more speedily will evil disappear from
amongst us, and the salvation promised by the Gospel be by us enjoyed,
and that is precisely what we want—a present as well as an eternal
salvation by an application of the principles of the Gospel to our
daily lives.

Vol. 17,  p.171
If this course were pursued by mankind generally, it would soon bring
about a millennium, or that still more happy time spoken of by the
Prophets, when the knowledge of God shall cover the earth as the
waters cover the great deep, and when men all the world over are
friends and brothers. This is the direction in which the practice of
the principles of the Gospel leads us, and a continued and close
attention thereto will enable us to overcome every imperfection. At
the same time our heavenly Father is disposed to try those Who profess
to have taken upon them the name of Christ, and, in fact, he is trying
us continually in order to prove whether we will serve him in all
things. If an evil is presented before us, we must either receive or
reject it. If we reject it we have overcome; if we accept it, we are
overcome of evil. And we may say that we have continually a trial
before us, and it is for us to be on our guard that we enter not into
temptation, and that we are not overcome, no matter in what guise or
how temptingly evil may present itself to us. We need to be valiant
before the Lord, valiant in testimony, valiant in keeping his
commandments, valiant in rejecting every evil principle and practice
that may be presented before us; and if this is our course, and we
continue therein, the time will come when we will he counted worthy of
an inheritance and exaltation among the sanctified in the presence of
our Father.

Vol. 17,  p.171
I feel to rejoice in the principles of the Gospel that the Lord has
revealed to us, and that, many years ago I had the privilege of
hearing and obeying them. I can say that, from that time until the
present, I have never had the first moment's sorrow because of
anything that I have been called to pass through in connection with
the Gospel, and I hope I never shall. My experience in this cause and
kingdom has been a source of continual rejoicing, and [p.172] I
believe it will be so to the end. I trust brethren and sisters that
this is also your experience, and that you and I may continue faithful
to the end, that we may be counted worthy of the privilege of mingling
with that great company of the sanctified and just whom we have heard
spoken of this morning, and that with them we may receive a crown of
glory and immortality. This is my prayer in the name of the Lord
Jesus. Amen.

John Taylor, October 9, 1874

Knowledge Received By Immediate Revelation—
Co-Operation in Temporal Affairs—the Saints Are 
Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs With Christ

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered at the Semi-Annual 
General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Friday Afternoon, October 9, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.172
In our assemblies at Conference the representatives of the people from
the various parts of the Territory meet together to be informed in
relation to any and all measures that may be determined upon for the
furtherance of our interests as a people, and the interests of the
Church and kingdom of God upon the earth; for the Church and kingdom
of God is established upon the earth, and God has communicated unto us
his will, and, by revelation, has instructed us how to organize the
various orders of the Priesthood as they have been presented before
you to-day. I feel that we are acting in the presence of God and of
the holy angels, and that we are operating for our own welfare, the
welfare of our ancestors and, in part, for the welfare of the millions
who have lived upon the earth, and for the introduction of principles
which have emanated from God, which are calculated to regenerate,
evangelize and redeem the world in which we live.

Vol. 17,  p.172
There is something peculiar in the relationship that we sustain to
each other, to those who have gone before us, to our God and to the
building up of his kingdom. We are not acting for ourselves
individually, but in the interests and for the benefit of all men that
have ever lived upon the earth, as well as of those now living upon
it.

Vol. 17,  p.172
We are acting in conjunction with the Almighty; with Apostles and
Prophets and men of God who have lived in the various ages of the
world, to accomplish the great programme that God had in his mind in
relation to the human family before the world [p.173] existed, and
which will as assuredly come to pass as God lives. We feel, at the
same time, that we are encompassed with the infirmities, weaknesses,
imperfections and frailties of human nature, and in many instances we
err in judgment, and we always need the sustaining hand of the
Almighty; the guidance and direction of His Holy Spirit, and the
counsel of his Priesthood that we may be led and preserved in the path
that leads to life eternal; for it is the desire of all Latter-day
Saints to keep the commandments of God, live their religion, honor
their profession and magnify their calling, and so prepare themselves
for an inheritance in the celestial kingdom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.173
We have had presented before us to-day, the Church authorities. This
may seem to many of us a mere matter of form; but it is at the same
time a matter of fact, and one in which we are individually and
collectively interested. It presents to our minds a train of
reasoning, ideas, thoughts and reflections which men generally do not
experience. Here is a President and his council, here are the Twelve,
the Bishops, High Priests, Seventies, Elders and the various
authorities and councils of the Church upon the earth—the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What is that Church? Is it a
phantom, a theory, an ideality, something that has been got up by the
schools, by the wise men and philosophers of the day? No, it is
something that emanates from God, that had its origin with him. It is
to him that we are indebted for all the light, intelligence and
knowledge that we possess. How did we know that we needed a President?
God told us. How did we know that we needed counselors? The Lord told
us. How did we know that it was necessary that there should be a
Twelve in the Church and kingdom of God? The Lord told us. How did we
know that there should be quorums of Seventies, High Priests, Elders,
High Councils, and all these various organizations? The Lord told us,
and we have come together and passed upon these principles, and have
united together in the Commonwealth of Israel. And when we talk about
this Priesthood, as has been very properly remarked by one of the
speakers during this Conference, why, we all of us belong, more or
less, thereto. It is emphatically that which was spoken of in the days
of Moses—a kingdom of Priests. We are in reality a kingdom of Priests,
and we are in possession of principles that will endure throughout all
eternity. We are associated with men who have lived before us, and who
are connected with the same ministry and calling as we possess, and
they are operating with us and we with them for the accomplishment of
certain objects which God has in view. And who of us can point out the
path wherein we should walk? Who of us can direct our steps in
relation to the great principles that lie before us? We need the
guidance, instruction, intelligence and revelation that flow from
heaven to lead us. We have needed them to bring us thus far. When the
Lord got angry with the children of Israel because of their follies,
and said, "I will not go up with you, but, my spirit shall go with
you," Moses might well plead and say—"O God, if thou guest not up with
us carry us not up hence." He felt—what can we do, what course shall
we pursue unless the Lord directs us? We, the Latter-day Saints are in
the same position—unless the Lord guides us we are in a poor fix.

Vol. 17,  p.174
Now then, what were Apostles, Prophets, Fasters, Teachers,
Evangelists[p.174]  and other officers placed in the Church for in
former days? Paul tells us for the perfecting of the Saints, for the
work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ until
we all come to a unity of the faith, to the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto the fullness of the stature of a perfect man in Christ, that
we be no more children, tossed about with every wind of doctrine, and
the cunning craftiness whereby men lie in wait to deceive, and that we
may grow up in him, our living head, in all things. What are Apostles,
Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers, &c., placed in the Church
now for? For precisely the same reasons that they were then, only much
more so, for they were connected with a system that had to succumb to
the adversary, and to be rooted out—a certain power was to rise up and
was to prevail against them; but it is not so with us—our course is
onward. We are connected with that little stone that was hewn out of
the mountain without hands, and that was to continue to roll until it
filled the whole earth. That is the position that we occupy, and it is
said that the kingdom shall not be given into the hands of another
people.

Vol. 17,  p.174
These several officers, we are told, were placed in the Church for the
perfecting of the Saints—we need their labors; they are for the work
of the ministry—we need a little of it; they are for the edifying of
the body of Christ—we need edifying. How long? Until we all come in
the unity of the faith, and until we are perfect in the knowledge of
the Son of God. We are not quite there yet. There is a little
faltering, shaking, tottering and stumbling like babes amongst us once
in a while, and we need the sustaining hand, and instruction of God to
support us and help us to pass along in the path marked out for us. He
has led us along remarkably, and he has united us to a certain extent
in many things, and there is something pleasant and delightful in
union. We have done a good deal in being. united. Here are many of
these Elders around me who have been ready, in any moment, to go
anywhere, just as these Elders who have been called to-day to go to
the States, England, Scotland, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, or
any other part of the earth, to preach the Gospel, build up
settlements or whatever else they are required to do in order to
further the purposes and to build up the kingdom of God upon the
earth. I was very much pleased at a meeting we had the other evening
in the Tabernacle, to learn that over three hundred men could be found
who would go down to St. George this winter, find their own food and
work as teamsters, carpenters, stone-cutters, and in other callings
necessary to forward the work on the Temple. That shows there is
something like union among the Latter-day Saints. I like to see
principles of that kind operating among us, it shows that we possess a
portion of the spirit of the work, and that we appreciate the Gospel.
And we have done a good deal of this kind of thing heretofore. Many of
you remember what took place when we left Far West. When our people
there had been robbed of everything that the thieves could get hold
of, they put the balance of their means together to help one another
out, until there was not a man left who wanted to leave the State. We
agreed to do that and we did it. Then, afterwards, when we left
Nauvoo, we covenanted, in the Temple that we built there, that we
would never cease our endeavors until every man who wanted to leave
that country [p.175] and come here had had the opportunity, and that
we would assist him in doing so. Did we carry it out? We did, and we
were united in our efforts, and we did a good many things besides what
we promised to do. We have sent as many as five hundred teams at a
time from here with provisions and other necessaries, to bring the
poor from the frontiers to this land, before the railroad was in
existence; and since then we have operated and co-operated with our
means to bring them by the railroad. So far these things are good,
honorable and praiseworthy.

Vol. 17,  p.175
Then again, we are a good deal united in our doctrinal affairs, and we
begin to feel that we are part of God's creation, that we are
operating in this particular day and age of the world to accomplish a
certain work, and that work is not for our own individual interests
alone, it is not to build up and aggrandize ourselves, but it is to
build up the kingdom of God and to forward his purposes upon the
earth. That is what we are here for. You might talk about principle to
a great many men until your heads turned gray and your tongues cleave
to the roofs of your mouths, and it would make no difference—they are
not prepared to receive it. But the Latter-day Saints are to a very
great extent. Why? Because the very first thing that God did with us
was to get us converted, to get us baptized and in a position where we
could receive the Holy Ghost, and then we were placed in what some
people call en rapport with God—brought into communication and
relationship with him so that we could recognize him as our Father and
friend, and we are his friends; and he and we, and others who have
lived and died here on the earth, who obeyed the same principles that
we have obeyed, are all operating together for the accomplishment of
the purposes of God on the earth. That is what we are doing. It is a
great work, and, everyone of us needs to ponder the path of our feet,
to mark well the course that is laid out to us, and seek to do the
will of our heavenly Father. We are living in a critical and an
important age. Men sometimes are astonished when they see the
corruption, wickedness and evil, the departure from honesty and
integrity, and the villainy that everywhere exist; but why should they
be? Have we not been preaching for the last thirty or forty years that
the world would grow "worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived?"
Has it not been preached to us that the nations of the earth had the
elements of destruction within themselves and that they were bound to
crumble? And when we see honor trampled under foot, and integrity and
truth standing afar off, while the wicked, corrupt and froward manage
and direct affairs, we may expect that the axe is laid at the root of
the tree and that it is decaying and will soon fall. And that is what
is being accomplished among the nations today. We need not whine or
think there is anything strange or remarkable about it. We have
expected these things to transpire, and they will be a great deal
worse than they are to-day. But we are engaged in introducing correct
principles, and we are trying to get united. We are united, as I said
before, in many things, for the religion that we have embraced, in its
spiritual signification, brings us into communication one with
another, and helps us to love one another, and I wish there was a
little more of that disposition among us, and that we loved one
another a little better, and studied one another's interests a little
more. I wish we could sympathize with [p.176] our brethren, and be
full of loving-kindness and generosity one towards another. I wish
that we could feel that brotherly love continued, and that it was
spreading and increasing, flowing from the fountain of life—from
God—from heart to heart as oil is poured from vessel to vessel, that
harmony, sympathy, kindness and love might be universal among us. This
is what the Gospel will do for us if we will only let it. Said Jesus,
when speaking to the woman of Samaria—"If thou hadst asked of me I
would have given thee water float should have been in thee a well
springing up to everlasting life." Let us drink a little more deeply
of our religion, it leads us to God, it opens up a communication
between us and our Father, whereby we are enabled to cry "Abba
Father." The principles of the Gospel that we have embraced reach into
eternity, they penetrate behind the veil where Christ our forerunner
has gone, if we are living our religion and keeping the commandments
of God; and wherever the influence of this Gospel is exerted it binds
people together, and at the same time unites them with their God who
rules in heaven, and with Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant, and
with the heavenly throng, and their minds are illuminated until, like
the vision of Jacob's ladder, they can see the angels of God ascending
and descending, carrying messages to and from God and his people. Said
Jesus, about the last thing when he was leaving the earth—"Father, I
pray for those whom thou hast given me, and not for these only, but
for all who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may
be one, even as I and the Father are one, that they may be one in
us"—one in sentiment, feeling, desire and action for the
accomplishment of the purposes of God, whether in the heavens or upon
the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.176
Can we conceive of these things? We have little glimpses in relation
to them sometimes, by which we are enabled to form a very faint idea
of the effect of that unity which exists in heaven, and of the unity
that ought to exist on earth. What can bring this latter about? Some
speculative theory? No. We want, in the first place, to have our
hearts united to God; we want to have the Spirit of God planted in our
bosoms; we want to have the power of the Gospel in our households; we
want a union with each other there, and a union with our God, and
everyone of us to feel as one felt formerly—"As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord." As a starting point, we each of us must
feel—"No matter what others do, I and my house will fear God, keep his
commandments, and do that which is right in his sight, and in the
sight of holy angels." And what then? Why, we will do everything else
that God wants us. If it is to build Temples? Yes. Is it profitable?
God knows best about that. If it does not make much money, it brings
something in the heart that the world cannot give and that man cannot
take away—it gives peace and joy and satisfaction, and you feel—"I am
of the household of faith, I am a child of God, I am carrying out the
will of my Father, and they who have lived and we who now live are
operating together for the redemption of the living and the dead, for
the regeneration of the world, for the carrying out of the purposes of
the great Eloheim, for the introduction of principles that will
ennoble and exalt man and enable him to stand in the dignity of his
office, calling and Priesthood as a Priest of the Most High God." that
is the position [p.177] that we ought to occupy, and that is what we
are afar. It is no little boys' play that we are engaged in, it is a
life-long service, and that life will last while eternity endures. We
want to operate here all the time, so that we may have our own
approving conscience, that we may have the approval of all good,
honorable men; that we may have the sanction and approval of God and
of the holy angels, and of the Priesthood who have lived before, and
that we may feet that we are operating for the general benefit of the
world that was, that is, or is to come.

Vol. 17,  p.177
We are called upon once in a while to take a new step in this great
work. At one time it was polygamy, at another it was baptism for the
dead, then it was building Temples, then certain endowments, then the
sealing of our children to us, then certain promises made to
ourselves, such as God made to Abraham in former days, and now it is
that we must get a little closer together, and be more united in
regard to our temporal affairs, that we may be prepared to act and to
operate in all things according to the mind and will of God and this
step in advance, like every other, has caused us to reflect and
ponder, and many of us are full of fears and doubts in relation to
many things and many men. Well, have we all done right? No. Have we
all been strictly honest? No. Have we all lived our religion? No. Have
we all been upright in our dealings one with another, and done that
which is right in the sight of God? No, we have not. What then? Shall
we continue to do wrong? We are called upon, in this as in many other
things, to take a new step that is contrary to our traditions, ideas
and theories but not contrary to the doctrines that have been taught
to the Latter-day Saints. But we hardly know, sometimes, how to get at
these things, how to fix them up, how to put them right. We have been
trying, since God moved upon his servant Brigham, to get things into
order, but the ship moves very slowly, there seems to be a good many
snags of one kind or other in the way. Many people are very much
misinformed in relation to many of these things. There have been a
good many things said, and a great many ideas in circulation about the
order of things that it is desired should be established among us. I
will tell you some of my ideas in relation thereto.

Vol. 17,  p.177
In the first place, it has been a matter of fact with me, for years
and years, that such a state of things has to be introduced amongst
us. I think that is an opinion that prevails very generally among the
Latter-day Saints, and I do not think there is much difference of
opinion in relation to it. We have read about it in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants. I think there are as many as a dozen
revelations in that book in reference to this subject, and perhaps
more than that. I do not propose to quote them, however, at the
present time. We read an account of the City of Enoch, which was
established on this principle, and how the people acted there; there
is also an account of a people who formerly lived on this continent,
who carried out the same principle; and when this Church was first
organized by Joseph Smith, these very principles were among the first
that he introduced to the people, and we have had them before us all
the time, so that we have no need to begin and argue the points at
all; but I want to come right to matters of fact as they exist among
us here to-day.

Vol. 17,  p.177
Many say, "I do not like the thing as it now is, I wish we had it as
it is laid down in the Book of Doctrine [p.178] and Covenant." No you
don't. "Well, we think we do." Well, but you don't, I am sure you
don't, and I will show you why before I get through. We are living in
peculiar times—we can not be governed by "Thus saith the Lord"
independent of other influences. We are associated with national and
judicial affairs that are opposed to every principle that God would
reveal or will reveal. That is a fact that I need not argue before the
Latter-day Saints, they all know it. Well, what then? The Spirit of
the Lord has operated upon President Young to introduce these
principles in our midst, that is, as near as they can be to conform to
the laws of the land, for the people in these United States profess to
be so pure, you know, that they could not think of having anything
contrary to law; they would never dream of anything of that kind. Why,
the people of the United States, including their Presidents, Governors
and rulers, are the most law-abiding people you ever heard of,
according to their professions, are they not? They can not think of
doing anything contrary to law.

Vol. 17,  p.178
Well, we have to go with the general stream; or at least it is
necessary that we protect ourselves from legal cormorants, and from
every man who would devour, tear in pieces and destroy, who is after
our property and our lives? This class of persons would he very glad
to take not only the property but the lives of some of the leaders of
God's people here on the earth; nothing would muir them better, they
are so holy, pure and law-abiding. These are the circumstances that we
are placed in. Now what shall be done? There are certain principles
that emanate from God; but we have to protect ourselves in carrying
them out, and make them conform, as near as we can, to the laws of the
land. In the Book of Doctrine and Covenants it is said, in the first
place, that a man shall place his property at the feet of the Bishop.
That is what that lays down, and you say that is what you would like
to do. Some would, very many would not. The Bishop, after examining
into the position and circumstances of the man, and finding out what
his wants are, and what his capabilities and talents, what the size of
his family, &c., appoints to him a certain amount of means, which he
receives as a stewardship. "Well," say some, "how does this order you
are talking about introducing agree with that? Where does the
stewardship come in?" I will tell you. We have organized this as near
as may be on the principles of co-operation, and the voice you have in
selecting your officers, and in voting for them and the stock you hold
in these institutions is your stewardship. You may say—"Is not that
taking away our freedom?" I do not think it is. I am not prepared to
enter into details, but I should say that one-third, perhaps one-half,
of the wealth of the world is manipulated just in the same way. How
so? Why, there are among the nations national securities of various
kinds issued, which are taken by the people; we have United States
bonds, State bonds, county and city bonds in this country as well as
in Europe, to which the people subscribe and in which they have an
interest, all of which is voluntary, and the free act of the people;
then we have railroad bonds, steamship bonds, and we have telegraph,
mercantile, manufacturing and cooperative associations, which are
represented by those who hold stock therein, and there are hundreds
and thousands of millions of dollars throughout the world that are
operated [p.179] in this way by financiers, statesmen, men of
intelligence—merchants, capitalists and others, in every grade and
condition in life, none of whom consider that there is any coercion
associated with it. These men all have their free agency.

Vol. 17,  p.179
What is the modus operandi? For illustration,—a company is organized,
men subscribe stock into that company, or they purchase bonds perhaps
from a government, for which that government pays interest; or, if it
is in a company, that company manipulates and arranges matters, not
the stockholders individually, they never think of it; they select the
officers to do these things for them, and all they have to do with it
is to vote in these officers, each person voting according to the
amount of stock he holds in the institution. And then they draw their
dividends at certain specified times. This is the way, I presume, that
one half or perhaps three quarters of the wealth of the civilized
world is manipulated to-day.

Vol. 17,  p.179
Well, is freedom taken from these men? Are the men engaged in these
operations thieves and robbers? Some of them act very fraudulently it
is true, and the amount of defalcation and fraud in our country, of
late, is painful to reflect upon; but then, they consider they have a
perfect right to buy or to sell any of this stock, and if parties
enter into institutions of any kind, mercantile or manufacturing, they
must be subject to the rules or laws thereof. But the stockholders do
not individually operate these institutions, and what I wanted to say
is, that herein we, as they, have our stewardship and freedom of
action.

Vol. 17,  p.179
Well, but you want to manipulate men's time as well? Yes. Will they
have a vote? They ought to have, and will have if the law will let
them; the great trouble is that the law will not allow us to do
everything we would like; but whenever we can get at it we shall vote
on all these things as you have voted here to-day. But we have to
evade these things a little now, because the law will not allow us to
do otherwise.

Vol. 17,  p.179
Now then, there is another feature connected with this matter. You
know that, in this order it is not all putting in, there is some
taking out, and that is a point I want to get at; it would be a very
nice and beautiful thing if we could carry it out. If, as described in
the revelation, we could have a general treasury from which we could
all draw what we needed, and then return it, together with our tens,
fifties, hundreds and thousands, and all act as one family for the
general interest of all, it would be a very beautiful thing; but
everybody is not so honest, pure and upright as this state of things
demands. If we had a general treasury some would be very willing to go
the treasurer and request so much to enable them, as they would
represent, "to carry out their stewardship," and he would have to hand
it out to them according to the provisions made in the Doctrine and
Covenants; but that would in all probability be the last of it with
many. Would you business men like to have a system like that in the
United Order? You say you would like this order carried out as it is
laid down in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, but I say you would
not. Would you like every man, simply because he was a member of the
Order, to have power to go to the treasurer and draw out what he
thought proper, and use it just according to his fancy? No, you would
not, you could not and would not trust your neighbors as far as that,
for all men are not capable and all men are not honest and
conscientious; [p.180] if they were we should be nearly ready to be
caught up; but we have not reached that point yet, and consequently we
have to do the best we can.

Vol. 17,  p.180
Now I will tell you my opinion. I am living in the 14th Ward; we, in
that ward, have selected a number of men for our directors, and I
would just as soon trust these men with the management of my property
as to manage it myself. I do not believe that every man is a thief,
scallywag and rascal. I have no such idea. I think there is a great
deal of honesty, truthfulness and integrity, and if there is not it is
time we turned over a new leaf, and introduced better principles, that
we may be governed by purer, nobler laws.

Vol. 17,  p.180
I cannot conceive of anything more beautiful and heavenly than a
united brotherhood, organized after the pattern laid down in the
Doctrine and Covenants; when all act for the benefit of all—when while
we love God with all our hearts we love our neighbor as ourselves;
where our time, our property, our talents, our mental and bodily
powers, are all exerted for the good of all; where no man grabs or
takes advantage of another; where there is a common interest, a common
purse, a common stock; where as they did on this continent, it is said
of them that "they all dealt justly to each other," and all acted for
the general weal, "when every man in every place could meet a brother
and a friend," when all the generous and benevolent influences and
sympathies of our nature are carried out, and covetousness, arrogance,
hatred and pride and every evil are subdued, and brought into
subjection to the will and Spirit of God. These principles are very
beautiful and would be very happifying for a community, a Territory, a
State, nation or the world.

Vol. 17,  p.180
Now, then, these things are presented before us, and I suppose we
shall have to come into them as best we can, and if we ever get into
the celestial kingdom of God we shall find that they are just such a
set of people. If ever we build up a Zion here on this continent, and
in case Zion ever comes down to us, and we expect it will, or that
ours will go up to meet it, we have got to be governed by the same
principles that they are governed by, or we can not he one; and if we
ever get into the eternal worlds we shall have to be heirs of God and
joint heirs with Jesus Christ; and it would not do for a man of us to
go up into heaven and say—"Look here, Jesus," or, "Look here, some of
you great men who manage matters here, I wish you would set me off a
place by myself, I would like to have my own house and garden and my
own farming arrangements separate to myself, so that I could manage
things a little in my own way as I used to, in the place I come from."
"Well," says the individual addressed—"I do not see things exactly in
that way. We brought you up here, believing you were a pretty decent
fellow; but you have got to conform to our rules. These things are all
ours, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. This is a
joint association, we are united together in the one thing, and we are
all one, and if you want to go off by yourself you will have to leave
here." That would be just about the position of things, this is the
order that exists there—they are heirs of God and joint heirs with
Jesus Christ. This is the position we have to attain to, and to do
this there will have to be less individuality of feeling than there is
now, and we must seek to introduce and establish the principles of the
kingdom of God upon the earth. We are not for ourselves; [p.181] but
for the kingdom of God. God called us not to do our own will, but his,
and we are operating to prepare ourselves and our children and all who
will be governed by the principles of truth for a celestial and
eternal glory in the kingdom of our God.

Vol. 17,  p.181
"Well, then," says one, "you believe in these things?" I do most
assuredly. "Do you believe in the authorities?" Yes, I think I do,—I
have voted for them for a great many years, and by the help of God I
mean to sustain them still. That is my feeling. Brethren, is it yours?
Shall we sustain the Elders of Israel, the Presidency and the
authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Shall
we do it, ye Latter-day Saints? (The congregation answered, "Yes!")
All who feel like it, say ("Aye," by the congregation). Now let us go
and carry it out. Amen.

Orson Pratt, October 11, 1874

All Men to Be Judged Out of the Books—Adam the Ancient 
of Days—in the Days of Enoch the Righteous Gathered Together 
From the Ends of the Earth to One Place—the Great Prophet 
Joseph Smith Raised Up By God to Reveal Hidden Mysteries

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered at the Adjourned 
Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Salt 
Lake City, Sunday Morning, October 11, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.181
[The speakest took as a foundation for his remarks the 9th, 10th,
11th, 12th and 13th verses of the 7th chapter of the prophecies of
Daniel, and the 20th chapter of the revelations of St. John.]

Vol. 17,  p.181
All Bible believers are looking forward to the time when the
inhabitants of this creation shall be brought into judgment, and be
judged out of the books which are written, every man according to his
works. We should rather conclude from these sayings in Daniel and in
the revelations of St. John, that there is a record, or perhaps many
records, kept of the works of men—their deeds done in this probation.
How these records are kept in heaven is not for me to say; what
language they are recorded in, or what are the symbols of the ideas of
the heavenly hosts who are engaged in recording, how many records
there are, etc., is not known to us; but from what is written, we can
form some conclusions in relation to this matter, for we are told in
the sayings of Jesus,[p.182] in the New Testament, that for every idle
word and every idle thought men shall give an account in the great
judgment day. Hence these worths and thoughts must be had in
remembrance either in books, or impressed upon the minds of beings who
are capable of retaining all things in their remembrance. There must
be some way by which the idle words and thoughts of the children of
men shall be kept in remembrance, and if the dead are to be judged out
of the books that are to be opened, we should naturally draw the
conclusion that they are memorandum books of the idle words and
thoughts of the children of men.

Vol. 17,  p.182
We also read in the Book of Mormon—a record which all Latter-day
Saints profess to believe in, and consider equally sacred with the
rest of the word of God that is recorded in the Bible and
elsewhere—the sayings of Jesus, that were spoken on this continent
some eighteen hundred years ago. Jesus says—"All things are written by
the Father." I suppose by his agents, that is through his direction,
by his authority. "All things are written by the Father." Taking all
these passages of Scripture together, we may look for a general
reckoning with all the inhabitants of this earth, both the righteous
and the wicked. How long this day, called the day of judgment, will
be, is not revealed. It may be vastly longer than what many suppose.
It seems to me that unless there were a great number engaged in
judging the dead, it would require a very long period of time; for,
for one being to personally investigate all the idle thoughts and
words of the children of men from the days of Adam down until that
time, it would require a great many millions of years, and therefore I
come to another conclusion, namely, that God has his agents, and that
through those agents the dead will be judged.

Vol. 17,  p.182
This reminds me of what was said by the Apostle Paul when reproving
the ancient Christians for going to law one with another. He tries to
shame them out of this evil practice by referring them to the lowest
esteemed among them that were called Saints. Says he, in
substance—"Let them be your judges, it is not necessary for you to go
to the highest authorities, but lot even those who are least among you
become judges in regard to many of these things that you now take
before unbelievers, and for which you require a judgment from those
who have nothing to do with the Saints of God," or rather with the
Gospel in which they believed. And, in connection with these sayings,
he asks this question—"Know ye not that the Saints shall judge the
world?"

Vol. 17,  p.182
This reminds me of some sayings that are recorded in the Book of
Mormon, as also of others contained in the Bible. Jesus said to his
twelve disciples or Apostles—"You that have followed me in the
regeneration, when the Son of Man shall come sitting upon the throne
of his glory, then you shall also sit upon twelve thrones, and shall
eat and drink in my presence, and shall judge the twelve tribes of
Israel." It seems, then, that there are certain personages to be
engaged in judging the world. The Twelve Apostles are to judge the
twelve tribes of Israel, and the Saints will be set to judge the
world.

Vol. 17,  p.182
The Book of Mormon, speaking on this same subject, informs us that
there were Twelve chosen among the ancient Nephites on this American
land, and that, while the Twelve chosen by Jesus on the continent of
Asia were to judge the twelve tribes of Israel, the Twelve chosen from
[p.183] among the Nephites should judge the remnant of the house of
Israel that dwelt on this land.

Vol. 17,  p.183
Here, then, is another quorum of judgment, another council that is
appointed to judge, and so we might continue the subject and bring in
all the councils that God has ordained in any generation of those whom
he has appointed and selected, and ordained with power and authority
from on high. To them was granted not only the privilege of acting
here in relation to the ordinances of mercy, but hereafter in relation
to the ordinances of justice; hence both justice and mercy were
committed, in some measure, into the bands of those who were ordained
of the Lord. But in these respects there is one thing to console the
Saints of all ages, as well as to console the whole world, and that
is, that when the final time shall come to judge the children of men,
whoever the agents may be who shall sit in judgment upon their several
cases, they will do it by the inspiration of the Almighty, and hence
it will be done right.

Vol. 17,  p.183
This reminds me of what Jesus said to the Twelve who Were chosen among
the Israelites on this continent, eighteen hundred years ago. Said
he—"Know ye not that ye shall be judges of this people? What manner of
persons, therefore, ought ye to be, in all holiness, and purity and
uprightness in heart, if you are to judge this great nation? In other
words—"If you are to sit in judgment upon all of their deeds done in
the body, and to render a righteous decision before the Almighty, how
pure, holy, upright and honest you twelve disciples ought to be in
order to become judges indeed of the people, that in judging them you
may not condemn yourselves."

Vol. 17,  p.183
Having quoted these passages, which give us a little understanding of
the purposes of the Almighty in regard to judging the world, I will
now quote another passage of Scripture that has a bearing in some
measure upon this subject, showing that it was a Principle understood
by the ancient Saints of God, and that the eternal judgment that was
to be administered by the Saints at some future time was numbered
among the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. It was not one
of those hidden mysteries, one of those secret things, one of those
wonders that were to be searched out by the faithful, but that it was
a doctrine numbered among the first principles of the oracles of God.
I will now, leaving the principles of the doctrines of Christ
according to King James' translation, quote from another translation
which I have seen, and which I believe to be more correct. The passage
to which I will direct your attention reads—"Therefore, not leaving
the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto
perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead
works, of faith towards God and of the doctrine of baptisms, and of
the laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and of
eternal judgment."

Vol. 17,  p.183
These principles of the doctrine of Christ were thoroughly understood
by the faithful ones who lived eighteen hundred years ago. They
understood that the day would come when God would set them, not only
to judge the world, but to judge angels. Some angels have got yet to
be judged, and the Saints will be the agents to perform this great
work and render the decision of judgment. Jesus said to the Twelve
among the ancient Nephites—"Know ye this, that your judgment"—speaking
of their judging the Nephite nation—"shall be that judgement which the
Father shall give unto you;" in other [p.184] words—"You shall not
judge by your own natural wisdom; you shall not judge according to the
outward appearance; but it shall be that judgment which the Father
shall give unto you." Now, the Lord judges mankind according to the
law and the testimony. The revealed law is delivered to the people,
and those to whom it is revealed will be judged by that law, hence
Jesus says—"My words shall judge you at the last day." It is not the
tradition of the children of men that is going to judge the world,
that is not the law. The traditions of the children of men are one
thing, and the law is another thing; popular ideas are one thing and
the law of God is another thing. We are not to be judged by the
creeds, doctrines, disciplines and articles of faith invented by
uninspired men, but by the pure law of God as it issued forth from his
own mouth and by the mouths of his ancient Prophets and Apostles. The
testimonies will be forthcoming, one of which will be the record, the
books that are written. Every idle word that is spoken, every idle
thought that has ever entered into the hearts of man will be written
and brought up, and out of theft record of our conduct—our thoughts,
words and deeds—will we be judged.

Vol. 17,  p.184
Now, if there is to be a vast number of individuals engaged in the
work of judgment, it may be a speedy work; for let all mankind be
classified—a certain portion delivered over to the Apostles of ancient
days, another portion to the Twelve chosen from among the ancient
Nephites, another portion delivered over to the Saints who lived in
the first ages of the world, another portion to the Saints who lived
after the flood, and another portion to the Latter-day Saints, and let
all be engaged in this work of judging the human family and the work
can speedily be accomplished. It may require years, and it may be
accomplished, perhaps, in less than one year, that is a matter that we
cannot decide upon now. There is to be, however, a prior judgment to
the final judgment day, and we will speak upon that awhile.

Vol. 17,  p.184
There is a certain degree of judgment rendered upon every man and
every woman as soon as they have passed the ordeals of this present
probation. When they lay their bodies down their spirits return into
the presence of God, when a decree of judgment and sentence is
immediately passed. Hence we read in the Book of Mormon, that the
spirits of all men, as soon as they depart from this mortal body,
return home again to that God who gave them life, and then shall it
come to pass that the spirits of the righteous shall enter into a
state of rest, peace and happiness, called Paradise, where they shall
rest from all their labors. And then shall it come to pass that the
spirits of the wicked—for behold they have no part or portion of the
spirit of the Lord—shall depart into outer darkness, where there is
weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth; and in these two states or
conditions the children of men shall be placed until the time of the
resurrection.

Vol. 17,  p.184
Then again there will be a judgment after the resurrection, that will
not be the final judgment, that is the judgment of the twelve tribes
of Israel, spoken of by our Savior, which will take place when he and
the Twelve return again to the earth. That judgment will be exercised
more directly on the whole house of Israel that have loved the Lord
and kept his commandments.

Vol. 17,  p.185
Here then are the various times of judgment, the various conditions
and [p.185] circumstances of the children of men in the spiritual
state, judged before the resurrection, assigned to happiness or misery
as the case may be, and in the judgment of the first resurrection
certain rewards, glory, power, exaltation, happiness and eternal life
will be conferred upon the righteous. But another sentence of judgment
will be pronounced upon those who are not favored with coming forth on
the morning of the first resurrection, namely, those who have
disobeyed the Gospel. To all such the voice of the angel will be—"Let
sinners stay and sleep until I call again," their sins having been
sufficiently judged beforehand, that they are not counted worthy of a
resurrection among the just and the righteous ones of the earth. This
agrees with another passage recorded in the Book of Covenants, that at
the sound of the third trump then come the spirits of men that are
under condemnation. These are the rest of the dead, and they live not
again until the thousand years are ended, neither again until the end
of the earth. Why? Because a certain measure of judgment is pronounced
upon them even then. Now then let us go to the angels which the Saints
are to judge. We find that the angels who kept not their first estate
are reserved in chains of darkness until the judgment of the great
day. Those angels that fell from before the presence of God were
judged in a measure upon their fall, and were cast out to wander to
and fro upon the face of this earth, bound as it were with chains of
darkness, misery and wretchedness, and this condition is to continue
during the whole of the temporal existence of this earth, until the
final judgment of the great day, when the Saints, in the authority and
power of the Priesthood which God Almighty hast conferred upon them,
will arise and judge these fallen angels, and they will receive the
condemnation of which they are worthy.

Vol. 17,  p.185
Having made these few preliminary remarks in regard to the judgment of
the children of men, let us now refer again to the passage contained
in the seventh chapter of Daniel.—Says that ancient Prophet—"I beheld
till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit,
whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the
pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as
burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him;
thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him: the judgment was set and the books were
opened."

Vol. 17,  p.185
How many are ten thousand times ten thousand. One hundred millions.
That would be a larger congregation than you or I ever saw, and
larger, probably, than any congregation that has ever been collected
together upon this earth at any one time. They would occupy a vast
region of country, even for a foothold. A hundred million people stood
before this personage—the Ancient of days. Who was this personage
called the Ancient of days? We are told by the Prophet Joseph
Smith—the great Prophet of the last days, whom God raised up by his
own voice and by the ministration of angels to introduce the great and
last dispensation of the fullness of times—the last dispensation on
the earth so far as the proclamation of mercy is concerned; I say we
are told by this Prophet that the Ancient of days is the most ancient
personage that ever had an existence in days here on the earth. And
who was he? Why, of course, old father Adam, he was the most ancient
man that ever lived in days [p.186] that we have any knowledge of. He
comes, then, as a great judge, to assemble this innumerable host of
which Daniel speaks. He comes in flaming fire. The glory and blessing
and greatness of this personage it would be impossible even for a man
as great as Daniel fully to describe. He comes as a man inspired from
the eternal throne of Jehovah himself. He comes to set in order the
councils of the Priesthood pertaining to all dispensations, to arrange
the Priesthood and the councils of the Saints of all former
dispensations in one grand family and household.

Vol. 17,  p.186
What is all this for? Why all this arangement? Why all this
organization? Why all this judgment and the opening of the books? It
is to prepare the way for another august personage whom Daniel saw
coming with the clouds of heaven, namely the Son of Man, and these
clouds of heaven brought the Son of Man near before the Ancient of
days. And when the Son of Man came to the Ancient of days, behold a
kingdom was given to the Son of Man, and greatness and glory, that all
people, nations and languages should serve him, and his kingdom should
be an everlasting kingdom, a kingdom that should never be done away.

Vol. 17,  p.186
This explains the reason why our father Adam comes as the Ancient of
days with all these numerous hosts, and organizes them according to
the records of the book, every man in his place, preparatory to the
coming of the Son of Man to receive the kingdom. Then every family
that is in the order of the Priesthood, and every man and every woman,
and every son or daughter whatever their kindred, descent or
Priesthood, will know their place.

Vol. 17,  p.186
Where will this great conference eke place? The Lord has revealed this
also. The Lord did not raise up this boy, Joseph, for nothing, or
merely to reveal a few of the first principles of the Gospel of
Christ; but he raised him up to reveal the hidden mysterious things,
the wonders of the eternal worlds, the wonders of the dispensation of
the fullness of times, those wonders that took place before the
foundation of the world; and all things, so far as it was wisdom in
God, were unfolded by this personage called by his enemies "Old Joe
Smith," who was about fourteen years old when the Lord raised him up.
I say that he, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and the spirit of
revelation, revealed the very place where this great assemblage of ten
thousand times ten thousand of the righteous shall be gathered
together when the books are opened. It will be on one of the last
places of residence of our father Adam here on the earth, and it is
called by revelation Adam-ondi-ahman, which, being interpreted, means
the valley of God where Adam dwelt, the words belonging to the
language which was Spoken by the children of men before the confusion
took place at Babel. In that valley Adam called together Seth, Enos,
Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methusaleh and all the high Priests
and righteous of his descendants for some seven or eight generations.
Three years before his death he there stood up, being bowed with age,
and preached to that vast assembly of people, and pronounced upon them
his great and last patriarchal blessing, and they rose up by the
authority and power and revelation of the holy Priesthood which they
held, and pronounced their blessing upon their great common progenitor
Adam, and he was called the Prince of Peace, and the Father of many
nations, and it was said that he should stand at the head of and rule
over his people [p.187] of all generations, notwithstanding he was so
aged. That was the blessing pronounced, three years before his death,
upon the great head, Patriarch and Prophet of this creation, the man
whom God choose to begin the works of this creation, in other words to
begin the peopling of this earth.

Vol. 17,  p.187
Where was that valley in which that grand patriarchal gathering was
held? It was about fifty, sixty or seventy miles north of Jackson
County, Missouri, where the Zion of the latter days will be built.
Where the garden of Eden was is not fully revealed; where Adam eat the
forbidden fruit is not revealed so far as I know, that is, the
particular location on the earth, no revelation informs us where he
passed the first few centuries of his life; but suffice it to say
that, when Adam was about six or seven hundred years old there was a
great gathering of the people Enoch, the seventh from Adam, who lived
contemporary with his old ancestor, and others who were called by him,
went forth and gathered out the righteous from all the nations, and as
there was no Atlantic Ocean in those days rolling between the eastern
and western continents, they could gather together by land from Asia,
Africa and Europe. In those days the earth was not divided as it was
after the flood, in the days of Peleg. In that gathering many came
from the ends of the earth. Adam might have been among the emigrating
companies, if not, then, he most probably had his residence at that
central place of gathering. Let this he as it may, it is not revealed.
There is a place, however, where this great Conference took place in
ancient times, where the Lord revealed himself to that vast assembly,
and stood in their midst, and instructed them with his own mouth, and
they saw his face. There is the place where it was ordained that Adam
should have the power, as the Ancient of Days, after a certain period
and dispensations had rolled away, to come in his glory accompanied by
the ancient Saints, the generations that should live after him and
should take up their abode upon that land where they received their
last blessing, there in the valley of Adam-ondi-ahman.

Vol. 17,  p.187
This man, will sit upon his throne, and ten thousand times ten
thousand immortal beings—his children—will stand before him, with all
their different grades of Priesthood, according to the order which God
has appointed and ordained. Then every quorum of the Priesthood in
this Latter-day Saint Church will find its place, and never until
then. If we go behind the vail we will not see this perfect
organization of the Saints of all generations until that period shall
arrive. That will be before Jesus comes in his glory. Then we will
find that there is a place for the First Presidency of this Church;
for the Twelve Apostles called in this dispensation; for the twelve
disciples that were called among the remnants of Joseph on this land
in ancient times; for the Twelve that were called among the ten tribes
of Israel in the north country; for the Twelve that were called in
Palestine, who administered in the presence of our Savior; all the
various quorums and councils of the Priesthood in every dispensation
that has transpired since the days of Adam until the present time will
find their places, according to the callings, gifts, blessings,
ordinations and keys of Priesthood which the Lord Almighty has
conferred upon them in their several generations. This, then, will be
one of the grandest meetings that has ever transpired upon the face of
our globe. What manner of persons ought you [p.188] and I, my brethren
and sisters, and all the people of God in the latter days to be, that
we may be counted worthy to participate in the august assemblies that
are to come from the eternal worlds, whose bodies have burst the tomb
and come forth immortalized and eternal in their nature.

Vol. 17,  p.188
It will be found then who it is who have received ordinances by divine
authority, and who have received ordinances by the precepts and
authority of men. It will then be known who have been joined together
in celestial marriage by divine authority, and who by wicked counsels,
and by justices of the peace who did not believe in God at the time
that they did it, or those who have been married merely until death
shall part them. it will then be known that those who have received
the ordinances of marriage according to divine appointment are married
for all eternity; it will then be known that their children are the
legal heirs to the inheritances, and glories, and powers, and keys and
Priesthood of their fathers, throughout the eternal generations that
are to come; and every man will have his family gathered around him
which have been given unto him by the sealing of the everlasting
Priesthood, and the order and law which God has ordained, and none
other. Amen.

Wilford Woodruff, October 7, 1874

The Gospel of Christ Unpopular in Every Age of the 
World—We Have to Live By Faith—God Has Decreed that 
His Kingdom Will Be Established—the Priesthood Conferred Upon 
Joseph Smith By Holy Angels—All Blessings to Be Obtained 
From the God the Saints Worship

Discourse By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered at the 
Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Wednesday, October 7, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.188
I did not have the privilege of listening to all the remarks of Elder
Taylor this forenoon, yet to what I did hear I can bear testimony of
its truth. I always delight in seeing a man valiant in the testimony
of Jesus Christ. There is something glorious in the principles of the
Gospel. I always did, from my boyhood, hope and pray that I might live
long enough in the earth to find some man who would have sufficient
courage and independence of mind to believe in the same doctrine and
Gospel that Jesus Christ taught, and I have lived long enough to see,
hear and partake of it, and I glory in it, because it is true.[p.189] 

Vol. 17,  p.189
The religion or Gospel of Jesus Christ is a very unpopular thing, and
has been in every age of the world. Show me a man who was ever
inspired of the Lord God of Israel to do a work for him who was
popular. You can not find such a man in the whole history of the
world. You may take Noah, who was about a hundred and twenty years
building an ark, and how many friends did he have? I think about seven
in all. Lot was very unpopular the morning he left Sodom and Gomorrah,
and so have been all the Patriarchs and Prophets in every age of the
world. Jesus Christ, when he came to Jerusalem, the Son of God, the
Savior of the world, the great Shiloh of the Jews, came to his own
father's house, yet there was not a man more despised in all Judea and
Jerusalem than was Jesus Christ, from the day of his birth until he
came to the cross. Why is this? Because men love darkness rather than
light—because their deeds are evil. The Lord Almighty, in the last
days, has set his hand to carry out and fulfill his words for the past
five or six thousand years, given through the mouths of his servants
the Prophets and Apostles whenever he has had them on the earth. He
has commenced this work and be will perform it, for, as brother Taylor
has justly said, there is no power on the earth that can stay his
hand, for the simple reason that God controls the destinies of all
men—kings, princes, rulers, presidents, statesmen, governors, nations,
tongues and people, upon the face of the whole earth, and men are
placed in a position where they are under the necessity of exercising
faith in God in order to build up his kingdom. Read the eleventh
chapter of Hebrews, and you will find that, beginning with the
creation of the world, everything has been accomplished by faith. The
whole of the work of all the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets was
accomplished by the exercise of this principle; and it is just so in
the last dispensation of the fullness of times. When God sent angels
to Joseph Smith, he knew and understood, by the teachings given unto
him, what he had to perform in a measure. The Lord called him to do a
work, and raised him up for this purpose. Was Joseph Smith popular
among men? No, never, he was persecuted until the day of his death,
until he sealed his testimony with his blood. But the persecution
against him, and the unbelief of the world, do not make the truth of
God without effect. The Lord has carried out and fulfilled all these
prophecies from the commencement until now; there meyer has been a jot
or tittle allowed to fall unfulfilled; there never was a revelation,
from the days of father Adam until this, given by the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost through the mouth of Patriarch or Prophet that will
fall unfulfilled. Though the heavens and the earth pass away, these
things will not fail of their fulfillment, and, as brother Taylor has
said, the world cannot stay the work of God. They never have done, and
they never will.

Vol. 17,  p.189
This is a different dispensation from all others. God has set to his
hand to build up his kingdom and Zion, and that kingdom and Zion must
be built up, or the revelations of God will fall unfulfilled. The
Bible is full of these teachings, and they must have their
fulfillment, and I bear testimony to their truth. The Bible is true,
and its prophecies were spoken by holy men of old as they were moved
upon by the Holy Ghost. The revelations of Isaiah concerning the
building up of the Zion of God in the last days will have their
fulfillment. [p.190] The house of God will be established upon the
tops of the mountains, and all nations must flow unto it. Zion must
arise and put on her beautiful garments, she must be clothed with the
glory of her God. The Temple of God has got to be built also upon the
tops of the mountains; the Gospel must be preached to every nation
under heaven before the end shall come.

Vol. 17,  p.190
The world say they do not believe these things; that is true, we do
not expect them, we never have expected them to believe them, but the
unbelief of the world does not change the work of God. We have to live
by faith. When Moroni hid in the earth the record which the Book of
Mormon was translated from, four hundred years after Christ came in
the flesh, he did it by faith, as much so as Noah built the ark. He
looked forward and saw that record come forth in the last days, in
fulfillment of the sayings of Ezekiel and of the saying of Isaiah,
when the stick of Joseph should be put with the stick of Judah, and
they should become one stick in the hands of the servants of the Lord
before the eyes of the world, and when the truth should spring out of
the earth and righteousness look down from heaven. These things were
to be a beginning of the great work of God preparatory to the
gathering of the twelve tribes of Israel in the latter days. That work
has come forth, just as everything has been fulfilled which has been
done by faith and by the commandment of God.

Vol. 17,  p.190
When Joseph Smith began to receive revelations from God he was a boy,
an illiterate youth; and had he not had faith and the inspiration of
the Almighty upon him, he never could have had power and courage to go
forth and introduce the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the midst of a
generation of false doctrine, ignorance and darkness. But God
preserved, inspired and sustained him, and caused him to live upon the
earth until he had planted this kingdom, in fulfillment of the
revelations. He organized the Church, he receive the holy Priesthood
from the hands of angels sent from God—men who had held the Aaronic
and Melchizedec Priesthood in other generations upon the earth; they
conferred upon Joseph all the powers and keys of the Priesthood
necessary to build up the kingdom of God upon the earth, and he lived
long enough to organize that kingdom, and it will never be thrown down
any more forever.

Vol. 17,  p.190
The revelations of God to us have been encouraging, and we have seen
them fulfilled, and we shall continue to do so until the end. I will
say to the Latter-day Saints, that we are in the same position that
other generations have been—we have got to walk by faith, we must have
confidence in the fulfillment of the revelations of God. No man or
woman on the face of the earth will ever be disappointed with regard
to the fulfillment of the word of the Lord, for he has uttered
decrees, made covenants, and through his servants the Prophets has
declared his word and will concerning the world and its inhabitants,
and not one of his sayings will fail, all must be fulfilled. If it
could be otherwise, the Zion of God would never be built up; but God
has decreed that his kingdom will be established, that Zion will arise
and shine, and that every weapon formed against her will be broken.

Vol. 17,  p.190
The prayers of hundreds and thousands of Saints, dwelling in these
valleys of the mountains, daily ascend into the ears of the Lord of
Sabaoth, beseeching him to fulfill his word upon the earth and to
sustain his servants. Do not the Saints pray [p.191] for anybody else?
Yes, they pray for everybody—for President Grant, Judge McKean, the
Governor of Utah, and every man holding official positions here, as
well as for Brigham Young and the Apostles. These prayers ascend
before the Lord and they will be heard and answered.

Vol. 17,  p.191
Talk about Brigham Young and Joseph Smith, how many have said to
Joseph Smith—"How on the earth do you govern and control this people?
How easy you do it!" Our enemies, to-day, look at Brigham Young, and
they say—"If he would only die Mormonism would stop;" but in this they
are mistaken. This work does not depend upon President Young; it did
not depend upon Joseph Smith. All the world thought if they could only
slay Joseph Smith there would be an end of Mormonism, and so there
would have been had it not been the work of God Almighty; if it had
been the work of man it would long since have ceased to exist on the
earth. The power that has sustained this work from the beginning
sustains it now. As brother Taylor has said, all the holy Prophets and
Apostles who have been slain on the earth for the testimony of Jesus
and the word of God, and who now sit on the right hand of God in the
heavens, are just as much engaged in carrying on the work of God here
as when they lived in the flesh, and more so, because they have more
light and power. And Jesus Christ, himself, who died on the cross, and
after his resurrection visited the other sheep of his fold on this
continent, and offered the Gospel to Jew and Gentile, that same Jesus
is pleading with the Father to-day, and has been from the day his body
lay in the tomb, to carry out and fulfill his purposes and to
accomplish his work in our day and generation. We are not alone in our
efforts to carry on the work of God. If the eyes of the world were
open, they would see that there are more for us than against us. We
are only, in one sense of the word, worms of the dust in the hands of
God. This work does not depend on any man or set of men. The Lord
Almighty has set his hand to accomplish his purposes, and he is
feeling after the honest and meek throughout the world, in order to
find those who are willing to take hold and help to build up his
kingdom in the latter days. He has found a few, and he will find many
more.

Vol. 17,  p.191
How has it been with Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, the Apostles, and
thousands of the Elders of Israel who have gone forth to preach the
Gospel to the world without purse or scrip, offering the word of life
and salvation without money and without price? They have carried their
knapsacks on their backs, or with valise in hand have traveled
thousands and thousands of miles for this purpose. They have been
inspired to do this by the power of the Most High God, and that
inspiration has sustained them all the way through; it has upheld this
Church from the time it came forth until this hour, and will unto its
consummation. We came in here on the 24th of July, 1847, having been
driven from our homes, the graves of our fathers, and from lands we
purchased from the general Government because of the word of God and
the testimony of Jesus Christ, or, in other words, because of our
religion. We came here and found a barren desert, containing nothing
but a few roving Indians, coyote wolves, crickets and grasshoppers.
There was no mark of the Anglo Saxon race or of the white man here
then, but the whole region of country was a desert of the most
forbidding and desolate character. [p.192] Now when strangers come up
to Zion on this great highway, east up in fulfillment of the
revelations of God, what do they see? They see no longer a desert, but
a belt, for six hundred miles, of cities, towns, villages, orchards,
fields and crops. Who has done this? The Lord God of Isral has
inspired his Saints to do it. President Young has been led, guided,
counselled and moved upon by the Holy Ghost and by the revelations of
Jesus Christ, and that which strangers now behold in this Tabernacle,
and throughout this Territory is in fulfillment of that volume of
revelation which you can read in the prophecies of Isaiah and others
of the Prophets and Patriarchs. These things are true and your eyes
can see them, whether you believe them or not has nothing to do with
it. I will tell you that if this work had not been of God, and God had
not borne testimony to the preaching of the Elders, we might have
preached until we had been as old as Methuselah and we could not have
gathered the people from almost every nation under heaven as we have
done, according to the predictions of the ancient Prophets contained
in the Bible. But the Lord has never disappointed anybody so far as
his work is concerned. It did not stop after the death of Joseph, and
it never will on account of the death of any man, Prophet, Apostle or
any other man, for it is in the hands of God, and he has decreed that
it shall stand for ever, and that it shall extend until its dominion
becomes universal.

Vol. 17,  p.192
We do not see to-day what we saw twenty-four years ago, and we do not
see to-day what will be seen twenty-four years hence; there will be no
stoppage to the building up of the Zion of God, or to the carrying out
of his work. Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, raised up by the Lord
Almighty, and the inspiration of God guided and sustained him to the
day of his death. He sealed his testimony with his blood, and that
testimony is in force upon all the world. This record which I hold in
my hands (Book of Doctrine and Covenants) contains the revelations of
God, and in one of them the Lord says—"Let earth and hell combine
against you, and they shall not prevail, the kingdom is yours—I have
given it into your hands—and you are called upon to build it up." The
Lord is at the helm to govern, guide and control this work, and he
will do so unto the end.

Vol. 17,  p.192
Now when men undertake to fight against this work, as brother Taylor
has said, they fight against God; it is not against Brigham Young, the
Apostles or this people alone, but it is against God. Every man will
be rewarded according to his works. Our prayers go up before God day
and night, that he will execute justice, judgment, righteousness and
truth, that he will sustain everything that leads to good, and does
good, and that he will overthrow all that lead to evil and do evil;
and we are assured by revelation that the Lord will hear and answer
our prayers. The Lord is with this people; but as Latter-day Saints, I
do not think that we always prize our privileges. We are called upon
to perform a work; the Lord has placed this work in our hands, and we
are held responsible before the heavens and the earth to use the
talents—the light and truth, which have been committed into our hands.

Vol. 17,  p.192
What is this life? What are the things of this life? The Latter-day
Saints are living for things the other side of the vail, the same as
all servants of God have done in every age of the world. Now is it not
a curiosity that so few of the human [p.193] family have an interest
in eternal things—things the other side of the vail? Bless your souls,
our lives here are only a few days in duration, but on the other side
of the vail we shall live eternally, we shall live and exist just as
long as our Creator will exist, and our eternal destiny depends upon
the manner in which we spend our short lives here in the flesh. Wall
it not pay any man, any Prophet, Apostle or Saint, in this or any
other age of the world, to be true and faithful to his God, to magnify
his calling, to be valiant in the testimony of Jesus Christ, to preach
the Gospel, to bear record of the things of the kingdom to Jew and
Gentile in his day and generation? Yes, it will pay men to do right,
and men will sorrow and bitterly regret taking any course in this or
any other generation against God or his work. What have been the
afflictions of the Jews who rejected Jesus Christ? Why every word
spoken concerning them by Moses and Jesus has had its fulfillment
until the present day, for hundreds of years past and gone. They have
been a hiss and a by-word, and trodden under the feet of the Gentiles,
in fulfillment of the words of Jesus Christ, and they will continue in
their present position until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
Jesus offered his Gospel to the Jews in his day, but in these latter
days it has been offered first to the Gentiles, thus fulfilling the
saying that the first shall be last and the last shall be first; and
when the Gentiles count themselves unworthy of eternal life, the
Gospel will go to the House of Israel and they will receive it. The
Gentiles should heed the warning given them by the Apostle Paul, lest
they fall through the example of unbelief as did the Jews, who were
broken off because they rejected the Messiah, and refused the message
of salvation which he delivered unto them. From that day to this they
have been scattered, peeled and afflicted; their city was overthrown
and their Temples destroyed, and the land of their fathers has been in
the hands of Gentile nations until to-day. The Lord has
said—"Vengeance is mine and I will repay," and we may rest assured
that the Lord will reward those who seek to destroy the lives of his
people and to overthrow his kingdom. Vengeance is in the hands of the
Almighty. "I will fight your battles," saith the Lord. We do not seek
any man's hurt, however much of an enemy he may be to us, we leave him
in the hands of God, we know that he will reward him, and the reward
will be all that God, Saints, angels, devils or wicked men can ask,
and it will be all that any man can want. When we undertake to fight
against God we have to pay for it. Men will have to pay for every sin
committed in the flesh; no matter what they do, they will have to be
accountable for it. If a man does right, is valiant in the testimony
of Jesus Christ, obeys the Gospel, and keeps his covenants, when he
passes to the other side of the vail he has an entrance into the
presence of God and the Lamb; having kept celestial law he enters into
celestial glory, he is preserved by that law, and he participates in
that glory through the endless ages of eternity. It pays any man under
heaven to obey and be faithful to the law of God the few days he
spends in the flesh. I say to the world, to every sect under heaven,
if you ever obtain any blessings in the eternal worlds from anybody at
all it will be from the God the Latter-day Saints worship, for God
made us all; whether we are Methodists, Baptists, Mormons or anything
else we are all the [p.194] children of one parent. Then why should we
persecute one another because of our religion? It is folly in the
highest degree. We live in a land and under a constitution which
guarantees the right to worship God according to the dictates of
conscience to every sect, party, name and denomination under heaven,
then why should we be so narrow-minded as to hate or seek to persecute
or kill our neighbor because he differs from us in religion?

Vol. 17,  p.194
We worship God and we are Latter-day Saints because we know that the
Gospel which has been revealed in these latter days is true. We have
received it and have realized the promises made to those who would
obey it. The Holy Ghost and the testimony of Jesus Christ never
deceived us, and we have received that testimony while abroad in
almost every nation under heaven. By this power we have been gathered.
That is the reason we are Mormons, as the world call us. We know this
work is true, we know it is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We would not
persecute, abuse, or quarrel with any man because of his religious
views. A man's religion, let it be what it will, is between him and
his God. He is going to the eternal world, and he will receive his
reward, and there is no reason or use in quarreling about religion,
and we have never felt to do this in our lives. Whatever may have been
said concerning us, our Tabernacles—this and others—have been open to
every minister who came along, no matter to what sect or party he
belonged. We are not afraid of our doctrines, and we are not afraid to
have our children hear the doctrines of others. If any man has got a
truth that we have not got, let us have it. Truth is what we are
after, and we are not afraid of the doctrines of any man; we are
willing to stand by the revelations of God. These are the feelings of
the Latter-day Saints. When our Methodist friends came to this city,
erected their tent and held their big camp meeting, what was the
course pursued by the Latter-day Saints? The President of the Church,
the Twelve Apostles and citizens with their wives and children gave
them a congregation of many thousands, and we sat in their tent and
listened to them while they abused us just as much as they pleased. We
believe in giving every man the privilege of saying what he pleases,
we have always been willing to let every man express his sentiments
here among us. We are not afraid of them. If we have not the truth,
that is what we are after, we want it. But we know that we have it,
that the Gospel as restored, revealed through Joseph Smith, is the
truth of God, and we know that the Lord has set to his hand to build
up Zion, and he is going to do it. We bear record of this because we
know it is true.

Vol. 17,  p.194
I pray that God will bless the Latter-day Saints. I pray that we may
prize our privileges, that we may enjoy the spirit of our calling, and
that the Holy Ghost may enlighten our minds continually, that we may
not walk in the dark but in the light. I pray that the Spirit of God
may bear record to the stranger within our gates. I am satisfied that
it does, and it has done more or less for the forty years that are
past and gone. But it is the same to-day as it was in the days of
Jesus. He told Nicodemus that light had come into the world, but men
loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil, and
here is where condemnation comes in, but we can not help that. My
brethren and I have traveled a great many thousands of miles to preach
the Gospel to our [p.195] fellow-men; we have done this because we
know this Gospel is true. We are willing to stand by this Gospel, this
testimony and this work in life and in death, in time and in eternity.
We shall meet the strangers who come here and visit us, on the other
side of the vail; they will meet us there, and if they never know
before, they will know then that our testimony is true.

Vol. 17,  p.195
I pray God our heavenly Father that he will bear testimony by his Holy
Spirit to the meek and honest among the children of men, that they may
receive the truth and be prepared to inherit eternal life, for Jesus'
sake. Amen.

George A. Smith, October 6, 1874

Individual Salvation—the Success of the Work of the Lord not 
Dependent on Man—Encourage Home Manufactures—
Build Temples—Safety on the Old Ship Zion

Remarks By President George A. Smith, Delivered at the 
Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Tuesday Morning, October 6, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.195
The present occasion, a Semi-annual Conference, is one which, in the
history that we are making, is marked with more than ordinary
importance. I always feel thankful to be permitted to meet the faces
and greet the countenances of the brethren and sisters from the
different parts of the Territory and elsewhere, who assemble at these
Conferences; and I feel it important that, in doing so, we should lay
aside the ordinary business transactions of life, and try and compare
notes with ourselves as to our actual progress in the things of the
kingdom. We have received the first principles of the Gospel, and we
have started in their observance; and in doing so we have become
obligated by our personal agreements, and covenants in the waters of
baptism, and in the ordinances which pertain to the Gospel, to live in
accordance with those principles which are revealed. In pursuing our
daily avocations we become mixed up, more or less, with the world; we
are called to battle with the world, and we have exhibitions from time
to time of the weaknesses of human nature. I remember very well in the
days of Kirtland, hearing men testify that they knew this was the work
of God, and that they had seen visions of the armies of heaven and the
horsemen thereof, as did Gehazi, the servant of the Prophet, and then,
in consequence of the failure of a bank, or [p.196] because some
business transaction did not come out in accordance with their
expectations or desires, they would apostatize and come to the
conclusion that they never knew anything about it, and become
infidels. This shows the weakness to which some individuals have been
subject. I also remember, in the great apostacy which took place in
Kirtland, that those who apostatized considered that all the talent of
the Church had left it, and yet the work rolled right along, and, so
far as they were concerned, they were never missed, and were soon
forgotten, and nobody could tell where they went to. I have
occasionally met them twenty or thirty years afterwards, and could
hardly tell where they dropped out, their disappearance made no
ripple. The facts are, brethren, that the work of the Lord does not
depend upon us. If we go into darkness, if we let our hearts be filled
with covetousness or corruption, or give way to licentiousness,
drunkenness, Sabbath-breaking, unbelief, or any crime that corrodes
our system or organization, so that our tabernacles become unfit for
the holy Spirit to dwell in, it will withdraw from us, and the light
that is in us becomes darkened, and that darkness is so great that we
grope as a blind man and wander hither and thither, and those who
suffer themselves to be led by these blind men fall into the ditch
with them, but the work rolls right along.

Vol. 17,  p.196
Now, we assemble here, and we want to review our conduct and our
characters before the Lord. It is one of the weaknesses of human
nature to sit in judgment on others, but on the present occasion we
should bring ourselves to account, one and all, and determine whether
we are living in accordance with the principles of the holy Gospel
that we have received. I recollect hearing once that Satan had
invented for men a certain kind of leather spectacles which, when a
man looked at his own sins, made them look very small, and when he
looked at his own righteous acts, made them look very large; when he
looked at his neighbor's sins they seemed very large, and when he
looked at his neighbor's righteous acts they appeared very small.
Spectacles of this kind should be avoided, and we should be very
careful when we are examining ourselves that we do not get them on, as
well as when we examine our neighbors.

Vol. 17,  p.196
The first step, then, in relation to the business of this Conference,
is to preach the principles of repentance and reformation. We should
question ourselves, and determine whether we have suffered ourselves,
with the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, the desire
of gain, or from any other cause, to become darkened in our minds.
There are many false spirits gone out into the world, and when Joseph
Smith communicated the keys of the Priesthood to the servants of the
Lord, he gave them the power to try these spirits, and this power was
given to the Church, and no man need he led astray only as he suffers
himself to lose the Holy Spirit, which is the result of sin,
wickedness, neglect or transgression.

