Journal of Discourses Volume 22

BY:  PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR,

HIS COUNSELLORS,
THE TWELVE APOSTLES
AND OTHERS.

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

 Respectfully Dedicated to the Latter-Day Saints in All the World.

VOL. XXII.

LIVERPOOL:

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY ALBERT CARRINGTON 42, ISLINGTON.

LONDON:

LATTER-DAY SAINTS' BOOK DEPOT, 10, DORINDA STREET,
 BRIDE STREET, LIVERPOOL ROAD, ISLINGTON.

1882.

Preface

Vol. 22, p.iii
With much pleasure we present to our readers the Twenty-second Volume
of the trusting that the inspired remarks of
God's servants, therein compiled, will prove an additional source of
happiness and peace to the Saints, and of general instruction to all
who peruse its pages.

THE PUBLISHER. [p.1]

John Taylor, October 7, 1879

(Continued From Page 376, Vol. XXI.)
 Opposition to the Work of God, Etc.

Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
 Tuesday Afternoon, Oct. 7th, 1879

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.1
And what then? Why, we have been told about the Gentiles introducing
into our midst what is termed the social evil; and we find some of our
youth, and older ones too, contaminating themselves with it, thereby
breaking their covenants and forsaking their God, and disgracing
themselves before God, angels and all good men. Such men are a
disgrace to any community, much less to a community professing, as we
do, to be Saints. Are such persons Saints? No, they are not. Can we
fellowship them? No, we cannot. God requires it of us before we talk
of cleansing the outside of the platter, to see that the inside is
clean, to place ourselves right upon the record. Do we do it? Well,
sometimes—I was going to say, "hardly ever." Sometimes we do it, but
in a great many instances we do not do it. What is the matter Good men
have mean sons, and the sons must not be handled. Why so? God, you
will remember, had a host of sons in heaven who did not do right, and
they were cast out, even a third part of His entire family. That is
the way I read it. Again, there are some sons who are good men, who
have disreputable fathers, who have departed from correct principles,
but out of respect to the lathers in the one instance and the sons in
the other, we allow evil way to go unchecked. Well, you Presidents and
you Bishops and you Priests and Teachers may do that if you please,
but their blood will be upon your heads, not upon mine. And we call
upon you to honor your calling and Priesthood and  purge from your
midst corruption of every kind. And we call upon the [p.2] Presidents
of Stakes and their Counselors, upon the Bishops and their Counselors,
and upon the Priests Teachers and Deacons, to magnify their offices,
and not to be partakers of other men's sins. For as sure as I live and
as God lives, if you do God will require it at your hands. And
therefore, I call upon Presidents and men in authority, where men do
not magnify their calling to remove them from their positions of
responsibily and replace them by men who will; and let us have correct
principles and the order of God carried out in Zion.

Vol. 22, p.2
Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers and Evangelists were placed in
the Church of old for what? "For the perfecting of the Saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we
all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ." It is so to-day. My brethren who have spoken have
told you plainly of many evils that exist in our midst; but we can
scarcely perceive them, many of us. Sometimes it is very difficult to
discern between a Saint and a sinner, between one who professes to
fear God and one who does not. It is for us to straighten out these
matters; and you men in authority will be held responsible, and the
Twelve will be held responsible, and I hold you responsible, and God
will hold you responsible for your acts. The great difficulty with us
is that we are too fond of catering to the world, and too much of the
world has crept into our hearts? the spirit of covetousness and greed,
and —what shall I say?—dishonesty has spread itself like a plague
throughout the length and breadth of the whole world in every
direction, and we have drunk more or less into that spirit. Like a
plague it has pervaded all grades of society; and instead of being
governed by those high, noble, and honorable principles that dwell in
the bosom of God, we are after the filthy lucre which is spoken of as
being the root of all evil; and instead of setting our affections upon
God, we set our affections upon the world, its follies and vanities.
Come ye out from the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels
of the Lord; and honor your Priesthood and calling, and show and prove
to the world, to angels and to God that you are on the side of truth
and right, of honesty, purity and integrity, and that you are for God
and His Kingdom, let other people do as they will.

Vol. 22, p.2
We sometimes talk of the affairs that are taking place around us.
There is now a little commotion that interested parties are getting up
about the "Mormons" for the purpose of forwarding their political
operations. Bless your soul, we knew about that long, long ago, and
also knew what it would be for. It is about the same with these
parties as it was with the editor I have read of; the printer asked
for "copy," it was handed him, but it was not enough, he wanted more.
The editor told him that he had not time to prepare any more then, but
to pitch into the "Mormons." That was a kind of standing matter they
kept on hand. The move that is being made now is simply a political
scheme, out of which to make political capital. It was started by
interested demagogues for that purpose, in order that they might have
the honor of putting down "Mormonism," and sailing into power on the
current of incensed public opinion. Now they can have all the honor
they can get on that score; [p.3] and I guess it will be the same as
Stephen A. Douglas and others have attained to by pursuing that
course, and I think no more.

Vol. 22, p.3
We are here to serve God and keep His commandments; and if we will
purge ourselves from our iniquities, live our religion and keep the
commandments of God, there is no power on this side of hell nor on the
other, that can harm us, for God will be on our side to protect us in
the position we occupy.

Vol. 22, p.3
There is one thing I wish to speak to you about that you are well
acquainted with. We had a little commotion gotten up about some of our
money matters associated with the heirs of the late President Young,
and it has been talked about generally. We thought we had made a
Settlement with them at one time, which we did, and the executors of
the estate took their releases which exonerated them from all blame,
and they avowed themselves satisfied with the settlements made. But
then, some men's word and some men's signatures do not amount to much.
What next? Why, some of our very pure and high-minded lawyers are not
above entering into such things because of a little monetary
inducements. It would not be proper to say they were anything but
pure, high-minded and honorable men, for it is understood that all
lawyers are, is it not? Well, we knew we had treated them Very
liberally before; and so did you. We knew we had given them all we
ought to give them, and more too. But we felt to be generous to the
heirs of President Young; and we did what we could to promote their
welfare. Still these things came out. No matter. Bonds and writings
and signatures and releases amount to nothing with some people So they
started in, and we have had legal fight about it. Some of the Apostles
have had to be confined in the penitentiary; and it was a pretty
narrow squeeze with me. [Laughter.] But then I have been in such
places before, and was shot at while there and hit, and therefore it
would have been nothing new, and I was not much concerned about it.
When they wanted to get hold of some of your means and property which
I held in trust, and which they had no right to, I told them No, they
could not have it. "Well," said they, "you will have to go to jail."
"Well," said I, "jail it is then. Some folks go off to rusticate at
Soda Springs and other places; I think I will go and rusticate in the
penitentiary." But they would not have me. [Laughter.] They took
Brother Cannon, Brother Brigham and Brother Carrington; I suppose they
considered them worthier men, and that I had better stay out. There
are all kinds of curious things started up; and among other things
that have grown out of this contest is what is termed a cross suit;
and because of this movement some people think we are going to law. I
will tell you how much. We were merely attempting to put the
complaining heirs in the same position as they had put us; thinking
that by doing so they might be led to reflect that there were other
people in the world besides themselves, and that other people might be
placed in jeopardy besides some of our brethren. "But," say you, "was
it not contrary to a law of the Church to go to law with your
brethren?" We did not exactly do it; we merely started in. I will tell
you what we would have done if this settlement had not been made. We
would have called upon all those who were good and honorable of
President Young's family—and [p.4] I am happy to say that with very
few exceptions they are of that class and are desirous to carry out
and fulfil their obligations, and stand by the covenants they have
entered into—we were going to call upon them to turn over to our side,
and then we were going to cut the others off the Church, and then go
to law with them and sue for their property as they had for ours. That
is all. I thought I would explain this because it is not generally
understood by the people. It is really one of those things called a
legal fiction, which had to arise to meet certain technicalities of
the law, in order that the proper releases might be given, releases
that would stand, and also a decree from the court to settle these
difficulties.

Vol. 22, p.4
This compromise was talked of, but it could not be reached very
readily, for some of them wanted a little more money, and the lawyers
wanted a little, and of course such honorable gentlemen should have
it. Well, the compromise was at last effected. We thought it better to
furnish them a little means than to have these unpleasant things going
on month after month, and perhaps year after year; and we could see
that we would have to be very smart indeed to prevent some of these
men of honor from running away with the balance of it. That being
done, we have done all we could to try to promote peace in our midst.
We have taken the best of counsel, and have acted in this matter
according to the very best of our judgment.

Vol. 22, p.4
And now about the money involved. It is a large amount? Yes, some
seventy-five thousand dollars paid by the Trustee-in-Trust in behalf
of the Church, beside a further amount paid by the administrators,
That would be just a dollar apiece from 75,000 people. It is quite a
little sum; but then, did you ever know of people giving a bone to a
dog? And after you had done so, you did not think you had lost much,
did you? We thought it better to take that course than to be mixed up
any longer with such miserable doings; and we agreed to do it. And I
would like to know whether you approve of this act or not. You who do,
please signify it by holding up your right hands. [A forest of hands
was raised; and a unanimous vote declared.]

Vol. 22, p.4
Well, some have asked what we were going to do with these complaining
heirs. I think we will have to deal with them according to the laws of
the Church. Are you going to bring their case before the Conference?
No, I think not; there are the proper officers in the Church to attend
to such things, and we say to them, go, and do your duty. We are very
sorry that they should have placed themselves in that position; and we
are very sorry that a great many other people should, and we are very
sorry that a great many of these evils referred to should exist in
Israel. But they do; and what shall we do about it? Go to work and
cleanse the inside of the platter, and then we can go before our God
in good faith, and stand approved of him, and rejoice in the fulness
of the blessings of the gospel of peace.

Vol. 22, p.4
There are some other things I would like to touch upon, but as the
time has already expired, and as there will be a Priesthood meeting
to-night in this tabernacle, to which the young and the old of both
sexes, are invited, I will defer speaking further until then. [p.5]

John Taylor, January 9, 1881

Tithing and Other Matters—Correct Views Necessary

Delivered in the Assembly Hall, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, January 9th, 1881.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.5
I made some remarks yesterday afternoon, in answer to certain
questions which have been put to me in relation to the principle of
Tithing, and I thought this morning that I would make a few additional
remarks on the same subject, and perhaps touch upon some other
matters.

Vol. 22, p.5
I read over yesterday certain questions which have been asked me
pertaining to this matter; and I thought I would take the liberty of
answering these questions to this Conference. Perhaps there may be
some here to-day who were not here yesterday, and there may be some
here to-day who do not read the Doctrine and Covenants, and who are
not acquainted with some of the principles relating to this subject.
Therefore I will read again that which was read yesterday afternoon,
which will be found on the 418th page of the Doctrine and Covenants,
new edition. There may be some who have not this edition, and I will
say therefore that the same revelation will be found in section 107 of
the old edition.

Vol. 22, p.5
"Revelation given at Far West Missouri, July 8th, 1838, in answer to
the question, O Lord, show unto thy servants how much thou requirest
of the properties of the people for Tithing?

Vol. 22, p.5
"Verily, thus saith the Lord, I require all their surplus property to
be put into the hands of the Bishop of my Church of Zion, for the
building of mine house, and for the laying the foundation of Zion and
for the Priesthood, and for the debts of the Presidency of my Church;
and this shall be the beginning of the Tithing of my people; and after
that, those who have thus been tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their
interest annually, and this shall be a standing law unto them forever,
for my holy priesthood, saith the Lord.

Vol. 22, p.5
"Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass that all those who
gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus
properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found
worthy to abide among you.

Vol. 22, p.5
"And I say unto you, if my people observe not this law, to keep it
holy, and by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me that my
statutes and my judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most
holy, [p.6] behold, verily I say unto you it shall not be a land of
Zion unto you; and this shall be an example unto all the Stakes of
Zion. Even so. Amen."

Vol. 22, p.6
The scriptures say that we shall receive line upon line and precept
upon precept; and therefore it is necessary sometimes, to carry out
these ideas in order that, where a people have been misinformed or
have not judged or heard correctly, they may be put right in relation
to all general leading principles. A feeling has more or less
prevailed among the people that Tithing is a matter to be decided on
exclusively by the individual paying it, and that if he pays it, all
right; if he does not pay his Tithing, it is not quite so right, but
it makes not so much difference. A good Saint perhaps, may be
honorable and upright and honest in dealing; may be a tolerably good
neighbor; he may be zealous to a certain extent, according to his
ideas and notions in regard to the propagation of the word of truth;
he may be active and energetic in many things, but if he does right in
the main, Tithing is a matter of very little importance; it is only a
temporary idea, it does not concern us much, it is only meant to meet
the financial affairs associated with the Church—and that is a matter
of very little importance.

Vol. 22, p.6
Now it is proper that we should be correctly informed in relation to
these matters, and as I stated yesterday, there is a great diversity
of opinion existing among men, and even men in authority in the
Church, say, Bishops and probably Presidents of Stakes and others, in
relation to the principle of Tithing. Now, it is proper that we should
have a correct view and a proper understanding of this principle. We
are here to carry out the purposes and designs of God, and as I
understand it we have been gathered together according to certain
revelations which have been given for the establishment of His Church
upon the earth, and that we, as a people, profess to be the Lord's
people, and under His guidance and direction. Each one, if he is
living his religion, is supposed to have the spirit of light, of truth
and intelligence within himself, the spirit of revelation, the Holy
Ghost given unto him by the laying on of hands which, if he follows in
all its guidings and dictates will lead him into all truth. Each man
and each woman is placed in the position that they can draw nigh unto
God through Jesus Christ: to have the light and intelligence of the
Spirit of God imparted unto them; but because of the weakness of man,
because of our many infirmities, and because of the powers of darkness
and of the many influences that have been at work from the
commencement of the world until the present time seeking to destroy,
to uproot and to overturn the principles of eternal truth, and to lead
men into error, darkness, confusion, and death, and because it is the
way and order of God, He has ordained a holy Priesthood for the
guidance, for the direction, and for the instruction of His people.

Vol. 22, p.6
We are told that in ancient days God placed "in the Church first
Apostles, secondly Prophets, thirdly Teachers;" and again, "He gave
some Apostles, and some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some
Pastors and Teachers." For what? "For the perfecting of the Saints,
for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of
Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of
the stature of the  fulness of Christ: that we henceforth [p.7] be no
more children tossed to and fro, and carried about by every wind of
doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they
lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up
unto him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." That was the
teaching of one of the old Apostles. Furthermore, the Lord has
instituted in the Church in these last days the same Priesthood that
formerly existed, and for the same purpose. We have, say, a First
Presidency; then we have the Twelve; then we have High Priests; then
we have Seventies; then we have High Councils, and Bishops and their
Counselors; then we have Presidents of Stakes, each Stake in its form
a compact body, with a President and his two Counselors, and Bishops
operating in their place and presiding over their various Wards, and
the High Councils operating in their place, with the Priests, Teachers
and Deacons operating in theirs, all working and operating together.
Then we have Relief Societies, and Mutual Improvement Societies, and
our Sunday Schools, and Primary Associations, and all the various
organizations and institutions which are organized for the instruction
of the rising generation, male and female. Thus we have the various
officers in the Church performing their several duties with honor,
integrity and truthfulness before God, looking after the interest, the
welfare and the happiness of those that are associated with and that
are under their jurisdiction. Then these various Stakes, in their
organizations, with their Presidents, are subject to the presiding
authorities, and the Presidents thereof have to render an account to
the Presidency of the Church; and the Presidency of the Church ought
to he able at all times to render an account to their Heavenly Father.

Vol. 22, p.7
This is an order, as I understand it, that is introduced by the
Almighty, and by Him alone. It is not of man, nor did it proceed from
man, neither can it progress nor be perfected by man without the
direction of the Almighty. In fact, with all these helps, with all
these organizations, with all these principles, owing to the weakness
and infirmities of man, we find it difficult to preserve in purity
those sacred institutions that God has given unto us, and we
continually need the greatest care, humility, self-denial,
perseverance, watchfulness and reliance upon God. We talk sometimes
about free will; is that a correct principle? Yes; and it is a
principle that has always existed, and proceeded from God, our
Heavenly Father. When God revealed Himself to Joseph Smith it was
optional whether he obeyed His counsel or not; I suppose, however,
looking at things as they exist, and as they are in truth, God
understood that he would do it, he having been selected for that
purpose a long, long time ago; and that the Lord know that he would
adhere to those principles and would carry out the designs of Heaven
as they should be communicated unto and required of him. We received
the Gospel; was any one forced to obey it? Was there any coercion in
any possible way manifested toward us? Not that I know of. Was Oliver
Cowdery, who was the second Elder in the Church, obliged to receive
this Gospel? No, he was not. Was Hyrum Smith obliged to receive it?
No, he was not. Were any of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon—the
Whitmers and others? No.  And after they did identify themselves with
this Church, were they [p.8] compelled to stay in it? No. Have any of
the members of the Quorum of the Twelve, the Seventies, the High
Priests, or the members of the High Councils, or the Presidents of the
Seventies, or any class of men in this Church, been compelled to
occupy the position to which they have been called? I do not know of
any, do you? I know there was no coercion used with me further than
the force of truth recommending itself to my mind, neither was there
with you further than the power of truth operating upon your minds.
And after you received the Gospel were you compelled to leave your
homes to come here? No, you were not. In fact, it was your desire to
come here, and you could not be kept back from coining, because you
were impelled by the spirit which the Latter-day Gospel inspires to
come to the land of Zion. If this is called compulsion, it is not the
compulsion of man, but the operation of the Spirit of God, which you
received through obedience to the Gospel.

Vol. 22, p.8
We may here ask, in acting under the dominion or control of the
Priesthood are any of you forced to do anything you do not want to? If
you think you are in any possible way, I absolve you from it to-day,
every one of you. These are my ideas about the rights of men. It is
"all free grace and all free will," as the poet has it. We have not
been coerced to come into the Church, we are not coerced to remain in
it. But we have taken upon ourselves a profession of faith in God, and
as Latter-day Saints we believe that God has spoken, that the heavens
have been opened, that the everlasting Gospel has been restored to
man, and we believe that God has organized His Church by revelation,
through his servant, Joseph Smith, in the form that we now have it.
This is our faith. We cannot help that faith. I cannot help my faith,
neither can you help yours. There was from the first, scriptural
evidence adduced and a certain kind of reasoning used to enlighten our
minds. We believed, after hearing the preaching of the Gospel, that it
was our duty to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of
our sins, and to have hands laid upon our heads for the reception of
the Holy Ghost. And when we received that Holy Ghost, which takes of
the things of God, it showed them unto us; and then we were placed
upon another footing from what we were before; and that Spirit has
enlightened our minds in regard to those things of which I have
spoken, as well as in regard to many others. If God has revealed unto
us certain things can we help our faith in them, and can we help
knowing this to be the Church and Kingdom of God? No. Can I? No. Can
you? No. What would men have to do to deprive me of this faith? They
would have to cut off my head, or in some other way to kill me; and
then they could not change my faith, that would be impossible. If a
man knows a thing, he knows it, and he cannot unknow it. There is one
way whereby we can unknow these things, and that is by Wing way to
evil influences, to the powers of darkness, and by departing from the
light of God; and then the light within us becomes darkness, and then
"how great is that darkness." But when you talk about controlling a
man's faith, it cannot be done; and I would say to people who are bent
upon having me change my faith, all you have to do is to cut off my
head, and even that would not do it, because I would still be myself
entertaining  the same faith in the next world. And [p.9] therefore,
all that men could do toward accomplishing this object would be to
destroy the body, but that principle which God has implanted in our
hearts it would be impossible to destroy; hence says Jesus, "And fear
not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Vol. 22, p.9
Now, speaking again of the organization which I have referred to,
connected with it are laws which are calculated to lead us on from
strength to strength, from knowledge to knowledge, and from
intelligence to intelligence, until we shall all see as we are seen
and know as we are known. And hence God has given for this purpose the
various offices that exist in the Church and Kingdom of God. I would
further ask, What is this Priesthood given us for? That we may be
enabled to build up the Zion of our God. What for? To put down wrong
and corruption, lasciviousness, lying, thieving, dishonesty and
covetousness, with every kind of evil, and also to encourage faith,
meekness, charity, purity, brotherly kindness, truthfulness,
integrity, honesty, and everything that is calculated to exalt and
ennoble mankind, that we may be the true and proper representatives of
God our Father here upon the earth, that we may learn to know His will
and do it; that His will may be done on earth as in heaven. And hence,
Zion is spoken of as being the pure in heart.

Vol. 22, p.9
When the disciples of our Lord asked Him to teach them how to pray,
what did He say? "When you pray say, "Our Father, which art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come: Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our
debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the
glory, for ever. Amen." Besides other things they were taught to pray
that God's kingdom might come. Why? That the earth might be delivered
from oppression, cruelty, tyranny, from corruptions, infamy,
licentiousness, debauchery, and all the evils that afflict humanity,
and which have been introduced by the powers of darkness for the
overthrow and destruction of the human family. Jesus stands forth as
the great propitiator between God and man. He came here as the
representative of His heavenly Father, He is our great High Priest,
and he lives to intercede for us before the throne of God, who is also
our Father, Jesus being our elder brother.

Vol. 22, p.9
Now, then, God has gathered us together for a purpose, and that
purpose is to build up Zion and to establish His kingdom on the earth
and He could not do it in any other way that I know of than the way in
which He is doing it; He may however have some other way, but if He
has I am not acquainted with it. It is sufficient for us to know that
He has chosen this way. Very well We are taking hold and are doing a
great many good things. I feel very much interested in the labors
which are being performed. My heart is drawn out in many instances to
many peoples and organizations that are engaged in trying to teach the
people the ways of life. When I see the Twelve thus engaged, traveling
about from place to place teaching the pure principles of the Gospel
of peace, I feel like saying in my heart, God bless you, and God
sustain you; and all Israel ought to have the same feeling. Then when
I see our missionaries doing the [p.10] same thing not only in our
midst but elsewhere, seeking to promote the benefit of men, to
introduce correct principles and to expose error, and to lead men to
the truth and to gather them to Zion, I feel to say, God bless you in
all your operations, and may the Spirit and blessing and power of God
be with you; and all Israel ought to sustain such men who are engaged
in such beneficial labors. Then when I see our Sunday Schools in
operation, with our young men and women, and in many instances the
aged men and aged women taking an interest in our youth and trying to
train up the rising generations in the paths of life, I say to all
such, God bless you and may His peace and blessing be upon all who are
interested in the welfare of Israel. And again when I see our young
men and young women associating themselves together for mutual
instruction and edification, learning to comprehend correct principles
and educating themselves to become efficient laborers in the work, the
great, the important, the eternal word of God which He has committed
to us—when I see our young men and womwn engaged in that way, I say to
such, God bless you, and may the peace and the blessing of God he with
you. And when I see our juveniles who are organized as Primary
Associations, brought together and taught to sing the praises of God,
and to comprehend the principles of the Gospel—and in many instances
their parents scarcely sense the responsibility God placed upon them
when He placed these precious jewels in their care, making them the
fathers and mothers of lives—when I see our brethren and sisters
engaged teaching these children to lisp the praises of God, and to
honor and obey their parents and to do that which is right, I say God
bless them. And when I see our Bishops engaged in doing the will of
God, and exerting themselves to promote the welfare of His people over
whom they preside; and seeking counsel from God and other sources, and
doing all they can to build up Zion unselfishly, with pure hearts and
clean hands, I say, God bless you and may the spirit and power of your
office rest upon you, that you may magnify it and honor your God. And
when I see the Seventies and Elders go among the nations of the earth,
as many have done before, trying to benefit mankind, trying to snatch
them from the fearful calamity that is near at hand, but people do not
know it, when I see men going forth to accomplish the purposes of God
and gather out His elect, I say to such, God bless you; and I feel
desirous and hopeful that these men may be able to present the eternal
truths of heaven in such a way that the honest in heart may see and
admire them, and participate in the blessings resulting from obedience
thereto.

Vol. 22, p.10
We are here, then, to built up Zion. We have a temple going up here,
and we have others in course of erection in other places. Now, while
we have no disrespect for the world, no disrespect for the nations in
which we live, or for the authorities thereof, if they act wisely,
well; if they do not act wisely it is not so well. No matter about
that; we can trust them in the hands of God. We are the friends of all
men, and are the friends of this nation; we are the friends and
supporters of the Constitution of this nation, we are the friends of
right, of freedom and of good administration and good  men everywhere,
and that on the principle of which I spoke a while [p.11] ago—on the
principle of freedom, liberty, believe, and let believe, worship, and
let others worship, worship as you please according to the dictates of
conscience, and let others do the same. It is for us to he governed by
correct principles, and as far as it lies in our power to extend to
all men this right, and then maintain, on correct principles, our own
rights, the rights of others and the rights of God. These are my
feelings in relation to this matter. But the world do not comprehend
our principles; they cannot. But we can afford to teach them the
Gospel even if we are abused for doing it; we can deal justly with
them, and then suffer their abuse. No matter. We can do all this and a
good deal more, and also advocate the rights of men, look after our
own interests and welfare, and the interest of the community we are
associated with and sustain all just laws and correct principles. And
then we can leave those men who violate correct principles in the
hands of God. But they cannot comprehend these things, they do not
possess that spirit which alone enables men to fulfil those
principles, which are given by the Almighty for the benefit of the
human family. We do understand them, I mean, those who are faithful to
their profession, as Latter-day Saints; but some of us possess the
spirit by which they are actuated, and I am sorry when I see it. But
as a people we are not of the spirit of the world; we are here not to
pattern after the follies of the world, but to build up Zion, the
Church and Kingdom of God upon the earth; and God has given unto us a
portion of His Spirit, that we may seek after Him, and seek to carry
out His will, and He will continue to enlighten our mind, and we shall
grow and increase, and our path will be as that of the just, growing
brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. Do the world understand
anything of the religion we have received? No. It is nothing new to
say this; this was understood long, long ago.

Vol. 22, p.11
"The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for
they are foolishness unto him, neither indeed can he know them,
because they are spiritually discerned;" and when they do not possess
the spirit of truth, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, by which alone
they are understood, how can they comprehend them? Well, having said
so much, let me come back to the question of Tithing.

Vol. 22, p.11
The people were anxious at the time the revelation was given in Far
West, to know what the Lord required as a Tithing from His Saints. I
was there at the time; it was in 1838—quite a little time to look back
to. Some time, however, before this revelation was given, God had
revealed the principle of the United Order, which, as you know, the
people could not abide; and when we come to think about it, it could
hardly be expected that they could do so, they having been in the
Church but a short time, taken out of the world, with all the
prejudices and weaknesses that you and I have. But the time will come
when we will obey these things as they are given by the revelations of
God, and it will not be a hardship either; it will be a pleasure to
those who are under the influence of the Lord. But like all other
things, it will be "free will and free grace."

Vol. 22, p.11
Now, then, we come to this. Here is a command given; who to? Not to
outsiders. not to men of the world, not to people who do not believe
in God nor in His laws; but it is given. directly to us who profess to
have [p.12] faith in Him, in His laws, and in His Priesthood. The
question then is, what is our duty, as we have not obeyed the other
law? I will remark here, incidentally, that when this law of Tithing
was given, a great many people were gathering up to Far West and to
that district of country, as we are to this country; but it would
apply more to our early settlements than at the present time. This
people thus gathering to Far West, were told that it was required of
them to give their surplus property—I will read it.

Vol. 22, p.12
"I require all their surplus property to be put into the hands of the
Bishop of my Church of Zion, for the building of mine house, and for
the laying the foundation of Zion, and for the Priesthood, and for the
debts of the Presidency of my Church; and this shall be the beginning
of the Tithing of my people." What then? "And those who have thus been
tithed shall pay one-tenth of all their interest annually, and this
shall be a standing law unto them forever, for my holy Priesthood,
saith the Lord."

Vol. 22, p.12
Now, here is a people, of whom we form a part, who met together to ask
the Prophet of the Lord to inquire for them the will of the Lord
concerning this matter of Tithing; and He gives it in these words:

Vol. 22, p.12
"And this shall be a standing law Unto them forever."

Vol. 22, p.12
I will ask, has the Lord ever annulled this? No. Then it stands in
full force to-day to this people. Then again:

Vol. 22, p.12
"Verily I say unto you, it shall come to pass, that all those who
gather unto the land of Zion shall be tithed of their surplus
properties, and shall observe this law, or they shall not be found
worthy to abide among you."

Vol. 22, p.12
That is very plain talk. Is there any compulsion about it? No; but if
they do not do it they shall not be considered worthy to abide among
you. What are we to make of it? As I said yesterday, I did not make
it; President Young did not make it, neither did Joseph Smith make it;
but by the request of the people he asked the Lord what His will was,
and this was the answer; and this was given in 1838. And does it not
seem strange that we do not comprehend it? I think it does sometimes.
Here we have had the Doctrine and Covenants in our hands, which
contain this revelation, since the year 1838; that is nearly forty-two
years ago. We have had forty-two years to study this doctrine, and it
is as plain as you can make it, and yet it would seem that we cannot
understand it. Do we want to understand the laws of God? If we do, and
will read these things under the influence of that spirit which I have
referred to, I think that we will understand our duties without much
trouble.

Vol. 22, p.12
Now then, if Zion—we were talking about building up Zion—I am not
going to enter into the whys and wherefores of these things, but will
say it is a test to the people of God, or for us who profess to be,
that we may know whether people will observe a certain specific law
given by the Almighty or not, and thus have a proof of their fidelity
and obedience. Now, if we abide this, all well and good; if not, it is
written, "They shall not be found worthy to abide among you." What
will you do with them? I often think that there are a great many
people who are not worthy to abide among us; don't you?" And then if
God were to put judgment to the line, and righteousness to the
plummet, most of us would be in a  [p.13] very poor fix. I will tell
you what I think should be done, and that is why I am treating upon
this subject to-day. I think the people ought to be instructed in
these things, and then if they do not live up to them you will not
then be held responsible to the authorities that preside over you. The
Lord tells us that they shall not be worthy of a place among us. Do we
want to alter that? Not one iota. Would I wish to be harsh to men that
are ignorant? No, I would not; I would bear with them, and teach them
and instruct them. And if I were a Bishop I should instruct my
Teachers to do it; and then by and by, after they were fully informed,
and had every opportunity to become acquainted with things, we might
take final action in relation to their standing. I would not wish to
enforce that law at present, until men were thoroughly informed. For
instance, the case I referred to yesterday. There were two men; one
paid $100 in tithing, the other paid $25 in tithing. Both of them
owned about the same amount of property; but the first paid his
tithing, the other did not. The second, however, paid some $75 in
donations; but he did not pay his tithing, he only paid a quarter of
it. That now may have arisen from ignorance with regard to the law.
The last paid out as much money as the first; and he may have been
wrongly taught. Some of the Bishops do not understand these things,
and yet we have had this doctrine given unto us for forty-two years.
Has a man a right to turn and change things as he pleases? I have not,
and I do not believe any other man has. And if any Bishop or a
President of a Stake or anybody else tells you that you can do as you
please about the disposition you make of the means you pay, as long as
you pay a certain amount, or you may pay it on Tithing or not, as you
please, I tell you that he teaches false doctrine. But should we be
hard with such people? No. If they have been under influences of this
nature and been wrongly taught, I will say, as a certain party said to
me who had beer, doing these things, "I will switch off and pay my
Tithing according to the law." You, Bishops and Presidents of Stakes,
switch off and get the people to do things right. There is no
commandment about donations, but there is about Tithing; and I am not
at liberty to change this, neither any other man.

Vol. 22, p.13
I will follow this subject a little further. We are talking about
building up Zion. Here is where the thing applies itself with great
force to me as well as to you, when you comprehend it as it exists and
see it by the light of the Spirit of Truth. For it is written: "And I
say unto you, if my people observe not; this law, to keep it holy, and
by this law sanctify the land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my
judgments may be kept thereon, that it may be most holy, behold,
verily I say unto you, it shall not be a land of Zion unto you." Well,
we are talking about building up the land of Zion, which is one of the
things we are here for. And God has said that if we do not obey this
law, it shall not be a land of Zion unto us. Does this apply to us? I
will read a little further: "And this shall be an ensample unto all
the Stakes of Zion. Now, I speak these things for your information. I
will go a little farther upon the subject. A person wrote me a letter,
stating that a young man had applied to a certain Bishop for a
recommend to get married. He asked him if he [p.14] had paid his
Tithing. He answered, No. "Well," said the Bishop, "We are instructed
not to give recommends to those who do not pay their Tithing." "But,"
said the young man, my father I suppose paid my Tithing for me." If
this was so, that would be very proper, especially in farming
districts, where the grown sons assist in cultivating the farm, and
the daughters, perhaps, assist in making the butter and cheese, etc.
When the Tithing on the whole is paid, that is all straight enough,
because what is made is the proceeds of the united labor of the
family, and the family are all, of course, represented until they come
to age. And then what? Why then comes another state of things. "Have
you paid your Tithing since you left your father?" the young man was
asked. No. Why? I have been careless and indifferent and I have not
done what was right. Well, if you haven't paid your Tithing, and you
seem to have forgotten God, why is it that you want to get married
according to the laws of God? Why not get married in some other way,
seeing that you observe not the laws of God? Well, in the first place,
my father and mother wish me to be married according to the laws of
God; and then my intended wife's father and mother want us to be
married in that way; and again, the girl has told me that she will not
have me unless we get married in that way. I will here remark, I think
this very sensible and creditable on the part of the young lady; I
think she acted very wisely, and I wish all our young sisters felt the
same, and they ought to on a matter of such importance to them. Says
the young man further: "I have a desire to keep the laws of God, for I
was born in the Church, and I have grown up with such feelings, but I
was not man enough to practice them. But if you give me the recommend
I will try and do it in the future." But the question is, under these
circumstances, should the recommend be given? I could not do it,
unless there was some visible manifestation on his part to mend his
ways and to make up the thing he had been deficient in. "Why," it may
be asked, "Is it not better to have our sons married in the right way
and be kind to them, than to see them go elsewhere to be married." As
I said yesterday, as I say to-day, if it were a son of mine I could
not give him the recommend; and other men's sons under the same
circumstances are no better than mine. It is principle we are to be
governed by. I am not here, you are not here to carry out our own
designs, and feelings, and purposes. Why, Jesus himself did not come
to do that. According to His own words, He came not to do his own
will, but the will of his Father who sent Him. And we are here not to
do our own will, but the will of the Father who also sent us, and who
has called us to our holy and exalted calling. And what shall be done?
Unless this young man could convince me, if I were a Bishop, that he
was sincere in his heart and made some satisfactory attempt at
fulfilling this law, I would not give him a recommend. What? Would
Elders of Israel take men into the House of God, would you, because
God has revealed some of the greatest blessings that can be conferred
upon humanity, blessings which thousands and tens of thousands of good
men sang about and prayed about and longed to receive, but who died
without enjoying them, should we take a man, a  man whom this Book
says, shall not be worthy to abide [p.15] amongst you, should we, I
say, take him through the House of the Lord and confer and seal upon
him blessings and lives eternal, and thrones and principalities and
powers and dominions, and introduce him into the society of the
highest intelligences that exist in the eternal worlds? I forbid you
to do it in the name of the Lord. We cannot do it, we are not at
liberty to do it, neither are we at liberty to use our judgment in
regard to it either. If we bear with men in their weakness and
infirmity and are obliged to carry a lot of men like so many
automatons, the time will come and it must come when they will be shut
out, they will not be found worthy to abide among you; they are not
worthy now. But we have to bear with them until they are better
informed; but until then they must do the best they can, fox they
cannot go into the House of the Lord, they cannot be sealed up to
eternal lives, they cannot have part in the blessings which God has
conferred upon us until they bring forth fruits meet for repentance.

Vol. 22, p.15
I will take it in another point of view. We pay our Tithing and we pay
Temple donations, we attend to the duties of the House of the Lord; we
go forth and proclaim the Gospel of peace to the nations of the earth;
we convert people, under the blessing of God, and they come to a
knowledge of the principles of the Gospel, and we continue our labors
to build up Zion; looking at it in this light, would it be just, after
we have laid out our means, would it be in accordance with the
principles of equity to grant this privilege to such men, a privilege
which we have earned and, in a certain sense, paid for? It is
generally the case that they are the first to rush forward and want
certain blessings without earning them. Jesus said in His day that the
"kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by
force." These are some of that class who crowd in where they are not
worthy to tread. These temporal matters they assume are of very little
importance, they are of very little importance judging from the way
that many of us labor; but they are of very great importance when
weighed in the balances of truth, the principles of eternal life which
God has revealed are of the utmost importance to the Saints, both to
the living and the dead, to the myriads of men that have lived and
that may live, these things are of vast importance.

Vol. 22, p.15
I thought I would talk a little upon this subject this morning. I will
now offer a few remarks upon another subject. We talk sometimes about
justice; and I have noticed the spirit manifested among us sometimes,
"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." This is something that
really does not belong to us. We are full of infirmities. We pray to
the Father to forgive our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass
against us. How often do we sin against God? Many times, and ask His
forgiveness. How often should I forgive my brother? I hear people say,
"here is such and such a man, he has wronged me, and I cannot forgive
him." Then you have not the true spirit of the Gospel. "But he has
acted so meanly towards me, he has injured my reputation, and he
sought to do it." Bless your soul, he cannot injure your reputation if
it is good; on the contrary, by taking a correct course, according to
the spirit of the Gospel. he that has traduced you will respect you
and will be the sufferer, not you. It is our duty to forgive our
brother seven times, yes, [p.16] seventy times seven, when he turns to
you and seeks your forgiveness; and we should forgive men in our
hearts whether they ask our forgiveness or not. And what about our
enemies? What shall we do with them? Offer them peace and forgive them
the first time. And what then? Go again the second time and forgive
them! Yes, if they ask forgiveness. And the third time? Yes; but the
fourth time the Lord says thine enemy is in thine hand, do with him as
seemeth thee good. You have then fulfilled the law; and even then, if
you are merciful, it is said it shall be accounted to you for
righteousness. This is the law of the Gospel.

Vol. 22, p.16
I am desirous to see the people observe this law of Tithing, because
it is a plain and direct command to us. Not that I care anything
personally whether people pay their Tithing or not, and I do not think
the Lord cares much himself. The gold and the silver are His, and so
are the cattle upon a thousand hills; and to Him belongs power to
command all things. And what we do possess of this world's goods is
given unto us to make a wise use of, because we cannot take them with
us when we shall be called hence. It is for us, as Saints of the Most
High, to be honest and upright and take a correct course, to be full
of integrity and maintain correct principles everywhere and at all
times. If our enemies cannot afford to treat us aright, we can afford
to treat them aright. But we will not barter away our rights, but
leave ourselves in the hands of God, and seek to Him for His guidance;
and if we keep His commandments, God's blessing will rest upon us.
Therefore, in regard to this, it is not a mattel of pecuniary interest
that prompts me to speak to you; it is a test of faith which God has
given unto us, and which affects us all and that for some reason known
to God. But speaking of ourselves, it is positively stated, as before
referred to, that those who do not observe this law shall not be
considered worthy to abide among us; and further, that this shall be a
standing law unto all the Stakes of Zion. Again, the Lord says: "If my
people observe not this law, etc, it shall not be a land of Zion unto
them."

Vol. 22, p.16
We have to build up Zion, and make it the praise of the whole earth;
but to do this acceptably to God, we must be governed by the
principles of purity and honesty; truthfulness and integrity and all
the sterling virtues which God has pointed out for man to be governed
by. And when the Saints arrive at, this state of perfection, thus
fulfilling this scripture with regard to the greatness and splendor of
Zion, God will make His people not only the richest of all people in
spiritual things, but also in temporal things.

Vol. 22, p.16
God bless you, in the name of Jesus, Amen. [p.17]

John Nicholson, February 6, 1881

The Church of Christ Organized Anciently on, this Continent—
Prophecy Fulfilled and Fulfilling—Preparatory Work for the Gathering
of All Israel Commenced—Present Condition of the Nations Foretold—
Exhortation to Righteousness and the Avoidance of Hypocrisy and
Idolatry

Delivered in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall,
Sunday Afternoon, February 6th, 1881.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.17
Having been called from the midst of the congregation to address this
assemblage this afternoon, I feel my inability personally to do
justice in the performance of this duty, unless I am aided by the
spirit of the living God. I earnestly solicit that you will exercise
faith for me while I shall occupy this position, that I may be able to
speak through the influence of that power, and truthfully present the
principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which the Latter-day Saints
have embraced in their faith and practice, so far as they understand
them.

Vol. 22, p.17
There are a great many subjects connected with the plan of redemption
that are of interest to all who are seeking for salvation in the
kingdom of God. The field is so wide, in fact, that there is sometimes
great difficulty in selecting the class of matter best suited to the
circumstances that immediately surround us. There is, however, one
phase of this work that I think is specially interesting in connection
with it. I hold in my hand a volume which is known for good or evil
throughout the entire civilized world—the Book of Mormon. The
Latter-day Saints claim that this book is a record of peoples that
dwelt anciently on the face of this continent, and that it was brought
forth in this generation, through the instrumentality of a great
Prophet, namely: Joseph Smith. This book has not been generally
received in this light; in other words, it has been, so far as the
great bulk of the world is concerned, repudiated as not properly
authenticated, not what it claims to be. In my travels in the world,
however, I have found very few people who could give an intelligent
reason for the repudiative stand they have taken in reference to this
record, I have asked a great many of them—and I presume that numbers
of the Elders besides myself have done the same thing—whether they had
perused this book and endeavored to make themselves acquainted with
its contents, and also to make [p.18] themselves familiar with the
evidences in favor of its authenticity. In the majority of instances
these have never as much as seen a Book of Mormon. Now, it appears to
me that this is not a proper position to be taken in regard to any
subject by an intelligent person. If a matter is worthy of
consideration at all it should be intelligently investigated. This is
the only method by which we can arrive at correct conclusions in
reference to religion or any other subject.

Vol. 22, p.18
We claim this book is a record or history of the ancient inhabitants
of America, the remnants of whom are now scattered on various portions
of this continent. Numbers of them surround us in these valleys, and
are known as the aborigines of America. It is unnecessary for me to
more than allude to the fact that there did exist, in the ages of the
past, peoples on this land who had arrived at an advanced stage of
civilization, and who cultivated the arts and sciences. The ruins of
vast cities, among which are the remains of great structures, giving
ample evidence of this fact. This testimony is presented before the
world and is being constantly produced for the consideration of the
reading public. Then there was a people anciently upon this continent
who were in a condition of advancement; this is universally
acknowledged, I believe, by those who have considered this question.
When Jesus came to offer himself up as an atonement to satisfy the law
that had been broken by mankind, and to organize his Church in the
land of Palestine, he did so organize what he called his Church. It
was composed, so far as its officers are concerned, of men who were
inspired of God, and who Were directly authorized and commissioned by
Him to act in His name and to administer the principles of life and
salvation wherever they went. What was the nature of their commission?
He said to His ancient Apostles whom He commissioned: "Go ye into the
world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned." The Apostles, according to the power that was given to them,
and according to the nature of the commission with which they were
thus entrusted, went into various parts of the world and made this
proclamation, calling upon all men everywhere to repent of their sins,
to obey the everlasting Gospel that they might be saved in the Kingdom
of God, to come into the true fold of Christ. Nobly did they perform
the great work that was entrusted to them. But, so far as we are
aware, they did not extend their labors to this part of the world; for
the peoples who dwelt on the eastern hemisphere were ignorant of the
existence of this continent. Yet the Lord Jesus Christ said to His
Apostles: "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost." Now,
seeing there was a people here on this continent, surely they were
entitled to the benefits of the Gospel of the Redeemer as well as
those who lived on other parts of the earth. We find that so far as
the Book of Mormon is concerned, an explanation is given in regard to
how the people who lived on this portion of our globe were visited and
administered to in the things of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, even as
those ministrations were manifested in other parts of the world.

Vol. 22, p.19
Sometimes we allude to the [p.19] Scriptures and select passages to
substantiate those things that are written in the Book of Mormon. I
will now draw the attention of the congregation to a passage that we
consider has reference to this subject, which is found in the 10th
chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, the 15th and 16th verses:
"As the Father knoweth me"—these are the words of the Savior—"even so
know I the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other
sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and
they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd." What is the necessary conclusion to be arrived at from this
remark of the Savior? It is very plain and simple. There were other
sheep who were not of the fold at Jerusalem, and it was necessary that
they also should hear the voice of the Savior and be brought into the
fold of Christ, that there might be one fold and one shepherd.

Vol. 22, p.19
The Book of Mormon, from page 501 to 540, gives an account of the
fulfilment of this inspired utterance of the Redeemer. It tells how,
after he was crucified in the flesh, at Jerusalem, and showed himself
to many of his disciples, He, in fulfilment of this assertion, that he
had "other sheep," that he must visit them, and that they also must
hear his voice and be brought into the fold, visited the ancients on
this land and established His fold amongst them. He performed that
work on this continent, among the people of whom the Book of Mormon is
a history or record. What is the fold of Christ? It is the Church of
Christ. What is the Church of Christ? It is an organized body, at the
head of which stand Apostles, and Prophets. That was the Church of the
Redeemer in ancient times, it was the Church established by himself in
Palestine, and it always will be the Church as long as there is a true
Church of Christ—not a revelationless, uninspired, dead formula,
"having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof," but an
organization wherein there is authority to act in the name of him
whose Church it is. Men are reasonable upon most subjects, it appears
to me, excepting when it comes to matters of religion. A great many
people seem to be willing that anything should do for them in the
shape of religion, so long as it does not give them much trouble. But
there is nothing by which humanity can be sanctified unless it be the
truth; and no church can offer salvation except it be the true Church
of Christ, for in it alone is the power of God unto salvation. It is a
strange thing that people can read the record of the New Testament, of
the sayings of the Apostles, the description of the organization of
the Church as it existed in its primitive completeness and power, and
then be prepared to accept of a church of a different description
entirely. This is a day when revelation is denied, when Prophets and
Apostles are stated to be no longer needed. This is the position of
the whole of so-called Christendom. But what do the Scriptures say
these inspired teachers were given for? Paul says they were given "for
the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,"—and
if we say that such officers are no longer needed, then we must also
assume the position that the ministerial work can be safely abolished
and that the body of Christ which is the Church, requires no more
edification; for this was the means established by Jesus Christ for
its edification and instruction. Another [p.20] purpose for which
these inspired teachers were given was that we might be all brought to
a unity of the faith, and yet it is stated that those officers who
were placed in the Church for that purpose are no longer needed. If
that assertion were correct, unity would he unnecessary in the Church,
or else the Church has arrived at that condition of unity, when the
means for bringing about that result is entirely unnecessary and can
be dispensed with, But us person can claim this latter position. Those
who call themselves the Church of Christ cannot consistently assume
this position; for if there is a subject upon which men and women are
divided in their views and practices, and engender towards each other
feelings of bitter animosity, it is religion, and that also which is
claimed to be the religion of the meek and lowly Jesus Christ, who
came to fill the hearts of His disciples with peace. This was His
motto, this was the proclamation that ushered in his birth, "Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." We
claim that it, requires the same today to save men and women as it did
in ancient times.

Vol. 22, p.20
But, to return to the Book of Mormon. Portions of Scriptures can be
cited, to substantiate, or tend to substantiate at least, the validity
or authenticity of this book. But there are other evidences that are
more potent in their character, in my estimation and these evidences
are contained within the book itself; it speaks for itself. Its
teachings are in the strictest harmony with those of the Scriptures of
eternal truth; its morality is faultless; its religion will bear the
closest scrutiny in comparison with the instructions of Jesus himself
and the Apostles, as contained within the lids of the Bible, the
record that is accepted by Christendom as the history of the early
Church. But there is internal evidence of the Book of Mormon being
what we claim it to be, and to have been brought forth by the power of
the living God. What is the character of this evidence? It is
prophetic in its nature. I will draw the attention of the congregation
to one passage that occurs to my mind, which will be found on page 122
of the latest edition. It gives the words of the Prophet Nephi: "And
now I would prophecy somewhat more concerning the Jews and the
Gentiles. For after the book of which I have spoken shall come
forth"—that is the coming forth of this book—"and be written unto the
Gentiles and sealed up again unto the Lord, there shall be many which
shall believe the words which are written; and they shall carry them
forth to the remnant of our seed. And then shall the remnant of our
seed know concerning us, how that we came out from Jerusalem, and that
they are descendants of the Jews. And the Gospel of Jesus Christ shall
be declared among them; wherefore they shall be restored unto the
knowledge of their fathers, and also to the knowledge of Jesus Christ,
which was had among their fathers. And then shall they rejoice; for
they shall know that it is a blessing unto them from the hand of God;
and their scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and
many generations shall not pass away among them save they shall be a
white and delightsome people. And it shall come to pass that the Jews
which are scattered, also shall begin to believe in Christ; and they
shall begin to gather in upon the face the land; and as many as shall
[p.21] believe in Christ, shall also become a delightsome people. And
it shall come to pass that the Lord God shall commence his work among
all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, to bring about the
restoration of his people upon the earth." A portion of this
prediction has received a literal fulfilment, while the remainder is
in process of verification. The tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints
render the prophecy that many shall "believe the words of the book" an
accomplished fact. The inspired utterance purports to have been spoken
over two thousand years ago. The unbeliever may repudiate the claim
regarding the ancient character of the record, and assume that it
originated with Joseph Smith. But this would not much improve the
position of the skeptic, for as the Book of Mormon was published
before the Church was organized, Joseph Smith had no ordinary means of
knowing that many would believe in the divine authenticity of the
book.

