Journal of Discourses Volume 18

BY PRESIDENT BRIGHAM YOUNG, 

HIS COUNSELORS, AND THE TWELVE APOSTLES.

REPORTED BY D. W. EVANS GEO. F. 
GIBBS, AND OTHERS.

AND RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED TO THE LATTER-DAY 
SAINTS IN ALL THE WORD

VOL. XVIII

LIVERPOOL: 

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH 
F. SMITH, 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON: 

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

1877.[p.iii] 

Preface

Vol. 18,  p.iii
WE now present the Eighteenth Volume of the to
the Saints, and to all lovers of the Truth.

Vol. 18,  p.iii
We feel confident that the important instructions on principle and
doctrine therein contained, relative to the building of Temples, the
salvation of the dead, the introduction of the Order of Enoch, and the
general progress and development of the great Latter-day Work, will
prove as interesting, gratifying and beneficial to the Saints and to
posterity, as those that have been previously published through this
medium.

Vol. 18,  p.iii
We regret that the circulation of the is so
limited. Its importance would warrant a thousand-fold greater
extension of this work. We anticipate a time, not distant in the
future, when a copy of the present volume will be more precious than
gold. It is even now almost impossible to obtain a complete series.
Copies should therefore be carefully preserved by all subscribers.

Vol. 18,  p.iii
We also, with feelings of regret, chronicle here, which we think a
befitting place, the death—on July 5, 1876—of Elder David W. Evans, to
whom for many years we have been indebted for the reports of the
discourses of the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles and others.
His death being the cause of the temporary suspension of the
publication of this journal.

Vol. 18,  p.iii
In his demise the Saints have sustained the temporal loss of a
faithful and worthy brother, and the public a devoted and able
servant.

THE PUBLISHER[p.1] 

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)

[Continued From Page 376, Vol. 17.] 

Vol. 18,  p.1
We talk sometimes about the Priesthood. Who are we? Who are these
Latter-day Saints before me to-day? Are they not the Priesthood? Are
you not, really and truly, a kingdom of Priests? Do you not belong to
the First Presidency, the Twelve, the High Priests, the High Council,
the Elders, Priests, Teachers and Deacons, or hold some office in the
Church and kingdom of God? Is not this really and truly a fact? To a
very great extent it is, not exclusively or entirely. Have you not
received this Priesthood? Are you not responsible to God to carry out
his purposes and designs, so far as they have been committed unto you,
in relation to the building up and establishing of his kingdom and the
introduction of righteousness upon the earth? Are you not engaged in
these things? If you are not you ought to be, this is your calling and
profession. What shall we do then? Humble ourselves before God, every
one of us. We all need it. Humble yourselves, repent of your sins, and
evils, and waywardness, of your iniquities, falsehood, covetousness,
pride, haughtiness and corruptions of every kind, and lay them aside,
and become men of truth, integrity, virtue, purity and honor, that
yore hearts and spirits and feelings may be pure before God. Say to
the Lord—"Search me, oh God, and prove me, and if there is anyway of
wickedness within me bid it depart, and let me live my religion, honor
my God, walk in obedience to his laws, magnify my Priesthood, and
prepare myself and my posterity for an inheritance in the kingdom of
God. Let me associate myself with those men of God who have gone
before, and with God, and with Jesus, who is the Mediator of the New
Covenant, that, all combined, we may roll on [p.2] the work of God,
and accomplish his purposes here upon the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.2
Why, some of these men you heard Elder Hyde talking about here the
other day are beginning to visit the Lamanites. Somebody asked me why
they did not come to some of us. Said I—"I do not know, but I think
that if I was the father of these folks I should go to them first,
seek after them first." But no matter, let them operate and us
operate, and God operate, and don't let us stand in the way of God.
Let us humble ourselves; let us reverence the Priesthood and honor
those who are keeping the commandments of God and managing the affairs
of his Church and kingdom on the earth. Let us operate also with the
living Priesthood of all ages; with Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah,
Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Prophets, Jesus, his Apostles,
with Ether, Jared and his brother—Lehi, Alma, Moroni, Mormon, the
Prophets and Apostles on this continent, and men that have held the
same Priesthood that we do, and with them help our heavenly Father to
establish and roll on this kingdom; to save the living and the dead
and bring in everlasting righteousness, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

George Q. Cannon, April 8, 1875

There is Cause for Rejoicing—the Hand of Divine Providence 
Over the Saints—Pleased With Being a Territory—
Maintain the Right—Be True to Principle

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon, 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 Afternoon, April 8, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.2
There have been a number of items of interest touched upon by the
brethren who have spoken during this Conference, and as it is a time
when we meet together for the purpose of receiving general
instructions, it seems to me very desirable that the time should be
occupied in dwelling ripen principles which immediately pertain to our
condition and present circumstances. In the remarks which I shall make
this afternoon, I trust I shall be led to speak upon those things
which immediately concern us, and which pertain to our daily lives.

Vol. 18,  p.3
I rejoice exceedingly in this opportunity, that is, the opportunity of
[p.3] being present at Conference. I believe that I can appreciate it
better than I could possibly have done had I been here all the time
during the winter. I have, however, during my absence, enjoyed myself
better than I could have expected. I have felt that the Lord has been
with us as a people, that his power has been manifested in our behalf,
and that, so far as the prospects of Zion in the future are concerned,
we have abundant reason to be thankful and rejoice. I know that the
hope is indulged in in many quarters that the Latter-day Saints are
fast losing that faith for which they have been noted, and by the
operation of which they have been enabled to accomplish the labors
that have devolved upon them in the past in this country as pioneers,
and as pioneers in the religious world. I am quite willing, myself, if
it is any satisfaction to any individual to entertain this idea, that
he should do so; but for myself, and I believe I speak the sentiments
of the people, I never, in my life, saw greater cause for rejoicing in
the cause of God than I do to-day. I am not in the least discouraged,
but, on the contrary, I feel exceedingly encouraged. I know, it seems
to me, better than I ever knew, that God is with this people, that he
hearkens to their prayers, and that he watches over them. It is true
that there are influences operating upon us at the present time that
we have only recently had to contend with, they are comparatively new
influences and, to a certain extent, the Latter-day Saints are
unaccustomed to them, especially the rising generation. But it has
been taught us from the beginning that Zion is to become a great power
in the earth, and that she will triumph; but I cannot conceive how
Zion can become that which we have expected, or that it will achieve
the destiny predicted concerning it, unless it be by passing through
ordeals such as those we already have to encounter, and others, still
greater, that are yet in the future, by which Zion will show its
superiority over every institution and power that exists on the face
of the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.3
I have expected for years that the seclusion which we sought in coming
to these mountains would be terminated. Everything in the predictions
of the holy Prophets concerning the work of God in the last days
conveyed this idea to my mind. I looked upon our retreat here as a
temporary one, for I well knew from the character of the people and
their achievements that, in a short time, we should have the world
trooping to us; we should be like a city set on a hill, we could not
be hid, and that the eyes of men would be attracted Zionward,
therefore I have not been disappointed in witnessing that which we see
around us to-day. It has come probably in some form that I had not
looked for, because I could only take a general view, the details I
did not understand, but that we should pass through ordeals that
should test us, test our faith, test our institutions, test the
character of our doctrines, test the practical value of everything
connected with us, I never had a doubt; and so far as the future is
concerned I look forward to an increase rather than a decrease of
these things, to an increase of tests, a multiplication of ordeals
that will be calculated in their very nature to test and try us and
the system with which we are identified to the perfect satisfaction of
every one connected with it. How else could we expect that Zion should
become a power in the earth? How else could we expect that that
respect should be accorded to Zion which we are led to believe [p.4]
will be the case? How else will the wisdom and power that God will
bestow upon his people be made clear in the eyes of this nation and of
the nations of the earth only by these practical tests, by these
trials, by surmounting these difficulties, and by showing a capacity
to meet, grapple with and overcome every emergency and contingency
that may arise? Can we achieve that distinction which is inevitably in
store for us as a people if the predictions of the Prophets be
fulfilled short of such an experience as this? I think not. The
enemies of this work may indulge in whatever anticipations of our
discomfiture or downfall they please, but as for us, let us take a
practical, sensible view of the work with which we are identified, and
prepare ourselves accordingly, so that when the hour of trial shall
come, be it severe or not, we may be prepared therefor, having
strength and faith sufficient to endure it, and to bear witness unto
all men that we have not cherished this faith in vain.

Vol. 18,  p.4
There is this peculiarity about this work, that no power that has yet
arrayed itself against it has succeeded in its attempts to gain
advantage over it. It is true there have been seemingly temporary
successes; there have been times when mobs and violent men have
achieved a temporary success and when they have flattered themselves
with the idea that their designs against this work have been
successful. But one peculiarity has ever marked the career of this
people, that is, that events in our history which have seemed to be
deadly blows against us and the work in which we are engaged, have
turned out to be magnificent successes for us as a community. Trace
our history from the beginning, peruse it carefully, draw the lessons
from it which I believe are intended to be conveyed by it, and what do
you see? The Church and Zion of God emerging from the difficulties,
trouble and seeming disaster sought to be brought upon it by its
enemies, brighter, stronger, more firmly planted, more untied than it
was when the difficulty commenced, or the trouble was first visited
upon us. The loss of houses and lands, expulsion from homes that were
dearly bought, had no such effect upon this people, produced no such
thrill and such deathlike sorrow in the hearts of the Latter-day
Saints as did the martyrdom of our beloved Prophet and Patriarch; had
we lost our dearest friends; had we lost everything that we valued on
earth, it seems to me it would not have compared with the poignant
sorrow, the deeps heartfelt anguish that prostrated this people in the
depths of humility when the news of the cruel murder of their beloved
leaders reached them; yet deadly as that blow was, to all human
appearance prostrating the entire people, who felt that they had lost
those who stood nearest to God and nearest to them, God in his mercy,
out of that great affliction brought forth a great triumph and raised
up a man to take the place of the Prophet, who has been in some
respects like Elisha following Elijah, possessing, as Elisha desired
it might be the case with him, a double portion of the spirit that
rested down on his master, Elijah. And God has led us, God has
prospered us, and God gave us success that seemed to be commensurate
with the depth of our anguish and sorrow, and lifted us up from the
depths of humility into which we had sunk, and placed us upon the
heights of gladness and joy, and caused us to rejoice as we could not
have done probably under [p.5] other circumstances. And so, when we
were driven out of civilization so-called; when we wended our weary
way through the wilderness, not knowing where we were going, it seemed
as though the last blow had been struck and we had been left a prey to
internal dissensions or to the violence of the savages. But God in his
mercy, out of that seemingly great affliction, has brought forth great
blessing and glory to us, and has honored us, has enriched us, has
raised us up and endowed us with blessings that we could not have had
where we lived; so that that great blow aimed at us by our enemies has
been over-ruled to be the means of great and wonderful blessings to
us, and as an entire people we rejoice today in the possession of a
land that God has given unto us, to which he led us and which he
designated by the finger of inspiration as the land which we should
occupy, and which we this day possess despite all the machinations of
the wicked and their efforts to strip us of all power herein. Until
this day he has given unto us the supremacy in this land, from north
to south, from east to west, and he has made it productive and fertile
for our sakes. When we reflect upon our history since we came here;
when we think of the many plots and schemes, of the many men who have
lent themselves to these plots, who have done all in their power
against and to entrap this people; when we reflect upon it all, so far
as I am concerned, I am filled with amazement, and with thanksgiving
to God our Eternal Father for his goodness and mercy unto us as a
people. I know, as well as I know that I live, that no human power
could have saved us time and time again as we have been rescued that
there is no wisdom of man that was equal to the emergencies in which
we have been placed; but God, in his infinite mercy and wisdom, in his
kindness and watch-care over us as a people, has, at the very moment
when salvation was needed, stretched forth his Almighty arm. He has
rescued us from the grasp of the destroyer when it seemed as though
destruction was inevitable and we could not escape. The last five
years have been as fruitful, probably, as any period in our history in
events of this character. Time and time again has it seemed as though
destruction was sure to come upon us, as though there were no way
possible for us to escape; but God has heard our supplications and has
opened the way of deliverance in a most wonderful manner, and has
rescued us from the grasp of those who would destroy us. Others may
not see the hand of God in these things; they may say that these
things come about from and are the results of natural causes, but
those who have prayed to God, whose hearts have been drawn out in
supplication to him and who have waited tremblingly for the salvation
which he has promised, have seen and they cannot but acknowledge the
hand of God in these deliverances, because, as I have said, they have
watched, waited and prayed anxiously and earnestly in the name of
Jesus for deliverance, and when it has come their faith has been
strengthened and their joy increased in the Holy One of Israel;
because he has heard and answered their prayers: and to-day the
Latter-day Saints are the people of all people upon the face of the
earth who know that God lives, because he hears and answers their
prayers. And he, it seems, is determined to have a people upon the
earth who will be compelled to put their trust in him and not in man,
because man's power would utterly [p.6] fail to save them, and no
power but his can do it. When I look at all these things it is a
matter of surprise to me that men cannot see the hand of God in this
work. Yet there are many whose hearts have been touched by the
evidences of God's favor unto us, and they have been surprised and
have expressed their wonder that we have been so signally delivered as
we have been.

Vol. 18,  p.6
Now there is a great future in store for us as a people. God has said
so, and his words cannot fail in being fulfilled. There is a destiny
in store for this people that few can comprehend. We have to teach the
world lesson after lesson that they have entirely forgotten, or that
they never knew. We have to teach them and show them by our example
that there is such a thing as living faith, that there is such a thing
as trusting in God, being saved by him, that there is such a power as
faith in the land, and that prayer, when offered in faith, is
effectual in reaching him. We have to show the nations of the earth
that God with a small people can accomplish wonderful results. When I
think of our numbers, how few we are,—we are a great people in some
respects, but in numbers we are few and feeble—yet with this few
people what is God doing in the earth! What a name he is gaining for
his people, his servants! You may travel throughout the earth, in
every land, among every people, and let it be known that you are a
Latter-day Saint, and you will find that the fame of the people has
preceded you, and you will find yourselves distinguished from
everybody else. It is exceedingly wonderful that a people so small,
numerically so insignificant, a people not wealthy, but it may be said
poor, are so noted in the earth. Yet this is the fact, that God
intends to make us still more so, he intends to give us a name and a
place among the nations of the earth that shall be distinguished above
all other people. We are accused, you know, of being disloyal. This
has been a story told of us, a charge repeated against us from the
very beginning, because men have thought it would be most effective in
destroying our influence. The idea prevails in many quarters that we
are scarcely as true to the government as we should be. I have heard
it stated that were it not for these troops at Camp Douglas, Utah
Territory would rebel. By such nonsense as this do men who oppose us
seek to deceive the world at large respecting us and our motives and
feelings. I have had occasion frequently to talk upon this subject. I
have told men that, from my early boyhood, I have been taught to
believe that the constitution of the United States was revealed of
God, and that the destiny in store for the Latter-day Saints was to
uphold constitutional government upon this land; and, that being the
case, how could it be reconcilable with the idea that we were disloyal
to the Government? But there is a class of men who consider everybody
disloyal who does not dance to their tunes, and who does not re-echo
the sentiments which they express and seem to entertain. We have a
class of men among us here who talk about the one-man power and the
tyranny that exist in the Utah Territory, but at the same time if an
official were to come here and associate with citizens of this
Terrritory, "Mormon" citizens I mean, they would put him under a ban
and brand him as disloyal and unfit to hold an official position under
the Government. And why? For years here it has been considered by
certain officials as one of the best recommendations to the favor of
those in power to hate and abuse the "Mormon" [p.7] people of Utah
Territory; and if a man were to dare to associate with "Mormons," were
to speak kindly of or to associate with them, and to treat them as he
would other people he would be ostracised and banished, so far as
association with them is concerned a non-intercourse act would be
passed immediately. And these very individuals talk about the
intolerance of the Mormons.

Vol. 18,  p.7
We have these things to contend with, we have these lies to live down,
and as far as we are concerned, let them always be lies; let no man
have it in his power to say that the Latter-day Saints are an
intolerant, prescriptive or an unjust people. Never let this be said
of us with truth; but if it be said, let our enemies continue to lie
about us until they are tired of it, or until the world become
sickened with the falsehoods that are told concerning us. And for us,
let us pursue the path that God has marked out, being liberal,
truthful, upright, dealing fairly, honestly and tolerantly with every
man, so that every class of men who come into our midst may learn that
we have received a religion that admits of toleration in the broadest
sense of the word.

Vol. 18,  p.7
It has been a matter of considerable satisfaction to me to state that
in Utah Territory our pulpits, stands, tabernacles and meeting-houses
have always been open to every sect and denomination to come and
preach their peculiar views, creeds and doctrines, and that our people
have turned out in large congregations to listen to speakers or
preachers of other denominations advancing their doctrines; and that
not only have congregations of adults been furnished, but the children
of the Sunday schools have frequently been assembled in the New
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, that they might purposely hear and become
familiar with the ideas and views entertained by other religious
denominations. This stands out in marked contrast with the practice of
almost every other sect, and it gives the falsehood to the stories
which have been so frequently told about us.

Vol. 18,  p.7
Now respecting all these things that we are passing through, I
recognize the hand of God in them all. I think that we have learned
lessons of late that have been profitable to us. For instance, we now
know and, while the recollection of the past few years is vivid in our
minds we shall continue to know, how to value a just man who sits as a
judge, and it may be that it will be so impressed upon us, that when
power shall come into our midst, and come it will, as inevitably as
the sun rises in the morning over the eastern hills so sure will power
come unto us; but when it does come I trust that the recollection of
the past will be vivid in our minds and that we will always seek to
deal justly and fairly with all who may seek justice at our hands. It
has been said that when we acquire power we shall be intolerant, as
other sects have been. The Puritans, who fled from England because of
religious persecution became, in turn, themselves the persecutors when
they had the power. Roger Williams fled from them and took refuge in
what is now Rhode Island. They persecuted the Quakers and others who
came within their borders with an intolerance that was quire equal to,
if it did not exceed, the intolerance to which they themselves had
been the victims. And it has been said concerning us, that if we had
the power, we would probably tread in the same path, that persecution
would only harden us and make us deal with others with a severity
which we would not know anything [p.8] about had we ourselves not been
victims beforehand. But I think that God in his mercy will strip us if
there be any vestige of this about us; I hope he will, at any rate. If
we achieve the destiny that is in store for us, certainly to maintain
that character and to retain that power, it will be necessary that we
should be just, upright, forbearing and tolerant, and that we should
be willing that every man in this broad land should worship God
according to the dictates of his own conscience, whether his god be
the workmanship of his own hands, whether it be the sun, the moon,
some animal, or the God of heaven, with Jesus his Son, that we shall
be willing that every man should worship God according to his own
feelings upon the subject, so long as he does not interfere with us,
or with others. I think we have learned this lesson in part. I think
the lessons that have been impressed upon us have had an effect in
this direction, at least they have had the effect to broaden us; and
every lesson of this kind will have such a result as this with us as a
people, and on this account I am thankful for them. 

Vol. 18,  p.8
I am thankful to-day that we are not a State. There have been times
when I have wished exceedingly that we might be released from
territorial vassalage and be incorporated in the Union as a sovereign
state. I have desired, and labored for it; but this last winter I have
been exceedingly thankful that Utah was a territory and not a state.
We are told to acknowledge the hand of God in all things, and I do not
see why we should not acknowledge it in being kept in this condition
of tutelage and vassalage as well as in anything else. But it may be
asked—"Why do you think our condition better as a territory than as a
state?" When I heard of events in Louisiana, the federal troops
maintaining a government there, against which I was informed, and as I
believed, the mass of the people revolted, I thought to myself—Better
be an insignificant territory than a state if we cannot have the right
of choosing our own rulers and have them act in the offices to which
they are elected. Thanks to our insignificance federal troops have not
interfered with us here; but if we had been a State, with two votes in
the Senate, a vote or two in the House, and electoral votes in the
Presidential Election there might have been a temptation to have done
with Utah as with other states. But we had no vote; our delegate in
Congress had no vote; we had no senatorial representation; we had no
vote at the Presidential Election, and this denial to us of our
rights, by keeping us in a Territorial condition, has thus far helped
to save us. With such a feeling as there has been in this city and
territory, for contesting elections, when they have been
overwhelmingly on one side—twenty thousand and upward against two or
three thousand; when men will contest elections under such
circumstances, and endeavor by unjust means to wrest the power out of
the hands of the people and defeat the will of the majority; when they
will do this, as has been done in this Territory, it would not need a
very strong pretext to have them to go farther, to have thorn appeal
for Federal interference, and to try and induce the government to
say—"Those whom you call the minority are the majority, they have been
unjustly dealt with; affidavits have come here showing that the polls
have not been managed properly, the ballots have not been deposited as
they should be, and we must decide against you "Mormons" and the men
whom you have elected, and put [p.9] your opponents into power." I do
not say that this is the case in Louisiana, I do not pretend to decide
upon that question, it admits of a good deal of argument; but I have
been told by members of Congress who visited there—the Committee sent
by Congress to investigate matters, that if the federal troops had
been withdrawn from Louisiana this winter twenty-four hours would not
have elapsed until the McEnery government would have been put in
power, and the whole difficulty would have been solved. But the
presence of federal troops maintained a government that could not be
maintained in and of itself. What is the use, then, of being a State
government if the Federal government is to interfere in this manner in
State affairs? And with the causes that exist in Utah Territory to
make interference popular and a thing to be approved of by thousands,
a State government would not be so desirable. I have, therefore, so
far as my own feelings have been concerned, been very much pleased at
being a territory. I have seen the hand of God and his wisdom in this
thing, when if my wish or my will could have been gratified we should
have been a State long ago.

Vol. 18,  p.9
The Lord, in his mercy, will preserve us from these evils; in his
overruling wisdom and providence be will deliver us until the time
shall come for us to be a state if that be his will, and I doubt not
that we shall be surprised at it ourselves. I have come to the
conclusion, as one individual, that I shall not be anxious on this
subject in the future, and shall leave it to the overruling providence
of God to bring about when it shall seem good unto him.

Vol. 18,  p.9
As to some of the States in the South they are in such a condition
that we, if we were in the same, should think our lot dreadful. I have
heard stories of usurpation and tyranny by officials in those states
that have caused me to think that, notwithstanding all that we have
had to endure in Utah Territory, our lot has been a fortunate one
compared with that of others. They have drunk the cup of humiliation
to its very dregs. You know there was a time here when it seemed as
though every effort was made to bring us under military rule in this
Territory, and when the provocations endured by the people here come
to be read in history surprise will arise in the mind of the reader,
and admiration for the people who so patiently endured the wrongs that
were imposed upon them, especially when it is remembered what power we
hold here. Why, think of it, a few years ago a Governor came to this
Territory immediately after a long and bloody Indian war, in which our
citizens were masssacred, their property stolen, their settlements
robbed and their stock driven off; and immediately after that war a
Governor came here who prohibited the militia, every able-bodied man
in the Territory, from bearing arms—a most unheard of tyrannical
exercise of power; and then a Secretary, while acting governor,
afterwards repeated the santo proclamation. And this people have borne
it patiently and never lifted their hands against these contemptible
tyrants. It was doubtless hoped that we would commit some overt act to
provoke trouble, so that the federal troops could be brought in and be
placed under the control of these officials, who for once in their
lives happened to hold position. Not only this, but on one occasion
when certain citizens met together as a company, to celebrate the fact
of their band having got a new set of instruments a federal judge
committed them to a military prison [p.10] for violating this
proclamation, as though a proclamation of the Governor was law! With
as great propriety might an Executive claim that he has the power to
restore the curfew, and say—"You must have your fires extinguished by
eight o'clock at night, or we will put you in a military prison; and
you must rise in the morning at the tap of the bell, or we will treat
you as criminals." If a Governor's proclamation is law, and is to be
respected as such, where will it end? Will it end with the
imprisonment of men who act as militia men? No; if such acts of
usurpation continue, no citizen will be safe, and they will end in the
overthrow of liberty and constitutional right wherever permitted.

Vol. 18,  p.10
We have borne these things, and we have borne others, the recollection
of which, were I to recite them to you, would make our blood boil. It
is not necessary that I should do so; but in talking thus do we talk
disloyally? American citizens have the right to talk about officials
who trample upon their rights in this manner; we all have the right to
question the acts of men in power; it is a right given to us, and the
man is not worthy of the name of freeman who will not thus criticize
acts of oppression and, in a proper manner, resent them and show his
abhorrence of them. It is because they are violative of the
fundamental principles of our government that I thus talk about them:
and in any other Territory than this they would have provoked a storm
of indignation that would have overwhelmed their authors. One of the
lessons we have to learn is to have patience, but not to stop
remonstrating, not stop talking, not stop appealing, not hold our
tongues and let our children grow up with the belief that these things
are right. No, proclaim against them, let it be known that they are
wrong, that they are contrary to the law of the land, to the
Constitution and to the principles of our government; let this be
known, and let our children understand what is right, and all men
recognise the fact that we understand our rights, whether they are
denied to us or not.

Vol. 18,  p.10
I expect to see the day when the Latter-day Saints will be the people
to maintain constitutional government on this land. Men everywhere
should know that we believe in constitutional principles, and that we
expect that it will be our destiny to maintain them. That the
prediction will be fulfilled that was made forty-four years ago the
seventh of last March, wherein God said to Joseph Smith—"Ye hear of
wars in foreign lands; but behold I say unto you, they are nigh, even
at your doors, and not many years hence ye shall hear of wars in your
own lands;" but the revelation goes on to say that the day will come
among the wicked, that every man that will not take his sword against
his neighbor, must needs flee unto Zion for safety. A portion of that
revelation has been fulfilled, the remainder will be. The causes are
in operation to bring it about. We are not alone in the thought that
the republic is drifting steadily in that direction; that we are
leaving the old constitutional landmarks, and that the time is not far
distant when there will be trouble in consequence of it, when there
will be civil broils and strife; and, to escape them, we believe, men
will be compelled to flee to the "Mormons," despised as they are now.
Does this seem incredible? Why, look you, to-day, throughout our
Union, the Latter-day Saints are the most lightly taxed of any people
upon the face of this continent. I do not know a community as free
[p.11] from debt as we are. There are one or two States I believe free
from debt, but they have had to tax heavily to free themselves. But as
a Territory we have never been in debt, and although we have had many
temptations to drift in that direction, not a bond belonging to the
Territory has ever been issued; not a dollar is owing that cannot be
paid. Our cities are out of debt; our counties are out of debt, and I
hope they will continue so. Our legislators, county courts and city
officers will doubtless take special pains to keep down expenses and
let us be burdened as little as possible with taxation, so that we may
be a happy and a free people. Let taxes accumulate, and there is a
constant temptation for officers to steal your taxes; there must be
men elected to take care of your taxes, and there will be hundreds of
leaks by which your means will go without benefit to the community,
therefore, let us be a lightly taxed people. We are that to-day, and
that is one evidence of the good government there is in this
Territory. We have peace here, and we should have little or no
litigation if it were not forced upon us, and our courts, so far as
litigation is concerned, would have very little to do from the
Latter-day Saints; we would settle our difficulties by arbitration,
and prevent litigation and money being spent therein. All the
tendencies of this people are towards peace, and their aim is to
preserve peaceful relations with each other and with the outside
world, and we have shown this all the day long.

Vol. 18,  p.11
What is the case elsewhere? Why corruption stalks through the land,
and taxation and debt are increasing. It is considered a light thing
for a man to get his hand into the government treasury; that is all
right, and if so he steal the funds of a city, county or State, they
do not call it stealing, however: O no, that is a vulgar name; it will
do for the man who robs his neighbor's hen roost, but they have more
fashionable language for the acts to which I refer.

Vol. 18,  p.11
Men in public life, under the present reign of extravagance, can not
meet their expenses, therefore they are exposed to temptation and are
led to take advantage of their position. This is not always the case,
there are many exceptions; but this is the case too frequently, and
good men mourn over and regret it, and they would like to stem the
tide and arrest this downward tendency.

Vol. 18,  p.11
This is a lesson that we have to profit by; our officials must be
careful, and we must maintain a standard of honesty that does not
exist anywhere else. It will not do for the idea to prevail that
because a man has an office he has the right to enrich himself from
that office. This has not been the case in this Territory thus far;
and we may reasonably expect it will not be.

Vol. 18,  p.11
Now, my brethren and sisters, let us live for the destiny that is in
store for us. Let us remember that God has a great future for this
people, and that how soon it will be granted unto us depends upon
ourselves. If we were prepared for it I know that that time would soon
come, and we should have opportunities given us of doing good that we
do not have to-day. But I am told that one of the effects of this
ordeal through which we are passing, is that there are some young men,
and possibly young women, who yield to certain temptations. Young men,
who formerly would have been ashamed to be seen smoking on the streets
or entering a billiard, a gambling, or a drinking saloon, are now seen
in such places, and they do not scruple to use the name of God in
vain, or to swear and be profane, and there are some [p.12] who seem
to imagine that it is an evidence of independence and smartness to
indulge in these things; and it may be that they go a little further
and are guilty of other acts of greater turpitude than these.

Vol. 18,  p.12
No man loses credit by being true to his principles. If he is a
Latter-day Saint, let him act out his principles wherever he goes. If
he does not believe in drinking intoxicating drinks, let him refrain
from doing so everywhere; if he does not smoke, refrain from smoking;
if he does not swear—which no man ought to do—let him refrain from it,
no matter where he is, and let him be true to the principles of his
religion always and under all circumstances, and he will gain
influence that he would not have otherwise. Let us as a people take a
course of this kind. But there is this tendency—"O, we must be like
somebody else." You, can see that tendency at the present time in many
things besides men's conduct. There are men here who would change our
city and make it like places they know. They would cut down our
streets until they would not be fifty feet wide, and cut down our city
blocks until they were like other city blocks, and would narrow our
sidewalks, cut down our shade trees, and completely change the
character of everything there is about us. They would rob the city of
every distinctive feature, and fill the city with nest holes of vice.
You can see this tendency here to imitate and do as somebody else
does, instead of ourselves being the standard; instead of recollecting
that. God has chosen us and placed his name upon us, that he has
called us to be his Saints, and that it is our duty to maintain our
principles, and carry them out in our lives, doing that which is
right, regardless of whether it may suit other people or not. It is
our duty to have some mind of our own, and if we have a good thing not
to be willing to part with it because other people make sport of it. I
like our city, our sidewalks and the width of our streets; others may
not, but that is the pattern and plan upon which the city was laid
out. I would like to see everything connected with our city—and I
speak of this because it is a case in point, and I merely speak of it
to illustrate everything else—I would like to see us carry out that
which is right ourselves. If we have ideas of our own, cling to them,
and not abandon them, because they do not happen to be popular. And so
with our practices. A man who does not smoke is not any worse for it;
he is no less a gentleman when he goes into company because of that.
He is no less a gentleman because he does not drink or because he does
not swear, because he does not go into a gambling house or a house of
ill-fame; and how can a man who calls himself a Lather-day Saint,
think that he is any more of a gentleman or any better a man because
he can do these things when he, in and of himself, knows they are
wrong. God has taught us that it is not good for us to do these
things; he has given us counsel, he has given us a word of wisdom, and
the man who thus disregards the word of God and his counsel does not
show very great respect to him, and I do not imagine that God is going
to show very great respect to him.

Vol. 18,  p.12
Let us be true to our principles; men admire sincerity, truth and
uprightness, and they admire a Latter-day Saint who abides by his
principles much more than they admire one who is not true to that
which he professes; and you will never lose anything by telling who
you are and what you are in a respectful manner, and maintaining that
which is right.[p.13] Of course we need not be bigoted or offensive,
or run to any extremes.

Vol. 18,  p.13
May God bless you, my brethren and sisters, fill you with the Holy
Spirit, and with desires to teach your children the ways of
righteousness, and enable you to bring up a generation that is
healthy, pure, virtuous and full of integrity in this land which God
has given unto us. That he may thus bless and preserve us is my prayer
in the name of Jesus. Amen.

George Q. Cannon, April 9, 1875

Co-Operation a True Principle—Saints Must Be Self-Sustaining—
Patronize Home Manucacturers—Home Industrial Institutions

Remarks By Elder George Q. Cannon, 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 Friday Afternoon, April 9, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.13
We have abundantly proved in our experience that if we do not sustain
ourselves, no other people will sustain us, and that we must be
united, as was said this morning, in our temporal as well as in our
spiritual affairs; and that if we would build up and strengthen
ourselves in the earth, it must be by union of effort, and by
concentrating our means in a way that shall produce the best results
for the work with which we are identified. Co-operation, or a union of
effort, has been proved in our experience, when properly carried out,
to be most successful. With small means and limited incomes we can
accomplish, by wisely uniting our efforts, great results, and to bring
about greater union should be our continual effort. As has been said,
there may be failures and mismanagement occasionally, but the
principle itself is a true one, and it recommends itself to every
reflecting mind. We, however, in our mercantile operations in this
city and Territory, have been more than ordinarily successful. I have
heard reproaches indulged in, or rather reflections cast, upon our
general co-operative institution. I think it has been one of the most
successful establishments and institutions that we ever have had among
us, and I do not know that it has been equalled anywhere, when we
reflect that in the short space of three years those who invested
[p.14] their means in that institution made one hundred per
cent.—doubled their original stock; and when the financial crisis came
in the east—the panic as it was termed, and many strong houses went
down before it, our institution was able to withstand the storm, and
tide over, and has met every dollar of its indebtedness promptly, or
at least to the satisfaction of its creditors. We have been subjected
to a great deal of expense in various ways; but the experience of the
past few years enables us to see now how this expense can be
curtailed; and profiting by this wisdom and experience, as a community
we should take the necessary steps to establish, or rather to arrange
it so that it will give the greatest satisfaction. A good deal might
be said on this subject in this connection, but as we shall have a
meeting very shortly in relation to our co-operative business affairs,
probably that would be the proper place for remarks of this character.
But I would say, as one individual, to all the Saints—Let us by every
means in our power, that is, by collecting the little means that we
have, seek to build up and strengthen these institutions in our midst,
and they will prove profitable to us, and be a great blessing to the
entire community and to Zion.

Vol. 18,  p.14
At this afternoon's session of the Conference the authorities of the
Church will be presented, and it is desirable that there should be a
general attendance of the members of the Church, as far as they can
possibly come.

Vol. 18,  p.14
To refer again to this subject of co-operation. We have seen its good
effects in the settlements throughout the entire Territory. I consider
that if it had not been for our institution regulating prices and
governing and controling the mercantile interests of this Territory,
we should have lost, by having to pay high prices, thousands and
thousands of dollars that we have saved. In Brigham City particularly,
judging by accounts that we have heard, have the principles of
co-operation been exceedingly beneficial to the people, because of the
perfection to which they have been carried out. The great difficulty
with us heretofore has been that, as a people, we have not had capital
to achieve any very great results. No one man, until quite recently,
has had sufficient means to carry on any great undertaking; but by the
masses of the people uniting under a co-operative plan, and putting
their funds in the hands of those who are judicious and good business
men, we can establish every kind of manufacture that is necessary in
this country to make us self-sustaining. The manufacture of iron into
hollow-ware, and every thing of this character that is made of iron;
the manufacture of rails for our railroads, of woolen goods of the
best character, the establishment of sheep and cattle herds, of cheese
factories and tanneries, and of every branch of manufacture that is
adapted to our climate and Territory can be carried on upon this
principle, and efforts should be made by us as a people to establish
and make them successful. I took down with me, when I went to
Washington last fall, a suit of clothes manufactured here in this
Territory—the wool was grown here, the cloth was made at President
Young's factory, and the clothes were made by our tailors. There was a
good deal of discussion in the early part of the session concerning
the resumption of specie payments. I remarked to a good many of my
friends that if I were a believer, as some of them were, in the power
of the General Government to make laws respecting such [p.15] matters,
I should be in favor of making a law that would prevent the
importation into this country of anything that we could make
ourselves; and I believe that specie payments will be postponed until
there is a stop to the extravagance which reigns throughout the
country. The stream of gold which ought to be setting in the direction
of the United States, in consequence of the multiplicity of our
productions and the greatness of our trade, is constantly flowing
toward Europe; and while this is the case, we may struggle in vain to
get back to specie payments. That which is true concerning a nation is
true concerning us as a Territory. If we would be independent, if we
would keep the circulating medium in abundance in our midst, we must
stop the stream that is flowing from the Territory, and every dollar
that we spend here in sustaining a home institution, for making
clothes, paying the cloth manufacturer for his cloth, the wool-grower
for his wool, the tanner for his leather, or the shoemaker for making
that leather into shoes and boots, is that much saved to the entire
community. One very prominent free-trade member of the House, during a
discussion on this subject last session, remarked that the suit of
clothes he had on cost him but a comparative small amount, and that he
had them sent from Canada. Some one replied, by way of joke, that he
had probably bought a second hand suit; but there is no doubt the
clothes were new. But suppose they cost less in Canada than the same
suit would in the States, can not you and every body see, without
lengthy reflection, that that money all went into foreign hands, and
did not benefit the people of this country? The producer of the wool,
the manufacturer of the cloth, and the maker of the clothes in Canada
received the benefit. But supposing that thirty-five or forty dollars
had been paid for that suit of clothes in the United States, or in the
community where the purchaser lived, you can readily perceive that by
the circulation of that money in his immediate vicinity, he, himself,
if he were in any business, would receive the benefit of the
expenditure, and that the extra cost would not be an entire loss to
him like paying it out to a foreign community. And so it is with our
own manufactures. We talk about brooms and about cheese, butter and
other things which can be brought from the east at lower figures than
we can produce them; but it is better for us to pay twenty-five per
cent. more, and I do not know but even a larger per centage, for our
home productions, than to send the money away to a distant community
where it is circulated and we receive no benefit from it. If we bought
home made cheese, and had to pay ten or fifteen cents a pound more for
it (which, however, we are not required to do) than if it were brought
from abroad, it is not an entire loss to the community, for we all
derive some benefit from the means so spent, because it is circulated
amongst us, and if we have anything to sell we get prices in
proportion for it, and thus we sustain ourselves. Men may say that
such and such things can be bought cheaper abroad than they can be
bought at home, and therefore it is better to buy them; but I say that
it is suicidal for any community to pursue such a policy, and we, with
the experience that we have had in this country on these points for
upwards of a quarter of a century, should begin to learn wisdom, and
begin to foster home manufactures and home institutions. Our
co-operative [p.16] institutions should take into consideration the
people's good, and, if there is ink, matches, cloth, leather or
anything else to sell that is manufactured in this country, they
should give the preference every time to the home manufactured article
so far as possible, and endeavor to stimulate and foster home
production and not operate against it.

Vol. 18,  p.16
By this means we build ourselves up, and the people themselves, where
they are ignorant, will soon perceive the propriety and the advantage
of taking this course; whereas if we pursue the old and opposite
course we shall be impoverished and stripped of our means, and, having
no branches of home manufacture, we shall continue to be a poor,
dependent, helpless people.

Orson Pratt, April 11, 1875

Gathering of Israel—the Work of the Father Commenced—
Three Nephite Apostles Never to Taste of Death—the Ten 
Tribes Come to Zion From the North Countries

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, April 11, 1875.

Reported by David W. Evans

Vol. 18,  p.16
If the congregation will give their attention I will read a few
passages from the last chapter of Isaiah, commencing in the middle of
the 18th verse. [The speaker read from the 18th verse, commencing—"It
shall come," &c., unto the end of the 20th verse.]

Vol. 18,  p.16
There are some very great and important events predicted in these few
lines which I have read, concerning the gathering of all nations and
tongues, but more especially the gathering of the house of Israel, a
sign being promised—that when that period shall arrive, in the
purposes of God, a sign shall be given to the children of men, that
they may know when these great events are to take place. In this
passage we are not told what the sign shall be, we merely have it
promised; but we would naturally draw the conculsion that it will be
something of a peculiar character, something that can be distinguished
by the nations, kindred and tongues of the earth preparatory to the
great gathering that is promised in the Scriptures of truth, "I will
set a sign among them." And after setting this sign he will send
missionaries to Tubal, to Javan, [p.17] to the isles that are afar
off, to Tarshish, Pul and Lud, and to them that draw the bow." And it
is said concerning the missionaries who are thus sent forth, that
"they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles." Then, when the sign
is set, the missionaries are sent forth and the glory of God begins to
be declared among the Gentiles, the Lord will bring about the
gathering of his people Israel, bringing them upon horses, in
chariots, in litters, upon swift beasts and upon mules to his holy
mountain in Jerusalem; and he will gather all nations and tongues when
that dispensation shall come.

Vol. 18,  p.17
The Lord has set that sign; the Lord has sent forth the messengers
here spoken of to the various nations, as predicted, and already the
voice of these messengers is heard in the uttermost, parts of the
earth, declaring the word of the Lord among the Gentiles, preparing
them for the great event predicted by the mouth of Isaiah the Prophet.

Vol. 18,  p.17
Do this people desire to know what the sign predicted by the mouth of
Isaiah means? Do you wish to know the nature of that sign? Let me
refer you to the words of the everlasting God that have been uttered
from the heavens, declared in this record brought forth in the last
days, the Book of Mormon. Let us refer to a prediction uttered by the
mouth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, when he appeared personally
upon this great western continent, and taught the ancient nations of
America. He has told us by his own mouth what the sign should be for
the gathering of all the dispersed of his people, the house of Israel.
I will read the words of our Savior to the ancient inhabitants of this
western continent. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, all these
things"—the things which he had been speaking about to the
multitude—"shall surely come, as the voice of the Father hath
commanded me. Then shall this covenant which the Father hath
covenanted with his people be fulfilled; and then shall Jerusalem
begin to be inhabited with my people, and it shall be the land of
their inheritance. And verily I say unto you, I will give you a sign
that you may know the time when these things shall be about to take
place, that I shall gather in from their long dispersion, my people, O
house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion. And
behold this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign, for
verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you,
and which I shall declare unto you hereafter, of myself, and by the
power of the Holy Ghost, which shall be given unto you of the Father,
shall be made known unto the Gentiles"—that is, when this book, called
the Book of Mormon, should be made known unto the Gentiles—"that they
may know concerning this, my people, who are a remnant of the house of
Jacob, and concerning this, my people, who shall be scattered by them
in the latter days. Verily I say unto you when these things shall be
made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father
from them unto you."

Vol. 18,  p.17
Now, such is the sign. First, this work will be made known to the
Gentiles, and will come forth from the Gentiles unto the Indians. "For
it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this
land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that
these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of year seed,
that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he has
covenanted with his people, O house of [p.18] Israel. Therefore when
these works, and the works which shall be wrought among you
hereafter"—that is, the works which were performed during the first
three or four centuries of the Christian era on the American
continent, recorded in their records called the Book of Mormon—"when
these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter
shall come forth from the Gentiles unto your seed, which shall dwindle
in unbelief because of iniquity."

Vol. 18,  p.18
Now this dwindling in unbelief of the American Indians is very evident
even to the antiquarians of our country, all of whom will admit that
once a civilized nation dwelt on this continent. No learned man living
disputes this. Why do they suppose any such thing? The ruins of their
ancient cities, palaces and temples, proclaim in the ears of all
living that once there dwelt on this hemisphere a great and powerful
people, who were civilized and understood the art of constructing
beautiful and substantial buildings. But now, O! how degraded, fallen
and sunk into the very depths of darkness are the descendants of that
once great, powerful and exalted people! "They shall dwindle in
unbelief because of iniquity;" because they rejected the Gospel. In
the fourth century of the Christian era they apostatized from the
religion of their fathers; they were cursed by the Almighty, a skin of
darkness came upon them; they were cursed in all that they set their
hands to do, and the withering curse of the Almighty has been upon
them from generation to generation, until the present day. They were
to dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity.

Vol. 18,  p.18
"For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the
Gentiles, that he may show forth his power to the Gentiles, for this
cause, that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that
they may repent, and come unto me, and be baptized in my name, and
know of the truth of my doctrine that they may be numbered among my
people, O house of Israel."

Vol. 18,  p.18
Such is the object of bringing this work forth to the Gentiles first.
That is why God prepared the way for a great and powerful nation, free
from all other nations under heaven, to be established here on this
continent. The great purpose which God had in view was to set up a
kingdom in the latter days in which there should be full and complete
religious liberty and freedom of conscience, that the kingdom might go
forth unto the ends of the earth; "and when these things shall come to
pass, that thy seed"—the American Indians—"shall begin to know these
things. It shall be a sign unto them, that they may know that the work
of the Father hath already commenced, unto the fulfilling of the
covenant which he hath made unto the people, who are of the house of
Israel."

Vol. 18,  p.18
Now then, here is a prediction in Isaiah, that before the Lord gathers
Israel he would set up a sign, showing not only to us but to all
people, nations and tongues in the four quarters of the earth that he
is about to gather together all the people of the house of Israel.
That sign is when these American Indians shall begin to know the
Gospel taught and practiced by their ancient fathers. "When that day
shall come it shall come to pass that kings shall shut their months,
for that which had not been told them shall they see, that which they
had not heard shall they consider; for in that day, for my sake, shall
the Father work a work which [p.19] shall be a great and marvelous
work among them; and there shall be among them which will not believe
it, although a man shall declare it unto them. But behold, the life of
my servant is in mine hand," &c.

Vol. 18,  p.19
We will now pass on to the next page. "And then shall the work of the
Father commence at that day, even when this Gospel shall be preached
unto the remnant of this people"—unto the Indians—"verily I say unto
you, at that day shall the work of the Father commence among all the
dispersed of any people, yea even the tribes which have been lost,
which the Father hath led away out of Jerusalem, yea the work shall
commence among all the dispersed of my people, with the Father to
prepare the way whereby they may come unto me; that they may call upon
the Father in my name, and then shall the work commence with the
Father among all nations in preparing the way whereby his people may
be gathered home to the land of their inheritance. And they shall not
go out in haste, nor go by flight, for I will go before them saith the
Father, and I will be their rearward."

Vol. 18,  p.19
Forty-five years have passed away since God brought forth this sign,
the Book of Mormon, and sent missionaries to the nations—to Tarshish,
Pal, Lud, Tubal, Jayan, and to the islands afar off, that have not
heard his tame neither have seen his glory and these missionaries have
declared his glory among the Gentiles. Forty-five years of
proclamation to the nations of the Gentiles! Forty-five years of
warning to all nations and tongues! Now after so long a period has
elapsed since God brought forth this wonderful sign, he has begun to
work among the remnants of the house of Israel the American Indians,
upon this continent, by his own power. What is it that has stirred
them up to believe in this work? Has it been your exertion? Not
altogether; yet, no doubt, you, in some small degree, as far as your
faith would permit, have helped on the work among these wild tribes.
You have sought to recover them, you have fed and clothed them to some
extent; you have told them occasionally about the records of their
fathers; you have tried to bring them to repentance; but, after years
of labor, you have said—"Alas! alas for them! What can be done to
reclaim a people so tar fallen into the depths of ignorance and
corruption?" Your hearts have been almost discouraged so far as your
own labors were concerned. But how soon and how marvelously, when the
time had come, has the Lord our God begun to operate upon them as
nations and as tribes, bringing them in from hundreds of miles distant
to inquire after the Elders of this Church. What for? What do they
want with the Elders? They want to be baptized. Who told them to come
and be baptized? They say that men came to them in their dreams, and
spoke to them in their own language, and told them that away yonder
was a people who had authority from God to baptize them; but that they
must repent of their sins, cease their evil habits and lay aside the
traditions of their fathers, for they were false; that they must cease
to roam over the face of the land, robbing and plundering, and learn
to live as the white people.

Vol. 18,  p.19
Who are these men who have been to the Indians and told them to repent
of their sins, and be baptized by the "Mormons?" They are men who
obtained the promise of the Lord, upwards of eighteen centuries ago,
that they should be [p.20] instruments in his hands of bringing about
the redemption of their descendants. The Lord God promised them the
privilege of working for and in behalf of their descendants in the
latter days; and they have begun the work. All this was foretold in
this record, the Book of Mormon.

Vol. 18,  p.20
Now I will read a little for the benefit of the Latter-day Saints, for
though they have this record lying upon their shelves, I fear there
are some who are careless about reading its contents, and perhaps do
not understand the signs of the times, and the fulfillment of the
purposes of God, which are here so clearly set forth. Jesus appeared
on this American Continent soon after his resurrection, three
different times that are recorded, and how many other times that are
not recorded, I do not know. But be showed himself to them and brake
bread with them. But the third time he came to the Twelve whom he had
chosen on this land,—as he was about to leave them he put a very
important question to them. He said unto his twelve disciples,
speaking unto them one by one—"What is it that you desire of me, after
that I am gone unto the Father?" And they all spake save it were
three—"We desire that, after we have lived unto the age of men, that
our ministry wherein thou hast called us may have an end, and that we
may speedily come to thee in thy kingdom." And he said unto
them—"Blessed are ye because ye have desired this thing of me;
therefore after that ye are seventy-two years old, ye shall come Unto
me in my kingdom, and with me ye shall find rest." And when he had
spoken these words unto the nine, he then turns to the three and said
unto them—"What will ye that I shall do unto you when I am gone to the
Father?" And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they dare not speak
unto him the thing which they desired. And he said unto them—"Behold I
know your thoughts, and you have desired the thing which John, my
beloved, who was with me in my ministry before I was lifted up by the
Jews, desired of me, therefore more blessed are ye, for ye shall never
taste of death." These three men had the promise that they should
never taste death; "but," said the Savior unto them—"ye shall live to
behold all the doings of the Father unto the children of men, even
until all things shall be fulfilled according to the will of the
Father, when I come in my glory with the powers of heaven. Ye shall
never endure the pains of death, but when I shall come in my glory ye
shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye from mortality to
immortality; then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. And
again ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh,
neither sorrow, save it be for the sins of the world; and all this
will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me; for ye
have desired that ye may bring the souls of men unto me while the
world shall stand; and for this cause ye shall have fulness of joy,
and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; yea your joy shall
be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall
be even as I am, and I am even as the Father, and the Father and I are
one; and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the
Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men because of me."