Vol. 17,  p.196
In addition to this general reformation which we wish to impress upon
the minds of our brethren and sisters at the opening of the
Conference, we want to take such steps as will be for the temporal and
spiritual welfare of the Saints. The changes which have transpired in
the world show us how uncertain a tenure our business arrangements are
placed upon. From the time that the revelation was given to the
Saints, commanding them to let the beauty of their garments [p.197] be
the workmanship of their own hands, to the present time, that doctrine
has been preached, and yet, it now seems more necessary than ever
that, in all our settlements and associations, we should organize and
take such measures as will enable us to provide, within ourselves as
far as possible, the articles which we need. It is our duty to
ourselves and to our God to unite our interests in such a manner that
we can produce what we need within ourselves, without being hewers of
wood and drawers of water to strangers. We have made a good deal of
progress in this direction, as we can see by the numbers of people who
come here clothed in the manufacture of their own factories or looms.
Still there is room for further progress in this direction, and during
the Conference instructions will be given as may be considered
necessary to aid us in facilitating the work of manufacturing our own
wool, leather, shoes, hats and every other article of domestic
necessity, just as far as our country will admit.

Vol. 17,  p.197
We are always commanded, so says the revelation contained in the Book
of Doctrine and Covenants, given on the 19th of January, 1844, to
build Temples to the holy name of our Father in heaven. We are now
engaged in this work; we are building a Temple in this city and one in
St. George; and if any of you ever east an eye at the beautiful
foundation that is now raised up here by the Tithes and offerings of
the brethren, you can but rejoice in the idea that we are building, to
the name of our Father, an edifice creditable to the work for which it
is designed. We wish our brethren and sisters to remember this. It has
been counseled and advised by our President, and by those in
authority, that it would be a wise thing for every person in the
Church to contribute a monthly donation of a half dollar in money for
the Temple, that their names may be put in the book of the law of the
Lord, that old and young among the Latter-day Saints may feel an
interest in this matter, that on their fast days they may make this
contribution to aid in supplying the necessary means to the workmen
that can not be procured without money, and the necessary materials to
facilitate the work. If anybody will go and examine that foundation,
and the granite blocks that are lying around, and consider the expense
of quarrying them and bringing them here, and of cutting them and
fitting them in that foundation, they will realize that the brethren
have been very industrious, and that a great work has been done, for
such edifices are not erected without great labor, time and expense.
We therefore desire the brethren to take into consideration, during
the Conference, such subjects as pertain to the advancement of these
Temples. We also wish, during the Conference, to call the attention of
the brethren to the propriety of some two or three hundred hands from
different parts of the northern settlements volunteering to go to St.
George this winter to work on the Temple, making a donation of their
labor. During last winter quite a number of the brethren went down
from Sanpete and some of the neighboring counties, and put in about
three months work, and during the entire winter there were only seven
and a half days they could not lay stone on the Temple, and they were
mostly rainy days. Those of us who have not got anything to employ us
to advantage during the winter, can go down there and put in three or
four months' work, on that Temple, in getting lumber, and hauling it,
in quarrying rock, and in [p.198] cutting and setting it; in making
mortar, providing lime and hauling it, and in aiding in all the
various departments of labor necessary. We can have the walls put up
and get the timber ready for the roof during the winter, while we
should be doing comparatively little at home. This is one item that I
wish to have considered through the Conference.

Vol. 17,  p.198
There will be some missionaries called during Conference, whose duty
it will be to preach the Gospel and defend the interests of Zion in
the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world.

Vol. 17,  p.198
We would invite our brethren and sisters living in this neighborhood,
as long as there are vacant seats here, to come and occupy them while
the Elders shall give them instruction; and we ask every man and woman
who fears the Lord to lift their hearts to him in prayer, that his
blessing may rest upon the Elders, that President Young may be healed
of his afflictions, and have health and strength to perform the duties
of his calling, and that all the Elders who rise to speak may be
filled with the power of the Holy Ghost, that we may be instructed,
not from the mere natural wisdom of the individual, but by the
inspiration of the Spirit of the Almighty, that our testimony, our
knowledge of the Gospel, the principles of salvation as revealed unto
us, may be inspired unto us by the power of the Almighty, that we may
know for ourselves and not for another that we have received the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. These are some of the items that will be
spoken of during the Conference as the Spirit may direct, as well as
other matters pertaining to Zion. You remember the revelation in the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, given June 22, 1834, on Fishing River,
Clay County, Mo. It says:

Vol. 17,  p.198
7. "And let all my people who dwell in the regions round about be very
faithful, and prayerful, and humble before me, and reveal not the
things which I have revealed unto them, until it is wisdom in me that
they should be revealed. Talk not of judgment, neither boast of faith,
nor of mighty works, but carefully gather together, as much in one
region as can be consistently with the feelings of the people; and
behold, I will give unto you favor and grace in their eyes, that you
may rest in peace and safety, while you are saying unto the people,
Execute judgment and justice for us according to law, and redress us
of our wrongs.

Vol. 17,  p.198
8. "Now, behold, I say unto you, my friends, in this way you may find
favor in the eyes of the people until the army of Israel becomes very
great; and I will soften the hearts of the people, as I did the heart
of Pharaoh, from tame to time, until my servants Baurak Ale, and
Baneerny, whom I have appointed, shall have time to gather up the
strength of my house, and to have sent wise men to fulfill that which
I have commanded concerning the purchasing of all the lands in Jackson
County that can he purchased, and in the adjoining counties round
about; for it is my will that these lands should be purchased, and
after they are purchased that my Saints should possess them according
to the laws of consecration which I have given; and after these lands
are purchased, I will hold the armies of Israel guiltless in taking
possession of their own lands which they have previously purchased
with their monies, and of throwing down the towers of mine enemies
that may be upon them, and scattering their watchmen and avenging me
of mine enemies unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me.[p.199] 

Vol. 17,  p.199
9. "But firstly, let my army become very great, and let it be
sanctified before me, that it may become fair as the sun, and clear as
the moon, and that her banners may be terrible unto all nations; that
the kingdoms of this world may be Constrained to acknowledge that the
kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom of our God and his Christ:
therefore let us become subject unto her laws.

Vol. 17,  p.199
10. "Verily I say unto you, it is expedient in me that the first
Elders of my Church should receive their endowment from on high in my
house, which I have commanded to be built unto my name in the land of
Kirtland; and let those commandments which I have given concerning
Zion and her law be executed, and fulfilled, after her redemption.
There has been a day of calling, but the time has come for a day of
choosing, and let those be chosen that are worthy; and it shall be
manifest unto my servant, by the voice of the Spirit, those that are
chosen and they shall be sanctified; and inasmuch as they follow the
counsel which they receive, they shall have power after many days to
accomplish all things pertaining to Zion.

Vol. 17,  p.199
11. "And again I say unto you, sue for peace, not only the people that
have smitten you, but also to all people; and lift up an ensign of
peace; and make a proclamation for peace unto the ends of the earth;
and make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you,
according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all things
shall work together for your good; therefore be faithful, and behold,
and lo, I am with you even unto the end. Even so. Amen."

Vol. 17,  p.199
Let us consider these things and sanctify ourselves in all humility.
God has preserved us from all our enemies for over forty years since
this revelation was given, and we occupy many cities, towns and
settlements, and should improve in all the goodly graces of the Gospel
preparatory to the great work still before us, for the promises of God
are true and will not fail.

Vol. 17,  p.199
Oliver Cowdery, previous to his apostacy said to President Joseph
Smith: "If I should leave the Church it would break up." Joseph said
to Oliver—"What, who are you? The Lord is not dependent upon you, the
work will roll forth do what you will." Oliver left the Church, and
was gone about ten years; then he came back again, to a branch of the
Church in meeting on Mosquito Creek, in Pottawattamie County, Iowa.
The body of the Church had come off here to the west, but there was
still remaining there a branch of about fifteen hundred or two
thousand people, and when he came there he bore his testimony to the
truth of the Book of Mormon and the divine mission of the Twelve
Apostles, and asked to be received into the Church again, and said
that he had never seen in all his life so large a congregation of
Saints as the one then assembled. We loved to hear brother Oliver
testify, we were pleased with his witness, but when he passed off and
went among our enemies he was forgotten, and the work rolled steadily
along step by step, so that, ten years after, when he came back to an
outside branch, he expressed his astonishment at seeing such a vast
body of Saints. Some men in their hours of darkness may feel—I have
heard of men feeling so—that the work is about done, that the enemies
of the Saints have become so powerful, and bring such vast wealth and
energy to bear against them that we are all going to be crushed out
pretty soon. I will say to such brethren, it is very bad policy for
you, because you think the old [p.200] ship Zion is going to sink, to
jump overboard, for if you jump overboard you are gone anyhow, and the
old ship Zion will ride triumphantly through all the storms, and
everybody who proves unworthy to remain on board of her and jumps
overboard will repent of it when it is too late, as many have done
already.

Vol. 17,  p.200
The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and the Lord has revealed this
work. It has been said—"Oh what vast, what wonderful ability Brigham
Young has possessed to do what has been done!" The fact in the case
is, it is the Lord who has done it. He has guided and directed and has
done the work, and his servants who have labored in it, have only been
instruments in his hands, he has given them all the ability, wisdom
and knowledge which have been manifested; and the same God has the
power to still guide, control, instruct and uphold, and he will do so.
Those who fall into darkness, error, folly and wickedness simply lose
their position; but they who endure to the end the same will be saved.
The great work which has been commenced in these last days will
continue until, by and by, when the Lord sees fit, he will come to his
Temple and will receive his Saints as his own.

Vol. 17,  p.200
Let us then devote our time and attention for a few days to receiving
instruction and counsel, that we may have our hearts comforted and
renew our testimony, for I can assure you, as the Lord God of hosts
lives, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and all of us who fall into
darkness and go astray will be the losers. Zion will ride triumphant,
which may God grant for Jesus' sake, Amen.

Brigham Young, Jun., October 6, 1874

Saints Are Living Witnesses of the Truth—the People of God Preserved 
By Divine Providence—Persecution—Individual Salvation

Discourse By Elder Brigham Young, Jun. Delivered at the Semi-Annual 
Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in 
the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Tuesday 
Morning, October 6, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.200
I have a testimony also to offer to my brethren and sisters. It is a
great thing, in my estimation, to know God and his Son, to know that
God has established the kingdom of the latter-days, and to realize
that there are men upon the earth, who are capable, through the
revelations [p.201] of Almighty God, to teach the people the way of
life, to point out to them the path by which they may regain the
presence of their Father and God. Such is the testimony I have bad,
such a testimony I have at the present time. I am aware that to some
it seems incredible, and that in their ears it sounds preposterous to
utter such words, and especially does it seem so to those who consider
that they are living in the blaze of of the Christian religion, for
the large majority of that class of people will not for a moment
entertain the idea that God will ever again speak to men upon the
earth, or inspire them as he did anciently. They believe the day as
gone by when such things can be, and that, having the Bible in their
possession, it is no more necessary for God to make known his will to
map. I am aware that the Christian world view it in this light, but I
can not help that, I am not responsible for them, nor they for me. I
stand for myself and am supported by the evidence which I have
received from Almighty God. If they can testify to me that the
Christian religion is true, I can, in turn, testify to them that God
has revealed himself, that he has again spoken to men upon the earth,
and that they hear his voice just as much as Isaiah, Ezekiel or any of
the Prophets of ancient days. This is my testimony, and I know it to
be true. By the same Spirit that revealed unto Peter his Lord and
Savior I know that Jesus is the Christ. This has not become knowledge
with me through the testimony of others alone. I sought and received
that testimony for myself. Said Jesus unto Peter, "Blessed art thou,
Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but
my Father which is in heaven;" and I testify to you this day, that
that same God has revealed unto me that these things are true, that
this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and that this people represent the
kingdom of God which Daniel and others of the ancient Prophets said
should be established upon the earth in the latter-days? That is the
testimony which I have to offer here this morning. If I stood alone in
this matter, and there was no other person who could bear the same
testimony perhaps people would be justified in disbelieving me, that
is, if I gave them no evidence of the truth of my words; but when the
proof is positive and the evidences incontrovertible; when there are
scores of thousands of people gathered from as well as scattered
through the nations of the earth who can rise as one person and bear
this testimony, the nations of the earth will be condemned if they
reject it.

Vol. 17,  p.201
It is true that Joseph Smith was an unsupported witness in some
respects of the Gospel which be had to reveal unto the human family.
He came forth a boy, alone; his testimony was given to the world, and
God, in his wonderful providences, fulfilled the words of that boy,
and others were induced to believe what he told them. He told the
people that if they would obey the will of the Father, if they would
repent of their sins, be baptized for the remission of them and have
hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost, they should
receive it, and it should be a witness unto them that his words were
true and faithful.

Vol. 17,  p.201
Have the words of Joseph Smith been fulfilled in this and in other
respects? I answer yes. He bore this mission unto the people, and it,
with its promises, came to me, and I obeyed it, doing as I was told in
order that I might obtain the evidences of the Holy Spirit. Did I
obtain them? Yes I did; and here is a congregation before me, the
representatives [p.202] of a great people, who can bear witness with
me this day that the words of Joseph the Prophet were true and
faithful to this generation. Our testimony is not unsupported, for I
have gone forth into the midst of the nations of the earth, and have
stood before strangers and have said unto them—"If you desire the
knowledge that the Prophets who were with Jesus on the earth
possessed, if you will do those things which have been commanded you
shall know of the doctrine whether I speak of myself, or of God who
sent me." I have borne this testimony hundreds of times to the nations
of the earth, because I was sent forth to do it, and I had a testimony
that it was my mission to testify of these things. What has been the
result of the Elders going to the nations of the earth and bearing
this testimony? We see before us a mighty people gathered in these
mountains. There is scarcely an adult who has been gathered here who
came with any other purpose but to build up the kingdom of God,
because of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which he or she received
through obedience to the words which were declared unto them. If any
have gathered here with any other purpose they are not in this Church
or if they are they will not remain in it very long. This people have
gathered here by scores of thousands can not those who are not of us
put their prejudices to one side for a moment and take a fair and
impartial view of the circumstances which surround us? Can not the
would look upon the Latter-day Saints and ask themselves—"Is it
possible for men to make these promises, and yet be impostors and
deceive the people to the extent they have?" Have the Elders deceived
the people? It looks to me like folly in the extreme for people to
entertain such an idea. Have we deceived the people? No sirs, we have
not. Were those words false which were uttered by the Elders when they
called upon the people to repent? No. The people verily received that
testimony of the truth of this work by the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost which was promised them by the Elders, and that is the reason
why so many have gathered to these mountains.

Vol. 17,  p.202
But the majority of people now are like the Jews when they arraigned
Jesus—they want a miracle. "Then did they spit in his face and
buffetted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,
saying, Prophecy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee."
That is exactly the same spirit that prevails now—"If you Latter-day
Saints have the blessings and gifts you talk of, why don't you rise up
in power? Why does not God come out of his hiding place and preserve
you from your enemies?" I can testify to-day that he has done so. From
my earliest recollections I have been wandering with this people. I
have been with them when driven before their enemies, with my father
and his family in their persecutions, and I know, as I know that I
live, that God has stretched out his hand and preserved this people
when nothing but his providences could have saved them.

Vol. 17,  p.202
Who are they who smite this people? Are they righteous men, men who
are seeking to benefit the human family? Are they men who are turning
their whole attention to benefit their fellow-men, or building up
principles of righteousness and truth, to sustain the poor, and to
gather them from the nations of the earth to a land where they can
possess those comforts and blessings which should surround the sons
and daughters of our God? No, they [p.203] do not busy themselves
about such things as these, they have business on hand, which they
think is more important; they have the Latter-day Saints to persecute.
They do not have time to turn their attention, nor their minds to such
trifles as bringing the poor from the nations of the earth or
developing the resources of this great country. They have no time for
this, they have a far greater work on hand, opposing the progress of
this people and the fulfillment of the prophecies of men of God who
have lived upon this earth. That is the view I take of it from my
standpoint. Of course I do not expect others, outside of the Church,
to look at it as I do; But this people are engaged in what? First, at
the present time, in defending themselves, trying to secure their
lives and property from men who are seeking to deprive them of both;
they are also continuing their efforts to bring the downtrodden of
Europe and every other nation, to this land of America, where they can
enjoy freedom and religious liberty, and have a home and not be
servants of those who are more wealthy than themselves. This people
are expending millions of dollars to gather the poor from the nations
of the earth that they, with us, may enjoy the blessings of religious
liberty, and the blessings of this free land.

Vol. 17,  p.203
Why don't these men who are persecuting us, and all the time telling
how mean and contemptible we are as a people turn their attention, not
to our sins, but to their own shortcomings, and pick the beam out of
their own eyes before attending to the mote in ours, and then try and
do something to ameliorate the condition of the human family? These
are simply my views on this subject, and I would to God that every man
in this great nation would do right himself and not seek to persecute
his neighbors because he thinks they are doing wrong! A man might do a
thing in which, according to his conscience, he would be perfectly
justified, but from my standpoint it would be very wicked. A heathen
might be justified in doing that which I should consider a great
crime. Shall I go to work and persecute an individual that does not
see exactly as I see? Should I be justified in doing this? No. If I
see a person in the wrong I am justified in going to him and trying to
teach him the principles of the Gospel which I find contained in the
Bible, and which God has revealed to the human family for their
salvation; in other words, I should be justified in trying to lead him
in What I believe to be the path of righteousness, but I should not be
justified in trying to drive him.

Vol. 17,  p.203
Is this the course that is being pursued with us? By no means. The
spirit manifested towards us continually is—"If you don't do as we say
we will force you." Nobody comes here to persuade us, their object is
to compel us to bow to their wishes. They wish to make us forsake that
which we revere and consider holy, simply because they despise it, and
deride it as something that ought to be put down by force. It is not a
Christian spirit that induces persecution, not at all. Why not take
the example of Jesus, whom they profess to worship? If this people are
wrong, convince them of their error. "Oh," say they, "we can't do it."
It is like the King of Denmark, Frederick the Seventh, if I mistake
not. The Priests complained to him and said that they could not put
down the Latter-day Saints, and that they were proselyting in spite of
all they [p.204] could do. Said the King—"Why dent you take the Bible,
and confound them and let the people see their errors?' The Priests
said—"We have tried that, but have not succeeded, they have more
arguments in the Bible than we have." "Well," said the King, "I think
yours is the poorest religion of the two, I will let the Latter-day
Saints go on, and shall not interfere with them." I would like this
position to be taken by those in this nation who are opposed to us.
But they will not assume this position, for we can correct them with
the Scriptures of divine truth. Why do they not use the word of God in
their operations against us, instead of the carnal weapons which they
happen to have because they belong to a certain patty? Why not imitate
the example of Jesus and try and persuade us if we are in the wrong,
and pat us in the right. We desire to be saved; it is salvation we
hope for. It is the desire for salvation in the kingdom of God that
prompts me to say these things; and as long as God shows to me that I
am right, as long as I have an approving conscience before Him in
carrying out the doctrines which I believe in, so long, with the help
of God, will I advocate them, let the issue be what it may. Amen.

John Taylor, October 7, 1874

Destruction of the Wicked By the Flood, Wisdom in 
God—Priesthood—Temples—Intelligence Comes From 
God—the Lord Will Take Care of the Saints—Angels Operating 
With Men in the Work of Human Redemption

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered at the Semi 
Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Wednesday, October 7, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.204
I am happy to have the opportunity of meeting with the brethren and to
talk over the affairs pertaining to the kingdom of God in this
Conference. We are engaged in a work in which all of us are
interested, individually and collectively. It is a work that differs
from anything else that exists at the present time on the thee of the
earth, and in many respects it differs from anything that ever has
existed. I do not know that we are in any wise responsible for this,
or for the position in which we find ourselves. The circumstances with
which we are [p.205] surrounded are not, particularly or specially, of
our own making, nor the principles in which we believe. We have an
abiding faith, as we heard referred to this morning, in certain
principles which have emanated from the heavens; and we find ourselves
on the earth at this particular time, in this peculiar dispensation,
and engaged in a work that is dependent, I was going to say,
altogether upon the Almighty, and which is part and parcel of that
programme which existed in his mind before the world rolled into
existence.

Vol. 17,  p.205
There have been different dispensations existing in the various ages
of time, as the purposes of God have rolled on in relation to this
earth; all of them, more or less, partook of the same principles that
have been revealed unto us, that is so far as the Gospel is concerned,
but all of them more or less differing.

Vol. 17,  p.205
The first command given to man was to be fruitful, to multiply and
replenish the earth; in other words, an earth had been created, and it
was necessary, as it had been brought into existence and man placed
upon it, that his seed should be propagated, that there might be
bodies prepared for spirits to inhabit, that they together might
accomplish certain purposes, in the designs of God, pertaining to the
creation of the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.205
By and by we find the people departing from the principles of truth,
from the laws of the Gospel, repudiating the fear of God, grieving his
Holy Spirit and incurring his displeasure. Then a flood came and the
inhabitants of the world, with the exception of a very few, were swept
from it, after the Gospel had been preached to all who then lived and
all had had an opportunity to believe in and obey it. A few of them
did so and lived in the fear of God, and, according to the revelations
which we have, they were translated and caught up, they had a separate
existence from those who lived upon the earth, and occupied the
position of translated beings and were necessarily governed by other
laws than the denizens of the earth. This was one peculiarity of the
dispensation before the flood. Then came the flood, which many people,
unacquainted with things as they existed in the bosom of God and with
his purposes and designs, consider was a great cruelty, an act of
tyranny, evincing a spirit of outrage and oppression upon the
inhabitants of the world. Sceptics reason in this manner sometimes,
the only reason of their caviling being that they do not understand
God or his laws and designs in relation to the earth and the
inhabitants that live upon it, and being ignorant of these things they
are not competent judges as to the fitness of things generally, and
the course pursued by the Almighty in relation to the inhabitants of
the earth, hence they arrive at all kinds of foolish conclusions. The
fact is there were certain ideas connected with the destruction of the
world that were good, proper and merciful. Mankind had committed unto
them certain. powers, among which was the power to perpetuate their
own species, of which they could not according to the laws of nature
be deprived while living. And they had a certain agency of their own,
which they could act upon, add the people who were destroyed in the
flood had departed from the laws of God. Man has a dual being, not
only a body or mortal tabernacle, but a spirit, and that spirit
existed before he came here; and if men before the flood had been
allowed to go on in their iniquities and if, with every thought and
imagination of their hearts, which were all unlawful and evil,[p.206]
they had been allowed to perpetuate that kind of existence, of course
God would have had very little to do with the operations of the earth
and the inhabitants thereof, it would therefore bare been unjust to
the spirits created by our Father in the eternal worlds to force them
to come and inhabit the degenerated bodies which they must have
received from such characters as the generation drowned in the flood;
and hence God took away their agency by destroying them from the face
of the earth, because they were prostituting their powers to an
improper use and not only injuring themselves by defying the law of
God, but also inflicting an evil upon unborn generations by perverting
their own existence and by their powers of procreation entailing
misery upon millions of spirits that had a just right to look for
protection from their Father. The Almighty therefore took this awful
method to redress this aggravated wrong and he had a right to do it.
Why, our stockraisers act upon that principle a good deal. I was
talking to one of them a little while ago who had a large flock of
sheep, and he told me that he had got some better stock, and was going
to kill off the poor ones in order that he might raise only good stock
and a better breed than he then had. I suppose that God had as much
right to do this as sheep raisers and cattle raisers have, and thus by
cutting off that wicked generation from the earth he deprived them of
the privilege of propagating their own species. And what then? Oh,
they were all damned. No, they were not quite, yes they were in part
and partly not. God understands all these things and manages matters
according to the counsel of his will, and hence he provided a way
whereby the people who were then drowned, who would not listen to
God's law and who had departed entirely from the precepts of Jehovah,
might hereafter have a chance of obeying the laws of life and
salvation. Well, were they not all tee-totally doomed to go and be
roasted in flames forever and ever. Not quite; for we read that Jesus,
when he was put to death in the flesh, was quickened in the spirit, by
which he went and preached to the spirits in prison that sometime were
disobedient in the days of Noah, when once the long-suffering of God
waited upon them in those days. Hence we see that instead of being
eternally damned, Jesus went to preach the Gospel of life and
salvation to those whom God, in the days of Noah, swept off by the
flood, in order that he might introduce another state of things, and
try to raise up a people who would listen to his laws and obey his
precepts.

Vol. 17,  p.206
The Scriptures say that Jesus went and preached to the spirits in
prison, the same as he had preached to others on the earth. What did
he preach? Do the Scriptures say what he came to preach? Yes, they say
"he came to preach the Gospel to the poor, to bind up the
broken-hearted, to set at liberty those who were bound, and to open
the prison doors to the captive." That is what he came to do, and he
did it.

Vol. 17,  p.206
We are not connected with a something that will exist only for a few
years, some of the peculiar ideas and dogmas of men, some nice theory
of their forming; the principles that we believe in reach back into
eternity, they originated with the Gods in the eternal worlds, and
they reach forward to the eternities that are to come. We feel that we
are operating with God in connection with those who were, with those
who are, and with those who are to come.[p.207] 

Vol. 17,  p.207
We find that after the days of Noah an order was introduced called the
patriarchal order, in which every man managed his own family affairs,
and prominent men among them were kings and priests unto God, and
officiated in what is known among us as the Priesthood of the Son of
God, or the Priesthood after the Order of Melchisedec. Man began again
to multiply on the face of the earth, and the heads of families became
their kings and priests, that is, the fathers of their own people, and
they were more or less under the influence and guidance of the
Almighty. We read, for instance, in our revelations pertaining to
these matters, of a man called Melchizedec, who was a great high
priest. We are told that "there were a great many high priests in his
day, and before him and after him;" and these men had communication
with God, and were taught of him in relation to their general
proceedings, and acknowledged the hand of God in all things with which
they were associated. Noah and his descendants for a length of time,
did that which was right in the sight of God to a very great extent,
but by and by they departed from his law, and Abraham was raised up as
a special agent in the hand of the Almighty to disseminate correct
principles among the people, and as a medium through which God would
communicate intelligence and blessings to the human family. He went
through a very rigid course of discipline, and was tried in almost
every possible way, until, finally, he was called upon to offer up his
son; and then, when he attempted to do that, and the Lord lead fully
proved him, the Lord said—"I know that Abraham tears me, that, he has
not withheld his only son from me, and I know that he will command his
children after him to fear my name." After God had tried Abraham, he
took him on to a mountain and said unto him—"Lift up thine eyes
eastward and westward, and southward and northward, for to thee and
thy seed after thee will I give this land; and in thee and in thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed." That was a great
blessing, and it placed Abraham in a most prominent and important
position before God, before the people, and before the world. Now,
although God made that promise unto Abraham, yet Stephen, who lived
some two thousand years afterwards, said that "God gave him none
inheritance in that land, no not so much as to set his foot on, yet he
promised that he would give it to him and to his seed after him."
There was a something peculiar about all these men—being in possession
of the everlasting Priesthood, which is without beginning of days or
end of years, they measured things with the eye of the Almighty, by
the principle of faith, by the knowledge and intuition which the Sprit
of God gave them, and the revelations which it imparted, and they felt
like one of old who said—"When a man dies shall he live again? All the
days of my life to my appointed time will I wait until the change
come." Inspired by the Spirit of the living God, in possession of the
principles of revelation, holding the keys of the everlasting
Priesthood, which unlocked the mysteries of the kingdom of God, they
looked forward and backward, and felt that they were a part of the
great programme which God designed to accomplish in regard to the
earth. It was nell for the immediate possession of some temporary
good; not for the grasping of something that they could hold for the
time being that they were anxious; but they were after [p.208] riches,
exaltations, glory and blessings that would continue "while life or
thought or being lasts or immortality endures."

Vol. 17,  p.208
From the loins of Abraham a great many great Prophets, seers,
revelators, men of God, kings, princes and authorities descended; and
they raised up a nation that was powerful in its day and generation.
But they, like others, finally departed from the lairs of God and from
the principles of eternal truth, and then the power of the Melchisedec
Priesthood was withdrawn from them, and the law was added because of
transgression, and although they became a numerous, great, wealthy,
wise and intelligent people, yet they lost for a long time the power,
intelligence, life and light of revelation which the Gospel imparts.

Vol. 17,  p.208
Then came the time when Jesus appeared on the earth. He was "a lamb
slain from before the foundation of the world," and he came to
accomplish things which had been planned by the Almighty before the
world was. He was the Being to whom the antediluvians, and Abraham,
and Isaac and Jacob, and the Prophets, Patriarchs and those who were
filled with the Spirit of God and the light of revelation referred to,
and to whom they looked; to him pointed all their sacrifices and the
shedding of the blood of bulls and goats, heifers, lambs, &c. Jesus
introduced the Gospel, and if the people would have received and
obeyed the principles which he taught, the kingdom of God would have
been established, the dispensation of the fullness of times brought
in, and in the Temple at Jerusalem the baptisms for the dead would
have gone on, and the redemption of the living and the dead would have
proceeded. But the people could not receive the teachings of Jesus.
Here was a dispensation different, from any of rite others.

Vol. 17,  p.208
There was an Elias to come, who was to turn the hearts of the children
to the fathers, and the hearts of the fathers to the children; and
when it was asked Jesus—"Art thou the Elias which was to come, or do
we look for another?" it was told them, "This is he if ye can receive
it." But they could not, and consequently they beheaded John the
Baptist and crucified Jesus, and it was declared that not one stone of
their magnificent. Temple should be left upon another without being
thrown down, which was literally fulfilled, and the ground upon which
it stood was ploughed over. Jesus told his disciples that when they
saw "Jerusalem encompassed about with armies they were to flee to the
mountains." One of the Prophets, in speaking of the affairs that were
then to take place, said that a certain power should arise which
should malts war with and prevail against the Saints, and that that
power should seek to change the times and the laws, and that they
should be given into his hand, for a time, and times and the dividing
of times. Very well, these things have taken place.

Vol. 17,  p.208
We now turn our attention to this continent, and find that God
transplanted a people who were of the seed of Abraham, from Palestine
to this continent. Here they passed through all kinds of vicissitudes
and changes, sometimes abounding in iniquity and vice, at other times
full of virtue; sometimes they acknowledged the hand of God, and at
other times disregarded it; sometimes they were chastened by the
Almighty, and at other times permitted to go on in their iniquities.
At one time there was a people on this continent who lived for nearly
two hundred years in the fear of God, under the direction [p.209] of
his spirit, governed by the laws of the Gospel, and they had all
things common among them, and we are informed that there never was a
more united, happy and prosperous people upon the face of the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.209
These are some of the changes that have taken place here. And now, we
are living in another age and under other circumstances. The world is
waxing old; myriads of people have lived upon it, generation after
generation have come and gone, some good, some bad, some very wicked,
some very righteous; some pure and holy, others to the contrary,
embracing every kind, and all the peculiar phases that have been
developed by the human family. They have come into existence and they
have died, and what of them? What of the good and what of the bad?
What of the righteous and what of the unrighteous? What of their
standing before God, and what of the nations that have existed, that
do exist and that will exist? These are things, which, as intelligent,
immortal beings, demand our consideration. And what of us as part of
them? We need to reflect, and it is, proper that we should understand
something in relation to these things. We have our part to perform. We
find ourselves in the world in this day and age, which is that which
was spoken of by Paul—"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 on the earth." There is something very
remarkable, very peculiar in that expression. What the gathering is in
the heavens it is not for us to say at the present time; what the
gathering is on the earth we have some little idea of from the things
with which we are associated. There is a peculiarity about, it. As I
said before, we find ourselves living in this day, and we are called
upon to perform a certain work in connection with the economy and
designs of God pertaining to the earth we live on, pertaining to
ourselves, to our progenitors and to the whole human family that have
existed upon the face of the earth. We are here to do a certain work
which God has set us to do, and, as I have said, we have had very
little to do in bringing about the matter. We did not originate it. We
talk sometimes about Joseph Smith, he did not originate it. He told us
about a great many things that we talk about, and unfolded many
principles ante us. But how did he know them? God called him and set
him apart as he called Noah in his day, and as he called Enoch,
Abraham and Moses in their day, and as he called the Prophets and
Jesus in their day, as he called Nephi, Lehi, Moroni and Alma in their
day upon this continent. He has called us, and has introduced to our
view certain principles, and we have been learning these princples
gradually. The first thing was to get baptized, a very simple affair,
a very little thing, nevertheless it was an ordinance of God, he
appointed it, and we went and were baptized. Then we had hands laid
upon us for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and we partook more or
less of its influence, according to our faithfulness and diligence in
keeping the commandments of God.

Vol. 17,  p.209
We had not anything to do with originating this work; neither had
Joseph Smith, neither had Oliver Cowdery, nor Brigham Young, nor any
of the Twelve, nor the first Council, nor the Bishops, nor any other
man living. God has his work to perform, and at the proper time and in
his own way he will fulfill his [p.210] own purposes and build up his
kingdom. He commenced it at his own time, and he called Joseph Smith
and gave him revelation. He told him about the ancient history of the
people of this continent and enabled him to translate it, he gave him
a key to all these things. He could not have done it without any more
than you or I could. He was indebted to God, just as much as you and I
are, and so were his brethren who were with him. Joseph Smith had many
revelations, but who gave them to him, by what spirit and intelligence
were they unfolded and communicated to his mind? God revealed them to
him, he obeyed the behests of Jehovah. When God called him and set him
apart he was obedient, just the same as you and I were. When the
Elders of Israel came forth to preach the everlasting Gospel we obeyed
it and, through obedience, we obtained the Spirit of God, and that
brought us into the position which we occupy at the present time.

Vol. 17,  p.210
And now about the gathering, who understood anything about it? The
ancient Prophets prophesied about it, but what did we know about it,
or what do the world to-day know about it? Nothing, only as it has
been revealed. If God had not revealed it we should have been as
ignorant as the rest of mankind are. And so we should about our
sealings, and the covenants that men and women make with one another,
that the fools around us do not comprehend; they think we are fools,
but we know they are; that is the difference between us. We know they
are ignorant, brutish, foolish and know not God nor his laws, nor the
principles of truth; but we know something about these things, because
God has revealed them to us.

Vol. 17,  p.210
We heard this morning that this was a time in which to build Temples,
and you know that we are now engaged in a work of that kind. Why are
we thus engaged? Is it for our sakes only? God forbid. The Gospel that
we preach is not for ourselves only. We have not preached it these
many years that we might make money by it. I have traveled a great
many thousands of miles to preach this Gospel without purse and
without scrip, and I see many men around and before me who have done
the same thing. Was it for ourselves? No. Was it because it was
pleasant? No, but God had revealed certain principles to us pertaining
to the salvation of the world in which we live; he had committed a
dispensation of the Gospel to us, and it was woe unto us if we
preached not that Gospel, whether we liked it or not. But we did like
it, and we went forth in the name of Israel's God, and God went with
us and sanctioned our testimony by his Spirit, and by the gift of the
Holy Ghost. We could not have done these things or I will acknowledge
that I could not, neither could any of my brethren, unless God had
been with us, we had not sufficient faith and intelligence; but God
imparted his Spirit, his intelligence and the gift of the Holy Ghost
to the Elders of Israel, and they went forth bearing precious seed,
the seed of eternal life, and they came again rejoicing and bringing
their sheaves with them, and here they are gathered into the garner.
What for? For ourselves? No, we are, or ought to be co-workers with
God in the accomplishment of his purposes in relation to the world in
which we live, and people that have lived before us, and those that
shall come after us. The principles which we are in possession of
emanated from God. The Priesthood which God has revealed emanated
[p.211] and originated with the Gods in the eternal worlds; it is the
principle by which they are governed and by which God governs all
things which exist, and we, as the servants of God, acknowledge the
hand of God in all these things. Can I preach, do I have any
intelligence? God imparted it. Can my brethren preach? have they
intelligence? God imparted it. Did Joseph Smith or Brigham Young have
intelligence God imparted at. Have we been delivered at various times,
and has the hand of God been manifested in our behalf? Yes, or we
could not have been here to-day, the powers of darkness would have
prevailed against us, the enemies of Zion would have put their feet
upon our necks, and would have trampled us to the dust of death long
ago. We talk about the intelligence that has been manifested in
connection with this work. Where did it come from? It came from God.
As you heard this morning, God, in answer to the prayers of thousands,
has inspired his servants and has given them intelligence to carry on
his work, and it has been carried on under the influence, guidance and
direction of the Spirit of God. Without that none of us could have
done anything more than the rest of mankind. Who led us? God. Who has
sustained us here? God, and who will continue to sustain us? The
Almighty. These fools who think they can trample under foot the
servants of God, and overthrow the kingdom of God are reckoning
without their host, they are pushing against the buckler of the Great
Jehovah, and they will find that he will put a hook into their nose
and lead them in a path they know not of Israel will rise and shine,
and the power of God will rest upon his people, and the work that he
has commenced will roll forth "until the kingdoms of this world shall
become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and he shall rule for
ever and ever." The purposes of God are not going to be thwarted by
the folly, vanity and ignorance of men; and as we had very little to
do with introducing these things, we have really very little to do
with carrying them on. Somebody was speaking this morning, in
reference to certain men who thought that, if they left the Church,
the work would not go on; that is perfectly ridiculous. There are
certain things that have to be accomplished in the economy of God, and
no man or combination of men can stop them, no influence that he world
can exert can hinder them, for God is at the helm, and he will roll
forth his own work. Hear it, you men of the world, you cannot go
further than God will let you, any more than the Latter-day Saints
can. It is in God's work that we are engaged. There is nothing really
selfish about our operations when we come right down to the bottom of
the work; for we are all engaged with God, and with the spirits of
just men made perfect, and with the Priesthood that have existed
before us, and with the intelligences that surround the throne of God;
with all these intelligences we are united in the grand work of
rolling forth the designs and purposes of God. You do not have the
Latter-day Saints only to fight against, but you have to fight all the
just and good who have lived and died on the earth, and who live
again; and besides these you have to fight with God and his angels and
the intelligencies who surround his throne.

Vol. 17,  p.211
As Latter-day Saints, we are sometimes apt to think that we must look
after ourselves individually. We are a good deal like the man
who,[p.212] when praying, said—"God bless me and my wife, my son John
and his wife, us four and no more, amen." There was no philanthrophy,
benevolence or kind feeling towards the rest of mankind there, and too
many of us feel a good deal in the same way. As Latter-day Saints we
ought to feel—and when we feel right we shall feel—that we are the
representatives of God upon the earth, that we are engaged in building
up his kingdom; that we are living in an age when God designs to
accomplish certain purposes, and we are desirous of co-operating with
him in that labor, and it is our mission to help to save the living,
to redeem the dead and to bring to pass the things spoken of by the
Prophets. This is the position that we occupy, and a great many things
have yet to be introduced before these things can be accomplished.

Vol. 17,  p.212
We are commencing to build Temples, and hence, as I said before, our
dispensation differs from others which have preceded it. It is kind of
a time for settling up accounts. You know when a man goes to work on
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, he keeps account of
what he does, and when Saturday comes it is a kind of settling-up day.
It is so with us, it is so with the world, our day is a kind of
settling-up day. The Elders have been forth and gathered together a
few of the people to whom they have preached; others are gathering,
and now we, at home here, are engaged in building Temples? What for,
for ourselves? Yes. For somebody else? Yes. For our friends who have
lived? Yes. For other people's friends who have lived? Yes, and to
feel after all nations who have lived, for we are interested in the
welfare of all the peoples who have ever existed on this earth, and
like God, we are feeling after them with a fatherly, kind, generous
and philanthropic feeling. That is why we are building our Temples,
that is why men are called upon to labor upon these Temples, for we
desire to enter therein and to officiate and administer for the living
and the dead.

Vol. 17,  p.212
"Well, but it takes a little money." Oh, does it? Never mind, the gold
and the silver are the Lord's, the cattle on a thousand hills are his,
and we shall get a little of his gold and silver, and in using it in
building temples to the name of the Lord we are taken into partnership
with him, we unite with God, and with the angels, and with the spirits
of just men made perfect, with the priesthood that existed anciently
and with the Gods. We all unite together for the accomplishment of
God's purposes, and we will feel after the Inhabitants of the earth.
If people are foolish around us we cannot help that; let them go on
and exhibit their folly, God will take care of us, he is as much
interested about us as we are, and a good deal more, and he is as much
concerned about the rolling forth of this work as we are, and a good
deal more. The ancient Nephites who lived on the earth, those men of
God who, through faith, wrought righteousness, accomplished a good
work and obtained exaltation, are as much interested in the welfare of
their descendants as we are, and a good deal more; and Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob, and those ancient men of God who once lived on the earth,
and who yet live, are as much interested in the accomplishment of
God's purposes as we are, and a good deal more. Well, then, what have
we to do? Why to fulfill the duties devolving upon us as they come
along day by day, and to introduce every principia that is calculated
to save the living sad redeem the dead. We are not [p.213] alone in
these things, others are operating with us, I mean all the men of God
who ever lived, and they are as much interested as we are, and a good
deal more, for they know more, and "they without us cannot be made
perfect" neither can we be perfected without them. We are building
temples for them and for their posterity, and we are going to operate
in these temples, as we have done heretofore, for their welfare and
for the welfare of their posterity. And then they are operating for us
behind the vail with God and the intelligences which surround his
throne; and there is a combination of earthly beings and of heavenly
beings, all under the influence of the same priesthood, which is an
everlasting priesthood, and whose administrations are effective in
time end in eternity. We are all operating together, to bring about
the same things and to accomplish the same purposes.

Vol. 17,  p.213
Well then, what shall we do? We will build the temples. And don't you
think we shall feel a little better while we are doing it? I think we
shall, for while we are so doing we shall have the approbation of God
our Heavenly Father, and of all good men who have ever lived, and we
may need this by and by when we get through this world. These Gentiles
do not need anything of this kind they are all going to heaven anyhow;
but we want to make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness that when
we fail they may receive us into everlasting habitations. I wang
friends behind the vail. I want to be the friend of God and God to be
my friend; I want to help to roll forth the Kingdom of God and to
build up the Zion of the Most High, and I want to see my brethren
engaged in the same work, and we will do it. In the name of Israel's
God we will do it.

Vol. 17,  p.213
We talk about the Order sometimes, well, we will do that too. What,
would you? Yes, to be sure I would, or anything else that God wants of
me. I am on hand, that is my feeling about these things. Well but, is
there not, a good many weaknesses to see? I think there is, don't you
think there is about you? Just examine yourselves and then answer the
question whether you have not a good many weaknesses. I think there
are a great many things among us that we ought to be ashamed of. We
are covetous grasping and grinding; there is not enough human
sympathy, brotherhood and kindly feeling among us. Every man in Zion
ought to feel that in every other he has a brother and a friend, and
not a ravenous character who would grasp everything that he has and
grind him to the dust of the earth. I want liberality, generosity,
kindness and the love of God within us, and flowing around us like
wells of water springing up unto everlasting life. These are the
principles by which we ought to be actuated and governed. Let the
potsherds of the earth strive with the potsherds of the earth, God
will take care of his own affairs and manage them his own way. Zion is
onward, her progress can not and will not be retarded, I will prophesy
it in the name of Israel's God. It is onward, onward, onward, until
the purposes of God shall be accomplished, until the towers of Zion
shall arise, until her temples shall be built, until the living shall
be saved, until the dead shall be redeemed, and until "the knowledge
of God shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea."

Vol. 17,  p.213
Let us, then, cleave to righteousness and truth, lay aside our folly,
vanity and nonsense, our egotism, ignorance and covetousness and
everything that is wicked, sinful, narrow and contracted, and let us
feel that we are servants of God, engaged in [p.214] rolling forth his
kingdom and accomplishing his purposes upon the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.214
May God help us to be faithful, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Orson Pratt, October 7, 1874

God's Ancient People Polygamists—Marriage Relations Are to 
Continue Forever—No Power Binding in Marriage But that 
of the Holy Priesthood Possessed By the Latter-Day Saints

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered at the Semi-Annual 
Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day 
Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Wednesday, October 7, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.214
I have been requested, this afternoon, to preach upon the subject of
marriage. It is a subject which has been often laid before the
Latter-day Saints, and it is certainly one of great importance to the
Saints as well as to the Inhabitants of the earth, for I presume that
no person, who believes in divine revelation, will pretend to say that
marriage is not a divine institution; and if this be the case, it is
one which affects all the human family.

Vol. 17,  p.214
I will select a passage of scripture in relation to this divine
institution as it existed in the days of Moses. In selecting, however,
this passage, I do not wish the congregation to suppose that we are
under the law of Moses particularly. There are many great principles
inculcated in that law which the Lord never did intend to come to an
end or be done away—eternal principles, moral principles, then there
are others that were done away at the coming of our Savior, he having
fulfilled the law. Because we find certain declarations, contained in
the law given to Moses, that does not prove that the Latter-day Saints
are under that law; that same God that gave the law of Moses—the being
that we worship—is just as capable of giving laws in our day as in
Moses' day; and if he sees proper to alter the code given to Moses,
and to give something varying from it, we have no right to say that he
shall not do so. Therefore, in selecting the passage which I am about
to read, it is merely to show what God did in ancient times, and that
he may do something similar in modern times.

Vol. 17,  p.214
In the 21st chapter of Exodus, speaking of a man who already had one
wife, Moses, says—"If he take him another wife, her food, her raiment
and her duty of marriage shall he not diminish." It will be
recollected that this law was given to a polygamic nation. When I
speak of a polygamic nation, I mean a nation that practised both
plural and single [p.215] marriage, and believed one form to be jest
as sacred as the other. Their progenitors or ancestors were
polygamists; and they were considered patterns for all future
generations. Their piety, holiness, purity of heart, their great faith
in God, their communion with him, the great blessings to which they
attained, the visions that were made manifest to them, the
conversation that God himself, as well as his angels, had with them,
entitled them to be called the friends of God, not only in their day,
but they were considered by all future generations to be his friends.
They were not only examples to the Jewish nation, but in their seed,
the seed of these polygamists, all the nations and kingdoms of the
earth were to be blessed.

Vol. 17,  p.215
I hope that pious Christians in this congregation will not find fault
this afternoon with their Bible, and with the Prophets and inspired
men who wrote it. I hope that they will not find fault with God for
selecting polygamists to be his friends. I hope that they will not
find fault with Jesus because he said, some two thousand years or
upwards after the days of these polygamists, that they were in the
kingdom of God, and were not condemned because of polygamy. Jesus
says, speaking of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—"Many shall come from the
east and from the west, from the north and from the south, and shall
sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God." Do not
find fault with Jesus, you Christians, because he has these
polygamists in his kingdom, and because he has said that the Gentiles
will be blessed through the seed of these polygamists; neither find
fault with him because he has taken these polygamists into his
kingdom, and that many will come from the four quarters of the earth
and have the privilege of sitting down with them therein.

Vol. 17,  p.215
Jacob married four wives, and may be considered the founder of that
great nation of polygamists. He set the example before them. His
twelve sons, who were the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel,
were the children of the four wives of the prophet or patriarch Jacob.
So sacred did the Lord hold these polygamists that he said, many
hundred years after their death—"I am the God of Abraham, the God of
Isaac and the God of Jacob, and this shall be my memorial unto all
generations." Now, Christians, do not find fault if God chose these
polygamists and, at the same time, wished to make them a sample, a
memorial to all generations, Christians as well as Jews.

Vol. 17,  p.215
Several hundred years after God raised up these, his friends, and
founded or began to found the twelve tribes of Israel, he saw proper
to raise up a mighty man called Moses to deliver the children of
Israel from the bondage in which they had bees oppressed and afflicted
by the Egyptian nation. So great had this affliction become that the
King of Egypt issued a decree commanding the Israelitish midwives to
put to death all the male children, born among the Israelites. This
murderous law was carried out. This was about eighty years before
Moses was sent down from the land of Midian to deliver the children of
Israel from this cruel bondage. How long this great affliction of
putting to death the male children existed, is not given in the Bible;
but it seems to have waxed worse and worse during the following eighty
years, after which Moses was sent to deliver them. We may reasonably
suppose that the oppressive hand of Pharoah was not altogether eased
up, but continued on for scores of years, destroying many of the male
children, making a great [p.216] surplus of females in that nation. A
great multitude of females over and above that of males, will account
for the peculiar passage of Scripture to which I will now refer you.
It will be found in the 3rd chapter of Numbers. I have not time to
turn to it and read it, but I will quote you the substance thereof.
Moses and Aaron were commanded to number all the males in Israel from
a month old and upward that were called the firstborn among the
various tribes. Now the firstborn does not mean the oldest male child
of the first wife, for sometimes the first wife has no children, but
it means the first born son that is horn to the father whether by the
first wife, or second, or third, or any number of wives that he may
have; the terra firstborn pertains to the first male child that is
horn to the father. So it Was accounted to Jacob's family of twelve
sons. Reuben only was called the firstborn of Israel until he lost his
birthright, through transgression, which, we are told in the 5th
chapter of first Chronicles, was taken from him and given to one of
the sons of Joseph. But so far as age or birth was concerned, Reuben
was the firstborn; and had it not been for his transgression, he would
have inherited a double portion of his father's substance, for that
was the law in ancient times.

Vol. 17,  p.216
Now how many of the firstborn could be found in the midst of Israel?
We are told that there were twenty-two thousand two hundred and
seventy-three firstborn males among the eleven tribes: the tribe of
Levi was not reckoned at that time, but all the male members of the
tribe of Levi, from a month old and upwards was twenty-two thousand
souls. Now if the tribe of Levi numbered in proportion to the other
eleven tribes, the number of firstborn males in all the twelve tribes
would probably amount to between twenty-four and twenty-five thousand
souls, it could not have run over that. There might have been some of
the firstborn who were dead, which would make a few more families:
then there might have been other families who never had any male
children, which would increase the families still more. Supposing
then, in order to give all the advantages possible, and to make as
many families as we possibly can consistently, that we say, instead of
twenty-five thousand firstborn in the midst of all Israel, that there
were thirty thousand; that is allowing for all these contingencies I
have named, where families have no males, and those families that have
male children under a month old which were not reckoned, and those
families which might have had firstborn male children who died and the
number might possibly be increased to four or five thousand more,
making the total number of families about thirty-thousand.

Vol. 17,  p.216
Thus we see that the number of firstborn males from a month old or
upwards give us a clue to the number of families; we may not be able
to determine the number exactly, but these data will enable us to
approximate very closely. It is generally admitted, that Israel, at
that time, numbered twenty-five hundred thousand souls. There might
have been a variation from this of a few thousand souls, but according
to the Scriptural and all other evidences that can be gleaned, the
number above referred to is about the number of souls that existed in
Israel at that time. Among that twenty-five hundred thousand souls
then, there were thirty-thousand families. How many were there in a
family? All that you have to do to tell how many there were in a
family, is to divide twenty-five hundred thousand by [p.217] thirty
thousand and you will find that the quotient is eighty-three, showing
that number of souls on an average in each family. Now if these
families were all monogamic, how many children must have been born to
each wife? Eighty-one.

Vol. 17,  p.217
This argument is founded on Scripture, and it shows plainly, even if
you should double the number of families or of the firstborn, that
they could not be all monogamic families, for if we suppose there were
sixty thousand families, it would make every married woman the mother
of forty odd children, and if such a supposition could be entertained
it would go to show that women in those days were more fruitful than
they are now. These declarations are given in your Bible, which is
also my Bible; that is, in King James' translation. We all believe, or
profess to be Bible believers or Christians. Do not he startled my
hearers at these declarations of your Bible. No wonder then that this
passage which I have taken for my text was given to that people,
because they were a people who needed to be guided in relation to
their duty. "If a man take another wife," that is, after he has got
one, if he take another one, "her food"—whose food? the food of the
first wife;—her raiment," that is the raiment of the first wife, "her
duty of marriage, he shall not diminish." Now this is plain, pointed
and positive language in regard to polygamy as it existed among the
house of Israel in ancient times. Why did not, the Lord say, if
polygamy were a crime or a sin—"If a man take another wife let all the
congregation take him without the camp and stone him and put him to
death?" or if that was too severe let them incarcerate him in a prison
or dungeon for several years? If it be a crime why did he not say so?
It is just as easy to say that, as to give directions as to what
course a man shall pursue with regard to his first wife, if he take
another one.

Vol. 17,  p.217
This is Bible doctrine as it existed in those days. I know that it has
been argued that the first woman, here spoken of, was merely a
betrothed woman, and not married. But if this be so, what a curious
saying this in our text—that her duty of marriage shall he not
diminish if he take another wife. This and other expressions show
clearly that they were both wives, and that there was a certain duty
to be attended to by the husband, besides providing them with food and
raiment. It, was argued here in this tabernacle before some eight or
ten thousand people, on a certain occasion, that the Hebrew word
translated "duty of marriage," ought to have been translated
"dwelling"—"Her food, her raiment and her dwelling he shall not
diminish." I recollect asking the learned gentleman, Rev. Dr. Newman,
why he translated it dwelling, instead of translating it as all other
Hebraists have done? I asked him to produce one passage in all the
Bible where that word translated "duty of marriage," meant a
"dwelling," but he could not do it. The Hebrew word for "dwelling,"
and the Hebrew word for "duty of marriage," are two entirely distinct
words. I referred him to the learned professors in Yale College, and
to many others who have translated this Hebrew word "duty of
marriage." These professors and other earned translators, have
referred to this special passage, and have translated it in two
ways—one is "duty of marriage," and the other is cohabitation. Now, if
this latter be correct—her food, her raiment and her cohabitation,
shall not be diminished. I asked him why he varied [p.218] in his
translation of the Hebrew, from all these translators and
lexicographers? His only answer was that he found a certain Jew in
Washington who told him that it meant "dwelling," or rather that its
original root referred to a "dwelling." I thought that was a very poor
argument against all the translators of the Christian world, who are
mostly monogamists. But we will pass on. I do not intend to dwell too
long on these subjects.

Vol. 17,  p.218
So far as the law of Moses is concerned, to prove that the house of
Israel kept up their polygamous institution from generation to
generation, let me refer you to another law to show that they were
compelled to do this, or else to come out in open rebellion against
the law of Moses. In the 25th chapter of Deuteronomy, we read
something like this—"When brethren dwell together, and one of them
die, the living brother shall take the widow of the deceased brother,
and it shall come to pass that the firstborn that is raised up shall
succeed in the name of his brother." This was a positive command given
to all Israel. Now was this command confined to young men who were
unmarried, or was it an unlimited command so far as living brothers
were in existence? This is a question to be decided. There is nothing
in all the Scriptures that makes any distinction between a married
brother who survives and an unmarried brother; the law was just as
binding upon a living brother, if he had already a wife living, as it
was upon a living brother if he had no wife, it being a universal law,
with no limits in its application, so far as the house was concerned.
This law, then, compelled the children of Israel to be polygamists;
for in many instances the living brother might be a married man, and
in many instances there might be two or three brothers who would take
wives and die without leaving seed, and in that case it would devolve
upon the surviving brother to take all the widows. This law was not
given for that generation alone, but for all future generations. Some
may say, that when Jesus came, he came to do away that law. I doubt
it. He came to do away the law of sacrifices and of burnt offerings,
and many of those ordinances and institutions, rites and ceremonies
which pertained to their tabernacle and temple, because they all
pointed forward to him as the great and last sacrifice. But did he
come to do away all these laws that were given in the five books of
Moses? No. There are many of these laws that were retained under the
Christian dispensation. One of the laws thus retained was repentance.
The children of Israel were commanded to repent, and no person will
pretend to say that Jesus came to do away the law of repentance.
Another was the law of honesty, upright dealing between man and man;
no one will pretend to say that that law ceased when Jesus came. The
laws concerning families and the regulation of the domestic
institutions were not intended to cease when Jesus came, and they did
not cease only as they were disregarded through the wickedness of the
children of men. The laws concerning monogamy, and the laws concerning
polygamy were just as binding after Jesus had come, as they were
before he came. There were some laws which Ezekiel says were not good.
Jesus denounced them, and said they were given because of the hardness
of the hearts of the children of Israel. Ezekiel says that God gave
them statutes and judgments by which they should not live. Why did he
do it? Because of their [p.219] wickedness and hardness of heart. I
will tell you how this law became done away and ceased to exist among
the children of Israel—it was in consequence of their rejection of the
Messiah. In consequence of this their city was overthrown, and their
nation destroyed, except a miserable remnant, which were scattered
abroad among the Gentile nations, where they could not keep the law in
regard to their brothers' widows. When John the Baptist was raised up
to that nation, he must nave found thousands on thousands of
polygamists, who were made so, and obliged to be so, by the law which
I have just quoted.

Vol. 17,  p.219
Some of you may enquire—"Had not a surviving brother the right to
reject that law of God?" He had, if he was willing to place himself
under its penalty. I will quote you the penalty, and then you can see
whether he could get away from polygamy or not. One penalty was that
he should be brought before the Elders and that the widow whom he
refused to marry, according to the law of God, should pluck his shoe
from off his foot, and should then spit in his face, and from that
time forth the house of that man should be denounced as the house of
him that hath his shoe loosed, a reproach among all Israel. Instead of
being a man of God, and a man to be favored by the people of God;
instead of being a man such as the Christian world would now extol to
the heavens because he rejected polygamy, he was a man to be scorned
by all israel. That was the penalty. Was that the only penalty? I
think not. Read along a little further, and it says—"Cursed be he that
continues not in all things written in this book of the law." Oh, what
a dreadful penalty that was, compared with being reproached by the
whole people! Oh, what a fearful curse upon a man that refused to
become a polygamist, and would not attend to the law of God! A curse
pronounced by the Almighty upon him, also the anathemas of all the
people as well as from God! The word of the Lord was that all the
people should say amen to this curse. Now, if I had lived in those
days, I should not have considered it very desirable to bring myself
under the curse of heaven, and then have the curse of all the twelve
tribes of Israel upon my head. I should not have liked it at all. I
would rather have gone into polygamy according to the command, even if
it had subjected me to a term of five years in a penitentiary.

Vol. 17,  p.219
We find many other passages, touching upon this subject. I will quote
one, which will be found in the 21st chapter of Deuteronomy. It reads
as follows: "If a man have two wives, one beloved and another hated,
and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and
if the first-born son be hers that was hated, then it shall be when he
makes his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the
son of the beloved, flrstborn before the son of the hated, which is
indeed the firstborn."

Vol. 17,  p.219
Now this applies to two classes of polygamists. First, to those who
may have two wives living at the same time, and then to those who may
have married two wives in succession. It applies to both classes, for
both classes existed in those days, and the Lord gave this, not to
condemn polygamy, not to do away with it, but to show that the
individual who had two wives should be impartial in regard to his
children. Did he approbate this man that might have two wives in his
hatred of one, and in loving the other? No, he did not, but inasmuch
as man is weak and may sin against God, and [p.220] suffer himself to
be overcome with prejudice and hatred to one person, and feel in his
heart to love and respect another, the Lord gave laws in case any such
crime should exist among them as a husband's hating one wife and
loving another; he gave laws to regulate it, not that he approbated
the hating part.

Vol. 17,  p.220
As I have already proved to you that there were great and valet
numbers of polygamic families in Israel, and that there were thousands
of firstborn from these plural wives, these firstborn persons,
whatever might be the conduct of their mothers, were entitled to their
inheritance, namely a double portion of all that the father had to
bestow. That was the law in ancient times. We might close here so far
as the law of Moses is concerned, but I wish to call your attention to
a peculiar saying in this law.

Vol. 17,  p.220
This law has got to be restored again. Says one—"You astonish me
beyond measure, I thought it was done away for ever." Well, listen to
what the Lord said to Israel in the closing of this book of
Deuteronomy. When the children of Israel shall be scattered in
consequence of their iniquities to the uttermost parts of the earth
among all the nations, and their plagues shall be of long continuance,
and they shall be cursed in their basket and in their store, and with
numerous curses which he mentioned should come upon them; after these
things had been of long continuance, the Lord says—"After they shall
return unto me and hearken unto all the words contained in this book
of the law, then I, the Lord God, will gather them out from all the
nations whither they are scattered, and will bring them back into
their own land." Oh, indeed! Then when they do absolutely return and
hearken to all the words of the book of this law God has promised to
gather them again; that is, they must enter into polygamy, they must
believe when their brother dies and leaves no seed, that the surviving
brother, though he has one, two, or a half a dozen wives living, shall
take that widow. That is part of the law, and they must fulfill all
the words of this law, and then God has promised to gather them again.
Says one, "When that is fulfilled it will be in the days of
Christianity." We can't help it; polygamy belongs to Christianity, as
well as to the law of Moses.

Vol. 17,  p.220
Says one—"The children of Israel have been scattered now some 1800
years among all the nations and kindreds of the earth, in fulfillment
of this curse, but if we believe that saying which you have just
quoted, we are obliged to believe that the children of Israel are yet
to return to attend to all these institutions, and that too while the
Christian religion is in vogue, and that they are to regulate their
households according to the law of God, whether those families are
monogamic or polygamic." What will the good Christians think when that
is fulfilled? They cannot help themselves, for God will not gather
Israel until they do return with all their hearts unto him, and
hearken to and obey all the words of this law, written in this book.
This is the word of the Lord, and how can you help yourselves? Says
one "We will pass laws against them." That will not hinder, when God
sets his hand to carry out his purposes, laws that may be passed by
England, Denmark, Norway or any other Christian community will not
hinder the Israelites from attending to all the words contained in the
book of his law; for they will want to get back again to their own
land.[p.221] 

Vol. 17,  p.221
Inasmuch then as the Lord has promised to restore all things spoken of
by the mouth of all the holy Prophets since the world began, supposing
that ha should begin this great work of restoration in our day, how
are we going to help ourselves? I can't help it. Brigham Young, our
President, can't help it; Joseph Smith could not help it. If God sees
proper to accomplish this great work of restoration—the restitution of
all things, it will include what the Prophet Moses has said, and it
will bring back with it a plurality of wives. The 4th chapter of
Isaiah could never be fulfilled without this restoration. The passage
to which I refer is familiar to all the Latter-day Saints—"In that day
the branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit
of the earth shall be excellent and comely; and in that day seven
women shall take hold of one man, saying, we will eat our own bread
and wear our own apparel, only let us be called by thy name to take
away our reproach." Now will this prophecy ever be fulfilled, unless
this great restoration or restitution shall take place? It cannot. If
this great restitution does not take place, Jesus will never come, for
it is written in the New Testamant, in the 3rd chapter of the Acts of
the apostles, that "the heavens must receive Jesus Christ, until the
times of the restitution of all things which God has spoken by the
mouths of his holy Prophets, since the world began." Jesus will have
to stay a long time in the heavens providing that monogamist
principles are the only principles that will be introduced, in fact he
never can come, for the Scriptures say the heavens must retain him
until all things are restored.

Vol. 17,  p.221
God has said that seven women shall take hold of one man for the
purpose of having their reproach taken away, that they may be called
by his name, not cast off as harlots or prostitutes; not to take away
the name of the father from the children, and east them into the
streets, as the Christain nations have been doing for many long
centuries that are past. But these seven women will be desirous of
having the name of their husband for themselves and their children.
Isaiah says it shall be so, and it will have to be under the Christian
dispensation. How are the Christians going to get rid of this? Can you
devise any way? Is them any possible way or means that you can think
of that will put a stop to the Lord's fulfilling his word? I will tell
you one way—if you will all turn infidels and burn up the Bible, and
then begin to persecute, the devil will tell you that you can
successfully overcome, and that God will never fulfill and accomplish
his word; but if you profess to believe the Bible, by the Bible you
shall be judged, for, edith the Lord, "My words shall judge you at the
last day." The hooks will be opened, God's word will be the standard
by which the nations will be judged; hence if you wish a righteous
judgment I would say—Forbear, do not destroy the Bible because it
advocates polygamy; but remember that every word of God is pure, so it
is declared; and he has nowhere in this book, condemned plural
marriage, even in one instance.

Vol. 17,  p.221
I know that it has been argued that there is a law against polygamy;
but in order to make the law the Scripture had to be altered. It is in
that famous passage which has become a byword in the mouth of every
schoolboy in our streets, Leviticus xviii. ch., 18 v. Now let us
examine for a few moments that passage and see what it says. You will
find that the fore part of this chapter forbids marriage between
certain [p.222] blood relations. Prior to this time it had been lawful
for a man to marry two sisters. Jacob, for instance, married Rachel
and Leah, and there was no law against it prior to this time. It had
also been lawful for a man to marry his own sister, as in the days of
Adam, for you know there were no other ladies on the face of the earth
for the sons of Adam except their own sisters, and they were obliged
to marry them or to live bachelors. But the Lord saw proper when he
brought the children of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness, to
regulate the law of marriage, so far as certain blood relations were
concerned, called the law of consanguinity, which speaks of a great
many relationships, and finally comes to a wife and her sister. This
law was given to regulate the marriage relations of the children of
Israel in the wilderness. It was not to regulate those who lived
before that day who had married sisters; not to regulate those who
might live in the latter days, but to regulate the children of Israel
in that day. It reads thus: "Neither shalt thou take a wife to her
sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness besides the other in her
lifetime."

