Journal of Discourses Volume 20

BY: PRESIDENT JOHN TALYOR

AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
QUORUM OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES

Also,
REMARKS BY OTHER PROMINENT ELDERS

Reported By:
GEORGE F. GIBBS, JOHN IRVINE AND OTHERS

Respectfully Dedicated to the Latter-Day Saints in all the World

VOL. XX

LIVERPOOL:

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM BUDGE, 42 ISLINGTON,

LONDON.

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

1880

Preface

Vol. 20, p.iii
We take pleasure in presenting to the lovers of truth the Twentieth
Volume of the JOURNAL OF DISCOURSES.

Vol. 20, p.iii
It contains lucid explanations of the laws and doctrines of the true
Gospel of Christ, and inspirational teachings suited to the
circumstances of the people to whom they were delivered.

Vol. 20, p.iii
Those who read the utterances of the servants of God, contained in
this book, under the same influence by which the speakers were
inspired, cannot fall to receive profit from the perusal. Therefore,
"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches."

THE PUBLISHER. [p.1]

George Q. Cannon, April 7, 1878

Ideas Held By the Latter-Day Saints Winning the Way—
Territorial Prosperity—"Mormonism" not Favored of the Government
—Latter-Day Saints to Save the Government—Good Counsel on Many Points

Delivered at the Annual Conference, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Morning April 7, 1878.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 20, p.1
It is somewhat unexpected to myself that I have the opportunity, this
morning, of appearing in your midst. Important business demanded my
return to this city for a short time; but in consequence of certain
responsibilities devolving upon me at Washington, it seemed imprudent
for me to leave and come here. A week ago last Friday morning I
scarcely thought it possible that I could get away; but during the day
I was favored in making such arrangements that I felt I could leave
with safety, for a few days at least. And I immediately started for
this city by way of Philadelphia.

Vol. 20, p.1
I am glad to have the opportunity of meeting with so many of my
brethren and sisters, of beholding your faces, of listening to the
instructions which have been given, and in sharing in the spirit that
has been and will be poured out upon us. It is a great relief to one
who has been absent for any length of time, mingling with the world,
to have the opportunity of associating with you, my brethren and
sisters; at least I esteem it as such. I never turn my face homewards
without experiencing joy and gladness at the thought of once more
being reunited with you.

Vol. 20, p.1
I never in my life have had a deeper interest in the welfare, in the
prosperity and in the advancement of the cause with which we are
identified, than at the present time. This feeling has rested with
great weight upon my mind; I feel we are living in a most important
era of time. I feel that the mission assigned unto us is one that we,
at the present time, scarcely begin to comprehend. The most important
[p.2] results that are to flow from it have scarcely begun to dawn
upon our minds. At least personally this is my feeling. When I
contemplate the immensity of the field of labor that lies before us,
the evils and wrongs that have to be corrected, as I believe, through
the agency of this people, as also the reforms that have to be
effected and to be carried out successfully, it seems to me that as
the days roll around, I begrudge the passing hours; I feel as though
the days are entirely too short, and that I should like to live for a
millennium to help those with whom I am associated to bring to pass
the great, the important, the soul-saving as well as body-redeeming
plans that are to be carried out in order to bring to pass the designs
of Providence in relation to man and the earth.

Vol. 20, p.2
Already the Latter-day Saints can see that the leaven that has been
planted by the Gospel has been doing a gradual work in effecting
important changes. It may be thought of a people confined to these
mountains, numbering no more than we do, that our influence must be
necessarily very limited, and that we can accomplish but very little.
But the ideas that have been propagated by the Latter-day Saints,
though they have not converted as many to our faith as they should
have done, have had a most wonderful influence upon the religious, the
philosophic and the scientific world. Ideas that men now believe in
and receive readily, Joseph Smith was persecuted and denounced for
proclaiming. And while there are millions who do not believe that he
was a Prophet of God, or that the principles he taught were revealed
from God, there is no mistaking the fact that his teachings, that the
truths he advanced, and the ideas which he disseminated, have had a
wonderful effect upon the human mind throughout Christendom. If those
of you who have had experience in the world, who have arrived at
middle age, will let your minds revert to the time when you first
heard these principles, and will compare the condition of human
thought at that time with the condition of human thought today, I
doubt not you will agree with me in saying that, although men and
women have not become Latter-day Saints, nor have the mass of mankind
received the religious truths in their entirety, as they were taught
by Joseph, and as they have been taught by those who succeeded him,
yet there has been a very visible and a marked advancement by men and
women all over the world wherever the Elders of this Church have
traveled. So that it is not in the baptism of people, it is not in the
gathering of the people together alone that we are accomplishing great
results; but it is in teaching the world the principles that God has
revealed to us, and gradually indoctrinating the mind of mankind, to
some extent at least, uplifting them from the prejudices and the
darkness and the ignorance in which they have been enshrouded to a
higher plane, to breathe a purer and a freer spirit of inquiry in
religious and scientific thought. Much, however, remains to be done,
and it devolves upon us, as a people, to discharge our duty, each one
of us, as though the entire responsibility devolved upon us. And
herein, probably, there is as much fault to be found with us as upon
any other point—a non-recognition by the Latter-day Saints of the fact
that God holds us, each one of us, individually responsible; for there
is  assigned unto every man and every woman an individual labor which
he and she must [p.3] perform. For myself, I know that the influence
of one man rightly exercised is potent for good; or, if improperly
exercised, for evil, upon his fellow man. Each man's life, each man's
conversation, each man's deportment and walk before his fellow man,
wields an influence that he most probably does not begin to
comprehend, or understand. And if we all understood this, and acted
accordingly, living up to the light and knowledge we possess, just
think of the influence that we, as a united body, could wield among
the inhabitants of our land, and in fact among the inhabitants of the
whole earth.

Vol. 20, p.3
I look upon our position, politically, as one that is most important,
far more important than that of any other community with which I am
acquainted. To-day it is conceded upon all sides, and the fact is not
disputed by intelligent persons, that the Latter-day Saints, or, to
speak more properly, the people of Utah Territory, occupy a position
superior to that of any other Territory within the confines of the
Union. This is conceded. And for temperance, for frugality, for
economy, for good government and for submission to the law (if I may
except that relating to plural marriage, which is in violation of the
constitution, and which was passed as a blow at our religion), for the
honest administration of financial and governmental affairs, for the
pseservation of good order and the maintenance of peace, and for the
promotion of education; on all of these points, it is conceded if we
are not superior, at least we are the equals, of any other people of
our Republic. While the eastern states are burdened with debt and
groaning under local taxation, with failures of no mean magnitude
occurring continually, and men not knowing what to do to redeem
themselves from their financial difficulties, Utah Territory occupies,
it may truly be said, the unique position of being out of debt: no
Territorial debt to speak of, no county debts. Notwithstanding the
innumerable temptations that have existed, and that our officers might
have succumbed to, we are, I am happy to say, free from debt, and also
the most lightly taxed community now within the confines of the
government. When I mentioned these facts to President Hayes, he
remarked: "Your position is certainly an enviable and unique one."
This is conceded upon all hands. In our own neighboring territories,
take, for instance, Wyoming, the people of which are justly proud of
their position, because they have comparatively little debt; yet their
taxes are 2 1/2 higher than ours; and so with all our neighboring
territories. Our percentage of illiteracy is lower than that of any of
the territories, and also than many of the states; not but that the
illiteracy of Utah ought to be lower still, for there is room for
great improvement in matters of education. We have 1200 miles of
telegraph line owned in this Territory; we have upwards of 300 miles
of local railroad, not counting the Union and Central Pacific
railroads. This is the condition of this Territory. If we take the
statement of the last Federal census respecting our population, and
apply the ratio of increase during the previous decade—that is the
increase from 1860 to 1870—to the last eight years, it will be aeon
that Utah has a population of at least 150,000. But our ratio of
increase has been greater during the last eight years than the
previous ten. The States are divided into Congressional districts, at
the present time, with a population numbering about 135,000; that is
to say, a district having a population of that number is entitled to a
member of [p.4] Congress. In this Territory our population is in
excess of that number. No Territory has ever applied for admission
into the Union with so many advantages as ours. In 1789 the Federal
Constitution was adopted, and we became a consolidated Republic. This
was 89 years ago. We have lived in this country upwards of one-third
of that time. It might be thought, then, that with such a lengthened
experience and advantages, with such capacity for self-government,
with such a developed and lightly taxed Territory, with such good
order and freedom from debt, that Utah would be welcomed into the
union of states. Why are we not? Because we are "Mormons." That
embodies the whole reason. If we were split up into factions, if we
were fighting, party against party, it drinking saloons and houses of
ill-fame were through all our settlements, and if we were heavily in
debt, not having even the requisite population, and were not
"Mormons," we would be admitted into the union of states. What is the
reason assigned for it? "We do not want to countenance polygamy. If we
admit Utah, we sanction, to a certain extent, polygamy." This is the
reason assigned. Suppose, for instance, that one man of every ten
among these "Mormons" is a polygamist, are there any more than that?
If there are I do not know it. I have never taken the census, but in
the range of my personal acquaintance, as I have scanned them I think
that there are not one-tenth of the men in this Territory who have
attained their majority who are polygamists. And we will say there are
150,000 people in the Territory, how many of then: are men? If we
apply the same rule of ascertaining this that we do to other
communities —and it will not apply to ours because our children are in
excess; but as it is, we will apply the same rule and divide 150,000
by five; how many does it leave? Thirty thousand. We will say there
are thirty thousand men in Utah Territory who have attained their
majority, and one-tenth of this number are polygamists, What do we
have left? Three thousand men. And for three thousand men the Congress
of the United States say that the bulk of the people shall not have
their political rights. Does it not seem as though by the action of
Congress in this respect, that they are uplifting a doctrine
comparatively obscure, when you take into consideration the forty
millions of people that live under the flag of the United States—and
giving it national importance? This is one of the most extraordinary
instances of fatuity that I ever recollect reading of in any history;
yet such a thing is done, and this is the only reason that can be
truthfully and correctly assigned for the refusal, on the part of the
nation, of admitting Utah as a State. In spite of all we can say and
do, there seems to be a determination to give this doctrine of plural
marriage a national and a world-wide importance, like everything else
connected with this people. It has been advertized and talked of as
though it might be the practice of twenty millions of people, instead
of that of three or four thousand men.

Vol. 20, p.4
Now, I say that we have to teach the world a lesson in this direction.
A people patiently pursuing their course, without murmuring, without
rebelling, without rising in riotings, when receiving a denial of
their legitimate and constitutional rights. Such a spectacle as this
is worthy of admiration, especially when it is understood that not an
officer within the  confines of our Territory can hold an office of
Federal appointment, if it [p.5] be known that he is a "Mormon," or
scarcely if it be known that he is even favorable to the "Mormons." As
soon as the office of Postmaster becomes worth holding, the Mormon
Postmaster, who may have held it when it did not pay him for his
labor, is turned out and somebody else is put in. The Marshal, the
Secretary, the Governor, and Judges and all of the Federal officials
were appointed during the last administration from those who were
known to have no sympathy with the "Mormons." It was as much as our
present Governor could recently do to retain his position, because he
was accused of favoring the "Mormons," because it was believed that he
favored a people he was sent to govern. This is most extraordinary
when you think of it; but the most surprising thing connected with it
is, that the people thus imposed upon should bear it with the
forbearance and equanimity that the Latter-day Saints manifest, under
these circumstances.

Vol. 20, p.5
You remember our last Governor. He started out thinking he had been
sent here to govern this Territory and the people of the Territory as
his fellow-citizens. He was disposed not to know the difference
between a Mormon and a non-Mormon; he was disposed to travel through
the Territory and mingle with the people, attend their public
gatherings, and talk to them, as he would were he in any other place.
This he did, and it was brought against him as a crime, as a reason
why he should not continue to hold office. And an important official
no less a person then the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, was
sent to find out whether these flyings were really true. And this
officer of the government, a gentlemen, who is acknowledged to be
efficient, and who had served three terms in Congress with credit to
himself and his constituency; and who is looked upon as a man of
national reputation, and who, in his private life, is considered most
exemplary, for no other reason than that he was mingling with the
"Mormon" people, treating them as his fellow-citizens, was removed
from office.

