A Discourse by President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, February 7, 1858.

Through the remarks of brothers Edward Partridge and Silas Smith, who have lately returned from their mission to the Sandwich Islands, we are made acquainted with a new variety of customs; and I must confess that, hearing a relation of the customs and traditions of the natives of those islands, I am almost led to believe that they are a people very much like ourselves—that they are entitled to the appellation of human beings. They are prone to wander—prone to weaknesses; and if they have any knowledge of God, they are prone to forget him and to turn to their idols. They are prone to be froward in all their ways, very much like ourselves.

We believe that we have been better taught, and that we are quite an enlightened people. Christian Europe and America deem themselves the most enlightened people upon the earth; and an equal self-confidence among those islanders is all that is wanting to make them believe that they know more than the Europeans and Americans. I have an idea that the Anglo-Saxon race possesses more confidence in themselves and more worldly wisdom than any other nation upon the earth; yet take the people on the Sandwich and Society Islands, and the natives of these mountains and of North and South America, or of any country where there are natives in their idolatry—those whom we call ignorant, dark, benighted, lost, possessed of little or no knowledge, and let a person understanding the Priesthood visit them, and I will venture to say that he would find more and better traits of the Priesthood of God among them than can be found among the Christians. And though it may appear surprising and a matter hardly credible, yet even we are more or less under the power of traditions similar to those of the heathen.

There is a cause for their traditions, customs, and present practices. They have grown into their present idolatry through a neglect of the truth, through a proneness to wander and forget their God and true religion. Let this people backslide—lose their present faith and knowledge, and in after generations, perhaps, a few would cling to the Priesthood with all the vigor that we do, and would understand that the people were going into darkness, and would urge them to have some custom, some form, some representation or figure of their former faith and religion. What is commonly termed idolatry has arisen from a few sincere men, full of faith and having a little knowledge, urging upon a backsliding people to preserve some customs—to cling to some fashions or figures, to put them in mind of that God with whom their fathers were acquainted, without designing or wishing the people to worship an idol—to worship stocks, stones, beasts, and birds. Idols have been introduced, which are now worshipped, and have been for centuries and thousands of years; but they were not introduced at once. They were introduced to preserve among the people the idea of the true God.

I have frequently said, and say again, that there are and always have been a great many in this Church that are not Saints. There are more “Mormons” than Saints; and there are different degrees and grades of “Mormons” and of Saints. There are many that are “Mormons” that are not Saints; and so it will be until Jesus comes to separate the sheep from the goats; or, in other language, until the Husbandman shall bid his servants gather the wheat into the barn, and the tares into bundles to be burned. This must be; this we all believe and can understand.

If we are not all Saints, the most of this people are trying to be. If we are not as perfect in our sphere as are the angels, we are trying to prepare ourselves to become so. We have not yet received our inheritances; but we are trying to prepare ourselves to be worthy to receive them. Yet it can readily be understood that if this people should backslide, they would, as others have, introduce an idolatrous worship. All Protestants accuse the Roman Catholic Church of worshipping idols. It is the practice of its members to carry a cross with them to worship the Virgin Mary. They have paintings and images in their chapels and other places of worship; and they are accused of worshipping these paintings and images, and that they are idolatrous worshippers. But those representations were introduced in the same way that a father would show his children that Jesus Christ is actually a man like their father, by showing them a figure representing Jesus as extended upon the cross, and saying, “This gives you, my children, an idea that he was a man.” Now, let those children, when saying their prayers, have that representation before them, and how long would it be before some of their neighbors’ children would tell their mothers that those children were worshipping a picture or image? This is the way that idolatry has sprung up in the world, through a method established to keep the people in remembrance of the God they once worshipped and were acquainted with.

Do the Christian world know whether God has eyes to see, ears to hear, or hands, or a body? They are as ignorant of the true God as are those islanders, and all whom we call heathen. And our traditions are such that we are yet more or less in the dark, and are under the necessity of assembling here from Sabbath to Sabbath, and in Ward meetings, and besides, have to call our solemn assemblies, to teach, talk, pray, sing, and exhort. What for? To keep us in remembrance of our God and our holy religion. Is this custom necessary? Yes; because we are so liable to forget—so prone to wander, that we need to have the Gospel sounded in our ears as much as once, twice, or thrice a week, or, behold, we will turn again to our idols. It is immaterial what the idol is, whether it is what the Californians call a slug, or whether it is a twenty-dollar gold piece, or an eagle, or half-eagle, or whether our affections and attention fasten upon our farms, houses, and other worldly goods—if we are not constantly exhorting the people and setting before them the necessity of living their religion, calling back their minds that have been wandering, and preaching and praying with them, behold, they would turn to their idols.

Were the Lord to give us peace for a few years, so that we should have no sorrow or trouble from without, with the land producing abundantly, with the fine weather and the healthy climate, how long would it be before many of you would again want to go to California to get gold, and turn away from your holy religion to worship an idol? Rather than neglect your holy religion entirely, you had better keep your images right before your eyes and say your prayers to an idol, whether it be cut out of wood or is a dog’s skull, so that you believe there is something behind that which will actually point your affections to look beyond that which you see with your natural eyes, and cause you to believe in a Supreme Being, in an Overruling Hand, in an All-wise Providence, or to worship even a god without body or parts. Are we under traditions to the same extent that some others are? Perhaps not. We do not think we are; and yet we have our traditions upon us; and if we are not careful, we are liable to become as great idolaters as there are in the world.

Brother Silas Smith has just told you that he had not been at home four days when he heard his name called for another mission; and he says that he is ready and willing, of which I have no doubt; for I never knew him when he was not willing to do anything that he was told to do. We say that we are willing to do anything required to sustain us in our religious rights—to sacrifice our all for our religion and the hope that is before us. Brother Clapp has just taught us that we are not worthy of eternal life, unless we are willing to sacrifice all. Brother Clapp, what have you to give? [“Everything I have.”] But you have not got anything. John, what are you willing to give for eternal life? You say, “Everything.” What have you got? Consider well what you have. Says he, “I live here; I have my life.” No, you have not; for it is in the hands of your Creator. “I have a wife.” She is only committed to you to enable you to prove whether you will treat her in a righteous manner: she is not yet yours. “I have chil– dren that are the offspring of my loins.” They are not yours; for you cannot produce them of yourself. “I have a farm.” No; that farm belongs to another. The Devil says that it is his; but we expect Jesus will have the whole earth. “I have horses and possessions.” Reflect well, and consider whether you really own anything. Upon reflection, you discern at once that your wife may be taken from you; your farm and your other possessions may be taken; and your gold and silver may take the wings of the morning and fly from you. If God withdraws his sustaining hand, you sink. You have no wife, children, horses, houses, nor land.

When men and women talk about giving everything for the salvation which they anticipate and live for, behold, they have nothing to give; nor have they anything to do, only to do their duty. And what is that? To improve upon that which is committed to their possession—to prove themselves worthy to their Father and God, that ere long they may be worthy to receive crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal life. Then we shall be beyond the power of Satan. We shall be where we can control death and him that has the power of death; and we shall reign triumphantly as the Gods and as the sons of God. We must inherit that power and glory before we can say that we really own anything, even the least thing in this world or in eternity.

Some persons talk about sacrificing; but we have nothing to sacrifice. All we have to do is to love and serve our God, and do everything we can to bring knowledge to ourselves and to the people—everything we can to make them happy, wealthy, strong, and numerous, so that we may overcome the powers of darkness and reign triumphantly on the earth, Jesus Christ being our head and king. That is all we have to do. Tell about houses, lands, and other property being ours, and that we have no traditions and idols! I would as soon see a man worshipping a little god made of brass or of wood as to see him worship his property. I have a number of such gods brought to me from the East Indies and from the islands; and I would as soon see one of my brethren worship one of those brass idols as to see him worship his property; and he would be as much justified in the sight of God. Does this congregation understand what idolatry is? The New Testament says that covetousness is idolatry; therefore, a covetous people is an idolatrous people.

Some of you are just as much idolaters as are the heathen, but you do not know it; neither do they realize their idolatry. Were I on the islands and seeing the natives bow before their images to be healed, I would say, “Have faith.” And instead of disfellowshipping a man for worshipping an idol, I would exhort him to have exceeding great faith in his idols, upon the same principle that I exhort the brethren here to have faith in our God. “And if your idol will not heal you, look beyond to that Being who can.” I am not for cutting people off from the Church that worship their property instead of their God, but for bearing with them until they shall gain light and knowledge so as to see their errors and turn to the God of truth. I would say to idolaters, “If you have faith in an idol, have a little more; and if you have faith enough, the Lord may work upon your minds so that you can understand the blessings he has in store for his people.” And I say to the men and women who profess to be Latter-day Saints, “God giveth and he withholdeth; at his pleasure he raises up and puts down kings, emperors, thrones, and dominions; and the power and wisdom and glory of the Almighty, who fills immensity and operates upon all things, will prevail.”

What good can our wealth do, were it not to promote the cause of God upon the earth, overcome the power of Satan, and be used to bring forth righteousness and overcome darkness? That is dedicating ourselves and all we are made stewards over to the building up of the cause of God on the earth. In so doing we can be justified. We cannot receive the glory, the kingdoms, the thrones, the wisdom, and the power that are designed for us, without a close application in our studies and in our efforts in our whole lives to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. We need to apply our minds to wisdom as strongly and closely as brother Silas Smith had to apply his mind to learn the language of the natives, that he might be able to teach them his ideas without trusting to their passing through the mouth of another. No matter how much of the Spirit a teacher has, if his words have to be interpreted by one who has not the Spirit; the people are not benefited; “For the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.” No matter how much a man preaches, nor how much of the Holy Ghost he has—the spirit may be edified, but the understanding will remain unfruitful. And if we trust to some other person to bring forth the hidden things of the kingdom, if we are all the time dependent on an interpreter who has not the Holy Ghost, we cannot grow rapidly in the knowledge of the truth.

We must live so that our knowledge and faith shall reach beyond the ideal, no matter what that is; and we must have knowledge of the living God for ourselves. The people wish to know whether they cannot find out the living God. Yes, just as quickly as you are prepared; but you must cease worshipping idols. Then, when persons say they are willing to sacrifice their all for the kingdom of God, they will do it without whining. Then, if a Ward is required to perform a certain work, they will not complain about it. Then they will be apt to cast their idols behind them, and will not so worship and covet a beautiful span of horses that they will not let them go to save the whole house of Israel. But in the first place, they have nothing to sacrifice; in the second place, God has given them enough with which to benefit his kingdom; and thirdly, if it is not on hand when required, by-and-by it will be said, “Take from those persons what they seem to have, and give it to those who are worthy—who can dispose of their property to build up the kingdom of God.” It will be said of us all, unless we improve upon what we have, “Take that which they seem to have, and give to those who improve upon their talents and will gain more.”

Whether you can see it or not, I know that this people are more or less prone to idolatry; for I see that spirit manifested every day, and hear of it from nearly every quarter. We must stop worshipping idols. We are in possession of the keys of the kingdom; the eternal Priesthood is committed to this people, and we are blessed as are no other people of which we have any knowledge. This people have the words of life—the way of life and salvation: they know how to save themselves and all that will cleave to them. Now, what is demanded at our hands? Is it to pray that we may be faithful? It seems to be a burlesque. It is most disgraceful to be under the necessity of saying, “Brethren and sisters, let us be faithful.” Rather so obtain a particle of wisdom before God that we can see our own standing, what we are called to do, and understand what is bestowed upon us. You might as well pray for the angels to be faithful as for this people. If you could see and understand things as they are, your whole souls, minds, affections, lives, and everything at your control would be sealed up in God and his work. Then would it be, “You cannot take my horses, for I cannot spare them.” No. Who cares for all the horses in the world? The Devil says that he has claim on them, and he means to devote them to his use. I will see that all the horses, mules, gold, silver, clothing, and people belonging to this Church are devoted to the kingdom of Christ, God being my helper; and I will outgeneral the Devil, and baffle him in every turn, and head him in every nook and corner; and he shall be turned hither and thither as the Lord will. I am determined, in the name of Israel’s God, to see the Devil whipped from the earth, and outgeneraled and fooled in all his schemes, and whirled about by this Church until he is glad to leave the earth and go to his own place; and then we will see whether or not the Lord God has all things that belong to him.

Compare our position and situation with that of the rest of the world; look at the inhabitants of the earth, and try to understand the object of our being on this earth, the object of the forming and peopling this earth, and designing and decreeing that things should be thus and so. Try to understand why our first parents partook of the forbidden fruit, and why Jesus came to the earth to redeem fallen man. Let us try to learn why things are suffered to proceed on the earth as they do.

If you get an understanding to know the purposes and designs of our Creator in framing and peopling this earth, do you think that I should be under the necessity of exhorting you to say that you will sacrifice your all for eternal life? The idea is nonsensical. Should I be under the necessity of exhorting you to live your religion and cling to your God? If we should not come to meeting during the next sixteen years, and if we had never met since the brethren were driven from Jackson County, everyone would live his religion. If this people had understood what they ought, the early Elders might have lived in foreign nations and preached the Gospel until this day, and they would then have been better prepared to worship God acceptably than many are now; and this people would have been more cautious, better prepared, and more contented to practice what they know, instead of searching after things that do not concern them.

We know enough to damn us; and when we know enough for that, we know enough to save us, if that knowledge is improved upon. We are a happy people. We are the only people on earth that acknowledge God and truly believe in him. The Christian and heathen world profess to believe in him; and the Jews say that they believe in him: but they do not believe in Jesus Christ. The Christians profess to believe in Jesus Christ; but, if he told the truth, not one of them really believes in him. I do not doubt their honesty; but I doubt the manifestation of any knowledge they have of him; for if they were his disciples, they would do the works which he did. That alone is positive proof to me that they neither believe in him nor have any idea what he designs concerning them. They may be honest and sincere; but they are very ignorant. This people have the true knowledge; they have it not. We have the Priesthood; they have it not. We have the way of life and salvation; they have it not. We know how to be Saints—how to save ourselves and all who will hearken to our counsel; they do not.

Now, ask yourselves, is there any necessity of preaching, praying, teaching, and exhorting, to learn us our duty and make us Saints? It is almost labor lost. You heard brother Silas say that if the Elders should leave those islands, in a few years the natives who have embraced the Gospel would be as bad as they ever were. If there is nothing more of them than that—if they have no desire to do good—no power in themselves to keep them from giving way to the Devil, unless there is an Elder from Great Salt Lake to watch them, the quicker they are damned the better. I would not, in such a case, walk five rods for the whole of them. If they do not know enough, after what they have been taught, to save themselves, they will be damned, and I will not ask another Elder to wear out his strength and waste his energies in so useless a work.

Those islanders and the natives of this country are of the house of Israel—of the seed of Abraham, and to them pertain the promises; and every soul of them, sooner or later, will be saved in the kingdom of God, or be destroyed root and branch. If they do not choose in this probation to take the path that leads to life, let them go their own road. The honest in heart in all nations and generations who are worthy to receive any salvation will receive it, sooner or later; and I do not care how quick the Lord Almighty cleans the floor; for then we will build up Zion and redeem the honest in heart. But it is not for me to know the times and the seasons: it is for me to be contented in the discharge of my duty today, and let tomorrow bring forth what it will.

May the Lord bless you, brethren and sisters. Amen.

A Discourse by President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 17, 1858.

We have heard much in regard to the knowledge and understanding of this people—also of the nations of the earth; and it is very true that the best of us have only commenced to learn true principles. We are but children in the kingdom of God. We understand, in a great measure, the know– ledge that is in the world: we have been brought up in the wisdom the world professes, and that we understand. But the things of God are so directly in opposition to the vain imaginations of the inhabitants of the earth, that it is hard for people to learn them. They remove our erro– neous traditions from us. At the same time, all the morality, and good works, and good thoughts and words that tend to good, that are in the world, are of the Lord. Honest hearts, the world over, desire to know the right way. They have sought for it, and still seek it. There have been people upon the earth all the time who sought diligently with all their hearts to know the ways of the Lord. These individuals have produced good, inasmuch as they had the ability. And to believe that there has been no virtue, no truth, no good upon the earth for centuries, until the Lord revealed the Priesthood through Joseph the Prophet, I should say is wrong. There has been more or less virtue and righteousness upon the earth at all times, from the days of Adam until now. That we all believe. Men who have lived without the Priesthood will be judged according to their works, as well as those who have had the privilege of it. That is our doctrine. That is what the Lord has told us, through his servants, from the beginning. No matter where they have lived, or to what nation they have belonged, all people will be judged according to the works or deeds done in the body.

Honest hearts produce honest actions—holy desires produce corresponding outward works. That is what we understand and believe; yet the traditions of the fathers are so diverse from the holy Priesthood, that it is hard for people to learn even the smaller things pertaining to the kingdom of God—one of the smallest items pertaining to life. If we should have ability to sustain ourselves here on the earth, we certainly should have to live; for if we have not the ability to live, we certainly should pass behind the veil. In that case, we could not be capable of doing good in our present organization. As you have often been told, and as we believe, good men and good women ought to live the longest on the earth and set good examples, teach good doctrines, and produce righteousness.

Individuals or a community that have not the ability to preserve themselves in this life have no power to perform works to be judged by; consequently, there is no judgment passed upon them for deeds done in this probation. The duty of a good people is to know how to preserve themselves in this life. The first revelation given to Adam was of a temporal nature. Most of the revelations he received pertained to his life here. That was also the case in the revelations to Noah. We have but very few of the instructions the Lord gave to Enoch concerning his city; but, doubtless, most of the revelations he received pertained to a temporal nature and condition. And certainly the revelations Noah received, so far as in our possession, almost exclusively pertained to this life. The same principle was carried out in the days of Moses, and in the days of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We may say that eight or nine-tenths of the doctrines and principles set forth in the revelations given to those men were of a temporal nature.