Vol. 17,  p.222
This passage has been altered by certain monogamists in order to
sustain their ideas of marriage, and we find in some large Bibles what
are called marginal readings that these monogamists have put in, and
instead of taking this in connection with all other blood
relationships, they have altered it—Neither shalt thou take one wife
to another. The men who translated King James' Bible were monogamists,
yet they had sense enough to know that the original Hebrew would not
bear that construction which has been given by later monogamists. The
original Hebrew, when translated word for word, makes it just as King
James' translators have made it. The Hebrew words are—Ve-ishaw
elahotah-lo takkah. These are the original Hebrew words, and if they
are translated literally, word for word, the translation stands just
as it is in the text. But this is not saying but what the words,
El-ahotah, under certain circumstances, are translated in another
form, namely, "one to another," "one sister to another," and I am
willing that it should be translated that way. Then it would
read—"Thou shalt not take one sister to another to vex her in her life
time." So you may take it either way, and it bears out King James'
translation, or the meaning given by him.

Vol. 17,  p.222
I do not profess to be a Hebraist to any very great extent, although I
studied it sufficiently many years ago, to understand its grammatical
construction, and to translate any passage in the Bible; but then,
having lacked practice for many years, of course a person may become a
little rusty in regard to these matters. But I have searched out all
the passages that can be found in the Old Testament, either singular
or plural, masculine or feminine, pertaining to the words contained in
this text, and I find a far greater number rendered according to the
words that are here given, literally, in this text than what are
translated—"one sister to another." But I am willing that this
translation should be allowed.

Vol. 17,  p.222
Now, if we thought the congregation would like to hear the translation
of all this, and the reasons why, we could give it; but I presume that
there are but few Hebrew scholars present, and if the translation were
given, the great majority of the congregation would not understand
whether it was translated correctly or not, and for that reason I
shall not take up your time by referring to [p.223] these
technicalities. But I will make the broad statement, that there is not
a Hebrew scholar living on this earth who can translate that passage
from the words contained in the original Hebrew, without adding words
of his own, not contained in the original text, if he translates it,
as Dr. Newman did,—"one wife to another." If the first word—Ve ishaw
means one, as he would try to have us understand, it does not mean
wife also: but if it means wife, it cannot be translated as he has it,
and therefore it cannot bear out that construction. But I see that I
am dwelling too long on the subject of the law of Moses.

Vol. 17,  p.223
Now I wish to come directly to the point in regard to polygamy as it
exists at the present time among the Latter-day Saints. I stated in
the beginning of my remarks, that polygamy, or any other institution
that was given at one age, might not be binding upon another, without
a fresh revelation from God. I made that, statement when I was
discussing that subject in this house. I still say, that we are not
under the necessity of practicing polygamy because God gave laws and
commandments for its observance and regulation in ancient times. Why
then do the Latter-day Saints practice polygamy? That is a plain
question. I will answer it just as plainly. It is because we believe,
with all the sincerity of our hearts, as has been stated by former
speakers from this stand, that the Lord God who gave revelations to
Moses approbating polygamy, has given revelations to the Latter-day
Saints, not only approbating it, but commanding it, as he commanded
Israel in ancient times.

Vol. 17,  p.223
Now let us reason on this point. If God did do such things in former
ages of the world, why not the same Being, if he sees proper, perform
the same or similar things in another age of the world? Can any one
answer this? If God saw proper to give certain laws in ancient times,
and then to revoke them; or if he saw proper to give laws that were
not revoked, but done away by the transgressions of the children of
men, has he not a right, and is it not just as consistent for that
same Divine Being to give laws, for instance, in the 19th century,
concerning our domestic relations, as it was for him to do it in the
days of Moses? And if he has that right, as we Latter-day Saints
believe that he has, are not the people's consciences just as sacred
in regard to such laws in these days, as the consciences of ancient
Israel? or must there be some power to regulate our religious
consciences? Here is a grand question. Shall our religious consciences
be regulated by civil government or civil laws, or shall we have the
privilege of regulating them according to the divine law of the Bible,
or any divine law that may be given in accordance with the ancient
Bible? I answer that, when I was a boy, I thought I lived in a country
in which I could believe in anything that agreed with, or that could
be proved by the Bible, whether it was in the law of Moses or in the
doctrines of the New Testament. I really thought the Jews had a right
to reject Christ, or, in other words, if they had not the right to do
it morally, they had the right, so far as civil law is concerned, to
reject this Messiah, and to believe in and practice the law of Moses
in our land; but I am told, that such liberty of conscience is not to
be tolerated in our Republican government. If the Jews should collect
in any great numbers, and should say one to another—"Come brethren, we
are the descendants of Abraham, let us now begin to practice according
to the laws that were [p.224] given to our ancient fathers, and if a
brother dies and leaves a widow, but no children, let his living
brother, though a married man, marry the widow, according to our law,"
it is doubtful whether they would be permitted to associate together
and practice those laws now, if they were so disposed. Why? Because
the prejudice of the people is so great that they are not willing
others should believe, in the whole Bible, but only in such portions
as agree with their ideas. If we were instituting a practice that the
Lord God never approbated, but for the punishment of which he had
prescribed penalties, or if we were introducing something foreign and
contrary to the Bible, then there would be some excuse for the people
in saying that such a thing should not be practiced in the name of
religion. But when we take the Bible as a standard in relation to
crime, it is altogether another thing; and I do think that every
American citizen who professes to believe in any part or portion of
that sacred record, on which all the laws of Christendom pretend to be
founded, has the right to do so, and to practice it, and that, too,
without being molested.

 Vol. 17,  p.224
Now, after having said so much in relation to the reason why we
practice polygamy, I want to say a few words in regard to the
revelation on polygamy. God has told us Latter-day Saints that we
shall be condemned if we do not enter into that principle; and yet I
have heard now and then (I am very glad to say that only a low such
instances have come under my notice,) a brother or a sister say, "I am
a Latter-day Saint, but I do not believe in polygamy." Oh, what an
absurd expression! what an absurd idea! A person might as well say, "I
am a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, but I do not believe in him."
One is just as consistent as the other. Or a person might as well say,
"I believe in Mormonism, and in the revelations given through Joseph
Smith, but I am not a polygamist, and do not believe in polygamy,"
What an absurdity! If one portion of the doctrines of the Church is
true, the whole of them are true. If the doctrine of polygamy, as
revealed to the Latter-day Saints, is not true, I would not give a fig
for all your other revelations that came through Joseph Smith the
Prophet; I would renounce the whole of them, because it is utterly
impossible, according to the revelations that are contained in these
books, to believe a part of them to be divine—from God—and part of
them to be from the devil; that is foolishness in the extreme; it is
an absurdity that exists because of the ignorance of some people. I
have been astonished at it. I did hope there was more intelligence
among the Latter-day Saints, and a greater understanding of principle
than to suppose that any one can be a member of this Church in good
standing, and yet reject polygamy. The Lord has said, that those who
reject this principle reject their salvation, they shall be damned,
saith the Lord; those to whom I reveal this law and they do not
receive it, shall be damned. Now here comes in our consciences. We
have either to renounce Mormonism, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Book
of Covenants, and the whole system of things as taught by the
Latter-day Saints, and say that God has not raised up a Church, has
not raised up a prophet, has not begun to restore all things as he
promised, we are obliged to do this, or else to say, with all our
hearts, "Yes, we are polygamists, we believe in the principle, and we
are willing to practice it, [p.225] because God has spoken from the
heavens."

Vol. 17,  p.225
Now I want to prophecy a little. It is not very often that I prophecy,
though I was commanded to do so, when I was a boy. I want to prophecy
that all men and women who oppose the revelation which God has given
in relation to polygamy will find themselves in darkness; the Spirit
of God will withdraw from them from the very moment of their
opposition to that principle, until they will finally go down to hell
and be damned, if they do not repent. That is just as true as it is
that all the nations and kingdoms of the earth, when they hear this
Gospel which God has restored in these last days, will be damned if
they do not receive it; for the Lord has said so. One is just as true
as the other. I will quote this latter saying, as recorded in the Book
of Covenants. The Lord said to the Elders of this Church, in the very
commencement as it were, "Go ye forth and preach the Gospel to every
creature, and as I said unto mine ancient Apostles, even so I say unto
you, that every soul who believes in your words, and will repent of
his sins and be baptized in water shall receive a remission of his
sins, and shall be filled with the Holy Ghost; and every soul in all
the world who will not believe in your words, neither repent of his
sins, shall be damned; and this revelation or commandment is in force
from this very hour, upon all the world," as fast as they hear it.
That is what the Lord has said. Just so, in regard to polygamy, or any
other great principle which the Lord oar God reveals to the
inhabitants of the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.225
Now, if you want to get into darkness, brethren and sisters, begin to
oppose this revelation. Sisters, you begin to say before your
husbands, or husbands you begin to say before your wives, "I do not
believe in the principle of polygamy, and I intend to instruct my
children against it." Oppose it in this way, and teach your children
to do the same, and if you do not become as dark as midnight there is
no truth in Mormonism. I am taking up too much time. I would like to
dwell on another more pleasing part of this subject, if there were
time. (President G. A. Smith—"There is plenty of time, brother
Pratt.")

Vol. 17,  p.225
I will go on and tell the people why polygamy was instituted in this
dispensation. So far as a future state is concerned, God has revealed
to us that marriage as instituted by him, is to benefit the people,
not in this world only, but to all eternity. That is what the Lord has
revealed. Do not misunderstand me; do not suppose that I mean, that
marriage and giving in marriage are to be performed after the
resurrection; I have not stated any such thing, and there will be no
such thing after the resurrection. Marriage is an ordinance pertaining
to this mortal life—to this world—this probation, just the same as
baptism and the laying on of hands; it reaches forth into eternity,
and has a bearing upon our future state; so does baptism; so does the
ordinance of the laying on of hands; so does every ordinance which the
Lord our God has revealed to us. If we attend to these things here in
this life, they secure something beyond this life—for eternity. They
neither baptize, nor receive baptism, after the resurrection. Why?
Because neither was intended to be administered after the
resurrection. After the resurrection they neither marry nor are given
in marriage. Why? Because this is the world where these ceremonies are
to be attended to. That which is secured here, will be [p.226] secured
hereafter, if it be secured upon the principles of law which God has
revealed. Marriage, then for eternity, is the great principle of
marriage with the Latter-day Saints; and yet, I am sorry to say, that
there are some of our young people who will suffer themselves to be
married by the civil law; not for eternity, but just like the old
Gentile custom—the way our forefathers were married. A justice of the
peace, a judge, or some one having the right by the civil laws, will
pronounce them husband and wife for a short space, called time;
perhaps to last only about three score years, and then it is all over
with the marriage contract; it is run out; they are husband and wife
until death shall separate them, and then they are fully divorced. We
do not believe in any such nonsense; it is one of the ideas of the
Gentile world in regard to marriage.

Vol. 17,  p.226
The first great marriage celebrated in this world of ours—that of our
first parents—is a sample of marriage that should be introduced and
practiced by and among all generations and nations, so far as the
eternity of its duration is concerned. Our first parents were immortal
beings; they knew nothing about death; it was a word that had never
been spoken in their ears. The forbidden fruit had never been laid
before them; no law in respect to that was yet given. But Eve was
brought to our father Adam as an immortal woman, whose body could not
die to all ages of eternity; she was given to an immortal husband,
whose body could not die to all future periods of duration, unless
they brought death upon themselves. Sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; death is one of the consequences of sin; and they
brought it upon themselves. But before that, they were married—the
immortal Adam had the immortal Eve given to him.

Vol. 17,  p.226
Now if it had been possible for them to have resisted that temptation,
they would have been living now, just as fresh, and as full of vigor,
life and animation, after six thousand years, as they were on the
morning in which this ceremony of marriage took place; and if you
should reflect upon millions and millions of ages in the future, they
would still be considered husband and wife, while eternity should
last. You could not set a time—you could not point your finger at a
moment or hour, when they would be separated, and the union be
dissolved.

Vol. 17,  p.226
That is the kind of marriage that we Latter-day Saints believe in; and
yet some of our young people, professing to be members of the Church,
and who say they wish to keep the commandments of God, go and get
married by a justice of the peace, or some person authorized to
perform that ceremony by the civil law. Ask parties who are guilty of
such folly, why they were married by these officers of the law until
death should part them? and they will say, "We did it inconsiderately,
and without reflection," or perhaps they will say that their parents
did not teach them on that point. Do you not know that such marriages
are not sealed by him that is appointed by divine authority? that they
are not of God and are illegal in his sight, and your children are
illegitimate in the sight of God? If you expect to have any benefits
in eternity arising from your children, they must be yours legally,
according to divine appointment, under a divine marriage. "What God
has joined together let not man put asunder." But what has God to do
with it, when a magistrate, who, perhaps, is an infidel, and does not
believe in a God at all, says to a man [p.227] and woman, "Join your
hands together," and then, when they have done so, he says, "I
pronounce you husband and wife?" What has God to do with such a
marriage as that? Has God joined them together? No, a civil magistrate
has done it; and it is legal so far as the laws of the country are
concerned, and the children are legal and heirs to their parents
property so far as the civil law is concerned, but what has God to do
with it? Has he joined them together? No, and the marriage is illegal,
and, in the sight of heaven, the children springing from such a
marriage are bastards.

Vol. 17,  p.227
How are we going to legalize these matters? There are many who are
very sorry for the Latter-day Saints; so sorry that they would favor
the passing of a law which would legalize all the children who have
been born in polygamy, and thus prevent them from being what they
consider bastards. Now we are just as anxious, on the other hand, to
get all our fathers and mothers, who have been married by these
Gentile institutions, joined together by divine authority, in order
that they may become legal in the sight of God. We do not want their
children to be bastardized; and hence, we get them adopted, or we
shall do so when the Temple is built; I mean all those who have been
born of parents that have never been joined together of the Lord or by
his authority. All such children, as well as men and women, married
only by the civil law, have got to have ordinances performed for them
in the Temple. The men and women will have to be legally married
there; and the children born before their parents were thus legally
married, will have to pass through ordinances in order that they may
become the legal sons and daughters of their parents; they will have
to be adopted according to the law of God. You young men and women,
who are married in a manner that the Lord does not authorize or own,
put yourselves to a great deal of trouble, because you will have a
great deal of work to do hereafter in temples in order to get things
legalized. How much better it would be for you to come to those whom
God has appointed, and have your marriages solemnized as immortal
beings, who have to live to all eternity.

Vol. 17,  p.227
It is true that we have all to die by and by, and we shall be
separated for a little season; but this separation is a good deal like
a man's leaving his family to go on a mission: he returns after a
while to his wives and children, and he has not lost the one nor has
he been divorced from the other, because they have been separated. And
if death separates, for a little season, those who are married
according to God's law, they expect to return, to each other's
embraces by virtue of their former union; for it is as eternal as God
himself.

Vol. 17,  p.227
"Do you mean to say," says one, "that people in the immortal state,
will be united in the capacity of husbands and wives, with their
children around them?" Yes, we do believe that all persons who have
these blessings sealed upon them here, by the authority of the Most
High, will find that they reach forward into the eternal world, and
they can hold fast to that which God has placed upon them. "Whatsoever
you seal on earth," said the Lord to the ancient Apostles, "shall be
sealed in the heavens." What could be of more importance than the
relationship of families—the solemn and sacred relationship of
marriage? Nothing that we can conceive of. It affects us here and if;
affects us hereafter in the eternal world; therefore, if we can have
these blessings pronounced upon us [p.228] by divine authority and we,
when we wake up in the morning of the first resurrection, find that we
are not under the necessity of either marrying or giving in marriage,
having attended to our duty beforehand, how happy we shall be to
gather our wives and our children around us! How happy old Jacob will
be, for instance, when in the resurrection, if he has not, already
been raised—a great many Saints were raised when Jesus arose and
appeared to many—if Jacob did not rise then, and his four wives, and
his children, how happy he will be, when he does come forth from the
grave, to embrace his family, and to rejoice with them in a fulness of
joy, knowing that, by virtue of that which was sealed upon him here in
time, be will reign upon the earth! Will it not be a glorious thing,
when that polygamist, by virtue of promises made to him here, comes
forth to reign as king and priest over his seed upon the earth? I
think that in those days polygamy will not be hated as it is now. I
think that all things that have been prophesied by the ancient
prophets will be fulfilled, and that Jacob will get, his wives, by
virtue of the covenant of marriage; and that he will have them here on
the earth, and he will dwell with them here a thousand years, in spite
of all the laws that may be passed to the contrary. And they will be
immortal personages, full of glory and happiness. And Jesus will also
be here, and the Twelve Apostles will also sit on the twelve thrones
here on the earth, judging the twelve tribes of Israel; and during a
whole thousand years, they will eat and drink at the table of the
Lord, according to the promise that was made to them.

Vol. 17,  p.228
Old Father Abraham will come up with his several wives, namely Sarah,
Hagar and Keturah and some others mentioned in Genesis; and besides
these all the holy prophets will be here on the earth. I do not think
there will be any legislation against polygamy.

Vol. 17,  p.228
By and by they will build a polygamous city, and it will have twelve
gates, and in order to place as much honor upon these gates as
possible, they will name them after the twelve polygamist children
that were born to the tour polygamous wives of Jacob; and these good
old polygamists will he assembled together in this beautiful city, the
most beautiful that ever had place on the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.228
By and by some Christian will come along, and he will look at these
gates and admire their beauty, for each gate is to be constructed of
one immense splendid pearl. The gates are closed fast and very high,
and while admiring their beauty he observes the inscriptions upon
them. Being a Christian he of course expects to enter, but looking at
the gates, he finds the name of Reuben inscribed on one of them. Says
he—"Reuben was a polygamous child; I will go on to the next, and see
if there is the name of a monogamous child anywhere." He accordingly
visits all the twelve gates, three on each side of the city, and finds
inscribed on each gate the name of a polygamous child, and this
because it is the greatest honor that could be conferred on their
father Jacob, who is in their midst, for he is to sit down with all
the honest and upright in heart who come from all nations to partake
of the blessings of that kingdom.

Vol. 17,  p.228
"But," says this Christian, "I really do not like this; I see this is
a polygamous city. I wonder if there is not some other place for me! I
do not like the company of polygamists. They were hated very badly
back yonder. Congress hated them, [p.229] the President hated them,
the cabinet hated them, the Priests hated them, and everybody hated
them, and I engendered the same hatred, and I have not got rid of it
yet. I wonder if there is not some other place for me?" Oh yes, there
is another place for you. Without the gates of the city there are
dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, adulterers and whosoever loveth and
maketh a lie. Now take your choice, Amen.

George Q. Cannon, October 8, 1874

Seek Fort Perfection—Reign of Righteousness—
Live in Union—the United Order

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon. Delivered at the Semi-Annual 
Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in 
the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Thursday 
Afternoon October 8, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.229
Six weeks ago yesterday I left this city to visit the settlements
throughout the southern portion of our Territory. My trip has been one
of the most interesting and pleasant I ever undertook, and I have
rejoiced exceedingly in the opportunity which I have had of meeting
with the people in that section of country. There is a great anxiety
in many places and with many people to know what the condition of
affairs is in that region. I can say that I never saw our people
feeling better as a general thing, and more willing to do that which
is required of them than at the present time. There was great anxiety
among them to be instructed, and the meetings in every instance were
crowded, the people turning out with great alacrity, and expressing
regret that we could not stay longer. Brother Erastus Snow and brother
Musser and myself attended most of the meetings. Part of the time in
visiting the western settlements I was alone. The anxiety of the
people seems to be to know what to do and to be instructed in the best
manner of doing that which God requires at their hands; and this is
the spirit which, as Latter-day Saints, we should entertain and
cherish. God has called us to be a peculiar people; he has raised up
Prophets, has organized his Church, has placed within it those
callings and offices and gifts and qualifications and blessings which
characterized the Church in ancient days, and he has condescended in
his mercy and goodness to reveal himself unto the children of men, to
teach them, counsel them and inspire them so that they may be
instruments in his hands in building up his kingdom, and laying the
foundation of that work of which the Prophets have spoken,[p.230] and
which we are told shall stand for ever. We as a people, with the views
which we entertain, should not make up our minds to live in accordance
with the methods of life, the modes of doing business, and the habits
and the traditions of our forefathers, who have lived in ignorance of
these principles and of this spirit of revelation—for we are required,
in obeying this Gospel, to hold ourselves in a position to receive the
word of God, to be counselled, to be directed, to be guided by that
word in all our transactions, in the doctrines which we believe, in
the habits of life which we adopt and in all our practices and labors.
This is one of the first lessons which is impressed upon us in
starting out in obedience to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
very first teachings we received impressed upon our minds the
necessity of forsaking these errors and false traditions which we have
received from our fathers—errors in doctrine, false traditions
concerning God, concerning his kingdom, and concerning the plan of
salvation which he has revealed; and if we have profited by that first
lesson we have been continually progressing, learning new truths, new
to us, acquiring knowledge concerning ourselves, concerning the work
with which we are connected, concerning the earth and the inhabitants
thereof, and we have been unlearning and forsaking the errors and the
faults of our forefathers and of the world from which we have been
gathered.

Vol. 17,  p.230
The prayer which Jesus taught his disciples to ask the Father that his
kingdom might come, and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven,
will be fulfilled by means of this work with which we are identified.
The foundation of that kingdom has already been laid. And the aim of
every true Latter-day Saint, from the day that he or she joined this
Church until to-day, has been to approximate to that life which we are
told is led by those who are exalted through keeping the commandments
of God—to do the will of God on earth as it is done in heaven; for as
the Apostle John says—"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every
man that hath this hope within him purifieth himself even as he is
pure." So with the Latter-day Saints, they have. a hope of salvation
within them, they desire to keep the commandments of God, and they
have been seeking, from the beginning until to-day, to purify
themselves, to live a heavenly life, and to reduce to practice in
their daily walk and conversation, those precepts and laws, obedience
to which would prepare them to dwell eternally with God in the
heavens.

Vol. 17,  p.230
There is a characteristic about the faith of the Latter-day Saints, in
which they perhaps differ from most of the professed followers of
Jesus Christ—they do not believe that God expects or desires them to
put off acquiring these perfections, powers, gifts and graces which
belong to the heavenly world until they reach "that world; but they
believe that God has placed them here in a state of probation, and
that be has hid himself only to a certain extent from them; that he
has drawn a veil of darkness between himself and his children on the
earth for the purpose of trying their faith, of developing their
knowledge and testing their integrity, so theft those who will feel
after him in faith, persevering in the midst of ignorance, darkness,
doubt, confusion and the temptations of Satan, and all the evils with
which [p.231] we come in contact in this state of being may receive
his blessings and the gifts, graces and favors which he bestows upon
his most favored children. Hence, the Latter-day Saints believe in
doing everything here that will help to prepare them for life eternal
in his presence. They look upon this world as a place where they
should attend to these things. By baptism? Yes. By having hands laid
upon them? Yes. Have the gifts of the Holy Ghost? Certainly, have them
here as well as hereafter; have them here to a partial extent to
prepare them for the life that is to come. Have the voice of God here?
Yes, why should we not know God's will here? Why should we be closed
out entirely from all knowledge of God here, and yet believe that as
soon as we die we are ushered into the fulness of his glory. Receive
these blessings here? Yes, every blessing that is necessary. Be
perfect here? Yes, it is man's privilege, the Latter-day Saints
believe, to be as perfect in his sphere as God our eternal Father is
in his sphere, or as Jesus in his sphere, or as the angels in their
spheres. Said Jesus to his disciples—"Be ye perfect, even as your
Father in heaven is perfect." Perfection, then, is to a certain extent
possible on earth for those who will live, lives that are agreeable to
the mind and will of God.

Vol. 17,  p.231
Now as fast as the Latter-day Saints can comprehend the life that God,
his angels and those who are made perfect in his presence lead, they
should be willing, and I believe that the most of them are willing, to
copy after that life in this state as quickly as possible. "Well but,"
says one, "how useless it is for frail, fallible, mortal beings to
attempt to live lives of perfection like the angels and those who are
just and perfect in the presence of God!" I know that if we are to
judge of men naturally, as we see them in the midst of their sins,
breaking the commandments of God, trampling upon his holy ordinances,
disregarding his requirements, we should say it is useless; and it is
not only useless but it is impossible for men ever to reach that
perfection of which we speak. But I am encouraged in my hopes that
perfection, to a certain extent at least, is possible even in this
mortal life, by witnessing the results in the midst of a people who
are striving after it. I know that the efforts of this people in this
direction, though not always crowned with the success that we have
desired, yet there has been abundant cause for rejoicing and
thanksgiving in the progress which we have made. We have attained unto
a degree of union and love that approximates to some extent to that
union and love which we believe exist in the eternal worlds. We have
not yet reached, probably, that point when we can love our neighbor as
we do ourselves; but still, if we strive for and keep that object in
view, and endeavor to reach that perfection, undoubtedly we shall
overcome our selfishness, and all those feelings which seem to be a
part of fallen human nature, sufficiently to carry out that command of
God.

Vol. 17,  p.231
If we could get a glimpse of heaven, that heaven to which we are
hastening, or to which we hope we are hastening, have you any idea
that there would be any conflict of interests among the inhabitants of
that blissful abode? Do you imagine that we should see one arrayed
against another, that there would be clashing and struggling, each one
scrambling to get the advantage of his neighbor, and to acquire
influence and power, and the blessings that belong to that abode more
and greater than his neighbor? That is not the [p.232] idea that we
have formed of heaven; we have not entertained such views, but we
imagine When we get there that God will be the possessor—he is the
possessor—of all things that are comprehended within that sphere of
existence, that the thrones, the principalities; powers and crowns,
and even the very garments that the exalted wear belong to God, and
that he will give them to us, that we shall possess them, subject, of
course, to his law and to those regulations which he will enact, or
which he has already enacted. I do not suppose there was a Christian
that ever lived, I do not suppose there was a heathen that ever lived
who expected that, when he got to the next world, to the place of
bliss which he anticipated in his faith while here, he would live in
anything like the condition he occupied here. Converse with the
Christians about the next world, and they will all say that they do
not expect, to have anything; that they are redeemed by the precious
blood of the Lamb, and that all the glory and honor of their salvation
they ascribed unto God and the Lamb; that they will be content with
anything he chooses to give them when they reach there, they would be
content to be door-keepers or to occupy the lowest position if they
could only be permitted to dwell in the presence of God. And the
heathen who believe in a future state of existence, and this belief is
universal among them, (I believe it was Bancroft who said that atheism
is the sin or crime of civilization, and not of heathendom or of
natural men,) the heathen universally believe in a future state of
existence, and they picture to themselves a condition such as I have
described, of course varying according to their faith and their views
of this life, thinking that they will have circumstances similar in
that life which is to come, with this difference only, that they will
be more perfect and will be delivered from the evils to which they are
subjected here as mortal beings.

Vol. 17,  p.232
If then, my brethren and sisters, we are striving to live in
accordance with that life to which we are hastening, we, by a little
reflection, can see how much there is for us to do in order to prepare
ourselves for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the first
teachings or revelations that was given to this church after its
organigation, was to the effect that we should dwell together as one
family: that there should be an identity of interests among us; that
we should approximate to some extent at least, and as far as
practicable to that identy of interest which we understood, by the
revelations of Jesus Christ, to exist in the eternal worlds. This
revelation is one of the earliest given to this people, and its
practice was entered upon in early days. We have been told by those
who are old enough to know, and who had experience at that time, that
to the disobedience or failure of the people in carrying out this
revelation was dec the expulsion of the Latter-day. Saints from
Jackson county in the State of Missouri; and that, afterward, the same
causes operated to produce the results which the people experienced at
that time, God suffering the enemies of his kingdom and people to have
power over them because of their disobedience to respond to the call
which he made upon, and to the commandments which he gave unto, them.

Vol. 17,  p.232
This is one of the traditions that has come down to us of a younger
generation, from the fathers of this Church. It has been taught to us
and impressed upon us for years, probably upon many of since we knew
anything of this work, until [p.233] the belief is fastened upon the
hearts, consciences and feelings of the great bulk of the Latter-day
Saints, and that at some time or other, in the future of this Church
that doctrine would be again taught, and the requirements embodied in
that revelation would be again made upon us as a people; in fact the
teachings I have received have been that until we did obey that the
privilege of going back and building up the centre stake of Zion and
redeeming that land which God first gave unto his people as an
inheritance, in the State of Missouri, would not be granted unto us,
and that until we did obey it we should be pilgrims and wanderers, and
should not have the privilege of going back and laying the foundation
of the centre stake of Zion and of that great Temple which God has
said shall be reared in this generation. So that for years, speaking
of my own feelings, I have awaited, I will not say with anxiety, but,
with great desire, the time when this people would have sufficient
faith, and when the circumstances should be so favorable that God
should command us to enter upon the practice of that principle, or to
enter into that order which he commanded us in the beginning to obey.

Vol. 17,  p.233
Every time I have traveled among the nations of the earth, I have
thanked God that he had provided a panacea for the evils which I saw
everywhere around me. When I saw the rich revelling in luxury,
crowding upon the poor, crushing out their lives, the poor living in
squalor and misery, their lives a burden to them, not having, in many
instances, enough food to eat, or raiment to wear, or a shelter, and
when winter approached dreading it with feelings indescribable. In
society in the world there is a large class of people having more
means than they can spend for their comfort and convenience. They have
the finest houses, abundance of food, every convenience, troops of
servants to wait upon them to do their bidding, and have all the
wealth they can desire, every luxury they can conceive of. At the same
time there are living in the same community thousands of poor
creatures destitute of the necessaries of life. My heart has been
pained within me in visiting the large cities of Europe, at seeing
women degraded like beasts of the field, and their lives continual
burdens to them, their existence almost joyless. It has been a wonder
to me how people could keep from committing suicide in the midst off
the want that was everywhere apparent. I have thought, how can God
bear with this people, and the cries of the poor ascending to him
continually; and, as I have said, I have thanked God in my heart that
he had provided a means of deliverance from such evils for his people.

Vol. 17,  p.233
There is an expression used in the prophets, which I have often
thought of, about the rich grinding the faces of the poor. It is a
most forcible and significant metaphor. The tyrrany and oppression
that are practiced upon the poor are terrible. In many places their
faces are literally ground by those who rule over them. Yet there are
philanthropic men and women, rich people who do not take comfort in
their riches because of the existence of this misery on every hand of
which I have spoken, and they form benevolent societies of every name
and nature in order to relieve the wants of the suffering poor, and
yet with all their efforts the suffering is not lessened to any
measurable extent. The people live and toil and die in the most
squaled misery by thousands in all the large cities of thickly
populated countries. I have also, in conversation at various [p.234]
times and under circumstances, been told by those with whom I have
conversed and who have taken some interest in the work with which we
are identified, that so long as we were a primitive people and were
simple in our habits, so long as we did not have a great deal of
wealth in our midst we should probably continue to prosper and
increase and bring forth and manifest in our lives the virtues which I
described as having an existence among us. Men have told me—"O yes,
Mr. Cannon, the picture you draw of the manner of life of your people
is very delightful; it is delightful to find a people exhibiting such
qualities as you describe as existing among, or possessed by, your
people; but you are a new people, a new sect or denomination; but wait
awhile, wait until you have grown in wealth, importance, numbers and
power, and then we shall see whether your system possesses elements
superior to the systems with wkich we are acquainted and which have
preceded yours." Men who have reflected, who have read and made
themselves acquainted with the histories of other peoples, know full
well that when once wealth increases in the midst of a people, when
class distinctions make their appearance, when education is promoted
and aspired after by certain classes which other classes cannot reach;
when refinement, the refinement of education and culture, has its
effects, creating distinctions among a people who originally were
primitive, and luxurious habits come in to foster these differences,
then the strength of former communities has disappeared, and nations
which have been noted as possessing the strength and the union of
iron, have fallen into decay and have lost their power and have been
broken into fragments and have eventually disappeared. Judging us by
the light of this kind of experience many have made predictions which
you have probably seen in the papers thousands of times, that there
were causes operating in the midst of the Mormon community that would
work out its disintegration and eventually bring about its utter
overthrow and downfall, or at least bring about an assimilation
between it and the systems by which it was surrounded.

Vol. 17,  p.234
There is one thing, however, that is not taken into account in
measuring us, and that is that God has laid the foundation of this
work. Men do not recognize that, but they recognize other causes and
other influences that are apparent to them and with which they are
familiar. We have consoled ourselves, in listening to these
predictions, with the reflection that we are the people of God, that
God has made promises unto this people, that he has said that this
work shall stand forever, and shall not be given into the hands of
another people. These predictions, therefore, have not had any
discouraging effect upon us. But, with all our confidence, we must not
lose sight of the fact, that God works by means. If we are to
withstand the encroachments of the evil one we must, on our part, do
that which will fortify us against his encroachments, we must take
steps to render us impregnable to his assaults. We are not the first
people to engage in such a work as this. Others have made repeated
attempts to establish the kingdom of God on the earth. One by one the
prophets fell, one by one they became victims to the power of the evil
one and to the assaults of the wicked. The Son of God himself fell a
martyr to this fell spirit; his apostles one by one, although they
endeavored in their day and generation to establish this order of
[p.235] Enoch to which I have referred, also fell martys to the same
spirit of persecution, until the inhabitants of the earth had, either
slain or driven off every apostle, and not a man was left to stand up
in the midst of the people to say—"Thus saith the Lord," having the
authority and power of the apostleship and of the holy priesthood from
God to admininister in the things of God and to communicate the mind
and will of God unto the people.

Vol. 17,  p.235
What followed? A reign of night, darkness and confusion covered the
face of the whole earth. There was no heavenly voice to disturb the
solemn stillness that ensued. Every man of God who aspired to
revelation had been killed or swept from among men, and then, and not
till then was the vengeance of the adversary satiated; but as long as
there was a holy man, who aspired to the distinction, or to the honor
or blessing of knowing God's will so long there were those arrayed
against him who scrupled not to shed his blood, and were not satisfied
until that blood was spilled.

Vol. 17,  p.235
You trace the various dispensations down from the days of Adam until
the days of these apostles of which I have spoken, and see how
short-lived were the attempts to establish a reign of righteousness.
If we turn to the Book of Mormon, which gives an account of God's
dealings on this land, we shall find that while the circumstances
which surrounded the Jaredites and the Nephites were more favorable
than those which surrounded the people of Asia, yet the same causes
operated on this land, and after Jesus came and the wicked had been
swept off by the judgments of God, and none were left but those who
were righteous or partly so at least, that then they sought to
establish this holy order among them and were successful, it
continuing in their midst until the year two hundred and one after the
birth of Jesus. And we are told that during that time all the
generations that lived passed away in righteousness before the Lord.
The circumstances were undoubtedly favorable for the establishment of
an holy order among that people, because, as I have said, the
judgments of God had visited the land, and the wicked had been swept
off; but no sooner did they begin again to divide, each one seeking
after his own affairs to the exclusion of the general affairs of the
people than they began again to fall into sin and transgression, and
the result was that they were punished of God, and the Nephites were
eventually blotted out; but we are informed that one hundred and
sixty-seven years, terminating in the year 201 of the Christian era,
were passed in perfect peace and righteousness. It was almost
millennial righteousness. Satan was bound almost as much during that
one hundred and sixty-seven years in his operations among the
Nephites, if we may judge by the short record which has come to us, as
if he did not have an existence, or as he will be during the thousand
years' reign of peace, that is so far as leading away the hearts of
the people to commit sin is concerned.

Vol. 17,  p.235
I have alluded to these various attempts on the part of holy men to
establish truth and righteousness on the earth. We have seen that they
have only been partially successful; they did not succeed in
overcoming sufficiently to entirely bind Satan and to banish from the
earth the evils of which he is the cause; but we are told that in the
last days God will establish his kingdom Brother Penrose described,
this morning, in the close of his remarks, some of the [p.236] results
which should follow. He said that the lamb and the wolf should lie
down together, and the bear and the cow should feed together, and
there should be nothing to hurt or destroy in all the mountain of the
Lord, but that peace and union and love should prevail throughout the
earth for one thousand years. The Prophets have spoken of this time,
those to whom I have referred, who fell victims to the rage of their
persecutors; they looked forward to the time when this kingdom should
be established and should be successful, and they dwelt upon it with
great delight and anticipation. The Apostles John, the Revelator,
speaks about a thousands years of peace and righteousness, when Satan
should be bould and should not have power over the hearts of the
children of men to tempt them, or to lead them astray, and that this
should last for one thousand years, and then at the dose of that
period he should be loosed again for a little season.

Vol. 17,  p.236
The revelations which we have received through the Prophet Joseph
Smith speak of the same period, that is, anticipate such a time as
this that the Apostle John speaks of; and we have been taught from the
beginning until the present time that this work, this system, this
gospel, called Mormonism, should be the beginning of this work, and
that it should spread and increase until it should fill the whole
earth, and bring to pass the fulfillment of these predictions. Now
what I wish to impress upon your minds, in bringing them to this point
is this, that if we are engaged in a work that is to be more
successful than any other work that has been established by God our
Heavenly Father from the beginning until now there must be greater
faith and union there must be more power, there must be a willingness
to sacrifice more than has ever been manifested by any people who have
preceded us in works of this character, or in any dispensation which
God has given unto men. I know that many think that God will do a
great deal. I believe that I am a believer in God's power to the
fullest extent, but I have noticed in my experience that God works by
means, and that he does not himself come down in person, neither does
he send his angels down, except on visits occasionally; but he
commands his people, his children on the earth to do that which he
requires at their hands, and then helps them in doing this, and my
conclusion is that if we lay the foundation of a work that shall stand
forever, that shall never be overthrown or given into the hands of
another people, we must have mere faith, practice a higher
righteousness, be more valiant for the truth and possess more of God's
power than any people who have ever preceded us. Are we prepared for
this? Did the Latter-day Saints take this into their calculation when
they joined this church? If they did, it is well, if they did not,
they had better begin to investigate the matter and satisfy themselves
as to what their duties are. It may be said, as I have already stated,
that God will assist us. Undoubtedly he will; he assisted his servants
in ancient days. But we have a foe to contend with who is sleepless.
The adversary of our souls has not lost his cunning. He knows that his
time is short and that the last struggle is approaching, and he will
not relax in the least degree his vigilance or his diligence in
seeking to destroy this work and to martyr or destroy the men and the
women connected with it. The supremacy of the earth depends upon the
issue of the contest. He has held the sway, he has [p.237] been
dominant, he has been successful in destroying the holiest and the
best that ever trod the earth's surface. The Son of God himself and
the pure and holy in all ages he has succeeded in destroying, and in
spreading his pall of darkness over the earth, and in destroying faith
from the midst of the children of men, and now that the attempt is
made to revive the work of God and to establish his kingdom on the
earth we may make calculations with all certainty that he will not
cease his endeavors until either he, or God and his kingdom are
triumphant. He wants to vanquish and he will vanquish if possible, and
he will spare no means to destroy this work, for if it is established
the foundation of his kingdom is sapped.

Vol. 17,  p.237
There are principles taught unto us now which will fortify us more
effectually than anything that has ever been taught to us before, so
far as resisting this pressure that is brought to bear upon us to
destroy us. I refer to this Order to which I have alluded before—the
Order of God, the order that is called after Enoch because, as we are
told in the revelations, he established it among his people, and
brought about that perfection which enabled him and his city to be
translated. I know there are many feelings among the people in
relation to this. I have heard more since I returned to Salt Lake
City, in the few days I have been here concerning the feelings of men
who call themselves Latter-day Saints, than I imagined existed among
us. In the south the people have organized, and they have gone along
very well during this last season. Bishop Callister remarked to me,
when I was at Fillmore passing south, that he doubted whether Enoch
himself and his people made more or better progress than they had made
in the same time. I doubted it also, and subsequent observation
confirmed the truth of this remark. So far as other settlements are
concerned I found the people in some instances discouraged a little,
but on the whole they were greatly encouraged by the results of the
seasons labor, and they felt to organize themselves more perfectly
according to the new articles of association, and to carry out the
requirements which had been made upon them. I was delighted in
visiting a little town on the banks of the Rio Virgen, called Price.
There the superintendent of the farming, Brother Baker, remarked, "I
wish you had come about an hour earlier, you would have seen us all
here together at our meal." Said I—"What do you mean?" He said they
had just got through dinner. Said I—"Do you eat together?" "O yes,"
said he, "we have been living as one family all this season." I was
surprised for I had not heard of it, and I was so much interested in
it that I commenced to make enquiries as to their condition. I found
that there were from forty to forty-four men, women and children who
had joined together in accordance with the counsel given by President
Young while in the South. They had proceeded to farm together, and to
live together as one family. I thought that the best persons that I
could refer to, to obtain information as to the real workings of the
affair would be the sisters, so I proceeded to interrogate them. The
leading sister told me that sometimes it was rather hard work. I did
not wonder at it when I saw the kitchen. They had three small cooking
stoves, and they were quite inconveniently situated. But she added—"We
have felt excellently add feel greatly encouraged." Said I—"Are the
people satisfied? don't [p.238] you sometimes have fault-finding with
your cooking, or your meals, or something of this kind?" No, she said,
there had been no fault found. "How do the sisters feel, are they
tired of it?" No, she said, they were not, they felt greatly
encouraged, and they divided the labor so that it was not very heavy
upon any of them, not too heavy. "How do you arrange about your
washing?" They told me, that in the beginning they put their washing
all together, but they had no machinery, and they found that it was no
advantage, as it was too heavy even for the strong women, and they
concluded that it was better to divide their washing, and for each
family to do its own. I spoke to the Superintendent—"How do you manage
with your men? Are the brethren willing, when you require them to do
anything, do they go with alacrity, or do you have difficulty in
controlling them?" "Not in the least," said he, "I have never made a
requirement or asked a man to do a thing that he has refused to do,
and in our farming they have worked well and patiently together, and
they are satisfied with the arrangement." I spoke to others who worked
there and made inquiries of them, and I found, in every instance, that
there was a good deal of satisfaction in the arrangement, and they
hoped, if they could get up a suitable building and have suitable
convenience for their cooking, that a great deal of this labor would
be lightened and they would get along much better even than they had
done.

Vol. 17,  p.238
Brother Samuel Miles is one of the company, a man whom many of this
congregation know, and who has been a long time in the Church. I
talked with him, being an old acquaintance, and he told me that, from
his observation daring the entire season, he deemed that what was
originally an experiment was an entire success, and he felt very much
gratified with the result. After rising in the morning they meet in
one room together and have prayers; then they sit down to breakfast,
and while at breakfast the Superintendent converses with the men as to
the arrangement of labor for the day. After breakfast they go to their
work, one to one department, another to another. At noon they again
assemble, for dinner, eat their dinner after having asked a blessing
upon it, and then spend a little leisure—until one o'clock or the hour
expires—and then resume their labors. They come together again in the
evening, when they have supper and attend to prayers, and spend the
remainder of the evening in social conversation or in conversation on
business or in arranging their affairs, as the case may be.

Vol. 17,  p.238
I afterwards visited a little settlement of the name of Hebron, where
there are about thirty families. The Bishop, George H. Crosby, said
they had brick and lumber on hand to build several residences, but
they hesitated about building as they had some thought of carrying out
the suggestions which President Young made to the people, or to some
of them, to enter into a family arrangement, and they thought, that,
probably it would be well to use their material and build a suitable
building. It was afterwards suggested that they build a dining-room
and a commodious kitchen, etc., and that they live in their own
residences during this coming summer and try the effect of eating
together. This they may do. They had found that it would be far more
convenient for them, in their labor, to be together during the summer
season at least and, the weather being fine, they could walk from
their houses to the dining room and [p.239] eat their meals, and then
the men go to their labor and the women and children separate again.
In that settlement they have labored during this past season in the
United Order, and they told me they had raised double the amount of
crops they ever raised before; and all their labors are
proportionately advanced, and this is the testimony of a good many
settlements. There are some complaints as a matter of course. I heard
some about tools being misused, about wagons not being greased, about
animals not being fed, harness not being cared for; but these results
are due to a great extent to want of system.

Vol. 17,  p.239
Another objection that we found and that has resulted badly in some
instances, is that men have put in a portion of their property only
and kept out a portion; of course, the portion that is kept out
absorbs nearly all their attention, while that which is put into the
Order does not receive that share of attention which it should have,
and when they were called upon to labor they had other interests which
called them off, and they excused themselves or sent their boys to
attend to it. In some wards and settlements they have been crippled in
consequence of this. But recent instructions which have been given by
the First Presidency, that no one should be admitted into the Order,
unless he enters with all he has, (except in case of debt, then the
board of directors to exercise their discretion about that,) will have
a good effect throughout the entire South. It will concentrate the
labors of the people in one direction, and where a man's treasure is
there will his heart be also; and if all a man's property is in the
United Order if he be a Latter-day Saint, he will labor with fidelity
for the furtherance of the objects which the Order has in view.

Vol. 17,  p.239
There is one thing which has been demonstrated by this season's labor,
namely, that better results can be produced by a combination of labor,
as proposed in the United Order, than by individual effort to the same
extent. I was much gratified at finding that this was the universal
testimony of all with whom I conversed on the subject.

Vol. 17,  p.239
While at St. George, after holding two days' meeting, brother Smoky
and myself held meetings with the Bishops, superintendents, foremen
and leading men in the various settlements throughout that Stake. We
requested them to give us a full and free expression of their feelings
concerning the season's labors, to tell us all the causes of
discouragement if there were any, and also the causes of
encouragement, and those that I have already alluded to acre the
principal ones given. There have been in some instances indolence,
carelessness and indisposition to work, and an inclination manifested
to throw the labor upon those who are industrious and energetic. It
might be expected that such would be the result, it could scarcely be
otherwise. I was reminded very much, in hearing the statement of the
brethren, of what the Prophet Joseph said when alive about the
indolence, carelessness and indifference to work manifested by some
men. He said there were three kinds of poor—the Lord's poor, the
devil's poor, and the poor devils. I thought that this Order was
bringing to the surface the poor devils, and I should not be surprised
if it would have this effect; in fact, if a man who is not inspired
with right feelings should get connected with the Order, there is no
doubt that he would shirk work and be careless and indifferent
whenever he could be. We know that there are many eye-servants among
[p.240] us—men who work only when they are watched; and so far as the
use of tools is concerned, any man who has employed other men, and has
not been in a position to look after them and watch what they are
doing, knows how men work, even as we are situated at the present
time. He knows how his tools are misused and mislaid, arm his harness
and his wagons and his teams are used or abused, and that it requires
much care on his part, or on the part of somebody equally trusty to
preserve his property. He has to frequently buy new tools—new spades,
hoes, forks, ploughs, and it he has a mower and entrusts it to other
hands than his own, in many instances he gets it broken. This is not
always the case; but it is too much the case, and we have these things
to contend with now, and in my opinion judeing by my observation, as
far as it has extended, they are no worse in the United Order; and
there is this about this Gospel—it brings every imperfection to the
light that a man has within him. When this Gospel has been preached
for the first time in neighborhoods, I have heard hundreds say to me,
at different times—"Oh, I am so glad that I have got this truth, there
is Mr. So and so," or "there is my aunt" or "my uncle" or "such and
such a friend," "my wife" or "such a relative," "there is my minister,
if I go to him and tell him what I have received he will embrace it
gladly and be a Latter-day Saint," and they go and tell what they have
received. Probably hundreds of you who are here to-day, have gone
filled with zeal—"Why, I have got the truth, I want you to hear the
truth," and what has been the result? The devil has manifested himself
immediately and they have found that their relatives had a spirit
which they never dreamed of, and they have proved their ministers to
be anything but willing to receive the truth. This Gospel has that
effect, it brings men and women's imperfections to light, it shows the
imperfections of their characters; it tests people and tears the
covering from hypocrisy and false pretensions as nothing else can. The
United Order being one of its principles will, I expect, have this
effect; but would it not be better for our faults and imperfections to
be brought to light in this life than to wait until the next and have
them brought to the surface then?

Vol. 17,  p.240
The people feel very well so far as I have had opportunity to observe.
We have explained the articles of association to them; they have been
gratified at the explanations which have been made. Many have reasoned
upon it like this—"if I put all I have got into the United Order, and
I begin to draw days' wages only out of the Order, I have got a large
family, how can I sustain them upon my day's wages? It takes the
product, of my property managed with care and economy, in addition to
my own labor, to enable me to live, and if I put all my property into
the Order, how am I to live?" This has been the inquiry more
frequently made than another. It is not the intention, in establishing
the United Order, to destroy the productiveness of property; it is not
the intention to take property from men who have it and give it to
those who have none. There are two extremes to be avoided, one is the
disposition of the rich to aggrandize themselves at the expense of the
poor. That is what we are trying, in this United Order, to put a stop
to, so that we may prevent the growth of class distinctions, the
increase of wealth in a certain class, and that class have interests
diverse from and frequently adverse to the [p.241] rest of the
community. That is one extreme. The other is this idea, to which I
have referred, the anxiety of poor people to get possession of the
accumulations of the rich, and to have them divided among them, and a
general levelling take place. There is no such idea connected with
this order, such a thing could not stand very long; and let me say to
you who find fault with this United Order, ask yourselves when you
ever saw anything connected with this Church or its doctrines that was
unnatural, that, was not consistent with good common sense? Do you
think that we can teach and practice anything that will repress
people, that will destroy individual effort, that will take away from
enterprise its incentive? No, there is nothing connected with this
system of this character, and it is upon this point that men and women
are so much deluded by the false and slanderous reports which are
circulated. There never was a day since our organization as a people,
according to my ideas and my reading of our early history and my
subsequent experience, when there were so many falsehoods in
circulation about any principle as there have been about this United
Order. There is far too much ignorance among us, and men take
advantage of this to deceive the people by their falsehoods. It is the
intention to preserve that which we have. If a man is a man of
business let him have a chance to show his business capacity, not stop
him, not take his property from him and give it to somebody who never
had anything. The intention is to use the skill of the business man in
elevating those who are not business men, to bring up the poor from
their level to the broad upper level, not to pull down the upper level
to the plane of the lower. That is not the design, but it is that we
shall work for each other's good; and where men have property let them
take means to preserve it, not to destroy it. It is not the intention
for boards of directors to use arbitrary power over men and property.

Vol. 17,  p.241
There are many cases where if a man were to put all that he has into
the Order, it would be found that he already manages that property
better than the board of directors could. Under such circumstances it
would be better to say: "Here, you have managed this property
economically, you have done well with it, we could not do so well with
it if we took it. There is no object to be gained by our taking it
from you; you continue to use and manage it as a stewardship, and keep
up its productiveness." This will have to be done doubtless in many
instances.

Vol. 17,  p.241
But as to our farming interests, we can farm together far better than
separately. Instead of having so many mowers and reapers, and so many
tools, teams and wagons as we have now, we can concentrate our labors
and have better results from the use of a given quantity of capital
and labor than under our present system; and I do hope that the
Bishops in this city will take hold of this matter as they should do.
Will they do it? or will they stand in the way of the people? I firmly
believe that many of our leading men are standing to-day in the way of
the people in relation to the organization of this United Order; but
if they were to do as they should do, as God requires of them, they
would take hold of this principle in the spirit of it.

Vol. 17,  p.241
"Well, but," says one, "suppose I lose my property?" Suppose you do,
it is not intended that you should lose it, but suppose that you do?
If my property goes, what odds is it?[p.242] God gave it to me, and if
I lose it in obeying his commandments, who cares? I do not. When I got
old enough to understand this Gospel I saw that it might take
everything men had, and even their lives, to maintain it in the earth,
and if a man is not willing to lay down his life for this Gospel, he
is not worthy of it; if he should not be willing to risk his property
in carrying out a great principle, of what value are his professions
of faith? And when God calls upon us, we who have been saying. all the
day that our property was upon the altar, and proposes a plan to save
and exalt us and give us strength, we begin to mourn about our
property, and to tell what failures there have been in the management
of property, about co-operation being a failure, and thus justify
ourselves for refusing to do what God requires! And yet call ourselves
Latter-day Saints! Out upon men and women calling themselves Saints of
God and making the professions which they do, and striving for the
exaltation which they profess to be aiming for, who would make such
expressions. Suppose that in doing that which God requires, all of our
property should be taken, which we may rest assured will not be the
case? If God were to permit a mob to come upon us, they could sweep
away the whole of our property. If a mob were to come upon us and
drive us, how much would any of as be worth? And can not God let our
enemies have power to scourge us? I think he can; and unless there is
a different spirit manifested by leading men, by Bishops and by men
who ought to have the Spirit and power of God resting upon them, and
by the people themselves in many instances anger may be aroused
against us. I believe that to-day President Young is prostrated under
a lead that, if we were obedient he would be relieved from. I believe
he would have been sound and well able, to-day, to teach us from this
stand if we had done as we should have done. He is wearied by his
labors in teaching and laboring in our midst, calling upon us early
and late, entreating us to listen to the counsel of God.

Vol. 17,  p.242
I have said, and I repeat it, that if we do not know that this United
Order is true of ourselves by the revelations of God, we should be
willing to obey it just because President Young teaches it, a man who
has taught, us and led us for so many years, so faithfully and so
successfully, God having blessed him as he has done in so signal a
manner all the time. If this people would take hold of the principle
in that spirit they would soon know that it was of God; the testimony
of Jesus would rest upon them, and they would know it for themselves;
and then, when they get that spirit, they would not care about
property, if it took it all, they would say, "all right."

Vol. 17,  p.242
When you made up your minds to obey this Gospel, did you hesitate
because your friends told you that if you became Mormons you would
spoil your prospects and lose your friends? No; you sacrificed every
worldly consideration, you risked all for the truth, for the salvation
which God promised you. And so in this United Order if you have a
testimony that it is of God, you will feel—"No matter what it costs,
all right." Failures, yes there may be failures. I expect there will
be failures and mistakes as long as we are so full of frailty, but who
cares for that? But this will not be the fault of the principle. If
God commands us to do anything, let us do it with all our heart, and
he will prepare the way and preserve us from the bad effects of
failures; he always has controlled [p.243] results for our good, and
he will do it again. Why there are men who would say that the mission
of Jesus was a failure, (was he not killed by the Jews?) and the plan
of salvation is a failure, and that creation is a failure, and they
may just as well say these things as to say that cooperation is a
failure, and that many other things are failures. Some say that God
failed in patting Adam and Eve in the garden and allotting the serpent
to tempt them and cause them to fall, and the whole scheme was a
failure. Why not as well say that as to say that other things are
failures? There are some people who can only judge of merit by
success. If successful, no matter what it may be, it is meritorious.
It may have its origin in hell, and success is, in their estimation, a
test of merit. The best of schemes and plans have failed frequently in
this sense, and yet have been true and perfect.

Vol. 17,  p.243
I know that God requires this union at our hands, and by the help of
God I am determined, with all the influence and power that he has
given me or that he may give me, to use my endeavors with the people
to organize in a manner to resist every encroachment made against
them. All hell is arrayed against us, and the powers thereof are bound
to destroy this work if they can, and it is our duty, as Latter-day
Saints, to band ourselves together in the power of God. We shall be
able to do it if we do right, and the wicked will not gain a single
advantage over us. That is just as true as that God lives, and I know
it. I know that this United Order is of God, for God has revealed if
to me; the revelations of Jesus Christ have imparted this knowledge to
me, and I know it for myself. I know by the gift of the Holy Ghost
that it is our duty as a people, and as individuals, to enter into
this United Order and carry it out in the spirit that God has revealed
it in. Listen to this testimony, and the men and women who have the
love of the truth within them have, or will have the testimony of
Jesus that these words are true and faithful.

Vol. 17,  p.243
And I desire to say further—there has got to be a spirit of repentance
sought for by many of those who are now called Latter-day Saints, or
they will lose the spirit of God and their standing among this people.
Will God prosper us in this United Order? Yes, and we cannot be a rich
people, we cannot be the people which God designs us to be, until we
live after that pattern. There are hundreds of men who are praying
constantly to God to deliver them from apostacy and there are others
who pray that God will deliver them from being rich, because, they
perceive that, frequently, when men get rich, they are not easily
bandied, they become intractable, they lose, in some instances, the
Spirit of God; and therefore, they pray that God will deliver them
from being rich, that they may not be lifted up in pride. Yet we know
that the revelations and prophecies say that God will make us a rich
people.

Vol. 17,  p.243
Speaking about the Zion of the last days, Isaiah says that the Lord
will bring for brass gold, for iron silver, for wood brass, and for
stones iron to build up the Zion of God. When will that be done? When
we are united, so that we shall not consume the wealth that God will
give us upon our lusts, upon creating class distinctions, raising one
class above another, one class living in luxury and another class
grovelling in poverty; but when we are so organized that there will be
no rich and no poor, but all partaking alike of the bounties that God
shall give unto [p.244] us, then, and in my opinion, not till then,
can he bestow upon us the wealth that he has promised. It would ruin
us to-day if we had it, and God, as I view his providence, withholds
these blessings from us because of the effects they would have upon us
as a people. He does not wish to destroy us. But when we are organized
aright, then what? Why, then will be fulfilled after a while another
saying of Isaiah's,—"And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
and the sons of the alien shall be your ploughmen and your
vinedressers; but ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord; men shall
call you the ministers of our God."

Vol. 17,  p.244
All these problems of capital and labor can be solved by this
principle and in no other way, and there will be an incessant and
never-ending conflict between capital and labor until they are solved
in this manner.

Vol. 17,  p.244
That God may pour out his holy Spirit upon you, my brethren and
sisters, and fill you therewith, to enable you to do his will
perfectly, is my prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

Wilford Woodruff, October 9, 1874

Saints Are Chosen—Eternal Life Worth More Than All Things 
Else—Works Must correspond With Faith—Prayer to God a Duty

Remarks By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered at the Semi-Annual 
Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day 
Saints, in The New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, 
Friday Morning, October 9, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.244
We, as a people, have had a great deal of teaching and counsel in our
day and generation. Some of us have been taught in the things of this
kingdom for over forty years, and, by this time, we ought to exercise
faith in the promises of God. We have looked forward to the
fulfillment of the revelations which have been given in all ages and
dispensations which are past and gone; and we have not only expected
their fulfillment, but we have helped to fulfill a great many of them
in the course of our lives. This work is the work of God, it is not
the work of man. The Lord has set his hand in these last days in
fulfillment of revelation and prophecy and the promises which have
been made for thousands of years past and gone, concerning the earth
and the dispensations thereof.

Vol. 17,  p.244
I will here say that all inspired men, from the days of father Adam to
the days of Jesus, had a view, more or less, of the great and last
dispensation of the fulness of times, [p.245] when the Lord would set
his hand to prepare the earth and a people for the coming of the Son
of Man and a reign of righteousness. One of the brethren was speaking
here about the views entertained by some in the world who regard
Christianity and the work of God as a failure. I will say that the
work of the Lord has never bees a failure and it never will. His
purposes have to be accomplished in the earth. There is one thing true
with regard to the history and travels of the Saints of God in every
age of the world—they have had to pass through trials, tribulations
and persecutions, and have had to contend with opposition, and this
will always be their fate until the power of evil is overcome. This is
one of the legacies that is designed from God to the Saints while
dwelling in the flash among a world of devils, for the world is full
of them, there are millions and millions—all that were cast out of
heaven; they never die, and they never leave the earth, but they dwell
here and will continue to do so until Satan is bound. As a people we
have to meet this warfare, and the Saints of God have had to contend
with it in every age of the world. Any man who undertakes to serve God
has to round up his shoulders and meet it, and any man who will not
trust in God and abide in his cause even unto death is not worthy of a
place in the celestial kingdom. Laid Jesus—"I have chosen you out of
the world, therefore the world hate you; if you were of the world the
world would love its own. They have hated me, they will hate you; and
if they persecute me they will persecute you." This is the legacy
which all Saints may depend upon receiving. True, there has been a
difference in the various dispensations. This is the only dispensation
that God has ever established that was foreordained, before the world
was made, not to be overcome by wicked men and devils. All other
dispensations have been made war upon by the inhabitants of the earth,
and the servants and Saints of God have been martyred. This was the
case with Jesus and the Apostles in their day. The Lord gave that good
old Prophet Enoch, President of the Zion of God, who stood in the
midst, of his people three hundred and sixty five years, a view of the
earth in its various dispensations, showing him that the time would
come when it would groan under the wickedness, blasphemy, murders,
whoredoms and abominations of its inhabitants. The Prophet asked the
Lord whether there would ever be a time when the earth should rest;
and the Lord answered that in the dispensation of the fulness of times
the earth would fill the measure of its days, and then it would rest
from wickedness and abominations, for in that day be would establish
his kingdom upon it, to be thrown down no more for ever. Then a reign
of righteousness would commence and the honest and meek of the earth
would be gathered together to serve the Lord, and upon them would rest
power to build up the great Zion of God in the latter days. These
things were also shown to Abraham, and many others of the ancient
servants of God had glimpses of them by vision, revelation and the
inspiration of the Spirit of God, and what they saw, or an account of
what they saw, has been left on record.

Vol. 17,  p.245
This dispensation is one that all the Patriarchs and Prophets had
their eye upon, and the Lord has sommeneed it, and has carried it, on
now for more than forty years, since this Church was organized with
six members. We have not altogether traveled on beds of ease, we have
had warfare and opposition from the [p.246] commencement until this
day; but we and the world may set our hearts at rest concerning
"Mormonism," for it will never cease until the Lord Jesus Christ comes
in the clouds of heaven. This nation and other nations will war with
the Saints of God until their cup is full; and When they become
ripened in iniquity the Lord Almighty will cut them off, and the
judgments of the Most High God will follow the testimony of the Elders
of Israel.

Vol. 17,  p.246
This is the way I look upon it. We are called upon to do our duty with
regard to the subject which has been spoken of by brothers Van Colt
and Cannon. What is this world I would like to know? What are the
things of this world? What are houses and lands, goods and chattels,
and the treasures of the earth generally, to us? What are they to any
Saints of God compared with eternal life? We should certainly be as
well off to unite ourselves and our interests together in the things
of God as to be separate. There have been too much selfishness and
division and every man for himself amongst us, and the devil for us
all. Eternal life is worth more to a Saint of God than all things else
put together, in fact it is the greatest gift God ever gave to man, or
that he can give to him, and whatever the Lord requires at our hands
we should be ready to do, individually and collectively.

Vol. 17,  p.246
As I have often remarked in my testimony, from my youth up I had a
desire to live to see a people rise up in the earth and contend for
the faith once delivered to the Saints, who would receive and teach
the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it was taught in his day and generation.
When I heard this Gospel I embraced it. The first sermon I ever heard
the Spirit of God bore record to me that it was true, and I went forth
and was baptized for the remission of my sins, I received the laying
on of hands and the Lord gave me the Holy Ghost and a testimony, just
the same as he gave to you, and to hundreds of thousands of those who
have obeyed the Gospel.

Vol. 17,  p.246
It was but a short time after embracing the work that I was called to
go with my brethren a thousand miles for the redemption of Zion. I
went willingly, for I knew it was the work of God, it was what I had
sought for from the time I was eight years old, what I had been taught
in the Presbyterian Sunday School and what I had read in the New
Testament in my father's house. From that time up I had looked for
these things, and I had a testimony that I should live to see them,
and I did, and when I embraced this Gospel my heart was filled with
joy and consolation; and as for this world, if I had the whole of it,
I felt in those days ,as I feel now, it would not stand in my path in
seeking for eternal life.

Vol. 17,  p.246
I was called to take my life in my hands and go up to Missouri, and a
little handful of us went up to redeem our brethren. We certainly had
to go by faith. My neighbors called upon and plead with me not to go;
said they—"Do not go, if you do you will lose your life." I said to
them—"If I knew that I should have a ball put through my heart the
first step I took in the State of Missouri I would go." I went, and I
did not get shot, neither did any of the rest of us, but we fulfilled
the commandment of God. That is the way I felt in those days with
regard to the work of God, and that is the way I feel to-day. I am
after salvation and eternal life, and I do not want anything to stand
between me and that which I am in pursuit of.[p.247] It does not make
any difference what we as a people may be called to pass through. Men
can go no further than they are permitted by the Lord. I have often
remarked, and I repeat it, your destiny, the destiny of this nation,
and the destiny of every king, prince, president, statesman and ruler
under heaven are in the hands of the God of Israel. He made the world
and all its inhabitants, and they can go no further than they are
permitted. If we unite ourselves according to the law of God we shall
have far more safety than if we turn away from the commandments of the
Lord and set our hearts upon the things of this world. If we forget
God we are liable to be scourged; that is my feeling this morning.

Vol. 17,  p.247
This is the work of God. the Lord has set his hand to build up his
kingdom, and be will do it whatever the consequences may be. Whatever
the persecutions or difficulties his Saints may be called to pass
through, the Lord will never withdraw his hand, for he decreed, before
the foundation of the world, that in the dispensation of the fulness
of times his kingdom should be set up upon the earth, never more to be
thrown down.