Vol. 18,  p.20
What a glorious promise was made to these three men! Did they receive
any change? Yes, they did; not to immortality however, but a change
sufficient was wrought in their [p.21] bodies that death should not
have power over them. But let us read a little further, it is very
interesting. "And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these
words, he touched every one of them with his finger save it were the
three who were to tarry;" that is, he touched the nine who were to
preach until they were seventy-two years old and who were then to be
taken home to God, "and then he departed, and behold the heavens were
opened and they (the three) were caught up into heaven, and saw and
heard unspeakable things. And it was forbidden them that they should
utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the
things which they saw and heard; and whether they were in the body or
out of the body they could not tell, for it did seem unto them like a
transfiguration of things." That is the way that they received their
partial change. "But it came to pass that they did again minister upon
the face of the earth; nevertheless they did not minister of the
things which they had heard and seen, because of the commandment which
was given them in heaven."

Vol. 18,  p.21
Now these men lived in the first century of the Christian era on this
continent; and when that generation all passed away they also lived in
the second century of the Christian era, and ministered to the ancient
inhabitants on this land. And when the second century had all passed
off the stage of action they also lived in the third century; and in
the fourth century the Lord took these three men from the midst of the
remnant of Israel on this land. Where did he take them? I do not know,
it is not revealed. Why did he take them away? Because of the apostacy
of the people, because the people were unworthy of the ministration of
such great and holy men; because they sought to kill them; because
they cast them into dens of wild beasts twice; and these met of God
played with these wild beasts as a child would play with a suckling
lamb, and received no harm from them. They cast them three times into
a furnace of fire, and they came forth therefrom and received no hurt.
They dug deep pits in the earth and cast them therein, supposing that
they would perish; but by the power of the word of God that was in
them, they smote the earth in the name of the Lord, and were delivered
from these pits. And thus they went forth performing signs, wonders
and miracles among this remnant of Israel, until their wickedness
became so great that the Lord commanded them to depart out of their
midst. And ;he remnant of Israel, from that day to the present—between
fourteen and fifteen centuries—have been dwindling in unbelief, in
ignorance, and in all the darkness which now surrounds them; but
notwithstanding their darkness and misery, the three Nephites, for
many generations, have not administered to them, because of the
commandment of the Almighty to them.

Vol. 18,  p.21
But are they always to remain silent? Are there no more manifestations
to come from these three men? Are they never again to remember the
remnants of the House of Israel on this land? Let us read the promise.
"Behold I was about to write the names of those who were never to
taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for
they are hid from the world; but behold I have seen them." Mormon saw
them nearly four centuries after they were caught up into heaven, and
after they received their partial change. Mormon saw them and they
administered unto him. He says—"Behold I have seen them and they
[p.22] have ministered unto me; and behold they will be among the
Gentiles, and the Gentiles knoweth them not." They will, no doubt,
call them poor deluded Mormons, and say that they ought to be hooted
out of society, and that they ought to be persecuted, afflicted, and
hated by all people. "They will he among the Gentiles and the Gentiles
knoweth them not. They will also be among the Jews, and the Jews shall
know them not. And it shall come to pass when the Lord seeth fit, in
his wisdom, that they shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of
Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and shall
bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be
fulfilled; and also because of the convincing power of God which is in
them; and they are as the angels of God. And if they shall pray unto
the Father in the name of Jesus, they can show themselves unto
whatsoever man it seemeth them good; therefore great and marvelous
works shall be wrought by them before the great and coming day when
all people must surely stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Yea
even among the Gentiles shall there be a great and a marvelous work
wrought by them, before that judgment day."

Vol. 18,  p.22
Now, having read these things, let us come back again to this
spiritual movement that we hear of among the remnants of Jacob, in
these western deserts, in the northwest hundreds of of miles, in the
west and in the southwest. It is not confined to hundreds, but
thousands testify that men have appeared individually in dreams,
speaking their own language and, as Brother Hyde said last Tuesday,
these men tell their descendants what their duties are, what they
should do, and how they should hunt up this people, repent of their
sins, be baptized, etc. And the parties who have been thus instructed
time and time again, have fulfilled the commandments that they
received, and some of them have come hundreds of miles to be baptized,
and they are now desirous of laying aside their savage disposition,
their roaming habits, and they want to learn to cultivate the earth,
to lay down their weapons of war, cease stealing and to become a
peaceable good people.

Vol. 18,  p.22
The work thus commenced will not stop here. The Book of Mormon
says—"When thy seed shall begin to know these things, it shall be a
sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath
already commenced unto the fulfilling of his covenant which he hath
made with his people who are of the House of Israel." This remnant,
the American Indians, do not comprise all Israel, they are but a small
remnant of one single tribe, namely the descendants of that Joseph who
was carried into Egypt. Away in yonder north countries, where I do not
know, but away in those regions are ten tribes of the house of Israel.
How do you know they are in the north country? Because this Bible has
told us that in the latter days they should come out of the north
country, and if they were not in the north country they could not come
from there. Jeremiah says in his thirty-first chapter—"Behold I will
bring them from the north, the blind and the lame with them, and the
woman with child; they shall come, a great company out of the north
countries." Where will they go to? Will they go immediately to
Palestine, where they formerly had their inheritance? No. Jeremiah
tells us where they will go; he tells us there is to be a place called
Zion before these tribes come out of the north countries, and when
they [p.23] come with a great company, the blind and the lame with
them, and the Lord God leads them with supplication and with tears and
with prayers, bringing them forth from those dreary, desolate, cold
arctic regions: when that day shall come there shall be a Zion
prepared to receive these ten tribes, before they finally go back to
Palestine. Is there anything in the Scriptures about this? Yes. In the
same chapter of Jeremiah we read that "they shall come and sing in the
height of Zion." Zion, then, will have to be built up before they
come; Zion will have to be reared somewhere and prepared to receive
them; and it will be a holy place, and it will be a holy people who
will build up Zion, so much so that the Lord will bring these ten
tribes in to the height of Zion, into the midst of it.

Vol. 18,  p.23
What will then take place? They shall flow together to the goodness of
the Lord, for the wheat, the wine, the oil, for the young of the
flock; their souls shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not
sorrow any more at all. Why? Because they have got among a good
people, where there is no need to sorrow; they have come up into a
land that is choice above all other lands, a land that brings forth
wheat, and grapes for the producing of wine, where flocks, herds, &c.,
are multiplied, and their souls will be like a watered garden, and all
the sorrows they have experienced for twenty-five hundred years, in
the cold regions of the north, will be done away; and they will not
sorrow any more at all.

Vol. 18,  p.23
This same thing is predicted in the sixteenth chapter, as well as in
the thirty-first of Jeremiah. The Lord says in the sixteenth
chapter—"Behold the days shall come when it shall no more be said the
Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of
Egypt;" but instead of that saying, there will be another more
glorious saying, namely, that "the Lord liveth who brought up the
children of Israel from the north country, and from all other
countries whither he has driven them." But will that do away the
former saying—"The Lord liveth who brought up Israel out of the land
of Egypt?" Yes. Some may suppose that as the Jews retain that saying
to this day it never would be done away. The Jews, wherever they may
be scattered, whether in Christian lands, or among the heathens where
they are anxious to convert them to idolatry, say, "We worship that
God who brought up our fathers out of the land of Egypt, and wrought
signs, wonders and mighty deeds in bringing them forth, leading them
through the waters of the mighty deep into the Promised Land,
Palestine." But notwithstanding they have retained this saying, it
will be one day done away, superseded by the manifestations of God's
power in bringing Israel from the north country and all other
countries whither they have been scattered, and gathering them to
their own land. The Israel of the latter day has got to cross the sea
dry shod, just as ancient Israel did. It is thus predicted in the
eleventh chapter of Isaiah. After saying that the Lord would lift up
an ensign for the nations, he declares, "I will gather the outcasts of
Israel and the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth,
and I will cause them to pass through the river in its seven streams,
and I will smite the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and an highway shall
be cast up unto Israel that was left from Assyria, like as it was to
Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt." They shall go over
dry shod. They will not have to [p.24] refer back three or four
thousand years to the miracles wrought anciently by the God they
worship, but they will tell of things wrought in their own day, which
have taken place while they themselves live. "The Lord liveth that
brought up Israel out of the north country; the Lord liveth who, in
our day, smote the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and also the river Nile
in its seven mouths; the Lord liveth who, in our day, cast up a
highway in the midst of the great deep, for his chosen to come over."

Vol. 18,  p.24
Now I will quote a parallel prophecy, delivered to Joseph Smith, one
of the greatest Prophets who has lived on the earth in any generation,
save it be our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some forty-three years
ago, in speaking of the lost ten tribes of Israel, the Lord says—"They
who are in the north countries shall come in remembrance before the
Lord, and their Prophets shall hear his voice, and shall no longer
stay themselves; and they shall smite the rocks, and the ice shall
flow down at their presence. And an highway shall be east up in the
midst of the great deep. Their enemies shall become a prey unto them,
and in the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living
water; and the parched ground shall no longer be a thirsty land. And
they shall bring forth their rich treasures unto the children of
Ephraim my servants. And the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall
tremble at their presence." To show that they come with power, they
come on a highway cast up for them; the ice feels the power of God and
flows down, making room for them; and the barren deserts of the north,
wherever they may go and need water, will yield forth pools of living
water to quench their thirst. As they come to sing in the height of
Zion, the everlasting hills, this great Rocky Mountain range,
extending from the arctic regions south to the central portions of
America, will tremble beneath the power of God at the approach of that
people. Then will be fulfilled the saying of David, that the mountains
shall skip like rams, and the little hills like lambs, before his
people. The very trees of the field will clap like hands, as the
Psalmist David has said. Then will he fulfilled the passage that was
quoted yesterday by brother Woodruff—"Sing O heavens, be joyful O
earth, and break forth into singing O mountains, for the Lord hath
redeemed his people," &c. And when they get to Zion they will begin to
say—"The place is too strait for me, give place to me that I may
dwell;" then the saying will go forth—"Behold I was a captive. Zion
was a captive, moving to and fro, tossed to and fro, and not
comforted. Behold I was left alone." But where have this great company
been, where has this mighty host come from? They have come from their
hiding place in the north country; they have been led thence by the
Prophets of the Most High God, the Lord going before their camp,
talking with them out of the cloud, as he talked in ancient days with
the camp of Israel, uttering his voice before his army, for his camp
will be very great. So says the Prophet Joel, trod his prophecy will
be fulfilled. When they return to Zion to sing in the height thereof,
"They will fall down there and be crowned with glory by the hands of
the servants of the Lord, even the children of Ephraim."

Vol. 18,  p.24
Now what does this mean? A people that have had such mighty power, a
people before whose camp the Lord of hosts has been seen, and his
glory by day and by night; a [p.25] people before whom the mountains
and the hills tremble and flee; shall a people of that description
fall down and be crowned by another people? Who are this other people,
that is, these highly favored children of Ephraim? What particular
blessing has the Lord for Ephraim? He holds the birth-right. "Ephraim
is my first-born," saith the Lord in the 31st chapter of Jeremiah. The
first-born in the great latter-day work, holding the keys of blessings
for all the twelve tribes of Israel. God has an order in his kingdom.
Certain blessings can be received in one way; other blessings are
ordained to be received. in another form, by certain authorities that
are appointed, and who hold the keys pertaining to these blessings.
God did not take away the birth-right of Reuben, the first-born of
Israel, and tranfer it to the heads of the sons of Joseph for a
purpose that was of no particular account; but he transferred the
birthright from Reuben to Joseph that they might hold it as the
first-born among all the tribes of Israel, to bless them in the latter
days.

Vol. 18,  p.25
How long will they who come from the north countries tarry in the
heights of Zion? Sometime. They have got to raise wheat, cultivate the
grape, wine and oil, raise flocks and herds, and their souls will have
to become as a watered garden. They will dwell in Zion a good while,
and during that time, there will be twelve thousand chosen out of each
of these ten tribes, besides twelve thousand that will be chosen from
Judah, Joseph, and the remaining tribes, one hundred and forty-four
thousand in all. Chosen for what? To be sealed in their foreheads. For
what purpose? So that the power of death and pestilence and plague
that will go forth in those days sweeping over the nations of the
earth will have no power over them. These parties who are sealed in
their foreheads will go forth among all people, nations and tongues,
and gather up and hunt out the house of Israel, wherever they are
scattered, and bring as many as they possibly can into the. Church of
the first-born, preparatory to the great day of the coming of the
Lord. One hundred and forty-four thousand missionaries! Quite a host.
All this has got to take place. There are persons in this congregation
who will be in the midst of Zion, when the ten tribes come to Zion
from the north countries, and will assist in bestowing the blessings
promised by the Almighty upon the heads of the tribes of Israel. There
are servants of God in the midst of this congregation who will lay
their hands upon many of each of these twelve thousand, chosen out of
the ten tribes, and set them apart as missionaries to visit the
nations of the earth and hunt up the remnants of the seed of Jacob.

Vol. 18,  p.25
Having spoken concerning the gathering of the ten tribes, I will refer
again to their Prophets. "Their Prophets shall hear his voice." Do not
think that we are the only people who will have Prophets. God is
determined to raise up Prophets among that people, but he will not
bestow upon them all the fulness of the blessings of the Priesthood.
The fulness will be reserved to be given to them after they come to
Zion. But Prophets will be among them while in the north, and a
portion of the Priesthood will be there; and John the Revelator will
be there, teaching, instructing and preparing them for this great
work; forte him were given the keys for the gathering of Israel, at
the time when he ate that little book while on the Isle of Patmos. At
that time, John was a very old man; but the Lord told him [p.26] that
he must yet prophesy before many kingdoms, and nations, and peoples,
and tongues, and he has got that mission to perform, and in the last
days the spirit and power of Elias will attend his administrations
among these ten tribes, and he will assist in preparing them to return
to this land. Whether missionaries will be sent from Zion to hunt up
these dispersed tribes in the north I do not know; but one thing I do
know, from that which is reported by those who have tried to find a
passage to the pole, that there is a warmer country off there, and
that birds of passage go north to find a warmer climate. That I know
from the writings of intelligent men who have been on voyages of
discovery. And I know, furthermore, that they have crossed by means of
dogs and sledges a certain portion of this great band of ice and have
come to an open sea, which proves that there is a warmer country
further north. There is a tract of country around the pole, some seven
or eight hundred miles in diameter, that no man among the nations.
that we are acquainted with, has ever explored. But how much of that
land may be fit for habitation I am not prepared to say, for I do not
know. I know it would be a very easy matter for the Lord God, by the
aid of great mountain ranges encircling them around about, to produce
a band of ice which would prevent other nations and people very easily
reaching them. I also know that it would be a very easy matter for the
Lord God to cause deep and extensive valleys, very deep in comparison
with high ranges of mountains around them, where the temperature would
be comparatively mild, the same as in these mountains here. We see all
the rigors of an arctic winter on our eastern ranges of mountains,
while at the same time here are deep valleys in which there is a
comparatively warm climate, which makes me think of that which was
spoken by the mouth of Isaiah the Prophet in referring to the
latter-day work. He says that "when it shall hail, Coming down upon
the forests, the city shall be low in a low place," where the climate
is warm.

Vol. 18,  p.26
Let me say a few more words in regard to certain things that have
already taken place, predicted in the Book of Mormon by our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, when he appeared on this western hemisphere and
taught this remnant of Israel. He told them of certain events which
should transpire before the remnants of Joseph should be converted. He
says—"Verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep which are
not of this land"—meaning America—"neither of the land of Jerusalem,
neither in any parts of that land round about whither I have been to
minister. But they of whom I speak 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 and
they shall be numbered among my sheep, and there shall be one fold and
one shepherd, therefore I go to show myself unto them." After leaving
this continent, he went to the lost tribes and placed one measure of
leaven in the meal that was in that country, having already planted a
little leaven among the Jews at Jerusalem, and another little portion
of leaven here in America, after which he goes to the lost tribes, and
plants leaven in the third mess of meal, and left it to work. He
says—"I command you that you 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 [p.27] in
my name, that they may receive a knowledge of you by the Holy Ghost,
and also of the other tribes which they know not of, these sayings
which ye shall write shall be kept and shall be manifested unto the
Gentiles, that, through the fulness of the Gentiles, the remnant of
their seed who shall be scattered 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 I will fulfill the covenant which the
Father hath made unto all the people of the house of Israel."

Vol. 18,  p.27
Now I want you to take particular notice of the following paragraph,
or a portion of it, which I will read. "But woe, saith the Father,
unto the unbelieving of the Gentiles"—having reference more
particularly to the Gentiles of this great nation—"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 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"—just as our forefathers have done for two or
three generations past in smiting, destroying, casting out and driving
the poor American Indians—"thus commanded the Father that I should say
unto you at that day, when the Gentiles shall sin against my
Gospel,"—meaning sinning against this fullness of the Gospel, that is
the Book of Mormon, when it shall be sent forth in the latter
days)—"when the Gentiles shall sin against my Gospel, and shall be
lifted up in pride above all nations, and above all the people of the
whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings and deceit,
and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and
priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations, and if they
shall do all these 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. 18,  p.27
This prophecy has been fulfilled. It was delivered and in print before
there was any Latter-day Saint Church in existence. Now how did Joseph
Smith, a farmer's boy, know naturally anything about the Lord's taking
this work—the Book of Mormon—and this people who believe in the
fullness of the Gospel and the bringing of them out from this Gentile
nation to these solitary regions? How did he know this so far back as
the year 1830? How did he know this before the Church was organized
with six members? Yet it has all come to pass. How unlikely it was for
such a thing to come to pass, if there was no God in it! If the
Gentiles should reject this Gospel which the Lord has brought forth by
his power; "and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above
all nations, peoples, kindreds and tongues, and shall be filled with
all manner of lyings, deceits, mischiefs, hypocrisy, murders and
whoredoms, and shall reject the fulness of my Gospel, Behold, saith
the Father, I will bring the fulness of my Gospel from among them."

Vol. 18,  p.27
For twenty-seven years the Lord has been fulfilling this directly
before the eyes of all this nation. Little did they think when they
came upon [p.28] us in Nauvoo, and drove us out from our homes and
firesides and told us to flee away beyond this great chain of rocky
mountains, that they were fulfilling this great prophecy uttered
before this people had an existence. "I will bring the fulness of my
Gospel from among them;" and mark the next sentence—"and then I will
remember my covenant." When? When he gets the people out from the
midst of this nation. "Then I will remember my covenant which I made
unto my people, O house of Israel, and I will bring my Gospel unto
them." Has it been fulfilled? Yes. It is over a quarter of a century
since the Lord brought us out, and laid a foundation for us to live
here; and we have been enabled by his power to erect towns villages
and cities, to open up farms, add begin to live, and we have got a
broad foundation laid; and now, the next thing is—"I will bring the
fulness of my Gospel unto thee, O house of Israel;" that is, unto the
Indians; in other words—they shall come unto a knowledge of the
fulness of my Gospel. "Yet if the Gentiles will repent and return unto
me, saith the Father, behold they shall be numbered among my people,
the house of Israel."

Vol. 18,  p.28
That is the only hope that we Gentiles have. No hope for us whatever,
no hope for this great and powerful nation, only by being numbered
with these poor, degraded, despised, outcast, dark, and benighted
Indians. Are you willing to be numbered with them? In what respect?
Not to come down to their customs and habits, their uncleanness,
filth, wickedness, darkness and ignorance; but be numbered with them
in the inheritance of this great continent, which was given to them by
promise, the same as Palestine was given to Abraham and Isaac. God
gave it by the mouth of Jacob, who pronounced it upon the head of his
son Joseph, it was promised that he should have a separate land from
that given to Abraham and Isaac. Read it in the 49th chapter of
Genesis. The Lord gave North and South America to these Indians,
nearly six hundred years before Christ. And he promised that the
Gentiles, in the latter days, who should come upon the face of this
land, if they would repent when this Gospel should come forth unto
them, they should have the privilege of receiving their inheritance in
common with this remnant of Israel—these Indians. But if they did not
repent there is another decree. And what is that? "They shall be
utterly cat off from among my people." Thus it is predicted and you
have read it for forty-five years. In another place the Lord says—" If
they will not repent, behold I will cut off the cities of their land,
I will throw down all their strongholds, and I will cut off their
horses out of the midst of them, and I will execute vengeance and fury
upon them such as they have not heard of. In another place, which I
have not time to turn to and read, it says—"And it shall come to pass
that every soul that will not repent of their sins and come unto my
beloved son, will I cut off from among my people, O, house of Israel,
and it shall be done unto them even as Moses has said, they shall be
cut off from among my people."

Vol. 18,  p.28
Now Moses has told us of that time, and it is repeated again in the
3rd chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, that the Lord would raise up
a Prophet, and it should come to pass that every soul that would not
hear that Prophet should be cut off from among the people. We are told
that that Prophet was Jesus, and we believe it. Jesus Christ was that
Prophet, [p.29] and the day is to come, as sure as the Lord lives in
yonder heavens, when every soul that will not repent, and receive his
work, will be literally cut off from among the people, just as Moses
has predicted. And it shall come to pass that "kings shall shut their
mouths, for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that
which they have not heard shall they beheld," a marvelous work and a
wonder, a work that the Lord would perform in the latter-days. A
strange work, a strange act, so-called by Isaiah the Prophet.

Vol. 18,  p.29
O that I had time to go into the numerous prophecies in the Book of
Mormon, and point out the desolations that are to come upon this
nation and this generation, if they do not repent! But every jot and
every tittle that has not been fulfilled since the coming forth of the
Book of Mormon, will be fulfilled to the very letter. Zion will arise,
clothed with the glory of her God; the Lord will be her defence; he
will be her shield and her buckler; and the power of his own right
hand will protect his people. And it shall come to pass that every
nation, and every kindred and tongue and people that will fight
against the people of God, and against his Zion, will perish out of
the earth, and all nations that "fight against Mount Zion shall become
as the dream of a night vision. Like a hungry man who dreams and
thinks that he eats, but he wakes and his soul has appetite;" so, in
the latter-days, it shall be with not only one nation but all the
nations that fight against Mount Zion. God has stretched forth his
hand to exert, the powers of the heavens, and he will fulfill and
accomplish his work; and there is no power beneath the heavens that
can stay his almighty hand.—Amen.

Wilford Woodruff, June 27, 1875

Little Children Are Innocent, and All Will Be Saved—God, 
a Personage of Tabernacle—the Life of the Savior, a 
Life of Suffering—Second Coming of Christ

Discourse By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered June 27, 1875, 
in the Second Ward School-House, Salt Lake City, at the Funeral
Services 
of John Houseman, Aged Six Years, and Willie Franklin, Aged Four 
Years, Sons of William and Ann Wheeler, Burned to Death at 
Warship, Summit County, U. T., June 24, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.29
I am entirely dependent this morning upon the Spirit of the Lord to
guide and direct me in what I may say upon this painful occasion.
Those who have assembled here—Brother and Sister Wheeler, and their
[p.30] friends who mourn with them, are dependent upon the same source
for comfort in their serious bereavement; and in fact we are all
dependent upon the blessing and Spirit of the Lord in all the labors
of life, and I hope that, in our services this morning, a large
measure of that Spirit will be imparted unto us.

Vol. 18,  p.30
I feel disposed to read the first chapter of Job as a preliminary to
any remarks I may make. [The speaker read the first chapter of the
Book of Job.] We also see in reading the history of Job that the devil
did not finish with him there, as it seems the devil had another
conversation with the Lord on this subject, in which he informed the
Lord that a man would give anything for his life and that if he, the
devil, touched Job's flesh, he would certainly curse God. And it seems
from reading this history that the Lord put Job into the hands of the
devil, to do as he pleased with him, only to spare his life. Of course
the history is familiar to you all who have read the Bible, and you
are aware that the devil smote Job, and he was covered with boils from
the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, so that he was in
great distress, trouble and tribulation, yet in the midst of it all he
did not sin, but acknowledged the hand of the Lord.

Vol. 18,  p.30
I may say with regard to the case which has brought us together this
morning, it is a little similar to that of Job. We meet with some
strange things in the history of our lives in the dispensations and
dealings of God with men. In the case before us we are called to mourn
the loss of two children taken from Brother and Sister Wheeler, we may
say as suddenly and, in one sense of the word, as miraculously, as
were the sons and daughters of Job. His affliction consisted not only
in the loss of two children, but of all his children and also of all
the possessions that he had, yet still, under all this he said—"Naked
came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the
Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the
Lord."

Vol. 18,  p.30
I know very well it is hard for any person to be called to pass
through the scenes that we sometimes are called to pass through in
this life, it is so in the case before us this morning. The loss of
these little children, taken away as they were, is certainly painful,
not only to the parents, but to every person who reflects; and it is a
very hard matter for any of us to enter into and appreciate the depth
of sorrow which parents feel on occasions like this, it is difficult
to bring the matter home to our own hearts unless we have been called
to pass through similar affliction and sorrow. At the same time there
is no doubt that we all sympathize with our friends when called to
pass through trials and bereavement. And I will here say to Brother
and Sister Wheeler, and to all my friends, there are a great many
worse things in this world than the case we are now called to mourn.

Vol. 18,  p.30
Our children are taken away from us in infancy and childhood, and they
are taken away as Job's were, in one sense of the word, through the
dispensations of Providence, causing us severe trials. This we will
acknowledge; but, as I have already said, there are many things in
this world that are far more painful and afflicting than to have our
children burned to death. My friends may ask—"What is Brother Woodruff
driving at in this remark?" I will tell you. I have lived in these
valleys twenty-seven years, since the pioneers came here. I have seen
a whole generation of men and women grow up in [p.31] these valleys of
the mountains, and they have become parents. I have seen some, I will
not say a great many, but I have seen some young men, I say nothing
about maidens, who have met with untimely deaths and who have gone to
the grave disgraced, and a dishonor to themselves and to their
parents. Circumstances of this kind are far more painful to any parent
in the world than it is for their children to meet with sudden death
by accident or any other way. I do not make these remarks to apply to
Brother and Sister Wheeler, for none of us know what course our
children will take. We set good examples before them, and we strive to
teach them righteous principles, but when they come to years of
accountability they have their agency and they act for themselves.

Vol. 18,  p.31
Many things are transpiring in the earth to-day which we should regard
as great calamities and as grievous to be borne if we had to pass
through them. Think of these late earthquakes in South America, eight
thousand people out of ten thousand in one city sunk in the earth in a
few moments. And then, the tremendous floods that are sweeping over
France and other parts of the earth, causing the death of hundreds and
thousands of men, women and children. All these things are in
fulfillment of the revelations of God, and of the judgments which he
has promised should come upon the earth in the last days. One of the
purposes which the Lord has in view in gathering his Saints to the
valleys of the mountains is that they may not share in the sins or
partake of the plagues of Babylon; therefore we have reason to rejoice
before the Lord because of his mercies and blessings unto us. And with
regard to a case like this before us this morning—the loss of those
children—I want to say a few words for the consolation of those who
are sorrowing. In the first place these children are innocent before
the Lord; as to their death and the cause thereof, that is in the
hands of God, and we should not complain of the Lord or his
dispensations any more than Job did. These children have been taken
away very suddenly, and in such a manner as to cause great sorrow and
distress to their parents, but there is this consolation connected
with the matter—they are innocent, they are not in transgression. They
have paid the law of death which God passed on Adam and all his
posterity; but when their spirits left their bodies and got into the
spirit world their trouble and affliction were over. Their death was a
very painful one, but their suffering is now over, and in a few years
from now they will come forth out of their graves in the morning of
the resurrection, not marred by fire or any element, but clothed with
glory, immortality and eternal life, in eternal beauty and bloom, and
they will be given into the hands of their parents, and they will
receive them in the family organization of the celestial world, and
their parents will have them for ever. They will live as long as their
God lives. This, to Latter-day Saints, who believe in the
resurrection, should be a source of comfort and consolation.

Vol. 18,  p.31
Why our children are taken from us it is not for me to say, for God
never revealed it unto me. We are all burying them. I have buried
one-third of the children that have been given unto me. I have had
some thirty children born to me, and ten of them are buried, all of
them young. The question may arise with me and with you—"Why has the
Lord taken away my children?" But that is not for me to tell, because
I do not know; it is in the hands of the [p.32] Lord, and it has been
so from the creation of the world all the way down. Children are taken
away in their infancy, and they go to the spirit world. They come here
and fulfill the object of their coming, that is, they tabernacle in
the flesh. They come to receive a probation and an inheritance on the
earth; they obtain a body or tabernacle, and that tabernacle will be
preserved for them, and in the morning of the resurrection the spirits
and bodies will be reunited, and as here we find children of various
ages in a family, from the infant at the mother's breast to manhood,
so will it be in the family organization in the celestial world. Our
children will be restored to us as they are laid down if we, their
parents, keep the faith and prove ourselves worthy to obtain eternal
life; and if we do not so prove ourselves our children will still be
preserved, and will inherit celestial glory. This is my view in regard
to all infants who die, whether they are born to Jew or Gentile,
righteous or wicked. They come from their eternal Father and their
eternal Mother unto whom they were born in the eternal world, and they
will be restored to their eternal parentage; and all parents who have
received children here according to the order of God and the holy
priesthood, no matter in what age they may have lived, will claim
those children in the morning of the resurrection, and they will be
gives unto them and they will grace their family organizations in the
celestial world.

Vol. 18,  p.32
With regard to the future state of those who die in infancy I do not
feel authorized to say much. There has been a great deal of theory,
and many views have been expressed on this subject, but there are many
things connected with it which the Lord has probably never revealed to
any of the Prophets or patriarchs who ever appeared on the earth.
There are some things which have not been revealed to man, but are
held in the bosom of God our Father, and it may be that the condition
after death of those who die in infancy is among the things which God
has never revealed; but it is sufficient for me to know that our
children are saved, and that if we ourselves keep the faith and do our
duty before the Lord, if we keep the celestial law, we shall be
preserved by that law, and our children will be given unto us there,
as they have been given here in this world of sorrow, affliction, pain
and distress. It has no doubt been a marvel many times, in the minds
of men and women, why God ever placed men and women in such a world as
this, why he causes his children to pass through sorrow and affliction
here in the body. The Lord has revealed something to us concerning
this matter, and we have learned enough about it to know that this
thing is necessary. We know that we are created in the image of God,
both male and female; and whoever goes back into the presence of God
our eternal Father, will find that he is a noble man, a noble God,
tabernacled in a form similar to ours, for we are created after his
own image; they will also learn that he has placed us here that we may
pass through a state of probation and experience, the same as he
himself did in his day of mortality. And time and again it has been
revealed in the revelations of God given in our day, as well as in the
Bible and Book of Mormon, that these things are necessary in order to
enable us to comprehend good and evil, and to be prepared for glory
and blessings when we receive them. As the Apostle argues very
strongly in the Book of Mormon—"If we never taste the bitter how will
we know [p.33] how to comprehend the sweet? If we never partake of
pain how can we prize ease? And if we never pass through affliction,
how can we comprehend glory, exaltation and eternal blessings?"

Vol. 18,  p.33
The Lord has said concerning Jesus, that he descended below all things
that he might rise above all things, and comprehend all things. No man
descended lower than the Savior of the world. Born in a stable,
cradled in a manger, he traveled from there to the cross through
suffering, mingled with blood, to a throne of grace; and in all his
life there was nothing of an earthly nature that seemed to be worth
possessing. His whole life was passed in poverty, suffering, pain,
affliction, labor, prayer, mourning and sorrow, until he gave up the
ghost on the cross. Still he was God's firstborn son and the Redeemer
of the world. The question might be asked why the Lord suffered his
Son to come here and to live and die as he did. When we get into the
spirit world, and the vail is withdrawn, we shall then perhaps
understand the whys and wherefores of all these things. In the
dispensations and providences of God to man it seems that we are born
to suffer pain, affliction, sorrows and trials; this is what God has
decreed that the human family shall pass through; and if we make a
right use of this probation, the experience it brings will eventually
prove a great blessing to us, and when we receive immortality and
eternal life, exaltation, kingdoms, thrones, principalities and powers
with all the blessings of the fulness of the Gospel of Christ, we
shall understand and comprehend why we were called to pass through a
continual warfare during the few years we spent in the flesh.

Vol. 18,  p.33
It certainly does require a good deal of the Spirit of the Lord to
give comfort and consolation to a father and mother mourning for the
loss of their children; and without the Gospel of Christ the
separation by death is one of the most gloomy subjects it is possible
to contemplate; but just as soon as we obtain the Gospel and learn the
principle of the resurrection, the gloom, sorrow and suffering
occasioned by death are, in a great measure, taken away. I have often
thought that, to see a dead body, and to see that body laid in the
grave and covered with earth, is one of the most gloomy things on
earth; without the Gospel it is like taking a leap in the dark. But as
quick as we obtain the Gospel, as Soon as the spirit of man is
enlightened by the inspiration of the Almighty, he can exclaim with
one of old—"Oh grave, where is thy victory, Oh death, where is thy
sting? The sting of death is sin, and the gift of God is eternal life,
through our Lord Jesus Christ." The resurrection of the dead presents
itself before the enlightened mind of man, and he has a foundation for
his spirit to rest upon. That is the position of the Latter-day Saints
today. We do know for ourselves, we are not in the dark with regard to
this matter; God has revealed it to us, and we do understand the
principle of the resurrection of the dead, and that the Gospel brings
life and immortality to light. We have received the Gospel, and if we
are true to the principles of that Gospel as long as we live, we shall
be made partakers of immortality, exaltation and glory.

Vol. 18,  p.33
I know very well that the loss of their children in this terrible
manner is a sad affliction to brother andsister Wheeler. It was a sad
affliction for Job when his children and [p.34] possessions were taken
from him in an hour, but yet he had sense or knowledge enough to
understand and say that when he came into the world he possessed
neither children, houses, lands, horses, oxen, camels nor asses, lint
that all his wealth had been given to him by the Lord, and that the
Lord had taken them away and blessed be his holy name. I will say to
our mourning friends, your children are taken away and you can not
help it, we cannot any of us help it; there is no censure to be given
to parents when they do the best they can. A mother should not be
censured because she can not save her sick child, and we have to leave
these things in the hands of God. It will be but a little time until
they will be restored to us; in a little time brother and sister
Wheeler will again have the children whose loss they now mourn.

Vol. 18,  p.34
With regard to the growth, glory, or exaltation of children in the
life to come, God has not revealed anything on that subject to me,
either about your children, mine or anybody else's, any further than
we know they are saved. And I feel that we have to put our trust in
the Lord in these afflictions, we have to lean upon his arm and to
look to him for comfort and consolation. We do not mourn under these
afflictions as those who have no hope; we do not mourn the loss of our
children as though we were never going to see them again, because we
know better. The Lord has taught us better, and so has the Gospel; the
revelations of Jesus Christ have shown us that they will be restored
to us in the resurrection of the just. And I will here say with regard
to the Gospel of Christ, that it is one of the greatest mysteries
under the heavens to me why there are so few of the human family,
whether in the Christian, Pagan or Jewish world, who take any interest
in eternal things, in the state of man after death. If we read the
Bible we learn that Noah, filled with revelation, and with the Gospel
in his hand, although he labored a hundred and twenty years, could not
gets solitary soul except his own family to go with him for salvation.
It was similar in the days of the Patriarchs and Prophets, and if we
come down to the days of Christ, we find that his testimony was
rejected by the rabbis, high priests and the great mass of the people,
and he chose for his Apostles twelve poor fishermen, and they and very
few of the people, comparatively speaking, were all that received the
teachings of Jesus and followed him through the regeneration; while
the whole Jewish nation, with these few exceptions, were ready to put
their Shiloh to death, and he was the person upon whom the salvation
of the whole house of Israel depended. It is just so to-day. The great
majority of the people reject the words of life and salvation which
are proclaimed unto them. God, in these last days revealed the Gospel
of Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith by the teachings of angels out of
heaven, and its principles are made known to the world, and there has
never been a congregation of Gentiles, from that day to this, to whom
the Elders of Israel have borne record of these things, but what the
Spirit of God has also borne record of the truth of their testimony;
and herein lies the condemnation of this generation, for "light has
come into the world, but men love darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are evil." I ask, in the name of God and humanity, why is
it that intelligent beings, [p.35] made in the image of God, take no
interest in their condition after death? They know they are going to
die, and, if they have any sense or reflection, they know they will
live after the death of their mortal bodies; still men will sell their
eternal interest for money, for a few hundred or a few thousand
dollars they will sell all the interest they have in the eternal
world; in fact, they take no interest in their eternal welfare. Their
cry is—"Give me gold, silver and honors the few years I spend here,
and eternal life may go where it pleases, I have no interest in that."
I ask again, why is it that the human family take no interest in these
things? We have preached over forty years. I have been engaged in that
work over that time, and have proclaimed the words of eternal life to
millions of people, and have traveled more than a hundred thousand
miles in so doing, and, as the Prophet has said, I have found one of a
family and two of a city who have had eyes to see, ears to hear, and
hearts to understand, and they have been gathered up from the various
nations of the earth into the mountains of Israel, and here to-day we
have a little handful of people, out of the twelve hundred millions
who dwell upon the earth, who feel an interest in building up the Zion
and kingdom of God upon the earth, and who are desirous of being saved
in that kingdom.

Vol. 18,  p.35
Now I would rather be poor all the days of my life, I would rather go
through poverty and affliction, it matters not how severe, even to the
sacrifice of my own life, than lose salvation and eternal life,
because I have faith in it and always had. I always have had faith in
the Bible and in the revelations of God since I was a boy like these
sitting on these seats, eight or ten years old, when I went to the
Presbyterian Sunday school and read about Jesus Christ. I believed
then that he was the Savior of the world; I believed that the Old and
New Testament was true. I believe it to-day. What would it profit a
man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? What will a man
give in exchange for his soul? When he comes into the presence of God
he can't buy it. This is the position of the world. There is none of
us going to live but a little while; we shall all pass away soon, and
our eternal destiny depends upon the few days, weeks, months or years
that we spend here in the flesh. Do you not think it will pay a man or
a woman to keep the commandments of God? It will, and when we enjoy
the Holy Spirit, when we are trying to live our religion here on the
earth, we are the happiest people on God's footstool, no matter what
our circumstances may be. I do not care whether we are rich or poor,
whether in happiness or affliction, if a man is living his religion
and enjoys the favor and Spirit of God, it makes no difference to him
what takes place on the earth. There may be earthquakes, war, fire or
sword in the land, but he feels that it is all right with him. That is
the way I feel to-day.

Vol. 18,  p.35
With regard to the Gospel of Christ, it is a thing that we should all
labor to maintain the few years that we spend here. When I get through
with this life and go into the spirit world, I do not want to miss
what I have in anticipation. I have always desired to see the Savior,
Father Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and those old Prophets we
read about in the Bible. I desired this before I heard this Gospel, I
desire it to-day; and I do not wish to miss this, for nothing in this
world would pay me for such a sacrifice. But I know that it requires
constant [p.36] warfare, labor and faithfulness before the Lord in
order for us to keep in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and to live
in such a manner that we may obtain these blessings. Jesus
says—"Strait is the gate and narrow the way that leads to eternal
lives, and few there are who find it, while broad is the way that
leads to death, and many there be who go in thereat." The road to
death is broad enough to catch the whole world, and they do not like
to walk in the strait and narrow one, they do not like to keep the
celestial law. I have met with professed ministers of the Gospel, in
my travels, at whose tables I have eaten and drank, and I have given
them the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and
have talked to and labored with them, and I have known some of them
spend days and days in this warfare, trying to decide which to do,
whether to receive the Gospel of Christ and take the reproach of the
world, or reject it; and I may say that in nine cases out of ten they
have come to the conclusion to reject it. When I visited Fox Island
the first time, I went to the house of Mr. Newton, a Baptist minister;
and I stayed with him. But first I went to his church and heard him
preach, and when he got through I wanted to bear record of the Gospel,
for I had a message to that people, and I appointed a meeting for four
o'clock in the afternoon, and I preached the Gospel to them, and Mr.
Newton took me to his home and I gave him the Book of Mormon and the
Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and for ten days that man walked about
his room until midnight trying to decide what he should do. The Spirit
of the Lord bore record to him that my testimony was true, and he felt
that if he obeyed the Gospel which I had proclaimed unto him he would
lose his good name and honor among men, but that if he did not receive
it, he would be damned. Finally he rejected it, and the consequence
was that he became a vagabond, and a miserable outcast. I baptized all
his flock who owned any portion of the meeting-house, and if he had
embraced the Gospel and been gathered with them he would have been
here and saved in the kingdom of God, instead of the vagabond that he
has since become. I merely mention this to show how the minds of some
men are acted upon by the tidings of the Gospel. Some of them feel
that it would be a great reproach to obey that Gospel and to keep the
commandments of God. Bless your souls, we who obey the Gospel of
Christ are all in good company. Whenever you are persecuted for
righteousness sake, said Jesus, rejoice and be exceeding glad for so
persecuted they the Prophets and Apostles which were before you.

Vol. 18,  p.36
I will say to all, whether in the church or in the world, it will pay
you to keep the commandments of God. Here is a man who has a wife that
he thinks a great deal of; they have lovely children, and the ties of
affection bind them closely. Now should not such a man have respect
enough for God to keep his commandments and so secure to himself his
wife and his children in the celestial world after the resurrection?
But you cannot get worldlings to believe in such a principle; the
people, as I said before, have not interest enough in the things of
the kingdom of God to be Willing to keep the commandments of God.

Vol. 18,  p.36
I say to the Latter-day Saints, we should he faithful to our God. We
are blessed above all the people that breathe the breath of life upon
the earth, and we are blessed above all other dispensations and
generations [p.37] of men, for the Lord has put into our hands the
power to build up his Zion upon the earth, never more to be thrown
down, and this is what no other generation has ever been called to do.
But although this is the mission of the Latter-day Saints, we have a
continual warfare to wage—a warfare with the powers of darkness, and a
warfare with ourselves. The ancients had a similar experience to pass
through—they had their day of trials, troubles and tribulations. Enoch
labored three hundred and sixty-five years in building up Zion, and he
had the opposition of the whole world. But the Lord blessed him so
that he maintained his ground for that length of time, and gathered
together a few out of the nations of the earth, and they were
sanctified before the Lord, and he had to take them sway, and the
saying went forth—"Zion is fled." So you may trace down all the
Prophets. Read the history of Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and others,
and you will find that it was a warfare with them all the way through.
And so with Jesus and the Apostles. But all those dispensations have
passed and gone into the spirit world, and they have their eyes upon
us, and in fact God our heavenly Father and all under him—the whole
heavenly host, have their eyes turned towards the Latter-day Saints,
because this is the great dispensation of which Adam, Enoch and all
the ancient patriarchs and Prophets have spoken, in which shall take
place the final redemption of the House of Israel, the restoration of
their kingdom, the rebuilding of their city and Temple, the
restoration of their oracles and Priesthood, of the Urim and Thummim,
and the preparation for the final winding up scene in the last days;
all these things will take place in the dispensation in which we are
permitted to live.

Vol. 18,  p.37
Let us, then, try and fulfill and perform our duties as good
Latter-day Saints. Let us bear with each other's faults, and bear the
yoke of Christ, live our religion and keep the commandments of God.
Let us try and bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. Let us set them good examples and teach them good principles
while they are young. They are given to us by our heavenly Father;
they are our kingdom, they are the foundation of our exaltation and
glory; they are plants of renown, and we should strive to bear them up
before the Lord, and teach them to pray to, and to have faith in, the
Lord as far as we can, that when we are passed and gone and they
succeed us on this stage of action, they may bear off the great
latter-day work and kingdom of God upon the earth. I do not believe
that the day is very far distant when the revelations which God has
given concerning the last days will have their fulfillment. I believe
there are many children now living in the mountains of Israel who will
never taste of death, that is, they will dwell on the earth at the
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I will acknowledge that there is a
great deal to be done, and the Lord has not revealed to man the day or
the hour, but he has revealed the generation; and the fig trees are
now putting forth their leaves in the eyes of all the nations,
indicating the near approach of the second coming of the Son of Man.
It is my faith that hundreds and thousands of the children that have
been given to us will be alive in the flesh when Christ comes in the
clouds of heaven in power and great glory. The Lord will not
disappoint the inhabitants of the earth in these last days in regard
to his second coming, any more than he has with regard to other great
events and dispensations.[p.38] 

Vol. 18,  p.38
We live in a very important age and generation; we live in the day and
time when God has set his hand to fulfill a measure of prophecy and
revelation to man, in the great dispensation of all dispensations. As
an individual I do not believe that many more years will roll ever the
heads of the inhabitants of the earth before the resurrection will be
upon them, and then these children, which we are called to bury
to-day, will come forth from their graves, clothed with glory,
immortality and eternal life. You may ask why I believe this. I
believe it because the revelations of God say so. I read the
Scriptures, and I believe that the revelations and prophecies therein
contained mean what they say, and I also believe that the saying of
every Prophet or Apostle spoken under the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost will have its fulfillment, and, as Paul said, no prophecy of
Scripture hath any private interpretation, but holy men of old spake
as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. They spake the mind and
word of the Lord, and none of their sayings will fail to be fulfilled,
for the Lord has said—"Though the heavens and the earth pass away, my
word shall not fail, but shall be fulfilled." That is the way I read
prophecy and revelation.

Vol. 18,  p.38
The Jews will be moved upon by and by, and they will return to the
land of their fathers, and they will rebuild Jerusalem. These
Lamanites here will receive the Gospel of Christ in fulfillment of the
revelations of God. The Prophets which have been shut up in the north
country with the nine and a half tribes led away by Shalmanezer, King
of Assyria, thousands of years ago, will come in remembrance before
God; they will smite the rocks and mountains of ice will flow down
before them, and those long lost tribes will come forth in your day
and mine, if we live a few years longer, and they will be crowned
under the hands of the children of Ephraim—the Elders of Israel who
dwell in the land of Zion. And by and by the testimony of the Gospel
will be sealed among the Gentiles, and the Gospel will turn to the
whole house of Israel, and the judgments of God will back up the
testimony of the Elders of this Church, and the Lord will send
messengers who will go forth and reap down the earth. The unbeliever
may say that what we term judgments have always prevailed more or less
among the nations, and that God has nothing to do with them, they are
all natural. Well, if they have always prevailed, they will prevail to
a greater extent in these last days than ever before, until everything
that God has spoken shall have come to pass. Judgments await the
world, and they await this nation, and the day is at hand when the
Lord will sweep the earth as with a besom of destruction. In the
vision which the Lord gave to Enoch, he saw the heavens weeping over
the earth because of the fall of man; and when Enoch asked the
Lord—"When will the earth rest from under the curse of sin?" the Lord
told him that in the last days the earth should rest, for then it
should be redeemed from the sin, wickedness and abominations that were
upon it. The earth is now pretty near ripe, and when ripened the Lord
will cut them off. These things are before the Latter-day Saints, but
the world do not believe in them any more than they believed in the
message of Noah or Lot.

Vol. 18,  p.38
Brethren and sisters, let us read the revelations of God for
ourselves, and when we read them, let us believe them, and try to live
in such a [p.39] way that we may be ready for whatever dispensation
the Lord may have in store for us, and so that we can acknowledge his
hand as Job did, and not find any fault with him because of his
providences toward us. If we cannot comprehend them now, we shall be
able to do so in a little while. The Lord may have purposes in view in
his dealings with us that we do not understand; I presume he has. In
fact, the whole of the dealings of God to man are a mystery. There is
a vail over the world, and it is ordained of God that it should be so,
for if it were not so, and if men could comprehend eternal things, as
God comprehends them, there is no man on the earth, no matter how
wicked he may be, but what would be willing to keep the commandments
of God, and to pass through anything that God ordained, for therein he
would see there was salvation and eternal life. But God has an order
in these matters, as he revealed unto Joseph Smith. He said unto
Joseph—"I will prove you whether you will abide in my covenant; if you
are not willing to abide in my covenant even unto death, you are not
worthy of me." And it is so with the Saints. If they are not willing
to abide in the covenants they have made with God, even unto death if
necessary, they are not worthy of him. Jesus laid down his life to
redeem the world, and passed through suffering and affliction all his
life in order that he might fulfill the mission which was given him.
So it is with us. The Lord says—"I am going to prove the children of
men." There are a few individuals in this dispensation who will
inherit celestial glory, and a few in other dispensations; but before
they receive their exaltation they will have to pass through and
submit to whatever dispensation God may decree. But for all this they
will receive their reward—they will become Gods, they will inherit
thrones, kingdoms, principalities and powers through the endless ages
of eternity, and to their increase there will be no end, and the heart
of man has never conceived of the glory that is in store for the sons
and daughters of God who keep the celestial law. And yet God has a
vail over all in regard to these things. The whole world will be
judged according to the deeds done in the body, and they will inherit
kingdoms according to the laws which they have kept, every man being
preserved by the law which he has observed, and all will be saved in
some glory, except the sons of perdition.

Vol. 18,  p.39
Now, brethren and sisters, the Gospel of Christ is before us. We are
all passing along, and it will only be a little time before a good
many of us will be on the other side of the vail. Our friends are
passing off every day, and we look in vain for many with whom we have
been familiar in years that are past. If I go into a congregation of
ten thousand and enquire for the Saints I knew in Kirtland, and
request them to lift up their hands, it will be like a standard bearer
on the mountains, there is only here and there one. You ask a
congregation how many of them knew Joseph Smith, and it is only here
and there one, they are passing away to the other side of the vail. It
is so with us all, we are hastening to the end of life's journey, and
a good many of us are on the downward grade. I ask that what little
time I live, I may keep the faith and have the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit and of the Saints of God, that when I get through I may be
satisfied with life, satisfied with my acts, that I may receive a
welcome into the Kingdom of God. That is all I ask and all I labor
for. As for riches and [p.40] wealth, I do not want them if they will
damn me. I would like to have enough to clothe, shoe and feed my wives
and children, and to make them comfortable, if I can get it honestly
before the Lord; but I would rattler myself and them all be in poverty
than to have wealth and be destroyed. Riches are dangerous unless we
can use them so as not to destroy us; if we cannot use them to the
glory of God and for the building up of his Kingdom, we are better
without them. I do not expect to live a great many years longer. The
young, the middle-aged and the old are dying off. For many years of my
life the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a consolation to me. I have
spent a good deal more than half of my life in laboring in this
Church. I labored to find this Church, I may say, from my childhood
up, and many a midnight hour have I plead with the Lord, in the
wilderness, in the woods, and in my mill, and under various
circumstances, that the Lord would let me find a people who contended
for the faith once delivered to the Saints. I desired this from
reading the Bible, and from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for in
the pages of that sacred book I learned that a people once lived upon
the earth who had communion with God, and they had power to command
the elements, and they obeyed them; they conversed with angels, and
had the gifts and graces of a religion which had power and salvation
in it. I could not find this on the face of the earth. I prayed to the
Lord to let me live to find such a people, and he promised that I
should, and I have lived to find them. I have seen the faces of
Prophets and inspired men, and it has been a great consolation to me.
I have my failings and imperfections, and I expect that we are all
subject to them, more or less. I want to overcome them, because I
desire to partake of eternal life. I also desire this for the Saints
of God and for the honest and meek of the earth everywhere.