Vol. 22, p.21
There have been many, I believe, even among the Latter-day Saints,
who, under the circumstances of the past, have found it all that their
faith could grasp to believe some of the words which I have just read
in your hearing—those relating to the Lamanites. Nearly from the
organization of this Church, and for many years subsequently,
missionaries, Elders of this Church, were sent among the remnants of
the ancient people of this continent, the aborigines, to endeavor to
bring them to a knowledge of their fathers. It appeared, however, as
if the efforts in that direction were fruitless—that these people had
fallen so low in the scale of being, so depraved that it seemed next
to impossible for the rays of truth to penetrate their minds. It
appeared as if we might as well despair of accomplishing anything so
far as they were concerned. But this is an inspired record, and these
words which I have read to you this afternoon were the inspired
utterances of a great Prophet, which must come to pass in the last
days, in connection with the great latter-day dispensation. They have
commenced to be fulfilled, not by the power of man, but by the power
of the living God.

Vol. 22, p.21
About seven years ago there was a movement among some of the tribes of
the people to whom I allude. They came forth and made statements to
the effect that the Great Spirit had directed them to come to the
Elders of this Church and be baptized for the remission of their sins.
There is an Elder in this congregation, Brother George H. Hill, who
sits in the gallery, who has, as well as others, been instrumental in
doing much in this direction. As many as 300 of these people at one
time solicited of him the administration of this ordinance. Was it the
influence and power of man that accomplished this? No, it was not; it
was the influence and power of the living God, who, according to the
Book of Mormon, made a promise to the fathers of these people that he
would visit the remnants of their posterity and restore them to a
knowledge of their progenitors. This covenant was made with the
fathers at the solicitation of the latter, who knew by the spirit of
prophecy that their descendants would become dark and benighted,
through the influence of apostasy and wickedness. It is true that
comparatively few of that people have received the truth and forsaken
their idle habits and evil practices, and are endeavoring to live as
[p.22] peaceable and respectable citizens; but the work of reclamation
has commenced. It has a small beginning, but this is the case with
nearly all great results. But there is an element of growth in this
work, and it will increase and expand until it shall take many of this
portion of the House of Israel within the Gospel fold, and they shall
accomplish the great work that is predicted of them in connection with
this last dispensation of the fullness of times.

Vol. 22, p.22
There is another thing in connection with this great work beginning
amongst the aborigines—a work that was to be contemporaneous with its
inauguration. It is predicted in the Book of Mormon that when the Lord
should remember the portion of Israel on this continent, and they
should begin to believe the words of this book, at that time,
cotemporaneous with that event, the Father would commence to prepare
the way among all nations for the gathering of the house of Israel
from the four quarters of the earth to the lands which he had promised
to their fathers for an everlasting inheritance, to them and their
children for ever. This was the sign given by the Savior when h e
preached to the ancient inhabitants of this continent, and I will show
that this was the case, so far as the Book of Mormon records the
prediction. On page 527 are these words: "And when these things come
to pass, that thy seed shall begin to know these things, it shall be a
sign unto them, that they may know that the work of the Father hath
already commenced unto the fulfilling of the covenant which be hath
made unto the people who are of the house of Israel." And again, on
page 529: "And then shall the work of the Father commence at that day,
even when this Gospel shall be preached among the remnant of this
people. Verily, I say unto you, at that day shall the work of the
Father commence among all the dispersed of my people; yea, even the
tribes that have been lost, which the Father hath led away out of
Jerusalem. Yea, the work shall commence among all the dispersed of my
people, with the Father, to prepare the way whereby they may come unto
me, that they may call on the Father in my name. Yea, and then shall
the work commence, with the Father, among all nations, in preparing
the way whereby his people may be gathered home to the land of their
inheritance. And they shall go out from all nations."

Vol. 22, p.22
Here is a statement that is made in connection with this work; here is
a prediction that when the Lamanites should commence to believe in the
words of this book, the Father was to commence to gather the whole
house of Israel and to prepare a way amongst all nations. Is this the
case? If this be an inspired utterance, then the Lord is preparing the
way, and has been ever since this sign became a fact—for the gathering
of the Jews and the other branches of the whole house of Israel. Has
this been so?

Vol. 22, p.22
I draw the attention of the congregation to recent events in the
political world, which point in that direction. Shortly after this
work commenced among the remnants of Israel on this continent, there
was warfare between Russia and Turkey, which culminated in what is
known as the famous Berlin Treaty, in the production of which Lord
Beaconsfield, himself a Jew, was the leading spirit. There are clauses
in that treaty that are favorable to the accomplishment of the work to
which  I allude—the gathering of the house [p.23] of Israel from the
nations of the earth to the lands that were promised to their fathers,
to them and to their children for ever. Political freedom,
comparatively speaking, was, by that instrument, granted to the Jews
contiguous to Palestine—in Romania and other principalities of the
East. A short time subsequent to the formation and ratification of the
treaty, Great Britain assumed a protectorate over that part of the
world in which is Palestine, and the Jews have rights now accorded to
them that they have not enjoyed for many generations. But one of the
greatest evidences of all is the fact that the Jews themselves are
beginning to awaken upon this subject and are operating with a view to
the colonization of ancient Palestine by the house of Israel. A Mr.
Oliphant, not long since, applied to the Sultan of Turkey for the
privilege of purchasing portions of Palestine for this very purpose,
and organizations are being affected in various parts of the world
with no other object in view than the one to which I am now alluding.
There is another thing that I believe will aid this work of
influencing the ancient people of God to go to their own land, and
that is the circumstances by which they are being surrounded in some
of the countries of Europe. They are being persecuted in Germany and
Russia, and the condition of Europe is becoming so disturbed and so
broken up, and business matters are becoming so uncertain, that I
expect these circumstances will lead the Jews to consider the question
of establishing a Hebrew nationality before long; for we are living in
the very day when God will fulfil the promises he made to Israel. Let
the people hear it, for it has been uttered by the voice of
inspiration, ancient and modern, and the words of the Lord, through
his servants, will not fall to the ground, but will be fulfilled to
the very letter.

Vol. 22, p.23
Why, my brethren and sisters, are we not more familiar with the
contents of this book? No Latter-day Saint can intelligently
comprehend the signs of the times unless he is informed in regard to
the teachings of this record. In the early rise of this Church the
Lord manifested his displeasure with the Saints because they did not
pay sufficient attention to the revelations contained in the Book of
Mormon, and that book itself promises and the revelations through the
Prophet Joseph promise, that, in the due time of the Lord, when the
people are sufficiently advanced to receive them, other records of
momentous importance shall be brought forth for the consideration of
the Saints; but I do not think we will receive anything additional to
what we have already obtained in this form until we have manifested a
suitable appreciation of that which has already been given to us. This
record and the revelations of Jesus Christ generally have been given
for the perusal of the people, that they may reflect upon them, upon
the principles that they make manifest, upon the law of God, that the
law may be written in their hearts, and that they may be men and women
of understanding. It must be pleasing, however, to every person who is
interested in this great work, to see that there is a fresh impetus in
this direction. The Saints are giving more attention to what God has
revealed for our acceptance and which is contained in the records
which have been given to this Church. I believe this spirit will
increase, because when the minds of the people [p.24] are bent in that
direction, their appetites for the things of God are increased and
they desire more, which shall accordingly be given them.

Vol. 22, p.24
How clearly is the condition of the nations of the earth to-day
depicted in this book! It is stated, near to the quotation which I
first made, that in these latter days God would create a great
division among the people, that the wicked would destroy the wicked.
There is a question on a subject that is clearly described in this
record, that is drawing the attention of the ablest minds of the age.
It is an influence that is shaking the governments and nations of the
earth from centre to circumference—I refer now to the "secret
societies" that are filling the heads of governments with fear, that
commit all kinds of diabolical depredations among the nations, and
that are even threatening their very existence. These societies, which
are inspired by a desire to throw off every kind of legal restraint,
exist, in some form or another, in almost every nation under heaven,
and especially in those nations claiming to be civilized. Perhaps this
is what is meant by the great division among the people. This subject
was brought up before the mind of Moroni, the last man in whose
custody the plates from which this record was translated were, and who
was so highly privileged as to hide them up in the hill Cumorah, where
they were found by the Prophet Joseph Smith, in this age, being
directed to obtain them by the angel of the Lord. It was a habit with
Moroni, while making the closing portion of this record, to discourse
upon the subject matter, to speak with the peoples of the earth who
would live in this day in which you and I are living as if he spoke to
them face to face, as one man speaks with another, and warn them of
the evils that would exist among them and the destruction that would
fall upon their heads. He also called upon them, by the voice of
prophecy, to repent of their sins and accept of the plan of
redemption, that they might be saved in the kingdom of the Father.
Perhaps it would be interesting to you, considering the nature of the
times in which we live, to draw your attention to what he (Moroni)
says about this very condition to which he pointed by the spirit of
prophecy, a condition that was to exist in the day in which we live.
You will find it on page 588. He is now addressing the Gentiles who
would be living when this book would be brought forth, and the work of
the Father commenced. Hear his words: "And whatsoever nation shall
uphold such secret combinations, to get power and gain, until they
shall spread out over the nation, behold, they shall be destroyed, for
the Lord will not suffer that the blood of his Saints, which shall be
shed by them, shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance
upon them, and yet he avenge them not. Wherefore, O ye Gentiles, it is
wisdom in God that these things should be shown unto you, that thereby
ye may repent of your sins, and suffer not that these murderous
combinations shall get above you, which are built up to get power and
gain, and the work, yea, even the work of destruction come upon you,
yea, even the sword of the justice of the Eternal God shall fall upon
you, to your overthrow and destruction, if ye shall suffer these
things to be. Wherefore the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see
these things come among you, that  ye shall awake to a sense of your
awful situation, [p.25] because of this secret combination which shall
be among you, or woe be unto it, because of the blood of them who have
been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also
upon those who build it up. For it cometh to pass that whoso buildeth
it up, seeketh to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations and
countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for
it is built up by the devil who is the father of all lies; even that
same liar who beguiled our first parents; yea, even that same liar who
hath caused man to commit murder from the beginning; who hath hardened
the hearts of men, that they have murdered the Prophets, and stoned
them, and cast them out from the beginning." Now here is a prophecy.
There is no ambiguity in reference to these words. This Prophet is
speaking an if he were speaking face to face with those who would be
living in this day, and he tells them to beware of these things, and
we witness the fulfilment of his words, for such things are among the
nations of the earth to-day, and are spreading everywhere and causing
anxiety and fear to take hold of the hearts of the people.

Vol. 22, p.25
These predictions and many others that are receiving a literal
verification, establish the inspiration and genuineness of this
record, which was brought forth by the instrumentality of Joseph Smith
to this generation. It is an inspired record, and contains within
itself the evidences of its authenticity. Men have but to give this
subject art unprejudiced investigation, considering it upon its merits
to come to that conclusion. Although people may not be willing to
admit that it is of divine origin, that it is an inspired record, they
surely cannot, at least, set aside the facts which it enunciates.

Vol. 22, p.25
Let us, then, who belong to this great Church—the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints—prize that which God has given to us for
our instruction and edification, and let us not treat them as things
that are of no moment. We live in a great day, the greatest of all
ages, the greatest of all dispensations. It is a great privilege to be
associated with so noble a work as that with which we are connected,
and I believe that the time will soon come when this Church will go
forth clear, purified by the agencies which God will bring to bear
upon it for that purpose. I expect to see the time come when the
hypocrite in Zion shall tremble, being afraid because of the power of
God that shall be in the midst of the people who will be living as
they should live. I expect to see the day when there shall be less
worshiping of the god of this world, which wins the hearts of many
people from the worship of the true and living God. There is a sin
which God has denounced in every age; it is the sin of idolatry. In
ancient times, when people were less cultured than they are now, they
bowed themselves down before blocks of wood and stone, and golden
calves, and worshiped at such shrines, prostrating the powers that God
had given them before that which was dumb and unintelligent. But there
are different forms of idolatry. Whatever a person uses his powers
most to accomplish is that which he worships. If a man exercise the
gifts that God has given him exclusively in pursuing the object of
self-aggrandizement—the building up of self, to all intents and
purposes that individual is an idolater before the shrine of mammon.
God is a jealous [p.26] God, and He wills not that any of His people
should have any other God than Him. Let the poor and the meek be
lifted up in their hearts and rejoice before God. for He hath them in
remembrance, and let those who truckle to position and to wealth
beware, for the Lord will not suffer it long. Let the hand of
fellowship be extended to him who is cast down, that he may be
comforted. Surround him with a halo of love and friendship, and let
him know that he is not forgotten, and the Lord will remember those
who act this brotherly part. I am reminded sometimes of the weakness
of humanity, when called to the scenes of death which sometimes visit
us. We are called to the funeral of some man, some Elder in Israel, or
some sister or friend who has departed this life; and, O, how we love
to dwell upon their good qualities, to speak of their goodness and to
cast the vail of undiscerning charity over their faults. We should not
wait until our brethren and sisters are seized with the chill hand of
death, and their bodies are about to be laid in the cold tomb, to
recognize the good points in their characters. We should manifest a
little of that appreciation while we are surrounded by them. This
course would be much more consistent. Let us cultivate the spirit of
the living God, which leads to righteousness. Every sentiment of our
hearts that leads to good is planted there by the living God, and that
which leads to evil is placed there by the adversary of our souls.
There are but two sources, one of light and one of darkness. The Holy
Ghost, the Spirit of God, is given to us to cultivate in our hearts as
a well of water springing up to everlasting life. It can be so
cultivated in a human being that it can be listened to as a voice of a
familiar friend, in every time of difficulty and trial. Its voice is
known and distinguished as a voice of friendship, for that spirit is
the friend of every Saint who cultivates its acquaintance. It is a
searcher, a deep searcher, of the motives by which men and women are
inspired. If we merely have an outward semblance of righteousness and
our motives within are not of the godlike character they should be,
that spirit will depart from us, leaving us in greater darkness than
before we possessed the Holy Spirit. This Church is a brotherhood or
it is nothing. It is a unity; it is the highest phase of communism and
individualism combined. It cultivates man to perfection as a social
and individual being. It meets the legitimate wants and aspirations of
every class of humanity.

Vol. 22, p.26
I pray that the power of God may increase in the midst of the people
from the head to the feet, throughout the whole of the body religious,
and that we may he successful in uprooting evils that are manifested
in our midst as a community or as individuals. God has revealed the
laws and principles for the purification of His Church. They are
contained in His statute books—in the Book of Mormon, in the Doctrine
and Covenants, containing the revelations of Jesus Christ, and in this
Bible. The Lord tells us we are to deal with all things according to
the laws of His Church. We know what; these things are; they are
contained in these books to which I refer. Then I say that the law of
God and the power of God will ultimately correct every evil existing
in the Church of Christ, for it must ultimately become pure, and those
who will not  purify themselves will, sooner or later, be cast off
from the [p.27] body-religious, as not of that kind of material to be
used in the building up of the glorious kingdom of our Heavenly
Father.

Vol. 22, p.27
I pray that we may be continually awake to the signs of the times in
which we live; that we may see the importance of every one attending
to his and her duties, according to the sphere in which each moves;
and that we may be on the alert, avoiding everything that is evil, is
my desire, in the name of Jesus. Christ. Amen.

Orson Pratt, October 10, 1880

The Divine Authority of the Holy Priesthood, Etc.

Delivered at the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Morning, Oct. 10th, 1880.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.27
I have been asked by President Taylor to address the congregation this
morning on a particular subject, in which we are all interested,
namely, the divine authority of the Priesthood, divine callings,
ordinances, etc.

Vol. 22, p.27
We have in this Church several thousand male members who hold
authority and power which they say is from heaven. If it be from
heaven, as we testify, and have testified ever since the rise of the
Church, then the Lord our God has manifested His power, and in His
mercy has once more bestowed authority upon the children of men to
administer His holy ordinances, and to occupy the positions to which
we have severally been called. On the other hand, if the views of the
world are correct—they do not consider us to have any authority—we are
then on the same ground and platform with the rest of the religious
world, there is no authority upon the earth. One or the other is true.

Vol. 22, p.27
There never was a principle more clearly proven than that the
inhabitants of the earth are destitute of all divine authority, among
all religious denominations, whether Pagan, Mahometan or so-called
Christian; the authority cannot be found throughout all the various
denominations that have existed through the long period of time called
the dark ages, until the Lord, in His mercy, has organized His Church
again on the earth and bestowed that authority, and if He has not done
it, as the world say He has not, there are no persons upon this whole
earth that have any authority from the heavens; and therefore we are
just as well off as the balance of them.

Vol. 22, p.28
[p.28] We are not indebted to man for the various authorities in this
Church; this is our testimony. Man did not commence this work, man is
not the originator of this work, neither is he the origin of the
authority by which we administer. The Lord did not see proper to
organize the authority of this Church all at once in all the various
councils and authorities that, from time to time, have been ordained
among this people; it was a gradual work. Authority was bestowed
before there was any Church. First (not the authority of the
Priesthood) but the authority to bring forth the plates of the Book of
Mormon, and to translate them by the Urim and Thummim, by the
inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This was the first authority conferred
upon the one whom the Lord chose to commence this great work. The
authority of the Priesthood was not conferred upon him at that time,
but He revealed unto him concerning the everlasting Gospel contained
in the ancient records kept by the Nephites, or Isralites, upon this
great Western Continent.

Vol. 22, p.28
Joseph Smith, when he translated these records by the aid of the Urim
and Thummim, had not yet received any Priesthood, so far as his
temporal existence was concerned. But now, do not misunderstand me in
regard to this position. He did hold the Priesthood before he came
here upon the earth. I remarked that Joseph, so far as any ordination
here in the flesh was concerned, held no Priesthood at the time that
he brought forth the plates of the Book of Mormon and translated them;
but he did hold the Priesthood, which was conferred upon him in the
councils of eternity, before this world was formed. You will find this
recorded in, a sermon delivered by the Prophet Joseph, showing that
not only he, but also all of the faithful that have received the
Priesthood here in this life, were ordained before the foundation of
the world. Consequently, they had the ordination; that ordination was
after the order of Him who is from all eternity to all eternity, an
everlasting Priesthood, without father, without mother, without
beginning, without end; having been handed down from all eternity.
That Priesthood was conferred upon Joseph Smith before he came here;
he was among those that are spoken of in "The Pearl of Great Price,"
whom the ancient Prophets saw in heaven. Moses saw them, and Abraham
saw them, namely, the spirits that existed before the world was made;
and they saw that among that vast number of spirits there were some
choice ones, some that were noble in the sight of God, probably
because of their integrity and steadfastness in upholding truth; among
those noble ones were those whom the Lord chose before the foundation
of the world to come forth upon the earth in their second estate, and
to hold authority and power in the various dispensations, and to
administer the plan of salvation to the human family. Abraham was
among that number. The High Priests that lived from the days of Adam
down to the flood were among that number, who were then chosen and
then ordained, according to the fore-knowledge of God. It is recorded
in the Book of Alma regarding the Priesthood, that the ordinances of
the Priesthood and the calling to the Priesthood were without
beginning or end. There may be a beginning to the person who is
called, but that Priesthood existed before that person was called,
and there was no beginning to the calling, no beginning to the
ordinances of the Priesthood, [p.29] no beginning to the Priesthood
itself, being handed down from all eternity, being in existence in all
of the worlds that were worthy of having the Priesthood and authority
from God. The reason for my making this observation is to clear up one
point which may perhaps trouble the minds of some of the Latter-day
Saints.

Vol. 22, p.29
You have read in the revelation' given on the 22d day of September,
1832, that without the Priesthood and the ordinances thereof, the
power of godliness is not manifested unto men in the flesh. You have
also read in that same revelation, that without the ordinances of that
Priesthood and the power thereof to administer to the children of men
no man could see the face of God the Father and live. When you read
this plain saying your minds may have reverted back to the days when
there was no Priesthood so far as ordination was concerned, on this
earth, I mean the ordination that took place here. You find a little
boy, Joseph Smith, calling upon the name of the Lord, in the spring of
the year 1820, before he was not yet fifteen years of age; and the
result of his calling upon the name of the Lord was that a pillar of
fire appeared in the heavens above him, and it continued to descend
and grow brighter and brighter, until it reached the top of the trees
that were growing around about where he was praying; and so great was
the glory of this light that this lad, this youth, this boy, seemed to
feel almost fearful lest the trees themselves would be consumed by it.
But it continued to descend until it rested upon this lad and
immediately his mind was caught away from the surrounding objects, was
swallowed up in a heavenly vision, in which he saw two glorious
personages, one was the Father, the other was the Son.

Vol. 22, p.29
"No man without the Priesthood, can behold the face of the Father and
live."

Vol. 22, p.29
Now, this has troubled the minds of some of the Latter-day Saints.
"How is it, (say they) that Joseph lived, after having seen the face
of the Father, after having heard the words of His mouth, after the
Father had said unto him, 'He is my beloved Son, hear ye him.'"

Vol. 22, p.29
If you had thought upon this other subject, namely, that Joseph had
been already ordained before this world was made,—to what Priesthood?
To the Priesthood after the Order of an Endless Life, a Priesthood
that is everlasting, a Priesthood handed down, that had no beginning,
a Priesthood after the holiest Order of God, a Priesthood that was
after the Order of His Only Begotten Son. If you had only reflected
that that same Priesthood had been conferred upon him in the councils
of the holy ones before the world was made, and that he was ordained
to come forth in this dispensation of the fulness of times to hold the
keys of authority and power of that high and holy Priesthood,—that he
was ordained to come forth and perform the work that God intended to
accomplish in the latter times, then the mystery would have been
cleared up to your minds. He was not without the Priesthood in
reality; but was a man chosen, a man ordained, a man appointed from
before the foundation of this world, to come forth in the fulness of
times to introduce the last dispensation among the children of men; to
come in order to organize that kingdom, that was predicted by the
ancient Prophets, that should stand for ever; to come to fulfil the
great and glorious work of preparation for the [p.30] coming of the
Son of God to reign in righteousness upon the earth; he could see the
face of God the Father and live. But after having received this
heavenly vision, after having brought forth the Book of Mormon, and
translated it, (the Lord having prepared a way by which the book could
be printed,) and having received the command of the Almighty to
organize the Church, and having received the Priesthood reconfirmed
upon him by Peter, James and John, and prior to that having received
the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, on the 15th day of May,
1829,—having all these preparations here in the flesh as well as
having been preordained to this mission, he was prepared to begin the
work that should be everlasting, or in other words, the establishment
of the kingdom of God that should never again be taken away from the
earth.

Vol. 22, p.30
The Apostleship being conferred—the Aaronic Priesthood having been
previously conferred—all the powers of the Priesthood rested upon this
man, and he had the right to the authority to administer, not only in
the introductory principles of the Gospel of the Son of God, by which
people might be born into the kingdom, but also had the authority and
the power from the heavens to administer in all the sacred ordinances
of this kingdom, at least so far as the building up of the Church was
concerned, and of officiating in the various offices of the
Priesthood. After having conferred this authority and power, the Lord
was prepared to give little by little, one portion or degree of
Priesthood after another, until by and by, in accordance with the
revelation given in June, 1829, He called twelve men to be Apostles,
some three or four years after the revelation was given, when it was
predicted that such should be the case. What did we know about the
callings and duties of this council of the Twelve? Nothing, only as
God revealed it through His servant Joseph.

Vol. 22, p.30
After this Apostleship was given, some were faithful therein, others
were not; some lost the authority of the Priesthood, others retained
it, and the blessings of God were upon those that were faithful in
their calling, while the curse of an offended God followed those who
abused this sacred trust, and their Priesthood was taken from them and
conferred upon others that were worthy of it. The Lord also, about the
same time that He called the Twelve Apostles, was prepared to call
Seventies to minister under the direction of the Twelve; and many were
ordained to this Apostleship, and they were men who had proven
themselves faithful before the Lord: and others were perhaps ordained
who had not been fully proven, and therefore the opportunity was
afforded them, acting upon the agency they had in common with all men,
of proving themselves before God. Some of them were faithful, others
were unfaithful; those that were unfaithful apostatized eventually and
left the Church, while those that were faithful continued in their
office and calling until many of them passed down to the tomb; and
having magnified the good office and calling that had been conferred
upon them, they will claim, in the eternal worlds the blessings
appertaining to their several offices.

Vol. 22, p.30
And what did we know about these Seventies and their particular
calling? Were there specified duties assigned to that body of men
anciently, whose call by the Savior is recorded in the New Testament?
[p.31] No, we were ignorant. The Prophet himself, the Twelve and all
that had been called, knew nothing in relation to the duties of these
Seventies until the Lord revealed what they were, and at the same time
He pointed out the duties of the Presidency of the Seventies, both the
duties of the seven men constituting the Presidency of all the
Seventies, and also those of the seven men that were to preside over
each Council of the Seventies. The Lord made manifest these things not
all at once, but from time to time, as the people progressed and were
counted worthy in His sight to receive further knowledge upon these
things. You may ask, why it was that the Lord did not give the whole
pattern at once, why He did not unfold everything all in a moment? It
was because we were as little children then, and indeed I am of the
opinion that many of us are little children still—and we could not
bear all things at once; therefore He revealed unto us enough from
time to time to set our minds reflecting; He revealed sufficient to
cause us to be stirred up in our minds to pray unto Him; and when we
prayed unto Him about any of the duties of the Priesthood, then He
would reveal it. But He would be sought unto by His people before He
would reveal a fulness of knowledge upon these important subjects.
This seeking unto the Lord to obtain little by little, and precept by
precept in the knowledge of the things of God, is just the way a wise
parent would instruct his own sons. Our parents would not tell us all
about the various branches of education when we were two or three, or
four years old; but they taught us as children, giving us line upon
line until we could understand more fully those things that pertained
to a good education. So the Lord dealt with His people, as a wise,
judicious, kind-hearted parent, imparting just according to the faith
of the Latter-day Saints, and according to His own mind and will, and
good pleasure.

Vol. 22, p.31
By and by, after the Church was organized and there being no Bishops
the Lord saw that it was necessary to introduce some kind of a plan in
relation to the property of His people in the State of New York. What
did the Lord say to us under those circumstances, when we were not
fully organized? Said He to the Church in the State of New York, in
the General Conference, through the mouth of His servant Joseph, in a
revelation given on the 2d day January, 1831, He said, Let my Church
in this land flee out from the State of New York; let them go westward
to the land of Kirtland, and join my people in the State of Ohio; let
them do this immediately, lest their enemies come upon them, etc. The
Lord understood what was in the hearts of the enemies of His people;
He understood what they were doing in their secret councils, in their
secret chambers to bring to pass the destruction of the Latter-day
Saints that were in the States of New York and Pennsylvania. How shall
this work be done? No Bishop to take charge of the properties. The
Lord said, Let certain men among you in the State of New York be
appointed to take charge of the properties of my people, that which
you cannot dispose of or sell in time to flee out; let them have
charge of it to sell it in after times for the benefit of the Church.
Here, then, was a revelation appointing certain men without
ordination, without the Bishopric, to handle properties, to do that
which Bishops [p.32] were afterwards required to perform. Now, here is
a lesson for us. Because the Lord does one thing in the year 1831, and
points out certain men according to the circumstances in which people
are placed, that is no evidence that He will always continue the same
order. The Lore deals with the children of men according to
circumstances, and afterwards varies from that plan according to His
own good will and pleasure. When these men had fulfilled their duties
in relation to the properties of the Saints, and the Saints had
gathered out from New York and Pennsylvania to the land of Kirtland,
then it became necessary for a regular Bishop to be called and
ordained, also his Counselors. Did the Lord point out that these
Bishops should be taken from the High Priesthood? No.

Vol. 22, p.32
"And again, I have called my servant Edward Partridge, and give a
commandment, that he should be appointed by the voice of the Church,
and ordained a Bishop unto the Church." And with regard to choosing
his Counselors, the Lord said they should be selected from the Elders
of his Church. Why did He say the Elders? Because the High Priests at
that time had not been ordained; that is, they had not been ordained
under that name. Although the Apostleship had been conferred upon
Joseph and Oliver, even they were called Elders; the word High Priest
was not known among them to be understood and comprehended until a
long time after Bishops were called; and that is the reason why the
Lord said to Bishop Partridge, "select from the Elders of my Church."
"But," says one who has read the Doctrine and Covenants, "you will
find in the revelation given on the 6th of April, 1830, something
about Bishops, High Priests, etc.

Vol. 22, p.32
[The speaker was here stopped that an important notice might be given
out.]

Vol. 22, p.32
I was saying that at the time that Bishop Partridge was called and
ordained a Bishop, on the 4th of February, 1831, that at that time
there were no High Priests, they were not known under that name, but
were known under the name of the Apostleship, etc., and hence Elders
were specified to be called as Counselors. I was also saying that in
the revelation given on the 6th day of April, 1830, there was nothing
said about High Priests at the time the revelation was given; neither
about Bishops. But you will find two paragraphs in that revelation
which mention them, which paragraphs were placed there several years
after the revelation was given, which the Lord had a perfect right to
do; and if it were necessary we might quote examples from Scripture to
show that the Lord adds to any revelation when He sees proper, in
order to make it more fully understood. For instance, you recollect
that Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah a lengthy revelation
regarding the king of Israel and the house of Israel. And that when
the revelation was given to the king of Israel and after he "had read
three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife and cast it into the
fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed;" Did the
Lord give it over again? Yes, "and," says the Scripture, "there were
added besides unto them nanny like words," not in the former
revelation. If the Lord took that method in the days of Jeremiah, was
there anything inconsistent in the Prophet Joseph, in years
afterwards, adding the words, "Bishops and  High Priests," in order
that the people might more fully understand? My motive in mentioning
these [p.33] things is that the people may understand the ways of the
Lord. His ways are not as the ways of man, neither are His thoughts
limited by our limited thoughts or conceptions. But He does as He
pleases.

Vol. 22, p.33
By and by the time came when the Lord saw proper to make manifest
something in relation to the name and the authority and the power of
this High Priesthood; showing us that it was after the order of His
Only Begotten Son, that it holds the keys to power, etc., on the
earth.

Vol. 22, p.33
Well, after the first Bishop had been chosen, and two Elders selected
by him to operate with him, his duties began to be more fully made
manifest. I shall not have time on this occasion to point out the
various duties that were assigned to Bishop Edward Partridge, in the
land of Zion, in Jackson County, Missouri, and other duties devolving
upon him while he yet remained at Kirtland. Perhaps it might be well
enough, however, to just briefly touch upon his duties, that were more
fully, made manifest when he was required to go out from Kirtland
about a day's journey to the southeast, and organize the Colesville
branch in the town of Thompson. The Lord told him how to organize the
people, and that there was a man in the Church whose name, was Leman
Copley, who had a large tract of land, and he covenanted before God
that if the Colesville Branch would go upon his land, they might have
their inheritances, etc., and that they might enter into the Order of
God, as should be pointed out by the voice of the Prophet. And when
the Prophet Joseph went out to Thompson and undertook to organize the
Branch according to this promise and covenant that was made, Bishop
Partridge was there, and he had it pointed out to him how he should
deal with that particular organization, that they should all be made
equal, and should receive their stewardships, and should consecrate
all of their property into the hands of the Bishop; and that was made
a sample for all other churches throughout the Lord's vineyard, You
may judge whether we have kept it or not. And his duties were also
made manifest in the latter part of the summer of 1831. And many of
the first Elders were commanded to go west of Kirtland about one
thousand miles; and the promise was that the land which the Lord
intended to give to His people should be made known, and it should be
told them where the city should be built. In the months of July and
August of that year, the Lord pointed out more fully the duties of
Bishop Partridge in regard to dividing the land, that is, the land
that, had been purchased by the Church, dividing it out among the
various families of the Saints. The first families, with the exception
of some that had been baptized in that land, were faithful ones among
the Colesville branch, one of the earliest. organizations of the
Church. They were commanded to flee from the town of Thompson, because
this rich man had broken his covenant. They went up to Jackson County,
and Bishop Partridge was commanded to divide off to them inheritances
by the law of consecration.

Vol. 22, p.33
Here then was a Bishop whose duties were made known and specified, and
which were very different in their nature in many respects from our
Ward Bishops. Can you not see the difference between these duties
assigned to Edward Partridge, and the duties assigned to the several
Ward Bishops of our Church? So [p.34] far as the Ward Bishops' duties
go, they coincide perfectly with the duties that were assigned to this
general Bishop. But there were a great many things required of him
that are not required of Ward Bishops; quite different in their duties
and in their callings.

Vol. 22, p.34
In December, 1831, the Lord saw proper again to give another Bishop,
his name was Newel K. Whitney. Was he merely a Bishop of a Ward, whose
jurisdiction was limited to a little spot of ground that might be
termed a place for the residence of a Ward Bishop? No; he was another
general Bishop. Bishop Partridge having general jurisdiction in
Jackson County, and in the regions round about; while the duties of
Newel K. Whitney extended to the State of Ohio and the States of
Pennsylvania and New York, and throughout all the Eastern countries,
wherever the Church of God was organized.

Vol. 22, p.34
Here were two Bishops, then, one having jurisdiction in the West, a
thousand miles from the other; the other having jurisdiction in the
East. Their duties were pointed out, but neither of them was a
Presiding Bishop. But what were they? As was clearly shown by
President Taylor at the Priesthood meeting on last evening, they were
general Bishops. By and by, after the Church of God was driven from
the State of Missouri, it became necessary to have a Presiding Bishop;
and the Lord gave a revelation, saying:

Vol. 22, p.34
"Let my servant Vinson Knight, and my servant Shadrick Roundy, and my
servant Samuel H. Smith, be appointed as Presidents over the Bishopric
of my Church."

Vol. 22, p.34
Here, then, is the first intimation that we have of a Presiding
Bishop. Neither Bishop Partridge nor Newel K. Whitney at that time was
a presiding Bishop, but each one held distinct jurisdiction, presiding
in a distinct locality, neither presiding over the other. But when
Vinson Knight, in years afterwards, was called, it was his duty to
preside over all of the Bishops that were then appointed. Was there
any general Bishop after the death of Bishop Partridge? Yes:

Vol. 22, p.34
"Let my servant, George Miller, receive the Bishopric which was
conferred upon Edward Partridge, to receive the consecrations of my
people," etc.

Vol. 22, p.34
He was ordained to the same calling, and called to the same Bishopric;
not to the Presiding Bishopric. but to the same Bishopric conferred
Upon Edward Partridge, to receive the consecrations of the Lord's
Church, to administer to the poor and needy, etc, Here, then, were two
distinct orders of Bishops, so far as their duties, jurisdiction and
responsibilities were concerned, but as Bishops they held the same
calling as others. By and by, in the process of time, as the Church
increased and multiplied upon the earth, it became necessary that
there should be local Bishops; hence arose Bishops over this town and
over that town, not general Bishops, but Ward Bishops, the same as you
have throughout your respective Stakes.

Vol. 22, p.34
Now the duties of these three distinct callings of those that are
termed Bishops are very different, so far as their duties are
concerned. The jurisdiction of a Ward Bishop does not go beyond his
Ward, unless he be particularly called to do so. He must be selected,
must be appointed, and must be sent to some other place in order to
have jurisdiction outside of his Ward in the capacity of a Bishop. The
office of the Presiding Bishop still continues, but for some reason we
have not at  the present time, so far as I am [p.35] aware, any
traveling or general Bishop like Bishop Ed. Partridge, and like Bishop
Newel K. Whitney, who afterwards did become a Presiding Bishop. A
traveling Bishop in his jurisdiction would not be limited to a Ward;
it would be his duty if so called and appointed to travel through the
various Stakes of Zion to exhort the people to do their duty, to look
after the temporal interests of the Church, to humble the rich and the
proud and lift up the low and the meek of the earth.

Vol. 22, p.35
There is another class of Bishops. We find in every Stake of Zion what
is termed a Bishop's Agent. Does he hold the Bishopric? He should have
that office conferred upon him. Why? Because it is duty to administer
in temporal things. Does his jurisdiction extend beyond that of a Ward
Bishop? It does. Why? By appointment, by selection, by being sent by
the Presidency of the High Priesthood after the order of Melchisedek
to administer in the special duties of his office in any or in all the
Stakes of Zion, as the case may be according to the nature of his
appointment, and by the authority of the Presiding Bishop. There are a
great many things to be taken into consideration when we strive to
understand the Book of Covenants according to the revelations that are
therein given. Because God confined His servants to certain duties in
the early rise of this Church, that is no proof or evidence that lie
will always work in the same channel. He will enlarge the borders of
this kingdom; He will stretch forth the curtains of Zion; He will
lengthen her cords and strengthen her Stakes and will multiply them
not only throughout this mountain Territory, but throughout the United
States, this land of Joseph and they will be called the Stakes of the
great City of Zion.

Vol. 22, p.35
Let me here take the liberty to say to this congregation that the City
of Zion when it is built in Jackson County, will not be called a
Stake. We can find no mention in all the revelations that God has
given, that the City of Zion is to be the Centre Stake of Zion; the
Lord never called it a Stake in any revelation that has been given. It
is to be the head quarters, it is to be the place where the Son of Man
will come and dwell, where He will have a Temple, in which Temple
there will be a throne prepared where Jesus will dwell in the midst of
His people; it will be the great central city, and the outward
branches will be called Stakes wherever they shall be organized as
such.

Vol. 22, p.35
We cannot suppose, as I was saying, that when the Lord shall thus
enlarge the borders of Zion and multiply her Stakes, that He will be
obliged to confine Himself to those circumstances and that condition
of things that existed when we were a little handful of people. We are
swelling out, we are becoming numerous upon the face of the land; and
the day will come when Isaiah's prophecy, as contained in the 60th
chapter, will be literally fulfilled, that is, a little one shall not
only become a thousand, but the small one a strong nation. Are we then
to be governed in all respects by those limited things that we were
governed by in our childhood? Will there be no change of
circumstances? Yes, as there is in the growth of grain, we have first
the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear, but these will
all be in accordance with the development made by the progress of the
kingdom as is explained in the blade, the ear and the full [p.36] corn
in the ear, and let me here prophecy on the strength of the
revelations that were given through the Prophet Joseph, and through
all the ancient Prophets, that the time will come when the Lord our
God will so manifest His power that every soul upon the face of this
great Western Continent that will not believe the Book of Mormon, that
will not repent of his sins, that will not turn away from his
iniquities, and that will not hearken to the voice of His Son, that it
will be with such a one as Moses said, he shall be cut off from among
the people. Do you believe it? It will be the case. And when that day
comes that the Lord shall cut off such people, when the day comes that
he will fulfil the revelations of Isaiah, as well as many other
revelations that have been given, Zion will have to go forth in her
strength and power, and the inhabitants of the nations that are afar
off will say, "Surely, Zion is the city of our God, for the Lord is
there, and His glory is there, and the power and the might of His
terror is there,"—terror to the wicked, terror to those who commit
sin: and many people will say "Come, let us be subject to her laws."
That will be after the Lord has broken up the nations, after He has
destroyed and wasted them away, so far as the wicked portions are
concerned. Those who are left will gladly acknowledge Zion, will
acknowledge God and His people, and will acknowledge the laws that
will be literally sent forth from Zion to the nations of the earth.
Must we then be limited in all respects as we were limited in the
early rise of the Church? No. New circumstances require new power, new
knowledge, new additions, new strength and new Quorums; not to do away
with the old, but additional in their nature. Men will hold authority
and power to carry forth the laws of Zion to the remnants of this
nation, and to foreign nations—ministers, or plenipotentiaries, if you
please, to use a political term, will go forth to the nations of the
earth with the laws of God. Now, this is a prophecy of my own, but it
is a prophecy according to that which is written, according to that
which God gave to His ancient and His modern Prophets.

Vol. 22, p.36
I find that I shall not be able to continue my remarks as they present
themselves to my mind, for there are numerous branches pertaining to
this subject of the Priesthood, besides that of the Bishopric, and
blessings pertaining to the two Priesthoods, upon which it would be
very pleasing to my mind to dwell, that is, if I had the time and the
strength of body to do so.

Vol. 22, p.36
I would say, however, that in regard to the organization of the First
Presidency, it was done soon after the rise of the Church. The Lord
exhibited to us, by revelation, the order of things as it existed in
former days, away back in the dispensation before the flood—the
dispensation of the antediluvian Patriarchs and their order of
government; and also the dispensation of the Patriarchs after the
flood and their order of government, and which I dwelt upon. some two
or three days since. I say that in relation to these matters. much
might be said, and much might be said in regard to our privileges, the
privileges of those holding these two Priesthoods. And much might be
said of the First Presidency, which quorum presides over all the
Church of God; and much might be said in relation to the duties of the
Twelve, not only as  a traveling High Council, but in regard to the
setting in order of the various offices [p.37] in Zion. We might talk
a great deal about that. We, as the Twelve, have been fulfilling both
of these duties, traveling abroad and sending abroad, and also setting
in order the councils of the Priesthood in the midst of Zion, as the
revelation required of us. In so doing, we have acted for a short time
as a Presiding Council in the midst of the Church of God. We did so
upon the death of the Prophet Joseph. The Spirit of God wrought upon
his servants, that during our administration for some three or four
years after the death of Brother Joseph, the First Presidency was not
organized. Did the Council of the Twelve forget it? No. Did they
ignore it? No; they all the time had their minds fixed upon the
revelation which God had given showing that the Council of the First
Presidency was the supreme Council and authority in the Church, and
that the Twelve could not act in that supreme authority and power only
as the First Presidency was made vacant. This Quorum was re organized
some three or four years after the death of the Prophet, and it
continued organized until the year 1877, and upon the death of
President Young, who was the President in the First Presidency, it
then fell again upon the Twelve as formerly, and they have continued
some three years and up wards occupying that position. Have they done
right? Yes; they have done as they were required to do during the time
being. And now, after having performed their duties, they still keep
in mind the necessity of this First Quorum of all Quorums of the
Church again being filled up, so that the revelations of God may be
honored and we fulfil their requirements. Hence, the Council of the
Apostles has taken into consideration this subject, and the question
in our minds was, Have we sufficiently, as the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, magnified our office and calling, in setting in order the
Church of the living God, in organizing the various Councils, or is
there something lacking? Every time we thought upon the subject we saw
that one Council, the most important of all, was still vacant. Could
we ignore it? No. We therefore considered the propriety of organizing
it at the present Conference; and Brother John Taylor, by the voice of
his brethren, the Twelve, being the person holding the legal right to
that office, as the President of the Twelve Apostles, was selected to
occupy the position of the President of the whole Church. And he,
according to the right and authority given to him, suggested his own
Counselors. They were sanctioned by the Twelve Apostles; hence, the
First Presidency again, so far as the Council of the Twelve is
concerned, has been re-organized. We have fulfilled our duties, then,
in relation to that revelation which says, it is given unto the Twelve
Apostles to set in order all those offices that are named in that
revelation, we, I say, have done it. And we have laid the subject
before the Priesthood of all the various Quorums, as they were
assembled in general council on last evening, and they with us have
had the privilege of sanctioning this action, that that quorum be
filled up and be complete. it now remains with the body of the people
to give their sanction, males and females, as well as the Priesthood.
And in order that this may be done according to the pattern which God
has given through His servant Joseph, the Priesthood will be organized
this afternoon in their respective Quorums, and this [p.38] subject
will be brought before them to be voted upon by each Quorum
separately; and then the whole congregation will be called upon to
sanction the same.

Vol. 22, p.38
I would state that this change made a vacancy of three in the Quorum
of the Apostles, and persons have been selected to fill this vacancy
thus made; or, rather, two persons have been selected from among the
High Priesthood to partially fill that vacancy in the Council of the
ApostLes. The third one has not yet been chosen to completely fill the
vacancy in the Apostles' Quorum; we, however, may be prepared to act
on that to-day, and we may not.

Vol. 22, p.38
Having said so much, in a very scattered manner, in regard to the
Priesthood, and the dealings of God with us from time to time, I would
state to my brethren and sisters, to the Latter-day Saints, I rejoice
that the time has again come when our Quorums in the Church of God
will be completed as given in the Doctrine and Covenants. I feel to
rejoice in seeing this order carried out. There never has been a time,
from the commencement of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints when the organization has been so complete as during
the last two or three years. I trust that His great purposes will be
carried out and fulfilled, until Zion shall become, as it is written
in the Book of Mormon, in the parable of the vineyard, shall become
one body and its branches shall be equal. Amen.

John Taylor, October 10, 1880

The Organization of the First Presidency, Etc.

Delivered in the General Conference, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, Oct. 10th, 1880.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.38
I will make a few remarks while the Sacrament is being administered.
It is gratifying to me to be able to state that now all the various
organizations of the Church are provided for. For some time the Twelve
have been operating in the capacity of a First Presidency, and it was
very proper that they should have acted in that capacity. As you heard
Brother Pratt state this morning, in referring to this subject, this
was the course adopted at the time when the Prophet Joseph Smith left
us. The Twelve then stepped forward into the position of the First
[p.39] Presidency, and operated for about three years in that
capacity. And when President Young left us it was thought proper that
the same course should be pursued. The Twelve, I believe, have in this
respect magnified their calling and taken a course that is approved by
the Lord, and I think also by the brethren, judging from the vote
given here to-day.

Vol. 22, p.39
Had it not been our duty to have the Church organized fully and
completely in all its departments, I should have much preferred to
have continued with the brethren of the Twelve, speaking of it merely
as a matter of personal feeling. But there are questions arising in
regard to these matters that are not for us to say how they shall be,
or what course shall be pursued. When God has given us an order and
has appointed an organization in his Church, with the various quorums
of Priesthood as presented to us by revelation through the Prophet
Joseph Smith, I do not think that either the First Presidency, the
Twelve, the High Priests, the Seventies, the Bishops, or anybody else,
have a right to change or alter that plan which the Lord has
introduced and established. And as you heard Brother Pratt state this
morning, one duty devolving upon the Twelve is to see that the
churches are organized correctly. And I think they are now thus
organized throughout the land of Zion. The Churches generally are
organized with Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, with High
Councils, with Bishops and their Counselors, and with the Lesser
Priesthood, according to the order that is given us.

Vol. 22, p.39
Then we have the High Priests, Seventies and Elders occupying their
places according to their Priesthood, position and standing in the
Church. And the First Presidency seemed to be the only quorum that was
deficient. And it is impossible for men acquainted with the order of
the Holy Priesthood to ignore this quorum, as it is one of the
principal councils of the Church. While the Twelve stand as a bulwark
ready to protect, defend and maintain, to step forward and carry out
the order of God's Kingdom in times of necessity, such as above
referred to, yet when everything is adjusted and matters assume their
normal condition, then it is proper that the Quorum of the First
Presidency, as well as all other quorums, should occupy the place
assigned it by the Almighty.

Vol. 22, p.39
These were the suggestions of the Spirit of the Lord to me. I
expressed my feelings to the Twelve, who coincided with me, and,
indeed, several of them had had the same feelings as those with which
I was actuated. It is not with us, or ought not to be, a matter of
place, position, or honor, although it is a great honor to be a
servant of God; it is a great honor to hold the Priesthood of God; but
while it is an honor to be God's servants, holding His Priesthood, it
is not honorable tot any man or any set of men to seek for position in
the Holy Priesthood. Jesus said, Ye have not called me, but I have
called you. And as I said before, had I consulted my own personal
feelings, I would have said, things are going on very pleasantly,
smoothly and agreeably; and I have a number of good associates whom I
respect and esteem, as my brethren, and I rejoice in their counsels.
Let things remain as they are. But it is not for me to say, it is not
for you to say, what we would individually prefer, but it is for us
holding the Holy Priesthood; to see that all the organizations of that
Priesthood  are [p.40] preserved intact, and that everything in the
Church and kingdom of God is organized according to the plan which He
has revealed; therefore we have taken the course which you have been
called upon to sanction by your votes to:day.

Vol. 22, p.40
I would further remark that I have examined very carefully for some
time past some of those principles you heard read over in the
Priesthood meeting, and which were referred to in part, by Brother
Pratt, this morning. And there are other principles associated with
the Priesthood that we wish and hope to have thoroughly defined; so
that, every man will know his true position and the nature of the
calling and responsibility and Priesthood with which he is endowed. It
is very proper and very important that we should comprehend these
things; every man in his place, and every woman in her place; but I
more particularly refer to the Holy Priesthood, that every man may
feel and realize the duties and responsibilities which rest upon him.

Vol. 22, p.40
It is gratifying to me, and it is no doubt satisfactory to you, to see
the unanimity and oneness of feeling and the united sentiment which
have been manifested in our votes. Those votes being taken first in
their quorum capacity, each quorum having voted affirmatively, then by
the vote of the Presidents of the several quorums united, and
afterwards by the vote of the quorums and people combined, men and
women, among the many thousands assembled who have participated in
this vote, having a full and free opportunity, uncontrolled by any
influence other than the Spirit of God, to express their wishes and
desires, there has not been, from all that we could discover, one
dissenting vote.