Vol. 17,  p.247
The world has had its dispensations: we are at the end of the sixth
thousand years, and are bordering upon the coming of the Son of Man in
the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, to reward every man
according to the deeds done in the body; and whatever the feelings of
the world may be the Lord has decreed a woe upon that man, that house,
that nation or that people that rejects the testimony of his servants.
The Lord says that he will hold a controversy with the nations, and
judge the world with fire and sword, and he will plead with all flesh,
and the slain of the Lord will be many. What if some of us do have to
sacrifice our lives for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus
Christ? What of it? What is a man's life? The whole world will die.
Armies, containing thousands of men, go forth for the honor of being
killed, in order to defend a king or a government. Is it any worse to
die for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ than to die
serving the devil? Not a particle. I glory in my feelings at the
valiant spirit that is and has been manifested by the servants of the
living God in the cause of truth and in defence of the great
latter-day work. The Lord never raised up a better set of men and
women since the world was than are they who have embraced the Gospel
of Jesus Christ in these latter days. They have the testimony of Jesus
Christ with them, and they have been called to pass through many
trials thus far in the history and progress of the work of God. It is
true that many have broken their covenants and turned away from the
Lord, and the reason is that they stopped serving God and undertook to
serve themselves, and that led them into darkness. They rejected the
things of the kingdom of heaven, and the spirit of God was taken from
them, and that class of people, in every age of the world is the
darkest of any who ever breathe the breath of life. They lose all
confidence in every principle of salvation and eternal life revealed
to man.

Vol. 17,  p.247
With regard to our present position I want to say that it is the duty
of every Saint of God in these valleys of the mountains to let his
prayers ascend into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, day and night in
the season thereof, in the family circle and in private places, for
the Lord to sustain his people, build up Zion and fulfill his
promises. We [p.248] are in duty hound to fulfill ours, and the Lord
will not fail now any more than he has any other time. He did not fail
in the days of Jesus Christ, not a bit of it. Jesus was poor, and from
the manger to the cross, spent his whole life in the deepest poverty,
suffering and affliction; he descended below all things that he might
rise above all, and we are told that he had not money enough to pay
his taxes to Caesar, and had to send Peter to catch a fish to get
money for that purpose. He was poor all the way through his life. Is
it any worse for you, or me, or any other Saint of God, to suffer
persecution, affliction, poverty or trials than for our great Leader,
President, Redeemer, King and Savior, who is going to come in the
clouds of heaven? No, not a particle. As some of our brethren have
said, there is need for us to repent and humble ourselves before the
Lord our God, that we may have and enjoy more of the Holy Spirit to
prepare us for that which lies before us. It is our duty to unite
together as a people; our temporal salvation lies in this, and we
should not be backward in this matter We should not only preach it,
but be also ready to practice it; as leaders and as people, all should
unite in carrying out that which is required of us. As an individual I
am not afraid of starving to death, I never was afraid of that in my
life, and I have traveled a great many thousand miles to preach the
Gospel without money and without price, and so have many of my
brethren who are around me, and we never starved to death and we do
not expect to. The amount of it is that everything we have herein
these valleys of the mountains,—this Tabernacle, this Temple, these
public grounds, and all the cities and towns that have been built over
six hundred miles of Territory, are the gift of God to us. The Lord
knows this country was barren enough when we came here, and a faithful
people were tried here with cricket and grasshopper wars, until famine
stared them in the face; but they trusted in God, and they did not get
disappointed.

Vol. 17,  p.248
Our prayers should go up day and night in behalf of our President, and
the Presidency whom God has sustained from the beginning, and also for
the leaders of the people and for each other. We should labor and pray
for this. We are making history. The travels and experience of the
Latter-day Saints have been as interesting as the history of any
people in any dispensation since the world began. Joseph Smith was a
Prophet of God, and he was called to lay the foundation of this
kingdom; he was raised up from before the foundation of the world for
this purpose, and he came forth, through the loins of ancient Joseph
who was sold into Egypt, and dwelt in the flesh, and nothing failed in
its fulfillment as far as he was concerned. He lived until he planted
the Gospel, until he received the apostleship, and every branch of the
Priesthood of Aaron and Melchizedek, all the keys of the kingdom of
God, everything that was necessary in order to lay the foundation of
this Church and Kingdom, which God, through the mouths of holy
Prophets, declared should be established in the latter days, to be
thrown down no more for ever.

Vol. 17,  p.248
Under these circumstances, of course, faith is required on the part of
the Saints to live their religion, do their duty, walk uprightly
before the Lord and build up his Zion on the earth. Then it requires
works to correspond with our faith. I know the testimony of Jesus
Christ is not palatable; it does not, and [p.249] never did, suit the
ears of the world at large. Christendom to-day does not like
"Mormonism," because it comes in contact with the traditions handed
down from the fathers; the world never did like the truth. We can not
help that, it is our duty to bear a true and faithful testimony to the
work of God, and to preach the Gospel which has been revealed to us in
our day by the ministration of angels out of heaven. That Gospel is
the same as was taught by Adam, and the ancient patriarchs, Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, Noah, Enoch, Methuselah and all the ancient Prophets,
also by Jesus and the Apostles. There never was but one Gospel, and
never will be but one delivered to the children of men, and that never
changed and never will change in time or eternity. It is the same in
every age of the world; its ordinances are the same. Believers in the
Gospel of had faith in Jesus before he came in the flesh, and
repentance of sin was preached before his day as well as since; they
also practiced baptism for the remission of sins and the laying on of
hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost; and they had the organization of
the Church with inspired men therein. Saith the Lord Jesus, "I have
set in the Church, first, Apostles, second Prophets, third Teachers,
pastors, gifts, helps, and governments." What for? For the work of the
ministry, for the perfecting of the Saints, etc. These things are
necessary in every age of the world, and they have been restored in
these last days, and they are true and will have their effect upon the
children of men. When this Gospel is preached to the Gentiles and they
count themselves unworthy of eternal life it will go to the house of
Israel, and the first will then be last, as the last has been first.

Vol. 17,  p.249
It is our duty as a people to unite together and not to be slothful in
well-doing. As I have already said, we should let our prayers ascend
before the Lord. I have more faith in prayer before the Lord than
almost any other principle on earth. If we have no faith in prayer to
God, we have not much in either him or the Gospel. We should pray unto
the Lord, asking him for what we want. Let the prayers of this people
ascend before the Lord continually in the season thereof, and the Lord
will, not turn them away, but they will be heard and answered, and the
kingdom and Zion of God will rise and shine, she will put on her
beautiful garments and be clothed with the glory of her God, and
fulfill rise object of her organization here upon the earth.
Therefore, I say, brethren and sisters, let, us do our duty. Let us
pray for the Presidency of this Church; let us uphold and sustain them
by our faith and by our works. They are called of God, they have been
our leaders for years. President Young has led this Church longer a
great deal than any other man. His works and his life have been before
you, and you know him, and the course he has pursued. God has blessed
him and he has been profitable unto us. The revelations of God and the
principles which he has brought forth have been a consolation to
Israel. Our prayers should ascend for him that he may be restored to
health and be preserved by the hand of God. We should pray to the Lord
for everything else that we stand in need of. Then we should go to and
do our duty in building the Temples of our God, that we may magnify
our calling, and be saviors on Mount Zion, for the living and the
dead. In the seventeen hundred years which are past and gone, over
fifty thousand million people have [p.250] gone into the spirit world
who never saw the face of a Prophet or of an Apostle, and never heard
the words of an inspired man, for during the whole of that time DO man
was called of God to build up his kingdom on the earth. Whatever the
Christian world may think, these things are true. When the Apostles
were put to death the Priesthood went from the earth, and the Church
went into the wilderness, or, in other words, there was a falling away
among the Gentiles, as there had been before among the Jews. Those
generations are in the spirit world, shut up in prison; they have got
to be visited by men who held the Priesthood in the flesh, that they
may preach the Gospel unto them, the same as Jesus did when he went to
preach to the spirits in prison during the three days and nights when
his body lay in the tomb. This is our duty. And I will here say that
every Elder of Israel who lays down his life, whether he dies in his
bed, or is put to death by the enemies of truth, when he goes into the
spirit world his works follow him, and he rests in peace. The
Priesthood is not taken from him, and he has thousands more to preach
to there than he ever had here in the flesh. But it depends upon the
living here to erect Temples, that the ordinances for the dead may be
attended to, for by and by you will meet your progenitors in the
spirit world who never heard the sound of the Gospel. You who are here
in Zion have power to be baptized for and to redeem your dead. The
resurrection and the coming of the Messiah are at the door. The signs
of heaven and earth indicate the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
fig trees are putting forth their leaves in the eyes of every man who
has the faith of the Gospel. Let us, therefore, try and do our duty.
Let us attend to the ordinances of the house of God, and unite
ourselves according to his law, for Jesus will never receive the Zion
of God unless its people are united according to celestial law, for
all who go into the presence of God have to go there by this law.
Enoch had to practice this law, and we shall have to do the same if we
are ever accepted of God as he was. It has been promised that the New
Jerusalem will be built up in our day and generation, and it will have
to be done by the United Order of Zion and according to celestial law.
And not only so, but we have to keep that law ourselves if we ever
inherit that kingdom, for no man will receive a celestial glory unless
he abides a celestial law; no man will receive a terrestrial glory
unless he abides a terrestrial law, and no man will receive a
telestial glory unless he abides a telestial law. There is a great
difference between the light of the sun at noonday and the glimmer of
the stars at night, but that difference is no greater than the
difference of the glory in the several portions of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.250
I always have said and believed, and I believe to-day, that it will
pay you and me and all the sons and all the daughters of Adam to abide
the celestial law, for celestial glory is worth all we possess; if it
calls for every dollar we own and our lives into the bargain, if we
obtain an entrance into the celestial kingdom of God it will amply
repay us. The Latter-day Saints have started out for celestial glory,
and if we can only manage to be faithful enough to obtain an
inheritance in the kingdom, where God and Christ dwell, we shall
rejoice through the endless ages of eternity.

Vol. 17,  p.251
I thank God that my ears have heard the sound of the Gospel. I [p.251]
thank God that I have been preserved upon the earth to live to see the
face of an Elder of Israel, to be called of God and to administer the
ordinances of his house. I traveled a good many miles with President
Joseph Smith, as some of you did; I have also traveled a good many
miles with President Young and with the Apostles and Elders of Israel,
and I have never seen the hour yet, in the midst of our deepest
afflictions and persecutions, that I was sorry that I had embraced the
Gospel, and I hope I never shall.

Vol. 17,  p.251
I pray God my heavenly Father that he will inspire our hearts as
Latter-day Saints, that we may become one and, not having the fear of
man before our eyes, but the fear of God, that we may be ready to do
whatever is required of us, and to carry out the counsels of the
servants of God. When we do this we shall be happy, and we shall be
saved whether in life or in death. I pray that we may pursue this
course, and that we may overcome the world, the flesh and the devil,
and inherit eternal life, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

George A. Smith, October 11, 1874

Faith Without Works is Dead—Pray to God—Keep the 
Sabbath-Day Holy—Encourage Sunday-Schools

Discourse By President George A. Smith, Delivered at the 
Semi-Annual Conference, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Sunday Morning, October 11, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.251
This being the closing day of the Conference, and as we are
administering the sacrament, we naturally call our minds up in a way
of discipline for ourselves, on various subjects which pertain to our
every-day life. The Apostle James tells us that "faith without works
is dead, being alone," and good works are certainly the best
illustrations of that faith which prompts us.

Vol. 17,  p.251
As our brethren will soon scatter through the different wards and
settlements of the Territory, and to other parts of the world, we wish
them to carry forth just and wise impressions in relation to the
simple principles of faith and practice which pertain to the holy
Gospel, and to disseminate the instructions they have received, that
all may be benefited thereby. When we come here and take bread and
drink of the cup in memory of the death and sufferings of our Savior,
we witness unto him that we remember him, that we love his law, that
we are determined to abide by his Gospel [p.252] and that we will do
all in our power to walk in the principles of faith and patience,
forbearance and longsuffering, and of truth and righteousness in which
we are engaged. As a short illustration, and to draw the minds of the
congregation directly to the points of instruction, I am disposed to
read a portion of the rules of the United Order.

Vol. 17,  p.252
Rule one says, "We will not take the name of the Deity in vain, nor
speak lightly of his character or of sacred things." I am sorry to say
that many professed Latter-day Saints are careless in the observance
of this rule, which every Latter-day Saint, and every person who has
respect for his own character must certainly consider most wholesome
and wise, and absolutely obligatory. Let us be very careful, and never
indulge in profane language or use the name of the Deity except in
such a manner as becomes his high and holy position and our dependence
upon him for every breath we draw; and let us also inculcate in our
children a respect for that chaste, discreet, upright and pure
language which is becoming Saints of the Most High.

Vol. 17,  p.252
Rule two reads—"We will pray in our families morning and evening, and
also attend to secret prayer." Now brethren and sisters, remember
this. Those of you, if any, who have been careless and negligent on
this subject, remember how often God has heard our prayers and how
dependent we are upon him for every blessing we possess and enjoy, and
for the protection which has been extended unto us. While almost all
the world has been ready to destroy the Latter-day Saints from off the
earth, the Lord has answered our prayers and has prelected us, as it
were, in the hollow of his hand. Let us not forget to call upon him
morning and evening, that our families may learn, from their
childhood, to observe this great and important. duty. And before we
lie down to rest or rise in the morning let us lift up our hearts in
secret prayer to the Most High, asking his protection and blessing in
all things, that by united faith we may be able to perform the great
and arduous duties which are placed upon us. And in our prayers let us
remember our Bishops and Teachers and those in authority,—the
President of the Church, his counselors and all those who act in the
holy Priesthood that the Spirit of the Almighty may rest upon them as
well as upon us, that with one heart and one mind we may have a
knowlege of the things of God; and that by observing these duties of
prayer and preserving ourselves in purity before the Lord, when
teaching, in. struction, or counsel is sent forth among the Saints, or
revelation is proclaimed unto us, we may have enough of the Holy Ghost
in our hearts to know, each for himself or herself, whether these
things are true or not; and that when false spirits go forth and lead
men astray into darkness, error and folly, we may know the true from
the false, detect those who are liars, and expose them as may be
necessary.

Vol. 17,  p.252
The third rule is—"We will observe or keep the word of wisdom,
according to the spirit and meaning thereof," Remember this, brethren
and sisters. I hear occasionally of brethren indulging in intoxicating
drinks, and I see many of them yet, even young men, who indulge in the
use of tobacco, a habit which is very pernicious and injurious to
health, and a violation of the word of wisdom. There are also other
violations of this rule among us which should cease, for we are told
in the [p.253] word of wisdom that if we will observe it with all our
hearts, keeping the commandments of God, we shall have faith, health
and strength, marrow in our bones, and have wisdom and great treasures
of knowledge, and the destroyer will pass by us and not slay us
Brethren, how general it is with us when persons are sick and
afflicted, or when our children are sick, to say to the
Elders—"Brethren, come and lay your hands upon them," and in thousands
of instances they are healed. Perhaps we are losing some of our faith.
We read in the Scriptures that King Asa, whom God had heated and
blessed, when he was diseased he trusted not to the Lord, but sought
physicians, and King Asa died. While we recommend and approve of using
every reasonsable means within our power to preserve our lives and
those of our children, we do depend, first of all, upon faith in the
holy Gospel, the administration of its ordinances and the fulfillment
of the promises of God; and inasmuch as we observe the word of wisdom
and keep the commandments of God we have faith, and we have the
promises of God, upon which we can rely, and by which thousands and
thousands are delivered from the afflictions which prey upon them.

Vol. 17,  p.253
"We will treat our families with kindness and affection; and set
before them an example worthy of imitation. In our families and in our
intercourse with all persons we will refrain from being contentious
and quarrelsome. We will cease to speak evil one of another, and
cultivate a spirit of charity towards all. We consider it our first
duty to keep from acting selfishly or from covetous motives, and we
will seek the interests of each other and the salvation of all
mankind." This is rule four, and in calling your attention to it I
wish it to be remembered that it enters into our business transactions
and every-day life. I have noticed in the course of many years that I
have traveled and preached, being in hundreds of families—that some
men were pleasant and agreeable, while others were crabbed, cross,
ill-natured and surly in their disposition; the very tone of their
voice would show it. This is all wrong. We should cultivate kindness,
forbearance and patience in our families, and a spirit that will
incline them unto us, and in all things set such an example before our
children that we may be as shining lights unto them, that as they grow
up imitating our examples they may become pillars of society, plants
of renown and ornaments in the kingdom of God, and not be led by
covetousness, dishonesty, idolatry or any corrupt motive whatever.
Consider all these things, and remember this as one of the rules of
the United Order which it is of special importance that we should
observe.

Vol. 17,  p.253
Rule five teaches—"We will observe personal cleanliness, preserve
ourselves in all chastity, refrain from adultery, whoredom and lust,
and discountenance and refrain from all vulgar and obscene language
and conduct." In regard to this rule, I am sorry to say that the
influx of so-called civilization and Christianity in our midst has
shown its effects upon some portions of our community, and that strict
and firm adherence to the principles of chastity, for which the
Latter-day Saints have been remarkable ever since the organization of
the Church and the gathering of the people, seems, in some instances,
to be wanting. We call upon all such persons to repent and humble
themselves before the Lord; and we exhort all Latter-day [p.254]
Saints to maintain such a high position before God that every act of
their lives may be approved of him. Never let us be guilty of any word
or deed that we will be ashamed of before our father, mother, brother,
or sister, or before our heavenly Father. This is a principle that we
should cultivate, maintain and abide by in all things; and wherever
any have been foolish enough to fall or go astray, through the toils
or snares that have been set for them, let them repent and humble
themselves before the Lord, and let a spirit of unity, harmony, peace,
stern integrity, purity and chastity abide in every heart, for if we
ever inherit blessings end glory, if we ever are made partakers of the
thrones, dominions, principalities, powers and endless lives which
pertain to the exaltation of the kingdom of God, we shall do so by
maintaining a purity like that of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.

Vol. 17,  p.254
The sixth rule is—"We will observe the Sabbath day and keep it. holy."
I regret to say that I have noticed a great many instances of laxity
in the observance of this rule, and I wish the Elders and teachers in
all the Branches and settlements to preach and practice the observance
of the Sabbath. Brethren, work six days, and on the seventh rest and
observe the Sabbath according to the revelation; and impress this
principle upon the Saints everywhere by practice. I remember once I
was in a hurry to come to Salt Lake City. Fillmore was then the only
settlement between my place in Parowan, Iron County, and the
settlements in Utah County. The Sunday was very fine; we had attended
meeting and, having been a long time away from the brethren in Salt
Lake City, we wanted to hurry on. I certainly thought we could travel
twenty miles on Sunday evening, as well as not, so we started. I was a
little conscience-stricken; I said to myself—"This is not exactly
right, and I am afraid we shall not get along as well as We would to
have staid until Monday morning." We drove about twenty or twenty-two
miles that evening. I told the brethren to tie up the horses, but some
of them got loose and went clear back, and in the morning the brethren
had to go the whole distance after them. That is what we gained at the
start by breaking the Sabbath; but it did not end there. The next day
we broke a wagon, and then we got into a storm, and we were six days
in reaching Fillmore, and it took us some twelve days to reach this
city. Now, I do not believe that, as a general thing, anything is
gained in property or in time by working on the Sabbath; and I advise
and exhort all men professing to belong to the United Order, or to be
Latter-day Saints, to observe the Sabbath; keep it holy, devote it to
worship, to the study of good books, to rest, to imparting
instruction, to attending meeting, and do not, under any
circumstances, lapse into a habit of thinking that you can do as you
please on the Sabbath, and that so doing is clear gain. We have, some
day, to meet our Father in heaven, and that day is not very tar off
with many of us. I meet here at this Conference quite a number with
whom, forty years ago this summer, or last spring, I marched on the
Zion's Camp journey—a thousand miles. That does not seem long, but we
are marching steadily to our last account, and we should not let our
love for self, our desire for gain, or our anxiety for pleasure so mar
our path that when we come into the presence [p.255] of our Father in
heaven we shall be smitten with the reflection that, instead of
observing the Sabbath, according to the command, we went off spreeing,
or hunting, or we went looking after cattle, or getting wood, or
dashing around and breaking the Sabbath time and again, for if our
conscience reprove us, God is greater than our consciences, and he
surely will condemn us.

Vol. 17,  p.255
Rule seven—"That which is not committed to our care we will not
appropriate to our own use." That is a very modest way of agreeing or
promising that we will not steal or take that which does not belong to
us. One of the ten commandments teaches—"Thou shalt not steal;" and in
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants we are informed that he that steals
shall be cast out and delivered to the law of the land. These things
should never be forgotten by those professing to be Latter day Saints.
I have noticed, in the course of my life, a great many men professing
a great deal of piety, who have been very dishonest. In the
neighborhood where I was raised there were men who would charge a good
round price for a bushel of wheat, and then use a false measure. In
that way they reared children to be dishonest. If there are fathers or
teachers in Israel who indulge in this covetous practice, or who take
that which does not belong to them, they set examples before their
children which cause them to grow up a generation of thieves. I was
once conversant with an incident illustrative of this principle. A
young man was cut off from the Church for stealing. When he came home
his mother upbraided him for it, "but," said he, "mother, you have
yourself to thank for it. My father always told me not to steal; he
commanded me not to touch a thing that did not belong to me, but you
used to send me to the neighbors to steal eggs; you taught me to
steal, and you are measurably responsible for my disgrace." This was
rather a bitter pill for the mother, but it contains an important
lesson, if we will consider it.

Vol. 17,  p.255
"That, which we borrow we will return according to promise, and that
which we find we will not appropriate to our own use, but will seek to
return it to the proper owner." There is too much of a want of
confidence in the midst of the Saints. When some promise they too
often fail to keep their word; and those who are in business do not
feel as free to trust their brethren as outsiders do. I have had
brethren come to me and say—"They are not as accommodating to me as
outsiders are," and I sometimes answer them by saying—"Perhaps you are
not as punctual to pay your brethren as you would be to pay an
outsider." Many of our brethren are not, and this is all wrong.
Confidence should be established in each other by fulfilling what we
undertake. What we borrow we should return; what we agree to do we
should fulfill. We should be careful to make our agreements so that we
can fulfill them, and then do so, and if through some unforeseen
circumstances we are unable to do so, we should immediately make known
the facts of the case, and be honest. I hope these cases are by no
means common, but I am satisfied they are more numerous than they
ought to be.

Vol. 17,  p.255
The ninth rule requires us, as soon as possible, to cancel all
indebtedness, and thereafter to avoid getting into debt. For the last
few years, owing to the opening of mines, the construction of
railroads, and the good crops that have been [p.256] raised, the
prosperity of the people has been very great, and as a wise and
prudent community we should have taken a course to have had the
benefits of all this means without being involved in debt, for,
notwithstanding we have been put to vast expense in consequence of
persecution and oppression from our enemies, we have been in a
condition to have saved a great deal. But many of our brethren are in
debt notwithstanding all this prosperity. Now this rule requires that
we take measures to pay, or cancel, our debts as soon as possible, and
then avoid getting into debt by living within our means. Ambition to
push forward and make wealth should not induce us to involve ourselves
in debt, but we should, with economy and prudence, live within our
means.

 Vol. 17,  p.256
The residue of these rules I will not read, but commend them to the
consideration of all the brethren, as being of the utmost importance.
There is one, however, to which I will just call your attention. It
refers to our manner of dress and living, and requires us to use
proper economy and prudence in the management of all things intrusted
to our care. I exceedingly regret to see the disposition to
extravagance which exits among us, as also a disposition to purchase
from abroad a variety of articles that are not of the first necessity.
I do think that it is right and proper that we should take the utmost
pains in our power, as a United Order and a united people, to provide
everything that we can produce within ourselves, and not be sending
away all, the money we can get to buy things that we can make
ourselves. Our brooms, for instance, and a great deal of our clothing,
and most of our shoes can be made here. With all the ridicule that has
been expended in relation to wooden-soled boots and shoes, I sincerely
advise every man who is afflicted with a cough, or who is subject to
colds or rheumatism, asthma, or any ailment of that kind, to put
wooden soles under his feet this Fall. They will preserve health a
great deal better than rubber; and if they happen to be paid for it
will be much better than to owe a trader for them, or to wear leather
that is like a sponge, through which the damp will penetrate, striking
directly to and promoting cough or rheumatism. I am of the belief that
wooden-soled shoes worn in winter will cure nine cases out of ten of
rheumatism and will save the lives of many of our children, by keeping
their feet dry and warm. I feel like preaching up wooden shoes as a
medical prescription, if you please, as well as on the score of
economy.

Vol. 17,  p.256
I wish you brethren when you return to the settlements to look after
the schools, see that they are established in all the settlements for
the winter, that no child be left without a chance to acquire a
knowledge of the common branches of education. See that all the poor
are provided with the means of sending their children to school, that
no child be deprived of the privilege of attending school through the
poverty of its parents. Make your schoolhouses comfortable and
pleasant. Make the seats of the proper hight and comfortable, so that
the children may not become humpbacked or round shouldered, nor
contract spinal complaints, or anything of that kind through their
seats being awkwardly constructed. There is plenty of lumber in the
mountains, and plenty of workmen; let them make good comfortable seats
for the children. See that your school-rooms are properly [p.257]
warmed, and be careful as to the characters of the men you employ for
school teachers. Do not hire a scoundrel, a seducer, or blackleg for
the position, for if you employ as teachers of your schools those who
are foul, wicked, and corrupt in their habits, you assume a terrible
responsibility, for the impressions made upon and the lessons taught
to the children while attending school have a great influence for good
or for evil, upon their future lives and welfare. I believe I have
preached upon this subject almost every Conference since I can
remember, or since I began to speak at Conferences, and I shall
continue to do so. Let parents be stirred up in regard to the
education of their children, and provide for their welfare. In the
early days of the Territory the first house built in every settlement,
as a general rule, was a school-house. Let this rule still be
followed, and let our children receive their education directly within
ourselves; and if we want them to study the advanced branches, fill up
our home universities; instead of sending them abroad to be educated
in foreign schools, uphold your own university and sustain your own
schools.

Vol. 17,  p.257
After the close of this Conference meetings in this building will be
discontinued during the winter and will be held, under the direction
of the Bishops, in the ward assembly rooms every Sunday afternoon and
evening. The forenoons will be devoted to Sunday Schools, and I exhort
the brethren and sisters to have their children ready, so that they
can be at school in time. And I invite the young men and especially
the young sisters, to attend Sunday schools; I want to stir up the
young men to go there and form Bible classes. And I exhort the Elders
to be present as teachers, that there may be no lack of teachers. I
want to express my admiration of brother Goddard and a number of other
school superintendents and teachers, with whom I am acquainted,
because of their efforts to spread among the young throughout the
Territory a knowledge of the principles of the Gospel, as taught in
the Bible, Book of Mormon, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and in the
standard works of the Church. And I say to the young men, that if they
will attend the Bible classes and study the catechism in use in our
schools, and make themselves familiar with it, they will become so
thoroughly informed in the principles of the Gospel and the evidences
of it, that when called upon to go abroad to defend the doctrines of
Zion they will be well prepared to do so. I invite the Elders to see
that these classes are formed in all the settlements.

Vol. 17,  p.257
I will again repeat the idea that has already been presented, to
sustain our own literary institutions and publications,—the Juvenile
Instructor, the Woman's Exponent, the Deseret News, which contains
discourses by the First Presidency and Twelve, and also the
publications in the several counties. They are conducted by men who
take pains to disseminate the truth, as well as the general news of
the world, and they ought to be sustained, that their influence may be
extended and increased. Do not spend your money in buying lies, nor
your time in reading yellow-covered literature, or in studying such
things as are calculated in their nature to degenerate the human mind
and degrade the soul. One of the best books you can read on the earth
is the Bible. It is the finest history ever published in Great
Britain. Study its history and [p.258] its precepts. It is the
foundation of the sciences of the world, and the basis of the laws of
all the Christian nations; and although men in every direction have
departed from it, we can read and understand it for ourselves. See
that it is on every table, in every household, in every pulpit, and
that it is the school book of every family throughout the Territory.

Vol. 17,  p.258
I want to say, with regard to the Temple at St. George, that the walls
are between twenty-five and thirty feet high. Some of the brethren
remained at work upon it all summer, some of them without shoes and
poorly supplied with clothing· About 309 persons have reported, I
believe, as going there this winter to aid in pushing forward the work
on this Temple, as volunteers from the different settlements of the
Territory. We hope, by means of this help and the contributions that
may be sent there, to have the roof on early next spring, and very
soon a baptismal font in the basement, in which we can begin the
administration of the principle of baptism for the dead and the
ordinances of the Gospel in connection with our fathers. The climate
in St. George is well suited to those in feeble health, and such of
that class of persons as desire to do so can, after the Temple is
completed, go there and spend the winter, and attend to the ordinances
for their dead.

Vol. 17,  p.258
I have invited the brethren, during the Conference, to go and look at
the Temple foundation in this city. It is a very beautiful foundation,
and the design of the building is grand. The labor of taking the
granite from the mountains, bringing it on to this ground and cutting
it and putting it in position is immense You saw a great many prepared
stones that are not laid: I will explain how that has happened. We had
a good many beginners who could shape a rough stone, but not so many
stonecutters who could do a finished job, and all the stones for the
outside had to be done by skillful workman. A great number of those
that you see lying round, numbered up as high as thirteen or fourteen
courses, were cut by men who were not skilled workmen. That is the
reason why so many are not yet laid in the building. We found it
necessary during the harvest to dismiss fifty workmen of this kind
from the block, that they might go and aid in gathering in the
harvest, because we could not supply them with work so far in advance
of the laying. Brother Trueman O. Angell has been exceedingly zealous
in attending to this work: he has been so fearful lest a stone should
be laid wrong that he has been on the walls early and late to see that
every stone has been set in its proper place, to a hair's breadth. His
zeal has been such that I have almost feared that, in spite of the
faith of the Saints and the energy of the man's soul, he would work
himself into the ground. I want the brethren to pray for him that he
may be sustained in his arduous labors.

Vol. 17,  p.258
One great difficulty in getting along on this Temple, has been the
want of money to supply the workmen with actual necessaries. We have
been accustomed, during the prosperous times of the past year or two,
to pay them one-fourth in cash or merchandize; this season we were
unable to do that, hence an invitation was given by the First
Presidency and the Bishops, to all the Saints, far and near, to make a
donation of fifty cents a month to aid in the prosecution of the work
on the Temple the names of all who respond are to be entered in the
"Book of the Law of the Lord."[p.259] Quite a number have responded,
and some means has come in from this source. I now invite the
brethrens, sisters, strangers, and all who feel an interest in the
Temple, and wish to have their names enrolled in the "Book of the Law
of the Lord," to make this monthly contribution, that the hearts of
the workmen may be gladdened and that the hands of those who are
called to conduct this business may not be tied. We have been
compelled to borrow money and to pay interest to carry on this work;
the resources that have come in have been insufficient, and the kind
that has come in has not been such that we could make it available in
carrying on the work as vigorously as we desired to do on this Temple
and upon that at St. George. I appeal to the brethren also to remember
the Temple in their prayers. Let us pray that God will give us power
to erect and dedicate it, and that he will preserve the life of our
President to organize the Priesthood in all its beauty and order in
that Temple, and fulfill to the uttermost the duties of those keys,
which were delivered to him by Joseph Smith, pertaining to the twelve
and to the church, and to the bearing off of this work in the last
days. Let us lift our hearts to God that he will preserve his servants
for the accomplishment of this work. And while we raise our hearts in
prayer for this object, let our souls be filled with benevolence and
liberality to pay our tithes and offerings. I fully believe that, if
one half of the brethren had honestly paid tithing as we understand
it, our hands would not have been tied. Think of these things and act
upon them.

Vol. 17,  p.259
Most of the emigration the present season has been through their own
means and the aid of relatives and friends, and a goodly number have
thus been gathered. We now again invite all those who owe the
Perpetual Emigration Fund, or whose relatives or friends are indebted
to it, to remember their obligations, that those in the old countries
who desire may be gathered here as fast as possible. We also invite
the brethren to send for their friends from abroad; but before
espending your money for that purpose, find out whether those whom you
wish to gather still remain Saints, of whether they have corrupted
their ways before the Lord. It would be a very good idea to learn this
before expending money to help them, though it is an act charity to
bring anybody from the old world and place them on the broad plains of
America, where they may be enabled to obtain homes of their own.

Vol. 17,  p.259
I want to way, in relation to the missionary labors of President
Brigham Young in going to Europe and founding and starting the system
of emigration, and gathering thousands upon thousands of people from
the old world and placing them in positions to get homes of their own,
that he is the most distinguished and extensive benefactor of his race
of any living man within my knowledge. We regret that he has been
unable to speak to us during this Conference. We feel confident,
however, that had the gospel which he has preached for the last
forty-three years to the inhabitants of the world, been received as
honestly by those who heard it as it has been declared by him and his
brethren, all the human family would have had a knowledge of the
gospel to-day, and the Millennium would have brought it. This, however
has not been the case; but the forms preaching of President Young, and
the acts of his life in teaching and being a father to the people will
be [p.260] had in everlasting rembrance; and we will exercise our
faith that God will restore his health, that his voice may again be
heard amongst us, though that is not possible at this time. We are
gratified to know that he is able to be in our midst, to hear our
testimonies, see our countenances, and know that within us there is a
portion of that Holy Spirit which God has revealed for our salvation.

George Q. Cannon, October 11, 1874

Saints Are the Light of the World—Live 
Down Falsehood—Union in the Church All-Importat

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon, Delivered at the Adjourned 
Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Sunday Afternoon, October 11, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.260
The teachings which we have heard at this conference have been of a
character most important to us as a people, and should be treasured up
by all who have heard them; and those of us who reside in other places
who have attended Conference should carry the instructions they have
received to the places where they reside, that the spirit of this work
and the spirit of this conference may be disseminated among all the
Saints.

Vol. 17,  p.260
We are living in one of the most important periods of the earth's
history. Events are of such a character connected with us as to excite
the greatest interest, and no one connected with the people, who feels
as he or she should, can help being interested in the way in which
this work is progressing and attracting attention throughout the
earth. There is no people, to-day, on the face of the earth who are
situated in this respect as are the Latter-day Saints. God is dealing
with us in a most remarkable manner, and is fulfilling, through his
people, the predictions of the holy prophets, and we behold on every
hand, when we open our eyes to see and our hearts to understand, the
great events which God said should transpire in some day and age in
the future.

Vol. 17,  p.260
There is one thing with which I am greatly impressed, and that is,
within a few years how determined the enemies of the kingdom of God
have been to destroy that work which he has founded. How they have
envied, maligned, and maliciously persecuted this people, and how they
have concocted plots for their overthrow! In this last Congress no
less than eight bills were introduced, having for their object the
subjugation of the people of Utah to the ring of [p.261] men who have
sought their destruction, and yet the population of this entire
Territory does not number as much as a second class city in the United
States. I remarked to members of Congress, of the House and of the
Senate, that Congress was paying us a great compliment, a people so
insignificant numerically, so devoid of wealth, in the estimation of
many so illiterate, so deluded, so bound and fettered and so barbarous
in our habits. I think it a great compliment that the representatives
of forty millions of people should bestow such attention upon one
hundred and fifty thousand. Yet it is not these representatives who
wish so much to do us harm, but it is a body of men here who are
anxious to gain power and influence at the expense of a people whose
prosperity and influence they envy. I have been impressed with the
wonderful manner in which we have been advertised now for some years
back. I can not fail to recognize the hand of God in this. I look
around me and I see a people who, if they were not Latter-day Saints,
if they did not believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, would not
be noticed in any particular manner, but who, because they are
Latter-day Saints, are known more widely and whose movements attract
more attention and excite greater interest, whose public men are more
advertised and their lives and characters published more widely
throughout the earth than those of many rulers of great nations. Men
say it is because this is such a great imposture, because Brigham
Young is a false prophet, and because the Latter-day Saints are
deluded. These are singular statements to make, as though a few
deluded and ignorant people, led by a false prophet, could occupy the
attention of the nations of the earth. It is something unheard of in
history except, as we testify, in the case of those who have preceded
us in the same work. Jesus said to his ancient disciples, "Ye are the
light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." The
eyes of the world were upon them. And in our day we behold the same
effect. The Latter-day Saints and their work have been like a city set
on a hill. They have attracted the gaze of the nations, and that, too,
without any especial effort on their part to make themselves
conspicuous. The clamor of our enemies has greatly contributed to
this. What do their attacks accomplish for us? They advertise us and
give us an importance to which we could not otherwise attain. Every
effort that is made to destroy this work or to embarras its onward
progress, or to deprive its leaders of their lives or of their
liberties only enhances its importance in the midst of the earth,
gives it publicity, preaches the gospel, attracts attention, causes
then and women to think, to reason and to investigate what it is about
this people that creates so much excitement.

Vol. 17,  p.261
I have said, and I do not think I exaggerate in the least degree, that
the efforts of the past three or four years, in this Territory, to
destroy this work and to deprive the leaders of this people of their
liberty have had more effect in preaching what is called Mormonism
than the efforts of a thousand missionaries would have been able to
accomplish. "Well, but," says one, "they say such terrible things
about you, and it is no advantage to be spoken of in this manner, to
be maligned and accused of wrong." It is an advantage, because, as I
have said, it causes men and women to reason and reflect, and it
promotes investigation. There have bees hundreds who have come here
and been brought in contact with this [p.262] people, who have been
astonished at what they have seen, because what they have seen has
been so different in every respect from the stories that they have
heard, and the effect and revulsion of feeling have been much greater
than they would have been had they never heard anything about us at
all. And it is our businesss to live down the lies that are put in
circulation about us. I, myself, rejoice in these things, because I
see the hand of God in it all, I see the fulfillment of the
predictions of the holy prophets, I see a people being gathered
together who are united, not so much as they should be, but still more
united than they were before they heard this gospel, and I rejoice
that this is the case.

Vol. 17,  p.262
I hope that we shall continue to cultivate within us the principle of
union. Remember the story of the Scythian king. When on his deathbed
he told his boys to bring him a bundle of arrows. "Now," said he "let
me see you break this." They tried one after another, but they could
not break the bundle. "Cut the string that ties them," said the king,
"and try to break them singly." They cut the string and tried the
arrows singly and broke the entire bundle with ease. There is power in
concentration of effort, and it is this which gives us our character
in the earth to-day. Cause the Latter-day Saints to be disunited,
divide us asunder, split us into factions and what would we amount to?
Why, nothing at all, we would not count anything in the history of the
race or of the earth; but the very notice that we receive, the
attention that we attract is a tribute to our union and to that amount
of the cementing influence which prevails among us as a people. Union
among us is all-important, because we have a power opposed to us that
will destroy us if it can, there is no disguising this fact, it is
publicly announced everywhere. It was hoped when the railroad was
completed that that would do it; it was hoped that when the mines were
discovered and emigration floated in here that the accompanying
influences would accomplish it, that fashion, luxury, vice with all
their corroding influences at work at this system would destroy it, or
produce the disintegration of the entire people. Every effort of this
kind has for its object the destruction of the union of this people.
Why, if we were disunited, if we were split into factions we might
have houses of ill-fame on every corner in juxtaposition with
churches; we might have drinking saloons and gambling saloons; we
might practice harlotry to the fullest extent, and who would indict us
for it or say one word against our practices? No one; we would be
following the fashion of the world. Why, it would furnish themes for
preachers and they would have excellent texts, for where these things
abound they flourish. But because we are united, because we have set
our faces against these things, because we discourage vice we are
unpopular, and we shall continue to be so until a better judgment
prevail I have said there is no disguising the fact, nobody attempts
to disguise it, that the object sought for at the present time is the
destruction of this people as a people. Not that many would avow their
wish to have our lives taken, but to destroy our union, to destroy the
influence of our leading men. Now, I ask you, Latter-day Saints, are
you so blind and so foolish as not to see that this is the object of
every attack which is made upon us? You who do not feel in favor of
more union and of concentrating our efforts, ask yourselves [p.263]
this question and reflect upon the objects sought to be obtained by
those who are erreyed against us. We do not seek the destruction of
any, we have never been aggressive, we have never sought to force our
opinions upon any one; we have invited all to come to this land and
proclaim their principles here, without let or hindrance. They have
not been gagged in their faith, or restrained or restricted in any
manner. They have had the privilege of preaching to the fullest extent
in our tabernacles and meeting-houses, and we have not had the least
objection thereto, but on the contrary we have been pleased to see
them. This is the course we have taken. But when we are threatened
with destruction, as a pure matter of self-defence it is our duty to
organize ourselves to resist these attacks, and the people who would
not do it are unworthy of an existence upon the earth. I, therefore,
have ever been, am now, and will always be, while I feel as I do at
the present time, in favor of greater union among this people, in
favor of the United Order in favor of everything that will give us
strength and cement us closer and closer together and make our lines
more impregnable than they are. And as I said the other day so say I
again, with the help of God, my life shall be devoted to that object
with all the strength, influence and ability which God shall give me
among this people. Is there any harm in this? Not in the least, so
long as our objects are what they are. We want to save, we want to
preserve, we want to disseminate good principles, and any man or woman
who will practice this can live forever in the midst of the Latter-day
Saints and never have any difficulty. Every fair-minded man who comes
to this land and deports himself as a gentleman, and any fair-minded
lady who comes and deports herself in like manner, might live here
until they were as old as Methuselah was, if we continued as we have
been, without ever having the least cause of feeling against us. We
ask no more from others than we are willing to extend to them with the
greatest liberality and freedom; but we expect to have liberty and
freedom for ourselves, and we shall contend for them in every
constitutional and legal manner as long as we live.

Vol. 17,  p.263
My brethren and sisters, if you have not got this spirit of union let
me advise you to seek for it. Humble yourselves before God and seek
for it until the desire to be more closely united will burn within
you, until you regard it as one of the greatest objects that can be
attained. In a family capacity, in a ward capacity, or as a people,
from north to south, we should not have these clashing and conflicting
interests—Latter-day Saints against Latter-day Saints, and yet all of
us professing to have the building up of God's kingdom at heart. I do
not know of anything else that we have to do. God has sent us here for
this object, and I do not know any better thing that we can engage in
than to build up the Zion of God. It is as good and as great a labor
as we can be engaged in, in fact it is the labor which God has
assigned unto us as a people and as individuals, and if any of us are
engaged in anything else we are not in the line of our duty, and we
should turn aside from that and pursue the path which God has marked
out.

Vol. 17,  p.263
May God bless you and fill you with his Holy Spirit, that you may
carry it with you to your various homes in the remote parts of the
Territory, and that it may live and born within you, fill you with
good [p.264] and holy desires to do the will of God, keep his
commandments and live in close communion with him, and then you need
never be afraid of being deceived, for you can not be if you have the
Holy Ghost within you, and that this may be the case, is my prayer, in
the name of Jesus. Amen.

Orson Pratt, November 15, 1874

The Gospel Restored From Heaven—Signs Follow Believers—
Fulfillment of Prophecy—Book of Mormon a Divine Revelation

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Fourteenth 
Ward Assembly Rooms, Sunday Afternoon, November 15, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.264
We profess, Latter-day Saints, to be living in a dispensation called
the dispensation of the fulness of times, a dispensation commenced and
committed to men in our age by the administration of angels, by the
revelations of the Holy Ghost, by bringing forth the word of God to
the people, by restoring authority to the children of men to
administer the ordinances of the Gospel, and by committing to them a
message which is required to be published among the inhabitants of the
earth. It is very evident from what was declared by the ancient
Apostle that another dispensation after his day was to be introduced
among the inhabitants of the earth. We read, in the first chapter of
Paul's epistle to the Ephesians, that in the dispensation of the
fulness of times all things that are in Christ shall be gathered
together in one. It is in accordance, therefore, with this
dispensation that we see the people gathering here in this Territory
and extending their settlements east end west, north and south. But we
are only a very few of the people that God intends to gather together
in one in this dispensation. It is literally a dispensation of
gathering, not merely a gathering together of those who are here on
the earth in the flesh; but before it is completed all things in
Christ which are in heaven will also be gathered and united with those
who are in Christ on the earth. We have but barely commenced in this
glorious dispensation. The Church has been organized, by divine
revelation, angels have appeared, the apostolic authority has been
restored by the ministration of angels, and the kingdom of God has
been set up in fulfillment of the promise made to the ancient Prophet
Daniel—a kingdom [p.265] which shall never be destroyed, never again
be rooted out of the earth and never be committed to another people,
but it shall continue forever while all human governments, of whatever
name they shall be, will be rooted out of the earth by the divine
judgments that will take place as the kingdom of God rolls forth among
the nations. This is clearly foretold by nearly all the Prophets whose
words are recorded in the divine Scriptures. They have spoken of the
day when the Gospel should be restored; they have spoken of the period
in which the kingdom of God should be set up and what it should
accomplish; they have spoken of the signs that should be made manifest
in those days both in the heavens and upon the earth; they have told
us concerning the gathering, not only of the literal descendants of
Israel, from the four quarters of the earth, but also of the gathering
of all the Saints. These are matters so clearly foretold that I have
often wondered in my own mind that people professing to believe the
Bible and to receive the plain and pointed instructions contained
therein, have not been looking for a dispensation connected with all
these events that I have named.

Vol. 17,  p.265
What can possibly be the meaning, Latter-day Saints, of that
prediction in the revelations of St. John, that another angel should
fly through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to
preach to them that dwell on the earth, to every nation and kindred
and people and tongue, 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 heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of
waters!" What can possibly be the meaning of this prediction and
vision of John in relation to the future and the hour of God's
judgment if there never was to be another dispensation made manifest
to the children of men? Certainly, before John saw this vision the
Gospel had been very extensively preached among the inhabitants of the
earth, to both Jews and Gentiles, so much so that Paul, prior to this
time, speaking upon the subject of the preaching of the Gospel, says
it had been preached to every creature under heaven, "whereof I, Paul,
am made a minister." It seems, according to his declaration, that he
had an understanding in some way, either by revelation or from some
other source, that the Gospel that was committed in his day had
already been preached before his death to every creature under heaven;
yet John, after this period, while on the Island of Patmos, after
having written several epistles to the churches that were built up
called the seven churches, and reproved them for their wickedness,
apostacy and luke-warmness, threatening to remove their candlesticks
out of their places, and fighting them with the spirit of his mouth;
after having sees all this in vision on Patmos and writing to these
churches, had presented before him a scene that was still in the
future—a scene of darkness, apostacy, sin and corruption, wherein all
nations should be more or less overcome, and during which certain
powers should arise and fight against the kingdom of God, and make war
with and overcome the Saints, and then another power should be
established on the earth under the name of "The Mother of Harlots"—an
ecclesiastical power, described as a woman sitting on a
scarlet-colored beast, having a golden cup in her hands fall of the
filthiness and abominations of the earth, causing all nations to drink
out of [p.266] that cup, and making them drunk with the wine of the
wrath of her fornication. John saw this portrayed among the events
that were to take place after his day. He saw the Saints overpowered
and, as the Apostle Paul had clearly predicted, a great falling away
take place, and that men should be lovers of their own selves, proud
boasters, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unholy, without natural
affection, truce breakers, &c., having a form of godliness but denying
the power thereof. This was clearly seen by the revelator on Patmos,
as well as by the Apostle Paul. After having seen this, beholding all
nations overcome, all people, kindred and tongues worshiping according
to the creeds and ceremonies of this great ecclesiastical power that
had risen, and supping out of the golden cup, the angel who revealed
these things to John, in order to encourage him, showed that this
wickedness would not always continue among the nations, and also gave
him a view of the manner in which God would again visit the
inhabitants of the earth, and he uses this prediction which I have
quoted about the coming of another angel.

Vol. 17,  p.266
It seems that this angel was to come at a period when there would be
no nation, kindred, tongue or people on the whole earth that had the
power and authority to administer the Gospel of Christ. The ancient
Apostles had very different views on this subject from those
entertained by the divines of the present day. Almost all Christian
denominations suppose that there have been Christian churches on the
earth ever since the days of the Apostles, according to the New
Testament pattern; but the ancient Apostles saw that, instead of being
churches of Christ, they would have a form of godliness, denying the
power, in other words, they would have no power to administer the
Gospel as it was administered in ancient times; and this apostacy
should be so universal in its nature that all people, nations and
kindreds upon the face of the whole globe should be overcome by it, so
much so that there should be no Christian church left, no people left
that should have authority, no people left that could administer the
ordinances of the Gospel, and hence it needed to be restored from
heaven, and the method of its restoration was to be by an angel from
heaven.

Vol. 17,  p.266
If we go among all these different denominations calling themselves
Christians, and enquire of them if God has sent an angel, the answer
of every soul will be—"No angel has come in our day. God sent angels
to the Christian church in the primitive ages of Christianity, but
now, for something like seventeen hundred years we have not been
visited by angels, and no new message has been given." This will be
their declaration throughout the four quarters of the globe, wherever
Christian churches, so called, are organized. Go to the great Mother
Church, the oldest in existence among those professing Christianity,
and make the enquiry of her members, and they will make the same
declaration—"No message later than that given in the New Testament.
God has said nothing by new revelation to guide our church. The holy
Scriptures and the traditions handed down from the fathers are our
rules of faith and practice." Go to the Greek church, which separated
from the Roman Catholics, the members of which are now so numerous
that they number their millions, and ask them if they have received
any message from God, and they will give an answer similar to that
given by the [p.267] Catholics—"Nothing new, our ecclesiastical
authorities, archbishops, cardinals, etc., do not reveal anything
new." This you will find recorded in their writings. They declare that
it is their business to interpret the old and to bring forth what the
ancient fathers have said, and the church must be guided by these
interpretations, and by the decrees of its uninspired authorities.
Thus we may trace the Christian world in the four quarters thereof,
and we shall find that they all acknowledge and declare that this
angel, spoken of by John the Revelator, has never appeared to any of
them.

Vol. 17,  p.267
Suppose that we now enquire of the Latter-day Saints. What do you
believe, Latter-day Saints, about this matter? Why your universal
answer is—"We as a people, without one dissenting voice, believe with
all our hearts that God has sent his angel from heaven and restored
the everlasting gospel in all its fulness." What do you say, you
missionaries, elders and high priests, and you seventies and apostles
who have gone forth during the last forty-four years, and published
these tidings in the four quarters of the globe? Why your universal
answer is—"Wherever we have been we have published that which we were
commanded—namely, that God has sent his angel from heaven, that that
angel, by his administrations in our day, has brought to light a
sacred record called the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of the
everlasting gospel as it was preached in ancient times upon this
American Continent among the forefathers of the Indians." This has
been your testimony for almost half a century has it? Yes. Why did you
bear this testimony among the people? Because you were commanded to do
so, it was a message committed to you, and if you had not fulfilled
the requirement given in the commandment you would have been under
condemnation.

Vol. 17,  p.267
Then so far as the faith of this people is concerned it is consistent
with the prediction that was uttered by the Apostle John. John said
that such should be the case, the Latter-day Saints say that such is
the case; one predicted that it should be in the future, the other
declares that is has already come to pass, and that God, in our day,
has commissioned that angel and that he has appeared unto some, and
through them, committed the fulness of the everlasting gospel to the
human family and commanded them to bear record of it to all people.
There is nothing inconsistent so far as this item of faith is
concerned.

Vol. 17,  p.267
But here will arise a question in the minds of some who have not
investigated this subject; they will admit that, if our testimony is
true, the message which we proclaim is one of the most important that
has been committed to man for seventeen hundred years past. This all
will admit; for this message does not concern one nation alone, but
all nations, for, as John stated, it is to be declared to every
nation, kindred, tongue and people. Why? Because none of them had the
gospel at the time it was revealed, that is the reason. If there had
been one little corner of the earth where the gospel was preached and
its ordinances administered by divine authority, there would have been
no necessity for its restoration by an angel, all we would have had to
do would have been to hunt up that little corner of the earth, where
some tongue or people had the gospel and the church organized among
them; they could have baptized and confirmed us, and administered to
us the sacrament and all [p.268] the blessings of the gospel. But from
the very fact that there were no such people on the earth in the four
quarters thereof, it had to be restored anew from heaven. This is our
testimony, and it is plain and pointed, but the query is, among those
who have not investigated it—"Is this true?"

Vol. 17,  p.268
Among the evidences that have accompanied the committing of this
gospel to men in our day by an angel, let me refer you to those which
were given before this church arose, when Joseph Smith, that farmer's
boy, was commanded to go to the hill Cumorah and take from the place
of their deposit the plates from which the Book of Mormon was
translated, and to translate them. When he was commanded to do this
work, and while in the act of doing it, the Lord God sent his angel to
three men besides the translator, and to these men the angel
exhibited, leaf by leaf, the unsealed portion of these plates, and at
the same time the voice of the Lord from heaven was heard, testifying
that the work had been translated correctly, and commanding them to
bear witness of it unto all people, nations and tongues to whom this
work should be sent. They, therefore, prefix their testimony in the
Book of Mormon to that effect, testifying to the ministration of the
angel, to seeing the plates and the engravings thereon, and to its
correct translation.

Vol. 17,  p.268
Here then, were four witnesses—the translator and three others, before
the rise of this church, who testify that God sent his angel. It is
not a speculation with them, but something absolutely certain. They
could not be deceived in relation to this matter. Joseph Smith could
not be deceived when the angel told him to go and obtain these plates,
and gave him a vision of the very place where they were deposited, and
he actually obtained them, and with them the Urim and Thummim, by
which he translated them. There was no possibility of his being
deceived in relation to the matter. And when these three men, in
answer to their prayers, saw the angel in his glory, saw him descend
from heaven clothed with glory, saw him take these plates, saw them in
his hands, heard the voice of God from heaven bearing testimony to the
correctness of the translation, commanding them to bear witness to all
people, they could not be deceived in relation to this matter, it was
something positive to them; and if you say they were deceived, with
the same propriety an infidel may say that all the prophets from Adam
down to the days of John, who professed to see angels, were deceived;
with the same propriety they could contend against the holy Scriptures
on the same ground that many would contend against the testimony of
the Book of Mormon.

Vol. 17,  p.268
Were there any others who saw the plates besides these four men? Yes.
How many? Eight, all before this church was organized. These eight
witnesses have also given their testimony, and it is prefixed to the
Book of Mormon. The eight did not see the angel, but they saw the
plates, and they testify that they handled them, and saw the
engravings thereon, all of which had the appearance of ancient
workmanship, and, in the close of their testimony they say—"And this
we bear testimony of, and we lie not, God bearing witness of it."

Vol. 17,  p.268
This makes twelve witnesses to the original of the Book of Mormon.
Would to God that we had twelve witnesses to the original of the
Bible, so that it might stand on equal testimony with the Book of
Mormon! But, alas, there is not one original in existence that we know
of, and [p.269] neither has there been for many generations past, of
any one book of the Bible from the beginning of Genesis to the end of
Revelation. Says one—"Do you mean to say that King James's translators
did not translate the Bible from the original?" Yes that is what I
say. They translated it from from the language of certain manuscripts,
which language, of course, was not the English language; but they did
not translate from the original. Why? Because, for aught we know,
these manuscripts might have been the 999th copy from the original.
There might have been two thousand copies handed from one scribe to
another and transcribed instead of the original. Indeed, what man for
the last ten centuries has ever seen one of the originals of the
Bible? I do not know of any, and we have no account in history, either
sacred or profane, that the original has ever been seen by any person
for the last ten or twelve centuries; but we have the testimony of
many learned men, men who profess Christianity and to believe the
Bible, that, in gathering together the most original manuscripts they
could find and comparing them one with another—manuscripts in the
Hebrew, Greek and other ancient languages—they found that they
contradicted one another, and that there are something like thirty
thousand different readings among those different manuscripts. Some of
these learned men have collected together an immense quantity of these
different manuscripts and have expended large fortunes in so doing.
For what purpose? That they might translate them into the English
language; but when they came to compare them they found such a variety
of contradictions that they gave the task up in despair. Others have
taken such manuscripts as they could get hold of, and have done the
best they could. One thing is certain, King James's translators, being
among the wisest men and greatest scholars of their day, did justice
to the subject as far as it was possible by uninspired men.

Vol. 17,  p.269
Now the Christian world believe the Bible, so do the Latter-day
Saints. We believe that the original was just as true as the Book of
Mormon, that is our faith; and that the Book of Mormon is just as true
as the original books of the Bible. The world believe that the Bible
is a divine record, but on what evidence do they believe it? Certainly
not because there is the testimony of any parties who ever saw the
original. Here, then, we bring forth the Book of Mormon to you, and we
present to you twelve witnesses who have seen the original of that
book. Do you not perceive that, so far as this one species of evidence
is concerned, the Book of Mormon is supported by a greater amount of
evidence than the Bible? Is there one person among all the Christian
churches and denominations, for the last sixteen centuries, who knows
the Bible to be true by the ministration of an holy angel? No, not a
single individual, for according to the testimony of all the Christian
sects, during the whole of that time no angel has been sent and
nothing new has been revealed.

Vol. 17,  p.269
If it be true that God has not revealed anything since the days of
John the Revelator, then no person has had a knowledge given him as to
the truth of the Bible. But how is it with the Book of Mormon? Four
men have seen an angel. Now compare or contrast this evidence
concerning the two books. These four men were men of your own times,
men whom you could cross-question, witnesses whom you had the
privilege of interrogating in relation to their [p.270] testimony. But
we are told that the Bible bears record of its own divinity, and that
the Saints who lived in ancient days did see angels. Now suppose we
admit that the Bible does bear testimony of its own divinity. Turn to
and read the declarations of Nephi and Alma, and of the prophet Jacob,
and many other prophets who wrote the various books in the Book of
Mormon, and they bear testimony that they saw angels. the Bible bears
testimony that the prophets who wrote the various books which it
contains did the same. Now put one on a par with the other and, so far
as that species of evidence is concerned, one is just equal to the
other.

Vol. 17,  p.270
Again, the Bible says, in giving a commission to the ancient apostles
to go and preach the gospel, that certain signs should follow all the
believers throught the whole world. "Go ye forth and preach the gospel
to every creature under heaven, he that believes and is baptized shall
be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned; and these signs
shall follow them that believe—in my name they shall cast out devils."
Mark, now, not the apostles alone, they were not the only ones whom
these signs should follow, but they were to follow every creature in
all the world who should believe, making it as definite and unlimited
as possible. They were not only to have salvation, but they were to be
blessed with certain signs following them. What were they? "In my name
they shall cast out devils, they shall speak with new tongues, they
shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing it shall
not harm them, they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall
recover." Certain definite promises were made to the believers by
which they could distinguish themselves from all the rest of mankind,
and it is recorded in the following verses of of the same chapter,
that the apostles went everywhere preaching the word, the Lord working
with them and confirming the word by signs following.

Vol. 17,  p.270
What are we to understand by confirming the word with signs following?
Are we to understand that the Apostles alone confirmed the word? No.
There were certain signs which were to follow the believers wherever
they preached. The promise was to every creature in all the world.
They went everywhere and preached this word, and the Lord wrought with
them by confirming the word to every believer throughout all the
world, by causing the promise to be fulfilled to those believers. Here
then, the believers had no particular necessity for asking the
apostles to perform miracles, for they themselves were blessed with
certain miraculous signs, and the Lord confirmed these signs upon
them, so that they were not obliged to seek foreign testimony, or for
miracles wrought by somebody else, for every person, male or female,
who believed and obeyed that gospel, obtained for himself, the signs
promised. This is what the Scriptures inform us, and in this
dispensation, when God revealed this Gospel anew, and sent his angel
and organized his church, and sent forth his servants, the same
promise was made as to the ancient Saints. I can read it here in this
book, for this is the book of the revelations and commandments that
was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith before the rise of this church,
and a short period after its rise. In this book we find recorded
something like this—"As I said unto mine ancient apostles I say unto
you"—speaking to the elders of this church—"go ye forth among all the
nations, preaching my gospel; he that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved, and he that believeth not shall be [p.271] damned; and these
signs shall follow them that believe—in my name they shall cast out
devils, in my name they shall open the eyes of the blind they shall
unstop the ears of the deaf, they shall cause the tongue of the dumb
to speak, and the lame man to leap as a hart." This promise was not
made to the elders alone who went forth in this dispensation, but to
all throughout the world who believe in their testimony.

Vol. 17,  p.271
This was pretty bold language to be used if Joseph Smith was really an
impostor; if he was an impostor he, in using such language and making
such a promise, laid the foundation for the overthrow of his own
system. It is a very easy matter to make a promise of this kind,
nothing is easier than that; but to fulfill that promise is altogether
another thing. Here was a promise made in the very early rise of this
church, upwards of forty years ago, that certain signs should follow
them that received and obeyed this gospel. Let us inquire on this
subject, for this is one species of evidence that is dwelt upon by the
opposers of this work wherever we go. When the elders came to you
Latter-day Saints, in the various nations where you resided, and
preached the gospel to you, did the Lord confirm these promises unto
you, or did he not? You can hear the united testimony of some fifty or
a hundred thousand people dwelling in this Territory, that God did
truly and in reality confirm this promise unto his servants, and unto
his handmaidens while in the different nations from which they
emigrated; that he did cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, the
tongue of the dumb to speak, and that he did cause his power to be
made manifest in very deed, just as the promise was given.

Vol. 17,  p.271
Here then, was a vast cloud of witnesses, some fifty thousand living
witnesses. Can we find one living witness who will bear such evidence
as this to the truth of the Bible? No. Go among all the Christian
denominations and ask them—"Are you believers?" "O yes, we are
believers." "Do the signs follow you that Jesus said should follow the
believers?" What is their answer? No, almost without an exception.
There may be some few exceptions; but what was the universal answer
before spiritualism commenced, before the days in which Joseph brought
forth this work, and for some few years after, among the Christian
denominations? It was—"No, God has not shown forth any of those signs
that he said should follow the believers." Why then do you call
yourselves believers? If God has not confirmed the word to you by
signs following how do you know that you are believers? May it not be
that you are deceiving yourselves? May it not be that you have merely
got a form of godliness, and that the power does not attend you?
According to their own testimony they have no right nor authority to
call themselves believers; and the promise contained in the Bible,
made to believers, have never been confirmed to any of the so-called
Christian sects since the days that King James' translators translated
them. But when we take the Book of Mormon and examine it on this kind
of evidence we have fifty thousand witnesses ready to testify to the
fulfillment of these promises, many of them having experienced the
fulfillment thereof in their own persons, while others have seen the
manifestations of God's power in healing the sick and afflicted among
his people from time to time; consequently the Latter-day Saints have
fifty thousand times more evidence so far as the signs following are
concerned, of the divinity of the Book [p.272] of Mormon than what the
Christian world have of the divinity of the book called the Bible.

Vol. 17,  p.272
Morover there is another kind of evidence which the Lord promised
before the rise of this church, when be conferred the apostleship
again upon the heads of the children of men, and gave them authority
to preach this gospel and to administer its ordinances; he told them
that they should preach the gospel, and that they should baptize every
penitent believer who desired baptism, and that they should lay their
hands upon the heads of those penitent, believers in confirmation,
pronouncing, by the authority of their apostleship and office and
calling, the Holy Ghost upon those baptized believers; and God
promised, before the rise of this church, that every soul among all
people, nations and tongues that would receive this gospel with full
purpose of heart, should be baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost
by the laying on of the hands of his servants. It is a very easy
matter for an impostor to make a promise of this kind, but supposing
it should not be fullfiled, supposing that the Holy Ghost did not come
upon the people, in the course of one or two years the believers, so
called, in Mormonism would all apostatize, they would very naturally
say—"the promise was made that we should receive the Holy Ghost
through the ordinance of the laying on of hands, and yet we have not
received it." "Here is the promise that we should heal the sick, and
that the various signs should follow us, but these promises have not
been fulfilled, we turn away from your system with disgust, we do not
believe there is any authority in it," and Mormonism would soon have
been banished out of existence. But what are the facts? The fact that
there is now a hundred thousand Latter-day Saints gathered from the
various nations of the earth into these mountain regions proves to me
beyond dispute or controversy that they did realize the promise,
namely, that the Holy Ghost did rest upon, them, and that by virtue of
that gift they did receive revelation and visions and prophecies and
the word of the Lord to themselves, and knew of a surety that this was
the work of God; and in consequence of this knowledge, not mere faith,
but in consequence of this knowledge which they received in their own
native lands they gathered up here to this land. It would require a
great degree of faith to induce people to forsake their own lands and
the homes and graves of their ancestors, to come across the ocean some
three thousand miles, then take an inland journey of two or three
thousand miles or more, and come to a desert country, as we did when
we first settled this land; I say it would require a great deal of
faith to induce people to do this. But let me tell you that it was not
by faith alone that the believers in the system established by the
Prophet Joseph Smith did this; it was something beyond faith—they
obtained a knowledge before they started. There may have been some
exceptions, but many of them obtained a knowledge before they left
their native countries that this was the work of God. You obtained
this knowledge through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; the gifts of
that Spirit were manifest among you as they were among the members of
the ancient Church, and by its inspiration you were edified and
instructed, and you received a knowledge, in fulfillment of the
promise of Jesus made in ancient times—"If any man will do the will of
my Father, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or
whether I [p.273] speak of myself." In the first place, they have to
believe before they can do the will of the Father; but belief and
knowledge are two very different things. By faith, without a
knowledge, many repent and obey the ordinances of the Gospel, and then
they receive a testimony to themselves, some in one way, some in
another; some by having visions given to them, some by the
ministrations of holy messengers, some by the healing of the sick,
some by the revelations and inspiration of the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 17,  p.273
These are the evidences then which we have to present before the
world, to substantiate the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
Have you any objection to them? Says one—"Here is my objection; it
matters not how many miracles are wrought, how many signs are given,
and whatever evidence may be pretended to have been received, it does
not matter about this, if a thing is inconsistent in and of itself, if
it contradicts itself, if it contradicts the Bible I shall reject it."
I honor you for that judgment, I would do the same. If the Book of
Mormon contradicted the revelations of God called the Bible, given on
the other continent, you might tear up the sycamore trees and east
them into the sea, or you might say to this mountain—"Depart hence,"
and if it should be done it would not be sufficient evidence in my
mind to make me receive it. A thing must be consistent, and when we
come to open and read the Book of Mormon, do we find any evidence
therein of its falsity? Read it from beginning to end in relation to
its historical matter. It pretends to be a history of the coming of a
small colony, two or three families, from the city of Jerusalem, led
by the hand of the Lord. They built a ship by the command of the Lord,
and were guided by his hand across the ocean; they landed on the
western coast of South America, about six hundred years before Christ;
and after that they worked their way up towards the narrow strip of
land we call the Isthmus, and founded settlements and, finally, about
fifty years before Christ, sent forth their colonies into the north
wing of the continent, which we call North America, and in process of
time the whole land became peopled and overspread with millions of
people. Now read this history from the time they left Jerusalem until
the time that the Nephite nation were destroyed by another portion of
the nation called Lamanites, and their records were hid up by their
last Prophet: read this history and see if you can find any
contradictions therein; if you can not, you can not condemn the hook
so far as the historical matter is concerned.