Vol. 18,  p.40
I have labored many years, and traveled without purse and scrip,
preached without money and without price, for the purpose of saving my
fellow-men. I labor on Mount Zion to try and save the dead; I spend a
good deal of time in this. It is a consolation to me, I pray God my
heavenly Father to bless you and all the Latter-day Saints, and that
he will give us enough of his Holy Spirit to keep us in the path of
duty and rectitude, virtue and righteousness, that we may be justified
before him. I pray my heavenly Father that he will bless Brother and
Sister Wheeler in their bereavement, and give them his Holy Spirit,
that, when they lie down at night and rise in the morning and miss
their children they may feel to commit themselves into the hands of
the Lord, and realize that their separation from their little ones is
not for ever, but that in a little while they will be restored to
them. This applies to us all in the loss of our children. We lay them
away in the grave, but they will come forth in the morning of the
resurrection, and if we are faithful to the truth, we shall receive
them and rejoice with them; and when we have passed through the
sorrows of mortality and have the joy and glory of the celestial
kingdom conferred upon us we shall then know that the afflictions of
mortality have prepared us for and enabled us to appreciate the
blessings which God has in store for the faithful.

Vol. 18,  p.41
May God bless us, and give us his Spirit, for Jesus' sake, Amen.[p.41]


Orson Pratt, July 11, 1875

Immediate Revelation—Spiritual Gifts Necessary in the 
Christian Church—Apostacy—the Restoration of the Gospel—All 
Things to Be Gathered in One—Divine Authority—Marriage—
Celestial Marriage—Baptism for the Dead

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, on the Occasion of the Attendance of the 
New England and New York Editorial Excursion 
Party, Sunday Afternoon, July 11, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.41
I will call the attention of the congregation to a portion of the word
of God contained in the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to St.
Matthew. [The speaker read the 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 verses.]

Vol. 18,  p.41
I have read these passages of Scripture in order to dwell, this
afternoon, if the Lord will, and his Spirit shall so direct my mind,
upon the subject of marriage, and to show wherein the people called
Latter-day Saints differ in their views from other Christian
denominations in relation to this great and divine ordinance, and to
make such other remarks, not particularly connected with the subject,
as the Spirit of the Lord may direct.

Vol. 18,  p.41
First, however, before taking up this divine ordinance, it may be well
to state, in brief terms, some of the views of the Latter-day Saints
in regard to the doctrine which they have embraced. I shall endeavor
to be very brief on every point, in order to enumerate, as far as
possible, the variety of doctrines and principles which we have
embraced, that are peculiar to us as a people. I will commence by
saying, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not
grown out of the various religious societies that now exist, or that
have existed, in Christendom; neither has it grown out of any of their
institutions. Our Priesthood, our doctrine, our authority, the
organization of our Church, and everything connected therewith, have
been something revealed directly from the heavens. Perhaps you may
inquire—"Have you not been guided more or less in relation to these
principles by the book which is called the Bible?" I answer that, in
the organization of the kingdom of God on the earth in the nineteenth
century, we have been guided by direct revelation to us from heaven.
We do not profess that our doctrines and principles are entirely
distinct and something entirely different from those which are
recorded in the Bible, we are far from making any such profession; but
we believe that the same God who organized his kingdom in ancient
times, and revealed his will to the inhabitants of the earth, has
revealed, in these last days, principles [p.42] in accordance with
those revealed in former times, and that he is a consistent Being, and
that he would not communicate a Gospel for the inhabitants of the
earth to observe in the 19th century that was not revealed and
understood in former ages. The name Gospel, therefore, which God has
revealed anew in our day, when compared with the Gospel contained in
the New Testament, is found to accord in every principle, and in all
its ordinances and institutions, with ancient Christianity.

Vol. 18,  p.42
This Church was organized on the 6th day of April, 1830. The very day
of the month on which it should be organized was pointed out by new
revelation; the officers that were placed in the Church were
appointed, and the names of many of them were given by new revelation.
The duties of these officers were also appointed by direct revelation
from heaven. God organized the Church with Apostles in it, the same as
he organized his ancient Church; he organized it with Revelators and
with Prophets, inspired from on high, the same as he organized the
ancient Christian Church. He commanded the people to believe in his
Son Jesus Christ, as the great Redeemer who died in the meridian of
time for the sins of mankind. He commanded, by new revelation, that we
should believe in the same Redeemer and in the same atonement; he
commanded us to repent of all our sins, forsake all unrighteousness,
cease to do evil and learn to do well, and to reform our lives in
every respect, the same as he commanded the people in the ancient
dispensation of the Gospel. By new revelation we were commanded to be
baptized by immersion in water, for the remission of our sins, the
same as he commanded the people in ancient times to attend to the same
divine ordinance. By new revelation, he commanded his servants the
Apostles, and those to whom he gave power and authority, to lay hands
on all baptized believers, and to confirm upon them the baptism of
fire and the Holy Ghost, the same as was practiced among the Saints in
ancient times. By new revelation the Lord promised that certain signs
should follow the believers among all nations, kindreds, tongues and
people to whom this Gospel should be sent. All that would believe, men
and women, were promised certain signs, among which I will name that
they should cast out devils, speak with new tongues, and if they
should take up serpents, or drink any deadly thing, it should not hurt
them, they should lay their hands upon the sick and they should
recover. The same promise was made by our Savior under the ancient
dispensation of the Gospel. He commanded his servants, in these days,
to go forth and preach to the Gentile nations first; and when we had
faithfully borne our testimony to them, and they were sufficiently
warned, then we were to turn to the scattered and dispersed remnants
of Israel in the four quarters of the earth, and preach the Gospel to
them. He commanded, by new revelation, that his servants should say
unto the inhabitants of all the earth that would believe, repent, be
baptized, and receive the Gospel of the Son of God, that they should
leave their respective nations, and gather together in one place,
which the Lord, by new revelation, should appoint.

Vol. 18,  p.42
All this was given by new revelation. Does it agree or disagree with
the Scriptures contained in the Bible? Judge ye for yourselves. Did
the ancient Christian Church have inspired Apostles, who had power to
call upon God and receive new revelation [p.43] from him? So does the
modern Christian Church, which God has reorganized on the earth; claim
to have the same officers, Apostles, not in name merely, but inspired
from heaven, to receive new revelations, as the ancient Apostles were.
Is there any disagreement, then, between the former pattern and the
latter-day pattern? Did the ancient Christian Church have a multitude
of inspired Prophets, men and women, who could prophesy concerning
future events? So the latter-day Christian Church, organized by new
revelation, has an abundance of Prophets and Prophetesses to whom the
future has been opened, and they foretell future events; hence there
is no disagreement between the ancient pattern and the latter-day
pattern. Did the Apostles lay on hands for the reception of the Holy
Ghost, and did the Spirit of God descend from the heavens, and fall
upon the baptized believers through the laying on of hands? So in the
latter days have the same blessings been given among all the nations
and people and kindreds and tongues, wherever this Gospel has been
preached. No difference, then, so far as this is concerned.

Vol. 18,  p.43
Did the ancient Christian Church have a great variety of members
possessing a variety of spiritual gifts? So does the latter-day
Christian Church believe in the same thing. Did any in the Christian
Church presume, in ancient times, to take unto themselves the
authority of the ministry, without being called of God by new
revelation? Never, no never! All were called by new revelation to
officiate in the various offices of the Church, after the same pattern
that Aaron was called. "No man," says paul, "taketh this honor unto
himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron." Everybody knows,
from the history given, how Aaron was called by new revelation. Have
any among all the peoples and nations of the earth authority to
administer baptism? Yes. Who are they? Those who are called by new
revelation, and none else. Have any authority to administer the Lord's
Supper among all the Christian nations of the earth? Yes. Who are
they? Those to whom the Lord has spoken, whom the Lord has called as
he called Aaron. Have any Christian denominations who deny new
revelation, authority to administer this sacred ordinance? Not one
upon the face of the whole earth. Are ordinances, administered by
those who deny new revelation, accepted by the Most High? Not one of
them. Why? Because God does not sanction that which is not appointed
by him.

Vol. 18,  p.43
Perhaps some may inquire, if this does not cut off the Christian
Church from the face of the earth? I answer, it does, unless God has a
Christian Church with revelators and Prophets in it, and whose
officers are called by new revelation. Inquires one—"Do you mean to
say that we have had no true Christian Church on the earth for a great
many centuries?" I do mean to say this, unless there have been persons
authorized, according to the requirements of the holy Scriptures. If
we can find a Church anywhere on the face of the earth that has
Apostles in it, and revelators, and inspired men, then we have a true
Christian Church; but if we can not find this, then we have no such
Church. If we can find a church that has the gifts and the signs
spoken of by the New Testament, we can find a true Christian Church.;
but if we can't find such, we have no reason to believe that there is
such a Church on the earth. "But," says one, "we call [p.44] ourselves
Christians." That is avery easy matter; but calling yourselves
Christians or Christian churches does not make you such. Inquires
one—"Is it not contrary to the Scriptures to suppose that the world
would be left for so many centuries without a Christian Church?" No;
it is in accordance with the Scriptures, for they foretell the
Apostacy, the falling away and the darkness that should reign over the
nations, and show that instead of having true teachers, men would heap
to themselves teachers without authority from God, uninspired men,
whose ears would be turned away from the truth unto fables. This great
apostacy commenced about the close of the first century of the
Christian era, and it has been waxing worse and worse from then until
now. A short time after the death of the last of the Apostles, the
Christian Church, what few of them remained, were persecuted from
mountain to mountain, from den to den, from one cave of the earth to
another, and from nation to nation until they were entirely
exterminated and rooted out of the earth. Well, what was left? An
apostate Christianity, a Christianity without revelators, without any
voice of God, without any Prophets to unfold the future, without
visions, without any communications from the heavens. Apostacy
succeeded the Christian Church and has borne rule over all the nations
of the earth; and these Scriptures have been fulfilled; for they say
that a certain power should arise, and make war with the Saints and
overcome them, and they should be given into the hands of that power.

Vol. 18,  p.44
But is our earth always to be left without the Church and kingdom of
God, and without Apostles, Prophets, or a voice from the heavens? No.
John saw in his vision on Patmos how the Gospel should again be
preached among the nations, after great Babylon should arise, after
she should persecute the Saints and destroy them from the earth, and
present her golden cup full of filthiness and abominations for all
nations to drink thereof.

Vol. 18,  p.44
After he had seen this, he saw how the Christian Church should again
return to the earth. In the fourteenth chapter of Revelations and
sixth verse, he says—"I saw another angel flying through the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on
the earth, unto every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
saying with a lead voice, "Fear God and give glory to him, for the
hour of his judgment is come." And another angel followed this one
that had the Gospel, saying—"Babylon is fallen, is fallen." Why?
Because she hath made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of
her fornication.

Vol. 18,  p.44
Immediately after this the Son of Man was seen by John, sitting upon a
white cloud, coming in his glory and power to destroy the nations of
the earth. Here, then, were three great events portrayed by the
ancient Apostle John, which should take place just prior to and at the
time of the coming of the Son of Man. The Gospel is to be brought by
an angel. For whom? Per all people. Now, if there had been any people,
nation, kindred, or tongue, in any part of the earth that had the
Gospel, and had the authority to administer its ordinances, there
would be no necessity for this angel's coming, all we would have had
to do, would be to hunt up that people, and there, among them, we
should have found Apostles, Prophets, revelators, and men having power
to call upon God, and get revelation; and then persons [p.45] would be
called by new revelation to the ministry. But no such people existed,
and hence, when the angel brings the Gospel, it has to be preached to
all people, nations and tongues, under the whole heavens.

Vol. 18,  p.45
Now the Latter-day Saints have happened to live in the day when the
Lord has sent this angel, and when he has again established his
Church, and has commanded his servants to go forth, calling them by
name, to preach the Gospel to the people, without purse and scrip, to
organize his people among all nations and to say unto them—"Gather out
from all these nations unto one place." "But," says one, "what does
this mean? Did the ancient Apostles and the ancient Christian Churches
gather?" I answer that the same doctrines which they taught are taught
in these days; yet when it comes to some of the great temporal
principles of salvation God has varied in his plans in every
dispensation. To Noah a command was given to build an ark; that was
the way in which was to be effected the temporal salvation of all
believers in his day. Abraham was commanded to leave his country,
kindred and friends; that was a command of a very different character
to the one given in the dispensation of Noah. In the days of Moses,
another command was given quite different from that given to either
Noah or Abraham, and so on down. In the days of Jesus, so far as
temporal salvation was concerned, the believers were permitted to
remain at Corinth, Ephesus, Galatia and in all the countries wherever
the Christian Church was organized; there was no gathering in that
day. But the last dispensation is to be a dispensation of gathering
together of all of the people of God. It is spoken of by Paul in the
first chapter of his epistle to the Ephesians, where it is said "that,
in the dispensation of the fulness of times, the Lord will gather
together in one all that are in Christ, whether they be in the heavens
or upon the earth, that they may all be gathered in one."

Vol. 18,  p.45
Now if this angel who brought this Gospel from the heavens, and
commanded this Church to be organized, had left out this gathering
together in one, we would have had reason to suppose him to be an
impostor. Why? Because the great essential feature of the latter-day
dispensation was a gathering together in one of all things in Christ.
That is the reason why these vales are filled with inhabitants of
different nations and tongues; they have heard in different parts of
the earth the sound of the Gospel which God has brought to light in
these latter-days by an angel; they heard the voice of the Lord
calling upon them to flee from Babylon, and to gather together in one,
and that is why they are here. This agrees with the testimony of John,
that, after the angel came, the Gospel should be preached to all
nations. He heard a great voice from heaven, saying—"Come out of her,
my people, lest ye be partakers of her sins and receive of her
plagues; for her sins have reached to the heavens, and God hath
remembered her iniquities." That voice, recollect, was not to be a
cunningly devised fable, got up by a certain number of divines or
theologians, according to their own wisdom; it was to be a voice from
heaven, a new revelation, commanding the people to do this. About a
hundred thousand of the Latter-day Saints, dwelling in this mountain
region, building up towns and cities for some four or five hundred
miles in extent, have heard the voice of the Lord from the heavens and
have gathered out. You [p.46] have heard the proclamation, when the
latter-day kingdom was established, to take your lumps and go forth to
meet the Bridegroom. Instead of staying in Europe, Asia, Africa,
Australia, or among the islands of the sea, you have been commanded to
take your lamps and gather out; this is like the fish net that was
cast into the sea, and gathered all kinds, both good and bad." "Do you
mean to say," says one, "that there are some gathered among you who
are bad?" Yes; if there were not the parable of our Savior would not
be fulfilled. But by and by there will be a sorting out, and the bad
will be cast away unto their own place, while the good will be
gathered into vessels and be saved.

Vol. 18,  p.46
This will be fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah, in the 43rd
chapter—"I will gather them from the east, and from the west, I will
say to the north give up, and to the south keep not back. Bring my
sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even
every one that is called by my name."—Says one—"Do you really think
there will be no Christians left in the north, nor in the south, nor
in the east, nor in the west, but that every one that is called by the
name of the Lord will be gathered in one?" Yes, that is what we
believe, and that is one of the peculiarities of what the world call
"Mormonism," we do not believe there will be a Christian left on the
whole face of the earth, but what will be gathered together. "Well,"
says one, "if that is true, if Isaiah told the truth about that, and
the day is at hand for his prophecy to be fulfilled, the nations will
truly be in an awful dilemma, when every Christian is gathered out." I
think they will, I think you draw a very correct conclusion.

Vol. 18,  p.46
Why does the Lord gather them out? As the Prophet Isaiah has said in
another place, he gathers them out to the mountains, and they say one
to another—"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the
house of the God of Jacob." What for? "That he may teach us of his
ways, and that we may walk in his paths." It seems, then, that the
Lord will have one people somewhere on the face of the earth, up in
some mountainous region, who are going to teach the nations his ways,
and how to walk in his paths.

Vol. 18,  p.46
Now, if we can find out where that mountain is where the Lord is going
to have a house built, and to which the nations shall gather, it will
be well for us to open our eyes and to see whether we are gathering
together to learn the ways of the Lord.

Vol. 18,  p.46
Perhaps you may enquire, "What peculiarities are to be taught in the
mountains different from what are taught abroad?" I answer,
undoubtedly there will be a great many; and among the rest is that of
marriage, and now we come to the words of our text. You may ask, "Do
you not marry here in the mountains, as we do in the East?" In reply,
I will say, in the first place, that marriage is a divine ordinance,
as you see by the words of my text,—"What God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder." Now how does the Lord join together persons
in marriage? Does he ordain a justice of the peace, who avows himself
to be an infidel, and does not believe in God, or his Son Jesus
Christ, or in the Gospel of life and salvation? Has such a man the
authority of God to join the sexes together in marriage? Suppose that
such pronounce the marriage ceremony, what has the Lord to do with it?
Does the Lord inspire the infidel,—one who has no faith nor confidence
[p.47] in him, to join together the sexes in marriage? I think not.

Vol. 18,  p.47
But suppose we pass by the infidel who holds the authority of the
civil law to administer the ordinance of marriage, are there not many
persons among the Christian nations, who do believe in God and his Son
Jesus Christ, who are justices of the peace, and who have authority,
under the civil laws of the country, to administer the ordinance of
marriage? I answer—there are many who hold this authority under their
respective governments; we do not dispute this. The infidel I was
speaking of, who is a justice of the peace, has authority by the laws
of his State or county, to administer and officiate in the ceremony of
marriage. But God has nothing to do with it; it answers the ends of
the civil law, and that is as far as it goes.

Vol. 18,  p.47
Now suppose you take those persons who are not infidels, but who
profess to believe in God, and they hold authority, under their
various governments, to pronounce a man and woman husband and wife,
has the Lord anything to do with that? He has if he has appointed that
minister or justice of the peace; if he has given him a revelation
authorizing him to officiate in the ordinance of marriage, then he has
authority to do it, according to the mind and will of God. But on the
other hand, if God has said nothing to him, he has no divine
authority—and if he is a sectarian he is sure to reject all
revelation, unless it happens to be in the Bible, and the Bible calls
no man by name in the 19th century to officiate in marriage, neither
in baptism nor any of the ordinances of the Gospel—his faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ does not give him divine authority to administer the
ordinance of marriage. Nevertheless the individuals whom he marries
are married according to the laws of the country, and the marriage is
legal so far as the laws of the country are concerned; but if God has
not spoken to those men, if he has not given them revelation
authorizing them to do this, their ceremony, so far as God is
concerned, would be just the same as though it was administered by a
heathen priest, just the same as though it was ministered by an
infidel, for God has nothing to do with it.

Vol. 18,  p.47
Who is it then, that the Lord joins together? It is those who are
married by one authorized of God to officiate in that sacred and holy
ordinance, and the Lord could not do this, without he gave new
revelation; hence you begin to understand what our views are as
Latter-day Saints in regard to the nature of marriage. Inquires
one—"Do you mean to say that there have been no marriages legal in the
sight of God for nearly seventeen hundred years past, among all the
nations?" Yes, that is what we say. Those old and middle-aged men, who
were married in the nations before they heard the sound of the Gospel,
were married legally according to the laws of man, and their marriages
will stand all the controversies of the law, and their children are
legal heirs to their property; but they are not joined together of the
Lord.

Vol. 18,  p.47
Now let us come to a marriage where the Lord officiates. It is
indirectly referred to here, in this 19th chapter of Matthew—"In the
beginning God made them male and female." And who officiated in the
first great marriage ceremony? It was the Lord. Probably, if there had
been any man on the earth at that time who held the keys, authority
and power, the Lord would not have come and officiated directly; but
inasmuch as the marriage was between the first pair who dwelt upon
[p.48] the earth, and there was nobody else to officiate, the Lord
took it in hand to officiate himself; and after he had formed the
woman he brought her to the man, and the man said—"This, now, is bone
of my bone and flesh of my flesh, therefore she shall be called woman,
because she was taken out of man."

Vol. 18,  p.48
Now let us inquire in regard to the perpetuity of this first marriage,
for all Christendom, and I do not know but all heathendom, have got
the curious idea into their heads that marriage pertains only to this
little speck of time called our present life, and that by and by the
grim monster Death will come along and part man and wife asunder, and
that is the end of the marriage union. Such is the idea of all
Christendom, and that is the way they marry; it is after this form
that justices of the peace, the professed ministers of the Gospel, and
all the judicial authorities of the various states, territories,
nations, countries and empires of the world have officiated in the
marriage ceremony—"I join you together," or, "I pronounce you husband
and wife," as the case may be, "until death shall you part." Oh
indeed! It is a very short time to be married, is it not? We might die
in the course of a day or two after being married, then the contract
is run out, no more claim after that, according to their ideas. But
now, in relation to this first marriage between Adam and Eve, who were
they? Two immortal beings. What! Does God marry immortal beings? Yes.
We have no account of his coming officially to marry a couple of
mortal beings; I do not know that we have any such account anywhere.
But these two personages, Adam and Eve, were immortal. Says one—"I
never knew before that immortal beings were to be connected as
husbands and wives, I thought marriage pertained to mortality, and
until death should us part, and that was the end of it." I know that
we have had a great many erroneous ideas about baptism, about the
laying on of hands, about marriage, and about a great many things, all
of which came in consequence of the darkness that is spread over the
nations, since ancient Christianity was rooted out of the earth. Two
immortal beings—Adam the bridegroom, Eve the bride, stood up together,
and the Lord gave the bride to the bridgroom. For how long, I wonder?
If he had learned the ceremony of these Protestant and Catholic
denominations, he might have said—"I pronounce you husband and wife
until death shall separate you." No, I think he had never learned
that; death had not then come into our world; the forbidden fruit had
not been eaten then; there were no fallen beings then on the earth, no
mortality yet upon the face of our fair creation, but two immortal
beings who were capable of enduring to all ages of eternity were
united together in marriage.

Vol. 18,  p.48
This, then, was marriage for eternity, not for a little speck of time,
not for a hundred or a thousand years, not for a million years, but
for all eternity, to be as durable in its nature, action and effects
as the immortal beings themselves. "But," inquires one, "are you sure
that Adam and Eve were immortal?" I am; the Scriptures inform me that
by transgression sin came into the world, and death by sin. If sin had
not come into the world there would have been no death. "But, do you
really think that Adam and Eve Would have been alive to-day?" Yes. Can
you reflect in your minds upon a period in the future, when they would
not be immortal, when they would be overcome? Can you point out [p.49]
the time when they would no longer be husband and wife? Never. When
did the Lord give the commandment to be fruitful and multiply, etc.?
lie gave it to them as immortal beings. Supposing it had been possible
for Adam and Eve, before they fell, to have had children, what kind of
children would they have been? Would mortal children have descended
from immortality without any transgression? Would people of flesh and
blood and bones come into the world from immortal parents? No. We must
suppose, then, that when God said to Adam and Eve, "be fruitful and
multiply" that he spoke to them as beings that were not fallen.

Vol. 18,  p.49
Perhaps you may enquire, how long would they have multiplied and
fulfilled this commandment? I answer, as long as eternity endures Can
you tell how long that will be? "Do you mean to say there would be no
end to their increase?" None at all. If they had fulfilled that great
commandment, and had multiplied their posterity, their children would
have been immortal, as well as the parents, and there never would have
keen a period throughout all the endless ages of eternity but what
they would have continued to increase their children—their own sons
and daughters.

Vol. 18,  p.49
Perhaps you may say—"I really thought that mankind now, over the face
of the earth, were fulfilling that great first commandment." You have
been highly mistaken; we have not one of us fulfilled it. "Do you mean
to say that all these people here who have been married and have
multiplied sons and daughters throughout all this Territory, have not
been fulfilling the command given to Adam?" Not one pair of us, we
were not in a condition to do it; we shall be by and by, however, when
we get our immortal bodies, as Adam had his. But while we are here, we
are permitted to multiply—what? Poor, weak, pusillanimous, fallen,
sickly bodies, calculated to last at the longest, seventy, eighty, or
a hundred years, and then crumble back to their mother earth. Are you
going to substitute such an offspring as this to fulfill the great
first commandment that was given to immortal man? Oh no, the Lord will
accept no such substitution as this.

Vol. 18,  p.49
But how can we fulfil the commandment then? I will tell you how—be
married for all eternity, as your first parents were, and then, when
you come up in the morning of the first resurrection, and God again
restores to you your bodies, male and female, you can fulfil that
commandment that was given in the beginning, to the first immortal
pair.

Vol. 18,  p.49
Shall we continue to multiply through all eternity? Yes; there never
will be a time when those who are really married for eternity will
cease to multiply their species, not children subject to pain, disease
and death, but children of immortality. Millions on millions will be
multiplied, worlds without end, by each pair of immortal parents, and
their children will be as immortal as themselves. Then the commandment
will be fulfilled.

Vol. 18,  p.49
Perhaps some of you may say—"Your remarks explain a certain passage we
have often read, the 11th chapter of Paul's first epistle to the
Corinthians, and 11th verse, which says—'Neither is the man without
the woman in the Lord, neither is the woman without the man in the
Lord.' We never knew what that meant before, but it seems that you
Latter-day Saints have got a clue to it." It seems then that if we
wish to fulfil the object of our creation, and if we are truly in the
Lord, then [p.50] we must go into the eternal worlds as married, not
for time; not by some justice of the peace that is an infidel; not by
a man that has no right to join us together under the revelation and
authority of the Most High; but we must be married for eternity by a
man who has the right to speak, being commanded of the Lord, holding
the keys of authority and power, who can say to the man and woman, I
pronounce you husband and wife for time and all eternity. Then you
will be married according to the pattern given; then you will have a
claim upon each other after death. But have married people, in the
nations, a claim upon each other after death? I mean those who have
not been married after the pattern and authority of heaven. By no
means. Their contracts are made only for a little space, some twenty,
thirty, fifty or seventy years, as the case may be, then death comes
along and the contract runs out; and when you come up in the
resurrection who are you? Have you any wife there? Oh, no. Why not?
Because you were not sealed or married, to each other by divine
authority, that is the reason. What position will you occupy? If you
have been pretty good people and have kept the commandments of God as
far as you understood them, and have done well in many respects, you
may have the opportunity of becoming angels; but there is quite a
difference between angels and those who have the privilege of endless
increase, and of being crowned as kings and priests in the eternal
worlds. Whom do you suppose you will reign over? Will you get somebody
else to multiply and spread forth their offspring, and then give that
offspring to you? Will you go to your neighbors and say,—"Come, you
were married for eternity when you were back in yonder world and you
have come forth, having a claim to your wife or wives in the morning
of the resurrection. I did not attend to that matter while there, and
I was not married there according to the first pattern that was given
in the Bible, and inasmuch as I failed in doing this will you,
neighbor, give me part of your children? I should like to be a king,
and have some subjects to reign over, will you part with some of your
children?" "Oh no," says the neighbor, "if you neglected, in yonder
world, the divine ordinances pertaining to the probation, you must
bear the loss, I cannot spare any of my children. They belong to me;
they are under my patriarchal government, they will be my kingdom and
I shall reign over my own offspring for ever and ever."

Vol. 18,  p.50
What will this poor man do then? Why he will have to be an old
bachelor, if we may use the expression, and continue that way to all
ages of eternity. He will do for a servant, and they will have a great
many servants there. A man of God has a great kingdom, and his kingdom
spreads forth, and his subjects multiply like the stars of heaven, or
the sands upon the seashore, and he will naturally want some who have
bodies of flesh and bones to go and minister for certain purposes; and
those who have deprived themselves of the benefits of marriage for
eternity, will do first-rate for that, if they have been righteous
enough to get into a position where angels are. 

Vol. 18,  p.50
There were some in the days of our Savior righteous enough for that,
but through the apostacy that had prevailed some three centuries
before he came, they had lost the authority of obtaining this higher
glory, and when Jesus spake to them about the resurrection of the
dead, he said—"In the resurrection they neither [p.51] marry nor are
given in marriage." To whom was he talking? Not to the righteous, but
to some of the members of the pious denominations that happened to
exist in that day, that had in some measure lost the spirit of the
Lord. Such never having been married for eternity in this world could
rise no higher than angels in the next world; and if they became
righteous enough to become celestial angels, they would be servants
for ever. Servants to whom? Those that are worthy to receive a kingdom
and a glory, that have attended to their ordinances and to the
commandments of God, and have been led by him in all things pertaining
to marriage as well as other things.

Vol. 18,  p.51
Let us now come to another item that grows out of marriage for
eternity. For instance, there are a great many in this congregation
who were married by the Gentile laws, by justices of the peace and
various other officers, in England, Scotland, Wales, Denmark, and in
the various nations of Christendom. They come up here with their
wives, many of them just as good people as can be found anywhere on
the earth. Were they married by divine ordinances? Did God join them
together? No. Are they, therefore, to be condenmed? No. Why not?
Because God did not send the word to them. When the word goes forth
from the Lord Almighty to a people, and light comes into a nation and
among a people, then comes condemnation if that light is rejected, but
not till then.

Vol. 18,  p.51
The word of the Lord told you to gather up here. What for? That you
might, among other things, be married according to the law of God. I
am endeavoring to tell you some of our peculiarities. We do believe
that every man who gathers up with the Saints, whether married by the
Gentile law or not, should he married by one holding divine authority
to officiate, and thus have the ordinance, the ministration sealed on
earth that it may be sealed in the heavens; then it will stand; but
everything that is not done by the authority of God will not stand,
but will be shaken; and when the day of the resurrection shall come,
it will only be that which God has appointed that will endure the
test. In that day, when they come up out of their graves, there will
be no chance for people to be married, any more than there will be for
them to be baptized. If people do not get baptized here in this life,
they will have no chance to be baptized there. And Jesus says, that if
you are not born of the water and of the spirit, you can not enter
into the kingdom of heaven, that is, into the highest kingdom, the
highest glory, the third heaven; you can not enter there, consequently
you must not put off baptism until the resurrection day, and say you
will attend to it then, for that will be too late for baptism, and
also for marriage.

Vol. 18,  p.51
Here is another question. A great many of those good people abroad,
who, with their ancestors, back for seventeen hundred years, while God
had no authority or Church on the earth, have gone down to their
graves, without knowing anything about the pattern of marriage as
recorded here in the Bible, which is eternal in its nature. What are
you going to do with them? I answer, it would look rather hard if
there was no provision made for them, would it not? There are about
seventeen centuries or generations, and if we compute a thousand
million of people for every generation, coming upon and passing away
from the earth, we shall have about fifty thousand million altogether,
[p.52] who have gone down to their graves without baptism, without the
administration of the ordinances, without divine authority to
administer in their marriages! Do you suppose that the Lord has made
no provision for all these things? All must have a chance. There is
not an individual that ever lived upon the earth, from the days of
Adam down to this time, whether it was among the heathen or savages,
who never heard of Jesus or of the true God, and who went down to his
grave in total ignorance; there never was a man or woman on the face
of the globe, but what will have an opportunity, either in this life
or in the life to come, to obey and enjoy the benefits of the Gospel
of Salvation.

Vol. 18,  p.52
"But did you not say that there was no opportunity for them to attend
to these ordinances in the life to come?" I did. "Then why did you
say, that there will be an opportunity for them?" There is quite a
difference between having an opportunity, and attending to the
ordinances. You can not attend to the latter in the life to come.
Parties who have died in this generation or in the generations passed,
without having an opportunity to be baptized by a man holding
authority, will have an opportunity of hearing the Gospel in the life
to come; but they can not attend personally to the ordinances thereof.
Why? Because. God has ordained that men, here in the flesh, shall be
baptized in this life; or, if they die without a knowledge of the
Gospel and its ordinances, that their friends in the flesh, in the day
of his power, when he brings forth the everlasting Gospel, shall
officiate for them, and in their behalf. This is another peculiarity
of the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints—baptism for the dead. 

Vol. 18,  p.52
You see a Temple building here, east of this tabernacle, and a great
many inquiries are made respecting the nature of this building. Some
suppose that we are going to hold meetings in it, and preach to the
people; but no, that pertains to the tabernacle. God has pointed out
the uses of a Temple by new revelation, the same as he pointed out the
object of a tabernacle in the days of Moses, and the object of the
Temple of the Lord in the days of Solomon; and among those objects he
has told us that in the basement of the Temple there should be a
baptismal font. What for? That those who are living here on the earth
may be baptized for and in behalf of those who die without a knowledge
of the Gospel.

Vol. 18,  p.52
Does that reach back to all generations who have died in ignorance?
Yes. To all our ancestors? Yes; it reaches back to our fathers, our
grandfathers and their progenitors away back to ancient days, when the
Priesthood was upon the earth. Baptism for the dead! The same thing
was attended to in ancient; times, so that we have not got a new
pattern, it is the old pattern renewed. Paul says, in the 15th chapter
of the first of Corinthians—"Else what shall they do who are baptized
for the dead? if the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized
for the dead?" Sure enough! it was a strong argument to prove the
resurrection of the dead, that the people who belonged to the ancient
Christian Churches had the privilege of going and being baptized for
those who had died before the Gospel came among them.

Vol. 18,  p.52
Now do you not see that we are not so uncharitable as a great many
would suppose? Instead of sending all the generations who lived in
former ages to hell, because they did not happen to hear the Gospel,
and because there was no Christian Church [p.53] upon the earth; I say
that, instead of sending them all to an endless hell, God has made
provisions that the living may act for and in behalf of the dead. The
ordinances thus attended to here on the earth in behalf of the dead,
will be recorded and scaled here by proper authority; and what is thus
recorded and sealed here will be recorded and sealed in the heavens in
behalf of those individuals; and if those spirits who are in prison
and in the eternal worlds will repent when the Gospel is taken to
them, they can have the benefit of the ordinances administered for and
in their behalf here, and they will have part in the first
resurrection.

Vol. 18,  p.53
Then again, if baptism for the dead is true, every other divine
ordinance is equally true and necessary for the dead, for one is just
as consistent as the other. The laying on of hands in confirmation
upon a person that is living here in the flesh, for and in behalf of
those who are in their graves, is just as consistent as baptism for
the dead.

Vol. 18,  p.53
Again, if our fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, have
died without being married by divine authority, the same authority
that would cause a people to act for the dead in relation to baptism,
would cause them to act for and in behalf of the dead in relation to
their marriage ceremonies too. Such a plan gives them all a chance.
For there are no marryings, nor baptisms, nor confirmations, in and
after the resurrection. The resurrected dead can do none of these
things; but if it is done here for them, and they will accept of it,
it will be acknowledged in the heavens. Hence, here is another
peculiarity of the Latter-day Saints pertaining to the Temple, the
house of the Lord to be built in the tops of the mountains in the
latter days, as Isaiah says in the second chapter—"Many people shall
say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of
the God of Jacob, that he may teach us of his ways, that we may walk
in his paths." A Temple, therefore, instead of being a place for
teaching and preaching, is a place for the administration of holy
ordinances.

Vol. 18,  p.53
Another question. A great many have wondered why so many people in the
eastern, southern and middle States have been stirred up for a number
of years past in searching out their ancestors. Now the Lord does a
great many things unknown to the people, and this is one of them. The
people do not know why they are interested in their ancestry, but they
are wrought upon by some invisible operation, and they feel very
anxious to know about their progenitors. I think that some four
hundred different families have already got extended family records,
tracing their ancestry back from generation to generation to the first
settlements of the New England States, and then back into Old England
if it is possible, to make out the connection. Do they know what they
are doing this for? No; they feel wrought upon, that is all they know
about it. Now I will tell you why it is, for a great many of the
people in this congregation, and many who are scattered through the
villages, towns and settlements in this Territory, emigrated from the
New England States, and they had fathers and mothers, grandfathers and
grandmothers, and ancestors, now in their graves, who were just as
pure, upright, virtuous and honest in their feelings as we their
children are. Now we are going to act for them. We have not time to
search up all these genealogies, but all we have to do is to go and
get the books which the Lord has wrought upon them to get up,
containing the names of hundreds [p.54] and thousands of the dead, and
we will receive baptism, confirmation and marriage for eternity, and
all the ordinances of the Gospel for them, that they, if they will
receive what is done for them, may come forth in the resurrection, and
inherit all that their children will inherit. Why? Because they were
worthy of it. Our pilgrim fathers were a good people, just as worthy
as we are, but unfortunately they did not happen to live in the time
that God has set for establishing his kingdom on the earth, and
sending his angels from the heavens.

Vol. 18,  p.54
Thus you see that this Gospel reaches after the dead as well as the
living. Our Savior set the example in regard to this matter, for we
are told that when his body lay in the tomb, his spirit was not idle;
and instead of going off into the heavens and sitting down there for
three days and three nights in perfect idleness, he had something to
do, and while his body lay in the tomb, his spirit went and opened the
prison doors in which were confined those who were drowned in the
flood. What! Were they in prison? Yes. Did Jesus truly visit them?
Yes. Did he preach to them? Yes. Where have we this recorded? In
Peter's declaration. He says that, "Jesus was put to death in the
flesh, but quickened in the spirit, by which he also went and preached
to the spirits which were in prison, which sometime were disobedient
when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while
the ark was preparing." Oh indeed; He went to those old antediluvians
then, that had not received their resurrection, and preached to them.
What did he preach to them? The following verses tell us what he
preached. What would you think he preached? Says one—"If he followed
the examples of our sectarian preachers, he would go and tell them
that their doom was irrevocably fixed, that they were cast down to
prison, never to be recovered; that as the tree falls so it lies, and
that there was no hope in their case." Well, that was not the kind of
preaching that Jesus did to the antediluvian spirits. "For, for this
cause," says Peter, "was the Gospel preached to them that are dead,
that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, and live
according to God in the spirit." Though they were in the spirit world,
without any bodies, yet they had the privilege of hearing the same
Gospel that Jesus preached to those here in the flesh. They could
repent, for that is an act of the mind; they could believe in Jesus,
for that is also an act of the mind; but the spirits could not be
baptized, for that is an act of the body, it is something that
pertains to this life. Jesus could preach repentance to them, he could
preach the same Gospel to those antediluvians that he had preached to
men in the flesh, and they could then be judged according to men in
the flesh, and live according to God in the spirit. Men in the flesh
could be baptized for them, and they could come forth and receive all
the blessings of those who received the Gospel in the flesh.

Vol. 18,  p.54
There are a few more remarks which I would like to make, if time will
permit, upon a subject which grows out of this eternal marriage or
union between the male and the female. For instance, here is a good
young man who courts up a wife in the kingdom of God. He says to her,
"Let us go and be married for time and all eternity, according to the
requirements of heaven." Very well; they are agreed in it; they attend
to the ordinance, and it is sealed upon their heads and recorded
[p.55] for their benefit. We will say that, in the course of two or
three months after this marriage, some accident befals the wife and
she dies. They loved each other and were married for all eternity, and
he mourns over the fact that in his youth, in the very prime of his
manhood, he is left alone, a widower. Now is it right for him to marry
another wife after having been married to one for time and for all
eternity? Is it right for him again to receive a young lady for a
wife? "Oh, yes," you answer, "it is perfectly right, because that
would not be living with two on the earth at the same time." Very
well, he goes and marries again; and now the question arises, suppose
that they only marry for time, or until death shall part them—we will
suppose this, because the man already has a wife on the other side of
the vail—what is to become of the second wife in the morning of the
resurrection? Can you answer that question? If he only marries her for
time, she has no husband when the resurrection comes. Perhaps she is
just as good a woman as the wife the man married first for all
eternity. What are you going to do with her? Shall she be left in a
condition where she can have no posterity, no endless increase, no
kingdom in connection with a husband, and no husband? Shall she be
left throughout all the future ages of eternity without any such
privilege, while the first wife, no better than she is, is married for
all eternity, and inherits all the blessings arising therefrom? Would
not there be partiality in this? There certainly would. How are you
going to remedy this? We answer, when this widower takes this second
wife, let her also be married to him for time and all eternity, the
same as the first; then, by and by, when the resurrection comes, there
come up the two women. What will you do then? This introduces
plurality into the next life, does it not? Polygamists in the next
world? It certainly does; and these two women, both having received
this man as their husband for all eternity, one of them will now be in
just as good a condition as the other.

Vol. 18,  p.55
Let this principle be extended. There are some cases in life where two
women might die, and a man be still left in his young days without a
wife, and he marries a third and perhaps a fourth; in the resurrection
they are contemporaneously his wives. Plurality, therefore, would be
perfectly consistent in the world to come, but, "Oh," says a
sectarian," "how awful it is in this world!"

Vol. 18,  p.55
Thus you see that the very moment we admit the eternity of marriage,
the very moment that we admit that Adam and Eve were immortal beings,
when they were married, and we undertake to follow that pattern,
plurality necessarily comes along; either marriage has no bearing upon
eternity, and no bearing upon immortality and immortal beings, or else
plurality of wives necessarily must exist in eternity.

Vol. 18,  p.55
Says one—"Turn it about the other way, then we shall have plurality of
husbands." Let me say to the congregation that the object of marriage
is to fulfill the commandment which God gave to immortal beings. Could
a woman multiply faster by having two husbands? Everybody knows that
in this respect there is a difference between the male and the female.
In this life, at any rate, if one woman had two husbands, instead of
making her more fruitful, the probability is that it would prevent her
raising any offspring at all; and if she did, how would the father be
known? And hence, God has strictly forbidden, in [p.56] this Bible,
plurality of husbands, and proclaimed against it in his law.

Vol. 18,  p.56
I should be glad to touch upon a great many other points, in relation
to plurality, but time will not permit. You have heard partially
explained some of the peculiarities of the faith of the people called
Latter-day Saints. Now what is necessary in regard to polygamists? Our
enemies say, "There should be a law passed that all polygamists should
be shut up in prison from five to ten years, as the case may be, and
pay a heavy fine." Very well; this is the voice of the people. But
does the voice of the people rule in a manner that is inconsistent
with the Constitution of our country, by taking away the rights of the
minority? Is it the order of our government that the minority must
have their rights wrenched from them because the majority decide
against them? Let me ask, suppose the majority of the people should
decide against infant sprinkling, many look upon that with the utmost
horror, and it is only a small minority in our nation that believe in
that awful doctrine, suppose the majority should take it into their
heads that those who practise infant sprinkling should be imprisoned,
they have the same right to do that as to do the other thing which I
have named.

Vol. 18,  p.56
Again, there is a certain class of people, and they are far in the
minority in this great nation, who believe in dancing on the
Sabbath-day. I allude to the Shaking Quakers. Would it be right to
pass a law against this small minority, and say they shall be
imprisoned, because the voice of the people in general happens to
denounce their practice of dancing as a crime? "But then," says one,
"polygamy is a crime." Who told you so? Does the Bible tell you so? Oh
no, neither the Old nor the New Testament; no Prophet, no revelator,
no Apostle, no man of God, nor Jesus himself, nor any angel ever
denounced it as a crime, but on the contrary they advocated it, and
the Lord himself administered in this divine ordinance. He gave to
Jacob his four wives and children, so Jacob tells us in Genesis.

Vol. 18,  p.56
Titan we might continue and show that every Christian denomination in
the United States possesses peculiarities which the majority do not
believe in, and which they are convinced should be denounced by the
civil law as criminal, and that those who practice such peculiarities
ought to be imprisoned for doing so. But because the majority of
people condemn a principle, that is no proof that it is a crime.
Supposing that the great majority of the people condemned the
principle of baptism by immersion, would it be right to pass laws
punishing those who practice it? No, the Constitution of our country
was framed to protect the people in every item of doctrine that they
might glean out of this Bible, and instead of condemning these
doctrines as criminal, all the States and all the Territories ought to
leave Bible principles as matters of conscience; especially the great
principle of marriage should be left open and free to all, either to
marry one wife, or two or three, or a dozen, as the case may be, only
making laws in relation to criminal abuses of the marital state, and
in regard to property, how it should descend to the children, etc. But
the very moment that they pass laws that are proscriptive and
restrictive in their nature, condemning principles that are not
condemned in the Bible, taking away the privileges of the people to
believe that which is contained in the word of God, religious liberty
is in danger, and there is no telling where that infringement [p.57]
will lead to. By and by they may have a blending of Church and State;
and no one must believe anything, unless it be doctrines or creeds got
up by the State, or by Congress, or by some legislative body; and
everybody must bow to that, or be fined, or imprisoned, or be burned,
butchered, or hung.

Vol. 18,  p.57
That our great, and free country may never be afflicted with such a
species of despotism, is my most earnest prayer. Amen.

Orson Pratt, July 25, 1875

Resurrection of the Saints—Second Advent of the Messiah—
Preparatory Work—Return of the Jews to Jerusalem—
Gathering of The Saints to Zion—Christ's Personal, Reign

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, July 25, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.57
I will read a few verses in the latter part of the fourth and in the
fore part of the fifth chapters of Paul's first epistle to the
Thessalonians. [The speaker read from the 13th verse of the 4th
chapter, to the 6th verse of the 5th, both inclusive.]

Vol. 18,  p.57
I have read these few passages of Scripture relating to the great day
of the coming of our Lord, according as it is predicted by. the mouth
of the ancient Apostle, and also concerning a very important event
which will then happen, namely, the resurrection of the righteous
dead—those who are in Christ; and also another event closely connected
with the resurrection—namely, the ascension of the Saints then living
upon the earth, to meet the Lord at his coming. These events are
looked for by most of the Christian world, indeed we may say that all
the Christian world, who do not spiritualize the Scriptures, are
looking for events similar to those here described. They believe,
according to the New Testament, that there is a time-fixed in the mind
of the Almighty, when the heavens shall be parted as a scroll is
parted when it is rolled up, and that the heavens, invisible to us
now, will be unveiled before the eyes of all people; that the armies
of heaven, the spirits of just men made perfect, through obedience to
the law of God, will be revealed; that the angels who stand in
authority in the presence of God and do his bidding, will also be
numbered with that great company which will be revealed from the
heavens. We also believe, and so do the inhabitants of the Christian
world at large, that [p.58] there will be an audible sound of a
trump—the trump of the archangel—in the heavens at the time this grand
scenery is opened to mankind; that at the sound of that trumpet the
dead in Christ will come forth from their silent dusty tombs; that at
the sound of that trump the Saints then living will be instantaneously
caught up to meet the Lord in the air. This doctrine is believed in by
Christians generally who do not spiritualize altogether the sense and
meaning of the Scriptures.

Vol. 18,  p.58
It may be well for us, in the examination of that great event, the
second coming of Christ, to refer to some of the predictions of
inspired writers in regard to the time of our Savior's revelation from
the heavens. I do not mean to say the day nor the hour of his coming,
for that is unknown, no man that lives on the face of the earth knows
anything about the day or the hour; neither will there be any man on
the earth prior to the coming of the Lord who will know the day and
the hour, for it is hidden from mortal man. However, the age in which
that great event will take place is very clearly revealed in both the
Old and the New Testament. That age is to be characterized by certain
events, predicted by the inspired writers, which are unmistakable in
their nature, and which can be easily understood by all, both learned
and unlearned. These events are to be so conspicuous that I presume
there will not be a nation, people, kindred or tongue upon the face of
the whole earth but what will know that, according to the Scriptures,
some great event is about to take place, for every people in that day
will be more or less enlightened in the Scriptures, for before that
great day shall come, missionaries will be sent to the uttermost parts
of the earth, to testify to all people concerning the Gospel of the
Son of God, and they will cry in the ears of all living, saying unto
them—"Prepare ye, prepare ye, for the great and coming day of the
Bridegroom." They will have a preparatory message to deliver to all
nations.

Vol. 18,  p.58
When the Lord, in the meridian of time, came and took upon himself a
mortal body, he saw proper to send as his forerunner one of the
greatest Prophets that ever was born into our world—John the Baptist,
and he went, announcing, by the inspiration of the Spirit and by the
power of his holy calling, that there was one to come after him who
was mightier than he, whose shoe latchet he was not worthy to unloose;
and that when he should come he would thoroughly purge his floor, and
that he would baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost. Said John—"I
merely come to prepare the way. I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths
straight. I come preaching unto you repentance, and baptism for the
remission of sins, but he who comes after me, holding higher authority
and a greater Priesthood, shall baptize you with a baptism that is
greater than that of water—the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost."

Vol. 18,  p.58
Now, if the Lord, when he came the first time, in his humility and
meekness, born in a manger, of parents of low estate, saw that it was
necessary to prepare the way before him by raising up one of the
greatest Prophets that ever came into the world, why should it be
thought unreasonable that he should also raise up a latter-day Prophet
to prepare the way before one of the mightiest and grandest events
that ever has taken place, or that ever will take place on our earth
in its temporal condition? If the heavens are to be revealed; if the
face [p.59] of the Son of God is to be unvailed; if the glory of his
countenance is to outshine the sun in his strength; if be is to come
in flaming fire, while the very heavens themselves shall shake by his
power, and the earth reel to and fro like a drunken man the mountain
themselves, feeling his power, are sunk and the valleys are raised up;
if all these grand events are to attend the second advent of the Son
of God, is it unreasonable that he should raise up a great Prophet in
the latter days to make preparations for so great an event? Or will he
let the world pass on in blindness and darkness without any signs of
the times, without any warning voice, without any inspired man sent of
God to wake them up from their condition, and to prepare the way for
his coming? To me it looks consistent and reasonable that such a
preparatory work should be sent forth among the children of men, and
it looked consistent to the ancient inspired writers, hence they have
left an abundance of testimony on record in this good book (the Bible)
concerning this preparatory work.