Vol. 20, p.5
I allude to these things not to find fault particularly, set to
embitter your feelings because of treatment you have received, this is
not my motive; but to call to your attention the fact that among other
things we have to teach this nation and show to the whole world is,
that although largely in the majority in this Territory, we have
learned the great and most important lesson that a citizen can and
should learn, namely, that of obedience. I am glad that this is the
case. I am glad to know that the Latter-day Saints are setting an
example to their fellow-citizens all through the union in this
respect. Will this continue? Shall we continue to live as we are
living to-day—denied rights to which we are entitled? We shall,
doubtless, for a time, until, in the Providence of the Almighty, we
shall be enabled to assume the position that rightfully belongs to us,
and receive those rights to which we are fully entitled. The time will
come, and it is not far distant—although we may occasionally get tired
waiting, and may ask ourselves, how long will it be delayed—but let me
say to you that the signs of the times portend for us a much greater
degree of liberty than we possess to-day, or even than we have dared
to anticipate. And as I have said cites—for I have never failed to
declare it—that the Latter-day Saints or "Mormons" as we are called,
expect it to be their destiny to uphold constitutional liberty on this
continent, and to preserve our government and the forms thereof from
overthrow [p.6] and destruction. I have been taught from my boyhood
that this was to be the destiny of the Latter-day Saints, and this
people have been trained in the same belief, and we tram our children
to look forward to it, and to cherish the love of civil and religious
liberty in their hearts, toleration for all men of every creed, of
every nation, of every language and of every color, that all the sons
and daughters of Adam, without exception, who dwell upon this broad
land, may enjoy the inestimable blessing of liberty, and that it will
be our favored and honored destiny, in the course of human events,
unlikely as it may appear to-day to be the ease, to preserve
constitutional liberty in this land, which God has said shall be a
land of liberty to all those who are righteous who dwell thereon. I
have said, and I firmly believe, that the day will most assuredly come
when the people of these mountains will become a great factor in the
settlement of differences, in the preservation of human rights in the
future, in the great contests which seem ready to burst upon us at any
moment. You contemplate the condition of the East to-day! The elements
of destruction are widespread in society, and instead of being
smothered and allayed, they are more or less fostered and harbored,
and are fast maturing; and when certain contingencies arise, they are
likely to hurst forth, and that, too, to the death and misery of many
souls. Think of the feeling that existed thirteen months ago, when it
was not known who would be the President of the United States, or
whether we would have another President or not. That was a time when
the memories of the late war were forced upon the attention of earnest
and thoughtful men. They remembered the blood and sacrifices and
dreadful horrors of that struggle, and they shrank from the bare
thought of their repetition. Had it not been that the great civil war
had been so recent, and the recollection of its horrors was so vivid,
especially among the Southern people, undoubtedly there would have
been a conflict of arms before the President could have been seated in
the presidential chair. But men shrank from the dreadful arbitrament
of war and they preferred to submit even to what they believed to be
wrong, agreeing to a compromise as being better than war.

Vol. 20, p.6
Our position, as a people, in many respects, is one for which we can
be exceedingly thankful. We can congratulate ourselves that we are in
these mountains, a land of liberty, a land of freedom. No man, that is
a man, can breathe this air and be a slave. When he looks upon those
towering mountains, lifting their grand and lofty peaks to heaven, and
he breathes the pure air of freedom, and his lungs expand with it, he
feels as though he never could bow to slavery, nor his children after
him. There is a race springing up in these mountains whose influence
and power, sooner or later, must be felt in shaping the future of this
nation. There need be no fear about this. Let us pursue the course
marked out for us, submitting, if necessary, to wrong, but never
failing to protest and contend, nevertheless against it; let our
continued protest go forth, that we understand our rights, and that we
are disposed to maintain them, as far as we can without violence. Let
us continue to pursue our course patiently and unitedly, presenting an
unbroken front to the enemy, having no traitors within, no factions,
no strifes or bickerings, burying our little piques and feelings,
having the one great and  grand object to accomplish, namely, the
establishment of truth and righteousness upon the earth, that [p.7]
eventually a place and people may be found worthy of Him who will
come, and whose right it is to reign. And in pursuing faithfully and
diligently the course which God has marked out, you may depend upon it
that the daystar will arise, and the dawn of that glorious day will be
witnessed by all that share and engage in this labor. But how many
labors devolve upon us, and how they accumulate and crowd upon us. The
labor of lifting up the people and uniting them, furnishing suitable
work for the unemployed and for our sons and daughters, that there may
be no idleness in our land, that there may no need of any Union
societies to be organized, arraying labor aganist capital. How
necessary it is that we should listen to the words of wisdom and
instruction which have been given, counseling us to so organize
ourselves and arrange our temporal affairs, that there may not be a
single individual throughout our land, who desires to work, go
unemployed, but that all may have this blessed privilege, for when men
labor they keep out of mischief. You remember the old proverb—"An idle
man's brain is the devil's workshop." We want to banish idleness, how
shall we do it? By organizing, and every President of Stake and every
Bishop making it the study and object of his life to furnish
employment to every man under his immediate presidency who may desire
it. And thus we will preserve ourselves, and our sons will find
employment at home, instead of scattering abroad, going hither and
thither: and our daughters, too, will then find husbands who will be
in a position to maintain them honorably and properly, and thus
marriage be promoted in the land. Our boys, when they arrive at years
of maturity and can take earn of a wife, should get married, and there
should not be a lot of young men growing up in our midst who ought to
be, but are not married. While I do not make the remark to apply to
individual cases, I am firmly of the opinion that a large number of
unmarried men, over the age of twenty-four years, is a dangerous
element in any community, and an element upon which society should
look with a jealous eye. For every man knowing himself, knows how his
fellow-man is constituted; and if men do not marry, they are too apt
to do something worse. Then, brethren, encourage our young men to
marry, and see that they are furnished employment, so that they can
marry.

Vol. 20, p.7
And than there is the education of our children. O, that we could
bestow upon them, in every sense of the word, a proper education, so
that they might become the peers of any people. Our children are noted
for their brightness of intellect. Teachers say, who come from the
east and the west, they never saw children receive knowledge with more
ease than the children of these mountains do. We should take all the
pains in our power to educate our children, furnishing them the best
facilities, that our daughters and sons may be educated and
accomplished. And at the same time teach them to labor. I tell my
daughters that I want them to learn to wash, and sew, and cook, and
become the best of housewives; and that I do not care then how much
else they may know about music and other accomplishments, that they
may be fitted to mingle with and feel at home in the best society.
Girls as well as boys ought to be so trained as to confer dignity upon
labor; and the idea, prevalent among some people, that because girls
are accomplished they are spoiled and unfitted for labor, or to do
housework, ought to be frowned down.

Vol. 20, p.8
Let us think of these things after [p.8] we separate and go to our
homes; and let us endeavor to carry in our breasts the spirit of this
Conference, and diffuse the same among the people not present. And let
us so live that the desire may continually well up in our hearts, not
how can we aggrandize ourselves, but how can we enrich this community,
how can we benefit and bless this people, how can we elevate them and
make these multitudes of children growing up in our midst more useful,
so that they can be ornaments to society?

Vol. 20, p.8
I pray the Lord to bless us and preserve us in the truth, in the name
of Jesus. Amen.

Orson Pratt, June 23 1878

Interpretation of Scripture—Apparent Miracles Easily Performed
 When Necessary—Disobedience Brings Calamity—Fulfilment of Prophecy

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, June 23, 1878.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 20, p.8
I will call the attention of the congregation to a portion of a
prophecy by Malachi, which will be found in the last chapter of the
Old Testament.

Vol. 20, p.8
"For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that
cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall
leave them neither root nor branch.

Vol. 20, p.8
"But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise
with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves
of the stall.

Vol. 20, p.8
"And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the
soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of
hosts."

Vol. 20, p.8
On arising, and on opening the Bible, I happened to open to the words
which I have just read, which were spoken through Malachi, one of the
last of the ancient Prophets. They are words very familiar to the
Latter-day Saints, for their attention has been often called to them.
In reading the prophecies of the holy Prophets, we expect that that
portion of them which has not already been fulfilled, will take place
in its time and in its season. We do not read the Scriptures as most
of the inhabitants of the earth do, thinking that they must be
spiritualized. [p.9] There are scarcely any of the prophecies but what
this generation, as well as some of the past generations, interpret as
meaning something altogether different from the reading of them. They
look upon inspired men as saying one thing and meaning another, and
the only way to ascertain what meaning they really wish to convey is
to get an uninspired man to give some other meaning entirely different
from the literal construction of the words of the inspired writer.
There are but few individuals, comparatively speaking, among the
nations of Christendom, who differ from the prevalent belief, namely,
that the Bible is a book to be understood only by the learning and
wisdom of man, that the uninspired preacher, who may be highly
educated after the manner of men, is a great deal better qualified to
interpret the things of God, than he or they through whom they were
spoken. The Latter-day Saints, who may have been similarly trained,
were more or less disposed to entertain such views; but when they
embraced the everlasting Gospel, and received of the Holy Ghost, even
that Spirit by which the Scriptures were written, they were corrected
in their judgments, and learned that the word of God would all be
fulfilled, which have not already come to pass, and that they are to
be understood in the same light, and in the same sense as we would
understand the writings of uninspired individuals, when plainly and
clearly written upon any special subject. This is something that every
ordinarily intelligent man, without any book-learning whatever, is
abundantly able to do, especially when simple language, easy of
comprehension, is used. For instance, when we get letters and
communications from our friends abroad, we never think of putting a
different construction upon their sentences, and claim that they did
not mean what they had written. When, therefore, the ancient Prophets
predicted that "the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven," and that
"the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the
day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it
shall leave them neither root nor branch"—we must believe that the
Prophet meant precisely what he said. When we read in the Book of
Genesis about the rains which fell from the heavens, causing a flood
of waters to deluge the earth, in fulfilment of a certain warning
message which had previously been preached to the people then living,
by which they were swept away and drowned, we must believe that the
inspired writer who penned the words, described the event as it
occurred, so far at least as the general facts are concerned, and that
the flood spoken of was a literal body of water, and that it did
prevail upon all portions of the earth. I do not say that the flood
did prevail, at the same moment, upon all the face of the earth; but
before the floods abated, every part of the solid portions of the
earth that were habitable, were covered by the waters. How this was
accomplished is not given by the inspired writer, but is left for us
to conjecture. The Lord has a great many ways and means by which he
could bring about an event of this nature. For instance, how easy it
would be to drown all the inhabitants of the temperate and arctic
regions, by just merely stopping the earth from rotating on its axis.
Unless there should be another miracle performed to prevent the waters
that are heaped up around the equatorial regions from flowing [p.10]
to the polar regions, they would necessarily, as the earth began to
cease or rotate more slowly in its axial revolutions, cause the waters
of the equatorial region to flow towards the two polar regions. It is
an easy matter for a mathematician to demonstrate the depth of the
waters in any part or latitude of our globe, should such an event take
place or happen. The waters in receding from the great equatorial
region would cover up the great mountains on our east, and we, in this
altitude, would be buried under water at least over a mile in depth. I
do not say that this was the manner which the Lord took in "breaking
up the fountains of the great deep." There may have been other causes
unknown to us; but to say there never was such an event is something
entirely unwarranted. Still, it may be said, this would not cover all
the solid portion of the earth, but leave the equatorial land still
further elevated above the ocean, and if all the lands of the earth
were to be under water, how could that be accounted for? Very easily.
Cause the earth to rotate on its axis more swiftly than what it now
does, say for instance, in one half the time—in 12 hours instead of
24—and you would bury up all the equatorial lands of our globe. How
easy a matter it would be for the Lord to cause the earth to rotate
more swiftly, and then again to rotate more tardily, and produce the
effects ascribed to the flood.