Vol. 17,  p.273
Says one—"Oh, but it might have been got up by some cunning
individual, who was very careful in his management, so as to get all
the links of the history perfectly in accordance one with another, and
still it may be false." On what ground? Says the objector—"Perhaps the
doctrines taught in the different ages by the several Prophets
mentioned in the various books of the compilation do not agree." Very
well, read the whole of the books contained in the compilation, the
period included in which comprises a thousand years, from the time
they landed on the continent to the time the Nephites were destroyed,
search the doctrine preached by each Prophet in the successive
generations and see if you can find any contradictions; if you cannot
find anything that contradicts itself, then see if you can find in
that book anything that contradicts what is contained in the
compilation of [p.274] the Prophets on the eastern hemisphere; see if
you can find anything in the Book of Mormon that clashes with or
contradicts the Bible, then perhaps you will have a little
justification for saying you do not believe it. But when you have made
this thorough examination and find no contradictions between the two
records you will certainly have no right to say the book is false, so
far as its doctrines are concerned.

Vol. 17,  p.274
Says one—"That book called the Book of Mormon professes to be a
prophetic record, and has a great many prophecies, and perhaps these
prophecies may disagree with the prophecies contained in the Old
Testament, or perhaps they may disagree among themselves, in which
case it would weaken my faith in regard to it." In this ease I would
say as I said concerning its doctrines—search all its prophecies
diligently—and it contains prophecies that reach to the very end of
the earth—search diligently those that have been fulfilled since the
rise of the Church as well as before, and search those that are yet to
be fulfilled from this time until the coming of the Savior, and from
that time down to the end of the earth, and see if you can find one
contradiction in all the record; and then compare them with the
prophecies contained in the Bible, and if they do not contradict one
another, have you or I any right to say that it is not a revelation
from God? There must be some evidence that we can bring forward by
which we can be justified in rejecting a book as being a divine
revelation. Now where is that evidence, what species of evidence is
it, where can it be obtained, from what quarter, in order to condemn
that book as not being a divine revelation? I know of none.

Vol. 17,  p.274
I have given you, very briefly, my reasons, and the reasons of the
Latter-day Saints for believing that book to be a divine revelation.
Moreover, let me go still further. We find in the Bible, the Jewish
record, many prophecies that point forward to the coming forth of a
similar record to that called the Book of Mormon, pointing out what
should be fulfilled when a certain record or book should come forth;
pointing out a period, time or age of the world when it should come
forth, and the object for which it should come forth.

Vol. 17,  p.274
Now the Book of Mormon has come forth to fulfill these ancient
prophecies. I have not time to refer to them to-day particularly, but
those who have heard these things for forty years past are well versed
in relation to the predictions of the Bible, concerning the coming
forth of such a work as the Book of Mormon. Now let any learned man
prove that this work has not come forth in fulfillment of these
prophecies, show some discrepancy, show wherein it can not possibly be
the fulfilling of these prophecies. Can they do this? If they can they
perhaps may have a little justification for rejecting the work; but
if, on the other hand, they can not show the fulfilling of those
prophecies in any other facts that have been revealed; if they can not
prove that the Book of Mormon is not the fulfillment of those
prophecies they certainly can not be justified in rejecting it.
"Well," says one, "is there any special prophecy in the Bible that
calls that book by name, or that there should be a book called the
Book of Mormon, come forth?" In answering this question, let me ask
you another question—Is there anything in the prophecy of Isaiah or
any Prophet who lived before his days that speaks particularly of a
Prophet  coming forth by the name of Jeremiah, who [p.275] should
reveal certain revelations? "Oh no," says one. Well, then, ought you
not to reject the prophecy of Jeremiah, inasmuch as no Prophet
preceding him spoke of him, no one who lived before him who said a
word about his book called the Book of Jeremiah? Moreover, were there
no Prophets that prophecied concerning the coming of Ezekiel and his
book, and Hosea and his book, and of Joel, Amos, Malachi, and many of
the ancient Prophets who might be named? What preceding Prophet
prophecied concerning the coming forth of these books? None at all.
The Jews would have had the same right in the days of these Prophets
to say—"I will reject you Jeremiah, and I will not receive your
revelations, and my reasons for rejecting you are that none of the
preceding Prophets have named you by name, and they have not spoken of
your book." The Jews might have rejected the whole catalogue of the
Prophets on this ground; therefore, this is another species of
evidence in favor of the Book of Mormon, over and above that which can
be brought to establish the divinity of the Bible.

Vol. 17,  p.275
What more might be said to prove the divinity of the Book of Mormon? I
will bring up some other evidence besides all that I have named. We
are told in the prophecies of the holy Prophets, not only about the
coming of the angel, but we are told that when God should set up his
kingdom and send that angel, it should be a dispensation of gathering
the people of God. Now, supposing that Joseph Smith had all these
proofs that I have named to testify concerning the divinity of this
book, and had said nothing about the gathering, what then? Why you and
I could go to our homes and say, "good by Joseph Smith, we do not
believe you to be a Prophet." "Why?" "Because the latter-day
dispensation was to be characterized by the gathering together of all
things in one that are in Christ, and you have said nothing about it,
and therefore we reject you." But is it so? No; before the rise of
this Church, while Joseph Smith was translating the Book of Mormon, it
is predicted here, in this translation, that the Church should go
forth from this continent to all the people, nations and tongues of
the earth, and that all who believed should be gathered in one. Now
how did Joseph Smith know that that would be fulfilled when there was
no Church in existence? It is a very easy matter, as I said before, to
prophesy, but to fulfill is another thing. But here in Utah is the
fulfillment, for here are upwards of a hundred thousand people
gathered out from the nations of the earth, proving definitely, at
least so far as this species of evidence is concerned, that Joseph
Smith certainly was a true Prophet, for he predicted it before it
commenced to take place.

Vol. 17,  p.275
There is another species of evidence in this book. It is foretold
within its pages that after it should come forth in the latter day and
the Church should have been established, the blood of the Saints
should cry from the ground against their persecutors and those who
should slay them. This was a prophecy, the fulfillment of which in an
enlightened age like this, seemed very unlikely. We find that, since
the organization of this free government, and our great charter of
liberties and constitution, since the time of the enunciation of these
choice republican principles upon this continent by this great and
powerful nation, that the blood of no sects or parties has, as it
were, stained our ground because of the belief of the people.
Sometimes they get killed in mobs about anti-slavery, [p.276] or
something of that kind; but when it comes to religion it has generally
been a little persecution with the tongue, and that has been about
all. But here was a prediction before the rise of the Church that the
blood of the Saints should cry from the ground against their
persecutors. This has been literally fulfilled. We have no need to
refer you to the scores of Saints that were shot down in cool blood,
who, while emigrating with their wives and children in order to locate
in another country, were fallen upon by mobs, chased into a
blacksmith's shop, and there some eighteen or twenty of them were shot
down by their persecutors, who pointed their guns between the logs of
the shop, it being a log building. Then, when they had got through
with these murders they began to rob them of their clothes and pulled
off their boots and put them on, and while in the act of doing this
they discovered two or three little children who had crept under the
bellows in hope of escaping. What did they do with these children?
Called them out, and placing their guns to their heads shot them down
and destroyed them. All these things have transpired within the past
forty years upon this great and glorious land of ours. The
constitution is good, that is not to blame, that gives us the
privilege of religious liberty; but those who have lived under this
free government have seen proper to thus persecute and murder the
Saints, and their blood has been shed, and it now eries from the
ground for vengeance on the nation.

Vol. 17,  p.276
Says one—"Why on the nation?" Because it was not done by a private
mob, but by the officers of a State; it was done by the highest
authority and power of a State, by individuals who were organized
under State authority to go against an innocent people. We had never
broken a law, and the records of their courts could not show one case
wherein this people had transgressed the laws of the land.

Vol. 17,  p.276
The people thus organized to drive the Latter-day Saints, of course,
had their reasons for so doing, everybody has, or endeavors to find a
reason for the course he pursues. One reason assigned for persecuting
the Saints was that they believed in the gifts that the ancient Saints
believed in. Some may be disposed to doubt the truth of this
statement, but to such I say, go and read their documents and there
you will find the reasons they set forth for this murderous work, and
among those reasons they say—"A certain people have come amongst us
who believe in speaking in tongues, in the interpretation of tongues,
in the healing of the sick, and in the various gifts that were in
existence in the ancient Church, and we pledge ourselves and our
property and all that we have that we will remove them from our midst,
peaceably if we can and forcibly if we must."

Vol. 17,  p.276
Now, would you believe that people would be driven from their homes
and murdered by individuals because they were exercising religious
rights guaranteed to them by the constitution of their country? Did
Joseph Smith know that such persecution would arise before the Church
was organized? Could he have written such prophecies and the Book of
Mormon if he had been an impostor? How did he know they would ever be
fulfilled? How did he know that this Gospel would he spread to the
uttermost parts of the earth? How did he know that the people abroad
in other nations would gather to this land, according to the
prophecies that were uttered? All these things prove him to be a
prophet sent of God, as his prophecies were fulfilled.[p.277] 

Vol. 17,  p.277
Finally, examine every point of evidence you can think of; take up,
step by step, the various events that must take place—the preaching of
the Gospel to the Gentiles to bring in their fulness that their times
may be fulfilled; the preaching of it to the Jews; the preaching of it
to the scattered tribes of Israel, and all the other events predicted
in connection with this Latter-day work; take them up one by one, and
see if this people have left one thing out of their faith that should
characterize the dispensation of the fulness of times. Do the
Scriptures foretell the gathering of the Jews from the four quarters
of the earth? The Book of Mormon does the same thing. Do the
Scriptures say that the Jews should remain scattered until the times
of the Gentiles are fulfilled? The Book of Mormon and the Revelations
given to this Church declare the same thing. Did the ancient Prophets
and Apostles declare that the Gospel of the Kingdom should be preached
to all nations, that the fulness of the Gentiles should come in before
all Israel should be saved? This also is according to the faith of the
Latter-day Saints' Church and is contained in our writings. And,
finally, take up every principle, predicted by the ancient Prophets,
pertaining to the great preparatory work for the coming of the Lord
from the heavens and see if it differs in the least iota from the
belief of the Latter-day Saints. When we come to combine all these
evidences we are not ashamed of our faith, we are not ashamed of our
doctrine, we are not ashamed of the dispensation which has been
committed to us. We are abundantly able, through the assistance of the
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, and the grace of God shed forth in
our hearts to maintain with all boldness and confidence the great,
heavenly and glorious principles which God our heavenly Father has
revealed to us in these latter times. Amen.[p.278] 

Orson Pratt, September 20, 1874

Joseph Smith's First Visions—the Book of Mormon—American 
Indians Descendants of the House of Israel—Prophecies Fulfilled

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, September 20, 1874.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.278
I will read the 3rd and 4th verses of the 29th chapter of Isaiah: 

Vol. 17,  p.278
"And I will camp against thee round about, and I will lay siege
against thee with a mount, and I will raise forts against thee. 

Vol. 17,  p.278
"And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground,
and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be as
of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech
shall whisper out of the dust."

Vol. 17,  p.278
[The speaker also read the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 18th
verses of the same chapter.]

Vol. 17,  p.278
It will be forty-seven years the day after to-morrow since the plates,
from which the Book of Mormon was translated, were obtained by the
Prophet Joseph Smith, and as there may be persons in this assembly who
are unacquainted with the circumstances of the finding of this book, I
will relate some circumstances in relation to the beginning of this
great and marvelous work.

Vol. 17,  p.278
Joseph Smith, generally known in the world as "Old Joe Smith," was a
boy about fourteen years of age at the time the Lord first revealed
himself in a very marvelous manner to him. The circumstances were
these: This boy, in attending religious meetings that were held in his
neighborhood, seemed to be wrought upon in a very wonderful manner,
and he felt great concern in relation to the salvation of his soul.
Many young people were wrought upon by the same spirit, and they
commenced seeking the Lord, and professed to be converted. Among this
number were several of the Smith family, who united themseves with the
Presbyterians. During the progress of this revival a sort of rivalry
sprang up among the various denominations, and each one seemed
determined to obtain as many of the converts as possible, and have
them unite with his particular religious order. This boy, Joseph
Smith, was solicited and advised to unite himself with some of the
religious denominations in that vicinity, but being of a reflecting
turn of mind, he inquired in his own heart which among these several
religious bodies was right. I presume that many of you, at some period
of your existence, have been wrought upon in the same manner, because
you have been anxious to join yourselves to the true church of God if
you could only find which was God's church. It was not, therefore, at
all strange that this young man should have these ideas passing
through his mind; but how to satisfy himself he [p.279] did not know.
If he went to one denomination they would say, "We are right, and the
others are wrong," and so said all the others. Like most boys of his
age, Joseph had never read the Bible to any great extent, hence he was
unable to decide in his own mind, as to which was the true church.
When he saw several denominations contending one with the other, he
naturally enough supposed that some of them must be wrong. He began to
search the Bible in his leisure time afar his work was done upon the
farm; and in perusing the New Testament, he came across a passage
which is very familiar indeed to most of my hearers; the passage reads
thus—If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth to all
men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Mr.
Smith really believed this passage. He did not read this as one would
read a novel, thinking that it was all imaginary; but, from his heart,
he believed that it meant what it said, and he said to himself—"I
certainly lack wisdom in relation to my duty. I do not know which of
these denominations is correct, and which is the church of Christ. I
desire to know, with all my heart, and I will go before the Lord, and
call upon his name, claiming his promise." He therefore retired a
short distance from his father's house, into a little grove of timber,
and called upon the Lord, claiming this promise, desiring to know his
duty and to be informed where the true Church of Christ was. While
thus praying, with all his heart, he discovered in the heavens above
him, a very bright and glorious light, which gradually descended
towards the earth, and when it reached the tops of the trees which
overshadowed him, the brightness was so great that he expected to see
the leaves of the tree consumed by it; but when he saw that they were
not consumed he received courage. Finally the light rested down upon
and overwhelmed him in the midst of it, and his mind at the same time
seemed to be caught away from surrounding objects, and he saw nothing
excepting the light and two glorious personages standing before him in
the midst of this light. One of these personages, pointing to the
other, said—"Behold my beloved Son, hear ye him." After this, power
was given to Mr. Smith to speak, and in answer to an inquiry by the
Lord as to what he desired, he said that he desired to know which was
the true Church, that he might be united thereunto. He was immediately
told, that there was no true Church of Christ on the earth, that all
had gone astray, and had framed doctrines, and dogmas, and creeds by
human wisdom, and that the authority to administer in the holy
ordinances of the Gospel was not among men upon the earth, and he was
strictly commanded to go not after any of them, but to keep aloof from
the whole of them. He was also informed that, in due time, if he would
be faithful in serving the Lord, according to the best of his
knowledge and ability, God would reveal to him still further, and make
known to him the true Gospel, the plan of salvation, in its fulness.

Vol. 17,  p.279
Mr. Smith had this vision before he was fifteen years old, and,
immediately after receiving it, he began to relate it to some of his
nearest friends, and he was told by some of the ministers who came to
him to enquire about it, that there was no such thing as the
visitation of heavenly messengers, that God gave no new revelation,
and that no visions could be given to the children of men in this age.
This was [p.280] like telling him that there was no such thing as
seeing, or feeling, or hearing, or tasting, or smelling. Why? Because
he knew positively to the contrary; he knew that he had seen this
light, that he had beheld these two personages, and that he had heard
the voice of one of them; he also knew that he had received
instruction from them, and therefore, to be told that there was no
such thing as revelation or vision in these days, was like telling him
that the sun did not shine in these days. He knew to the contrary, and
he continued to testify that God had made himself manifest to him; and
in consequence of this, the prejudices of the different denominations
were aroused against him.

Vol. 17,  p.280
Why should they feel such concern and anxiety in relation to his
testimony as to persecute him, a boy not quite fifteen years of age?
The reason was obvious—if that testimony was true, not one of their
churches was the true Church of Christ. No wonder, then, that they
began to persecute, point the finger of scorn, and say—"There goes the
visionary boy."

Vol. 17,  p.280
In the year 1823, Mr. Smith, being not quite eighteen years old, was
meditating in his heart concerning the former vision, and was feeling
great anxiety that the promise might be fulfilled to him, that he
should, at some future time, have revealed to him the Gospel in all
its fulness. He retired to his room one Sunday evening, in September
(1823,) and commenced to pray with all the earnestness and faith that
he could possibly obtain, that the Lord would fulfill the promise that
he had made to him. While thus praying, he discovered that a light
seemed to be breaking into his room, growing brighter by degrees,
until he saw a personage, apparently an angel, standing before him.
This personage wore a white robe, and his countenance had the
appearance of lightning, but yet appeared of an innocent expression.
This personage did not stand upon the floor of the room, but his feet
were a short distance above the floor. He informed this boy that the
Lord had sent him as a messenger, in answer to his prayer, in order to
impart unto him further information. And then he commenced telling him
that this great American continent was once occupied by a numerous
people, the descendants of the house of Israel, most of them the
descendants of a remnant of the tribe of Joseph; that they carne here
from Jerusalem by the direct guidance of the Almighty, some six
centuries before Christ; that in a vessel, which they built by the
command of God, they came round by the Gulf of Arabia, crossed the
Great Pacific Ocean, and landed on the western coast of South America;
that the descendants of these people had many Prophets among them, and
that after they had been on this continent about a thousand years,
during the progress of which they had become divided into two distinct
nations, they fell into great wickedness, and that God threatened them
with overthrow; the people of one of these nations were called
Lamanites, from Laman, one of the colony which came out of Jerusalem;
that the people of the other nation were called Nephites, taking their
name from Nephi, the brother of Lainan; that between three and four
centuries after Christ these two nations occupied the two great wings
of this continent, the Lamanites occupying South America, and the
Nephites North America; but the Nephites, at that time, having
apostatized [p.281] from the religion of their fathers, and many of
them having become exceedingly wicked, the Lord threatened them with
an overthrow. And he commanded one of the last Prophets, named Mormon,
to make an abridgment of all the records of former Prophets who had
been raised up on this land, an abridgment of the history of the
nation from the time that they left Jerusalem until that time. He did
so, and committed the abridged record, written on plates of gold, into
the hands of another Prophet, his son Moroni. The original records,
from which the abridgment was made, were hid up by Mormon in a hill
called Cumorah, in the interior of what is now called the State of New
York, but the abridgment was still in possession of the Prophet
Moroni. About this time, or a little before this time, there had been
a fifty years war between the inhabitants of North and South America;
and finally the Lamanites of South America drove the Nephites from the
Isthmus, and continued to burn their towns, cities and villages, and
they destroyed hundreds and thousands of the Nephites; and ultimately
they were driven into what we now call the State of New York. Three
hundred and eighty years after the birth of Christ they entered into
terms of peace, or, in other words, an armistice, for the space of
four years, during which time the two nations gathered together all
their forces into one vicinity, near the hill Cumorah. And when the
four years of peace, or armistice, had expired, they came together in
battle, in which the Nephites were overpowered, and hundreds of
thousands of them killed, including women and children. Moroni, who
was among the few Nephites who were spared, and in whose possession
was the abridgment which had been made by his father, Mormon, was
commanded to hide up that abridgment in the hill Cumorah, near the
town of Manchester, Ontario County, State of New York. The Lord
commanded him not only to hide up the record, but also to deposit with
it the Urim and Thummim, an instrument used by the ancient seers who
dwelt on this Continent. The Lord promised Moroni that, in the latter
days, he would bring forth that book out of the ground, that it should
whisper out of the dust; that it should speak unto the living as if it
were from the dead, and when he should bring it forth this Urim and
Thummim, deposited with it, should enable the finder to translate it
into the language of the people who should then inherit the land.

Vol. 17,  p.281
I have now given you a brief statement of these things, in substance,
as they were taught by the angel of God who administered to Joseph
Smith in September, 1823. After giving this instruction the angel
disappeared; and as Mr. Smith continued to pray and call upon the name
of the Lord, the angel appeared the second time, and made the same
narration in relation to the Lamanites and Nephites as he made on his
first visit. When conversing with Mr. Smith about these records, the
vision of his mind was opened so that he was enabled to see where the
records were deposited, and he was told by the angel that, if he would
be faithful and do according to the commandments of the Lord his God,
he, in due time, should have the privilege of bringing the records
forth, and that he should translate them for the benefit of the
people.

Vol. 17,  p.281
The angel again departed, and Mr. Smith, being unable to go to sleep,
continued to pray, and the vision was renewed again; the angel,[p.282]
on his third visit, not only reiterating his previous statement, but
also declaring many things that were then in the future in relation to
the marvelous work and wonder which the Lord was about to perform upon
the earth. When he had withdrawn for the third time, daylight began to
appear in the east, and Mr. Smith had not slept the whole night; but
he nevertheless went to work with his father in the field, at their
usual early hour. But the visions of the night wrought upon his mind
to that degree, that his natural strength began to fail, and his
father, noticing that he looked pale, advised him to return at once to
the house. He started to do so, but had only gone part of the way,
when he again saw the light in the heavens, and the angel of God came
down and stood before him, and commanded him to return to his father,
and relate the visions of the previous night to him. He did so; and
the old man commanded his son to be obedient to the heavenly
messenger, believing with all his heart that the vision was from the
Almighty. On this last occasion the angel told Mr. Smith to go to the
hill Cumorah, which had been shown to him in vision the previous
night, which was about three miles from his father's house, and there
he should have the privilege of beholding the records. He, after
having spoken to his father, accordingly went, and beheld the records.
He knew the place as soon as he saw it. He saw the crowning stone of
the stone box that covered the records. It was oval in form, and was
partially bare, the edges being under the sod. He immediately removed
the turf that covered the edges of this stone, and, with a lever,
succeeded in lifting off the upper stone, which was cemented to four
others, in the form of a box, within which he saw the plates and the
Urim and Thummim. He was about to put forth his hand to take the
plates, when lo! the angel of God appeared again, and told him that
the time had not fully come for these records to come forth; that he
(Joseph) was yet inexperienced, and needed strength, and that if he
would be obedient to the commands which he would give to him, and
which the Lord would impart from time to time, he should, in due time,
be permitted to receive these records, commanding him at the same time
to come there one year from that date, and that he would appear again
to him, and give him further instructions; and thus he should do from
year to year, until he should receive the plates, provided that he
should prove himself worthy before God; for the angel said unto him,
that these plates could not be obtained by any person for speculative
purposes; that they contained records that, were sacred, prophecies
and doctrines that were written by ancient Prophets, and that the Lord
God had promised that these prophecies and revelations should go forth
to all people, nations and tongues, and that they could not be
entrusted with any one to get gain.

Vol. 17,  p.282
From that time, Mr. Smith, on the 22nd of September each year,
continued to visit this place, until the year 1827, he being then not
quite twenty-two years old. On the morning of the 22nd of September,
in the year 1827, the angel of the Lord permitted him to take these
records, with the Urim and Thummim, and he carried them to his
father's house. The people in that neighborhood, having learned about
these things, sought by every means in their power—by persecution,
mobs, and every other means that they could bring to bear, to find
these [p.283] plates and take them from him. But the Lord gave him
directions, through the Urim and Thummim, what he should do with the
plates, where he should hide them, and gave him all the information
that was necessary to keep them out of the hands of the mobs.

Vol. 17,  p.283
Finally, the persecution became so great, that this young man was
obliged to leave his father's house, and proceed to the Susquehanna
river, in Pennsylvania, and there he commenced to transcribe or make a
facsimile of some of the characters or words that were written on
these metallic plates; and the transcript, then made, was taken by a
man named Martin Harris to the city of New York, and exhibited to the
learned, to see if they could translate them. Remember, it was not the
plates that were taken to the learned, but it, was the words of the
book, transcribed from the plates, and the learned were requested to
read them. But Mr. Harris could not succeed in finding any person who
was able to translate them; although he found one man—Professor
Anthon—well known through the United States, and in European nations,
as a great linguist, who said that he would assist, according to his
best ability and judgment, in translating the transcript presented to
him by Mr. Harris, and he gave a written promise to that effect.
"But," said he, "where did you get these records?" Mr. Harris informed
him that they had been revealed by an angel of God to a young man
named Joseph Smith. Mr. Anthon then said to Mr. Harris, "Give me that
paper I have given you." Mr. Harris handed it back to him, and he tore
it in pieces, saying—"There is no such thing as the ministering of
angels in these days, but bring the record here, and we will see what
we can do in relation to assisting in translating it." Mr. Harris
replied that a part of the record was sealed, and that only one
portion of it was permitted to be translated at the present time. This
learned man said—"I can not read a sealed hook," thus fulfilling the
words I have read—"And the vision of all is become unto you as the
words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is
learned, saying, 'Read this I pray thee,' and he saith, 'I can not for
it is sealed, I can not read a sealed book.'" The next verse says—"And
the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying—"Read this I
pray thee;' and he saith—'I am not learned.'"

Vol. 17,  p.283
When Martin Harris reported to this boy, what the learned had said,
and how they had proceeded in relation to this matter, the Lord God
commanded this young man to translate the record himself, through the
aid of the Urim and Thummim. But he made this excuse—"I am not
learned." And the Lord answered him in the very words of Isaiah, as
recorded in the next verse—"Wherefore the Lord said, inasmuch as this
people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me,
and have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is
taught by the precepts of men, therefore, behold, I will proceed to do
a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a
wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the
understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." That is the answer
that the Lord made this young man, commanding him to read the book.

Vol. 17,  p.283
It was marvelous that a man who did not possess the ordinary
education, obtained in the common schools of the country, and who
could barely read, and could write but very little;[p.284] a man who
had only read the bible a very little, and who knew but little about
the various theological doctrines of the day; I say that for such a
man to be called of the Lord God, and commanded to translate from an
ancient record and to bring forth a book for the benefit of all
nations, kindreds, tongues and peoples, was marvelous in the extreme,
and it did literally cause the wisdom of the wise to perish. "And I
will raise forts against them, they shall be brought down, and shall
speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust,"
&c.

Vol. 17,  p.284
Now this record is as it one spoke from the dead; it is the voice of
the ancient dead Prophets who once inhabited this great continent; it
is the voice of the dead to the living, a warning voice, the
everlasting Gospel in all its plainness and purity, speaking out of
the ground, whispering out of the dust, just as this passage of
Scripture declares. Not the book, but the words of the book were sent
to the learned; and, lastly, the book itself was commanded to be
translated by the unlearned. All this is marvelous.

Vol. 17,  p.284
The eighteenth verse, which I read, says—"And in that day shall the
deaf hear the words of the book." What book? We answer, the one that
the Prophet had been speaking of, the one that was to speak out of the
ground, and that was to be translated by the unlearned. "In that day
shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind
shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The meek also shall
increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice
in the Holy One of Israel."

Vol. 17,  p.284
This book, that has thus been marvelously translated, is for the
benefit of the meek and the poor among men. When Jesus came in ancient
days, and preached the Gospel to the learned and the unlearned, we are
told that on one occasion, the disciples of John came and asked him if
he was the true Messiah, or should they look for another? And he said
unto them—"Go and tell John that the dead are raised, that the blind
see, and that the poor have the Gospel preached to them." So, in these
latter days, when the Lord God causes a book to come forth out of the
ground, and to whisper from the dust, it is for the benefit of the
poor among men, and they are to rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Vol. 17,  p.284
Has this ever been fulfilled literally? It has. We have lifted up our
voices for forty-four years and upwards among the inhabitants of this
nation, and also for many years among the inhabitants of other
nations, bearing testimony to all people that the Lord God has sent
his angel, according to the promise made in the fourteenth chapter of
the Revelations of St. John, flying through the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting Gospel to preach to every nation, kindred,
tongue and people that dwell upon the face of the earth. We have borne
testimony, faithfully and diligently without purse or scrip, for these
many years among the inhabitants of the earth, to the rich as well as
the poor. But the rick will not obey it; no, they have their riches to
look after. One says—"I have a yoke of oxen that I have just bought, I
must go and try them." Another says—"I have invested so many hundred
thousand dollars in merehandize, I must attend to that." Another
says—"I have some other business, I must look after that." But the
poor among men, whose hearts are pure and meek because of the
oppression that they have received from the monopolist, and from the
rich, are humble, and they [p.285] receive this work, hence they have
gathered out from among the various nations, where they are no longer
oppressed or under taskmasters, and have accumulated homes of their
own, and lands, and flocks and herds of their own, which neither they
nor their fathers in the old countries inherited from generation to
generation. The poor among men, when they shall hear the words of the
book, shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Vol. 17,  p.285
To show more fully the time when this book should be brought to light,
let me say that it is a latter-day work, and to prove it, I will read
the following verses. "The poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy
One of Israel, for the terrible one is brought to naught, and the
scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off; all
that make a mall an offender for a word, or that lay a snare for him
that reproveth in the gate, or that turn aside the just for a thing of
naught." All these are to be cut off. When? When they have heard the
words of this book, when the proclamation has been sounded in their
ears. When they are become fully ripened in iniquity, they will be cut
off according to the declaration of the Prophet Isaiah. But their
times must first be fulfilled; their fulness must come in, before
these terrible judgments and destructions shall lay waste the nations
of the Gentiles. But is there no hope for Israel, when this book comes
forth? When I speak of Israel I mean the literal Israel, the
descendants of the twelve tribes, whose fathers inherited ancient
Palestine. Is there no hope for them when this great and marvelous
work shall be accomplished? We will read the next verse. "Therefore,
thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of
Jacob. Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax
pale; but when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the
midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One
of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel."

Vol. 17,  p.285
It seems then, that Jacob was to be scattered and dispersed, and made
ashamed, his face was to wax pale, and he be counted a hiss and a
byword among the people, until the set time should arrive, until God
should rise up in his majesty and power in the latter days, and should
set to his hand according to the words of the Prophets, a second time
to recover his people from the four corners of the earth. And when he
should commence this great work, he would bring forth the words of
them that have slumbered in the dust, should whisper out of the
ground, and their speech should be low out of the dust; and Israel,
after that time, should no longer be made ashamed, neither should
their faces wax pale. Why? Because they must be gathered from the four
quarters of the earth by means of that book.

Vol. 17,  p.285
There is another object expressed in the next verse, the last verse of
the chapter, for the bringing forth of this book. "And they also that
erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured
shall learn doctrine." How many hundreds of thousands of good,
upright, moral people among all the nations of Christendom, have erred
in spirit because of the false doctrines that have been promulgated,
from generation to generation, in their midst; doctrines of form
without any power? Doctrines that exclude all communications with the
heavens, that shut up the voice of the Almighty in continued silence;
that closed up the heavens as brass over their heads; that proclaimed
in all [p.286] their creeds, articles of faith, and discipline, that
the Bible contained all that God would ever reveal to the children of
men. Millions have erred in spirit because of these doctrines; others
have murmured because of them, and have found fault, and said, "How
can we know the true doctrine, or the true church, when we find
several hundred all teaching different, each one going his own way,
each proclaiming his own dogma, creed and discipline? Contradicting
and quarrelling with one another? Christian nations fighting against
Christian nations," etc. They have murmured about it; and many have
begun to think that there is nothing in revealed religion. It has made
thousands on thousands of infidels; and it is not to be wondered at;
for instead of taking the Bible as their guide, and comparing ancient
Christianity with the truth, they have taken this Babel of confusion,
called modern Christianity, and have asked if that could be from
heaven? And they do not believe in it. They do not believe that God is
the author of confusion, and they have murmured, contended and
complained. But when this book should come forth, "they that murmured
should learn doctrine, and they that erred in spirit should come to
understanding." How? In what way? Because this book, translated from
those plates, contains the doctrine of Christ in such perfect
plainness, that no two persons who read that doctrine disagree in
relation to it. It is plain, and easy to be understood. For instance,
let me mention in relation to one ordinance about which there is much
contention among the sects of Christendom, namely the ordinance of
baptism. One says it must be by pouring, another by sprinkling,
another by immersion; a fourth says you must be baptized three times,
once in the name of the Father, once in the name of the Son, and then
in the name of the Holy Ghost. And thus they quarrel, and contend, and
have their different views about that one doctrine.

Vol. 17,  p.286
Now, when you take up the Book of Mormon, and read, in the latter part
of the book, concerning this ordinance, you find that our Lord and
Savior, after his resurrection, descended to the northern part of what
we call South America, and stood in the midst of a large congregation
of people who saw him descend, and who also beheld the wounds in his
hands and in his feet, and they heard him teach his gospel, and he
commanded them that they should no more offer sacrifices and burnt
offerings on this American continent, as their fathers had been
accustomed to do, but that they should do away with these things. And
he taught them his gospel, and commanded them to believe and repent
with all their hearts, and to come down into the depths of humility,
like little children, and be baptized in his name for the remission,
of their sins, and promised them, if they would do so, that they
should be filled with the Holy Ghost. And he called twelve disciples
on this American continent, the same as he called twelve apostles in
ancient Palestine. And after he had called and ordained these twelve
disciples, he commanded them to baptize all penitent believers, and he
gave them the pattern, saying unto them—"You shall go down and stand
in the water and, in my name, you shall baptize them. And now, behold,
these are the words which you shall say, calling them by name—'Having
authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen,' and then shall
ye immerse them in the water, and shall come forth again out [p.287]
of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name, for
behold the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one," etc.

Vol. 17,  p.287
Now, let me ask, who could draw any two conclusions from words as
plain as these? No person could; and there could be no two churches
differing, or built up upon the principle of baptism as here revealed.
So it is in regard to every other point of doctrine relating to the
plan of salvation revealed in this book; they are all just us plain as
the one to which I have called your attention. Hence, when people
understand, and comprehend by the power of the Holy Ghost, that this
record is divine, and when they can once put their confidence in it as
such, they never after that need be at a loss concerning the points of
the doctrine of our Lord and Savior. "They that erred in spirit shall
come to understanding; they that murmured shall learn doctrine."

Vol. 17,  p.287
Again he says—"The deaf shall hear the words of the book," Has this
been literally fulfilled, or must it be spiritualized? "The eyes of
the blind shall also see out of obscurity and out of darkness in that
day." Does this mean those who are blind spiritually, or does it mean
literally? I think it means both. Those who have been blind
spiritually are seeing out of obscurity and out of darkness, and those
who have been deaf spiritually are beginning to hear. But this is not
the entire meaning. Do not the greater part of this congregation, now
sitting before me, know of a surety that the Lord God has, since he
sent forth the proclamation of this Gospel among the people, caused
the eyes of the blind—those blind physically, born blind—to be opened?
Do they not know that the ears of some who were so deaf that they
could not hear the loudest sound have been literally opened? Yes; you
know this, for it has been done in the four quarters of the earth. Not
in some obscure corner, where a few individuals have seen it, but
among the nations and kingdoms where this gospel has been preached;
therefore, the Lord God has indeed fulfilled, to the very letter,
these predictions, uttered by the ancient prophets in relation to the
great work that should be performed on the earth in the latter days,
when he should bring forth this book, and should cause the earth, as
it were, to open and bring forth salvation.

Vol. 17,  p.287
This agrees with the testimony of David the Prophet; for not only
Isaiah, but David says, in the 85th Psalm, when enquiring about the
long captivity of Jacob—"Lord wilt thou not bring back the captivity
of Jacob, that Israel may rejoice, and that thy people may be glad?"
The Lord, in answering this prayer of David, tell him how he will do
it. Says he—"I will cause truth to spring out of the earth and
righteousness shall look down from heaven, and they shall go before
us, to set us in the way of his steps." Yes, by bringing forth this
work out of the earth, and by raising up his church, by the divine
authority which he restored again, and by pouring out the Holy Ghost
from heaven, by sending down righteousness from heaven, and by truth,
which has sprung forth out of the earth, the Lord has set us again in
the way of his steps. And Israel will truly be made glad, and the
house of Jacob, when this work shall go forth to them, will no longer
be made ashamed.

Vol. 17,  p.287
This agrees with another prophecy, where the Prophet Isaaiah, in
looking after the consolation and redemption of Jacob in the last
days, says—"Let the skies pour down righteousness, and let the earth
open and bring [p.288] forth salvation. It seems then that the earth
was to bring forth truth and salvation, and the skies at the same time
were to pour down the blessings of eternity upon the heads of the
people, and by this means the Lord God would save the nations of the
earth, and redeem Israel from the four quartets thereof. But alas! for
the wicked in that day. Let us see what is to become of them. I have
already quoted one passage stating that they were to be cut off in a
terrible manner, and be brought to naught, the scorner being consumed,
and all that watch for iniquity being cut off. Let us read another
passage, in this same 29th chapter—"The multitude of all nations that
fight against Zion shall be as a hungry man who dreameth and behold he
eateth, but he waketh and his soul is empty; or as when a thirsty man
dreameth and behold he drinketh, but he waketh, and behold he is
faint, and his soul hath appetite. So shall the multitude of all the
nations be that fight against Mount Zion."

Vol. 17,  p.288
Has that ever been fulfilled upon the nations of the earth? It does
not matter how many of them there are, they are in the hands of the
Almighty, and by the blast of his nostrils they can be consumed, and
swept away by the breath of his lips, and they will become like a
hungry or a thirsty man who dreams that be has something to eat or to
drink, and behold it is all disappointment; for he wakes and his soul
is thirsty and hath appetite. So it will be with all people that fight
against the great latter-day work; for, saith the same Prophet, "they
shall be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder and with
earthquake, with great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of
devouring fire." It will be a day not of destruction by a flood of
waters, but by various judgments, ending with the flame of devouring
fire, which will sweep the earth, and destroy the wicked out of it.
Behold the day will come, and is close at hand, when Malachi's
prophecy will be fulfilled, that shall burn as an oven; when all the
proud and they that do wickedly shall become as stubble, and they
shall be burned up, saith the Lord of hosts. That day shall leave them
neither root nor branch. No branches of the wicked left, no roots left
among the nations, but the earth, and all the fulness thereof, will be
given into the hands of the Saints of the Most High, as was predicted
by Daniel the Prophet, that "the kingdom and the dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens, shall be given into
the hands of the Saints of the Most High. A King shall reign in
righteousness in those days and his name shall he the Lord of Hosts,
Jesus of Nazareth, the great Messiah. The King of kings and Lord of
lords will reign over the nations in those days, as he now reigns king
of Saints. And behold this is the preparatory work. This book that has
now come forth will be sounded among the various nations and kingdoms
of the earth. They who hear the words thereof, and repent of their
sins, and turn away from all unrighteousness, and will receive the
fulness of the everlasting gospel, will be gathered together, and the
sons and daughters of God will come from the ends of the earth, even
every one that is called by his name.

Vol. 17,  p.288
We might go on still further, but this is sufficient for the time
being. Amen.[p.289] 

Orson Pratt, February 7, 1875

Redemption of Zion—Persecution—Baptism of 
Indians—Second Coming of Christ—Every Jot and Every 
Tittle of Divine Revelation Will Be Fulfilled

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Twentieth 
Ward Meeting House, on the Evening of Sunday, February 7, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.289
I will read the third paragraph of a revelation that was given in
1834. It commences on page 292 of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.

Vol. 17,  p.289
"But verily I say unto you, I have decreed that your brethren which
have been scattered shall return to the land of their inheritances,
and build up the waste places of Zion; for after much tribulation, as
I have said unto you in a former commandment, cometh the blessing.
Behold, this is the blessing which I have promised after your
tribulations, and the tribulations of your brethren; your redemption
and the redemption of your brethren, even their restoration to the
land of Zion, to be established no more to be thrown down;
nevertheless, if they pollute their inheritances, they shall be thrown
down, for I will not spare them if they pollute their inheritances.
Behold, I say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by
power; therefore, I will raise up unto my people a man, who shall lead
them like as Moses led the children of Israel, for ye are the children
of Israel, and of the seed of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of
bondage by power, and with a stretched out arm: and as your fathers
were led at the first, even so shall the redemption of Zion be.
Therefore let not your hearts faint, for I say not unto you as I said
unto your fathers, mine angel shall go up before you, but not my
presence; but I say unto you, mine angels shall go before you, and
also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land."

Vol. 17,  p.289
It is many months since I met with the people here in this Ward. I
recollect when I was here last I partly promised to say something
about the redemption of Zion. What I may be able to communicate to you
in relation to that great event, regarded as of so much importance by
this people, I am unable to say. I may not be able to throw upon the
subject any special information more than what you are already in
possession of. All that any of us know, and all that we possibly can
know in relation to the future is that which God in his mercy reveals.
The Lord understands the future as well as the past and the present,
and his Spirit understands that which is to come, and the promise is
that that Spirit shall be given to us through the prayer of faith, so
that we may be able to comprehend in [p.290] some measure the things
of the future. The promise of the Savior to the ancient Apostles was,
that when the Spirit of truth should come he should guide them into
all truth, and show them things to come. That same Spirit, imparted to
the servants of God in the 19th century of the Christian era, is just
as capable of opening up the future, lighting up the mind of man and
showing him events that are to take place, as it was the first year
after the crucifixion of Christ, on the day of Pentecost, or in any
other former age of the world—it is the same from eternity to
eternity, and it is just as heedful for us, as Latter-day Saints, to
know the things of God, as it was for the former-day Saints to know
them. The great and important thing with us is to exercise sufficient
faith before the heavens, that God may pour out the spirit of prophecy
upon us. The same faith will procure the same blessings, and the
spirit of prophecy was considered by the ancient Apostles as one of
the best gifts, far greater than the gift of tongues or than the gift
of interpretation of tongues. It was a spirit that was given for the
edification of the Saints of the living God, and the same spirit is
promised to all his servants who live faithful before him.

Vol. 17,  p.290
I well recollect, when I was but about nineteen years old—forty-four
years last fall—that believing Joseph Smith to be a Prophet, and being
led by the Spirit, I went a journey of two hundred miles to visit him.
I well recollect the feelings of my heart at the time. He inquired of
the Lord, and obtained a revelation for your humble servant. He
retired into the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in the house where
this Church was organized in 1850. John Whitmer acted as his scribe,
and I accompanied him into the chamber, for he had told me that it was
my privilege to have the word of the Lord; and the Lord in that
revelation, which is published here in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants, made a promise which to me, when I was in my youth, seemed
to be almost too great for a person of as humble origin as myself ever
to attain to. After telling in the revelation that the great day of
the Lord was at hand, and calling upon me to lift up my voice among
the people, to call upon them to repent and prepare the way of the
Lord, and that the time was near when the heavens should be shaken,
when the earth should tremble, when the stars should refuse their
shining, and when great destructions awaited the wicked, the Lord said
to your humble servant—"Lift up your voice and prophesy, and it shall
be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." This was a particular point
in the revelation that seemed to me too great for me ever to attain
to, and yet there was a positive command that I should do it. I have
often reflected upon this revelation, and have oftentimes inquired in
my heart—"Have I fulfilled that commandment as I ought to have done?
Have I sought as earnestly as I ought to obtain the gift of prophecy,
so as to fulfill the requirement of heaven?" And I have felt sometimes
to condemn myself because of my slothfulness, and because of the
little progress that I have made in relation to this great, heavenly,
and divine gift. I certainly have had no inclination to prophesy to
the people unless it should be given to me by the inspiration and
power of the Holy Ghost; to prophesy out of my own heart is something
perfectly disagreeable to my feelings, even to think of, and hence I
have oftentimes, in my public [p.291] discourses, avoided, when a
flying would come before my mind pretty plain, uttering or declaring
it for fear that I might get something out before the people in
relation to the future that was wrong. But still, notwithstanding all
this, there is one thing that I have endeavored to do, and that is, to
inform my mind as far as I could by reading what God has revealed to
both ancient and modern Prophets, in relation to the future, and if I
have not had many important prophecies and revelations given directly
to myself, I certainly have derived great advantage and great
edification from reading and studying that which God has revealed to
others; and hence most of my prophesying throughout my life, so far,
has been founded upon the revelations given to others.

Vol. 17,  p.291
We are told that Zion—this people, the Latter-day Saints, are called
Zion—shall be redeemed and restored to the lands of their
inheritances, and in consequence of this promise made to us by the
Lord, many of us have felt much anxiety to know when the Lord would
fulfill this great revelation, and some perhaps who were little boys
and girls when it was given, and now grey headed—for it is about
forty-two years since—have not considered or reflected much about what
God has promised to do with, or what blessings he has promised to
bestow upon, this people. In their family prayers they have heard
their fathers pray to the Most High to remember Zion and to redeem
Zion, and to restore his people to the lands of their inheritances,
and perhaps some of them have reflected upon the subject. Some may
have thought it was merely a form of prayer which their fathers had
learned, without any expectation of anything of the kind taking place,
and they have felt careless about it, knowing nothing about whether
Zion was ever to be redeemed or not. But those who have reflected upon
the subject, and who have made it a matter of prayer and of deep
study, in order to know the times and the seasons, and the mode in
which God would bring to pass this great event, have been full of
hope, expectation and desire, and their constant prayer has been,
before the family altar and in the public congregations, that the
redemption of Zion might be brought about soon.

Vol. 17,  p.291
We are promised that after much tribulation comes the blessing. The
Lord says—"I the Lord have decreed a certain decree that my people
shall realize, that after their tribulations they shall be redeemed,
and restored to the lands of their inheritances." Little did we
suppose when we were driven out from Jackson County, the place where
God has promised to give his Saints their inheritances, and in the
regions round about, that nearly half a century would pass over our
heads before we would be restored back again to that land. This long
period of tribulation, and the dispersion from our homes and
inheritances, have been the cause perhaps of a great many going down
to the grave without having the opportunity and privilege of returning
to participate in the blessings that were promised. Now, it would be a
source of comfort and consolation to those who are still living, to
whom this promise was made, if they could be assured in their own
minds that they would live here in the flesh to behold that day. But
let me say a few words in relation to this. We need not expect, from
what God has revealed, that a very great number of those who were then
in the Church and who were driven, will have the privilege of
returning to that land. We [p.292] need not expect anything of the
kind. "Why not?" inquires one. Because the Lord informs us that but a
few of those who were then driven out should stand to receive their
inheritances. We read this, or indications thereof, in several
revelations, the language being something like this—"You shall be
persecuted from synagogue to synagogue, and from city to city, and but
few shall stand to receive their inheritances." Now if a great portion
of those who were driven out should live and they should be restored
back again, they might afterwards say—"This does not seem to agree
with the revelation, here are pretty much all that were driven out."
But this will not be the case. When you come to count up, a few years
hence, those who were driven forth from that land, you will find that
there will be very few indeed; there will, however, be some out of
that number, but only a very few. There will be some that will live to
behold that day, and will return and receive their inheritances, they
and their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, according
to the promise.

Vol. 17,  p.292
We have a special promise in relation to that land given to us as
Latter-day Saints, a promise which I believe I have formerly repeated
in this house. It was first given on the 2nd day of January, 1831, at
a general conference of pretty much all the Saints who lived in the
State of New York, held in the house where the Church was first
organized. The revelation was given in their presence, written by a
scribe as the sentences fell from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph.
Among the great things then made known was the following—"I hold forth
and deign to give to you greater riches, even a land of promise, a
land upon which there shall be no curse when the Lord shall come; and
this is my covenant with you, that I will give it unto you and unto
your children after you, for an everlasting inheritance; and you shall
possess it in time and possess it again in eternity, never more to
pass away." If there are any strangers here I will say, for their
information, that this is the reason why we call that land a land of
promise. And though we have been deprived of it, now for upwards of
forty years, some of us hold deeds for portions of it which we
purchased, paying our moneys to the United States officials, who sold
it to us at the government price, but we were not permitted to live
upon the lands thus purchased. You may think this rather a curious
thing in this great American republic, one of the most liberal
governments on the face of the whole earth; but if it is a strange
thing it is known as the truth to thousands and tens of thousands that
we were dispossessed of our inheritances. The land is still there, but
it is occupied by those who do not own it.

Vol. 17,  p.292
Inquires one—"Why were you driven from that land?" I might answer you
by repeating the words of our enemies, for they have published their
reasons for driving us from our homes. One reason was that we
pretended to speak in tongues, which was considered a mortal offence
against religionists. This was one accusation that they brought
against us, as you will find in their published declarations, in which
they pledged their lives, their property and their sacred honor to
dispossess us of our homes.

Vol. 17,  p.292
Another accusation was that we professed to heal the sick. What a
terrible crime it was for a man to lay his hands on sick persons and
[p.293] ask the Lord to heal them, and then if the Lord healed the
sick they should not be worthy to keep their land, but should be
driven from their homes and be deprived of their property!

Vol. 17,  p.293
Another reason was that, besides believing in the gifts of speaking in
tongues and healing the sick, we assumed to foretell future events.
They did not like that at all. To think that people should believe in
that part of the Gospel in the 19th century was too much for our
enemies, and they said—"We can not have such people in our midst, to
corrupt our morals, and to introduce the old-fashioned religion that
is taught in the New Testament. We have a religion that does away all
these things, it does not believe in the order of things that the New
Testament sets forth, and you pretend that this New Testament religion
is to be enjoyed in our day; our wives and children must not be
corrupted by it."

Vol. 17,  p.293
These were the main reasons for driving us, as set forth in their
published programme. I did not know, in those days, that it was a
crime for the Latter-days to believe in this part of the New
Testament; I really thought that, in our country, the Constitution
guaranteed to us the privilege of believing the whole of the New
Testament as well as a part; but it would seem to be otherwise, for
forty years have passed away and we are still disfranchised so far as
our property is concerned. We have appealed to the United States
government to bestow upon us our rights as American citizens. Have
they done it? Oh no; they have referred us, however to those persons
who drove us out of the State, supposing that they would have the
magnanimity to restore to us our rights. Who ever heard of murderers,
robbers mad thieves turning round and restoring that to their victims
of which they had plundered them? I scarcely ever heard of such an
instance; there may be some few instances in history, but they are
very rare, in which a person will repent and try to restore fourfold.
The United States Government told us that we must appeal to those who
had murdered, robbed and driven us from our homes, for the redress we
sought. But we have had the revelation of the Lord pretty well
fulfilled—"You shall be persecuted from city to city and from
synagogue to synagogue, and but fear shall stand to receive their
inheritances."

Vol. 17,  p.293
We were driven from Jackson County, in the State of Missouri, in the
Fall of the year 1833, and three or four months after that event the
revelation was given from which I have read this extract, promising
that, after much tribulation, we and our children after us should be
restored to the lands of our inheritances.

Vol. 17,  p.293
Have we had much tribulation? Yes. Look at the many times we have been
driven since that revelation was given. We were driven out of Clay
County, then out of Kirtland, in Geauga County, now called Lake
County, Ohio; and after that we were driven from Caldwell County, from
Davies' County, Ray County, and several other surrounding counties in
the State of Missouri, and finally expelled from the State, leaving a
great many thousand acres of land for which we hold the deeds to the
present day. After that we settled in the State of Illinois, in
Nauvoo. We were there but a few years when the Prophet, his brother
and several others were killed, and again we were driven, and finally
there was a [p.294] treaty made with this people. Now, whoever heard
of one part of the United States making treaties with another part of
the United States? Or who ever heard of the people in one part of the
country making a treaty with the people in another part? That treaty
was in words like this—"You must leave all the States of the Union,
you must not stop this side the Rocky Mountains, you must go beyond
the Rocky Mountains; if you will do this you may depart in peace, but
we will take your houses and lands and occupy them without
remuneration, we will not pay you for them; but if you can get away
without selling your property and you will agree to go beyond the
Rocky Mountains you may have the privilege of going, otherwise we will
kill you."

Vol. 17,  p.294
What were the crimes of which we were accused in the various places
from which we were expelled? If any of our people had been guilty of
breaking the laws it was in the power of our enemies to bring us
before their courts of justice, for in all these places they held all
the civil offices in their own hands. But they very well knew that, so
far as the laws of the country were concerned, they could not reach
this people. Why? Because we were not guilty of the transgression of
any of their laws.

Vol. 17,  p.294
When we were driven from Nauvoo there were some unable to leave—poor,
feeble and sick; Nauvoo was a kind of a sickly place and a great many
people were sick there and many of the sick, infirm and poor had to be
left behind, being unable to leave with the main body of the Saints.
We walked over the Mississippi river on the ice and wandered and
wallowed about in the snowdrifts of Iowa with our teams and wagons,
but these poor people could not get away in time. The mob were very
anxious to come in possession of our property, and hence after the
main body got out one or two hundred miles from Nauvoo, where there
were no inhabitants, cut off from all resources, and unable to obtain
any information from our poor brethren, the mob was so anxious to get
the property of which they had forcibly deprived us, that they
attacked the city with cannon and musketry, and finally drove these
poor people out and compelled them to cross the river, where a great
many of them perished. Were not these tribulations? Yes, and they were
all foretold years before they came to pass. "After much tribulation
comes the blessing, and this is the blessing which I, the Lord God,
have promised unto you, that after your tribulation you shall be
redeemed and be restored again to the lands of your inheritance."

Vol. 17,  p.294
Since our arrival in these mountains we have had a hard time here. We
have had a land such as no other people would ever have pretended to
occupy. It was once considered the most dreary, desolate, barren place
on the face of eli North America, a land where it was supposed that no
human being could subsist, or in which if he undertook to subsist by
the labor of his hands by cultivating the earth, he would perish. But
by hard labor and perseverance we have made ourselves comfortable
homes in what was formerly a desert, and the Lord has been very
favorable to us and really has blessed us far beyond anything we could
have anticipated when coming here, and he has caused that the seasons
should be very fruitful as a general thing; and this land, which
appeared so desolate, barren, parched up and so full of drouth, has
become [p.295] a fruitful land, and the Lord has fulfilled many and
many a prophecy recorded in Isaiah and the Psalms of David in relation
to making the desert blossom as the rose and making it like the garden
of the Lord. It is thus prophesied, and that it has been fulfilled no
one can dispute, who will reflect and realize for a moment what the
Lord has done since we came here to this land. When the pioneers
reached here, in July, 1847, we went Out to what is now termed Black
Rock, over beyond the first point of the western mountains; we went
into the lake to bathe, and we could walk up to that rock, the water
being several feet below the dry ground on which we walked to get to
it. What do you now behold? Ten feet of water over that ground on
which we walked. The Lake, since then, has been continually rising,
until ten or twelve feet of water have been added to it. We might
naturally have supposed that it would have fallen that much instead of
rising. Why? Because the waters, which before then had been
continually emptying into the Lake were withheld from it and used to
irrigate the soil and evaporated again into the heavens. This,
according to natural appearances, would have a tendency to lower the
streams; but with all the use of the waters and of the streams for the
irrigation of crops, &c., there has been a continual rise in the Lake.
We read numerous prophecies referring to the last days, in which it is
said that the wilderness should be like the Garden of Eden, and that
the desert should be made to blossom as the rose, that it should
blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing, and that
they should have songs of melody, thanksgiving in the desert, &c. I
might quote you numerous chapters in Isaiah and in the Psalms of
David, relating to this subject, but I have not time, I want to pass
along to some other points.

Vol. 17,  p.295
Notwithstanding all these favors and blessings since we came here, we
have had to wear ourselves out, so great has been the labor we have
had to perform. We could not go out before breakfast and cut and haul
a load of wood, as we could in Jackson County; we could not go out and
get in one day three or four loads of logs and poles to fence our
farms as we could in places where we formerly resided. But we had to
expend an immense amount of labor, and a great deal of capital and
means was expended in working roads up into these difficult rugged
kanyons in order to get timber for building and fencing purposes, and
for fuel. Then we had to stop up of nights to take the little amount
of water allotted to each man or family, for it was necessary to
husband it as economically as possible in order to bring our crops to
maturity. This excessive labor has worn many out, and sent them to
untimely graves. It is a marvel to me that we have been able to build
school houses and educate our children in any degree, especially when
considering the vast labor that has been required of them, for as they
began to grow up and ought to have been at school, they have had to be
in the mountains herding sheep, or at work irrigating the soil; and
under all these multiplied difficulties, it is certainly astonishing
beyond measure, that the people throughout all the settlements of Utah
Territory have been able to build school houses and to educate their
children, but the feeling, on the part of both parents and children,
has been to acquire as good an education as possible under the
circumstances. [p.296] Would any other people have accomplished this?
No. Had any other people come to this desert wild and undertaken to
cultivate the soil they could not have done it, they would have broken
up; there would not have been union enough among any class of people
on the face of the American continent to accomplish what the
Latter-day Saints have accomplished in reclaiming the desert. Others
would have fought over the water and thousands of other things, where
this people have been peacable and quiet, and subject to good order.

Vol. 17,  p.296
Having now brought the people down to the present period, and having
seen the fulfillment of ancient and modern prophecies, literally
before our eyes, the question now is, What prophecies to be fulfilled
in the future relate to this people and to the great events which must
take place when Zion is redeemed? I will endeavor to point out some
things that must take place before Zion is redeemed, besides the
tribulations which we have endured. One thing which I will name is
contained in the Book of Mormon, in the teachings of Jesus. It is a
matter which directly concerns the Saints, and something which they
must fulfill and accomplish before the redemption of Zion. I will read
the passage. The words it contains are the words or our Lord and
Savior after he had risen from the dead, and when he descended from
heaven upon this American continent, and taught the Israelites who
dwelt on this land. The passage I refer to commences with the second
paragraph of the 7th chap. of the book of Nephi, pages 464 and 465 of
the Book of Mormon. It reads as follows:

Vol. 17,  p.296
"And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, be
said unto those twelve whom he had chosen, ye are my disciples;"—this
did not mean the twelve Apostles chosen at Jerusalem, but the twelve
chosen by our Savior on this American land—"and ye are a light unto
this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph. And behold,
this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it
unto you. And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment
that I should tell it unto your brethren of Jerusalem; neither at any
time hath the Father given me commandment, that I should tell unto
them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the
Father hath led away out of the land. This much did the Father command
me, that I should tell unto them, that other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my
voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd. And now because
of stiff-neckedness and unbelief, they understood not my word:
therefore I was commanded to say no more of the Father concerning this
thing unto them. But, verily, I say unto you, that the Father hath
commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from
among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their
iniquity that they knew not of you. And verily, I say unto you again,
that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is
because of their iniquity, that they know not of them,"—that is the
ten tribes. "And verily, I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I
said, other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must
bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and
one shepherd. And they understood me not, for they supposed it had
been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be
converted through their preaching; and they understood me not that I
said [p.297] they should hear my voice; and they understood me not
that I said that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice;
that I should not manifest myself unto them, save it were by the Holy
Ghost. But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye
are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath
given me.

Vol. 17,  p.297
"And verily, verily, I say unto you, that I have other sheep, which
are not of this land; neither of the land of Jerusalem; neither in any
parts of that land round about, whither I have been to minister. For
they of whom I speak, are they who have not as yet heard my voice;
neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. But I have
received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them"—these
other sheep he is now speaking of were the ten tribes whom he visited
after he had visited the people on this land—"and that they shall hear
my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one
fold, and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them. And I
command you that ye shall write these sayings, after I am gone, that
if it so be that my people at Jerusalem, they who have seen me and
been with me in my ministry, do not ask the Father in my name, that
they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost, and also of the
other tribes whom they know not of, that these sayings which ye shall
write, shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the Gentiles,"—that
is, they should come forth in the latter days, manifested unto the
Gentiles as it has been to this great nation—"that through the fulness
of the Gentiles, the remnant of their seed who shall be scattered
forth upon the face of the earth, because of their unbelief, may be
brought in, or may be brought to a knowledge of me, their Redeemer.
And then will I gather them in from the four quarters of the earth,
and then will I fulfill the covenant which the Father hath made unto
all the people of the house of Israel.

Vol. 17,  p.297
"And blessed are the Gentiles, because of their belief in me, and of
the Holy Ghost, which witnesses unto them of me and of the Father.
Behold, because of their belief in me, saith the Father, and because
of the unbelief of you, O house of Israel, in the latter day shall the
truth come unto the Gentiles, that the fulness of these things shall
be made known unto them. But wo, saith the Father, unto the
unbelieving of the Gentiles, for notwithstanding they have come forth
upon the face of this land, and have scattered my people, who are of
the house of Israel; and my people who are of the house of Israel have
been cast out from among them, and have been trodden under foot by
them; and because of the mercies of the Father unto the Gentiles, and
also the judgments of the Father upon my people, who are of the house
of Israel, verily, verily, I say unto you, that after all this, and I
have caused my people who are of the house of Israel, to be smitten
and to be afflicted, and to be slain, and to be cast out from among
them, and to become hated by them, and to become a hiss and a by word
among them."—Has that been fulfilled? Have the Indians been hated?
Have they been cast out and trodden under foot? Have they been
despised? The people who are acquainted with the history of the
Indians can answer this question.—"And thus commandeth the Father that
I should say unto you at that day when the Gentiles shall sin against
my Gospel"—that is the Gospel contained in this book which he promised
to bring [p.298] forth unto them—"and shall be lifted up in the pride
of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the
whole earth,"—you can judge whether this is true or not so far as the
American nation is concerned—"and shall be filled with all manner of
lyings, and of deceits and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy,
and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and secret abominations;
and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of
my Gospel, behold saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my
Gospel from among them."

Vol. 17,  p.298
Now here is a point which I wish to speak upon and explain before I go
on to the next sentence, which has a bearing upon something which we
have yet got to do. The Lord has told us in this saying that if the
Gentiles should not believe in this book—the fulness of the Gospel—and
should be lifted up in their pride above all nations, and be filled
with all manner of lyings, mischiefs, whoredoms, abominations and
every kind of evil, that be would bring the fulness of his Gospel from
among them. I wish to state that when I read this in 1830 it was a
great mystery to me. Recollect this was written and printed before
there was any Latter-day Saint Church in existence, and yet here was a
prophecy that the Lord would bring the fulness of his Gospel from
among the Gentiles if they did not receive it. When the Lord commanded
us to go up and settle in Jackson County I thought to myself—"Well, if
we build up a great city here, according to that which is predicted in
the Book of Mormon, we shall be right in the midst of the Gentiles,
and how will it be possible for that prophecy ever to be fulfilled?"
It was a mystery to me, I could not see it. I knew it was true, for
God had given me a witness and evidence that I knew as well as I knew
that I lived that that book was true; but yet I could not understand
how the Lord would bring the fulness of his Gospel from among the
Gentiles if we were going to be permitted to build up a city in
Jackson County, Missouri, and stay there. But some seventeen years
after the rise of this Church circumstances rolled round by which the
Lord fulfilled this prophecy in taking the main body of the people
from among the Gentiles. Not voluntarily altogether, for we did not
all feel perfectly willing to leave our houses. We had been driven
four times before from lands and homes, and we did not really feel
willing to leave; but still, rather than be shot down and mobbed, as
many of our people had been, we concluded to move the fifth time, and
we did so because we were obliged to, but little did we think then
that we were fulfilling a prophecy in the Book of Mormon, such a
thought had not entered into our hearts. But we were brought out west
here to these mountains, and I do not know of another place on the
face of this vast continent where we could have been so completely
isolated from the Gentiles, the wicked who had rejected the Gospel, as
we were by coming out en masse to this land. "If the Gentiles shall
sin against the fulness of my Gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will
bring the fulness of my Gospel from among them." It was done, the
prediction was fulfilled to the very letter. You might have passed
through the land there for hundreds and hundreds of miles, from city
to city, and inquired for an Elder who had authority to baptize for
the remission of sins and to build up the Church and kingdom of God,
and the answer would have been—"There is no such person here."[p.299]
"Where are they?" "They have gone away beyond the Rocky Mountains,"
more than a thousand miles away from civilization as they called it.
When we got here and again searched the prophecies we found that the
Lord had been as good as his word, and had literally fulfilled that
which he had spoken concerning taking his Gospel from the midst of
those who had sinned against and rejected it.