Vol. 18,  p.59
One of the means which God will use to prepare the way before his
second coming, is to send angels from heaven with a proclamation, not
to benefit a few individuals, not for one nation alone, but to all the
inhabitants of our globe, and that too before he comes. Do you want to
know where this prediction is recorded? Let me refer you to the
fourteenth chapter of the revelations given to St. John on Patmos. Did
St. John behold, in vision, the coming of the Son of God? He did. How
does he describe it in that fourteenth chapter? He said, as you will
find by reading the chapter through, that he saw one sitting on a
white cloud, having a sharp sickle in his hand. He had reference to
the time when Jesus should come in the clouds of heaven; however,
before John saw the personage sitting on the cloud, he saw a
preparatory work commence, as it is declared in the sixth verse, in
which the Prophet says—"I saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell
on the earth, unto every nation and kindred and tongue and people,"
declaring that the hour of God's judgment was come.

Vol. 18,  p.59
Now if that angel does not come and bring the Gospel, then the Son of
Man will not come; no trumpet will sound and call forth the nations of
the righteous from their sleeping tombs; there will be no destroying
the wicked as stubble from the face of the earth; no shaking of the
heavens and causing the earth to tremble and to remove to and fro.
None of these events will transpire if no angel comes, for one is just
as certain as the other; and to show that one is to precede the other,
there must be a time for this everlasting Gospel to be preached to
every nation, kindred, tongue and people after the angel appears with
it. That will take some length of time, however rapidly it may go
forth, for the more preaching of the Gospel would be of no benefit,
unless there were persons authorized to administer its ordinances. The
angel might preach, but who could obey it? No one. It is true that we
might repent if we heard the angel proclaim it by his own voice, as he
flew from nation to nation and from kingdom to kingdom; and we might
also believe in Jesus Christ, but how could we be baptized for the
remission of our sins? Would the angel come down from heaven and take
every believing penitent person and baptize him himself? How long
would it take an angel to go over all the nations and [p.60] baptize
all the penitent believers? It would take ages and ages for him to do
it personally. But it is very evident to every one who reflects upon
these passages, that when that angel comes with the everlasting
Gospel, there will be authority given to man on the earth to
administer the ordinances of that Gospel, to build up the Christian
Church again on the earth as it was built in ancient times, a
Christian Church organized according to the pattern that God has given
in the New Testament; a Christian Church having Apostles inspired from
heaven; a Christian Church with Prophets called of God to prophesy
future events; a Christian Church possessing the gifts and graces of
the ancient Gospel in all their beauty, power and fulness, as they
were possessed in ancient times. These works and these ordinances must
be administered by man, and not by the angel who brings the Gospel.
Will that be a preparatory work?

Vol. 18,  p.60
What other preparations are necessary to be made besides the preaching
of this Gospel to all nations? Supposing that among the nations of the
earth there were to be raised up a true Christian Church, is there
anything particular for that Christian Church to do after having
received the ordinances of the Gospel in order to more fully prepare
them for the coming of the Son of God? I answer, yes. The Christian
Churches built up in the four quarters of the earth after the angel
comes, will be required to gather from all these nations unto one
place. That is something which no Christian denomination believes in,
or if they do believe in it they do not practice it, for the members
of Churches called Christian remain in the respective nations where
they receive the truth; it is true that individuals may emigrate, but
as Churches they do not. But rise Scriptures, speaking of the great
day of the coming of the Lord, say there is to be a gathering from all
the nations of the earth unto one place of those who bare taken upon
them the name of the Lord Jesus. That great gathering is referred to
in the chapter I have quoted from, also in another chapter in which,
referring to the downfall of spiritual Babylon, it is declared that
there shall be a gathering of the people, and that too by inspiration,
by the command of the Almighty; it will not be left to the wisdom of
man, but it will be directed by—"Hear ye the word of the Lord," as
declared to John on the Isle of Patmos. He says—"I heard a great voice
from heaven saying—'Come out of her, my people!'" What people? "My
people." Who are God's people? Those who obey the everlasting Gospel
which the angel brings by authority. "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;" and now, you who are Saints, you who have
obeyed the Gospel restored by the angel, come out of her, for the Lord
is going to punish great Babylon. How is he going to punish her? By
casting her down, and causing her overthrow. After speaking of the
bringing of the Gospel by an angel, the very next verse says—"There
followed another angel." What, two angels come. Yes, and mark the
message of the second one. "There followed another angel, saying,
'Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all
nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.'"

Vol. 18,  p.61
The description of this fall of Babylon is given in various places
[p.61] in John's revelations. Awful and most terrible judgments will
fall upon Mystery Babylon the Great. She is to be punished with
plagues of various kinds; a grievous sore will fall upon her people,
so much so that they will blaspheme God, but they will not repent of
their sins. They are to be punished with having the fountains and
rivers turned into blood, and the waters of the great ocean are to
become as the blood of a dead man, and every living thing that is
therein will die; and one of the last plagues and judgments that will
he poured out upon her will be devouring fire, and she will sink as a
millstone, and her name will be blotted from under heaven and all that
are connected with her.

Vol. 18,  p.61
Before these terrible judgments are sent forth upon the nations of the
earth, God will save all who receive the everlasting Gospel by
gathering them to one place, where they can serve him and keep his
commandments. He will not merely give them some idea, by reading the
Scriptures, that he desires them to gather, but John says there will
be a great voice from heaven proclaiming—"Come out of her, my people,
that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues."

Vol. 18,  p.61
Then there is to be a gathering of the people of God in the latter
days? Yes. Do you marvel to see this people coming forth from all the
various nations, leaving the homes of their ancestry, the graves of
their ancient fathers, leaving their acquaintances and friends, and
gathering up here into these mountain vales? Do you see it? Do you
marvel at it? Remember, O ye inhabitants of the earth, who are looking
upon these things, that you are beholding the fulfillment of prophecy,
prophecy spoken by the Apostle Paul, in the first chapter of his
epistle to the Ephesians. Paul saw the gathering; he saw that it would
be a new dispensation, a dispensation to come after his day. Let me
repeat Paul's words—"That in the dispensation of the fullness of times
he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are
in heaven, and which are on earth." Thus you see that all things in
Christ are to be gathered together in one. What does this include? Are
the inhabitants of heaven to be made one with the inhabitants of the
earth that are in Christ? Yes. The dispensation of the fullness of
times is to bring about one of the grandest events that our earth has
ever experienced—the union of all things in Christ, both in heaven and
upon earth. Are the Saints in Christ? As many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ, consequently if you are in
Christ, if you live in the dispensation of the fullness of times, you
will be required to take part in this great and grand gathering
together of those who are on the earth. But how about all things in
Christ in heaven, are they to come too? That is what I have been
explaining. When Christ comes the inhabitants of heaven will come with
him. The spirits of the righteous of all dispensations, who have not
already received a resurrection, will then come forth, and when the
trump of the archangel shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise
first. Then those spirits which appear in the heavens will take
possession of their renewed immortal bodies which will spring forth
from the tomb, and they will be with those who are gathered here on
the earth. Then the dispensation will be complete—all things in
Christ, whether in heaven or on earth, will be gathered in one.

Vol. 18,  p.62
Enquires one—"Do you really think that we poor mortals, frail as
[p.62] we are with all our imperfections, that have come because of
the fall, are going to associate with those high and exalted beings
that dwell in the presence of God in the eternal worlds? Are we to be
gathered with them?" Yes. Why not be with them? If our hearts are pure
as their hearts are pure, if we have received and obeyed the truth,
and have been sanctified by it, shall we not have boldness in that
day? Or shall we hang down our heads, and shrink with shame, before
the face of Him who sits upon his throne. If we have received the
truth we shall look upon the face of our Redeemer with all the joy
that we look upon the face of a kind and benevolent parent here on the
earth. There will be no fear, no shrinking, but we shall feel that he
is indeed our Redeemer and that we are his sons and his daughters, and
that, having obeyed his doctrine, we are prepared to associate with
him and to dwell in his presence. Oh, how happy the ancient Apostles
were when they saw their risen Redeemer! There was no shrinking. They
were out fishing on a certain time, and when they had learned that
their Redeemer was on the shore, and calling to them, they could not
wait for the ship to reach the shore, but they must plunge into the
sea, to try and get there as soon as possible. Their Redeemer was
there, and instead of shrinking they were eager to behold him once
more. Then, do not, for a moment, suppose that the people of God who
keep his commandments and live in the latter days, in the great and
grand dispensation of gathering, will shrink when the heavens shall
unvail the face of the Son of God. They will be prepared to take these
resurrected beings by the hand, and they will go forth and salute
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they are in the kingdom of God. Jesus
said, although they were polygamists, that they are in the kingdom of
God. We shall be very glad, in the day when the heavenly hosts are
revealed to men, to take them by the hand and to sit down with them,
as Jesus has said—"Many shall come from the east and from the west,
and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
heaven." It will be some pleasure then to be in the company of
polygamists, will it not?

Vol. 18,  p.62
Now, as I go along with item after item of the work preparatory to the
coming of the Savior, I want to ask what the belief of this people is,
and whether we are or are not fulfilling the word of the Lord which I
have quoted? Joseph Smith brought forth the Book of Mormon,—the Lord
calls it the everlasting Gospel, because it is the same Gospel which
Jesus himself preached to the ancient inhabitants of this continent,
and to the people who dwelt anciently on the continent of Asia. It was
brought forth in these latter days by his power, by an angel sent from
heaven, and revealed to this generation. And have missionaries been
sent forth? Yes. What for? To carry this Book of Mormon, containing
the everlasting Gospel, to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.
And these missionaries, as far as time would permit, have fulfilled
the missions that were given unto them.

Vol. 18,  p.62
We first began to preach this Gospel in the little town where this
Church was organized with six members only, on the 6th day of April,
1830. A few missionaries then began to teach in the neighborhood, next
in the county, next in the adjoining county, next in the adjoining
States, next in the adjoining Territories, next in British America,
and finally across the great ocean among the European nations. Have
[p.63] these missionaries visited and preached to any other people
besides those living on the continent of Europe, and those of the
United States and the Canadas? Yes. They have preached this same
GoSpel contained in the Book of Mormon on the Islands of the sea, in
Australia, New Zealand, the Society Islands, Sandwich Islands—where
thousands have received this Gospel and been baptized. Missionaries
have also carried this everlasting Gospel to the northern portions of
Europe—Norway, Denmark and Sweden; also into the German States, to
Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, some of the islands of the
Mediterranean, to Hindostan, and in fact wherever there has been a
sufficient degree of liberty to permit the proclamation of the Gospel,
thither have missionaries, called of God to declare the message of
life and salvation to the people, been and proclaimed it.

Vol. 18,  p.63
Wherever we have preached this Gospel, the word has so been published
by command of the Almighty, saying—"Come out, my people, from the
nations you now inhabit." "Where shall we go?" "Go to the place which
I have appointed by revelation, by the voice of my servants, by my own
voice—to the mountains of the new world, where my kingdom shall be
established as a stone cut out of the mountain without hands." Daniel
predicted that, in the last days, the kingdom of God should be
established upon the earth, and that, in its commencement, it would be
like a little stone cut out of the mountains without hands, but that
it would gradually gain power and greatness among the people; and the
reason that you have gathered to these mountains from the various
nations in which you obeyed the Gospel is that you may assist in
establishing and building up that kingdom spoken of by Daniel. Not a
week has elapsed since some seven or eight hundred, from the northern
regions of Europe, arrived in our city. A few days after their arrival
we look around and we scarcely notice that there is any addition.
Where are they? Friends have taken them by the hand and invited them
to their homes. Any more coming? Yes, numerous hosts are coming. We
have sent across the Atlantic ocean between one and two hundred ships,
most of them loaded, to the fullest extent that the law would allow,
with Latter-day Saints gathering together to one place in fulfillment
of the predictions of the ancient Prophets.

Vol. 18,  p.63
Says one—"How long will this continue?" Until the people are
thoroughly warned. At the present time there are some nations who will
not permit any religion to be proclaimed within their borders except
that which is established by law. When God shall east down thrones,
which he will soon do; when he shall overturn kingdoms and empires,
which time is very near at hand, then other governments will be formed
more favorable to religious liberty, and the missionaries of this
Church will visit those nations. Already we find greater religious
liberty advocated in the northern portions of Europe where formerly
imprisonment was the penalty of declaring any other religious doctrine
than that which was permitted by their laws. Austria, that great Roman
Catholic power, containing thirty-one millions of Catholics, is
increasing in religious liberty. Spain, which for centuries has
persecuted everything but the established religion, where countless
martyrs have been tortured and put to death by the so-called "Holy
Inquisition," is at present forming a constitution which proposes to
grant a large share of religious liberty.[p.64] And so we might
enumerate what God is doing among these despotic powers, overturning
and changing long-established usages and institutions, that His
servants may go by His own command, to deliver the great and last
message of the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, preparatory to
the coming of his Son.

Vol. 18,  p.64
Alter the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, which period is set in
the mind of God, another scene will open up before the world, in the
grand panorama of the last days. What is that? The downfall of the
Gentile nations. Says one—"Whom do you call Gentiles?" Every nation
excepting the literal descendants of Israel. We, the Latter-day
Saints, are Gentiles; in other words, we have come from among the
Gentile nations, though many of as may have the blood of Israel within
our veins. When God has called out the righteous, when the warning
voice has been sufficiently proclaimed among these Gentile nations,
and the Lord says "It is enough," he will also say to his servants—"O,
ye, my servants, come home, come out from the midst of these Gentile
nations, where you have labored and borne testimony for so long a
period; come out from among them, for they are not worthy; they do
lint receive the message that I have sent forth, they do not repent of
their sins; come out from their midst, their times are fulfilled. Seal
up the testimony among them and bind up the law." What then? Then the
word of the Lord will be—"O, ye, my servants, I have a new commission
for you. Instead of going forth to convert the Gentile nations, go
unto the remnants of the house of Israel that are scattered in the
four quarters of the earth. Go and proclaim to them that the times of
their dispersion are accomplished; that the times of the Gentiles are
fulfilled; that the time has arrived for my people Israel, who have
been scattered for generations in a dark and cloudy day, to gather
unto their own homes again, and to build up old Jerusalem on its
former heap. And then will commence the gathering of the Jews to old
Jerusalem; then the ten tribes in the northern regions, wherever they
may be, after having been concealed from the nations for twenty-five
hundred years, will come forth and will return, as Jeremiah has said,
from the north country. A great company will come, and they will sing
in the height of Zion, and "flow together for the goodness of the
Lord, for wine and for oil, and for the young of the flock; and their
souls shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow any more
at all." What a happy time for them, when they come from their cold
quarters in the north! The Jews dispersed among the Gentiles will not
come and sing in the height of Zion, or but very few of them, they
will go to Jerusalem. Some of them will believe in the true Messiah,
and thousands of the more righteous, whose fathers did not consent to
the shedding of the blood of the Son of God, will receive the Gospel
before they gather from among the nations. Many of them, however, will
not receive the Gospel, but seeing that others are going to Jerusalem
they will go also; and when they get back to Palestine, to the place
where their ancient Jerusalem stood, and see a certain portion of the
believing Jews endeavoring to fulfill and carry out the prophecies,
they also will take hold and assist in the same work. At the same time
they will have their synagogues, in which they will preach against
Jesus of Nazareth, "that impostor," as they call him, who was
crucified by their fathers.[p.65] 

Vol. 18,  p.65
After awhile, when tens of thousands of them have gathered and rebuilt
their Temple, and re-established Jerusalem. upon its own heap, the
Lord will send forth amongst them a tremendous scourge. What will be
the nature of that scourge? The nations that live in the regions round
about Jerusalem will gather up like a cloud, and cover all that land
round about Jerusalem. They will come into the Valley of Jehoshaphat,
east of Jerusalem, and they will lay siege to the city. What then? The
Lord will raise up two great Prophets, they are called witnesses, in
the Revelations of St. John. Will they have much power? Yes, during
the days of their prophecying they will have power to smite those who
undertake to destroy them, and until their testimonies are fulfilled
they will be able to keep at bay all those nations besieging
Jerusalem, so that they will not have power to take that city. How
long will that be? Three and a half years, so says John the Revelator.
If any man hurt them, they shall have power to bring upon that man,
nation or army, the various plagues that are there written. They will
have power to smite the earth with plague and famine, and to turn the
rivers of water into blood. And when they have fulfilled their
prophecy, then the nations that have been lying before Jerusalem so
long, waiting for an opportunity to destroy the city, will succeed in
killing these two Prophets, and their bodies, says John's revelations,
will lie in the streets of Jerusalem three days and a half after they
are killed. What rejoicing there will be over the death of these men!
Those who have been waiting so long and anxiously for this to take
place, will no doubt send gifts one to another, and if the telegraph
wires are not destroyed, they will telegraph to the uttermost parts of
the earth that they have succeeded in killing the two men who had so
long tormented them with plagues, turning the waters onto blood, etc.
But by and by, right in the midst of their rejoicing, when they think
the Jews will now certainly fall a prey to them, behold there is a
great earthquake, and in the midst of it these two Prophets rise from
the dead, and they hear a voice up in the heavens saying—"Come up
hither;" and they immediately ascend in the sight of their enemies.

Vol. 18,  p.65
What next? Notwithstanding all this, those nations will be so
infatuated, and so determined to persecute the people of God—as much
so as Pharaoh and his army in ancient days—that they will say—"Come,
now is the time to pitch into the Jews and destroy them." And they
will commence their work of destruction, and they will succeed so far
as to take one half the city, and while they are in the very act of
destroying Jerusalem, behold the heavens are rent, and the Son of God
with all the heavenly hosts appears, and he descends and rests upon
the summit of Mount Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And
so great will be the power of God that will then be made manifest,
that the mountain will divide asunder, half going towards the south,
and half towards the north, producing a great valley going east and
west, from the walls of Jerusalem eastward.

Vol. 18,  p.65
What next? The Jews that are not taken captive by these nations, will
flee to the valleys of the mountains, says the Prophet Zechariah; and
when they get into that great valley, where these personages are who
have descended, they expect to find the Deliverer which their Prophets
have spoken of so long.[p.66] But they do not for a moment suppose
that it is Jesus, oh no, Jesus was an impostor. The personage they
have been looking for some eighteen hundred years is the true Messiah,
and now, say they—"He has come to deliver us." But how great will be
their astonishment when, while looking at their Deliverer, they see
that his hands are marred considerably! Say they, one to
another—"There are large scars in his hands; and there is another
large scar in his side, and behold his feet, they are scarred also!"
And, as the Prophet Zechariah has said, they will begin to enquire of
him—"What are these wounds with which thou art wounded?" And he
replies—"These are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of
my friends."

Vol. 18,  p.66
What then? Then they begin to believe, then the Jews are convinced, I
mean that portion of them who formerly despised Jesus of Nazareth, and
being convinced they begin to mourn, and they mourn every family
apart, and their wives apart. The family of the house of Levi apart
and their wives apart; the family of the house of David and their
wives apart, and all their families that remain will mourn, they and
their wives apart, and there will be such mourning in Jerusalem as
that city never experienced before. What is the matter? What are they
mourning about? They have looked upon him whom their fathers pierced,
they behold the wounds, they are now convinced that they and their
fathers have been in error some eighteen hundred years, and they
repent in dust and ashes.

Vol. 18,  p.66
The next step for them will be baptism for the remission of their
sins. They look upon him whom their fathers pierced and they mourn for
him as one who mourns for his only son, and, as Zechariah says, they
are in bitterness for him. But repentance alone would not be
sufficient, they must obey the ordinances of the Gospel; hence there
will be a fountain opened at that time on purpose for baptism. Where
will it be opened? On the east side of the Temple. A stream will break
out from under the threshold of the Temple, says the Prophet, and it
will run eastward, and will probably pass directly through the deep
valley made by the parting of the Mount of Olives. It will run
eastward, and as you go down from the Temple a few thousand cubits it
increases so rapidly that it becomes a great river that cannot be
forded.

Vol. 18,  p.66
This is the fountain that Zechariah says is open to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem and to the house of David for sin and uncleanness. "How is
it that" says one? "Water for sin and uncleanness? Why yes, baptism
for the remission of sins. Then the Jews will receive the Gospel and
they will be cleansed from all their sins by being baptized in water
for their remission. Then will be fulfilled the words of the Prophet
Isaiah, when speaking of Jerusalem—"For henceforth there shall no more
come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean." But the name of the
city from that day will be—"The Lord is there;" that is, the Lord will
be personally there, there with his Apostles and with all his ancient
Saints, for Zechariah says that when he comes and stands his feet on
the Mount of Olives, all his Saints will come with him.

Vol. 18,  p.66
We have found out the place where Jesus will descend, and we have
found out who comes with him. Now we enquire will he remain on the
earth after he thus descends? Yes, he will remain on this earth as
literally and personally as he went [p.67] around in ancient times,
and taught the people from house to house and synagogue to synagogue.
And in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one. There will
not be any heathen gods, for there will be no heathens; no idolatrous
worship, but one Lord, and his name one.

Vol. 18,  p.67
And this water which breaks out from the threshold of the Temple, will
not only run eastward but westward also, and there will be a great
change in the land there, certain portions rising up, others lowered,
rough places made smooth and mountains cast down; and half the waters
of this spring which will burst forth, will go towards the former sea
and half to the other sea; in other words half towards the Dead Sea
and half toward the Mediterranean.

Vol. 18,  p.67
From that day forward there shall be written upon the bells of the
horses and upon the vessels of the house of the Lord,—"Holiness to the
Lord;" and thenceforth all the people who are spared from the nations
round about, will have to go up to Jerusalem year by year to worship
the King, the Lord of Hosts.

Vol. 18,  p.67
These are some of the grand events spoken of in this Bible; these are
events that the Latter-day Saints believe in, and that so far as it
lies in their power, they are trying to fulfill. If we are not Jews we
are not required to go to old Jerusalem but we are required to build
up a Zion; that is spoken of as well as the building of Jerusalem.
Zion is to be built up in the mountains in the last days, not at
Jerusalem. Read the fortieth chapter of Isaiah, where he speaks of the
glory of the Lord being revealed, and all flesh to see him when he
comes the second time and how the mountains and hills should be
lowered and the valleys be exalted; and in the same chapter the
Prophet also says that, before that great and terrible day of the Lord
Zion is required to get up into the high mountains. Isaiah predicts
this. Says he, in his fortieth chapter—"Oh Zion, thou that bringest
good tidings, get thee up into the high mountains."

Vol. 18,  p.67
Thus you see that the people who organize Zion through the everlasting
Gospel which the angel brings, have good tidings to declare to all the
inhabitants of the earth. But these people are required, according to
this prophecy, to get up into the high mountains. You Latter-day
Saints are four thousand three hundred feet above the level of the
ocean, scattered over four hundred miles of Territory, north and
south, and you are extending your settlements continually, and are
building up some two hundred towns, cities and villages in the
mountains of the great American desert, fulfilling the prophecies of
the holy Prophets.

Vol. 18,  p.67
By and by you will leave this country. Says one—"What, are the Mormons
going to leave Utah?" Oh yes, most of us; we are going to leave, but
we shall disappoint some of you. You want to know which way we are
going? We are going by and by eastward. I do not say hat we shall go
directly from this city eastward, but we shall, after a while, be in
Jackson County, in the western borders of Missouri. Why are we going
there? Because it is the great central gathering place for the Saints
of latter days, for all that will be gathered from South America,
Central America, Mexico, the Canadas, and from all the nations of the
Gentiles—their head quarters will be in Jackson County, in the State
of Missouri. We shall roll down from the mountains, and though we may
be considered but a little stone cut out of the mountains without
human ingenuity, without mankind undertaking [p.68] to carry on this
work of their own accord, the time will come when God will cause the
stone of the mountains to roll, and then it will roll down and build
up the central city of Zion, and that, too, long before this gathering
from the distant nations shall cease. I do not know how much before
the ten tribes will come from the north; but after Zion is built in
Jackson County, and after the Temple is built upon that spot of ground
where the corner stone was laid in 1831; after the glory of God in the
form of a cloud by day shall rest upon that Temple, and by night the
shining of a flaming fire will fill the whole heavens round about;
after every dwelling place upon Mount Zion shall be clothed upon as
with a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by day, about that period
of time, the ten tribes will be heard of, away in the north, a great
company, as Jeremiah says, coming down from the northern regions,
coming to sing in the height of the latter-day Zion. Their souls will
be as a watered garden, and they will not sorrow any more at all, as
they have been doing during the twenty-five hundred long years they
have dwelt in the Arctic regions. They will come, and the Lord will be
before their camp, he will utter his voice before that great army, and
he will lead them forth as he led Israel in ancient days. This long
chain of Rocky Mountains, that extends from the cold regions of the
north away into South America, will feel the power of God, and will
tremble before the hosts of Israel as they come to sing on the heights
of Zion. In that day the trees of the field will clap like hands, says
the Prophet, and in that day the Lord will open waters in the
wilderness, and streams in the desert, to give drink to his chosen,
his people Israel. And when they come to the height of Zion they shall
be crowned with glory under the hands of the servants of God living in
those days, the children of Ephraim, crowned with certain blessings
that pertain to the Priesthood, that they could not receive in their
own lands. In that day will be set apart twelve thousand out of each
of these ten tribes—one hundred and twenty thousand persons ordained
to the High Priesthood, after the order of the Son of God, to go forth
to all people, nations, kindreds and tongues, for the salvation of the
remnants of Israel in the four quarters of the earth, to bring as many
as will come unto the Church of the firstborn. Thus God will have
twelve thousand out of all the tribes of Israel to fulfill his
purposes; and when they have completed his work here on the earth,
they will be called home to Zion, be crowned with glory and stand upon
Mount Zion and sing the song of the redeemed, the song of the hundred
and forty-four thousand, and the Father's name will be written in
their foreheads.

Vol. 18,  p.68
By and by, when all things are prepared—when the Jews have received
their scourging, and Jesus has descended upon the Mount of Olives, the
ten tribes will leave Zion, and will go to Palestine, to inherit the
land that was given to their ancient fathers, and it will be divided
amongst the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost. They will go there to dwell in peace in their own
land from that time, until the earth shall pass away. But Zion, after
their departure, will still remain upon the western hemisphere, and
she will be crowned with glory as well as old Jerusalem, and, as the
Psalmist David says, she will become the joy of the whole earth.
"Beautiful for situation is Mount Zion on the sides of the north, the
city of the great King."[p.69] 

Vol. 18,  p.69
Zion will be caught up when Jesus comes, to meet him. Jesus will
descend not only upon the Mount of Olives, but he will descend and
stand upon Mount Zion. But before he stands upon it, it will be caught
up to meet him in the air. Will the buildings of Zion be caught up?
Yes. And its land? Yes. And Jesus will stand upon Mount Zion,
according to the prediction of John the Revelator, and he will reign
over his people during a thousand years; and his associates will be
the resurrected righteous of all former dispensations, those, among
others, who dwelt on this continent before the flood. Says one—"Do you
mean to say that America was inhabited before the flood?" Yes, Adam
dwelt on this continent. I do not know that the Garden of Eden was
here but we know from what God has revealed to us, that before Adam
closed his days he dwelt on a certain portion of this continent with a
great number of the righteous. All the righteous that lived on this
continent before the flood, those who lived upon this continent who
were righteous, who came from the Tower of Babel after the flood, and
lived here some sixteen hundred years, before the nation was
destroyed. All the Prophets, and wise, and good men of these several
periods, will be permitted to reign as kings and priests upon this
western hemispere during the period of Christ's reign on the earth.
The Israelites, too, the remnants of Joseph, the forefathers of these
poor degraded Indians, who are righteous, will come forth also to
reign as kings and priests on this land.

Vol. 18,  p.69
We might continue this subject much further. We might portray before
you the duties that will be performed by these resurrected righteous
who reign as immortal beings on this continent and on the eastern
continent. We might portray some of the great doings that will be
accomplished by the King of kings and Lord of lords, when he shall sit
upon his throne in the Temple at Jerusalem, surrounded by his Twelve
Apostles, who will also sit upon twelve thrones to judge the twelve
tribes of Israel. We might also relate to you concerning the judges
and the thrones of those that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus
and for the word of God, who will reign on the western hemisphere as
well as on the eastern; but time will not permit us to continue this
subject any further.

Vol. 18,  p.69
May God bless the Latter-day Saints in the kingdom of God established
here in the tops of the mountains; bless you in your residences, in
your towns, in your cities, in your villages, and throughout the
length and breadth of the land, and increase and multiply you as the
stars of heaven that cannot be numbered, until the kingdoms of this
world shall become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and the
Saints shall reign forever and ever. Amen.[p.70] 

Brigham Young, August 31, 1875

Present Revelation Necessary to Lead the Church—the 
Apostleship—Present Revelation Necessary for All—Evils 
of Waste, Intemperance, and Extravagance—True 
Reformation is to Cease From Doing Evil

Discourse By President Brigham Young, Delivered in the 
Old Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Aug. 31, 1875. 

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.70
Brethren and sisters, we have met here to talk over the principles of
our faith, and if we say that we are going to be Saints, and that we
are going to live our religion, we do not expect to give ourselves the
lie, to eat our own words and to falsify our characters and our
testimonies before God; but we expect to live our religion as well as
we know how. We want you who wish to be Saints, to know, that we will
do everything in our power to help you to live so, that you will be
entitled to, and enjoy, the revelations of the Lord Jesus; that every
man and every woman may know and understand their duty before God,
pertaining to themselves and what is required of them, just as much as
your humble servant who is talking to you.

Vol. 18,  p.70
It is a great privilege to know the mind and will of God, and this
privilege we enjoy, and I wish that all good people of every nation,
sect and party would so live that they might understand the will of
the Lord for themselves; but in bestowing this upon us the Lord
requires us to live accordingly, and he has placed us and all people
under this obligation.

Vol. 18,  p.70
It is my duty to know the mind of the Lord concerning myself and also
concerning this people; and I think I know it just as well as I know
the road home. I do not know the path from that door to my own home
any better than I know how to dictate this people, if they will only
hearken to me. This is a great blessing and a great privilege, and if
I were to reject it and take a course to deprive myself of the spirit
of revelation, according to what the Lord has given to me, and to
magnify the Priesthood that I received through his servant Joseph, I
would be taken forthwith from this world, I would not remain here at
all to darken the minds of, or to lead astray, any of the members of
the kingdom of God. According to the revelations that I and others of
my brethren and sisters have received, through the Prophet Joseph and
others who have lived upon the earth, if I observe my duty, I shall
have the privilege of living and enjoying the society of my brethren
and sisters, and of instructing them; but let me neglect this and I
shall be removed out of my place forthwith.

Vol. 18,  p.71
Now it is no more my duty to [p.71] live so as to know the mind and
will of the Lord than it is the duty of my brethren, the rest of the
Twelve. I say the rest of the Twelve, because I am the President of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on the earth, and the only one that
the Lord has ever acknowledged. It is true that Thomas B. Marsh was
once President, but the Lord never acknowledged any man by revelation
as President of that Quorum but myself. At the death of Joseph I
stepped out from that position in the advance, according to the
organization of the Church, for the sake of preserving the flock of
God, but not according to my wishes, nor the desire of my heart, but
it was my duty. When I heard of the Prophet's death I said—"What will
become of the people? What will the Saints do now that the Prophet has
gone?" It was my whole desire to preserve the sheep of the flock of
God, and it is so to-day. Brother Kimball also stepped into the first
Presidency, and we called others and ordained them to take our place
for the time being, that the Church might be fully organized, and we
expect to ordain more when we feel like it; but because a man is
ordained an Apostle it does not prove that he belongs to the Quorum of
the Apostles. I just mention this that you may understand it.

Vol. 18,  p.71
Now, in regard to the Twelve Apostles, it is their imperative duty to
live so that they will know the mind and will of the Lord concerning
them in the discharge of their duties as a quorum, and also as
individuals; and they are under just the same obligations to live so
as to enjoy the spirit of revelation that I am. And so it is with the
Seventies, the High Priests, the Elders and the Bishops. It is the
imperative duty of a Bishop—called to preside over a ward—to live so
that he will know the mind and will of God concerning his ward just as
much as I do concerning this people. But when Bishops say they are
willing to do as brother Brigham says, and that is the end of their
researches to know the mind and will of the Lord, they will always be
making mistakes, always doing something that they will regret; they
will neglect their duty here and there, and when they make a move it
will not be right unless brother Brigham is there to tell them the
words they should say and the acts they should perform; and hence the
necessity of them living day by day so that they will know the mind
and will of the Lord for themselves.

Vol. 18,  p.71
And so you may follow on through every quorum there is in the Church,
not only Seventies, High Priests, Elders and Bishops, but also the
Priests, Teachers and Deacons, who administer to the people in going
from house to house. It is their duty to live so that they know and
understand the mind and will of the Lord concerning the people to whom
they administer, as much as it is mine to know the mind and will of
the Lord concerning the entire people. And it is the duty of every
father and mother to live so that they may have the mind and will of
the Lord concerning their duties to their families. If they are not
called to exercise the priesthood which they hold, more than to
administer to their children, it is their duty to live so as to know
how to teach, lead and advise their children; and if they are disposed
they may have the privilege, for it is God's mind and will that they
should know just what to do fur them when they are sick. Instead of
calling for a doctor you should administer to them by the laying on of
hands and anointing with oil, and give them mild food, and herbs, and
[p.72] medicines that you understand; and if you want the mind and
will of God at such a time, get it, it is just as much your privilege
as of any other member of the Church and kingdom of God. It is your
privilege and duty to live so that you know when the word of the Lord
is spoken to you and when the mind of the Lord is revealed to you. I
say it is your duty to live so as to know and understand all these
things. Suppose I were to teach you a false doctrine, how are you to
know it if you do not possess the Spirit of God? As it is written,
"The things of God knoweth no man but by the Spirit of God."

Vol. 18,  p.72
Now I want to say a few words to the sisters, though I will say that I
do not feel the least like chastising either my brethren or my sisters
this morning. I feel kind, and I do not want to say words to them that
they would think harsh or unkind. But I will say, to both brethren and
sisters, that whenever any of us spend means needlessly, say to the
amount of one cent, dime, or dollar, we consume it upon the lusts of
our flesh. Here is a man, for instance, who has an appetite for
tobacco, and, during a year, he spends ten or twenty dollars in cigars
and tobacco, which do him no good, but injure him; do you think that
such a may will be brought to an account hereafter for that waste?
Such means does not go to build temples, or to help to sustain Elders
who have gone abroad to proclaim the gospel; it is not applied to
assist in feeding or clothing their wives or children, to find them a
little fuel in the winter, when it is cold, or to get them a cow, so
that they can have milk and a little butter to make them more
comfortable; but it is spent in the purchase of tobacco and is utterly
wasted; and they who get rid of their means so foolishly will most
surely be brought to account therefor. The same may be said of money
spent in the purchase of beer. It is a mild drink, and is very
pleasant and agreeable to a great many; but when a man pays his fifty
cents, his dollar or his ten dollars for beer it goes into the hands
of the grocery keepers and they send it off, and it does no good to
the community. The beer itself does no good, it injures the system of
those who habitually indulge in the use of it, and, whether they think
of and realize it, or not, they will be brought to account for the
means they have thus wasted.

Vol. 18,  p.72
Here in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, where we can know and
understand the mind and will of the Lord concerning us, many of us
have not taken the pains to ask what the Lord wants us to do or what
not to do; and if we are extravagant in the use of tea or coffee,
which do us no good, but which injure our systems, we shall certainly
be brought to account for it. Parties may say—"We did this
thoughtlessly and ignorantly; we did not think there was any harm in
drinking tea, coffee, beer or a little liquor, or in smoking or
chewing tobacco; and having worked for our wages, we considered that
we had a right to spend a portion of them in these luxuries, if we
were disposed to do so." But Justice will say, "If you had enquired
you might have learned that the use of these things was not only no
good to you, but was absolutely injurious, and that the means used in
purchasing them was utterly wasted, and hence you who have been guilty
of this folly must be brought to an account for it."

Vol. 18,  p.72
We might follow this subject through all the varied ramifications of
our practice in life, but it is not necessary on this occasion.
Suffice it to say that we want to understand [p.73] and do better than
we have done, and to be governed by the dictates of good, solid, sound
sense in the use of the wealth, privileges and talents that are given
to us in our present life. Let me ask, what is real wealth? Do you
know? I say that time is all the wealth we have; and to illustrate,
let us suppose that all the inhabitants of the earth were, to-day, in
the same position that our first parents were in when they were placed
in the Garden. Here is the naked earth, without any improvements
whatever; and the people, being without experience, have not the
ability to raise anything to eat, to build dwellings to reside in, or
to gather up or utilize the stock that is running at large. Would a
people in that condition have any wealth? No; but you put them in
possession of ability to work with their hands and to raise their food
and clothing from the earth, also materials to build their houses, lay
out their streets, make their gardens, farms, etc., and they will soon
accumulate by their labor, and hence, you can easily see that all the
wealth there is on the earth consists of the bone, sinew and time of
the people. That is the capital stock of every individual and of every
nation, and all the capital stock they have. If they have
money—seeming wealth—it may go from them, they do not know how
quickly. Cities may burn up; thieves may steal their gold and silver,
and their greenbacks may be burned up with their banks, and then their
wealth is gone, or rather that which is the representative of wealth;
but they still have the ability and the bone and sinew necessary to go
to work to rebuild their cities and to make new farms, to mine out
gold and silver from the mountains to make vessels for convenience,
for table use, or for ornaments—ear rings, nose jewels, bands for
their wrists, ankles, etc. But it must all be done by labor.

Vol. 18,  p.73
The enquiry rises—Who gives the ability to labor? Who gives us the
physical power to cut down trees, to saw them into lumber, and to
shape the lumber for use, so that we can make improvements in
building, fencing, and everything. that labor can be used for? Is this
ability our own individual property, independent of God and every
other being? Not at all, we are dependent upon him for strength,
health, life and every power and faculty we possess. Hence we may say
that Time is really all the capital stock that is possessed by any
people or nation, by Saint of sinner, good or bad. Time and the
ability to labor are the capital stock of the whole world of mankind,
and we are all indebted to God for the ability to use time to
advantage, and he will require of us a strict account of the
disposition we make of this ability; and be will not only require an
account of our acts, but our words and thoughts will also be brought
into judgment.

Vol. 18,  p.73
Now, returning to the subject of wasting means, suppose that in the
providences of God, I have been able to gather means around me, and I
fancy and am able to pay for a breakfast that would cost a hundred
dollars, and I say to my wife—"Prepare me such and such a breakfast,"
and I actually eat a breakfast that has cost a hundred dollars, the
question arises—Am I justified, have I to give an account of this? I
am not justified, and I certainly shall have to give an account. A
fifteen or twenty cent breakfast would satisfy the demands of my
nature, and would be just as good for my system as the hundred dollar
breakfast, so that by indulging in such a luxury I waste ninety-nine
dollars and eighty cents, it has gone to the winds, gone to [p.74] the
enemy. Now what is my duty? I say that after eating my fifteen or
twenty cent breakfast, if I have a hundred dollars that I can afford
to spend therein, my duty is to give the residue towards sustaining
the poor, building Temples, school-houses, sustaining the teachers,
maintaining the orphan child, so that it may have an education,
sending an Elder to preach the Gospel, and sustaining his family while
he is away, or something or other that will advance the kingdom of God
upon the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.74
Or again, suppose I say to a tailor—"I have some grey cloth, and I
want you to make me a coat just according to my own notions." "Very
well, what will you have?" "I want you to make the coat of this grey
cloth, and I want you to take this piece of blue cloth and cut it into
narrow strips about a third of an inch wide, and strip my coat all
around, and ring it around, and put a puff here and another there, and
I want home-made epaulets on, and I want you to put fifteen or twenty
dollars worth of work on this coat," most of which, after all, is of
not the least use in the world. Am I justified in doing this, and
shall I or shall I not, have to give an account of thus spending my
means and using the time of the tailor for naught? I think I shall,
and I may say, as far as I am concerned, I know I shall have to give
an account. But the people do not think of this.

Vol. 18,  p.74
Now, then, leaving the useless things which the brethren use—tea,
coffee, tobacco, beer, whiskey, etc., I will allude to some that the
sisters use and wear, such as tea, coffee, snuff, tobacco, opium, and
then the ruffles, bows, puffs, trimmings, and this, that, and the
other that they wear on their dresses that are useless. What shall we
do in regard to these things? My senses tell me that the children of
Zion should forsake every needless fashion and custom which they now
practise. My wives dress very plainly, but I sometimes ask them the
utility of some of the stripes and puffs which i see on their dresses.
I remember asking a lady this question once, and enquired if they kept
the bed bugs and flies away. Well, if they do that they are very
useful; but if they do not, what use are they? None whatever. Now,
some ladies will buy a cheap dress, say a cheap calico, and they will
spend from five to fifteen dollars worth of time in making it up,
which is wasting so much of the substance which God has given them on
the lust of the eye, and which should be devoted to a better purpose.
I have had an observation made to me which I believe I will relate; I
never have done it, but I believe I will now. It has been said to
me—"Yes, brother Brigham, we have seen ladies go to patties in plain,
home-made cloth dresses, but every man was after the girls who had on
a hundred dollars worth of foil-the-roll, and they would dance with
every woman and girl except the one in a plain dress, and they would
let her stay by the wall the whole evening." It may be in some cases,
but should not be. It adds no beauty to a lady, in my opinion, to
adorn her with fine feathers. When I look at a woman, I look at her
face, which is composed of her forehead, cheeks, nose, mouth and chin,
and I like to see it clean, her hair combed neat and nice, and her
eyes bright and sparkling; and if they are so, what do I care what she
has on her head, or how or of what material her dress is made? Not the
least in the world. If a woman is clean in person, and has on a nice
clean dress, she looks a great deal better when washing her dishes,
making her butter or cheese, or [p.75] sweeping her house, than those
who, as I told them in Provo, walked the streets with their spanker
jib flying. It adds no beauty to a lady or gentleman to have a great
many frills on their dresses or coats; beauty must be sought in the
expression of the countenance, combined with neatness and cleanliness
and graceful manners. All the beauty which nature bestows is
exhibited, let the dress be ever so plain, if the wearer of it be only
neat and comely. Do not fine feathers look well? Yes, they are very
pretty, but they look just as well on these dolls, these fixed up
machines which they have in the stores, as anywhere else; they
certainly add nothing to the beauty of a lady or gentleman, so far as
I ever saw.

Vol. 18,  p.75
Now, then, labor is our capital, and the source and creator of all the
wealth that we possess; and I feel it a duty to say to the sisters as
well as the brethren, that we must stop the course that has been so
generally pursued among the Latter-day Saints, of spending time and
means for nothing. I will mention one article to illustrate, and that
is the sewing machine. A sewing machine that costs twenty-two dollars
to manufacture, we pay one hundred and twenty-five dollars for; for
one that costs fourteen dollars to manufacture, we pay eighty-five
dollars; and for one that costs sixteen dollars, we pay one hundred.
And then, when a man gets his wife a sewing machine, she will spend
from five to fifteen dollars worth of time in making a dress. This is
wasting time; and we want the brethren and sisters to understand that
when they waste time, they are wasting the capital stock which God has
given them to improve upon here upon the earth. Says one—"I have
nothing to do." You very easily can have if you wish for it.

Vol. 18,  p.75
Now for the men. I have been into houses which have not had the least
convenience for the women, not so much as a bench to set their water
pails on, and they have to set them on the floor, and yet their
husbands will sit there year after year, and never make so much
improvement as a bench to set the pail on. Yet they have the ability,
but they will not exercise it. They ought to make every hour of the
day useful, and if they have nothing else to do, they should spend
their time in making improvements in and around their homes. They
might fix the garden fence, hoe the garden, set out trees and
cultivate and attend to them, fix the yard and make it look neater,
fix up the house and make it more convenient for the wives and the
children. A certain portion of the time should also be spent in
storing their minds with useful knowledge, reading the Bible, Book of
Mormon, and other Church works, and histories, scientific works and
other useful books. I have seen people live year after year in a log
house, with never so much as a nail to hang a broom on, and the broom
is first in one corner and then in another, on the floor or out of
doors. Never had a place to put the discloth in, or to hang it on, and
it would be—"Susan, where is the dishcloth?" or—"Sally," or "Peggy,
where is the broom?" "I don't know, there is no place for the broom;"
and a man living there year after year, who never seemed to wake up
the senses in him enough to drive a peg into the crack of a log to
have a place to hang a broom or a dishcloth on, or to make a bench for
a water or a milk pail. I have seen such men, year after year, without
a chair in their houses; and if you ask them why they do not go to
work and make some chairs they will say—"We don't know how." Then
[p.76] why not go to work and learn? Do as I did when I went to learn
the carpenter and joiners' trade. The first job my boss gave me was to
make a bedstead out of an old log that had been on the beach of the
Lake for years, water-logged and watersoaked. Said he—"There are
tools, you cut that log into right lengths for a bedstead. Hew out the
side rails, the end rails and the posts; get a board for a head board,
and go to work and make a bedstead." And I went to work and cut up the
log, split it up to the best of my ability, and made a bedstead that,
I suppose, they used for many years. I would go to work and learn to
make a washboard, and make a bench to put the wash tub on, and to make
a chair. This is spending time usefully; but when we spend our time
for naught we waste that which God has given us as our capital stock
with which to make ourselves useful in life, and to give to our
fellow-beings that which belongs to them.

Vol. 18,  p.76
Now, we want the sisters, as well as the brethren, to use their
capital stock to the very best advantage. And we wish them to make
their own fashions in regard to dress; but if they will not do that,
then copy the fashions of Babylon only so far as they are useful; then
stop, go no further, and sustain and uphold trade with the outside
world only so far as it is really necessary. If the sisters remain
with us they will do as they are told; and if they do this we say—You
are at perfect liberty to go and renew your covenants by baptism; but
if you will not live according to the instructions that are given, we
object to you renewing your covenants; we do not wish you to say one
thing and do another. We shall require the sisters to take hold and do
something for themselves. Where does our knitting come from? Everybody
goes to the store to buy knitted goods; but this is not right, we
ought to knit our own stockings. If the sisters want some little hoods
or jackets for their children they go to the store for them, they are
very cheap there. Yet we raise the best of wool here, and we are
spinning it just as nice as in any factory in the world. We have
knitting machines and all the material necessary, and we have also the
ability to knit or weave all the hoods, jackets, drawers, undershirts,
etc., that we need; and if the sisters will do their duty, they will
do their own knitting and prepare this Fall to raise silk another
year. I have been at thousands of dollars expense in encouraging the
people here to raise silk, but they do not do it, and in this respect,
as in many others, they have neglected their duty, for it is their
duty to take hold of this industry. The sisters will say to their
husbands—"I want so and so, and I want you to give me the money to buy
it." Instead of this, I say, let the sisters go to work and raise some
silk, and this will find them and their children profitable
employment. If you have not got any mulberry trees, plant out some
immediately, they are here by the hundreds and thousands in nurseries,
and as soon as possible raise silk, and that when raised and
thoroughly cured, will bring the money. Then you can raise the money,
without having to call on your husbands. Now if a man buys a sewing
machine for his wife, she wants a hired girl to run it; at least, I
will say that some women take this course, and they spend their time
uselessly and waste the capital stock which God has given them. This
is the course that some pursue instead of doing good. We want a
turning point to arrive for women of this class, and for all to be
guided in their [p.77] conduct by the dictates of good, sound sense;
and as the sisters like to be noticed by the brethren, I will say that
they who keep themselves neat and clean, and whose countenances are
bright and clear, are the ones that will be noticed by the good.

Vol. 18,  p.77
Now, sisters, if you will consider these things you will readily see
that time is all the capital stock there is on the earth; and you
should consider your time golden, it is actually wealth, and, if
properly used, it brings that which will add to your comfort,
convenience, and satisfaction. Let us consider this, and no longer sit
with hands folded, wasting time, for it is the duty of every man and
of every woman to do all that is possible to promote the kingdom of
God on the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.77
Without going further into the details regarding the duties of this
people we can say, in a very few words, that our Father in heaven,
Jesus, our elder brother and the Savior of the world, and the whole
heavens, are calling upon this people to prepare to save the nations
of the earth, also the millions who have slept without the Gospel, and
here we are neglecting our duty, wasting our time, running here and
there as though there was nothing to do only to serve ourselves. We
have glory, immortality and eternal lives to gain, and it is our duty
to take a course to gain them, that we may enter into the highest
state of intelligence and enjoy the society of the pure and those who
dwell with God.

Vol. 18,  p.77
You have now heard some things that we want of the sisters. I will now
say a word to the brethren. If any brother is found drinking with the
drunkard we certainly shall look after him; and my counsel and advice
are for every man and every woman to pause well before they go and
renew their covenants, and know whether they are going to be Saints or
not. A person may say—"If I have strength I am going to be a Saint."
The drunkard may say—"I mean to reform;" the swearer may say—"I mean
to reform;" the liar says—"I mean to reform;" and the thief may say—"I
mean to reform." There is no man or woman on the earth in the habit of
stealing, but what can cease the practice right square if they are
disposed. And so with the liar, he can stop lying, and lie no more,
and tell the truth. It only wants the will to do it, and that will
brought into exercise to enable the liar to be truthful, the thief to
be honest, and the swearer to stop his evil speaking. So with the
ladies. If they only have the will, and will exercise it, they can
cease spending their time in useless fashions, and they can turn their
attention to storing their minds with all useful knowledge, then adorn
themselves with all that is necessary to make themselves neat, nice,
comely and commendable to the eyes of God and angels, and of the good
everywhere. Then they will be right. I pray the Lord to bless you,
preserve you and guide your entire lives thus we may be saved in the
Kingdom of our God. Amen.[p.78] 

John Taylor, August 31, 1875

The United Order—How Unity is to Be Attained—Reform 
Necessary—the Order of the Kingdom of God—Stewardships

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the Old 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Aug. 31, 1875. 

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.78
In relation to the rules that we have heard read over, there is
nothing in them but what, as Latter-day Saints, we have always
professed to believe in. Some of us have been around teaching these
principles among the people; and I have sometime spoken of them as
baby rules, that is, as rules which people like the Latter-day Saints,
who are in possession of correct principles, ought always to be
governed by; Latter-day Saints, who have been faithful from the
commencement of their career in the Church, have been governed by
these very principles that we are now talking about.

