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,