Vol. 20, p.10
When therefore, we read that the earth was once depopulated, except a
few individuals, who were saved in the ark, why should it be thought a
thing incredible that the Lord should again depopulate our globe, not
by a flood, but by devouring fire. It may be said that we cannot see
how a universal fire can prevail over all the face of the earth. There
are various ways by which this could be accomplished. How did the Lord
cause fire in ancient times to break out among the children of Israel,
when they transgressed his holy laws, and when they murmured and
complained against God? Fire was sent forth from his presence we are
told, rested upon the tabernacle; be was in the tabernacle, and his
cloud was over the tabernacle; and fire went forth from this centre,
or the place where the Lord chose to manifest and show forth his
glory, and it destroyed many of the people. You may say, "But this was
a supernatural fire that proceeded from the presence of God, from the
tabernacle, consuming thousands of transgressors." I would ask, cannot
the same Being who was able to produce this destruction by fire upon a
few thousand individuals cause it to be more extensive and more
universal in its operation? Has he not the same power to produce a
supernatural fire over all the earth; even to the consuming of "all
the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly;" burning them up literally,
their bodies becoming as "ashes," as a farmer would set fire to and
burn up the stubble of his fields? Well, you say, "If we admit that
the first was supernatural, that God did actually burn the
transgressors among Israel by fire, we are willing to admit that the
same Being that could do this upon a small scale, could perform a
similar work on a universal scale." That is very reasonable to admit.
But then, perhaps the Lord may not see proper to do this work of
burning in the latter-days altogether upon a supernatural principle;
he may, perhaps, bring it about by certain physical forces or laws, by
certain changes that may be wrought upon our elements; for  the Lord
holds in his own hands all the elements, and not only those of this
little globe of [p.11] ours, but all the elements that compose the
universe; they are in his hands, he can give instructions and they are
made subservient in the accomplishing of his great and wise purposes.
Now, there is in the very air which we breathe, and which all animated
beings, more or less, breathe, and by which they live—a principle of
heat; and when this heat in its latent form is evolved, or comes forth
from the constituents of the atmosphere, would there not be a
sufficient amount to produce this revolution upon the earth? Is there
not sufficient heat not only to burn up the wicked and the proud, but
to cause the very elements of our globe to melt by its intensity? thus
fulfilling another prophecy which says, "the hills melted like wax at
the presence of the Lord;" and yet another prophecy, which says, the
mountains shall flow down at His presence like melted substance; run
like rivers, in consequence of the intensity of the heat, connected
with the elements of which our atmosphere and mountains are composed.

Vol. 20, p.11
Again, independently of the latent heat which is connected with the
atmosphere of our globe, is He not able to cause the great centre of
our system, the sun, to give forth more heat, sufficient to consume
the wicked and melt the earth by its intensity? Yes. I recollect
reading in one of the prophecies of Isaiah, in relation to this
matter. I recollect reading too in the revelations of St. John that
men should be scorched with great heat. Rev. chap. 16, verse 8. It was
to be one of the great judgments of the latter-days, as seen by that
inspired man. And Isaiah, in speaking on this subject, says, "Moreover
the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light
of the sun shall be sevenfold," etc. Suppose the heat should be
increased in the same proportion that the light is increased; or, in
other words, supposing that our thermometers, when standing at a
hundred degrees Fahrenheit, should be increased to 700 degrees
Fahrenheit, what would be the effect? A general conflagration over the
whole face of the globe would be produced, thereby fulfilling ancient
as well as modern prophecy.

Vol. 20, p.11
But we will pass on. It is not for us, unless we have some definite
instructions by the word of God, to tell how He is going to accomplish
His great purposes. It is sufficient for us to know that he will do
it. We are told this burning is to be universal, so far as all the
proud, and all that do wickedly are concerned. It seems, then, it is
to be one of the last destructions of the wicked. Prior to this there
will be numerous destructions, by way of earthquakes, plagues, hail
storms, wars, etc., that will prevail and that will sweep away
millions from the face of our globe. But the great judgment that is to
cleanse the earth from all sin, is to be by the element of fire,
"But," inquires one, "do you think there will be many in that day,
that will be proud and wicked? Will they not be mostly converted, and
consequently escape this great conflagration, as Noah escaped being
drowned?" I will answer this by repeating another prophecy, that now
occurs to my mind, recorded in the 24th chapter of Isaiah. This man of
God saw the period of time when the earth should reel to and fro like
a drunken man; and he saw that glorious day when the Lord of Hosts
shall be about to reign in Zion and Jerusalem. And among other things
he saw in vision was that the earth became defiled under the
inhabitants thereof; "because," says the Prophet, "they have
transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting
covenant." [p.12] Plainly showing that they were to be a corrupt,
people; a people who, for instance, would change the ordinance of
baptism, from immersion to sprinkling or pouring, or doing it away
altogether, and in the same manner changing the various ordinances of
the Gospel from the original form in which the Lord revealed them. He
says, through the mouth of His Prophet, that the people who should be
guilty of this great wickedness should be visited with fire; "the
inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left." This is a
little more definite. We learned through Malachi, that they should be
destroyed both root and branch—not branch of wickedness, no roots of
wickedness left; but it does not give us the proportion, between the
righteous and the wicked. But Isaiah gives us a little further clue to
this matter. To the query, how many are to be overtaken by this last
great and overwhelming judgment, Isaiah would answer, "the inhabitants
of the earth are burned and few men left." What, only a few persons to
be converted, only a few to receive the true Gospel, and be prepared
for the coming of the Bridegroom; only a few people to escape this
awful desolation? So says the Prophet Isaiah; that is, few in
comparison to the great and numerous population of our globe. Even
some few millions would be few compared with the twelve hundred
millions that inhabit the earth. Isaiah, in the same chapter, in
describing the glory of his personal reign on the earth, says that
"Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed," because of
the superior light that will attend the presence of the being who is
to reign in Zion and Jerusalem. The Lord causes the natural light of
the sun and the heat thereof; he causes the natural light of the other
luminaries that twinkle in yonder heavens, and also the heat which
proceeds from their bodies. Now, if he can produce such intense heat
by such bodies as our san; if he can cause the surrounding worlds to
be heated and to receive a certain temperature by the radiation of
light and heat; if the sun can produce such a high temperature upon
our earth, existing some 90 millions of miles away, why not the Lord
be able to produce a greater light and heat if necessary, to sweep off
the wicked, and to cause the earth in a moment, as it were, to feel
the power of that heat, even to its melting like wax before his
presence? But, you may ask, why not this heat destroy the righteous,
as well as the wicked? Have not the righteous often times been burned
at the stake? have they not been consumed to ashes, by the power of
the wicked? And why should this intense heat, of which you are
speaking, which is to destroy the wicked root and branch, not affect
the righteous as well?" Let us explain. Before this day of burning,
there will be no righteous on the earth. Not one? No, not one. "What
is to become of them?" The Apostle Paul informs us that, "The Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall
rise first. Then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." It
seems, then, that the righteous that sleep in their graves are to
arise at this time, to be caught up with those living on the earth,
who will be sufficiently righteous. Now, suppose they should not
ascend to meet the Lord, but should remain on the earth, and he saw
proper to  preserve them from this devouring fire, could he do it?
Certainly, and on the same principle [p.13] as he preserved the three
Hebrew children in the midst of fire. We are told, in connection with
this remarkable preservation of life, that there was not so much as
the smell of fire on their garments, neither was a hair of their heads
injured, while some of the wicked, when they were in the act of
casting these young men into the furnace, which had been heated  even
times hotter than was usual for them, were devoured themselves. Yet
the righteous were spared, receiving no harm whatever. Now, that same
God who did preserve the three Hebrew children in the midst of the
most terrible ordeal which they passed through, could preserve the
righteous on the earth if he saw proper to do so. But he will take
them up into the cloud, and they will be with him when he comes. But,
you may say, "Have you not said that when he comes the sun will hide
his face in shame, etc., therefore will not that glory which surrounds
the personage of the Savior consume the righteous after they are taken
up? Not at all; they will not be subject to the devouring element of
fire, even though they have not as yet been changed to immortality;
for the time for the righteous who remain alive, to be changed, will
be as much as a thousand years after they descend upon the earth;
after there shall have been generation upon generation here upon the
earth; then, at the sound of the last trump the Apostle Paul informs
us, that those who are righteous shall be changed in the twinkling of
an eye. They are not to undergo this change, when Jesus comes at the
beginning of the thousand years' reign, but after the thousand years
are ended at the sound of the last trump, which shall awaken and call
forth the sleeping nations of the wicked from their graves, then the
righteous, who remain in the flesh, will be changed in a moment; and
after that time there will be no more mortality upon the earth. "But,"
you may say again, "we can hardly believe these great miracles will
take place as you say, according to prophecy." Supposing you cannot,
does your unbelief make the predictions of the servants of God without
effect? Supposing, for instance, we should disbelieve excepting eight
souls, as was the case with the antedeluvian world, would our unbelief
subvert the word of God. No. The Lord is a God of miracles, or in
other words, he is a God of power and he operates upon the materials
of our globe, according to his own good will and pleasure. When he
burns up the wicked, when he causes the elements to melt with fervent
heat, when he causes the mountains to flow down and melt like wax
before his presence, all this does not destroy one particle of matter,
but only changes matter from one condition to another. There is not a
partitle of the materials of our globe that will be annihilated, they
will all exist; and although the time should come that the intense
heat should be such as to disperse the materials of our solid globe
and convert the great and mighty deep into gaseous substances, and
seperate the elements, and the water should cease to exist as either
steam or water; although the time should come when the hydrogen and
the oxygen, which possess the great bulk of the water upon our globe,
should become gooses, yet the Lord could reorganize these elements, so
scattered in space, by his power, bringing them together again by his
law and by his word, making a new world, and creating a new heaven,
and a new earth, wherein, says the Apostle Peter, shall dwell
righteousness. This new earth, which is to be created, is not to be
inhabited by tire disobedient and wicked, as is now the case with the
present world; there [p.14] will be an entire change in the condition
of the earth, and also in the condition of the human family, the
curses of the fall will not be found in either, and consequently there
will be no more mortality upon the new creation, neither sorrow, nor
weeping; neither will there be any more death; for the former things
will have pulsed away, and all things will become new. There will be
but one government, not several hundred different forms of government,
but one form will prevail upon the new creation, inhabited by immortal
beings. All these chants are what the Latter-day Saints are looking
for. We do not read these prophecies and then undertake to change
them, and tell our hearers that they must be understood to mean
something else, in some spiritual sense. We do not tell them that this
day of hurning is a day in which wickedness is to be cleansed from the
earth by the purifying influence of the Spirit of God, and that all
the people are to be converted, and therefore, the earth will be
inhabited by none except the righteous; and that that portion of the
Scriptures referring to the wicked becoming ashes under the feet of
the righteous, means something entirely different from the literal
reading, and that their sins will all be consumed, and that they will
be righteous and will all walk upon the new earth free from sin. No,
but when we speak of devouring fire burning as an oven, we expect it
will be fire; we expect it will be intense heat; and when he says it
will consume all the proud and all that do wickedly, we do not expect
there will be a wicked man or woman left upon the whole earth; and
when it says there shall neither be root nor branch left of them, we
do not expect there will be found a vestige of wickedness in any
corner of the earth however remote; but that all will be consumed and
none but the righteous left.