Vol. 22, p.40
You could not find the same unanimity anywhere upon the earth. Union
is a principle that exists in the heavens, and so far as we manifest
this feeling in all sincerity, so far do we exhibit our faith in God,
in His Priesthood, and in His law as revealed to us. For our religion,
our Priesthood and all the blessings and ordinances that we possess
were not given us by any man or any combination of men; it was the
Lord who revealed all of these things or we could not have been in
possession of them. We have had an example here to-day of the
unanimity which characterizes those possessed of the Spirit of the
Gospel, and it ought to be a pattern for us in all of our affairs.

Vol. 22, p.40
And now let me refer with pride to my brethren of the Twelve here,
which I do by saying that while they as a quorum held the right by the
vote of the people to act in the capacity of the First Presidency, yet
when they found, as Brother Pratt expressed it this morning, that they
had performed their work, they were willing to withdraw from that
Presidency, and put it in the position that God had directed, and fall
back into the place that they have always held, as the Twelve Apostles
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I say it is with
pride that I refer to this action and the feeling that prompted it. I
very much question whether you could find the same personal exhibition
of disinterested motives and self-abnegation, and the like readiness
to renounce place and position in deference to principle, among the
same number of men in any other place. They saw the necessity of this
action; a motion was made in that Council; and the vote was
unanimously adopted that the First Presidency be reorganized, and
after[p.41] wards the brethren to fill this quorum, were selected. The
next step was to present the matter to the Church, and it was laid
before the Priesthood at a meeting, when there were present a
representation of all the important authorities of the Church in the
different Stakes in Zion. After having done that, lest some difficulty
might exist some where, it was thought proper to pursue the course
taken to-day—that each organization of the Priesthood, embracing all
the quorums, should be seated in a quorum capacity by themselves, and
separately have the opportunity of voting freely and fully without
control of any kind, and of expressing their feelings, and finally,
that the whole congregation should have the same opportunity. This is
emphatically the voice of God, and the voice of the people; and this
is the order that the Lord has instituted in Zion, as it was in former
times among Israel. God gave his commandments; they were delivered by
His Prophet to the people and submitted to them, and all Israel said,
Amen. You have all done this by your votes; which vote, so far as we
can learn, has been without a dissenting voice either among the
separate quorums, or in the vote of the combined quorums and people.
Now, continue to be united in everything as you are in this thing, and
God will stand by you from this time henceforth and for ever. And any
man who opposes principles of this kind is an enemy of God, an enemy
of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, an enemy to the
people of God, and an enemy to the freedom and rights of man. The Lord
has selected a Priesthood that He might among all Israel make known
His mind and will through them, and that they might be His
representatives upon the earth. And while He does this He does not
wish men to be coerced or forced to do things contrary to their will.
But where the Spirit of God is, there is union, harmony and liberty,
and where it is not there is strife, confusion and bondage. Let us
then seek to be one, honor our God, honor our religion, and keep the
commandments of God, and seek to know His will, and then to do it.

Vol. 22, p.41
I do not, know but that I have spoken as long as I ought to. God bless
you; God bless the Twelve; and God bless the Presidents of Stakes and
their associates, and the Seventies and the High Priests, and the
Elders, and the Bishops, and the Lesser Priesthood. And God bless the
Relief Societies, and the Young People's Mutual Improvement
Associations, and all who love and fear God and keep his commandments.
And may God bless the Sunday Schools and the Primary Associations and
the educational interests, and all interested in the welfare of Zion,
as well as all the good and virtuous, the honorable and high-minded
everywhere, who are seeking to promote purity, holiness, and virtue on
the earth. And God bless our singers and all who make music for us;
and may the peace and blessing of God rest upon all Israel. And when
you go to your homes, carry out the principles you have voted for, and
God will bless you and your generations after you; and you shall be
blessed in time, and through all eternity. And I bless you by virtue
of the holy Priesthood, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. [p.42]

Joseph F. Smith, February 6, 1881

The Persecutions of the Ancient Saints—The Organization of the
Church in Our Day—Necessity of Obedience to the Laws of the Gospel,
Etc.

Delivered at Logan, Feb. 6, 1881

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.42
I desire an interest in the faith and prayers of my brethren and
sisters who are present, that I may be able to speak under the
influence of the good spirit, such things as will be encouraging to
the faith of the Saints.

Vol. 22, p.42
I rejoice always in the truth of the Gospel with which I have become
acquainted; and although there may be many things with which I am
unacquainted, yet that portion of the plan of salvation which I do
understand is sufficient to convince me beyond the possibility of a
doubt, that we are engaged in the great latter-day work of God
Almighty, which is for the salvation of the human family, the
establishment of the kingdom upon the earth preparatory to the coming
of the Son of God in power and great glory, to take possession of the
kingdom and of the world; to take the reins of government in His own
hands, to judge and rule with righteousness, and with equity reprove
for the meek of the earth, to the honor and glory of God, to the
salvation and deliverance of His people, the downfall of Babylon, the
destruction of the wicked and the overthrow of all man-made systems
and organizations that are in conflict with the requirements of heaven
and the laws of God. There is, to my mind, nothing lacking in proof or
evidence of these facts, which have plainly been set forth in the
Bible, in the Book of Mormon, and also in the revelations through the
Prophet Joseph Smith; which last named are recorded in the Book of
Doctrine and Covenants. I am perfectly satisfied, as much so as I am
that I breathe the breath of life, that these truths pertaining to the
last dispensation and the great latter-day work have been revealed to
us from God, and that we are in possession of truth, eternal truth
that can never be uprooted or destroyed. It is true that we are but a
handful of people in comparison to the vast multitude that are in the
world, indeed we are few in comparison to the population of our own
nation; for while we, as a community, number a few thousands, the
nation numbers nearly half as many millions; and our nation is only a
small portion of the human family. But yet it is not presumptuous, nor
is it  unreasonable or inconsistent, notwithstanding the paucity of
our numbers, our supposed lack of intelligence [p.43] pertaining to
scientific matters, and our poverty as compared with the wealth of the
world, for us to claim that we have received revelation from God, that
the Almighty has spoken to the children of men with His own voice and
by the voice of angels and ministering spirits, or personages whom He
has sent to reveal His will to man. For it is in this way that God has
ever revealed Himself to the nations of the earth. He calls a Prophet
now and a Prophet hereafter, and He reveals himself to His servants
the Prophets, and He makes known His will unto them, and it becomes
their duty to proclaim the law and the will of the Almighty to the
inhabitants of the earth, and to call others to the ministry, sending
them forth that they may proclaim the Gospel to their neighbors and
associates; and so the work of God has to work its way, spread and
increase among the children of men, like the leaven, referred to by
the Savior, that is placed in the measure of meal that works until the
whole lump is leavened. So God has done in all ages of the world when
He has undertaken to renew His covenant with the people; He has called
certain men (who doubtless had been foreordained to come forth in
certain ages to do a certain work) through whom He has made known to
the nations and peoples of the earth His mind and will. When Jesus
came to the earth He scarcely found faith among mankind; only John the
Baptist holding a commission from God to minister in the first
ordinances of the Gospel; John having been called and appointed of God
and ordained by a holy angel to that ministry and Priesthood. A few
that had listened to his testimony and teachings, and had been
baptized by his baptism, with him, constituted all who were
acknowledged of God upon the earth at the time of the coming of the
Savior, And Jesus called unto Him twelve disciples, ordained them,
commissioned them and sent them forth to preach the Gospel; but they
so-journed with him for three years during his own ministry to receive
instruction, to be taught of Him, to learn the ways of the Lord from
the Great Head, that they might be qualified to go forth at the
expiration of that time being witnesses of God, witnesses of the
divine mission of their Lord and Master, and prepared to proclaim the
Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. After Jesus was crucified of
man, he went in the spirit to the spirits that, were in prison, who
had been disobedient "when the long suffering of God waited in the
days of Noah," that by his coming the Gospel might be taught unto
them, their prison doors be opened, and liberty be proclaimed unto
them, even the liberty of the Gospel, that they might live, through
obedience to its requirements, according to God in the Spirit; and
when the ordinances of the Gospel necessary for the redemption of the
dead had been performed for and in their behalf upon the earth, that
they might be judged according to man in the flesh. When Jesus had
done this He again took up the body of flesh and bones which had been
hung upon the cross, and pierced unto death and laid away in the tomb;
that body which had passed through the portal of death and the ordeal
of the grave, he again brought forth from death unto life. Thus he
conquered death and gained the victory over the grave and brought
about the resurrection from the dead through the power of the Gospel
and the holy Priesthood. Shortly after He visited [p.44] His
disciples, when He breathed upon them, saying unto them; "Receive ye
the Holy Ghost." He also commissioned them to go forth and preach the
Gospel to every creature. Then He departed from them, and they went
forth and testified of Jesus Christ, and proclaimed the Gospel to the
world, with power and with the demonstration of the Spirit of God.
These chosen disciples of Christ suffered ignominious deaths from the
first to the last, with the single exception of the Apostle John, who
we are informed, was preserved from the power of his enemies, from
their attempts to destroy his life, for a wise purpose of God, to
fulfil the promise of the Savior unto him; and yet. notwithstanding
this promise, it is believed by the Christian world that he died a
natural death after wicked man had attempted several times in vain to
destroy his life. Notwithstanding, the disciples of Jesus, excepting
John the Revelator, suffered ignominious deaths, they sowed the seed
of the Gospel among, and conferred the Priesthood upon men, which
remained for several generations upon the earth, but the time came
when Paganism was engrafted into Christianity, and at last
Christianity was converted into Paganism rather than converting the
Pagans. And subsequently the Priesthood was taken from among men, this
authority was re-called into the heavens, and the world was left
without the Priesthood—without the power of God—without the Church and
Kingdom of God. There were tens of thousands that hearkened to the
teachings of the disciples and yielded obedience to the Gospel; and
they suffered persecution such as the people of God in this generation
have never begun to suffer. Some of the Latter-day Saints who were
associated with this Church in its early history, and suffered the
persecutions in Ohio, in Missouri and Illinois, thought that their
persecution was very great, even greater than that of any other
people. But this is not so, for this people have never begun to endure
the persecution that was inflicted upon the former day Saints, those
who received the testimony of the Apostles. People in former days
believed that they were doing God service to burn those Saints to
death, to whip and to spear them to death, to drag them until they
were torn to pieces and otherwise to torture and destroy them, and,
indeed, in some instances they sewed up the believers in cloths and in
sacks, which they covered with pitch or tar and then set on fire to
light the streets of imperial Rome! In ancient days it was considered
lawful to perpetrate these barbarities upon those who professed to
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were driven from place to
place; they were hunted down as wild beasts, and otherwise suffered
persecution such as this people have never begun to suffer, and as I
earnestly hope and pray they never will be subjected to.

Vol. 22, p.44
But it was under such circumstances the Gospel was proclaimed among
the people. In this way were the believers in Christ treated, being
esteemed as worthless, refuse, unfit to live, and worthy only of the
most cruel and ignominious deaths. The same feelings existed, and do
to-day exist, in the hearts of some people toward the Latter-day
Saints. But the Lord Almighty has prepared the way for the coming
forth of the kingdom of God in this dispensation by establishing the
republican government of the United States; a government affording the
widest liberty and the greatest [p.45] freedom to man that has ever
been known to exist among men, outside of those governed by the direct
communication of heaven. It was part of the design of the Almighty
when He influenced our fathers to leave the old world and come to this
continent; He had a band in the establishment of this government; He
inspired the framers of the Constitution and the fathers of this
nation to contend for their liberties; and He did this upon natural
principles, that the way might be prepared, and that it might be
possible for Him to establish His kingdom upon the earth, no more to
be thrown down. And when the way was prepared and the time fully come
for the restoration of the Gospel, God revealed Himself to Joseph
Smith, giving to him certain promises concerning the coming forth of
the Gospel and the establishment of His kingdom in the last days. And
subsequently God sent messengers to him and ordained him to the
Priesthood, or conferred on him the rights, powers, keys and authority
of the holy Priesthood, to act as His representative in establishing
the Gospel of the kingdom once more among men, and tot the last time,
also to restore the Priesthood to earth, that man might again
officiate in the name and authority of God, for the salvation of the
living and the dead. He had to call one man to this office, who
afterwards, as Jesus did, called and set apart twelve others, together
with Seventies, High Priests, Elders, Bishops, Priests, Teachers and
Deacons, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the
body of Christ, that all may come to the unity of the faith and the
knowledge of the Son of God, to the fulness of the measure of the
stature of Christ Jesus; that we might come to a oneness in the
knowledge of the truth, that the world might be leavened with the
leaven of truth, that all mankind might have the privilege of bearing
the Gospel and of being gathered into the fold and family of Christ.

Vol. 22, p.45
In the space of about fifty years, I suppose, we have gathered from
first, to last into the fold of this Church, some three or four
hundred thousand people. It may seem to some that this would indicate
that we had made very slow progress in half a century; having
succeeded in gathering into this Church only between three and four
hundred thousand people; and that to-day we do not number more than
150,000 to 200,000 members all told, in good standing; that is, taking
all that can be called Saints in America, in Europe, in Australia, and
upon the islands of the sea; wherever this Gospel is preached, or
people acknowledge membership in this Church, all told, perhaps, we do
not number more than 200,000 members in good standing. It may seem
that we are making haste slowly; that we are not progressing very
rapidly. It might seem to some of us that we ought to have
accomplished a great deal more in the fifty years past since the
organization of this Church. I confess that I believe with all my
heart, that as a people we might have made far greater progress in the
accomplishment of the purposes and will of God than we have, if we had
only done as we should. In my humble opinion, and I express it as my
firm conviction and belief, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints might have numbered to-day many times more than it does, if
those who have embraced the Gospel had remained true and all had been
as faithful as they should have been. The progress of the [p.46] work
of God does and will depend greatly upon the righteousness of the
people, the faithfulness of the Priesthood in keeping His
commandments, honoring His laws, and laboring for the accomplishment
of the purposes of God upon the earth, instead of self-aggrandizement.
I will venture, as my opinion, that the Latter-day Saints through
their follies, their neglect of proper example, their carelessness
respecting their duties, not to mention greater sins, and the evil
resulting therefrom, have prevented the conversion of as many people
as have been converted unto God. There are to day perhaps nearly as
many that have apostatized as are now in good standing in the Church;
many of whom were honest but have been deceived and led away from the
truth, many others, I admit, have turned away because of their own
sins. Others again have left the Church because they were unable to
distinguish between the actions of their foolish brethren and the
principles of eternal truth, and in that way have allowed themselves
to go into darkness and turn away from the Kingdom. In almost every
place you go, where the Gospel is being preached, you may find scores
and scores of people that once belonged to the Church, how are they
to-day? Are they members of this Church? No; they are apostates, in
darkness, knowing not the truth, for the light they had is gone out
and darkness has taken the place thereof, and they are now under the
power of darkness or Satan and cannot help themselves.

Vol. 22, p.46
And again, there are many people who have come among us, who, if they
had found that perfection in the conduct and character of Latter-day
Saints which they expected to find among those professing to be
Saints, if they had found more of the fruits of righteousness in the
midst of this people and less of their foilles and weaknesses, they
would no doubt have been constrained to yield obedience to the Gospel;
whereas they only became hardened in seeing the weakness and
imperfection of really so-called Latter-day Saints, concluding that
they, judging them by their acts, are not much better than other
professing Christians. And in this way many that might have been
brought to a knowledge of the truth, have been discouraged,
disappointed and deceived, because they failed to discover or feel as
they might and should have done, if all the fruits or the Gospel had
abounded as they should, that power of the Priesthood and efficacy of
the Gospel which should be exhibited in the midst of the people of
God.

Vol. 22, p.46
Now, am I finding fault with the Latter day Saints? If I should find
fault with you of course I would be finding fault with myself. I
acknowledge that I have not lived up to the standard as I should have
done: I have not possessed that power, that inspiration, that
knowledge of truth, that close communion with God and with the Holy
Ghost, that I might or ought to have done. Therefore if there is blame
attached to the Church I am willing to acknowledge and share my
proportion of that blame. Nevertheless, what I say in regard to this
matter I believe to be the truth. I will give you, if you wish, and I
think I had better do so, one or two simple and undeniable proofs of
my assertion. Excuse me if I refer to things which may be considered
quite common; I am not here to teach you new doctrine, I am
endeavoring to teach you truths, which we have been taught for the
last fifty years.

Vol. 22, p.47
[p.47] I will refer you to the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, to that
simple principle called the Word of Wisdom. How many of this
congregation have kept this law? and how many do keep it to-day? It
would perhaps not astonish you very much were I to say that there were
members of the Church of forty years standing and upwards, who take
their tea, coffee, tobacco, etc., just as though God had not some
forty-eight years ago, revealed the Word of Wisdom. I can point out
men and women that have been in this Church some twenty-five or thirty
years, that are no nearer keeping the commandments of God, in this
respect, than they were twenty-five or thirty years ago, and some of
them not so near. If I were pressed on this point I could call the
names of some individuals in proof of what I say. We have not lived up
to the privileges nor kept the laws of God as given unto us. What is
the result? Is it not that when we preach these principles we preach
them in word only and not in the demonstration of the power of God?
Certainly not in the demonstration and power of example, but with the
words of our lips which proceed not from the heart. And that is not
all. In the Book of Mormon it is recorded that Christ commanded the
people to call upon God in His name, morning and evening with their
families. Similar instruction is given in the Doctrine and Covenants,
and the same principle is inculcated in the Bible. God has said that
He will be sought after by His people; and Jesus said that we must
knock in order that the door might be opened unto us; and that we
should seek in order to find, and ask in order to receive. And, yet,
how many heads of families in the Church fail to meet with their
families to call upon God in family prayer? How many Saints neglect
this duty? It is a duty, it is the word of the Lord to the Saints,
that they should meet with their families morning and evening, and
call upon God in His name. This principle is part of the Gospel, it
was taught by the Savior on the eastern, and also in the western,
continent: and, simple as it may appear, it is absolutely necessary
that the Latter-day Saints should come together in the family
capacity, and kneeling around the family altar, call upon God for His
blessings morning and evening. And they need not confine themselves to
morning and evening prayer, for it is their privilege to enter into
their closets and call upon Him in secret, that He might reward them
openly.

Vol. 22, p.47
Again, it is written that God is angry with those who will not
acknowledge His hand in all things. How many of the Latter-day Saints
whom God has blessed with the riches of this world, with houses,
lands, flocks, herds, gold and silver, have forgotten to acknowledge
His hand in the bestowal of the wealth they possess, and have been
blinded by the gifts conferred upon them, and in that blindness have
forgotten the Giver? Having an abundance, the rich are too apt to feel
that they do not have to kneel down and ask God to give them houses
and daily bread, for they have palaces and wealth. They say, we have
these things; we have no need to ask for them, nor to thank God for
them, for they are ours; we have gained them by our own industry and
ability. Thus God is left out of the question. But God has said, "I
love them that love me, and those that seek me early shall find me;"
therefore He will be inquired of by His people, and He requires that
they [p.48] shall acknowledge Him in all things; yet we often forget
to acknowledge Him in His greatest mercies. When the blow of an enemy
that has been aimed at our destruction is warded off by the wise
counsel perhaps of the holy Priesthood, we say, "We outwitted them; we
did it, we circumscribed the cunning and craft of our enemy: we did
this, and we did that, and we did the other thing;" it is great I with
some of us, and God is not acknowledged by such at all. There is too
much of this spirit amongst us, I am sorry to say.

Vol. 22, p.48
God requires one-tenth of our increase to be put lute his storehouse;
and this is given as a standing law to all of the Stakes of Zion. And
has said that unless all observe this law to keep it holy and by this
law sanctify the land of Zion unto Him, etc., that this land shall not
be a land of Zion unto us. And yet, how many of us have neglected to
observe this law? We profess to believe it, but how many have
neglected to obey it in full? If the Savior were to come to-day, who
will judge us not after the sight of the eyes, neither reprove after
the hearing of the ears, but with righteousness, and with equity and
by the knowledge of eternal truth, and the balance of eternal justice,
how many would he find who really have paid one-tenth of their
increase in compliance with this law? There are some people that do
it, but when you take out these that do keep this law according to the
strict letter and spirit of it, you will find that in comparison to
the whole they are few. The people pay a portion of their tithing.
President Young frequently charged the people with not paying one
tenth of their tithings. I presume that was an extreme view. I believe
the people are doing better than that, now at least; but at the same
time I believe that a very large proportion of us pay only a portion
of the tenth of that which God puts into our hands.

Vol. 22, p.48
Now, why do I refer to these things? I leave it to you—to
conscientious men and women—it would not become me to say that Brother
Jones or Brother Smith, or any other individual is the person that is
delinquent in his duty; but it behooves me to speak on the principle
in general terms, and I think I am very near the truth in relation to
this matter. I will leave that for you, however, to say in your
hearts, whether you pay an honest tithing before God, or whether you
pay a portion of your tithing. God knows; we cannot deceive Him. Why
do we not comply fully with this law? Simply because we lack wisdom,
faith, understanding, and confidence in the promises of God. If we
felt the fire of the Holy Spirit in our hearts; it we were
conscientious in all our acts before God, this people would be raised
to a higher plane; faith would be increased, good works would abound,
and others, seeing our good works, would be led to glorify our Father
in heaven. I will read a few instructions that were given to the
ancient Saints. They are not new, therefore, they are very old
instructions, They are applicable, however, to us, although spoken to
the former-day Saints, for the key by which the blessings are obtained
is given to us"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be
comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit, the earth."
The meek shall inherit the earth. Shall the proud and the haughty and
those that are lifted up in the vanity of their hearts? No; God has
said that they shall be  [p.49] burned as stubble; that the day that
is coming shall burn them up; that neither root nor branch of them
shall be left, but they shall become as ashes beneath the feet of the
righteous. But "blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the
earth." Then as meekness is one of the requisite qualities of a
Latter-day Saint, a Christian, a member of the Church of God upon the
earth, except we are meek and lowly, we shall not receive the promised
blessing. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after
righteousness, for they shall be filled." "Blessed are the merciful
for they shall obtain mercy." Shall they that are not merciful obtain
mercy? No. Why? Because it is said elsewhere that the measure which we
meet out shall be measured back to us again. And when it is measured
back unto us it will be shaken down and pressed together, heaped up
and running over. If we act, for instance, in regard to the law of
tithing as I have mentioned, we shall be judged accordingly, and
receive according to our works. If we forgive them that trespass
against us, it shall be measured back unto us in mercy, etc. "Blessed
are the pure in heart for they shall see God." Shall the corrupt see
Him? No. Shall they be counted worthy to stand in His presence, and be
called "blessed?" Certainly not. "Blessed are the peace-makers, for
they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of
Heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for
so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt
of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it
be salted?. It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and
to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world." Who?
The peacemakers, the pure in heart, the meek, those that hunger and
thirst after righteousness, the good, the honorable, the Godlike. "Ye
are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost his savor
wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but
to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." "A city that is
set on a hill cannot; be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it
under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house: Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Vol. 22, p.49
That I understand to be the duty of a Latter-day Saint, "Let your
light shine" that men shall see your good works. And if God has given
a commandment, prove to the world that you believe it, by keeping it
so that men, seeing your good works, may glorify your Father in
heaven. If God has said that tobacco and strong drinks are not good
for us, let us hearken to this warning and not defile our tabernacles
by indulging in things that are injurious to our systems; and thus
respect the word of God ourselves, and show a good example to others.
When we can show to the world that we are saved from the sins of the
world, they will see our good works and be constrained to glorify our
Father in heaven. But when: strangers come among us and witness
drunkenness, hear profanity, see that some of us are dishonest and
cheat each other, [p.50] that so far some of us are no better than the
people of Babylon; "the Pharisees and Sadducees" of the present age,
at the same time professing to be the children of God; they justly
say, "These people are hypocrites, they profess one thing and do
another; they profess to be the children of God, but they are the
children of the devil." In other words, if we bring not forth the
fruits of the Gospel, it will be set down as a natural and philosophic
conclusion that we either do not have the Gospel, or if we do, we do
not live it. For "a bitter fountain cannot send forth sweet water,"
nor vice versa. And if, therefore, we are redeemed from sin through
the atoning blood of the Savior—redeemed from the world—we will have
power to establish the Kingdom of God upon the earth. There Will be no
swearing, no whoredom, there will be no crimes of infanticide or
foeticide. No such sins will be known among us, our children will be
born in honorable wedlock under the ordinances of the holy Priesthood,
and not illegitimate, to be denied the privileges of the congregations
of Israel, until perhaps the tenth generation according to ancient
law. But to-day, I am sorry to say it, some of these evils exist; we
see them cropping out here and there once in a while. Yet, while this
is the case, I say—and I say it without fear of successful
contradiction—that the Latter-day Saints are the best people that I
know of upon the face of the earth; a greater proportion of them are
honest, honorable and virtuous, according to the light they possess
and the ability they have, than the same proportion of the rest of
mankind. But let us be more faithful and spread the kingdom and gather
the people of God, and possess the land which He has given unto us,
even the Zion of God—this land of Joseph.

Vol. 22, p.50
May God help us to do so, is my prayer in the name of Jesus, Amen.

John Taylor, June 27, 1880

Opinions of the World, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon June 27, 1880.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.50
I am pleased to have the opportunity of listening to our brethren who
have just returned. It is always interesting to hear from those who
have been absent, with whom we have been acquainted for years. It is
pleasing to listen to their views  and ideas pertaining to us as a
[p.51] people, as contrasted with those of others. In regard to the
opinions of men, I would say, however, although we are desirous of
pursuing a proper and correct course—it is to us a matter of very
little moment what their opinions may be concerning us. The truths of
God in every age of the world have been opposed by a certain class of
men. That they should be so at the present time is nothing remarkable
or strange. And furthermore our trust is not in man but in the Lord.
It is to Him that we are indebted for any light, any truth, any
intelligence that has been communicated unto us. We have not received
our religion, the doctrines that we profess, the ordinances that we
administer in, nor any knowledge that we have of God, or the things of
God, from the world, neither from its divines, its scientists, its
philosophers, nor from any class of men in existence. We have received
them not of man, nor by man, but through the revelations of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and consequently we are dependent upon Him for our
guidance and direction; and while we wish to treat all men with
respect, all authorities and all men holding positions under
government, at the same time we feel that our strength, our power, our
might, and our sustenance does not exist with them, but the Lord, and
that we are dependent upon Him alone.

Vol. 22, p.51
In speaking of our Priesthood, we knew nothing about it till God
revealed it. In speaking of our doctrines we knew nothing about them
till God revealed them. And furthermore, in speaking of the ordinances
we administer in, whether for the living or the dead, we knew nothing
about them till God revealed them; nor did the world, nor do they
to-day. Concerning our temples, what do the world know about them?
Nothing. If they had them built to-day for them they do not know how
to administer in them, Lief what they are for. The world generally is
in darkness. God has revealed the Gospel to enlighten the world, and
He has sent us forth not to be taught of the world, but to be their
teachers and to show them the paths of light and life, and for this
purpose He has organized His Church, His kingdom and His Priesthood;
for this purpose He has stretched out His hand to protect us in the
valleys of the mountains.

Vol. 22, p.51
In regard to the position in which we are situated here, what have the
world had to do with it? What have those people had to do with it that
are so very much interested in our welfare as Brother Cannon has
remarked? If they think they can benefit the world, it is very wise
that they should go and try as we have done, show the same zeal,
interest and welfare for mankind that we have done, travel the
thousands and hundreds of thousands of miles without purse or scrip
for the benefit of mankind that we have done, and then we will believe
them a little quicker. But there are a great many men who think it
much easier to tear down than to build up; much easier to oppose good
principles than it is to establish and maintain them. All this,
however, makes very little difference to us. We care very little about
such things. We are engaged in a work in which God has set his hand,
and we shall continue to do it, and another thing, there are no
persons on this side of heaven or hell that can prevent it. They have
tried and they will try, but will be frustrated, for God has set his
hand to accomplish a certain work, and that work will be done, and by
the help of the [p.52] Lord, we will try and help Him to do it. The
main thing we have to attend to is ourselves, to our morals, to our
religion, to the training of our children, to the cultivation of our
lots, to making our homes pleasant and agreeable, to promoting the
welfare of the human family, that is, all that will permit us to do
so. Whom do we interfere with? Whom do we calumniate? Whose religious
rights are interfered with by us? They have their churches here. They
are not molested; I hope not; I do not hear of it; I hope they are
not, for our opinion is that we ought to treat all men aright,
believing that matters of religion are matters of conscience. Our
opinion is that we ought to treat our government aright, and be loyal,
patriotic, just, honorable and law-abiding, honoring all good
principles, sustaining all honorable men, and thus endeavor to promote
peace, union, and happiness among mankind. Our motto is, "Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace and good will toward men." If
people do not offer us that, we cannot help it. It is because they do
not know any better. In the meantime, however, we will pursue the even
tenor of our way. Let us be virtuous, honest, true and faithful. Let
us treat one another aright, and God will bless us. We will serve the
Lord and obey his laws, and Zion will roll forth, the kingdom of God
will progress and no power can stop it. The things that have been
spoken of by the Prophets will all be fulfilled. The knowledge of God
will grow and increase, while the wicked will be rooted out, until
"the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and
of His Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever," when liars,
hypocrites, deceivers and corrupt men will be destroyed and swept away
as with a besom of destruction.

Vol. 22, p.52
May God help us to be faithful and true to our trust, that we may be
saved in His kingdom, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. [p.53]

George Q. Cannon, June 27, 1880

The Originators of Reports Against the Saints—
Feelings of the People in the East, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, June 27, 1880.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.53
If I were to consult my natural feelings to-day, it would afford me
much greater pleasure to sit still and listen and look at the faces of
this congregation than attempt to speak. But this, doubtless, would be
a disappointment to very many, and might not be understood. Therefore,
I arise this afternoon to make a few remarks—such as may suggest
themselves to me—to my brethren and sisters who are present. I shall
not attempt to describe to you the emotions, the feelings which I have
in being once more re-united with you, for you have heard them
expressed by others so frequently, and also by myself, and many of you
have experienced them yourselves, that I am relieved from the
necessity of restating them in your hearing. I may say, however, that
I am exceedingly thankful for the opportunity of returning once more
to our home and finding circumstances and surroundings so favorable to
the people of these valleys as they are at the present time, and also
that I can, to a certain extent, return as the bearer of good tidings;
that I can speak favorably concerning our present and our future
prospects; that is, so far as my information extends.

Vol. 22, p.53
When I left here last November, it seemed to me that the elements were
charged with threatenings to us as a people and to our liberties. I
have had some experience, of several years' duration, in public
affairs; that is, political affairs, and have had occasion to notice
the signs of the times; but I can say now that at no time did affairs
appear more threatening to us than they did when I went to Washington
the latter end of last November, or beginning of December. You
probably can recollect the circumstances which existed at that time.

Vol. 22, p.53
The greatest enemies we have had to contend with for many years have
been those who should, from their intimacy with us, from their
knowledge of our labors, from their familiarity with our proceedings,
have been our friends—those who reside in our midst. It has been the
case for several years that all the excitement, all the ill-feeling,
all the manifestations of hatred which have come to the surface or
been exhibited outside of the Territory of Utah concerning the people
called Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons," have had their origin in this
Territory, and have been stirred up by those who reside here. There
has not been in [p.54] Congress, there has not been throughout the
country on the part of the public press, or on the part of public men
generally, much of a disposition to take or to adopt harsh measures
against the people of these mountains. But there have been those
residing in this Territory who have seemed to be uneasy lest we should
be treated too kindly, or be viewed too favorably by those who are
outside of the Territory, and there has been apparently a great dread
on the part of a few individuals, lest there should he a disposition
manifested by Congress and by those in authority to recognize us as
fellow-citizens, and to extend to us those rights and privileges to
which we are entitled—I mean our rights to become a State, to be
admitted into the Union, to receive recognition, the recognition of
our numbers, of the good government of this Territory that has been
maintained for thirty-three years; of the peace which has prevailed
and the developments which have been made, all of which have entitled
us to recognition and to admission into the Union as one of the
States, and because this fear has seemed to exist in the minds of some
individuals, they have done all in their power to misrepresent the
people of this Territory, that is, the majority of the people,
circulating all manner of falsehoods, representing the people as
disloyal, as not being fit to be entrusted with the full powers of
citizenship; they have endeavored to create the impression throughout
the Union that if the Territory of Utah should be admitted as a State,
it would be impossible for any person but a "Mormon" to live within
its confines; that property would be unsafe, that life would be in
jeopardy; that there would be an unbearable condition of affairs here;
the "Mormon" Priesthood, as they say, would have such extraordinary
power, and wield it so despotically and so much in the interest of
their own people and to build up their hierarchy, that it would be
impossible for any person of independent views, who aid not act with
them, to reside in this Territory in peace. These views have been so
industriously circulated that a great many people have almost thought
that this would be the case. However, I may say in relation to this
that these statements do not receive the credence they once did. It is
not a new thing for these misrepresentations to be circulated; they
have been harped upon for many years. There is one thing, however,
that has helped to show their falsity, and that is this great railroad
that has been constructed across the continent, which has facilitated
intercourse with the world, which has enabled hundreds and thousands
of the people of the East and West to visit our Territory and see for
themselves. This has been one of the best means of educating the
public mind correctly in relation to Utah and its people that I know
of; it has done more to dissipate this cloud of misrepresentation that
has overshadowed us for so long a period than anything else I know of.
It is more difficult at the present time, in consequence of this, that
is, this speedy means of intercourse, to circulate those falsehoods
and have them receive credence than in past years. I am thankful that
this is the case, I have done all in my power to urge public men to
visit Utah. I have said to them, Come; Come to Utah, come to Salt
Lake. If you are going to California, don't miss visiting Salt Lake
City. I have known that the effects of such visits have been
benefical to the parties who make them, as they tend to enlighten
[p.55] their views concerning us, beneficial to us, as they are the
means of informing intelligent men and removing a vast amount of
prejudice which exists regarding this people. And I have this to say,
that I do not know to-day a public man in either branch of Congress,
who has visited Utah Territory, who is not—that is, so far as the
rights of the people are concerned—the friend of Utah. This is saying
a great deal, it is a broad statement, but I make it without scarcely
hinting at a qualification, for it is true. During this past
session—and it has been the case for several sessions—measures have
been introduced by men who apparently have a monomania concerning
"Mormons" and "Mormonism." Measures have been introduced by persons of
this kind, who have been anxious, apparently, to make that a hobby,
hoping, I have thought, that they would gain favor with their
constituents by doing this. When such measures have been introduced,
and I have needed assistance respecting them, the men to whom I have
gone in the Senate and in the House, have been men who have been in
Utah Territory, have come down by the railroad to Salt Lake City, and
have seen the city and the people. They have not been converted to
"Mormonism." They have not gone away believing that it is right for a
man to have more wives than one. That does not follow as a consequence
of their visit. But they have seen a people who—notwithstanding that
they may consider them mistaken in some of their religious views and
practices—are honest, industrious, persevering and orderly, and who
behave themselves as good citizens should, and their sympathies have
been aroused in behalf of the people, the more so because of the
previous misrepresentations which have been made respecting them. They
have been so thoroughly undeceived by their visit, that it has had a
reactionary effect in many instances upon them, because of the
statements that had been made to them previous to coming here.
Therefore, you can see that I am warranted in saying as I do so
frequently to my friends in Washington, Come; come West; and if you do
come West, be sure and stop at Salt Lake City. It is not such a
country as California. We have not so many attractions in Utah as you
will find in California, but your trip will be incomplete without you
visit Utah, and see Salt Lake City and its surroundings.

Vol. 22, p.55
Of course, there are those who are ready to attribute all sorts of bad
motives to those who come here and who are disposed to be favorable
after their visit. I have stated this to officers. There have been a
number of gentlemen appointed to offices here, with whom I was on very
familiar terms in Washington. We could visit, we could meet together,
we could associate together, and nobody would wonder at it or
attribute any bad motives to either party. But I have said to these
gentlemen when they have been appointed to office in Utah
Territory—Now, I shall continue to be familiar with you as I am here
if you wish it, but let me say to you that as soon as you get inside
of the limits of our Territory, if you and I are very familiar,
somebody will raise the story that the "Mormons" have bought you, that
they have got you in their hands, and it would hurt your influence. Is
not this a strange condition of affairs, that in a Territory of the
United States citizens  cannot associate together without a lot of
[p.56] miserable creatures here raising the story that there must be
some corrupt motive in this association? And they have endeavored in
this way to deter public men from doing their duty when they have come
here. I remember one friend who came here, and in riding around he was
seen in the presence of President young. He came here as one of a
committee going further West, and he was opposed in the public press
here, till he became so indignant that he got copies of all the papers
and mailed them to President Grant, to show him the assaults made upon
public men, when they come to Utah, by a certain class who are here.

Vol. 22, p.56
We have these things to contend with; we shall probably have them to
contend with. We have lived through them so far, and we shall continue
to prosper and live through them in the future. I have no doubt about
that. I merely refer to these things to show the character of the
opposition that is manifested towards us, and towards those who are
friendly to us. But, as I have said, there is a better understanding
gaining ground everywhere respecting this people called Latter-day
Saints, and I expect it will continue to be the case, until we are
known and understood in our true light; and it is a remarkable fact
that those who have fought against us, and sought in the manner to
which I have made allusion to heap all kinds of obloquy upon us, have
not succeeded at that business, they have not succeeded, it has not
paid them. They may have thought while doing this that it would injure
us; but it has not injured us, it has advertised us, it has made us
more widely known. There are public men whom I have met in my life who
would rather have evil spoken about them than not be noticed at all.
They would rather have newspapers attack them and tell that which is
not true concerning them than to maintain silence about them and their
movements. In this way we have certainly had the benefit of
advertising now for a great many years, and people have known us
either for good or for evil in a great many quarters of the earth
where, if it had not been for this publicity, we might not have been
known. It has been of great advantage to our missionaries in foreign
lands. For instance, I have been very much pleased to hear by letter
and otherwise through our missionaries in Europe, concerning the
effect of Secretary Evarts' circular which he sent abroad respecting
emigration to Utah Territory. I do not suppose that he would have
given that circular the publicity he did, or even written it at all,
if he had been conscious at the time that it would have been so good
an advertising power for the "Mormon" missionaries as it has proved. I
am told that a great many journalists and public men of various kinds
have had their attention drawn to us and to our doctrines, and to this
organization in these mountains, in consequence of that circular, who
probably would not otherwise have known anything about us. So that, as
we have been taught, all things work together for good to all the
people who serve the Lord. Everything is overruled for good. We have
been told this afternoon, by Elder Cummings, respecting the wonderful
organization that sprang up immediately upon the death of the Prophet,
in New England. It had only been a very short time before this that
the doctrine we believe in—the vicarious submission of the people to
the  ordinances of life and salvation had been taught.

Vol. 22, p.57
Well, in all these things we behold [p.57] the hand of God, and in
witnessing His hand acknowledge it. It is the great strength—as I
have, I think, told you very frequently—of the Latter-day Saints. We
believe in God. We believe in Him as He is. We believe that He is a
Being who hears and answers prayer, and who protects and blesses those
who put their trust in Him. If I did not have that faith, you would
not find me go to Washington as your representative. I would not go
there for all that could be piled up as an inducement. But I go there,
not strong in my own strength, but strong in the strength of that God
whom we worship, and whom we know controls all the affairs and all the
destinies of the children of men to suit His own purpose and to bring
to pass His own designs. I know further, that the prayers of this
people here, and of the thousands of others who live throughout all
these mountains, which assend every night and morning unto the God of
Sabbaoth, from the humble habitations and from the humble hearts of
the people, are heard of God, and are, answered, according to the
faith and good desires of the people who offer them. What else is
there that could have sustained or preserved us, or could have
delivered us as we have been so wonderfully delivered up to the
present period? Is there any other power that could have done it? I am
satisfied that there is no power beneath the heavens—no power of man,
no combination of men, no wisdom or shrewdness or cunning of men,
could have effected such great deliverances as have been wrought out
for this people called Latter-day Saints; nothing of this kind could
have been brought to pass but by the power of God. He who created the
heavens and the earth, and who placed man upon the earth, and who sent
His son Jesus in the meridian of time to die for man, the Redeemer and
the Savior of man—no power but His could have brought about that which
we witness and preserved to us that liberty which we now enjoy and for
which as a people we should feel so thankful. Take the entire history
of this people from the inception of the Church, its first
organization, until to-day; you trace it from its beginning at
Fayette, Seneca County, in the State of New York, and through its
travels, through the journeyings, the mobbings, drivings, and
persecutions to which the people have been subjected: you trace it
through until this day of grace, June 27th, 1880, the anniversary of
the death of the Prophet Joseph, and his brother Hyrum, and if a man
can do so and not acknowledge that there is a God in heaven that
overrules the affairs of the children of men, then he is in a worse
condition than I can conceive it possible for a thinking man, who has
ever bad any of the light of truth in his heart to be in.

Vol. 22, p.57
Let others then do as they please concerning these matters. Let others
say that there is no God, that the universe is governed by unalterable
laws, that there are no special interpositions of Providence among the
children of men, that God governs the universe, governs the earth and
the inhabitants of the earth by great unalterable laws, that there is
no variation in these laws, that God does not operate to deliver men
except they do it by their own wisdom and by their own management,
that every man reaps the fruit of that which he does, and that his
fate is unalterably fixed, and a great  many have that idea—let
others, I say, think as they please concerning these matters; but let
us, as a [p.58] people, cling to the old faith, to the old doctrine
that has come down to us through the Bible, that God is, that He is
to-day as much as He ever was, and put our trust in Him. Let us train
up our children to the faith that He is a God who hears and answers
prayer, so that they will have faith in Him, that in times of trial,
in times of difficulty, when they are encircled by danger and it would
seem as though there were no possible way of escape from the danger
with which they are threatened, they can humble themselves and call
upon God with a faith that cannot be overcome, to deliver them and to
give unto them those blessings which they need. It is the greatest
comfort that a human being can have to be in close communion with his
Father in heaven or her Father in heaven. If children grow up with
that sort of faith, you will find many of the things Elder Cummings
has alluded to, such as the healing of the sick, and the works that
were done in ancient days by that same sort of faith, will be done, as
they are done, in our households and in our communities.

Vol. 22, p.58
I have given expression to a few of my feelings. I am thankful to find
you in such favorable circumstances. I say to you, live the doctrines
that you profess. Be Latter-day Saints, not in name, but in word and
in deed. Be an example in your lives. Live the religion you profess.
Be meek, be gentle, be kind. If others revile you, revile not again.
How easy it is to revile back when a man calls you something that is
vile and low; how natural it is to say something equally sarcastic,
equally severe, in return. Let us study to control our tongues in our
households. Let no father give utterance to any word that he would
blush to have any person of the world hear. Let no mother do such a
thing. Let every child be taught to respect and reverence not only
their parents, but old age. Let us endeavor to raise up a generation
who will respect age. One of the great and growing evils that exists
to-day in our land is the disrespect that, is manifested by the young
to age. Let us train our children to be respectful and to honor the
gray hairs of the aged, to honor their parents that the great promise
that was made in olden times may be bestowed upon them, namely: that
their days may be long in the land.

Vol. 22, p.58
I pray God, my brethren and sisters, to bless you and let the peace of
heaven descend upon and abide with you in your homes and in your
habitations, which I ask in the name of Jesus, Amen. [p.59]

George G. Bywater, January 30, 1881

The Peculiarities of the People of Utah, Etc.

Delivered in the Assembly Hall Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, Jan. 30th, 1881.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.59
The appearance of the congregation before me awakens within my mind a
number of pleasurable reflections. There is one unerring method of
determining the value of all subjects, of all objects, of all matters
pertaining to the interests of our common humanity; and that method is
the rule by which the results are attained, and the determination of
the character of those results, whether they be good or whether they
be evil. And this method moreover is not only applicable in
determining the various secular conditions and circumstances of
mankind, but it is equally unerring in determining the higher phases
and conditions of the life of man. It reaches upward into the realms
of mind and invades, if you please, or spreads itself over the entire
field of human thought, embracing not only our secular but our
spiritual interests.

Vol. 22, p.59
When Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior of mankind, was on the earth
sojourning for a few brief years with the children of men, he gave
expression to this most beautiful and highly philosophic rule: "For
every tree is known by its fruit. For of thorns men do not gather
figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. By their fruits ye
shall know them." It is the contemplation of the elementary principles
embodied in this rule that has awakened within my mind the reflections
I, have referred to, while gazing upon this congregation seated in
this beautiful place of worship. It is true that the spectacle
presented before our minds when contemplating the surroundings of the
people of the Latter-day Saints—the comforts of life they are
enjoying, and the material blessings that they have become possessed
of—does not alone determine the divine character of the spiritual
philosophy, the system of principles and doctrine which constitute
their faith. For when we travel in the world, and extend our
observances over the great centres of what is called the civilized
world of mankind, we can behold on every hand stupendous edifices
gorgeously denominated cathedrals' draped in the most costly tapestry
and finished in the most elaborate manner, bespeaking a high
cultivation of art and a development of science in its most advanced
stages, with every means improvised to render the object and purpose
of those structures efficient to the ends designed. And a reference to
these representations of man's industry and skill, and to the
exhibition of that wisdom, which is at once the [p.60] standard of the
intellectual growth and advancement of the race and age in which they
were brought forth enables us to judge comparatively of the growth of
wisdom, and the growth of intelligence which has become the heritage
of our race, and which we inherit through the very mysterious and
complex nature of our spiritual and physical constitutions. But that
which imparts greater value to the physical labors of the Latter-day
Saints, producing the unmistakable phenomena presented here to-day and
in other places throughout the Territory of Utah, and wherever the
Latter-day Saints are assembled together in their more scattered
conditions of life, following the varied pursuits thereof, in
developing the various branches of labor which have been developed in
society, and which society demands the performance of, is the
uninviting character and crude quality of their surroundings on one
hand, and the indomitable energy awakened by the inspiration of their
faith on the other hand, elucidating to a demonstration their faith to
be the gift of God, and that their works, so far as they are the
products of that faith, to be the works of righteousness. Therefore we
lay claim to considerations of an equal character, to considerations
of equal merit, to the respect and gracious judgments that are awarded
to the builders of the various centres of civilization, and that are
conferred upon those active agents and instrumentalities by which they
have been established among men.

Vol. 22, p.60
But that which actuates my mind my brethren and sisters, and more
especially on the present occasion, is the peculiar character and
constitution of the faith we have espoused; and upon this subject, as
I have been invited by my brethren to address you for a short time, I
respectfully ask your attention.

Vol. 22, p.60
What is it, I would ask, that constitutes the peculiarities that
distinguish the people of Utah from the rest of the world of mankind,
from the divisions of human society variously denominated
Christian—Christian Presbyterians, Christian Episcopalians, and the
Christians of the various denominational titles by which they
respectively desire to be recognized as distinct and separate
societies? I ask, what is it that marks so peculiarly the distinction
between the Latter-day Saints and the rest of their fellow-creatures?
We claim them to be our fellow-creatures, whether they are willing to
claim us as their fellow-creatures or not. We know we have proceeded
from the same boundless, the same limitless, the same immutable source
of life from which they sprang as also our forefathers, and indeed all
the generations of the children of men, back to the border lines of
ethnological territory and earliest dawn of human history. This
distinction of which we speak may be stated in a very few words,
however unacceptable that statement may be to those of our friends, or
those who ought to be our friends, who differ from us. it is in
this—that in the profession of Christianity we have accepted it as a
whole; we have not regarded fractional Christianity, sectional
Christianity, modern Christianity, as the embodiment of those
principles and teachings which the great Founder of our faith came
into this world incarnate to reveal, and which He left as a heavenly
legacy to the children of men—children of the great common Father,
with whom we, with Him, once  existed, He being the first begotten of
the Father, full [p.61] of grace and truth, the first born of many
brethren. And we chose to accept Christianity in its complete and
entire constitution; uninoculated by the precepts and doctrines of
men, pure from heaven, unfolding to our understandings the
incomparable plan of human redemption. We have accepted the Christian
revelation as proclaimed by angels and inspired Prophets and Apostles
and Evangelists of every degree. To us it is a modern revelation, and
we accept it with all the obligations which it has imposed upon us as
conditions of salvation; with all its constituted and organized
officers; with all its divinely instituted ordinances, and with all
its pure and heaven-born principles that it embodies. The truth and
elements which go to make up that system of worship, that system of
faith, that system of belief, or, in other words, that system of
divine knowledge, possess in their nature every virtue requisite, and
every element of worth, and every force and principle of energy that
can reach man—man in his entirety, man as a whole, not some particular
phase of his nature, as they are not designed to develop one
particular characteristic of his being. The teachers of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ are not evolutionists who choose to develop one
particular characteristic to the extreme, and to suppress others to an
abnormal condition, thereby producing results the most derogatory and
pernicious in their government over the constitution of the being. We
have embraced the Gospel which has been revealed for the express
purpose of meeting man's every want, and of furnishing an intellectual
regime and mental discipline adequate to the unfoldment of every
attribute and quality of man. In this constitutes the essential
difference, the distinctive discriminative features between the
Latter-day Saints and the rest of the so-called Christian world. It is
upon this ground that our friends differ from us; that our fellow-men
wage war against us. They, however, would tell you, no. They would say
it is because we have institutions and practices that are antagonistic
to the moral ethics of the age; that we support practices and lend our
defense to doctrines that are repugnant to the moral sense of
Christianity, to the enlightened races of mankind; that they do not at
all oppose us on the ground that we believe the Bible, that we accept
the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ—because we believe in prophecy
and revelation—but that we have come in contact with would be customs
and usages, with the popular interpretation of moral principles and
moral conduct; and that, therefore, we have rendered ourselves
obnoxious to the Christian world. And that, therefore, because we are
in the minority, forsooth, it would be in good grace for us to abandon
that which the majority so strenuously oppose and so persistently
reject. And they claim that we must do it.