Vol. 18,  p.78
We profess to be governed by the laws of God, and to be associated
with the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth; we profess to be
related, more or less, to other parties who have held the same
Priesthood, powers, light, and intelligence that we possess; those who
understand themselves profess to be associated, more or less, with the
Church of the first-born, with Jesus, whom Paul calls the Mediator of
the New Covenant, and with God, the Father of all; and our religion
and the revelations that have been given to us are for the express
purpose of leading us to a union among ourselves, with those who have
gone before, and with Jesus, and God the Father, who are all of them
interested, as we ought to be, in seeking to carry out the designs and
purposes of the Almighty upon the earth. Those parties who have lived
before, lived not for themselves, but for God. When Jesus was upon the
earth he said—"I came not to do my will, but the will of the Father
who sent me," and every man who is associated with the Church and
kingdom of God expects and understands, if he understands things
correctly, that he is part of the great household of faith, belonging
to a celestial kingdom that he anticipates inheriting, and that he
ought to be governed by celestial laws, by which other intelligences
who have lived before have been governed. Those men of whom Paul
speaks, all of whom died in faith and in hope of a better inheritance,
did certain things by which they proved to the world that they desired
a city whose builder and maker was God, wherefore Paul tells us that
God was not ashamed to be called their God, for he had prepared a city
for them. We read of the Zion that was built up by Enoch, and that
this Zion and the people that were united [p.79] with Enoch, who were
subject to the same laws which God is seeking to introduce among us,
were caught up into the heavens. We have been expecting all along to
build up a similar Zion upon these mountains, and we have talked a
great deal about going back to Jackson County. We can not build up a
Zion unless we are in possession of the spirit of Zion, and of the
light and intelligence that flow from God, and under the direction of
the Priesthood, the living oracles of God, to lead us in the paths of
life. We do not know them without, and we need all these helps to lead
us along, that by and by we may come to such a unity in our temporal
and in our spiritual affairs, and in everything that pertains to our
interest and happiness in this world and in the world to come, that we
may be prepared to enter a Zion here upon the earth, help to build
Temples of the Lord and to administer in them, and so operate and
co-operate with the Gods in the eternal worlds, and with the
Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, and men of God, who were inspired by
the spirit of revelation in generations that are passed and gone; we
want to be one with them, one with God, and one with each other, for
Jesus said,—"Except you are one you are not mine." Then the question
arises, if we are not Jesus', whose are we?

Vol. 18,  p.79
It is evident, in relation to the position that we have been in, that
all kinds of confusion, folly, vanity, evil, pride, haughtiness,
covetousness, drunkenness, and every kind of sin have existed among
us, as a people. I am not surprised that the President should feel
inclined to shake off many of these things. Why? Because, if they are
permitted in the Church and kingdom of God, and the servant of God and
his coadjutors do not lift up their voices against them, God would
hold them responsible.

Vol. 18,  p.79
Does President Young want to bear the sins of the people? No. Do the
Twelve and others want to bear the sins of the people? No. It is for
the President to point out the way of life, and for all of us to walk
in it. This is the order of God, and every man and woman should
fulfill the various duties that devolve upon them.

Vol. 18,  p.79
Now then, in regard to our temporal affairs, these are the things
which seem to perplex us more or less. We have been brought up in
Babylon, and have inherited Babylonish ideas and systems of business;
we have introduced, too, among us, all kinds of chicanery, deception
and fraud. It is time that these things were stopped, and that matters
assumed another shape; it is time that we commenced to place ourselves
under the guidance and direction of the Almighty. You can not talk in
many places about temporal matters, but everybody is on the alert at
once, and the idea is—Do you want my property? No. Do you want my
possessions? No, no; there is no such feeling, but we do want men and
women to give God their hearts, we do want people, while they profess
to fear God, not to be canting hypocrites and to depart from every
principle of right. We remember the time very well, or most of us,
when we first entered into this Church, if a man was found lying he
would be brought before the Church and dealt with; if a man was found
stealing he would be brought up before the Church and dealt with; if a
man defrauded his neighbor, and it could be proved, he was brought up
and dealt with; and so if a man got drunk; and for all these
delinquencies if parties did not repent of them they were immediately
cut [p.80] off from the Church as unworthy of fellowship. And now,
after so many years travail, are we to continue and fellowship all
these evils? No, no, we can not do it, and God will not do it; and if
we carry them along with us, we shall not enter into the celestial
kingdom of God.

Vol. 18,  p.80
Now then, with regard to this union of property, what is it? Why, it
is something to draw the people nearer together, to prepare them for
future developments. What is the Order? Well, we, here, have thought
proper, at the suggestion of President Young, to act as stewards over
our own property. In some places where there is not so much property
as here, it might he better to pursue another course; but as to that,
no matter if our hearts are together, and we do what we do in all
sincerity before God. What we are after is to give our hearts to God,
to renew our covenants, and then be one in our temporal affairs; and
this is to be under the direction of the living Priesthood, and not
under any particular dead letter. Here is a certain form that
everybody ought to submit to; every man and every woman in the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ought to be governed by these
rules, and we know it in our hearts. I mean when they refer
particularly to our morals. When we come to other points, that is a
matter of judgment and principle that we want to be governed by as the
law of God. We have an organization here in the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, and it is one of the most perfect that ever
existed on the earth. And how is it organized? Why, we have the
Presidency, with President Young at the head, as the mouthpiece of God
to this people. That is the way that we Latter-day Saints profess to
believe in him, whether we do so or not; and if we do not believe it
then we are acting the hypocrite. Then come the Twelve, then the High
Priests, Bishops, Seventies, High Councils, Bishops' Councils, Elders,
Priests, Teachers and Deacons, all organized by the Almighty.

Vol. 18,  p.80
Now, then, do I believe that the Lord Almighty directs President
Young? I do, with all my heart. Do you believe it? That is the
question. Do you believe that he and his first council have the right
to dictate and manage all affairs pertaining to the temporal and
spiritual interests of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth? I
believe it, do you? These are questions that we want to put to
ourselves fairly and frankly and honestly, without any equivocation or
reservation, for this is really a part of the order of God.

Vol. 18,  p.80
Now then come the Twelve and all the other authorities. We believe
that they are ordained of God, that they are part of his economy and
government, all these various quorums as they exist on the earth, and
that, by and by, when we get through in this world, we shall all
assume our proper position and proper Priesthood, with Joseph Smith at
the head of this dispensation, and that we shall be associated there
with that Priesthood that we have been connected with here. Now, then,
we do not want to he playing fast and loose, part God, part the world,
part the devil, part the Lord's way and part our way, and every man
following the devices and desires of his own heart. We have come under
the government of God, and God expects our strict, full, implicit and
unequivocal obedience in all particulars. God says, "Give me thy
heart." We have covenanted long ago to do this, and this is simply a
renewal of this covenant, and of many covenants [p.81] that we have
entered into in relation to these matters. Is it a sacrifice? Are we
doubtful and fearful about this, that, and the other? What have we to
sacrifice? What hold have we upon this earth? What hold have we upon
any property on this earth? It may be said to us as it was to a man
who said—"I have much goods laid up for many years, soul take thine
ease, eat, drink, and be merry;" it may be said to us as it was said
to him—"Thou feel, this night thy soul is required of thee," and then
whose will these be? What have we that we did not get from God? I have
heard President Young say that there is not one solitary thing that he
has—wife, dollar, horse, carriage, or property of any kind that he did
not receive from God. Have any of us got anything that we did not
receive from him? Not a penny. Can we keep anything any longer than
the Lord has a mind to permit us? Not one moment longer. In his hands
are the issues of life and death, and the only hope we have is to be
one with God, with the Priesthood upon the earth, that is connected
with the Priesthood in the heavens, that we may unite in a phalanx
with them, with God, with the Patriarchs and Prophets, with all good
men that have ever lived, that we may form a cemented united body with
them in the accomplishment of the purposes of God, for the bringing of
salvation to the world in which we live, for the redemption of the
living and the dead, for the spreading forth of truth, the
establishing of correct principles, the building up of the kingdom of
God, the building of Temples; and then when we get through here, that
we may unite with them in the celestial kingdom of our Father.

Vol. 18,  p.81
These are some of the ideas that we believe in, in relation to these
matters, and the thing that is now proposed is very simple and
straightforward. The President has said that there are many men in
this city and elsewhere who want to know whom they shall place over
their affairs; they can not tell. Well, what then? Why those who
cannot do that, let them unite together in a united order similar to
that which is spoken of, as the Book of Doctrine and Covenants
expresses it—though it varies a little from that form here—and lay it
at the Apostles' feet, and let the Bishop give them their
inheritances. Here another thing is contemplated, here we are stewards
over our own property; and you have heard read that the avails of that
system, after supplying the families, are to be under the direction of
the board of directors, to say what shall be done with them. Then
again, if there is extravagance in families, in dress, eating or in
living of any kind, no matter what it may be, we want that cheeked, we
do not want the Saints to be extravagant; we do not want to do
anything that God does not want us to do, and no good Saint, man or
woman, wants to do what God does not want. All such feel like one of
old—Oh, God, search me and try me, and prove me, and if there is any
way of wickedness in me, exhibit it to me; let me see it that I may
bid it adieu, and let me be a good Saint; let me live in the enjoyment
of thy favor and let the light of the Holy Ghost and of revelation
rest upon me; let me be in favor with God and my brethren and all good
men, and then when I get through, receive the reward of the just.

Vol. 18,  p.81
May God help us to appreciate these privileges, and not think that we
are making sacrifices, for we are [p.82] merely seeking the guidance
of the Almighty to direct us in our temporal affairs, that we may
inherit thrones, principalities, powers and dominions in the eternal
worlds, which we never shall inherit unless we are one.

George Q. Cannon, October 6, 1875

The Pleasure of Serving God—Importance of the Gathering—
Necessity of Obedience to the Priesthood

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Wednesday Afternoon, October 6, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.82
It is exceedingly interesting to me, as I have no doubt it is to all
Latter-day Saints, to hear the Elders who have been on missions bear a
faithful testimony, on their return, to the truth of the work in which
they have been engaged. It is a tolerably easy matter to tell, in
listening to them speaking, whether they have been faithful or not in
magnifying their Priesthood and calling, for a man who does not
magnify his Priesthood, and who is not faithful in the discharge of
the duties entrusted to him, generally manifests it by the spirit
which he possesses and with which he speaks. And so, also, when men
have been faithful and have striven to magnify their calling, a spirit
and influence attend them that bear testimony of their faithfulness.
No man can go out, ordained by those who have the authority, in faith
and in humility to preach the principles of the everlasting Gospel,
however peculiar and difficult the circumstances may be that surround
him, however great the trials and the persecutions that he may have to
contend with, without receiving an unction from the Holy One, that
will bear testimony to him that the work in which he is engaged is of
God, and that he has been called of God to declare the principles of
life and salvation unto the people among whom his lot may be cast.
There is this peculiarity and influence about this work, there is the
demonstration of the Holy Ghost, which descends with convincing and
overwhelming power upon all those who place themselves in a position
to receive it; and there is no labor under the sun, I care not what it
may be, or how pleasant the circumstances that surround him, at all
comparable with the labor of an Elder in this Church, who endeavors,
in humility and meekness, to magnify his calling; there is no joy
which a [p.83] human soul is capable of comprehending, that approaches
the delight and the satisfaction which laboring in the ministry of the
Son of God confers upon him who does so in faithfulness. He may be
destitute, he may be without purse and scrip, as our Elders travel, he
may be in the midst of enemies, he may be baled to prison, and treated
with contumely, and have all manner of evil heaped upon him; but if he
is faithful to God, if he is faithful to his Priesthood, and magnifies
it to the extent of his ability, there is a power, an influence, and a
joy resting upon and accompanying him, and tilling him from the crown
of his head to the soles of his feet, that are incomprehensible to
those who have lent experienced them; and for such a man to doubt that
God is with him, and that the work he is engaged in is the work of
God, would be as difficult as to doubt that the sun's rays ever beam
upon him, or that there is no warmth or light connected with them; in
fact, such a man could as easily doubt his own existence, and the
testimony of every sense that he possesses, as to doubt the testimony
of God which rests down upon him.

Vol. 18,  p.83
And these blessings are not confined to those who go forth as
missionaries, but they extend themselves to all who enter into
covenant with God, take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, and
resolve in their hearts to repent of their sins, and to tread humbly
and meekly in the path which the Savior has marked out for all to walk
in. They receive also, according to the measure of their
responsibilities, and the position which they occupy, the same gifts
and blessings, and the same joy fills their hearts that does the
hearts of the faithful Elders.

Vol. 18,  p.83
When I listen to the Elders, as we have to-day, speaking their
experience, and relating that which they have met with, and the joy
they have had, it has seemed to me that, if any of the Elders, or if
all the Elders, could comprehend this and enter into the spirit of it,
they would say that they would devote themselves with all they
possess, with every feeling of their heart, with every power of their
mind, with all the strength and the ability which God has given them,
to the rolling forth of his work upon the face of the earth. But the
difficulty with us as individuals is, that we are like the man of whom
the Apostle James speaks: we look in the glass, we see ourselves, our
features are distinct to us, every thing is plain to us, we see the
mirrored resemblance of ourselves in the glass that we look upon, but
we turn away, and we speedily forget what manner of men we are. And so
it is with many who are in this Church. They have experienced joy,
they have had testimonies from God, they have had the power and the
gifts of God resting upon them; but after a little while, coming in
contact with the world, and the spirit of the world, they forget these
things, the remembrance of them fades away from their minds and other
things appear more desirable to them. This is the difficulty that the
servants of God have to contend with in their ministering among men.
It would appear, looking at matters naturally, that if men and women
had tasted the word of God, had received revelation from God, had
knowledge poured into their souls concerning this being the work of
God, they would always be faithful to the truth; but it is not so, and
this is evidence of the great power which the adversary exercises over
the hearts of the children of men. Men may [p.84] behold the heavens
opened and see Jesus, they may see visions, and have revelations given
to them, and yet if they do not live as they should do, and cherish
the Spirit of God in their hearts, all this knowledge, and these
revelations and wonderful manifestations fail to keep them in the
Church, to preserve them from the power of the adversary, and to
deliver them from the snares that he spreads for the feet of all the
children of God. And in our own experience we can comprehend very
easily how the Church of God, in ancient days, fell away from the
truth, wandered into darkness, and lost the knowledge of God and the
ordinances which he had established in his Church for the salvation of
his people. How long would it be, were it not for the teachings,
warnings and reproofs of those who are set to preside over them,
before many of the Latter-day Saints, and probably a majority of them
would stray into by and forbidden paths, and forget the knowledge that
they once had and the blessings they once enjoyed? And yet I am
thankful that people cannot stay in this Church and practice
unrighteousness. I am thankful that God allows those who do not keep
his commandments to fall away, so that his Church may be cleansed,
and, in this respect, this Church is different from any other that is
upon the earth. A man may practice iniquity and do wrong in other
churches, and he may cover it up for years, and nobody, or probably
but a few—himself, his God, and a few others—be aware of this wrong,
and he may pass along and nobody ever imagine that there is anything
wrong with him. But it is not so in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints—no man can stand in this Church, or retain the
Spirit of God and continue in a course of hypocrisy for any length of
time. God will tear away the covering of lies and expose the wrong; he
will leave the transgressor to himself, and the strength that he
formerly had, which enabled him to stand and maintain his associations
with the people of God, will be taken away from him, and he will be
left to go down to destruction unless he repents. It is true that the
Lord has said that the tares shall grow with the wheat until harvest,
but it is not said that tares will not be plucked up from time to
time, for if it were not so they would overpower and choke out the
wheat. The sifting or weeding process has been going on from the
commencement of this Church until the present time; hence it is that
the leaders of this Church are stirred up in their feelings from time
to time to call upon the people to repent. They understand clearly
that unless there is a godly life and conversation corresponding with
our profession, this people would soon fall into darkness and error,
and stray from the path of righteousness.

Vol. 18,  p.84
Our enemies are not mistaken in some of their ideas respecting use
that is, respecting the power that can be brought to bear to destroy
us. They seem to be well aware of the fact that, if we only conform to
their customs, fashions, ideas and practices, we would soon fall away
and cease, as a people, to preserve our identity. They understand
this, and hence the efforts which have been made of late. It has
seemed as though the adversary has been exerting every power and
bringing every influence within his reach to destroy us; and the most
lamentable feature—the one that has given me most concern connected
with it—has been the apparent blindness of our people respecting these
designs; it has seemed as though we could not see and understand their
nature, and [p.85] we have to a certain extent yielded ourselves
willing captives and dupes to the plots that have been undertaken in
our midst to destroy us. The fact that God predicted, through the
mouth of his servant Daniel, and through others, that this kingdom
should stand for ever, has seemingly lulled a great many to sleep and
caused them to think that we are perfectly safe, and that no danger
can overtake us; and the fact also that We have remained in these
mountains, now, for twenty-eight years without mobs, and that so many
of the people who have grown up and have come here and never knew
anything about them, who have joined the Church since the days of
mobocracy, these causes combined have had the effect to cause a great
many to be very supine, and to imagine, apparently, that we could not
be disturbed, or that our safety could not be endangered by anything
that might be done against us. Hence, when the servant of God has
called upon us, and given us counsel upon many points, we have not
seemed to understand the benefit of the counsel.

Vol. 18,  p.85
We are here in these mountains, Latter-day Saints. We have made this
country, notwithstanding all that may be said to the contrary, all
that it is to-day. Why, the very officials of this Territory to-day
may thank God that he raised up Joseph Smith and Brigham Young,
because if he had not done so there would have been no governors,
judges or other federal officials of Utah Territory; there would, in
fact, have been no Territory of Utah if it had not been for the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Men may say what they please,
but, every thinking man in this country must admit that our settlement
of this country has forwarded settlement in the adjacent Territories
and States more than a quarter of a century. We have demonstrated one
great fact—that men can live here, that fruit, corn and wheat, and all
the cereals which belong to this latitude can be raised here by a
judicious application of water, combined with industry and
perseverance. We have demonstrated this; it is no longer a problem as
to what this country can produce, hence you now hear of agriculture in
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada; but it is a very great
query whether this would have been the case for another generation, at
least, had it not been for the Latter-day Saints. What could have
induced men to come here if they had not been prompted by the feeling
that started us out? We had no place to go to excepting this. We
wanted the meanest and most undesirable part of the continent, so that
our enemies would not rob us of it, as soon as we had improved it; and
when we came here we hoped we had reached a place where we could live,
at least for a time, undisturbed, until we could increase and raise a
generation who would be firm in the faith, and be so numerous that
they could carry on the work whose foundations their fathers had laid.
We came here in that spirit and with that view. Not to exclude other
men from the land that we had settled; but to create homes, and a
place to which men and women of every nation could come, and where
they could worship God unmolested, as we desired to worship him. We
cared not what their creed might be, or whether they were Jews,
Pagans, Moslems, or Christians. We asked no man who came here to
believe as we believed, and we had no disposition to deny them the
rights that we enjoyed because they did not believe as we believed. It
was in that spirit that the foundation stones of this superstructure
[p.86] of government in Utah Territory were laid. It was that here,
not only Latter-day Saints, but, as I have said, men of every creed
and clime might come and worship God unmolested by their neighbors.

Vol. 18,  p.86
But there were others who did not feel as we felt, and they were
determined to curtail us of our privileges, and now for years there
has been a studied and unrelenting effort to destroy the work that we
have done, and to strip us of all the advantages we have gained by
coming here; to wrest from us by any means that could be used, however
despicable and illegal, the power that God has given us, and to which
we are entitled under the laws and constitution of our country. There
has been no concealment of these designs, no attempt made to gloss
them over; they have been avowed, plainly and publicly, to all the
land and to all the Latter-day Saints throughout these mountains, that
if they could get the power to strip us of our rights they would do it
without any hesitation or compunctions of conscience.

Vol. 18,  p.86
Now, my brethren and sisters, let me ask you, this being the case,
what is our plain and bounden duty? It is to preserve ourselves, not
only for our own sakes, not only for the sake of our children, but for
the sake of humanity everywhere, and for the sake of civil and
religious liberty, upon this land which God has given to us. Many will
pass away after a little, and here are children, and here are mankind,
many of whom, in witnessing the bold stand we have taken, are anxious
to see us preserve ourselves and to see civil and religious liberty
maintained by us on this land. And we owe it to them, as well as to
posterity, that, by every means in our power; we do preserve ourselves
and our liberties intact. if we do not, We are recreant to our high
trust, and to the high calling which we have received from our
Almighty Father. In doing this, must we intrude upon others? Is there
any necessity for this? No; our policy is not aggressive; the true
policy of the Latter-day Saints is a preservative and defensive
policy; to preserve and defend ourselves when we are attacked; not to
be aggressive, not to intrude upon others' rights, but to preserve our
own rights. Every man and woman belonging to this community should
therefore keep constantly in mind that this is the policy for which we
should labor, and not consult individual interests; not say—"I can
make one dollar or two dollars by stepping aside from the policy that
has been marked out." Many so-called Latter-day Saints have done this.
We have people among us who, if we may judge by their actions, would
sell every liberty that God has given unto us for a few dollars, and
yet they call themselves Latter-day Saints. When counsel has been
given by President Brigham Young—than whom a wiser counselor does not
live upon the face of the earth—instead of accepting that counsel and
looking at it in its true light, in its elevated light, there have
been persons who have looked at it from their picayunish standpoint.
They have asked—"How is that counsel going to affect my individual
interests?" And many have said by their actions: "Now is my chance to
make money; while the bulk of the people are obeying counsel, it will
be to my advantage to disobey in. I can make money by so doing." And
they have actually taken advantage of the obedience of the people to
make money by their disobedience, and yet have called themselves
Latter-day Saints! Is not this the case? Do you not know it to be the
case? And that [p.87] spirit has been spreading and diffusing itself
among this people, the example of one encouraging another, until too
many have indulged in and given way to it, to the injury of the cause
of God. And hence the leaders of this Church have been so deeply
impressed, of late, to go forth and call upon this people to repent
and turn from their folly and listen to God's voice through his
inspired servant, lest He should send calamities upon them; for it is
plain to be seen, as brother Squires said, except we are one we are
not Christ's, we are not God's, and that union is the only principle
upon which we can be preserved. We have not strength, we have not
numbers, we have not wealth, but we have union when we choose to avail
ourselves of it, and with union there is strength, especially when God
has promised his blessings.

Vol. 18,  p.87
Now, can you not see, you Latter-day Saints, how unwise it is for us
to disobey counsel, when that counsel is given for the benefit of the
whole people? This man says—"I can gain some advantage by disobeying
that counsel;" this woman says—"I can gain some advantage by going
contrary to that counsel," not caring anything as to what the results
may be, so that their little ends can be served to some trifling
extent, and being blind to the fact that we must preserve ourselves by
looking after our own interests, and taking care of the great work
which God has entrusted to us. Why, it took all the eloquence of
President Young for years to cause this people to see that it was not
to their interest to sustain their enemies, foster their enemies, feed
their enemies, take all their wealth and give it to their enemies, and
those enemies plotting all the time against their liberties and their
lives, and avowing it publicly and undisguisedly. Do you not remember,
before co-operation was started, how long and loud the President of
this Church and his counsellers, and other men, had to plead with the
people to get them to see this plain matter of self-preserving policy?
They could not see it, that is, a great many could not see; and when
co-operation was suggested they could not see that, and there are a
great many who can not see it now, and who are opposed to it in their
hearts, and they are opposed to everything that will bring this people
closer together, and make them more one, and they fight it, and they
do not know the spirit that prompts them. It is the same to-day
respecting the United Order; many seem to be blind, they can not
understand what it is that blinds them; but it is miserable
selfishness; they become so eager after money that their judgment is
beclouded. If we were united, we could control things in this country
to an extent you have no conception of, and we could become rich, if
riches were the desire of our hearts, there is nothing to prevent us;
if we will be guided by the counsel of God's servants, we can have all
the riches that heart can desire. But our miserable, shortsighted
selfishness, that miserable, contracted, narrow policy that is not of
God, blinds our eyes and darkens our understandings, and prevents us
from seeing the true policy of building up the Zion of God on the
earth, and preserving the liberty which God has given unto us.

Vol. 18,  p.87
God requires one thing of the people called Latter-day Saints, and if
they will receive and obey that, everything else will follow, and that
is—to obey the counsel of God's servants. If you will do that,
everything else will follow in the train. And why should we not do
so?[p.88] Have we not a leader whom God has blessed as he has no other
man of whom we have any knowledge at present on the earth? Look at
what has been done! See how God has prospered him and those who have
received his counsel! Whenever he has told us to do anything, as a
people, and we have done it, God has blessed us in its performance;
and whenever the people, or a portion of them, have disobeyed his
counsel, they have not been prospered. They have invariably lost the
spirit and gone into darkness. Do you not know this? Has not the
experience of the past thirty-one years confirmed this to us? How was
it with us when we crossed the plains and when we came here? Did any
of you know whither you were coming? I know the people did not know,
but they followed his lead, believing that God led and inspired him,
and that God would lead him to a place where we could locate. And look
at what we see throughout these valleys today! Where is there anything
like it on the face of the earth? A people gathered from every nation,
speaking almost every tongue, brought up in the midst of every creed,
and with every kind of habit, and yet homogeneous and dwelling
together in union and love, without litigation and strife! Where can
you see anything on the face of the earth that compares with it? Is it
any wonder that we have faith in God and in his servant? I tell you
that if there is any condemnation resting upon these Latter-day
Saints, it is because of their unbelief and hardness of heart in not
listening to his counsel.

Vol. 18,  p.88
Now let us be taught; let us profit by the experience of the past, and
not allow ourselves to be deluded by the adversary, and by any, even
if they should call themselves our friends. But norman who weakens or
tries to weaken that counsel which has led us all the time, is a
friend to this people.

Vol. 18,  p.88
May God bless you, my brethren and sisters, fill you with his Holy
Spirit, rend the veil of darkness that beclouds our minds, darkens our
eyes, and prevents our seeing the truth, and the true policy of the
kingdom, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.89] 

Joseph F. Smith, October 6, 1875

God Preserves His People—Internal Foes the More 
Dangerous—Redemption of the Dead—the Priesthood

Discourse By Elder Joseph F. Smith, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church or Jesus 
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.89
It is always a source of pleasure to me to meet with my brethren and
sisters in the Gospel covenant. I rejoice exceedingly in the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, and that I have the privilege of being numbered with the
Saints of latter days. I am thankful for the blessings that we enjoy
as a people in these valleys. I feel grateful for the, many evidences
we have experienced of God's mercy and protection. I am thankful that
I have been able to see his hand in our deliverance from the powers
and machinations of our enemies, from the earliest period of our
existence as a people; and I am thankful that I am able to see the
hand of the Lord over us at present as conspicuously and as clearly as
at any former period of our history.

Vol. 18,  p.89
We read in the revelations that have come to us through the Prophets,
both ancient and modern, concerning the purposes of the Lord in the
latter days, and the restoration of the Gospel to the earth by a holy
angel, that it is to be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and
people under the whole heavens, that every son and daughter of Adam
shall have the privilege of hearing it, embracing it, partaking of its
blessings, and of being saved by its power. We read that the Lord is
going to do this work, and that he is going to cut it short in
righteousness; that it is his design to gather out the honest in
heart—those who are willing to hearken to his counsels and obey his
laws. It is his design to gather all such out from the nations of the
earth, that lie may make of them a people worthy of his name and his
blessings, and prepare them to meet him when he shall come to make up
his jewels; when he shall come to take vengeance upon the wicked and
ungodly, who know not God, and who keep not his commandments upon the
earth.

Vol. 18,  p.89
The hand of the Lord has been visible in the gathering together of
this people for the last twenty-eight years; yes, for the last
forty-five years, and no more so in that than in everything connected
with the labors of his servants, their counsels unto, and their
guidance of, the people by the inspiration of the Almighty that was in
them from the very beginning. At no time in the history of this Church
has the hand of the Lord been withdrawn from [p.90] this people, his
power shortened, or his eye slept, but his eye has been upon us, his
hand has been over us, and his providences have been in our favor.
Circumstances have been over-ruled for good, the hand of the enemy has
been turned away paralyzed, the efforts of the wicked to destroy us
have resulted in our good and in their own discomfiture. The greater
the efforts on the part of our enemies to destroy us, the greater the
growth of the Church and kingdom of God, and the closer has our union
been, the better have we been able to see the hand of the Lord over
us, and the inspiration of the Almighty in the counsels of his
servants, and the more have we been inclined to respect and abide by
the counsels given. The very fact that the spirit of bitterness in the
hearts of the wicked toward us at the present time is as virulent as
it ever was, and is every way similar to that manifested against the
former-day Saints, against the Savior when he was upon the earth, and
against his disciples, or the people of God in any former age of the
world, is an unmistakable evidence that the Lord God Almighty is with
us to-day as much as he ever was since the organization of the Church,
or as much as he ever was with any people he ever acknowledged as his
since the world began. I do not believe there ever was a people who
were guided by revelation, or acknowledged of the Lord as his people,
that were not hated and persecuted by the wicked and the corrupt, and
perhaps no people were ever more persecuted than this PeoPle would be,
if it were in the power of the enemy to-day to persecute us, as it was
in the power of Nero and the Romans to persecute the Saints in their
day. There never was a time when it was more fixed and determined in
the heart of the wicked to fight against, and destroy the kingdom from
the earth, than now, and their failure will be due only to the
impossibility of the task they have undertaken. And this is an
evidence to every one that possesses the least spark of the light of
the Holy Spirit—and should be to all mankind—that the kingdom of God
is established, that his Priesthood is here, that the Saints, or many
of them, are magnifying their calling and honoring the Priesthood, and
also the Lord, both with their lives and with their substance, which
are his.

Vol. 18,  p.90
For my part I do not fear the influence of our enemies from without,
as I fear that of those from within. An open and avowed enemy, whom we
may see and meet in an open field, is far less to be feared than a
lurking, deceitful, treacherous enemy hidden within us, such as are
many of the weaknesses of our fallen human nature, which are too often
allowed to go unchecked, beclouding our minds, leading away our
affections from God and his truth, until they sap the very foundations
of our faith, and debase us beyond the possibility or hope of
redemption either in this world or that to come. These are the enemies
that we all have to battle with, they are the greatest that we have to
contend with in the world, and the most difficult to conquer. They are
the fruits of ignorance, generally arising out of unrebuked sin and
evil in our own hearts. The labor that is upon us, is to subdue our
passions, conquer our inward foes, and see that our hearts are right
in the sight of the Lord, that there is nothing calculated to grieve
his Spirit and lead us away from the path of duty.

Vol. 18,  p.90
Those only who possess the light of the Spirit of God and the faith of
the Gospel, which can only be possessed through faithfulness and
obedience [p.91] to the requirements of heaven, can discern and know
the voice of the true Shepherd when they hear it. We need not expect
to be able to discern the right from the wrong, the truth from error,
and light from darkness, unless our eye is single, and we have
declared ourselves for God and his work. If we are divided in our
thoughts, affections, and interests, like the rest of the world, we
need not expect to comprehend the will of the Lord when made known to
us, no matter how powerfully or directly it may come. It will be all
the same to us unless we are in a position to receive the light and
the truth when it is offered unto us.

Vol. 18,  p.91
What shall we do if we have neglected our prayers? Let us begin to
pray. If we have neglected any other duty, let us seek unto the Lord
for his Spirit, that we may know wherein we have erred and lost our
opportunities, or let them pass by us unimproved. Let us seek unto the
Lord in humility, determined to forsake everything that would be an
obstruction to our receiving the intelligence and the light that we
need, and an answer to our prayers, that we may approach him confident
that his ears will be open to our petitions, that his heart will be
turned unto us in mercy, that our sins may be forgiven, our minds
enlightened by the influence and power of God, that we may comprehend
our duty and have a disposition to perform it, not to postpone it, not
to set it aside, nor to say in our hearts, "We must serve the world or
the devil a little longer; we are not yet prepared to serve the Lord
fully, to give up our evil habits, to lay aside this and that folly,
and walk straightforward in the path of duty; we must sow a few more
wild oats before we can fully make up our minds and determine upon
serving the Lord and doing his will upon earth as it should be done,
and as we know how to do it, if we but yield obedience to the light
that has come into the world." But when we see what is necessary to be
done, it becomes our duty, and we should go to with all our might and
do it, no matter what our desires may be to the contrary. Whatever
comes from the Priesthood by inspiration we should be willing to
receive as the counsel of the Almighty, which we must of necessity
obey and execute in order that we may be accepted of him.

Vol. 18,  p.91
This is a lesson that we, as God's people, should cheerfully learn. Do
you think, my brethren and sisters, that we can climb up some other
way, or enter in at some other door? Do you think that we can take the
things of God and bring them to our standard, or square the principles
of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by our rule? Do you think that we would
ever succeed in an effort to dictate to the Almighty the terms of our
salvation? If we think so we are mistaken, deceived; we cannot do it.
The purposes of the Almighty are unchanged and unchangeable, his laws
endure, and he is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. His purposes
will ripen and be consummated, and his designs be completed.
Therefore, if we do not conform to his will, obey his laws and yield
to his requirements in this world, we will be consigned to "the prison
house," where we will remain until we pay the debt to the uttermost
farthing. This is a Scriptural, a reasonable, and a true doctrine; for
it is a doctrine of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Saints
understand it, but there may be some here who do not, and for their
benefit, as well as to refresh the memories of those who may not have
reflected for a little season upon this principle, I will refer [p.92]
to it as briefly expressed in the third and fourth chapters of the
first Epistle of Peter. There you will see that Jesus himself preached
the Gospel to the spirits in prison, "which some time were
disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls
were saved by water." This may seem strange to some, that Jesus should
go to preach the Gospel unto the wicked, rebellious antediluvians;
whose bodies had been destroyed in the flood because they rejected the
testimony of Noah, who had been sent to rebuke their iniquities and
warn them of destruction decreed against them if they did not repent,
nevertheless it is true. From this Scripture we not only learn the
condition of those who are cut off in their sins because of their
wickedness in rebelling against the laws of God and rejecting his
servants, but such of them as have not sinned against the Holy Ghost,
however wicked they may have been in this world—save committing that
unpardonable sin—will have the privilege of hearing the Gospel in the
spirit world; "for," as the Apostle says, "for this cause was the
Gospel preached also to them that are dead." "Yes," says one, "dead in
sin, but not dead as to the flesh." But the Apostle does not say so,
but to the contrary, for the dead here referred to had perished in the
flesh and the Apostle continues—"That they might be judged according
to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit;" that
is, out of the body until the resurrection from the dead. But first
they must remain in hell—the "prison house," until they have paid the
penalty of their sins in the flesh, even to the "uttermost farthing."
"But," says one, "is this possible?" The people in Europe, where we
have been preaching, were struck with wonder and astonishment when we
mentioned this doctrine, and say they, "We had supposed that, 'as the
tree fell so it should lie,' and that 'there was no salvation in the
grave.'" Neither is there any salvation in the grave, and "as the tree
falls, so it lies," but this is pertaining to the flesh. Does the
spirit lie with the body? Is the spirit confined in the grave? No. As
the body falls, so it will lie until the resurrection; there is no
salvation in the grave, but in Christ, who is the "light of life," and
the spirit soars beyond the grave; it does not slumber in the dust,
but is wafted to the place prepared for it in the spirit world, to
receive its reward or punishment, having passed the first judgment of
God, there to await his mercy, and the resurrection from the dead and
the final judgment of the great last day.

Vol. 18,  p.92
Thus we see those wicked, unrepentant antediluvians who even had the
privilege of hearing the Gospel in the flesh, as preached by Noah, and
who rejected the message of that servant of God, were actually visited
in the "prison house" by the Savior himself, and heard the Gospel from
his own mouth after he was "put to death in the flesh." Their prison
was opened, and liberty was proclaimed unto them in their captivity,
in fulfillment of the prediction of the Prophet Isaiah, as you might
read in his 61st chapter, that they may come forth, when they shall
have fulfilled the decree of judgment upon them in the prison, or
hell, to do the first works necessary unto salvation, which they
refused to do in the beginning.

Vol. 18,  p.92
Here will come in the principles of baptism for the dead, and of proxy
and heirship, as revealed [p.93] through the Prophet Joseph Smith,
that they may receive a salvation and an exaltation, I will not say a
fullness of blessing and glory, but a reward according to their merits
and the righteousness and mercy of God, even as it will be with you
and with me. But there is this difference between us and the
antediluvians—they rejected the Gospel, consequently they received not
the truth nor the testimony of Jesus Christ; therefore they did not
sin against a fullness of light, while we have received the fullness
of the Gospel; are admitted to the testimony of Jesus Christ, and a
knowledge of the living and true God, whose will it is also our
privilege to know, that we may do it. Now if we sin, we sin against
light and knowledge, and peradventure we may become guilty of the
blood of Jesus Christ, for which sin there is no forgiveness, neither
in this world nor in the world to come. Jesus himself declares (Matt.
12, 31,) that "all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto
men, but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven
unto men, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." This
is not a new doctrine that has just, been revealed through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, or President Brigham Young, but it is the doctrine of
Jesus, a part and portion of that Gospel which is the power of God
unto salvation or unto damnation. For whosoever will believe, repent,
and be baptized for the remission of sins shall be saved, and he that
believes not and is not baptized shall he damned. And he that
believes, is baptized and receives the light and testimony of Jesus
Christ, and walks well for a season, receiving the fullness of the
blessings of the Gospel in this world, and afterwards turns wholly
unto sin, violating his covenants he will be among those whom the
Gospel can never reach in the spirit world; all such go beyond its
saving power, they will taste the second death, and be banished from
the presence of God eternally.

Vol. 18,  p.93
I feel well in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that it is true, and
I never like to have an opportunity pass me without bearing my
testimony to it. I, therefore, bear my testimony to you, that God has
restored the Gospel, that Joseph Smith was and is a true Prophet, and
that President Young is his rightful successor.

Vol. 18,  p.93
I have been surprised before now at hearing remarks from the
disaffected and apostates against the Priesthood, as if there was
something terrible concealed beneath that term. What constitutes the
Priesthood? A legal and direct commission from God to man. And who are
clothed with its authority and power? President Young? Yes. But is he
the only man who holds the Priesthood? No. Nor are his counselors and
the Twelve, the only ones who hold it, but the High Priests, the
Seventies, the Elders, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, all hold a
portion of the Holy Priesthood. There is scarcely a member of the
Church who is not numbered in the ranks of those clothed upon by this
power; certainly it is so with every man who has received blessings in
the house of the Lord, inasmuch as he has continued faithful, and of
such is the Church composed, for the unfaithful cut themselves off in
a measure both from the Church and from the power and privileges of
the Priesthood, and are not to be relied upon. Therefore, when the
Priesthood—or those holding it—are ridiculed, reviled, or persecuted,
the blow is aimed, and the evil is designed, against the whole Church
and not individuals, although [p.94] as our enemies single out
individuals as targets on whom to vent their wrath and spleen. A blow
openly aimed at President Young, is secretly destined against the
whole people constituting the Church over which he presides; any
attempt to proscribe or destroy him or his brethren as individuals,
because of their influence or position among the people, is so far
indirectly an attempt to proscribe and destroy the whole community of
which they are but members, and every member of the community should,
and so far as guided by a proper sense of justice and right, most
assuredly does, consider himself or herself personally assailed and
aggrieved by any such attempts. How contemptible in the eyes of this
whole people, therefore, must they be who rail against the Priesthood,
and at the same time make themselves so conspicuously loud in their
professions of friendship to the masses. They leave the covering of
their designs too thin to conceal their hypocrisy and their determined
bitterness and enmity against the people and the work of God.

Vol. 18,  p.94
A deacon in the Church should exercise the authority of that calling
in the Priesthood, and honor that position as sincerely and faithfully
as a high Priest or an Apostle should his calling, feeling that he
bears a portion of the responsibility of the kingdom of God in the
world, in common with all his brethren. Every man should feel in his
heart the necessity of doing his part in the great latter-day work.
All should seek to be instrumental in rolling it forth. More
especially is it the duty of every one who possesses any portion of
the authority of the Holy Priesthood to magnify and honor that
calling, and nowhere can we begin to do so to better advantage than
right here, within ourselves, and when we have cleansed the inside of
the platter, cleansed our own hearts, by correcting our own lives,
fixed our minds upon doing our whole duty towards God, and man, we
will be prepared to wield an influence for good in the family circle,
in society, and in all the walks of life.

Vol. 18,  p.94
We should seek to do, and to be, good. It is true that Jesus says
there is none good but one, that is God; we must accept this in the
fullest sense of the word, but there are other degrees of goodness, so
that we may be good, righteous, and even perfect in our spheres, as
God is good, righteous, or perfect in his exalted and glorious sphere.
These excellent qualities of mind and soul should govern our lives in
the midst of our families and neighbors, among our brethren of the
household of faith, and in all our intercourse with mankind, that we
may win souls from error, ignorance, folly and crime, to God and his
Christ, and help them to stand until they become strong in the faith,
and thus become saviors of men upon Mount Zion, worthy of the name of
our God.

Vol. 18,  p.94
May the Lord bless you and all Israel, and especially his aged servant
who stands at our head, and his associates in counsel, the loved face
of one of whom, on looking round, I find gone from our midst, but his
life-long example still lives with us, and will live forever.
Amen.[p.95] 

Daniel H. Wells, October 7, 1875

The Blessing of Life for Evermore—the Lord Commanded the 
United States Government to Purchase Freedom for Their Slaves—
Reformation Necessary that the Saints May Progress Faster—
Salvation Comes By Faithfulness and Endurance in Christ

Discourse By President Daniel H. Wells, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Thursday Morning, Oct. 7, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.95
It affords me pleasure to meet once more with the Saints in General
Conference assembled, where we may pledge ourselves again, and bear
our testimony, and raise our warning voices to the world in regard to
the great work that the Lord is accomplishing in the earth through the
instrumentality of his children who have enlisted under King Emanuel's
banner, and are willing to unite with him in accomplishing his
purposes on the earth. His kingdom is being established here in the
valleys of the mountains. Settlements are being formed, towns and
villages are springing up, and people, who have made a covenant with
God, are reclaiming the earth from the thraldom of sin and iniquity in
which it has so long been held in bondage; and instead of being in a
little city or town in Illinois, where we were not permitted to dwell,
we are here in the valleys of the mountains, possessing from one
hundred and fifty to two hundred towns, villages and settlements. The
Lord has thus strengthened the stakes, enlarged the borders, and
lengthened the cords of Zion, and he has reclaimed from the dominion
of the wicked the amount of the earth's surface that is now occupied
by his Saints, at least, so long as they hold it for him and his
kingdom, and themselves for his work. The world belongs to the Lord,
and he has the right to govern and control it, and he is going to do
so. We are preparing the way for his kingdom and coming, for he
certainly designs to come here just as soon as the people are prepared
to receive him, and perhaps sooner than some will be willing to
receive him. I have sometimes thought, that if he were now at the
gate, we should feel we would rather he would wait awhile until we
could fix up matters before he was introduced. The way is preparing,
however, and I feel to rejoice this morning that I can bear my
testimony to the increase of the numbers of the Saints of God, and to
the increase of faith and good works among them.

Vol. 18,  p.96
The dominion of the Lord is extending upon the earth, a little here
[p.96] and a little there, sometimes, perhaps, going a little too far,
and dodging back a little for a time, and then springing forward
again, and so going on, on every side. The Lord has made no mistake,
he understands what he is doing a great deal better than some of us
do, and I apprehend that a great many people are bringing about the
Lord's purposes unwittingly. Perhaps they would not do as well in this
respect as they are now doing if they understood, to the fullest
extent, the result of the course they are taking. But really the Lord
is at work with a great many people, some of whom see the kingdom, and
some do not; and he has even said that be will cause the wrath of the
wicked and ungodly to praise him, and the remainder of their wrath he
will restrain. This is true, and has been illustrated in the history
of this people. When they were driven from Nauvoo, the disposition of
their enemies was to destroy every vestige of the authority of the
holy Priesthood from the face of the earth; and that disposition still
exists in the hearts of a great many people, and if they had the power
they would carry it out. Well, the Lord, in the early days of the
Church, suffered enough of this disposition to be gratified to cause
the exodus of his people from Missouri and Illinois, and they were
finally kicked right into the middle of the floor, into these valleys
of the mountains; and when the purposes of the Lord were so far
subserved by the wrath of the wicked, he restrained them, and his
people have been blessed and prospered, and the earth has been made to
bring forth its strength for their sustenance, and we see prosperity
on every hand in the dwelling places of the Saints. A country has been
put into their possession, where the Lord can strengthen their feet,
and he is doing so, whether we understand it or not. Many will
doubtless make shipwreck of their faith, and will be led away by the
allurements of sin into by and forbidden paths; yet the kingdom will
not be taken from this people and given to another, but a people will
come forth from among us who will be zealous of good works, willing to
do the bidding of the Lord, who will be taught in his ways, and who
will walk in his paths. We, if we are willing, may be humble
instruments in the hands of God, in bringing to pass his great and
glorious kingdom.

Vol. 18,  p.96
We have a Temple pretty near ready to go into in St. George. It is
progressing very favorably, and is a magnificent structure, and in a
short time we shall be able to enter it, and receive blessings for
time and eternity, for ourselves and our dead. Let me say to the
Latter-day Saints, that the blessings of the Lord, even life for ever
more, are commanded here in these valleys of the mountains. I will
read a few words from the Psalmist,—"Behold, how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious
ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's
beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments; as the dew of
Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for
there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
Anciently, this blessing was commanded in the mountains of Zion on the
eastern hemisphere, but in our day the Lord has revealed himself, and
has spoken from the heavens to his servant on the western continent,
Where the authority of the holy Priesthood is, dwells the blessing of
the Lord, and there has he commanded the blessing, even life for
evermore.[p.97] 

Vol. 18,  p.97
We are united in our faith, in our works, and in our feelings and
interests; and in every capacity that is possible the Latter-day
Saints should stand shoulder to shoulder, presenting before the Lord
and before the world an unbroken phalanx to resist the powers and
insinuations of the enemy and the approaches of evil in every
direction. The people here are increasing and multiplying, they are
disposed, as a general thing, to do as the Lord wants them to do; but
wickedness will creep in. We must purify our hearts. The Lord
says—"Son, give me thy heart." We must give our hearts to the Lord our
God, then he can accept of us. Many are called but few are chosen. We
are all called to be co-helpers with the Lord in establishing his
purposes in the earth, in sustaining holy and righteous principles,
and the institutions of high heaven which the Lord has revealed, and
the organizations which he has introduced in the midst of the earth.
We are called upon to sustain them, and to bear them off triumphantly,
to lay a foundation for the rule of truth, peace, and righteousness in
the earth, and to prepare the way for the ushering in of that great
and glorious kingdom of peace that will stand for ever and ever. This
is the work of the Latter-day Saints, and the Lord will perform it
through the instrumentality of those who are willing and obedient in
the day of his power. We can have lot and part herein if we have a
mind to; so may all the children of earth; all they have to do is to
render obedience to the voice of the Lord, and the whole world ought
to be glad of the opportunity to do that. The Lord invites us to come,
he is anxious and desirous that we should come to him and learn of
him. He says—"Take upon you my yoke, for it is easy, and my burden,
for it is light; come, partake of the waters of life freely." "Turn
from your evils, for why will ye die, O house of Israel." The Lord is
talking to the people, and sending forth his warning voice to the
nations of the wicked and ungodly, and as it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man; the
righteous were saved and the wicked were destroyed then, so they will
be in these latter days, for the hour of God's judgment is come, and
the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and of
his Christ, and they will be given to his Saints.

Vol. 18,  p.97
Who would not be a Saint? Why a great many people reject the word of
the Lord and have no respect for it whatever, and too many of those
who profess to be Latter-day Saints are in the same condition. It is
not a great while since the word of the Lord came through Joseph
Smith, the Prophet of the Lord, to this nation, to free their slaves,
and for the Government to pay for them out of the treasury of the
United States. Would the people receive the word of the Lord through
his servant? No, they would not. What was the result? Why a
fratricidal civil war in which thousands of millions of dollars were
spent, devastation was spread over the land and rivers of blood were
shed, and all this might have been avoided and the slaves liberated by
peaceful means at not more than one-tenth of the expense, if they
would have hearkened to the word of the Lord. Everybody can see now
that that would have been the best course to take, but nobody could
see it and nobody would receive it when it was given. Do not let us be
afraid of the word of the Lord. He never did and he never will reveal
a principle to the [p.98] children of men, but what, if it be carried
out, will prove to their greatest interest and advantage. I merely
mention this to illustrate a subject which is quite familiar to the
Saints, but which the world do not know so much about.

Vol. 18,  p.98
Now, we are here in obedience to a great command, a command given by
the Almighty to his Saints to gather out from Babylon, lest they be
partakers of her sins and receive of her plagues. But if we are going
to partake of her sins in Zion, and to nourish and cherish the wicked
and ungodly, what better shall we be for gathering? Shall we escape
her plagues by so doing? No, there is no promise to that effect, but
if we practise the sins and iniquities of Babylon here in Zion, we may
expect to receive of her plagues and to be destroyed. We have duties
to perform here, which devolve upon us as Saints of the Most High. The
Book of Doctrine and Covenants informs us that things will be
revealed, in this the dispensation of the fullness of times, that have
been kept hidden from before the foundation of the world. Should we be
surprised, then, when a new principle is manifested among us from the
Lord through the channel of the holy Priesthood? Do we realize that
this is the channel through which the mind and will of God our Father
is made known unto us? Here is the Bible, of what is it composed? Of a
compilation of things made known to the children of men in former ages
through the instrumentality of the holy Priesthood. The word of the
Lord to the people has always come through that channel, and it always
will. It is the same authority that exists in the heavens, by which
the Gods themselves are governed, and by which they control all
things; and it is among the privileges of every man and every woman to
approach the Lord through this channel, and learn his mind and will
concerning them. And through this same channel a Bishop may learn the
mind of the Lord about his ward, the president of a quorum about his
quorum, and the President of the whole Church the mind and will of the
Lord concerning the people; and so through all the quorums and
organizations of the Church, from first to last, all may approach the
Lord through the channel of the holy Priesthood, and learn his mind
and will concerning them. It is the privilege of the father and mother
of a family to obtain the mind and will of the Lord, to enable them to
guide their children in the ways of eternal life. This is no child's
play, or fable. The Lord has spoken from the heavens, and we bear
testimony thereof to all the nations of the earth. Listen, then, to
his voice! It comes to all, it comes to the Latter-day Saints through
the channel of the Priesthood located here in the valleys of the
mountains. Hear it, all ye nations of the earth! Come up here, and
learn the mind and will of the Lord. Take warning, that you may escape
his wrath when his judgments shall be poured out, because they will be
just as sure as they were in the days of Noah. This is the work of the
Lord, and we bear testimony of these things continually in your ears.
You, of course, do as you please about receiving or believing our
testimony; that makes no difference in regard to the truth of the
matter. It is God's truth, and it is extending and will continue to do
so until it prevails and triumphs over every obstacle.