Vol. 20, p.14
Our modern Prophet, Joseph Smith, when he delivered his prophecies the
Lord spoke through him, and we do not need any uninspired man to get
up and fell what the Lord meant, when He spoke through him. For
instance, our Prophet spoke of this same day of burning; it is
referred to by him in many places in the Doctrine and Covenants, which
book I hold in my hand. Has the Lord undertaken to spiritualize, in
giving these new revelations? No; but he has told us the facts in the
case. For instance, in one place speaking of the Lord's coming, it
says the wicked shall be destroyed out of the earth, and that the
righteous shall be caught up, in the same manner as the New Testament
describes it. And then it speaks of the righteous also coming down
after the wicked are destroyed. There is a promise made to the
Latter-day Saints as well as to the former-day Saints. The Lord said,
in 1831, to the Prophet Joseph, in a revelation given before a general
conference, and written by a scribe in presence of the conference,
that among other great things that should take place, the Saints
should possess the earth for their inheritance in this our day, and
that all wickedness should cease. I make a promise, saith the Lord,
and this is my covenant with you, and your children after you, that
you shall have a certain land that I will give unto you, for an
inheritance, and you shall possess it in time, while the earth shall
stand, and shall possess it again in eternity, never more to pass
away. If the Latter-day Saints want to know where this promise is
found, let them read the revelation given on the 2nd of January, 1831.
It was a revelation giver when we were but a small  people, before
there was any gathering of the Saints; and in fact, when there were
only a [p.15] few individuals gathered in the house of Father Whitmer,
the place where the Lord first organized His Church. There, we were
informed, that the Lord intended to give a certain portion of this
continent to the Latter-day Saints, and to their children after them,
for an everlasting inheritance. This was contrary to our former faith,
when we were Methodists and Baptists, and when we were Presbyterians
and professors of the different denominations, before we came into the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; we were taught then, that
our home was away in yonder heavens away in some distant part of the
universe, beyond the bounds of space, if anybody can comprehend where
that is; I never could. And yet enlightened Christians sing about it.
Before I became connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, I often attended the meetings of the Methodists,
the Baptists and the Presbyterians; and I well remember that this
sentiment was embodied in one of the favorite hymns sung by the
Methodists. They bad a very good tune to the words, and being but a
boy at the time, I could not but think it the very best kind of
religion. I never mistrusted the truthfulness of the sentiment,
because I too had entertained the belief that we were going to take an
everlasting farewell to earth, and that we were going to be wafted and
wafted until we got beyond the bounds of space, there to find a
heavenly place, adapted to our heavenly condition. But when I
commenced to reflect and search the Scriptures for myself, I found
that although the tune was sweet and the singing was beautiful, yet
there was no truth in it; I found that the "Saints' secure abode" was
not beyond space, but that it was on this our earth. And for how long?
For all eternity. But the earth has to undergo numerous changes. A
partial change will take place when Jesus comes, at the beginning of
the thousand years' rest; then a still further change, after the
Millennium should pass, when the great last trump should sound,
awaking the nations of the wicked from their sleeping graves. I then
read in the Scriptures of truth that God would create a new heaven,
and a new earth, and that on this new creation should dwell
righteousness. I also read of a holy city, called the New Jerusalem,
which should come down upon this new earth, and that God himself
should be among those righteous people who should inhabit that holy
city. And I also read that the former things should pass away, and
that all things should become new. I read, too, that not only the New
Jerusalem should descend on this earth, but another city called the
Holy Jerusalem, whose dimensions and architecture are described, and
that because of the glory that should exist there, the inhabitants
thereof should not have need of the light of the sun, nor of that of
the moon, nor of the stars; for God himself should dwell there with
them, and he would be their light and their glory. And that those two
great cities which are to descend upon this new earth are to be the
great capitals of this new creation, inhabited by immortal beings—the
Saints of God that have lived in the various dispensations of this
world. This was something new to us; and it was contrary to our
sectarian notions and views, and the sectarian teachings about the
future condition of man, and the earth we live in. Yet, when we come
to compare the new doctrine of the new revelation, with that laid down
in the Old and New Testament, we find a perfect agreement. For
instance, let our minds revert back to the days of the Patriarchs, and
 we find [p.16] Abraham, after leaving his native country, in
obedience to a direct command of God, dwelling in a new land called
Canaan, now known as Palestine; and while there, we learn of the Lord
conversing with him, and promising him and his seed "the land of
Canaan for an everlasting possession." What does this all mean? Did
Abraham ever inherit any of that land? Not a foot of it. He did buy a
place—a burying place for himself and kindred; but he did not realize
this promise, the possession of the land of Canaan, but on the
contrary, he counted himself a stranger and pilgrim in that very land.
And not only Abraham, but his descendants have failed to realize this
promise. The martyr Stephen, who lived many centuries afterward, just
prior to his death, in bearing testimony to the people who stood
before him, concerning Abraham, said, referring to this promise of the
Lord, that he did not receive so much as to set his foot on, during
his lifetime. Nevertheless, the Lord promised him the whole of the
land, to be for an everlasting inheritance, for himself and his seed
after him. The Apostle Paul, speaking of the same thing, says, that
"they all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off." How far? Thousands of years after they should
sleep in the tomb. They looked forward in faith to the vast futurity,
being persuaded of the truth of the promise; but they saw that before
they could inherit the promised land, they would have to seek a city,
that was in the heavens, and there to dwell, until the due time of the
Lord should bring them in possession of their inheritance. The Prophet
Ezekiel saw the way in which they should come in possession of it, as
is recorded in the 37th chapter of his prophecy. The Spirit of the
Lord took him into the midst of a valley—a great cemetery, as it were,
where he saw a vast quantity of bones which were very dry, the flesh
having crumbled to dust. And the question was put to him, no doubt to
try his faith, "Son of man can these bones live?" Ezekiel was not an
infidel, he did not say it was impossible, nor that there could be no
such miracle, but he said, "O, Lord God, thou knowest." He was willing
the Lord should know all about it, and that he should display his
power provided he saw proper to do so. Then the Lord commanded him to
prophecy, using these words: "Prophecy unto these bones, and say unto
them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus edith the Lord
God unto these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you,
and ye shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up
flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye
shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord." And after he had
thus spoken, the Prophet tells us that "there was a voice, and behold
a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." They did
not make any mistake, such as one bone belonging to a certain
tabernacle uniting with that of another; but each bone joined its
fellow bone, and sinews and flesh and skin covered them, and thus the
tabernacles were formed. But there was as yet no life in thorn.
Therefore he was commanded to prophecy again, and say to the wind:
"Thus saith the Lord God; come from the four winds, O breath, and
breathe upon these slain, that they may live." He did so "and the
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet,
an exceeding great army." This was a vision of the resurrection—the
resurrection of the ancient patriarchs prophets of God, and all the
righteous of Israel.

Vol. 20, p.17
[p.17] It seems from the record, that the Jews, in the days of
Ezekiel, had formed an idea very similar to that of many of our
Christian friends now living—they had got rather infidel in their
views; they had begun to say in their hearts, referring to their
fathers, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off
for our parts;" or, in other words, our forefather, whose children we
are, and whose names are held in sacred remembrance by us, are all
dead. The promises have not been fulfilled and we are cut off from the
part of our inheritance, and how is it possible now that they can come
to pass? They were of similar mind to the Sadducees—they did not
believe in the resurrection. But the Lord, in order to encourage them
in the belief that it would be fulfilled, gives the interpretation of
this vision. I have heard the Methodists give their version of this
vision. Whenever there was a revival among them, I have seen them get
down on their knees and exclaim, O Lord, make a shaking among these
dry bones; believing that the sinners were the bones, and the
resurrection, the conversion of sinners. The same interpretation is
given by a great many of the Christian sects of the day. But hearken,
O Latter-day Saints, to the Lords interpretation, and judge between
them: "Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and Cause yea to
come up out of your graves and bring you into the land of Israel."
What can be plainer than that? And which is the better of the two, the
Lord's interpretation or that of the sects of the day?

Vol. 20, p.17
This promise will most assuredly be fulfilled, the patriarchs, and
their seed who are worthy, will come into possession of the
inheritance. But, when? It will be about the time, or a little after,
this great day of burning. The graves of the Saints will be open just
before the fire sweeps over the nations to consume the proud, and all
they that do wickedly; and they will be opened at the sound of the
trump by the Archangel. And the Saints will come forth; for then the
face of the Lord will be unveiled, then the heavens will be parted as
a scroll, then will be seen the prophets of God, and all the righteous
who have not yet arisen from their graves, and they will appear in the
clouds of heaven with the Savior. Abraham will be there, Isaac and
Jacob will be there, and all the ancients Of whom the children of
Israel, in Ezekiel's days, said, "Our bones are dried, and our hope is
lost," will all be there, ready to enter into the possession of the
earth as their inheritance. "Blessed are the meek," says our Lord in
his sermon on the mount. And what is the peculiar blessing of the
meek? "For they shall inherit the earth." Did they formerly inherit
the earth? No; they wandered about, in the days of the Apostles, in
sheep skins and goat skins, finding shelter from the inclemency of the
weather, and concealment from their persecutors in the solitary dens
and caves of the mountains. A great many infidels and sectarians
cannot believe that this promise can ever be literally fulfilled,
because they did not realize it in the day of their mortality. But
Jesus says, they shall "inherit the earth;" this includes too, all the
Gentile Saints that have, and that will embrace the gospel, among all
peoples, and nations, and kindreds and tongues, for all such become
Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. What promise? The
promise made to Abraham. To inherit the earth. Hence all people who
are baptized into Christ, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male
or female, and who are true and faithful [p.18] to him, have Abraham
for their father; and they, with him and the patriarchs, will inherit
the earth, when wickedness ceases to exist.

Vol. 20, p.18
It is then that the enmity of the beasts of the field as well as that
of all flesh will cease; no more one beast of prey devouring and
feasting upon another that is more harmless in its nature; no more
will this enmity be found in the fish of the sea, or in the birds of
the air. This change will be wrought upon all flesh when Jesus comes;
not a change to immortality, but a change sufficient to alter the
ferocious nature of beasts, birds and fishes. In those days the lion
will eat straw like the ox; he will no more be the terror of the
forest, but will be perfectly harmless, and gentleness, will
characterize all the wild and ferocious animals, as well as the
venomous serpents, so much so that the the little child might lead
them and play with them, and nothing should hurt or destroy in all the
holy mountain of the Lord; all things becoming, in some measure, as
when they were first created. For it will be remembered that animals
did not devour one another until after the fall, neither was there any
death, until after the fall. What did they eat, then? The Lord said,
"To every beast of the field, and to every thing that creepeth upon
the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for
meat." The grass, and the herbs, and every green thing were their
food. And Adam and Eve ate fruits and vegetables, not animal flesh.
The whole earth will he restored; and man will be restored; and not
only upon man, but upon all flesh the Spirit of God will be poured out
and they will eventually be restored to all that was lost by the fall
of our first parents. Then the knowledge of God will cover the whole
earth, as the waters cover the great deep. And then the animal
creation will manifest more intelligence and more knowledge than they
do now, in their fallen condition. Indeed, we have a declaration, by
John the Revelator, that when this time shall come, they will even
know how to praise God. He says, "And every creature which is in
heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honor
and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever." What? The animal creation endowed
with language? Yea, a language of praise, saying something concerning
the Lamb that was slain, and about his glory and excellency. What a
beautiful creation this will be when all these things are fulfilled.
Amen. [p.19]

Elder John Taylor, July 7, 1878

An Important Age—Close Questions—A Word
 With the Bishops—Also the Seventies—Honor the Sabbath

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday, July 7, 1878.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 20, p.19
I have been very much interested, as no doubt all of you have who have
attended this Conference, in the principles that have been taught
here. It is true a very great many have not been present to hear the
things that have been spoken of by the Elders of Israel, and the
Apostles of the Lord, during this Conference. There has been a number
of reflections, no doubt, in relation to principles advanced by the
various speakers; a great many plain truths have been enumerated; but
we need, as has been stated, continual awakening up to a sense of our
duty, and to a realization of those great responsibilities which
devolve upon us.

Vol. 20, p.19
We are living in a very important age of the world, when great events
are about to transpire, and the Lord has called upon us to perform a
very great work in our day and generation. He has sent forth a
revelation of his will; He has restored the ancient, the everlasting
Gospel; He has restored the Holy Priesthood; He has manifested himself
by the opening of the heavens and communicating his will, by the
ministration of angels, by the organization of his Church and kingdom,
by the continuous manifestation of his Holy Spirit, daily imparting
faith to the human family who are humbly and diligently seeking to
observe his laws and to keep his commandments.

Vol. 20, p.19
The Lord has a work to perform upon the earth; and the ancient
Priesthood who have lived upon the earth, and who now live in heaven,
have also a work to perform. And this Gospel and this kingdom has been
introduced that there might be a Priesthood upon the earth to operate
with God and with the Priesthood in the heavens, for the
accomplishment of his purposes, for the redemption of the living, even
all who desire to love the truth and work righteousness, and for the
salvation and redemption of the dead; that the purposes of God from
before the foundation of the world may be carried out, and that the
laws, principles, rules and government as they exist in heaven, may be
taught to man upon the earth; and that through the operation and
co-operation of the heavenly Priesthood and the earthly Priesthood,
and God the Father, and Jesus the Mediator of [p.20] the new covenant,
an organization may take place, a union be formed, truth developed,
and a kingdom: established that the will of God may be done upon the
earth as it is done in heaven. And this is what Jesus taught his
disciples to pray for. "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven." But we cannot do the will of God as it is done in
heaven, until he reveals it; we cannot know the will of God in heaven,
until he reveals it to man on the earth. And then, as it requires the
powers and the spirit and wisdom of God to manage and direct and
control the affairs in the heavenly worlds, and to regulate his
kingdom there, so it requires the same power, the same wisdom, the
same light and intelligence to carry on his purposes here, and to
establish his kingdom on the earth. And hence, for this very purpose,
he has commenced to reveal himself to the human family, and also for
the purpose of organizing the everlasting Priesthood. Do we know what
that means? A Priesthood that administers in time and through all
eternity; a Priesthood that is under the guidance, direction and
control of the Almighty; a Priesthood to whom he will communicate his
will, make known his designs, through whom he will accomplish his
purposes, build up his Zion and establish the kingdom of God on the
earth. And it is for this purpose that the kingdom of God is
established; it is for this purpose that the various organizations of
the Priesthood are put in order; it is for this purpose that men are
ordained and set apart to fulfill the various duties and
responsibilities devolving upon them, at home or abroad as the case
may be. It is not to seek after our own gain, or interest, or
emolument, or to satisfy the devices and desires of our hearts; we are
here as Jesus was here, not to do our own will, but the will of him
who sent us—not to speak our own words, but the words of life, under
the inspiration of the Most High, so that Zion may be instructed in
the principles of righteousness, and that she may comprehend the laws
of life, and be able to fulfill her destiny on the earth.