As soon as Moses was called upon to go and deliver Israel, the revelations the Lord gave to him were of a temporal nature, pertaining to the temporal life of the children of Israel—instructing Moses how to deliver them from bondage and lead them from the servile state in which they then were. He taught them in the same manner while they were traveling through the wilderness; and so it continued down to the days of the judges, and then to Saul, whom the Lord permitted them to make a king, and then through the teachings of the Prophets. The greatest recorded digression from that course was when the Savior came. He repeatedly alluded to a spiritual kingdom, in his sayings to his brethren. The people had become so corrupt that it was all useless to then endeavor to establish a literal kingdom of God on the earth. The children of Abraham had wandered so far from the true doctrine, the Priesthood, the principles, and ordinances that the Lord had revealed, that the Savior had not opportunity to more than drop a hint, as it were, about a temporal kingdom. Yet the idea of a temporal kingdom was so indelibly riveted upon the minds of his disciples, that they supposed he alluded to it, and that when the Savior should make his appearance, he would actually establish a literal kingdom on this earth and reign over it. The institutions and traditions which had been handed down pertained to a temporal kingdom, and they could not see that the corruptions and wickedness of the people were so great that he could not teach or suggest anything that they could understand pertaining to a temporal kingdom; therefore he alluded to a spiritual kingdom—the kingdom of God that should be set up in the heart. And those principles taught to the people and received by them would gather them together in the latter days, when he could prepare and organize a literal kingdom on the earth.

The first revelations given to Joseph were of a temporal character, pertaining to a literal kingdom on the earth. And most of the revelations he received in the early part of his ministry pertained to what the few around him should do in this or in that case—when and how they should perform their duties; at the same time calling upon them to preach the Gospel and diffuse the Spirit and principles of the kingdom of God, that their eyes might be open to see and gather the people together—that they might begin and organize a literal, temporal organization on the earth. All that has been done, has been done by the wisdom of God. The wisdom revealed through Joseph was the wisdom of our Father in heaven—it was not of himself.

The revelations to us teach us to first cleanse our hearts—to purify ourselves, in order to have our eyes sufficiently opened to see the kingdom of God; for, without the spiritual birth referred to in the New Testament, we cannot see the kingdom of God. The revelations to Joseph were—Go forth, my servants, preach the Gospel by the power of the Holy Ghost, and open the eyes of the people, that they may see the kingdom of God, and not look into eternity to see the Father seated upon his throne and the angels around him, nor seek to know what he is doing there. The people need teaching by the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, that their eyes may be open to see that the Lord is commencing a literal kingdom upon the earth. When they can discern that, then they have the opportunity to be born of water, to enter into this kingdom. Nearly all the teachings to us pertain to this life; and if we have not ability to preserve our lives in our present existence, what can we do here to promote the kingdom of God on the earth; or to prepare the earth or the people for the coming of the Son of Man? Nothing. Consequently our labor is chiefly a temporal labor.

Brother Taylor has enquired how we are to be clothed another year? We have either to obtain new clothes or to wear those we have now. Someone may say, “My clothes will not last another year.” Perhaps they will, if you will take good care of them.

When we first came here, the people were told, and many saw and believed it as much then as they can now, that the Lord in his providence led the people into these mountains to separate them from the Gentile world, in order that he might establish his kingdom—his laws, and commence his Zion in the mountains, where his people could have but little connection with the world. They were taught that when they first came here; and now the prospect is very fair for separating us from the rest of the world, and most of the people can see it. They were taught then as much as they are taught now, that it was necessary to go to and provide for ourselves. Do any of the brethren who came here ten years ago last July remember that you were instructed that every facility that we could need was here in the elements? That the gold, the silver, and the iron were in these mountains? That the wool, the flax, the silk, the cotton, and everything necessary to sustain man were in the elements around us? “What, is silk here?” Yes, in as great abundance as in any part of the earth; and the finest broadcloth is here, and everything to make life desirable is here.

It is for the people to go to and develop the resources surrounding us. Sugar, starch, and glue are the chief ingredients in the sustenance of man. The saccharine matter is in everything that grows here: it is in the vegetables and in the animals. We have as good beef as there is in the world, furnishing gluten—a substance that acts its part in sustaining man. We can raise as good potatoes and wheat as can be raised in any other part of the earth; also other products affording starch, and all the necessary variety and quality of articles of food. We can make sugar from the beet; but we are now cultivating the Chinese sugar cane, which produces as good a sweet as any we have imported. We have the materials for feeding the body. And as to clothing, we can produce as good wool here as they can in any part of the world; but we must have the sheep to enable us to do so. And we must sow flax and plant cotton for the manufacture of linen and cotton cloth; but the elements are here from which they all will grow.

Import silkworms and mulberry trees, and you will find that this is as good a country and climate in which to raise silk as any on the face of the earth. Do some understand this? Yes, there are persons here from the Eastern States who have raised silkworms and manufactured silk; and here are scores and hundreds of silk manufacturers from the old country. Why, then, do we not have silk? Because no man takes steps to organize certain elements into the silk. All this was told you in the beginning, and why did not men understand?

You may take the Latter-day Saints, as a whole, and they have but very little good, sound, worldly sense. Look over this congregation, and then go through the Territory, and you can find thousands that, during the first four years of our settlement here, flooded these valleys with wagons and cattle, and every facility for raising what we needed. We drove in the sheep, brought the flaxseed, and this, that, and the other useful articles. But what did we see? Men, women, and children run to California to get gold. They were then told what I can now prove. “Go to California, if you will; we will not curse you—we will not injure nor destroy you, but we will pity you. If you must go for gold, and that is your god, go, and I will promise you one thing: Every man that stays here and pays attention to his business will be able, within ten years, to buy out four of those who leave for the gold mines.” Since then some of those persons have come cringing back, and thinking, “O dear, I declare I wish the brethren could not know that I had been away! I want to appear as though I had not gone to California, and to be full of good works and faith.” Poor, ignorant, pusillanimous creatures! They come whining back and want to be considered in full fellowship, after leaving this place to which our God has led us, and after having used their means to feast and build up the Gentiles.

Brother Heber and I told the company that went to San Bernardino with Amasa Lyman, that they would never reach here again without help from this people, and we are now sending all the teams we can raise from the southern settlements to bring them back. Why? Because they cannot stay there, and they are not able to remove. They were told at the start that they would have to renounce their religion, or else come whining back to these valleys. You may take all who have unadvisedly gone from this Territory [and hundreds and thousands have so gone], and I believe that I alone am able to buy the whole of them, though when I came here I had but very little property, except what I owed for. I also believe that brother Kimball and many others who have listened to what is taught now own more property than the whole of those characters. They could not believe that I knew enough to instruct them in temporal affairs. Do they now believe that I do? They are obliged to admit it, though some think, “Really, I do not know whether it is so or not.” What are those persons good for now?

Obedience is one of the plainest, most everyday and home principles that you ever thought or knew anything about. In the first place, learn that you have a father, and then learn strict obedience to that parent. Is not that a plain, domestic, home principle? How long will it take the men and women here to learn it? You have learned, from year to year, scores, if not hundreds of principles of the Gospel taught; and one of the first principles to be learned by the Saints is to be of one heart and mind, to obey your leaders, to obey the Lord. If you have leaders who do not teach you the words of life and salvation—who do not give you the words of the Lord, why not have faith sufficient to remove them out of the way and have better men? If this people are righteous and have any leaders that are not capable of dictating you, why not stretch your faith to the heavens for God to remove them and give you men that are capable of leading you?

Could I make a brother in the Church believe, after passing through the troubles in Missouri, after again being driven from our homes in Nauvoo, Illinois, and after being led to this secret retreat and sustained all the time by the matchless power of our God, that the love of riches would have so blunted the minds of many as to cause them to run to California after gold? Why not have stayed here, where we could have improved this Territory three times as much as we have? We could have extended our settlements still farther on the right and on the left. But no; they must run and leave us. And many of those that have tarried have but a little more confidence, when they have improved upon and learned the lesson taught by those who have left.

The great majority of men and women do not know how to take care of themselves. Let me refer the whole of you to a circumstance in winter quarters. We left Nauvoo in February, 1846, made our own roads through Iowa, except some 40 or 50 miles, built bridges, cut down timber, turned out 500 men to go to Mexico, came this side of the Missouri River, and there wintered. How did you live there? Do you know how you got anything to eat? Brethren came to me, saying, “We must go to Missouri. Can we not take our families and go to Missouri and get work?” Do you know, to this day, how you lived? I will tell you, and then you will remember it. I had not five dollars in money to start with; but I went to work and built a mill, which I knew we should want only for a few months, that cost 3,600 dollars. I gave notice that I would employ every man and pay him for his labor. If I had a sixpence, I turned it into 25 cents; and a half-bushel of potatoes I turned into half-a-bushel of wheat. How did I do that? By faith. I went to brother Neff, who had just come in the place, and asked him for and received 2,600 dollars, though he did not know where the money was going. He kept the mill another year, and it died on his hands. I say, God bless him forever! For it was the money he brought from Pennsylvania that preserved thousands of men, women, and children from starving. I handled and dictated it, and everything went off smoothly and prosperously.

Can you sustain yourselves? Yes. How can you clothe and feed yourselves? Keep Gentiles out of here, and not permit any more supplies to come from them; and then you will raise sheep and take care of them and their wool; then you will raise cotton and flax, and dress the lint. We have women who know how to manufacture flax into thread and the finest cloth in this house. Why do you not make linen? “Because we can turn a calf on to the range, and after awhile sell it for 20 or 30 dollars and buy store goods.” That course is temporal ruination to this people. It is a far greater injury than benefit for us to purchase imported goods. Shut down the gate and make your own hats, bonnets, and every other article of wearing apparel. We have the furs and all necessary facilities for making every article we need. We can also make our dyestuffs, so soon as we can get a greater variety of seed. For ten years we have advertised the brethren to bring indigo seed; and I have not obtained any, only a little that brother William Willes brought from the East Indies. I have also wished them to bring madder seed, for you can raise it where you can raise corn. Do we know enough to raise indigo and cotton? Yes, when the gate is shut down.

I told the brethren, yesterday, that I was not afraid of men’s apostatizing when war and trouble are on hand, for then they will stick together. It is in calm weather, when the old ship of Zion is sailing with a gentle breeze, and when all is quiet on deck, that some of the brethren want to go out in the whaling boats to have a scrape and a swim; and some get drowned, others drifted away, and others again get back to the ship. Let us stick to the old ship, and she will carry us safely into the harbor. You need not be concerned. I want the brethren to raise flax.

I want some man, who has got the requisite spirit and nerve, to prepare a quarter-of-an-acre as they prepare ground for flax in Ireland, and then sow about a bushel-and-a-half or two bushels of seed, and let it grow as thick as a horse’s mane; if necessary, brace it up while growing; pull it at the period when the lint will be the silkiest, and prepare it for the women to exercise their skill in making fine thread. A bushel of flaxseed to the acre produces a coarse lint, suitable for making ropes and coarse cloth.

Brother Taylor remarked that about 60 out of every 75 lambs had died in this Territory. Yes, you may say that, out of every 75 lambs about 90 have died. Where were our sheep in 1848-49? I then had 100 sheep, and I would now have 40,000 if they had been taken care of as they ought; but instead of that, I have bought about 550 since; and now I have 400 or 500.

Sheep are driven into the Territory, and then they decrease. What is the difficulty? It is, “Hurrah for the gold! Hurrah for the stores! Hurrah for the merchants! Hurrah for hell! Let us have a portion of hell here.”

Elders who have been to St. Louis and had credit for a cent should not have brought a thousand or two thousand dollars’ worth of goods here and fooled them away, having fooled them out of merchants who still remain fools.

Shut down the gate, and stop bringing ribbons and foolery here. I wish the ribbons and like articles were all sunk in the bottom of the sea, rather than have them brought here. Do you know enough to clothe yourselves? Yes, when you are driven to it. It makes me think of what we passed through in Missouri, when Joseph was preaching the Consecration law for surplus property. Would any man listen to that law? No, not a man. “Will you pay Tithing?” “I cannot any way in the world, for I have not as much property as I want.”

When the army came and took away the guns, killed our cattle, fired our houses, took possession of our fields, and compelled the brethren, at the point of the bayonet, to sign away their property to pay the expenses of the war, one fellow said, “By——, see these men, how keen and fine they look! Old Joe has been trying for years to make them consecrate their property, but he could not persuade them to do it. We can make them consecrate.”

The brethren felt well: but suppose they had been required to sign a deed of trust to the kingdom of God on the earth, would they have done it? No; they would have suffered themselves to be damned before they would have done it. Can you not see the ignorance of the people in those things? And to this day you can see men come here penniless, and hear them say, “We had plenty of money where we came from.” Then why did you not gather when you had money? “We wanted to make more, to bring a great amount into the kingdom.” Thus men come here penniless, and feel well about it. Enquire into the matter, and you will often learn that last year they had several thousand dollars, but it has gone into the hands of the Gentiles.

Suppose a poor Elder, while on a mission, should borrow ten dollars of such a person, that person will come here and be ready to apostatize, unless that money is paid; but if the devils get it, “Oh, it is all right.” Such feelings are in the hearts of some men and women now before me. With them it is, “If my enemies get my property, all well; but I don’t want the kingdom of God to have it.” Ask them whether they want the kingdom of God to have their property, and they will reply, “O yes; ourselves and all we have are in the kingdom of God:” but touch a dollar of theirs, and they will squirm.

We are trying to become Saints, and by-and-by we will actually become Saints. When men are Saints, they will bring their thousands and lay them at the feet of the Bishops, Apostles, and Prophets, saying, “Here is my money; it is now where it should be.” But now what do you see? If an Elder has borrowed a little money, or been helped in any manner, he must be chased home and made to pay the uttermost farthing, or there is dissatisfaction. Fortunately that is not the case with all. A portion of the principle of darkness is in the hearts of the people; but it is fast going out, and they are coming to a knowledge of the truth.

One of the first and plainest principles to be believed and practiced is to put ourselves and all we have into the kingdom of God, and then be dictated by the Lord and his servants. Is there any danger? Some are ready to say, “Yes, we are afraid to trust ourselves and our means here and there.”

Brother Taylor has just said that the religions of the day were hatched in hell. The eggs were laid in hell, hatched on its borders, and then kicked on to the earth. They may be called cockatrices, for they sting wherever they go. Go to their meetings in the Christian world, and mingle in their society, and you will hear them remark, “Our ministers dictate our souls’ salvation;” and they are perfectly composed and resigned to trust their whole future destiny to their priests, though they durst not trust them with one single dollar beyond their salaries and a few presents. They can trust their eternal welfare in the hands of their priests, but hardly dare trust them with so much as a bushel of potatoes. Is that principle here? Yes, more or less.

Can we feed and clothe ourselves? Yes, we can, as well as any people on the earth. We have a goodly share of the genius, talent, and ability of the world; it is combined in the Elders of this Church and in their families. And if the Gentiles wish to see a few tricks, we have “Mormons” that can perform them. We have the meanest devils on the earth in our midst, and we intend to keep them, for we have use for them; and if the Devil does not look sharp, we will cheat him out of them at the last, for they will reform and go to heaven with us.

We have already showed the invading army a few tricks; and I told Captain Van Vliet that if they persisted in making war upon us, I should share in their supplies. The boys would ride among the enemy’s tents, and one of their captains ran into Colonel Alexander’s tent one night, saying, “Why, Colonel, I’ll be damned if the Mormons won’t be riding into your tent, if you don’t look out.”

We have the smartest women in the world, the best cooks, the best mothers; and they know how to dress themselves the neatest of any others. We are the smartest people in the world. But look out, pertaining to taking care of and sustaining ourselves, that the children of this world are not smarter than the children of light. I say that they shall not be; for we will beat them in every good thing, the Lord and the brethren being our helpers. The Lord bless you! Amen.

Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 10, 1858.

The Lord says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways.”

The address we have listened to this afternoon is directly calculated to inspire our minds with a full fruition of the truth of these sentiments. If the religious nations of the world had been consulted in establishing a new religion with the intention of superseding all other sects and denominations, they would have selected a grave council of the wisest, most learned, and pious men they could find—learned in theology, in philosophy, in law, and in every department of science. Yet we are told that the Savior, when he visited the earth, selected as his ministers and messengers fishermen and other individuals from the lower orders of the people—men with but little learning, and less reputation, to proclaim the Gospel, testify of the truth, and be witnesses of his advent into the world—of his miracles and resurrection from the dead. So it was in the present generation.

When the Lord commenced his work, he neglected to call upon Campbell, Scott, Clarke, Doddridge, or any other celebrated divine. He passed over his Holiness the Pope, and the Bishops that were presiding with so much dignity, splendor, and authority over the different portions of the Christian Church. He passed over the learned institutions of the day, and went into a field and laid his hand on the head of Joseph Smith, a ploughboy—upon one who cultivated the earth, and had scarcely education enough to read his Bible—whom he inspired, appointing him to translate the Book of Mormon, and authorizing him to proclaim the Gospel and administer the plan of salvation.

Ere long, this young man became the scoff, the by-word, and hiss of all the learned Christians on the earth. But the Lord said, “My ways are not as your ways, nor my thoughts as your thoughts.”