Vol. 18,  p.98
The Latter-day Saints have a work to do, not only in proclaiming the
Gospel and warning the people, but [p.99] to build up Zion right here
upon the earth. Not afar off in some far distant sphere, but here,
where the Lord has planted their feet, in the valleys of the
mountains. And we must he united and must operate together, as far as
in our power lies, to bring to pass the purposes of the Almighty,
because righteousness, and peace and harmony must dwell in the
kingdom. A house divided against itself can not stand. Is a
reformation needed amongst the Saints? Yes, it is needed with us all.
We must reform and continue to reform. We have inherited lies from,
and are full of the traditions of, the fathers. We have all imbibed
errors in our infant years, and the enemy is on the alert, ready to
enter in and to lead into by and forbidden paths the footsteps of the
young, that he may cause them to make shipwreck of their faith and go
away from the truth, the eternal truth of heaven. The world is waging
a warfare against this little handful of people in the valleys of the
mountains. Why? Because we have got the truth, the true faith of the
holy Gospel; we have the authority of the holy Priesthood that has
come down from heaven. They are anxious to destroy this authority and
the servants of the Lord who bear it, and they are anxious to uproot
and destroy us as a people. Then, in order to defend ourselves, let us
go to with our mights, unite as the heart of one man, and stand
shoulder to shoulder in building up the kingdom of God upon the earth.
If we have lost our faith in the work, why, of course, we can't be
expected to do anything more towards building it up; but if we are
assured in our own minds that this is the truth, that "Mormonism"
so-called, is the everlasting Gospel, that it has been revealed by
direct revelation from the Lord in these last days, and that we are
really his people, let us go to and reform our lives. There is need of
it, we have been slack, negligent and dilatory, and peradventure we
have done a great many things we ought not to have done; perhaps we
have been guilty of sins of omission as well as sins of commission,
and we need to repent, and to go down into the waters of baptism
inasmuch as we have the privilege, and have our sins washed away, and
have hands laid upon us for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and rise in
newness of life, with a firm determination that henceforth we will
divest ourselves of those evils, that we will keep the Lord's day
holy, attend to our meetings, partake of the Sacrament, and that we
will be more diligent in regard to the words of the Lord that have
been given to us, and that are given to us continually, for the stream
flows unceasingly through the channel of the Priesthood to the people.
Let us listen to the voice and the whisperings of the Spirit, and if
there be an obstacle in the way let us remove it. If we have hard
feelings one towards another, envyings, strifes, or anything that is
calculated to mar our peace and happiness, let us go and make that
right, and then come and partake of the emblems of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, through whose sufferings and death an atonement has been
worked out for our salvation. Every Latter-day Saint needs the
inspiring, refreshing influence of the Spirit of God to flow to him
continually. Reflect a moment, and remember that when the plants in
our gardens and fields are withering under the scorching sun, how
carefully we go along the water sects, clear out every obstacle and
turn in the water, so that it may reach and revive every plant, that
they may all live and grow. So should [p.100] the Latter-day Saints
remove every obstacle that lies in their way to the reception and flow
of the Spirit of the Lord to them. If you have aught against your
neighbor or friend, go and make that right; if you have done any
wicked thing, broken any of the commandments of the Lord, repent and
be baptized for the remission of these sins, and turn away from them.
No man can get a greater evidence of the Lord's having forgiven him
his sins, than the knowledge that he has actually turned away from
them, and that he is living in obedience to the principles of the holy
Gospel. Every man and every woman knows this for himself or herself,
and if they have, then may they know that the Lord has forgiven them
their sins, and not without. A person may commit iniquity and think he
can hide it up; but let me say to such a person that you know it, and
that is one too many, and the Lord knows it, and that is two too many,
and out of the mouth of two or three witnesses every word will be
established, and you will give this evidence against yourself sooner
or later. And all who have committed sin or transgression of any kind
must repent of it and be baptized for the remission thereof; and
unless they repent sincerely, with a repentance that needs not to be
repented of, they had better not go near the waters of baptism, for it
will be a solemn mockery before high heaven. I say that if you intend
to keep straight along in your own indifferent way all the time, stay
away, never offer yourselves for baptism, for that would be a mockery
and would only add to your condemnation, instead of being a benefit to
you.

Vol. 18,  p.100
I might enumerate what evils we are guilty of, but I do not wish to
confess the sins of the people, I have enough of my own. But let us
examine ourselves individually, and repent of that wherein we have
done amiss in the sight of the Lord. How indifferent we have been
about his word from time to time when it has been given to us! The
servants of the Lord have proclaimed his will unto us year after year,
and I sometimes think that we are preached to too much; but yet when a
principle is revealed from the Lord, the people are very reluctant to
take hold of it, which shows that we need to be instructed in regard
to our duties as Saints of God, that we may be so in very deed.
Latter-day Saints must progress, they can not stand still; and if they
do not progress in the faith of the holy Gospel, and in the things of
God, they are progressing in the other direction, and they will
finally come to a point when the counsel of their minds will be
darkened, and they will be unable to see the kingdom.

Vol. 18,  p.100
This cause is great and glorious, and it is worthy of our utmost
endeavors and attention, and all that we have and are, or can be. It
is worthy of all the means we can control, and of all the talents and
ability that pertain to us in this life, for in it lie our best
interests, for by embracing and living according to the faith of the
holy Gospel, we shall be exalted in the scale of human existence, and
it is impossible to be otherwise. If we embrace principles of vice and
go in the ways of wickedness and wicked men, we are on the way to
death and destruction.

Vol. 18,  p.100
There are some amongst us, perhaps, who, in their feelings, have given
way to a spirit of fault-finding with those who are over them, it may
be with their Bishop, or with the President. If they persist in this
course, it will not be long before they give expression to their
feelings to [p.101] some friend who is of like mind, and who
sympathizes with them, and it will not be a great while, if such
persons do not turn a short corner and repent, before they make
shipwreck of their faith, and they will go to the devil at last. How
many of us have seen those who have stood firm in the faith a great
while, and through whom the Lord has made manifest his goodness and
deliverances from time to time, in the laying on of hands and healing
the sick, and yet they have let the devil cheat them out of their
salvation at last, by causing them to commit some kind of iniquity,
peradventure adultery, and you know that the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants says that whosoever will do that will deny the faith anyhow,
unless they repent. If any have been guilty of any of these evils, it
is important, if they want salvation, that they repent, and do them no
more for ever.

Vol. 18,  p.101
We read in this book, the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, how people
may attain to the different degrees of glory, telestial, terrestrial,
and celestial, and we are told that it is by observing the laws which
pertain to these several kingdoms. There is no other way that I know
of. If we ever expect a celestial glory, we must observe the laws of
the kingdom where that glory exists; and so with any other degree of
glory. Well, then, as Latter-day Saints, we see that we have enough to
do. We have to be united that we may resist the encroachments of the
enemy, that we may be prospered and blessed in the earth, and work to
better advantage than we have been doing heretofore, and co-operate
with each other and with the Lord in building up his kingdom upon the
earth. If we can see that kingdom, let us go to and man the ship Zion.

Vol. 18,  p.101
I feel to bear my testimony to this great work of the last days, and
also in behalf of the people, that the predominating influence among
them is, in my opinion, for God. I am gratified exceedingly to be able
to make this statement, and to bear this testimony. Still we have need
to repent, that we may progress faster, that we may accomplish a great
work during the day, for the night cometh when no man can work. It is
incumbent upon each and every one of us to do all that in our power
lies, and not neglect our opportunity, for when once passed it has
passed forever. It is for us then to work for the Lord and his cause
and kingdom with all our might, mind, and strength, and to sustain the
principles and institutions of high heaven that he has organized among
his people, and so be prepared to receive that which may come; for we
may expect, if we have the living oracles among us, which we have, and
I bear testimony to it, that other new principles will keep coming
along as fast as the people are prepared to receive them, and a great
deal faster than a great many are prepared. I bear my testimony that
there is a constant stream of revelation concerning us here, and that
the mind and will of God is being poured out upon us continually. It
has not been slackened one particle, but it is right here with us
to-day. The Bible is a compilation of the revelations of God which
have been given in various ages, and it is good. But the living
oracles are for us. We are not called upon to build and enter into an
ark, like Noah was; the ark of safety that we have to build is
different from what it was in his day. But as Noah had to be guided in
laying the foundation and rearing the superstructure of his ark by
revelation from the God of heaven, so have we in these latter days;
and by the [p.102] revelations of heaven, through the channel of the
holy Priesthood, we have to be continually taught in the ways of the
Lord, that we may walk in his paths. It is not for every man to go
after his own foolish notion, and the phantom of his own brain; the
kingdom can never be built up if every one walks in the path he marks
out for himself. It is God's kingdom, and it is ours also, inasmuch as
we will make our ways correspond with his, and take a course to be
reckoned among his jewels when he makes up those upon whom he will
confer eternal riches.

Vol. 18,  p.102
This earthly probation is a day of trial. We have to pass through
tests and ordeals, and have to prove ourselves worthy to be numbered
among that great company who will stand as saviors upon Mount Zion,
with the very impress of Deity upon them—the name of God written upon
their foreheads. "These are they," says the Apostle, "who come up
through much tribulation." The Lord will have a tried people, those
who have proven their integrity before high heaven, and none others
will be counted worthy to receive and inherit the eternal riches. He
that endures faithful to the end, the same will be saved; but the word
endure is there, we have to endure all things. He that is faithful
over a few things, will be made ruler over many; but the word faithful
is there. We can't go indifferently along all the days of our lives,
and fly the track the very moment an obstacle is presented before us,
or a difficulty looms up in the way; we must overcome that difficulty,
and rise alcove that obstacle, and not swerve to the right hand or to
the left. So shall we prove our integrity before heaven, and, by
enduring to the end, we shall be saved in God's kingdom; and having
been faithful over a few things, we shall receive others, and be made
rulers over many things. You thus see that salvation to-day is gained
upon the same principle as that upon which it was gained in the days
of the Savior and his Apostles.

Vol. 18,  p.102
I feel to thank the Lord for his blessings, and that I can see his
handiwork in the midst of the people. I can see the increase of his
power and his dominion in the earth, for rest assured it is increasing
on every side, and in the hearts of the people, and we wish it to
increase more rapidly there for their own sakes, for your sake, for my
sake, and it is for our advantage individually. The Lord and one good
man, we are told, are a great majority, so it does not matter so much
to him how many there are on his side; the principal thing is for
those who profess to be his followers and servants to be faithful and
true in keeping the covenants they have made with him, and not be
everlastingly breaking the same, and thereby forfeiting the rights and
blessings they might otherwise enjoy. We can't be blessed, we can not
stand, we can not be made rulers over many things, we can not receive
inheritances, kingdoms, thrones, principalities, powers, dominions,
exaltations in the celestial kingdoms, unless we are faithful in all
things, if need be unto death; and if we fail in this we shall most
assuredly be clipped of our glory.

Vol. 18,  p.102
Let us, then, my brethren and sisters, live so that we may at least
have a reasonable hope of attaining to these great blessings which are
the gift of God. That we may do so and preserve ourselves in integrity
before high heaven, and be united together as the heart and voice of
one man, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.103] 

George Q. Cannon, October 8, 1875

Self Preservation—United Order—Individual 
Stewardships—Home Manufactures

Discourse By Elder George Q. Cannon, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Saturday Morning, October 8, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.103
Our Conference, thus far, has been exceedingly interesting to me, and
I have no doubt it has been to every one present. We have heard a
great many ideas and counsels, and have received instruction which, if
treasured up by us and carried into practical effect in our lives,
will have a very beneficial result in the midst of this people. There
has never been any lack of instruction among the Latter-day Saints. I
think it was President Wells who said the other day that he sometimes
thought we had too much preaching and teaching. I have no doubt myself
that the ease with which we obtain instruction, the abundance of it,
and the readiness with which it is imparted have made very important
counsels that would, it carried out, have a very beneficial effect
upon the entire people, seem cheap and unimportant. There are some
duties, however, that have been dwelt upon with considerable plainness
in order that they may be kept permanently before the minds of the
people. The leading points among these are those which relate to our
self-preservation, because if we do not adopt and carry out in our
lives principles that will preserve us, the gathering together of the
people in these valleys and all the labors that have been expended in
our behalf will not amount to much. God has blessed us with a good
land; he has multiplied upon us many favors, that, when we came here,
some of us, at least, did not expect to enjoy. He has given the land a
fertility that we never dreamed of. I say that we never dreamed of,
but I will speak for myself, and say that I never thought that this
land could have been made so fruitful as it has been. Others,
probably, who had had more experience, might have entertained
different feelings. I have heard President Young say a great many
times that he saw all that has been done, when we first came here he
saw what the result would be. But the land was barren, and the
fertility that it now possesses, could scarcely then have been
expected. God has given unto us this and many other favors, and as a
people we should wisely appropriate them for the extension of the
principles of truth and righteousness.

Vol. 18,  p.103
I was very much pleased yesterday with the remarks which were made in
relation to the principles of the [p.104] United Order. This is a
subject which I have thought of considerably, and it is one which I
think ought to appeal very strongly to us. The efforts which are being
made to unite us and bring us together, to blend our interests and to
amalgamate us and make us one are of the utmost importance to us, and
I suppose that a great many of the Latter-day Saints who have come to
this Conference have had the desire in their hearts that something
might be said in relation to the course that they should adopt in
order to become more united. I think I made a statement, about a year
ago, that many of the people were far more willing than many of their
leaders to enter upon a system having that end in view. I still
entertain that same opinion. I believe that the bulk of the Latter-day
Saints are anxious to understand what they shall do, and are willing
to carry out, when directed, any plan that shall he suggested to them.
Several plans have been suggested, but there have been feelings of one
kind and another and difficulties interposed to prevent the general
carrying out of any plan. However, the President has felt of late, and
has thus spoken to those who have been immediately around him and to
several others, that it would be well for us to carryout the plan that
was spoken of yesterday, and that has been referred to a good many
times of late, namely, individual stewardships. There is something
about this which appeals strongly to most men's minds. They can see
how this can be effected; they can see that under such a system what
are called individual rights might be better preserved, and property
not be absorbed in a way to cause loss or waste, and yet the great
principle be carried out that is aimed at, namely, the uniting of the
hearts of the people in one.

Vol. 18,  p.104
We have had meetings here in this city, at which these principles have
been laid before a number of the Latter-day Saints, all of whom have
seemed to receive the ideas with satisfaction, and have felt that they
suited them exactly, and they were willing to do that which was
required of them. And I believe that this feeling will be extended
throughout all the Territory and throughout all these mountains; for
wherever we have gone this summer, laboring among and talking to the
people in relation to their economy, and the management of their
temporal affairs, we have found a great willingness manifested on the
part of the people to do whatever they were counselled to do, and to
carry out the principles to the extent of their ability, and I believe
that this will be the result.

Vol. 18,  p.104
We, as a people, must change our policy if we become the people which
we aim at, and which we believe God designs that we shall be. There is
nothing clearer than this to every thinking mind. We can see very
plainly that we must be a self-sustaining people, that we must
manufacture in our own midst, to the greatest possible extent, that
which we consume, that is necessary for our comfort and convenience.
Unless we take this course, it is an impossibility that we can become
the people that we design to be, and that God in his revelations has
predicted we shall be. No people who are dependent upon others can
become a great people. A people who are constantly producing for
others to manufacture, never can become a great people. If we produce
wool, and hides, and grain, and other things from the earth, and send
them away to be manufactured, we shall constantly [p.105] pay tribute
to other people, and the object of the United Order is to stop this.
We have skill here, for there is probably no community on this
continent, of our numbers, which has as many skilled artizans as are
to be found here. Men who are familiar with every branch of industry
almost float can be named are in these mountains. But we have not
capital; yet by combining our means we can obtain all the capital that
is necessary; and then, if there can be a public sentiment developed
here which will induce the people to sustain these manufactures, the
whole question is solved, and we are placed upon a pinnacle of
greatness that we never can attain to unless we pursue this policy.

Vol. 18,  p.105
You take a pound of wool, and it costs what? You can buy it here in
our market for twenty-five or twenty-six cents. You send that pound of
wool to the Eastern States, and let the looms of the East manufacture
it, the workmen of the East bestow their labor upon it, and that pound
of wool comes back to us manfactured into cloth, and contrast the
price of that wool before it is manufactured, with its cost when it is
manufactured, and you can form some idea of how much we have to pay
the skilled men of other communities. A case was given to us
yesterday. A hide was sold to a purchaser who sent it from this
Territory. It came back to Cache County, where the brand, still
legible on the leather, was recognized as one of their own brands. Now
the difference between the price obtained for the hide in its raw
state, and the cost of it when manufactured into leather, was the
amount that we paid to some manufacturer in the East for changing that
raw hide into leather suitable to be worn.

Vol. 18,  p.105
What, then, ought to be our policy? It ought to be to bestow all the
skill and labor possible upon everything we produce. Not one pound of
wheat ought to go out of this Territory until it has received all the
labor possible to be bestowed upon it, or, in other words, until it is
made into the finest of flour. This is the true policy for us. To send
our wheat away for other men to grind and take a tell off, and then
send it back to us manufactured into flour, why it is suicidal! To
send our hides away for somebody else to manufacture them into
leather, and boots and shoes, when we have tanners, bark, and all the
material and skill necessary to do the same lying idly here! why, it
is folly in the highest sense, or in the lowest sense, whichever you
please to call it, for us to pursue a course of this kind. And so with
everything that we have here. We are probably sending away a million
pounds of wool this season. We have not machinery enough to
manufacture all our wool, but we can manufacture a great deal, but our
machinery will not manufacture all we need to supply our present
wants, and a million pounds of wool go east to be manufactured, and we
have to pay manufacturers for the cloth made from that wool, and we
are thus paying tribute to other communities. And so it is with
everything that we use that is manufactured abroad. When you buy a jar
of pickles, a gallon of molasses, or canned corn, tomatoes, or fruit,
or anything of this kind, you are paying your money to sustain
communities afar off, while your own people are suffering for want of
labor.

Vol. 18,  p.105
We ought not to have an idle man, woman or child in these valleys.
Says one—"But we can not afford to pay the prices that are asked for
home-manufactured goods." Let me ask, Can we afford to sit idle? Can
we afford to do nothing, and to pay [p.106] money to, and employ
others? I say that we can not; but we are doing it all the time. We
are bringing wagons and carriages into this country, when we have
abundance of skill here to manufacture them. And the same is true of
many other things which we might manufacture and supply our own wants.

Vol. 18,  p.106
Now what is the object of the United Order? It is to enable us to
appropriate the means which God has given us to manufacture those
things that are necessary for our own sustenance. Let us take the
illustration that is afforded us by Brigham City, brother Lorenzo
Snow's place of residence. In that little town, numbering probably
three thousand people, they have over thirty branches of manufacture.
They have a circulating medium of their own—a little nation, as it
were—and the workmen are paid in that medium, and with it they buy
what they want of the various articles which they manufacture; and by
the combination that has been effected, they are gradually growing to
a degree of independence that is unknown almost everywhere else. But
the great difficulty there, is, that the masses of the people do not
see their own interests, but many of them are as blind there as they
are elsewhere, and a few wise men have to take the lead and the
responsibility, and to labor and contrive to maintain these branches
of manufacture. But what will be the result if this be continued? All
the surrounding country, unless the people do the same, will be paying
tribute to Brigham City and its manufacturers, and every youth in
Brigham City will be learning some branch of skilled handicraft, and
the rawhides and everything in its raw state will be brought to
Brigham City, and Brigham City will pay in manufactured articles which
its artizans have made, and upon which they have a profit; and if that
were to go on, Brigham City would, in a little while, own all the
surrounding country.

Vol. 18,  p.106
I mention this as an illustration of what can be done, and what we
ought to do. We ought not to produce more wheat than we need for our
own use, that is, we should not depend upon exporting wheat, we can
not get enough for it, it does not pay us. But we should turn our
attention to other articles and to manufactures, There is Bear Lake
country, abounding in timber, the men of which live nearly half the
year housed up. If they would organize wisely, and combine their
capital, skill and labor, they could manufacture everything out of
wood that we need in this country, and they have the best of timber
there to do it with. But instead of that their time is spent during
the winter in feeding their cattle and doing such chores as are needed
around their places; and during the remaining five months they are
worked exceedingly hard. This is impolitic and unwise, and if
persisted in would be called bad management.

Vol. 18,  p.106
These are the lessons that have been taught us all the day long. It is
not a new thing, but is something as old as our residence in these
mountains. I have heard such instructions as these from my boyhood,
when we first came here. But we have been slow to hear and carry out
these practical lessons of wisdom that have been delivered to us by
the servants of God, and have been, to some extent, reluctant, fearful
and suspicious that, if we did these things, somebody would be a
little more benefitted than we. Now it is time for a reformation. I do
not wonder at the Lord calling upon his servants to ask the people to
go and be baptized, and [p.107] rebaptized into a different spirit, a
spirit to obey the counsel that is given. All of you have proved by
your experience the wisdom of this counsel. We know that we have a man
leading us who has more wisdom in managing the affairs of a community
than any man on the American Continent or anywhere else that we know
anything of. He has proved this; it is no boast, it is a fact that is
recognized by thousands outside of this Territory. Those who are
unprejudiced in other parts of the nation see the results of the
policy that has been urged upon the people of this Territory; and if
that policy were carried out we would soon become an independent
people, we would soon be full of wealth and means, and instead of
seeing men walking around with their hands in their pockets, because
of not having work, there would not be an idle man in the Territory.
For any portion of our people to be idle is wrong, and there is
something radically wrong about a system that admits of or has a
tendency to keep a portion of the community in idleness. There is no
necessity for such a state of things, and we are to blame if it exists
here. If every man and woman worked, and every child worked as soon as
it is capable, after having received the necessary schooling, you
would soon see the difference there would be in this country in our
means and appliances. It is skill, and that skill well applied, that
contributes to the greatness of a nation. Look at France, to-day.
France was burdened by an enormous debt, laid upon her by Germany, and
which Germany hoped would cripple her for years. But France, with her
wonderful industrial resources, has a stream of wealth flowing into
her to-day from all the nations because of her taste and skill. By
these means she has paid her debt, and Germany is alarmed at the
rapidity with which it has been paid. To what is it due? It is due to
French skill, to their workmen of taste and ability, and when people
elsewhere want fabrics of the greatest elegance they send to France
for them. A lady in fashionable society in Washington, or in leading
eastern cities generally, does not consider herself dressed in the
leading style, unless her dresses, as well as the materials of which
they are made, are manufactured in France. The highest fashion demands
that her dress shall be made in Paris. And look at Geneva, it is
another of the workshops of the world. You travel through Switzerland,
and you will find that in her secluded valleys the people, in their
little cabins, manufacture the finest kind of watches and clocks, and
other articles that are valuable and rare, which are sold to all the
nations round, and the skill of her people has made Switzerland a
comparatively rich country.

Vol. 18,  p.107
We have skill here, and we have materials here that we should utilize,
instead of letting them go to waste. I have heard parties say, and it
is true, that there is more waste in Utah Territory than in any
country they had ever seen in their lives. I have heard men of
experience say this, and I believe it. We have got so much that we
waste that which God has given unto us, instead of using it for the
purpose for which it was designed.

Vol. 18,  p.107
Now, my brethren and sisters, you who have come to this Conference, do
try and put into operation the teachings that you hear. It is no use
talking unless we go to work. To say after Conference—"Oh, what a good
Conference we have had," "What excellent teachings we had!" and then
forget all about them, and do nothing practical connected with [p.108]
them, would be folly in the extreme. When you get a principle try and
carry it out, try and make it practical in your lives. Endeavor, in
your communities to organize branches of labor. Let the Bishops and
the men who have wisdom provide means of employment for every man and
every woman in their settlements and wards, and let their brains be
exercised, as President Young's has been, for the good of the whole.
We should use the power which God has given us in these directions in
endeavoring to lift ourselves up from our abject condition, and not
think—"I must have five dollars or four dollars for a day's work;" but
go to work if you cannot get as much as that. We should all be
employed in doing something every day. We should train our boys and
girls to work; the best education that we can give them is to give
them skill and teach them habits of industry, not forgetting, of
course, the principles of our religion, without which they cannot be
truly great. You know the old saying—"An idle man's brain is the
devil's workshop;" and it is so. If you want a good people, a people
who can be easily managed, a temperate people and a sensible people,
have an industrious people. But have an idle people and they become
intemperate, and I believe that many of our young men, because they
have no opportunities to develop their energies, take to drinking,
chewing tobacco, and rowdyism, whereas, if labor were provided for
them, and their energies were rightly directed, they would be useful
members of society and be ornaments to their father's houses and to
their friends. Youth is full of energy, and wise rulers will utilize,
husband and direct it for the good of the whole, and not let it be
expended on foolish objects or in a wasteful manner. This is one of
the difficulties with us. We have plenty of energy? our young men are
full of it, and our land is full of young men. Their energies should
be rightly directed, and they be trained to be useful men in society;
and the girls should be trained to be useful women in society.

Vol. 18,  p.108
That God may bless us in our Conference, and help us to treasure up
the counsels that we hear, and to carry them out practically, is my
prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.109] 

Wilford Woodruff, September 12, 1875

Parable of the Ten Virgins—Importance of the Last 
Dispensation—Responsibilities Resting Upon the Elders—
Judgments at the Door—the Lamanites—Home 
Manufactures—Laying Up Wheat

Discourse By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the 
New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Sept. 12, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.109
I will call the attention of the congregation to a few verses in the
25th chapter of St. Matthew. [The speaker read the first thirteen
verses; also the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth paragraphs
of the fourteenth section of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.]

Vol. 18,  p.109
This revelation, a portion of which I have been reading, treats in a
measure upon the subject of the parable that Jesus spoke, namely, the
ten virgins; both refer to his second coming, and to his work in the
latter days. In no age or dispensation can a man be called to a
greater calling than to administer in the ordinances of the house of
God, and nothing but the power of God and the inspiration of the
Almighty can sustain and uphold any man, no matter what age he may
live in, who is called of God to declare the words of life and
salvation, and to preach repentance to an unbelieving generation. This
may perhaps sound Strangely in the ears of many people, but the
inhabitants of the earth, both Jew and Gentile, should remember that
the Lord God Almighty himself, his Son Jesus Christ, and his Gospel
and work, have been very unpopular in every age of the world among the
hosts of men. No more unpopular doctrine was ever presented to the
human family, than the doctrine of life and salvation, I do not care
in what age of the world a Prophet, Apostle or inspired man has been
raised up to declare the commands of God, he has had to contend with
the prejudices of the inhabitants of the earth. It is so in our day,
and it was so in the days of Jesus Christ. When he came to the Jews,
his own Father's house, the house of Israel, as the great shiloh of
Judah, and the Savior of the world, a more unpopular man than he never
dwelt in Judea or Jerusalem, from the day of his birth to the day of
his death, when he gave up the ghost on the cross, and went home to
glory as a martyr for the word of God and the testimony which he bore.
And this is why I say that when any man, in any age of the world, is
called of God to declare the words of life, he has to contend with the
traditions of ages that rest upon the minds of the inhabitants [p.110]
of the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.110
The parable of the ten virgins is intended to represent the second
coming of the Son of man, the coming of the Bridegroom to meet the
bride, the Church, the Lamb's wife, in the last days; and I expect
that the Savior was about right when he said, in reference to the
members of the Church, that five of them were wise and five were
foolish; for when the Lord of heaven comes in power and great glory to
reward every man according to the deeds done in the body, if he finds
one-half of those professing to be members of his Church prepared for
salvation, it will be as many as can be expected, judging by the
course that many are pursuing.

Vol. 18,  p.110
I wish, if I can get enough of the Spirit of the Lord to answer my own
mind, to say a few words on the present occasion to my brethren and
sisters, the Latter-day Saints, those who have taken upon them the
name of Christ. We live in one of the most important dispensations
that God ever gave to man, namely, the great and last dispensation of
the fullness of times, the dispensation of all dispensations, and the
one in which the whole flood of prophecy in the holy Bible will be
fulfilled, for most all of the prophecies contained in that sacred
volume, from Adam to John the Revelator, point to the great work of
God in the last days, the days in which the God of heaven would set up
a kingdom that should be an everlasting kingdom, and to whose dominion
there should be no end, and the kingdom and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heavens should be given into the hands of the
Saints of the Most High God, and they are to possess it for ever and
ever. I wish to have the Latter-day Saints understand their
appointment, position, and responsibility before the God of heaven,
and their responsibilities to both Jew and Gentile, living and dead,
on this and the other side of the vail.

Vol. 18,  p.110
The Lord never has built up his kingdom in any age of the world except
by calling upon his servants and laboring through the tabernacles of
men on the earth; but this he has done in a great many ages and
dispensations. And whenever the Lord has had an Apostle, Prophet, or
inspired man on the earth, he has had power to administer in the
ordinances of the house of God, and he has labored for the advancement
of the kingdom of God upon the earth, whether he has had few or many
followers. As it was in the days of Noah and Lot, so shall it be in
the days of the coming of the Son of Man. We live in the day when God
has set his hand to establish that great kingdom that Daniel saw. We
live in the day when the angel of God has delivered the everlasting
Gospel in fulfillment of the revelations of St. John, when he says—"I
saw another angel flying through the midst of heaven having the
everlasting Gospel to preach to them who dwell on the earth, to every
nation, kindred, tongue and people under the whole heavens, saying
with a loud voice—'Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour of his
judgment is come.'"

Vol. 18,  p.110
There never was a generation of the inhabitants of the earth in any
age of the world who had greater events awaiting them than the
present. As I before remarked, the fulfillment of this whole volume of
revelation points to our day. The building up of the kingdom of God,
the building up of the Zion of God, in the mountains of Israel, the
erection of a standard for the Gentiles to flee unto, the warning of
the [p.111] nations of the earth to prepare them for the great
judgments of our God, the building up of the Church, the sanctifying
of the people, the building of Temples to the Most High God, that his
servants may enter therein and become saviors on Mount, Zion,
redeeming both the living and the dead, all these things are to be
performed in our day. And an age fraught with greater interest to the
children of men than the one in which we live never dawned since the
creation of the world.

Vol. 18,  p.111
Where is the man, priest, or people, in the whole sectarian world,
to-day, who believes in the literal fulfillment of the revelations of
God contained in the Bible? If there is one I should like to see and
converse with him. The whole Christian world profess to believe the
Bible, and perhaps they do when it is shut. But open the Bible and
read the declarations contained therein, concerning the last
dispensation of the fullness of times, and where is the man who
believes them? You can not find one, and it requires faith even among
the Latter-day Saints to believe the revelations of God, and to
prepare themselves for those things which await the world.

Vol. 18,  p.111
The fig trees are leafing, the summer is nigh, the signs of heaven and
earth all indicate the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ; but who
are really looking and preparing for the coming of the great
Bridegroom? I do not know that any people on the earth, except the
Latter-day Saints, are looking for this great event. There may be
exceptions, there may be men who believe in the second coming of
Christ. The people called Millerites, believe in the second coming of
the Savior, and they have set a great many days when it should take
place. But he did not come; and he never will come until the
revelations of God are fulfilled and a people are prepared for his
coming. He will never come until the Jews are gathered home and have
re-built their Temple and city, and the Gentiles have gone up there to
battle against them. He will never come until his Saints have built up
Zion, and have fulfilled the revelations which have been spoken
concerning it. He will never come until the Gentiles throughout the
whole Christian world have been warned by the inspired elders of
Israel. They are called to thrust in the sickle and reap, for the
harvest is ripe and the time has come, which is referred to in this
revelation, when the Lord commands the Elders to go forth and warn the
world for the last time, and call upon the inhabitants of the earth to
repent. And what I wish to say to the Elders and to the Latter-day
Saints is—Have we faith in God and in his revelations? Have we faith
in our own religion? Have we faith in Jesus Christ? Have we faith in
the words of the Prophets? Have we faith in Joseph Smith, who, by the
aid of the Urim and Thummim, translated the Book of Mormon, giving a
record of the ancient inhabitants of this country, and through whom
the Lord gave the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and
Covenants? If we have faith in these things, then we certainly should
prepare ourselves for the fulfillment of them. I consider that as a
people and as Elders of Israel we occupy one of the most important
positions ever occupied on the face of the earth by those who have
been called to work for the Lord. We have received our appointment for
this work, and we should prepare ourselves to perform the duties
devolving upon us in connection with it. Truth is one [p.112] of the
attributes of the Lord, and he never makes a declaration but what is
certain and true. And, as one of the Apostles says, "There is no
prophecy of any private interpretation, but holy men of old spoke as
they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost;" therefore what they said is
true, and their prophecies will have their fulfillment. No man can
point to any of the revelations of God in the old prophets concerning
events up to our day, but what have had their fulfillment. Everything
that Jesus Christ spake concerning Judea and Jerusalem has had its
fulfillment to the very letter. The Temple at Jerusalem was overthrown
until not one stone was left upon another, and the Jews have been
scattered and trodden under the feet of the Gentiles now for eighteen
hundred years, and so they will remain until the times of the Gentiles
are fulfilled, and that is pretty near. And, as the Lord has told us
in these revelations, we are called upon to warn the world.

Vol. 18,  p.112
We have been laboring now for forty-five years in preaching the Gospel
of Christ throughout the Gentile nations. We say Gentiles, because the
Gospel goes to the Gentiles first, that the first may be last and the
last first. Anciently the Jews were first in having the Gospel sent
unto them, but they rejected it, and they were broken off through
unbelief, and hence the Gospel turned to the Gentiles; and, as Paul
says—"Ye Gentiles, take heed and fear, lest ye fall through the same
example of unbelief, for if God spared not the natural branches, take
heed also lest he spare not ye." The Gentiles are fallen through the
same example of unbelief as did the Jews. They have put to death every
Prophet, Apostle, and inspired man since the days of Jesus Christ, and
the Church went into the wilderness, and the face of a Prophet,
Apostle, or inspired man, called of God to administer the ordinances
of the Gospel, had not been seen for some eighteen hundred years,
until the Lord raised up a Prophet in the day and age in which we
live. Therefore the Gospel brought forth in the last days has to go to
the Gentiles first.

Vol. 18,  p.112
Sometimes our neighbors and friends think hard of us because we call
them Gentiles; but, bless your souls, we are all Gentiles. The
Latter-day Saints are all Gentiles in a national capacity. The Gospel
came to us among the Gentiles. We are not Jews, and the Gentile
nations have got to hear the Gospel first. The whole Christian world
have got to hear the Gospel, and when they reject it, the law will be
bound and the testimony seared, and it will turn to the house of
Israel. Up to the present day we have been called to preach the Gospel
to the Gentiles, and we have had to do it. For the last time we have
been warning the world, and we have been engaged in that work for
forty-five years.

Vol. 18,  p.112
When Joseph Smith was called of God, it required faith, inspiration,
and the power of the Almighty to rest upon him to enable him to
organize the Church and Kingdom of God, and to preach the Gospel
against the traditions of the Christian world, for they had
spiritualized the Bible until there was not a remnant left in a
literal point of view. Hence the inhabitants of the earth were not
looking for the Church and Kingdom of God to be established in their
midst. Darkness has prevailed upon the earth, and does to-day, in all
the nations, and this causes silence to reign, and all eternity is
pained because of the sin, wickedness, and abominations which prevail
throughout the whole Christian or Gentile [p.113] world, and
throughout the whole Jewish world, for darkness prevails upon the face
of all the earth, and the Lord is calling upon all the inhabitants
thereof to repent and receive the Gospel, and when they have done so
to gather out of Babylon to the place he has appointed for the
dwelling place of his Saints. The Latter-day Saints heard this Gospel
among the Gentiles wherever they dwelt, in almost every nation under
heaven, and by this Gospel we have been gathered out unto Zion. We
have been gathered here for a certain purpose, and that purpose is to
fulfill the revelations of God.

Vol. 18,  p.113
When we left Missouri and Nauvoo, leaving behind the graves of our
fathers and children, we were driven by our enemies into this desert,
in the expectation that we should perish, and for nothing but because
we believed revelation and prophecy, and in living prophets and
servants of God. We thought it was hard to be driven from our homes
and lands, which we had bought of our government, and paid the money
for; but I will say to the Latter-day Saints that if we had not come
here there certainly would have been a flood of prophecy fallen
unfulfilled, prophecy in regard to the mountains of Israel, and the
great company gathering up thereto, with regard to the lifting up of a
standard therein, and the building of cities and the Temple of God in
their midst. All these things would have fallen unfulfilled if we had
not come to these mountains and fulfilled them. And so with many other
prophecies. We have been called together to perform the work of the
Lord, and now the Lord looks to us to fulfill our covenants and keep
his commandments. If we do this he has made great promises unto us.
The Lord has given the holy Priesthood unto the Elders of Israel, and
he requires at our hands to fulfill all these revelations and
commandments; and in regard to the parable which I have read, I, as an
individual, feel that it is necessary for me, and I may say that it is
necessary for the whole people, to have oil in our lamps if we expect
to see and comprehend the things of the kingdom of God.

Vol. 18,  p.113
The Lord has chosen a royal Priesthood and a holy people from among
the weak things of the world, in fulfillment of his revelations; and
we have been commanded to go forth and bear record of these things,
and we have done it. We should have been condemned and the curse of
God would have rested upon us if we had not, because the full set time
has come to build up and favor Zion, to build up the kingdom of God,
to warn the world and prepare them for the judgments of the Almighty.
The Millennium is dawning upon the world, we are at the end of the
sixth thousand years, and the great day of rest, the Millennium of
which the Lord has spoken, will soon dawn and the Savior will come in
the clouds of heaven to reign over his people on the earth one
thousand years. The Lord has a great work ahead and he is preparing a
people to do it before his coming. Now the question arises here,
brethren and sisters, are we prepared in our hearts? Do we realize
these things? As a people do we realize our responsibilities before
the Lord? The Lord has raised up a kingdom of priests here in the last
days to establish his Church and kingdom, and to prepare the way for
the second coming of the Son of Man, and the God of heaven has put
into the hands of his servants the keys of the kingdom, and he has
said—"Whatever I have decreed in these my servants shall be fulfilled,
for to them is given power to bind and to seal both on the earth and
in heaven,[p.114] against the day of the wrath of Almighty God, which
is to be poured out upon the world."

Vol. 18,  p.114
I think, many times, that we, as Elders of Israel and as Latter-day
Saints, come far short of realizing our position before the Lord. The
work required at our hands is great and mighty; it is the work of
Almighty God. We are held responsible for presenting the Gospel of
Christ to all the nations of the earth, to warn the Gentiles, to
prepare for the return of the lost ten tribes of Israel, and for
carrying the Gospel to the whole tribes of Israel. We are held
responsible for all this, and for building Temples to the Most High,
wherein we can enter and attend to ordinances for the salvation of our
dead. There are fifty thousand million spirits shut up in the spirit
world who never saw the face of a Prophet, Apostle or inspired man in
their lives. No man having the authority of God ever declared the
words of life and salvation unto them, and without authority their
ministrations are useless, for this is what the Priesthood is for. The
God of heaven has ordained this from eternity to eternity. These
persons in the spirit world died in the flesh without the law, without
the Gospel, and they are shut up in prison. Joseph Smith is preaching
to them, and so are thousands of the Elders of Israel who have died
and gone to the other side of the Vail. George A. Smith, who dwelt
with us until within the last few days, will take part, with joy and
rejoicing, with his brethren in the great work the other side of the
vail. When I saw ten or twelve thousand people met in this Tabernacle
to pay their last respects to the body of that man, I thought to
myself—"How much larger a congregation surrounds his spirit, in the
spirit world." Yes, they number millions there, to where we have units
here, and the servants of God will preach to them the same as Jesus
preached to the spirits in prison. While his body lay three days and
nights in the tomb he went and preached to the spirits in prison, that
they might be judged according to men in the flesh, that they might
receive part in the resurrection, according to the testimony which
they received. As I said before, the God of heaven requires this at
your hands. They will not baptize anybody in the spirit world; there
is no baptism there; there is no marrying or giving in marriage there;
all these ordinances have to be performed ca the earth. Paul says, in
referring to this subject—"Why are ye baptized for the dead? If the
dead rise not why then are ye baptized for the dead?" The Lord bolds
us responsible for going to and building Temples, that we may attend
therein to the ordinances necessary for the salvation of the dead.

Vol. 18,  p.114
In every dispensation the Lord has had those who were fore-ordained to
do a certain work. We all dwelt in the presence of God before we came
here, and such men as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the ancient Prophets,
Jesus and the Apostles received their appointments before the world
was made. They were ordained before the foundation of the world to
come and tabernacle here in the flesh and to work for the cause of
God, and this because of their faith and faithfulness. You can see the
great variety of spirits that have dwelt in the presence of God, from
those who are in the presence of God, down to the devils. A good many
of the hosts of heaven were cast out because of their wickedness.
Lucifer, son of the morning, and those who followed [p.115] after him
were cast down to earth, and they dwell here to this day—a hundred to
every man, woman and child that breathes the breath of life. They
dwell here without bodies, only what tabernacles they can get into, to
rule and preside over.

Vol. 18,  p.115
We are required to build Temples in which to attend to the ordinances
of the house of the Lord, that the prison doors may be opened, and the
prisoners go free. The world say—"We do not believe in such stuff." We
know that perfectly well; it was so in the days of Noah and Lot, but
the unbelief of the people did not stop the flood and the fire,
neither will the unbelief of this generation stay the hand of God one
moment. The angels of God have been waiting in the Temple in heaven
for forty-five years to go forth to reap down the earth. The wheat and
the tares must grow together until harvest; the people must be warned,
the Saints gathered out, Zion built up, Temples reared, the living
warned, the dead redeemed, that the skirts of the Elders of Israel may
be clean before all men.

Vol. 18,  p.115
It is by the power of God that the Elders have been sustained in days
past and gone. And I want to say to my brethren—and what I say to them
I take to myself—we should wake up, we should open our eyes to see,
our ears to hear, and we should open our hearts to understand our
appointment and position before the Lord; for if, as Latter-day
Saints, we are going to stop praying, lose the light of the Holy
Ghost, and turn to the beggarly elements of the world, the Lord will
have to say to us—"Get out of my way, my purposes can not be
thwarted;" and he will raise up somebody else to perform this work.
The Lord has never told any lies or made any false promises. "Who am
I," saith the Lord, "that I promise and do not fulfill?" "Who am I,"
saith the Lord, "that I command and am not obeyed?" The amount of it
is that the promises of the Lord are yea and amen, and though the
heavens and the earth pass away, his word never will fail of its
fulfillment.

Vol. 18,  p.115
In one paragraph of the revelation which I read to you this afternoon,
it says—

Vol. 18,  p.115
"And again, the Lord shall utter his voice out of heaven, saying,
hearken, O ye nations of the earth, and hear the words of that God who
made you. O, ye nations of the earth, how often would I have gathered
you together as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye
would not? How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants,
and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the
voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice
of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms,
and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the
great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice
of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor, and
the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an
everlasting salvation, but ye would not? Behold the day has come when
the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full."

Vol. 18,  p.115
How often has the Lord sent Prophets, as in the days of Noah, Lot,
Abraham, Enoch, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young? How
often have the Elders of Israel lifted up their voices to the
inhabitants of the earth and been rejected? Will not these things rise
in judgment against them? Yea, verily they will. The Lord has offered
the fullness of the everlasting Gospel to [p.116] the inhabitants of
the earth to-day, and they refuse to receive it. Brother Pratt, here,
myself and thousands of us have traveled ten thousand miles on foot,
without purse or scrip, carrying our knapsack or valise, and we have
waded swamps, swain rivers, and begged our broad from door to door to
preach the Gospel to this generation. And how many have we got to
believe it? Two of a city and one of a family, as the Prophet has
said, and we have gathered them to Zion. Nevertheless the warning
voice has gone forth to the world. But what do we see to-day? What do
the Gods, the heavens and all eternity see? They see a generation of
men and women making war against God and his Christ, making war
against Prophets and Apostles, and laboring night and day to overpower
and annihilate every principle of salvation and eternal life which God
has restored to the world. And I will here say, in the ears of this
congregation, that were this not the dispensation of the fullness of
times, and were it not for the decrees which the Lord has made in
relation to it, one of which is that he will set up a kingdom which
shall stand for ever, there is not an Apostle or Latter-day Saint on
the face of the earth but would have to seal his testimony with his
blood, as has almost every other Apostle that ever breathed the breath
of life. I say that were it not for these things, we should all have
to follow our leaders, Joseph and Hyrum Smith, who laid down their
lives for the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus Christ. But bear
it ye Gentile nations and all ye nations of the earth, the Lord
Almighty has set to his hand to build up his kingdom on the earth, and
he will not be thwarted. The Lord is going to make a short work in the
earth, and he will defend his anointed, his Prophets, his Zion and his
people. This is the decree of Almighty God. The eyes of all heaven are
over this people, they are over the earth, over the Gentiles, and over
the Jews, and the Lord holds in his hands the destinies of all men.
And we are commanded of God to rise up and warn the nations of the
earth; and we call upon the Latter-day Saints, upon the Elders of
Israel, upon the mothers and daughters in Zion to lay aside their
fooleries and nonsense, and to no longer let their hearts be set upon
the fashions of the world, but turn to and read the Bible, the Book of
Mormon and the revelations of God given in these days, and get the
Holy Spirit and walk in the light of the Lord, that your eyes may be
opened, that you may see and comprehend the position you occupy on the
earth, for you are held under great responsibility for the manner in
which you do your duty and magnify your callings before the Lord, and
he is not trifling with us, nor with this generation.

Vol. 18,  p.116
If the eyes of the Gentiles were opened one moment to see the things
of eternity, and the judgments which await this generation, they would
not wonder that the servants of God are moved upon to cry aloud to the
nations of the earth. I tell you that the judgments of God are at the
door of both Zion and great Babylon. Great Babylon has come in
remembrance before God, and His sword is bathed in heaven and it will
fall on Idumea and the world. Who can stand before the hand of
Almighty God? No man, no nation, nor set of nations on the face of the
earth.

Vol. 18,  p.116
I would to God that the eyes of the world were opened! I would to God
that the eyes of the Gentile nations were opened, that they could see
and understand what belongs to their peace! How much has the Lord
[p.117] pleaded with the nations of the earth to give them celestial
glory, honor, Immortality, and eternal life? He has pleaded with them
for the last six thousand years, and has raised up his servants from
time to time and called upon the inhabitants of the world to prepare
themselves for the great day of his second advent and coming, which is
at hand. He is calling upon them loudly to-day; and, as I have said to
some of my brethren lately, the Lord now wants to know whether the
Latter-day Saints are willing to work with him or not. It is a day of
decision. I do not expect that more than half of us will have oil in
our lamps and be prepared to enter into the marriage supper with the
Bridegroom. That will be about as much as we can expect, unless we
repent of our sins and turn from our follies, fooleries, and the
fashions of Babylon—things which our hearts have been set upon instead
of upon building up the kingdom of God. It seems to me that there will
be but a remnant even of the Latter-day Saints who will be prepared to
inherit eternal life and for the coming of the Bridegroom.

Vol. 18,  p.117
I feel, in my bones and in my Spirit, that there is a change at the
door, both with Zion and Babylon. Great events await us and this
generation. As I said before, judgments are at the door. The angels of
God are waiting for the great command to go forth and reap down the
earth. All earth and hell are stirred up against Zion. The spirit of
lying is abroad in all the world, and the people will not receive the
truth. In my meditations, whether in regard to the past or present, it
has always seemed one of the greatest mysteries why so few have been
willing to believe the revelations of God. In the days of Jesus, among
all the Jewish rabbis, with their Urim and Thummim, ephod, sacrifices,
giving the law, and all the blessings of Judah which they held in
their hands, it has been a marvel to me that so few had an interest in
their Shiloh, their Savior, who came to die to redeem the world. The
whole spirit of Jerusalem and Judea was—"Crucify him, crucify him, let
his blood be upon us and our children." It was and has been, and they
have felt it. And the Gentiles have cause to take heed lest they, too,
fall through unbelief.

Vol. 18,  p.117
I would tell Jew and Gentile, and all the earth if I had power, that
God never had but one Gospel to deliver to the sons of men, and that
Gospel is the same to-day, yesterday, and forever, it never changes.
The Lord never had a Church in any age of the world that he
acknowledged, but what it had a head to it, and it was organized with
Prophets, Apostles, Pastors, Teachers, gifts, helps, governments,
inspiration and gifts of the Holy Ghost; and God's Church today is the
same as in every other age.