Vol. 22, p.61
Now, my friends, I have stated in a very brief manner the feelings of
the Christian world. I do not speak of any other phase of society,
because the rest of the world of mankind are not in pursuit of divine
knowledge; they are not searching for those principles which bring
life and immortality to light; they are generally committed to the
science of moneymaking; they have exerted and brought into play all
the energies of their being to develop trade and commerce, and to
engage in developing all of the secular interests of the world, not
only of one nation, but [p.62] so broad and expansive have become
their ideas, that they have become purely international in their scope
of utility; they have crossed the expanse of oceans and penetrated the
continents, and taken into consideration the welfare of other races as
well as of that of their own, financially, secularly. But the
Christian world oppose us upon the ground of our being offensive to
them because of our institutions. Now, my friends, brethren and
sisters, it is a consolation to us when we read the pages of prophecy;
when we open the sacred volume and pore over its historical pages and
take a retrospective glance into the history of the past, and learn
that similar charges were brought against the Founder of our faith,
against Jesus of Nazareth, and also against His Apostles and Prophets
and the Patriarchs; and that it is with the unbeliever in revelation,
and with those who are influenced by proscribed principles and spirit
of any age in which they lived to oppose progress, to oppose
development in any direction.

Vol. 22, p.62
There is one great difficulty in the way of progress and that is
invested interests, not less so in religion than in the avenues of
commerce and trade. Whenever there have been any great principles
brought forth in the mechanical world, in any department of mechanism
from the agricultural through all the ramifications of society, they
have rarely escaped opposition. And, indeed, this obstruction in the
way of progress, is not confined to mechanical pursuits. There is a
spirit with large capitalists and men who have invested deeply and
extensively their capital in the manufacture of any commodity,
produced for the world's market, which arrays itself against growth
and progress made in any direction excepting only where it will
especially benefit them. There is opposition; their invested interests
stand in the way of progress; and it is not only in temporal affairs,
but it is also in religion, in theology. One great reason why the
doctrines of the Latter-day Saints are opposed by the so-called
Christians, is, because they place at a discount their fractional
faith, their fractional currency of belief, so to speak, and they do
not wish to have their faith discounted; they do not wish to be placed
in the unenviable light as to be regarded as only professing a
fragmentary Christianity. And in this they only manifest the same
envious traits that have marked the history of our race in all the
great phases and stages of progress which the world has made.

Vol. 22, p.62
I must here, my friends, make one remark in relation to the spirit of
persecution that is in the world, and which, by the way, is a very
anomalous phenomenon, very much so indeed. Christianity, in its
fundamental principles, has running through it a broad vein of
charity; and that spirit of mercy and love permeates every avenue of
it, and thrills with sensitive pulsations through every brain, heart
and vein of its unfeigned believers. There is no duty to be performed,
no services rendered which the doctrine of the Christian revelations
requires of its devotees, of its accepters, but that enjoins the
administration of mercy and forbearance, and long suffering, and
gentleness, and tenderness, and meekness, and brotherly kindness, and
all those excellencies and virtues which grace the character of an
exemplary Christian. And I may here say, and I do so with feelings of
shame and regret, that the bitterest persecutions that have ever been
waged  upon the world's battle fields [p.63] have been waged by men
who have professed the doctrines of the meek and lowly Jesus. Yes, the
most overwhelming torrents of human blood that have ever stained the
world with its gory hue, have been let out by the violent hands of
those who professed to administer in the sacred things of God, who
professed to be inspired by the spirit of the Divine Master. And of
all classes of men and women that I have ever met or that I have any
knowledge of, theological and religious fanatics have been the most
unreasonable, the most unapproachable, the worst of infidels to the
Christian cause. This is a broad statement to make; it is,
notwithstanding, made with due consideration. It has not been
hurriedly pronounced, for I have given this matter some thought, some
study and some little observation. And I am convinced my friends, that
the ignorance and superstition that have produced the direst evils,
the knowledge of which has been recorded upon the pages of history,
have not been the legitimate outgrowth of the principles of
Christianity, but of Christianity falsely so-called; they have been
the product of unenlightened ideas, they have been the result of
misguided zeal, that was not according to knowledge; and they have
been too frequently manifested in directions and among communities
where better results and more genteel and gracious things were
expected to predominate.

Vol. 22, p.63
Now, the history of the Latter-day Saints is one that has been before
the world for a number of years in many of its phases, not probably in
all its bearings, not in all its features; but there are many salient
points in our history that indicate and that most unmistakably, to the
impartial student of history, that the hostile attitude assumed by
theological demagogues and their partizan adherents towards the
Latter-day Saints is very similar to the conduct of the world towards
the former-day Saints, and stands in offensive comparison with their
parade of Christian benevolence and religious toleration. In this
particular, history repeats itself. The revelations of truth have ever
awakened the spirit of persecution in misbelievers. And our Lord Jesus
Christ assigned a very acceptable reason why this is so. He says that
"men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil."
Now, upon this point I do not wish to be understood by my brief
quotation of this text that I consider mankind incorrigible, that the
race is hopelessly sunken in depravity and sin. No, my brethren, I
have more faith in the potency of the plan of redemption, and more
faith in the remaining stamina and integrity of human nature itself,
than to give up the hope that God will fail to fulfil His purposes in
the creation of man. On the contrary, I believe that He will develop
His heavenly designs in the God-like combination of the attributes and
qualities that constitute man a moral and spiritual being. I have
faith that man will yet stand forth erect in the likeness of his
Maker, in whose image he was first created. Man will then be filled
with the glory of God, which is intelligence and truth; his divine
origin will then be self-evident; and the truth of what the historian
Moses has said of the genesis of man, will receive the concurrent
sanction of science and religion.

Vol. 22, p.63
We have received this Gospel from its first principles, through the
varied stages of progress which it has made, and which has been [p.64]
made since its restoration in the dispensation in which we live, until
to-day. And here we must confess that the verity of the Savior's words
have been most fully established, that the truth comes not to us in
its fulness; comes not to us in its complete and entire character; but
it comes to us as a beautiful little bud upon a choice and tender
plant that blooms; it comes to us as a growing protuberance on the top
of a stem; it comes to us presenting the appearance of something more
to follow; it swells: it enlarges; the leaves that modestly and
beautifully cover up the internal structure of that bud begin to open
and expand through the vitalizing energies of the sun, whose radiating
rays impart warmth and life and vigor to the growing plant. And it
grows stronger and higher; it branches, and spreads, and opens more
and more until the blossom is spread open to full view, and kisses the
sunbeams as they descend through the vestibule of Nature's laboratory
into the sanctum sanetorum, if you please, where the formative
principles and co-ordinating laws reside. The plant has passed through
many stages of unfoldment from its germinal origin to its maturity—its
maximum attainment. It has spent its energies in self-development and
in elaborating provisions for a new existence. The environments
change. The winter of its life has come. It passes into a season of
rest, to be again called into new life and enlarged activity when
spring time comes again. This exemplifies the great law of growth and
progress in universal nature, not only in the "lily of the valley,"
but in the realm of universal nature where God presides.

Vol. 22, p.64
Now the Gospel has come to us something after the fashion presented in
this little figure, It was not given to us in its entirety; it came to
us line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a
little. We are, moreover, informed in holy writ, that Jesus, who was
the likeness of the Father and the express image of His person, in
whom dwelt the fulness of the God head bodily, that He did not receive
of that fulness at first, but received grace for grace; He increased,
He grew in knowledge and in favor with God and man; and He is the
great prototype, the great exemplifier of our faith. And so has been
the growth and faith of the Latter-day Saints.

Vol. 22, p.64
When we received this faith, we received it in the simplicity of our
hearts. We received it as a message from God, not comprehending it in
its entirety any more than the child when he is conducted to school
and placed in a primary class to receive his first lesson, is capable
of understanding all at once the several courses of study and the
various branches of knowledge which he has the capacity to acquire.
No, my friends, he learns little by little; he learns first to
distinguish between the various forms of the characters to which are
attached specific and distinct sounds, and by which they are to be
known. He learns to attach the proper value to each and all as they
stand in relation to one another in the alphabet; and after mastering
that, learns to arrange and re-arrange and change and modify the
relationship of those characters, producing various results according
to the principles of orthography and ortheopy. Thus he acquires a
knowledge of the language he speaks. So with every other branch of
knowledge in like manner, the study of theology being no exception to
the rule.

Vol. 22, p.65
[p.65] So far as our history is concerned; so far as the opposition
which we have met in propagating this message of mercy, and of
heralding forth to the world the glorious news and "glad tidings of
great joy," which shall be unto all people, namely, the plan of
redemption, we anticipate opposition; it is nothing new; it is nothing
marvelous when we understand human nature. Not at all. We sometimes
speak unadvisedly; we sometimes marvel at things which happen, but of
which, upon more deliberate reflection, we would not, because there is
nothing strange in this. We see rivalry in all things, in all the
various phases of society; we see competition and rivalry in the
present crude and undeveloped state of human intellectuality, in the
present—if I may be allowed the expression—immoral state of society;
and I maintain that society is in an immoral state when the good of
all is not contemplated, when the greatest good to the greatest number
is not the dominant principle, is not the inspiring motive, is not the
moving and propelling incentive urging men forward in the various
concerns of life. I say again, that unless there is a motive which
pervades all our actions, taking into contemplation the good of the
whole and not of a part, society so conditioned is not, in a proper
sense, in a moral condition. The condition of society contemplated in
the Gospel embraces this expressed injunction, that we should help to
bear each other's burdens; that we should do unto others as we would
have others do unto us. And requires, moreover, that whatever other
gifts, whatever other qualities, whatever other characteristics may be
distinguished in our conduct toward our fellow-men, or whatever other
features may disappear and subside in the rolling tides of the ages in
the developing of our nature, assimilating it more and more in the
image of God, that there are certain attributes that will never fail,
namely, faith, hope, and charity. These will forever abide.

Vol. 22, p.65
And when I consider these facts as inseparably connected with the
system of salvation left by Jesus our elder brother, our Lord and
Savior, what are we to think of the attitude of the Christian world
toward us." Row very uncharitable they are l How very unlike the
Savior in His conduct, in the judicial murder of the crucifixion upon
a Roman cross —"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
Do our Christian friends feel so towards us? Do they who think we are
deluded; that we are beguiled by false conceptions of righteousness,
that we have been decoyed by some impure motives to the maintenance of
institutions that are damning in their character upon man, do they
exercise this forgiveness towards us? No, my friends. But as there is
a kind of Christianity referred to in the Scriptures, whose
propagandists appear in sheep's clothing, garbed with all the sanctity
of innocent lambs, but within are ravening wolves, we are confined to
the Savior's rule of judging men and things—"By their fruits ye shall
know them. But it is our duty to emulate the examples given us by Him
in whom was no guile. When Jesus came into the world, did He seek to
exterminate everybody? Or His followers, poor fishermen, Did they seek
to destroy and institute persecution against those who differed from
them in opinion? No. Have the Latter-day Saints exhibited this spirit
towards the world? No, they have not; and we modestly and friendly
challenge the universal world to cite us to any feature or [p.66]
trait that may be found in any chapter of our history wherein we have
sought to wage war against man or woman because they did not believe
as we did; to coerce them to the acceptance of our faith; to drag them
into prison or drive them with the sword because we could not make
disciples of them. No, my friends, such a disposition even is contrary
to the genius of our faith. We have invited respectfully, the most
competent expounders of the doctrines of the various sects when they
have chanted to come among us, to enunciate their views from our
pulpits and in our lecture rooms, to our own congregations. We have
never closed our door against them, although we have been so very
exclusive; although we are so peculiar a people, and so arbitrary in
our priestly rule as charged by our liberal accusers. But when our
missionary Elders have gone forth to the world, it has been a very
rare thing, indeed, to meet with such a favor; and when such an
opportunity has been proffered, we have known how to prize it. When
ministers have opened the doors of their meeting houses or churches,
offering us the use of the same to preach to their assemblies, we have
acknowledged most respectfully the receipt of such favors. Who do you
think is the more charitable? Where are we to draw the line of
demarkation between the charity of the "Mormons" and that of other
dissenting Christian churches, and their feelings and sentiments
towards us? It would not be a difficult thing to draw this line; but I
forbear this afternoon.

Vol. 22, p.66
I will simply say, it affords me pleasure to realize that God has thus
far presided over our destinies; that we have been held, as it were,
in the hollow of His hand. We have been a handful of people with the
prejudices of an unbelieving generation running high tide against us.
We have been looked upon as unworthy a passing notice. But a change
has come over the vision of their minds. Now everybody is giving us
notice. God has permitted us to gather strength, and that, too, in the
face of the bitterest persecution and the fiercest opposition which we
have had to contend with, and that which God has designed to develop
and establish in the earth will triumph all the more by being thus
opposed. The more the effects of resistance are brought to bear
against it, like the shaking of the forest tree, very frequently
promotes its growth: it disturbs its roots; it loosens the soil around
it and it commences to put forth fresh energy, increasing in strength
and size; and like the mustard tree, the more it is kicked the farther
the seed is scattered.

Vol. 22, p.66
Now this is the view I take of the results of opposition which we have
had; and we have excellent precedents for believing this, not only in
the day and age in which we live, but all past history contributes to
the support of this belief and its supply of material is ample for the
argument. Now, this is not only the case with reference to the truth
itself, but it is a principle inherent in nature, that sometimes a bad
cause is also fostered by the opposition it meets with. So that those
of our friends whether here or elsewhere who suppose that opposing the
truth will produce an arrest of its growth, and extinguish the life it
contains, the vitality embodied in it, are simply poor readers of
human history, are simply ignorant  of the facts of history, and are
ignorant of the various phases of human nature, as that human nature
has been [p.67] developed in the varied schemes that have sprung into
life during the centuries past and gone. But when we take these
indestructible principles that outlive the ages; widen we take a truth
that is universally so, one that is a truism in its nature, and when
we take our association of those truths together and constitute a
system, and then undertake to wage war against that system, my
friends, it is a very costly experiment; it is a losing game. For
"truth though trampled to the earth will rise again." You cannot
destroy that which cannot die. You cannot put life out of that which
is life itself. You cannot extinguish the power that is limitless in
its resources. You cannot do it.

Vol. 22, p.67
Now, I do not purpose occupying your time but a few moments longer. I
have directed your thoughts over quite a breadth of ground in quite a
rambling manner. I have not felt disposed to take a subject and direct
your thoughts specially to it; for I am aware when subjects are spoken
of, and questions are sprung, the mind involuntarily follows out and
conducts itself through a series of reasons and deductions until it
arrives at legitimate conclusions, satisfying itself or otherwise as
the case may be; but I have brought up a number of questions showing
the general character of the work in which we are engaged. I am
convinced that God has directed our destiny, and that His hand is
still over us for good; and that we are the happy recipients of many
proofs of His divine favor. He has withheld from us the chastening rod
of our enemies; He has dispelled the clouds which have gathered around
us in sable thickness, and has shed forth the light of heaven upon us,
which has caused our hearts to rejoice in the God of our salvation. We
have receiveth the doctrines of Jesus Christ: faith in Him; repentance
of sins, and baptism for the remission of sins; and we have essayed
and covenanted to live a new life in Christ Jesus; to seek to do good
to all men, and evil to none; and like Daniel of old, to be faithful
to the statutes and to the decrees and behests of Jehovah, the decrees
of man against us notwithstanding; we having come to the conclusion in
our own minds that God and a few good men form an overwhelming
majority. And we shall see and yet learn that truth will triumph and
prevail. But it may be—and we have promises moreover to that
effect—that clouds of darkness will gather; that threatening storms
will rise; that the impending dangers will be so imminent as to cause
the countenance of some to pale and their knees to tremble and their
faith to falter. But, then, the darkest hour is before the dawn of
day. So shall we find that God, when He shall have been fully
convinced of our integrity, having proven us as gold is purified
through fire, will abide by the results of obedience to His covenants;
that we shall come off more than conquerors through Him who loves us,
even Jesus Christ our Savior.

Vol. 22, p.67
May His Spirit and His grace sustain us in the discharge of every
duty, in the developing of every divine institution and in maintaining
every correct principle, and in promoting peace and righteousness upon
the earth, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.
Amen. [p.68]

Charles W. Penrose, January 30, 1881

The Spirit of Revelation and Its Operations

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, Jan. 30, 1881.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.68
I have listened attentively to the remarks made to us by Brother
Bywater, this afternoon. He has presented to us a great many things
that are true and profitable for us to reflect upon. I always take
pleasure in listening to my brethren when they say something. I take
pleasure in reflecting upon the ideas which they present and in
carrying them to their legitimate conclusion. When we hear a truth
presented to us by the Spirit of the Lord, it is of this nature; that
we are not only instructed in that particular truth for the time
being; but it leads us to reflect upon truths that grow out of or are
connected with it. One truth seems to lead to the contemplation of
other principles, and they to others, until the great field of truth
is open to our view, and we see that we know but very little, but that
there will be an opportunity afforded us to advance and learn that of
which we are now ignorant.

Vol. 22, p.68
Brother Bywater has to some extent this afternoon drawn the line of
distinction between the faith of the Latter-day Saints and the creeds
of the various denominations, expressing himself to the effect that
whereas each of them take in but a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
as declared in the Scriptures, in their creeds, the Latter-day Saints
embody in their faith the whole of it; that whereas the different
Christian denominations are founded upon some few peculiar ideas and
tenets, the faith of the Latter-day Saints is based upon a broader
foundation—that we take in the whole of the Gospel, the whole of the
revealed will of God to man. This is correct so far as it goes. But
the faith of the Latter-day Saints is not comprehended alone in that
which God has revealed and is placed on record. The creed of the
Latter-day Saints is not comprised by a certain number of tenets; we
are not limited to a certain number of articles of faith; we are not
confined to the things: which are laid down in the book called the
Bible, which all the professing Christians of the times declare they
believe. We are not bound up by the Old Testament, nor the New
Testament, nor by both combined. We have received certain principles
that can be found within the lids of the Bible. A great many of our
principles can be found existing among the various Christian
denominations. One sect believes in some things which we believe in;
other sects believe in  other things in [p.69] which we believe. But
there are principles connected with our faith which go over and beyond
and above all that which is comprehended in the Christian world, and
all that which is contained within the lids of the Bible. And yet at
the same time there is nothing in our faith, there is nothing in our
creed, which contradicts that which is in the Bible. There is no
principle in our faith which contradicts anything that can be
demonstrated by known truth. Truth always harmonizes with itself. And
when a person grows in the knowledge of the truth and advances to
higher principles, he does not receive anything that contradicts any
truth he had previously learned, for truth is never discordant with
itself. Truth is eternal; truth, as we have been told this afternoon
is indestructible and never contradicts itself.

Vol. 22, p.69
The great distinction, as I view it, bringing it down to a small
point, existing between the people called Latter-day Saints and all
other bodies of professing Christians is this: That our creed is
founded upon doctrines and principles and a spirit which have come
from heaven in our own times. The doctrines of our faith most of them,
can be found laid down in great plainness in the books of the Bible
and were revealed aforetime. Yet we have not received our training,
our ideas concerning them, from the Bible. They have come to us from
heaven direct. Every doctrine and principle of our faith has been sent
down to us in our own times. These doctrines have come by present
revelation. Now in that there is a marked difference between us and
the rest of the people who profess to believe in the Christian
religion. The various sects of modern times draw their creed—or
profess to do so, from the Bible; they take it firm the written books;
they do not profess to have received any direct communication from the
heavens. Take all these various sects of modern times and examine into
their different creeds and the foundation of their belief in them, and
you will find that it rests upon the hypothesis of the divinity of the
Old and New Testaments. They trace their doctrines—or profess to do
so—to these books, and they believe in the various doctrines which
exist among them, because they consider that they can find them in
these books. The book is the foundation. The Bible the written word,
the dead letter, is the foundation of all their creeds. Perhaps the
Roman Catholic Church, as it is commonly called, is the only exception
in that respect. But even the Roman Catholic Church, who look to the
Pope as the great earthly head of the Church, do not believe in
present revelation they did not obtain their creeds through direct
communication with the heavens. Although the Pope professes to be the
direct descendant of St. Peter, he does not even profess to have that
great gift which made Peter a veritable Apostle—that is, the gift of
revelation. Peter received communication from on high; so did his
brethren of the Apostleship. This was the real source of their light;
this was the real power by which they instructed the people. They were
filled with the Holy Ghost, the spirit of revelation; they were in
communication with the great unseen Head of the Church, Jesus, who was
crucified, and had departed from their midst.

Vol. 22, p.69
But all the various sects that compose modern Christendom more or less
repudiate the idea of present revelation. They  do not believe that in
these times man can [p.70] commune with his Maker. They believe, to
use one of their favorite expressions, that the awful voice of
prophecy is closed forever; that the canon of scripture is full; and
they believe that when John the Apostle wrote the book of Revelation,
that was the last sacred record committed to man.

Vol. 22, p.70
Now you see there is a great difference between the whole Christian
world and the Latter-day Saints. Whereas we also believe in the Bible;
whereas we also believe that God inspired holy men of old and that
they wrote as well as spoke by the Holy Ghost: while we believe in the
merits of Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, believe in his
atonement, believe in the work he wrought out for the salvation of
mankind; and believe in the teachings of his inspired Apostles, yet we
do not found our faith upon that which is recorded in the sacred book
called the Bible. But our faith is founded upon communications
received in our own times, in the nineteenth century by living
Prophets and living Apostles—by men who to-day hold that authority
which the men held who wrote the things contained in that book. In
that, then, is a great distinction between us and all the rest of the
Christian world.

Vol. 22, p.70
And there is another distinction, as I remarked just now; that whereas
these various Christian sects are confined within certain narrow
limits of faith, tied up within a certain number of articles or
principles, our faith is not tied up by any number of tenets. The
revelations which have been given to us at the present time do not
constitute the whole of our creed. True, they constitute our creed so
far as we have advanced today, but we stand ready to receive still
further communication from the same source; the way is still open for
us to receive still further light, further principles, further
admonitions, further counsels, and further plans for the rolling forth
of the great work of God on the face of the earth. So that our
creed—although it is true it can be likened to the blossoming of that
flower which Brother Bywater has so beautifully pictured before us,
but which will fade and fall away—is to me more like the tree of life,
which shall never perish, whose leaves are for the healing of the
nations, whose fruit bears the flavors and the juices of immortality,
whose leaves never crumble or decay, whose roots are grounded in
eternal soil, and that shall never wither and never die. This
everlasting Gospel which we have received is the tree of life that
shall flourish forever. And the same power which has revealed faith,
repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands, and the holy
Priesthood, and has made known unto us the plan for the redemption of
the living and the dead, and has inspired us to our works up to the
present time, is still ready to communicate line upon line, precept
upon precept, here a little and there a little, that we may be ready
for every emergency, prepared for every event in the work of our God
as it rolls forward on the earth. And when we, as individuals, depart
behind the vail, we shall find the same opportunities there. We shall
not lose the power to receive revelation. Our Priesthood will go with
us. We will continue to grow in the knowledge of correct principles.
That same Holy Spirit which has revealed a few things to us on the
earth, and stamped the truth of them upon our hearts, will continue to
open unto us the great things of the boundless universe; for it is the
spirit of truth, and it will guide into all truth.

Vol. 22, p.71
[p.71] This is the condition that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints is in, and in that respect it stands distinct from
all other bodies of so-called Christians now extant upon the face of
the earth. But in this respect it is exactly the same as the old
Church we read about in the Bible.

Vol. 22, p.71
The beginning of this great latter-day work was when the Father and
the Son revealed themselves to the Prophet Joseph Smith. God spake
from heaven. God opened up the communication that had been lost for
centuries. Ages had rolled along and there was no voice from above.
But the Lord spake to Joseph saying, "This is my beloved son, hear
him." The Lord, the Great God, the Eternal Father, who spake in
ancient times by the Prophets; and in the meridian of time by His Only
Begoten Son, has spoken in this age of the world and has pointed to
His Son as His mouthpiece as standing between him and the inhabitants
of the earth, and this work in which you and I are engaged, is under
the immediate direction of that holy being, our Elder Brother Jesus
Christ, whom we are commanded to hear. We are not to go after the vain
traditions of sects, nor the vagaries of men; we are to "hear him."
God has said so. Every doctrine and every principle that has been
revealed to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has come
from the Father through the Son and by messengers who have been sent
to this world by the Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, which
bears witness of the Father and the Son. It is as it was in that
revelation given to St. John on Patmos. Read the first two verses of
the first chapter of the book of Revelations: "The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His
angel unto His servant John." That is the order. God, our Father, is
the author of all things here upon this earth. He is the developer or
revelator of truth to us. He is the author of our existence and of our
faith; it all comes from Him; but it comes through Jesus Christ; He
stands between us and the Father, and although all things are of the
Father, they come by and through Jesus Christ, the mediator. He sends
others as the Father sent Him. These come and minister to those on the
earth. And the Holy Ghost treat proceeds from the Father, that fills
all the immensity of space, that is in all things and through all
things and round about all things, and is "the law by which all things
are governed;" that beareth witness of the truth to all people who
abide by the truth, will quicken them and bring them into communion
with the Father and the Son. And therein lies the beauty of our faith.

Vol. 22, p.71
Now, this communication that I am speaking of is not confined alone to
those that are called to the Priesthood in this Church; it is not
confined to three or twelve or seventy, or any given number of men, or
to all the men; it belongs to the whole Church, male and female. It is
the spirit of revelation, the spirit of Jesus, which is the spirit of
prophecy. This spirit quickens the whole body. And here again is a
distinction between us and the rest of the world. We can not only
receive the Holy Spirit to gladden our hearts, to cheer our souls, to
comfort us, to make plain what is written in the books, but also as a
present revelator. Just as the light that comes from the sun streams
[p.72] down to gladden our eyes and make plain the physical objects of
creation, so the light that comes down from the sun of righteousness
is universally diffused in the Church, that every man and every woman
and every child of proper years who has obeyed the ordinances of the
Gospel, may receive of that spiritual light and revelation, each and
all in their own place and for their own purposes as they need.

Vol. 22, p.72
When I speak of this spirit of revelation, I wish to be clearly
understood. As I have said, each one in his own place is entitled to
the manifestations of the spirit. But the President of the Church, who
is sustained by the voice of the Church and by Divine appointment,
stands as the revelator to the Church. If there is anything to reveal
for the guidance of the Church as an organized body, or for the
comfort and edification of the Church, it will come through the head.
That is clearly laid down in the revelations God has given us, that we
might never be deceived by the revelations of this person or that
person who might claim to have received a Divine message. In the rise
of the Church the Lord said if He had anything to communicate to the
Church as a body, He would reveal it through his servant Joseph. "None
else," said the Lord, "shall be appointed unto this gift except it be
through him, for if it be taken from him, he shall not have power
except to appoint another in his stead; and this shall be a law unto
you, that ye receive not the revelation of any that shall come among
you, and this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you
may know they are not of me." But, says one, supposing the head does
not obey the ordinances; supposing he transgresses; suppose he turns
aside and is unfit to receive the revelations of God for the
Church—why, then, the Lord says another shall be appointed in his
stead. Thus we have an order by which we may not be deceived. When we
get any revelation from God to this Church, it will come through the
head of the Church. Yet when a man is called to preside over a portion
of God's Church he may obtain, by the power of the Holy Ghost, a
knowledge of his duties, a knowledge of the wants of the people under
his care, and thus be able to counsel them under circumstances in that
particular sphere. So in a family. A man who has a family, and who has
been ordained to the Priesthood, can have the light of God to guide
him in the interests of his family, that he may know how to rule and
conduct all things properly in that household; but it is not his duty
to dictate to the Ward or to the Stake in which he resides; that
belongs to the constituted authorities; but in his own affairs he may
obtain the revelation that he needs, and so in regard to principle and
doctrine for his own benefit. A man or a woman in this Church is not
tied down to written tenets of faith, but has no right to teach or
attempt to expound that which God Almighty has not given through the
head, although all have the right to receive light and knowledge for
themselves. And I know the way is open. I know the Lord is ready to
hear the prayer of every member of the Church. I know He will hearken
and hear and speak to their souls that which they need in due season.

Vol. 22, p.72
There is this difficulty sometimes in this Church, however, and the
same difficulty existed in former times. If a person  should happen to
grow a little in the knowledge of [p.73] the truth, and get something
which others may not have received, he may become puffed up in the
vanity of his heart, and think he should be exalted into a high
position. For instance the Lord gives gilts to the Church—the gift of
tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing, the gift of being
healed, the gift of discernment of spirits, and a great many other
gifts according to the faith desires, and capacities of the Saints. A
person may get a gift and rejoice very much in that gift, but just as
soon as he becomes desirous of displaying it, and wishes to be
considered great among men because of it, just at that moment he is in
danger of being led by a false and delusive spirit, led out of the
strait and narrow path that leads to lives eternal. All these gifts
properly used are for the benefit of the Church. Above all, every
member should enjoy the spirit of revelation. Were it not for this
spirit of revelation we would not be any different from other
churches, this Church would be dead without this divine light, which
indeed is the life thereof.

Vol. 22, p.73
Now, my brethren and sisters, seeing this is a day of revelation,
seeing we stand in this position before the Lord, seeing the Lord is
nigh to us, that he can hear our prayers, and that he will answer
them, what kind of people ought we to be? Why, we should be a people
ready and anxious to receive every word he may reveal through the
authorities of His Church whom he has appointed to lead, guide and
instruct us. People make a great deal of fuss about the "Mormons."
They say we are led by men. They think we are bound up in chains of
bondage, compelled to do this, that or the other. Why we are of all
people in the world the most free! Sometimes I think we have almost
too much freedom. We have embraced the gospel of liberty, and seeing
that God has placed at its head men to make known how we are to act,
we should be ready and anxious to receive the word of life; and when
we pray for God to sustain the authorities of the Church in their
respective positions, we should be ready and willing to sustain them
ourselves, and receive the word of God revealed through them for our
guidance. And it we were willing to put into actual practice the
things that God has revealed in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants—a
book which contains some of the revelations given in our time—I know
the Lord would reveal more. Just as soon as we are ready to carry out
what has already been revealed, the heavens are ready to reveal more.
We have only received a little of that which is designed to be made
known in the latter days. God is ready to reveal in this great
dispensation all things that were revealed in former times, and many
things that have been hid from the foundation of the world. Well, let
us live up to that which we have received, let us reduce it to daily
practice, and if we have been doing things that are wrong and contrary
to the will of God, let us make up our minds that we will do so no
more, that we will live the lives of Latter-day Saints, doing our
duty, filling the sphere we are called upon to occupy, and we shall
have joy in our labors, God will be near to us, He will be unto us a
Father and a Friend, and we will have all the time a testimony of this
work.

Vol. 22, p.73
I bear my testimony this afternoon before this congregation—and I am
willing to do so before all the world, if my  voice could reach to the
ends of the earth—that I know God lives, that Jesus of [p.74]
Nazareth, who died on Calvary's Mount, is His son; that He has
revealed Himself in our time; that the Holy Ghost, the spirit of
revelation, has spoken to my soul, bearing witness to me of the truth
of this work, and I rejoice that I am a Latter-day Saint.

Vol. 22, p.74
I pray God to bless us as worshipping congregation to-day; that He
will seal upon our hearts the spirit that shall help us to be truthful
and righteous and pure, and that we may always be actuated by the
spirit of revelation, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Henry W. Naisbitt, February 20, 1881

The Advancement of God's People Under
the Influences of the Gospel, Etc.

Delivered in the Assembly Hall Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, Feb. 20th, 1881.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.74
It is related in the history of the Lord Jesus Christ, that upon a
certain occasion, (after some of His marvelous works,) He was followed
by a great number of people; and upon noticing that this continued, He
called His disciples and said:—

Vol. 22, p.74
"I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now
three days, and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away
fasting, lest they faint by the way. And his disciples said unto him,
Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness as to fill so
great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, how many loaves have ye?
And they said seven, and a few little fishes. And he commanded them to
sit down on the ground. And he took the seven loaves and the fishes,
and gave thanks and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and his
disciples to the multitude, and they did all eat and were filled; and
they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full,
although they that did eat were four thousand men besides women and
children."

Vol. 22, p.74
In looking upon a congregation like the present, I think that every
Elder in Israel must feel that from the few small loaves and fishes
which he may have accumulated in his experience, he is unable to feed
and supply the necessities of the multitude before him. But while he
occupies the position, he realizes that the infinite resources of the
Holy Spirit are within general reach, and that this can be supplied
and so administered as to bring home the little food that may be
presented; and [p.75] that by the processes of its multiplication,
every man and every woman, and all the youth who are assembled, may
have their "portion of meat in due season," they may go away satisfied
and refreshed and fitted for the duties of life, and their minds may
be so expanded as to realize that through the inspiration of the
spirit there is more left than appeared at the beginning. If this
result depended upon a man's native intelligence, if it were to come
alone from the narrow field of his own experience, in my opinion it
would be presumptuous in one to expect to he able to do much good. But
the Elder who stands before the congregations of Israel, realizes that
he is but the instrument, that he is but the medium, and that he needs
to be taught as well as to be the medium for teaching; that he needs
to be fed, as well as to be the instrument of feeding others; that his
character and capacity are pretty much like the majority of those who
are in communion with the same Church; that if he is to grow, to
increase, to acquire strength, to become filled with intelligence,
that he must reach beyond the confines of man's thought; that he must
get beyond the boundaries of man's experience, that he must, draw his
supplies from resources which are greater than those that man
controls; and that it is only from this outreaching that he will be
able to satisfy the wellings of that spirit within him which desires
to comprehend and to accumulate and to enjoy all truth.

Vol. 22, p.75
The many agencies which are at work among the Latter-day Saints, to
bring to pass the purposes of the Almighty, are more or less
understood by all. I think that there are none of us scarcely, who
would claim the title of "Master of Arts." We are all, I think,
satisfied to be acknowledged (and to feel it an honor and a privilege
to be acknowledged) as students or pupils in the great school of the
Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have all comprehended the depths
of our ignorance; we have all realized that the training which has
been necessary for us, the lessons which have been given unto us had
to be adapted to our capacity and to our condition; no matter how high
our spirits might soar in anticipations of the present or the future
that spreads before us—when we have come to ourselves; when we have
really felt our insignificance, when we have realized how easily we
are influenced by temptations shall are opposed to our best interest;
when we realize how easily we are diverted by the fashions and
frivolities of life; when we realize how we are cast down by
opposition, and how the efforts of our enemies seem measurably to test
our faith—I say, when we realize that these are the feelings of the
masses of the people, we then comprehend that we need to be buoyed up
and sustained by a power that is vastly higher and greater than
ourselves.

Vol. 22, p.75
We are a good deal in the condition of our boys when they go to
school. They come in contact with those who are far in advance of
themselves; in their simple primary lessons they realize what an
immense gulf there is between them and their preceptor. And when in
our ignorance we realize how far we are behind many of those who have
grown gray with experience, who have been passive to the reception of
the spirit of revelation, who have been able to grasp a large amount
of truth, and to comprehend the bearings which one truth had upon its
neighbor truth, (all together jointly working out that process which
is called and constitutes education in [p.76] the life of a Saint), we
have had our ambition stirred, our feelings wrought up, our minds
illuminated by the influences of this same spirit of inspiration.
Sometimes this has been in reading the productions of the old
Prophets, sometimes in listening to the champions of the Gospel in our
day, sometimes in sitting beneath the combined influences of the hosts
of thoughtful men and women among the congregations of the Saints.
Probably we might illustrate, for a moment or two, how the changes we
look for are likely to be brought to pass, and the ways have been
presented to us from time to time. And if the illustration is drawn
from homely things, I hope that it will bring heine to the good Saints
and to this audience the truth sought to be established.

Vol. 22, p.76
Many of the inhabitants of this Territory are agriculturists—tilling
the soil of these mountain valleys. Looking at it naturally, it would
not seem to be so highly productive, or to yield the vast advantages
which spring from tillage, that subsequent experience seems to
confirm. But here is a man engaged in this occupation who has had a
measure of experience, and who knows, at all events, the rudimentry
principles which pertain to his occupation.

Vol. 22, p.76
In the beautiful months of summer he walks into his field. He
remembers his labor there, how he took pride in the preparation of
that field for the harvest which he desired. It was well ploughed; it
was well harrowed; it was well seeded; and as the spring rains
descended it became clothed in a garment of lustrous green. As the
weeks pass by it advances towards a higher form, even towards
maturity, until with the warmth of the increasing sun, and partly as
the product of the good cultivation which it has had, it glows in this
sunshine of the summer with the promise of an abundant harvest.

Vol. 22, p.76
The farmer, realizing the destiny of the grain, was disposed to
question it, after the manner of the fables we read in the days of our
childhood. He goes into this field of grain as the passing cloud flits
over it; as the wind sweeps across its face he notices how it bends
with its weight and wealth of grain, he admires its beauty and he
says, "What a magnificent field of wheat is here." And addressing
himself to it he suggests:

Vol. 22, p.76
"How would you like to be presented to the king?"

Vol. 22, p.76
The wheat is growing up in the dark soil of the earth, having no idea
of its purpose or future; but the question being asked, it lifts
itself in pride, it rejoices in the prospect that is suggested, and
finally says:

Vol. 22, p.76
"Yes, I would like to be presented to the king."

Vol. 22, p.76
But by and by, as it colors to ripeness, the laborers come, and with
the reaping machines or sickle they go to work in this beautiful field
of grain, and before it knows where it is, instead of waving in the
sun and enjoying the elements surrounding it, it finds itself lying
prone upon the earth. And as it lies thus prostrate, the question
naturally arises, "How is the promise of my master going to be
fulfilled? How am I to reach the destiny to which he alluded?." While
it is pondering over the situation, more laborers come along, and they
take it and bind it into bundles; and the wheat wonders to itself
whether the bundling process is a step towards its destiny. By and by
another set of hands comes, and the bundled wheat is set on ends, in
(what they call in the part of the nation from which I came) the form
of "stooks."  After [p.77] the stooks have been formed, a cap-sheaf is
put on them, to protect the grain from the changes of the weather. It
stands a while in this condition, undergoing the mellowing process;
but after standing sufficiently in this form, another gang of laborers
come along, and thrusting their steel forks into the sheaves, pitch
them on to wagons and haul them away to the barnyard, where they are
put into a stack. Here it remains probably fern time, undergoing
another process, passing another stage, which fits it better for its
final use. But it does not remain very long before it is moved again;
this time it passes through the threshing machine. It gees through the
beaters, and is subject to the fan, and is thus separated from the
straw and chaff. It is then put into sacks and tied up at the mouth,
and after a while it is hauled away to the mill, and there it is put
into the smutter, and cleansed from foul seed, smut, &c.; then passing
between the upper and nether millstones, it is ground almost to
powder; from thence it must perforce pass through the bolt, and
finally comes out fine, or very fine flour, according to the quality
of the wheat, or the design of the miller. But notwithstanding the
many changes it has undergone, its end is not yet; it is not yet in a
condition to realize the fulfilment of the promise. The flour is now
taken home to the good housewife, who puts a little of it into a pan,
and then pours hot or cold water upon it, and adds the elements which
cause fermentation; and then it assumes another condition. It begins
to think again, "Surely my destiny is now about to be fulfilled." But
the good wife takes it, and works it, and kneads it into loaves, and
finally opens the oven door and thrusts it as it were into the
furnace. By this time it thinks that its end has come; it is now about
to be consumed. After it has undergone this baking process for a
while, it comes forth from the oven a beautiful, brown, pleasant,
well-flavored loaf, in which condition it is fit to be presented to
the highest authority in the land.

Vol. 22, p.77
Now, to return again. Here is the human family unconscious of their
origin, unconscious of their destiny. But the Elders of this Church go
forth and tell mankind that they are the children of their common
Father; that they had their origin in the eternal worlds; that there
lies before them a grand and sublime destiny; and they say, inasmuch
as this is so, how would you like again to be presented to your
Father—to the King? How would you like to return to His presence, and
to enjoy His smiles. How would you like to be brought back again to
the surroundings you once enjoyed? And as the stirring impulses of
these warm thoughts rush through the hearts of the listeners in the
midst of the nations of the earth, their minds begin to expand and
theft hearts begin to swell with the newfound dignity thus spread
before them, and in the promise of the future; but by and by there is
a change in their condition; in the pride of their hearts, under the
inspiration of those men who thus taught and counseled them, they
thought they were going to be somebody. But other contingencies of
life were upon them. The sickle is at their roots; adverse
circumstances come along, and withal they are perhaps laid low upon a
bed of sickness; and when they least expect it they are called to pass
through the valley of humiliation. And under these circumstances they
inquire, Is this the way through which I am to pass into the presence
of the King? The Elders [p.78] who first prompted them to these
ennobling thoughts have now induced them to take another step in this
preparatory process. They repent of their sins; they go down into the
waters of baptism and become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, and they are now bound in bundles, or, as they are
called, "branches;" and when they are tied up in this fashion there is
a cap-sheaf put over them in the authority of a presiding officer of
the branch. I know that occasionally there are those in the lower
sheaves who are disposed to find fault with the position they occupy.
They say, we are just as good wheat as you can find on the cap sheaf;
we are just as valuable, we possess just as much intelligence; but
while this is the case, and they may rebel, yet they finally realize
that there is an order in the organization with which they are
identified, and the increase of the spirit of intelligence tells them
that the same destiny, the same grand future awaits the wheat in the
sheaves that stand upon the ground, as it does the wheat which crowns
the pile.

Vol. 22, p.78
But a new impulse begins to work in their hearts, and the agents came
along and gathered them up to the railroad and to the steamboat. "From
the east and the west, and the north and the south," they are taken
away in a body and placed in the form of, or in the stackyard—this is
the gathering place in Zion. They are with the body of the Church, in
a larger form, than they were in the little branches in the old world.
And after they have been in the stack a while, they begin to took
around and to ponder upon the changes which they meet from time to
time; they find themselves in the midst of new conditions; that they
are surrounded with new combinations of circumstances, subject to new
influences. Soon they discover that they have reached the
threshing-floor of the Almighty, and as they pass through the
cylinders (as it were), through the trials and friction which belong
to the gathering place of the Saints, as their defects and surplusage
become apparent, there may be groaning in spirit, but the conclusion
is reached that they need to lay off the straw of old tradition, the
chaff of early training, the influences and powers which molded them
in the past, and to make themselves satisfied with every process
pertaining to the present and the future.

Vol. 22, p.78
By and by they come forth from the threshing machine measurably
divested of extraneous and comparatively useless characteristics; but
no sooner have they got through than change is on them again; they
find themselves in the mill, and between the upper and nether
millstones at that—between the friction of their enemies and the
direction of the authorities in the Church of Christ, they are almost
ground to powder, in order that they may know themselves, that they
may understand their characteristics or defects, and that they may be
the better prepared for the future.

Vol. 22, p.78
After a while a man is called upon a mission. He goes out to colonize
the desert, or he is sent to the nations of the earth, and here comes
the kneading process. The call may be to a hot or a cold country, to a
pleasant place or a disagreeable one, but he all the time realizes
that his character is changing, that it is being molded into a higher
form, becoming more and more willing, yet also becoming solidified and
established. And after having been thus kneaded and watered until  in
thought [p.79] and inspiration, he begins to ferment, he is again
molded into still another form and thrust into the oven, that it may
consume that which is evil, that he may throw off those gases that are
unnecessary for his future, and having passed through this process, he
comes forth purified, as it were by fire, and fitted for the Master's
presence.

Vol. 22, p.79
I presume that all the Latter-day Saints are more or less acquainted
with these trials through which they have passed—with the influences
that have been at work upon them since they yielded obedience to the
Gospel. You that are from the old world, or from the new, will realize
the feelings of joy and of gladness with which you received the
Gospel. You will comprehend how, for the moment your judgment was
carried captive by the power of the Spirit of God; how you realized
the grandeur and the adaptability of the Gospel to your condition, and
how much you enjoyed association with those who were of a like spirit
with your selves. You took satisfaction in their society. If you saw a
man or a woman who belonged to the same branch, you used to rush to
give him or her the morning or the evening greeting, as the case might
be. In the midst of your daily avocations you looked forward to the
meeting in the evening, or you looked forward to the meeting on the
Sabbath. But after you had been but a little while in the Church, you
began to realize that every one did not look at the Gospel as you
looked at it. There were those who began to think that you were
foolish, enthusiastic, deceived; who began to show you that they had
no interest in that which you had accepted. They treated you with
indifference, looked upon you with contempt, and you soon found your
only satisfaction was in the association of your brethren and sisters;
you were drawn, even forced, into their society. The bitterest
opponents you found were in the religious world. The old Sabbath
school teacher, the old class leader, the old superintendent, the old
minister, became enemies to you. While professedly anxious for your
welfare, they considered you were in error, they feigned sorrow for
your delusion, they hoped for your deliverance. And if you lived in a
small village or in a small town, it became almost an impossibility
for you to secure employment. The opportunities of living were
measurably denied you. Hence you found more abiding solace in the
Gospel, and you began to comprehend the advantages of gathering. You
began to realize that there was something of an intelligent character
in connection with it; that by gathering you would escape from this
contempt and from this opposition; that you would be in the midst of
those who were of like faith with yourself. By and by you had the
chance of leaving your native land; but the trials and difficulties
which you had to meet on the way to "the valleys of the mountains"
were very hard, and such as you were not accustomed to in your native
land. You were placed under new conditions, subject to pew trials. You
felt yourself surrounded by new temptations, and you began to
comprehend that you had within you features of character that were
comparatively unknown before. You felt the inconvenience of traveling
on the plains, as we used to do in olden times, with eight, ten, or a
dozen in a wagon.

Vol. 22, p.79
After a time you landed in Zion, and you soon began to realize that
here was another state, or condition. I recollect my own experience
when I first settled in this city. I came [p.80] from the active
ministry in the old country. No one knew me here, and no one seemed to
care to know me. I occupied no position; nobody bade me welcome; I was
a stranger in the midst of a strange land. I began to feel a little
blue. I had to wonder within myself whether gathering had made any
difference in my feelings or faith, and it was only upon reflection I
discovered that from a life of comparative activity I had been brought
into a condition where I was comparatively dormant; my faculties were
unexercised, and instead of being sought unto, had to seek counsel
from those who presided over the Ward. Conditions were reversed,
circumstances were changed, and it was only reflection that led me to
comprehend this fact. After I had been here a little while, I had to
look for something to do. I was not sure that I would find the
employment to which I had been accustomed. I had been used to standing
behind a counter and attending to business of that kind in the old
world, but when I came to Salt Lake City there was hardly a counter in
it. I could find no occupation of that character. I therefore went to
work as a carpenter, in order to sustain myself and family, and become
a useful member of society. This was a new experience. It brought with
it its trials. When Saturday night came I was not sure as to the kind
of wages I would receive. I would likely be paid in something; it
might be in something I had made myself—the product of my own hands;
it might be in something. I did not want. These were the old days of
"barter and swap" in the midst of Israel. When we wanted a candle we
had to melt a piece of fat in a saucer, stick a piece of rag in the
centre, and by this means light ourselves to labor, or to bed. When we
wanted a fire we had to get a little wood—there was no coal—and go to
work and chop it, and instead of a fireplace, we had to make the fire
on the hearth, in stooping to which my wife would almost break her
back in attending to the necessities of domestic life. These were in
their way trials. They gave us new thoughts, new feelings, they
brought momentarily strange conclusions; we began to inquire whether
the Zion we had reached was worthy of the ideas we had cherished in
regard to it. We met with many trials. If we had to trade in any way,
we came in contact with those who were disposed to take advantage. We
were "green" in our way, so to speak; we were not acquainted with this
order of things, and there was more or less friction until we became
used to the ways and methods which belong to a new country. The old
land is the product of thousands of years in the history of the past;
this was a new land, it was but of yesterday, and had all the newness
that pertained to infancy. Yet I must say that even at that time,
after a little acquaintance, social life was very warm. People used to
visit each other with great freedom. There was no vast amount of
style; there was nobody able "to put it on." When we visited we were
satisfied to enjoy our molasses and bread and squash pie, and with
these we thought we feasted almost upon the food that the Gods were
wont to eat, or upon angels' food. We enjoyed these things, until by
and by we began to increase in means and to build up our homes.