Vol. 20, p.20
Ye Latter-day Saints, this is why this Church was organized; this is
why the Priesthood was organized; this is why messengers have been
sent, and are now being sent, and will continue to be sent more
abundantly to the nations of the earth. And it is proper and right, in
our Conferences, to reflect upon these things, and upon the duties and
responsibilities devolving upon us, and to ask ourselves, Are we
fulfilling the requirements of the great Eloheim? It has been asked
here by brother Brigham, who has just spoken, whether this kingdom
will fail. I tell you in the name of Israel's God it will not fail. I
tell you in the name of Israel's God it will roll forth, and that the
things spoken of by the holy Prophets in relation to it will receive
their fulfillment. But in connection with this I will tell you another
thing: A great many of the Latter-day Saints will fail, a great many
of them are not now and never have been living up to their privileges,
and magnifying their callings and their Priesthood, and God will have
a reckoning with such people, unless they speedily repent. There is a
carelessness, a deadness, an apathy, a listlessness that exists to a
great extent among the Latter-day Saints, and there never was a
stronger proof of this than that which was exhibited here yesterday. I
asked  myself, as I looked over the empty benches, Where are all the
[p.21] Bishops? Have they not time to attend the Quarterly Conference?
Oh, shame on such men! are they worthy to hold a place in the
Bishopric, and associate with the Holy Priesthood of God? They are
desecrating the holy principles by which they ought to be governed.
Where are their Counselors, I asked myself, and where are the Priests
and Teachers and Deacons? Is there no interest manifested in the
Church and kingdom of God, or in the Zion he is about to establish?
Not much with many of them. Where were these thousands of Seventies
and High Priests and Elders? The great majority of them were not here;
but to-day they are, and I thought I would talk to them while here,
and not when absent. Are the things of God of so small importance—are
the issues of life, the destinies of the world, and the salvation of
the living and the dead of so small importance, that we can not afford
time to spend a day once a quarter in attending to the duties of our
office, in representing our different districts, and in fulfilling the
duties of our priesthood and the obligations God has placed upon us? I
tell you, ye Elders of Israel, who neglect these things and who shirk
your duties, God will remove your candlestick out of its place, and
that speedly, unless you repent. And I say so to the Bishops, and I
say so to all Israel who hold the Priesthood. We are not here to do
our own will, but the will of our Heavenly Father who sent us. God has
placed an important mission upon us; he expects us to fulfill it. If
we treat it lightly and neglect our duties, he will remove us and
others will take our crown. But he is not going to allow His kingdom
to be overthrown, for it will roll forth and spread and increase until
the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and
His Christ and he will rule for ever and ever.

Vol. 20, p.21
I was reminded, yesterday, of a parable made use of by the Savior in
his day.

Vol. 20, p.21
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which
took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Vol. 20, p.21
And five of them were wise and five were foolish.

Vol. 20, p.21
They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

Vol. 20, p.21
But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Vol. 20, p.21
While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept."

Vol. 20, p.21
I thought that part of it was pretty nearly fulfilled; for very nearly
all of the people belonging to this stake were caught napping. By and
by, or to quote the words of the text:

Vol. 20, p.21
"And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh:
go ye out to meet him.

Vol. 20, p.21
Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

Vol. 20, p.21
And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps
are gone out.

Vol. 20, p.21
But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us
and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

Vol. 20, p.21
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were
ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut;" and
the others did not, and—that's all. And there is another Scripture to
which I will refer. Jesus says: "Many are called, but few are chosen."
And there are many other peculiar Scriptures in relation to this
matter. I will refer to another one. "Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied [p.22] in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

Vol. 20, p.22
"And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me,
ye that work iniquity." Or in other words, Depart from me, I never
approved of you. Who, my brethren and sisters, do you think these
Scriptures refer to? Some will say to the Gentiles; but I have quite
another opinion about it. There are men before me to-day who have
prophesied in the name of God, who have cast out devils in the name of
God, who have healed the sick in the name of God, and done many
wonderful works in the name of God; but they are not keeping his
commandments, nor magnifying their priesthood; they are tampering with
sacred things, and God will hold them to an account for it; and if
they expect they can serve mammon, the world and the devil, at the
same time, they are making a grand mistake. God will say to them, "I
never knew you." Now I shall be there, and you will be there; and I
warn you, in the name of Jesus, to repent of your sins, and humble
yourselves, and from henceforth magnify your priesthood and honor your
God.

Vol. 20, p.22
How is it with our various quorums and authorities, and how is it with
many of the Bishops? They do not care much about things whichever way
they go. They have time to attend to their merchandizing and trading
and business operations and pleasures, but they have not time to
attend to the cause of God nor the interests of the flock, over whom
he has placed them. But if they cannot find time, God will find a
people that will find time to attend to his affairs. We have been
engaged for years, but more especially of late years, in organizing
the church more perfectly. And we have been ordaining men in the
various quorums for the last 40 years; and what for? Merely to give
them a place and position and the priesthood? No, I tell you nay; but
that holding the holy priesthood you may magnify it and become the
saviors of men. But is it not the case with a great many of our Elders
and Seventies, that that they are trying how little they can do to
save themselves and preserve a standing in the church; instead of how
much they can do? Why, all the heavens are waiting for our operations;
the Gods in the eternal worlds and the fathers of the departed
spirits—the holy priesthood behind the vail, are all waiting for our
operations, to see what we will do. And we are found slumbering and
careless and indifferent, willing that anybody should perform the work
of the Lord, if we will be left out. I tell you, in the name of God,
that he will give you your wish; he will leave you out, unless you
speedily repent. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh
shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." But what are the duties of
these Seventies, so many of whom are before me to-day? As I read it,
it is to be under the direction of the Twelve, and to be on hand to go
to the nations of the earth, as messengers, and to prepare themselves
for that purpose. We sometimes talk about the work we have done. A
very few men, comparatively, have done this work, and the great
majority have done next to nothing. How many nations are yet unwarned,
and know nothing about the principles of salvation? Our fathers  are
anxious about them, looking to us to carry the word to them. O shame
upon the Elders of [p.23] Israel, especially upon the Seventies who
are called specially to this work. I received a letter from one of our
Elders a short time ago, who is out laboring in the ministry,
faithfully and diligently, in which he writes something like this: "If
you can send me two or three Elders here, I shall be very much
obliged; if the Seventies or Elders would not consider it too much
trouble to come here." What? Too much trouble for the Elders of Israel
to proclaim the words of life and salvation to their fellowmen, and to
magnify their calling and priesthood? O shame on such Elders and such
Seventies and such High Priests; shame on them. God, I tell you in the
name of God, will hold you responsible for these things. And yet that
man's statement was pretty nearly true. If a man goes on a mission, he
thinks he is accomplishing a wonderful thing. We used, in former
years, to think it our duty, regarding it as one of the things which
God required at our hands. We held ourselves in readiness all the
time. And some of us who have never been abroad will begin to talk of
the great work we have performed. How we apples swim, don't we? To
tell what we have done, when perhaps hundreds and thousands of
brethren who have never been abroad on a mission in their lifetime
would consider it a great calamity to be called to go on a foreign
mission.

Vol. 20, p.23
I am talking plainly, but it is true before God, and you know it is
true, and l know it is true. And I say to you Seventies and you
Elders, Awaken up! God has placed the priesthood upon you, and he
expects you to magnify it, and not be all the clay long, and year
after year, singing,

"Lullaby baby on the tree top,
When the wind blows the cradle will rock."

we want something else; we want some manhood, and some priesthood and
power of God to be manifested in Israel, and the Spirit of God to be
poured out upon Israel and upon the Elders thereof. And I pray God,
the Eternal Father, to waken up these Elders, that the spirit of their
mission may rest upon them, and that they may comprehend their true
position before God.

Vol. 20, p.23
Now, I would not have said these things before a public congregation,
if I had not said them before you frequently in your priesthood
meetings. But it is time we were waking up to a sense of the position
we occupy before God; for the day is not far distant when we will hear
of wars and rumors of wars; not only rumors of wars, but wars
themselves—nation strayed against nation and seizing one another by
the throat, and blood will flow, and general carnage will spread
through the lands, and if you do not magnify your callings, God will
hold you responsible for those whom you might have saved had you done
your duty. How many of you can say, My garments are clean from the
blood of this generation? I speak in behalf of the nations and the
people thereof, and the honest in heart who are ignorant of God and
his laws. He has called upon us to enlighten them, and to spread forth
the truth, and send forth the principles of the Gospel, and point out
the way of life. And it is for us to attend to these things, that we
may secure the smiles and approbation of God.

Vol. 20, p.23
But we are careless and thoughtless; and, as has been already
remarked, we pay very little attention to the Sabbath day. Some would
rather go on these Sunday excursions, and take their families with
them, leading them in the paths that lead to death, then they would
bring them to the house of God. But let me say to all such, that as
sure as you do these things you will have to feel, and [p.24] that
keenly too, the result of your acts, and they will follow you in time
and all eternity. And I call upon you, ye Latter-day Saints, to repent
of your iniquities, and keep the Sabbath day holy, set it aside as a
day of rest, a day to meet together to perform your sacraments and
listen to the words of life, and thus be found keeping the
commandments, and setting a good example before your children. Let us
do that which is right, honor our God and magnify our calling, and the
Spirit and blessing of God will rest upon us. But if we do not these
things, his Spirit will depart from us, and we be left to ourselves.
God will not be mocked by his people, or by any other people; but we
shall reap the reward of our doings.

Vol. 20, p.24
We talk about being a good people. Well, we are when compared with the
rest of the world; but we ought to be twenty times better than we are
to-day. And if we, as Latter-day Saints, were to strictly observe the
Sabbath day, and pay our tithes and offerings, and meet our
engagements, and be less worldly minded, be united in temporal and
spiritual things, Zion would arise and shine, and the glory of God
would rest upon her. And it would not be long before all nations would
call us blessed. But we are slothful and careless and indifferent, and
we neglect our duty and the responsibilities that devolve upon us.

Vol. 20, p.24
I pray that God may enlighten our minds, and lead us in the paths of
life; and that we may honor our calling and our God; that we may be
found worthy to be associated with the just on the earth, and with
them obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of God, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.

Joseph F. Smith, July 7, 1878

Plural Marriage—For the Righteous Only—
Obedience Imperative—Blessings Resulting

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Morning, July 7, 1878.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 20, p.24
I naturally shrink from the task of addressing a congregation in this
house, feeling as I do my inability to make myself heard.

Vol. 20, p.24
I have been interested this morning in listening to the remarks of
Brother Cannon. We cannot but be delighted with the testimony that has
been given in  our hearing, and that we are continually [p.25]
receiving from many sources, which go to prove that the world can do
nothing against, but for us. Even their attempts to slander and
misrepresent us, and their unrighteous attacks on the principles of
our religion have ever tended to excite inquiry and investigation into
the facts, which cannot but result beneficially to us as a people. I
say, the efforts of our enemies against us have ever had a tendency to
cause people who desire to arrive at the truth, to inquire into the
real condition of things. The more people interest themselves in this
direction, the more truth they will learn, and we court such
investigation, for there is certainly nothing connected with us, as a
religious community, in consonance with the gospel we preach, that we
should be ashamed of, or that should not be known by all men. It makes
no difference with the truth how much we are wrongfully accused; nor
will it permanently injure us. If we sustain injury or suffer loss by
the misrepresentations and evils maliciously promulgated about us by
our enemies, it can only be such injury and less as will be temporary,
for when the facts do come out, and people learn the truth, so much
the more good will be accomplished in our favor, and so much greater
injury to those who are the authors of the falsehoods concerning us.
We want nothing hidden or covered up neither can we respect any
principle or individual that will not bear the day light and the most
careful investigation. Since 1830 the Elders of this church have been
faithfully endeavoring to promulgate the gospel which we have received
to every nation and people, without distinction as to race or color
that would receive them; in other words they have diligently sought to
"expose 'Mormonism'" to the world.