Vol. 17,  p.299
There is one thing which I am now about to read which has not yet been
fulfilled, and which we must fulfill before Zion is redeemed. I will
read it—"Behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my
Gospel from among them, and then I will remember my covenant which I
have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my
Gospel unto them." Now then, we are here in this land, the house of
Israel are scattered all around us, some in the great basin, some in
Arizona, some in Idaho, some in Colorado, some in Montana, some in one
place, some in another; I refer to the American Indians, all remnants
of Joseph and belonging to the house of Israel. They have become very
degraded in consequence of the apostacy and wickedness of their
ancient fathers. This people—the Latter-day Saints, before they can
ever return to build up the waste places of Zion and receive their
inheritances in Jackson County, Missouri, have got to exert themselves
to bring the remnants of Joseph to a knowledge of the truth. We have
not made any very great exertions in this direction unto the present
time. The Lord has given us time since he brought the fulness of the
Gospel from among the Gentiles to lay a foundation so that we could
commence this missionary work in behalf of and among the remnants of
Joseph. We have got the foundation laid, we have succeeded in building
many cities, towns, villages, &c., for some four hundred miles north
and south; we have got our farms fenced and our water ditches dug, and
we have begun to prosper in the land, so that now, I think, is the
time for us to wake up our minds in relation to the scattered remnants
of the house of Israel." "Behold, then I will remember my covenant
which I have made unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring
my Gospel unto them."

Vol. 17,  p.299
It seems that the Lord is working among that people, and that he is
determined this prophecy shall be fulfilled whether we take it in hand
or not. What do my ears hear? What do we all hear? Messengers are
visiting these wild tribes in the basin, and in the regions round
about hundreds of miles apart. These messengers come to them, and they
speak in their own language in great plainness, and tell them what to
do; they tell them to repent of their sins and to be baptized for the
remission thereof; tell them also to cease roaming over the country
and to cultivate the land; tell them to go to the Elders of this
Church and receive the ordinances under their hands.

Vol. 17,  p.299
Who are these messengers? Read the Book of Mormon and you will find
what God promised to do for the remnants of Joseph fourteen hundred
tears ago, about the time that most of them were becoming wicked and
corrupt. The Lord said when their record should come forth in the
latter days that he would send his messengers to them, and among these
messenger's he mentioned three persons who lived some eighteen hundred
years ago, three of the Twelve who were chosen on this land. The Lord
made a promise to these three that they should administer, as holy
messengers [p.300] in the latter days, for and in behalf of the
remnants of the house of Israel, which should fall into a low and
degraded condition in consequence of the great wickedness and apostacy
of their ancient fathers; that they should be instruments in his hands
in bringing these remnants to the knowledge of the truth. We hear that
these messengers have come, not in one instance alone, but in many
instances. Already we have beard of some fourteen hundred Indians, and
I do not know but more, who have been baptized. Ask them why they have
come so many hundred miles to find Elders of the Church and they will
reply—"Such a person came to us, he spoke in our language, instructed
us and told us what to do, and we have come in order to comply with
his requirements."

Vol. 17,  p.300
Perhaps you may inquire—"May not this great work, the redemption of
these Indian tribes, take place after we have returned to our
inheritances?" No doubt but what there will be a great work transpire
among the Indians after we do return; but let me say to you that there
will also be a great work performed among them before we return to
receive our inheritances and before the redemption of Zion. In order
to prove this I will read what Jesus has said further on this subject.
After having foretold a great many things that should transpire in the
latter days our Lord and Savior also spoke of that portion of the
Gentiles which would repent and receive this book called the Book of
Mormon, and he makes the following promise unto them—"If they will
repent and hearken unto my words, and harden not their hearts, I will
establish my Church among them." This the Lord has done, and the
Church now numbers over a hundred thousand right here in this great
desert. "I will establish my Church among them, and they shall come in
unto the covenant and be numbered among those of the remnant of Jacob
unto whom I have given this land for their inheritance."

Vol. 17,  p.300
A great many have desired to know what this means. Are you Mormons
going to be numbered with them and wander about with them in these
mountains? Are you going to hunt as they hunt, and lead a wild,
nomadic, vagabond life as they do? No. What is the meaning of it then?
The meaning of it is this—the Lord God made a promise to the
forefathers of the Indians, about six hundred years before Christ,
that all this continent should be given to them and to their children
after them for an everlasting inheritance; and he made a promise also
by the mouth of Nephi, one of the first colonists who came from
Jerusalem, some twenty-four hundred years ago, that, when the Gentiles
in the latter days should come forth upon the face of this land and
receive the records of the descendants of those ancient colonists,
they should be numbered with the remnants of Jacob in the inheritance
of the land. Not numbered with them to come down to their foolish,
degraded, wicked, warlike customs, but numbered with them in the
inheritance of the land.

Vol. 17,  p.300
Another thing mentioned in prophecy is that they, "the Gentiles, shall
assist my people, the house of Israel, the remnant of Jacob, and also
as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a
city, which shall be called the New Jerusalem; and then shall they
assist my people, who are scattered upon all the face of the land,
that may be gathered in unto the New Jerusalem; and then shall the
power of heaven come down and be in the midst of this people, and I
also will be in their [p.301] midst. And then shall the work of the
Father commence, at that day, even when this Gospel shall be preached
among the remnant of this people. Verily I say unto you, in that day
shall the work of the Father commence among all the dispersed of my
people."

Vol. 17,  p.301
What I wish to call your special attention to now, so far as these
sayings are concerned, is this—the Latter-day Saints in these
mountains never can have the privilege of going back to Jackson County
and building that city which is to be called the New Jerusalem, upon
the spot that was appointed by revelation through the Prophet Joseph,
until quite a large portion of the remnants of Joseph go back with us.
Now then, here is a work for us, and we have no need to pray the
Father to return us to Jackson County until that work is done. We can
pray to the Father, in the name of Jesus, to convert these Indian
tribes around us, and bring them to a knowledge of the truth, that
they may fulfill the things contained in the Book of Mormon. And then
when we do return, taking them with us, that they shall be instructed
not only in relation to their fathers and the Gospel contained in the
record of their fathers, but also in the arts and sciences. They will
also be instructed to cultivate the earth, to build buildings as we
do, instructed how to build Temples and in the various branches of
industry practised by us; and then, after having received this
information and instruction, we shall have the privilege of helping
them to build the New Jerusalem. The Lord says,—"They," the Gentiles,
who believe in the Book of Mormon, "shall assist my people, the
remnant of Jacob, that they may build a city, which shall be called
the New Jerusalem." Now, a great many, without reading these things,
have flattered themselves that we are the ones who are going to do all
this work. It is not so; we have got to be helpers, we have get to be
those who co-operate with the remnants of Joseph in accomplishing this
great work; for the Lord will have respect unto them, because they are
of the blood of Israel, and the promises of their fathers extend to
them, and they will have the privilege of building that city,
according to the pattern that the Lord shall give. Do not
misunderstand me, do not think that all the Lamanite tribes are going
to be converted and receive this great degree of education and
civilization before we can return to Jackson County. Do not think this
for a moment, it will only be a remnant; for when we have laid the
foundation of that city and have built a portion of it, and have built
a Temple therein, there is another work which we have got to do in
connection with these remnants of Jacob whom we shall assist in
building the city. What is it? We have got to be sent forth as
missionaries to all parts of this American continent. Not to the
Gentiles, for their times will be fulfilled; but we must go to all
those tribes that roam through the cold regions of the north—British
America, to all the tribes that dwell in the Territories of the United
States, also to all those who are scattered through Mexico, and
Central and South America, and the object of our going will be to
declare the principles of the Gospel unto them, and bring them to a
knowledge of the truth. "Then shall they assist my people who are
scattered on all the face of the land, that they may be gathered in to
the New Jerusalem."

Vol. 17,  p.301
Will not this be a great work? It will take a good while to gather all
these tribes of South America, for [p.302] some of them will have to
come from five to eight thousand miles in order to reach the New
Jerusalem. This will be quite a work, and yet we shall have to perform
it after the city is built.

Vol. 17,  p.302
What then? After they are all gathered, "then shall the powers of
heaven come down and be in the midst of this people, and I also will
be in your midst." Now I do not say that this will be a period after
his second coming in the clouds of heaven, but I believe that it will
be a coming prior to that time, when he comes to manifest himself to
all the nations and kindreds of the earth. It will be a fulfillment of
that saying in the Psalms of David—"Give ear, O shepherd of Israel,
thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. Stir up thy strength and come
and save us." He is called, in a peculiar manner, the shepherd of
Israel. This is what is meant also in the blessing of Jacob upon the
twelve tribes of Israel, or more especially upon the tribe of Joseph.
You recollect he called up his twelve sons to bestow upon them his
last prophetic blessing. He told them that he would inform them what
should take place in the latter-days. Joseph, he said, is a fruitful
bough by a well, whose branches run over the wall. As much as to say
that the descendants of Joseph would be so numerous that they would
not all stay on the old homestead near Jerusalem, but nome of them
would run over the wall, that is, go to some other place. "The archers
have sorely grieved him, they have shot at him and hated him, but his
bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by
the hand of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is the Shepherd, the
Stone of Israel."

Vol. 17,  p.302
Now who can explain and tell us what this means? Can any of the wise
commentators of the day? Can any of those who have studied theology
all their life-time, tell us why it is from Joseph that the Shepherd,
the Stone of Israel is to be made manifest? Says one—"It cannot have
reference to his birth, because Jesus descended from Judah, instead of
Joseph, out of the loins of Judah, through the lineage of David. He is
the Lion of the tribe of Judah." Why then this peculiar saying of the
old Prophet Jacob, about the tribe of Joseph, that from thence is the
Shepherd, the Stone of Israel, if he was not born of Joseph, and did
not descend through that tribe? This is a very curious kind of a
saying. But he will be made manifest in the character of a shepherd,
and that shepherd will lead Joseph as a flock, and he will stir up his
strength and will save the house of Joseph. But it will be in his own
time and way. First, a remnant will be converted; second, Zion will be
redeemed, and all among the Gentiles who believe will assist this
remnant of Jacob in building the New Jerusalem; third, a vast number
of missionaries will be sent throughout the length and breadth of this
great continent, to gather all the dispersed of his people in unto the
New Jerusalem; fourth, the power of heaven will be made manifest in
the midst of this people, and the Lord also will be in their midst, in
the character of a shepherd, and he will lead Joseph as a flock, and
he will instruct and counsel them personally as he did their ancient
fathers in the days of their righteousness.

Vol. 17,  p.302
This is what we must look for—these are the things that must be
fulfilled, and for which we must seek and pray in an understanding
manner. Not asking God to redeem Zion before he has redeemed a portion
of the remnants of Joseph; not asking [p.303] God to establish this
people upon their inheritances in Jackson County, until the other
things are fulfilled in their order, and in their times and seasons.

Vol. 17,  p.303
Perhaps some may inquire—"Have you any idea, brother Pratt, how we
will be redeemed when we have accomplished this work you have spoken
of?" Not much, I do not pretend to have a great deal of understanding
upon the subject; but there are some few things revealed, some of
which I read to you at the commencement of my remarks. Speaking of the
redemption of this people, the Lord says—"Behold I will raise up a man
like unto Moses." This did not mean Joseph Smith, he was already
raised up and was among us. He was the one who received that
revelation; he was the one who brought to light the Book of Mormon,
and translated it by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. But the Lord,
who understands the end from the beginning, saw that when his work was
completed, he would be taken away, and that another would be raised
up. When this was first given I used to inquire, in my own mind,
whether it meant Joseph, and I got it into my heart that Joseph,
perhaps, would lead us until he became a very old man; I was in hopes
all the time that such would be the case. I, like many others, did not
seem to understand that this was a prediction of the future.

Vol. 17,  p.303
When Joseph was taken away, and our beloved brother, President Young,
was appointed to take the lead, and received the keys and the power of
the holy Priesthood that had been conferred upon Joseph, I was in
hopes that he might be the man, and I still have a lingering hope that
such may be the case. But he is now becoming aged, and how long the
Lord will bless us with his presence I do not know, but this much I do
know, that either he will be preserved, or that some other personage
will be raised to fulfill that prophecy. "Behold I say unto you, the
redemption of Zion must needs come by power, therefore I will raise up
unto my people a man who shall lead them like as Moses led the
children of Israel, for ye are the children of Israel, and of the seed
of Abraham, and ye must needs be led out of bondage by power, with an
outstretched arm, and as your fathers were led at the first, even so
shall the redemption of Zion be."

Vol. 17,  p.303
It seems then that this people, at some future time in their sojourn
here in this land, may possibly be in bondage greater than they are at
the present time. I try to hope for the best, and to think that the
bondage we are in and have been in for years, in consequence of the
efforts of those who are striving to take away our rights as American
citizens, and to trample us down in the dust; I say I have been in
hopes that that would be all the bondage that was meant here in this
prophecy, but I do not know but what there may be a greater
signification to these words. I do not know what the purposes of the
Lord are in relation to this particular thing. It may be that we shall
have our rights completely taken from us; it may be, if we do not live
sufficiently faithful before the Lord, that he will yet bring us into
still greater tribulation than that which we have hitherto had. It may
be that we shall yet be in bondage like the Israelites in the land of
Egypt; for the Lord has said that, when this man should be raised up,
he would redeem his people by power out of bondage, and they should be
led as their fathers were led at the first. Says the Lord—"I say not
unto you as I said unto your [p.304] fathers—'mine angel shall go
before you, but not my presence'—but I say unto you that mine angels
shall go before you, and also my presence." It was, in ancient days, a
great calamity to Israel, when the Lord sware in his wrath that he
would not go up in their midst, but that he would send an angel before
them. Why did the Lord do this P Because of the wickedness and
stiffneckedness of that people. He had redeemed them out of the land
of Egypt, and they would not hearken to the words of Moses, they would
not obey the voice of the Lord, but they stiffened their necks and
hardened their hearts against the counsels that they received, and for
this reason the Lord was under the necessity of leading them for forty
years in the wilderness, considering them unworthy to go into their
choice and promised land, and he sware an oath that all of that
company—hundreds of thousands—who had come out of the land of Egypt,
from twenty years old and upward, except Joshua and Caleb, should not
enter into the Land of Promise, so great was their wickedness; and he
fulfilled his word. So provoked was he on one occasion at their
rebellion, that he threatened to consume them in a moment, but Moses
plead with the Lord to spare his people, lest the people around about
should say that the Lord could not bring his people into the Promised
Land. Moses said—"Remember thy covenant which thou didst make with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, our fathers, that they and their seed should
have this land for an everlasting inheritance." "No," said the Lord,
"I can raise up seed unto you Moses, that you may go in and possess
the land." "No," said Moses, "remember that ancient covenant, that thy
people may not be deprived of their inheritance;" and the Lord finally
concluded to hearken to the voice of Moses, and to let them go into
the land. But said he—"My presence shall not go up with you, lest I
break forth upon you in my wrath, and you be consumed in a moment, but
I will send an angel with you."

Vol. 17,  p.304
In these last days, in redeeming his people from bondage he has told
us in plain words, that his angel should go before us and also his
presence; and as, in the deliverance of Israel in ancient times the
waters were divided and plagues sent forth upon the Egyptian nation,
it would not surprise me at all if there should be similar power
manifested in the redemption of Zion. There may be a few individuals
go to prepare the way, to purchase a little more land and get things
in orders; but when that is accomplished, this people as a body will
return to that land, the Lord going with them.

Vol. 17,  p.304
In ancient times, so long as the Lord did continue with Israel, he
manifested his glory over their camp by a cloud by day; and whenever
the cloud arose they followed it, and wherever it rested, there they
pitched their tents and remained until the cloud moved again, when
they again journeyed on. Now, if Zion is to be redeemed after the same
manner, you need not be surprised if the Lord God should let his
glory, in the form of a cloud by day and the shining of a flaming fire
by night, be over all the camp of Zion. This is what I look for;
perhaps I am a little enthusiastic, but it is really what I look for
and expect; and when the Lord says that his presence shall go with us,
I expect he dill be in the midst of this people as he was in the midst
of ancient Israel until they rejected him from their midst. 

Vol. 17,  p.305
Did he converse with them in the wilderness before he left
them?[p.305] 

Vol. 17,  p.305
Yes, he talked with them out of a burning cloud in the burning mount,
he spoke in their ears by the voice of a trump, and sounded in the
ears of all the house of Israel the ten commandments, and they all,
men, women and children, heard it. Do I look for similar
manifestations of God's power and presence when Zion is redeemed? I
do. He may not come down upon any mountains, but he will converse with
this people as audibly to men, women and children, as he did in
ancient times. Zion must needs be redeemed by power, with an
outstretched arm, the angel of the Lord going before the camp of this
people, and they will return, and a remnant of the Lamanites with them
to build up the city of Zion in Jackson County.

Vol. 17,  p.305
How about our inheritance when we get back there, out' farms, &c.? We
need give ourselves no uneasiness about that, there will be no
speculation, no grabbing in those days; no one to say—"I am going to
take up all the land round about so that I can speculate with it in
selling it to my brethren." No such thing as this, not a solitary soul
among all the Latter-day Saints will receive an inheritance in this
way. Another person is to come for the special purpose of dividing to
the Saints their inheritances. "Behold," saith the Lord God, "I will
send one mighty and strong, clothed with light as with a garment,
whose bowels shall be a fountain of truth, who shall utter words,
eternal words, and who shall divide to the Saints their inheritances
by lot."

Vol. 17,  p.305
Have you read this revelation? It was published in the fourteenth
volume of the "Millennial Star," and it has been published in other
publications. Says one—"If the inheritances of the Saints are to be
apportioned by lot, a good man, perhaps, will be put off with the
poorest inheritance, and some not so good will get some of the best,
it is all haphazard." Oh no, we find that lots east by divine
appointment in ancient times were cast upon a principle which
designated the very thing which the Lord desired. How was it on a
certain occasion about casting lots to discover the transgressor among
all the hosts of Israel? A certain man had taken a gold wedge, and the
people had been forbidden to take it. No one knew anything about it,
but the transgressor, and he hid it in the earth. Lots were cast and
the lot fell upon a certain tribe, it did not designate the man at
first; they cast lots again, and it fell upon a certain portion of
that tribe; they cast lots again, and it fell on a certain family, and
finally it tell on a certain man in that family, and being called up,
it proved that he was the very man among all the hundreds of thousands
of Israel. Now here was a casting of lots by divine appointment, and
the Lord, who orders all these things well, caused the very thing to
be revealed according to his own mind. And when the lots are cast for
this people to receive their inheritances, the Lord will so order it
that every man will be rewarded according to his works, and that too
by lot, however great the miracle may be.

Vol. 17,  p.305
Now I have told you about all I know, so far as it is revealed,
concerning the redemption of Zion. There is one little thing, however,
that I wish to name—that there will be quite a company of us before
the redemption of Zion. Saith the Lord, in a certain revelation—"Let
mine army become very great, and let it become sanctified before me,
that they may be as fair as the sun, as clear as the moon, that their
[p.306] banners may be terrible unto all the nations of the earth." We
learn from this declaration of the Lord, that before Zion is redeemed
we are to be quite a numerous people; and this agrees with what is in
the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah—"A little one shall become a thousand,
and a small one a strong nation." That is our destiny. However much
our enemies may howl, whatever may be our future tribulations, the
Lord God has decreed that Zion shall become a strong nation, that the
armies of Israel shall become very great, and not only very great, but
they will be sanctified before him, and there will be such a power
made manifest in their midst, that their banners will be terrible to
all the nations of the earth. They will not be terrible because we
outnumber the nations, but this terror of Zion which will be among the
nations, will be because of the power of the great Jehovah that will
be manifested in their midst, something that the nations will discern
and understand; and when telegraphic dispatches are sent forth to the
most distant parts of the earth, it will be said—"Who can stand before
the armies of Zion? Behold, the Lord God is with them as a cloud by
day, and as a pillar of fire by night." Fear will seize upon the
nations of the earth, and the banners of Zion will be terrible.

Vol. 17,  p.306
These are some few things pertaining to the redemption of Zion. I
would to the Lord that we were righteous enough to know a few more!
There are a great many things that I would like to know about the
redemption of Zion that I do not know, and I presume that you also
would like to know them. But what the Lord has revealed is very plain
when connected together; and when we reflect upon it, it is
astonishing to us to think that in our day the Lord has decreed to
perform such a great work in the midst of the earth. It will be
astonishing to us when the time comes for the Lord to gather in, from
every part of this great continent, these poor, miserable, degraded
Lamanites, that his servants may have power over them in order to
bring them to civilization. It looks impossible to us, but remember
that that is the day of the Lord's power, and that then will be
fulfilled the saying in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that the
Spirit of the Lord shall be shed forth upon the hearts of those who
are ordained to that power; that every man among these remnants of
Joseph will hear the Gospel in his own tongue, by the power of the
Holy Ghost shed forth upon those who are ordained unto this power.
There is such a saying as that in the Book of Covenants, and when that
day comes the Lord God will work mightily by signs, wonders and
miracles in various ways that will have an influence over these
remnants of Joseph to convert them and bring them to a knowledge of
the truth, that the prayers of their ancient fathers, and of the
Prophets and Elders who once dwelt on this American continent, may be
fulfilled upon their heads.

Vol. 17,  p.306
I do not know that I have done justice to the subject of the
redemption of Zion; if I have not it is because I do not sufficiently
understand it. I do not know that I know anything in relation to the
matter only what God has revealed. I have had no vision, no revelation
in relation to that particular subject; yet I know, from what has been
revealed to me, that these things are true, and that, in their times
and seasons, every jot and every tittle thereof will be fulfilled.
Amen.[p.307] 

Orson Pratt, February 28, 1875

Second Coming of Christ—the Kingdom of God—Immediate 
Revelation—a Highway Cast Up—Gathering of 
Israel—One Universal Government on Earth

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Fourteenth Ward 
Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, February 28, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.307
I will read a passage with which the Latter-day Saints, especially,
are familiar—"All ye inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the
earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains; and when
he bloweth a trumpet hear ye." This is the third verse of the 18th
chapter of the prophecies of Isaiah.

Vol. 17,  p.307
All people who have any confidence in the Old and New Testaments, and
who have read the pages of the Bible, are expecting certain great and
important events to transpire upon the earth; they look for an entire
change to come over the rations, and also for a universal kingdom to
be established on the earth never to be overthrown. These things are
so clearly predicted in the prophecies of the holy Prophets, that I
believe all who profess any faith in the Bible are looking for
something of this kind to take place. All who believe in the New
Testament believe that the Son of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ, is to come, not as be did formerly, in a meek and lowly
manner, born in a manger, hated, derided, buffeted and spit upon, and
finally crucified by the hands of wicked men, but that when he comes
again, it will be in very great majesty and glory, accompanied by all
the armies of heaven and by the Saints of all dispensations, who will
be raised from the dead at that important time, and who will be caught
up into the clouds and come with him. All people who believe in the
New Testament believe that such an event as this has got to transpire.
Those who believe in the Old Testament, and discard the New, believe
that there has to be a great change come over the inhabitants of the
earth and over the whole of this creation. The Old Testament speaks of
the day of the Lord, when the sun will be darkened, when the moon and
the stars will refuse to shine, when the Lord will punish the wicked
for their wickedness, when sinners will be swept from the face of the
earth, and when there will be none but the righteous left. It is
believed that a day will come, when the wicked among the inhabitants
of this globe will be burned as stubble, and when there will be
neither root nor branch left of the proud and of them that do
wickedly. So that believers in both the Old and New Testaments, or in
either of them, are expecting that such a great and terrible event
will come. But very few, however,[p.308] of the inhabitants of our
globe have taken into consideration the great preparatory work for
this grand change; they have not searched the Scriptures in regard to
how this work is to be accomplished, and who the persons will be who
will be ready and prepared to abide that day; how that great change
will come, and what the signs of it will be they know not, and yet the
Bible is very plain and full in relation to these matters.

Vol. 17,  p.308
The words of our text communicate to us the knowledge that a
proclamation is to become so conspicuous at that day, that all the
inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth will be required to
see and understand, when the Lord commences this work, when he lifts
up an ensign on the mountains. I suppose that a great many have been
looking for the Lord to do something, but in what portion of our globe
he would commence his work they did not know. There are some few, who
have searched the Bible diligently, who have been looking for the
kingdom of God to be set up on the earth in the latter times, never to
be destroyed. Some have supposed that the kingdom that was built up by
the early Christians, some eighteen hundred years ago, was that
kingdom predicted by the Prophet Daniel. Others, not being able to
reconcile the ideas communicated by Daniel on this subject, have
looked forward to a day when there should be, literally, a kingdom
established on this earth by the power of God in fulfillment of the
prophecy of Daniel. Those who have believed, or tried to believe, that
the ancient Christians constituted that kingdom, have been at a loss
as to how it could exist broken up into a thousand fragments, a
thousand different classes of people with as many different faiths
clashing one with another. They have said in their hearts—"Is this the
kingdom of God, where there is no union?" Some two hundred millions of
the human family professing Christianity, and yet contending one with
another about their doctrines and principles, one believing a doctrine
and another condemning that doctrine and believing something directly
different. Another discarding both these doctrines and believing in
something else, and so on, until inextricable confusion is the result.
They have looked upon the babel thus created as something so different
from the nature of that kingdom predicted by the ancient Prophets,
that they have been unable to reconcile the idea in their own minds
that it could possibly be the kingdom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.308
Suppose that we quote the passage in the second chapter of Daniel, in
regard to the setting up of God's kingdom. It is there said that
Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, had a dream, which portrayed before
him all the kingdoms of the earth for many generations, under the
similitude of a great image, whose head was of gold, breast and arms
of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet part of
iron and part of potter's clay. Besides the image he, in his dream,
beheld something entirely distinct therefrom, and forming no part nor
portion of it, cut out of the mountains without hands. It was called a
stone from the mountains, which smote this great image, representing
the kingdoms of the world, upon the feet, and when the feet were
smitten all the other kingdoms crumbled to pieces, and they were
carried away before the force of this little stone like the chaff of
the summer threshing floor, and no place could be found for them; but
the stone that smote the image became a [p.309] great mountain and
filled the whole earth.

Vol. 17,  p.309
Now, ancient Christianity, or, in other words, the kingdom which God
set up eighteen hundred years ago, did not accomplish the prediction
or fulfill that which was spoken by Daniel; neither was that kingdom
which was then set up at a time when this great image had been
completed. No feet nor toes of the image were yet formed when the
ancient kingdom of God was set up on the earth. It is true that
Nebuchadnezzer, and the Babylonish kingdom over which he ruled,
representing the head of gold, had existed. The Medes and Persians,
who succeeded him, had existed, and they represented the breast and
arms of silver; the Macedonians or Grecians existed, representing the
third kingdom that bore rule over all the earth; the great Roman
empire had begun to exist, but it was not yet divided in its two legs
of iron as it was several centuries after Christ. The feet and toes of
the image were not yet formed, but it will be noticed, by the
testimony of Daniel, that when that stone, cut out of the mountain
without hands, that is, without the hand of human wisdom; when that
should be cut out and should commence its roiling forth from the
mountain, the very first attack that it should make would be on the
feet and toes of the image.

Vol. 17,  p.309
The ancient kingdom of God could not do this, for the reason that the
feet and toes on the two legs of iron were not yet in existence, and
hence that kingdom did not represent the one that Daniel spoke of,
though the kingdom then set up was the kingdom of God, but not the one
that was to bear rule over all the earth, as predicted.

Vol. 17,  p.309
Another reason why that kingdom was not the one spoken of by Daniel is
this—the kingdom spoken of by the ancient Prophet, that was to be set
up by the God of heaven, was never to be destroyed, but it should
break in pieces all other kingdoms and should stand for ever, and
never be left to another people. Did the kingdom commenced by Christ
and his Apostles fulfill these predictions? No. Why not? Because it
was predicted both by Daniel and by John the Revelator that the
kingdom which was to be built up in the days of Christ's first coming,
instead of prevailing against the kingdoms of the world, was to be
overcome. It was written concerning that kingdom that war should be
made upon it by the powers of this world, and that they should prevail
and overcome it. Not so with the latter-day kingdom—that never can be
overcome or prevailed against.

Vol. 17,  p.309
Was the prophecy of John and Daniel, concerning the former day kingdom
being overcome, fulfilled? Yes. Certain powers arose and made war upon
that kingdom, and spread forth their doctrines and principles until
all nations became drunk with the wine of the wrath of the fornication
of that great ecclesiastical power. Instead, then, of the kingdom of
God overcoming the nations, it was overcome and banished from the
earth.

Vol. 17,  p.309
Perhaps some may inquire—"Do you believe, then, that the Christian
Church has been so overcome that it has not existed on the earth?"
That is what we believe, that is one of the principles taught by this
people during the last forty-four years of the existence of this
Church. Says one—"You have no charity." Yes, we have charity just as
far as the Lord God permits us to have charity; but we have not
charity sufficient to call darkness light, nor the doctrines and
creeds of men the [p.310] doctrines of heavens. We have not charity
sufficient to say that that which is organized by human wisdom is of
God, or that the traditions and commandments of men can he substituted
for those of God. Charity does not lead us to make these assertions.
Perhaps you may inquire—"What evidence have you then, that the kingdom
of God was overcome, besides the predictions that you have quoted?" We
have this evidence—in the kingdom of God there were always inspired
Apostles. There is no testimony in this sacred volume, the New
Testament, that the kingdom of God ever existed without Apostles in
it. Where are your Apostles inspired of God, modern Christendom? Where
have they been for the last seventeen centuries of the Christian era?
If you had had Apostles during that time they would have continued to
exercise the functions and gifts of Apostles: they would have received
revelation from heaven, and those revelations would have been just as
sacred as the revelations that were given to the first twelve
Apostles, and it would have been just as necessary to have them
compiled in the sacred canon as to compile the revelations of those
who lived in the first century of the Christian era. This, then, is a
testimony and a very important one too, that the kingdom that was set
up anciently did not continue, but was overcome, so much so that
Apostles had no existence on the earth, and they have not had for many
Icing centuries of darkness that are passed and gone.

Vol. 17,  p.310
Recollect now, that in the New Testament order of things, given for
the organization of the true Christian Church, Paul says—"God hath set
in the Church first, Apostles, secondarily Prophets," &c. Take away,
then, this first officer of the Church, and say that no Apostles are
needed to inquire of God and receive revelations, and you do away with
the foremost and most essential member in the kingdom of God from what
you call the Christian Church. "Secondarily Prophets." Who does not
know that for seventeen centuries past the Christian world so-called
has not believed in any prophecy, that is the foretelling of future
events, or in inspiration from heaven? Who does not know that all new
revelation has been discarded, not only by the great mother Church,
called the Roman Catholic, but by the Greek Catholics, and also by all
her descendants, her daughters, the various Protestant sects? They
have all denounced everything in the shape of new revelation. But the
kingdom or Church of God never did, and it never can, exist without
inspiration and new revelation, without inspired Apostles and
Prophets; therefore this, besides the predictions that I have named,
proves to every person who believes in the sacred text that the
kingdom of God has not been upon the earth for a long period of time.

Vol. 17,  p.310
We might go on and show other reasons why it has not been upon the
earth. In order for the kingdom of God to be upon the earth there must
be a continuation of authority. Says one—"Authority for what?"
Authority to administer its ordinances. Where that authority ceases
the sacrament can not be administered; where that authority ceases no
person can administer baptism, or the laying on of hands for the
baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost. In fact, where that authority
ceases all the ordinances of the kingdom of God cease. Says one—"Have
they not had the Christian ministry among the Roman Catholics, among
the Greek Catholics, and among all the [p.311] Protestants who have
dissented from those two ancient Churches?" Yes, they have had a
ministry, but has that ministry had divine authority? That is the
great question to be determined. If they have had divine authority,
then the kingdom of God has existed on the earth just as long as that
authority has existed; if they have not had divine authority, the
kingdom of God upon the earth ceased when that authority ceased. How
are we to determine this? Says one—"Determine it by the standard, the
holy Scriptures." In appealing to them we find that Paul says—"No man
taketh this honor unto himself, save he be called of God as was
Aaron." Every person who has read the Old Testament Scriptures, knows
that Aaron was called by immediate and direct revelation in his day.
He was not called by revelation that was given several hundred years
before he was born, to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac or Jacob; he was
not called by some commission that was given in former generations,
but by direct revelation in his day. Can no person, then, take this
ministry to himself, unless he is called the same as Aaron was called?
So says Paul. Have any of these ministers, among all these so-called
Christian denominations, been called by new revelations? If they have
they deny their own words, for they have incorporated in their
disciplines, creeds and articles of faith that the sixty-six books
contained in the Old and New Testament are all the revelations that
God has ever given to man. Is that so? Let us search these sixty-six
books and see if any man that lived in the second century of the
Christian era is mentioned therein, or in the third or fourth, or in
any succeeding century down to this day. Has any man in the Christian
world from the days of the ancient Apostles down to this time been
called by frame to the ministry? If so, that will alter the case. But
I find that this ancient compilation of revelations does not mention
by name a solitary individual who has dwelt on the earth for the last
seventeen hundred years, hence none of them have been called by
ancient revelation; and, in order to be called, according to the
declaration of Paul, as Aaron was, they must be called by new
revelation.

Vol. 17,  p.311
Says one—"Stop, that will not do, the very moment that we admit new
revelation, we say that the canon of Scripture is not full, and that
will lead us right in oppsition to all the declarations and traditions
of our fathers, therefore we will not take that ground, and we will
not say that we have been called by new revelation as Aaron was." How
will you get around it, then? Says one—"I think that we can get
authority from this good old hook, though our names are not mentioned
therein as being called as Aaron was, by direct revelation." Well, let
us examine. What authority do you think you can get from this ancient
record? Says one—"You turn to the last chapter of Mark. It is there
written that Jesus said unto his eleven disciples, after he rose from
the dead—'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every
creature.'" Indeed! Does that call you? Did it call Paul, Timothy or
Titus? Did it call any other person that lived even then, except the
eleven to whom Jesus spoke? No, it did not; every other person who
received any call had to receive it by new revelation. Even then, in
that age, a commission given to eleven men did not commission the
twelfth. A commission given to those eleven men did not commission any
Christian minister who lived in [p.312] the first century of the
Christian era. Hence we find in the 13th chapter of the Acts of the
Apostles that there were certain prophets in the Christian church at
Antioch—do not be astonished, professed Christians, that there were
prophets in the Christian church at Antioch—"And the Holy Ghost said
unto them," prepare yourselves for hearing a new revelation—"separate
unto me Barnabas and Saul unto the work of the ministry to which I
have called them." Here then was a new revelation for Barnabas and
Saul in relation to their ministry and calling. But could they
undertake their ministry by virtue of some old commission given prior
to their calling? No. Timothy, who lived contemporary with the ancient
Apostles, was not called by virtue of a commission given to the
eleven, neither was he called by virtue of a commission given to Paul
and Barnabas; but he was called as the Apostle Paul has declared in
his epistle to Timothy—"Neglect not the gift which is in thee, which
was given thee by the spirit of prophecy, and by the laying on of the
hands." What! Did Timothy live in the day of Prophets, and when
Prophets could find out in relation to his calling, and lay their
hands upon him and set him apart to the work of the ministry unto
which God had called him? Yes, and so with all the rest, and no man
can take this honor to himself, save he be called of God as was Aaron.

Vol. 17,  p.312
God is a Very consistent being; he does not do things at haphazard,
but he is very orderly in his work, and everything in his kingdom is
consistent and according to law. That is the way the Lord works. He is
far more consistent than the political governments of our day; and
even they, with all their imperfections, would never be so unwise as
to receive a foreign minister simply because some other foreign
minister had been called. Supposing that a man from Great Britain
should go to Washington, and should declare to the President of the
United States, and to the various authorities of the government
there—"I am a minister plenipotentiary, I have authority from the
British Government to transact whatever business it may have to
transact with the Government of the United States." "Very well," say
the President and those associated with him at the head of the
Government, "let us see your credentials." "My credentials!" says this
man. "Bless you, I have not any new commission. The authorities of
Great Britain have not said anything to me about being sent to
represent them in the United States, but nevertheless I have authority
to act as their minister." "Well, what is the nature of your
authority? pray tell us." "Why," says he, "having access to some old
documents I found, in searching them over, that there was a man called
about fifty or sixty years ago to act in this nation as minister
plenipotentiary for Great Britain." "What has that to do with you?"
say those who are questioning him. Says be—"I did not suppose that I
needed any new commission, so I just took this old document and put it
in my pocket, I thought it would authorize me to act as minister
because one that is dead and gone acted by virtue of the authority it
conferred." What do you suppose our Government would think of such a
minister? Don't you think they would regard him as a little insane, or
beside himself? They certainly would. Do you suppose that God has less
wisdom than our general Government? Do you suppose that he lets things
run at random? Or does he have a [p.313] system to his kingdom? If our
Government would not receive a man on an old commission given to a
person dead and gone, why should it be supposed that the Lord is so
inconsistent as to say that Tom, Dick and Harry, and all the world, or
part of it, were called to be ministers because a commission was given
to eleven men some eighteen hundred years ago? Why, that commission
did not authorize any but those to whom it was given; and to my mind
it looks supremely ridiculous for any person to claim that he is
commissioned to preach and to administer the ordinances of the Gospel,
because eleven men received authority to do so eighteen hundred years
ago.

Vol. 17,  p.313
Says one—"You are very uncharitable." Can't help it; if that is
uncharitable, I will confess that I am uncharitable, and I cannot help
it; though I believe that true charity leads us to believe things that
are reasonable, consistent, and in accordance with the word of God,
and that I try to do. However numerous my own imperfections may be, it
is my real desire, and has been from my youth to the present time, to
be consistent. These are some reasons, among a multitude that might be
named, why we, as Latter-day Saints, believe that the kingdom of God
which was set up in ancient days has had no place on the earth for
some seventeen centuries past, so far as the eastern continent is
concerned. The kingdom of God was set up in ancient America, and it
existed until between three and four centuries after Christ,
consequently when we say that it has not existed upon the earth for
upwards of seventeen centuries past, we have reference particularly to
the nations of the east.

Vol. 17,  p.313
Says one—"That is an awful condition for our earth to be in to have no
Christian Church upon it for so long a period. Can not help it. If it
is a woeful condition, it is necessary for us to search the Scriptures
in order that we may learn if God ever intends to alter this order of
things, and if he ever intends to again establish his kingdom upon the
earth. Daniel, in his prophecy, has informed us that such will be the
case. He saw the time when that great event would take place. He saw
the four great kingdoms which should bear rule over all the earth. The
fourth great power which bore rule over the world was the great Roman
Empire, which was represented by the two legs of the great image which
he saw. And as the world grew older this empire was divided, and the
various kingdoms which sprang therefrom became so weakened that they
were represented, not by iron altogether, but by iron mixed with miry
clay. They had not the strength of former kingdoms, and they are the
kingdoms of modern Europe and the Republic of America, which has been
built up by people who have come over to the American continent, and
have established one of the wisest and best governments upon the face
of the whole earth, but yet not established altogether after the order
of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.313
All these modern kingdoms as you now behold them, the Scandinavians,
for instance, in the north, and the Germans, Italians, Swiss, French,
the Spaniards and Austrians, and all other kingdoms representing
Christendom, have grown out of the great Roman Empire, which once had
dominion over all these lands, and they were represented by the feet
of the image spoken of by the Prophet Daniel.

Vol. 17,  p.313
It is comparatively an easy task to locate the kingdoms represented by
the various portions of the completed [p.314] image. The head of gold
we may place away in Asia, representing the Babylonish Empire, with
Nebuchadnezzar at its head. Next the Medes and Persians, represented
by the breast and arms of silver; their location was also in Asia,
running partially into Europe. Then came the Macedonians and Greeks,
represented by the belly and thighs of brass; and finally the Romans,
represented by the legs of iron. Thus we can locate the great image,
with his head in Asia, his feet reaching over here to the western
continent, all of them governments of human institution instead of
having been organized by divine authority; they have all been
organized without having a direct "Thus saith the Lord" in relation to
the matter.

Vol. 17,  p.314
By and by the time came when, in the providence of God it became
necessary to set up his kingdom on the earth. How is it set up? Is it
cut out of the mountain with hands, that is, with human wisdom alone?
Oh no, the Lord spake; the Lord sent his angel; the Lord gave
commandment from the heavens; the Lord informed his servants how to
organize his kingdom; the Lord fulfilled that which he spoke by the
mouth of the ancient Apostles; the Lord sent that angel which he
promised that he would send in the 14th chapter of the Revelations of
St. John. What did he send that angel for? To restore the Gospel of
the kingdom. "Then you mean to say that the kingdom of God can not be
established without the Gospel being sent, do you?" Yes. "But," says
one, "have we not got the Gospel in this good book of ours, the
Bible?" We have a history of it But can you and I embrace it? No I
have already proved that we could not be baptized, and baptism is one
of the first essential ordinances to become citizens of the kingdom of
God. I have also shown that we can not legally partake of the
sacrament, because it requires a divinely authorized person to
administer it. We can not have bands laid upon us for the baptism of
fire and the Holy Ghost, because that requires God's ministers to
administer it, and the Lord would not pour out the Holy Ghost through
an unauthorized minister. Hence you see, however much we might read
the history of the Gospel as preached in ancient times, and the
history of the organization of the ancient church, it could not do us
any good so far as receiving the ordinances is concerned. It is true
that we might be benefited by observing the moral principles taught
therein, and being moral, virtuous, upright and just before all men;
but to become citizens of the kingdom of God requires divine
authority, and therefore it was necessary that we should have
something more than a mere history of the Gospel, and that something
was, and must be, authority sent down from heaven. This is what John
predicted. I will quote the passage for the benefit of strangers, for
our people are familiar with it, even our Sunday school children
understand it. The passage I refer to is contained in the 6th verse of
the 14th chapter of Revelations. It reads as follows—"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." Accompanying this message of the
everlasting Gospel brought by an angel were these remarkable
words—"Fear God and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgement
is come." That is the eleventh hour, the last time that he will send
laborers to labor in his vineyard. When he sends these last [p.315]
laborers to prune his vineyard for the last time, he communicates the
message of the everlasting Gospel by an angel sent from heaven. Not
for one people or one nation only, but to be preached to every nation,
tongue and people that dwell upon the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.315
This alone, if I had not brought any evidence or testimony to prove
that the kingdom of God has been done away from the earth, this alone
proves it. If there had been any people on the face of this wide world
of ours, who had the Gospel, it would have been unnecessary to send an
angel from heaven with it. If there had been in any part of the earth
a people who had the everlasting Gospel, and authority to administer
its ordinances, do you suppose that an angel would have been sent from
heaven to restore that Gospel? Such a supposition is unreasonable. All
we would have had to do, would have been to find them and to have them
to administer baptism, the laying on of hands and the other ordnances
of the Gospel unto us, and then to have ordained us to the work of the
ministry. But no; so completely had the world of mankind apostatized
that no authority existed; no kingdom or Church of God, no voice of
revelation, no Prophet or inspired man among all the nations, hence
God sent his angel in our day, and here I hold in my hands a book of
between five and six hundred pages, containing the everlasting Gospel
as it was taught on this continent by the risen Savior eighteen
hundred years ago, Jesus, after he had finished his ministry and burst
the tombs at Jerusalem, came to this western hemisphere of ours, and
chose twelve disciples and ordained them and sent them forth to preach
the Gospel among the inhabitants of this land. Those men went forth
and organized the Church, and the doctrines and Gospel which Jesus
administered on this continent were recorded in this book. When the
angel came from heaven he brought this book to light. He did not
reveal it to the great and learned of the earth, or to those who were
wise in their own eyes, but be found a farmer's boy between fourteen
and fifteen years of age, and set him to do this work, and it has come
forth, and the Gospel is revealed.

Vol. 17,  p.315
But there is one thing I wish to state now very pointedly, that though
this angel brought forth the everlasting Gospel and revealed it by the
Urim and Thummim to Joseph Smith, the unlearned farmer's boy, yet that
did not authorize Joseph Smith to baptize you or me; it did not
authorize him to lay hands upon me nor you for the gift of the Holy
Ghost; it did not authorize him to administer the Lord's supper; it
merely revealed the fulness of the everlasting Gospel through him for
the benefit of every people, nation, kindred and tongue of our globe.
"Well," says one, "if he could not baptize you, how were you first
baptized?" I answer that the Lord was consistent, and that when he
sent this everlasting Gospel by his angel, he did not forget, when the
work was translated by the Urim and Thummim, to again send an angel
from heaven to ordain individuals by the laying on of hands to
administer the ordinances of the Gospel, and to call them as Aaron was
called, by new revelation. Angels were sent down from heaven, and the
Apostleship was conferred, that santa authority which Peter, James and
John and the rest of the Apostles held in ancient days was conferred,
and many others were called and the Church was organized, not by the
wisdom of man and by his cunning and craft, but everything, even to
[p.316] the very month and day on which it should be organized was
revealed of God from heaven, and no person was called to the work of
the ministry, only by revelation. The Apostleship was conferred by
revelation, and the work began and spread forth, and the people began
to believe in this everlasting Gospel, and the Church was organized
again with inspired Apostles and Prophets, according to the ancient
pattern.

Vol. 17,  p.316
It may be said—"This is a very high pretension." We do not pretend
this thing of ourselves; all the glory is unto God. He sent the
Gospel, he restored the everlasting Priesthood and Apostleship, and to
him be all the glory. He bestowed these blessings; we received them
and we feel thankful for them. And in connection with the restoration
of the Priesthood, and the kingdom—for God calls it his kingdom—in the
midst of this people, though they may be hated, persecuted, driven
time and time again, and finally driven into these mountain wilds, yet
the kingdom is here, it is not overcome: God's kingdom is here and it
will endure forever, for that is the prediction of Daniel.

Vol. 17,  p.316
Is this an appropriate place for the kingdom, away up in this mountain
region, so isolated from all the nations? We are not so isolated but
what we can fulfill the prediction given in ancient times through
John; not so isolated but what this Gospel, which was sent by an angel
from heaven, can be published to all the nations of the earth. Look at
what has been already accomplished, during the short period of its
existence. Forty-five years have not rolled over our heads since we
were organized with only six members. What has God done since then in
rolling forth his work? He has sent missionaries by hundreds, not only
to the inhabitants of the various States of this Union and to those of
British America; but he has sent them by hundreds to foreign lands.
They have lifted up their voices in the midst of the British nation,
among the Welsh, the Scotch, the Irish, among the Scandinavians of the
north, among the Germans, among the French, the Swiss, the Italians,
among the Hindostanese and the inhabitants of South Australia and New
Zealand, and various islands of the sea; and from the midst of these
various peoples a hundred thousand souls have been gathered to these
mountains, whence the kingdom of God—the stone cut out of the
mountains—is to roll forth, until it fills the whole earth. We did not
come here with the idea of fulfilling that prophecy. I doubt whether
there was scarcely one among us, when we were driven here, who
entertained the idea that this was the appropriate place for the
kingdom of God. It is true, we had read in Daniel that the stone
should be cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it should
accomplish the great work that God had decreed, in filling the whole
earth. We had read this, but did we realize it when our enemies
cannonaded us from our lands and homes in the States? While living
there we were driven time after time, and finally were driven to these
mountains; and before leaving, our enemies made us enter into an
agreement that we would not stop short of the Rocky Mountains, and
that we would go even beyond the summit of the Rocky Mountains. Said
they—"You must do this or we will kill you. We have killed your
Prophet and some of your best men, and we have robbed and driven you
four or five times; and now, this time, we will not suffer you to stop
within our borders, you must go beyond the [p.317] Rocky Mountains."
We started because we were obliged to; we got here; and now we are
becoming quite a people. But what was the object of our enemies in
driving us here, into what was termed the Great American desert? They
no doubt thought that if we once got here, we should surely perish,
for they supposed that no human being could ever gain a livelihood by
cultivating the earth in this desert. The only inhabitants it then
contained was a few Indians, who lived by digging roots, and catching
and drying crickets, and grasshoppers and rattlesnakes, with now and
then a rabbit; and these Indians would, once in a while, be able to
partially clothe themselves with rabbit skins. Our enemies thought—"If
we can only get the 'Mormons' into that desert, that will be the end
of 'Mormonism.'"

Vol. 17,  p.317
We are here, what have we done, with the blessing of the Lord and his
multiplied kindness and mercies upon us? We have found that God has
blessed the land and blessed the exertions of his people. He has
blessed them in building up many cities, towns and villages, for some
four hundred miles in extent, in the very heart of these great
interior mountains of America. He has blessed us in erecting several
hundred schoolhouses; he has blessed us in reclaiming the desert, and
with many blessings that might be named. All praise be to him! He it
is who has sent rains upon this burnt and parched-up soil. When we
came here, Salt Lake was twelve feet lower than it is now. We took all
these little streams and turned them on to our land, and according to
all natural supposition, the waters of Salt Lake would have become
lower and lower. Why? Because all these streams were cut off from
entering it. But instead of becoming lower and lower, we find that,
after taking stream after stream, and rivulet after rivulet to
irrigate our crops, God has actually sent rains from the heavens in
such abundance that Salt Lake is now about twelve feet higher than
when the pioneers came here in 1847.

Vol. 17,  p.317
Is there anything said about this desert in prophecy? Yes. You can
find many prophecies in Isaiah, David's psalms, and other Prophets,
predicting that, about or near the time of the coming of the Lord,
"the wilderness and the solitary place shall be made glad for them."
That the "desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall
blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing." Isaiah
further says that "the Lord shall comfort Zion; he shall comfort all
her waste places, he shall make her wilderness like Eden, and her
desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found
therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Also that he would
"cause springs of water to break out in the desert, and that the
parched ground should become pools of living water."

Vol. 17,  p.317
How is it brethren? I appeal to you who are acquainted and were here
in 1847? Many of you know that, in places where there would be a
little spring then, about sufficient to water half an acre, now there
is water enough to water land sufficient to sustain several hundred
families. This is a literal fulfillment of the prophecy which says
that "the parched ground shall become pools of living water."

Vol. 17,  p.317
Now let us come more directly to the words of our text. I had almost
forgotten the text. "All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on
the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an ensign upon the mountains,
and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye."[p.318] It seems then that God
is going to lift up an ensign upon the mountains. What do you mean by
am ensign? According to the definitions given by our lexicographers an
ensign is a kind of a standard to which people rally and around which
they gather. The Lord is going then, to lift up an ensign on the
mountains, and it is to be so wonderful in its nature, something of so
much importance that not part of the people are required to understand
it; but in the language of Isaiah, "all ye inhabitants of the world,"
all nations, languages and kindreds are required to see, when the Lord
lifts up an ensign on the mountains: "When he bloweth a trumpet hear
ye." What kind of a trumpet? The trumpet of the Gospel, that which
takes the Gospel to all these nations, calling upon them to flee out
of their own lands. Gather out from the nations, come together in one,
go up into the mountains where the kingdom of God is established for
the last time. What for? To escape the judgments and tribulations
which must come upon the nations of great Babylon.

Vol. 17,  p.318
There is an indication in prophecy where these mountains, in which
this ensign is to be raised, are located; the Lord has not left us in
the dark concerning this matter. Let us read the first verse of the
chapter from which our text is taken. "Woe to the land shadowing with
wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. All ye inhabitants of
the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifteth up an
ensign on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet hear ye." I
will also read the fifth and sixth verses—"For afore the harvest, when
the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he
shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and
cut down the branches. They shall be left together unto the fowls of
the mountains, and to the beasts of the earth; and the fowls shall
summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall winter upon
them."

Vol. 17,  p.318
It seems, then, that the Prophet saw in vision a land that seemed to
represent two great wings, and a land, too, that was beyond the rivers
of Ethiopia, from where the Prophet delivered this prophecy.
Palestine, the land where Isaiah dwelt when he delivered this
prophecy, was northeast from Ethiopia, and he speaks of a land
shadowing with wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. We have not any
map in this room, or we might point out how the two divisions of the
continent of North and South America resemble two great wings,
connected together at the Isthmus. I scarcely ever look at the
outlines of the two divisions of this continent as depicted on a map,
without being reminded of the wings of a bird; and I presume that when
Isaiah, in vision, saw this western continent, it made the same
impression upon his mind, and, as he did not know what name would be
given to the continent of America, he had no better way to give
expression to his ideas, than to call it the land shadowing with
wings, in other words, having the appearance of huge wings, and that
it would be beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, from where he dwelt. If you
trace the maps, and pass through the land of Ethiopia, where could you
find a land the outlines of which so much resemble the wings of a
bird, as the land of America? I do not know of any. And it seems that
this land so described, had a woe pronounced upon it. "For afore the
harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in
the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks [p.319] and
take away and curl down the branches. They shall be left together unto
the fowls of the mountain, and to the beasts of the earth: and the
fowls shall summer upon them, and all the beasts of the earth shall
winter upon them." This is an awful judgment to come upon that land
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.

Vol. 17,  p.319
But first, before this judgment is to come upon the wicked of that
land, the Prophet speaks of a message, or something that should
concern all the inhabitants of the world and the dwellers on the
earth, showing that the people will, in God's mercy, be warned before
these awful judgments come; showing, also, that after the raising of
the ensign on the mountains, the inhabitants. of this western
continent will be among the first to experience these terrible
judgments.

Vol. 17,  p.319
The harvest is said to be the end of the wicked world; and if it is
so, "afore the harvest," that is, before the final end comes he will
visit the inhabitants of the land shadowing with wings, beyond the
rivers of Ethiopia with judgments that are terribly severe, that will
cause them to lie by hundreds and thousands unberied, from one end of
the land to the other, to be meat for the fowls of the air and the
beasts of the earth. Why? Because the judgments will be swift, giving
no time for burial.

Vol. 17,  p.319
Inquires one—"Do you really believe that such judgments are coming
upon our nation?" I do not merely believe, but I know it, just as well
as I knew, twenty-eight years before it commenced, that there would be
war between the North and the South. We knew that by a revelation
which God gave through his servant Joseph Smith, twenty-eight years
before the war of the rebellion commenced; and it was published in the
languages of various nations years and years before the war was
inaugurated, and it took place precisely according to the words of the
Prophet, and it began in the very locality specified in the
revelation, namely, South Carolina. We know that these judgments are
coming with the same certainty that we knew concerning the war of the
rebellion.

Vol. 17,  p.319
But there will be a chance to escape from these judgments for all who
are willing to gather to the place of refuge which God has appointed
in the mountains; all people can rally and gather to that place if
they wish to do so. This is spoken of in many places. Let us turn to
the fifth chapter of Isaiah, and see what is said there, concerning
the ensign. In the 26th verse we read—"And he will lift up an ensign
to the nations from afar, and will hiss unto them from the ends of the
earth; and behold they shall come with speed swiftly." An ensign for
the nations lifted up from afar! Isaiah, where were you, when you
delivered that prophecy? In Palestine. What land would be far off from
Palestine, where you resided? I think this American continent would be
about as far off as almost any portion of the globe.

Vol. 17,  p.319
When the Lord commences this message it will be sent from the nation
"afar off" to the ends of the earth; and there will be a gathering
connected with it, of that people who shall come with speed swiftly.
The Prophet probably did not know the nature and power of steam in the
days to which he referred, and that the gathering would be. effected
by means of steamboats and railroads; but he did understand that there
would be some very swift method of conveyance. He did not understand
the meaning of railroads, and many things connected with them, for
they are a modern invention, and the in terms used in designating them
are [p.320] also of modern origin. But he saw in vision that people
should come with speed swiftly from the ends of the earth, when the
Lord should hiss unto them. He, of course, described the events he saw
in the best language at his command. In his sixty-second chapter,
Isaiah says—"Go through, go through the gates; prepare the way of the
people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a
standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end
of the world. Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation
cometh; behold his reward is with him, and his work before him." It
seems then that he did describe something about making these
railroads. "But," inquires one, "what did he mean by saying 'go
through, go through the gates?'" I do not know. Probably he did not
understand what a tunnel was in those days, but when he saw in vision
a long train of cars, without any animal power to draw them, dart into
the mountain, and emerge on the opposite side of the mountain, I do
not know that he could describe it in any better language than by
saying—"Go through, go through the gates;" and then, when he wanted to
represent the smoothness of the railroads, I do not know that he could
do it any better than by saying—"Cast up a highway, gather out the
stones," etc.

Vol. 17,  p.320
With the casting up of this highway a proclamation was to be made. How
extensive? In one region of country? Oh, no. "Behold, the Lord has
proclaimed unto the ends of the world, behold thy salvation cometh,
his reward is with him, and his work before him." What else? "They
shall call them the holy people." What people? Why, the people that
should lift up the standard spoken of in the preceding verse. Lift up
a standard for the people, prepare the way for the people; behold they
shall call thee the redeemed of the Lord; thou shalt, be called,
sought out, a city not forsaken. Jerusalem was not sought out, neither
has it been a city not forsaken. Every one knows that Jerusalem was in
existence before Joshua led the people into the land of Canaan, it was
an ancient city among the heathen before it was conquered and taken
possession of by the house of Israel. And every one knows that
Jerusalem was to be forsaken for a good many centuries before the
generation should come that this proclamation should be made, or this
highway should be cast up, or the ensign should be raised upon the
mountains, when the people should be called a holy people, the
redeemed of the Lord, called, sought out, a city not forsaken, etc.

Vol. 17,  p.320
I can bear testimony, so can a great many other men, that when we came
here in the summer of 1847, and sought out this city, the headquarters
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we sought it out
by the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of revelation which rested upon
us, and we were guided by that Spirit. We did not lay out a little
narrow tract of land, half a mile square, but understanding the
purposes of God in some measure, we laid out this city with broad
streets, and extended it over an area of several square miles, and as
you see it at the present time. Why did we take this course? Because
we knew by the Spirit of God that rested upon us, the great work that
the Lord our God intended to accomplish herein the midst of the
desert. We knew that he would gather his people from the various
nations and establish them here in Zion, as a standard or ensign to
the nations, that as many as would [p.321] might gather here before
the judgments should come. Read the 11th chapter of Isaiah about this
same ensign. "It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall
set his hand again the second time to recover the remnants of his
people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from
Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from
Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign
for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."

Vol. 17,  p.321
Before Judah and the ten tribes of Israel could ever be gathered an
ensign has to be lifted up for the nations. Not for Judah and Israel
alone, but for the nations afar off, for the Gospel has been restored
for the benefit of the Gentiles—every nation, kindred, tongue and
people—as well as for the benefit of the dispersed tribes of Israel.

Vol. 17,  p.321
So far the work has progressed, so far the Lord our God has stretched
forth his hand to establish his kingdom upon the earth. But what is
the destiny of this kingdom? Read the Prophets; hear what Daniel says.
He saw the kingdom of the latter days, which, in its commencement, was
like a stone cut out of the mountains without hands, become a great
mountain and fill not only the American continent, but the whole
earth. What else does Daniel say? "And the kingdom, and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heavens shall be
given into the hands of the Saints of the Most High, for his kingdom
is an everlasting kingdom, and it shall stand forever."

Vol. 17,  p.321
It seems then that this is the destiny of this kingdom. If you want to
know the destiny of the nations of our globe, it is this—one
government, one kingdom, not half a dozen empires, republics, and
this, that and the other governments, but one kingdom, everlasting in
its nature, will have dominion over the whole of our globe. But are
you not committing treason to preach in this way? If such predictions
mean treason, perhaps it would be well enough for some of our goad
judges to get out an indictment against the Prophet Daniel and other
ancient Prophets, and bring them up and try them, and see if they are
treasonable characters or not. We are preaching their words; and if it
is treason to preach the Bible, would it not be a good plan to burn it
up, and not have such things for the people to read and preach about?
But if we have the liberty in this glorious land of ours, to believe
the Bible and the prophecies it contains, have we not also the liberty
to tell them from that good Book what is going to take place on the
face of the earth? I think so. And I have, this afternoon, as simply
as I know how, in the simplest language I have at my command,
endeavored to convey to your judgments and understandings that which
God has spoken by the mouths of his ancient Prophets, that you may
know what he is now doing, and what he intends to do until the
consummation determined upon is performed upon all the face of the
earth, and the elect gathered out from the four winds of heaven.
Amen.[p.322] 

Orson Pratt, March 14, 1875

Man is the Offspring of God—Truth is Eternal—the 
Doctrines of Christ—the Law of Gravitation—Free Agency

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the Sixteenth Ward 
Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, March 14, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.322
I will read a few paragraphs which you will find recorded in the Book
of Doctrine and Covenants, commencing near the middle of the second
paragraph of a revelation given December 27, 1832:

Vol. 17,  p.322
"In that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and
through all things, the light of truth; which truth shineth. This is
the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the
sun, and the power thereof by which it was made. As also he is in the
moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it
was made. As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by
which they were made. And the earth also, and the power thereof; even
the earth upon which you stand.

Vol. 17,  p.322
"And the light which now shineth, which giveth you light, is through
him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that
quickeneth your understandings; which light proceedeth forth from the
presence of God to fill the immensity of space. The light which is in
all things; which giveth life to all things; which is the law by which
all things are governed; even the power of God who sitteth upon his
throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all
things."

Vol. 17,  p.322
We will now pass on to the ninth paragraph of this same revelation,
given through Joseph Smith the Prophet:

Vol. 17,  p.322
"All kingdoms have a law given; and there are many kingdoms; for there
is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom
in which there is no space, either a greater or lesser kingdom. And
unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are
certain bounds also and conditions.

Vol. 17,  p.322
"All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified; for
intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom;
truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto
light; mercy hath compassion on mercy, and claimeth her own; justice
continueth its course, and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the
face of him who sitteth upon the throne, and governeth and executeth
all things; he comprehendeth all things, and all things are before
him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things,
and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all
things; and all things [p.323] are by him, and of him, even God, for
ever and ever.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things
by which they move in their times and their seasons; and their courses
are fixed; even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which
comprehend the earth and all the planets; and they give light to each
other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their
hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years;
and these are one year with God, but not with man.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day,
and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also giveth
their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the
midst of the power of God. Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms,
that ye may understand? Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man
who hath seen any or the least of these, hath seen God moving in his
majesty and power. I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he
who came unto his own was not comprehended. The light shineth in
darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not nevertheless, the day
shall come when you shall comprehend even God; being quickened in him
and by him. Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, that I
am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me, otherwise ye
could not abound.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he
sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field; and he
said unto the first, go ye and labor in the field, and in the first
hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my
countenance; and he said unto the second, go ye also into the field,
and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my
countenance; and also unto the third, saying, I will visit you; and
unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and
tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of
the countenance of his lord; and then he withdrew from the first that
he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so
on unto the twelfth; and thus they all received the light of the
countenance of their lord; every man in his hour, and in his time, and
in his season; beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and
from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last every
man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as
his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him,
and he in him, that they all might be glorified.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"Therefore, unto this parable will I liken all these kingdoms, and the
inhabitants thereof; every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and
in its season; even according to the decree which God hath made.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings
with you, to ponder in your hearts with this commandment which I give
unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near; draw near unto
me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find
me; ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened unto you;
whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you,
that is expedient for you; and if ye ask anything that is not
expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.

Vol. 17,  p.323
"Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the
wilderness—in the wilderness, because [p.324] you cannot see him—my
voice, because my voice is spirit; my spirit is truth; truth abideth
and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.

Vol. 17,  p.324
"And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be
filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you, and that
body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore
sanctify yourselves that your mind become single to God, and the days
will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto
you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and
according to his own will."

Vol. 17,  p.324
I have read these sayings from a revelation given a little over
forty-two years ago, to that youth, called Joseph Smith, a farmer's
boy. Do they sound like the ravings of a madman? Do they sound like
something that was invented or composed by the wisdom of man, or do
they sound like the truth? Joseph Smith was not a learned man, he had
to work for his living when he was a lad; and when God called him and
gave these revelations through him he had not studied any more than
the generality of the young men who now sit in this congregation, and
probably not near as much. Yet these words were given to him, and they
contain information and knowlege far beyond that which you will find
recorded in the writings of the learned, information expressed so
simply that a common mind can, in some degree, grasp it, and yet so
sublime and so great that when we come to investigate its depths, it
requires greater powers and greater understanding than what man
naturally possesses.

Vol. 17,  p.324
We are told, in the part of the first paragraph that I read, that God
is in the sun of our firmament, that he is the light of the sun, and
that he is the power of the sun by which it was made. We are also told
that he is in the moon, and that he is the light of that heavenly
luminary, and the power by which it also was made. We are also told
that God is in the stars, those worlds so distant from ours, those
great centres around which, no doubt, millions on millions of opaque
bodies revolve as our planets revolve around our central body, the
sun; that he is in those stars, that he is their light, and the power
by which they are governed; or to come home directly to our earth, he
is in the earth, and is the power and light and glory that is attached
to the elements of our globe.