Vol. 22, p.80
When we look back upon these primitive times, we see how little really
the human family can get along with. How many  things we [p.81] hunger
after, desire to have, and spend our lives in obtaining, yet how
easily we can get along without them. I think that one of the greatest
losses I experienced in this Territory was that of intellectual
enjoyment. I had come from Mechanics' Institutes, Lyceums and
Athenaeums, which offered opportunities of amusement and intellectual
growth. But you know how it was here in those early times. The
newspapers have been telling us lately that we were occasionally two
or three months without a mail, while newspapers and books were few
and far between. We had left even our Steers and Journals and
pamphlets on the plains; we had thrown them out of our trunks—and I do
not know but some had to leave their trunks also—and we were thrown
more decidedly upon our own resources, and we had each to seek more
earnestly the inspiration of the Almighty to give us intelligence. But
even in these adverse conditions our minds became enlarged, we
continued to grow, and had feasts of fat things in the tabernacle, and
in the Ward, Quorum and other meetings of the Saints. The spirit of
inspiration rested upon those who spoke to us, and our minds expanded
to the truths of the Gospel, and the future of the grand system with
which we had become identified.

Vol. 22, p.81
Gradually the Gentile world came into our midst in considerable
numbers; as they kept increasing they tried many methods to divert our
attention. They pointed out to us the mines in the everlasting hills;
they brought along the fashions that belong to Babylon; they tried to
work upon our feelings; they called upon our sons and daughters to
throw off the bondage (as they called it) which had been placed upon
them by the Priesthood. But, when we pondered upon these things, we
realize how little they understand our position, how little they
understand our condition, how little they understand the thoughts we
have in regard to the future, how little they comprehend the
foundations of our faith, even while they pray, beg, beseech and coax
us to recant, how little they know of the power of the spirit and of
the result of the experience we have passed through in the school of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, they continue in this
direction, and we have to meet it. We must comprehend the rivalry—if I
may so express myself the ever-present opposition which exists between
the powers of intelligence and the powers of ignorance.

Vol. 22, p.81
Well, we continued to live in Zion. Our families continued to
increase. People gathered in from the nations of the earth. They
spread out on the right hand and on the left, built up cities and
redeemed the waste places. The power and authority of the Priesthood
has been conferred upon the rising generation. Hosts of them are going
forth as missionaries in the midst of the nations of the earth. They
go with power and force, and when they return they acknowledge that
the process through which they have passed has agreed with them. It
has given them strength, increased their faith, and enlarged their
thoughts.

Vol. 22, p.81
And so Zion continues to grow. Her population increases in
intelligence; they are becoming more and more fitted and adapted for
the society of "the Church of the First Born and the spirits of just
men made perfect." They are men and  women who are looking forward to
the time when, through their [p.82] faithfulness and integrity, they
shall be admitted into the celestial kingdom and presented to the
King. Their "eyes shall see the King in his beauty, and the land that
is now afar off;" there they shall rejoice in His presence, and feel
amply repaid for all trial, when they have triumphed and overcome.

Vol. 22, p.82
I pray for and am assured that God, by His Spirit, will continue to
work wish the Latter-day Saints; that they will continue to be passive
to its admonitions and more active to obey; that they will seek and
learn, by "line upon line and precept upon precept," and that while
they follow this goodly advice, while they are edified by the ideas
which are thrown out before them, while they enjoy the songs and the
anthems which are rendered by the choir, I hope they will be
strengthened in their faith, and carry home with them the influence
and the power of the food they have received here, and that thus there
will be more life in the midst of Israel. I hope that even to-day,
from the few words thrown out, that they will be spiritually
strengthened, and so know that there are positive elements of growth
to be obtained by attendance at the sanctuary of the Lord.

Vol. 22, p.82
That we may continue to enjoy the life which has been given unto us,
and that we may finally "become men and women in and through the
Gospel," is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Charles. W. Penrose, May 1, 1880

Partaking of the Lord'S Supper, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lakes City,
Sunday Afternoon, May 1st, 1880.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.82
We have met this afternoon, my brethren and sisters and friends, to
worship God the Eternal Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, I
trust under the influence of His Holy Spirit, and I pray that that
Spirit may rest upon this entire congregation, and that I may be
enlightened by its influence so as to be able to say something this
afternoon which will edify and instruct the congregation. Having been
called upon to speak to you I hope I shall have your attention and the
benefit of your faith and your prayers, so that such subjects may be
presented to my mind as will be profitable for us to ponder upon on
this occasion.

Vol. 22, p.83
We are partaking of the emblems [p.83] of the body and blood of Jesus
Christ, the Redeemer of the world. We do this in remembrance of him,
in remembrance of the atonement which be wrought for us and for all
mankind who will listen to his voice and obey his commandments, and
also to direct our thoughts to another great event in connection with
the history of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is yet to take
place. We take this sacrament this afternoon not only in remembrance
of the past but to direct our minds to the future. We partake of it to
witness that we believe in the atonement wrought out by the Lord Jesus
on the Mount of Calvery, and also that we expect his reappearance on
the earth. We expect that he will come again, not the next time as the
babe of Bethlehem, not the next time to be despised and rejected of
men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, but as the Lord of
life and glory, as the King of Israel to sit upon the throne of his
father David, to rule from the rivers to the ends of the earth; not to
be brought unto the subjection of men, but to have all things made
subject to him; not to bear his cross up the side of Calvary, but to
come as a monarch, as a ruler of men, as the rightful Lord and King of
this earth upon which we live. In partaking of these emblems this
afternoon, then, our minds are carried back to the past, and carried
forward to the future, and when we hold a piece of bread, blessed by
the servants of God, in our hands, we take it in token and witness to
God that we believe in him of whom this piece of bread is a
representative. This bread is to us a representation of the body of
Christ broken for us. When we drink of the cup we do so in remembrance
of his blood and as a witness to God and to each other, that we
believe in Jesus Christ. Not only that, but we also bear testimony
before the heavens and one another, that we are willing to take upon
us the name of Jesus Christ, and remember him, and keep the
commandments which he has given unto us. So that in our public
assemblies on Sunday afternoon—or the Sabbath day if you please to
call it so—we come together to renew our covenants, to make manifest
before God and one another our feelings and desires in relation to
these matters, to witness to the heavens and the earth that we are
called to be Saints, that we have come out of the world, that we have
separated ourselves from that which is evil, and dedicated and
consecrated ourselves to the service of God, to carry out his purposes
on the earth, to be guided by his Spirit, to be prompted by the same
motives that actuated our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when he was a
man among men, to renew our covenants before God, that we will serve
him in all things, and that we will prefer the truth as it is in
Christ Jesus, that we will prefer the Kingdom of God as He has set it
up on the earth in the latter days above all other things; that we
will place in our estimation first the Kingdom of God and his
righteousness with the hope and belief that if we do this all other
things shall be added unto us as we need them.

Vol. 22, p.83
This, then, is a solemn occasion, and although we have the privilege
of meeting as we do this afternoon every Lord's Day, yet it is none
the less sacred, and should be none the less solemn to us, and we
should endeavor on this occasion to call in our scattered thoughts, to
refrain from thinking upon the things of this world, our cares, our
business, [p.84] the affairs that belong outside of the Tabernacle,
and concentrate our thoughts and our feelings and our desires towards
God, and the things of God, so that his Spirit may brood over us, and
that we may be refreshed thereby; that we may be spiritually nourished
and fed; that when we leave our meeting place, we may go away
strengthened and prepared to battle with the ills of life and with the
evils of this world. I sometimes think that if we were deprived for a
little season of the privilege of meeting together, and partaking of
those sacred emblems, we would attach more importance to our meetings
and to the ordinances of the Lord's House. If we were deprived of the
privilege of listening to the voice of the servants of God instructing
us in our duties for a time, perhaps we would value their teachings
more than we do. The absence of the music this afternoon from our
large organ puts me in mind of this. I am sorry we cannot have music
from the organ to-day. I like to hear the tones which come from that
fine instrument, an organ built by the handiwork of the people of God,
of this community, when played upon by a good musician. Perhaps if we
are deprived of the use of that organ for a little while we will value
it the more after the repairs are completed. So it is with, our public
gatherings; so it is with the various means of grace which are so
abundantly bestowed upon us as the children of God. God has been very
merciful to us in affording us so many privileges of instruction. All
the time there is a voice saying, 'this is the way, walk ye in it.'
There is no need for any man or any woman among the Latter-day Saints
to go astray for the lack of instruction. We have our public meetings
in our settlements on the, Sabbath day, where the people come together
to worship the Father in the name of the Son, where they can receive
the outpourings of the Spirit in a collective capacity, as a,
congregation. We have our Sunday Schools to which we can send our
little children that they may be taught in the way of life, and in the
paths of holiness and virtue before the Lord. We have our Ward
Meetings on Sunday evenings, where we can meet together in a ward
capacity, and bear our testimony to the truth, or receive instructions
from our Bishops and from the missionaries, who may visit us from time
to time. And during the week we have many opportunities of assembling
together, to hear the word of life, to talk to one another of the
things of God, and be instructed in our various duties, both temporal
and spiritual. Then we have the great privilege given us of God, that
all the time we may draw near unto the throne of grace and receive for
ourselves, individually as well as collectively, the power of the Holy
Spirit to enlighten us in regard to the purposes of God, to strengthen
us against sin, to enable us to cultivate the good that is in us, and
grow up unto him who is our living head in all things, even the Lord
Jesus.

Vol. 22, p.84
This is the greatest boon that could be conferred upon mortals while
dwelling in the flesh, the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the
spirit of truth, which reveals unto men the things of the Father and
of the Son, which is a spiritual light to the inward being, which is
the same to the spiritual nature of man as the light that streams from
the sun is to the physical  nature of man. As we are able to see the
various physical objects of creation [p.85] by the light of the sun,
or as we call it, natural light, so by the aid of this spiritual light
we can discern the things of God, and they can be made just as plain
to our spiritual eyesight by the power of the Holy Spirit, as the
things of the earth are made plain to our natural eyes by the power of
the natural light that comes from the sun, or any artificial means
which we may use or discover. The light which comes from God to
enlighten the mind of man, to some degree is universally diffused like
the light of the glorious sun. It is the true light that lighteth
every man that cometh into the world. There is no person born into
this World who breathes the breath of life, but who at the same time
receives a portion of this divine spirit, this divine illumination.
Thin blessing is not confined to people who are called "Christian," it
is not continued to any particular branch of the human family. All
people who live and move and have a being on the thee of the earth are
enlightened measurably, by this Spirit of truth which comes from God.
It is the light and the life of the world at the same time. Just as we
read in the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John.
Speaking in regard to Jesus. who is there called the word, we read:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the
Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were
made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In
him was life, and the life was the light of men." * * * * "That was
the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,"
This is that spirit of intelligence spoken of in the Book of Job. We
read there that "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the
Almighty giveth them understanding." If we have any understanding at
all any intelligence at all, any natural intelligence born with us
into the world, it is the gift of God. He that created the heavens and
the earth, the seas and the fountains of water; He that made the sun
and his light thereof—He lighteth every man that cometh into the
world. This is the same spirit which is called the Comforter, although
it does not operate in the same degree as that spirit which is called
the gift of the Holy Ghost, which we read about in the New Testament,
in the promises of Jesus Christ to his disciples and to those who
would keep his commandments; but all people born into the world
receive a portion of divine light, and if they would grow up under the
influence of that light and be actuated and guided by its whisperings
all through their earthly career, it would had them gradually up to
the fountain of light, to "the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning;" it would lead gradually to
God, so that they could commune with God while they remain in the
flesh; they would grow up nearer and nearer to Him, for they would
choose the good and refuse the evil; they would take into their nature
that which would lead them towards God, and they would repel from them
that which would lead downward, they would discern the strait and
narrow path that leadeth unto life, and they would avoid the broad
road which leadeth unto destruction, in which so many of the human
family have walked from the beginning. It is because the people that
dwell on the earth do not listen to the "still small voice" of that
natural light which is born with them into the world, that they do not
receive the things of God. [p.86] It is because they love that which
savors of darkness and of evil that they do not comprehend the things
of God as they are in him, and that they are shut out from that
communication which all people might have if they would walk in the
right way.

Vol. 22, p.86
We are placed here in a world of opposites. Just as it was symbolized
in the Garden of Eden with regard to the tree of life and the tree of
death, or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So it is here.
All through the ages that are past, God has placed before his Children
good on the one hand and evil on the other, and it is the privilege of
all man to choose the good or the evil, which they please. Their
agency is free. God will force no man to heaven; he will allow no man
to be forced to hell. We are placed here where there is a mixture of
good and evil, of light and darkness, of truth and error, of sorrow
and joy, of bitter and sweet, of life and death; life spiritual and
death spiritual, and also life and death natural. Why are we placed
here in a world of death, in a world of opposites? That we may be
tested; that we may be tried, and that we may manifest to God and
angels and the heavenly hosts, and to one another what we are fit for
in the world to which we are hastening. We are all hastening to
another sphere, and we shall all he judged for the deeds we have done
while we have dwelt in this sphere. All will be judged according to
their acts and opportunities, according to the light that they have
received or the light that they might have received if it had pleased
them to open their eyes to it, and everyone in the due time of the
Lord will be placed where he or she is fit to be. We will find our own
level. Just as water finds its natural level. The time will come when
every spirit will find its own level. We will all gravitate some day
into the place where we belong, and that place will be determined by
our condition, according to the opportunities we have had, and
according to the manner we have availed ourselves of them, either in
cultivating the good and rejecting the evil, or in rejecting the good
and cultivating the evil. We are all responsible individuals. Every
person who arrives at the years of accountability becomes a
responsible being. He is responsible to the Being who created him, to
God who is the Father of his spiritual nature; for although we are all
living under various circumstances here upon the earth, although
mankind is made up of different races, yet, so far as our spiritual
nature, the real individual, is concerned, we are the sons and
daughters of God, who is the Father of the spirits of all men, and he
that "hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of
their habitation," has sent us his sons and daughters to dwell upon
the earth in earthly bodies, some of us in one part of the world and
some in another, but we are all the children of one Father, and
therefore we are all brethren and sisters. And the time will come when
our Father, who has sent us here for an experience, for a schooling,
for an education, that we might understand the things that pertain to
this lower sphere and grapple with evil and overcome it, will judge us
with a righteous judgment, and we will all go to the place which we
have fitted ourselves for by our earthly acts.

Vol. 22, p.86
Now, the Lord, in the beginning of our temporal existence on the
earth, placed within us this spirit of life and light, and  if we
would be actuated by that spirit and walk in the [p.87] path that
leads to the Father's presence, we would get so near to him that we
would learn of him personally. But all have gone astray, and when we
take up the history of mankind and view it in the various ages and
among the various races of men, we find that they have all been prone
to do evil; that the great bulk of the human family, at any rate, have
loved darkness rather than light; that they have loved error rather
than truth, and that they have been led by the Evil One rather than by
the spirit which comes from the Father. When Jesus Christ came upon
the earth, he told the people that if he had not come among them, they
would not have had sin, but now that he had come among them they had
no cloak for their sin. Why? "Because," said the Savior, "light is
come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because
their deeds were evil." And as Christ came in the meridian of time to
reveal the Father to the children of men, so far as they could
understand him, so at different, times during the world's history God
has sent holy men, inspired of the Holy Ghost, men authorized of him
to declare his word to the people that they might have life, that they
might, if they pleased, choose the light and walk therein, or choose
the darkness and walk therein.

Vol. 22, p.87
But how has it been with those holy men? Have the people of the world
generally received them? Have they welcomed them and their testimony?
Have they hailed with joy the messengers from the Holy One, bringing
light and truth and glad tidings of great joy? No. We find when we
come to investigate the matter. that in all ages of the world the
Prophets of God have been rejected of men. Jesus, the Son of God, had
to say to the people in his day, "which of the Prophets have not your
fathers slain?" and He told the people of his day that upon them would
come "all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of
righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom
they slew between the temple and the altar. Verily, I say unto you,
all these things shall come upon this generation." Why? Because they
had the testimony of those previous Prophets, they had the testimony
of those holy men who had come in former ages, and they could see, by
reading the history of the past, how wickedly mankind had rejected the
servants of God, and yet, when the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
came right, into their own midst they rejected him, and in rejecting
him they also rejected the Prophets which were before him, who
predicted his coming, and the blood of all was to come upon that
generation. This is how it has been in all ages of the world, the
Prophets have been rejected. If a man came who flattered the people,
who spoke the enticing words of man's wisdom, or according to the
learning and science of the age in which he came, they would receive
him with open arms, they would welcome him to their hearts, they would
receive his teaching, they would feast and applaud him, they would
clothe and feed him and make him rich. But if a man came with the word
of the Lord, with authority from the Holy One, to minister in the name
of the Most High, they would reject him and put him to death. Take up
the Bible and read the history of the old Prophets. What was their
fate? Why, just as Paul tells us in his epistle to the Hebrews. They
were stoned, sawn asunder, [p.88] beheaded, persecuted, counted as not
fit to live save it was in dungeons and caves of the earth: they were
afflicted, tormented and rejected.

Vol. 22, p.88
Some people who live in these times say, perhaps, "Oh, but if we had
lived in those days we would have received the servants of God, we
would have hearkened to the voice of the Prophets, we would have
rejoiced to hear the words of men sent of God, men holding authority
from the Most High, men who could communicate with the heavens, we
would have looked upon them as deliverers from our doubts, from our
darkness, from our divisions, from our strife, from our lack of
knowledge." Would you? Are you sure of that? If you had lived upon the
earth in the days when Jesus Christ came, how would you have told that
Jesus was really the Christ? How would you have found it out? The
people to whom he came rejected him. There was no special mark set
upon Him by which mankind could discern that He was the Christ. There
was only one way by which it could be found out whether Jesus was the
Christ or not. And what was that way? Why, by revelation from God, and
if you and I had lived in those times and did not believe in
revelation from God, how should we have found out that Jesus, of
Nazareth, was the Christ? We read that the disciples on one occasion
were asked by Jesus Christ, "Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?
And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias;
and others, Jeremias, of one of the Prophets. He saith unto them, But
whom say ye that I am. And Simon Peter answered and said, "Thou art
the Christ,—the Son of the Living God." Now, how did Peter find that
out, when those wise men, those Pharisees, those doctors, those
lawyers, the expounders of the Mosaic law, the men that were looked up
to by the Jews as lights of learning, men who had studied the holy
Scriptures and made the teaching of them a profession, men who prayed
long prayers on the corners of the street and had passages of
scripture sewed upon the hem of their garments—how was it that Peter
found out that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and
the rest of the people could not find out? "And Jesus answered and
said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And
I say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build
my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What
rock? "Peter," somebody will say. The name of Peter—Cephas, signifies
a stone, and people think that Christ built his church upon Peter.
Well, if he did, he built it on a poor foundation; for it was only a
little while after this, in accordance with the prediction of Jesus,
that Peter was put under a severe trial which caused him to deny the
Lord that bought him. The people declared that Peter was along with
those who were with Jesus, and he denied the accusation and swore that
he never knew him. Well, it was upon this rock of revelation that the
Lord would build his Church. It was by revelation that Peter knew that
Jesus was the Christ. No man can find out that Jesus is the Christ
except by that same spirit; no man can know that he is the Lord but by
the Holy Ghost. Now, there may be a great many people say that Jesus
is the Christ. How do you know? "Well," I believe it." Why? Because
I[p.89]  have been brought up a Christian, and therefore I believe it.
But do you know that Jesus is the Christ? No, you cannot know unless
you get a revelation from God to that effect. You may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, you may have been trained up in that belief; but
you cannot know it unless God shall reveal it to you. It is only by
the power of the Holy Ghost, that this knowledge can come to the
children of men, neither can knowledge come to any one concerning the
things of God, except by the same spirit.

Vol. 22, p.89
Now this gift of the Holy Ghost, as I before remarked, is the greatest
boon that can be conferred upon mortal men, because by it they can
discerns and comprehend the things of God, and without it they cannot.
They may reflect upon them, ponder upon them, speculate about them;
they may pome to certain conclusions in their own minds by reason and
logic, but they cannot obtain a knowledge of these things unless it is
by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost, which is a spirit of
revelation. How can this gift be obtained? It can only be obtained in
the way that the Father has pointed out. The way is plain and simple,
but there is only one way. The Lord does not confer his gifts just as
people please. The God who governs the universe has a way of his own.
He does not ask us how we want seed time and harvest regulated, or how
the earth shall revolve upon its axis, or how it shall move around the
sun. He does not ask us when we want warm weather, or cold weather,
nor when we want the rain or snow to descend, or the clouds to move
away and leave the sun to shine forth in all its splendour. He governs
the universe by fixed laws that cannot be turned out of their way by
the whims of men. And so it is in the spiritual universe. Earthly
things are a pattern of heavenly things, and as there are laws that
govern the physical things, so there are also fixed laws which govern
spiritual things. There is a way by which this gift of the Holy Ghost
as a spirit of revelation to make manifest the things of the Father
and of the Son, and make them plain to mortal men in the flesh can be
obtained. What is it? It is pointed out very clearly in the
Scriptures, but strange to say the great bulk of the people who
profess to believe in the Scriptures, do not take that way when it is
made plain to their understanding. In the first place, according to
the Scriptures, men must believe in God. They cannot come to him
without they believe in him. Faith must be quickened in the human
heart, and all people have power to believe. When a servant of God,
inspired by the Holy Spirit, preaches the word of life, those who are
desirous of the truth will be stirred up into faith by the power of
his testimony and his preaching, and the authority of the Priesthood
he bears. That natural light that enlightens every man that comes into
the world will be awakened. For light cleaveth unto light, and truth
cleaveth unto truth; and as the light of the sun when it streams over
the mountain tops wakens up the latent light in the earth, and as the
warm rays pouring down waken up its latent warmth, so the testimony of
the servant of God, by the power of the Holy Ghost, and the authority
which he holds wakens up the natural spirit of intelligence born in
every man and woman, and the testimony he bears will find an echo in
their hearts, the truth he presents will be made plain to their
understanding, and they will see as he [p.90] sees. He bears testimony
that God lives. Why? Because he knows. He knows it by communion with
him through the power and gift. and light of the Holy Ghost, and as he
bears testimony to the people that God lives, and that he is sent with
a message from him, they begin to believe. But if men believe in God,
they must also believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, as
the Redeemer of man; they must believe he is the Son of God, because
all men come to God by Jesus Christ. His name is the key word of
salvation. By him we have access to the Father, and we cannot come to
the Father but by the Son. The servant of God also bears testimony
that he knows that Jesus who died on Calvary is the Son of God and the
Redeemer of the world, and that he is sent as a witness of this, to
bear his testimony concerning these things. Then, having exercised
faith in God and in Jesus Christ, a natural desire springs up to obey
the commandments of God and of Jesus Christ. Those who believe see
that they have transgressed, that they have sinned, and come short of
the glory of God, and desire to put away their sin and cease to do
evil. This is repentance. What is the next principle? Faith first. All
things must spring from faith, for without faith it is impossible to
please God. Faith is the first principle, repentance comes next. I do
not mean a mourning, a weeping I do not mean throwing one's sell into
paroxysms of grief and anxiety of heart; I mean a fixed determination,
by the help of God, to cease to do what is wrong and try to do what is
right. That is the next principle. The next is to get remission of
past sins. "Why," some will say, "if man repents is he not forgiven?"
Not at all. A man may contract heavy debt at a store, but his being
sorry for having contracted the debt would not pay off the old score.
Faith and repentance, then, are the first and second principles of the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, the first and second steps towards the
attaining of that great boon, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. What is
the next. step? To be buried in water in the likeness of Jesus
Christ's death by a man holding authority from God to adminitser that
ordinance, and to be raised up from the water by that person in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. This
ordinance is for the remission of sins—not that water cleanses the man
spiritually, not that the water washes away any sins the man may have
committed. The blood of Christ alone cleanseth from all sin. That
blood was shed for all humanity, but humanity will only obtain the
full benefits flowing therefrom by obedience to the fixed laws that
relate to the matter and pertain to salvation. We must obey the
commandments of the Lord to obtain the blessings of the Lord. "Not
every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom
of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven."
Jesus Christ set the pattern. He went down into the river Jordan; be
was baptised of John; be was raised up from the water, and then the
Father testified that he was well pleased with him. The Holy Ghost
descended in the sign of a dove, and the Father spoke from the heavens
saying that tie was well pleased. Now, here are the Holy Trinity all
bearing witness to this ordinance—the Son in the water, the Holy Ghost
descending, and the Father in the heavens uttering his  voice saying,
"This is my [p.91] Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Christ set
us an example that we should follow in his steps. The man that
baptized Jesus Christ had a right to baptize him, he had authority
from God, and if he had not that authority the baptism would have been
void, just like the baptisms in the so-called Christian world to-day.
Any man pretending to be an official who is not a bona fide official,
cannot perform a valid official act, all his acts are void, and any
man who baptizes another—even if he uses the form, the formula, all
exactly right according to the pattern—if he has not authority from
the Father, and the Son and the Holy Ghost to baptize, the baptism he
performs is nothing but a bath. Why should he use the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost? Does he not imply that
he has authority from the Trinity? And if he has not authority from
the Trinity, then the baptism is without effect; it is as though it
never was. Christ was baptized by John, a man called of God, a Prophet
of God, a man holding authority to baptize. Jesus Christ also received
his authority from God. We read that He "glorified not Himself to be
made an High Priest, but He that saith unto Him, Thou art my Son,
to-day have I begotten Thee. * * Thou art a priest forever after the
order of Melchisedek." Christ received his Priesthood from the Father.
Christ bestowed that same authority upon his Apostles, saying to them,
"As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." Now here is the
pattern: Those who believe and repent must be taken down into the
water and be buried from their old lives, must put off the old man
with his deeds, must be buried in the likeness of Christ's burial and
raised up again in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. Then, when
they come forth from the water, if they have believed, repented, and
been baptized by a man sent of God to baptize—then, "though their sins
be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool." They are cleansed, they come forth to
a new birth, they are born of the water, and every time they partake
of the holy sacrament they witness to God that they will continue in
his ways, and walk in his paths, that they have put on Christ, and
that they will remember him to keep his commandments in all things.
Now when people are thus properly cleansed, and purified and made
white, like unto newborn babes on entering into the world, without
blemish or spot, then their tabernacles are fit to receive the Holy
Ghost. How does it come? Like the remission of sins, it comes
according to fixed laws; it comes through the laying on of hands of
men appointed by the Almighty to administer. They lay their hands upon
the baptized believer and they confirm upon him the Holy Ghost? Can a
man confer the gift of the Holy Ghost? No; man is but the minister;
the Holy Ghost comes from God; but this is the plan set and fixed in
the economy of the heavens whereby people dwelling upon the earth
shall receive this gift. Faith, repentance and baptism, then the gift
of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands.

Vol. 22, p.91
Now, if you will take up the New Testament, you will find that this is
the plan the Apostles followed in every instance wherever they went to
preach the word of the Lord. They called upon people to believe in
Jesus whom the Jews crucified, and to be baptized for a remission
[p.92] of their sins, then have hands laid upon them tot the reception
of the Holy Ghost. They had authority to baptize, but they did not
always have authority to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost. Philip
went down to Samaria and preached the word of the Lord, and a great
many were baptized, but they did not receive the Holy Ghost, although
they believed in Jesus and were baptized. They could not receive that
gift until some one came down from Jerusalem, having authority, but
when Peter and John came down and laid their hands upon them, then the
Holy Ghost fell upon them. When people received this holy Spirit in
olden times, what were its effects upon them? We read here in the New
Testament that people had an inward witness that they were accepted of
God. That was the blessing every man and woman in the Church enjoyed
in olden times. It was no longer a matter of speculation; they had the
Comforter, the holy Ghost, the Spirit of the Lord, which revealed the
things of the Father and Son to them, and they could say like Peter,
"Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God." "God has revealed it
to me, and I know it. I am no longer in doubt. My faith has grown to
knowledge. I know that thou livest, I know that Christ is thy Son, and
I know that I am on the path which leads to thy presence." What else?
All those who received this spirit received the same spirit. They were
no longer Sectaries, Pharisees, Saducees, Essenes, Herodians, or of
any other sect; they were "all baptized by one spirit into one body,
whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free," and they had "one Lord, one
faith, one baptism and one hope of their calling." Hence you see one
of its effects was to make all see eye to eye. They were no longer
divided in their opinions in regard to these matters, but were united,
seeing alike and understanding alike. Now, some will say it is
impossible for people of differently constructed minds to see and know
alike. Why? If they will only reflect a little, they will see that
this is not the case. How many people will dispute that five times
four make twenty? Is there anybody that disputes that? In that case
all people understand alike. And so in regard to any of the principles
of mathematics when understood. Now, if we can agree in regard to
these things, why not in regard to spiritual things? If we are all
influenced by the same spirit, why should we not see eye to eye? There
is a day to come when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord as the waters cover the sea, and when no one shall need say to
his neighbor, 'Know ye the Lord,' for all shall know him from the
least to the greatest." All shall see and comprehend alike, being
baptized by one spirit and having the glorious boon of the holy Ghost,
the Comforter, which reveals the things of God, and makes them plain
to the human mind. The gifts of the spirit are enumerated by St. Paul,
in the 12th chapter of Corinthians. "To one," he says, "is given the
word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge; to another faith; to
another the gifts of healing; to another the working of miracles,"
etc—different gifts to different persons, all by the same spirit. What
else? "Why," says the Apostle Paul, "the fruit of the spirit is love,
joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance." These are some of the fruits of the spirit, and according
to the amount of the outpouring of that spirit upon the different
individuals, [p.93] so will be their possession of these various gifts
internally and externally. If a man having the holy Ghost prays that
he might have the gift of tongues, and sets his heart upon it, he will
get it. What! in this age of the world? Why, certainly, if the holy
Ghost has not changed.

Vol. 22, p.93
"Oh," says one, "I do not believe in any such thing. There is no
revelation now-a-days. There is no administration of angels; that is
all visionary, all nonsense. There is no prophesying now-a-days by the
gift of the holy Ghost; there is no communion with the Eternal Father
now. Jesus Christ has been shut out from the gaze of men for
centuries, and they will not see his face again? Why do people talk in
that way? Because the holy Ghost has ceased to work among the children
of men. Hundreds of sects and thousands of preachers, but no holy
Ghost. Hosts of men claiming to be sent, but not one of them with
authority from the Almighty. Trained to be preachers, paid to be
preachers, desiring to be preachers, but no communion with the
heavens, and therefore no authority from God. In fact they have
repudiated the very idea of such a thing, and a man who declares that
he has communion with the heavens and authority from God simply gets
laughed at, and the cry is "Away with him, he is an imposter, let him
be put to death," just as they did in the days of Jesus and in the
days of the old Prophets.

Vol. 22, p.93
Now in our own time, in the generation in which we live, a young man
came forth bearing testimony that he had had a vision in which he
beheld the Father and the Son; and the Lord told him that the world
had gone astray and that the time was near at hand when the Gospel
should be restored in all its fullness, attended by all its ancient
power, gifts and blessings. Afterwards he testified that divine beings
had come down from on high and ordained him to the authority which
they held when they were men in the flesh. He testified that John the
Baptist the same who baptised Jesus, came and ordained him to the same
Priesthood that he held, and sent him as a forerunner to prepare a
people before the second coming of the Redeemer. Afterwards he
testified that Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the
Apostleship in early times, came and ordained him to the same
Apostleship which they held, and sent himforth to administer in the
same way that they were authorized to administer when they were in the
flesh. What was the consequence? All the world was turned against him,
and particularly men professing to be ministers of the Gospel. "All
such things," they said, "are done away with, do not listen to him, he
is a vile impostor." Bat in spite of this he bore his testimony, and
people who had been looking for the restoration of the everlasting
Gospel received his ministry. His words penetrated their hearts; they
repented, were baptized, and had hands laid upon them for the
reception of the Holy Ghost. But did they get the Holy Ghost? So they
say. They testified to having received the various gifts—the gift of
tongues, the interpretation of tongues, prophecy, etc.; the lame were
made to walk; the ears of the deaf were unstopped; the eyes of the
blind were opened. They say, "I know that Jesus is the Christ; I know
that Peter's testimony is true, and I know that this man, who is cast
out as an impostor, is a Prophet of God; the Holy Ghost [p.94] so
testifies to me. I am not dependent upon his testimony. God, my
Father, has revealed this to me, and I know it." The work went on. Men
were ordained with the same authority and went to the different
nations, and wherever they went the saute effects followed—Jew or
Gentile, bond or free, Scandinavian or German, Italian or French,
English, Scotch, Welsh or Irish, all received this testimony; were
baptized into the same spirit, and received the same gifts. This is
why we are here dwelling together in these mountain valleys. We have
all received the same Gospel, the same testimony. Our testimony to all
the world is we know that God lives; we know that Jesus is the Son of
God; we know that the atonement was wrought out for us and all the
world who will receive it; we know that we have received a remission
of our sins; we know that the Lord has brought us up out of the miry
clay and placed our feet upon a rock and put a new song in our mouths
of everlasting praise to God and the Lamb. We are all looking forward
to the second coming of Jesus, and the time is not far distant when he
shall come and reign from pole to pole and from shore to shore. He
will come to take vengeance on those that know not God, and obey not
the Gospel; to cleanse the earth as with the besom of destruction, and
to subdue all things to himself.

Vol. 22, p.94
Well, what did they do with this young man who bore this testimony
that the Gospel in all its ancient purity and power had been restored
to the earth? What did they do with him? They hunted him from place to
place, from city to city, persecuting him on the right hand and on the
left. So-called ministers of the Gospel preached all manner of
falsehoods against him. They stirred up the populace against him, and
time and time again he was taken by wicked hands and cast into prison.
Some forty-nine times he was accused of various crimes, but no
conviction could be had. At last they got him into Carthage jail. A
guard was placed around the prison to make his friends believe that he
was safe, and just as soon as this idea was established, the mob with
their faces blackened burst into the prison and slew the Prophet and
his brother Hyrum, who died for the truth and for the testimony of
Jesus, the last words the Prophet was heard to say were, "O Lord, my
God."

Vol. 22, p.94
Joseph Smith, a Prophet of God, was rejected of men like unto the
ancient Prophets. He came to a wicked and perverse generation. He came
to a people who bad turned away from God and followed after the ways
of men. He came to a people who worshiped God with their lips, while
their hearts were far from him. He came to a people who loved darkness
rather than light, and therefore they did the deeds of others who were
in the same position in previous ages—they slew the Prophet of God.
His blood stains the soil of Illinois, and of the United States, his
blood smokes up to God with the blood of Abel, and with the blood of
all the martyrs, and will be laid at the door of a wicked and corrupt
generation; for although all did not imbrue their hands in his blood,
yet they consented to the deed and were ready to say, "served him
right, we are glad he is out of the way." The same spirit is
manifested toward our leaders to-day. The world would like to see them
slaughtered too. What harm did Joseph Smith ever do the world. He bore
testimony of  these things to those who [p.95] professed to believe in
this book (the Bible) and who hug it to their bosoms and sing:

"Holy Bible, book divine,
Precious treasure thou art mine,"

And they rejected the very truths contained in that book, that this
utah, a Prophet of the Lord, proclaimed by the power of the Holy
Ghost.

Vol. 22, p.95
We Latter-day Saints have gathered from all parts of the world to
these valleys of the mountains, occupying a country north, south, east
and west, for about 500 miles. Christ said that one of the signs of
his coming would be that "this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the
cud come." This Gospel is being preached as a witness unto all nations
and the end is approaching. What else did he say in connection with
this "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one
end of heaven to the other." Isaiah saw them coming "as a cloud and as
the doves to their windows;" and through him the Lord has said, "I
will say to the north, give up, and to the south keep not back: bring
my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." We
have come from the nations of the earth to the tops of the mountains
to erect a house to the God of Jacob, that we may learn of his ways
and walk in his paths. God once more speaks to men on the earth; Jesus
Christ has revealed himself, and the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the
spirit of truth, makes manifest the things of the Father and of the
Son. "The Lord shall suddenly come to his temple," and we partake of
this sacrament to keep us in remembrance of this and to prepare
ourselves, for the day is near at hand.

Vol. 22, p.95
I bear my testimony to you, my brethren, sisters and friends, in all
sincerity and soberness, before God and the angels, the heavens and
the earth, that I know this work is true. I am not dependent upon
another person for this knowledge. I know for myself I have received
this Gospel in my heart; I have obeyed its ordinances; I have received
of its spirit: I know that God lives. I know that this work will roll
on. I know that the Gospel will be preached to every creature. I know
that the honest and truth-loving, who dare meet the frowns of men, who
dare face popular opinion, will come out from the sects and parties of
the earth and from the different nations and countries, and be
baptized into this Church and receive the Holy Ghost, and thus be
drawn near to God, and prepared for the advent of the Lord. They will
come from all parts of the earth. This work will roll on. No
government, or kingdom, or power, or president, or ruler, or monarch,
can stop its progress. It is not the work of man. It is the work of
the great God. People marvel how it is this people can be brought
together in hundreds and thousands, and be so united. They think they
are under the influence of some scheming men, and that we are in a
state of bondage. It is all nonsense and folly. The power that binds
us together is the power of the Holy Ghost, the power of the
Comforter, the power of the spirit of revelation. This power is in our
hearts. The union that binds us together is brought about by the same
power that binds together the waters of the great sea. This sea of
humanity, composed of people of all nations, has been acted upon by
[p.96] the power and gift of the Holy Ghost. That is where our unity
comes in; it is our obedience to law and to truth, not to man. People
very much mistake the character of the Latter-day Saints, if they
think we are a lot of serfs. We have come out from amongst the various
nations against the opposition of our friends and kindred and stood up
for the right. We have crossed the great deep and traversed the broad
plains for our religion. When I crossed the ocean, it took thirty days
to accomplish the voyage, and thirteen weeks to cross the plains. I am
the only one of my family who received the Gospel. I came here because
I knew it was true and that I might learn more of the ways of God. I
came to throw in my lot with the people of God for life or for death,
for time and for eternity, with all my powers bodily, mental, physical
and spiritual. In giving my testimony I merely speak the testimony of
hundreds and thousands that inhabit these mountain valleys.

Vol. 22, p.96
Well, now we are here, what do we intend to do? We will find out the
law of God as fast as we can and by the help of God we will live it.
We will try to carry this Gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth,
east, west, north and south. We are willing to go any number of miles
to any nation, bearing our own expenses generally. What for? To preach
this Gospel, and bear testimony that God has spoken from the heavens.
But some may say, "You are a very bad people. You marry many wives and
are raising up a host of children." Well, we are no worse than the
father of the faithful, Abraham, the friend of God, and if you do not
like men who have more wives than one, I am very much afraid that when
you get to the gates of the holy city, the New Jerusalem, on which
will be inscribed the names of twelve men who were the sons of four
women by one man—and if you should pass through the gates into the
celestial city, and find Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
God, with their wives and children as the beginning of their
everlasting glory and dominion, that you will say, "I want to go
somewhere else I let me get out of this city, it is inhabited by
polygamists."

Vol. 22, p.96
Before I sit down let me say, my friends that those in this community
who have married more wives than one have done so from pure motives.
But some people cannot comprehend that. This generation is so corrupt
and so licentious that some cannot understand how a man can marry one
wife from pure motives. Now if you can understand the feelings and
motives with which a virtuous man marries the wife of his youth, "for
better or worse," then you can comprehend the motives of the
Latter-day Saints when they marry more wives, for the same promptings
that actuated them in the first place, actuate them in the next. God
Almighty has given us a revelation concerning this matter. We marry
our wives under divine direction and diviner sanction, and under the
same holy Priesthood which has power to administer baptism for the
remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and "whatsoever it shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven: and whatsover it shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven." I have no time, however, to dwell on this subject, but I will
just say that our marriage is celestial marriage for time and all
eternity—like that with  which Adam was married to Eve in the Garden
of Eden when they were [p.97] immortal beings, and when there was no
one to unite them but God. Christ died also for them and though they
were divided by death they will come forth and be united again as
glorious resurrected beings. As our hymn says:

"Come to me; here are Adam and Eve at the head,
Of a multitude quickened and raised from the dead;
Here are worlds that have been, and the worlds yet to be;
Here's eternity—endless: Amen. Come to me."

Vol. 22, p.97
After that pattern are we married for time and all eternity, and we
expect when we come up in the resurrection of the just, if we have
been worthy, to receive our wives to our bosoms, and our children to
the family circle; that they will be the beginning of our exaltation
and glory; that then the blessing of Abraham pronounced upon us shall
be fulfilled, and of our increase there shall be no end. The Lord will
multiply our seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is
upon the sea shore. And when we enter this holy order of marriage,
whether it be with one or two, or more wives, we marry in this order
and in the fear of God, and under the direction of his spirit and for
holy purposes, and not for the gratification of lust, and those that
say we do are either very much mistaken or they wilfully lie. There
are people who are constantly and persistently lying about us, but of
them I do not wish to speak for fear that I should get angry. and I
feel too happy to reflect upon them. I rejoice in knowing that my sins
have been washed away by the blood of Christ, through obedience to his
commandments. I rejoice in knowing that the Holy Ghost is in my heart
and guides footsteps; that I can call upon God and receive an answer
to my prayers; and that I know he loves to hear and answer the prayers
of his servants. I bear this testimony to you this afternoon, and as a
servant of the Lord I say to all who have not obeyed the Gospel, in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by authority of the holy
Priesthood, repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all who are afar off, even as many as the Lord our
God shall call, and if you reject this testimony and commandment and
love darkness rather than light, you must give an account therefore in
the great, day of judgment.

Vol. 22, p.97
May God bless this congregation, and fill his Saints with his holy
Spirit continually, that we may roll on the glorious work of God, and
that we may live for the truth, and if necessary die in its defense.
May peace and blessing be multiplied upon you, through Jesus Christ.
Amen. [p.98]

George Q. Cannon, July 25, 1880

Office of the Holy Spirit—Equality Produced By the Gospel—The Evil
 of Class Distinctions—Danger of Worldly-Mindedness—Riches Alone
 not Productive of True Happiness—A Contrite Heart Necessary
—Should Be An Increase of Spiritual Gifts—Word of Wisdom
—The Return to Jackson County

Delivered in the 14th Ward Meeting House,
Sunday Evening, July 25, 1880.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.98
While I was sitting here today, a portion of the record of Alma
suggested itself to my mind, which I will read, as found recorded in
the 4th chapter of the Book of Alma—(new edition).

Vol. 22, p.98
[The speaker then read the greater portion of the 4th chap.]
Continuing he said:

Vol. 22, p.98
I should not attempt to get on my feet to speak to you my own
thoughts, or my own feelings, or that which my own spirit would
suggest. I have had sufficient experince in my life to know that for a
man to impart profitable instruction unto his fellow creatures in the
capacity of a teacher of the things of God, he must have the aid of
the Spirit of God. Without that he cannot impart that which will be of
permanent profit to any one. I know it is the privilege of a people
situated as we are to know the mind and will of the Lord concerning
us, and also when we come into an assemblage of this character to
receive the instruction which is adapted to the circumstances of each
particular individual, and that is the office of the spirit. I cannot
tell your feelings. I do not know your hearts. There may be secret
sorrows, there may be griefs, there may be doubts, there may be many
things that oppress you in your feelings, of which I am entirely
ignorant. But the Spirit knoweth the things of God. God knoweth our
hearts and his all-piercing eye can penetrate the inmost recesses of
our hearts, and every thought, every secret is known to him, and he
call, through the aid of his holy Spirit, impart to each one that
portion of strength, of comfort, of light which each soul may need to
strengthen it on its onward journey in the path which God our Father
has marked out for us to pursue, and unless a meeting of this kind is
attended, with these effects, to me it is exceedingly unsatisfactory.
When I go as a listener, I desire to go to meeting to be fed, to go
away from the meeting with a feeling that I have received that which
will be a benefit to me in my life, in the acts of my life, and so
also if I speak.

Vol. 22, p.98
The position of the Latter-day Saints in this respect is different
from that of every other people which [p.99] I know of on the face of
the earth. We profess to serve God. We profess to have received from
him blessings as the result of our obedience to his commandments. We
profess to live by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God,
and we believe that this is a time when God speaks in various ways to
his children, manifesting his mind and will to them, and that it is
not with us as with other people who are dependent upon that which is
written, dependant upon the Bible for the food and nutriment necessary
to strengthen them. We depend upon the revelations of God to us. In
this respect our position is different from that of every other people
which I am acquainted with, and of course, this being our position, it
is of the utmost importance to carry out the principles which we
believe in, that we should live in such a manner as to have the mind
and will of the Lord made manifest to us. How is this mind and will
communicated? By what means is the mind and will of the Father made
manifest unto the children of men? There are various ways. One is—he
has placed in his Church officers whose duty it is to instruct the
Church. Yet this does not relieve the members of the Church from their
responsibility. It is for the members of the Church also to so live
that when they are taught and counseled, when instruction is given
unto them, that they shall be able to know whether that instruction
and counsel be from God or not. This is the privilege of every
individual, and there is no person, however humble, who is a member of
the Church, who should be destitute of this spirit of which I speak,
this light and this intelligence. God our Eternal Father is the Father
of us all. The relationship which exists between us and him is not
confined to a small portion of the human family, but it is the same
with all of us; every individual who is within the walls of this horse
to-night, occupies I may say precisely the same relationship to our
Father in one sense. Not that all have the same responsibility, not
that all are required to perform the same duties; but all occupy the
same position of children, and our Father in heaven is our father, the
Being whom we worship. As God is the father of us all, we trace our
descent from him, our children trace their descent from him, they are
as much his children as we are his children, and I often think in my
association with my own children that I would just as soon hurt the
feelings of a grown person as I would one of my children. I think in
one respect they are my equal, though I occupy the relationship of
father to them; and so I feel towards all. Now, the Gospel produces
this sense of equality. There could be no slavery where the Gospel is
taught in its fullness and in its perfection. There could be no
distinction where the Gospel is practised. You read here—or rather I
have read for you—in this record which has come down to us, that when
the principles of the Gospel were practised among the people of this
land, they were equal to a very great extent; but when they began to
violate the principles of the Gospel, their inequality manifested
itself. Some were lifted up in pride, some looked with scorn upon
their poor brethren and sisters. Classifications arose in society
which had their origin not in virtue, not in holiness, not in purity,
not in any superiority arising from intelligence, but because some
were richer than others, some could dress better than others, some
could have [p.100] better surroundings than others, doubtless dwelt in
finer houses, better furnished, and they were better clad, and had
probably finer and nicer food. Distinctions of this kind grew up not
out of the Gospel, but out of the violation of the principles of the
Gospel. Wherever the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is taught, it
produces, as I have said, this sense of equality, it makes the man who
may know and understand the things of God feel that he is no better
than his fellow man, and the woman who understands the things of God
feel that she is no better than her sister. If this sentiment were
practiced among us, it would produce the results we find that Alma
sought to produce among the people, and which he did produce by the
preaching of the word, as recorded in the subsequent verses to those
which I read. He went forth preaching the word as he found it the most
effectual means, as described by the historian, of checking the evils
that were growing among the people. It would be so among us in a while
if it were not for the preaching of the word of God, and with the
preaching of the word, with all the faith, all the zeal, and all the
power which our leaders are capable of exercising, it needs it all to
repress these inclinations and these tendencies. There is something in
the human heart of that character that when human beings are
prospering they are apt to be lifted up in pride and to forget the
cause or the source of their prosperity; they are apt to forget God,
who is the fountain of all their blessings, and to give glory to
themselves: It requires a constant preaching of the Word; of God, a
constant pleading with the people, a constant outpouring of the Spirit
of God upon the people to bring them to a true sense of their real
condition. With all the experience the Latter-day Saints have had, who
is there among us that cannot perceive this tendency? Why, it is
constantly bringing itself into notice: It becomes in some instances
quite offensive, because those who are humble feel the effects of it.
Those who ate poor, needy and destitute, not gifted with ability to
accumulate the things of this world, feel it, and very frequently
their hearts are grieved because of it. There is this tendency we have
to contend with as a people and as individuals, and it is something we
should constantly bear in mind, that God has sent us here and given
unto us a mission on the earth, not to accumulate riches, not to
become worldly-minded, not to pile up the things of this world which
are perishable, to the injury of ourselves or to our detriment in our
progress in the things of the kingdom of God. Is it right that we
should take care of ourselves as a people and as individuals?
Certainly. Is it right that we should be prudent, that we should take
care of those gifts and blessings which God has given unto us, that we
should husband our resources, that we should be economical, and not
extravagant? Certainly; this is right, this is proper, we should be
culpable if we were not so. But with this there is also something else
required, and that is, to keep constantly in view that the management
and care of these things is not the object that God had in sending us
here, that is not the object of our probation. God has shown unto this
people repeatedly—and there is scarcely an individual member of the
Church who has not had experience in it—that he can give and he can
take away. I have in my mind now many  instances where men of wealth
[p.101]—comparatively wealthy at least—have joined this Church, and it
seemed as though there was a succession of events after they joined
the Church, to deprive them of all they had, to test their faith
apparently, but to show them that God did not give men means for the
purpose of placing their affections upon them, and then, after they
were stripped, he has, in many instances, begun to bless them again,
and allowed them to have means in greater abundance than ever they had
before. He has done so with this people. We have been stripped of our
property, reduced to the last extremity for food and for other
necessary comforts, and yet God has multiplied upon us these blessings
when he has sent us food, and we have had abundance. But the happiness
of a people does not consist in the abundance of worldly things, that
is, the abundance of food or of raiment, or of houses, carriages,
horses, and costly apparel. It is true that if we are relieved from
the pressure of want, if we have the wherewith to supply our
necessities, we feel better, we feel a relief that we do not feel when
ground down by poverty. But happiness is not entirely dependent upon
these circumstances, as doubtless many of my brethren and sisters have
proved. I have proved it myself to my entire satisfaction. I have been
in reduced circumstances; been on missions when I did not know where
to get a mouthful to eat; turned away by the people who dare not
entertain me because of the anger that was kindled against us. I could
stand by and weep, being a boy and away from all my friends. But I,
nevertheless, was happy, I never enjoyed myself in my life as I did
then. I know that happiness does not consist in the possession of
worldly things. Still it is a great relief when people can have the
means necessary for the support of themselves and families. If they
possess these things and the Spirit of God with them, they are
blessed. But the Lord requires of us different things in this day to
what he did in ancient days. I often think of it.