When the early Elders of this Church began to preach the first principles of the Gospel, how oft have we heard the question asked—Why did not the Lord call upon some learned man—upon the presidents of theological seminaries, or upon some of our learned missionaries? Why, if this work be true, did he call upon a person so low—so uneducated—so foolish? This inquiry was made in every direction by hundreds and by thousands, and was laid down by them as a sufficient reason for rejecting the Book of Mormon and the testimony of the servants of God.

In a very short time a literary war commenced. The newspapers announced to the world that an impostor had arisen, that an impostor had been palmed upon them, a false religion had been proclaimed, and that an ignorant, stupid, lazy, good-for-nothing set of fellows were pretending to preach a new religion. Thurlow Weed was the first to commence the literary war through the press, under the head of “Blasphemy.”

This proclamation has been often reiterated up to the present time. Pulpit orators announced to their congregations that three weeks would be sufficient to dispel the whole delusion. Three weeks passed away, and the word of God was still preached. Then pulpit proclaimers announced that a year would terminate the delusion.

Editors published their false statements, one of which, no doubt, will be remembered—a pretended miracle of walking on the water. It was said that the Prophet placed planks two or three inches under the surface of the water, and walked on them, to convince the multitude of the truth of his doctrine: but just as all were convinced, and the Prophet was about to step on shore, some rogues pulled out the plank, and he fell into the water, and was drowned.

What next? “This printing lies about Mormonism—this blackguarding, and preaching falsehoods about it, don’t stop it: we must apply something that will.” They applied a suit of tar and feathers to the Prophet, and other abuses, but with no better success than attended their former efforts to stop the progress of “Mormonism.” In fact, the Prophet had not more than got the tar fairly washed off him, before he had to go into the water to baptize.

There is a class of personages who have acted a conspicuous part in opposition to the progress of the work of the Lord in the last days, who are never to be forgotten. The first members of the Church, it will be recollected, came from almost every re– ligious denomination; and if they had never belonged to any religious sect, they had more or less of their prejudices.

I recollect when I first began to discern the operation of the spirit of apostasy. A small company of us started for Zion. One of the company (Norman A. Brown) lost a horse. This man had been baptized for the remission of sins, rejoiced in the light of truth, and started to gather with the Saints; but his horse died. “Now,” said he, “is it possible that this is the work of God? If this had been the work of God, my horse would not have died when I was going to Zion.” He apostatized, fought against the work of God, and died a miserable, lingering, and unhappy death; and all because of so great a trial as the loss of a horse.

Joseph H. Wakefield, who baptized me, after having apostatized from the Church, announced to the astonished world the fact that, while he was a guest in the house of Joseph Smith, he had absolutely seen the Prophet come down from the room where he was engaged in translating the word of God, and actually go to playing with the children! This convinced him that the Prophet was not a man of God, and that the work was false, which, to me and hundreds of others, he had testified that he knew came from God. He afterwards headed a mob meeting, and took the lead in bringing about a persecution against the Saints in Kirtland and the regions round about.

One of the first apostates that published against this work was Ezra Booth. He published nine letters in the Ohio Star, published at Ravenna, Portage County, in which he used all the arguments and made all the false statements he could; and it was generally believed by our enemies, at the time, that the apostasy and revelations of Ezra Booth would put an utter end to “Mormonism.” But the wheel rolled along unabated in its progress.

Ezra Booth had been a Methodist preacher; but on a visit to Joseph Smith, he had become convinced of the truth of the work of the Lord by witnessing a miracle. Mrs. Johnson, an aged lady, had for several years been afflicted with rheumatism, and for more than a year had not been able to raise her arm at all. She was healed by the administration of the laying on of hands by the Prophet, and was enabled immediately to raise her hand to her head, comb her hair, or do anything she wished. This convinced him it was the power of God. He went to preaching the truth, but found, instead of living on the fat of the land, as he did among his Methodist brethren, that he had to labor and toil for the good of Zion, trusting in God, and in the great day of accounts receive his reward; so he apostatized.

The next publication which made a prominent show in the world was a book entitled “Mormonism Unveiled,” written by Doctor P. Hurlburt. In consequence of improper conduct among females, he was expelled from the Church. He confessed his wickedness to the Council. I was present, and heard him. He promised before God, angels, and men that he would from that time forth live his religion and preserve his integrity, if they would only forgive him. He wept like a child, and prayed and begged to be forgiven. The Council forgave him; but Joseph told him, “You are not honest in this confession.”

A few days afterwards he published his renunciation of the work, assigning as a reason, that he deceived that Council, and made them believe his was an honest confession, when he only confessed to see whether the Council had power to discern his spirit. Joseph, however, told him at the time that he was not honest in his confession.

He went to work and got up the “Spaulding story”—that famous yarn about the “Manuscript Found.” When about to publish this lying fabrication, in several of his exciting speeches having threatened the life of Joseph Smith, he was required to give bonds, by the authorities of Ohio, to keep the peace. In consequence of this, the name of E. D. Howe was substituted as the author, who published it.

Hurlburt was cracked up in the world as a scientific man—as an M.D.; but he happened to be the seventh son, and was called Doctor by his parents. It was his given name—not the title of his profession.

The public press heralded forth many encomiums on the book. Mr. Howe agreed to give Hurlburt four hundred copies for the manuscript.

Hurlburt took his subscription list and went from house to house for names, until he had got subscribers for the four hundred copies, which were to be delivered as soon as they were printed and bound, at one dollar per copy.

Howe refused to deliver Hurlburt the four hundred copies until he managed to get his eye on Hurlburt’s subscription list, which he copied, delivered the books, took the money, and then gave Hurlburt his four hundred copies. He thereby swindled Hurlburt out of his manuscript, and he had to sell his books at from ten to twenty cents each, or anything he could get; and great numbers were never sold.

There is one thing in relation to publications against “Mormonism:” No apostate has ever made his fortune by them; for, if he would tell the truth, that would be no mystery; and when they tell falsehoods, the spirit of lying makes them tell such big lies, and so many of them, that their work goes into discredit.

I think the first church attempted to be established in opposition to “Mormonism” was that established by Wycam Clark, in Kirtland. He was baptized about the same time as Sidney Rigdon, and, in company with Northrop Sweet and four others, seceded from this Church, and said they could carry the whole world with them by preaching “Mormon” principles. They had two or three meetings; but the society would never have been known in the world, had not a few of us remembered the circumstance and told of it.

Another species of apostasy took place in the neighborhood of the forge in Kirtland. A man named Hoten seceded from the Church, renounced the Book of Mormon and the Prophet, and established himself under the name of the Independent Church. A man named Montague was appointed bishop. This church got to number about ten members. They pretended, under the order of the New Testament, to have all things common. In a few weeks the bishop, who had charge of the temporal things, made a charge on the president for visiting his pork barrel, and the president charged the bishop with visiting his wife, and that broke up the society.

I shall not undertake to detail all of this species of character that have arisen; but there was another by the name of Hawley. He was attacked by a spirit of revelation, somewhere in the State of New York, while he was ploughing; and it took him in such a hurry that he had not time to put on his boots, but traveled barefoot to Kirtland, some six hundred miles distant, to warn Joseph that he was a fallen Prophet; that God had cut Joseph off, and placed in his stead a man by the name of Noah; and the reason Joseph was cut off was, he had suffered the men to wear cushions on their coat sleeves, and the women to wear caps. He went through the streets of Kirtland with a dismal howl, crying, “Woe, woe to the people.” On one occasion, about midnight, Brigham Young went out, and took with him a cowhide, and said to Hawley, “If you don’t quit annoying the people with your noise, I will cowhide you;” upon which he concluded he had suffered persecution enough for his master’s sake, and shut up his noise.

I believe, if you will take the whole circle of the history of apostates from this Church, that in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred you will find that the spirit of adultery or covetousness was the original cause.

There was a man named John Smith came into the Church, and was somewhat prominent in the State of Indiana. He preached some little, and was considered quite zealous; but he said he had proved that the Book of Doctrine and Covenants was not true; “For it says,” said he, “that if a man shall commit adultery, and not repent of it, he shall lose the Spirit of God, and shall deny the faith. Now, I have done it, and have not denied the faith; and so I have proved that the revelation in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is not from God.” The spirit of blindness had so taken possession of him that he could not see that when he was proclaiming that the revelations were not true, he was denying the faith. That spirit has such an effect over the human mind as totally to blind them in relation to their own acts and the spirit that governs them.

After the organization of the Twelve Apostles, and the so far finishing of the Kirtland Temple as to hold a solemn assembly and confer the Kirtland endowment therein, the spirit of apostasy became more general, and the shock that was given to the Church became more severe than on any previous occasion.

The Church had increased in numbers, and the Elders had extended their labors accordingly; but the apostasy commenced in high places. One of the First Presidency, several of the Twelve Apostles, High Council, Presidents of Seventies, the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Presidents of Far West, and a number of others standing high in the Church were all carried away in this apostasy; and they thought there was enough of them to establish a pure religion that would become universal.

This attempted organization was under the direction of Warren Parrish, who had been a traveling Elder in the Church, and who sustained a high reputation in the Southern States as an eloquent preacher, and had for a short time been employed by Joseph as a clerk. He undertook to organize those elements into a church, and I was told by them that all the talented men among the Elders were ready to join them.

They named, for instance, Lyman Johnson, John F. Boyington, William E. McLellan, Hazen Aldrich, Sylvester Smith, Joseph Coe, Orson Johnson, W. A. Cowdery, M. F. Cowdery, and others, amounting to something like thirty, who had been prominent Elders in the Church.

They were going to renounce the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, and take the “Mormon” doctrines to overthrow all the religions in the world, and unite all the Christian churches in one general band, and they to be its great leaders.

What success did this great apostasy meet with? Brother Kimball, when on a mission in 1844 (this apostasy took place in 1837-8), while crossing Fox River on the ferry, encountered Warren Parrish. He was a grave looking man—a straightjacketed fellow, dressed in black, with a white handkerchief around his neck. Says he, “Elder Kimball, will you have the goodness not to say to the people here that I ever was a Mormon. I am a Baptist minister. I am preaching at that meetinghouse for a salary of $500 a year. If they find out I have been a Mormon, it would hurt my influence very much indeed.”

Where was the big church he had tried to build up? He had tried pleading law; that failed: peddling bogus money, and that failed, like his big church speculation. And where was the origin of this?

I recollect waking up late one evening when I was quite a young man, and hearing my father and one of the brethren talk. Being a little disposed to listen, I learned that there had been considerable of a difficulty between Parrish and one of the brethren. This was when he was in good standing in the Church. He had been too kind with the brother’s wife. Then I learned the commencement of his apostasy.

You may go to every one of these men—I care not which one; you cannot put your finger on any one of these thirty men but what you will find that the spirit of adultery or covetousness had got possession of their hearts; and when it did, the Spirit of the Lord left them. They had not sense enough to repent and put away their iniquity, but suffered themselves to be overthrown with the spirit of darkness; and they have gone to hell, and there they may lift up their eyes, asking for some relief or benefit from those they once tried to destroy; but if they get the privilege of waiting on a servant to those who have kept the laws of heaven, they will be exceedingly thankful and fortunate.

At the breaking up of Far West there was another Prophet appeared. Isaac Russell undertook to lead the Saints into the wilderness. He gathered some twenty followers.

The reason why he apostatized was, the commandment required the Twelve Apostles to take their leave of the Saints on the foundation of the Temple on the twenty-sixth day of April, and it could not be fulfilled because those men were all driven away; but it happened that the Twelve went to that spot, and twenty or thirty Saints recommenced the foundation on the day appointed, held a Conference, and cut off Russell and his followers. He used his influence over a few individuals until they scattered and wasted away.

In Nauvoo we had another shower of dust around the Prophet. There was a man by the name of William Law, who was a Counselor to Joseph Smith, and a man of great gravity. He preached a great deal on the stand in Nauvoo, and told the people they must be punctual and pay their debts; and he repeated it over and over again. Sunday after Sunday he preached punctuality, PUNCTUALITY, PUNCTUALITY.

I was then on a mission in England; but when I got home, I would hear, Sunday after Sunday, these addresses. Thinks I, this is a very righteous fellow; it will be perfectly safe to deal with him; and everybody thought so.

The first time I suspected but what he was as straight as a loon’s leg—at least in relation to his trading, was one day in his mill. Brother Willard Richards and myself met Bishop Smoot, and he offered to bet a barrel of salt that the Doctor was heavier than I was. We went into Law’s mill to be weighed. I was weighed on the scales where he weighed wheat into the mill.

To my surprise, I did not weigh as much by twelve pounds as usual. I thought this was a curiosity. I saw there was another pair of scales on the other side of the mill where they weighed out flour. I weighed the Doctor twice, and he weighed me twice on both scales; and I found that if I had been a bag of flour, I should have weighed twelve pounds too much; and, if I had been a bag of wheat, I should not have weighed enough by twelve pounds.

The Doctor and myself soon discovered that the gain by this villainous fraud would supply the mill with wood and hands to tend it.

Brother Joseph and I saw brother Law come out of his house one day, and brother Joseph said to me, referring to Law, “George, do you know that there is the meanest man in this town?”

“Yes,” I said, “I know he is, but did not know you thought so.”

“How did you find it out?”

He has two sets of weights in his mill. He also told me something about Law’s visit to certain disreputable houses in St. Louis, and gave me to understand that he knew something about Law’s hypocrisy and dishonesty in dealing, as well as myself.

I only tell this circumstance because he pulled the leading string in putting Joseph Smith to death. When he comes forth, he may expect to find his white robe dyed in the blood of innocence, and he may expect in all time to come to have that stigma upon him.

The spirit of hypocrisy, covetousness, adultery, and corruption also laid the foundation for Law’s destruction.

When a man professes a great deal of sanctity—a great deal of holiness and piety—when he can scarcely speak without a pious groan, he is to be suspected; for such hypocrisy is in itself the most cursed corruption that can exist.

Law gathered around him a few followers, organized a church, and set himself up for a prophet, went out from Nauvoo, joined the mob, and led the van.

In 1843, when Joseph was taken prisoner in the county of Lee, on a demand from the Governor of Missouri, William Law turned out and attempted to release him. While near Oquaka, and supposing that Joseph had been smuggled to the river side, and that he was about to be carried to the Mississippi, and put on board the steamer, and hurried away to Missouri, says he, “They will carry him on board of a boat and get him over the river; and if the Prophet is carried to Missouri and killed, property in Nauvoo will fall to one-half its present value.” His anxiety was about the price of property going down. A few minutes after, when he met Joseph, he went up, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. He loved him tenderly as long as he kept the price of property up.

After the death of Joseph, a number of men appeared, professing to be revelators. The most noted of them, I believe, was James J. Strang. He gathered a few followers around him, and established himself first at Voree, Wisconsin; then he removed to Beaver Island, Lake Michigan. He remained there some length of time; and finally, in some disturbance got up there, he was murdered. His followers clung together longer than any of the other apostates. They were able to publish a monthly paper, about half the size of the Deseret News, printed in large type and coarsely leaded, in which they advocated James J. Strang as a prophet.

Charles Thompson, Francis Gladden Bishop, G. J. Adams, and others arose, until prophets for awhile were at a discount. But all these vanished into thin air; their names were forgotten, and their pretensions are unknown, unless some of us happen to think and tell of them.

Oliver Cowdery said to the people, when he came to Pottawatomie and requested to be restored to the Church, “Follow the Twelve: they are the men with whom the Priesthood rests. If you follow the main channel of the stream, you will go right; but if you run into a bayou, you will find yourselves among snags.”

You may trace the course of all those characters, and you will find that hypocrisy and adultery have been the leading strings to lead them astray. It is of the utmost importance that every Latter-day Saint thoroughly and carefully tread his own path, correct his own conduct, regulate his own life, banish from his heart the spirit of wickedness and corruption, and see to it that his intentions, desires, and actions are pure in the sight of God—that he covets not that which belongs to his neighbor; for our actions are between us and our God: with him we have to account, and his Spirit will not dwell in unholy temples.

Then let us keep ourselves pure before Him, live the principles that we have espoused, and be prepared for the great day when we shall stand upon Mount Zion, where none will stand, only those who have clean hands and pure hearts.

May God bless us. Amen.

A Sermon by Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 10, 1858.

It is always pleasing and interesting to listen to the statements of any of the servants of God who may be in possession of his Spirit, and to watch the motion and direction of that Spirit as it operates upon the human mind.

There are many things associated with the Church and kingdom of God that are very peculiar: it differs from all other churches, and is dissimilar to all other kingdoms. There is a spirit and wisdom associated with it that the world knows nothing of, and there is a power accompanying it to which mankind are entire strangers without that spirit. There is generally a great amount of obloquy and reproach associated with it; people are apt to treat the servants of God with contempt; yet there is a spirit, and power, and intelligence imparted by the gift of the Holy Ghost, that sustains his people under all circumstances, in all places, and among all nations; and hence Paul in his day said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.”

Ordinarily speaking, Paul would have been considered a mean, contemptible fool by the world. He was whipped, persecuted, imprisoned, stoned, and had to escape from mobs, being let down in a basket over a wall, like some mean, crawling scamp that had to get out of the way of civilized society: he was despised and hated among men, together with his associates. Yet says he, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” Why was he not? Because there was a spirit and power in it that was in nothing else. Wherever he preached that Gospel—wherever it was believed in and obeyed, there was a power and spirit accompanied it that no earthly power could impart; and those persons who received it received the gift of the Holy Ghost; and that Holy Ghost took of the things of God and showed them unto them: they partook of the same spirit that he did, were enlightened by the same intelligence, and blessed in the same manner, and, consequently, were united together in the bonds of the everlasting Gospel, and associated by the gift of the Holy Ghost, having a hope that bloomed with immortality and eternal life.