Vol. 18,  p.117
This Gospel is offered to the world, and that men generally have such
a desire to root it out of the earth, is the strongest proof
imaginable that they are under the dominion and control of the father
of lies. If any man has a truth that we have not got, we say, "Let us
have it." I am willing to exchange all the errors and false notions I
have for one truth, and should consider that I had made a good
bargain. We are not afraid of light and truth. Our religion embraces
every truth in heaven, earth or hell; it embraces all truth, the whole
Gospel and plan of salvation, and the fulfillment of the whole volume
of revelation that God has ever given. We have not power, men have not
language, to show forth the eternal truths of God in all their
fullness and beauty; all we can do is to warn the children of
men,[p.118] and the Lord has chosen the Elders of Israel for that very
purpose. That has been one fault that men have found with the work of
the Lord. A man asked me awhile ago—"Why did the Lord choose Joseph
Smith to build up his kingdom? Why did he not choose Dr. Porter, Henry
Ward Beecher, or some such men?" Said I—"Such men would sell the
kingdom of God and everything in it for money and popularity, and as
the Lord lives he never could rule and handle them, none of them would
work with him, they are too much like the Pharisees, Sadducees, High
Priests and Rabbis of Judea and Jerusalem." Did the Lord ever choose
such men to perform his work? Go through the whole history of the
world, and you will find that whenever God wanted a servant, an
Apostle or a Prophet, he chose the very humblest man that could be
found. When a king was wanted for Israel, he could not find one out of
all the tall sons of Jesse; and when the Prophet asked if Jesse had
not another son, he was told no, only the boy that looked after the
sheep. Nobody thought anything about him he was of no consequence.
"Let me see him," said the man of God; and when he was brought, the
Prophet poured oil on his head and anointed him King of Israel. So it
has been all the way through. Take Moses the leader of Israel. His
mother cast him in the bulrushes on the banks of the river Nile, to
the crocodiles. But how carefully the Lord watched over him! Finally
the daughter of pharaoh got him out, while bathing, and gave him to
his mother to be trained and nursed. You could see the hand of the
Lord in this. When the Lord called Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt,
said he—"How can I do this? I am a man of a hard language and dew of
speech. He thought he could not get along, for he had not a good
command of language. But the Lord told him that he would find a
spokesman for him. So all the way through the Lord has chosen the weak
things of the world to confound the wise, and the things that are
nought, to bring to nought the things that are. Jesus Christ himself
was born in a stable and cradled in a manger; and who were his
Apostles? Illiterate fishermen, men of the lowest calling almost in
Judea, Salt Lake City, or anywhere else; but fishermen can be just as
honorable men as any others, and they are generally regarded as very
humble men, and that is the kind of men God has always chosen.

Vol. 18,  p.118
The Lord called Joseph Smith because he was foreordained before the
world was to build up this Church and Kingdom, and he came through the
loins of ancient Joseph. He was an illiterate youth, but the Lord used
him, and he lived to fulfill the measure of his appointment; he lived
as long as the Lord required him to live, and until he received every
key held by every Prophet and Apostle that ever lived in the flesh
from the days of Adam down to his day, which belonged to this
dispensation.

Vol. 18,  p.118
Joseph Smith received his first ordination under the hand of John the
Baptist, who was beheaded, and who, while in the flesh, held the
Aaronic Priesthood. Peter, James, and John, who were Prophets, and
were crucified and put to death, at least Peter and James were, they
came and ordained Joseph Smith to the Apostleship; and every
ordination that he obtained, he obtained from the spirit world from
men who had tabernacled here in the flesh. These are the eternal
truths of the God of heaven, and eternity will reveal them to the
inhabitants, of the [p.119] earth. It is by this power that this
Church has been planted, not of man nor by the will of man, but by the
revelations of Jesus Christ. We call upon the Latter-day Saints, we
look to them, and the Lord looks to them, the heavens look to them, to
take hold and build up this kingdom.

Vol. 18,  p.119
Some of the outside world are finding a good deal of fault with the
Indians. Who are the Indians? Read the Book of Mormon, and you will
learn that they are the literal descendants of Israel; they have been
cursed through the transgressions of their fathers, and a skin of
darkness has come upon them. This history tells us that they were once
a white and delightsome people, and had great power on this land, but
that they were degraded and cast down because of their sins. When we
came here, we found them living upon crickets, grasshoppers, roots,
and anything they could possibly eat, poor, miserable, degraded
beings, though they have immortal souls, and are of the house of
Israel. What is the Lord doing for them? He is stretching forth his
hand over them, in remembrance of the promises made to their fathers.
President Young and his people are accused of stirring up the Indians
against the general government, and against the white man. This is not
true. We have preached to the Indians a good many years, as we have
had opportunities, but what effect did it have? Not much. We preached
to Walker, Arapene, and many other chiefs who have dwelt here, but
have now passed away, but our preaching had but little effect. Now the
Lord is stretching out his hand over the Lamanites, and their eyes are
being opened, and they are receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ at the
hands of the Elders of Israel. Whose work is this? Not the work of
man, but it is the Work of God, and if the nations of the earth try to
stay it, the warfare is between them and God, and not between them and
us. So with every other principle which God has revealed to us. This
work is the work of the God of Israel, and not the work of man; not
the work of Brigham Young, the Twelve Apostles, or anybody else. The
hand of the Lord is feeling after that people, and if we, as
Latter-day Saints, do not arise and magnify our callings and fulfill
our missions, the Lord will take that people and build up his kingdom,
and we will be cast out. It is time that we awoke and realized this
truth, and that, as Elders of Israel, we realized our position before
the Lord. Now there is a very general desire manifested by this people
to get rich, and to labor lot self rather than for the kingdom of God.
But what will it profit you Or me to give up praying and to go to and
get rich? What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose
his own soul? Not much. What will a man give in exchange for his soul,
when he gets on the other side of the vail? I marvel very much at the
little interest manifested by the inhabitants of the earth generally
in their future state. There is not a person here to-day but what is
going to live on the other side of the vail as long as his Creator—to
the endless ages of eternity, and the eternal destiny of every
individual depends upon the manner in which the few short years of the
life in the flesh are spent. I ask, in the name of the Lord, what is
popularity to you or me? What is gold or silver, or this world's goods
to any of us, any further than to enable us to obtain what we need to
eat, drink, and wear, and to build up the kingdom of God. And for us
to stop praying, and to become crazy after the riches of the [p.120]
world, is the very height of foolishness and folly. To see the way
that some people act, you might suppose that they are going to live
here eternally, and that their eternal destiny depends upon the number
of dollars they have. I sometimes ask the Latter-day Saints, how much
we had when we came here? How much did we bring, and where did it come
from? I do not think any one of us brought a wife or a brick house; I
do not think that any of us were born on horseback or in a carriage,
or that we brought railroad scrip and cattle and houses with us, But
we were born naked as Job, and I think that we shall leave here as
naked as he did. Then with regard to this world's goods, what do they
amount to with us, that they should induce us to lose salvation for
them? I say, rather than that, let me be poor all the days of my life;
if riches are going to damn me, and take from me the glory I have in
prospect through keeping the commandments of God, I pray God that I
may never possess them.

Vol. 18,  p.120
God holds the riches of this world in his bands; the gold and silver,
the cattle and the earth are his, and he gives to whom he will give.
When Christ was upon the mount, Lucifer, the devil, showed him all the
glory of the world and offered to give it to him if he would fall down
and worship him. But do you know that that poor devil did not own a
single foot of land in the whole world, and that he had not, even a
body, or tabernacle? The earth is the footstool of the Lord, and if we
ever have any of it for our own the Lord will give it to us; and we
ought to be just as faithful to our religion if we had ten thousand
million dollars, as if we had not any at all. Eternal life is what we
are or ought to be after, and that, whatever our circumstances and
condition in life may be, should be our first object.

Vol. 18,  p.120
I say to the brethren and sisters—you have your appointment; the Lord
has raised up these Elders of Israel, and I can prove from the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants that you received the Priesthood from eternity,
and your lives have been hid with Christ in God, and you knew it not.
You are literally and lawfully heirs of the Priesthood through the
lineage of your fathers, and that Priesthood will continue throughout
eternity, therefore you have received your appointment, and the Lord
looks to you to build up his Zion and kingdom upon the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.120
Let us try to be faithful and to live our religion; let us try to
believe in the revelations of God. I think it will be better for our
daughters, for our wives, for our sons and for ourselves to lay aside
the New York Ledger and yellow covered literature generally, and take
hold and read the revelations of God, and comprehend them. When I read
the revelations, whether in the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Book of
Doctrine and Covenants, I look upon them as true, and I look for their
fulfillment. Up to the present day, one jot or tittle of them has
never gone unfulfilled, and, as the Lord has said—"What I have spoken
I have spoken, and I excuse not myself, and though the heavens and the
earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of my word shall go
unfulfilled, whether by my own voice or by the voice of my servants it
is the same. Behold and lo I am God, and truth will be and abide for
ever and ever, Amen." Now let us try and live our religion and keep
the commandments of God. As Latter-day Saints let us see where we are,
and if we have no oil in our lamps let us stop trying to get rich, and
let us pray to the Lord until we get his [p.121] Spirit and oil in our
lamps, and light unto the glory of God, and take hold and labor to
build up his Kingdom and Zion.

Vol. 18,  p.121
Before I close I want to speak on one temporal point. I have been
talking about getting riches. I do not find fault with riches. The
gold and silver are the Lord's. We want houses building and we must
cultivate the earth. This is all right. I do not find fault with a man
getting rich, I find fault with our selling the kingdom of God, our
birthright, selling the Gospel and depriving ourselves of eternal
life, for the sake of gratifying the lusts of the flesh, the pride of
life and the fashions of the world; and setting our hearts upon these
things, It is right to build houses, to plant vineyards and orchards,
to cultivate the earth and to make the desert blossom as the rose, to
adorn our dwelling places and to build Temples. This is all right. I
have no objection to the ladies—our wives daughters and mothers—in
Zion adorning themselves as much as they please, if they only make
what they wear. Set out your mulberry trees and make your own silk;
get straw and make your own bonnets; make your artificial flowers to
adorn yourselves with, and let all be the workmanship of your own
hands, and do not import these things at the expense of the means we
have in the Territory. I have not any fault to find with your adorning
yourselves, if you only make that which you require yourselves.

Vol. 18,  p.121
I want to say one word to our farmers before I close. I want to ask
you if you ever heard brother Kimball tell about laying .up wheat?
"Yes," say some "we have heard him, but the famine has not come yet."
No, but it will come. The Lord is not going to disappoint either
Babylon or Zion, with regard to famine, pestilence, earthquakes or
storms, he is not going to disappoint anybody with regard to any of
these things, they are at the doors, and I want to give a word of
exhortation to our farmers, and I say to them, lay up your wheat, for
according to the spirit that has been in my bosom the last three or
four months, and in the breasts of a good many others, the day will
come when, if you do not take this counsel, you will want your wheat
for bread. I feel to exhort the brethren; and to say to them—lay up
bread, do not sell it for a song; let your wives and daughters go for
awhile without ribbons and ornaments, let your wheat stay in your
bins; let us try to get along with old coats and old hats, and keep
the wheat, and in a little while you will see the reason why this
counsel has been given. Lay up your wheat; and other provisions
against a day of need, for the day will coma when they will be wanted,
and no mistake about it. We shall want bread, and the Gentiles will
want bread, and if we are wise we shall have something to feed them
and ourselves when famine comes. We have fed thousands of them in days
past, who would have laid their bones on these plains if it had not
been for the counsel of President Young to us to cultivate the earth
and have wheat on hand to feed them. And the day will come again when
corn will be wanted in Zion, and it will be sought for. I hope the
Latter-day Saints will take heed to these things and be wise.

Vol. 18,  p.121
I pray that God will bless you, that he will give you his spirit, that
you may see and understand your position before him. And I pray that
he will open the eyes, ears and hearts of the Gentiles, that they may
receive the Gospel of Christ, and be numbered with the house of Israel
in the last [p.122]  dispensation of the fullness of times, that they
may stand in holy places through the nations, for they will come to
both Jew and Gentile, Zion and Babylon. There is no getting away from
them, for the Lord has said so, and what he has said will come to
pass. Amen

Wilford Woodruff, October 8, 1875

The Resurrection—Laying the Corner Stone of the Temple 
in Jackson County—Mission of the Twelve Apostles—Baptism 
of Nearly Six Hundred of the "United Brethren"—the Saints 
Hold the Keys of Salvation for All Israel—Judgments 
Await the Wicked—Folly of the Fashions

Discourse By Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake 
City, Friday Morning, October 8, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.122
"Oh Death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory? The
sting of death is sin, and the gift of God is eternal life, through
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." This doctrine of the resurrection
of the dead is most glorious. It is comforting, at least to my spirit,
to think, that, in the morning of the resurrection, my spirit will
have the privilege of dwelling in the very same body that it occupied
here. As Elders of Israel we have traveled a great many thousand miles
in weariness and fatigue, laboring to preach the gospel of Jesus
Christ to the children of men. I would be very glad to have the same
body in the resurrection with which I waded swamps, swam rivers and
traveled and labored to build up the kingdom of God here on the earth.
I like this, I rejoice in the privilege we enjoy at this Conference,
of meeting with so many Latter-day Saints. I feel that we have had a
good deal of the Spirit of the Lord with us, and I hope that it may
continue until we get through with the Conference.

Vol. 18,  p.122
President Young referred, yesterday, in his remarks, to the experience
of some of us in past days. I have reflected a good deal upon these
things as well as on the future. I have long been associated with the
kingdom of God, and I wish to refer for a moment to what was said
yesterday on that subject. The mission then mentioned was one of much
interest to the Twelve, if not to the Church. The whole of that
mission to England, from the beginning to[p.123] the end, placed the
apostles in such a position that they had to walk by faith from first
to last. The Lord gave a revelation, with date, day, month and year,
when they were to go up to lay the corner-stone in Caldwell county,
Far West, Missouri. When that revelation was given all was peace and
quietude, comparatively, in that land. But when the time came for the
Twelve Apostles to fulfill that revelation, the Saints had all been
driven out by the exterminating order of Governor Boggs, and it was as
much as a man's life was worth, especially one of the Twelve, to be
found in that State; and when the day came on which we were commanded
by the Lord in that revelation to go up and lay the corner-stone of
that Temple, and there take the parting hand with the Saints, to cross
the waters to preach the gospel in England, the inhabitants of
Missouri had sworn that if all the revelations of "old Joe Smith" were
fulfilled, that should not be, because it had a day and date to it.

Vol. 18,  p.123
President Young asked the Twelve who were with him—"What shall we do
with regard to the fulfillment of this revelation?" He wanted to know
their feelings. Father Smith, the Patriarch, said the Lord would take
the will for the deed; others said the Lord could not expect the
Twelve Apostles to go up and sacrifice their lives to fulfill that
revelation; but the Spirit of the Lord rested upon the twelve, and
they said—"The Lord God has spoken, and we will fulfill that
revelation and commandment;" and that was the feeling of President
Young and of those who were with him. We went through that State, and
we laid that cornerstone. George A. Smith and myself were ordained to
the Apostleship on that corner-stone upon that day. We returned in
safety, and not a dog to move his tongue, and no man shed our blood.

Vol. 18,  p.123
As soon as we got home we prepared ourselves to go on our mission to
England, and, as President Young has said, the devil undertook to kill
us. I have myself been in Tennessee and Kentucky for two or three
years, where, in the Fall, there was not well persons enough to take
care of the sick during the ague mouths, and yet I never had the ague
in my life until called to go upon that mission to England. There was
not one solitary soul in the Quorum of the Twelve but what the devil
undertook to destroy; and, as was said yesterday, when Brother Taylor
and myself, the two first of the Quorum ready for the trip, were on
hand to start, I was shaking with the ague, and I had it every other
day, and on my well day, when I did not have it, my wife had it. I got
up and laid my hands upon her and blessed her, and blessed my child,
having only one at the time, and I started across the river, and that
man who sits behind me to-day, the President of the Church and kingdom
of God upon the earth, paddled me across the Missouri river in a
canoe, and that is the way I landed in Nauvoo. I lay down on a side of
sole leather by the old postoffice, and I did not know where to go,
and I was not able to stand on my feet, and I lay down there. By and
by the Prophet came along and said he—"Brother Woodruff, you are going
on your mission?" "Yes," I said," but I feel more like a subject for
the dissecting room than for a mission." He reproved me for what I
said and told me to get up and go. Brother Taylor, the only member of
the Quorum of the Twelve who was well, and I traveled together, and on
the way he fell to the ground as though he had been knocked on the
[p.124] head with an axe. Old Father Coulton was carrying us, and
Brother Taylor fell twice in that way, taken with the bilious fever,
and no man in that Quorum could boast that he went on that mission
without feeling the hand of the destroyer, for it was laid upon us
all. I had the shaking ague, and lay on my back in a wagon, and was
rolled over stumps and stones, until it seemed as if my life would be
shaken out of me. I left Brother Taylor behind, by his advice, for
said he, "We are both sick, and if you stay you can't do anything
here;" so old Father Coulton carried me along in his wagon until I got
to Buffalo, N. Y. From there I traveled alone to Farmington,
Connecticut, my native place, and I stayed there fifteen days at my
father's house, coughing and shaking every day. My father never
expected that I should leave my bed, and my step-mother did not expect
that I should ever get better. A message came from an uncle of mine,
who had just died, and his last words were—"I want you to send for
Friend Wilford, I want him to come and preach my funeral sermon." My
father said—"You can't go and preach that sermon, for you can't sit up
in your bed." Said I—"Never mind, get up your horse and wagon;" and he
did so and I got into it, and rode over that morning in a chilly wind,
and the hour that my ague was coming on I got before a big blazing
fire and preached the funeral sermon of my friend, and the ague left
me from that day, and I went back and went on my way rejoicing.

Vol. 18,  p.124
In process of time Brother Taylor came along and he and I crossed the
ocean together, and arrived in England, and here I want to make a
little statement of my experience in those days concerning
circumstances that took place with me. When Brother' Brigham left home
he told you that all his family had was one barrel of rotten flour.
Two hundred cents would have bought every pound of provision I left
with my family when I left home, But we left our wives, for we had the
commandment of God upon us, and we were either going to obey it, or
die trying. That was the spirit of the Elders of Israel; and I blessed
my wife and child and left; them in the hands of God, and to the
tender mercies of our noble Bishops, and those who were acquainted
with them know how it, was in those days. However, I went on my way,
and I want to speak of one little circumstance. I had with me an old
cloak which I got in Tennessee when traveling with Brother Smoot over
forty years ago. It had once been a dandy cloak, and had on keg
buttons, and when new had a good deal of trimming and fancy work about
it; but it was then pretty well threadbare and worn out. I wore it in
Kirtland and I carried it to England with me; and when I was called by
revelation to go to John Benbow's and preach the gospel I wore that
cloak. I went there and found over six hundred people, called United
Brethren, and among them were eighty-three preachers, and they, as a
people, were prepared for the word of the Lord, and I wanted to catch
them in the gospel net. Before embracing the doctrine of the United
Brethren, Sister Benbow had been what is called a "lady" in England,
and she had worn her silks and satins; but after obeying the doctrine
of this religious body she cut up and burned and destroyed her silks
and satins and wore the plainest calicoes she could get, because she
thought that was religion. When I went there to preach she looked at
me with this old cloak with the keg buttons on, and the Spirit of the
Lord bore testimony to me that religion, [p.125] so far as she was
concerned, had a good deal of tradition about it, and that her faith
could be tried by the coat a man wore; and as Paul said, if eating
meat offended his brethren, he would never eat any more, so I felt a
good deal, and one morning I went out and cut off the buttons from my
old cloak, and never had a button on it afterwards. By doing this and
some other things, which some perhaps would call foolish, I, through
the blessing of God and with the assistance of Brother Young, George
A. Smith and Willard Richards, caught the whole flock and baptized
every soul except one solitary person into the church and kingdom of
God. Many of them are here in this room to-day, and some of them have
passed away. I mention this just to show our position. We traveled
without purse and scrip, and we preached without money and without
price. Why? Because the God of heaven had called upon us to go forth
and warn the world.

Vol. 18,  p.125
Now I want to say again, I have looked around within the last few
years and I have thought: Where, Oh where, are the sons of the
Prophets, Apostles, and fathers in Zion, preparing in these last days
to rise up and bear off this kingdom when we are on the other side of
the vail? Sometimes, in thinking on this subject, I have felt that
they were very few and far between who had the spirit of their fathers
and were prepared to bear off this kingdom. But I thank God that I
find it is now something like it was in the days of Elijah. When the
Prophet said, referring to the followers of Baal—"They have killed thy
Prophets, and pulled down thine altars, and I alone am left," the Lord
said—"Oh no, I have seven thousand men in Israel who have not yet
bowed the knee to Baal." Well, I begin to feel, since I have heard the
testimonies of our young brethren at this Conference, that some of the
sons of the servants of God are becoming filled with the fire and
spirit of the Prophets. We want a good many of them to rise up and
bear off this kingdom.

Vol. 18,  p.125
Now I want to say a word or two on another subject. I have heard some
of our brethren remark—"If the Twelve Apostles have the word of the
Lord, we would like to receive, it." I want to say a few words with
regard to the word of the Lord. I think that many of this people are
mistaken with regard to the word of the Lord. They sometimes wonder
why President Young does not give them the word of the Lord. I have
been acquainted with President Young more than forty years. It is over
forty years since I traveled a thousand miles with him, Joseph Smith,
Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Charles C. Rich, and many others perhaps in
this congregation, and I never saw a day from that day until the
present, but what President Brigham Young, even before the Twelve
Apostles were organized, always had the word of the Lord for the
people; and instead of thinking there is no word of the Lord, my faith
is that there is not an Elder in Israel who has any business to
preach, unless he has the word of the Lord to the people. The Twelve
Apostles should have the word of the Lord to the people; the High
Priesthood should have the word of the Lord to the people; these four
thousand Seventies, the messengers of Israel to the nations of the
earth, should have the word of the Lord to the people; and every Elder
of Israel, when he speaks, should have the word of the Lord, and the
whole Church and kingdom of God, men and women, should have, each for
himself and herself, the testimony of [p.126] Jesus Christ, which is
the spirit of prophecy. This should be in the possession of every man
and woman in the Church, for their own government and guidance, and
this has always been the teaching to us of President Brigham Young.
And this is backed up by the revelations which the Lord has given in
these last days, as you will find if you read the twenty-second
section of rice Book of Doctrine and Covenants. That revelation was
given over forty years ago, to Elders Orson Hyde, Luke Johnson, Lyman
Johnson and William E. McLellin; and on that occasion the Lord
said—"Go forth and preach the Gospel to the people. And when you go
forth you are called to teach the people and not to be taught. And you
must teach as you are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, by the power of
God, by the Spirit of the Lord; and when you speak as you are moved
upon by the Spirit of the Lord, your words are scripture, they are the
word of the Lord, they are the mind of the Lord, they are the will of
the Lord and the power of God unto salvation unto every one that
hears."

Vol. 18,  p.126
Yes, we have plenty of testimony with regard to these things, and I
will say to my brethren that whatever the word of the Lord may be to
them I know what the word of the Lord is to me. The word of the Lord
to me is, that it is time for Zion to rise and let her light shine;
and the testimony of the Spirit of God to me is that this whole
kingdom, this great kingdom of Priests, this forty thousand men in
these mountains of Israel, who have borne the Priesthood, have
thoroughly fulfilled one part of the parable of the ten virgins. What
is that? Why, that while the Bridegroom has tarried we have all
slumbered and slept; as a Church and kingdom we have slumbered and
slept, and the word of the Lord to me is that we have slept long
enough; and we have the privilege now of rising and trimming our lamps
and putting oil in our vessels. This is the word of the Lord to me.

Vol. 18,  p.126
The word of the Lord to me again, is, that it is time for this whole
people, these forty thousand Elders of Israel who dwell in these
valleys of the mountains, and I believe that it is the word of the
Lord to them, that we listen to the voice of the Lord through the
lawgiver, and unite ourselves in temporal things, and that we labor to
build up the kingdom of God, and cease to labor to build up ourselves
alone, against the interests of the kingdom of God. This is the word
of the Lord to me, and I think it is to you.

Vol. 18,  p.126
It is the word of the Lord through the mouth of his servant Brigham,
and has been a long time the word of the Lord to me, that as Twelve
Apostles, as Seventy Apostles, as High Priests, and as Elders of
Israel, it is time that we should rise up and bear the burden that
rests upon the shoulders of Brigham Young, who is far advanced in
life, and has had the weight and burden of this Church and kingdom
upon his shoulders. It is our duty to rise up and bear off this
burden, and lift it from our President, and also to cry aloud unto the
people to unite themselves together. It is our duty to cease shaking
in our shoes for fear the Lord Almighty should give some of his words
to govern and control us in our temporal affairs. Who, to use a
comparison, expects to have a forty-acre lot alone in the kingdom of
God, or in heaven, when we get there? None need expect it, for in that
kingdom, in heaven or upon earth, we shall find unity, and the Lord
requires at our hands that we unite together, [p.127] according to the
principles of his celestial law.

Vol. 18,  p.127
This is what I consider to be the word of the Lord to us. It is our
duty to unite ourselves together, and to sustain the institutions
which have been established in these mountains by the revelations of
God unto us.

Vol. 18,  p.127
There is another word of the Lord unto me, and which has been like
fire shut up in my bones for the last three months; that is, to call
upon all the inhabitants of these mountains, as far as I have an
opportunity, to go to and lay up their grain, that they may have
bread. For the last three months I have not felt as if I could answer
my own feelings, unless, at every meeting I have attended, I called
upon the farmers to lay up their grain. "Oh, yes," say some, "Heber C.
Kimball cried, 'Famine, famine' for years, and it has not come yet."
Well, bless your soul, there is more room for it to come. "Who am I,
saith the Lord, that I promise and do not fulfill?" The day will come
when if this people do not lay up their bread they will be sorry for
it. The Lord has felt after us in days past and gone by the
visitations of crickets and grasshoppers time after time, and had it
not been for his mercy we should have had famine upon our heads long
before this. It is the duty of the farmers in these mountains not to
sell their bread, or to throw it away for a song, but to lay it up, or
you will find that the day is not a great way off when you will reed
it. That is the voice of the Lord to me, and it is the way I have felt
for a good while, and I believe it is the same to my brethren.

Vol. 18,  p.127
We are living in a very important time, and the Lord has raised up
this people to accomplish his purposes; and as some of these
revelations convey the idea, they were chosen from before the
foundation of the world. The Lord says,—"I have called you by my
everlasting Priesthood, and your lives have been hid with Christ in
God," and you have not known it. You have been called here and God has
put into your hands his cause and kingdom, and the salvation of both
Jew and Gentile. This people hold in their hands the salvation of the
twelve tribes of Israel. It was not to the oldest son, but to Ephraim,
the son of Joseph, that these promises were made. Joseph was the
youngest but one of the Twelve Patriarchs, and through his son Ephraim
God has raised you up and has put this power into your hands, and you
hold the keys for the salvation of Israel. And the ten tribes of
Israel in the north country will come in remembrance before God in due
time, and they will smite the rocks and the mountains of ice will flow
down before them, and the everlasting hills will tremble at their
presence. A highway will be cast up through the midst of the great
deep for them to come to Zion, and they will bow down in the midst
thereof, and receive the Priesthood at the hands of the inhabitants of
Zion.

Vol. 18,  p.127
Then what manner of men ought we to be, we, who have been ordained and
called, and had such responsibilities placed upon us by the God of
heaven? Our lives have been hid with Christ in God, and we are heirs
of the eternal Priesthood, through the lineage of our fathers. Thus
saith the Lord through the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who
sealed his testimony with his blood, and his testimony from that hour
has been in force upon all the world. Know ye, Latter-day Saints, that
the Lord will not disappoint you or this generation with regard to the
fulfillment of his promises. No matter whether [p.128] they have been
uttered by his own voice out of the heavens, by the ministration of
angels, or by the voice of his servants in the flesh, it is the same;
and though the earth pass away not one jot or tittle of his word will
fall unfulfilled. There is no prophecy of Scripture of any private
interpretation, but holy men of old spoke as they were moved upon by
the Holy Ghost, and their words will be fulfilled to the very letter,
and it certainly is time that we prepare ourselves for that which is
to come. Great things await this generation—both Zion and Babylon. All
these revelations concerning the fall of Babylon will have their
fulfillment. Forty-five years ago, in speaking to the Church, the Lord
said—"You are clean, but not all and I am not well pleased with any
who are not clean, because all flesh is corrupted before my face, and
darkness prevails among all the nations of the earth." This causes
silence to reign, and all eternity is pained. The angels of God are
waiting to fulfill the great commandment given forty-five years ago,
to go forth and reap down the earth because of the wickedness of men.
How do you think eternity feels to-day? Why there is more wickedness,
a thousand times over, in the United States now, than when that
revelation was given. The whole earth is ripe in iniquity; and these
inspired men, these Elders of Israel, have been commanded of the
Almighty to go forth and warn the world, that their garments may be
clear of the blood of all men.

Vol. 18,  p.128
I tell you that God will not disappoint Zion or Babylon, the heavens
or the earth, in regard to the judgments which he has promised in
these last days, but every one of them will have its fulfillment upon
the heads of the children of men; and when they are fully ripened in
iniquity the nations of the earth will be swept away as with the besom
of destruction.

Vol. 18,  p.128
What did the Lord sayre that meek and humble man, the brother of
Jared, thousands of years ago, with regard to the land of America—a
chosen land promised by old Father Jacob to his sons? He said that no
nation should ever occupy it, unless the people thereof kept his
commandments; and if they failed to do that they should be cut off
when they were ripened in iniquity. The Lord has already swept away
two mighty nations from this continent, because they have not
fulfilled his word, spoken through that humble man. The Lord chooses
the weak things of the world, things which are naught to bring to
naught things which are, and he will as surely perform his work in
this age of the world as he has done in any other. We need not fear
man, nor the wrath of man, but fear God, who holds in his hands the
destinies of all men.

Vol. 18,  p.128
Before I close my remarks, I want to say a few words to our sisters
and daughters in Zion, for I feel that there are some words of the
Lord to them. This is a time that the daughters of Zion should hearken
to the words of the Prophet of God, who has been set to lead us. I
feel that it is time, forty years after they were organized, that the
Female Relief Societies should labor with all their might to carry out
the object of their organization by the Prophet Joseph Smith. You may
ask, "What was the object of that organization?" I will say that in
organizing these societies there were several objects in view, some of
which I will refer to before I get through. President Young has been
calling upon you, as one branch of the land of Zion, to take hold and
help to build it up.[p.129] He desires that the sisters here in the
land of Zion should govern and control the fashions of Zion. Instead
of heaping to yourselves and imitating the fashions that have adorned
Babylon, you should have independence enough to form your own; and
those which are not comely and comfortable should be laid aside. I,
myself, do not think it has been pleasing in the sight of God, to see
the manner in which the mothers and daughters in Zion, for years past,
have been ready to adorn themselves with every fashion that Babylon
has contrived and invented. I need not mention all these things, but I
will mention two or three. For instance, how is it with regard to the
head dress of the ladies? The Lord has given to women generally a fine
head of hair, which, we are told in the Scriptures, is the glory of
the woman; and she should let the hair given unto her adorn her head
without adding any foreign substance, as is now done, in order to
imitate and follow after the fashions of the world. Again, just as
quick as the daughters of Babylon extend their crinolines until they
cannot move in a space less than six or eight feet wide, in a coach,
assembly room, or anywhere else, why the daughters of Zion must follow
the same uncomely fashion. But a fashion the reverse of this is now
adopted, and at the present time the daughters of Babylon wear their
elastics so tight that they have not room left for locomotion when
walking in the streets; and, of course the daughters of Zion must
practice the same. And now, see one of them, dressed in the height of
fashion, crossing the street, and a runaway team comes thundering
along. What a position she is in! Why the only way she can save her
life is to lie down and roll across the street like a saw log.

Vol. 18,  p.129
All these fashions are uncomely and should be laid aside. The
daughters of Zion should do better than to trail silks and satins in
the mud when walking in the street. The Female Relief Societies should
lay hold of and regulate these things, and introduce fashions that are
comely and comfortable; it is their duty to do it. Again, you can do a
good deal in regard to maintaining the independence of Zion, by going
to and carrying out the counsel of President Young in raising your own
silk for dresses, bonnets and trimmings, so that your adorning may be
the workmanship of your own hands.

Vol. 18,  p.129
I felt as though I wanted to say so much with regard to our sisters in
Zion. President Young says, and I know it is the truth, that this is
the best people on the face of the earth. But however good we may be
we should aim continually to improve and become better. We have obeyed
a different law and Gospel to what other people have obeyed, and we
have a different kingdom in view, and our aim should be
correspondingly higher before the Lord our God, and we should govern
and control ourselves accordingly, and I pray God my heavenly Father
that his Spirit may rest upon us and enable us to do so.

Vol. 18,  p.129
Another word of the Lord to me is that, it is the duty of these young
men here in the land of Zion to take the daughters of Zion to wife,
and prepare tabernacles for the spirits of men, which are the children
of our Father in heaven. They are waiting for tabernacles, they are
ordained to come here, and they ought to be born in the land of Zion
instead of Babylon. This is the duty of the young men in Zion; and
when the daughters of Zion are asked by the young men to join with
them in [p.130] marriage, instead of asking—"Has this man a fine brick
house, a span of fine horses and a fine carriage?" they should ask—"Is
he a man of God? Has he the Spirit of God with him? Is he a Latter-day
Saint? Does he pray? Has he got the Spirit upon him to qualify him to
build up the kingdom?" If he has that, never mind the carriage and
brick house, take hold and unite yourselves together according to the
law of God. I rejoice to see the population increasing in the land of
Zion. Why is it that ninety-nine women out of every hundred over the
whole land of Zion, who are of proper age and married, are bringing
forth posterity until our children swarm in our streets almost like
bees? Because the God of heaven is raising up a royal Priesthood, and
a generation to bear off this kingdom in the day when his judgments
will come upon the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.130
Let us do our duty; let us cease setting our hearts upon the fashions
and things of this world, and laboring to enrich ourselves at the
sacrifice of the kingdom of God. We have a co-operative mercantile
institution; and it is the duty of these Latter-day Saints to sustain
and uphold it; and so with everything else that is in the kingdom, for
these are the stepping stones to us to a fullness of the celestial
kingdom of God.

Vol. 18,  p.130
I thank God that I live in this day and age of the world, when my ears
have heard the sound of the fullness of the Gospel of Christ. I thank
God that I have seen the face of Prophets, Apostles, and inspired men.
I rejoice in this, and I pray God my heavenly Father that I, and my
brethren and sisters, may have power to unite and take hold and build
up this kingdom. When we do this it will not be in the power of earth
or hell to take away our rights and privileges; for I tell you that if
this people were united according to the law of God, wherein we should
become fully justified before the Lord, sinners in Zion would tremble
and fearfulness would surprise the hypocrite; the power of God would
rest upon Zion, the angels of God would visit the earth, the judgments
of God would be poured upon the wicked, the Zion of God would be
redeemed, the Temples of God would be reared, the prison doors would
be opened and the prisoners in the spirit world would go free, because
we would feel the spirit and power of our mission and calling and
should fulfill it.

Vol. 18,  p.130
I pray that God will bless this people, and that he will bless
President Young, who has already outlived four of his counselors. The
Lord says—I will take whom I will take, and I will preserve whom I
will preserve." All these counselors were younger men than President
Young, yet he has outlived them. God has ordained President Young to
live, and he has lived so long, and has had the prayers of hundreds
and thousands of Saints, which have entered into the ears of the Lord
of Sabaoth for his preservation; and the Lord has heard and answered
these prayers.

Vol. 18,  p.130
Let us, as Elders of Israel, rise up and bear off this kingdom. Let us
forsake our evils and wickedness, and repent of our sins, and renew
our covenants and keep the commandments of God; that we may lighten
the burdens of our President, that his spirit may be cheered, and that
the power of God may attend him in his labors for the advancement of
Zion upon the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.131
This is my prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.[p.131] 

Orson Pratt, October 9, 1875

On the Dedication of the New Tabernacle

Remarks By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered at the Forty-Sixth 
Semi Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day 
Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, 
Saturday Morning, Oct. 9, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.131
It is with peculiar feelings that I arise on this occasion to speak a
few words to this vast assembly. While listening to the sacred words
of the prayer that has been offered up this forenoon in the dedication
of this large building as a place of worship, and the dedication of
the ministry who administer therein, my heart has been full of joy and
satisfaction, and, while listening to these glorious words, my mind
was led to reflect upon dedications of houses and tabernacles of the
Most High in former ages of the world, and also upon the peculiar
manifestations oftentimes connected with those dedications.

Vol. 18,  p.131
The Lord our God accepts the dedication, by his servants the
Priesthood, of those things which he has ordained and established; and
though he may not always manifest that acceptance in a visible manner,
so that all the people may see, yet there is a peculiar manifestation
that we can feel if we can not see, which whispers to us that God is
manifest in his works, ordinances and institutions, and in his own
buildings that are built with an eye single to his glory, and in his
name. It is an easy matter for the Great Jehovah to manifest himself,
if he pleases so to do, upon a mountain or hill, or in the secret
closet; or while we slumber upon our pillows by night, the visions of
eternity may be opened to our minds, and we may receive great
consolation, joy and peace, through the manifestations given us by the
gift and power of the Holy Ghost. But then, the Lord has oftentimes
laid out a great work for his people to perform, and when that work is
performed by the sons of men with all their hearts and might, and with
all the strength, ability and power that God has given them, it is
then that he shows forth his approbation from the heavens, and fills
them with a peculiar feeling of joy and gladness that it is impossible
for language to describe. How often have we felt these peculiar
feelings and sensations pervading our minds, when we have assembled on
occasions something similar to the present one!

Vol. 18,  p.131
I look back to the first Temple that was built in this generation by
command of the Most High, some [p.132] forty years ago, in the State
of Ohio, in Kirtland, according to the pattern which God showed by
vision. When that was completed, and the servants of God were called
in from the east and west, and north, and south, and entered that
sacred edifice, God was there, his angels were there, the Holy Ghost
was in the midst of the people, the visions of the Almighty were
opened to the minds of the servants of the living God; the vail was
taken off from the minds of many; they saw the heavens opened; they
beheld the angels of God; they heard the voice of the Lord; and they
were filled from the crown of their Leads to the soles of their feet
with the power and inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and uttered forth
prophecies in the midst of that congregation, which have been
fulfilling from that day to the present time.

Vol. 18,  p.132
It was in that Temple that the visions of the Almighty were opened to
our great Prophet, Seer and Revelator, Joseph Smith, wherein the
future was portrayed before him, wherein keys were committed to him in
relation to this great Latter-day dispensation, and the power of God
was made manifest through the holy Priesthood sent down from heaven.
In that Temple, set apart by the servants of God, and dedicated by a
prayer that was written by inspiration, the people were blessed as
they never had been blessed for generations and generations that were
passed and gone. Why? Because that work was of God. God had raised up
a mighty Prophet; God had brought to light great and glorious
revelations; God had sent down the holy Priesthood from the heavens;
the Lord our God had established his kingdom on the earth; he,
therefore, gave unto his servants power, wisdom and strength that they
might administer among the people and do them good.

Vol. 18,  p.132
Since that time buildings have been reared to the name of the Most
High, and the Priesthood have been called together, and the councils
of the Priesthood have been blessed, endowments have been made
manifest, and ordinances of endowments, keys of endowments, signs and
tokens of endowments, and principles that were calculated to give joy
and to impart happiness, for the Lord had commanded, that in the midst
of Zion, life for ever more should be poured out upon the fallen sons
and daughters of his people.

Vol. 18,  p.132
Now another occasion is afforded us of dedicating a large and
commodious Tabernacle, which has been built to the name of the Most
High. God is here; God is with his servants, with the quorums of the
everlasting Priesthood, and his Spirit is here; and the prayer that
has been offered up is accepted by the heavens, and we rejoice and
give praise to God who has redeemed us, who sits upon his throne,
whose bowels of mercy yearn towards all of his sons and daughters;
whose bosom is filled with compassion towards all his people. We
praise his name, and though we have not the opportunity of giving
expression to the joy and thanksgiving of our hearts, still we feel to
say—"Hallelujah to the Lord God Almighty, who sits upon his throne,
who reigns for ever and ever, for he will bless his Zion, he will
extend forth her borders, he will pour out his Spirit upon his
ministry, and he will fulfill and accomplish his work unto the
uttermost. Amen.[p.133] 

Joseph F. Smith, October 10, 1875

What the Lord Requires of His Saints

Discourse By Elder Joseph F. Smith, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, on Sunday Morning, Oct. 10, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.133
I have been very much interested and instructed during our Conference,
and in rising at this time—a few moments only remaining before the
close of our forenoon meeting—I feel that I can only bear my testimony
to, and express my conviction of, the truths that we have had
delivered unto us during our meetings from the first day of our
Conference. We have had instructions here upon spiritual and upon
temporal matters sufficient, if they were carried out, to make this
people the best, purest, noblest, and greatest people that inhabit the
world. The instructions that have been given unto us in regard to
temporal matters, and in regard to bringing us to a union of faith and
works, are calculated in their nature, if adopted and carried out in
the practices of the Latter-day Saints, to make them the most
independent people that live upon the face of the earth, depending
indeed only upon the Lord our God, the giver of every good and perfect
gift. I can see, as clearly as it is possible for me to see the light
of the sun, that if the instructions that were given here yesterday,
and the day before, in relation to uniting ourselves together in
temporal affairs, were carried out by the people, we would soon no
longer be beholden to the world, and it would be said of us, that we
were dependent upon no power upon the earth out the power of God. It
is very different, however, with us at present, for now we are very
dependent, notwithstanding the vast amount of blessings that the Lord
has poured out upon us—blessings of the soil, of the labors of our
hands, of the elements that surround us. He has given us an abundance
of everything our hearts can desire in righteousness, insomuch, as it
was remarked yesterday, that we have become almost recreant to these
blessings; we squander and waste them, run over them, trample them
under our feet as it were, and regard them as of very little
importance, or worthless. The Lord truly has blessed his people; he
has poured out his Spirit upon us, opened our way, delivered us item
our enemies, blessed and enriched the soil, tempered the elements, and
made them favorable to us, turned away cursings, and given us
blessings on every hand, and has [p.134] prospered us in the earth.
But we have been careless, and in a measure blind to the presence and
value of the blessings that have been poured out upon us so
abundantly, and have failed to recognize, as we should at all times,
the hand of God therein. We have also come far short of appreciating
our brethren the Prophets, who have borne the burden in the heat of
the day; who have stood boldly and fearlessly, filled with wisdom and
intelligence from above, to give us counsel, and to guide and direct
us in the channels of prosperity, peace, and happiness.

Vol. 18,  p.134
Will we come to a knowledge of the truth? Will we learn to appreciate
the blessings that we enjoy, and to realize from whence they come?
Will we begin to follow more faithfully the counsels that are given to
us by the servants of the Lord, and come together in the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, that we may become
perfect men in Christ Jesus, even to the fullness of the measure of
his stature?

Vol. 18,  p.134
There is a circumstance recorded in the Scriptures, that has been
brought forcibly to my mind while listening to the remarks of the
Elders who have spoken to us during Conference. A young man came to
Jesus and asked what good thing he should do that he might have
eternal life. Jesus said unto him—"Keep the commandments." The young
man asked which of them. Then Jesus enumerated to him some of the
commandments that he was to keep—he should not murder, nor commit
adultery, nor steal, nor bear false witness, but he should honor his
father mud mother, and love his neighbor as himself, &c. Said the
young man—"All these I have kept from my youth up, what lack I yet?"
Jesus said—"If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come and
follow me." And we are told that he turned away sorrowful, because he
had great possessions. He would rot hearken to, or obey the law of God
in this matter. Not that Jesus required of the young man to go and
sell all that he possessed and give it away; that is not the principle
involved. The great principle involved is that which the Elders of
Israel are endeavoring to enforce upon the minds of the Latter-day
Saints to-day. When the young man turned away in sorrow, Jesus said to
his disciples—"How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the
kingdom of God!"

Vol. 18,  p.134
Is this because the rich man is rich? No. May not the rich man, who
has the light of God in his heart, who possesses the principle and
spirit of truth, and who understands the principle of God's government
and law in the world, enter into the kingdom of heaven as easily, and
be as acceptable there as the poor man may? Precisely. God is not a
respecter of persons. The rich man may enter into the kingdom of
heaven as freely as the poor, if he will bring his heart and
affections into subjection to the law of God and to the principle of
truth; if he will place his affections upon God, his heart upon the
truth, and his soul upon the accomplishment of God's purposes, and not
fix his affections and his hopes upon the things of the world. Here is
the difficulty, and this was the difficulty with the young man. He had
great possessions, and he preferred to rely upon his wealth rather
than forsake all and follow Christ. If he had possessed the spirit of
truth in his heart to have known the will of God, and to have loved
the Lord with all his heart and his neighbor as himself, he [p.135]
would have said to the Lord—"Yea, Lord, I will do as you require, I
will go and sell all that I have and give it to the poor." If he had
had it in his heart to do this, that alone might have been sufficient,
and the demand would probably have stopped there, for undoubtedly the
Lord did not deem it essential for him to go and give his riches away,
or to sell his possessions and give the proceeds away, in order that
he might be perfect, for that, in a measure, would have been
improvident. Yet, if it had required all this to test him and to prove
him, to see whether he loved the Lord with all his heart, mind, and
strength, and his neighbor as himself, then he ought to have been
willing to do it, and if he had been be would have lacked nothing, and
would have received the gift of eternal life, which is the greatest
gift of God, and which can be received on no other principle than the
one mentioned by Jesus to the young man. If you will read the sixth
lecture on faith in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants you will learn
that no man can obtain the gift of eternal life unless be is willing
to sacrifice all earthly things in order to obtain it. We cannot do
this so long as our affections are fixed upon the world.

Vol. 18,  p.135
It is true that we are in a measure of the earth, earthly; we belong
to the world. Our affections and our souls are here; our treasures are
here, and where the treasure is there the heart is. But if we will lay
up our treasures in heaven; if we will wean our affections from the
things of this world, and say to the Lord our God—"Father, not my will
but thine be done," then may the will of God be done on earth as it is
done in heaven, and the kingdom of God in its power and glory will be
established upon the earth. Sin and Satan will be bound and banished
from the earth, and not until we attain to this condition of mina and
faith will this be done.

Vol. 18,  p.135
Then let the Saints unite; let them hearken to the voices of the
servants of God that are sounded in their ears; let them hearken to
their counsels and give heed to the truth; let them seek their own
salvation, for, so far as I am concerned, I am so selfish that I am
seeking after my salvation, and I know that I can find it only in
obedience to the laws of God, in keeping the commandments, in
performing works of righteousness, following in the footsteps of our
file leader, Jesus, the exemplar and the head of all. He is the way of
life, he is the light of the world, he is the door by which we must
enter in order that we may have a place with him in the celestial
kingdom of God.

Vol. 18,  p.135
May God grant that we may see and comprehend the whole truth, and be
submissive to the requirements of the Gospel and obedient to the
Priesthood of God upon the earth in all things, that we may obtain
eternal life, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.[p.136] 

John Taylor, October 10, 1875

The Purposes of God—Duties and Responsibilities of the Saints

Discourse By Elder John Taylor, Delivered at the 
Forty-Sixth Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in the New Tabernacle, Salt 
Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, October 10, 1875.

(Reported by David W. Evans)

Vol. 18,  p.136
It is extremely difficult to speak to a congregation so large as this,
and I therefore request that as good order as possible may be
maintained, because it is almost impossible for the human voice to
encompass so large a congregation as the one assembled here to-day.

Vol. 18,  p.136
We all of us have an object in assembling together as we have done on
this conference occasion. I speak now to Latter-day Saints, as it is
to them I purpose to address my remarks this afternoon. We do not
always understand the influences by which we are operated upon; but
nevertheless there are certain principles at work in this generation
which move upon the minds of the human family, and which lead them to
reflect and study more or less, according to the circumstances
surrounding them and the positions they occupy. We, the Latter-day
Saints, stand in a different relationship to the Almighty from any
other people that exist on the face of the earth. The principles that
we have received emanated not from man, nor from the wisdom,
intelligence or philosophy of man; we believe that they proceeded from
God. That is our universal belief; it is the faith of every good
Latter-day Saint. None of us, previous to the Lord manifesting his
will, knew anything about the laws of God. We did not know anything
about God; we were not acquainted with anybody who could give us
information in relation to him, and we are indebted to revelation from
him for all the intelligence that we have that is true in regard to
ourselves, the world in which we live, the people who have lived
before us, and those who will live after us; also in regard to God the
Father, and Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant. We had certain
vague, indistinct ideas about these things before, but we had nothing
real, tangible or reliable. Nor is it out of any consideration,
particularly, to ourselves personally, that these things are made
manifest. God has certain purposes to accomplish, pertaining to the
world in which we live, in which the interests and happiness of the
human family are concerned, to those who live in the world to-day, to
those who have lived in other ages and dispensations, back to the time
[p.137] of Adam, and also forward, to the latest generation of time,
to the last man who shall be born upon earth. The ancient Patriarchs
and Prophets, men of God who basked in the light of revelation, and
comprehended the mind of Jehovah, and who held the everlasting
Priesthood and enjoyed the Gospel as we enjoy it; all these together
with God our heavenly Father and all the angelic hosts, are interested
in the work that the Father has commenced in these last days; and
hence a revelation was made unto Joseph Smith. Holy angels of God
appeared to him and communicated to him the mind and will of Jehovah,
as a chosen messenger to introduce the dispensation of the fullness of
times, wherein all heaven and all that have ever dwelt on the earth
are concerned and interested. He did not reveal himself, particularly,
because of Joseph Smith, individually, nor because of any other
individual man, nor for the peculiar interest, emolument or
aggrandisement of any set of men; but for the purpose of introducing
certain principles that it was necessary that the world of mankind
should be made acquainted with; in fact, it was for the purpose of
introducing what we call the Church and kingdom of God on the earth,
in which all who have ever lived or who ever will live upon this globe
are interested.

Vol. 18,  p.137
The Gospel that we talk of, although it may be a personal thing, yet
at the same time is as high as the heavens, wide as the universe and
deep as hell. It permeates through all time, and extends to all
people, both living and dead. We talk sometimes about the Church of
God, and why? We talk about the kingdom of God, and why? Because,
before there could be a kingdom of God, there must be a Church of God,
and hence the first principles of the Gospel were needed to be
preached to all nations, as they were formerly when the Lord Jesus
Christ and others made their appearance on the earth. And why so?
Because of the impossibility of introducing the law of God among a
people who would not be subject to and be guided by the spirit of
revelation. Hence the world have generally made great mistakes upon
these points. They have started various projects to try to unite and
cement the people together without God; but they could not do it.
Fourierism, Communism—another branch of the same thing—and many other
principles of the same kind have been introduced to try and cement the
human family together. And then we have had peace societies, based
upon the same principles; but all these things have failed, and they
will fail, because, however philanthropic, humanitarian, benevolent,
or cosmopolitan our ideas, it is impossible to produce a true and
correct union without the Spirit of the living God, and that Spirit
can only be imparted through the ordinances of the Gospel; and hence
Jesus told his disciples to go and preach the Gospel to every
creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, and said he—"Lo, I am with you always, even to the end." It was
by this cementing, uniting spirit, that true sympathetic, fraternal
relations could be introduced and enjoyed.