Vol. 22, p.101
There is a great deal of inequality among us as a people, not so great
as described by the writer in the book of Alma, but still there is a
great deal of inequality among us, a great deal of pride and more
disunion than there should be. This people are not united as they
should be. There are many things existing among us that should be
uprooted and not have an existence in our midst. And what is the
reason that these things exist? The reason is to be found in our
neglect of the principles we have espoused. The Lord requires all his
people in these days to bring unto him a sacrifice. In olden times,
before the coming of the Lord Jesus, we read in the Bible that the
people brought their offerings of oxen, of sheep, of fowls of various
kinds. These were burnt offerings, they were sacrifices, the blood of
animals flowed, and the sins of the people apparently were remitted by
their obedience to these requirements. But the Lord has said
respecting us, that the offering he requires at our hands is a broken
heart and a contrite spirit. Let me ask you—and in asking you—I ask
myself—do you, when you go unto the Lord, bring this offering, or do
you go to God without asking him in this spirit and in this manner? If
you go to the Lord with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, he will
show to you all your faults, and all your weaknesses, he will bring
plainly before you wherein you have come short in doing his will,
[p.102] and when yes see yourself in the light of that spirit instead
of being filled with pride, you will feel to abase yourselves and
bring yourselves down in the very dust of humility; your own
unworthiness will be so plain before you, that if pride should come
into your heart at any time, you will almost be shocked at it, and you
will feel to put it away from you. It is in this way that we as
Latter-day Saints should live. There is enough taught to us in the
Bible, in the Book of Mormon, in the Doctrine and Covenants, and by
our leaders from time to time, to guide us into the presence of God
Our Heavenly Father. We should be the most humble people on the face
of the earth. Why? Because God in communicating to us the knowledge of
our weakness and faults, will give us humility. We should be the most
thankful people upon the earth. Why? Because owing to the abundance of
God's goodness and mercy to us, and realizing it as we should do, it
will fill us with a thankfulness that words could not express; our
hearts would overflow with extreme gratitude to the Lord our God for
the blessings that we enjoy. Under these circumstances should there be
any murmuring? Not any. Should we find fault with our condition and
our circumstances Certainly not, if we are living the religion which
God has revealed to us. Should there be any quarrelling or
fault-finding? No; because where the Spirit of God exists there is no
disposition of this character. There is a manifestation to suffer
wrong rather than to do wrong; not to revile, not to prosecute, not to
assail back when we are assailed. If a brother comes up to me, he is
in a bad temper, he says something that is annoying, and I lose my
temper and reply in the same spirit, do I do right? Certainly not.
However much the provocation may be, it is not my duty as a Latter-day
Saint, as a professed follower of Jesus Christ, to indulge in any such
feeling or expression. Well, but one may ask, have we to submit to
abuse? Yes, that is one of the requirements of the Gospel, that you
shall submit to abuse. Have we to submit to wrong? Yes, if somebody
attempts to wrong you, it is your duty as professed followers of Jesus
Christ to submit to that. Supposing I am struck, must I submit to a
blow? Yes, I must, or else I am not carrying out the principles of my
religion. Well, but suppose a person tells falsehoods concerning me,
assails me and reviles me, must I submit to this? Yes. Why? Because
the requirements of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ are that we
should do so, that we should not quarrel, that we should suffer evil
and wrong and pray for the person who does these things to us. This is
a hard lesson I know. Some men would think their children cowards
unless they would fight when they were struck. They teach their
children to strike back when struck, to resent attacks upon them.
Then, again, if one man calls another a liar, the first thing we know
the man is knocked down, and as a result of training he would be
considered unmanly if he did not resent the insult in this way. I am
very glad, however; that a change has taken place in this respect.
There must be changes of this kind among us. If a man forgets himself
so far as to call his brother a liar, or any other offensive name,
there. should be enough of the Spirit of God and the spirit of
patience and the  spirit of self-respect left in the brother to bear
the insult without resenting in the same spirit. Would [p.103] this
make us pusillanimous? Would this make us a people devoid of spirit?
Certainly not; there is plenty of room for the exercising of all the
spirit we have in coping with the difficulties we have in life without
exercising it in that manner, without expending it in senseless
quarrels. If we have this spirit to which I have alluded, this meek,
humble, broken and contrite spirit, will it not, produce union? Yes,
it will, it will produce union and love, and I wish to say to all who
are here to-night, that it is the duty of every man and woman in this
Church to live at peace with him and herself, and then to live at
peace with everybody else, husbands with wives, wives with husbands,
parents with children, children with parents, brothers with sisters
and sisters with brothers; this is the duty that God requires at our
hands. I am speaking now of something which is not an abstract theory,
that cannot be carried out; I am speaking of that which can be carried
out, which every one of us can carry out, and of results which can be
accomplished in the midst of this people.

Vol. 22, p.103
The feeling has grown upon me, and is growing upon me every day, that
as a people we do not live up to our privileges. We do not have the
knowledge of the things of God that we should have. There is not that
amount of revelation enjoyed by us which there should be. The gifts of
the spirit are not manifest to the extent they should be. Is there
revelation? Yes, I know that and can testify of it. Are there gifts,
are there blessings enjoyed by the people? Yes, I am convinced of it.
Are there manifestations of the goodness and the power of God among
this people? I am satisfied that there axe manifestations of this
kind. The sick are healed. The mind and will of the Lord is
communicated to the people, but it is not to that extent, that it
should be considering our circumstances, and considering the length of
time the Church has been organized. Who is there that is not conscious
of this. Ask yourselves, each of you, "Have I the knowledge of the
things of God that I should have? Does the Spirit of God bear
testimony to me and warn me and teach me as it should do?" Let each
one ask himself and herself this question. Now, if we live as we
should, there is no event of any importance that could occur but we
would have some intimation respecting it; we would be prepared for it,
we would be prepared for every public event that affected us, every
private event, everything of this character that could occur to us
that would affect us in the least degree would be known by us at the
very time. The Spirit of God with its monitions would say to us, "If
you pursue that path there is danger, you may lose your life, you may
meet with some accident." Mothers would have the teachings of the
spirit respecting their children, and how to take care of them, and
fathers also respecting their families. I am not talking about
something which is entirely beyond our reach and is impossible for us
to receive. I am speaking of something which is within the reach of
all of us to a greater or less extent. Some are gifted in one
direction and some in another. But all who belong to this Church and
have taken the course which God has pointed out, and have humbled
themselves in obedience to the commandments of God, and endeavored to
carry out these commandments, have this promise made unto them, that
they will be taught of the Lord.

Vol. 22, p.104
If there is one desire that I have as an individual greater than
[p.104] another, it is that I may so live as to have the blessing, and
next that you, this Church, this people, may so live as to, have the
same. I would not have those gifts unless somebody else had them, for
I have learned in my life that when one man is blessed more than his
fellows, temptation comes in, prides comes in, and the adversary is
apt to suggest to him that he is so much better than his fellowmen.
Therefore, if I wanted to have any great gifts from the Lord, I never
have felt—and I do not think I ever shall, I certainly will not with
my present state of feeling—to have these myself, I would like
somebody else to have them also. I would not want to be the richest
man in the community; t would not want to be the most gifted, the most
prominent or the most honored in any respect. I would want others to
share in these blessings. Then I would have less fear concerning the
effect of them upon myself. When I am blessed I want to see the
Latter-day Saints blessed, I want to see the people of God receive the
gifts of God, and enjoy them so that we shall all grow, increase and
develop together.

Vol. 22, p.104
I noticed when I was very young in the Church, that men who were
greatly gifted of the Lord and had many manifestations, were the men
who apostatized; with the exception of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
nearly every one was overthrown. I suppose the reason of it was that
they were lifted up in pride and allowed the adversary to take
advantage of them. I would like well enough to see these gifts and
blessings multi plied among us and upon us, that as a people we should
have dreams and visions and manifestations of the Spirit; but there is
one thing that we have all got to be very careful about, and that is
this: I have seen Elders in my experience that when they got their own
spirit moved very much they imagined that it was the Spirit of God,
and it was difficult in some instances to tell the difference between
the suggestions of their own spirit and the voice of the spirit of
God. This is a gift of itself, to be able to distinguish that which
suggests itself to our own hearts and that which comes from God. And
we are misled sometimes by our own feeling, because of our inability
to distinguish between the voice of the Spirit of God and the
suggestions of our own spirit. There is a still, small voice in the
heart of every human being. There is an influence comes with every son
and daughter of Adam that is born into the world. What! Outside of the
Latter-day Saints? Certainly, I told you in the beginning that we are
all the children of God. There is an influence born with every person
that to a certain extent is a spirit of revelation. Hence you will
frequently find it the case—probably some of you adults have
experienced it, when you joined the Church, that this influence told
you what proved to be true. Brother Woodruff, here, I have heard him
tell, in his experience, how he was led before he joined the Church by
this influence, how it operated upon his mind until it was brought in
contact with the truth. I have heard a number of others relate the
same thing, and if they received the truth this influence increased
with them, but if they rejected the truth, if they refused to receive
the testimony of the servants of God, the light that was in them
became darkness, and as the Savior said, how great is that darkness! I
 proclaim it as a truth, that when a man or a woman enters into this
Church and is baptized, repents of his or her [p.105] sins, humbles
himself and herself in the depth of humility before the Lord,
determined with His help to forsake their sins, to put them away from
them, I say, when a man or a woman comes to the Lord in that spirit
and lives so that the Holy Ghost will rest upon them, that there will
be no event of any importance from that time forward but what they
will have some intimation respecting it, some premonition, and they
will walk in the light, some to a greater extent than others, because
some are more gifted than others, sonic live in such a manner as to
have this developed within them to a greater extent. But if they
continue to cultivate this spirit, to live in the light of it, it will
become a principle of unfailing revelation to them.

Vol. 22, p.105
Is this your privilege? Certainly it is. It is also the privilege of
children, boys and girls, young men and young women, middle-aged and
aged to enjoy this. It is not confined to any one in particular, to
any sex to any particular position in life, but it is extended to all.
It is the design of God that it should be so. But it is dim within us
because of the generations of unbelief and wickedness of heart which
have existed. We have inherited a great amount of unbelief from our
fathers; it has come down to us. The heavens have been as brass over
the heads of the people, and there has been a spirit of unbelief which
has excluded the revelations of Jesus and the manifestations of the
Spirit of God.

Vol. 22, p.105
Fifty years ago this Church was organized. There are men and women who
have been fifty years in the Church, some who have been forty years, a
great many thirty years, a still greater number twenty years. Is it
not time, then, after all we have heard, and all we know concerning
these things, that some of this unbelief should disappear and more of
that love be exhibited which draws us nearer to God and places us in
closer communion with Him? Is it not time that this should be the case
with our children? Why, it seems to me so, and I have no doubt it is
so. And yet there is much room for improvement in these things.

Vol. 22, p.105
There is one thing above all others which strikes me with astonishment
when I think about it among our people. A great many years ago, the
Lord gave what is called the "Word of Wisdom" to us as a people. It is
a thing I very rarely allude to. I never drank tea or coffee in my
life, I never drank liquor, I never used tobacco, and I have
endeavored to keep the Word of Wisdom. It is no credit to me, my
parents instilled it into me. I never allude to it in public speaking.
I never allude to it in my family. I have set the example and allowed
them to follow it, and they have done so, most of them. But when I
think about it, when I see our people, after what God has said upon
rids subject, after the plain manner in which he has spoken to us and
told us what would be the result of the observance of certain laws,
deliberately day after day flying in the face of the counsel which God
has given unto us in that Word of Wisdom, I get exceedingly amazed and
I wonder how it is that God bears with us. It is a grievous thing to
trifle with that promise, and with the many promises which are
connected with that promise and with the many promises which are
connected with the Word of Wisdom. We see young men learning to drink
liquor, to smoke and chew tobacco, [p.106] and acquiring this habit
and the other habit which is expressly forbidden, or at least that
counsel is given respecting, which ought to be more binding because it
comes with an appeal to us—it appeals to our sense of right that a
commandment does not, because a commandment comes with strict
injuctions which leaves no alternative but to obey; but this is a word
of counsel by a kind father, and He tells us that if we will observe
it, we shall have health, the destroyer shall not have power over us,
nor over our families, and that we shall have treasures of knowledge
and wisdom given to us. Supposing here are a good many young men that
belong to this Church, some of whom are very eager for
knowledge—reading books, studying, going to the University, imagining
that is the most direct and easy way to obtain it, and at the same
time these same young men, members of the Church, drinking their tea
and coffee and smoking their cigarettes. Does it not seem like a great
inconsistency for men and women to do these things? I proclaim to you
Latter-day Saints, that the Word of Wisdom is the word of God, that
those who obey it will receive every blessing which is promised in the
revelation, that they will have health, and that they will have power
and blessings which they cannot conceive of until they try it. It is a
simple thing, yet it shows how neglectful we are as a people. I
believe the time is not far distant when we shall have to be very
different from what we are in these respects. I with tell you what I
have sometimes thought: that the Lord is going to deal with us as he
did with the Israelites. They hardened their hearts against the Lord,
became careless and disobedient, and finally the Lord, in His wrath,
decreed that none of them, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua,
should enter the promised land. The words that are used are very
expressive. Their carcasses were to fall in the wilderness, all over a
certain age. But the Lord spared the little ones. He raised up a new
generation and led them to the promised land. We have the same promise
that some will be left to go back to the promised land, and I feel
satisfied it will be fulfilled. But would it not be better for us all
to exercise faith and do right, that we might all receive the
fulfilment of this promise? Certainly. There were times in our lives
when we felt that we would do anything for the sake of the spirit we
had received. Is there any person in this Church, in this room
to-night who has not seen the time in his or her life—if they have had
any experience—when they would sacrifice anything to be in possession
of the Spirit of God. Every one who has joined this Church of any age
and experience knows this to be the case. There is a sweetness to be
experienced in receiving the Spirit of God, that is preferable to
everything else in life. Every one should be in possession of this
spirit. If you do not have it, let me say to you, do not rest till you
get it. I do not believe in the sectarian style of doing things,
neither do you; but there are some things exceedingly necessary for
all to do whether they belong to this Church or not, and that is to
look at their lives and examine and see wherein they have come short,
and repent and humble themselves before the Lord, and get a re-newal
of His Holy Spirit. Of course people who do not belong to this Church
are not likely to take this course; yet in the sectarian world they
feel the necessity of revival. [p.107] As a people we should live day
by day so as to have the spirit of God resting upon us.

Vol. 22, p.107
I have great pleasure in testifying to you of my own experience in
these matters. I have been away now for some eight or ten years, more
than half of my time from the Church; alone, so to speak; I have not
had the advantages of other Elders, because they are visiting among
the various branches. I therefore can appreciate these things which I
perhaps would not appreciate if I had been constantly in the society
of the Saints. I sometimes regret this; I feel that I have not the
advantages my brethren have; but I have no doubt the Lord makes up for
it in other ways. I have proved to my entire satisfaction, that God is
willing to reveal Himself to His servants under all circumstances, to
make his mind and will plain to them, and I have had to live in that
way while I have been gone. Circumstances have sometimes been of such
a nature that I could not see what to do by my own wisdom; but I have
never yet—and I do not say this from vanity at all, I say it to
encourage you; I do not say it because I consider myself blessed above
you, but I say it because it is your privilege and because I would
like to stir you up to faith that you may receive those blessings of
God—I say there never has been a moment when I have been absent, but
what I have had shown to me what to do, what steps to take, what to
say and what not to say. It gives me great joy to bear testimony to
these things; and if there is one thing that I feel more thankful for
than another, it is that God has restored His Church, and that I have
the privilege of being a member of it. When Brother Erastus Snow was
speaking to-day, and when Brother Woodruff was speaking yesterday, I
could scarcely control myself. You heard how the Lord led the brethren
across these plains, and how when President Young saw this valley, he
said to Brother Woodruff, and afterwards to the brethren of the camp:
"Here is the place." Was there any doubt in his mind? No; the Lord had
revealed the place to him, he knew it for himself. I remember on one
occasion telling President Young, the first year we were here—I was
then quite a boy—that if we could only get bread and water I should
feel satisfied if we could only have peace. Well, we had peace. We
were not harassed; indeed a more peaceful time than we had when we
came into these valleys never was enjoyed by any people on the face of
the earth. President Young knew what the Lord would do. The Lord had
revealed it to him, and described many things which have not yet
occurred. Is not this precious?—to have the word of the Lord, to know
we are led by the inspiration of the Almighty. It is one of the
greatest blessings that a people can enjoy. Ever since the Church was
organized, we have been led by revelation. And who has been misled by
it People have always prospered who have listened to the voice of the
Shepherd. It was so in the days of Joseph, it was so in the days of
President Young, it is so to-day under President Taylor, and it will
be so to the end. The Lord has stretched forth his hand to accomplish
his purposes, and it will not be withdrawn until all is fulfilled. We
shall not be destitute of the voice of revelation. We may do a great
many things contrary to the mind and will of God, for which [p.108] he
will chastise us and scourge us, if necessary; but he will not
withdraw His Priesthood from us, and his voice will not cease to be
heard; it will be given unto those of his servants who live for it,
and they will know the mind and will of God for this people.
Persecution may go on. People may say we have not the gifts; but the
Lord will not leave us; he has not left us; he will make of this
people a great nation; and there is no power upon the face of the
earth that, can arrest the progress of "Mormonism," as it is called by
the world, but which is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will
grow, increase and spread abroad as the Prophet Daniel saw it, until
it fills the whole earth. Some of you may get discouraged and say the
Lord delayeth His coming, and begin to get weak in faith because of
drunkenness and gambling in our midst, and say Zion is not going to be
redeemed because our enemies have got such power. But will that
prevent the redemption of Zion? No. The Lord is bringing us through
these circumstances. There was a time when we were driven by mobs, and
our faith was tried in various ways. It is necessary that there should
still be trials to test the faith of this people. There are no mobs
now, we do not have our houses burnt down now, or our cattle shot
down. But shall we be without trials? No. Why? Because it is
necessary—at least I accept it as necessary in the providence of
God—that there should be liquor saloons, etc., so that Latter-day
Saints who make so many professions can, if they want to drink beer
and get drunk, or go in and play billiards and gamble, or go to other
places that are worse—can do so. "But," says one, "I thought in coming
to Zion I was coming to a place of purity where none of these things
existed." If that had been the case how would you have been tried? It
is necessary you should be tried for a while in order to develop your
strength. We have to be brought in contact with the world, and we have
to show the world that there is something connected with our religion
which is enduring. Yet all these things have been a source of strength
to us. Why, says one, how can that be? Well, now, I am in a position
to know the feeling towards us. Our enemies have been trying to get
legislation against us. But some say, "what is the use of legislating
against the Mormons? If you will only let them alone, it will come all
right. The Catholics, the Episcopalians, the Methodists, the Baptists,
the infidels, have their meeting houses, school houses, and
newspapers, and have brothels, gambling houses, drinking saloons, and
milliner's shops, and you cannot imagine what a great work these
things are doing among the Mormons! The young people are growing up
and they do not want more wives than one. Why, it is as much as they
can do to keep one. The girls want fine millinery, fine dresses, fine
furniture. What is the use of resorting to unjust legislation when
these things are going on? When they get rid of their polygamy they
will be a good people." I have sometimes thought that in the
providence of God he suffers such things. At the same time it is
operating upon our own people. Our young men are led on to smoke, to
drink, and to do wrong. At the same time, trials are necessary; we
must be tested, and when  we emerge from these trials we will feel
better and stronger. Has the Lord forgotten Zion? Can a mother forget
[p.109] her nursing child? Can you mothers forget your nursing babies?
When you do, which is not very likely, then the Lord may forget Zion.
His eye is upon Zion. His hand is over this people. His hand has
overruled all things for the good of this people and their salvation.
Will Zion be redeemed? Yes. Will you be redeemed? That is for you to
say. Will I be redeemed? That is for me to say. We need have no fear
about the welfare of this work; we need not tremble and think there is
danger. Congress may pass daws, attempts may be made to overthrow this
work; but we need have no fears: Zion will be redeemed. Many will fall
by the wayside, really will lose their faith, many will be led away by
false and seducing spirits; but there will be those who will be saved
and exalted, and all of us who are here to-night have this privilege
if we will accept of it; we can be saved each of us and crowned with
glory in the presence of God and the Lamb. There is no provision to
exclude us; we are not predestined for damnation; we are predestined
to be saved if we will accept of the salvation offered. Therefore, in
the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, if we are not saved we cannot look
up and charge God with having done anything to prevent us, we will
have no one to blame but ourselves, and that will be our hell.

Vol. 22, p.109
I pray the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ, that we may all be saved
and exalted in the celestial kingdom. Let us live our religion, this
precious and holy religion, and let me say to you that if you have not
had the happiness of it lately, get the happiness that it produces,
and you will not exchange it for anything else in the world. It ought
to be a pearl of great price to all of us, and we ought to cherish it
more than we do our lives. Amen.

Erastus Snow, August 1, 1880

His Late Travels Through the South, Etc.

Delivered at Paris, Bear Lake, Saturday
Afternoon, August 7th, 1880.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.109
President Taylor referred in his remarks this morning to myself as
coming from the far South, and as traveling extensively through the
country; and I feel led in my feelings to make some remarks on the
south country, and also the north, and perhaps on some other portions
[p.110] of the country through which, I have traveled.

Vol. 22, p.110
Two years ago this summer I visited the greater portion of the
Territory of Arizona; that is, I, with others, passed through the
northwestern portions of the Territory, along near the eastern
boundaries, southward to the extreme southeastern portions of the
Territory, returning through Tucson; crossed the desert to the Gila,
then crossed Salt River and up through the Tonta Basin and over the
Nookboon to the Little Colorado, and obtained a very general
understanding of the country and the condition and facilities of the
Territory; and also the western portions of New Mexico. Last summer I
also visited the south part of Colorado; I passed along the line of
railroads from Ogden to Cheyenne, thence passing south through
Colorado, on the east side of the mountains to Denver, and thence to
Pueblo, on the Arkansas; thence southeast to the Rio Grande Del Nort,
and down that stream to the New Mexico line. It is in contemplation
that myself and a few other brethren will visit, during the coming
fall, the southeastern counties of this Territory—those new counties,
Emery and San Juan, which have been recently organized, and the lower
valleys on Grand River, and from Grand River to the San Juan and its
tributaries, and the settlements which our people are forming upon
those streams, and probably we shall extend our travels further into
New Mexico, and visit our new settlements on the head waters of the
Little Colorado, and the tributaries of the Gila, along the borders of
New Mexico and Arizona.

Vol. 22, p.110
The chief object of our visits is to learn the facilities of the
country, and to look after the flock of Christ, and also to hunt after
any that might have strayed away, and when found to try to gather them
to some fold, where we can place some shepherd over them who will
endeavor to feed them with the bread of life, and keep them from being
entirely lost, or torn by wolves. We shall visit the new settlements
as fast as practicable, and the older ones also, to labor among the
people according to our calling, to teach the people their duty, and
to organize them as shall be necessary, and to set in order all things
necessary for their development and growth, and to maintain the union
and fellowship of the Saints, and respect for the Gospel and the order
and government of His Church and Kingdom.

Vol. 22, p.110
There seems to be a necessity for the Latter-day Saints to gather
together, and then to scatter a little, and then to gather a little,
and so on; in other words, something after the fashion of the bees:
they go out of the hive empty and return with their legs and wings
laden with honey and bee bread. Now, if all cast do this, we shall
continue to thrive in the hive of Deseret; but if, on the other hand,
we scatter and waste and destroy the good we have, we had better
remain in the hive until we shall have learned our duty better.

Vol. 22, p.110
There is a tendency with some to want to get away from the restraint
of the Priesthood and the earnest teachings and admonitions of the
Gospel and the wholesome government that is maintained among the
Saints, in order to enjoy greater liberties, not greater liberties to
serve the Lord, for there is nobody in any-wise restricted. Some are
desirous of greater liberties than they think they enjoy among us in
occupying the country and getting possession of the land and
accumulating stock, and desire a greater range. Now, [p.111] this
feeling ought not to take possession of us too much, because if we
indulge it too much we are liable to become darkened on our mind
measurably, and lose the spirit of the Gospel. But when we are called
and sent out to labor, either to preach the Gospel in foreign
countries, or to gather the poor from distant lands, or sent to locate
in any distant place with a view of helping to establish towns and
villages and settlements, and building up and organizing and helping
to maintain good order and wholesome government, and to extend the
spirit of the Gospel—when we are called upon to assist in establishing
these new settlements, it is right that we should respond; it is as
legitimate labor as any other branch of labor in building the Church
and Kingdom of God upon the earth. But we ought to guard against a
restless spirit of changing locality merely for its own sake, and
moving to and fro in search of something better. This restless feeling
is not good, nor will it tend as a rule to happiness and permanent
good and prosperity to those who possess it. We are not all alike.
Some become attached to whatever place they call their home; wherever
they labor and build up a home they gather around them the comforts of
life, and feel settled in that place, and attached to their
surroundings; while others seem hard to settle down and make any place
seem like home for any length of time. To me this spirit has always
appeared strange, so contrary to my nature and disposition.
Notwithstanding, as has been remarked, I travel among the people as
much as, or more than any of my brethren of the Apostles of late
years—perhaps for the last twenty years —still my home has been in St.
George. Having had the care of the churches in the southern part of
the Territory, to a great extent, I have been obliged to travel a
great deal; but this has been from a sense of duty, and not because I
have felt tired of home and wanted to move about from place to place.
And I may add, that in all my travels, the thought of seeking a new or
better place for myelf or family has never entered my heart, no matter
how many good places I may find; it is for others and not myself; it
is to search out places where we can plant colonies of Latter-day
Saints, where the sons and daughters of the Saints who are growing up
in the older settlements, and who desire soon to spread out where they
can make homes and form new settlements, where we can plant nurseries
of Latter-day Saints. But it is not, as I said, to seek locations for
myself or for my own family, only such portions of them as ought to go
out and begin to operate for themselves, and make themselves homes. I
am not one of that shifting sort of men. The lot that was assigned to
me in Salt Lake City at the time the pioneers entered Salt Lake
Valley, I retained until I was sent to St. George, and then I
transferred it back to Pres. Young from whom I received it. I have
never felt to change since I located in St. George; and if I had been
located upon a barren rock, I would have packed soil enough to make a
beautiful home of it. And, by the way, I believe the home I have made
has cost me as much labor as if I had hauled the earth on to it. I
have had to manufacture a great deal of what is now there; and so I
may say it has been so with the greater part of our town and "Dixie"
County. Naturally to look at it, it was a very forbidding country when
we first settled there. We were not allured [p.112] to that region by
the green fields, the fine extensive meadows such as you have here.
The grass which we see upon the surrounding hills, inviting the flocks
and herds to eat, and the flowing crystal streams of pure water which
make music, sweet and enchanting to the car, as they wend their way
through your valleys to the lake beyond, is in marked contrast to the
natural facilities of our southern home. Why, if I were to tell you
half the truth, the most of you would never want to go south to live;
but we are not in the habit of picturing the unpleasant features of
the country, but rather of speaking the best we can about it, feeling
that we have need to do it. And there are some who have had faith
enough and stamina enough in them to speak well of the country, and
nothing short of faith and Mormon grit could do it; while we were
doing this we did not forget to ask the blessing of God upon the land,
and I need hardly say that it has been through His blessing that we
have been prospered and enabled to make beautiful homes out of the
once forbidding, sterile wastes.

Vol. 22, p.112
We were sent there to raise cotton when our nation was thrown into
anarchy through a civil war, and when it had become a question with
all Israel, "Shirts or no shirts?" It was shirts we were after; we
went to make cotton farms, and it was anything else but an inviting
cotton region. As I have said, no extensive fields made the eye glad,
but everything looked as though the whole country, had been thrown
together in an irregular broken manner. The water had to be raised
from the low channels in which it flowed, in quicksand bottoms by
means of long and expensive canals, in order to get it upon the bench
lands. But now through the blessing of the Lord, and hard knocks, we
have a very fine city, inhabited by a pretty good people. I will say,
however, that the country is not so very much changed from what it was
when we went there, excepting in a few places where the people have
made inviting homes; but the homes which have been made are the more
precious because of the labor it has cost to make them; and they are
prized more highly on that account than they otherwise would be. You
may ask me, if I am beating up for volunteers for that country? No,
not at all; and yet the southern people would welcome most heartily
any of the brethren and sisters from Bear Lake or any other section of
the country who may feel desirous of locating among us, to share with
us the rocks and sands and the cactus and lizards. I say, we shall
welcome them most heartily; and then while they would have to take
their share, and maybe more, of this natural product of our southern
climate, they would also share with those who labor for their kindred
and friends and their own exaltation, in the Temple which our Father
has graciously and in His indescribable providence located among us,
and permitted us to build, with the help of the Saints generally
throughout the Territory. We feel that there is a wise providence
overruling this. It is in such a country that the wicked have no
desire for what they see around. They have passed through it, and as a
general thing are satisfied not to come back again, there being
nothing to induce them to do so. And this being the case St. George is
a peaceful home of the Saints, and as a rule a very good spirit
prevails there. Sometimes a little too much of the spirit of wine
because the grape is a staple article among us, and foolish  persons
[p.113] sometimes indulge too freely in the wine which is manufactured
from that fruit. And it is one of the labors that we have upon us, to
teach the people how to use the things which God gives us in a proper
way and not abuse them, to control their appetites, and not allow wine
to bring evil into the community. And we feel in this labor that we
have succeeded to a goodly degree, there being much less of this kind
of indulgence practised among the people now than there has been since
we settled and improved the country.

Vol. 22, p.113
Now, touching the climate and soil and general facilities of the
country through which I have traveled in Arizona, and along the
borders of New Mexico, when compared with this region of country, it
is a desert; that is, the facilities for agricultural purposes are far
less than in Utah, and you know pretty well what they are in Utah. It
is more of a grazing region. There is a lack of mountain streams, for
the hills are generally low; they do not tower up in the clouds, and
are not capped with snow as they are in this northern country. The
main range of the Rocky Mountains falls off about the time you reach
the New Mexican line, and the hills then become lower, and the streams
are not so numerous. The facilities most attractive to my mind are
along the continental divide, in the eastern portion of Arizona and
the western portion of New Mexico. The northeastern portion of Arizona
is watered by the Little Colorado and its tributaries, and the farming
region is on the head waters of this stream, but it is not extensive;
there are, however, facilities for small settlements, and extensive
ranges for sheep and cattle. The garden of Arizona, so far as
agricultural facilities are, concerned, is on Salt River, after it
emerges from the mountains and where our people are locating, at Mesa
City and Jonesville. The country along Salt River is being occupied by
people from various parts of the world, who are not of us These two
settlements of our people are doing very well, so I understand and
there are facilities for many more in the same region. The climate is
warm; the summer is long, scarcely any winter at all, and scarcely any
frosts. But in that immediate vicinity there is not range for stock;
that is, there is not very extensive growth of grass. The range is
mostly in the hills, in the northeastern and southeastern parts of the
Territory, on the headwaters of the Gila and its tributaries, the San
Pedro and Black and White rivers; and also are many facilities for
small agricultural settlements. The climate generally is milder than
this, and consequently more pleasant. The eastern and, northern
portions are temperate, neither very hot nor very cold. In the
southern portion, as I have said, the summer is long and warm; it is
decidedly a hot and a dry country.

Vol. 22, p.113
The country I visited last summer, further to the east and northeast,
the upper valleys, or valleys on the Rio Grand del Norte, which are in
Southern Colorado, and run into New Mexico, is a fine agricultural and
grazing country. Fine mountain streams come out of the foot hills to
the broad valleys and open plains. This region affords facilities for
flourishing settlements, as well, as for flocks and herds; and the
climate is as cool as that of Bear Lake and the other elevated valleys
of Utah, and if not so severe winters as in Cache and Bear Lake
valleys, at least something approaching them. There are facilities for
many fine, flourishing settlements in that [p.114] region of country;
and we are establishing some colonies in that, consisting mostly of
emigrants from the Southern States, with a few from Utah, to counsel
and instruct them in the art of irrigating the soil and establishing
settlements after the order of Zion. We find ourselves under the
necessity of sending a few more to that region, and a few others to
different localities," to assist in establishing and maintaining our
new settlements.

Vol. 22, p.114
But now, I return to this lovely valley of Bear Lake—lovely indeed it
has seemed to me whenever I have visited it; but it must be remembered
that I have never visited it only when it was covered with green.
Still, I understand that the country is covered for many months in the
year with the white mantle, and for this reason many of you complain
of the long winters. But if it were not for the hard, cold winters and
the melted snows, you would not have these beautiful meadows and green
hills; you certainly have to thank the snows for this blessing. But I
have no doubt you will say, that you could do with a little less snow
and a little shorter winters and take a little less grain and meadow.
Well, I think I would do so too. If I had the choosing of climates, I
should not choose that in which I should have to cut hay three months
in the summer, and be six or eight months feeding it out in the
winter. I think with you I could get along with a little less snowy,
if I had to sacrifice a little of the rich meadow, and at the same
time, correspondingly less mosquitoes and flies. And talking about
flies, you cannot begin to show flies like we can in St. George; and
they are not this common horse fly, they are the pesky house fly that
is ever ready to contend with you for your meal.

Vol. 22, p.114
Now, if I lived in Bear Lake valley, I believe I should look upon it
as a very choice place to make my home; and if once I settled down, I
should not think of moving away, or speaking of it as a very bad
country to live in. I have made it a rule never to forsake old friends
in order to take up with new ones; or to lay aside an old wife for the
sake of getting a new one. The same rule would apply to my living in
this northern country; once I settled down I should not think of
moving away unless duty called me, and in that case of course I should
drop everything and go without a whimper. I see on this stand an old
friend in Brother John Nebeker, who moved down to our "Dixie" country,
and after living there some time, returned to Bear Lake. I do not know
how he feels about it, whether or not he is ready to make his home
with us again in St. George. [Bro. Nebeker: Not yet, Bro. Snow.
Laughter.] I would say to you who are doing well, let well enough
alone, go on and stick to what you have got. I think I can see a
chance to make some beautiful places where you have not more than half
done it. It is now some fourteen years since I was here; some of you
will remember it was when President Young carne here, accompanied by
General Chetlain and others. I took in the situation at that time; I
mapped it out in my mind, and I have retained a pretty good
understanding of the region of country. It may not become me to
suggest to you who have had fifteen or twenty years' experience here,
but it strikes me that your faith has not been fully developed; I am
inclined to think that you can do something besides raising calves,
hay, wheat, oats and potatoes, and making butter and  [p.115]
cheese—and here let me not forget to give you the credit of filling up
the country with young men and women, which is a noticeable feature of
the growth and wealth of the people. You have a big country here; so
much, in fact, that you hardly know what to do with it. You try to
enrich it all, and you skim it over, but you may depend that you have
facilities here for a much heavier population than you have got; and
upon the whole it is a healthy region. There may be some diseases
peculiar to this cold region, and some feel, and that truly, that a
warmer climate might tend to lengthen out their days, as well as add
to their bodily comfort. I believe there is no objection on the part
of anybody that such persons should try a warmer climate as may feel
inclined to do it. There is no disposition to chain or fasten anybody
to this country who may feel that they crave, and their health and
comfort require a warmer climate. If there be such, I can assure them
I have traveled through really other regions where there are
facilities for making nice, comfortable, happy homes, and where the
climate is milder; in fact, a person may suit himself with almost any
climate he may choose between here and the Mexican line—in Southern
Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. But as I remarked in the beginning, we
ought to study contentment, and not indulge in a restless spirit, for
change for its own sake, without having a good and sufficient reason,
or without having some duty assigned to us where we may labor with
better advantage to accomplish greater good in the building up of
Zion, or in extending our borders and establishing and maintaining
righteousness in the earth; and wherever our lot is east, whether it
be in Cache Valley, or Bear Lake Valley, whether in a warm or a cold
climate, or whether in a hot climate, we should as much as possible
try to content ourselves and adapt ourselves to the surrounding
circumstances, always doing the most good we can.

Vol. 22, p.115
Respecting the relative conveniences of St. George, for instance, and
the surroundings of that country, as compared with this northern
country, I have this to say, and I speak sincerely as I view it, and
verily believe it, that in our efforts to subdue the country, and
having to contend with difficulties and hardships, in order to plant
our settlements there, making our roads and getting building material,
and controlling the waters and the quicksands, and in having to meet
and overcome obstacles which are peculiar to that country, we have
worn out a great many good people, a great really good men have
succumbed under the hardships we have had to endure; and I was
counting up the number of families in the little city of St. George,
whose husband and father had passed away under these circumstances,
and I found that there were no less than between thirty and forty
widows there, besides quite a number who have left and returned North,
having buried their husbands down there. This is not the result of any
contagion, or violent sickness, or any special disease, for we have
had none; we have no prevailing disease, and it is not naturally an
unhealthy country by any means. There is here and there a locality
where they, having neglected common sanitary rules, have perhaps
suffered from chills and fever, or ague. Diseases of this kind, which
are incident to hot climates, have been experienced where they [p.116]
have allowed water to stand in pools. In St. George, however we have
been troubled with it. Washington and Santa Clara have but it has
arisen from defective sanitary measures. Naturally, I think our
Southern country is quite as healthy as the general average of places
in Utah. And when I speak of the number of men who have worn
themselves out in helping to subdue the barrenness of the land, I
might have said they have been mostly hale, hearty men, who went there
in their prime, that wore themselves out with constant work in making
homes for themselves and families. They have fallen a prey to exposure
and labor both summer and winter, and to poor fare. But after saying
this; I am happy to say also, that I think we have passed the crisis
in this respect. We have learned wisdom by the things we have
suffered: the comforts of life are being increased around us, and we
are making up our minds now not to kill ourselves trying to live as
fast as we have done in times past.

Vol. 22, p.116
Now, I have said on different occasions, which it is as well for the
youth of our large towns, our railroad towns and cities, where
emigrants are dropped by the shipload, and where there is a redundancy
of labor and surplus workmen, who are seeking for something to do and
cannot find it, and are idling away their time and are waiting for
something to turn up, and waiting for some easy chair, some clerkship,
some place to make a living without working much—and I may say this
class of people are, abounding among us, and they receive an
unfavorable education, and are contracting habits which are not good;
I have said, and do say, that it is better for such to enter into
swarms and form material for new colonies, to help to establish new
places, and make new roads to the timber, get out farms, build mills,
and subdue the elements, as their fathers did when they first settled
this country. But in saying this to the surplus population of our
older towns and railroad centres, we do not wish to apply it to these
regions, where you have an abundance of room, needing, in fact, a much
heavier population. I am persuaded that the people of this valley will
be healthier, happier, and will enjoy more facilities and comforts
when their population is treble to what it is to-day. Three times the
population you now have can handle the facilities which you do much
easier than the present population can handle them, and to better
advantage and to better profit to all. And you will have better roads,
and better farms, and better houses, and better mills, and better
schools, your cities will be much better built up and improved, and
your property more valuable, and everything will conduce to your
comfort and growth, than under existing circumstances.

Vol. 22, p.116
I was favorably struck with Gurden City as I passed through it; I was
favorably impressed with St. Charles as I passed through it. These are
beautiful locations. I was particularly pleased with one thing I saw
in Garden City, which was the long canal from Swan Creek. In this cold
climate, where the seasons are short, it is important in irrigating,
that the water should run slow and as long as possible before it is
put on to the land, in order that it might get warmed, because it has
a much more salutary effect on young crops than where it is cold and
chilly direct from the canon; and I am persuaded that  a good deal of
your small [p.117] grain is injured in this way. Brother Thatcher took
it upon himself to speak a little upon this practical question, and
you will pardon me for doing the same. Though you farmers may think
you know more than I do about it, you will all agree with me in this,
that any suggestion I may make will not harm you, as you can do as you
please about adopting it. But I know the difference between the effect
of cold and warm water in agriculture in making things to grow; when
you wish to rush the growth of your plants or crops in warm weather,
the one is far preferable to the other. And if you wish to raise
fruits and plants which are delicate and tender, of course you can get
oil to your warm, gravelly soil, and there put on your manure; and if
you can use warm water, and have the benefit of the canon breezes to
prevent frost, you can raise a great deal of fruit. You now raise a
great deal of small fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries, currants
and gooseberries; and what is there to hinder you raising plums and
many varieties of choice apples, such as we cannot grow in St. George?
That country is really too hot for growing apples. I raise apples, but
they are not as good as the same variety raised in Salt Lake City. I
am persuaded that this Northern region could beat us on apples, but we
could beat you on pears and peaches, apricots and some other fruits. I
should advise you to keep trying, and if your trees kill down once in
a while, keep replacing them, and make the land as warm as possible,
and put on the water warm, but not when the plants can stand it
without; and then, do not leave it on late in the fall, thus keeping
the plant growing late in the season, for when this is done the first
severe frost that comes generally takes them off. I will leave this
subject to Brother John Nebeker, who is abundantly able to continue
it, and who, by doing so, might greatly benefit the people of this
Northern country.

Vol. 22, p.117
I would like to offer a little advice to your board of trade. You have
one I suppose? (A voice: Yes, sir) of course, in giving you my
reflections in this as in other matters you are at liberty to please
yourself about accepting it. You are here in a comparatively solid
position, you can have things about your own way, that is, if you
choose to be united. You are not mixed up as they are in Salt Lake
City and in Ogden, you can control the trade of this whole region of
country, not only in marketing your own produce but in the buying of
your merchandise, wagons, carriages, machinery, and everything you
have to import which you could get from first hands and at first cost
and thereby save to yourselves the profits now made by middle-men. And
in marketing your produce you can do likewise, but then you would have
to control the business among yourselves, and give it your hearty
support, and be resolved that you will operate together. Now, you are
enriching men every year by your trade, and you are doing it by being
divided, every man being for himself undertaking to market his own
produce and to buy his own plows, rakes, mowers and reapers, and
hauling his own produce to market and then doing the largest part of
his trading with stores in which he is not interested, and his own
co-operative store doing but a small languishing business. The great
bulk of the business of this Territory is handled by outsiders at a
distance from your settlements both as to importations and as to
marketing your produce. [p.118] You haul to market your butter and
eggs, and the merchants dictate to you the price which they will pay,
and you cannot help yourselves. In this way they grow rich on the
profits, while you remain poor comparatively speaking, that is, you do
not enjoy the benefits of your own labor and produce to the extent you
might, if you were properly united. Your hoard of trade and
co-operative stores throughout the county ought to work together and
curer upon a system to handle your own produce in bulk; and then in
buying wagons and agricultural machinery, etc.; instead of every man
buying a single wagon or farming implement, this organization would
deal direct with the manufacturers by the car-load, at manufacturers'
prices, having them shipped to Evanston, the nearest point, instead of
Salt Lake. I think the same also in relation to your stock. I
understand you were making some efforts in this direction —the
handling of your stock and marketing it. Every step you take in this
direction will tend to consolidate the interests of the people and
increase your common comforts, and will at the same time have the
tendency to keep at arms length Jews and Gentiles, who may be hunting
chances to pick up what little money you have to spare, or to make
what money they can out of you. The more you concentrate your business
relations and the greater degree of confidence you beget one for
another, thereby having and increasing a desire to build each other
up, the less you will be troubled with sharpers who thrust themselves
into your towns and neighborhoods wherever there is evidence of the
existence of money. I feel that this is our duty as a people, to adopt
this co operative manner of doing our business, in order to protect
ourselves against the spirit of greed, and our children to a great
degree from the contaminating influences that Gentiles, as a general
thing, carry with them wherever they have located among our people. We
have been taught for years to sustain Zion's Co-operative Mercantile
Institution: and our local merchants should buy of them. But in all
probability, if you were combined in this valley in your business
relations, instead of every little store in every settlement in this
valley being obliged to send to Salt Lake or Ogden for supplies of
merchandise, it would be a matter of necessity to have a centre here
such as they have in Ogden and Logan, only on a smaller scale, in
which you might do your wholesale business direct, and so arrange it
that the parent co-op will ship to you most of the articles you need
direct, which you need only go to the city to "sort up," instead of
going for all of your supplies. I think this would naturally come to
be the result of a thorough union and combination of labor and
interests in this valley; and I think too, that your isolated position
eminently fits you for building up such home trade.

Vol. 22, p.118
I am pleased to learn of the goodly degree of fellowship which
prevails in your settlements, and that there are but little apostasy
and opposing influences to contend with. You have been highly favored
of the Lord in that which you have enjoyed, from the early settlement
of this valley, the presence and counsels and labors of President
Charles C. Rich, whom I regard as one of the wisest and most prudent
counselors in Israel, a father indeed in the midst of his people; and
the blessing of God has attended his ministrations among you, as is
evidenced in the condition of the people generally.

Vol. 22, p.119
My heart feels to bless the people, [p.119] and to invoke the blessing
of the Lord upon the land and upon the elements, that they may be made
to conduce to your happiness and comfort; and that while you reap the
fruits of the Father's mercy and goodness, your hearts may be ever
found to acknowledge Him as our benefactor and friend, and to
appreciate His blessings. I trust that President Taylor and the
brethren who are with you may be able to impart such words of counsel
and consolation .as your circumstances require; and that soon you will
have in your midst again President Budge,—that is, if we succeed in
getting our mind upon the right man to take his place. He has been
doing an excellent work in Europe, and we do not want to release him
until we can replace him with a suitable man.

Vol. 22, p.119
Your local Priesthood in your several wards and settlements, I doubt
not, are earnestly seeking to learn their duty and to qualify them
selves to magnify their callings; and if the people give them their
faith and prayers and confidence and support, you will steadily
advance in good works, in faith and wisdom; and I trust you will
improve also in your educational interests. I suspect what is common
in our new settlements, that you may seem behind in this respect, or
at least you are not as far advanced in the condition of your schools
as is desirable; and for the reason that there are more or less of the
people who are so much absorbed in the cares of life, in making
themselves homes, in order to be able to withstand the rigors of the
climate, that they cannot bestow the attention and care to the
training of their children which they ought to. I suppose they are
willing to build schoolhouses, however, because they serve a triple
purpose; first, for dancing; second, for school purposes; and third,
for religious worship. Perhaps I ought to reverse it, but you can if
you choose. People are willing to help to build school-houses for
triple purposes. And when they have done this, they think that the
Trustees should find teachers for them to teach their children who are
not large enough to work; and these are often sent to school to be
kept out of the way.

Vol. 22, p.119
Now brethren and sisters, I do not mean, in making these remarks, to
charge any of you harshly; and it may be I do not give you the credit
which you are entitled to. I only speak what I find to be quite common
in our new settlements throughout the country where I travel, and I
feel the necessity of appealing to the good sense of the fathers and
mothers; and to say to the Bishops and the Elders and Trustees
particularly—and here let me say, that our Trustees should be chosen
from our most energetic men—men who will fill the office, who will
give it their most earnest consideration, who will seek to make
everything comfortable around the schoolroom, men who will take an
interest in the welfare of the children, and who will look to the
wants and encouragement of the teachers, and who will also see that
good and suitable books are provided, especially the Bible and Book of
Mormon. Now, do not be afraid to see the good books which God has
given unto us in the hands of your school children; do not be afraid
of the teacher who will open school by prayer, and who will encourage
faith in God, and morality, and everything that snakes people good
citizens. And I beseech the people generally to encourage the combined
efforts of the County Superintendent and the Trustees and
school-teachers in establishing good [p.120] schools in your midst;
and that you will also sustain all the other good institutions, such
as the Relief Society, the Mutual Improvement Associations, and your
Sabbath Schools, and also those who act as Superintendents and
Teachers in the Sabbath School. And do not, my brethren and sisters,
consider it a little calling to act as a Sunday School Teacher; for
when faithfully acting in this capacity you are sowing seeds in the
minds of the youth which must sooner or later produce the natural
fruit; and thus prepare men and women to carry on the work which their
fathers have begun, and in which some of them have worn themselves
out.

Vol. 22, p.120
That God may bless the people of these valleys, and that their
children may grow up to perpetuate their names with honor to
themselves and glory to God, is my earnest prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen.