Vol. 20, p.25
We are not ashamed of our domestic relations, so far, at least, as
they exist in accordance with the principles of the Gospel, nor does
any right-minded man or woman feel in his or her heart to shrink in
any manner from the most rigid exposition of correct views in relation
thereto. It is true that in common with mankind generally, we do not
like our faults made public, we shrink from that, and it is natural
that we should. It is very proper that we should feel a reluctance to
have our weaknesses and imperfections exposed to the world, or even to
our neighbors. This feeling is a very proper incentive to us to
continue in the work of self-improvement, until we shall overcome the
weaknesses we have inherited, living nearer to the principles of life
and salvation which we have received. But the errors of man affect not
in the least the principles of the Gospel of the Son of God. You show
me a man who has embraced the Gospel in its entirety, in faith and
practice, and I can then point to a man who has overcome the tallies
and weaknesses of the flesh; or show me a man who is trying to live
according to these principles, and I will show you a man who is trying
to overcome his weaknesses. Hence there can be no blame attached to
the doctrines of our faith, because of the infirmities and
shortcomings of mankind; but we should rather attribute such
weaknesses to their proper source—the defectiveness of man, or to his
failure, at least, to comply with those principles which ave
calculated to correct every evil, and to establish man in
righteousness. It is perhaps a difficult thing for us, under the
circumstances in which we are placed, the traditions of the fathers
clinging to us, the practices of the world before us, and the
temptations to evil so continually [p.26] surrounding us, at all times
to live the religion of Jesus Christ as perfectly as we should or
otherwise might. It is no doubt difficult for us to overcome our
follies, to forsake the traditions of the fathers, to eschew the
practice of sin, to be patient in suffering, to endure privations and
trials of our feelings, while we possess so little, as we do, of the
Spirit of the Lord, and the knowledge of the truth. But we need not be
discouraged because of this, nor because we see faults in each other,
for no man is perfect; all men have, more or less, the shortcomings
incident to humanity. We need not falter or be discouraged because of
this, for perhaps it would not be possible for one who was perfect in
all good to remain in the midst of  this corrupt, and perverse
generation. Still it would seem good if we had a few among us who were
really perfect, whose example we could see, whose precept we could
learn, and whose footsteps we might follow. We might then be the
better able to perfect ourselves. Still we will do well to emulate the
good that are in our midst, and to observe those great truths we have
already received in part, which in their fulness are able to save us
unto the uttermost. We shall not be cast off, my brethren and sisters,
for those sins which we ignorantly commit, which are the results of
misunderstanding in all honesty before the Lord. The difficulty does
not lie here; the danger lies in our failing to live up to that which
we do know to be right and proper. For this we will be held
responsible before the Lord, for this we will be judged and condemned
unless we repent and forsake our follies, and our unwillingness to
obey the light and the knowledge which we have received. There are
some plain, simple truths which we do know, but which we do not
observe. Herein lies our great sin. The condemnation of the world,
when the Savior commenced his mission among men, was that light had
come into the world, but they loved darkness rather than light,
because their deeds were evil. This principle applies with equal force
to us in this dispensation. If we had remained without the Gospel, we
would not be under condemnation. But now that light has come into the
world; now that truth and the authority of God have been restored, we
cannot longer remain without sin, unless we obey this Gospel so
revealed, and practice our profession.

Vol. 20, p.26
There is a great deal said about our plural marriage by the outside
world, and sometimes it is referred to by the Latter-day Saints at
home. I fancy sometimes that not, only is the world without knowledge
in relation to this principle, but many of those who profess to be
Latter-day Saints are far from possessing a correct understanding of
it.

Vol. 20, p.26
In the first place, it is a principle that savors of life unto life,
or of death unto death; therefore it is well for those who have
embraced the Gospel to obtain a knowledge in relation to this matter.
It is a principle that pertains to eternal life, in other words, to
endless lives, or eternal increase. It is a law of the Gospel
pertaining to the celestial kingdom, applicable to all gospel
dispensations, when commanded and not otherwise, and neither
acceptable to God or binding on man unless given by commandment, not
only so given in this dispensation, but particularly adapted to the
conditions and necessities thereof, and to the circumstances,
responsibilities, and personal, as well as vicarious duties of the
people of God in this  age of the world. God has revealed it as a
principle [p.27] particularly suited to the nature of the work we are
called to perform, that it might be hastened to its consummation. It
is a righteous principle not an unrighteous one. It is a pure and holy
principle; and, therefore, persons, either male or female, who have
not the desire in their hearts to become pure and righteous, have no
business to practice it, for it cannot be practiced acceptably before
God on any other principle than that of purity and righteousness,
therefore no wicked unjust or impure person can enter into the law of
celestial or plural marriage without incurring the displeasure of the
Almighty and his own condemnation before the Lord, unless he speedily
repent of all his impure motives and designs. A man that is not honest
in his heart, who does not desire to be just and impartial, even as
God is just and impartial, has no business in plural marriage; and
before he enters into the practice of that principle he needs to
repent, to learn wisdom to get the Spirit of God, to get understanding
in relation to the purpose God has in view in regard to this
principle; that he may go into the practise of it understandingly,
that his heart and mind may be set upon practising it in
righteousness. It is a difficult matter, I am aware, to distinguish
between the actions of a man and the principles in which he professess
to believe. A corrupt ungodly hypocrite can do more injury in the
midst of a people, in a given length of time, correspondingly, than a
host of upright men can do good. Send an Elder to preach the Gospel
among the nations, and let him degrade himself, dishonor his
priesthood and calling, and he will bring more reproach upon the cause
misrepresented by him, than twenty good men could remove. Because
people generally look at the man. To judge him by his acts would be
righteous judgment: but to condemn the Gospel or the Saints, because
of his acts, would be unjust; yet the cause he misrepresents suffers
wrong because of his connection with it. A man's acts may justly be
considered as resulting from his principles. We judge a tree by its
fruits. The fruits of the Gospel are good; he that has actually
embraced the Gospel will do good, only so far as he may err, or depart
therefrom. Hence, it is difficult to seperate a man's actions from his
principles.

Vol. 20, p.27
There is no difficulty, however, in this matter to those who always
bear in mind, that evil and corrupt practices are not the results of
obedience to the Gospel, but of disobedience, and of the proversion of
the truth. If we would keep this in our minds we would not cast blame
upon the principles themselves when we see or hear of men, who should
represent them, do wrong; but we would rather say, the man has
departed from his principles and gone into error. It is he that is
defective, through not practising what he professes; the principles
are good and holy, and he himself would become so too, if he would but
practise them.

Vol. 20, p.27
It is precisely so in relation to our domestic relations. We see
trouble in families occasionally, not any more so in plural than in
single families. There is no reason why there should be any difference
between the husband and wife, or husband and wives, in the midst of
this people, if all are disposed to obey the principles and doctrines
of the Gospel. It is only by the practise of these principles that we
can avoid the disturbances that occur in families, or among mankind.
We must learn and obey correct principle, or we will ever be in
turmoil and confusion, and in antagonism one towards another. Where
differences exist in families [p.28] they are traceable directly to
some cause. I want to impress upon the minds of my bearers that the
cause of such evils it not traceable to the practice of any principle
which God has revealed touching these matters, but to the
non-observance of them; and this is true in relation to every
principle of the Gospel. Sometimes it is the fault of the man,
sometimes of the woman, and oftener of both, but never the fault of
the principle. The principle is correct, great, ennobling and
calculated to bring joy, satisfaction and peace, if we would but
observe and practice it as we should. But in order to do this we must
get wisdom and understanding. These, by many, are acquired only
through long experience. We begin as children, we have to learn
precept by precept, line after line, here a little and there a little,
which is good, provided we profit by that which we learn. Men must be
just, so also must women, in relation to these matters. All must be
just one towards another; also forbearing and patient, cultivating
largely that Christian attribute called Charity, in order to get along
peaceably with our neighbors, our brethren and sisters, as well as
with our wives, husbands and children. We are all imperfect, we have
to learn by littles as we pass along, profiting oft times by that
which we suffer, yet often repeating the same errors. When we find
ourselves overcome in a fault, that should be set down as an example
for future time, if possible, never allowing ourselves to be caught in
the same predicament again. Thus profiting by the experience we gain.

Vol. 20, p.28
Some people have supposed that the doctrine of plural marriage was a
sort of superfluity, or non-essential to the salvation or exaltation
of mankind. In other words, some of the Saints have said, and believe,
that a man with one wife, sealed to him by the authority of the
Priesthood for time and eternity, will receive an exaltation as great
and glorious, if he is faithful, as he possibly could with more than
one. I want here to enter my solemn protest against this idea, for I
know it is false. There is no blessing promised except upon
conditions, and no blessing can be obtained by mankind except by
faithful compliance with the conditions, or law, upon which the same
is promised. The marriage of one woman to a man for time and eternity
by the sealing power, according to the law of God, is a fulfillment of
the celestial law of marriage in part—and is good so far as it
goes—and so far as a man abides these conditions of the law, he will
receive his reward therefor, and this reward, or blessing, he could
not obtain on any other grounds or conditions. But this is only the
beginning of the law, not the whole of it. Therefore, whoever has
imagined that he could obtain the fullness of the blessings pertaining
to this celestial law, by complying with only a portion of its
conditions, has deceived himself. He cannot do it. When that principle
was revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, he very naturally shrank, in
his feelings, from the responsibilities thereby imposed upon him;
foreseeing, as he did in part, the apparently insurmountable
difficulties in the way of establishing it, in the face of popular
opinion, the traditions and customs of many generations, the frowns,
ridicule, slander, opposition and persecution of the world. Yes, this
man of God, who dared to meet the opposition of the whole world with
bold and fearless front, who dared to dispute the religious authority
and  accumulated learning and wisdom of the age—who dared everything
for the truth, and shrank not even from [p.29] the sacrifice of his
own life in testimony of his divine mission, shrank, in his feelings,
from the weight of the responsibility of inaugurating and establishing
this new innovation upon the established customs of the world. But he
did not falter, although it was not until an angel of God, with a
draw, sword, stood before him and commanded that he should enter into
the practice of that principle, or he should be utterly destroyed, or
rejected, that he moved forward to reveal and establish that doctrine.

Vol. 20, p.29
To put this matter more correctly before you, I here declare that the
principle of plural marriage was not first revealed on the 12th day of
July, 1843. It was written for the first time on that date, but it had
been revealed to the Prophet many years before that, perhaps as early
as 1832. About this time, or subsequently, Joseph, the Prophet,
intrusted this fact to Oliver Cowdery; he abused the confidence
imposed in him, and brought reproach upon himself, and thereby upon
the church by "running before he was sent," and "taking liberties
without license," so to speak, hence the publication, by O. Cowdery,
about this time, of an article on marriage, which was carefully
worded, and afterwards found its way into the Doctrine and Covenants
without authority. This article explains itself to those who
understand the facts, and is an indisputable evidence of the early
existence of the knowledge of the principle of patriarchal marriage by
the Prophet Joseph, and also by Oliver Cowdery.

Vol. 20, p.29
When the revelation was written, in 1843, it was for a special
purpose, by the request of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, and was not then
designed to go forth to the church or to the world. It is most
probable that had it been then written with a view to its going out as
a doctrine of the church, it would have been presented in a somewhat
different form. There are personalities contained in a part of it
which are not relevant to the principle itself, but rather to the
circumstances which necessitated its being written at that time.
Joseph Smith, on the day it was written, expressly declared that there
was a great deal more connected with the doctrine which would be
revealed in due time, but this was sufficient for the occasion, and
was made to suffice for the time. And, indeed, I think it much more
than many are prepared to live up to even now. When the time came to
introduce this doctrine to those who were worthy in the church, God
commanded the Prophet and he obeyed. He taught it as he was commanded
to such as were prepared to receive and obey if, and they were
commanded to enter into it, or they were threatened that the keys
would be turned against them, and they would be cut off by the
Almighty. It need scarcely be said that the Prophet found no one any
more willing to lead out in this matter in righteousness than he was
himself. Many could see it—neatly all to whom he revealed it believed
it, and received the witness of the Holy Spirit that it was of God;
but none excelled, or even matched the courage of the Prophet himself.

Vol. 20, p.29
If, then, this principle was of such great importance that the Prophet
himself was threatened with destruction, and the best men in the
Church with being excluded from the favor of the Almighty, if they did
not enter into and establish the practice of it upon the earth, it is
useless to tell me that there is no blessing attached to obedience to
the law, or that a man with only one wife can obtain as great a
reward, glory or kingdom as he can with more than [p.30] one, being
equally faithful.