Vol. 17,  p.324
This would seem to exhibit before us the nature of that Being whom we
worship. We worship him because of his glory, greatness, goodness,
justice, mercy, knowledge, and wisdom. We worship him, because he has
the power to govern and control the universe, and because he has
commanded us so to do. He is a personage; and we are told that in the
beginning man was created in his image. We are also told that we are
his sons and his daughters, that we were begotten by him, before the
foundation of this world; that we are his offspring, as much so as the
little children in this room are the offspring of their parents.
Seeing then, that he is a personage and that we are in his image, we
can form some idea of the general outlines and resemblance of that
personage, but can we form an idea of the intelligence that he
possesses? We have but a very limited idea of that. He comprehends all
things, all things are before him, all things are round about him, and
he is the great and supreme Governor of all the works [p.325] of his
hands.

Vol. 17,  p.325
We are told that the same light which shines from the sun, from the
moon, and from the stars, is the same light that quickens the
understandings of the children of men. But who is there in this
congregation, or upon the face of the earth, that can tell how that
light operates in quickening the understandings of men? It is the same
light by which you are enabled to see each other, and surrounding
nature. The light that proceeds forth from all these heavenly
luminaries, with very great velocity, is the same light that quickens
the understanding. Do you know how that is done? I do not; yet this is
What God has revealed. He is the light that is in all things. Do you
or I comprehend how that light is connected with all things? No. These
are lessons which we have got to learn in the future, when we ascend
in that scale of knowledge and intelligence now possessed by celestial
beings. How long it will be before we comprehend these things I know
not. How our capacities may hereafter be enlarged, I know not; how
they will be developed and quickened so as to comprehend all these
great truths and principles, I know not; but we are told in this
revelation that the light that quickens the understandings of the
children of men, and lighteth all things is one and the same and that
it is also the life of all things. What are we to understand by this?
Have we life? Yes, we certainly have. Where did we obtain this life?
When was it created or made? There is a revelation upon this subject
which says that intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created,
neither indeed can be. Is it then eternal? Yes. Then this light that
shines is eternal in its nature is it? Yes, because it is the same
light that gives life to all things. Did our spirits, that have power
to think and to reason, have life before the foundation of the world?
Yes And what gave them this life? The elements, composing our spirits
were eternal; they were never created, neither indeed can be; they
existed from all eternity, and were, at a certain period, combined or
organized in the form of our spirits; and hence the pre-existence of
man before the world was made.

Vol. 17,  p.325
This same light which gives us life, and without which we could not
abound, proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity
of space. Can we get away from it? No; for it fills all the
intermediate spaces between world and world, between one system and
another, and between universe and universe; "and there is no space in
which there is no kingdom, and there is no kingdom in which there is
no space;" hence, this being the case, all eternity, as far as your
minds can possibly stretch, is filled with kingdoms, and with this
power of God, this light which is the life of all things, and the law
by which all things are governed.

Vol. 17,  p.325
Perhaps you may ask me why I dwell on this mysterious subject? I
answer, why did the Lord dwell upon it forty-two years ago, if he did
not want us, in some measure to understand it? Would he speak at
random? Would he give a revelation without expecting that the people
would ever try to understand it? If the Lord wished us to understand
something, and condescended to reveal something, why should we, after
forty-two years of experience, think that we are stepping over our
bounds in trying to approximately comprehend what the Lord desired us
to understand, in some measure, forty-two years ago?[p.326] It is an
old sectarian whim and notion, to suppose that we must not try to
understand revelation. You know that when they come to something in
the divine records which they do not understand, they will say—"Oh,
the Lord never intended us to understand that, that is a mystery, we
must not search into these things, they are mysteries." Just as though
the Lord would reveal something that he never intended or wished the
human family to understand. Saying nothing about the Deity, it would
be an act of foolishness on the part of a man to attempt a revelation
of something that he never intended his fellow-men to understand. The
Lord is more consistent than man; and if he reveals anything, he
surely intends that thing to be for the profit and edification of the
pure in heart.

Vol. 17,  p.326
I was going to say that we had dwelt too long on baptism for the
remission of sins. But no, we should still retain that in our
remembrance. Not leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, we
ought to go on to perfection. I believe that King James's translation
of that passage says,—"Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." But the translation
given by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, through the Prophet of the
Lord puts in the little word not. "Therefore not leaving the
principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection." I
do not want the people to leave baptism, or to cast from their minds,
and forget the first principles of the doctrine of Christ; but, on the
contrary, you should always retain them in your memories. When you
repented you did a good work; retain that good work in your minds.
When you were baptized for the remission of your sins, through the
ministration of a servant of God divinely authorized, you did a good
work; retain that in your minds, do not leave that principle. When you
had hands laid upon you for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and that was
confirmed upon you, you were obedient to one of the principles of the
doctrine of Christ; do not leave that, but retain it in your minds. Do
not suppose, however, that those first principles are the only ones to
be learned; do not become stereotyped in your feelings, and think that
you must always dwell upon them and proceed no further. If there be
knowledge concerning the future; if there be knowledge concerning the
present; if there be knowledge concerning ages that are past, any
species of knowledge that would be beneficial to the mind of man, let
us seek for it, and that which we can not obtain by using the light
which God has placed within us, by using our reasoning powers, by
reading books, or by human wisdom alone, let us seek to a higher
source—to that Being who is filled with knowledge, and who has given
laws to all things and who, in his wisdom, goodness, justice and
mercy, controls all things according to their capacity, and according
to the various spheres and conditions in which they are placed.

Vol. 17,  p.326
When we reflect upon this subject, the query naturally arises in our
minds—if he has given a law unto all things and has set bounds and
conditions to every law which he has given, will it hurt any
intelligent being to learn concerning those laws as far as he possibly
can? I think not. To illustrate this, let us suppose that a learned
man, by years of research and study, has discovered many of the great
laws of nature, and that he has a family [p.327] of children growing
up, do you think that he would be displeased with his children because
they had a curiosity and a desire to know something in relation to
that which their father understood? No, you say, he would be pleased
to see the intellectual faculties and powers of his children
expanding, and to hear them inquiring about this, that, and the other
thing, with which he was perfectly familiar, but of which they were
ignorant. Furthermore, if it would he pleasing to a father to hear his
children making such inquiries, would it not be still more pleasing to
him to impart useful information unto them? You reply, "Oh yes,
nothing would delight me more than to impart useful instruction to my
children, and to aid them in developing their mental powers." Well,
that is just the way our heavenly Father feels in relation to his
children. Anything that would be for our good to know—and all
knowledge is for our good if we make a right use of it—he is willing
to impart, if we but seek unto him in a proper and acceptable manner.
Let us then keep all the commandments, and laws, and conditions which
God has appointed for us to keep. It is our right and privilege to
knock, and we have the promise that it shall be opened to us; to seek,
and when we do seek, to do so with the expectation of finding. In this
way we may receive more and more information and knowledge, concerning
the things of God, and the works of his hands. There are many things
that we can learn, already within our reach, without any special and
direct revelation, that is, when I say special revelation, I mean
without the Lord revealing directly by a vision, the ministration of
an angel, or by direct words, as he revealed many things to the
ancient revelators, seers, and Prophets. There are a great many things
that we can learn independently of these direct revelations; but still
we need the help of the Lord, in some measure, in our researches, to
learn anything; we need the influence of the Spirit of God to quicken
the light that is within us, for light cleaves to light, and the
Spirit of God is light, and it cleaves unto the light that enters into
the composition of the spirit of man; and when we keep his
commandments the Lord is ever ready and willing to quicken the
judgment, inform the mind, and lead us along in our thinking and
reflecting powers, that we may have power to understand a great many
truths, without his coming out and saying,—"Thus saith the Lord."

Vol. 17,  p.327
There are a great many truths which might be revealed to me in words
which I should not be able to understand; that is, a law of nature
might be revealed to me in words, but I could not understand the
principle involved therein after it was thus revealed. For instance, I
could reveal a great many things to school children in words, which
they could not possibly comprehend. I could give them a revelation
that would take them perhaps two or three years deep study to
comprehend, and yet it could be printed in a very few words. Just so
with the Lord—he could reveal in a few words, a principle to us which
it would take us years of study and reflection to understand. Suppose,
for illustration, we take the principle of force or gravitation, by
which things fall to the earth, and by which the planets are held in
their orbits, and do not fly away from the great central luminary of
our system—the sun. We will suppose that we know nothing about this
law of force, called gravity, and that some man among us should
[p.328] get a direct revelation, expressing that law; if he had never
studied sufficiently to understand the nature of these words, the very
words that he would receive would be incomprehensible to himself. For
instance, the law of gravity is expressed, in the words of Sir Isaac
Newton, as follows—"Every particle of matter in the universe attracts
every other particle with a force varying indirectly as its mass, and
inversely as the square of its distance from every particle." Now
supposing that law had been given to Newton, or to the world, and that
there had been no knowledge of mathematics among men, what would they
have understood about the law? They might have said—"There is a
formula which comprehends the law of the force of the universe;" but
what would they know about it? If, however, they understood the terms
used, they would know how the force varied at different distances from
the attracting or gravitating body. That is the real revelation; it is
not the words. A thousand things might be revealed to this
congregation, but if merely revealed in words, they perhaps would not
know anything about them. We must understand the nature of the thing,
the nature of the idea comprehended in any law in order to have it a
revelation to us; words are nothing but signs of ideas; if the ideas
are not understood, the words will be a mystery.

Vol. 17,  p.328
When we undertake to investigate the laws which govern the various
departments of nature, we are investigating the laws of God. Says
one—"Do you mean to say that the law of gravitation, which was
discovered by Sir Isaac Newton, by which all the bodies in the
universe are held in their proper position, is a law of God?" Yes. If
he has given this law of force to all bodies, then it is one of his
laws, and all who study that law study one of the laws of God. To
illustrate this still more familiarly to the minds of the
congregation, we will say—here is brother Kesler, who, I presume has
been teaching school in this house. Perhaps he has some students in
algebra, and perhaps in geometry; then, perhaps he has many scholars
who know nothing about these things. Now suppose that brother Kesler
should call up a class, the members of which know nothing whatever of
the sciences I have named, and should express certain rules in algebra
to them, would that be a revelation to that class? It would in words,
but what would they comprehend about it? Not a thing; it would be as
dark as midnight. There are the words in which the rules are
expressed, but could the students in that class put..those algebraic
rules into operation? No, a process is necessary in order to enable
these children to understand the revelation, and that process is one
of slow growth, mastered a little to-day, a little to-morrow, and a
little the next day, and by and by, in one or two years, they would
probably comprehend the algebraic revelation given to them so long
before in words. It is so with arithmetic, with grammer, geography and
almost any branch of science taught in our common schools or
universities. No wonder then, to me, that Paul in speaking of a man,
who was caught up to the third heavens, said he saw things that were
not lawful to be uttered, that could not be uttered; for if he had
undertaken to utter them, he would have uttered something that the
people could not possibly comprehend, until they had learned previous
principles. Such a [p.329] man might tell about certain laws which
prevail in heaven, and certain glories which he saw there, but yet,
unless the people to whom such things were told had placed themselves
in a position to have the Holy Ghost, or the visions of heaven opened
to their minds, the words uttered would not be a revelation to them,
for it would be altogether beyond their powers to comprehend.

Vol. 17,  p.329
The revelation which Sir Isaac Newton obtained concerning the forces
of the universe, has been developed from his day until the present
time. The whole learned world of mathematicians have brought all their
faculties and powers to bear upon this one little law which I have
expressed to you, and have they got through with it? Oh no, it is just
beginning to unfold to them some of the common phenomena of the
universe, and that is about all. In about a century hence, if the Lord
should spare the world, and men make as much advance in these matters
as they have done in the century past, this law, there is no doubt,
will be carried out into a great many channels and branches that we
know nothing about now. Says one—"If it requires so much study on the
part of the learned world to unfold and comprehend this one law, it is
discouraging to think that there are perhaps hundreds of other laws as
intricate as this to investigate before it is possible to come to an
understanding of them." We need not be discouraged upon this subject;
for if we do the best we can according to the position in which we are
placed, and the opportunities which we have, we do all that the Lord
requires; and by and by we shall be placed in a condition in which we
can learn much faster than we can now. We need not be discouraged.
Perhaps the man who, under a sense of discouragement, gives up and
does not make the best of his present limited opportunities, will be
limited hereafter in the life to come, and will not be allowed to
progress very fast, because of his laziness and his want of desire,
courage and fortitude to pursue certain channels of knowledge that
were opened up to him here in this life. But when we see individuals
not only willing to receive some few of the simple principles of the
Gospel of Christ, but are willing to press onward towards perfection
as far as opportunities present themselves, we may rest satisfied that
they will be honored of the Lord according to their diligence,
perseverance, fortitude and patience in striving to understand the
laws which he has given to all things.

Vol. 17,  p.329
We might, if we had time, point out a great many other laws. The law
of light, for instance, and the law of the velocity of light, or the
manner in which light is permitted to go from world to world, and in
touching upon these and similar subjects we should be describing to
you the power, wisdom, greatness and majesty of the Creator, who has
constructed all these things according to law, and all of them are
governed by his laws. It would seem almost impossible to untutored
minds, if we were to tell them that a motion could be tranferred from
world to world at the rate of one hundred and eighty-five thousand
miles every second of time. Wonderful. We almost start back at the
declaration, and almost doubt the possibility of the velocity thus
indicated. But incredible as it may seem to the uneducated, it is a
certain thing; it does not rest upon the imaginations of the children
of men; it is just as certain that light travels at nearly that rate
from one creation to another, [p.330] as it, is that men can time the
speed of horses with a watch held in their hands, and the most
ignorant will admit that it is perfectly easy to do that. Well, it is
just as easy to demonstrate the velocity of light, and it has been
done not only by one law, but by many laws; not only by one
phenomenon, but by many phenomena, and it is a thing that cannot be
disputed by those who have investigated and are capable of
understanding the methods of demonstration that have been given.

Vol. 17,  p.330
What causes this immense velocity, and who constructed the great
etherial medium that intervenes between all worlds, by means of which
a jar can be carried from world to world with that immense velocity?
It was God, that Being who is said to be in all things, not by his
person, but by his Spirit and his agency. He constructed this great
medium so that it should communicate vibrations or jars, from world to
world at that rapid rate.

Vol. 17,  p.330
We see an illustration, on a small scale, here on the earth, in
connection with our atmosphere. Who constructed this atmosphere and
gave it its elasticity, and all its principles and powers, by which
sound is communicated from place to place at a very rapid rate? God.
He constructed all these things. Sound, we are told, flies at the rate
of ten hundred and ninety feet in a second. How does it travel with
that velocity? Do the particles from a sounding body—for instance a
bell that is ringing—travel all that distance? Oh no, it is merely the
vibration, or wave that is sent through the great mass of the
atmosphere, from the sounding body to the organ of the ear; and it is
sent at the rate of speed I have mentioned—over one-fifth of a mile in
a second—and we call that very rapid velocity; but what is it compared
with a hundred and eighty-five thousand miles a second.

Vol. 17,  p.330
When you study all these things you are learning lessons concerning
God. He it is who has thus organized all these materials of nature,
has given them their properties, endowed them with their elasticities,
placed them in certain proportions; or, as one of the inspired writers
says—"He has weighed the mountains in a balance." Everything is
adjusted in the best possible manner, to carry on his operations
throughout the great universe which he has constructed. But I do not
wish to dwell lengthily upon these subjects; of more importance than
all these laws which govern the materials of nature, are the
intelligent beings who inhabit these creations. God, in constructing
these materials into creations and worlds, has done it for a wise and
noble purpose. The great purpose that he had in view was the
intelligent beings who should occupy these creations. No law was given
to our earth and its materials, or to the planets, Mercury, Venus,
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the various asteroids,
merely for the sake of giving laws; but the Lord had a useful design
in view, namely to add to his own glory and to the happiness of
millions of his sons and daughters who should come to people these
worlds I have named, that they might be prepared to be redeemed from
their fallen condition, as the people of this creation are to be
redeemed from theirs.

Vol. 17,  p.330
Inquires one—"Do you mean to say that other worlds have fallen as well
as ours?" Yes, man is an agent; intelligence cannot exist on any other
principle. All beings having intelligence must have their agency. Laws
must be given, suited and [p.331] adapted to this agency; and when God
sends inhabitants on various creations he sends them on the great and
grand principle of giving them an opportunity to exercise that agency;
and they have exercised it, and have fallen. Is there anything
revealed to prove that other worlds have fallen as well as ours? Oh
yes, read some of the other revelations. I might quote you one which
now occurs to my mind, given through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
revealing anew that which was formerly revealed to Enoch, before the
flood, concerning the vastness of the creations of the Almighty, and
many other things. After speaking of these innumerable creations,
Enoch exclaims—"Thou hast taken Zion to thine own bosom out of all the
creations thou hast made." Why should the Lord take Zion from all
these creations? Because all of their inhabitants were not worthy. The
very expression shows that there were only a few on each of these
creations that he could denominate Zion. You know what Zion means: it
means the pure in heart, and only a few could be selected from each of
all the creations which have been made, as worthy to be taken to his
own bosom as a Zion. Does not that show that they have fallen? If they
had not transgressed, but had always been obedient, the Lord, as an
impartial Being, would have redeemed all the inhabitants of these
creations and taken them all to his own bosom. But it seems that only
a few had the privilege of being gathered into the bosom of God.

Vol. 17,  p.331
Says one—"There is another thing I would like to have explained, about
the parable you have read. 'Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a
man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to
dig in the field; and he said unto the first, go ye and labor in the
field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold
the light of my countenance.' And he said unto the second in the same
manner, and unto the third, and so on unto the twelfth. And when they
had fulfilled certain conditions, their Lord comes unto them, and they
are made glad with the light of his countenance, during their hour.
After he has visited the first, he visits the second, then the third,
and so on until the twelfth, each man in his own order, according to
his time and season. Now what does all this mean?" The Lord wanted to
represent these kingdoms so that we could understand what he desired
to impart, and he gave it as a parable, in order to assist our weak
comprehensions to understand something about Mercury, Venus, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and others of the various worlds that he has formed.
Says the interrogator—"I do not comprehend this idea of the Lord's
withdrawing from one and going to another." In order to comprehend
this let us come back to our own globe. Do we not expect that the Lord
will, by and by, come and visit us and stay a little while, about a
thousand years. Yes, and then we shall be made glad with the joy of
the countenance of our Lord. He will be among us, and will be our
King, and he will reign as a King of kings and Lord of lords. He will
have a throne in Zion, and another in the Temple at Jerusalem, and he
will have with him the twelve disciples who were with him during his
ministry at Jerusalem; and they will eat and drink with him at his
table; and all the people of this globe who are counted worthy to be
called Zion, the pure in heart, will be made glad by the countenance
of their Lord for a thousand years, during which the [p.332] earth
will rest, Then what? He withdraws. What for? To fulfill other
purposes; for he has other worlds or creations and other sons and
daughters, perhaps just as good as those dwelling on this planet, and
they, as well as we, will be visited, and they will be made glad with
the countenance of their Lord. Thus he will go, in the time and in the
season thereof, from kingdom to kingdom or from world to world,
causing the pure in heart, the Zion that is taken from these
creations, to rejoice in his presence.

Vol. 17,  p.332
But there is another thing I want you to understand. This will not be
kept up to all eternity, it is merely a preparation for something
still greater. And what is that? By and by, when each of these
creations has fulfilled the measure and bounds set and the times given
for its continuance in a temporal state, it and its inhabitants who
are worthy will be made celestial and glorified together. Then, from
that time henceforth and for ever, there will be no intervening veil
between God and his people who are sanctified and glorified, and he
will not be under the necessity of withdrawing from one to go and
visit another, because they will all be in his presence. It matters
not how far in space these creations may be located from any special
celestial kingdom where the Lord our God shall dwell, they will be
able to sea him at all times. Why? Because it is only the fall, and
the vail that has been shut down over this creation, that keep us from
the presence of God. Let the vail be removed, which now hinders us
from beholding the glory of God and the celestial kingdom; let this
creation be once perfected, after having passed through its various
ordeals, after having enjoyed the light of the countenance of our
Lord, in our hour and in our season, and let all things be perfected
and glorified, and there will be no necessity for this vail being shut
down.

Vol. 17,  p.332
Says one—"Do you mean to say, then, that there is a faculty in man,
that he can behold the Lord and be in his presence, though millions on
millions of miles distant, on another creation?" Yes, just as easy as
we can behold one another here in this room. We shall then see as we
are seen, and know as we are known, and there will be a perfect
redemption. In this way all the creations that are redeemed can enjoy
the continued and eternal presence of the Lord their God. I mean those
who are made celestial, not those who are in the lower orders, who are
governed by telestial laws, but those who are exalted to the highest
degree of glory, those who will be made kings and priests, those who
have kept celestial law, obeyed celestial ordinances, and received the
Priesthood which God has ordained, and to which he has given power and
authority to administer and to seal on earth that it may be sealed in
heaven. The people who are thus glorified are said to be taken into
the bosom of the Almighty; as Enoch says—"Thou hast taken Zion from
all these creations which thou hast made, and thy bosom is there," &c.
He does not mean that the Lord God is right within a few rods of every
individual; this would be an impossibility, so far as the person is
concerned; but he means that there is a channel of communication, the
privilege of beholding Zion, however great the distance; and the
privilege of enjoying faculties and powers like this is confined to
those high and exalted beings who occupy the celestial world. All who
are made like him will, in due time, be able to see, to understand and
to converse with [p.333] each other though millions and millions of
miles apart. With all the imperfections of the present state men have
invented means by which they can converse with the inhabitants of the
uttermost parts of the earth. We may sit down in our chimney corners
and converse with the people in Asia, England, France, and in the four
quarters of the globe; we can bid each other "good night," or "good
day," as the case may be; and if man with all his imperfections can do
this by using some of the gross powers and materials of nature, why
may not that God who has power to control and govern all these
materials, so organize and construct the machinery of the universe
that we may be able to communicate intelligence a distance of millions
on millions of miles in the twinkling of an eye, so that, according to
the words which are revealed, we may be considered to be in his own
bosom, where we can converse with him, see him, hear him, &c.

Vol. 17,  p.333
Time will not permit me to pursue this matter any further. Some of the
items of this subject occurred to my mind a little while before I came
into the house. I have been in the habit of preaching a great deal in
the 13th and 14th Wards, where many strangers attend who wish to hear
about our doctrines. But having a congregation of Saints before me
to-day, I thought I would touch upon things that are revealed in the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants. It contains many ideas that are great
and grand in the extreme, and which are calculated in their nature to
inspire every faculty of the soul of man with desires to know and
comprehend more of the things of God.

Vol. 17,  p.333
May God bless you. Amen.

George Q. Cannon, March 28, 1875

Congress and the Saints—Efficacy of Prayer—
Strength of Character Necessary—the True 
Church—Gathering to the Mountains

Discourse By Hon George Q. Cannon, Delivered in 
the Fourteenth Ward Assembly Rooms, Salt Lake 
City, Sunday Afternoon, March 28, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.333
If I were to consult my natural feelings this afternoon, I should sit
and listen to some one else speak rather than give utterance to any of
my own feelings. But I do not suppose that this would be satisfactory
to anybody else, at least to most of the Saints, and especially to
Bishop [p.334] Taylor, I therefore rise to say Such things as shall be
suggested to me by the Spirit of the Lord on this occasion.

Vol. 17,  p.334
To one who has been absent for a long time from home, the privilege of
mingling with one's brethren and sisters, those of the same faith, who
have the same views, and who are laboring for the same objects, the
privilege of returning and associating with them is very delightful,
at least it is so to me, and it takes away from me whatever
disposition I might have under other circumstances to speak. My
feelings, upon returning after a lengthy absence from home, have
seemed to me entirely too big for utterance; I could not command
language to give proper expression to them. Where one is at home all
the time, this, probably, will not be appreciated.

Vol. 17,  p.334
During my absence I have enjoyed excellent health and I have had a
good deal of peace; in fact I may say, as it will probably be
satisfactory to many to know, that I have enjoyed myself far better
than I could have expected. There has been a very different feeling in
Washington during this last session of Congress from that which
prevailed during the first session, that is so far as we are
concerned. There has been a greater feeling of liberality, a
disposition to look upon the people of Utah more as fellow-citizens
than, I think, was manifested during the first session of this
Congress. There were times during the first session when it seemed to
me that it required all the faith and energy that I could muster to
resist that oppressive feeling which probably, many who are here, have
experienced when they have been brought in contact with a strong
feeling of opposition. It is more of a spiritual feeling, a feeling
that appeals to the spiritual senses, than anything that I could
describe of a physical character. There were times during the first
session when that feeling was very strong, especially during the
pendency of the McKee, Poland and other bills framed for the express
purpose of giving our enemies power over us. But I had comparatively
little or none of that feeling during the last session; although, as
you are doubtless aware, so far as I myself was concerned, my seat
seemed to be in greater peril during last session than it was the
first session. A portion of the Committee on Elections reached a
conclusion upon my case, a technical majority of the members of the
committee present having adopted a resolution to exclude me from my
seat. They varied the language usually adopted on such occasions to
make it, I suppose, not hurt so badly, by calling it exclusion instead
of expulsion. But notwithstanding this was the case, and it might be
said that I stood in greater peril personally, I enjoyed myself much
better, and there was greater liberality and a greater disposition
manifested to deal justly and fairly with us who live in this
Territory. Whether this feeling was the result of last Fall's
elections or not I will not say. You who are politicians can judge for
yourselves. I suppose that every one who has democratic inclinations
or proclivities will be very apt to attribute this change of feeling
to the fact that the democrats obtained some victories last Fall. But
whatever the cause was, the fact is as I have stated; and as it is a
matter, doubtless, of some interest to all of you, and it is not
contrary to our views to talk, on a Sunday, about matters that pertain
to our temporal salvation, because our temporal and [p.335] spiritual
salvation are so intimately blended that they may be said to be
inseparable, of course I do not think it improper to allude to it.

Vol. 17,  p.335
My feelings respecting us as a people, at the present time, outside of
what I see at home, are of a more cheerful and hopeful character than
I have had cause to indulge in for years. There are some things at
home which if I were to look at them very closely, would discourage me
in some respects, because I think that we are far from being what we
ought to be; and you know our views on these subjects are that we
cannot expect much prosperity, for ourselves or for the cause with,
which we are identified, so long as we ourselves are not in a position
to warrant the bestowal of that prosperity upon us. Believing, as we
do, that God our Eternal Father is at the foundation of this work, and
that his providence is over it and controlling all things for its
good, we, of course, cannot imagine that he is going to give any very
great prosperity to this cause, or to us as a community unless we are
in a position to be benefitted thereby; he is not going to bestow
blessings upon us that will injure us, and which, instead of proving
advantageous, would prove destructive to us. On this account I have
entertained some doubts concerning our future since I returned home,
as the result, probably, of very partial observation, however, for I
have had very limited opportunities of seeing or of judging correctly
about this. But to have a great degree of prosperity, there should be
more faith manifested by us, more union, more love, and more of those
graces which ought to adorn the character of the Latter-day Saints.

Vol. 17,  p.335
But I think there is a bright and very encouraging future for us as a
people. In Congress, as I have said, there has been a greater
disposition than has been manifested for years, to accord to Utah her
rights. There has been a feeling, which some have taken pains to
foster, that the best means that a Federal official could take to
obtain office, and then to retain it after he had obtained it, was to
declare war among the people in whose midst he was sent to act. This
has actually been the policy that has been adopted by some in this
Territory for years, and, judging from their actions, the idea has
been that no better passport to favor with the Administration could be
urged than the fact that an official was inimical to the people and
was laboring strenuously to destroy them and their religion; and every
man holding office, who has not adopted this policy has been placed
under a ban, and has been made to feel that he stood in jeopardy. The
result has been antagonism and hostility between classes when there
should have been union; in fact, where there was already too great a
disposition for it to exist naturally, it has received encouragement
from those who have had this feeling; and a great many in high places,
legislators and others, have seemed to think that in passing laws it
was only necessary to know that they were designed to operate in Utah,
to receive their sanction, without caring any thing about the nature
of the laws themselves. Hence the favor with which were received such
bills as Cullom's, McKee's, Frelinghuysen's and others which have been
introduced into Congress, intended to operate exclusively in Utah.

Vol. 17,  p.335
Daring this last session I heard the enquiry made, when a bill was
introduced—"Is it intended for Utah alone?" and many members were
ready to jump to their feet and oppose it because it was so
intended.[p.336] This was a marked change, and I could not but notice
it. The patience which the Latter-day Saints have manifested now for
four or five years in the midst of the judicial difficulties which
have environed them, has been productive, of good effects abroad, it
has, in my opinion, produced a reaction in the public mind. Many
persons have become familiar with the actual condition of affairs
here, and their sympathies have been awakened by what they have heard,
and they have felt disposed to do what they could in a quiet way to
relieve us from these difficulties; and if we continue to exercise
patience and longsuffering in the future as we have in the past, there
is no doubt in my mind about the results. It is our duty to do this.
It is a duty made incumbent upon us by our religion to be patient,
forbearing, and long-suffering, and if we encourage these feelings in
ourselves and in our children, putting our trust in God, relying upon
him continually, there is no doubt in my mind as to what the result
will be. Men may point the finger of scorn at us and ridicule us
because of our religion; but if we are true to its principles, if we
abide in the faith which God has revealed unto us, we can afford to
submit to all of this obloquy, and everything of that character. It
will pass away and be forgotten, but the virtues which we possess will
endure and have their effect.

Vol. 17,  p.336
It has afforded me the greatest pleasure to speak about the condition
and management of affairs in this Territory. I could point with great
dead of pride to the fact that we were a lightly taxed people,
probably as lightly taxed as any community within the confines of the
Union; that we were out of debt that Salt Lake City had, at the last
report, a goodly sum in its treasury besides, nearly an equal amount
in assets; that every other municipality in the Territory was in the
same condition; that our county organizations were free from debt;
that the Territory itself did not owe a dollar in any form, but had a
large amount to its credit. This speaks volumes to a great many
people, especially to men acquainted with government, and who,
themselves, live in the midst of tax-oppressed communities, groaning
under public debts created by unwise and dishonest officials. They
could appreciate facts of this kind, and they bore volume's of
testimony respecting the good order and wisdom that have characterized
the operations of those who have had charge of public affairs in this
Territory.

Vol. 17,  p.336
Another thing to which my attention was called a great many times, was
the grasshopper scourge with which Utah had been visited so
frequently. A great many had inquiries to make on the subject. Kansas,
Nebraska, and part of Iowa were afflicted with grasshoppers this last
season, and the people were exceedingly desirous to obtain legislation
in their behalf—they wanted Congress to relieve them by sending seeds
and by giving them pecuniary assistance! Tales of distress came by
every mail to members of Congress, in which the writers plead
piteously with them to have Congress extend aid to the sufferers, as
you have doubtless seen in the papers, particularly in the New York
Tribune, which had a column daily containing the names of Sunday
School children, servant girls, widows, and other persons who had
contributed their mites to help the sufferers in the districts ravaged
by the grasshoppers in the States I have named. Knowing that Utah had
been afflicted by grasshoppers, a good many came to me to enquire how
we [p.337] had got along, and it was a great source of satisfaction to
me to be able to say that notwithstanding some of our settlements had
suffered from the devastations of grasshoppers five years in
succession, there had been no clamor, and that no begging appeal had
gone up or out from Utah to other portions of the United States,
although many of our settlements had their entire crops destroyed
years in succession. I distinctly remember that Wellsville, in Cache
Valley had its crops destroyed five years, while scarcely a settlement
in the Territory escaped a visitation of this kind three years in
succession.

Vol. 17,  p.337
All these things, when mentioned, called forth admiration. Men would
say—"There must be something very peculiar about your organization to
enable you to manage these things so well. Were not your people
overwhelmed with debt, their farms all mortgaged?" "No." "How did you
sustain yourselves?" "Well, we believed in assisting each other; and
if our people lived in a State like Kansas or Nebraska they would be
too proud to call for help from the rest of the nation because their
crops had been destroyed one year. We believe in helping ourselves; we
believe in laboring and in asking the blessing of God upon our labors,
and in putting our trust in him, believing that he will sustain us,
and thus far he has done so."

Vol. 17,  p.337
I allude to these things because they are of public interest. So far
as our admittance into the Union is concerned, it is generally
acknowledged, I believe, among the members of the Senate and House of
Representatives, that Utah was fully entitled to statehood, and that
it ought to have a state government. And, gentlemen would say—" If it
were not for your peculiar institution, you would be admitted
readily." "No," I remarked, "you mistake, sir; it is not that, there
is something more than that. I know that the general opinion is that
it is our system of marriage which prevents Utah from being admitted
as a State, but it is a mistake, if we did not believe in that there
would be something else." This they would be loth to admit, but many
admitted so far as the elements of a State were concerned, in having a
substantial footing in the land and being wedded to the soil, in
having developed the resources of the country, agricultural and
mineral, and in establishing manufactures, that Utah, with her
railroads and other improvements is ahead of every other Territory.
But, as I have said, the idea was that we were scarcely fit to be
admitted because of our "peculiar institution." I occasionally
remarked when talking on this subject to members of Congress—"You are
determined to make what you call 'the peculiar institution' of Utah of
national importance; you commit, according to my views, a great
blunder by so doing. Suppose there is one out of every ten among the
people of Utah connected with polygamy—some think that is a high
estimate—and that there are one hundred and fifty thousand people in
Utah, and some think that is a high estimate also, that would make
fifteen thousand people in Utah Territory who are either polygamists
or connected with polygamy. Now think of it, here you are the
representatives of forty millions of people, and by your action in a
national capacity you uplift the practices of fifteen thousand people
from obscurity and give them a national importance in the eyes, not
only of our own country, but in the eyes of Europe. Does it seem
statesman like that the practices of fifteen thousand people should be
[p.338] made so prominent?" You talk to men in that strain, and many
would say—"Certainly, it is folly, we ought to leave it to the
arbitrament of time;" but there were others who thought it was
comparable to slavery. But slavery was the practice of eleven millions
of people at the time of the rebellion, hence there is no comparison
between them. But it seems as though, in the providence of God, men
are determined to give this an importance to which it is not entitled,
if the number of those who practice it be taken into account. It seems
that men are determined to make it public, to advertise it, and have
it known.

Vol. 17,  p.338
But notwithstanding all these things we are gaining influence. There
is no people to-day on this continent of our numbers who attract so
much attention, and concerning whom there is so much interest felt as
the people of Utah. So also with the delegate from Utah Territory; he
has always been one of the members to whom strangers have been most
desirous to be introduced. This has been the case from the time of the
first delegate, and I do not think the interest has lessened of late.
So that, not only are the people objects of interest, but everything
connected with them and their history, and notwithstanding all that is
said about us we are growing in influence in the nation, and it has
surprised me to see how widely our influence is spreading, and how
many channels it occupies and how wide its ramifications extend
throughout the nation. How difficult it is to strike us · blow without
hitting somebody else! How difficult it is to do anything inimical to
us without others feeling that they will be injured by that action!
This has surprised me wonderfully this past winter, and in fact this
treat two young. I have seen the growth of the influence of this
people and its increase in many directions. Many acknowledge while
they deprecate it. Of course this has caused me to rejoice more than I
can tell. I have felt that God's hand has been with us as a people. I
felt so during the first session. The passage of the Poland bill, in
its present form, was to me one of the most wonderful manifestations
of Providence I ever beheld; that which has occurred this last session
has been equally so, because I have believed that I could see the hand
of God in it all; I believed that his providence was over us; I
believed that the prayers of this people, offered continually unto the
Lord, were heard and answered by him. A very prominent gentleman
remarked to me one day—"Mr. Cannon, it is wonderful how you retain
your seat, it surprises me, one would think you would have been ousted
long ago, considering the efforts which have been made." I made some
remark in reply, and, the conversation continuing I remarked, calling
him by name—"There are over a hundred thousand people in Utah
Territory praying for you members, and for me, and they are a sincere
people, and their prayers are heard." Said he—"I do believe that is
the case." It may seem a trifling thing, in these days of unbelief, to
think that God hears and answers prayer; but it has been a great
satisfaction to me all the time to tell my fellow-members that we were
a praying people, and that God was being supplicated by you to avert
every blow.

Vol. 17,  p.338
It is something refreshing at this time in the midst of the unbelief
of men to meet with a man who believes that God lives, and that he
bears and answers prayer. You would be surprised to find how few such
men there are in this world, especially in [p.339] public life. The
belief in God, that he exists, that he takes any cognizance of human
affairs, and that he hears and answers prayer is almost extinct; it is
a rare thing to find a man who entertains it. Yet men do not ignore
God entirely, but they deny his interposition in human affairs. On
this point we stand out in marked contrast with every other people. We
believe that God's providences are over all, that not a hair of our
head falls without his notice, that not even a sparrow can fall to the
ground without his being aware of it, and that he hears and answers
prayer when we supplicate him in faith in the name of Jesus for those
things that we need; and we have this lesson to teach. I believe that
the day is not far distant when there will be a reaction in this
respect. There is at the present time a determination, apparently, to
swing to the extreme of infidelity; but I look for a reaction. I
believe that the example, teaching and influence of the Latter-day
Saints will be attended with good effects. I think it is the duty of
every one, not offensively, not in a manner to disgust, but in a
proper, wise manner, to endeavor, as far as possible, to inculcate by
example and by precept faith in God and in the efficacy of prayer to
him.

Vol. 17,  p.339
Of course there were times when inquiries would be made respecting our
belief, and many persons scarcely think that we believe in Jesus
Christ and in the Bible. Some have the idea that we are a sort of
heathen; or, in other words, that we have discarded everything
connected with Christianity. Others have no definite ideas in regard
to our belief, their minds being fully occupied with the marriage
system of the "Mormons," they having heard of that and not much else,
and they suppose that we do not believe in anything but marrying and
living in polygamy. When you converse with men of intelligence, who
have any comprehension of truth, and relate to them our views, they
acknowledge that we are a different people to what they imagined. I
have remarked when in conversation upon our principles that if the
gratification of licentiousness were our object, we could do that in a
much more popular and in a much cheaper manner than the way we have
adopted. I told them that it was only necessary to follow the example
of some public men and we should get along without any difficulty, and
there would be no fault found with us at all. Many would acknowledge
that this was true if the object we had in view was the gratification
of sensuality. But wherever I have had the opportunity, I have
endeavored to impress those with whom I have conversed with the idea
that we regarded men and women guilty of immoral practices as being
guilty of the worst possible crime next to shedding blood. I have said
that we regard murder as the greatest crime in the sight of God, and
that next to that we look upon unchastity and unvirtuous actions. This
has created some surprise, but it is a lesson that we have yet to
teach mankind on this point, and I trust that we shall be true to our
principles.

Vol. 17,  p.339
I have heard, since I returned, and in fact I heard it before, that
there is a disposition on the part of some to yield to the temptations
that surround us, young men and young women failing away and being
guilty of unchastity, young men going to billiard saloons, gambling
saloons, drinking saloons, indulging in the habits of smoking and
swearing; and not only young persons but men of mature years. I am
surprised at it. I am surprised that Latter-day [p.340] Saints should
have so little strength of character, and so easily yield to these
wicked influences. Do you think that anybody respects a man who takes
a course of this kind? Certainly not, yet there are some who think
they gain respect by so doing. Let me say to you that a wicked man, a
man who is unchaste and unvirtnous, has no respect for a man who is
like himself. A man who is profane will admire a man who will not
indulge in profanity. You never saw a man who was a drunkard and who
indulged in the use of intoxicating drinks who did not admire the man
who refrained from their use. He may banter and ridicule him, but in
his secret soul he admires him; and so it is with all evil habits, and
I would not give a fig for a Latter-day Saint who could not in the
midst of all these temptations, be sincere and true to his convictions
and live the religion that God has revealed to him; such men are not
worthy of the name, and sooner or later they will lose the name and
their standing and place in the Church. I knew, so far as my
experience has gone, that men respect sincerity. Men despise
Latter-day Saints who do not act consistently with the principles they
profess, while, whatever a man's religion may be, he will command
respect in proportion as he clings to and honors the principles which
he professes, under all circumstances under which he may be placed.

Vol. 17,  p.340
The Lord is working with us as well as with the nation, and I feel
sure he will cleanse from our midst everything that is impure and
ungodly. I expect that we shall have ordeals that will cleanse
everything of this character from our midst, and that everything that
can be shaken will be. In former days we had mobs to contend with, and
other difficulties that were trying to the faith of the people, and
those who were not grounded on the rock fell by the way. If they could
be frightened, or if threats or difficult circumstances could affect
them or their faith, why, of course, they dissolved their connection
with the Church. But I rather think the day of mobs has gone by. We
certainly have been led to expect that the time will come when we
shall be delivered from the power of mobocracy. What then will be the
means of trying the people? Probably prosperity, good circumstances,
the increase of wealth, the effects of which are far more trying on a
people than poverty. The influences which attend wealth and
comfortable circumstances will probably have the same effect on the
people in cleansing from our midst that which is unsound, as mobocracy
and the difficult circumstances connected with it had in former days.
But I never expect to see the day when the Latter-day Saints will be
free from influences which will test their fidelity to God, and be a
means of removing from their midst that which is unworthy to be
associated with his Church. That is my feeling, and has been for a
long time, and I believe that God is causing us to pass through these
circumstances expressly to test, prove and try us, and see whether we
will be true to him or not.

Vol. 17,  p.340
He has revealed to us the everlasting Gospel; the everlasting Gospel!
the truth as it is contained in this book (Bible); he has taught us
what to do in order to gain favor in his sight. How many of you who
are here to-day have seen the time in your early life when, if you
could have known that God would bestow upon you the gifts of his Holy
Spirit as they were enjoyed in ancient days by his servants, you would
not have felt [p.341] as though you could travel the earth over to
obtain such precious blessings? I suppose there are scores in this
congregation to-day who have had such feelings, they have felt as
though it would be the greatest boon that could be bestowed upon them
to have the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the various gifts thereof that
were bestowed upon and enjoyed by the ancient Saints. God has bestowed
these blessings upon us; he has revealed unto us the truth; he has
shown unto us how we can obtain a remission of our sins, and in
accordance with his word delivered eighteen hundred years ago by his
Son Jesus and by his Apostles, that if we believe in Jesus, if we
repent of our sins and are baptized for their remission, we shall
receive the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 17,  p.341
These blessings have been promised to and bestowed upon us; the Church
has been organized in its ancient purity and simplicity, with
Prophets, Apostles, Teachers, Pastors, Evangelists and all the
officers which existed in ancient days. Is not this a blessing which
people should appreciate? This has been given unto us, and we have
been guided by the spirit of revelation and prophecy. There has not
been one moment since I have known this Church that we have not had
revelation to guide us, and it has been all of a character that we
could understand. It has not been some man who was operating over the
people, speaking in muttered tones as an oracle to the people, so that
they could scarcely comprehend what he meant; but it has been in
plainness and simplicity, so that every man and every woman in this
Church has been appealed to to go and ask God for themselves, and they
have had an opportunity of knowing for themselves concerning the truth
of the doctrines taught and of the counsel that has been given. This
constitutes the great strength of his work, and how we ought to
appreciate the blessings which God has bestowed upon us in this
respect.

Vol. 17,  p.341
Now if we were left without any testimony of our own, and had to
receive the ipse dixit of some man in authority, and to act blindly
upon that, it would be very different, it would require a much greater
degree of faith than we have to exercise at the present time. But how
was it in the days of Joseph? Was there a doctrine taught which was
not accompanied by the testimony of the Spirit to the minds of the
people? Certainly not. How has it been in the days of the Prophet
Brigham? It has been the same. When the servants of God proclaimed
that God had established his Church, that he had restored the
everlasting Priesthood and its ordinances, they were told to go and
ask God for themselves, and they had an opportunity of testing the
truth of that which was taught unto them, and there was no chance for
imposture.

Vol. 17,  p.341
Many think that the people called Latter-day Saints are a deluded,
ignorant set, led by cunning priestly leaders, who exercise power over
them because of their shrewdness and ability, and that the people are
a blind herd led at the will of these shrewd deceivers. We know that
this is not the case. We know that the most frequent appeals that have
been made to the Latter-day Saints have been to investigate for
themselves and to know for themselves. When we started out from
Illinois and traveled over these plains, were we following President
Young because he said, "Come on?" Were we striking out blindly into
the wilderness, hoping that he would find some place, and trusting to
his sagacity and shrewdness? Certainly not, that was not the feeling;
but every [p.342] Lattey-day Saint who crossed the Mississippi river,
who was indeed a Latter-day Saint, had a testimony that he or she was
going in a direction that God was leading, and when night came each
was as confident that he was in the path that God required him to walk
in as ever the children of Israel were when led out of Egypt. When I
look back at those days, and consider the circumstances that
surrounded the people, I wonder and am astonished at the faith,
calmness and confidence they manifested. When the crickets came down
from the mountains in 1848, and devoured nearly the entire crops, I
can not recall now any murmuring, or expressions of distrust, fear or
apprehension, but there was a calmness and serenity of feeling among
the people which, when I reflect upon now, surprises me. Then I was
but a youth and had no responsibilities, but I have had
responsibilities since then, and I have wondered how men having wives
and children and the care of a great people resting upon them, as our
brethren had who were here then, could maintain their equanimity in
the midst of those circumstances. Yet throughout this valley there was
not a murmur or expression of distrust, and if there were fears
indulged in they were not publicly expressed. So it has been all the
time. God has been bearing testimony to the Latter-day Saints by his
Holy Spirit, giving unto them evidence which has been of a most
satisfactory character; and every man and woman, boy and girl, ought
to live so that they will have this testimony within them, that they
may know concerning the doctrine and the counsel that is given; that
when President Young speaks, we may know for ourselves whether it is
from God or not, and when any other teacher among us speaks, we may
know whether the doctrine he advances is from God or not; and so that,
if necessary, we could go to the stake, and have no doubts on the
subject. Or, like Daniel of old, be cast into the den of lions and
have no fears; or, like the three Hebrew children, be cast into a
fiery furnace. We pray that God will restore to us the faith once
delivered to the Saints, and this is the kind of faith they had, and
it sustained them in the midst of all their trials and afflictions.
And men and women have had this faith who have not bad the fulness of
the Gospel as we have; thousands of them, in what are called the dark
ages, suffered the most painful deaths for the sake of their religion;
and they were sustained by the consciousness that they were doing that
which God required at their hands, that they were living up to the
light of truth as far as they had it. And now, living with the
facilities and opportunities that we have, we ought to have still
greater faith and power, and be able to endure far more for the sake
of this great truth, for I tell you, my brethren and sisters, it is
one of the most inestimable of blessings, it is beyond all price, the
knowledge which God has given to us, that he hears and answers prayer.
To think that in the midst of affliction, when you are harassed and
oppressed, when, your family probably is sick, and you are surrounded
by circumstances which human aid cannot relieve, there is a Being, all
powerful in heaven, who is near at hand, to whom you can offer your
supplications and make your appeals, with a certainty that he will
hear and answer them. What is there to compare with it in value on the
face of the earth? Who would not give all they have to have that
knowledge? Who would not be stripped of everything they hold [p.343]
valuable, so far as earthly possessions are concerned, for the sake of
such knowledge as this?

Vol. 17,  p.343
This is the knowledge that you have. If you have obeyed the Gospel in
sincerity, every one of you should have in your heart, no matter what
your circumstances may be, or what difficulties and trials you may be
called upon to pass through, the knowledge that you have an abiding
Friend who will hear and answer your prayers, and will never desert
you. I delight to bear testimony that God does hear and answer prayer,
that he will bless and deliver those who put their trust in him. And I
wish that all of us would cultivate more of this spirit, and teach it
to our children. We hear about infidelity increasing. Why does it
increase? Because men and women do not live so as to know that God
lives. That is the reason. If they were to live in close communion
with him, there would be no chance for infidelity to increase; but the
face that they do not thus live causes that increase. We should teach
our children to pray to and to have faith in God. If we do this we
shall see good effects flow therefrom: faith will increase in the land
and will spread abroad, and we shall be the means in the hands of God
of raising up a people who believe in him, and who, if necessary,
would go to the stake to show their faith in the truth of their
doctrines.

Vol. 17,  p.343
That God may bless you, my brothers and sisters, and help you to
overcome everything that is evil, is my prayer in the name of Jesus.
Amen.

Daniel H. Wells, April 6, 1875

The Saints Have the Priesthood—the Kingdom of Heaven to 
Be Set Up in the Last Days—the Saints Must Be Self-Sustaining

Discourse By President Daniel H. Wells, Delivered at the Forty 
Fifth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day 
Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, 
on Tuesday Morning, April 6, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.343
To-day we have met together, as is our custom on the 6th day of April,
according to appointment, in commemoration of the day on which the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. We are
professed Latter-day Saints, and have been called forth in this age of
the world to be co-workers with our Father in heaven in bringing to
pass his purposes and establishing his kingdom upon the earth, to be
the [p.344] recipients of the authority of the holy priesthood, to
stand in holy places and to administer in the ordinances of the house
of God, that once again upon this earth his authority and kingdom may
be established, and holy and righteous principles and the institutions
of high heaven have a place. We are the honored instruments, or may be
so, of being co-workers with God, and he will through us his servants,
his children, bring to pass his purposes if we will let him. This is a
great, glorious and holy calling, and it is a happy thing for us to be
born in a day and generation when these things are coming forth, for
we can thus have part and lot in this matter. It is no joke or
phantasy, no matter of mere enthusiasm, to rise in one's mind for a
few days, weeks or months and then dissipate away into thin air; but
it is our high duty and privilege, as long as we live, to bear off
these principles that have been revealed, and to sustain and uphold
the institutions of heaven, and that authority through and by which
the mind and will of God our Father are made known unto us upon the
earth.

Vol. 17,  p.344
This work commenced small. Great and glorious instructions were given
to a few in the commencement, and through the blessing of the Almighty
they have been sent forth to the nations of the earth and, in
obedience thereunto, a great people, in comparison with what the
church was originally, have gathered to these mountains, and the work
of the Lord has continued to grow and increase, taking root downward
and bearing fruit upward. It is true that many have undertaken to run
the gospel race and have faltered and fainted by the wayside, still
the work has progressed and has been onward and upward until the
present time; and during the forty-five years of its existence upon
the earth this church and kingdom has never seen a day or an hour that
it has not been growing and becoming greater in the earth, in numbers
as well as in intelligence, for the stream of light from heaven has
not been withdrawn or cut short, but has continued to flow to the
minds of the children of men, bearing testimony to the hearts of the
honest, and elevating them in the scale of human existence. I take
pleasure in bearing this testimony, knowing that it is true, and also
knowing that the great desire among God's people here in Zion is to
sustain and bear off the principles of truth and righteousness in the
earth.

Vol. 17,  p.344
We are here for this express purpose, and to avoid the evils and
judgments which are abroad in the earth. Are the judgments of God
abroad in the earth? They are, and the word of the Lord to his Saints
is—"Come out of her, O my people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, that ye receive not of her plagues." This was Spoken centuries
ago, but it is specially applicable to us, and to the work of God in
the last days. But if we do not divest ourselves of the sins of the
world, have we any assurance that we shall escape the plagues and
judgments of the almighty? By no means. We gather up to these
mountains that we may not be partakers of her sins. This is the
appointed place where God can work with his people on the earth; and
in order that he may be able to do so effectually it is necessary that
we divest ourselves of every evil, stand before God blameless, and
become united as the heart of one man in sustaining the cause of Zion.
The responsibility of building up this kingdom rests in a manner upon
us, who have taken upon us the name of the Most High. We have gathered
together that we may build Temples to [p.345] his holy name, wherein
we may receive the blessings of time and eternity, both for the living
and the dead. It becomes us, then, to enquire how we may best set
ourselves about this great work; we mint find out the design of our
Father concerning us, and to do this we must have communication with
him, and we must live so that we can have the Holy Spirit to direct
our minds, and to qualify us the better for the performance of the
duties which devolve upon us The channel has been opened between the
heavens and the earth by which we may learn the mind and will of our
Father concerning us. But when we have learned that it is our business
to go to and unflinchingly carry out and accomplish that which he
requires of us according to our best skill and ability.

Vol. 17,  p.345
Is it necessary that we should obey the principles of the gospel,
which we are told is the power of God unto salvation? I think that no
one will deny that. We must repent, we must be baptized for the
remission of sins, receive the administration of bands for the
reception of the Holy Ghost, and then go on with the light of the
Spirit, having received the testimony of the truth of the work, and
maintain that work against every opposing obstacle. What is a man good
for who flies the track the very moment an obstacle presents itself in
his way? Such a man will not obtain salvation and exaltation in the
presence of God; he who does that must be unflinching in the path of
duty.

Vol. 17,  p.345
Is God ever going to establish his kingdom and bring to pass his
purposes on the earth? All believers in Christianity say so, and they
all pretend to believe it; but when will it be? As soon as the Lord
Jesus finds a people who are willing to take upon them his name, and
will follow him through evil as well as through good report, and who,
if need be, will even go to death in the maintaining of the principles
of truth upon the earth. Just as soon as he finds a people who will be
united and will not sift their ways to strangers, but will hold that
which he bestows upon them for him and for his kingdom, will he
establish that kingdom upon the earth. What right has a Latter-day
Saint, who has taken upon himself the name of God and has enlisted
under King Emmanuel's banner, to strew the blessings he receives from
God to the wicked. Are they given to him for that purpose? No, they
are given him to use for the building up of the kingdom of God upon
the earth. It is said, and we profess to believe it, that the kingdoms
of this world are to become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and that that kingdom and its fulness shall be given to the Saints of
the Most High. It is not to be given to the wicked, or to a people who
will hand it over to the wicked as fast as the Lord hands it over to
them. We may as well learn this lesson to-day as at any other time.
The blessings of the Lord are not bestowed upon the Latter-day Saints
to be placed by them in the hands of the wicked. When could the Lord
establish his purposes with a people who will act in that way? Never
in the world. The time will come and is now hastening when the people
of God will not be a dependent people, that is, dependent upon the
outside world; of course they will always be dependent upon the Lord,
but the day will come when they, under the blessing of heaven, will be
an entirely self-sustaining people, and the Lord is ready and willing,
as he ever has been and ever will be, to sustain the efforts of his
people in this direction. They must put forth their hands to [p.346]
be self-sustaining, and then the blessings of the Almighty will attend
them even more abundantly.

Vol. 17,  p.346
The Lord has, from time to time, through his servants, given forth a
line of conduct or principle for us to be guided by, so that we may
become more united than we have been hitherto; and while it may be
said that we are slowly approaching that point, we are far from having
advanced in the principles of unity to the fullest extent, and hence
we cannot realize the blessings that will accrue when that unity which
the Lord desires to see among his people is fully established. But we
have commenced, and we can work in that direction, and it is our
bounden duty to do so; and the farther we progress the more will his
blessings be multiplied towards us; and if we continue in the path
marked out for us by the Almighty through his servants, we shall
ultimately attain to a fulness This is the way I understand it.

Vol. 17,  p.346
We have come up here to be taught in his ways that we may walk in his
paths. Men should not mark out paths for themselves to walk in, they
are not capable of doing so. You may say that this infringes upon
man's agency and independence; but it makes no difference what may be
said or thought of this, it is true, and we need only look abroad in
the world to see the difficulties which beset the people on every hand
to find ample confirmation of this statement. Are the people satisfied
with the paths they have marked out for themselves? No, nowhere on the
face of the earth. There is one whose guidance we need, he is wiser
than we are, for he has passed through all the ordeals and trials of a
lower estate, and has gained an experience far beyond the experience
of men, and he is now willing to lead and guide his children here on
the earth if they will only allow him to do so. But men generally
think they know best themselves, they are set willing to be guided by
the God of heaven, they give the preference to the paths marked out by
themselves. Are their own counsels the best? No, they are not, and the
Latter-day Saints ought to know it by this time. A great many of them
do know it; some do not, but I trust that they will, and that they
will continue to learn and progress in these things, until they know
beyond all question that God's way is the best, and that it is not
only superior to man's way, but that there is no other by which men
and women can build up a community which will be wise, virtuous and
happy, and by which the resources of the earth may be developed and
the elements used so as to best promote the general good. God's way is
as much better than man's way, as the heavens are higher than the
earth.

Vol. 17,  p.346
There is no true principle, no true philosophy, no good thing that
comes from any source except that which I have been speaking of. No
matter through whom, or by whom it comes to the children of men, it
has emanated from that source—from God our Father. Then why can we
not; implicitly trust him, and put our faith and confidence in him? We
may rest assured that he will withhold no good thing that will prove
beneficial to us. He never did and he never will reveal a thing to the
children of men but what, if it can be carried out according to his
design, will prove an advantage and a blessing to them. Men may
undertake to change that which God has revealed, and try to make it
mean something else; but it is folly to do so. In taking this course
they go into by and forbidden paths, and, being then without the light
of truth, [p.347] they are compelled to grope their way.

Vol. 17,  p.347
Now, what is necessary in building up the kingdom of God on the earth?
We are not talking about building up his kingdom in some far-off
realm, away

Vol. 17,  p.347
"Beyond the bounds of time and space 
Where human mind can never trace 
The Saints' secure abode,"

Vol. 17,  p.347
as our sectarian brethren sing about. I do not understand this to be
the work of the Saints of God upon the earth at all. I understand that
the kingdoms of this world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord and
his Christ, just so soon as the God of heaven finds a people who will
be obedient to his law. Well, what is necessary then? Why, in the
first place there must be a people to govern, and a king to rule over
them. It takes that much anyhow to constitute a kingdom. The people
must have a place to dwell. They must have land, streams of water,
valleys, mountains, ranges, grass, timber, rock, canyons and
everything we find here on the earth, the elements with which it is
covered and surrounded, and which are found in its depths in order to
obtain a sustenance. All these things are necessary in any kingdom.
The people want houses to live in, orchards for fruit, also
vegetables; they want land susceptible of irrigation and cultivation,
cattle, horses, carriages, wagons, vehicles to transport things in and
to do business. All these things are necessary in building up the
kingdom of God. There must also be schools, Temples and cities built
to the name of the Most High, according as he shall direct. It is
necessary to build Temples that we may attend to the ordinances for
those who have gone before, for millions of them have lived according
to the best light they had, and they were moral and exemplary all the
days of their lives, and did all the good they could. Without Temples
they could not have the privilege and opportunity of being officiated
for in the ordinances of the Gospel of salvation devised by our Father
in heaven before the world was organized. This plan of salvation was
devised before this earth was organized and made habitable for the
children of men to dwell on, away in the eternities back, "when the
morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy,"
if you know when that was. We have to obey that plan of salvation here
in our earthly probation in order that we may have the privilege of
going back into the presence of God. We need not go to tinkering that
plan of salvation, for we cannot make it any better if we do. The
world have been doing so ever since men came to dwell upon the earth.
But I do not see that they have done anything to improve it. God's
plan of saving his sons and daughters stands just the same to-day as
it was in the beginning, and it will continue so through a
never-ending eternity. I am not aware that God ever asked us here to
help to devise a plan for our own salvation, I never heard of any such
thing. tie had the right to do it himself and he did it, and it is for
mankind to receive it if they choose to do so; and if they do choose
so to do it is nobody's business, they have that power if they have a
mind to; and other people have a right to believe in and embrace
man-made systems and to hold on to them if they choose to do so, and
it is none of our business any more than it is theirs i! we choose to
obey the plan the Lord has revealed. We are on an equal footing in
regard to this matter, and all we ask is hands off and show us fair
play, the same as we are willing to extend unto you,[p.348] that is
all. We have a right to ask and demand that, and to maintain it, and
we expect to do it.

Vol. 17,  p.348
But we who have embraced the principles of truth, should we not begin
to divest ourselves of some of our notions and ideas, and go to and
build up the kingdom of God more perfectly? In our hearts and feelings
we desire to do it, but our traditions, to which we cling with such
tenacity, sometimes prevent us from coming quite up to the mark, and
we do not advance in this direction perhaps quite as fast as we should
do. The line is marked out; the Lord through his servants is
continually showing us the way, but I sometimes think that we are slow
coming to it. We should become more self-sustaining. We have been
drifting in the wrong direction for the past few years. It is
necessary for us to turn a short corner and drift in a direction that
will make us self-sustaining. If we do this we shall become more
independent and more closely united, and in a short time we shall find
that it will be the path of prosperity. It is a matter of good
political economy for any community to become sell sustaining; and not
only to raise and manufacture what they need for their own use, but
also some for exportation. Then the balance of trade will be in their
favor. But I do not care whether it is the people of Utah, Colorado,
Wyoming, the United States, England, or any other community or nation,
political economy says that they must export more than they import, or
the balance of trade will be continually against them, and any country
or community in that position will be drained of the circulating
medium, and will be more or less impoverished thereby. If a community
wishes to become wealthy, it must manage to produce not only all it
needs for the wants of its own members, but also to partially supply
some of the wants of its neighbors. This is sound philosophy and
political economy in any community, and particularly so with the
Latter-day Saints. We have the elements around us, from which with our
own industry and economy all our wants can be supplied in abundance,
if our labor is applied in the right direction, which can only be
clone by laboring unitedly and according to the counsel that may be
given us by the Lord through his servants. By taking this course we
can produce almost everything necessary for our own consumption and a
great deal to export.

Vol. 17,  p.348
We have commenced in this order, and some of our settlements have
progressed more than others; and I am glad to believe that we are
drifting in the right direction. I hope to see this work continue, and
can promise the blessing of the Almighty upon those who will persevere
therein. They will succeed if they are wise and do as they are told,
and they will be blessed of the Lord and will come off victorious.

Vol. 17,  p.348
These things are worthy of our attention, they constitute part of the
building up of the kingdom of God on the earth. It is a material
kingdom, and not something ethereal that we cannot comprehend nor have
any part or lot in. It involves our everyday life, labor and duty,
just as we pass along; it is not beyond our reach, but is right within
the purview of our ability to accomplish to a certain extent. We
cannot jump at a single leap to its fulness; but the small wedges
break the big rock. Drill the holes here and there, then put in the
wedges and tap them lightly, and after awhile these taps will break
the big rock in two. That is the way the Lord has worked with this
people. We commenced small, [p.349] went in at the small end of the
horn, and we are bound to come out at the big end, we cannot come back
through the same channel. Here we are, a spectacle before the heavens
and before the world, a handful of Latter-day Saints. What shall we
do? Pursue that suicidal policy in regard to sustaining ourselves that
is calculated to impoverish us and to make us depend upon our enemies,
those who would only be too glad to see us overthrown, wasted away and
destroyed? No, no! Latter-day Saints, we will not take any such a
course as that, not if we know it. Well, let us be careful and learn
what is the proper course to take and take it, that we may grow,
increase in wealth, in numbers, and in every good and perfect thing
that the God of heaven is willing to bestow upon us. Let us beautify
the earth, bring forth from the elements those things which are
necessary for our subsistence; work, be industrious, live prudently,
economically, and walk in the path that the God of heaven marks out
for us. Then we shall be successful; then the blessings of the
Almighty will flow unto us abundantly, and we shall have great cause
to rejoice continually in the name of the Holy One of Israel. We have
clone this to a certain extent as we have passed along, and according
to our faithfulness we have received the blessings, and beyond our
expectations, for we could not have expected as much as we have
received. We may go on still more gloriously if we will be more
faithful.

Vol. 17,  p.349
May the God of heaven bless us and help us to see the path marked out
for us to walk in, and thus help us to be faithful and diligent, and
put away our own devices and traditions that we have inherited from
the fathers, inasmuch as they are wrong, and we have been led to see
that wrong, and our judgments convinced concerning the work of the
Almighty. Let us put away these things that are of no profit, and seek
to that. which is good, which comes from above, and which is for our
own best interests here, and for our eternal welfare in the world to
come. that we may do this unitedly, as the heart and voice of one man,
is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.350] 

Orson Hyde, April 6, 1875

Education Necessary—Mormonism is 
Truth—Conversion of Indians

Remarks By Elder Orson Hyde, Delivered at the Forty-Fifth 
Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day 
Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, 
Tuesday Afternoon, April 6, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.350
I do not know that I ever beheld a more pleasing sight than that which
I behold here to-day. So many children, of both sexes, most of them
born in this Territory, assembled here to offer up a song of praise to
God our heavenly Father. To hear their childish voices chime in with
the voices of those who are older and more experienced, is really
something that I admire, and intelligence cannot refrain from doing
so.

Vol. 17,  p.350
I am pleased at the opportunity that is offered me on this occasion. I
do not expect to detain you any length of time. Be this, however, as
the Spirit of the Lord may direct. I listened to some very excellent
remarks in the former part of the day, and I will say that if the loaf
has been broken by more able and competent hands than mine, it will
not be unbecoming in me to try and gather up some of the fragments,
that we may enjoy the whole.