I have seen, in my wanderings over the earth, hundreds of such cases as the one we have listened to this morning. I have heard men speak in different nations—in Germany, France, England, Scotland, Wales, the United States, in the Canadas—no matter where, go where you will, and let a man receive the truth, and his heart is filled with joy and rejoicing. I see people around me here from all these parts that I have heard testify the same things as our brother this morning.

It is this spirit, intelligence, and the gift of the Holy Ghost and its operations on our minds, that has made us one. It is on that account that we speak alike, think alike, write alike, testify alike, because we are baptized into one baptism, and have all partaken of the same Spirit, and we all feel the same thing and rejoice in the same hope. Wherever the Spirit of God operates upon the human mind in any part of the earth, it is productive of the same results; and hence you see people coming in from the east, the west, the north, and the south to this place, led and impelled by the same Spirit.

Why did you leave your homes, break up your establishments, bid adieu to your friends and associates, and traverse oceans, seas, deserts, and plains, in order to come here? Because you were inspired by that same Spirit. And why were you inspired by it? How did it originate? And where did it come from? Why, the Lord has set his hand to accomplish his designs in these last days; he has opened the heavens and revealed his purposes to his servants the Prophets, and has called his people from the ends of the earth to gather together, that he might establish his Zion upon the earth, and bring to pass these things which have been spoken of by all the holy Prophets since the world was.

We have listened to the voice of the charmer—participated in all the blessings of the Gospel; and this has been the means of our gathering together in this place. Why did we come here? For the same reason this brother said he came—to serve God and work righteousness, gain intelligence, and bring salvation to ourselves, to our wives and our children, and obtain it for our progenitors. We came here to learn the principles of eternal life, and be enabled to fulfil our destiny upon the earth, and prepare ourselves and our posterity for a celestial inheritance in the eternal worlds.

It seems strange to many, perhaps, that a people like us—a people as innocent as this people are—a people who have desired to serve God as sincerely as this people have—a people who are living up to the principles of truth as near as we do—I say, it seems strange to them that we should have to meet with any difficulty, be persecuted, that our names should be cast out as evil, and we be treated with contumely and bitter reproach, as the offscouring of all things; and that even a nation like that of the United States should array itself against us. Men, you know, all profess to be honest, more or less; and if they are, this certainly has a very strange appearance.

Yet, when we come to reflect, and look back upon men who lived in other ages, whom we have been taught to believe were honest and good, as we profess to be, and see their names cast out as evil too, and that some of the best of men had to wander in sheepskins and goatskins, and dwell in deserts, and dens, and caves of the earth—that they were destitute, afflicted, tormented, whipped, stoned, imprisoned, and put to death—we see that it is only now as it has been heretofore. This has been the state of things generally in the world, so far as the servants of God are concerned in this world. With all its boasted magnanimity, with all its intelligence, with all its erudition, with all its talent, with all its pomp and glory, and professed intelligence and philosophy, there has never been a time, since the world began, but men of the most elevated character, of the most exalted natures, of the best and most moral habits—virtuous men that feared God and worked righteousness, have been persecuted, cast out, and trodden under foot.

And there has never been a time, with but few exceptions, in some isolated cases, that they had even equal rights among men, either civil, religious, or political—I say, with very few exceptions, there has never been a time that the representatives of God on the earth, his servants, his Priesthood, his people—those that carried out the principles of righteousness, and were obedient to his law, observed his statutes, and kept his commandments—that such a people possessed either their civil, religious, or political rights among men.

It is true that, on the continent of Asia, the Jews might be considered an exception in this respect. They had a government which lasted for a certain period of time; they made their own laws, and governed themselves; and yet even among this people, who professed to be God’s people, those men who really did fear God, tell the truth, and dared work righteousness, were generally trodden under foot. So far even were they fallen, that when Jesus came among them he said, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers slain—even you who profess to observe his laws—you who boast of having Abraham for your father, and have more knowledge of God than any other people?” He could ask that with impunity to a whole nation, and they could not answer him. If that was the case among them, what is the position of others?

There was a certain time on this continent, from the accounts given in the Book of Mormon, that a few people observed the laws of Jesus and his Gospel, and kept his commandments without persecution; but it only lasted for a short time: they soon departed from every principle of righteousness, and were cut off in consequence.

What has been the position of others, if this has been the case among good men? They began to persecute the Prophets and reject the word of the Lord on this continent as on the other. You read of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the antediluvians, that every imagination of their hearts was only evil, and that continually. You read again of the abominations of Nineveh, of Babylon, of ancient Rome, and of the bestiality that was practiced among them: they were sunk in an awful state of degradation and corruption. They still are under the influence of the god of this world, who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, and leads them captive at his will.

Look at the world, and what does it present? Anyone familiar with the history of the nations must know that it has been nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, power against power, dominion against dominion. The history of the world from the time of its commencement to the present is a scene of war, carnage, and desolation; and if you travel on the continent of Asia, where their history is more familiarly known than that of the inhabitants of this country, their monuments, their picture galleries, and everything represent the very thing of which I have been speaking.

You may go, for instance, into some of the galleries in France, and you may read on the canvas the history of that nation from the third century to this time, and it is a history of battles and combats, blood and destruction, wherein the fiercest passions of the human mind are developed. Here is portrayed massacres that took place at a certain time, and there the desolation and overthrow of a city at another period; the fierce struggle, the falling heroes, and the lifeless corpses are all portrayed on the canvas on the walls, showing that the shedding of human blood—that car– nage and desolation have prevailed everywhere since that nation commenced; and this is called their glory, their pride, their boast: they will point it out as the glory of their nation; and this thing has existed everywhere else, among all nations.

Go into Asia, and you will find the same thing. Histories of the Crusades furnish another example, together with the power, prowess, and bloodshed introduced by Mahomet in his day. The history of the whole world from that time to this presents a scene of war, tyranny, cruelty, and oppression—man struggling with his fellow man, trying to raise himself upon the ruin of others. The thrones of many kings have been supported by a pyramid of human carcasses slain to gratify their thirst for power and influence. There are heroes and great men—statesmen, to whom we are to look upon as examples of power, of dignity, and glory on the earth. Has right had anything to do with it? No. Talk about God and his Prophets! They never thought about any such thing; but, as the Scripture says, “God was not in all their thoughts:” that was out of the question entirely.

Now, what has to be done in such a state of things? Will they forever continue? Must the wicked always triumph? If a man dare to rise as a man of God, cut off his head and trample him under foot! What chance has the principle of truth to obtain a hearing on the earth under such circumstances? There is none. So far as national power has existed to protect right on the earth, we cannot find it anywhere. I presume the nearest approach to it was on this land a few years ago, because a number of oppressed men that struck out against oppression fled to this country to find an asylum. They maintained the principles of liberty and freedom, which they started with for some time: they had suffered the evils of religious oppression, and appreciated freedom therefrom, and were enabled to make laws to protect themselves and their principles for some time.

By-and-by the same evil began to predominate here: religious intolerance was practiced, professed witches and wizards killed, Quakers were outraged and abused, law and order began to be trampled under foot, and evil principles prevailed and began to be tolerated, instead of righteous ones.

People affect to be astonished at the present time that we should feel reluctance at having the appointees of so great and august a personage as the President of the United States to rule over us; and they have made this a cause for the cry of “Treason, rebellion,” &c. We are American citizens, and have at least some rights. Our fathers professed to have, a few years ago, when they said that all mankind had a right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

How was it that ten thousand armed men could come against us in the State of Missouri? And what for? Because we dared worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. Did the State know anything about it? Yes. A memorial was presented to them, and afterwards another to the President of the United States; and Martin Van Buren, the then President, acknowledged to the justness of our cause in the following words—“Your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you.” And so fifteen or twenty thousand American citizens were disfranchised, robbed of their inheritances, and many of them murdered in prison, many put to death, and hundreds perished in consequence of privations they had to endure; and the chief magistrate of the U.S. Government and people could do nothing for them. There is no justice for the servants of God: you must not ask for it or look for it. If it had been anybody else, they could have had it.

With these facts before us, how can any people think it odd that we should mistrust their proceedings, and not have implicit confidence in everything they do. How was it in Illinois? Under the pledge of the Governor of that State, when he pledged himself most solemnly to myself and Dr. Bernhisel, he gave us his most sacred word, if we would go there unarmed, we should be protected. He pledged his honor and the honor of the State. How was it done? Joseph and Hyrum, with myself and Dr. Richards, were cooped up in Carthage jail by mere mob violence under the immediate eye of the Governor. We made a strong protest against the proceedings at that time. Yet he left the prisoners there to be butchered by a mob, and he knew they were coming upon them to kill them. Yet we must believe every word they say, and must rely implicitly upon their word as if it was the oracles of God. They are surprised we cannot do this and feel as they do.

Those holy men were put to death and butchered in a manner that would have disgraced the Algerian pirates. What are you doing here, gentlemen? Why did you come here? Because they would not let you stop in Illinois. Who was the foremost in these things—in counseling your departure? Two United States Senators. Stephen A. Douglas was one; the name of the other I forget. And it was also recommended by Henry Clay. They recommended us to leave our homes, our possessions, and to let a beautiful city then inhabited become desolate, our gardens and fields laid waste, and 30,000 American citizens to be disfranchised. What for? Because they could not find protection in the United States; and I told them of it at that time to their face. There is no law for “Mormonism;” but yet we must have implicit confidence in them. Then, after negotiations had been made and we came away, they were so damnable, mean, and cowardly as to make war on the sick and infirm that could not leave. The poor, miserable, cursed, damned scoundrels, I pray that they may go to hell. [The whole congregation shouted “Amen.“] They now put on a smooth face: they have, perhaps, been at a class meeting, some of them, and wonder why we won’t let these officers come in here—why we won’t let the judges come here, such as they shall appoint—why we won’t let kind, gentlemanly men come here and rule over us? You know such as we have had before in our midst. Suppose we should ask a question or two about this, and reflect a little about some of the proceedings that have taken place here. Here was your Judge Drummond you had here. I was not here at the time, but I heard all about it. He was one of the appointees of the Pierce administration, that preceded this one. He came here and seemed determined to get up a fuss, if he could: that seemed to be his sole object from the time he came until he went away. He called upon a corps of men here to go out and act as a posse comitatus to take up Indians which he wanted to destroy. He was determined to hang somebody. And if he could not get hold of the guilty, he wanted the innocent: he had a thirst for blood in his bosom. He called upon the Marshal of the Territory to summons heaps of men and capture those Indians; and he sent them out in a season of the year that men would rather give anything than go. But he called upon his official powers as U.S. Judge, and threatened them with the pains and penalties of the law. They go; and after wandering the deserts, canyons, and plains, exposing their lives in the frost and snows, wearing themselves and animals, after enduring every kind of privation, and inconvenience—what next? This judge, after he had been so anxious they should go, when their bills were presented at Washington, repudiated all he had done, and says the people ought not to have a penny for what they have done, after forcing them into it by the power which he held in his hands. Thousands and thousands of dollars in labor had been expended by this people at the instance of that Judge, which, remains unpaid. Such men are infernal scoundrels, and ought to be damned; and they will be. Yet they are the representatives here of Uncle Sam, and everybody must take off their hats and bow to such mean reptiles. He is Judge so-and-so; he is such a humble gentleman! And we must be subject to such a state of things as this again! I will say, “We will be damned if we will.” That is about my feelings, gentlemen. Besides that he was such an honorable representative of the U.S., and wanted to introduce such beautiful principles among us, this very same individual was so pure, so religious and holy, so virtuous and righteous, his soul was pained in consequence of the doctrine of polygamy: at the same time, he must bring an eastern whore to sit on the bench with him, and thus insult the people of this Territory, and left his poor wife desolate and forsaken in Oquaka, Illinois. This is one of these immaculate characters they sent out here to ameliorate your condition.

We need not say anything of their squaw operations. With that matter you are familiar.

On the back of these things, the Legislature last year petitioned Congress that they would not send such men here, but send men that had some claim to decency and propriety. But this is one of the greatest insults considered to be, to petition Congress. What right have American citizens to petition? If this is a crime, you will have to blame your Legislature for it. Because they do not want such wicked scoundrels as these to govern them, they have actually sent out an armed force here, with another posse of the same kind of characters to cram them down our throats, and are determined you shall swallow them; and if you are not willing to take them, they are determined you shall have them forced upon you by the point of the bayonet.

These are some of the reasons why we act as we do. Would you like the prospect of having such a set of scamps as those to rule over you—to have them crammed down your throat, whether or not, and be obliged to swallow them and everything associated with them, and allow them to carry on their abominations here, to corrupt your wives and daughters, and spread desolation around? Do you like the picture? The great difficulty in the matter is that we are the people of God, and they are not.

God has set his hand to accomplish his purposes, and they see more intelligence, wisdom, union, righteousness, and correct principles manifested by this people than by any other; and they are afraid it will grow into a great kingdom, and they will not be able to put it down; and they want to nip it in the bud, and pull down righteousness on the earth, that the Devil may triumph. Will they accomplish it? In the name of the Lord God of hosts, they will not. The hand of God is over them, and it will continue to be until they shall be wasted away and destroyed, and every power that is raised against Zion shall perish and be brought to naught.

Now the kingdom of God is as– suming another phase to what it has done. The Lord has set his hand to work to accomplish his purposes, and establish his kingdom, and the reign of right on the earth. Is any man that fears God and works righteousness in torment, trouble, and anxiety here? No. But if a man works iniquity, he is afraid all the time that his head is going to be taken off; and many of those mean scamps that fled from your midst went there with their eyes staring wide open: they had just escaped with their lives. It was very remarkable, but they did escape.

The sinners in Zion are afraid, and fearfulness shall surprise the hypocrite. And I will tell you upon what principle you can see it developed and made manifest, in a portion of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. It says, “When you shall go forth and deliver your testimony, men shall rage against you and tremble because of you.” How many of you Elders, when you have borne your testimony, have seen priests tremble like an aspen leaf! What makes men tremble here? Because there is a concentration of the same power, which is the power of God in opposition to the power of darkness. One thing I feel—I feel like singing Hosanna—Glory to God forever, that we have found a place where a righteous man can live and be protected in his rights. You cannot find it anywhere else.

Is there a Methodist here, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, a Jumper, a Shaker, a Spiritualist, or any other kind of religious person? They can be protected here. Who injures them? They profess in the States to protect everybody in their religious rights; but they are infernal hypocrites: they do not do it.

There is not a country in the world where there is more religious intolerance than in this boasted republic. Where is there a people that have suffered as we have, in any country, for a number of centuries back? And yet we have lived in this model republic, where they proclaim liberty to every man—where they have declared that all men shall worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.

The Lord has introduced a people, at last, among the human family that will protect the people in their rights; that is, they can have a right to do good, but not evil; and if they do evil, they will tremble. Where you see a man shaking—his nerves unstrung, if you could open his heart, you will see something black, unholy, and contrary to the principles of righteousness. But there is nothing here that will make men fear that work righteousness. But woe to the rebellious, to the adulterer, the fornicator, the thief, and the ungodly man; for the hand of God will be over such for evil, if they do not repent. They will be rooted out of Zion.

God has set his hand to work to accomplish his purposes, to gather together his people, to establish the principles of righteousness among men, and overthrow the kingdom of darkness, and establish his kingdom, and afford protection to the honest in heart among all nations, to introduce a reign of righteousness that shall ultimately prevail over the world. The Devil has had rule and dominion, and brought men into bondage, and subjected the righteous to be overthrown and trampled underfoot by evil men in every age; and they want to do it now. But Brigham Young has said, Stop, and they have stopped. Why? Because Brigham said so. When they go back, it will be said, “Well gentlemen, why did you not go into Utah?” “Because Brigham Young pointed his finger and said, Stop, and we stopped.” “Were any of you fired on?” “No.” “Their men were told not to fire on us, and they did not; but Brigham only said, Stop, and we stopped.”

It is the first time for a long while that the principles of righteousness and truth have withstood the powers of darkness, yet it has here so far. Upon what principle? Upon the principle of union, faith, purity—upon the principles of obedience to the laws of the Priesthood, which are the laws of God; and because we have honored God thus far, he has honored us. And what shall we do, to continue his protection with us? Continue to improve, progress in doing right, obey counsel, live our religion, and seek to carry out the designs of the Almighty and his representatives upon the earth. And if we do these things, in the name of Israel’s God we shall arise and flourish, and Zion will become a terror to all nations.

Do you not feel a little of it in your bones—of that spirit growing and increasing? And you feel as easy as can be. I was thinking the other night, there are those poor devils out yonder shivering and shaking in the cold, and we are acting as though there were no armies, and as though there were no United States; and we, but a little handful of people, are dancing, and rejoicing, and praising God, in security. There is a spirit of peace here, and all is right and well. How will that be maintained? By virtue, righteousness, purity, and obedience to the laws of God, and carrying out his designs.

I pray that God may bless you, and guide you on in peace, that we may be saved in his kingdom, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Discourse by Elder Orson Hyde, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 3, 1858.

Brethren and sisters, it has fallen to my lot this morning to speak unto you a short time as I may be led by the Spirit of the Lord our God. It is very natural for me, when I arise to address a congregation, to speak pretty energetically and pretty loudly also. This you all know that are acquainted with me and that have heard me speak. I like to hear an energetic speaker; but one who speaks very loud is apt to injure himself. When I have spoken too loudly, I have done injustice to myself and probably to the congregation. I shall endeavor, the Lord being my helper, to modulate my voice according to the Spirit of God that I may have when speaking, and not go beyond it, neither fall short. At the same time, I do not want my mind so trammeled as brother Parley P. Pratt’s once was, when dancing was first introduced into Nauvoo among the Saints. I observed brother Parley standing in the figure, and he was making no motion particularly, only up and down. Says I, “Brother Parley, why don’t you move forward?” Says he, “When I think which way I am going, I forget the step; and when I think of the step, I forget which way to go.”