Vol. 18,  p.137
When John was on the Isle of Patmos he had a remarkable vision
pertaining to many things, and said he—"I saw a mighty angel flying in
the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to those
who dwell on the earth, to every nation and kindred and people and
tongue, crying with a loud voice—'Fear God, and give glory to
him;[p.138] for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him who
made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.'"

Vol. 18,  p.138
Joseph Smith had this communication made to him, together with the
light of the Gospel, and had conferred upon him the keys of the holy
Priesthood, with power to administer therein and to ordain others to
the same ministry. And he, himself, was baptized as Jesus was
baptized, and he baptized others, and they others, and they then laid
their hands upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost, and they
received it. And then, by the inspiration of the Almighty, they were
directed to gather together, which they have done. And how many of you
who are hearing me to-day hardly knew the reason why you gathered
together? But you had a feeling, a burning desire in your hearts to
mingle with the Saints of God. The Scriptures say—"I will take them
one of a city and two of a family and bring them to Zion; and I will
give them pastors after my own heart, that shall feed them with
knowledge and with understanding."

Vol. 18,  p.138
In accordance with these Principles the Elders of Israel went forth,
as you have heard here during this Conference, not in their own name,
nor in their own strength, nor by their own wisdom; but in the name
and strength and power of Jehovah, and as his chosen messengers to
administer life and salvation to a fallen world. And God went with
them, and his holy angels accompanied them; and the Spirit and power
of God were with them; and the words that they spake they spake not of
themselves but as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. And God
worked with them and the truth came to your hearts and you received it
and rejoiced therein. God had a people scattered abroad among the
nations of the earth, and his Priesthood were instrumental in his
hands in gathering that people together; and in these days as in days
of old, Jesus said—"My sheep hear my voice, and know it and follow me,
and a stranger will they not follow, because they know not the voice
of a stranger."

Vol. 18,  p.138
Here then, God was desirous of introducing his kingdom upon the earth,
and he had in the first place, to organize his Church, to organize the
people that he had scattered among the nations and to bring them
together, that there might be one fold and one shepherd, and one Lord,
one faith and one baptism, and one God, who should be in all and
through all, and by which all should be governed. To facilitate this
object he organized his holy Priesthood as it existed in the heavens,
and he gave a pattern of these things, just as much as he did in the
days of Moses, only more so. God said to Moses—"See that thou make all
things according to the pattern that I showed thee in the mount." God
said to Joseph—"See that thou organize this Church according to the
pattern that I have showed thee." And he placed in his Church
Presidents, Apostles, Patriarchs, Seventies, High Priests, Bishops,
Priests, Teachers, Deacons, Bishops' Councils and High Councils, and
other organizations which God had developed and given to his
Priesthood; and hence, when the angel came which is mentioned by John
on Patmos, he restored the Gospel as it existed with Adam, and with
Enoch, and with Seth, and with Methuselah, and with Noah and
Melchizedek, and with Abraham, with the Prophets, and with the
Apostles and Jesus, whether on the Continent of Asia, on this
continent, or anywhere else; and this people who possess this
Priesthood and the authority from [p.139] God to administer therein,
when they get behind the vail they will enter again into the office of
their calling and will be united with their several Priesthoods there,
for the Priesthood on this and on the other side of the vail are parts
of the same eternal system; and hence with a people like this in
possession of the Priesthood, and enjoying the revelations of heaven,
God could communicate and, through them, could reveal his will to the
human family, but not to a people who would not listen to his laws and
obey his precepts.

Vol. 18,  p.139
This Priesthood was held by John the revelator, by Peter, by Moroni,
one of the Prophets of God on this continent. Nephi, another of the
servants of God on this continent, had the Gospel with its keys and
powers revealed unto him. We know that these things were so, and we do
not profess to argue them, for we all know it. We read that Moses and
Elias appeared to Jesus and his disciples on the mount, and Jesus was
transfigured before them. Who were Moses and Elias? They were Prophets
of the living God who held the Gospel and the Priesthood in former
days, and they were sent to administer to Jesus and to Peter, James
and John on the mount.

Vol. 18,  p.139
We also learn that when John was upon the Isle of Patmos, the visions
of heaven were unfolded to his view, and a great and mighty angel
stood before him and showed to him many great and important things
pertaining to the future; and John fell down to worship him. But said
he—"Hold! do not worship me." "Why? Who are you?" "I am one of thy
fellow-servants the Prophets, who kept the testimony of Jesus and the
word of God. Do not worship me, I am one of those who held the
Priesthood in time and now I am administering in eternity, and have
come forth as a messenger of the Lord to thee."

Vol. 18,  p.139
It was precisely in this way that Joseph Smith was administered unto,
and by the same kind of messengers, who held the same kind of
authority; and they came to introduce and usher in the dispensation of
the fullness of times, that all things that are in Christ might be
gathered together in one, whether they be things in the earth or
things in the heavens. This was done that God's people might be
gathered in one, that God's word might be gathered in one, that's
God's Priesthood might be gathered in one, and that all in Christ on
earth might be united by indissoluble ties with the Priesthood that
exists in heaven, that they all might operate together for the
accomplishment of the purposes of God on the earth. Hence it is said
that "we without them can not be made perfect, and that they without
us can not be made perfect;" a perfect union between heaven and earth
was needed. Under such circumstances what did we do? What could we do?
What intelligence were we in possession of, in and of ourselves? Who
among us knew the first principles of the doctrine of Christ? Not a
man living understood them correctly, and we are indebted to God for
our intelligence in relation to these things. Who knew anything about
the organization of the Church of God? Nobody. Was there any such
thing in existence on the face of the earth? You might have searched
for it, but it would have been in vain, it could not have been found.
There were the systems, creeds and notions of men, but nobody to say,
"Thus saith the Lord." No prophecy, no inspiration, no manifestations
of the power of God. Who knew anything about the necessity of
Presidents or Apostles?[p.140] Nobody. Who knew what an Apostle was?
Nobody. Who knew what a High Priest or a Seventy was? Nobody. Who knew
what an Elder was in the true acceptation of the term? Nobody; neither
was there anybody who knew anything about the office of a Bishop,
Priest, Teacher or Deacon, or about the functions of a High Council or
a Bishop's Council, or any of the ordinances of the Church of God. Who
knew anything about the relation of man to man or of man to woman?
Nobody. Who knew anything about the relationship that exists between
man and God? Nobody. Who knew anything about the eternities that are
to come? Nobody. It was God who revealed these things. Joseph Smith
did not know them, neither did Brigham Young, the Apostles, nor
anybody else until God revealed them, and we are indebted to him for
all the light, knowledge and intelligence that we possess in regard to
the heavens and the earth, in regard to the God who made us and the
mode of worshiping him acceptably.

Vol. 18,  p.140
Now then, we are here; we have these various organizations. The
Twelve, for instance, have various duties and responsibilities
devolving upon them under the direction of the First Presidency. Then
there are the Seventies, who are to be special messengers to the
nations of the earth, to go forth in the name of Israel's God, clothed
upon with his power to administer lice and salvation, and to teach the
people the principles of truth under the direction of the Twelve,
whose duty it is also to administer these principles, and see that
this Gospel is sent to all peoples; and hence the necessity that is
felt by them and by the First Presidency in relation to carrying these
things out.

Vol. 18,  p.140
And let me say a little farther on a subject that I before referred
to, that is, that God could not build up a kingdom on the earth unless
he had a Church, and a people who had submitted to his law and were
willing to submit to it; and with an organization of such a people,
gathered from among the nations of the earth under the direction of a
man inspired of God, the mouthpiece of Jehovah to his people; I say
that, with such an organization, there is a chance for the Lord God to
be revealed, there is an opportunity for the laws of life to be made
manifest, there is a chance for God to introduce the principles of
heaven upon the earth and for the will of God to be done upon earth as
it is done in heaven. God could never establish his kingdom upon the
earth unless he had a people who would submit themselves to his laws
and government; but with such a people he could communicate, to such a
people the heavens could be opened; to such a people the angels of God
could administer; and among them the will of God could be done upon
earth as it is done in heaven, and among no others, and that is why we
are here. Says the Prophet—"I will take them one of a city and two of
a family and bring them to Zion." What will you do with them? "I will
give them pastors after my own heart, that shall feed them with
knowledge and understanding;" that they may be acquainted with each
other and with their various duties and responsibilities; that they
may be instructed in the laws of the holy priesthood, and be prepared,
eventually, to join their quorums in the celestial kingdom of God, and
that the people may be instructed in the laws of life. Hence our
marriage ceremonies, relationships and covenants are among the
principles of the Gospel, and they are eternal; they existed with God
in eternity, and will exist throughout all the eternities [p.141] that
are to come. God has shown us, in regard to our marital relations,
that our wives are to be sealed to us for time and eternity. By what
authority? By the authority of that holy Priesthood that administers
on the earth and in heaven, and of which Jesus said that whatever they
should bind on earth should be bound in heaven, and whatsoever they
should loose on earth should be loosed in heaven; and these
relationships that exist among us here are calculated to be
consummated there, and men and women who understand their true
position expect to enjoy each other's society and association there,
as much as they do in their own homes here, just the same. And though
they may sleep in the dust, yet, by the power of the resurrection,
which you have heard of at this Conference, when the trump shall sound
and the dead in Christ shall rise, they will burst the barriers of the
tomb and come forth, each and all claiming their proper mates—those
with whom they were associated on the earth—through eternity. This is
the way we regard our marriage covenants, no matter what other people
say about it, this is our business, and we shall do it and keep on
doing for ever and ever while God lets us live, because it is the word
of God to us, and in spite of all the powers of earth and hell we
shall never give way in regard to our marriage principles, for they
are eternal; and so with regard to every other principle of the
Gospel. This is why we have come together to help to build up the
kingdom and government of God upon the earth. An earthly government if
you please, and a heavenly government if you please. But no man nor
set of men are capable of introducing principles of this kind unless
God is with them and stands by them; and the first Elders of this
Church never could have done what they did without the power of God
being with them and accompanying them, and God's mercy being extended
to them. And they could not to-day.

Vol. 18,  p.141
Men have strange ideas about the Mormons. Why? Because unless they are
born of water they cannot see the kingdom of God; that is what Jesus
said, and that is why people fail to understand us. But we, who have
been baptized and enlightened by the Spirit of God, can see his
kingdom. We know it, we comprehend it in part, but only in part. What
is the result of all this Priesthood—the First Presidency, the Twelve,
the Seventies, the High Priests, Elders, Bishops, Priests, Teachers
and Deacons? All of them profess to be under the direction of the
Almighty, and if they are not, they are living hypocrites before God
and holy angels; for these are the covenants they have entered into,
and these are the ordinations they have received.

Vol. 18,  p.141
We see something strange in connection with us as a people—the world
follows us, and too many of us follow after the world. Can the world
give you the light that you have received, and the Gospel and the
hopes of heaven you have received, and the Priesthood you have
received? And will you barter these things for a mess of pottage, and
wallow in the filth, corruption, iniquity, and evils which abound in
the world? What have we come here for? To worship God and to keep his
commandments. And how is it with many of us? We forget, in many
instances, our high calling's glorious hope, and we give way to
follies, foibles, weakness, and iniquity, and we are governed more or
less by covetousness, drunkenness, Sabbath-breaking, and evils of
various kinds. I sometimes [p.142] see Elders of Israel bringing in
loads of wood and loads of hay on the Sabbath day. Why, it is a
burning shame in the eyes of God, holy angels, and all other
intelligent beings. If such men had lived under the law of ancient
Israel, they would have been put to death. Do you know that? Go and
read it in your Bibles. What do you think about a lying Elder, a
swearing High Priest, a Sabbath-breaking Seventy, and a covetous
Saint? The souls of such men ought to be inspired with the light of
revelation, and they ought to be living witnesses, epistles known and
read of all men! Do you think you can live your religion, have the
Spirit of God and obtain eternal life, and follow after these things?
I tell you nay. It was said of olden time—"Love not the world, nor the
things that are in the world; for it any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him." That is as true to-day as it was
eighteen hundred years ago. It is proper that we, as Elders of Israel,
and as heads of families, should reflect upon these things, for in
many instances we are setting examples before our children that will
tend to plunge them to perdition. Is this What we are gathered here
for? I tell you nay, we are gathered here to serve God and keep his
commandments, and to build up his Zion upon the earth.

Vol. 18,  p.142
After praying for years that God would inspire his servant Brigham
with the Spirit of revelation, that he might be able to lead forth
Israel in the path in which they should go, he tells us to be one, as
Jesus told his disciples; he tells us to enter into a united order,
that God has revealed it, that we are to be one in spiritual things,
and one in temporal things, to be united together in all principles,
as the Saints of God have been wherever they have existed. But our
Elders can't see it, and many of our Bishop's can't see it, and many
High Priests and Seventies can't see it. Why? Because the Bridegroom
has tarried, and we have all slumbered and slept, and in many
instances we have sinned against God, and our lamps have gone out,
that is the matter, and we have lost the light, and intelligence, and
revelation, and quickening influence of the living God. If we were
living our religion and keeping the commandments of God, we should
feel and act differently; we should then know of the doctrine. Jesus
said—"If any man does my will he shall know of the doctrine, whether
it be of God or whether I speak of myself."

Vol. 18,  p.142
What is the matter, you High Priests, you Seventies, you Bishops and
others? You are not doing the will of God, and you do not know of the
doctrine, that is the matter; and yet we are living in the blaze of
Gospel day, surrounded by Prophets, Apostles, Patriarchs, and men of
God. Is it not time that we humbled ourselves? Is it not time that we
repented of our sins? Is it not time that we forsook our iniquities?
Is it not time that we went back to the first principles, and began to
consider our ways, and to walk in the light of truth? That is the way
that I understand it, and hence the necessity of the Elders of Israel,
the President of the Church, of the Twelve, and of all men who are
inspired by the light of truth and the light of revelation, to stir up
the members of the Church generally to good works. They see Israel
wandering away after strange gods, forsaking the fountain of living
water, and "hewing out to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that
can hold no water;" and hence the necessity of Apostles and Prophets
for the perfecting [p.143] of the Saints and the work of the ministry,
and the edifying of the body of Christ. How is it among many of our
quorums? Perfectly dead, dumb, and lifeless, without the light, and
life, and power of the living God among them; and Elders of Israel,
clothed upon with the Holy Priesthood, expect when they get through,
to associate with the Gods in the eternal worlds. How is it? It is
time for us to reflect and to think upon our situation, and to
consider our ways and be wise. What do you want to do? Do you want to
get up some excitement? No, we want to bring you back to the first
principles of the Gospel of Christ. Do you want us to be baptized? Not
particularly, unless, as stated by President Young, you repent of your
sins and your iniquities and your lying, and your deceiving and your
Sabbath-breaking, and your covetousness and your hypocrisy, and repent
of your speaking against the anointed of God; not unless you are
willing to be governed by the Holy Priesthood in all things pertaining
to this world and the next, pertaining to time and eternity. If you
can't do this, don't be baptized; it will be better for you not to be.

Vol. 18,  p.143
Well, are all in this condition? No, no, there are more than "seven
thousand who have not yet bowed the knee to Baal;" there are more than
seven thousand who are seeking to do right, to live their religion,
and to keep the commandments of God. I say, then, repent of your
iniquities, do your first works, live your religion, keep the
commandments of God; let every man do right and depart from evil. If
any man has sinned against his brother, let him make it right
honestly, and squarely, and truly, and not hypocritically; and let us
do everything with honesty of heart, and seek to God, and humble
ourselves before him, and live our religion, and God will pour
blessings upon us that we shall not find room to contain. His Zion
will rise and shine, and the glory of God will rest upon her, the
principles of truth will spread on the right hand and on the left, and
the mercy of God will be extended unto his people.

Vol. 18,  p.143
May God help us to fear him and keep his commandments, in the name of
Jesus Christ. Amen.[p.144] 

Orson Pratt, August 30, 1875

Fulfillment of Prophecy—the Desert Watered and 
the Wilderness Made Fruitful—Zion in the Valleys of the 
Mountains—Increase of Her Families Like a Flock—
Her Peace, Plenty, and Prosperity

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New 
Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Aug. 30, 1875.

Reported by David W. Evans

Vol. 18,  p.144
I will read the latter part of the 32nd chapter of Isaiah, commencing
at the 13th verse. [The speaker read from the 13th to the 20th verse
inclusive.]

Vol. 18,  p.144
It is very evident from these predictions of the Prophet Isaiah, that
he, by that spirit which opens the future, was able to see the
calamities that would come upon the house of Israel, and not only upon
the people, but also upon the Promised Land, the land of Canaan, now
called Palestine. A curse was predicted upon that land, that instead
of bringing forth those things that were necessary to sustain a
people, it should bring forth briars and thorns. We are also told that
this desolation should remain for a long period, until the Spirit
should be poured out from on high, until, in the purposes of the Most
High, he should pendent his Spirit, and that would produce a great
change upon that land, but until that time it was to be desolate. All
the houses of joy in the Jewish city were to be desolate, and, us it
is recorded in other passages in Isaiah, they were to be the
desolations of many generations. Not the desolation of seventy years,
as happened to Israel in their Babylonish captivity, which only
comprised about one generation, but the desolations were to be for
many generations, during which that land was to lie uncultivated. The
latter rains were to be withheld, and the land was to become dry and
parched up, bringing forth thorns and briars, and this was to continue
until the Lord poured out his Spirit from on high.

Vol. 18,  p.144
It seems, then, that the Lord had a particular set time in his own
mind, when he would again pour out his Spirit from on high upon his
people, and more especially upon the house of Israel; and when that
time arrives, there will not only be a great moral reformation among
the people, but we are told that the revolution will extend to the
land also, for the Prophet says here, that when the Spirit is poured
out from on high, the wilderness shall be a fruitful field, and the
fruitful field shall be centered for a forest. What are we to
understand by the prediction that the wilderness shall be a fruitful
field [p.145] when the Spirit is poured out from on high? We are to
understand the same as is recorded in the thirty-fifth chapter of this
prophecy, a small portion of which I will read. Speaking of the
gathering of the Israelites in the latter times, he says—"The
wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the
desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom
abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of
Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon;
they shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God."

Vol. 18,  p.145
Now, to comprehend that this is to be a latter-day work, and not a
work that was to take place soon after the prediction was uttered, we
will read the following verses—"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and
confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be
strong and fear not; behold your God will come with vengeance, even
God with a recompense; he will come and save you."

Vol. 18,  p.145
That has never been fulfilled; but preparatory to the time when God
will come with vengeance to sweep away wickedness from the face of the
earth, the house of Israel will be gathered back to their own lands,
and the people of God will be permitted to dwell in the wilderness,
and that wilderness will become a fruitful field. It is even said that
the desert should rejoice because of those who are gathered, and
should blossom as the rose.

Vol. 18,  p.145
Now that is something that has been fulfilled during the last quarter
of a century, here in this wilderness, barren, desert country. The
great latter-day work has commenced, the kingdom of God has been
reorganized on the earth; in other words, the Christian Church in all
its purity and with all its ordinances, has been reorganized upon the
face of the earth, and the time has at length come when the Spirit of
God has been poured out from on high. Until that period arrived, there
was no hope for Israel, no hope for the land of Palestine, no hope for
the redemption of the tribes scattered in the four quarters of the
earth; but when the wilderness should become as a fruitful field, when
the spirit should again be poured out from on high, through the
everlasting Gospel of the Son of God, then the people should be
gathered together by the commandment of the Lord. As is here stated,
his Spirit should be the instrument in gathering them together. "My
mouth, it hath commanded this great gathering." Then we may look out,
for a change upon the face of the land where this gathering takes
place; we may look for the deserts to become like the garden of Eden,
to blossom as the rose that blossoms in rich and fertile gardens, to
blossom abundantly, and the desert to rejoice with joy and singing. We
are to look also, soon after this period of time, for the great
Redeemer to come. "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong,
fear not, behold your God will Come with vengeance; he will come and
save you," having reference to his second coming in the clouds of
heaven, with power and with great glory, attended by all the angelic
hosts; coming in flaming fire to consume the wicked from the face of
the earth as stubble, to burn them up, both root and branch, while the
Sabots that are left will go forth upon the face of the earth and grow
up as calves of the stall, and tread upon the ashes of the wicked.

Vol. 18,  p.146
The Prophet says that, when Jesus comes with vengeance and destroys
[p.146] the wicked, redeems the desert, and causes the wilderness to
become a fruitful field, then the lame man shall leap as a hart, the
tongue of the dumb shall speak, the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped, for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams
in the desert, and the parched ground shall become a pool, and the
thirsty land springs of water.

Vol. 18,  p.146
A great many people enquire of the Latter-day Saints—"Why is it that
you do not heal up all of your sick and those who are afflicted among
you?" This question is often asked. Says the enquirer—"If you are the
true Christian Church; if God has indeed sent his angel from heaven,
as you Latter-day Saints testify that he has; if he has indeed
organized his kingdom on the earth for the last time, preparatory to
the day of his coming; how is it, if you have those gifts that they
had in the ancient Christian Church, that all your lame and blind and
dumb, and those who are afflicted are not healed up?" I answer, for
the same reasons that the ancient Christians were not all healed. If
they had always been healed in ancient times in the Church, they would
have been living now. The time came for them to die, and they did die,
notwithstanding all the faith of the ancient Christians, and
notwithstanding they had power to say to the lame—"Be thou healed,"
and the lame would leap as a hart; notwithstanding they had power, in
the name of Jesus, to command blindness to depart from the children of
men, and to command all manner of plagues and pestilences and they
were subject to their command in the name of Jesus, yet, after all,
the ancient Christians died. Why did they not heal them, keep them
along, and not let them die? Because that was not according to the
order which God had established. When a man or woman is appointed unto
death you, nor I, nor Peter, nor James, nor Paul, nor John, nor any
other man of God can heal them in the name of Jesus. Why? Because God
has otherwise determined. But that did not do away the gift of healing
in ancient times; that gift was abundantly made manifest,
notwithstanding there were many who were sick who were not healed.

Vol. 18,  p.146
So in the latter-day kingdom, when the spirit is poured out again from
on high, when God begins to manifest these ancient gifts again among
his people, and the blind among them are made to see, and the deaf to
hear, and the tongue of the dumb is made to speak, and the lame is
made to walk—when all these things begin to take place among the
people of God, still there will be many, very many, that will not be
healed, otherwise the prophecy will not be fulfilled.

Vol. 18,  p.146
At the very time the Savior makes his appearance and comes with
vengeance, there will be the sick, the lame, the blind, the dumb, the
maimed, and those afflicted with all manner of diseases. The Prophet
says that when he comes and finds them in this condition, "Then shall
the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be unstopped,
the tongue of the dumb speak, and the lame man shall leap like a
hart," &c. So there will be something left for Jesus to do, when he
comes in flaming fire, to heal all the sick who have not faith to be
healed prior to that time. But when Jesus comes, he brings all the
Saints with him; he raises the righteous dead from their graves, not
as he raised Lazarus into mortality, but he raises them up, male and
female, with immortal bodies, to reign here on the earth during the
period that he himself [p.147] shall reign, during the great Sabbath
of creation, the millennial reign of one thousand years.

Vol. 18,  p.147
Now, we would naturally suppose that during that period of a thousand
years everybody would have the power of faith to be healed. But no,
though the Son of God is there, though the righteous dead with their
immortal bodies are there, yet old men will die even then, for it is
according to the design and purpose of the great Jehovah. Though there
will be no one to fall asleep in infancy; though none of the youth
will die in that day; though there will be no middle-aged persons upon
whom death will lay his powerful grasp, yet the aged, or, as Isaiah
says in his last chapter but one,—"The days of my people shall be as
the days of a tree, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their
hands. A child shall not die until he is a hundred years old." We
would naturally suppose that, the Lord being here, all the resurrected
Saints being here, he would not let them die when they become old; but
he lets them pass away according to the decree that was made when man
fell and was cast out from the presence of the Lord. They must die,
the penalty must come upon them.

Vol. 18,  p.147
But with regard to the wilderness that is here spoken of—"Water shall
break forth in the desert, springs of living water, streams also in
the desert, and the parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty
land springs of water"—have you seen anything of the nature of this
prediction fulfilled? Latter-day Saints, how was it with this
wilderness twenty-eight years ago this summer when the pioneers
entered this land, and when several thousands followed them in the
autumn of that same year? What did you, who were appointed to explore
the country, find? Many places parched up, looking as though there had
been no water or rain from heaven for many years. You began to form
your settlements on the streams that ran down from the melting snows
in the mountains; and in a very short period of time you began to send
forth your settlements, north and south and west. Occasionally you
would find a little spring that would break out from under the
threshold of the mountain, sufficient to water perhaps an acre of
ground, and only one family could go there and settle. What do you
find now? The same streams that would only water one acre of ground
then—you know I am speaking to people who know for themselves, for
they have seen it—the water in those very localities is now sufficient
to water from one hundred to five hundred acres. What do you think of
that? Have you realized that the hand of the Lord is with you?—that he
has indeed fulfilled that which he spoke by the mouth of his ancient
Prophet, when he said—"For in the wilderness waters shall break forth
and streams in the desert, etc."? He meant just what he said, and you
have come hither and proved his words to be true.

Vol. 18,  p.147
I recollect traveling through this country, some three or four hundred
miles, in the early days, soon after we had begun to branch out from
this city to the north and the south, I found sometimes on a little
stream of water from two to three families, and one or two of them
would be talking about breaking up and going elsewhere, because there
was not sufficient water to enable them to raise what was necessary to
sustain them. selves. Now we visit the same settlements and what do we
find?—flourishing villages containing from thirty to fifty families.
What is the matter? The Lord has fulfilled that [p.148] which he
spoke, causing streams in the desert.

Vol. 18,  p.148
I recollect that the pioneers, in the month of July, 1847, wont over
on to the north point of the west mountain to see the Great Salt Lake,
to see what it looked like, what was the nature of the water, &c. We
went to a place that has been called for many years "Black Rock," a
rock that is out in the lake a few rods from the shore. We concluded
that we would go out to this rock to see what the depth of the water
was beyond it. We did so, on dry ground, the waters of the lake being
then several feet below the place where we walked to the Black Rock.
What do we see now, and what have we seen for several years past? The
path on which the pioneers traveled on foot to Black Rock is now
covered with water ten feet deep. Showing that Salt Lake has risen
some twelve or fifteen feet during the last quarter of a century. What
is the meaning of this? Can you tell? Says one—"I should have thought
the lake would have become lower." That would be a very natural
supposition; for our people have gone to work and made scores and
scores of canals to carry on to their farms the water from the
mountains that formerly ran into the lake, and hence the lake has had
very little water running into it compared with what it would have had
if the streams from the mountains had not been so diverted. But God
has said that he would make the wilderness a fruitful field, and
streams in the desert, and he has fulfilled his promise.

Vol. 18,  p.148
Pioneers, if any of you are here to-day, let me ask you a
question—When you came down from the mouth of Emigration Canyon, where
Camp Douglas is now situated, into this region of country, in July,
1847, what did the ground appear like? Did you dig down and make any
experiments? "O yes, in many places." How far did you dig down? "Some
of us dug many feet to see if there was any appearance of moisture."
Did you find anything? What was the appearance of the soil? It looked
as though there had been no rain for many generations. What do we find
now? We find this same parched-up soil, for some five square miles,
where Salt Lake City is located, converted into fruitful gardens,
planted with apple, pear, peach, plum, and other kinds of fruit trees
adapted to the climate, and in the spring season of the year, in the
months of May and June, this locality is like one vast; garden full of
blossoms, so much so that strangers are astonished beyond measure to
see such a large extent of country so much like a garden.

Vol. 18,  p.148
Now let us see what Isaiah says about it, for he looked upon it as
well as you, if he did live twenty-five hundred years ago. "The Lord
shall comfort Zion, he will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert
like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein,
thanksgiving and the voice of melody." Indeed! Did you see it, Isaiah,
as well as the people that live in our day? Did you see a people go
into the desert and offer up thanksgiving and the voice of melody? Did
you see that desert and wilderness redeemed from its sterile condition
and become like the garden of Eden? "O yes," says Isaiah, "I saw it
all, and I left it on record for the benefit of the generation that
should live some two or three thousand years after my day." But
Isaiah, are we to understand that the people are to be gathered
together in that desert, and that the gathered people are to be
instrumental in the hands of God, in redeeming that desert? Yes,
Isaiah has told us all this. We will [p.149] go back to what we read
in his thirty-second chapter—"Until the spirit be poured out upon us
from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful
field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the
wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field." What
fruitful field? Why, the wilderness that will be converted into a
fruitful field. "The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the
effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever; and my
people shall dwell in peaceable habitations, and in sure dwellings and
in quiet resting places."

Vol. 18,  p.149
Was that the way we dwelt in Missouri or Illinois? Did we live in
quietness and with assurance continually in those States? Oh, no, we
were tossed about; as Isaiah says—"tossed too and fro and not
comforted." That was the case with Zion while down in the States, and
that was in accordance with a modern revelation, in which, speaking of
Zion, the Lord says—"You shall be persecuted from city to city and
from synagogue to synagogue, and but few shall stand to receive their
inheritance." But when the time should come for Zion to go up into the
wilderness things would be changed; then my people shall dwell in
peaceable habitations, in sure dwelling places, and in quietness and
assurance."

Vol. 18,  p.149
Will they have any capital city when they get up into the mountain
desert? O, yes. Isaiah says here—"When it shall hail, coming down on
the forest, the city shall be low in a low place." How often have I
thought of this since we laid out this great city, twenty-eight years
ago! How often have this people reflected in their meditations upon
the fulfillment of this prophecy! They have seen, on this eastern
range of mountains and on the range of mountains to the west of this
valley, snow and storms pelting down with great fury, as though winter
in all its rigor and ferocity had over-taken the mountain territory,
and at the same time, here, "low in a low place," was a city,
organized at the very base of these mountains, enjoying all the
blessings of a spring temperature, the blessings of a temperature not
sufficient to cut off our vegetation. What a contrast! "When it shall
hail, coming down on the forest, the city shall be low in a low
place." That could not be Jerusalem, no such contrast in the land of
Palestine round about Jerusalem! It had reference to the latter-day
Zion, the Zion of the mountains.

Vol. 18,  p.149
Says one—"Is there anything in Isaiah that speaks of Zion being
located in a high or elevated region in the mountains?" Oh yes, let us
read and see what he says about it in his fortieth chapter: "Comfort
ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God." Then he goes on to speak
of the second coming of the Son of Man, and he says—"Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."
The same as you have made, or assisted in making, the great highway
through this desert region, and constructed highways here in the
desert called the iron railroad. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Vol. 18,  p.149
Says one—"That meant his first coming, John the Baptist, etc." Let us
see. "Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall
be laid low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough
places be made plain, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and
all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord bath spoken
it." 

Vol. 18,  p.149
Did that mean his first coming? [p.150] Was the glory of God then
revealed? Did all flesh see it together? No; it has reference to the
second advent the coming of the Lord in his glory and in his power,
when every eye shall see him. Then the mountains shall be laid low,
then the valleys shall be raised up, then the rough places will be
made smooth, then the glory of God will be made manifest to all flesh
living, and every eye—the wicked and the righteous—will behold him,
and they also who pierced him.

Vol. 18,  p.150
But before that day what will take place? We will read the 9th verse
in the same chapter. "O Zion"—something about Zion now, before the
Lord comes—"O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the
high mountains." Did you come up into these high mountains, you people
of the latter-day Zion? What did you come here for? Because Isaiah
predicted that this was the place you should come to, you should get
up into the high mountain. He foretold it, and you have fulfilled it.
"O Zion, that bringest good tidings." What good tidings? What tidings
have you been declaring the last forty-five years to the nations and
kingdoms of the earth? What have you testified to, you missionaries?
Your missionaries have gone from nation to nation and from kingdom to
kingdom, proclaiming to the people that God has sent his angel from
heaven with the everlasting Gospel to be preached unto all people upon
the face of the whole earth. This is what you have been proclaiming.
Is not the everlasting Gospel glad tidings to the children of men? I
think it is, and especially when it is brought by an angel to prepare
the way for the great and glorious day of the coming of the King of
kings and Lord of lords. It is good tidings that people who receive
this everlasting Gospel, are commanded to get up into the high
mountain. You have fulfilled it, you have been at it now for
twenty-eight years, coming up from the eastern slope, from the great
Atlantic seaboard, and gradually rising and ascending until you have
located yourselves in a place upwards of four thousand feet above the
level of the sea. And here in the Zion of the mountains you have
founded a great Territory, with some two hundred towns and villages,
with your capital city "low in a low place," where the temperature of
spring prevails, while all the rigors of an arctic winter are beating
upon the tops of the mountains in our immediate vicinity.

Vol. 18,  p.150
But lest any should suppose that this getting up into the mountains
was a former-day work, let me read the next verse—"Behold the Lord God
will come with a strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold
his reward is with him and his work before him." Not coming to be
smitten and spat upon, and despised, and to hang upon across, as was
the case in ancient days; but the Lord God is to come with a strong
hand, and his arm is to rule in that day as a king, as a lawgiver, as
a mighty potentate to reign over all the kingdoms of the world, which
will then become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, I mean that
portion of them that are not swept off with devouring fire.

Vol. 18,  p.150
But I said that this people, called the Zion of the mountains, that
were to cause the wilderness to blossom as the rose, were to be a
people gathered from the four quarters of the earth. Can it be proved?
Yes. I will refer you to the 107th Psalm, Where it is said—"Oh, give
thanks unto the Lord, for he is God,  and his mercy endureth forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath [p.151] redeemed
from the hand of the enemy, and gathered them out of the lands from
the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south"—a
gathered people. Let us see what this people were to do. "They
wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way. They found no city to
dwell in." I wish you had all been with the pioneers in the year 1847.
When we started out, in the dead of the winter of 1846, upon the
prairies of Iowa, after leaving the great Mississippi, and getting out
about fifty miles from that river, we did not as much as find a foot
track, and no signs of a human habitation. We wandered over that
uninhabited territory some four hundred miles, until we reached the
Pottowattamie and Omaha tribes of Indians, then located on the
Missouri river. Then, early the next spring, we started forth, (one
hundred and forty-three pioneers) with our faces still westward, and
went up on the north side of the Platte river several hundred miles.
Did we find a roan most of that distance? No road at all. We found
tens of thousands of buffalo and their paths; we found a great many
hostile tribes of Indians, who sought very diligently to take away our
horses and mules, and to cripple us in this manner. But we continued
our journey, and at length came through these mountains, after having
crossed at the South Pass, and come forth to a little fort called Fort
Bridget. We then started into an unknown country, still bending our
course southwesterly, for there was a rumor, and not only a rumor, but
it had been testified, that there was a great inland sea, called the
Salt Lake, in the midst of the great American desert. We had heard
this rumor, and had read some of Fremont's travels in the midst of
hostile Indian tribes. We came forth into this desert, wandering in
the wilderness in a solitary way. Who were they that thus wandered?
People that had been gathered but from the east and the west, from the
north and the south, redeemed from the hand of those who sought to
destroy them. "They wandered in the wilderness, in a solitary way, and
they found no city to dwell in." How different this was from the
ancient Israelites when they entered the land of Palestine! They found
numerous cities, built by the former inhabitants of the land.
Jerusalem was a city that had been known for a long period before the
Israelites went into that land, built up by its former heathen
inhabitants. They found large vineyards, with grapes and fruit in
great abundance, and cities, towns, and villages spread throughout the
land, which the Lord God gave them for their possession. How different
was that from the latter-day work, when the redeemed of the Lord
should gather from the four quarters of the earth, and wander in a
wilderness in a solitary way; they were to find no city to dwell in.

Vol. 18,  p.151
Did we suffer anything? Yes. Did the old Prophet speak of these
sufferings? Yes. "Hungry and thirsty, their souls fainted in them;
then they cried unto the Lard in their trouble, and he delivered them
out of their distresses, and he led them forth by the right way." Yes,
when our food gave out; when the crickets came in here by armies; when
tons and tons of them poured in on the little crops first planted,
ready to devour everything before them, and we were living on quarter
rations, what did we do? We cried unto the Lord in our distress, in
our hunger and thirst, believing that he would have compassion on us,
and open some way for our relief, and he did so—he sent forth large
flocks of [p.152] gulls that lit down upon these crickets and devoured
them up, and thus the crops of the people were saved.

Vol. 18,  p.152
"Well," says one, "does this have reference to the same desert and
wilderness that you have been reading about?" Let us see. "Let them
exalt him, also, in the congregation of the people, and praise him in
the assembly of the elders. He turns rivers into the wilderness, and
water springs into dry grounds, and a fruitful land into barrenness
for the wickedness of them that dwell therein." Now notice the next
prediction—"He turns the wilderness into a standing water, and dry
ground into water springs, and there he makes the hungry to dwell."
What for? "That they may prepare a city for habitation." Though we did
not find any cities already built here, we had to prepare one, and we
have done so, and a very fine one indeed it is, and the wonder and
astonishment of strangers who come here and see what has been done in
the midst of a desert. The Lord predicted it, and you are the ones who
have fulfilled it. "That they may prepare a city for habitation."

Vol. 18,  p.152
What else? Were they to be lazy and indolent? No. That they may "sow
fields and plant vineyards, which may yield fruits of Increase. He
blesseth them also, so that they are multiplied greatly, and suffereth
not their cattle to decrease." Strangers, if you want to know how fast
we are multiplying, just go through our settlements, and look at the
numerous children in our Sabbath schools; you never heard of such an
increase and multiplication, and the Lord foretold that it would be
so.

Vol. 18,  p.152
There is another very curious thing concerning this people who should
come into the desert wilderness. Isaiah says—"He setteth the poor on
high from affliction," Now, a great many of this people were very poor
on arriving here; they had been robbed five times of all they had, and
driven cut. After having been thus plundered, we came here very poor;
but the Lord "setteth the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him
families like a flock." What a wonderful prophecy this is! A poor man
to have not only a family like a flock, but even families. If you do
not believe it strangers, go through our Territory, and see the large
families, and in some cases you will find in the same vicinity six or
eight different families, with their houses and farms, all belonging
to one man, and he perhaps a poor man when be came here. "He setteth
the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a
flock. The righteous shall see it and rejoice." What! The righteous
see this and have joy in it? So says the prophecy. "But," says one, "I
should have thought every one would have been disgusted with it." To
think that a man should have a family or families like a flock, while
the righteous see it and rejoice! What else? "And all iniquity shall
stop her mouth." That has not yet been fulfilled. "Whosoever is wise
and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving
kindness of the Lord." That is, those who observe these things are
called a wise people, those who have gathered from the east, and the
west, and the north, and the south, that wander in the wilderness in a
solitary place, finding no city to dwell in, hungry and thirsty, poet,
stripped, robbed, plundered, forced into the desert, driven by their
enemies, that very people should multiply exceedingly, the families of
the poor man should become like a flock, and the people should rejoice
in the midst of all their afflictions, [p.153] while all the wicked
should eventually stop their mouths. That will be their destiny sooner
or later.

Vol. 18,  p.153
We will now return to our text, the 32nd of Isaiah—"Blessed are ye
that sow by the side of all waters, and send forth thither the feet of
the ox and the ass." Why did Isaiah say that a blessing should be
given to a certain people that should happen to sow by the side of
streams of water? Why did he not bless the others who lived on the
hills and mountains, as they do all over our States and many other
countries of the globe? Because he saw, in looking at this people,
that they, in their location, were to go into a desert, and the
redeemed of the Lord would be under the necessity of getting along the
sides of streams; they could not go out several miles from a stream or
spring and trust to the rains of heaven; no, the rains do not come
here, or did not when we first located, so as to bless those who would
naturally desire to reside far from a stream of water, but we were all
under the necessity of getting down close to the side of some stream
of water. What for? That it would be handy to build little canals to
get water out to throw over the land. "Blessed are they who sow by the
side of all waters and send forth thither the feet of the ox and the
ass."

Vol. 18,  p.153
We have read these words of the ancient Prophet, in order that the
Latter-day Saints may call to mind how completely the Lord is
fulfilling every jot and every tittle, so far as time will permit, of
that which he caused to be spoken, by the power of the Holy Ghost,
through his ancient Prophets. Strangers think it very curious that
this people should have such large families. If such were not the
case, we would not be the people predicted about that were to be so
blessed; but we are that people, and it is in vain for us to undertake
to turn the hand of the Lord to the right or to the left. He has his
own eternal course to pursue, and all his purposes he will fulfil, and
there is no power beneath the heavens that can stay his almighty hand.
He will fulfill that which he has spoken, in order that there may be
no room for infidelity in the four quarters of the earth. There are a
great many infidels now-a-days, and I do not wonder at it. Looking at
modern Christendom, without any Prophets, inspiration, gifts, or the
ancient powers of the Gospel, it is enough to make three quarters or
nine-tenths of the people infidel in regard to religion. But the Lord
is going to leave the people without any excuse, for every jot and
tittle of that which he spoke by the mouths of his ancient Prophets he
will bring to pass in its time and in its season. Zion is destined to
fill the mountains in the last days; Zion will become, as Isaiah says,
in his 60th chapter, a great people. A little one shall become a
thousand, and a small one a strong nation. The Lord shall bring it
forth in its time, says Isaiah, and in the same chapter he speaks of
the future glory of that people, and declares that while darkness
should cover the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people,
Zion should arise and shine. These are the words of the Prophet—"Zion
shall arise and shine, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon her.
The Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of
thy rising."

Vol. 18,  p.153
Inquires one—"Is Zion going to become popular, so that Gentiles and
kings and great men will come to her light?" Yes, certainly; and not
only Gentiles, kings and great men, but many of all the nations of the
earth have got to come to Zion, and, according to this very chapter,
that [p.154] nation and kingdom that will not serve Zion shall perish,
and be utterly wasted away. Has there ever been such a people as this
since the day Isaiah lived? There never has; but such a people and
such a time are coming, and Zion will be that people. "The Gentiles
shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Thy
gates shall be open continually, that men may bring the forces of the
Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought."

Vol. 18,  p.154
It will be a time of great plenty of the precious metals. In those
days God will give the keys of the treasures of the earth and he will
open them up to the people, Isaiah says, in this connection—"For brass
I will bring gold, for iron I will bring silver, for wood brass, and
for stones iron." Gold and silver will be so plentiful that they will
be used for the pavement of streets. But the covetous may say—"That
will be a fine chance for us to steal; if you get pavements made with
gold and silver we shall be along after them." I think you will not.
Why? Because God will be there, and I do not think you will have any
chance to steal; for it is said in the fourth chapter of Isaiah's
prophecy, that in that day every dwelling place in Mount Zion and all
her assemblies shall have a cloud and Smoke by day, and the shining of
a flaming fire by night. Do you think you would like to go into a city
where every dwelling place is lighted up with a pillar of fire by
night, and undertake to dig up the pavements? I think you would not
have the heart to do it, you would fear that light would go forth from
the presence of the Lord, and consume you, as it did many rebellious
and wicked ones among the Israelites. Gold will be very good for
pavements, if they are only constructed properly; and Mount Zion will
be a very beautiful city, one of the most beautiful that has ever been
on the face of the whole earth. It is spoken of by the Psalmist David,
in the 50th psalm and also in another psalm—"Beautiful for situation,
the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King."

Vol. 18,  p.154
You Christians quote the Psalmist David, and sing about this in your
chapels and meeting houses, and you sing about the desert becoming
like the Garden of Eden, and joy and gladness being found therein; you
have it all fixed up so that it makes melody in the ears of your
respective congregations. You sing about the fulfillment of these
prophecies, but let a man of God be sent forth by the inspiration and
power of the Almighty to warn you concerning the great day of the Lord
that is coming; and concerning the fulfillment of these prophecies,
and you will gnash your teeth upon him. He reads to you the same
things that you sing, and brings forth the same testimony and the same
Scriptures that are, every Sabbath day, repeated in your hearing, and
yet you stone him and close the doors of your synagogues and chapels
against him, and cry "False Prophets," "delusions," "false teachers,"
and every evil epithet you can possibly invent to prejudice the minds
of the people against him. Why? Because he comes to you with the
truth; because he comes to you as a messenger from heaven; because he
comes to you, testifying that the Lord God has spoken by his own
voice, that he has sent his angel with the everlasting Gospel to be
proclaimed to the nations as a preparatory work for the great day of
bringing in the fullness of the Gentiles and the salvation and
gathering of all the [p.155] house of Israel. You cannot bear the
truth, you will not hear it, and you cast out the servants of God, and
stir up prejudice against them. Amen.

Orson Pratt, July 18, 1875

Book of Mormon—Urim and Thummim—Appearance of a Holy 
Angel in 1829 to Four Persons—Their Testimonies to the 
Truth of the Book of Mormon—Also Eight Other 
Witnesses—Isaiah's Prophecy Relates to that 
Book—Ezekiel's Prophecy

Discourse By Elder Orson Pratt, Delivered in the New Tabernacle, 
Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, July 18, 1875.

Reported by David W. Evans

Vol. 18,  p.155
I will read a few verses in the 29th chapter of Isaiah, commencing at
the 18th verse. [The speaker read from the 18th verse to the end of
the chapter.]

Vol. 18,  p.155
That which I wish to call to your mind, more particularly, on the
present occasion, will be found in the first verse that I read—"In
that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book."

Vol. 18,  p.155
The Latter-day Saints are a peculiar people among the inhabitants of
the earth of the present age, peculiar in many things, peculiar in
many religions notions and views. We profess to believe in this book,
the Jewish record, called the Bible. We are not peculiar so far as
this item of our faith is concerned; but in addition to the Bible, we
believe in another book, called the Book of Mormon, which we believe
to be equally sacred with the Bible. Some may, perhaps, call the Book
of Mormon a bible, and in one sense of the word it may be called that,
for it is a collection of sacred books, the same as the Jewish record
is. The difference between the two records is merely in the history,
and in some of the prophetic writings. The Bible professes to be a
history of the people who lived on the eastern continent, while the
Book of Mormon professes to be a history of the people who lived in
ancient America. We have denominated the Jewish record the Bible,
because it is a collection of books said to have been written by
inspired men. I do not see any reason why we should not also, as
Latter-day Saints, call the Book of Mormon a bible, it being a
collection of books written by Prophets and Revelators. Perhaps,
however, the world, or those who are strangers to the evidences
concerning these two [p.156] books, may object, and say that we have
no right to call the Book of Mormon a bible, unless we can bring such
evidence to substantiate its divinity as we can concerning the Jewish
record. But supposing that we are in possession of similar evidences
concerning this book in relation to ancient America, as you are in
regard to the Bible, the history of the people of Palestine; supposing
that we can bring forth as many evidences and substantial testimonies
to prove the divinity of the Book of Mormon, as you can to prove the
divinity of the Jewish record, then why should we not include it among
the sacred books, and denominate it a bible, as well as call the
Jewish record such? I will, this afternoon, by the assistance of the
Spirit of God, endeavor to lay before you, Latter-day Saints, and
strangers who may be present, some of the evidences that we have
concerning the divinity of this book which we esteem so highly—the
Book of Mormon.

Vol. 18,  p.156
In the first place, I will give you a very brief statement concerning
the manner in which the Book of Mormon was found. In the year 1827, a
young man, a farmer's boy, by the name of Joseph Smith, was visited by
an holy angel, as he had been for several years prior to this time.
But on this occasion, in the fall of 1827, he was permitted to take
into his possession the plates from which the Book of Mormon was
translated—the angel gave them into his hands, permitted him to take
them from the place of their deposit, which was discovered to Mr.
Smith by the angel of God. With this book, called the Book of Mormon,
was a very curious instrument, such a one, probably, as no person had
seen for many generations; it was called by the angel of God, the Urim
and Thummim. We know that such an instrument existed in ancient times
among the Jews, and among the Israelites in the wilderness, and that
it was used to inquire of the Lord, and so sacred was that instrument
in the days of Moses, that Aaron, the chief priest of the whole house
of Israel, was commanned to place it within his breastplate, that when
he should judge the tribes of the house of Israel, he should not judge
by his own wisdom, but should inquire of the Lord by means of this
instrument, and whatever decision the Lord, by aid of the Urim and
Thummim, should give, all Israel should give heed to it. The same
instrument was in use, many hundred years after the days of Aaron, by
the Prophets of Israel. David inquired by means of an instrument of
that kind, concerning his enemies, who pursued him from city to city,
asking the Lord certain questions—whether his enemies would come to
the city where he happened to be, and whether he would be delivered up
to them by the people of that city; and the Lord gave him all
necessary instruction, and by this means he was delivered out of the
hands of his enemies from time to time.

Vol. 18,  p.156
But it seems that, before the coming of Christ, for some reason,
probably through wickedness, the Urim and Thummim were taken away from
the children of Israel, and a prophecy was uttered by one of the
ancient Prophets, before Christ, that they should be many days without
a Priest, without the Urim and Thummim, without the ephod, and without
many things that God blessed them with in the days of their
righteousness; but that in the latter days God would again restore all
his blessings to the people of Israel, including their counselors and
their judges as at the first.

Vol. 18,  p.157
With these plates that Joseph [p.157] Smith, the Prophet, obtained
through the instructions of the angel, he also obtained the Urim and
Thummim, and by their aid he copied a few characters from the plates,
and translated them. He was not a learned man himself, but an ignorant
farmer's boy, scarcely having the first rudiments of education. He
could read and write a little, and that was about the amount of his
educational acquirements. After having copied a few of the characters
from these plates and translated them, he committed them into the
hands of Martin Harris, a man with whom he was acquainted, who lived
not far from his neighborhood; and Martin Harris took these few
characters and their translation to the City of New York, to show them
to the learned, and if possible to get some information in regard to
their meaning. This was in the year 1827. Martin Harris was then a
middle-aged man, being abo