George Q. Cannon, October 31, 1880

Difference Between the True Church of Christ and the Churches of the
 World—The Love and Union Begotten By the Holy Spirit—The Glory of the
Latter-Day Work Belongs to God Alone—Greatness of Celestial
Glory—Saints
Proved By Trial—Celestial Marriage—Complete Submission to God's
 Will Necessary—Building of Temples—Salvation of the Dead

Delivered at Tooele City, on Sunday, October 31, 1880.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.120
We profess as a people, to be led by revelation, and I hope our
prosessions are not in vain; in fact I know they are not. I know that
this people, called Latter-day Saints, do have revelations, that they
have the word of God given unto, them as they need it, according to
their faith and their diligence and their good desires before the
Lord. And those who speak unto the Latter-day Saints are different in
this respect from every other class of ministers that I know anything
about. We do not cogitate in our private apartments or in our
libraries or in our studies what shall be said to the people, and to
frame discourses to deliver to them. It is right and proper that the
Elders of this Church should try to inform themselves  respecting the
principles of the Gospel; but it would not be right, neither is it
right for them to [p.121] prepare their discourses and arrange before
hand what they say to the people. We might tickle your ears, we might
say pleasing things to you, we might give utterance to fine moral
sentiments which you would think very beautiful; but they might not be
what the people need. It requires the inspiration of the Almighty to
take of the things of God to impart to the people. Without that J know
it is useless for any Elder in this Church to attempt to teach, and
that if he taught his teachings could not result in any possible good
to those who listened.

Vol. 22, p.121
President Taylor, Brother Lyman and myself were conversing yesterday
upon the subject which this bears reference to, about the abundance of
good things there is in the world which are pleasing to the
inhabitants of the earth. I was reminded myself on going upon one
occasion when upon a mission in England, at the invitation and earnest
persuasion of some friends, to listen to a very eloquent matt who was
a Church of England minister, who had a great reputation for eloquence
and ability. I never heard anything more beautiful than his lecture;
it was full of moral sentiment and beautiful ideas, and was very
interesting indeed to listen to. And one would have thought that a man
with such sentiments would be capable of leading the people and
teaching them and making them much better than they were. The world is
full of such ideas and sentiments. You read books which are written by
men who are not of this Church, and you many times find in them
sentiments which you cannot help but admire; they are charming and
they are true; you feel when you are reading them, that there is a
great deal of truth in their doctrines, and then they are set forth so
convincingiy. If you visit their churches, doubtless, you will find
men who are able to deliver sentiments of this character to the
people. You take such a man as Henry Ward Beechen; he is noted for his
eloquence and the good sense which characterizes many of his
discourses. He is able to talk to the people in a most sensible way
about a great many things. Such men you may sit and listen to, and be
really pleased with many of their ideas. There are other noted men,
who are also able to deliver moral truths in a charming manner; but
what does this amount to? Does it make the world any better? To some
extent it does. But there is something that all these men lack, and
which the world lacks, that is the Priesthood of the Son of God and
the power of God. There have been Elders of this Church who could not
read, who have gone forth to preach; but they had in them the power of
God, they had the inspiration of the Almighty, they had the
everlasting Priesthood, by authority of which they were authorized and
empowered to declare unto the people the principles of life and
salvation. These men, although ignorant and unlearned, and not capable
of teaching by their own wisdom, have been the means of bringing
salvation to hundreds and thousands of souls, and of bringing them
into the Church of Christ, and into a condition where they could
receive the Holy Ghost.

Vol. 22, p.121
This is the difference between this Church and the churches of men. It
is not that they do not believe in good moral sentiments, and are not
capable of teaching them; it is not that they are ignorant, for they
have a great deal of what is called worldly wisdom; but it is that
they are destitute of the power of God, the [p.122] inspiration of the
Almighty, and the gift of the Holy Ghost; therefore their teachings do
not bring people to a knowledge of the truth.

Vol. 22, p.122
I was very much impressed this morning when I arose. It was cold, but
we were comfortably housed, in good quarters; we had good beds to
sleep on. We were visitors here; and I could not help contrasting the
feelings we have for one another, and the feelings which exist in the
world. We are strangers to each other in some respects; we are not
blood connections; in fact, there were but very few of us who were not
strangers to each other, yet I certainly feel that I am among my
brethren and sisters.

Vol. 22, p.122
I do not suppose there are any Latter-day Saints in this house who
would not share what they had, if they possessed but little, with the
Elders who come in their midst. And if they had a good, comfortable
place, they would prefer giving it to the brethren who visit them,
than taking it themselves. There is that feeling of love begotten in
the hearts of the Latter-day Saints that the world knows nothing
about. And yet we are selfish, and have yet much to learn in this
respect. But that love which we have for each other and for God and
His cause, He has begotten in our hearts. We are united together
through the love of the Gospel and the love of truth. We are united
together as no other people in the world are. What is this done by—by
preaching moral sentiments? By fine discourses? By dwelling upon
thoughts which men have framed and put together in their private
studies, by their own wisdom? No. All the books in the world could not
have brought about such a condition of things as we witness in our
midst and experience in our hearts. We might have read all the books
which have been written by the learned of the world, if it were
possible to do so, and then taken the Bible which is said to be the
word of God, and read that, and we might have heard all of the wise
men talk about these things, and about the wisdom and the sublimity of
knowledge and the attractiveness of truth, and everything of this
character, and what would it have amounted to? We see what it all
amounts to in the world. They have texts, they have knowledge, they
have wisdom, they have schools, they have colleges, they have access
to all human knowledge there is, ancient and modern, and what does it
amount to? They are divided up, they are split asunder, and are really
ignorant concerning God. They are full of differences concerning
points of doctrine; they contend over the smallest things, and
difficulties which are irreconcilable are begotten in their minds. A
man who has the spirit of God given unto him through obedience to the
Gospel, and who is ordained to minister in the things of God, even if
he can scarcely read, as I have said, goes forth among the people
accompanied by the power of God, and searches out the honest in heart.
He does not use flowery words, he does not deliver great swelling
discourses; but he preaches the truth in simplicity, in meekness, he
tells people what to do to be saved, and he has the authority from the
Lord to administer the ordinances of salvation to the people; and when
they repent humbly before God, and confess their sins, he baptizes
them for the remission of their sins, and lays his hands upon their
heads for the reception of the Holy Ghost; and they become near
creatures. A change takes place; they become  new creatures in Christ
[p.123] Jesus. They put away the old man and his deeds, and they
become new; they receive of the Spirit which unites them together and
makes them one; and all those beautiful thoughts, and those glorious
truths, and those delightful moral sentiments which they hear and have
heard outside this Church, they can understand and they can see which
is true and which is untrue; they can distinguish between the two; and
they are knit together in love one to the other.

Vol. 22, p.123
This is the marvelous work, and a wonder concerning which Isaiah
spoke. The Lord said, through that Prophet: "Forasmuch as this people
draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but
have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is
taught by the precepts of men; therefore behold, I proceed to do a
marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder,
for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding
of their prudent men shall be hid." The wisdom of the wise has
perished in the presence of the Gospel declared by the Elders of this
Church, and we, as a people, have been gathered out as a standing
protest against the folly of the Creeds of men, and as a standing
protest against that which is called the wisdom of man. And the Lord
has shown by the building up of this Church that he is able to do his
own work in his own way. And he chooses his own instruments, through
whom to accomplish it; and when we shall have finished our work, none
of us will be able to take any glory to ourselves; no single son or
daughter of Adam will be able to claim the least degree of credit to
himself or herself when the work shall be accomplished. The Lord is
determined that he shall have the glory; that his name will be praised
for all that has been done, and that shall be done. If we were the
learned, if we had the wisdom of the world, and if we were to
accomplish these results through worldly wisdom or power, there might
be an opportunity given unto us to take glory to ourselves; we might
under such circumstances say, it was by our wisdom and by our ability
that these things were accomplished. But as it is we cannot do that;
and if we attempt it and continue to indulge in such a belief, the
Spirit of God will leave us to ourselves, and our weakness will be
made apparent not only to ourselves but unto all men with whom we
associate. But God will have a tried and peculiar people. We have been
tried to some extent, but not to the extent which we probably will be;
there are many things in which we will be greatly tried before we get
through. Every Latter-day Saint who gains a celestial glory will be
tried to the very uttermost, If there is a point in our character that
is weak and tender, you may depend upon it that the Lord will reach
after that, and we will be tried at that spot, for the Lord will test
us to the utmost before we can get through and receive that glory and
exaltation which He has in store for us as a people. When we think
about the character of the exaltation promised unto us, we can
understand why this should be the case. What are we striving for? What
are we aiming to obtains Our constant prayer to God is that we may be
considered worthy to receive celestial glory. That is the prayer of
every one who belongs to the Church. Every man and every woman who
prays unto  the Father, who is in the habit of doing so, [p.124]
expresses that desire in his or her prayer—that we may be counted
worthy to receive celestial glory and exaltation in the presence of
God and the Lamb. What a great think to ask! Do we take in, as a
people and as individuals, the full purport of this request! When we
talk about celestial glory, we talk of the condition of endless
increase; if we obtain celestial glory in the fullest sense of the
word, then we have wives and children in eternity, we have the power
of endless lives granted unto us, the power of propagation that will
endure through all eternity, all being fathers and mothers in
eternity; fathers of fathers, and mothers of mothers, kings and
queens, priests and priestesses, and shall I say more? Yes, all
becoming gods. For this is the power of God; it is the power by which
God presides over the universe, and fills the universe with power, and
which we pray unto Him to bestow upon us. This being the ease, do you
think that we are going to attain unto these things without we show
ourselves perfect before the Lord? Do you expect that God will save
you and me and exalt us, and give unto us this inestimable, this
indescribable glory, if we are full of sin, if we yield to temptation,
and are not tested and are not tried in all these things? Do you
imagine that God will do all this for us; can you conceive of such a
result if we are imperfect and full of frailty, and continue to yield
to temptation, and doing those things that are contrary to the mind
and will of God? I cannot; I do not look upon God in that light. I
think that He is a perfect and holy being, and that the words of Jesus
which he spoke unto his disciples are intended for us: "Be ye
therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."
We, as a people and as individuals, should seek to attain to that
perfection, to be as perfect in our sphere as God our Eternal Father
is in His; and we cannot attain to that exaltation and glory which He
has promised unto us, unless we are thus perfect.

Vol. 22, p.124
I do not have any other view than this of the character of the
salvation and exaltation that God has promised unto us; and I
therefore do not expect that any man will ever enter into the
Celestial kingdom of our God, until he is tested and proved in all
things. Some men think they can slip around—I have heard such men
talk—they think they are going to get into the celestial kingdom
without obeying the law of celestial marriage. I do not have any such
ideas about exaltation; and yet I am perfectly satisfied there are men
who will be counted worthy of that glory who never had a wife; there
are men probably in this world now, who will receive exaltation, who
never had a wife at all, or probably had but one. But what is
necessary for such a case? It must be perfection before God, and a
proof of willingness on their part, if they had the opportunity. I
will instance the case of a man whom you perhaps know by reputation,
namely that of Elder Lorenzo D. Barnes. He was a faithful man in the
Church, a man of zeal, a man of integrity, a man who did all in his
power to magnify his holy Priesthood, and he died when upon a foreign
mission before he had one wife. The Lord will judge that man, as he
will all others, according to his works and the desires of his heart,
because had he lived, and had had the opportunity, I am fully
satisfied he would have obeyed that law. I do not doubt that he will
receive exaltation in the  presence of [p.125] God. We have young men
who die before they have had the opportunity to obey that law, and
they will, doubtless, receive also, inasmuch as they were worthy; for
the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, understanding the
worth of all men, will mete out to them accordingly, But if we live in
the flesh, you may depend upon it we shall be tried in all things. If
I have an appetite, if I have a passion, if I have an inclination
which is in conflict with the law of God, if I do not subdue it and
bring it into complete subjection to His law, I do not see how I can
enter into celestial glory. I cannot conceive, with my views
respecting God, and His wisdom and justice, and all His holy
attributes, that I could ever enter into the celestial kingdom whilst
in that condition. I must bring every appetite. I must bring every
passion, I must bring every desire of my being into complete
subjection to the will and mind and law of God, or I cannot receive
the exaltation He has promised unto His faithful children. I say, I
cannot, and I cannot see that any one can. If there is anything about
us—if there is selfishness in us, if there is a disposition in our
hearts not to yield upon a certain point, or to have our own way and
own will; and carry that will into effect in opposition to the will of
God, we cannot in that condition receive exaltation at His right hand.
And if we die in that condition, we will have in some other state of
existence, to get rid of it, or we cannot get exaltation. That is my
idea. If I value my life more than I do the will of God; if I value my
wives or children more, or my earthly substance more than I do the
will of God, then I am not in the condition to receive exaltation and
glory. I will tell you what I think about these things, and the manner
in which I view the life which is to come. If there is anything that
stands between me and the will of God which would prevent me from
doing that will perfectly as He requires of me, if there is anything
which I love more than God, I am not in a condition to receive that
glory. If I think more of my own life, if I think more of my own will,
if I think more of a wife or child, or of all my wives and children,
or of my property, or of my time, or of anything over which I have
control or which belongs to me, and is part of me, than I do of God,
then I am not in the condition to receive the exaltation; I am not
worthy to receive it; I am not willing to bring everything I have or
which belongs to me into complete subjection to Him, and to what He
requires of me. When He says, Go, to go; when he says, Come, to come;
to do that which he requires, or to refrain from doing so, as He may
require; and to do this not only when He; himself, tells me I must do
it; but to do it also through the voice of those whom He has chosen to
hold control. For God has His mouthpiece on the earth; He has always
had one when He has had a Church. He chooses one man who holds the
keys of His kingdom; He chooses one man as revelator to His Church, to
teach His people the mind and will of God concerning them, and His
word through him is binding upon the people. Then he chooses others as
helps, and they too have the power to counsel. "He that receiveth you
receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth Him who sent me," as
Jesus said, If they receive you they receive me; if they receive you
and me, they [p.126] receive my Father who sent me. This is the
doctrine. And God has chosen His servants to minister to the people,
to teach them and instruct them upon all those points, so that they
may receive salvation and exaltation under the leadership of that
Priesthood which He has restored, and which will bring us into the
celestial kingdom. And as I said, it is not the wisdom of man; it is
not the power of man; it is not the learning of man which does these
things; it is not the learning of man which has gathered this people
together, for the wisdom of the world combined would have failed to
have gathered this people as they have been from nearly all of the
civilized nations, and if all the combined wisdom of earth had tried
to build up the Church which the Latter-day Saints have, their
endeavors would have failed; they could not have done it. There is no
power of man which could have reached you at your firesides. and
dwelling-places and gathered you to Zion, as you were gathered. It
required the power of God, and that power manifested through humble
men—men despised by the world; nevertheless it accomplished the
result. And that same Priesthood which has brought us here, and
through the power of which we were inducted into this Church, and
through the power of which we have been nourished and guided in the
Church, that same Priesthood will continue to teach and direct us,
until we shall be brought back into the presence of God our Father. It
will be through the ordinances of that Priesthood administered to us,
that these results will be accomplished—by binding wife to husband,
children to parents, paints to parents—until the whole shall be bound
together, from our father Adam to the last one born to the earth, and
all the links be welded. It will be done by the sealing ordinance
which God has restored, and if we ever get the full benefit of these
things, we will have to do it in the way I have endeavored to
describe.

Vol. 22, p.126
I say to my sisters, you expect to receive exaltation in the presence
of God. Will you obtain it if you do not bring your will into
subjection to the will of God? No. Will you be cast off? If you do
certain things, you will. But I think the women of this Church would
have to do a great many bad things before their God would cast them
off entirely. The Lord may feel after them, He will bring them through
circumstances such as will eventually purify them. But no woman can
enter into the celestial kingdom any more than a man whose will is in
opposition to the will of God. When God speaks all must submit to it.
It may not be pleasant to us; it may come in conflict with our
traditions; it may not be that which will suit us if we had the
choosing. There are a great many things which would not suit us if we
had the choosing, according to our natural feelings, for these are
often far from correct. But whatever feelings we may have which may be
the result of tradition and false education, we must get rid of and be
willing to do that which God requires at our hands. And it is the
experience of the women of this Church who have done that—I speak now
of plural marriage, for that is one of the most trying things—those
who have submitted to this order, have reached a point where they
enjoy true happiness, because in sacrificing their own will they have
the consciousness of knowing that they have done the will of God;
[p.127] and in their supplications to Him they can ask Him in
confidence for such blessings as they stand in need of. Where is the
man or the woman who has been diligent in observing the requirements
of God, who has failed upon any point upon which he has sought
earnestly to God? If there are any, there must be something lacking,
they have not that claim upon God which they would have if they bad
submitted perfectly to the requirements made of them.

Vol. 22, p.127
Another point connected with our religion, which is trying to some
people, is their fondness of carrying out their own will in relation
to temporal affairs. "I want to manage my own affairs in my own way; I
want to do that which is pleasing to me." Is there a vein of
selfishness running through our nature upon these points? I think
myself that that must be entirely conquered before we can receive that
glory to which I have alluded. If I have property, it is my duty to
take care of it; if I have means, it is my duty to husband it, and
carefully use it in a way that shall be beneficial to others as well
as myself. But there is still a higher duty devolving upon me and upon
every member in this Church, and that is to do as we are told by the
servants of God. For instance, if I am in business, if I am in the
midst of some enterprise which requires my personal attention which
the withdrawal of my personal supervision would cause to result in
failure, and the servants of God should call upon me to let that drop,
to go here or there, even if it should be at the sacrifice of all my
worldly interests, it would be my duty as a Latter-day Saint, as one
who is struggling for an exaltation in the presence of God and the
Lamb, to drop that at the moment I am required, and to do as I am
told. Or, if I have property that is needed for the work of God, for
the establishment of the principles of the Gospel, it is my duty to
give that which I shall be required to do, in order that the law of
God, so far as that is concerned, shall be complied with. It I should
not he willing to do this, then how can I witness to my Father that I
am desirous of receiving celestial glory? You feel as I do, that it is
necessary for our salvation and exaltation, that the men who hold the
Apostleship should administer unto us the ordinances, in order that we
may derive the full benefits which flow from them. If these men have a
right to do this, and we recognize their power in administering these
ordinances unto us, considering that if they administer them they will
be bound and recorded in heaven, and that we shall have the benefit of
them in the morning of the resurrection; if these are our feelings,
shall we say that this same authority shall not dictate us in regard
to these perishable things by which we are surrounded? It would be
very unreasonable, indeed, for us to take a different view. Therefore,
it follows, in my mind, as a natural consequence, that we must hold
ourselves entirely subject to that authority which God has placed in
this Church to lead and guide us. The steps we have already made to
our present condition have taught us this. We have been led gradually
from the waters of baptism until to-day, under the guidance of the
holy Priesthood; and from the waters of baptism to the present time
all the blessings we enjoy have come to us through the holy
Priesthood, and the power which God has bestowed upon His humble
servants; there is not a blessing which is of [p.128] any value which
we have not received through that medium. This being the case, it is a
natural consequence that that Priesthood shall continue to exercise a
power in dictating us as to what we shall do.

Vol. 22, p.128
There was considerable said yesterday, about what a good lot of people
you are; and while I would not like to mar the pleasure you may derive
from the representations given of you, there is this to be said about
Salt Lake City Temple District, of which you form a part, that there
is not that disposition to build Temples, and forward the work of God,
by the use and donation of means, which is observable in other Stakes,
and in other Temple districts.

Vol. 22, p.128
I tell you another thing we discovered upon examination of these
things—for we examined them somewhat, but not so thoroughly as we
might have done—we found that those who have paid the largest amount
on Tithing in proportion to the number of souls, have done the most
towards building Temples. We found that in St. George, where the
people are all poor, that they paid more Tithing and more Temple
donations in proportion to each soul than any other part of the
Territory. We found that in Cache Valley, where the people are
building a Temple, that they not only paid a good tithing but also a
larger proportion of donations than any other part; showing that those
who give the largest donations to Temple building are able to pay the
must Tithing. These are facts which should be understood by us. The
Lord has told us from the beginning, in all which has been spoken to
us by his servants, and by that which has been written in the
revetations, that he will bless those who are liberal in sustaining
and supporting His work, that His blessings will rest down upon those
who manifest faith. You look for instance—I do not know that it would
be wrong for me to allude to the Twelve—you look to them, you see the
way they have labored, in going here and there according to the
directions of the servants of God who have presided over them; they
have not stopped to inquire whether or not it would suit their worldly
circumstances to take such a mission or to do such a work; they have
never stopped to consider a moment whether their individual interests
would be affected by their going; they have always been ready and on
hand to go at call, and has not the Lord blessed them? Has He not
opened up their way before them? Has he not given unto them his holy
spirit, witnessing to them that their course has been pleasing in his
sight? He certainly has, according to my view; and so he has all the
faithful Elders of the body of the Priesthood. You look at the men who
have been the most faithful in doing that which the Lord required at
their hands, and you will agree with me that they are the men who have
been blessed; and you look at the men who have paid their Tithing the
most diligently, and you look at the women who have stood by and
sustained their husbands hands under these circumstances, whether upon
missions, making donations, on otherwise contributing to the
forwarding of this work, and you will find that if they are not so
well off, in a worldly sense, they are rich in faith, and as a rule
they are better off in worldly circumstances than those who have been
more selfish and niggardly in their labors and donations to the Church
of God. You, sisters—and there are some see in this congregation whom
I [p.129] have known abroad when preaching the Gospel—let me ask if
you have not been blessed when you have entertained the Elders and
been kind and liberal to them, as many of you have been? Have you not
felt abundantly rewarded for it in the increase of the Holy Spirit,
and the pleasure and peace and joy which have filled your hearts when
you have taken this course? So with you, brethren, when you have done
your duty towards the work. When you have helped the Elders, have you
not felt a blessing come from God, and rest down upon you which has
more than satisfied you Certainly you have, and those who have been at
home who have been liberal in parting with their means to assist in
forwarding the interests of this work, have you not been blessed? Has
not the Spirit of God witnessed to you that this is the course you
should have taken? Certainly, this is the testimony of every faithful
Latter-day Saint. God requires that we should be liberal in relation
to these matters, for great essential blessings depend upon the
building of Temples in our midst. We cannot have our dead redeemed, we
cannot ourselves be prepared for the exaltation that awaits us unless
we attend to these matters in accordance with the law of God
respecting them. There are generations to be looked after. For 1,400
years, the people on this Continent were without the Gospel, and the
power of the Priesthood, and, indeed, so far as that is concerned, it
is nearly 1,800 years since the Priesthood was upon the earth; and the
salvation of the unnumbered millions of people who have lived since
that period will have to be cared for. Trace, if you can, your own
genealogy back only for a few generations, and see how it spreads out
on every point. For instance, for one mother we have two grandmothers,
four great, grandmothers, and eight great great grandmothers, etc. And
thus it spreads out like the branches of a tree, until all of the
inhabitants of the earth will be brought in. God has chosen us from
the various nations for this purpose. There are men in this Church
from almost every race of men, and if representatives from all the
races are not now, they will be in. God scattered the seed of Israel
through all of the nations of the earth, so that in the great
gathering of the last days He might be able to get representatives of
all the families of men. And we are chosen for this purpose. The seed
has been scattered among the nations; and when the descend, ants of
Israel here, heard the sound of the Gospel, it was indeed the glad
tidings of salvation to them. They knew the voice of the shepherd, it
was like telling them something they had forgotten but always knew;
they felt that it was something they had been waiting for, the sound
thereof was most delightful to the soul. The reason that the sound of
the Gospel had such an effect upon us was, because we were chosen from
before the foundation of the world, for the express purpose of coming
forth in this day to receive it and well may it be said that your
lives have been hid with Christ. You have come forth in these last
days to be instruments in His hands of bringing souls to a knowledge
of, the truth as his in Christ Jesus. In the Temples that shall be
built, you will have the opportunity of standing therein, as saviors,
upon Mount Zion. That is your calling; and it is your, privilege to be
saviors on Mount Zion. God is giving you the means and ability in
order that you may have it in your power to [p.130] accomplish these
things—to build Temples. It is a great labor devolving upon us. God
sent the Gospel to you and gathered you out from the nations of the
earth by His wonderful power; even by bestowing the Holy Spirit in a
miraculous way upon you. Through its influence you knew the truth when
the Elder came to you, you knew the voice of the shepherd, you knew it
to be the voice of glad tidings for which you had been waiting, and
you obeyed it gladly, and have been gathered with the Saints of God.
It is your duty now to rise up, all of you, and trace your
genealogies, and begin to exercise the powers which belong to saviors
of men, and when you do this in earnest, you will begin to comprehend
how widespread, how numerous your ancestors are, for whom Temple work
has to be performed, in order that they may be brought into the fold;
and when you get stopped, the Lord will reveal further information to
you; and in this way the work of salvation and redemption will be
accomplished, even from Father Adam down to the last one; or to speak
more properly, down to the Prophet Joseph, who was the first of this
dispensation. From Father Adam down to him, all being linked together
by the sealing ordinances which God has restored, and the powers of
which will be exercised in the Temples of God, all being united
together as brethren and sisters, for we are all begotten of God. We
are related to each other; we may not have the same blood in our veins
now, but it will be found when we trace it back, that we are of the
same family; hence it is that we love one another as we do, at least,
that is one reason for it. It is true we have been scattered among
Gentile nations, and are called Gentiles, but nevertheless we are of
the pure seed, having come through Gentile lineage that we may be the
means of saving them, and through our faithfulness we shall stand at
their head. This is the blessing which rests upon us as descendants of
Abraham.

Vol. 22, p.130
It is a great privilege we have to take of our means and to put it in
the Temples which we are building. It is a great privilege in this
great latter-day dispensation which God has given us, a peculiar
privilege; but when we are digging and delving and struggling with
poverty and get our minds filled with darkness and unbelief, we forget
it all and think our lot is hard, and the Priesthood is making hard
requirements. When you are asked to pay Tithing, it is said that some
want to know what is done with the Tithing. If such folks were to come
into the council they would soon find out; they would find at any rate
that the Apostles do not eat it nor consume it, they would find that
it is handled with as much care as it is possible to handle such
things, and that they feel accountable to God for the responsibility
which rests upon them. But when the Saints get their minds engrossed
with the cares of the world, they forget the blessings which God has
bestowed upon them, and what he designs to do with them, and things
which they ought not to think about come up in their minds. I look
upon our condition as one of peculiar blessedness. I think all of us
should be thankful that we are counted worthy to be members of this
Church. To be a member of this Church is a great thing. I am very
thankful to have my name numbered with the Latter-day Saints, to be a
sharer in the blessings God has bestowed and promised unto us.  We
have the [p.131] holy Priesthood, we have wives and children given
unto us, and husbands, wives and children are sealed together by the
eternal power of the holy Priesthood, the binding power which connects
them together for time and eternity: When you think that you are
chosen to be saviors to the children of men, to stand as a medium
through whom salvation shall flow unto unnumbered thousands, what
manner of people ought we to be? They pray for you to-day in the
spirit-world, as they have been no doubt from the beginning praying
for their descendants, that they may be faithful to the truth. You
cannot tell the interest felt in eternity for you, my brethren and
sisters, by those of our dead who have gone before us. Their hearts
yearn after us, their constant desire being that we may be faithful
and maintain our integrity and be prepared to bring salvation to them,
and redeem them by going forth and obeying every ordinance which God
has established in the Church for the salvation of the living and the
dead. You cannot be made perfect without them, neither can they be
made perfect without you. It is for us, being in the flesh, to perform
this work, and to educate our children the same way, that our young
men and young women may feel that in laboring to build up Zion they
are establishing the work of God, and, at the same time, laying a
foundation for their own exaltation, in His presence, and for those of
their ancestry and posterity. This is the feeling we should have.
Instead of being oppressed in our feelings, and permitting ourselves
to believe that these things are hard upon us, that it is hard to pay
our Tithing, or to make donations, or to do this or that which may be
required of us, we ought to feel it is a pleasure and honor and a
great privilege to be counted worthy to have the opportunity to do
this. There are men in this Church who have felt that they could
traverse the earth to get to see a servant of God who could baptize
them. I have heard men say that they would have undertaken the labor
of walking around the earth, if they, by doing so, would have been
sure to meet a man of that kind. You have met men of that kind, men
who have had authority to baptize you for the remission of sins, and
by being baptized by such men your sins have been remitted in the
sight of God, and of angels. You came foth from the waters of baptism
clean and pure so far as these old sins are concerned, and you had the
Holy Ghost sealed upon you by authority of the holy Priesthood, and
you have been inducted into the kingdom. And yet some of us forget
that we have been made the recipients of these blessings, our minds
become darkened, and we forget all that God has done for us. Here we
have men among us, through whom we can have the word of God when we
want it; just think of it; men dwelling, as it were, so near to God,
that you can have the counsel of Jehovah given to you about this
matter and the other matter you may choose to hear about. This is
within your reach. Who appreciates it? We begrudge a little Tithing or
a little donation, and think it a wonderful sacrifice to fulfil such
minor duties. If we were to devote our entire time, the labor of our
bodies and spirits to the interests of this work, what would it be in
view of what God has done for us? Is there a blessing you have desired
of Him that he has not bestowed upon you when you have sought for it
properly?

Vol. 22, p.132
Brethren of Tooele, I said some [p.132] plain things to you last
evening. I hope they will be borne in mind; I hope that you will
endeavor to so live that your prayers will avail with God, and so as
to have a conscience void of offense before God and man. Why should we
not have a heavenly influence dwelling upon us? Is there anything to
be compared to it? Nothing. And God has placed it within our reach. It
is like the drinking fountains we see in the city, you can drink at
them until you are satisfied, and it matters not how thirsty you may
be, and your drinking will not prevent my drinking, and your being
filled will not prevent my getting filled. God has opened this
fountain to us, the fountain of peace, the fountain of joy, the
fountain of happiness, the fountain from which all can drink and all
be filled, and it will not deprive anybody else from the same. Did you
ever have anything to equal it? Did you ever taste anything that
equals the taste of the Spirit of God—the sweetness, the heavenly joy
and the peace which it brings to the soul? You who have partaken of it
know that there is nothing so sweet. Honey to the natural taste is not
to be compared to the sweetness of the Holy Spirit to the spirit of
man. God has spread out this feast before us, and invites us to
partake of it, to fill ourselves until we are perfectly satisfied. And
He warns us against evil, and beseeches us to forsake sin. He wants us
to be pure, he wants our young men to be pure and to have His Holy
Spirit. He is willing to bestow His gifts upon us, but He will be
sought unto in prayer and faith for His blessings. I am not talking
about something theoretical, but something you know for yourselves.
You had it after you joined the Church; you felt then as you never
experienced before. Have you cherished that Spirit from that time to
the present? If you have, the Gospel is indeed the power of God to
you, and the sound thereof is full of glad tidings, and great joy, and
the testimony of peace reigns it, your hearts.

Vol. 22, p.132
I pray God to bless you and fill you with His Spirit, that we may be
lull to overflowing, and that it may enable you to conquer every evil
desire and bring all of your appetites into complete subjection to his
mind and will, which is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen. [p.133]


George Q. Cannon, July 3, 1881

The Present Condition of the Saints—Their Past Trials—
The Attempted Assassination of President Garfield, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, July 3rd, 1881.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.133
We have been traveling this last week through the settlements of Davis
and Weber counties, meeting with the Saints in their various wards and
visiting the people at their homes. It has been one of the most
interesting trips I have taken for several years, and I think this is
the general feeling of all who were of the party. A visitor to our
settlements at the present time is impressed with the evident increase
of the numbers of the people and of comfort and, it may be said,
wealth. The land is being rapidly taken up and occupied, and places
where a few years ago it was thought that no one could live, we now
find farms and orchards and good substantial dwellings, and all the
evidences of thrift. The water is being taken out, and large sums are
being expended in the formation of canals and water ditches; but the
most pleasing feature which presented itself to my mind was the
contentment of the people and the spirit which they enjoy. Our
meetings were excellently attended and were of a very spirited
character, the people turned out in large numbers and crowded every
meeting-house to overflowing, so much so that in most places seats had
to be arranged outside, and the windows thrown open, so that those who
could not get into the houses could hear. In several places we met
under bowers constructed for the purpose of holding meeting in the
open air.

Vol. 22, p.133
It is truly marvelous when we look at it—that is, those who have been
familiar with the early settlement of the Latter-day Saints in these
mountains—the great changes which have been effected in the condition
and circumstances of the people. God has abundantly fulfilled the
promises which were made in the early days, after the Latter-day
Saints settled here. Some questioned in those days whether we should
be able to find suitable places outside of this valley where the
Latter-day Saints could live. And many of those who first came here
had grave doubts whether we could in this climate, be able to raise a
variety of limits. But God has tempered the elements; He has
ameliorated the condition of the soil; He has blessed the labors of
the people; and with the experience of the past confidence is felt
that their is scarcely a valley in these mountains, however elevated,
in which fruit cannot be raised, and all the grains and vegetables
necessary for the sustenance [p.134] of man be produced. Of all people
who live upon the face of the earth, it seems to me, the Latter-day
Saints should be the most thankful to the Most High for His kind hess
and mercy manifested unto us. We came here as weary pilgrims, fleeing
from persecution, glad to find a place where we could rest for a
little season, and be free from violence and mobocracy. And though I,
myself, at that time, was but young, it seemed to me that I would be
content to live here the remainder of my days, and subsist upon the
most meagre fare—bread and water—if we could only enjoy peace and
freedom from the annoyances to which the people had been subjected,
and especially if our leading men could be free from those harrassing
persecutions which they had been compelled to endure. While but a
youth I had helped, with others, to stand guard at nights at their
houses, that they might sleep with some feeling of security; for there
were months, and it may be said years, before we left Illinois, when
the lives of a number of the leading men were threatened. Some of the
most painful recollections of my boyhood are the scenes of persecution
and affliction through which the Prophet Joseph Smith had to pass.
When his martyrdom, with that of his brother, the patriarch of the
Church, was accomplished, it seemed as though the rage of mobs ought
to have been satisfied; and the people, being bereft of their leaders,
might be suffered to dwell in peace. For it had been repeatedly
stated, that if Joseph Smith were put out of the way, there would be
no trouble with the Mormons. He was the object of hatred; he was the
target at which all the arrows of malicious envy were shot; he was
accused of embodying in his own person everything with which the
people were charged, and it was claimed that if he could be disposed
of, then they could be managed and there would be no difficulty. But
this spirit of persecution is not exhausted by success; it derives
strength therefrom, and the more victims it has the more it craves.
Instead of the people being left unmolested after the martyrdom, the
violence of mobs was redoubled; they were emboldened by the impunity
with which they had performed this bloody deed, to make more cruel
attacks upon the people. The Apostles who stood forward to take the
lead after the death of the Prophet Joseph, became in their turn the
objects of hatred. Charges of every kind were sworn to by men who were
determined to frame some pretexts for bringing them into difficulty;
and the most absurd falsehoods were circulated concerning them.
Numerous writs were issued and officers frequently came to Nauvoo, to
take the leading men into custody; it being the aim of the men who had
banded themselves together in secret combinations for the purpose of
taking their lives, to get them into their power as they had the
Prophet. On this account there had to be a constant guard kept over
the residences of the Twelve Apostles. As for myself, I never left any
place with more gladness than I did Illinois. To launch into the
wilderness, to grapple with all the difficulties incident to such a
life, and even to run the risk of famine, or any other evil which
might have to be met, seemed small in comparison with the evils we had
been and were subjected to. It was with  great gladness the entire
people who took up their line of march, left what is termed
civilization, to go [p.135] among the red men of the plains. To dwell
among them and to take chances among them, seemed preferable to being
exposed to attacks having the form of legal measures, and claiming the
authority of law, but which, in the most of instances, only furnished
a covering for violence and the most deadly schemes of vengeance.

Vol. 22, p.135
Although the Prophet Joseph Smith, during his lifetime was brought
upwards of forty times before tribunals, upon one pretext or another,
in every instance when he hall a fair trial he was acquitted none of
the accusations were ever substantiated against him. And when at last
he surrendered himself, after receiving the pledge of the governor of
the State that he should be protected—he having pledged his own honor,
and the honor of the State to that effect—those who were his
persecutors, who claimed to have grounds of charge against him, were
well aware that the treason of which they accused him, could not be
sustained; and because of this they said, "he is likely to be
acquitted again and escape us; but if the law cannot reach him, powder
and ball can." With blackened faces, banded together and led by a
preacher, they made an attack upon the jail, and the few men left
there to take charge of it, fired upon them with blank cartridges to
make a show of resistance in order to cover up the bloody deed, as one
done without their connivance.

Vol. 22, p.135
The last time the Prophet addressed the people he predicted that peace
should he taken from the earth, and that terrible calamities would
come upon its inhabitants, and particularly upon our own nation. He
predicted what the results would be of the spirit of mobocracy which
then raged, and which had caused our expulsion from our homes,  if
allowed to prevail. Already, the prediction had been recorded by him,
twelve years previous to his death, that there would be a rebel lion
break out in South Carolina, and a fratricidal war commence between
the South and the North. The revelation upon this subject had been
written; it had been published. It was well known to the great bulk of
the Latter-day Saints years previous to this. I, when quite a child
heard it, and looked for its fulfilment until it came to pass. And
this was the case with the body of the people who were familiar with
the predictions which had been uttered by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Vol. 22, p.135
If the voice of this man could have been heard and his warnings
listened to, the evils which have fallen upon, our nation might have
been averted. To many, doubtless, such a statement as this may seem
presumptuous, because of the views. they entertain respecting this
Prophet. But whether it be admitted that he is a Prophet or not, it
can, not be denied by any one who is familiar with the tone of his
teachings, with the character of his expostulations and warnings, with
the manner in which he protested against the spirit of mobocracy, it
cannot, I say, be denied by any of these, that if his counsels had
been followed, many of the evils which have afflicted the nation might
have been averted.

Vol. 22, p.135
There is no form of government upon the earth under which so large a
degree of liberty can be enjoyed as that under which we dwell; it is
the best form of government ever devised by human wisdom for mankind.
Larger liberty, greater freedom of expansion and development to man in
every direction can be [p.136] attained under it, than under any other
form of government. Every man and woman who professes the faith of the
Latter-day Saints, must love it, because, under it the development of
the Kingdom of God is possible; for believing as we do that God
inspired the thunders of this government to perform the work which
they accomplished; that He raised up men for the express purpose of
achieving liberty upon this land, building up this grand fabric of
free government, we must of necessity admire and have a deep
attachment to its principles. While the people are pure, while they
are upright, while they are willing to observe law, the best results
must follow the establishment and maintenance of a government like
this; but, on the other hand, if the people become corrupt, if they
give way to passion, if they disregard law, if they trample upon
constitutional obligations, then a republican form of government like
ours becomes the worst tyranny upon the face of the earth. An
autocracy is a government of one man, and if he be a tyrant, it is the
tyranny of one man; but the tyranny and the irresponsibility of a mob
is one of the most grievous despotisms which can exist upon the face
of the earth. And it is from this which we have suffered; it is this
which caused us to take our flight into the Rocky Mountains; it, is
this which caused the founding and peopling of Utah Territory. When
attacked, despoiled, and driven by mobs, the Latter-day Saints
appealed to the authorities of the States where they lived; but their
appeals were in vain, because the authorities were only the creatures
of the mobs from whose cruel attacks we suffered, and whom they dare
not offend. Hence our appeals were in vain. When we appealed to
courts, the courts dreaded the power of public opinion, which was
adverse to dealing justly with us, and they dared not do anything to
favor us for fear of offending the mob who persecuted us. When appeals
were made to legislators, the same result followed; when governors
were appealed to they were in the same position; and when the case was
carried to the President of the United States, he dared not face the
issue, but declared that Congress had no power to deal with a
sovereign State for its treatment of the Latter-day Saints, though
they had been expelled from the State by violence. And even when
Joseph Smith was barbarously murdered while under the pledged honor of
the State, there was no redress; his murderers went scot free, one of
them a senator of the State in which he lived, and others well-known
to the general public. There was no dispositioin to punish those men,
although they were red-handed with the blood of innocence, and
although it was well known that they were the men who perpetrated that
cruel deed.

Vol. 22, p.136
We have suffered enough from this spirit of violent lawlessness to
feel profoundly moved in our hearts at the dreadful occurrence of
yesterday. It comes to us as it does not to any other people, for we
have suffered from this as no other people have. The men whom we loved
better than we loved our lives, for whom this people would have been
willing to lay down their lives, if by so doing they could have saved
them, were strickest down by the hands of assassins, while they were
helpless like sheep in a pen. They were slaughtered by a band of
ruffians, who knew that they had the power  if they could break into
the building where the victims were confined, [p.137] to take the
lives of those men, for they were defenceless.

Vol. 22, p.137
When the leading man of our nation is stricken down, as General
Garfield was, it arouses emotions in the hearts of the Latter-day
Saints—those of them especially who were participants in the scenes to
which I have referred—which language cannot describe. There is
something so abhorrent, so horrible in this method of curing evils,
that as one of this community I cannot think of it with any other
feeling than one of horror. General Garfield, I may say, was my
personal friend, we having served eight years in Congress together. I
have been intimately acquainted with him during that time, and I know
him to be one of the greatest men of the nation. He may not be a
strong man in every direction; I do not think he is strong enough to
follow his convictions upon our question. He knew better concerning us
than any man in public life, that is, he knew more of us. He was
brought up in Ohio, near where our people had lived in early days, in
the days of his childhood. He was familiar with men who had been
members of our Church, and I believe was connected remotely by
marriage with some of our people; and while he hall no sympathy with
some of our doctrines, nevertheless he had opportunities of knowing
many things concerning us which others did not know. He had visited
this city twice; he had become acquainted with the people, seen them
at their homes, and had frequently conversed upon our doctrines. I
know therefore, he understood our question probably better than any
man in public life. But for fear, as I fully believe, that he would be
suspected of cherishing sympathy for us, he uttered expressions which
I thought were exceedingly unwise and unstatesmanlike in his inaugural
address. But notwithstanding this, I must bear testimony to the man
and to the largeness of his soul and the breadth of his mind. He is a
man of broad intellect, of wide experience, and naturally of a good
heart; and I cannot imagine any reason which could justify an act of
violence towards him. There has nothing occurred during his
administration to provoke such an attack as that made upon him.

Vol. 22, p.137
But the word of the Lord has gone forth concerning all such matters as
these. Deeds of violence will become more common, whether the world
believe it or not. The Lord inspired His servants to predict these
things, if the spirit of mobocracy were permitted to reign unchecked
said unpunished. Innocent blood has been shed in our land, the blood
of innocent men, the blood, as we believe, of Prophets and Apostles
and Saints of God; and their blood stains the escutcheon of the States
where it was shed, and it has not been stoned for. There has been no
voice of protest against those deeds; on the contrary, to day,
notwithstanding the horrors of the past; notwithstanding our track is
lined with the graves of our people who fell by the way-side, whilst
fleeing from their persecutors, religious denominations all over the
land meet together in public conventions, and appeal in the strongest
mariner to the government to review the old scenes of persecution
against a people, who have done them no harm, and who fled as far as
they could from their confines, and from their civilization. To-day
there are those who call themselves ministers and followers of the
meek and lowly Jesus, who, if they could, would stir up every feeling
of hatred and animosity and bloodthirstiness in the [p.138] human
breast, and bring down anger, vengeance and destruction upon a people
whose only crime is they will not worship according to their
dictation—a people who have come into these mountains and reared
themselves homes, and made this once desolate land beautiful; a people
who have created wealth here for the nation; who have offered an
asylum to all; who have fed the strangers and travelers as they passed
through here, administering comfort and relief to them, and who have
been inspired by Heaven to impart blessing and benefit, and exert an
influence for good upon the hearts of their fellow-creatures.

Vol. 22, p.138
Now, as much as I deplore such acts as that of yesterday, I look, upon
it as one of the consequences which must follow. General Garfield, the
President of the United States, innocent of any act which can be
tortured into a justification for a deed of violence, now falls a
victim to this spirit of lawlessness and personal revenge. When men
permit the spirit of mobocracy and violence to prevail, when they
suffer crime to go unpunished, when innocent blood is shed and is not
atoned for, the time must come sooner or later, when the evil results
will become widespread. As men sow, so will they reap. It is an
eternal law and can only be avoided by deep repentance. Every nation
which commits a crime must atone for that crime. God holds nations
responsible as He does individuals. When a man sheds innocent blood a
crime is committed by him, and he must atone for it either in this
life or in the life to come. God will visit them in His own time and
in His own way, until these things are atoned for. He will leave men
and nations to themselves, when they abandon themselves to evil, and
His spirit cannot abide with them.

Vol. 22, p.138
It may be said that the Latter-day Saints were an insignificant
people, and that therefore their treatment was a matter of little or
no consequence; so it might be said respecting the disciples of Jesus.
Jesus himself was an obscure Being on the earth—His persecutors at
least thought him such; but He was the divine Redeemer, he was the Son
of God. His disciples were obscure men; they were poor fishermen, yet
they were disciples of the Lord Jesus, and because of the cruel
killing of the Son of God, and the persecution inflicted upon His
disciples, Jerusalem was overthrown, the Jewish nation was broken in
pieces, and scattered among all nations.

Vol. 22, p.138
My brethren and sisters, we, of all people upon the face of the earth,
should be the last to rejoice in calamity of any kind, or to indulge
in any feeling which would have the appearance of rejoicing over
anything that may appear like vengeance. There is only one feeling
which ought to have a place in our hearts, and that is one of deep
sorrow when men do wrong, when they commit crimes, even though we
ourselves should be the victims of tire wrong. There ought to be no
feeling in our hearts to wish or desire vengeance to come upon those
who commit those acts. Our Savior has given us an example in this. He
said after He had been lifted up upon the cross, "Father, forgive
them; they know not what they do." This ought to be an example to us.
The man who indulges in any other feeling grieves the Spirit of God,
and is not worthy the name of Latter-day Saint. He certainly is not
one; because any other spirit than this is in opposition to the Spirit
of God;  and there ought [p.139] to be no feeling in our hearts
excepting one of deep sorrow that our fellow-beings do anything which
would bring down the anger of God upon them. And I pray God the
Eternal Father to bless us and fill us with the Holy Spirit to
enlighten us, and lead us into all truth, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

John Taylor, July 3, 1881

The Saints Mission is One of Peace—Sympathy for General Garfield, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, July 3d, 1881.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.139
I have been interested in the remarks made by Brother Cannon, who has
addressed us, because I am personally well conversant with most of the
events to which he has referred. I also coincide with him in his
feelings as regards the position we ought to occupy in this Territory
as an integral part of the United States, in relation to the
melancholy event which has so recently transpired in the nation; for
all right feeling people must execrate a crime like that attempted on
the life of the President. It is usual with many people when they
think they have received an injury to hope and wish that the like
calamity may rest upon those who are their opponents, or by whom they
have received, or supposed they have received, certain slights or
injuries; and it is very difficult for such people to comprehend the
principle that actuates, or ought to actuate, all high-minded,
honorable men, especially those who profess to be influenced by that
Gospel which was introduced by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our
motives as Latter-day Saints should be very different indeed from
those which many are actuated by, who do not believe in the principles
enunciated in the Gospel of the Son of God. Our mission to the world
is a mission of peace. Our proclamation is tire same as that which was
made by the angels of mercy who heralded the advent of the Son of God;
it is: "Peace on earth and good-will towards men." We have never
entertained any other feeling or principle than this; nor do we desire
to cherish any unhallowed feelings in our bosoms either to individuals
or the nation.

Vol. 22, p.139
Reference has been made by Bro.[p.140] Cannon in his remarks to the
feeling and animus which exist among many calling themselves
Christians, in their conventions, etc., in their endeavors to stir up
a spirit of persecution and opposition to us. Let them take their
course; let them follow the influence by which they are governed. We
cannot afford to entertain a spirit of that kind, nor do we desire to
cherish a spirit of retaliation. If Jesus, when upon the earth, could
patiently endure the scoffs, sneers and reproaches of men which were
so indiscriminately heaped upon Him; if we are in possession of the
principles which were enunciated by Him, we can afford also to cherish
the same noble and magnanimous feelings which dwelt in His bosom. I
know of no other principle than this associated with the Gospel of the
Son of God, whether in this age or any other age. Jesus came here
according to the foreordained plan and purpose of God, pertaining to
the human family, as the Only Begotten of the Father full of grace and
truth. He carne to offer himself a sacrifice, the just for the unjust;
to meet the requirements of a broken law, which the human family were
incapable of meeting, to rescue them from the ruins of the fall, to
deliver them from the power of death to which all peoples had been
subjected by the transgression of a law, and He Himself took the
initiatory in this matter, and offered himself, the Son of God, as
competent propitiation for the sins of the world. And when He was
opposed, rejected, cast out, spat upon and maligned; and again, when
He was crucified, in His last remark lie used the words which have
already been referred to, "Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do." He taught that it was written in the law in olden
times, that there should he "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth;" but says lie, "I say unto you that ye resist not evil * * Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate
you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you;
that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He
maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain
on the just and on the unjust." These were principles worthy of a God;
these were feelings which if cherished by the human family, would
elevate them from that low, groveling position in which they are
laboring, would place them on a more elevated platform, would bring
them into communion with their Heavenly Father, and prepare them for
an association with the Gods in the eternal worlds.