I desire that I may watch myself, that while I may be thinking what to say, I may not allow my voice to range unchecked or uncontrolled; and while I may seek to govern my voice, I hope not to be forgetful of matter for your edification.

The principle of government among the Saints is the most important principle that there is for us to understand. If we apply it to individual capacity, it is the most important to us as individuals, not only in the government of the hand and arm, which are greater members than the tongue, but in the government of the tongue also. The tongue, though a very small member, is of all importance, which we readily concede. And if we can govern the tongue, we may be considered qualified to rule; for the tongue, though a small member, sets on fire the course of nature, and is too often set on fire of hell.

It is the tongue that causes the evils that exist in the world; it is the tongue that sets nations at war; it is the tongue that causes broils in the domestic circle; it is the tongue that causes the fire of animosity and ill-will to burn in our midst. If we can succeed in governing the tongue according to the mind and will of God, we have got peace in our families, peace in our neighborhoods, peace in our community, and, what is more than all, we have peace with our God; for he that offendeth not in word, the same is a perfect man. Show me a perfect man that does not have peace with his God, and you will show me something I never saw or heard of. If we can govern the tongue, we are prepared then to enter upon the government of other matters; but I think we shall have plenty to do, at least for the present, to govern our tongues, even the best that are under the sound of my voice; for there is no person but that sometimes speaks unadvisedly with his lips—but that sometimes lets off an improper word; for the tongue or mouth is merely the valve of the heart—the place where the sentiments are discharged that have been confined in the heart, and that is the true index to the real inner man. Hence, “By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by them thou shalt be condemned.” Who of us this morning can say that we have not offended in word, even this morning? Can we say that we have not offended in word since the new year of 1858 began? 1857 is gone by; 1858 is now before us. Have we offended in word since this year began?—for I am sure that you all prayed that, with the close of the year, your sins might be canceled and swept away into the gulf of forgetfulness, that they be brought against you no more. Then I trust that you have entered upon the new year with a clean page—turned over a new leaf. Is there a spot or blemish upon that new page thus far until now? Have none of us offended in word? If we have not, so far we are perfect, and able also to bridle the whole body. This will do then, perhaps, for the regulation and control of the tongue.

There are other matters that I may be led to speak upon in relation to the government of the Saints as a body. By what law shall we be governed? By what rule are we to be controlled and managed? By the laws and powers of this world, or by the laws and powers of the world to come? We form a very important link in the chain of existence. We are occupying a very important place at the present time, and we are called upon to set an example. We are called upon to be the pioneers of a work that shall be everlasting. To be sure, we are but weak and feeble; yet we are the strongest of all people on the earth, if we have the God of heaven to be our helper; and we have him, if we offend not in word—if we can govern the tongue.

It is said there are a great many imperfections among us as a people. Grant it. At the same time, it is said we are the best people on earth, and the only friends God has. Admit this to be so. We may not be so pure friends as he might desire, but we are the best there are; and if he suffers us to be cut off, he will have none left of any kind. This is verily so.

We know that if we want a certain work done, we select the most proper individual for that job. If he is not so good as we could wish, we take the best we have and use that individual. So the Almighty, if he cannot have a people exactly to his liking, I do not know but that he will take the best there is, and manage and get along with them according to the wisdom he possesses.

Now, in relation to the Constitution of the United States, I want to speak a few words. There is a great deal of sacredness attached to the Constitution of the United States by this people: that is all right and good. The Constitution is well enough, and so is anything that serves the purpose for which it was created, provided that purpose be a good one. It was designed and created with a good intention. If it serves the purpose and end of its creation, it is good; and when it has served the end of its creation, the purpose and design of the Almighty are accomplished, and I do not know that he has any more particular use for it. He may then lay it aside as a relic to be respected and honored for the good it has done, for aught I know.

It is said that brother Joseph in his lifetime declared that the Elders of this Church should step forth at a particular time when the Constitution should be in danger, and rescue it, and save it. This may be so; but I do not recollect that he said exactly so. I believe he said something like this—that the time would come when the Constitution and the country would be in danger of an overthrow; and said he, If the Constitution be saved at all, it will be by the Elders of this Church. I believe this is about the language, as nearly as I can recollect it.

The question is whether it will be saved at all, or not. I do not know that it matters to us whether it is or not: the Lord will provide for and take care of his people, if we do every duty, and fear and honor him, and keep his commandments; and he will not leave us without a Constitution. There is none of you will dispute that the Temple of Solomon was built by the inspiration of the Almighty, and it was built to answer a certain purpose and design: it was built by the skill, wisdom, ingenuity, and strength of man, aided by the inspiration of the Almighty. It was a beautiful structure, and excited the admiration of all people. Even the Queen of the South came to behold the wondrous works of Solomon and his wisdom, and declared that the half had not been told her.

The edifice stood for centuries, though it had become somewhat like the boy’s jack-knife, which had had three new blades and two new handles. In the days of our Savior, the disciples were very anxious to show him the magnificence of that building. “Master,” said they, “see what stones! Look at the grandeur, sublimity, strength, and skill displayed in the erection of this building!” I see it all; but I tell you one thing, and it is near at hand, when there shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. “You come out against this temple!” The Jews thought the Savior was a blasphemer when he said he would destroy this temple, and in three days he would raise it up again. “What! Are you going to destroy this sacred place that was built by the inspiration of the Almighty?” They supposed he referred to the temple built by Solomon; but instead of that, he referred to the temple of his own body.

This shows how the Jews viewed their temple, and the importance they attached to it. They considered it as a most sacred place, and this is why they misunderstood the Savior and considered him a blasphemer for presuming to speak against the temple. You discover that the Savior says, There shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.

Why must this temple be razed to the foundation? Because it has answered the purpose of its erection; and another thing it has been so grossly polluted that it has incurred the displeasure of the Almighty, and he will not see so noble a structure defiled and remain in the midst of the Jews to be used as a den of thieves, instead of a house of prayer. The Lord went to work to purify it, and took a whip of small cords, and went in and cast out them that bought and sold, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and made quite an uproar in the midst of the Jews. Still they would resort there. There was the place where they would buy and sell, despite the reproof the Savior had given them. Then said he, There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. It is useless to endeavor to purify and cleanse it, because it has been made the theater of so much corruption and hypocrisy. I will sweep it out of existence, and utterly destroy it.

Just so with the Constitution of the United States. It was framed by the inspiration of the Almighty, we readily grant. It has served a certain purpose—been a partial shield to the Church in its infancy, or it has been a check upon mobocracy that otherwise would have risen against it. It has not been a protection exactly, but a check; and the Almighty saw fit to bring forth his work under this Constitution. It has served and fulfilled its purpose. Now, look at the disgraceful roguery practiced under that Constitution. There cannot be an election of a President without bribery, betraying, and buying and selling votes. Under the Constitution there are all kinds of trade, traffic, and commerce carried on in a political view. The Constitution now serves but little purpose other than a cloak for political gamblers, merchants, and hucksters.

The Almighty looks down from heaven and sees it impossible to save the Constitution, to perpetuate it, and cleanse and purify it; for the wickedness of the people is determined to sweep it out of the way. Although it was framed by his wisdom and skill, and his power and goodness, yet with as much cheerfulness will it be overthrown as it was ever erected or framed. I presume that Titus, the Roman Emperor, when he entered Jerusalem, when he overthrew the temple and the city, was inspired by the Devil as much to do it, as perhaps, Solomon was by the Lord to build it, or those that did build it, because it had fulfilled its day and its work, and had become corrupted and impure, and was the place in which corruption was practiced; and he would sweep it away. It is sometimes the case that in a city where a house of ill fame is kept, the people will turn out and demolish the house. It is not because they have an antipathy against the house, but because it was the cover in which abominations were practiced, and they will not bear it, and they turn out once in a while and tear down the house. We do not suppose the Almighty had anything against the temple; but it was a place of resort for corrupt characters, and he was determined to dispense with them by destroying their haunts of iniquity. We do not suppose the Almighty has anything against the Constitution; but it serves as a kind of cover under which corrupt characters hide themselves and attempt to carry on all kinds of barter and traffic in relation to politics; and the Almighty is determined to uncover and expose them.

What Constitution shall we be governed by, when unprincipled men have destroyed the Constitution of our Union? I will tell you what we shall have: while we walk in the favor of God, we shall have a Constitution. The Constitution written in the Bible? No. In the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, or Book of Mormon? No. What kind shall we have, then? The Constitution that God will give us. Do you suppose that Joseph Smith was permitted to be killed because the Almighty had anything against him? No. But he wanted the ungodly that rejected his testimony to fill up the cup of their iniquity; and hence they were permitted to take away his life, after he had accomplished the work he came to accomplish, and not before; they could not touch him before he had done the work he was sent to do—before he had laid the foundation of this kingdom. And when that was completed, he might be taken from the troubles of this world, that the ungodly might have the opportunity of filling up the cup of their iniquity. The blood of Joseph and Hyrum was shed—mingled too with the blood of brother Taylor, who survived, and who is here a living witness to the facts that occurred in connection with their death. Has the nation atoned for that blood? No. Have they offered to do it? They never have. But if one poor scamp should happen to be killed in this country, in this region, the whole of the United States are ready to fly to arms to avenge the blood of that individual, that never was worth the powder and lead to kill him. But the Prophets of God that are inspired of the Almighty to do a work for the benefit of the human family can be killed, and no man lay it to heart. Oh, it is all very well: to be sure, it was an outrageous deed to murder them when they were in the hands of the law—when they were held as prisoners; it was a horrid act: at the same time, we are glad it is done. That is the feeling, and the universal feeling almost throughout the United States. There was hardly a man, woman, or child that did not assent to the death of Joseph and Hyrum, but objected to the way in which it was done. “It is not exactly honorable or pleasing, but we are glad of it anyhow.” That is the sentiment of the nation, and by that very sentiment they have drawn upon themselves the anger of God; and that blood has to be atoned for, and it has to be atoned for upon all those that have said, We are glad of it!—that have secretly said so and cherished that idea. It will extend to them all who have consented to the death of the Prophet of God.

Now, says the Lord, “To him that overcometh, will I give power over the nations.” Did Joseph Smith overcome, even unto death? Yes. Was God with him? Yes, he was. When they were about to cut off his head, behold, the power of the Almighty came down, and the men stood as it were like marble statues: they could not move, but stood there like Lot’s wife—not pillars of salt, but pillars of petrified corruption. The power of the Almighty came down with the vivid glare of lightning’s flash, and they had no power to take his head off. Was God with him? Yes. Was his death glorious? Yes. What was his glory? One portion of it is—“To him that overcometh, will I give power over the nations.” A portion of his honor and glory will be to enforce his word and see it take effect among the people and nation that have said, We are glad that he is killed! They cannot avoid it by going through death. They will have to be arraigned under the government and jurisdiction of their murdered victims.

When we pass a law in the Legislature, and say that it is the law by our acts, we also say that all laws and parts of laws conflicting herewith are repealed from this time henceforth. When Joseph takes his position, all laws and parts of laws that shall conflict at all with him are hereby repealed, and his word and his law will be the end of strifes. There is no dodging it, and I feel thankful for it. Well, brethren and sisters, let it be our happy lot and our ambition so to live before our God and our superiors that have gone before us, that they may take pleasure in saying to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things.” I tell you, Joseph holds the keys, and none of us can get into the celestial kingdom without passing by him. We have not got rid of him, but he stands there as the sentinel, holding the keys of the kingdom of God; and there are many of them beside him. I tell you, if we get past those who have mingled with us, and know us best, and have a right to know us best, probably we can pass all other sen– tinels as far as it is necessary, or as far as we may desire. But I tell you, the pinch will be with those that have mingled with us, stood next to us, weighed our spirits, tried us, and proven us: there will be a pinch, in my view, to get past them. The others, perhaps, will say, If brother Joseph is satisfied with you, you may pass. If it is all right with him, it is all right with me. Then if Joseph shall say to a man, or if brother Brigham say to a man, I forgive you your sins, “Whosoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them;” if you who have suffered and felt the weight of transgression—if you have generosity enough to forgive the sinner, I will forgive him: you cannot have more generosity than I have. I have given you power to forgive sins, and when the Lord gives a gift, he does not take it back again. When he bestows a power, he does not diminish it, unless it is through transgression in the individual to whom this authority is given; but if he increases in righteousness, the Lord will add to it, instead of taking away. We see the position that brother Joseph stands in; we see that he has overcome, and that he has power over the nation. Now, brethren and sisters, don’t you think that brother Joseph feels for this people—feels an interest for us? Has he overcome, or has he not? We all say yes, he has, by the word of the Lord, by the truth of heaven, and by the word of his testimony. He has laid down his life for his brethren; and greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. He has overcome? Yes. Then has he power over the nation? Yes. Then he loves this people, does he? Yes. Does he love that people that killed him? No: he feels towards them as the Lord does, who is angry with the wicked every day, yet he does not sin. What shall he do with them? Break them to pieces as a potter’s vessel. Then the love that he has for this people and the anger that he feels towards the ungodly will be seen and felt by all classes; and if he has power over the nation, will he not exert it? He is armed with this power, which is reason sufficient why he should exert it in favor of his friends. Then we have no reason to fear.

When a man overcomes, he has power over the nation. I tell you we have no reason to fear, if we are friends to that individual.

They thought, if they could kill Joseph and Hyrum, they would get the ascendancy, and that it would be an end of “Mormonism.”

Do you not see that every means they devised for their own safety is so many steps towards their overthrow? They could not have struck a more fatal blow for themselves than when they murdered Joseph and Hyrum, because it made them rulers over their enemies; and by this bloody act they sealed, nailed, and clenched their own doom, and there is now no possible chance of deliverance.

It is just so with our enemies at this time: if they let us alone, we will prosper; and if they don’t, we will prosper the faster and bring them under subjection the sooner. That is just the way our heavenly Father will overrule it, if we live to his honor and glory.

Now, we have the living law. The voice of brother Brigham is heard from day to day and from time to time, and also the voices of his Counselors, who are to him as Aaron and Hur were to Moses, lifting up his hands in the midst of the congregation, and sustaining and upholding him while his voice pours out the mind and will of God unto us. That is the law by which we are governed; and if we abide it, we have no need to transcend our Constitutional rights. In that we are safe, if we will honor and abide by it; and it is the only safe law and protecting power that will shield and screen us in the day of adversity and trial.

As Joseph stood to the people in his day, so do brother Brigham and his Counselors stand to the people in our day. Now, then, provided we can secure the favor, friendship, and goodwill of them that hold the keys of the kingdom in our day, it will be all right. Suppose some of us did really sin and transgress in the days of Joseph, in our darkness and ignorance, in our stupidity and blindness, and grieve the Holy Spirit and the spirit of Joseph: he is dead and we are living; and by-and-by brother Brigham comes up before Joseph. “Well,” says Joseph, “How did those ones get along in your day? Have they improved any? Have they done right even in your day, and secured your confidence and goodwill?” “Oh, yes,” says brother Brigham; “they have done well in my day. We have had no trouble with them: they have kept my word.” Says Joseph, “If you can speak in their favor, I will not interpose any objections.”

It is for us, brethren and sisters, to secure the goodwill of those that hold the keys of the kingdom here. We do not care what they think outside of us. We ask no odds of them: they may think what they please. If we can only get the goodwill, faith, and love of our brethren that preside over us, we shall not need the encomiums of the ungodly.

If we can get the goodwill of them that preside over us in our day, they will speak a good word for us. If you, Bishops, have a man in your Wards that has been refractory and is put under your jurisdiction, the President calls upon you and asks, “How does that man get along?” “First-rate: he is easily governed and controlled.” Says the President, “I am glad to hear it; I am glad he is getting along so well, and hope and trust he will continue to do so: he has my goodwill.” If we can secure the friendship, goodwill, and confidence of those who preside over us, and merit it (mark you, and we shall not get it without we do), the fact is, it will be their pleasure to speak a good word to Joseph for us, and also to others that have gone before. Is there a Bishop under the sound of my voice now that would not esteem it a pleasure to bear testimony in favor of a man for his good conduct, if he had been rebellious and had reformed under his administration? No. Let us remember these things, brethren.

The men that God has placed in our midst let us sustain like the two counselors of Moses, Aaron and Hur, who held up the hand of Moses. Let us honor that word that comes from the Prophet of God. He holds the keys of the kingdom. He is the true successor of Joseph, and he will have power over the nation, either in life or in death: it is immaterial to him. When brother Brigham goes and joins with Joseph, it will be said, “Oh, we are one, just as we always were; and here come his Counselors: they are one, and they increase the strength and power of the Priesthood beyond the veil.” It is for us to uphold these men in every condition.

Do we ever eat a meal of victuals without asking God to bless it? We do not, if we do right; for we ought to have grateful hearts all the time, and ask God to bless every gift he bestows upon us, and thank him for it. And when we pray, can we pray without remembering the power that bears us up? If I were going to climb upon a scaffold, and I thought it weak, I would strengthen it before I ventured upon it. I do not want to venture upon it unless I know it is strong. If I put forth my powers in behalf of it and strengthen it, then I know it is strong. If I never pray for that power, and feel no interest in it, I will never venture upon it. But if I have an interest there, I will strengthen that power; and when I do, I can venture on it.