Vol. 20, p.30
Patriachal marriage involves conditions, responsibilities and
obligations which do not exist in monogamy, and there are blessings
attached to the faithful observance of that law, if viewed only upon
natural principles, which must so far exceed those of monogamy as the
conditions responsibilities and power of increase are greater. This is
my view and testimony in relation to this matter. I believe it is a
doctrine that should be taught and understood.

Vol. 20, p.30
The benefits derived from the righteous observance of this order of
marriage do not accrue solely to the husband, but are shared equally
by the wives; not only is this true upon the grounds of obedience to a
divine law, but upon physiological and scintific principles. In the
latter view, the wives are even more benefitted, if possible, than the
husband physically. But, indeed, the benefits naturally accruing to
both sexes, and particularly to their offspring, in time, say nothing
of eternity, are immensely greater in the righteous practice of
patriarchal marriage than in monogamy, even admitting the eternity of
the monogamic marriage covenant.

Vol. 20, p.30
Man may receive great reward, exaltation and glory by entering into
the bond of the new and everlasting covenant, if he continue faithful
according to his knowledge, but he cannot receive the fullness of the
blessings unless he fulfills the law, any more than he can claim the
gift of the Holy Ghost after he is baptized without the laying on of
hands by the proper authority, or the remission of sins without
baptism, though he may repent in sack-cloth and ashes.

Vol. 20, p.30
"But," says one, "how will it be with good men who believe the
doctrine, but are prevented, or cannot enter into the practice of it?"
I reply that every man and woman will receive all that they are worthy
of, and something thrown in perhaps, on the score of the boundless
charity of God. But who can justly expect to obtain more than they
merit? All the judgments of God are not given unto man. What we do not
learn relative to the salvation of our souls which are our bodies and
spirits, in this probation we will have to learn in the eternity which
lies before us, for we cannot be saved without knowledge. "But what if
we never get knowledge?" Then we never will be saved.

Vol. 20, p.30
Suppose we live and die without knowledge? Then, if we ever obtain
salvation we will have to get it in the next world, as the
Antediluvians did, who rejected the Gospel as preached unto them by
Noah and were destroyed by the flood, sent to the prison-house to be
punished for their disobedience and other wickedness, and in the
meridian of time received knowledge by the proclamation of the Gospel,
as preached unto them by the Savior while his body slept in the tomb,
without which they would forever have remained ignorant of God, his
government and laws, in a lost condition. All men must obtain
salvation upon their own merits, for by our works shall we be judged,
and by them justified or comdemned.

Vol. 20, p.30
It is a glorious privilege to be permitted to go into a Temple of God
to be united as man and wife in the bonds of holy wedlock for time and
all eternity by the Authority of the Holy Priesthood, which is the
power of God, for they who are thus joined together "no man can put
asunder," for God hath joined them. It is an additional privilege for
that same man and wife to re-enter the Temple [p.31] of God to receive
another wife in like manner if they are worthy. But if he remain
faithful with only the one wife, observing the conditions of so much
of the law as pertains to the eternity of the marriage covenant, he
will receive his reward, but the benefits, blessings and power
appertaining to the second or more faithful and fuller observance of
the law, he never will receive, for he cannot. As before stated no man
can obtain the benefits of one law by the observance of another,
however faithful he may be in that which he does, nor can he secure to
himself the fullness of any blessing without he fulfills the law upon
which it is predicated, but he will receive the benefit of the law he
obeys. This is just and righteous. If this is not correct doctrine
then I am in error, and if I am in error I want to be corrected.

Vol. 20, p.31
I understand the law of celestial marriage to mean that every man in
this Church, who has the ability to obey and practice it in
righteousness and will not, shall be damned, I say I understand it to
mean this and nothing less, and I testify in the name of Jesus that it
does mean that. But what will become of him that cannot abide it? Says
the Lord, "whose having knowledge have I not commanded to repent, and
he that hath not understanding it remaineth with me to do according as
it is written." In other words he that is without understanding is not
under the law and it remains for God to deal with him according to his
own wisdom. If a man acknowledges that he is incapable, or
disqualified by a lack of knowledge, wisdom or understanding to obey
this law, when it remains with God to deal with him according to those
principles of justice which are written, or are yet to be revealed it
is not likely however, that he will take his seat with Abraham. Isaac
and Jacob, or share in their promised blessings.

Vol. 20, p.31
This law is in force upon the inhabitants of Zion, and he that is
qualified to obey it cannot neglect or disregard it with impunity. But
it must be observed in righteousness. The commandment is "be ye
righteous as your Father in heaven is righteous; be ye holy as he is
holy.

Vol. 20, p.31
Why did the Son of God make this requirement of his disciples, seeing
that it is so universally believed by the world, that man cannot be
righteous at all? Did Jesus require anything inconsistent or
impossible? No, he did nothing of that kind. All that he commanded us
to do, we can accomplish by the help of the Holy Spirit; but we cannot
do it ourselves. Therefore if we will seek for the Holy Spirit, the
gift of wisdom and understanding from God, we may practice these
principles of righteousness, and they will make us righteous even as
God is righteous, in the sphere in which we are called to act. We will
fulfil the law, and receive the blessing, exaltation and reward which
will follow; if we do not, we will fail of the reward.

Vol. 20, p.31
This is very simple reasoning, I admit. Critics would say, these are
axioms that need not to be told. If we do wickedly we will be
punished; if we do righteously, we then receive blessings at the hands
of God.

Vol. 20, p.31
May God bless you, and keep us all in the path of righteousness, and
enable us to live the religion we have received from Him, is my
prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. [p.32]

George Q. Cannon, July 7, 1878

Gratifying Political and General Material Condition of the Saints
—Employment for the Poor—Enemies Foiled—Plural Marriage

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Morning, July 7, 1878.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 20, p.32
It is with much pleasure I meet with the Latter-day Saint this
morning; it was a great pleasure tome yesterday to sit and listen to
the remarks which were made by the brethren who spoke, and to the
testimonies which they bore; and I trust that the same spirit which
rested upon them white addressing us yesterday, will be upon us,
speakers and hearers, today.

Vol. 20, p.32
I can appreciate the privilege we enjoy in meeting in these quarterly
conferences, perhaps more so because of my lengthened absence from
home, than I could were I constantly in your midst. After a person has
been deprived of food, many of you know how good it is to sit down to
a well-spread table. I do not know that the Latter-day Saints are
exactly in this condition. There are privileges we need and which we
can enjoy, even when away from the body of the Church, which enable
those who are thus separated to rejoice in their religion and its
blessings. It has been a rule of my life, since I was old enough to
comprehend the truth, to so live that the Spirit of the Lord would be
my companion, and thus to have peace, to have joy and to have
satisfaction of mind; and this I can testify I have had. But still
absence from the society of the Latter-day Saints is a great
deprivation; at least it is to me.

Vol. 20, p.32
With regard to our condition politically, I do not think it would be
inappropriate for me to allude to it casually, although it is Sunday.
There probably never was a time since we have been in these mountains
when we were in a better political position than we are today.
Notwithstanding all the efforts which are being made against us to
destroy our liberties, to embarras us in our progress and to malign
us, the people who reside in these mountains have gained and are
gaining a credit which in many respects is very gratifying to those
who love the truth. It is n difficult thing to condemn an entire
people, and make the world believe that those who manage a Territory
such as ours, the affairs of which are so well managed, and are in so
healthy and thrifty a condition, are a wicked people. And so far as my
observation has extended, I think [p.33] we are being better
understood. There is one thing particularly that, I have noticed, that
where men and women have visited this Territory, with scarcely any
exception, they speak favorably of what they have seen. I have
endeavored to urge men of national standing, man who hold high
positions in the Government, to visit Utah. And I may say that some of
the warmest friends we have, while they do not sympathize particularly
with our religious views, but are tolerant and desirous that we should
have our rights in common with other people, are those who have
visited this Territory and have seen us in our homes, and have had
opportunities of witnessing the changes that been effected in this
desert land by our residence and labors.

Vol. 20, p.33
As to the time when we shall become a state, concerning which
considerable is said by outside parties, as well as by ourselves, it
is difficult at the present time to say anything definite respecting
it. I believe, however, the time will come, and that too before long,
when certain exigencies of a political character will arise that will
make the vote of Utah necessary in deciding national questions, and
under those circumstances it would he important to have Utah as a
state. In fact it is already acknowledged that had Utah been admitted
as a state when Colorado was, that all this difficulty which has
occured connected with the presidential election would have been
entirely settled; indeed it would not have arisen. This is now
conceded. But this experience comes too late to be of any benefit in
correcting the injustice which we suffered, and to be of any avail in
the presidential contest which is now past; but it may have some
effect in the future. There are many, a great many men of both
political parties who have said to me that they would vote for Utah's
admission whenever the question should be brought up, provided they
had a voice in the matter. However, as far as this is concerned I
think sometimes it is a matter of comparatively small moment. It is
true we have looked to our admission to statehood as likely to greatly
relieve us, and to bring about a better condition of affairs
throughout our Territory. But the conviction has grown upon me in
watching the progress of events, that our being kept in a territorial
condition to the present time has been attended with great advantage
to us as a people. The experience we have gained under this condition
of affairs is an experience that is necessary to us, and without which
we could not so well, in my opinion, fulfill the destiny assigned to
us. I believe there is an overruling Providence in all these affairs;
I believe the Lord is watching over this people, and that he is
controlling and shaping events and circumstances, and managing
everything connected with the affairs of this nation, and our affairs
as part of the nation, with a view to accomplish his great designs and
purposes. And whenever it shall be wisdom in his sight that we should
have our political condition changed and our Territory become a State,
it will be effected. And it will come, too, as easily as other changes
that have been wrought out and that at one time seemed exceedingly
improbable. So that it is not necessary that we should become excited
or impatient or indulge in too much anxiety concerning such things,
but leave them in the hands of Him who has up to the present time
controlled all things for the good of his people and for the bringing
to pass of his own purposes.

Vol. 20, p.33
I consider our condition to-day in these mountains the best condition
that we can occupy. When I travel [p.34] through the States and
converse with gentlemen who are familiar with the affairs of the
nation through its length and breadth, I never arise from such
conversation without feeling impressed more than ever with the
excellence of the circumstances which surround us. It is true we have
a desert land, that it is a land requiring excessive toil to make it
fruitful and habitable for those who live in it. The grass does not
clothe our hills spontaneously; our territory is not favored with the
rains of heaven to make it green with verdure: our fields would be
barren indeed, if it were not for the labor of irrigation and the
constant efforts of the husbandman. In this respect our country
differs very much from every other place east of us. In travelling
through the broad prairies of Illinois, with the continuous fields of
grain; and through Iowa and Nebraska, so far as Nebraska is settled,
and contrasting the ease with which those lands are cultivated,
compared with the toil required in this mountain region, I could not
help thinking that if we were permitted to live in so goodly a land,
under favorable circumstances, we would soon convert it into an Eden.
But in the providences of the Almighty we were driven out and led to
this land, and the Lord has showed unto us, and is showing to the
inhabitants of the earth, that when a people will do that which He
requires of them, that he is abundantly able to sustain them and make
their labors successful. He has done this in leading us to this
country, and in sustaining us since we came here. Our condition in
many respects is far superior to those who live in those favored
localities to which I have referred. We have a healthy land; we have a
land that the Lord has blessed and made fruitful as the result of our
labors. It is a land in which men cannot, from the very nature of
things, monopolize large bodies of land to the exclusion of their
poorer neighbors. This is an advantage to the people of this country.
The nature of our surroundings compels us to occupy small holdings and
the result is our land is better cultivated, there is a more
widespread ownership of the soil than you will find in any part of
these United States; that is, there are more men holding land and
owning and occupying it, in this country, in proportion to the entire
population, than you can find elsewhere. The result, is a condition of
independence you cannot find elsewhere. At the present time, in the
western States especially, men are greatly concerned about the element
known as Communism, which has taken possession of the minds of a
numerous class of the people. The working classes are becoming very
dissatisfied, and men are trembling for fear of what will come upon
the nation. One of the strongest arguments that was made in favor of
keeping up the United States army up to its present numbers was, that
there would probably be riots in large cities and in populous centres,
which would require the presence of the military acting as police to
quell. And had it not been for this evil the army would have been cut
down. But a good many men were anxious to have it increased, deeming
it necessary for the preservation of life and property. When we
reflect upon this it shows how changed have become the affairs of our
nation, when it is deemed necessary to appeal to military power to
maintain good order in the Republic. There can be no surer sign of the
decay of a republic than when human life and property and liberty
cannot be sustained by the masses of the people, and the military
power, the ranks of which  are filled with hired soldiers, has to
[p.35] be appealed to sustain good order in the midst of the people.
Let such a state of thing continue and there would soon be an end of
true republic anism.