Vol. 22, p.140
In reference to this late melancholy affair which has occurred, I feel
in my heart a strong sympathy for President Garfield. People may think
this strange. Why, say they, did he not make some remarks which are
calculated to injure you as a people? Yes. But he, like the rest of us
is a fallible being. We are all fallible, and it is not every man who
can resist the pressure which is brought to bear upon him, and the
influence by which he may be surrounded. Even Pilate, who was inspired
by strong principles of justice, found it difficult to resist the
popular clamor against Jesus; he felt a disposition to deliver the
Savior from the position in which he was placed by his enemies, and
asked the people, What harm has this man done? Nothing. Only the
people continued to cry out, "Crucify him, crucify him;" and in answer
to their demands he  delivered Jesus into their hands, saying,
however, "I [p.141] wash my hands of his blood." He had not the
firmness to resist the cries of the popualtion but yielded to their
Unreasonable demands.

Vol. 22, p.141
But to return. In speaking of these matters, I have reasons
personally, myself, to have very vindictive feelings if I would
entertain them, in regard to misrule and mob violence, for under the
pledge of the governor of Illinois, made to me and to Dr. Bernhisel,
(who is here presented) Joseph and Hyrum Smith were guaranteed
protection, and the governor pledged us his faith and that of the
State therefore. But these two innocent victims were slain in cold
blood, and the very guards whom the governor ostensibly placed for
their protection, assisted in the murder, whilst I, myself, who was
not there as a prisoner, received four balls at the time of their
massacre. Under these infamous circumstances it would be very natural
for a man to entertain vindictive feelings. But do I have feelings of
revenge in my heart concerning these men? No. Did any of you ever hear
me give utterance to feelings of that kind? I think not. I do not wish
to be governed by such influences. Those who perpetrate such acts have
enough to answer for without any maledictions from me. I do not
cherish feelings of that kind. I consider that all these things are
governed by an all-wise and inscrutible Providence, by a God who rules
and regulates, manages and directs the affairs of the human family. I
saw Joseph and Hyrum Smith mortally wounded by men with blackened
faces, and, as I have said, I was severely wounded—quite as severely
as President Garfield is. Do I feel enmity towards these men? No,
their case is not an enviable one. There is a Being who knows the acts
of the human family and is acquainted with their affairs, who will
judge all men and all nations according to their deserts. Do I know
this? I do know it. The Gospel reveals many things to us which others
are unacquainted with. I knew of those terrible events which were
coming upon this nation previous to the breaking out of our great
fratricidal war, just as well as I now know that they transpired, and
I have spoken of them to many. What of that? Do I not know that a
nation like that in which we live, a nation which is blessed with, the
freest, the most enlightened and magnificent government in the world
to-day, with priviliges which would exalt people to heaven if lived up
to—do I not know that if they do not live up to them, but violate them
and trample them under their feet, and discard the sacred principles
of liberty by which we ought to be govened—do I not know that their
punishment will be commensurate with the enlightenment which they
possess? I do. And I know—I cannot help but know—that there are a
great many more afflictions yet awaiting this nation. But would I put
forth my hand to help bring them on I God forbid! And you, you
Latter-day Saints, would you exercise your influence to the
accomplishment of all object of that kind? God forbid! But we cannot
help but know these things. But our foreknowledge of these matters
does not make us the agents in bringing them to pass. We are told that
the wicked will slay the wicked. We are told in sacred writ, "that
vengeance is mine saith the Lord, and I will repay?" And in speaking
of ourselves we need not be under any apprehensions pertaining to the
acts of men, for the Lord has said, "It is my business to take care of
my [p.142] Saints;" but it is our, business to be Saints. And to be
worthy of that character it is our duty to live by the principles of
virtue, truth, integrity, holiness, purity, and honor, that we may at
all times secure the favor of Almighty God; that His blessings may be
with us and dwell in our bosoms; that the peace of God may abide in
our habitations; that our fields, our flocks, and our herds may be
blessed of the Lord; and that we, as a people, may be under His divine
protection. Fear him and keep his commandments, and if we do this we
need know no other fear either on this side of heaven or of hell, for
God has pledged himself to take care of his people and to sustain and
deliver them from the hands of their enemies, Therefore we may feel
easy, and we can always afford to treat all men right. What! Would you
treat your enemies well? Why, yes. If they were hungry I would feed
them; if they were thirsty I would give them drink; if they were naked
I would clothe them; but I would not be governed by their principles,
nor influenced by the feelings which animate their bosoms. I would try
and imitate and cherish the same truths that dwell in the bosom of
God, who makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and the
rain to fall on the just and on the unjust. Then, having done that, I
would leave them in the hands of God, and let him direct his affairs
according to the counsels of his own will.

Vol. 22, p.142
I am sorry to see this murderous influence prevailing throughout the
world, and perhaps this may be a fitting occasion to refer to some of
these matters. The manifestations of turbulance and uneasiness which
prevail among the nations of the earth are truly lamentable. Well,
have I anything to do with them? Nothing; but I cannot help but know
that they exist. These feelings which tend to do away with all right,
rule, and government, and correct principles are not from God, or many
of them are not. This feeling of communism and nihilism, aimed at the
overthrow of rulers and men in position and authority, arises from a
spirit of diabolism, which is contrary to every principle of the
Gospel of the Son of God. But then do not the Scripture say that these
things shall occur? Yes. Do not the scriptures say that men shall grow
worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived? Yes. Do not the
scriptures tell us that thrones shall be cast down and empires
destroyed and the rule and government of the earth be trodden under
foot? Yes. But I cannot help but sympathize with those who suffer from
their influences; while these afflictions are the result of wickedness
and corruption, yet we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that those who
engage in these pernicious practices are exceedingly low, brutal,
wicked and degraded. I would say "my soul come not thou into their
secret; unto their assembly, mine honor, be not thou united."

Vol. 22, p.142
I have traveled abroad myself, quite extensively among the nations of
the earth. Did I ever interfere with them? No, not in the least
particular. Did I see things that were wrong? Yes, but it was not for
me to right them. That was not my mission. I had no command of the
kind. My mission was to preach the Gospel of salvation to the nations
of the earth, and I have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to do
this, without purse or scrip, trusting in God. And so have many of  my
friends traveled: We did not hurt anybody, did we? For [p.143]
instance, now, right in our own city, we have Methodists,
Presbyterians; Baptists, Catholics, Episcopalians, and all kinds of
isms. Do we interfere with them? We do not. Would you interrupt them
in their worship? I know of no such thing, good Latter-day Saints will
not do it. Would I malign or persecute them? No, I would not. If we
told the truth about some of them it would be quite bad enough without
stating falsehoods, and if other men cannot afford to treat us aright,
we can afford to treat them properly and to give the fullest and
broadest liberty to all who come within our reach; liberty to do
right, not liberty to oppress, not liberty to trample upon correct
principles, not liberty to rob men of their property or religion. Men
who would do this are villains which we want nothing to do with; but
all honorable men, all men who do right and. maintain the laws and the
Constitution of the United States, we are their friends and will
sustain them to the last. These are my thoughts in relation to that
matter.

Vol. 22, p.143
In connection with President Garfield, have we any feelings of enmity
t No; I have none. I feel truly to sympathize with him in his
affliction, but I feel more profoundly moved that deeds of this
description can occur in a free, liberal and enlightened government
like this. We might expect such things in some of the European nations
where the principles of nihilism exist to so great an extent, and
where there seems a disposition to subvert all rule and government and
place the people and nations in the hands of irresponsible mobs, and
of low, brutal, murderous men, without any regard to the principles of
law, order, justice, equity and righteousness. I could account for
some of these things taking place there. It is really astonishing to
see what efforts are being made to accomplish the overthrow of rule
and government in Russia, Austria, Germany, Spain, England, Italy,
France, Turkey, etc. These things are beginning to spread among and
permeate the nations of the earth. Do we expect them? Yes. These
secret combinations were spoken of by Joseph Smith, years and years
ago. I have heard him time and time again tell about them, and he
stated that when these things began to take place the liberties of
this nation would begin to be bartered away. We see many signs of
weakness which we lament, and we would to God that our rulers would be
men of righteousness, and that those who aspire to position would be
guided by honorable feelings—to maintain inviolate the Constitution
and operate in the interest, happiness, well-being, and protection of
the whole community. But we see signs of weakness and vaccillation. We
see a policy being introduced to listen to the clamor of mobs and of
unprincipled men who know not of what they speak, nor whereof they
affirm, and when men begin to tear away with impunity one plank after
another from our Constitution, by and by we shall find that we are
struggling with the wreck and ruin of the system which the forefathers
of this nation sought to establish in the interests of humanity. But
it is for us still to sustain these glorious principles of liberty
bequeathed by the founders of this nation, still to rally round the
flag of the Union, still to maintain all correct principles, granting
the utmost extent of liberty to all people of all grades and of all
nations. If other people see fit to  violate these sacred principles,
we must uphold them in their [p.144] entirety, in their purity, and be
patriotic and law-abiding and act honorably toward our nation and to
its rulers. It is truly deplorable to see our President, the President
of this great and mighty nation, one of the greatest rulers in the
world stricken down by an assassin. Yet these things we have to mourn
over. But in all cases it is for us to be true to our God and to our
religion, to obey the laws of God, cleaving to correct principles,
letting purity, virtue, honor, truth and integrity characterize all
our acts, that we may be the blessed of the Lord.

Vol. 22, p.144
I pray God to bless you, and that we may be led in the paths of light;
and I pray God to bless all honorable men everywhere, and to bless our
President and our rulers who rule in righteousness, and that wherein
any of them are doing wrong, that they may be led in the right path,
and that we may be lea to pursue that course at all times that shall
secure the approbation of God, the approbation of our own conscience
and the esteem and respect of all honorable men everywhere. Regarding
the notions of others, we care nothing; our trust is in God; and we
will try and observe His laws and keep His commandments. May God help
us to do so in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Wilford Woodruff, April 3, 1881

The Saints Have Cause to Rejoice—Their Labors and Future

Delivered at the General Conference,
Sunday Morning, April 3, 1881.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.144
I think that all of us as Latter-day Saints should have our hearts
filled with gratitude and thanksgiving to God our Heavenly Father for
his mercies and blessings which we enjoy this day. It is certainly a
source of much pleasure to me to have the privilege of meeting with so
many of the Latter-day Saints, and with so many bearing the Holy
Priesthood in this dispensation of God to man. I cannot but rejoice
when I reflect upon the history of this people, and contemplate the
dealings of God with us, how that He has protected us and sustained us
and delivered us and made us community in the land, and that too under
adversity and opposition.

Vol. 22, p.144
In tracing the history of the Prophets and Apostles of old, as well as
those of our day, we find that there have been some  very peculiar
manifestations of the trust and [p.145] confidence in God which they
have exercised. Consider, for instance, the position of the Three
Hebrews. They could afford to trust themselves in the hands of God;
they could afford to meet whatever punishment or affliction or
persecution which might be heaped upon them in consequence of their
obeying the law of God. But they could not afford to bow down and
worship the image which Nebuchadnezzar had caused to be set up,
because it was contrary to the commandments of God. The history of the
result of their refusing to obey the royal edict, commanding all
Babylon to fall down and worship it, we are familiar with; also with
the similar circumstance in which the Prophet Daniel figured. In any
and every age of the world when God has called or commanded a man or a
people to perform a certain work, they through determination and
perseverance, and faith in him, have been enabled to accomplish it;
and I do not know of a single instance wherein anything ennobling or
exalting has been gained when his command has been shunned or wilfully
disobeyed. I will here mention the case of Jonah, which presents
itself to my mind, when the Lord sent him to deliver a message to
Ninevah. The requirement was a little too much for Jonah, and he
thought he would try to avoid it; but after he had spent three days
and nights in the belly of a whale, he thought, no doubt, that if ever
he got to land he would unhesitatingly obey the commandments of the
Lord. The result we know. We take our Savior, and also the Apostles
who followed him; we read the history of what they suffered and passed
through. All of the Apostles suffered death (excepting one, whom they
could not destroy), including the Son of God himself, in order to seal
their testimony with their blood; while the Savior had to suffer upon
the cross, to fill the mission which he had been preordained to
perform; which, by the way, is a very strange ensample to man, to see
the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father on the earth, the
First Born in the spirit world, a person of His high exaltation and
glory, condescending to come forth to be born in a stable and cradled
in a manger; and after he grew up, how he traveled about in adversity
and suffering, never shrinking from any duty imposed upon him—it
should certainly be a good ensample to all of his followers. And the
Apostles themselves, because of their integrity to the truths of the
Gospel which they had received through their Master, the Savior, they
like him, suffered death, and thus sealed their testimony with their
blood. They could perform no more than he could towards turning the
hearts of the people to the truth; but they determined to risk
whatever suffering, trouble or tribulation they were called to pass
through for the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus, that they
might receive eternal life.

Vol. 22, p.145
I bring this home to ourselves. I bring it home to the Latter-day
Saints; I bring it home to our day and generation. Many of us have
been acquainted with our Prophet and Patriarch, Joseph and Hyrum
Smith. We know their lives; we know the suffering and trouble they
passed through. These men are true and faithful unto death. They could
afford to do it; but they could not afford to deny the faith; they
could not afford to shrink from the important message which God had
given unto them, of establishing this Church and kingdom upon the
earth, but they could afford to be [p.146] true and faithful to the
last moments of their lives, in advocating and defending the
principles of the Gospel of the Son of God. I wish to say to our
leading men, the Presidency of this Church, the Twelve Apostles, the
Presidents of Stakes and their Counselors, the Bishops, the Seventies,
the High Priests and Elders, and to all men bearing the Holy
Priesthood, as well as to all who have entered into covenant with God,
that we can, as individuals and as a people, afford to maintain our
integrity in this our day and generation, regardless of consequences.
We can afford to be true and faithful to God; we can afford to carry
out every principle and commandment which God has given unto us; we
can afford to do this, as much so as Prophets and Apostles and people
of God of other dispensations and generations. And I would say to all
Israel, there is not one soul of us who can afford to compromise one
of the revelations or one of the commandments which God has committed
to our charge. No man can afford to do this who is called of God to
build up this Kingdom. We can afford, however, to meet the
consequences, whatever they may be. And I would say to all present
this day, that we should have, and that we have as much comfort, as
much hope and as much cause to trust in God, and have received as much
encouragement, by the over-ruling hand of Almighty God in our behalf,
to go on magnifying our calling and to be true and faithful to every
commandment which God has given unto us, as the people of any other
generation had in their day; and for one I can say, "It is the kingdom
of God or nothing for me and I am willing to risk the consequences. I
know that I cannot afford to disobey any commandment which God has
given to me, because there is no man who holds the Priesthood, and
possessing the inspiration and the gifts of God and the light of
truth, but would be ashamed both in the flesh and in the spirit-world
to meet his God, and to be obliged to acknowledge that he did not obey
His commandments. And I will here say that whenever we do our duty,
whenever we keep the commandments which have been made known to us, we
will see the fulfilment of the promises which God has made to us with
regard to this day, age and dispensation. There is no promise which
God has made to us but what will be fulfilled to the very letter. I
read these—the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants,
and I regard them as eternal truths. I cannot find any revelations
given from the days of Moses down to the days of Joseph Smith, nor
from the days of Joseph to our day, by men who have spoken as they
were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, but what has been fulfilled to the
very letter, as far as time would admit of. Though the heavens and the
earth pass away, not one jot or tittle which will fall unfulfilled.
When I read these solemn, these eternal declarations made through the
mouth of Joseph Smith, my heart swells with gratitude and praise to
God, my heavenly Father. I consider that the Doctrine and Covenants,
our Testament, contains a code of the most solemn, the most Godlike
proclamations ever made to the human family. I will refer to the
"Vision" alone, as a revelation which gives more light, more truth,
and more principle than any revelation contained in any other  book we
ever read. It makes plain to our understanding our present [p.147]
condition, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going
to. Any man may know through that revelation what his part and
condition will be. For all men know what laws they keep, and the laws
which men keep here will determine their position hereafter; they will
be preserved by those laws and receive the blessings which belong to
them.

Vol. 22, p.147
I say again, the Latter-day Saints have every encouragement; their
pathway is plain and inviting before them. And the nearer we adhere to
the commandments of God, the more confident we shall become that God
is our friend and that He is watching over us, and that his Son Jesus
is our advocate, with the Father, that he is in the midst of this
people, and that he will contend for the rights of his Saints, and
will ward off every weapon which is formed against Zion. So far at
least we have been sustained; the arm of Jehovah has been made bare in
our behalf ever since we have been in these valleys, and all Israel
whose eyes are open to see, and whose minds can comprehend the
dealings of God with his people, know it. We have been sustained by
the power of God from the beginning to this day, and nothing short of
the power of God could have saved us and brought us through; and
nothing but the power of God can preserve us, and nothing but his
wisdom can pilot us safe to the high destiny which awaits us. Perhaps
I may be permitted to say, we met with a good deal of persecution and
oppression and suffering before we came to these valleys, and still
the hand of oppression is stretched out against us, and the public
mind everywhere within the pale of Christendom is more or less set on
our destruction, and that because a certain Biblical principle—the
patriarchal order of marriage is practised by us. When Earl Rosborough
was visiting this city, he inquired of President Taylor what excuse
the State of Missouri had in driving ten thousand of this people
beyond their borders into the State of Illinois; and what excuse the
people of this nation had who took part in, and those who countenanced
the persecution which we have endured, for persecuting us before the
principle of patriarchal marriage was practised by the Latter-day
Saints. President Taylor replied, it was because we believed in
revelation, because we believed in Prophets and Apostles, and because
we believed in the ancient, the apostolic, the everlasting Gospel,
with all its gilts and blessings. Then, said Earl Rosborough, "it
would make no difference, as far as your being at variance with the
Christian world is concerned. whether you practice plural marriage or
not, unless you renounce all other principles you hold to that caused
your persecution heretofore; you would be persecuted still." I say the
same to-day. The nation cares no more about our practising the order
of plural marriage than any other principle of the Gospel; it would
make no difference with us to day. Were we to compromise this
principle by saying, we will renounce it, we would then have to
renounce our belief in revelation from God, and our belief in the
necessity of Prophets and Apostles, and the principle of the
gathering, and then to do away with the idea and practice of building
Temples in which to administer ordinances for the exaltation of the
living and the redemption of the dead; and at last we would have to
renounce our Church organization, and mix up and mingle with the
world, and [p.148] become part of them. Can we afford to do this? I
tell you no, we can not; but we can afford to keep the commandments of
God. And I will here say, that we have been sustained by the hand of
Jehovah in a marvelous and miraculous manner ever since we came to
these valleys and proclaimed to the world our belief in the revelation
of celestial or plural marriage; and I will say further, and in the
name of Jesus Christ our Savior and Elder Brother, we shall be
sustained from this time until he comes in the clouds of heaven,
inasmuch as we shrink not from the performance of our duties. We have
somebody to deal with besides man. The God of heaven holds our
destiny; he holds the destiny of our nation and of all the nations,
and he controls them. Therefore, I say to the Latter-day Saints, let
us be faithful; let us keep the commandments; let us not renounce a
single principle or command which God has given to us. Let us keep the
word of wisdom. Let us pay our tithes and offerings. Let us obey the
celestial law of God, that we may have our wives and children with us
in the morning of the first resurrection; that we may come forth
clothed with glory, immortality and eternal lives, with our wives and
children bound to us in the family organization in the celestial
world, to dwell with us throughout the endless ages of eternity,
together with all the sons and daughters of Adam who shall have kept
the commandments of God.

Vol. 22, p.148
I pray that we may be able to do our duty in this world. I pray that
we may not fear man who can only kill the body, but fear God who hath
power to cast both body and soul into hell. I feel to say that there
is no people under heaven who have so much cause to rejoice and to be
grateful as the Latter-day Saints. There is no other people since the
foundation of the world called to perform the work which you,
Latter-day Saints, are called to perform. The God of heaven has given
you the kingdom, the great and last kingdom, the only kingdom which
has ever been set up on this earth to remain until the coming of the
Son of Man. Although in its infancy, this work has a great and a
mighty future; and as I have often said, the eyes of all the hosts of
heaven are over us; the eyes of God Himself, and the eyes of all the
Prophets and Apostles who have ever lived in the flesh are watching
this people. They know that they are not neither can they be made
perfect without you; and they fully understand that we cannot be made
perfect without them. They understand the greatness, the extent, the
power and the glory of this dispensation.

Vol. 22, p.148
When I contemplate the fact that the few men and women dwelling in
these mountain valleys have had committed to them this great and
mighty work, I feel that of all people under heaven we ought to be the
most grateful to our God; and that we ought to remember to keep our
covenants, and humble ourselves before him, and labor with all our
hearts to discharge faithfully the responsibilities which devolve upon
us, and the duties which are required at our hands. For we can afford
to do anything which God requires of us; but none of us can afford to
do wrong. It would cost far more than this world with all its wealth
is worth for the Latter-day Saints to do wrong and come under the
disfavor of Almighty God. Our prayers, one and all, should be that of
David's—"Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let
[p.149] them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I
shall be innocent from the great transgression."

Vol. 22, p.149
I pray God to bless this assembly of His people; and to bless the
Presidency of the Church, the Apostles and all bearing the holy
Priesthood, together with all who have entered into covenant with him.
My earnest prayer is that the blessings of our God may be over us in
time, that when we get through and shall pass behind the vail, we
shall have done all that was required of us, and be prepared to dwell
with the sanctified and the just made perfect through the blood of the
Lamb. Amen.

Erastus Snow, April 4, 1881

The Gospel—The "Perfect Law of Liberty," Etc.

Delivered at the General Conference,
Monday Afternoon, April 4, 1881.

(Reported by Geo. F. Gibbs.)

Vol. 22, p.149
I desire to be heard, not that I am ambitious of speaking, but if I
speak I desire that my strength shall not be unnecessarily taxed.

Vol. 22, p.149
One of the ancient expounders of the Christian religion said, that the
Gospel was the perfect law of liberty. I believe it; and if I taken
text at all, that is my text.

Vol. 22, p.149
The Gospel as understood and expounded by the Savior and his ancient
Apostles, is a perfect law of liberty. Everything pertaining to the
spirit of the Gospel, as taught and expounded and practised by the
Savior and His disciples, tended to liberty. All the revelations which
God ever gave to man from the beginning of the world tended to
liberty. The government which our heavenly Father has exercised, or
attempted to exercise over His children on the earth or in the
heavens, has not in the least tended to restrain or abridge them in
their liberty, but rather to enlarge it, to extend it, to insure, to
preserve and maintain it. The Gospel of Christ, and all of the
revelations of God to man have sought to mark the line of distinction
between liberty and license, between correct principles of government
and anarchy or oppression and slavery. Oppression and slavery are the
result of sin and wickedness, violations of the principles of the
everlasting Gospel either by the rulers or ruled or both, and
generally both. True freedom of mind and body and true liberty, even
the enjoyment of human rights is founded and maintained, and rests
[p.150] upon human integrity and virtue and the observance of those
principles of truth on which all true happiness and true freedom is
founded. Sin was never righteousness, nor can be; license was never
liberty nor can be; misery was never happiness, nor can be; and yet
because of the blindness and ignorance of some people, they never
appear to be happy only when they are perfectly miserable. And there
are some people too who think they are always in slavery and bondage
unless they are trying to get themselves into trouble; and they think
there is no true liberty only in acting like the devil. The Nihilists
of Russia, the Socialists of France and their sympathizers in America,
including the "Liberals" of Utah, are panting for liberty; they are
restive under the restraint of order and law; they are opposed to
government, and like the French Socialists and Communists, they would
destroy Jehovah himself and behead the king and burn up Parliament and
assassinate every representative of power and government; and when
they had reduced the country and themselves to anarchy, they would
look upon their condition as the acme of freedom and human liberty.
The world to-day is drifting in this direction, including our own
liberal America.

Vol. 22, p.150
If we take a retrospective view of the dealings of God with his people
whom he recognized, and who acknowledged his laws, and among whom he
raised up Prophets, and with whom he established his covenants, we
will find that they have been the freest of all peoples which have
existed on the earth. The students of the Bible and the Book of Mormon
know this to be the case. They know that the first king who ruled over
ancient Israel, was chosen at their own earnest solicitations, when
they began to apostatize from God, and to despise His counsels. They
know that Samuel the Seer, who judged them in righteousness, and who
taught them faithfully the ways of the Lord, earnestly remonstrated
with them when they clamored for a king to go out and in before them
and lead them to battle, that they might be as other nations who were
around them. Samuel foretold the results—that such a course tended to
bondage; that they were but forging the links of the chain that would
bind them and deprive them of freedom. He labored long and arduously
to dissuade them from it; but they would not listen to him. And yet
they were not willing to consent for anybody else to make them a king
but that same Samuel; and when he had prayed to the Lord, the Lord
told him to "hearken to the voice of the people in all that they say
unto thee; for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me,
that I should not reign over them." Samuel did as the Lord commanded
him, and Israel was ruled over by a king of their own choosing. But
the heavens were displeased with them for so doing, and you who are
conversant with Bible history are familiar with the troubles and
sorrows which befell Israel in consequence of this departure from the
ways of God. And those who read the Book of Mormon find the same
spirit breathed throughout that book. The people, in the days when
they were willing to listen to the voice of Prophets and inspired men,
were the freest and best of all people; but when they began to
apostatize and harden their hearts against the words of the Lord and
the counsel imparted to them by His servants, they  began to drift
with sin and oppression and [p.151] bondage. Anarchy—shall I say, is
the worst of all governments? No: Anarchy is the absence of all
government; it is the antipodes of order; it is the acme of confusion;
it is the result of unbridled license, the antipodes of true liberty.
The Apostle Paul says truly: "For there is no power but of God: the
powers that be are ordained of God." At first this is a startling
statement. Even the monopoly of the one-man-power as in Russia, or the
monopoly of the aristocracy as in other parts of Europe, or the
imbecility and sometimes stupidity of a republic like our own, is far
better than no government at all. And for this reason, says the
Apostle Paul, "The powers are ordained of God," not that riley are
always the best forms of government for the people, or that they
afford liberty and freedom to mankind, but that any and all forms of
government are better than none at all, having a tendency as they do
to restrain the passions of human nature and to curb them, and to
establish and maintain order to a greater or less degree. One monopoly
is better than many; and the oppression of a king is tolerable, but
the oppression of a mob, where every man is a law to himself and his
own right arm, is his power to enforce his own will, is the worst form
of government. The efforts of extremists clamoring for human freedom
are all tending in this direction; and those who clamor for human
rights are, as a general thing, the first to trample them under foot—I
mean those who are the most loud-mouthed; their ideas of freedom are
all on their tongue; they conceive of no freedom only when they wield
the sword, or dictate terms to others. The Gospel of the Son of God
extends to the world that perfect law of liberty. Founded on truth,
and a proper appreciation of those principles which tend to the
largest possible happiness to humanity, it restrains mankind, not in
the enjoyment of freedom and liberty, but from efforts to deprive
their fellows of it. In other words, the power which God has sought to
exercise, and which he has recommended and sanctioned, is only to
seize the arm which is raised to fell his fellow, and to stop the loud
tongue of the raging maniac, which would destroy the peace of his
fellow-man, and who would seek to build himself up on the ruin of
others. There is no system of government ever instituted among men
which is so well calculated to give and maintain human freedom, and at
the same time to restrain the vices and excesses of fallen humanity,
as the government of the Gospel sought to be established by the Savior
and His Apostles. We heard quoted this forenoon the words of God
spoken through the Prophet Joseph, and which are and always will be in
force among this people, to the effect that the powers of the
Priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and
cannot be exercised in any degree of unrighteousness; that the power
of that man departs from him when he attempts in the least degree to
exercise an unrighteous dominion over his fellow-man—or any power or
dominion except that power of truth and of persuasion founded upon it.

Vol. 22, p.151
The teachings of the Savior in relation to the settling of
difficulties arising among brethren in the Church of Christ, through
visiting them and talking frankly one with another, explaining and
expounding to each other until they come to an understanding of all
troubles which [p.152] may arise among members of the Church; and in
cases of disagreement invoking the aid and council of visiting priests
and teachers to act in the premises as peace-makers, as helps to' the
parties to arrive at a proper understanding, constitute the best
method of settling and adjusting the differences of mankind which has
ever been instituted; agreeing with the experience of Bishop Hunter,
who has often said, that no cases of difficulty are so thoroughly and
effectually settled as those which are disposed of in this way. This
is the chief labor of the visiting Priesthood among the people of God.
And yet the enemies of this people prate a great deal about the
oppression of the Priesthood. There is no pope or bishop, priest of
clergyman or ecclesiastic belonging to any sect on the earth, so far
as my knowledge extends, which is so approachable as the President and
Apostles and Priests and Bishops and Elders of this Church, whose
hearts and ears are open to everybody to hear what everybody has to
say, and to give it due weight in all patience and long-suffering, to
enlighten and teach them correct principles, so that they may act
honestly with each other and secure each other the greatest possible
amount of liberty, freedom and happiness. The same may be said of the
domestic relations in the family circle—I will not say with wicked
men, with men who are naturally tyrannical, having the spirit of
tyranny and oppression born in them; but I will say that free men and
women who are imbued with the spirit of the everlasting Gospel, who
are living in polygamy, that they manifest a greater degree of
parental affection and of conjugal love, and evince greater earnest
desire to promote peace and happiness and comfort and liberty and
freedom to each member of their families, than at least the great
majority of the families el the Christian world. And as I have often
said—and I am as well acquainted with polygamous families in Utah, as
perhaps, any other man, in consequence of my traveling constantly
among the people and mingling with them—that, as a rule, the
polygamous families of Utah are the best regulated families in the
land, and they enjoy the greatest degree of happiness and freedom,
unity, fellowship and love and reverence for correct principles. Our
would-be regeneraters would feign try and make us believe that unless
we all go to the polls and vote their ticket we are slaves to the
Priesthood; that because we chose to vote for our friends, we are
doing the bidding of the Priesthood. Yes, and so we are. The
Priesthood has always taught us that we would be fools, indeed, to
vote for our enemies, for those who would rob and plunder us, for
those who would not only rob us financially, but would steal from us
the common rights of citizenship were it in their power to do so. And,
yet, forsooth, because we vote for our friends, for men in whom we
have confidence, they say we are priestridden, etc. And what does it
all mean? "Why, we want you Mormons to vote for us that we may get our
arm into the public treasury, for we are too lazy to work." All who
are acquainted with the administration of affairs in Utah, know that
the affairs of government, both territorial and county, and also
municipal, are the most economically administered of any other
Territory or State in the Union; that there is not one delinquent or
case of embezzlement to  where there are ten in any other Territory or
State. And yet our [p.153] would-be regeneraters are exceedingly angry
because we will not vote for men to misrepresent us and our interests
at the seat of government; because We do not squeak when they squeak,
because we do not sneeze When they take snuff. This they call liberty!
And there are perhaps some of our own people who are so far befogged
that they run with this class of men; they read their twaddle so much
and they become so much beclouded that they think it is necessary, in
order to show their manhood, to vote for their enemies because, if
they do not vote for their enemies they will be put down as "Mormon
slaves;" and this would be too much for them, they could not stand so
much.

Vol. 22, p.153
Now, thinking men understand the object of all this cry. It is
prompted by the same spirit which we see manifested by the extremists
almost throughout the civilized world. It is true there is a great

Vol. 22, p.153
deal of oppression in the world, and these men see it and they wish to
improve things, but do not know how; and instead of commencing to
rectify what is wrong in their own hearts and in their own families,
and then extend their influence for good to those immediately around
them, instead of using moral suasion and showing a good example, they
turn to and undertake to serve God like the devil, trying to right
things the wrong way by casting down everything in the form of order
and government, producing anarchy and ruin instead. Like the idiot
who, because he himself was houseless, having to sleep on the doorstep
of Some rich man, put the torch to the rich man's palace and destroyed
it. Fools can demolish and destroy; it requires wise men to build.

Vol. 22, p.153
I said of the ancient people of God; I say of the Latter-day Saints,
there is no people capable of appreciating true liberty and of
understanding the principles on which it is founded, and who know so
well how to maintain them; because we have found it in the Gospel
which we have received. And every man who has received the spirit of
the Gospel, and whose heart is warmed with the love of it, is
preparing his heart and is using his influence to educate the people
to understand the true principles of human freedom, and the means by
which they can be maintained. And I say, as President Cannon has said,
referring to what the Prophet Joseph Smith told us, that the time
would come when the extremists of the land, who are undermining the
fabric of freedom, and little by little breaking under foot the
guarantees of human liberty which have been raised up by our heavenly
Father, through the instrumentality of wise men whom he raised up to
establish the institutions of our country; these extremists of the
land are gradually undermining those safeguards of human liberty, and
plotting to carry out their nefarious designs in their endeavoring to
oppress the people of God, and to destroy the institutions of heaven
out of the earth. The time will come when the voice of such men will
be heard in the land, like the roaring of a tornado, so that the still
small voice speaking from the heavens cannot be heard; and the voice
of the loud-mouth, plotting destruction to human liberty and freedom
will be heard all over the land, and everybody raise up and say, it is
the voice of God; and they will be willing to stand and look on and
see the Saints butchered and Prophets martyred, and our institutions
wrested from us and wasted away. But when that time arrives, the Lord
will come forth [p.154] from his hiding place and "vex the nations;"
he will raise his arm, and it shall not be turned back, and he will
stay the hand raised against his people to destroy them and their
institutions.

Vol. 22, p.154
The Gospel has been the means of gathering us out from among the
nations, and has made us a free and happy people, an able and united
commonwealth; and the Lord is using us to establish its principles in
these mountains, that throughout these valleys may be formed a nucleus
around which honorable men and women may gather, men who will be
capable of appreciating the blessings of liberty and of helping to
extend them to others. And all presidents and senators and judges, and
all men in official authority who shall lend themselves and their
influence to trample upon the common rights of man, those rights which
God has bestowed upon us and which are our common heritage, and who
shall be found warring against God and his institutions, when the cap
of their iniquity shall be full, the Lord Almighty will cause them to
disappear from the public gaze, he will let them sink into oblivion
and disgrace.

Vol. 22, p.154
Those who suppose they can secure happiness in doing wickedly are
grievously mistaken. And if they seek to oppress their neighbor by
appropriating to themselves his hard earnings without rendering him a
just equivalent, they will find every time they do it, they are but
weaving together withes for their own backs, preparing punishment for
themselves, and bringing themselves into bondage—the bondage of sin.
For all judgments and punishments which the law of the Lord has
ordained and appointed unto man are designed to correct their errors
and sins. And where they are corrected and they learn better, then He
is ready to stretch forth His hand to save and exalt them. The Gospel
is ever ready to step in to assist repentant man when he has become
sensible that he needs help to be redeemed, and he realizes that he
has not the power to redeem himself. Then repentance unto life is
granted to him; but it never can come until his judgment is convinced,
until his mind is enlightened and his eyes are opened to see himself,
and to comprehend his true position. And whether he be in this world
or the world to come, he must place himself in a condition to be saved
before redemption can come unto him; and it is only by the light of
truth and of true and correct principles which can bring happiness and
liberty and freedom, and with it a disposition to extend that liberty
to all around, and to maintain it and protect each other in its
enjoyment; and not with a spirit of vengeance upon the erring, and
oppression upon the ignorant, but only with a disposition to seize and
hold the hand which is raised to smite his fellow and stop in his
wayward course the individual who would override his fellow. And all
men should be protected in this freedom to go so far and no further.

Vol. 22, p.154
May the Lord help us to live and walk in the light, and think for
ourselves, and act like sensible people, paying heedless regard to the
blatant foolish lunatics who are attracting the attention of the
world. They, however, have their day, after the manner of the old
adage—Every dog has his day; and when it is past he will cease to bark
and bite. [p.155]

Charles W. Penrose, July 17, 1881

Divisions of Modern Christendom—Effects of Sectarian Proselytism, Etc.

Delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City,
Sunday Afternoon, July 17, 1881.

(Reported by John Irvine.)

Vol. 22, p.155
Being called upon this afternoon, to address this congregation, I
arise to do so, trusting that the Spirit of God will rest upon me to
enlighten my mind and suggest such thoughts to me as may be profitable
to the congregation assembled, and I desire that my brethren and
sisters will sustain and support me by their attention and their
faith, and prayers, that I may be inspired to speak the truth, and
that all who listen may have the same spirit resting upon them, that
they may be able to see and understand the things presented.

Vol. 22, p.155
There are a great many people assembled to-day in different parts of
the world to worship God according to the various forms which prevail
in what is called Christendom. All those people who profess to be
Christians, believe that there is a God, and that Jesus of Nazareth
who died on Calvary, was the Son of God. They also believe that the
book called the Bible, contains the revealed will of God to man. But
although they all profess to believe in the same book, in the same
God, and in the same Savior, yet they have different forms of worship,
different tenets of faith, and they are traveling in different roads,
with the expectation of arriving at the same place at the end of their
journey. The differences which exist in the world in regard to
religion are very deplorable. If mankind were actuated by the same
spirit in their worship of God, they would worship in one way, they
would walk in the path of truth, and would not be tossed to and fro
and carried about by different winds of doctrine. The fact that people
are divided in their belief in regard to religious principles, is
proof that the same spirit does not rest upon them; they are guided by
different influences, therefore are led in different paths. There is
to be a time, according to the Scriptures, when the people who believe
in God, will all be brought into such a condition that they will "see
eye to eye." There is to be a time when all people living upon the
earth "shall know God, from the least even to the greatest," and there
will be no need to contend about doctrine or principle, but all will
understand alike, for "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of
God, as the waters fill the great deep." How is this great change to
be brought about? At the present time people who profess to believe in
God have a great many different ideas concerning [p.156] Him. They
have a great many different opinions in regard to the being who is
called His Son, they have a great many different ideas of the Gospel
as taught by His Son, and these contentions do not decrease, on the
contrary they increase. New sects are springing up, churches are
increasing in the earth, but the children of men are becoming more and
more varied in their opinions in regard to religion. If things
continue in the present way, how long will it take till all the
inhabitants of the earth are brought to a knowledge of the truth? how
long will it take to bring them all to the unity of the faith, and to
the knowledge of the Son of God? We are told in the Scriptures, that
one of the objects of the preaching of the Gospel was that people
might, be brought to "the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of
the fulness of Christ." It appears to me that if things continue in
their present condition, instead of the inhabitants of the earth being
brought to a unity of the faith and to the knowledge of God, division
and contention will increase. When missionaries are sent from
Christian nations to heathen nations, they do not establish any unity
of faith among those to whom they are sent. On the contrary, they
introduce division. For instance, a number of missionaries go among
the Mahomedans, and if they convert a portion of them to the different
faiths which those missionaries teach, they are turned away from the
union, such as it is, of their old creed to the divisions of modern
Christendom. If the Baptist missionary should convert a certain number
of Mahomedans to his creed, the Baptist church would be established
among them; and if the Methodists introduced their creed and obtained
converts, there would be the Methodist faith and the Baptist faith
among them; and so with the Episcopalians, the Presbyterians and the
various isms which are prevalent in Christendom. If all these sects
were introduced into a Mahomedan country, then instead of the people
being brought to greater unity of the faith, division would be
established in their midst, they would be split up into sects just
like modern Christendom is to-day. And yet if the Bible is true, the
time is to come when all shall know God from the least to the
greatest, and when all shall bow the knee and confess that Jesus is
the Lord to the glory of God the Father. Unless something is
introduced into the world of a different nature and character to the
various sects which now exist in Christendom, these results can never
be brought about.

Vol. 22, p.156
If the Gospel which Jesus Christ introduced into the world, and which
His Apostles were sent forth to preach, were restored again to the
earth, and the people were brought to the understanding of that
Gospel, then they would come into this condition, because this was one
of the characteristics of the Gospel, one of its great effects upon
the people when it was introduced into the world 1800 years and more
ago. When the Apostles whom Jesus Christ sent forth went to preach the
Gospel in the country in which they were born, Palestine, they found
people professing different creeds, but when these people came to
receive the Gospel which the Apostles taught, they were all brought to
the unity of the faith. If Peter went out and preached in one part of
the world, say to the Jews, and Paul, "the Apostle of the Gentiles,"
went out among  the Gentile nations and [p.157] preached to them, the
converts made by Peter, and the Converts made by Paul, believed
exactly alike, no matter where they were born, no matter what creed
they had previously professed; and when James went out, or any of the
rest of the Apostles, and made converts, all came to the same belief
as the converts of Peter and the converts of Paul. Indeed the Apostle
Paul says, "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body,
whether he be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free, and have all
been made to drink into one spirit"—"We have," said he," "one Lord,
one faith, one baptism, and one hope of our calling." This was the
effect of the acceptance of the Gospel in the days of the ancient
Apostles. And upon the principle that the same cause will always
produce the same effect under the same circumstances, if that Gospel
were to lie preached in this day of the world the people who obeyed it
would be brought into the same condition, no matter what their creeds
were. When they received the Gospel of Jesus Christ they would be
brought to a unity of the faith, they would receive one doctrine, they
would receive one spirit, they would have one Lord, one baptism, one
faith and one hope of their calling, they would be started on the same
road, they would worship the same God in the same way, under the
influence of the same spirit.

Vol. 22, p.157
Well, what is the matter in what is called the Christian world? The
difficulty is that the people of the earth have departed from the plan
of salvation which was taught by Jesus Christ and His Apostles, and
the opinions of men have been introduced instead of the word of God.
Men have stepped forth from the ranks to be preachers and teachers of
the people, and have introduced their own notions, and churches have
been built up and established upon those notions. In the olden times
the Apostles of Jesus Christ did not feel that they had any right to
go out and preach their views about doctrine, their ideas about
salvation, but they went out as ambassadors of the Lord Jesus Christ
having authority from Him to preach the Gospel which He delivered to
them and no other, and the Apostle Paul went so far as to say, "Though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." And John,
the beloved and loving disciple, who talked so much about love and
charity, says, "Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the
doctrine of Christ hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of
Christ he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you
and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither
bid him God-speed. For he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of
his evil deeds." The servants of God who have been called at various
times from the beginning to preach the word of the Lord to the
inhabitants of the earth have always come with the word of the Lord;
not their own ideas, not with their peculiar notions about doctrine,
but they came to bring a message from the Almighty, and they delivered
it with authority. Every word they spoke under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit was the word of God to the people, and was binding upon
them, for those men were the representatives of God upon the earth, so
far as their teachings were concerned. "Holy men of God spake as they
were moved upon by the Holy Ghost," and that which they said under the
influence of that [p.158] spirit, was the Word of God to the people to
whom it came. But for hundreds of years the people of the earth have
been taught the doctrines of men. They have been "teaching for
doctrines the commandments of men," just as we read in the Scriptures
they would do; and in consequence of this the people have become
divided, sects have multiplied, division has increased, and the
people, instead of obeying the voice of the Lord and walking in His
ways, have the teachings of men and have walked in the ways of men,
and therefore they have departed from the Almighty. We say sometimes
that God has departed from the world. That is not exactly the case;
the world have gone away from God; "they have heaped to themselves
teachers having itching ears; and they have turned away their ears
from the truth and have turned unto fables," as the ancient Apostles
said they would. This, in a few plain words, is the condition of the
Christian world to day. Notwithstanding this, however, there are a
great many people among those various sects and religions who are
sincere in their worship. Their desires are good, and a great many of
them think they are walking in the way of life. But as the wise man
Solomon says, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the
end thereof is death." There is and can be but one way, one true way
into the presence of God. "Strait is the gate and narrow is the path
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," said Jesus,
while "Broad is the road that leadeth to destruction and many there be
which go in thereat." There is but one way, and, "He that entereth not
by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the
same is a thief and a robber." There being but one road to eternal
life, he that walks not in that road is on another, but there is but
one road to take him into the presence of God to receive the glory of
His Father's kingdom. Now, this may sound in some people's ears very
uncharitable. People say the Latter-day Saints are uncharitable,
because they aver that there is only one way to heaven. You never hear
a man called uncharitable when he says there is only one way in
mathematics. If five times five are twenty-five, any one who differs
from that is acknowledged to be wrong, but when we talk about
religious affairs there seems to be an idea in the world that people
can believe what they please about religion, and it is all right. Now,
this seems to me very inconsistent. Truth cannot be bent or turned
aside. Truth cannot be turned into error; there is no compromise
between truth and error. If a principle is true in one age of the
world, it is just as much so in another; and the notions and sincerity
of the people will not alter that truth in the slightest degree. Jesus
came to show the way of salvation. He sent His Apostles to teach one
way, one plan, and as the Apostle Paul said, if anybody preaches any
other he will be accursed.

Vol. 22, p.158
But supposing we look into the nature and character of this plan of
salvation, this way that Jesus laid down. I will refer you to the 3rd
chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, and the 5th verse. The
words I am about to read are the words of Jesus Christ. Now if you
please to say that Christ was uncharitable, you may. I will not say
so. Jesus is the great Divine  Master. Those who do not profess to
believe that He was the immaculate [p.159] Son of God, believe He was
a great inspired Teacher, and what He said was the word of life to the
inhabitants of the earth. Nicodemus came to Jesus by night to enquire
about the way of life. "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again he cannot see the
kingdom of God." Nicodemus did not quite understand what was meant by
being "born again," whereupon Jesus further explained, saying,
"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of
the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." This was the
declaration of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no compromise about it,
no two ways about it. Here is the one way laid down by the Lord: No
man can enter into the kingdom of God, except he has been born of the
water and of the spirit. How are we to understand this Scripture? We
are to understand it, I suppose, just exactly as it was laid down.
Jesus was making himself plain to Nicodemus. He told him that except a
man was born again he could not see the kingdom of God, and when
Nicodemus inquired how this could be, He further explained, that
except a man was born of the water and of the spirit, he could not
enter into the kingdom of God.

Vol. 22, p.159
We are told in the Scriptures that Jesus was not only the Teacher, but
He was the Great Exemplar. Jesus "left us an example that we should
follow in His steps." If this be the case, Jesus must have been born
of the water and of the spirit, and if we can find out how He was so
born, then we can find out how we must be born of the water and of the
spirit. We are told here in the New Testament; that when Jesus Christ
was about thirty years of age (he conformed to the laws and customs of
the Jews among whom He resided) before he went on his ministry, he
went to John, the forerunner, and asked to be baptized, but we read
that John, who knew the character of Christ's mission, said, "I have
need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me?" And "Jesus
answering, said unto him, suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh
us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he suffered him. And Jesus when
he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and lo! the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending
like a dove and lighting upon him: And lo! a voice from heaven,
saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Here is a
pattern set by Jesus Christ, for mankind to follow. He knew it was
necessary for every one to be born of water and of the spirit, and He
went to John, a man who had authority from God to baptize, and was
immersed by him, or baptized by him—the words are of similar
meaning—and the Spirit descended and the Father witnessed that He was
well pleased with this act.

Vol. 22, p.159
Now, you will find, if you will read the Scriptures, that when Jesus
Christ sent His disciples to all the world, be told them to "preach
the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Again, he says,
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." If we read the
book called The Acts of the Apostles, we find that these instructions
were carried out to the very letter. In that great sermon preached by
Peter, on the day of Pentecost, when so many were brought to obedience
to the truth, when asked by the [p.160] people, "What shall we do?"
Peter said unto them, "Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins and ye shall receive
the gift of the Holy Ghost." First, the birth of the water, then the
birth of the Holy Ghost. This was the example of Christ, and this was
how the Apostles taught it.

Vol. 22, p.160
If you follow the Apostles in all their travels and teachings—so far
as the history is given to us in the book called the Acts of the
Apostles, and so far as laid down in the epistles which they wrote to
the churches—you will find that this was the preparatory Gospel, the
Gospel of the kingdom. First, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." What
shall we do when we do believe?" "Repent and be baptized every one of
you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." And you will find further
that after the people were baptized, the Apostles laid their hands
upon them, and by the administration of that ordinance the Holy Ghost
came upon them. And this was uniform. It was not one Gospel in one
country and another in another; it was the same Gospel for all.
Neither were there a number of baptisms for different people in
different parts, but one Lord, one faith, one baptism; not "pouring"
in one part of the world and "sprinkling" in another, and the "sign of
the cross" for another. No, it was one baptism, being buried in water
after the likeness of Christ's death, and being raised up out of the
water in the likeness of His resurrection; brought forth from the womb
of the water into the element of air in the likeness of the natural
birth, all done in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost, by men holding divine authority. No man had a right to
administer these ordinances as he pleased or according to some fancy
within his own mind. A man must be appointed to the ministry by the
voice of God through the living oracles, or his ministrations are void
and of non-effect. When people were baptized in this way they were
prepared to receive the birth of the spirit, and when the Apostles'
hands were laid upon them they received the Holy Ghost, they were born
of the spirit, and the effects were as I remarked at the beginning, no
matter what they previously believed or disbelieved, they were all
brought to the unity of the faith. They believed alike, they had
similar impressions, the same spirit rested upon them, they were
brethren and sisters, they were no longer divided in feeling, but all
were inspired by the same influence, and desired to labor for the same
object and purpose. We find also that thin spirit d