The Presidency are like an arch with a keystone in the top of it. The greater weight you put upon it, the stronger it is. It is sometimes the case that the arch falls, but it is when no weight is upon it; but when you put a hundred thousand pounds of weight upon it, it is better bound together and stands the more firmly. So, if we sustain that power by our prayers and faith, we may put everything on it—not everything for them to do, we do not mean, but the weight of responsibility in dictating the affairs of the kingdom. We may trust them with safety and confidence, because we have contributed to make the butments permanent and strong, and now we may venture with assurance.

The grand secret we shall find to be, when we get through, that these are gods unto us, and there are millions of them beside; but they have but little to do with us. It is the power that is next to us that we have to do with more particularly—the power under whose jurisdiction we are immediately brought.

Some think they can run by their Bishops and disrespect their authority. They may think, “Only let me make it fair with the President, and it will be all right; I have the sanction of the highest authority.” You might have the sanction of the head; but if the head had no feet to stand on, that sanction would not be of much worth.

Just so, we should seek to have the sanction of those that are immediately over us by our upright conduct. How can we love those whom we do not see once a month, or once in six months, if we love not our Bishop whom we see daily.

Some men think, if they can have a good name abroad and with the Presidency, all is well. But at home, in our own houses, in our Wards, and with our immediate neighbors are the places to establish our reputation. I tell you, if there is not a good influence in our own neighborhood, among our own Ward people in our favor, there is not a good influence anywhere for us, except with the reprobate. When you find a man or woman that has a good influence in their own Ward with their own Bishop—a good name with their own neighbors, they have a good name everywhere.

When the rays of light come from the sun, we say they are glorious, just as far as those rays extend. It is the same glory and the same influence, and it is the same power. Just so it is if all is right at home; if we have the respect and confidence of our own domestic fireside friends, we have the respect and confidence of all whose respect is worth possessing.

Some may think, if they can only keep fair weather with their Bishop and neighbors, it is no matter how they live at home, whether they neglect their affairs and quarrel like cats and dogs or not, if they can only pull the wool over the Bishop’s eyes.

If we have a little hell in our own houses, that little hell will be sure to break out. We close the sepulchre, and roll a stone there, and seal it with the seal of State, and confine it just as closely as we please; but the contents will escape. Even so with any family: their conduct will be known, and they cannot suppress it, nor confine it to their own domiciles. Let us have no kind of jars at all: let us make everything right at home, at the real seat of government, to begin with.

If they should have a little difficulty among the troops out here in Utah, so far from the seat of Government in Washington, it would have but little effect at headquarters. But when contention, strife, and war break out in the halls of Congress, it then becomes something; and such kind of difficulty I pray God, in the name of Jesus, to let them have right at home, at the seat of empire, because they have sought to destroy the kingdom of God; and it is the same spirit that moved Herod to slay the infant children. God grant they may be smitten with worms, as was Herod, or anything else that seemeth him good, and defeat their intentions and designs.

If we can make it all right in our families, there is the place of government. Govern the tongue right in our own families. I know it is sometimes the case that a person will see a chance to slip in a word that will cut like a razor. “Oh, that is too good a chance to let slip; therefore I will let fly a word,” and it sets all hell on fire. I speak particularly in relation to some women; but I do not know that it is any more in relation to them than to the men. The woman sees a chance to give the man a keen word that will make him feel; but she sours her own dish by so doing. She turns the sweet into gall, and then is compelled to eat it.

What is the better way? If she sees a chance to inflict a wound by a word that will cut, and she thinks her husband really deserves it, which is the sure way to get a victory? Never say that word! Say the women, “If we can have no protection, shall we say nothing at all?” Let it pass, I tell you; take it mildly; and, by-and-by, says the husband, “I grieved my wife, and gave her just cause of offense. I am sorry for it; she has taken it so meekly, and never has harassed my feelings. Now, this cuts me ten times worse than if she had said something to balance the matter: then I should not have had this sting in my heart. But to see her take it so mildly without offering one reproach, O my God, how can I forgive myself?”

When you get a victory in that way, it is worth something. It is like getting a victory over our enemies by not firing a gun nor molesting them, only praying for them all the time. By-and-by they will come under conviction, and see all these things, and say, “O my God, can I ever forgive myself? We are whipt, and they have never done a thing.”

You may get a victory over your husbands all the time by praying for them, not exactly as we pray for our friends out yonder; but pray for them, and never do a thing to harm them, and by-and-by you will gain the victory; and I tell you that will count. Try this plan and see.

I do not feel like occupying more of your time. You have my best feelings and prayers, night and day, that God may bless you, and the land for our sake, and that he will clear our coast of enemies, and place a flaming sword to guard the way of the tree of life, that the tree of life in the valley may grow, being watered by the streams from the mountains until it becomes a great tree. This is what I desire and pray for.

May God bless you and our leaders and give us favor in their eyes, that we may grow up under their fostering care, that we may be prepared to act in every place where Providence may guide us, or they in their wisdom place us, and be ready to act well our part from this time henceforth and forever. Amen.

Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, January 3, 1858.

We have listened to a very interesting course of instructions, which, if treasured up in our hearts and properly practiced, must do us all good. It is of the utmost importance to our welfare in the kingdom of the Most High that we commence and learn to govern ourselves; and when this lesson is learned, then we are prepared to govern others. Unless we can govern ourselves, we are unprepared to be governed in the way that the kingdom of God is to be ruled and directed, which is to be upon the principle of common consent. It is not that a majority shall rule, but that the people shall be agreed; and when all the people are agreed as touching any one thing in the kingdom of God, no power can resist it.

The world look upon us as though we were tyrannized over, because they do not know the principles upon which we act. In all our Conferences and Councils, this people should act as a unit, and have done so to a greater extent than any other people that have existed on the earth for a great many centuries. This has astonished even republicans. It is astonishing to many men to think that a people can all be agreed; and I have read professedly learned illustrations of republicanism, which declare that it is attended with great danger for the people all to be united. There is danger of their being united, lest they oppress somebody—that is, themselves.

In conversation, last winter, with ex-Governor Lane, of Oregon (then a delegate in Congress), on this principle, I told him of an election which occurred in one of our new counties, where the office of Sheriff was vacant, and by accident there were two candidates and a close contest. He said, “That is an evidence of civilization.”

If every person in a family can learn to be governed, there will be no difficulty in that family. And if every person in a Ward can learn to govern and control themselves, there will be no difficulty in that Ward; for the human mind is so constituted that this principle cannot be learned only by the observance of the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, there is no other people upon the face of the earth that could live in these valleys and cultivate and irrigate the soil as we do. They have so little control of their disposition and of their temper, they would kill each other with their hoes over the water ditches. There could not be two, three, or forty owners in a water ditch without fighting. It takes pretty good Saints to get along with water ditches in a dry time, and not quarrel.

When this people live as they should, there will be no disposition in them to quarrel one with another. If anything is wrong, they will be ready to submit that wrong to be made straight by those who understand it better than they do. If any misunderstanding arises, it can easily be adjusted. But, with our views, prejudices, and traditions, we are all the time struggling with ourselves and our own peculiar notions. Every person has in his own brain a series of ideas implanted from early youth, which he considers to be right; and it is a very hard matter for us to relinquish these deeply-implanted traditions, which in nine cases out of ten are not right.

Now, from the early history of this Church, almost every man, every Elder, or member that has undertaken to study or practice law was in a very short time on the high road to apostasy and destruction; and every member of this Church who has undertaken to practice law as a profession has gone neck-and-heels to the Devil. What is the reason of this? They take up the opinions of men that wrote perhaps hundreds of years ago, and lay them down as a standard, drive them down as stakes, and then tie themselves to them, and they are immediately in a peck measure: their minds are contracted to the circumference of a peck measure, and they are a good deal in the condition that a gentleman was, by the name of Silly, who kept a tavern. There was an eminent Presbyterian minister who called on him, by the name of Peck. Silly thought he would joke the minister before the company at the dinner table, and said to him, “Mr. Peck, I believe it takes two pecks to make a half-bushel?” “Yes, sir; but it only takes one silly to make a fool.” So it only just takes one of those “Mormon” lawyers to make a fool.

Instead of taking up the subject as it exists, and enquiring what is right or wrong, they adopt the Gentile mode of undertaking to carry a point, right or wrong; and no Elder of Israel can undertake to carry a point, right or wrong, just or unjust, and stand up and defend injustice, falsehood, and corruption, without losing the Spirit of God; and it only takes one such a man to make a fool.

Trace over the history of apostates, and you will find that in almost every instance they lay down a standard rule—that is to say, “Thus far will we go, and no farther.” For instance, we will take the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants, and say concerning them, They are true—the rule and guide of our faith and practice; they are the law we must abide, and we must go no further; and so their light is blown out. Although these books are true, and there are many good instructions in them, by which we may learn the way of life, yet the very moment we tie ourselves to them and say we will receive nothing more, from that moment our light is extinguished, and we are inside the peck measure.

Go back to the early history of the Christian Church, and you find that the very moment the institutions of Jesus Christ and his Apostles were presented to the world, men began to speculate and philosophize on them, and to distribute them into different parts, and speculate on them, adopting their own wisdom for the wisdom of God. Instead of observing strictly the original principles of salvation, and keeping the light always blazing—keeping the spirit of revelation always burning—keeping the spirit of truth, the lamp of light, and communications from the Almighty continually flowing, they adopted a little of that they had received which suited their vain notions, saying, “We have enough, and upon this we will build.”

The very moment that revelation to this Church through our Prophet and Presidency ceases to be commu– nicated unto us, and we adopt any series of books, whether the writings of Joseph or the writings of any other man, or all the writings and revelations that ever have been given, and say, This much we receive, and no more; then we are as dead as the lifeless corpse: we cut off the channel of revelation, and the light and the communication between us and eternal happiness; we cut asunder the thread of light, and we are in darkness and adrift at sea, without a compass to guide us, like any other religious denomination. Hence it is that we bear testimony of the fulness of the Gospel and of the Priesthood conferred upon Joseph Smith, and conferred upon our Prophet and President Brigham Young, and all the authorities of Israel in their sphere and in their standing and position.

I know that this Priesthood is true and is the authority by which we can claim and obtain from God this burning light until the day dawn and the day star arise.

Now, if I could not get up here and bear testimony that we are led by the power and instruction of the Spirit of prophecy—by the Spirit of the Almighty—by a Prophet called of God, ordained and chosen to instruct, teach, and lead us, you would never hear my voice in your midst. But that light never can be put out: it is with the Church, and God has set his hand at the present time to establish his kingdom. But unless the Saints will so live and so exert themselves that they can preserve the purity of the holy Priesthood among them, the work will be left to other people.

There is no opportunity for a half-way place: it is impossible. Men may think they can lie a little, blaspheme a little, get drunk a little, or do a thousand other mean things just a little, and yet be the servants of God. But if we would inherit the blessings of the Priesthood—if we would stand in the presence of the Almighty—stand upon Mount Zion and inherit the blessings of a glorious celestial dominion, we have got to be clean: we must cleanse ourselves, put away our follies, and be prepared to stand united.

A great many people have wondered why it was that it was necessary for the Saints to gather together. The fact is, the human mind is so weak—so susceptible of false impressions, that while the people of God were scattered in the nations of the earth, to come in contact with all the corruptions, prejudices, and traditions of the world, it was literally impossible for the human mind to resist these pressures. But by bringing our firebrands from every part of the world, gathering them from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and placing them together in one mighty heap, and exercising ourselves with diligence to cast out everything that is not right—by doing this we kindle a fire that can never be extinguished.

This is the work of God, and the servants of God that are called to preside over us are the messengers of the Most High, and they have the light and the power. It matters not whether we live to behold it in this life or not, that light will triumph; and all those who live humble and keep the commandments of God will triumph also. This is my testimony. We need not fear the nations of the earth; we need not fear the armies of the Gentiles.

From the very hour that the light began to shine, all the world has been trying to put it out; but the more they try to extinguish it the brighter it will shine; and it will blaze and burn, and it will go forth and will consume out of our midst all those that work iniquity; and Zion will be established in its purity, no more to be thrown down.

It is of no use to be discouraged or alarmed. We may have to sacrifice some of our habits, some of our comforts, and some necessaries; but then it will wake us up to supply our own wants. If our enemies should stop the importation of goods, deprive us of the means of exporting all the gold and silver we can accumulate, we will retain it among ourselves, and turn in and produce for ourselves. The greatest sermon that ever has been preached in these mountains in aid of home manufactures was that preached by General Johnston, when he told the merchants on Black’s Fork that if they undertook to carry their goods to Salt Lake, he would set their trains on fire. If they will keep their traps away, we will produce our own, and then we shall have them, and they will be our own, and we shall be independent, and we will fulfil the commandment given to the Church through Joseph—“Let all thy garments be plain, and their beauty the beauty of the work of thine own hands.”

May God bless us, and enable us to do right in all things, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Discourse by President Brigham Young, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 27, 1857.

It is a great privilege to know the way of life and salvation, and to know how to walk therein; yet we are still, more or less, under the traditions of our fathers: they are woven around us as a garment in which we are clothed.

It would be a great blessing for a people to be brought to actually realize that all they can comprehend—all they can see with their eyes, hear with their ears, or understand with their hearts, is the creation of God, from the mighty globes that roll in the immensity of space to the smallest mote that helps to compose this world. It would also be a great blessing for a people to really understand that the eye of the Lord is upon all his works—that nothing escapes his notice, and that all is composed, organized, and brought forth for the glory, benefit, and use of intelligent beings. There is no true enjoyment in life—nothing that can be a blessing to an individual or to a community, but what is ordained of God to bless his people. If we could at all times strictly realize this, do you not think that God would be continually in all our thoughts? Could we but behold and realize the handiwork of the Lord in all his doings, and that he has created and ordained everything for the benefit of his creatures, would not that bring us to sense, realize, and understand the hand of the Lord in all things? In consequence of the darkness and traditions that have been over us, many look upon things, acts, and blessings, not knowing whether they flow from the Lord or proceed from some other power.

Who would be deprived of the blessing of sight or of hearing? What amount of money would hire an individual to part with those senses? The light of the sun to cheer the face of nature—to light up the path that we may walk safely therein without stumbling, who would be deprived of? Who gave it to us? Who gave us affection? Who has ordained the passions of the mind and the body, which constitute the soul? Who should control them? To whom should they be devoted? If the veil of the covering that is over us and the nations of the earth were so removed that we could behold the glory, the excellency, the beauty of the attributes that are dispensed by the children of men—for they are appointed by the Lord who has ordained all these things—would not God be in all our thoughts?

We are now blessed with the privilege of coming to that understanding of being taught and of teaching ourselves to come into subjection to the celestial law of Christ, so that every passion, every sensation, and faculty that God has bestowed upon us may be devoted to his glory, to our advancement in knowledge, to our perfection in this probation, and to a preparation for perfection in his celestial kingdom. This is a blessing indeed! In the course of life there are many of our thoughts, words, and acts that appear to be of minor consequence—so much so, that we would hardly consider that the Lord would notice them, and are apt to forget that he watches every movement of his creatures, to know whether they appreciate their gifts and blessings which flow from him, or whether they treat them as a thing of naught.

We have the privilege, while the majority of the inhabitants of the earth are deprived of it, of learning the ways of God. He is in the acts, and directs and guides all the affairs of this world, and we have the privilege of understanding his ways in so doing. We have the privilege of learning the principles that pertain to God and godliness. We have the privilege of learning the weakness, ignorance, blindness, and all the evils that sin has brought upon the children of men—of so understanding correct principles that we can discern the things that are of God and the things that are not of him, and of learning the great wisdom displayed by the Almighty in causing intelligent beings to dwell in a sinful world.

Brother Woodruff, in his remarks, alluded to the priests of the so-called Christian world. Were you to summon the priests of the day, not only those that consider themselves full of wisdom, but also those from the heathen nations (and there are hundreds of thousands, and, probably, millions that are performing the labor of officiating as messengers from a superior or supreme Being to enlighten the minds of the children of men and instruct them in things pertaining to eternity, to lead their minds, as they say, from sin and the power of darkness), you would at once learn that there is not knowledge enough among them all to give you the correct reason why God suffered sin and blindness to enter into this world. That knowledge has not been upon the earth for centuries, until the Lord revealed it through the Prophet Joseph Smith—at least not to our knowledge, and we have a pretty good understanding of this world and its inhabitants. There are but very few places in the north, south, east, or west, on the islands or on the continents, that are inhabited by intelligent beings, but what have been penetrated. Missionaries have visited them and men of learning and scientific research; and they have not only learned the geography, but have actually sounded the intelligence of the inhabitants of the whole globe, so far as we yet know, going from west to east, and in the south and north as far as man can penetrate; and among them all, aside from the revelations in our day, there is not knowledge enough to tell you why God suffered sin to come into the world. You have been told the reason why—that all intelligence must prove facts by their opposite.

No organized beings are prepared to become associated with or crowned heirs in the celestial kingdom, until they have passed through these ordeals and have drank of the bitter cup to the dregs, so that they know and understand good from evil. There was not knowledge enough in the whole world to tell us even that, until it was again revealed through Joseph the Prophet. The very best of them would marvel why God suffered Lucifer or the serpent to tempt mother Eve. That always has been a great mystery to the world, and is to this day, with the exception of the knowledge that has gone forth from the Lord through his Prophet Joseph, and then through the Elders of Israel, who have plainly taught many doctrines that were previously a perfect mystery to the people, though they have now adopted many of them into their faith; but they will not give us credit for them.