Vol. 20, p.35
In this respect we also have our difficulties. The business of
furnishing employment for our poor people, so that our streets shall
not be filled with idle men and boys, has no doubt pressed, and will
continue to press itself upon the minds of the leading men of this
Territory. But in comparison with the magnitude of this question
elsewhere, it seems to sink into insignificance here. It is a matter
of small moment, comparatively speaking, in this Territory; because
the great bulk of the people have employment, and can easily furnish
themselves with employment. However, this is a matter that should
receive attention and from those, too, who care for the people and
have their welfare at heart. No doubt everything will be done that
should be to preserve good government throughout this Territory, and
throughout all these valleys which are inhabited by the Latter-day
Saints. The fact is, the time will come, concerning which there has
been so much said in the past, when it will devolve upon the people of
these mountains to maintain good government, to uphold constitutional
rights; and we are receiving the training necessary to fit and prepare
us for that great and glorious destiny. I have no doubt that the day
will come, and come speedily, when Utah will be looked to, as an
example of good government, and that the condition of affairs in this
Territory will be pointed to as an example for other communities and
other societies to imitate with advantage to themselves and the
country at large. There is every inducement therefore for us, as
Latter-day Saints, to continue to persevere in the direction in which
we are going.

Vol. 20, p.35
I have no doubt many of you would be surprised if you knew the
interest that is being taken, outside of our Territory, in our
affairs. When the news of the death of President Young reached the
east, there was, I might say, a general expectation that rival
claimants to the power he wielded would arise, that dissensions would
ensue and that the work of disintegration would commence and the
speedy overthrow of the system soon follow. I suppose I have been
spoken to hundreds of times upon this point; and men seem surprised
that this has not been the result. Many have said to me, "Your affairs
seem to go on prosperously, notwithstanding the death of your great
leader." Yes. "Well, we scarcely expected this would be the case; we
have heard so much said through the newspapers concerning the
probability of dissensions in your midst and quarrels over the
leadership, that we were expecting you would have trouble." I have
told them invariably that President Young had all his life-time
acknowledged that the qualities and powers he possessed he owed to
what the world call "Mormonism;" that he was not the creator of
"Mormonism," but he himself was the product of it, and that this would
continue to increase, no matter how many leaders might die or pass
away. The results which have followed the decease of President Young
have given to thinking men a higher idea of the strength and power of
this system. It assumes a different position in their minds. The idea
now begins to prevail that it is not entirely dependent upon the life
or the ability of any single individual; and I think the death of
President Young has had the effect also to cause men to pause, and to
look upon the work a little differently. He was the [p.36] target at
which every arrow was aimed	he was the object of every plot and
scheme; every combination for evil had for its object, his destruction
or his embarrassment. His withdrawal from the scene spoiled these
combinations, and brought these plots to naught. To this I attribute
the quiet of the past season. Although I have often been at Washington
for the past 20 years, and have spent a 	considerable portion of my
time there ford number of years past, I have never seen less of the
disposition on the part of public men to take adverse measures against
the people of Utah Territory than there has been this season. The
feeling has been to let us alone for the present; and although there
were emissaries sent down from here who labored very diligently to
stir up feeling and to secure action against the people of Utah, their
efforts scarcely created a ripple upon the surface of political
affairs, and they attracted no attention outside of the committees, to
whom they addressed themselves. Though it is unpleasant upon some
accounts to have men there who are circulating all manner of falsehood
about the people of Utah to gain their ends, they have their uses.
They create discussion. They stir one up, and their presence and
opposition furnish opportunities to talk to committees and members
about Utah affairs, which otherwise the Delegate would not have. Such
discussions made things lively in the committee rooms, but, outside of
the committees there was not a feeling 	that I could discover
particularly hostile to Utah. This is a remarkable condition of
affairs; and I attribute it in part to the effect that the death of
President Young has had upon the public mind throughout the entire
country.	

Vol. 20, p.36
I do not think there is any less hostility against the truth; I do not
think that Belial has lost any of his hatred to the Lord; but the Lord
in his wisdom has permitted a feeling of this kind to grow up, and is
overruling it for his own purpose.

Vol. 20, p.36
I have said the eyes of the people are upon us; they are watching us
and great hopes are entertained concerning us by many people who are
not of us. We are looked upon as the pioneers in many reforms. The
ladies, as you are aware, have lately been agitating in Congress their
question—Woman's Rights. Among other ladies who argued their cause
before the general committees of the Senate and the House, was a
sister of the Rev. Henry Ward Bencher—Mrs. Isabella Beecher Hooker, a
lady of character and great ability. It was most gratifying to me to
hear the tribute that these ladies paid to the women of Utah; not that
they sympathized with plural marriage, for they disavowed their
sympathy with it; but they begin to recognize, as they never have
until quite recently, the true position that the men and women of this
Territory occupy upon this question. Indeed, I heard more than one
say, and among them was one very prominent lady, that if there had to
be a choice, she would prefer plural marriage than to have the
condition of affairs which exists in their communities. There seems to
have been a good deal of light thrown upon this subject: and our
sisters here, through their publication, the "Woman's Exponent," as
well as other channels of communication, have greatly aided in this
matter. Their efforts are commendable, and are already beginning to
have their good effects in the States among their sisters; and I am
pleased to be able to bear this [p.37] testimony. When the question of
legislation for Utah was argued, the committee rooms were thronged to
listen to my argument upon the subject; and on one occasion two ladies
took part in the discussion against the bills urged by our enemies and
in favor of the rights of the women of Utah. A knowledge of the true
condition of affairs in this Territory is gradually growing, and
although it may be but slowly, it is of faster growth than we
generally imagine. This is especially true of that much abused
principle called plural marriage. It is becoming recognized in its
true light, and people are beginning, as I never heard them before in
my experience, to talk about it and reflect upon it, often alluding to
it in a way that shows that a better understanding of the subject is
steadily spreading among the people. And there is a reason for this:
this question has been so much agitated. It is a remarkable fact that
every publication against this doctrine of the Latter-day Saints has
the effect to spread the knowledge of it among the people and it makes
men and women reflect upon it. Our efforts alone would not be attended
with the results that are now witnessed. But every man that has
published articles against it, or lectured or written books or made
any effort against it, has helped to propagate the knowledge of it;
they have been missionaries in its favor. And no true doctrine need
ever fear being assailed and denounced; for it will emerge from the
conflict brighter and better understood than it otherwise would
appear. Every man who has gone down to Washington from here to fight
us has made men in Congress think about us and talk about us, and has
made editors write about us. They have, without designing it, helped
to disseminate a knowledge of our cause. The more the "Mormon"
question, as it is termed, is agitated, the better it is for us; the
more it is fought, the more it is written against and talked about,
the more that Congress is stirred up to take steps against it, the
better the principles of our faith are understood; because there are
some men and some women who reflect upon these things, and who will
contrast that which they hear of us, with that which exists in their
midst. And when they see a man stand up boldly and say, "We believe in
plural marriage; we do not believe in prostitution; we do not suffer
women to become the slaves of men's lusts; but believe they ought to
become honored wives and mothers, and that children ought to be
educated and provided for and called by the name of their father, and
at their father's death his property be equally divided among them
even though their mothers should be plural wives." When they hear
this, they cannot help thinking about such a condition of affairs; and
they say, there is a moral courage which these people evince in this
matter that is admirable. I have had it said to me often times, by
both sexes, that it is better that we should live as we do, than such
practices as exist elsewhere should come in our midst.

Vol. 20, p.37
So that, as has often been said, everything done against us is
overruled for the good and spread of the work of God.

Vol. 20, p.37
The subject of plural marriage is always an interesting subject, and
it is made still more so by the constant attacks made upon it, and the
misrepresentations made concerning it. Whenever people meet with a
Latter-day Saints, it is almost sure to be the first topic broached.
The opinion which some entertain who take their views from the
slanderous reports published about us, is that we are a licentious
people, who take wives [p.38] to gratify lust. Such persons, if
reasonably honest, are soon made to reflect and to modify their views
by asking them a few questions. A prominent gentleman with whom I
recently conversed, entertained that opinion. I said to him, after
conversing a little while: Sir, you believe the people of Utah are bad
and licentious, and that they degrade women by their system of plural
marriage. Let me ask you, if their purposes were only sensual, have
they any occasion in this day to marry women? Could they not
accomplish sensual ends much easier, cheaper, and without creating any
especial remark by not marrying women and not caring for and educating
and legitimatizing their children? There are practices which prevail
in society, and which are not unpopular if a certain degree of secrecy
be observed which a licentious people could avail themselves of,
without the trouble, care, expense and responsibility of marriage.
What is the crime of which the people of Utah are accused? It is that
of marrying women! It is not that of seducing or debauching them. All
the pains and penalties inserted in bills before Congress for the
punishment of the "Mormon" people are affixed to the marriage of
women. This is made a crime, and because of it, it is proposed to
punish men. Not one word of condemnation, nor penalty of any
character, is proposed for the seducer, or the vile betrayer of female
innocence; he is to walk up to the polls and vote unchallenged; but
the man who marries women, and maintains them honorably and
virtuously, sustaining family and parental relations in all purity and
sacredness, is to be disfranchised and visited with other pains and
penalties! You will perceive, therefore that the "Mormon" people are
either not a licentious people or they are the most foolish in the
world. No one ever charges them with a lack of shrewdness or prudence.
Such a charge would be utterly at variance with all their known
characteristics. If they were not a conscientious people, with strong
moral and religious convictions, they would not risk becoming martyrs,
as they do, for the sake of marrying women, when, if they followed the
usual practice of the age, they could get them without marrying.

Vol. 20, p.38
He frankly acknowledged that what I had said had given him a new view
of the case, and he admitted that if the gratifaction of sensual
desires were our object, we could reach that without marriage and
without exciting any particular odium. The fact is, illicit connexions
are winked at and overlooked by very many people in the world while
they are kept from public knowledge; they only excite scandal and
unfavorable comment when the parties to them are so unfortunate as to
become known.

Vol. 20, p.38
A reply of Bro. Hooper and myself, which we are credited as having
made to inquirers who were curious to know respecting our domestic
relations, is often quoted and created some amusement in Washington
City. Both of us have doubtless made remarks similar to that quoted;
the reply, however, is not original with us, but with Bro. Horace S.
Eldredge. Upon one occasion, while purchasing machinery in the East,
he called upon a firm in providence, Rhode Island, to whom he brought
a letter of introduction. One of the members of the firm, after
carrying him in his carriage to see the various objects of interest in
the city, brought him back to his place of business and introduced him
to his partner. This gentleman had a number of inquires to make
respecting Utah and its people, and soon learned that Bro. Eldredge
[p.39] was a "Mormon." After stating that he understood that the
"Mormons" believed in marrying more than one wife, to which bro.
Eldredge replied in the affirmitive, he asked if he himself had more
than one, to which he again responded affirmatively. He then asked how
many he had. To this bro. Eldredge replied: "I have such a plenty of
my own that I have no occasion to trouble my neighbors'; and that is
more than a great many in the land of steady habits can say." This was
a home shot. His partner laughed heartily. Knowing the other's
character, he could appreciate its applicability to him. After getting
his reply, the gentleman had no more questions to ask, and soon made
an excuse to go out. Many who have heard of this reply, think the idea
embodied in it a capital one, for it is not uncommon in many places
for other men's wives to receive attentions which should be only
tendered to them by their husbands.

Vol. 20, p.39
I desire greatly to see this people prosper and increase in everything
which will make them the favored people of God. I want to see us be
come a strong people, strong it, our virtues; looking after our
children, and bringing them up in the fear of God, and teaching them
good morals and good precepts; whilst we endeavor to put down those
evil practices that are creeping in, such as smoking and chewing
tobacco, using the name of the Lord in vain, and also profane and
improper language, and to see that our boys and girls are educated in
everything that will make them great and noble. It is the great desire
of my life to see this people become all that the Lord desires us to
be. But when I saw how few there were in this Tabernacle yesterday,
few compared to the attendance this morning, I felt the reproofs that
were made by brothers Pratt and Woodruff were well-timed, and ought to
be taken to heart by all of us, and the disposition be encouraged to
be more attentive to our duties.

Vol. 20, p.39
That the Lord may bless you, and bless all who belong to His Israel,
is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

John Taylor, August, 4, 1878

God's Power in All Things—Kingdom of God—Co-Operation,
a Stepping Stone to the United Order—Political Economy—National
Troubles—