Vol. 17,  p.350
Here, perhaps, are some five thousand of the rising generation before
me who, in future time, will become actors upon the stage of life. How
important it is that their characters be formed so as not only to
reflect honor upon their parents, but also upon the cause of Zion in
which we are engaged. How beautiful it is to see the rising generation
growing up in intelligence, and in good will and kindness one toward
another. As our settlements spread to the east, west, north and south,
a certain element appears therein which some of you may understand and
recognize by the name of modern civilization. This element, which
seems to be un-congenial with the spirit of purity, righteousness and
integrity, has reached down as far as our place, and it seems that
nothing will satisfy it short of saloons, grog-shops, whisky-holes,
and other concomitants of modern civilization. I want to say to our
young friends—avoid these dens as you would avoid the source of
pestilence, keep far away from them, and betake yourselves to
learning. No doubt you do, but there are some, perhaps, who do not to
the extent that they might. Instead of being in the streets of a
night, making unearthly noises, as some do, seemingly under the
influence of modern civilization, keep at your homes, study your
books, and spend your time in improving your minds. Sometimes, when
preaching in different parts of the Territory, While the [p.351]
congregation were listening to the words that were being spoken, I
have seen our little boys in the streets playing at ball, or engaging
in other recreations, and while such a course has been innocent on
their part, it has been an evidence to me that they have not received
that attention and instruction from their parents which I consider
parents owe to their children; and while the parents would seek to
enjoy the words of life themselves, they have seemed to be thoughtless
with regard to the whereabouts of their children. This being the case,
it is necessary that we pay more particular attention to our children,
and to know that they are at the house of God. To be sure, children
can not profit by every word that is spoken, their minds are not
capacious enough to comprehend every idea that may be advanced; but
every once in a while, a word will take root in their hearts, and
grow, and this will enable them the more readily to appreciate and
understand that which they may hear in the future.

Vol. 17,  p.351
I realize that, as a parent, I have not been so faithful and diligent
in this respect as I should have been, and I feel that I am far from
being a proper example to my brethren and sisters; but sometimes when
I have been about to open the meetings and have seen that all my
children were not there, what have I done? I have left the stand, gone
into the streets and found my boys, and brought them in and seated
them in the congregation, that they might not set an unworthy example
before others. Not only so, but sometimes when I have gone to bed at
an early hour mad, after having had a nap, I have waked up about the
usual bed time and found my boys not at home, I have got up and gone
into the streets in search of them, and have searched until I have
found them and brought them home.

Vol. 17,  p.351
I feel that, as parents, we cannot bestow too much attention upon
those who are rising up to inherit our responsibilities and to bear
off the kingdom in the eyes of all the nations of the earth. I know
that I come short of my duty in this respect, but I am trying to
fulfill it in this as well as in many other directions, and I can not
rest, either flay or night unless I know where my children are, and
what they are doing. By following the dictates of this feeling I have
been able, under the blessing of God, to rejoice in the society of my
children, both morning and evening, and to know where they are; and I
have proved that they will learn to respect the wishes of their
parents, and now I have the pleasure to hear them say—"Father, may I
go out to such a place to-night?" and they will set one hour or two
hours. I reply, "Yes, if you will go nowhere else, and behave
yourselves and make no disturbance in the streets, go, and God bless
you, but return at the time you say. I will sit up until you come
home, then we will have prayers together before we go to bed." It is
very pleasing to me to call my wives and children together in the
morning and to spend a few minutes in giving them a few words of
kindly instruction. I have practiced it until it is as much of a
pleasure to me as it is to eat my breakfast when I have a good one,
and I feel lost without it. I say to this requirement and to that
requirement—Stand aside until I discharge this duty. I do not make
these remarks because I wish to show myself any better than anybody
else; but if there is any blessing or benefit, brethren and sisters,
to be derived from what I have said [p.352] you are abundantly welcome
to it, and to act upon it, or something similar to it that your own
better wisdom may devise, but do not neglect to cultivate the tender
minds of your children.

Vol. 17,  p.352
It is good to have Sabbath schools; they are a source of amusement and
recreation as well as of mental and intellectual improvement and
development. But is this all that is necessary and needful? Our day
schools should not be neglected. What are we here for but to raise up
children and endow and qualify them for future usefulness? Says
one—"It costs so much to keep up schools." It costs some persons
something to do it, then there are others who let a school bill be
about the last one they pay, and after having availed themselves of
the labors of a teacher for the benefit of their children they allow
him to go unrewarded until his ambition sinks within him, and he
concludes to go to some other business, and thus we deprive ourselves
of the best class of school teachers, and we have to put up with
persons of second or third rate ability. We ought to employ the best
talent that can be procured as school teachers. I have been through
the world considerably, one time and another, but I have never yet
seen a city in which a good educational system was maintained in which
the people suffered in character or prestige, or where poverty was
increased in consequence thereof; but it has added to their influence
and prestige and improved their morals, and surely if heaven will thus
prosper the efforts of parents to educate their children there is no
reason why we should not go into it a little stronger than we do.

Vol. 17,  p.352
Perhaps you who dwell in this city are far in advance of those who
dwell in other parts of the Territory,—my remarks are more
particularly intended for us country people, who do not live in the
full blaze and refulgence of intelligence, but away yonder in the
corners, on the outskirts and in the by-places, for I know that many
among us do not pay that attention to education that we should do.
Suppose that in a coming day we come up before our heavenly Father and
say—"Father, thy pound hath gained ten pounds, or five pounds," as the
case may be. "I have acquired so much and have laid it up in store."
Another one says—"Father, I have here those whom thou gavest me, and
have lost none of thorn; they are all here. I have no gold or silver,
but I have gems, in the persons of these children; they are bright and
intelligent, and are calculated to radiate society wherever they are.
I have bestowed everything upon them which I could command to improve
and elevate them, and I have withheld no opportunity from them." I am
inclined to the opinion that the latter would receive much more
commendation than the former, though he heaped together millions,
especially if his children were not educated.

Vol. 17,  p.352
"But," says one, "I am poor and can not do it." Well, so far as my
experience has gone, those who are willing and determined to educate
their children generally find the means to do it, while those who
complain of poverty, as a general thing, make poverty the scapegoat to
bear of their unwillingness to teach and instruct their children, or
to put them in the way of instruction. Now brethren, what shall we do?
I would suggest to all parents—I do not mean those in this city
particularly, for I am not called to instruct with regard to these
things here, yet if any are disposed to be benefited [p.353] by my
remarks, even in this city, I have not the least objection; but I
would suggest to all parents that it is our duty, when we employ a
good teacher to keep his heart whole, and his spirit up by paying him
what we agree to pay him, and pay it before he starves to death or is
forced to go away and engage in some other occupation. If you have got
a good teacher, keep him, at almost any price, to educate your
children. Suppose a man had forty children—some have as many as
that—and they were all well trained and educated, how much honor would
that reflect upon the father, upon the mother, and upon the community
in which they dwell? Would it not be a cause of pleasing remark to the
intelligent so far as they were known? Most assuredly. Well, now then,
brethren and sisters, pay the teacher. We think a good deal of a horse
or a span of horses, and they are animals given to us by Providence
for our comfort and convenience; but to turn them out, after working,
without food or care would certainly be cruel on our part. And to
employ teachers and then not reward them so that they can feed and
clothe themselves certainly reflects no honor upon any community; and
I say that if we care for our teams, we certainly ought to care for
our teachers, and pay them according to agreement; then their ambition
is kept up to the highest pitch and they feel inspired; but if we
subject them to the inconvenience of earning their wages three or four
times by collecting small sums from one and another, they become
discouraged and are finally compelled to turn their attention to some
other vocation.

Vol. 17,  p.353
Brethren and sisters, these are important matters. Our children are
entrusted to our care and management, and unless we do our best to
cultivate and improve them, have we any right to be the agents in
bringing their spirits from the realms of say to earth and then
neglect them? Are we justified in doing this? It seems to me not, it
seems to me that we are not doing our duty towards them.

Vol. 17,  p.353
Our enemies reproach as and our children on account of our alleged
ignorance and general inferiority. Be this as it may, there was not
intelligence enough in the "big tent" nor in the Rev. Dr. Newman to
make headway against the small amount of knowledge that exists here in
the Mormon community. Act as we may and do what we will, we cannot
satisfy the accusers of our brethren. The name of their accusations is
Legion; and we are not disposed to make any great effort to satisfy
them. It is ourselves and our God that we labor to satisfy,—by no
means ignoring the friendly hints of all honorable men.

Vol. 17,  p.353
I feel thankful for this opportunity of bearing my testimony, and I
bear my testimony that what is called "Mormonism" is the truth of God,
and that the Lord is fulfilling his word in the last days. There are
some very curious sayings in the Bible respecting John the Revelator,
one, of which is—"If I will that he tarry until I come, what, is that
to thee?" which led to the saying that that disciple was not going to
die. But Jesus did not say that. Certain Nephites on this continent
wanted to live to bring souls to Christ until he came. Their desires
were granted to them, and they were permitted to live, or they had the
promise that they should not pass behind the vail until the second
coming of the Savior. Whether the saying of the old Prophet had
anything to do with this matter I cannot tell, but he said—"Lord, they
have digged down [p.354] thine altars, killed thy Prophets, and I am
left here alone, and they seek my life." The answer of the Lord was—"I
have reserved to myself seven thousand men who have never bowed the
knee to the image of Baal." Whether that has reference to any
characters that were not to pass away, but that were to live and be
witnesses in the earth and bring their testimony to a focus in the
last days—the days in which we live—to make the truth of God blaze
like the light of heaven upon all the world I cannot say, I do not
know; but the Lord has not left himself without a witness, and some of
you will no doubt recollect that, three or four years ago, I told the
Saints in this Tabernacle that the testimony in favor of the truth of
"Mormonism" would increase and that the source of evidence in its
favor would multiply and grow stronger. Now we hear of a remarkable
movement that has recently commenced among the Indians. Before
proceeding further on this subject I will say that we have labored in
our weakness among the Indians, trying to convert them from the error
of their ways, and to persuade them to cease shedding blood,
committing depredations on the white people, and to turn their
attention to agriculture. I recollect going away up here to Snake
River to visit a settlement that had been made there for the purpose
of instructing the Indians in agriculture, and, if possible, to
reclaim them from their disposition to steal and shed blood. I have
also been to other places where similar efforts have been made; but we
have not been able to accomplish much. I do not say that no good was
done—perhaps some little good was done. But it seems that the time had
not come for the means to be brought into requisition which Heaven had
ordained to be used in the reformation of the Lamanites. For some time
past, the Indians have been telling us very strange stories. They say
that certain strange men have visited them and spoken to them, and
have taught them what to do in order to be saved in the kingdom of
God. Strange men have come to and talked with them perhaps an hour at
a time, and while the Indians are looking at them they vanish out of
sight, and they know not where they go. I do not know that it is so,
but this is what the Indians declare and testify to, and I am a little
inclined to believe that there is something in it, for you know the
Apostle Paul, in speaking to his brethren, said—"Be not forgetful to
entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels
unawares." Perhaps one of these old men might come along in disguise,
incog., not in his real character, and appear like any other man, clad
as any other man, and stay over night with some of the brethren.

Vol. 17,  p.354
Some say that the "Mormons" have no Priesthood, power or authority
from God; but if this be so why do these good old men who go to the
Indians send them to the "Mormons" to be baptized? Why do they not
send them to the Methodists? You have Methodists, Presbyterians,
Episcopalians and Catholics right here in town, why do not these men
who come to instruct the Indians tell them to go to some of these
bodies to get baptized? It is singular that they should tell them to
go to the Latter-day Saints. it is a good deal like the angel who told
Cornelius to send to the house of one Simon a tanner, and call for
Simon surnamed Peter, and he would tell him words whereby he and his
house might be saved. Why send to Peter when Cornelius and his house
lived among [p.355] the Pharisees and Sadducees? Peter had the keys of
the kingdom; the angel knew that, and said he—"Go to Peter and he will
tell you words whereby you and your house can be saved." These men say
to the Indians—"Go to the "Mormons" and they will tell you words
whereby you can be saved;" but if we had no Priesthood, no keys of the
kingdom, no power to administer the ordinances of the Gospel, why
should these old men, who declare that they are more than a thousand
years old, and tell the Indians that their fathers were white and that
they shall be if they only do as they are commanded, I say, why should
these men tell the Indians to come to the Latter-day Saints? There is
something singular about it. What san the world of mankind say to it?
How can they meet it? I will tell you. It is a wave of evidence which,
like a wave of the sea completely submerges everything on which it
flows, it overturns every objection that the world can offer. God
Almighty will vindicate his own cause—he has got the means prepared
for that.

Vol. 17,  p.355
Now let me say to you, brethren and sisters, look well to these little
children. Teach them good morals teach them, when you go to meeting,
to go with you, and be sure that you do not stay behind just because
you do not feel exactly the spirit of it. If you do not feel the
spirit of it yourselves, feel it for the sake of your children, and
bring them to the house of God that they may be taught and instructed.
I recollect very well in early days, sometimes I heard a good and
kindly word from a sectarian minister, there were no other ministers
when I was a boy; but they sometimes spoke words in my hearing that I
have not yet forgotten, they took root in my heart, and I still bear
them in mind. I exhort you, brethren and sisters, to cultivate the
morals of your children, for we are not going to stay here always; we
shall be gathered with our fathers by and by, and these little ones
will have to assume the responsibilities which we now bear. Hence I
say qualify them for the positions which they will be called to fill
in future. Teach them that which is good and right, and may the
blessing of the Father rest upon you and upon all Israel, and may we
live to see the truth of God triumph!

Vol. 17,  p.355
I feel thankful that God has heard our prayers. Says the Lord—"By this
you may know whether God hears you, if you receive the things which
you ask for." If you receive the things you ask for, know ye that God
has heard your prayers. Who is there among the Latter-day Saints who
has not prayed for the removal of an unjust judge? If there are any
who have not done it they ought to be turned out of the citadel. I
believe you all have. Well, the Lord has heard our prayers in that
respect, and not only so, but I will say, that if we were to pray
against every official who is a bigot, a fool and an ass, the Lord
would hear our prayers and turn him out no matter by what agency it is
done. Let us try it. Never pray against a liberal, good man, whether
"Mormon" or Gentile; if he is a fair and honest man, and is willing to
live and let live, let him live just as long as God is willing to let
him, and do not pray against him. But if he tries to overthrow and
destroy us, or to withhold from us our rights, let the volume of our
prayers ascend up to God for him, and if he does not hear from it some
time I shall wonder. But he will hear from it, you may be assured of
this. Why should we despair when the means of self-defence and
self-protection are embedded in our [p.356] own spirits, when we have
the weapons right here? Not carnal weapons, not the sword, not the
deadly rifle, but we have something more potent—the sword of the
Spirit. This is our means of self-defense and self-protection, and let
us use it. I have tried it. Not that I have any reason to boast, but I
have great reason to be thankful to God my heavenly Father. I do know
that when we want anything special, if we will make that a subject of
continual pleading; if we will go into our closets and shut the door,
and lay the matter before the God that made us, lay our hearts, as it
were upon the altar and importune at his feet, in process of time he
will hear us and avenge our wrongs, no matter what the wicked do or
how much they may rage; and there is no subject on the face of the
earth that is exempt from the influence of our prayers, high or low,
rich or poor, noble or ignoble.

Vol. 17,  p.356
Let us exercise ourselves in this direction and teach our children to
do the same. You know it is said that the religious world despair of
converting us old Mormons, us old heads who are dyed in the wool; but
they hope to convert our children by insidiously sending their
missionaries to establish schools in our midst, by which they hope to
entice and win their tender minds over to their side. That is the tack
they are taking. Well, brethren and sisters, you do your duty toward
your children pray for them morning and evening; instruct them by
means of little short sermons every day, then you may turn them out to
go to school if you like, as far as I am concerned, even to our
friends of the sectarian world, and if they can exert a stronger
influence than you with your prayers and instruction, and the parental
tie that binds them to you, it will be something very singular, and I
do not believe they can do it.

Vol. 17,  p.356
One young minister, a very kind, gentlemanly man, has appeared among
us down in Sanpete. I have not a word to say against his morality or
behavior, it is all very nice, and to all appearance he is a polished
gentleman. He has spoken in several of our settlements, and, in his
way, has endeavored to teach the people. Said I, on one occasion, to
Bishop Peterson, "What did you think of that man's sermon last night?"
I did not happen to be there. Brother Peterson's reply was—"So far as
morality was concerned it could not be beat; but when you come to
doctrine and principle he was entirely ignorant. Our little children
know better." In order that this minister might be properly posted
with regard to some of our doctrines, I took the liberty of sending
him the Deseret News, containing an excellent argumentative discourse
by brother Orson Pratt. I did that for the purpose of informing his
mind in reference to the arguments be would have to meet and
controvert if he successfully prosecuted his labors in this country. I
hope and I expect that he read it, for it certainly would not do
anybody any harm to read it.

Vol. 17,  p.356
Brethren and sisters, I will not detain you longer. My remarks have
perhaps been a little scattering, but scattering shot sometimes hit
more birds than a rifle shot. Suffice it to say, you have my best
wishes for your success and prosperity. May peace be with you, and God
bless you and me, and the Twelve, and the servants of God with whom we
have labored from the beginning; and may our lives be spun out as long
as they tend to the honor and glory of God. And that we may obtain a
mansion and crown in the realms of bliss, is my prayer in the name of
Jesus. Amen.[p.357] 

Charles C. Rich, April 6, 1875

The Gathering—Knowledge of Salvation Enjoyed By the 
Latter-Day Saints—Build Up the Kingdom of God

Remarks By Elder Charles C. Rich, Delivered at the 
Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Tuesday Morning, April 6, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.357
I have been gratified this morning in listening to the instructions
that we have received in relation to the principles of life and
salutation. It is no doubt the desire of every individual to obtain
eternal life in the kingdom of God. But to do this it is necessary
that we hear and obey the commandments which he has given on this
subject, as well as on the manner of building up this kingdom upon the
earth. In every dispensation of God to man he has had purposes for his
people to fulfill, and a labor for them to perform, and those purposes
and that labor have not always been the same in every respect; but as
far as the principles of eternal life are concerned, they have been
and will be the same from all eternity to all eternity. When Noah was
upon the earth he was required to build an ark; Enoch to build a city;
the Prophets, in their several dispensations, had a labor to perform,
varying somewhat according to the nature of the circumstances by which
they and the people to whom they were sent were surrounded. The
Apostles, chosen by the Savior, had to proclaim the everlasting Gospel
to all the world, and the same may be said of the servants of God in
our day. But in every dispensation those who have been willing to
receive the everlasting Gospel have been required to sanctify
themselves by living according to its precepts, that they might
prepare themselves for the coming of the Lord.

Vol. 17,  p.357
As we have been told, the dispensation in which we are living is one
of great importance—it is the dispensation of the fulness of times, in
which all things which are in Christ will be gathered together, both
those which are in heaven and those which are on the earth. The labor
which is required of the Saints can not be performed short of their
being gathered together, for it is absolutely necessary that they
should, in all things, observe the commands of God in building up his
kingdom here on the earth, which they could not do while in a
scattered condition. The building up of the kingdom of God upon the
earth, is a labor which will require all our time and attention, and
our best efforts, and we have no time to idle away or to spend in
foolishness, but our eyes should be continually single to the glory of
[p.358] God, and our efforts should be as the efforts of one man for
the accomplishment of his purposes.

Vol. 17,  p.358
We meet together in Conference for the express purpose of taking these
matters into consideration, and of being instructed in our duties and
in the requirements made upon us by our heavenly Father in spreading
forth his Gospel among the nations, that the honest in heart therein
may hear and embrace them and be gathered out with the Saints, and
thus have a better opportunity of accomplishing their mission upon the
earth. I esteem such opportunities as the present as glorious, and as
a means of great blessing to us all. How is it possible for us to
build up God's kingdom on the earth unless he directs our labors, and
bestows upon us the influence and guidance of his Holy Spirit? It is
not possible; and as the labor which he requires of us is of the
greatest interest and importance to us, and indeed to all of the
inhabitants of the earth, it behooves us to seek diligently unto him
that we may become the honored instruments in his hands of building up
his kingdom. This is no mere fancy or chimera on the part of the
Latter-day Saints. We know that among the sects of the Christian world
there is nothing certain about the life to come, or about their
acceptance with God. The most they attain to in this respect is a mere
hope—they hope they are accepted, and they trust their sins are
forgiven; but with the faithful Latter-day Saints the case is very
different—they know and can bear testimony by the gift and power of
God that they are right in his sight; they know they have received the
everlasting Gospel; they know that they are laboring in accordance
with his mind and will, and they know that they are building up his
kingdom here on the earth. This knowledge is a source of joy
unspeakable to the Saints, and possessing it they can leave native
lands, homes and possessions, parents, friends and everything they
value and hold dear, if necessary, in order to perform and accomplish
the labor which the Lord requires at their hands.

Vol. 17,  p.358
The principles which have been laid before us this morning in regard
to our becoming a self-sustaining people, are plain and easy to be
comprehended. They are self-evident to every reflecting mind, and are
worthy of our earnest attention, for while we are dependent upon
others for this, that and the other which is indispensable to our
well-being and comfort, we can plainly see that our course is not only
not the most advantageous to ourselves, but also that it is not the
most pleasing to our heavenly Father, for in the revelations given by
him in the early rise of this Church, his Saints were requested to
pursue such a course in their home affairs as would make them
self-sustaining. We have seen times in our experience here in this
Territory, when it has been extremely difficult for us to obtain from
abroad many things which we needed, and there is little doubt that we
shall see such times again in the future; hence the very great
necessity to adopt a policy in regard to temporal matters that will
free us from the inconveniences that would arise in such a
contingency, and that can only he done by producing as far as
possible, according to our circumstances and the possibilities of our
climate and Territory, everything that we need to sustain ourselves in
comfort and convenience.

Vol. 17,  p.358
In the Gospel we find a remedy for every evil. A faithful observance
of its principles will eventually free and deliver us from the [p.359]
consequence of every evil practice; and the principles of the Gospel
we believe in are easy to adopt, and they are as applicable to a
community as to an individual. We are told that in union there is
strength; then, if as a community we will go to and, as the heart of
one man, carry out the counsels of the servants of God, it will be
easy for us to avoid any difficulties which we otherwise might have to
encounter. A glance at matters abroad in the world will show the
difficulties which the people everywhere have to contend with, and if
we could trace them to their source, we should no doubt find that they
arise through the absence of the principle of union; and one of the
principal reasons of the great difference between us and them is, that
we observe this principle much more generally and perfectly than they
do, and hence we free ourselves from many of the difficulties and
troubles under which they labor. This union will become stronger among
us, in temporal as well as spiritual affairs, in proportion as we
observe and keep the commandments and counsels of our heavenly Father.
He has said that his Saints should become the richest of all people.
But how will this be brought about? If we follow our former notions,
and the notions of the world in general, what more can we do than they
have done? We might say, simply, that we could bring about the very
same result here as they have there; but that would not spread comfort
and happiness, so far as temporal things are concerned, among the
whole of his people, and hence if his promise unto us on this subject
is ever fulfilled, it will only be by our following his counsel in all
things.

Vol. 17,  p.359
How thankful we should be that we live in an age of the world when God
is again willing to speak to his people, and to tell them what he
requires of them! I say, what a blessing this is to the Saints, and to
the whole world if they would receive it! But it is written that as it
was in the days of Noah, so should it be in the days of the coming of
the Son of Man. This was verily so—the people were not willing to
hearken to him, they would not believe his testimony, neither would
they receive his counsel. It is measurably so in our own times. The
world at large manifest the same unwillingness to receive the counsel
of heaven as they have done in any preceding age. But a few have been
ready and willing to receive the testimony of the servants of God, and
they have been gathered out from the nations for the express purpose
of preparing themselves for the coming of the Lord, and to engage in
the labor of building up his kingdom upon the earth, and also to do a
work for the salvation of those who have gone before. Then it is for
us as Latter-day Saints, to hearken to the voice of God, and to give
diligent heed to all things which he has proclaimed to, and which he
requires of, us in these days. If we take this course, his blessings,
which have been bestowed upon us liberally in the past, will be
dispensed more abundantly. In these things we have a right to rejoice,
and as Saints of the Most High God we do rejoicer in the knowledge of
the fact that his hand has been over us from the day that the Church
was organized with six members unto the present time. His hand has
been visibly manifest in our behalf, and his blessings have been
showered upon us, and we have been led by his power and dictated by
hie servants all the day long. If this had not been so, we should not
have occupied the enviable position which we occupy to-day, our
enemies would [p.360] have overcome us long ago. But the outstretched
arm of the God we serve has been over us, and his mercies and
blessings have been freely bestowed upon us, and we have been
sustained, and we shall be from this time forward. We have need to
exercise faith; we have need to put our trust in him, and we have need
to labor as he directs us. I presume that the feeling of all who have
received a knowledge of the truth of the Gospel, is to do everything
that the Lord requires of them, and that they will devote all their
energies of body and mind to the building up of his kingdom here upon
the earth.

Vol. 17,  p.360
That we may pursue this course and adopt this policy, and perform the
labors that may be continually required of us, and ultimately be saved
and exalted in the celestial kingdom of God, is my prayer in the name
of Jesus. Amen.

Brigham Young, April 7, 1875

Temporal Affairs—Consistency Necessary in Business

Remarks By President Brigham Young, Delivered at the 
Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, on Wednesday Afternoon, April 7, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.360
There is a little matter of some importance to lay before the
Conference, concerning those little insects that have done so much
injury to our fruit the Just two years. I mean what are called the
codling moths. We had better go to work and see whether we can destroy
them: and when we have done all we can, perhaps we may have faith that
the Lord will rebuke the devourer. We wish to recommend the people who
have orchards, in this county and throughout the valleys of the
mountains, to meet together and enter into some arrangements and adopt
such mensures as will enable us to destroy these little pests. I
recommend that brother Woodruff give out an appointment for a meeting
of all who are engaged in raising fruit. Brother Woodruff is the
President of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, and I
should like for him and all interested in this subject to confer
together and adopt such plans as they may think necessary and best to
kill, not only the millers, but the worms before they become millers.
They put me in mind of what I heard brother Kimball say, some years
ago, at the time the revelation on celestial marriage [p.361] was
published. Brother Kimball got to talking upon celestial marriage, and
he made a comparison; said he—"The cat is out of the bag; and that is
not all—this cat is going to have kittens; and that is not all, those
kittens are going to have cats." Well, these worms make millers, and
the millers make worms, and if we wish to get rid of them we must go
to work and kill both of them off. I want to have arrangements made
for destroying these insects before Conference adjourns, while the
brethren are assembled here from the various parts of the Territory.

Vol. 17,  p.361
There is another item I wish to bring before this Conference, and
especially before the brethren and sisters who have stock in Zion's
Co-operative Mercantile Institution. There was quite a number of them
together on Monday last, and the desire universally expressed on that
occasion was in favor of continuing the business. If we do, I have
some propositions to make; and, as I suppose there are as many of the
stockholders here this afternoon as were together on Monday, and
perhaps a good many more, I will make them now. I propose to the
brethren and sisters that we build a house to do our trading in, and
that we own it and pay no rent. I also propose that we get clerks who
will wait upon the people and do right; and then I propose that we go
to that place and do our trading; and if we want a cent's worth of
candy, get it; if we want a dollar's worth of maple sugar, and they
have it, get it; and if we want five yards of calico, have clerks who
will cut it off for the person who wants it and will pay for it.

Vol. 17,  p.361
Our brethren who are engaged in the retail trade may say—"You are
going to make a retail store of this." Yes, for ourselves and for all
who will patronize it.

Vol. 17,  p.361
My proposition is that we build this store independent of the capital
stock; we have none too much of that, and would rather add to it than
not; and we will get our business settled up just as quickly as
possible, and as fast as possible do our purchasing abroad upon a
ready cash principle, without asking credit.

Vol. 17,  p.361
I have said, not only to my brethren here, but to our creditors in the
city of New York, "If you have any dubiety or fears with regard to
crediting this Institution, I am very much obliged to you for having
them, and I hope and pray that you will never trust it any more." I do
not wish to injure the credit of the Institution, but I wish that we
could not get anybody to trust us, but that we would do our trading
altogether upon the ready money principle. We are perfectly able to do
it, and could have done it from the beginning, if we had taken the
course that we should have taken, and never asked credit, and never
traded beyond our means. It is within my knowledge and the knowledge
of thousands of this people that this institution has saved our
community from one to three millions annually in prices. Our merchants
have hearts that are too elastic, entirely too elastic; they are so
elastic that they do not ask what they can afford to sell an article
for, but they ask what they can get the people to pay; and as much as
the people will pay, so much will the merchants take—a hundred, or a
thousand per cent., if they can get it, and then thank God for their
success. They put me in mind of some men I have seen who, when they
had a chance to buy a widow's cow for ten cents on the dollar of her
real value in cash, would make the [p.362] purchase, and then thank
the Lord that he had so blessed them. Such men belong to the class of
Christians referred to on one occasion by Charles Gunn; and, if you
will excuse me, I will tell you what he said about them. He said that
"hell was full of such Christians."

Vol. 17,  p.362
Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution has saved an immense amount
of means to this community, and we wish to continue the business,
hence I propose that we put up a building, and then, instead of paying
somebody in New York, St. Louis, Sacramento or San Francisco, three,
four, five, six or eight thousand dollars to insure it, that we insure
it ourselves and save that money. I will tell you why; if another man
can make money by taking my means and insuring my property, I
certainly can save as much as he can make, consequently I keep my
money and do not insure my property. I have about as many buildings as
anyone in this Territory, and I never yet paid a dollar to insure one
of them, or any of my property, or myself. My faith is to build a
house so that it will not take fire; but when I ride round here and
see stovepipes running through the roofs of houses and through wooden
partitions, as many of them do, I do not wonder that we want fire
companies. If I had the dictation of the building of a city there
never would be any use for a fire company, and never any need to have
an insurance company, but we need save all this clerk hire and the
expense of keeping large offices. What a saving that would be to the
people! Build your houses and your cities so that they will not take
fire unless you purposely set them on fire. When we see an insurance
sign over a door, and then read a list informing us that hundreds or
thousands have insured, say in this city, then we may look for fires.
Some will get their buildings insured as high as possible, and then
they will accidentally take fire on purpose. Some of you recollect a
circumstance which transpired here some years ago. Certain merchants
got broken up with their pockets full of money, and they had a large
amount of pork on hand, but they could not sell it. Finally they got
it insured and stowed it away in a cellar belonging to brother Branch,
who lived near to the Seventies' Hall. The pork got on fire in the
cellar and was burned up, and all the insurance in the world could not
put out the fire, But the house would not burn, and how they could
burn the pork without burning the house, was a mystery to me. Whether
they got the insurance money I do not know. These are facts right
before us, and ought to teach us a lesson.

Vol. 17,  p.362
If we call for the brethren and sisters who hold stock in the
Institution, we shall expect them to meet together and decide with
regard to building a house in which to do our trading.

Vol. 17,  p.362
I think we had better hold our Conference during the continuance of
this wintry weather, and wait until it moderates before we adjourn to
go home.[p.363] 

Erastus Snow, April 7, 1875

Self-Reliance—Help the Feeble—Keep Out of Debt

Discourse By Elder Erastus Snow, Delivered at the 
Forty-Fifth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Wednesday Afternoon, April 7, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.363
If I can be heard I desire to make myself understood, for I have a tow
reflections to present to the people. I love this people, because I am
persuaded that the very great majority of them are seeking after
truth. We desire to improve and to pursue the path that will lead us
onward and upward in the scale of being, to develop the powers within
us that pertain to the Godhead, created as we are in his image,
bearing in mind this injunction of one of the Apostles—"Let this same
mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, when he found
himself in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with
him." No other people that I have any knowledge of upon the earth have
such faith, such aspirations, such hope for the future as the
Latter-day Saints possess, as is taught us in the sacred books of our
holy religion, and as was taught us by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and
which are manifested by the Holy Ghost in us. We look for greater
things than any other people; and we must labor to develop within
ourselves and within our children the gifts and powers that are within
us, and which are embraced in our faith. Anything, therefore, that
serves to stultify us in any wise tend downward rather than upward.

Vol. 17,  p.363
The subject of self-reliance was spoken of this morning, in our
individual capacity and in our family relationships; yesterday brother
Wells gave us some very excellent instructions, some beautiful truths,
touching national or political economy, portraying the necessity that
exists for nations, or communities like ours, becoming
self-sustaining, self-reliant, and taking a course to be free from
bondage and oppression and of being needlessly beholden to others,
and, instead of letting our eyes wander to the ends of the earth,
lusting after everything we see or hear of, educating and training
ourselves to so curtail our wants that we can supply them by our own
industry. What is true of nations and communities is true of
individuals, and the principles applicable in one case are so in the
other; and unless these principles are appreciated and applied in our
individual and family capacity, they will not be in our larger
national capacities. As communities, that which stands chiefly in our
way is the pride of life—the natural ambition that is within us, which
in and of itself is a godlike [p.364] and noble principle, prompting
us to go forward and to imitate those who are higher and further
advanced than ourselves. It is this which stimulates nations,
communities, families and individuals to improve. But there is a true
line of demarcation which we should learn to tread, and, as far as in
us lies, we should neither vary to the right hand nor to the left from
that true line; if we do we shall receive the reward of our error.

Vol. 17,  p.364
To say that we are not mutually dependent upon each other, is to say
that which is not strictly true; and I believe that our Father has
organized us and society so that we should be mutually dependent, in
order to cherish those principles of friendship, love, charity and
brotherly kindness, and those noble social qualities that make us feel
that we are one family, the children of one parent, and tending to one
common end, and that we are in duty bound to work for each other as
well as for ourselves. But the Lord requires no man or set of men to
sacrifice themselves for others entirely, nor does he justify any man
or people in leaning entirely upon others and doing nothing for
themselves. In all the works of God we see this principle predominant.
He has made ample provision upon this earth for all the inhabitants
thereof to become self-sustaining, by using the bounties and gifts
which he has bestowed upon them, and putting forth their hands and
appropriating to their use the elements of life and prosperity with
which they are surrounded; and though he permits the birds of the air
and the fowls to prey a little upon our crops, and to pick the berries
that grow in the mountains, yet even these have to arouse themselves
from their nests and go in quest of their food, and all God's
creatures on the earth are required to exercise the powers and
faculties they possess to avail themselves of the bounties which
heaven has so plentifully placed upon the earth for their sustenance.
Industry is required of us, and coupled with industry, frugality and
economy, without which the rewards of industry are squandered and
lost. Industry, frugality and economy are parts and portions of our
faith and holy religion. We are dependent upon our Father and God for
our being, and all our faculties; for the earth, our dwelling place,
and the elements around us; but, in order to avail ourselves of these
blessings, he requires us to use the faculties we possess, to be
industrious, economical and prudent, and to exemplify that charity and
brotherly love which pertain to our holy religion. The Lord has said
that the idler shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the
laborer. One of the rules of the United Order says—"Thou shalt pay thy
brother for that which thou hast of him;" and those rules not only
make it obligatory to pay or discharge our present indebtedness, as
fast as in us lies, but henceforth to contract no debt beyond our
ability to pay, or without having a reasonable prospect before us of
fulfilling our engagements. These principles become necessary not only
to be spoken of, but to be treasured and lived up to in order to
preserve and maintain confidence between us as brethren, and to
entitle us to the consideration of friends and brethren to assist us
when our time of adversity shall come.

Vol. 17,  p.364
Those who are entitled either to free education, free meals, free
clothing, or to be freely housed, entertained, comforted and blessed,
are those who are industrious, prudent, frugal, using the faculties
they possess, but who, through sickness, misfortune, or old age, are
[p.365] unable to minister to their own wants; or children of tender
age who require the care of parents, friends or guardians. To all
others it may be said—Bear your own burdens; and we may also quote the
words of the Apostle Paul, when he says—"Bear one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ;" also in another place the same
author says—"Let every man bear his own burden." Both are true and
correct when we understand how to apply them correctly. Let all men
and all women bear their own burdens according to their strength, and
when that fails let somebody else take hold and help them and So
fulfill the law of Christ. So let every father and mother begin the
work of education with their offspring, and teach them to bear their
own burdens at the earliest practicable day, and let them begin to
learn and receive this practical education of which our President gave
us such illustrations this forenoon, such an education, both physical
and mental, as shall fit them for all the practical duties of life.
Let no mother, in her misplaced sympathy and her love, and her anxiety
to serve her offspring, wear herself needlessly out in waiting upon
them when they are able to wait upon themselves; but make such
provision as is necessary, which children are not able to make
themselves, and teach them to wait upon and serve themselves, and also
repay their father and mother for the labor bestowed upon them. Let
them have a place for their hats, bonnets and clothing to be hung up
in, and instead of going round the house after them, picking up their
shoes and other things, take them and, if necessary, spank them, and
make John understand that it is his duty to hang up his hat, and Sally
to put her sunbonnet in its proper place. And when they want a drink,
let them understand that there is the cup and there is the pump, and
teach them to help themselves, and bring a drink to mother, instead of
mother waiting upon them; and so commence and so continue that
practical education. And when they are able to begin to hoe the
potatoes and sow the onions, teach them how to do it instead of doing
it all yourselves, and leaving them to lie in the shade or to run
round the streets, wearing out shoe leather and learning mischief. If
you are too old and feeble to take the lead in the performance of
these several labors take your rocking chair into the shade under a
tree somewhere, and sit and give directions and tell james or John
what to do and how to do it.

Vol. 17,  p.365
This practical education has been before this people all the days of
our lives; Or I will say that our President and leader has kept
prominently before us the great and important lessons of
self-reliance. His doctrine has always been that the best way to
relieve the poor is to show them how to help themselves. To continue
to hand out your food and your substance to the beggar who comes to
your doors without putting him in a position to help himself and to
supply his own wants is to encourage him in folly and wickedness, and
is throwing away the blessings of heaven which God has placed in your
hands. Shall we not teed the hungry? Yes. Shall we not receive the
stranger into our gates? Yes. If any come along who are weary, hungry,
without money and need relief, shall we minister to their wants? Yes.
Shall we feed them? Yes. Shall we give them rest? Yes. Warm them by
our fires? Yes. Let them stay and rest themselves under our roof?
Yes.[p.366] How long? Until they are able to begin and do something to
help themselves. And supposing, when they have stayed one night and
had their suppers, and their breakfast next morning, then dinner, and
supper again, and then stay another night, and finally, finding that
they fare very well, they want to stop altogether, then we should say,
"Here is a spade, go and dig that ditch," or, "take this axe and cut
that wood," "take this team and haul a lead of wood," or put them to
something by which they may use their powers and minister to their own
wants; and if they demur at this then say—"Well, you can go without
eating until you are willing to hoe the potatoes; you can go out and
cut your own wood, make your own fires and camp where you please, you
can not have shelter loafer under my roof, the good things which God
has given me are to bless and happify my fellowman, not to encourage
vagrancy and idleness."

Vol. 17,  p.366
These are no new principles before the Latter-day Saints. Our motto is
"The Hive of Deseret," and here is the place for the working bees, the
place where they sting the drones to death. There has been a tendency
with some of us for a few years past to try and live by our wits, or
with as little physical labor as possible, and to watch the corners of
the streets and various places for some advantage, or some way or
other by which we may obtain something for nothing; and some
succeed—they find some unsuspecting person ignorant of the value of
things, and they obtain something for nothing, something that is
valuable for that which possesses very little value. I speak not in
reference to legitimate trading. There is a legitimate trade and
traffic recognized by all right thinking men of the world everywhere.
A legitimate interchange of commodities is profitable to all and makes
all better off, and it is as necessary to the prosperity of any people
as any other class of labor. In my present remarks I refer to that
class the members of which, in common California parlance, are called
bummers and hoodlums. Some among us have been in the habit of giving
way to this spirit too much, and when the re-acting comes we are
repaid for our folly. We are in the habit too, of allowing ambition to
prompt us to make improvements and to build for ourselves convenient
and tasteful habitations; to adorn our persons, and those of our
families. This is all noble and good, but in our efforts in this
direction some of us overreach ourselves, that is, we go beyond the
means which are legitimately at our command. We run a little too fast
and we stumble, and by and by we find that there is an accumulation of
debts upon us.

Vol. 17,  p.366
The credit system has always seemed to me to be an evil to mankind in
general. To the capitalists, who accumulate so much means that they
can not take care of it, the credit system is a benefit, for they
trust it to others to speculate upon, and so distribute it more or
less through the community. In this respect the credit system may not
be altogether without benefit to the world at large. But as for our
community, composed mainly of laboring people, of comparatively small
means, depending upon our industry, economy and frugality for all that
we have and for all that we expect to have, I am persuaded that the
credit system is and always has been a positive evil, though there may
be even among us exceptional cases. But I am satisfied in my own mind
that it is better for us to pay as we go, instead of obtaining credit
from either brethren or [p.367] strangers, and so endanger our
freedom. We have done this too much, and in a great many instances our
possessions are mortgaged to pay for our past follies. We have ceased
to be free, we are in bondage, for debt is a yoke of bondage to all
those who are brought under it, though some wear it much lighter than
others. Some adopt the philosophy—"Let those worry whom I owe," while
others adopt the philosophy of worrying because they owe, and they are
greatly troubled about procuring the means to pay their debts. It is
for the benefit of this class I speak, the other class is to be
shunned. Let those who are troubled about paying their debts take
warning and, having once had their fingers in the fire, be careful
about putting them in again; and let all who still have them in the
fire, and feel the smart, be as prompt and diligent as possible in
freeing themselves from this yoke of bondage, and discharging their
debts. This credit system involves us all more or less. Our great
mercantile institution, in attempting to supply the wants of this
great community, is under the necessity of resorting to the common
credit system of the commercial world; and our several co-operative
associations in the settlements throughout the Territory wish to avail
themselves of the same privileges, and ask for time. They want goods
on credit. And then in our individual and family relationship we adopt
the same principle, and we think it hard if our home merchants do not
extend to us the same privilege; and the wife and child are teasing
the husband and father for this, that and the other from the stores,
whether he has the means to pay for it or not.

Vol. 17,  p.367
What is the remedy for all this? To my mind the proper remedy for this
is for us to educate ourselves into the feeling that we can do without
things until we are able to pay for them; that if we need a hat we
will try and make one out of bamboo, straw, leaves, or imitate the
Indians and use the covering that nature has provided for us. If we
need shoes and can not pay for them, that we will patch up the old
ones, or, if we can't do that, we will find some buckskin, or go
barefoot, for barefoot came we into the world, and it mattereth not
whether we have any shoes when we go out. If our clothes are getting
scarce, hunt up the old ones and patch them up and make them last
until we have earned enough to buy some new ones.

Vol. 17,  p.367
But says the wife, or perhaps the husband, and if not they, then the
sons and daughters—"Neighbor so and so has got a new bonnet, and my
playmate yonder has got a new hat, and somebody else has a new pair of
boots and I do not see why I am not just as good as they are;" and
says the wife—"my children are just as good as the neighbors'
children, and if they can have new hats, shoes or clothing, mine
shall, and if father has not the means to pay for them he must run in
debt for them at the store."

Vol. 17,  p.367
This is not the doctrine, or the system of education I would inculcate
among this people, for it tends to bondage, and downward rather than
upward, because it leads to dishonesty; for when we are in debt the
tempter tempts us to resort to dishonorable, unrighteous means to free
ourselves therefrom. And furthermore, if we will indulge in every lust
of the eye and yield to the pride of life, and seek to gratify them
beyond our legitimate means, the tempter prompts us to resort to
lying, swindling, thieving and all manner of mischief to supply and
gratify these wants. It is an old and truthful [p.368] adage that
honesty is the best policy. I would apply it to nations, communities
and individuals.

Vol. 17,  p.368
In days of commercial prosperity, when capital is being diffused, and
men of means use both capital and credit for great achievements, such
as building railroads, towns, cities, factories, mills, etc., then is
the time we are allured on to excesses. Prosperous times, high
interest, big dividends and great bargains stimulate others to seek
after the same things, and not unfrequently resort to unjustifiable
means to acquire them. It is not best for us to go out into the
mountains to hunt nuggets of gold; it is far better for us to go out
and find a few raspberries, or a place to sow some onions or to plant
some potatoes. These would supply our wants in a moderate way, without
crazing our brain. But nuggets of gold turn the heads of many to leave
their legitimate pursuit and follow a phantom. Nuggets of gold are not
to be met with very often, and where one person finds one, ten
thousand spend months hunting for them but never find one. But ten
thousand might sow onions and plant potatoes and perhaps not more than
one, unless through folly and neglect, would fail to reap the fruit of
his labors. It is not great dividends that are going to make either
the United Order, or any of our co-operative associations prosperous,
permanent and successful, but honesty and straightforward business
habits, and contentment with reasonable profits and rewards for our
labors. 

Vol. 17,  p.368
The last year or two has been a time of pecuniary stress, not only
throughout this community, but more or less in all parts of the land,
though perhaps the effects of the re-action of this overtrading is
felt in this community after it has been felt and measurably overcome
in the great central marts of commerce. This community, on the
outskirts of this great credit system, is now feeling the pressure of
that re-action. What should we do to afford relief? It is not to be
expected that either our banks or our great trading institutions can
bear this strain alone; they have not been brought into this condition
by their own acts which they could have well remedied, it has been by
the acts of this whole community in over-trading, over-living,
exceeding their legitimate bounds in every respect, and the weight and
strain of this re-action centres upon these great central institutions
which we lean upon. They must not go down, for if they do we go with
them, and we all suffer. We must commence to remedy the evil where the
evil commenced, and that is at home, by retrenchment. Every man and
every woman must pay their debts as soon as possible, and instead of
hunting around for opportunities to contract new ones they must hunt
around for means to pay their old ones, and let every dollar be used
for that purpose before new debts are contracted; and do without the
sugar, tea, coffee, boots, hats, bonnets, ribbons and clothing until
the old scores are wiped out.

Vol. 17,  p.368
God bless you. Amen.[p.369] 

John Taylor, April 8, 1875

Man, the Offspring of God, a Dual Being—Immediate 
Revelation—Operate With the Priesthood

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered at the Forty-Fifth 
Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City Thursday Morning, April 8, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 17,  p.369
We have met together, as is our wont, on this Conference occasion, to
speak and to hear, to deliberate, to reflect, and to teach principles
and doctrines that are calculated to benefit and bless, to comfort,
cheer and direct the Saints of the Most High, here and throughout the
world. But in our meetings, and in our teachings and instructions we
need, to-day as much as we ever did, to be under the guidance and
direction of the Almighty. There is no man living, and there never was
a man living, who was capable of teaching the things of God only as he
was taught, instructed and directed by the spirit of revelation
proceeding from the Almighty. And then there are no people competent
to receive true intelligence and to form a correct judgment in
relation to the sacred principles of eternal life, unless they are
under the influence of the same spirit, and hence speakers and hearers
are all in the hands of the Almighty.

Vol. 17,  p.369
We are met together for the purpose of trying to benefit each other,
old and young, and the generation thus now lives, the generations that
have lived, and those who will live hereafter; for there is something
in the Gospel of the Son of God that is wide and expansive, and that
extends to all circumstances and situations in life. It embraces the
past, the present and the future, and in its principles we, both as
individuals and as a community, are immediately interested; and so in
fact are all the world, if they could only comprehend the situation.
We occupy a peculiar position among the nations of the earth. Our
faith and its doctrines and principles are different from those of any
other religious body in many particulars; our prospects, our hopes of
the future, and our ideas respecting man's present and past differ
very materially from the ideas on the same subjects which are
entertained by other people. We are not the originators of the
peculiar ideas that we believe in, or of the peculiar doctrines which
we inculcate. We happen to live in an age of the world when, in the
economy of God, certain principles have to be introduced for the
accomplishment of his purposes, as a part of the great work he has
been engaged in from the time before the world was framed)or "the
morning stars sang together for joy." Certain events have to be
brought about; certain circumstances have to transpire; certain
doctrines have to [p.370] be made known, that we may operate in our
day with the Almighty in the accomplishment of his designs. The
principles of salvation are not so narrow and contracted as some men
suppose. God is not contracted in his ideas, feelings, or general
dealings with the human family. The Scriptures say that "we are all
his offspring," no matter who we are, or when or where we lived upon
the earth. God is the God and Father of all flesh, and consequently he
feels interested in the welfare of all humanity, no matter of what
age, clime, nation or people; and he has seen proper in the last days,
in which we live, to reveal certain principles which were revealed in
former ages to other peoples and under other circumstances; and as it
was in former days, so in these—he has given these revelations to man
for the accomplishment of his designs upon the earth; hence these
revelations are of great importance, and while we are called to take
an active part in bringing to pass certain events in the programme of
the Almighty, we are as much dependent upon him for guidance,
sustenance, intelligence and protection as any other people, and
before we get through we shall find out that it is not in man to
direct his own steps. We are all of us dependent, for all things, upon
our heavenly Father. We are only an integral part of, and are
operating in and with others, according to our intelligence, in our
sphere, in the great plan which God organized before the world was,
and in which all mankind, of all ages and nations, are deeply
interested.

Vol. 17,  p.370
We talk about the Gospel of the Son of God, and there are many curious
ideas and theories prevalent among mankind in relation to it. The
Gospel is not something new, or that never existed until Jesus Christ
came upon the earth; but it is an eternal principle, and it has a
Priesthood associated with it which, like the Gospel itself, is
without beginning of days or end of years. When God organized the
world he had in his mind certain ideas and plans which he calculated
to bring about in relation to the inhabitants who should live upon it;
and the first great commandment that was given to them was to "be
fruitful, multiply, and to replenish the earth, to have dominion over
the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, and everything that
creeps upon the face of the earth." Man was created in the image of
God, and he was the offspring of Deity himself, and consequently made
in his likeness; and being made in that likeness, be was a son of God,
and the very object of his being planted upon the earth was that he
might multiply. Why? That the spirits which had existed with their
heavenly Father might have tabernacles to inhabit and become mortal,
and, through the possession of these tabernacles and the plan of
salvation, that they might be raised to greater dignity, glory and
exaltation than it would be possible for them to enjoy without these;
and hence, though a man was made a little lower than the angels, the
time will come when he will be a little higher than many angels, for
the Apostle says, in speaking of those who had received the Gospel,
"Know ye not that ye shall judge angels?" God had a purpose,
therefore, in the organization of this earth, and in the placing of
man upon it, and he has never deviated one hair to the right or to the
left in regard to man and his destiny from that time until the
present. He is eternal and unchangeable, and so are his ideas in
regard to the world that we inhabit and mankind who live upon it; and
he [p.371] has been seeking, from the commencement of creation to the
present time, to benefit mankind, just as much as it was in his power
to accomplish, consistent with certain laws governing and regulating
the same, that he could not violate any more than we can.

Vol. 17,  p.371
There are certain ideas that men entertain pertaining to the world
that we live in, that it is enough for them if they have only
something to eat, drink and wear. These ideas, of a sensual nature,
men seem to be governed by to a very great extent. Jesus, in his day,
said to the people, and to his disciples especially—"Take no thought
for the morrow, what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, or wherewithal
ye shall be clothed, for after all these things do the Gentiles seek."
That is the acme of their zeal, energy, struggles, perseverance and
thought. "What shall we eat, what shall we drink, and wherewithal
shall we be clothed?" Said Jesus—"Consider the lilies of the field
they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet Solomon in all his glory
was not arrayed like one of these." God takes care of the beasts and
the fowls, the creeping things, and of everything that lives and moves
upon the earth; he regularly provides for them their breakfast, dinner
and supper, and if he did not do it they would have to go without. He
provides for us also, and has taken care of us from our birth up to
the present time, and we are not so independent as many of us think we
are in very many particulars. Witness, for instance, our breathing. We
breathe what we call the breath of life; is it by any action of ours?
God made us and planted that principle within us, and sleeping or
waking our lungs continue to ply. There is something remarkable about
it. I have sometimes gazed upon an old man, just on the verge of
eternity, perhaps seventy, eighty, or ninety years of age, and I have
watched the beating of his pulse, the drawing of the breath and the
sight of the eye. His breath has been inhaled all the years of his
life, not through any agency or volition of his own, but simply by the
organism which God made and gave to him. Our pulse beats in the same
way, from hour to hour, minute to minute, and our blood flows from the
heart to the extreme parts of the system simply by the energy and
vitality which God imparts. When we come to examine ourselves we are
not so independent after all. What have we to do with the functions of
digestion, and many other things connected with the human system? In
God we live, in God we move, and from God we have our being, and let
him withdraw the breath of life and the pulse stops beating, and in a
short time we become helpless, inanimate clay. We are not very
independent, we are all of us in the hands of God, and when he
withdraws the vital power we go to decay.

Vol. 17,  p.371
God is watching over us, and he is watching over his people. We
realize that we possess certain faculties and powers of mind, and
these and the power of conveying them to the brain, or thought and
reflection, comes from God; we are indebted to him for every power we
have, and so are all the inhabitants of the earth; and as I have
already said, he has been seeking to benefit the human family just as
much as lay in his power, from the beginning until the present time.

Vol. 17,  p.371
The first thing was—"Multiply and replenish the earth." Then, by and
by, through the power of Satan, who I suppose was a necessary
influence [p.372] to be used, or he would not have been there, men's
minds got estranged from God, and every imagination of the thoughts of
their hearts was evil and it was necessary that they should be cut off
and that God should commence another seed, and that those men who
lived at that time should not have the power to propagate their
species in unrighteousness and entail misery upon their posterity. Why
so? Because man is a dual being, possessed of a body and a spirit,
having to do with time and eternity. Whether we think about and
reflect upon, or believe it or not, it makes no difference. We existed
before we came here; we exist here in another form from what we did
then, and we shall live in another and different sphere when we leave
here, whether we believe it or not; and no action of ours can alter
it, and no matter what our thoughts and reflections on this subject
may be, they will not change the course of the Great Jehovah in regard
to man.

Vol. 17,  p.372
Well, when God found that the people were transgressing his laws
continually, and that they were raising up a posterity who followed in
the same path, to prevent justice being done to spirits unborn by
those who were in the flesh, he cut them off and raised up another
seed; and change has succeeded change, and God has dealt with nations
and with individuals according to his wisdom for the best good of the
human family. He raised up Abraham, and Moses; and by and by Jesus
came to accomplish certain objects, and to restore the Gospel, which
had been lost in consequence of transgression. Jesus preached the
Gospel. Was it right? Yes. Why did it not continue? I do not know, but
it did not continue, and the Prophets said it would not, and one of
them prophesied that a certain power would seek to make war with the
Saints of God, and that it would prevail against them, and that they
would be given into his hands until a time, and times, and the
dividing of a time. And then other events had to transpire, and other
plans and principles had to be introduced, and by and by the time came
for the restoration of the Gospel again, and Joseph Smith was raised
up, and through him the revelations of God and the Priesthood were
restored, the same Priesthood that Jesus had, and which existed upon
the earth long before his day. There was nothing new about it. Why,
Adam, before he left the earth, gathered his people together in the
Valley of Adam-ondi-ah-man, and the curtain of eternity was unfolded
before him, and he gazed upon all events pertaining to his
descendants, which should transpire in every subsequent period of
time, and he prophesied to them. He saw the flood and its desolating
influence; he saw the introduction again of a people in the days of
Noah; he saw their departure from the right path. he saw Abraham,
Moses and the Prophets make their appearance and witnessed the results
of their acts; he saw nations rise and fall; he saw the time when
Jesus would come and restore the Gospel and when he would preach that
Gospel to those who perished in the days of Noah; and in fact he saw
everything that should transpire upon the earth, until the winding up
scene. He was acquainted with the day in which we live and the
circumstances with which we are surrounded. Many other men have
possessed a portion of the same power, influence, knowledge and
intelligence, and they have obtained it from the same source.

Vol. 17,  p.372
There have been many peculiar circumstances connected with the past
history of mankind. Enoch, [p.373] for instance, occupied a peculiar
position in his day, before the flood, when the imaginations of the
hearts of the people were evil. In that day God endowed men with the
spirit of revelation and prophecy, and they went forth and proclaimed
to the people the same Gospel that we are proclaiming now. And Enoch
gathered together his people and they were taught of God by the
everlasting Priesthood, which holds the keys of the mysteries of the
revelations of God, and which has done so in every age of the world
whenever it has existed. Those men were taught of God; but they could
not stop the evil nor stem the march and progress of iniquity, but
they could gather together those who would be obedient to the
revelations of God, and they did gather them together, and Enoch and
his city being perfected, and the world doomed to destruction, the
Lord moved them out of the way, and the rumor Went forth—"Zion is
fled." They were taken up out of the way of the world into the keeping
of the Almighty. Then came the Flood, then came many other events, and
finally Joseph Smith came, through whom God revealed the principles by
which he governs the world. Joseph knew nothing about these things
until the Lord revealed them. There was nothing particular about him,
he was a man like the balance of us. But the Lord, for certain reasons
of his own, I suppose, selected him to be his mouthpiece to the
nations in this age of the world. Perhaps Joseph, as well as many
others, was set apart to a certain office before the world was. Christ
was the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world. Abraham
was set apart to his office, and a great many others in the same way;
and Joseph Smith came to do his work.

Vol. 17,  p.373
What was that work? Why things seemed to be changed around in a great
measure here from what they were in early days. God said to Adam—"Be
fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth." What does he say now?
He says—"Build Temples! Build Temples!!" What for? "To accomplish
certain purposes that I had in my mind before the world was; that you
may operate for yourselves, that you may be instructed therein in the
laws of life—the laws pertaining to your bodies and to your spirits;
the laws pertaining to the living and the dead." Principles in which
all mankind that have ever lived or that ever will live are
interested. The Lord took Lehi and his family, and planted them upon
this continent, and they increased and spread abroad, and the Lord
revealed unto them his law; and after Jesus left the Continent of
Asia, he came here and organized his Church and made the people
acquainted with the principles of truth, as he did on the other
continent, only more so, for they had more light, revelation and
intelligence here than there, and they lived in union and harmony here
for more than two hundred years. They had all things in common one
with another, and covetousness was in a great measure destroyed. The
great secret of their success in this direction was that "they dealt
justly one with another."

Vol. 17,  p.373
Well, these various Priesthoods that have existed, and these Prophets
that have lived, such for instance as Nephi, Alma, Lehi, Mahoni,
Moroni, Mormon and others, were taught and instructed in the
principles of life and the laws of God, and they have left their
testimony on record, and we have it here, in the Book of Mormon. They
administered here in time, and they are all administering in eternity,
and they are operating [p.374] and co-operating with us and with the
Almighty for the accomplishment · of his purposes upon the earth. We
talk sometimes about co-operation; but the plan of salvation, if you
please, is a grand Co-operative Scheme, as expansive as the heavens
and as wide as eternity; it penetrates through all time, extends
through all ages, and reaches men in every position, living or dead;
they who have lived, we who now live, and they who will live hereafter
are all working together in this grand co-operative plan, and we can
not be made perfect without our progenitors, neither can they be
perfected without us, and they are as much dependent upon us as we are
dependent upon them. We can build Temples, they can not; it is not
their province to administer in them at present, but it is ours, and
we are nailed upon to do so. They are interested in our welfare, they
are our fathers, we are their children; they are laboring there, we
here, for our mutual salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God.
The plan of salvation is no isolated affair; it is not narrow and
circumscribed like the man I have heard of, who prayed—"God bless me
and my wife, my son John and his wife, us four and no more, Amen;" but
it is as high as heaven, as deep as hell and as wide as the universal
creation; it extends to the time that is past and to the eternities
that are to come. The living and the dead so-called in Christ are all
working for the accomplishment of the same great objects and purposes.
Don't you think that they, behind the vail, feel as much interested in
the work as we do? Read the little glimpse given by John in the
Revelations, where he speaks about the souls of those before the
altar, who prayed day and night that he would avenge them of their
adversaries; and again, when the time came when Babylon was cast down
there was rejoicing among the angels in heaven. This gives us sense
faint idea of the feelings entertained by those on the other, side of
the vail in relation to events here.

Vol. 17,  p.374
Don't you think that Adam, the father of us all, feels interested in
the welfare of his children? I think he does. Don't you think that
Enoch feels interested in the welfare of his people? I guess he does.
Don't you think that Noah does? Yes, and even some of the Prophets, in
speaking about events in the future, tell of a time when Ethiopia
shall stretch out her hands to God. Are they not all interested? Yes.
Are not all of you interested in your posterity? Yes, you are. Does
the Gospel show you how to take care of them? It does. Does it enable
you to bless your posterity as Jacob did? It does, and to seal
blessings upon their heads. Does it give you promises pertaining to
the future? It does, pertaining to you and your posterity. And are not
all of these men engaged with us in the same object? Yes, and they are
just as much interested as we are, and ten thousand times more,
because they know more; and they have been operating in the various
ages, and when they were permitted they have come forth and
communicated the will of God to man. And when Joseph Smith was raised
up as a Prophet of God, Mormon, Moroni, Nephi and others of the
ancient Prophets who formerly lived on this Continent, and Peter and
John and others who lived on the Asiatic Continent, came to him and
communicated to him certain principles pertaining to the Gospel of the
Son of God. Why? Because they held the keys of the various
dispensations, and conferred them upon him, and [p.375] he upon us. He
was indebted to God; and we are indebted to God and to him for all the
intelligence that we have on these subjects. Who in this generation
knew anything about Temples and their uses until Joseph revealed it?
Nobody. Who knew anything about baptism for the dead until then?
Nobody. Who knew anything about the past or the future? Why, when I
commenced to preach this Gospel, years ago, it was enough to damn
anybody to even mention the principle of revelation. In this
enlightened age we were so far ahead of God that we could have a
religion without him, and could go to heaven without him; we did not
want any revelation from, or communication with, God. But the Gospel
brings us into communication with God, and makes us one with him and
with those who have operated before; and those holy men of God who
have lived in the various ages feel interested in our welfare, and
they are watching over us, and we are better taken care of than many
of us think for. Many of us are careless, thoughtless, heedless,
reckless, unbelieving and full of doubts and anxiety; but God has
given his angels charge concerning us lest we should dash our foot
against a stone. God's bowels of mercy have been extended to us in
spite of our waywardness, folly, weakness, corruption and imbecility.

Vol. 17,  p.375
We have an organization that was planned and ordained by the Almighty.
We have the First Presidency—President Brigham Young, set apart by God
to occupy the position that he does, and his Counsel. Who told men
about such an organization as this? God. What did we know about it
till then? Nothing. Who knew about the organization of the Twelve?
Nobody. Who knew about an organization of High Priests? Nobody, yet
they had them in various ages of the world, according to the record
that we have. Who knew about an organization of Seventies, and of the
various Quorums of the Priesthood, and the duties that should devolve
upon them? Nobody. Who knew about the organization of Bishops? Nobody.
Have they not got Bishops? Yes, but they are not in the right place,
and they are not bishops, they call them so, but they are not bishops.
I remember introducing brother Hunter to a gentleman in Provo. "Mr. So
and So," said I, "this is Bishop Hunter, our presiding Bishop here. In
England you have your lords spiritual, but," said I, "this is our lord
temporal, and he attends to the affairs of our bread and cheese," &c.
But elsewhere their bishops are made spiritual officers, which Bishops
were never intended for. Who knew anything about other organizations
of the Priesthood that we have, such as Elders, Priests, Teachers,
Deacons, and their various duties? Nobody. Where did this originate?
With God. Where is the pattern? In the heavens. When will this
Priesthood cease? Never. It originated with God, and when we get
through with the affairs of time you will find just the same
organization, the same Priesthood, the same power, the same principles
that exist here. Why? Because the things which exist in the Church of
God here are patterns of those which exist in the heavens. God said to
Moses—"See that thou make all things according to the pattern that I
showed thee in the mount." The pattern that we have is a pattern of
that which exists in the heavens, the organization of the Priesthood
that will exist throughout eternity. And these are heavenly things
committed to us in the flesh for our benefit, and for the benefit of
[p.376] the world that we live in. It is not to save or bless me or my
family alone, or yore and your family alone; but it is to bless and
save all who will avail themselves thereof, who have ever lived, and
all who live now or ever will live.

Vol. 17,  p.376
When the purposes of God in regard to the earth shall have been
fulfilled, the earth will resume its former paradisiac glory, and go
on to be celestialized. To help on this good time we are requested to
introduce certain principles, and we have heard a good deal said about
the United Order. Who would not want to be united with an order like
this that I speak of? The order into which we are now requested to
enter is a very, very, very little portion of the other, that is all;
but as we show by our acts that we can not, or will not, be one in
temporal things, how can we be one in spiritual things? Says Jesus—"If
I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how shall ye
believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" But we do believe in these
principles, and we are governed by them to a certain extent, and we
are desirous to do what is right, and God desires to help us. What
shall we do then? Why, keep his commandments, and obey the counsels of
his servants, and esteem it a privilege to be one with them.

Vol. 17,  p.376
[Continued on Page 1, Vol. 18.]