Before the Gospel revealed the introduction of sin to this planet, it was a great marvel even to the most learned, and they would ask, “Why was it so? Is it not strange?” and would rest with the expression, “It was suffered to be so.” While reasoning or familiarly conversing with one another, let the question be asked, “Why was Eve suffered to partake of the forbidden fruit?” and the invariable reply was, “I cannot answer that question: it seems that it was so, and it appears to be a great pity.” That is all the knowledge there is in the world on that point. The starting point they have not learned, that no intelligent being could be exalted with the Gods without being subjected to the temptation of sin, that he might know and understand the power of the adversary, the opposite to goodness; for it is written that, “There must needs be an opposition in all things.” The world have not yet learned that simple truth.

I remember hearing a debate between brother Alfred Cordon, one of our Elders, and a sectarian priest, when I was in England; and I presume there were a score or two of priests ready to put questions and answers into the mouth of their speaker. They expected to be able to use up the Book of Mormon upon the point of Adam’s partaking of the forbidden fruit from the hand of Eve; but the answer that the woman was found in the transgression, and not the man, came so quickly that it hushed them up at once, so that they could not argue further. Brother Orson Pratt whispered to brother Cordon the answer. Many of even these my sisters who are before me today have seen the wisdom that is in the Christian world, while they have been conversing with their former priests, and have answered some little question that was a perfect mystery to a priest—a little question which they understood, and the priest did not, and have seen the priests thrown completely off their guard, become dizzy in their heads, and unable to continue the conversation. It is written in this Bible that the woman was found in the transgression, and not the man; and that plain doctrine has baffled all the learning of the priests.

We have the privilege of coming to understanding—of knowing that everything in heaven, on earth, and in hell is ordained for the benefit, advantage, and exaltation of intelligent beings; therefore there is nothing that is out of the pale of our faith. There is nothing, I may say, good or bad, light or darkness, truth or error, but what is to be controlled by intelligent beings; and we should learn how to take into our possession every blessing and every privilege that God has put within our reach, and know how to use our time, our talents, and all our acts for the advancement of his kingdom upon the earth. These principles are hid from all other people in the world; but we have the privilege of learning them. We should apply our hearts to wisdom and learn the things of God.

The Lord asks a question, through the Prophet Amos, “Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?” Is there anything that passes with the children of men that the Lord does not control to his glory? That is what the Lord wants every man and woman to understand. If there is good, the Lord is there to dictate it. If there is power, has he not power over all the power there is upon the face of the earth? If there is evil, if there is sorrow, if there is trouble, if there are trials for his people, is he not there to dictate those sorrows and troubles? All that passes upon the earth is under his eye; he dictates in the affairs of nations. If a mighty king and kingdom are raised up upon any portion of the earth, the Lord has done it. And when a mighty nation crumbles in its power, the Lord has touched their pride and strength. He raises and casts down; he dictates in the light and in the darkness, at his pleasure; he makes the thick darkness his chariot and rides upon the clouds; and he is also the brightness of the sun. We have the privilege of learning that God dictates, controls, and manages all to his own glory.

With many, even in this Church, the question arises, “If God dictates all these affairs, to whom shall sin be attributed? Am I to blame, if God always dictates and controls?” You should keep before you, as Latter-day Saints, other principles besides those you may be able to hear or read at any one time. No man can tell you everything in one short discourse. You understand that you have organizations endowed with a certain portion of divine intelligence, which is supreme, absolute, and independent in its sphere. You are organized expressly for the purpose of being exalted, of preserving your identity before the Lord, and being prepared to enter into celestial glory, to be crowned, to receive kingdoms, thrones, and dominions—to design and act as do the Gods. These principles you are well acquainted with, and they should be continually before you. All intelligent beings are also endowed with certain inalienable rights, privileges, and powers inherent in them. When God organized intelligent beings, he organized them as independent beings to a certain extent, as he is himself. And whether we see an evil act or a good one performed by an intelligent being, that being has performed the act by his will, by his own independent organization, which is capable of doing good or evil, of choosing light or darkness, of performing that which will promote life, or that which will promote death, or a dissolution of his organization. Then, without the evils being placed before us, we should not be capable of refusing it; without darkness had come into the earth, we should never have learned how to appreciate the light. Then all the family of Adam and Eve would have been mere machines, as a portion of the inhabitants of the earth profess to believe that God has foreordained all the acts of the children of men from all eternity, and that they are obliged to act as they do. But we have learned that in our organization we are as independent as the angels are in theirs, or as any heavenly being that dwells in eternity.

If a nation transgresses wholesome laws and oppresses any of its citizens or another nation, until the cup of its iniquity is full, through acts that are perfectly under its own control, God will hurl those who are in authority from their power, and they will be forgotten; and he will take another people, though poor and despised, a hiss and a by-word among the popular nations, and instil into them power and wisdom; and they will increase and prosper, until they in turn become a great nation on the earth. God does that; and all within our power, that we have any understanding of, is ordained for the use, benefit, and control of his intelligent creatures.

You remember that a year ago this people were in the height of what they called a reformation. You also well recollect my teachings and my feelings upon the subject, and that to my mind the necessity for a reformation among Latter-day Saints was a disgrace, and beneath our calling; for it belongs to sinners and the ungodly, and not to Saints, to be getting up a reformation, though continually improving belongs to the calling of every Saint. Suffice it to say, there has been a great improvement in the midst of this people. A great many have confessed their sins; but much fewer have forsaken them. I would that all had forsaken their sins, their transgressions, their wickedness in every particular, and followed their iniquitous ways no longer; but such is not the fact: there has been more confessing than forsaking. This winter brings a new scene before us. Many of the brethren have been deprived of the privilege of laboring at home during the past fall: they have been in the cold and storms, and have but lately returned. For about two weeks past it has been, “Brother Brigham, may we have a dance in our Ward? Brother Brigham, may I get up a party for my Quorum?” Bishop Hunter will come and say, “Several Bishops have written to me to ask you whether their Wards may have a dance, or a few parties?” But I do not believe that there is a single Bishop, or President of a Stake, or President of any of the Seventies or of the High Priests, or any officer of this Church and kingdom, who has, during that time, asked me whether they could have the privilege of serving God with all their hearts.

In a word, here is the difficulty: Many of my brethren and sisters who are now before me believe, to this day, if they were to go into a room prepared for music and dancing, they have stepped aside from serving God, and are serving somebody else. I have answered all Bishops and all Presidents and all this people, with regard to their dancing, that I am willing that those who live their religion every day, hour, and minute of their lives to the glory of God shall dance all they wish to; but I have not yet given my consent for any other class to do so, and I want you all to understand it. If your minds have been wrought up by too much anxiety—if you have had wakeful hours when you ought to have been asleep, in consequence of the threatened danger and troubles—if you have been afflicted in spirit, and your minds are worn down, which they can be, so long as they are connected with the body, which is apt to wear out, reasonable recreation may be beneficial. The mind, being inseparably connected with this body, becomes tired: I acknowledge that mine does. I sometimes feel that I have not a pound of strength left, just from sitting and thinking. You may judge whether there has been a labor upon me, when you reflect that I realize that God holds me responsible for the salvation and safety of this people. You hold me responsible, every one of you, as standing between you and God, to guide you safely—to dictate and direct the affairs of this Church and kingdom; and then you may judge whether my mind labors or not. My mind becomes tired, and so do your minds, if you are Saints.

The mind of a man who is wholly devoted to the Church and kingdom of God on the earth is powerfully exercised, and he feels all that I can, in proportion to his standing and calling. The minds of such men are exercised from morning until morning again, and they labor more unhealthily than a person does at mowing or chopping wood, and their minds become weary. What do they need? A little relaxation. If you want to dance and rest your minds, dance. But a man or woman that intends, when they go into a room prepared for music and dancing, to serve the Devil a little while, I would to God that they would go to California, where they may serve the Devil all they desire to.

I would rather have a hundred righteous men with whom to face all hell, and the world at its back, than to have all this great community, unless they serve the Lord.

Those who cannot serve God with a pure heart in the dance should not dance; though dancing is not an ordinance, except we say it is an ordinance of folly and weakness. I have not the privilege of going to the canyon to chop and load wood and logs. I do not go to the joiner’s bench, as I used to, and toil until my body is nearly wearied to death. But my mind is from eternity to eternity—from the beginning of the creation to the end thereof: it is not confined to the length of a twelve-foot board.

My mind becomes tired, and perhaps some of yours do. If so, go and exercise your bodies, and thank God, and say that it is a blessing and a privilege that he has given you for his name’s glory and for your benefit and the advancement of the righteous, the holy, the godly, those who have kept their covenants with their God and with one another.

If you wish to dance, dance; and you are just as much prepared for a prayer meeting after dancing as ever you were, if you are Saints. If you desire to ask God for anything, you are as well prepared to do so in the dance as in any other place, if you are Saints. Are your eyes open to know that everything in the earth, in hell, or in heaven, is ordained for the use of intelligent beings?

It is like words in the wind to talk about the sweetness of the honeycomb to those who have not tasted the opposite. You may talk about the glory and comfort of the light to those who never knew darkness, and what do they know about it? Nothing. You might as well preach to those lamps. If we can realize that everything in all the eternities that ever were and ever will be is ordained of God for the benefit and glory of intelligent beings, we can understand why he said to Joseph, “Against none is my anger kindled, only those who do not acknow– ledge my hand in all things.” Do I acknowledge his hand? Yes. I told you in your afflictions, drivings, persecutions, and all that has been grievous to be borne, that the hand of God was in that as much as it was in bringing forth his revelations and the Priesthood through Joseph. I will acknowledge the hand of God, not only when our Government is arrayed against this little handful of people, but also when the whole world take the same stand. I am going to acknowledge the hand of God every time.

The wicked kick at “Mormonism,” but they will find it somewhat like the old man’s stone wall that he built five feet high and six feet thick, to prevent the boys from stealing his apples; and when the boys in their anger tipped it over, behold it was higher than it was before. So with “Mormonism:” every time they give it a kick, it rises in the scale of power and influence in the world. I am also going to acknowledge the hand of the Lord when I see the day, and I pray that I may, when I can say, Let our Elders pass and repass peaceably, or I will attend to you: let them preach the Gospel, as you do others; and if you can put them down by the Scriptures—by good, sound philosophy and argument, then give no heed to their teachings; but do not mob them, or I will attend to your injustice. I want to see that day. [Many voices, Amen!] And I will acknowledge the hand of God the same as I do in the way he has handled the crowd that has lately come into our Territory.

We here enjoy a goodly share of the common blessings of life; and you see a body of men and women filled with intelligence, and yet you see and hear of some persons who cannot control themselves. God has so ordained that you may learn to control yourselves and work righteousness. It is ordained that you may prove yourselves worthy of every principle and power that are in the Gods to control in eternity.

The principle of pure affection is the gift of God, and it is for us to learn to control it and exercise proper dominion over it; and if we are faithful, we shall see the time when we can say, as our Father in heaven says, I am angry with the wicked; I hate their works, and my anger is kindled against them. Is there any malice or wrath there? No; for it is written that the Lord is angry, but sins not. And one of his servants, learning something about this principle, writes to his brethren, “Be ye angry and sin not;” but it would be a sin to take a course to destroy that which is calculated for good. If you sin not, it is in destroying the evil works, and saving that portion that is ordained for exaltation: that is being angry and sinning not.

We ought to control our passions. God has given us judgment and discretion. Every qualification of man is ordained of God, as well as good and evil. Light and darkness are here; the power of God and the power of the enemy are here. It is for us to bring into right subjection every act of our lives and all around us. It is for us to see the hand of God and acknowledge it in all things.

If you want to dance, run a footrace, pitch quoits, or play at ball, do it, and exercise your bodies, and let your minds rest.

The blessings of food, sleep, and social enjoyment are ordained of God for his glory and our benefit, and it is for us to learn to use them and not abuse them, that his kingdom may advance on the earth, and we advance in it. That is our errand in the world, and we have no business but to build up the kingdom of God, and preserve it and ourselves in it. Whether it is ploughing, sowing, harvesting, building, going into the canyons, or whatever it is we do, it is all within the pale of the kingdom of God, to forward his cause on the earth, to redeem and build up his Zion, and prepare ourselves, that when the Lord shall usher in the morning of rest we may enter into our labors to officiate for our dead friends back to Adam.

All that have lived or will live on this earth will have the privilege of receiving the Gospel. They will have Apostles, Prophets, and ministers there, as we have here, to guide them in the ways of truth and righteousness, and lead them back to God. All will have a chance for salvation and eternal life. What do you think of that Gospel? No one will be denied the privilege of having it. Where is there a sectarian that can tell you anything about the power of the Gospel?

Brethren and sisters, if you have understood my mind with regard to your recreations, I am happy. But understand that there is not a man or woman professing to be in this Church and kingdom that has any liberty to drink to excess, to lie, deceive, cheat, steal, or do anything that is wrong; and those who do such things have not my sanction to join the others in the dance. There are some who practice stealing to this day—who are dishonest, and will lie; and such persons have not my consent to participate in dancing.

Those that have kept their covenants and served their God, if they wish to exercise themselves in any way, to rest their minds and tire their bodies, go and enjoy yourselves in the dance, and let God be in all your thoughts in this as in all other things, and he will bless you; and I bless you all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Bishop Lorenzo D. Young, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 13, 1857.

I have tried to treasure up what I have heard today, and pray God to give me power to practice righteousness upon the earth. I am aware that the people that are denominated Latter-day Saints occupy a very conspicuous position before the nation in which we dwell, and also in the eyes of the intelligent nations of the earth.

There is something connected with our holy religion that has called forth the attention of the wise and learned of this generation. And they have used their talents and their wisdom in trying to destroy the vine that has been planted in the earth, or the Priesthood that has been revealed in these latter days for the benefit of the children of men, that they might be restored again into the presence of God their Father.

It would be superfluous for me to say that the revealed truth of God from heaven has not been received by the majority of the world in any generation; so it is no new thing under the sun if Joseph Smith’s mission is rejected by them. The Lord’s wisdom is not like the wisdom of man, neither are his ways like the ways of man.

The priests of the day, who professed to teach the way of life and salvation to the people, looked with contempt upon Joseph Smith the Prophet, and sought by every means in their power to destroy him and the truth which he brought forth, that the kingdom and power of Babylon might, as it has done in days gone by, continue to prevail, unchecked by the influence of the kingdom of God.

Beloved Saints, we are now here in the valleys of the mountains, far separated from those who have sought and still seek our overthrow; and here we have the privilege of coming to meeting to hear from the servants of God, and there are none who dare molest or endeavor to deprive us of this dearly bought privilege. This is a choice blessing, and one which we all should strive more fully to appreciate.

The false learning and wisdom of the world, concentrated, cannot compare with one principle of eternal truth revealed to this people through those whom God has set to lead them. Are we worthy of the high and holy calling whereunto we have been called? Do we order our lives so before the Lord of Hosts that we are worthy of his confidence, worthy to walk in the light of his countenance from day to day?

If we live in such a manner as to receive nourishment from the true vine, into which we have been grafted, then we shall have power to overcome those sins that so easily beset us. There are a great many more things connected with our holy religion besides praying morning and evening, fasting, and paying tithing, as did the Jews. Our religion comprises the holy order of heaven revealed to man in the last days for the final establish– ment on earth of the kingdom of God, which will never be overthrown; but it will roll on and increase until the kingdoms of this world shall become subject to the law, government, and authority which rule in Zion.

It will not be long before this congregation of adults will pass from this stage of action, and their places will be filled by the rising generation. I was charmed by a remark which fell from brother Kimball this morning. He said, “There are little boys here that will live until they have power to bring the dead to life.” It brought to my mind the great obligation which should prompt parents to bring up their children in the way they should go. Solomon said, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

The words of the affectionate parent take deep root in the hearts of the tender offspring; and the impressions received in childhood remain with them during their lives. I well remember hearing the confession of two men that were executed in an eastern country a number of years ago. They gave a history of their early tuition. One of them regretted that he had not adhered to the teachings of his mother; for, if he had, he said, he would not have come to the gallows.

The children of the Latter-day Saints are different from the children of the world. We have heard today that those that were begotten under the order of the Priesthood were endowed with greater power, ability, and knowledge than those children born among the Gentiles. The spirit in our boys is uncontrollable but by the holy Priesthood. Why? Because the master-spirit is in them, and it grows up with them; and when our children become men and women, they will voluntarily adhere to the principles of eternal truth. They have not been under the influence of a sectarian education, and have not this to contend with as have their fathers. They are brought up as the children of the Most High, and they will walk in the path of their fathers and in the precepts of their mothers, and will magnify their high calling to a greater extent, and be far more exalted than them in the eyes of Heaven.

Will the daughters of Zion follow in the footsteps of their mothers? In some things I hope they may; in other things I hope they will not. When we attend to and fully live up to what the Lord has revealed unto us through the Prophet Joseph, as also those instructions which we continually receive from the servants of God, we shall be more like angels or heavenly beings. Our houses will be governed according to the order of God revealed to man. Just walk into President Young’s house, and tell him you desire to walk through his house to see the order of it. Then walk through President Kimball’s—I think neither of them will deny you the privilege—and see if there is not an order of things prevailing there that extends beyond your narrow comprehension.

I well recollect hearing the Prophet Joseph instruct the people, about twenty years ago, to make their own clothing, and to let the decoration of their bodies be the workmanship of their own hands. That revelation has not been much thought of by many. I referred to it in the old Bowery, and there was such a rebutting feeling in the spirit of the people, that it was with the greatest difficulty I could say anything.

It has been said, “Why does not President Young go to work and clothe his family with homespun, and set the example? Why does not President Kimball? Why did not Presidents Richards and Grant and others do it?” People with common sense can see the reason why. There is not a man in the Territory of Utah that can compete with them in this thing. They have done it all the day long, as far as their calling would admit. Are they still doing it? Yes.

I see men and women before me clothed in fine apparel. I am glad of it; but I should feel far better to see them clad in cloth of domestic manufacture—that is, in homespun.

The gold and silver that found its way here has gone. This community were not sufficiently wise to buy those articles only which were necessary to make them and their posterity comfortable, and lay a foundation to make themselves independent; but they squandered their means in purchasing fine goods to gratify the fancy of women, and their money passed swiftly through their hands to the merchants, who have taken it along with them to the States; and I am glad of it, because this people are destined to learn a lesson by it that they could not otherwise learn.

The gold is gone; the sheep and flax in sufficient numbers and quantity are not here, and our enemies are between us and the States. The prospect now is fair for our obeying the commandments of God that he gave through brother Joseph with respect to manufacturing our own clothing and the adorning of our own bodies. The people will profit by the lesson.

If we, as a people, will follow out the teachings the Lord has revealed to us through his servants, he will preserve us and be our great Benefactor in days to come as in days gone by, and we shall not be allowed to suffer more than we can bear.

Let me say to all of you, Just take care of what you have got and preserve it. I see the sisters passing along the streets, even in muddy weather, with their dresses of silk and satin dragging in the mud. They could cut off from four to six inches from the skirt, and make their chil– dren a dress of what they wear out and waste on the ground; and if they have no earthly use for it themselves, perhaps some of their neighbors would be glad of it.

It does not become me, however, to correct the errors of the people here. Brother Kimball says it is the Bishop’s office. I thank him for this information, for I did not know it before. If you have good clothes, do not drag them in the mud, but save everything you have against a stormy day. Let this people make their own clothes and take care of what the Lord has put into our possession.

Instead of only eight thousand sheep, there ought to have been eight millions. If all men had used the exertion that some few have, there would have been sheep enough to have clothed this whole people from year to year, asking no odds of Uncle Sam or anybody else. Flax can be grown here. I have not raised any flax, but I expect to have some spun and wove.

Were it not for home manufactures, I should expect to go without clothing. President Kimball says there are now about three hundred bushels of flaxseed in the Tithing Store.

Prepare yourselves also to raise sugar cane, and from that your sweetening, or make up your minds to go without; and if you have got a leaky roof, try to get it fixed.

If our enemies—I do not mean those few out yonder—a swarm of long-billed mosquitoes could eat them up at a supper spell—I mean the whole United States and the whole world—if they should come upon us, they cannot prevail, for they are fighting against the kingdom of God and warring against the Saints of the Most High. The combined nations of the earth will try to destroy the man child and obliterate the truth from the earth; but as the Lord of Hosts lives, they cannot do it; and the reason is because the Almighty stands at the helm, and he will guide the old ship Zion in a safe course, and all the powers of earth and hell cannot stop her progress.

May God bless you all. Amen.

A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 13, 1857.

Brother Spencer has given you most excellent doctrine. If the Father in heaven should come here and speak to us, he probably would not speak anything better to this people than what has been said this morning; for he would speak according to your capacities. The Gospel of salvation is very simple; but everything is constituted therein; everything is comprehended in the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. We have preached a great many times and used the words of Paul, where he tells us to leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ and go on unto perfection. But if we do that we shall slide off the foundation, and would have to return and do our first works. There is the Father, and the Son, who was given up, that his blood might be shed upon Calvary, that our sins might be forgiven, on condition that we repent and forsake them.

“Well,” you say, “I believe: what shall I do to be saved?” Repent, every one of you, and then go and be buried in water, like unto Jesus Christ’s burial in the sepulchre, and you shall receive the remission of your sins. What next? Receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These are some of the first principles of the Gospel.

Now, can we live our religion unless we are in possession of the Holy Ghost all the time? We cannot. First, there is the Father, then the Son, and then the Holy Ghost; and then come faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Do you not see, then, that it is just as necessary to lay aside the Holy Ghost as to lay aside any other principle of the Gospel? No man can please the Lord God, only as he is dictated by the Holy Ghost; and he will not stay with you unless you keep in view the Father and the Son. We partake of the sacrament every Sabbath to bear in remembrance the Son of God. Then, shall I say, leaving all these principles, go on unto perfection? No. They are the fundamental principles of our religion, the same as the 26 letters of the English alphabet are the roots of the written and printed form of our language.

Are these principles the celestial law? I know no other. And how can you keep the celestial law without the Holy Ghost? You cannot. When you partake of the sacrament, you do it in remembrance of Jesus Christ, and of the Father, and of the Holy Ghost, and in remembrance that you have forsaken your sins and been baptized for the remission of them. Some may say, “How long will it be before the celestial law will be put into force?” Never, until you put it into force and execute it on yourselves.

I will use a comparison. Here is the English alphabet, that you learned when in childhood, so that you were perfectly acquainted with the 26 letters: but do you leave that alphabet when you go on unto perfection in your education? No. But when you have learned those letters, you then learn how to join them to make syllables, words, and sentences, and go on till you can read the First Reader, and then the Second, and the Third, &c., and all by means of the same letters. You also learn geography and history, and rise from one class to another, and from one grade of exaltation to another. To gain all your knowledge in English literature, you must use the first principles of the language all the time. Do I exhort you to leave the first principles of the doctrine of Christ? No: but I want you to learn them more thoroughly, that you may keep them in view continually. There are some who do not understand the alphabet of “Mormonism,” and never did. Some that profess to be the smartest men and women in our midst know the least about it.

Brethren, we have all got to learn one thing, and that is, to be one with our leader; and this oneness should extend from the least member up to Prophet and Seer—every man standing in his order and place, just as the branches of a tree are one with the stock and root.

We will say there are a thousand limbs forming the top of a tree, and all have sprung out of one, or out of the body of the tree. From the main stock we will say that twelve limbs shoot out, and from them a thousand, which are dependent on the twelve limbs for their nourishment, as the twelve limbs are dependent upon the stock and roots for theirs. Should any of the twelve limbs be rotten in the pith or marrow, all the limbs receiving their sap and nourishment therefrom must be affected, more or less, with the same disorder, and they also affect the root. If the limbs are thrifty, they give to the roots a healthy action to gather more abundant nourishment for the whole tree.

Sometimes you may see a gardener cut off a whole top that is snarly and unhealthy, and insert thrifty grafts. You read in the Book of Mormon about the master of the vineyard taking thrifty grafts and putting them into the wild olive tree in the nethermost part of the vineyard, that it might bring forth good fruit. Brother Joseph was that man. Moroni, Peter, James, and John, and the angels of God came and placed their power upon him, and we grew out of the graft; and if we continue in the graft, we shall produce the same fruit.

In Nauvoo, about a year before we started to come here, do you not know the Gentiles were cut off entirely from the tree, that the new grafts might grow more thriftily in the tree? None can be saved unless they are grafted in as we were, by repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. These are the grafting principles, and you are required to live up to them faithfully, going on to perfection.

My desire and prayer is to teach you in simplicity. Anything that cannot be understood is not worth a dime. Like the limbs of a thrifty tree moving in unison with the stock, so we should, when brother Brigham says move this way or that.

I am talking to the men that hold the Priesthood. And I cannot but think that the little boys before me will have that Priesthood which we hold, and many of them will see the day when they will have power to raise the dead. They will have power to do many things we do not have power to do.

As the leaves and branches of a tree administer to the roots, and we are depending upon them for support and strength, so the members of this Church are amenable or subject to the President of the Church, and, being subject, should administer to him. The tree cannot administer to the branches unless they administer to the roots.

According to the philosophy of the day, my blood passes through the heart, where it is refined or purified, and from thence it is sent back into the body by means of the veins and arteries, so that every portion of it partakes of the nourishment which the blood affords and is impregnated with the principles sent forth from the head and stomach. After the refined blood has penetrated every part, it returns again to headquarters to receive a fresh supply of nutritious principles. So it is with the sap that circulates through the limbs and branches of a tree: every branch and leaf becomes impregnated with the principle that is in the root. And so it ought to be with the kingdom of God: every member of it should partake of the principles of virtue and truth that are in the leader of that kingdom, and be as perfectly one with him.

Why do we see dead limbs on a tree? Because they refuse to receive the nourishment which the root affords. Why do people become dead to their own interests and the interests of the kingdom of God? Because they refuse to obey the will of God through their leaders: the gate of communication is shut down between them and the source of their life and strength in the way of life and salvation.

Can a child enjoy the Spirit of God who refuses to obey his father, who is a man of God? No. He partakes of the spirit of apostasy, which is the spirit of death. I will ask you women of good understanding, Did you ever disobey your husband and live in rebellion to him, but what you felt like the Devil? I have heard you say you never did. My wives acknowledge they cannot enjoy the enlivening Spirit of God when they rebel against my counsel; but their minds are as dark as Egypt. Why? Because I design to rule in righteousness.

The spirit of disobedience is the Spirit of apostasy; and if you do not look out, it will upset you, and you will go overboard before you are aware of it. Every branch should be interested for the root from whence it springs; for if the root perishes, the branch must perish also.

I hope you understand my meaning in the figures I have used. But there are many people here more ignorant than our little boys of five and six years of age. If they were not ignorant, they would not take the course they do. Do I allow my little boys to touch a thing that is not their own? No. Have they a right to touch a thing that belongs to me? Not without my sanction. Have you a right to interfere with the things of God? No—not without the consent of the man that presides over you. Has my wife a right to meddle with anything that belongs to me? Not without my consent; and over that which I have committed unto her she is a stewardess. Have I a right to call her to an account for what I have committed to her, to see whether she has taken good care of it? I have. There is not a thing on this earth that is given to us of God that is to be ours independently of him, and never will be, until we prove ourselves worthy.

There is a comparison in the Bible where it speaks of committing talents to men and of calling them to account. “I visited,” said the Lord, “one this year and another next year, until I visited the last one, and I reckoned with them and called them to an account of that which I had ceded up to them.” It is just so with us.

If I cede up any power to one of my boys, for instance, saying, Here is a horse, Heber, for you to use; I require you to take good care of him, and not abuse him. Why? Because I am going to call him back. Supposing the horse is not as good as when I gave it to him, then Heber is in debt to his father, and has to pay it.

We receive the Priesthood and power and authority. If we make a bad use of that Priesthood, do you not see that the day will come when God will reckon with us, and he will take it from us and give it to those who will make better use of it. My advice to my brethren is to rise up, from this time forth, and let your light shine, that others may see your good works and be led to glorify God.

How holy men ought to be who hold the authority of the Priesthood! And again, how pure and angelic females ought to be who are sent here to bear the souls of men! If you pollute those souls and bodies, God will call you to an account for it.

And these little boys, I want them to honor their calling. Here are lots of them. Have they the Priesthood on them? Yes. Have they all been ordained? Not directly; but their fathers have been, and that ordination tells on their seed after them. They are legal heirs to the Priesthood of God, without an ordination. They receive it from their fathers; and when they were blessed, their seed was blessed in their loins, like Abraham’s; and when that seed is committed to an angelic woman, she is accountable whether she degenerates that seed or not. It is for her to train up that child, and nourish it, and cherish it, and restore it to the Father as pure as it was when she received it.

If you have the Priesthood, you are in the same condition that I am. These things are serious to me; they are essential to me and to this people. After receiving the Priesthood, when a person receives his endowment, he is an heir to the Priesthood—an heir of God, and a joint heir with Jesus Christ; that is, he has commenced his heirship.

The Father waited until the meridian of time—that is, till the time was half up, before he came on the earth and begat in the flesh the Son of God, who was to be our Savior. Was every woman qualified to raise that child? No. You will find that Mary was of the Royal Priesthood, which is after the order of God; and he was particular who raised that child, that it might be trained according to his dictation. Should not we be cautious? I tell you we ought, and not fool and play with the things of God as a cat would with a mouse.

Many of you are trifling with your own existence—with your own salvation—not with mine. Brother Brigham, myself, brother Daniel, and the Twelve Apostles cannot grow or increase, only in proportion as the limbs and branches of this Priesthood and the whole tree increase. If it is a thrifty top, then the roots partake of that thriftiness, and they all grow together. That is what makes us take a course to cut off the dead limbs.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Ye are the salt of the earth: and if the salt loses its saving principle, it is then good for nothing, but to be cast out.” Instead of reading it just as it is, almost all of you read it just as it is not. Jesus meant to say, “If you have lost the saving principles, you Twelve Apostles, and you that believe in my servants the Twelve, you shall be like unto the salt that has lost its saving principles: it is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men.” Judas lost that saving principle, and they took him and killed him. It is said in the Bible that his bowels gushed out; but they actually kicked him until his bowels came out.

“I will suffer my bowels to be taken out before I will forfeit the covenant I have made with Him and my brethren.” Do you understand me? Judas was like salt that had lost its saving principles—good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. It is just so with you men and women, if you do not honor your callings and cultivate the principles you have received. It is so with you, ye Elders of Israel, when you forfeit your covenants.

Brethren and sisters, as the Lord liveth, and as we live and exist in these mountains, let me tell you the world is ripe, and there are no saving principles within them, with a very few exceptions; and they will gather out, and the rest of mankind are ready for destruction, for they will have no salt to save them. I know the day is right at hand when men will forfeit their Priesthood and turn against us and against the covenants they have made, and they will be destroyed as Judas was.

Ye Elders, Apostles, Seventies, High Priests, Bishops, Priests, Teachers, and Deacons, never be guilty of that which you have been guilty of once before. If it were not for your ignorance, you would have been cut off from the earth; but, in consequence of your ignorance, I feel as though God would forgive you, if you will never do it again. But if you do it again, your time for repentance is past, and you do not again get pardon.

I do feel bad to think that men will enter into the new and everlasting covenant of our God, and then defile themselves with uncleanness. Is there a woman in this city that could have committed the sin of debauchery, if there had been no person to debauch her? No. Who is guilty? The man, who should have the saving principles of God Almighty in him; and he is the man who must pay the debt.

Again: If the woman would never consent, the man could not accomplish his vile purpose. You have been taught different all the day long. You have been taught, from your mother’s womb that these things are wrong. Would the Devil have power to make you tell a lie, if you did not yield to him? No. When you consent to it, the Devil then has seduced you, debauched you, just as much as a man goes to work and debauches a woman after she has consented to him. We are agents to refuse or to accept. Who is the most to blame? The man holding the Priesthood of God.

I talk about these things because I am led so to do. They may be considered small things, but they are the things that destroy this people—that is, all that will be destroyed. You can lose your saving principles as much as salt or sugar can. Sugar can be placed in a state that it will become sour—have no sweetness about it; and bread will become sour through the power of leaven put into it; and if the leaven was not sour, it could not sour the bread. When sugar becomes sour, it has lost the saving principles of sugar, just the same as salt. Be cautious that you do not receive filthy leaven. Stop your tattling, your lying, and mischief-making. You never saw persons that are trotting from house to house but what are apt to be tattlers, unless they are ordained and set apart to visit. You never saw a woman that is continually parading the streets but what was a tattler. Her face may be as smooth as an onion; but the beauty of a woman is in the spirit she possesses and in the principles of righteousness she cherishes.

You Elders of Israel, have you not entered into covenant that you never would betray one another? And you mothers of Israel, have you not entered into covenant not to speak against each other, or run about the neighborhood and talk about this one and that one, and about their husbands? Do you not despise such a woman as that? Yes, you do; and so do I, and so does every good man and angel, and so does Jesus Christ. He has told you not to do it.

I want you to understand that you make covenants with God, and not with us. We were present and committed those covenants to you, and you made them with God, and we were witnesses. When you got your endowments, did you not make a covenant not to speak against the anointed? And every woman that received this ordinance made a covenant with her husband that she would be true and faithful to him, be a guardian angel to him, and watch over his pillow by night and by day, and be true to her God and to the anointed.

I told you the other Sunday that I never made a practice of going to my President and speaking against anyone. I am cautious how I take a course to tell him this, that, and the other; for, if I am a man of truth, he is bound to believe me. Are there men that will come to me and try to injure somebody? Yes. Is it right, when you have sworn not to do it?

In Kirtland, Jared Carter, Dr. Cowdery, and others tried to ruin the Twelve in the eyes of Joseph. The very first mission the Twelve took, we went forth like men of God and traveled to the East and back again, without purse or scrip, and held Conferences through all the New England States, and exhorted and taught the people to go to Jackson County and purchase that land; and those men so prejudiced the mind of the First Presidency that two of the Twelve were suspended. But there were enough left to form a Quorum and do business.

Jared Carter, Dr. Cowdery, and others fell through taking that course. They tried to run in between the Twelve and Joseph, and they stepped between the bucklers of the Almighty. Had they a right to do it? No. Have I a right, although I am brother Brigham’s First Counselor, and have been ever since he was the President of the Twelve—have I a right to prejudice his mind against Daniel? No. I have sworn not to before God. Or have I a right to prejudice his mind against the Twelve? No. Because I am sworn not to, by the most sacred covenants that man can make.

Have the Twelve a right to step in and prejudice the First Presidency against the Seventies? No. If there is a difficulty, it is for the Twelve to settle it, and never tell it and destroy the head against the feet, nor the arm against the eye.

And here some men and women run from Dan to Beersheba breaking their covenants. If I could have my will, they never should step into the Endowment Room again and administer in sacred things, when they take this course. And some women, who think they know everything, go home and abuse their husbands and raise the devil in a man’s family.

I have no allusion to the righteous, the good, the wholesome, pure, and virtuous, but to those it belongs to. What are my feelings? They are—God bless the pure, the righteous, the salt that has not lost its savor.

I have not said anything about our enemies. I care nothing about them.

A single man or woman in this kingdom may do a great deal of harm, if they are so inclined. If you put up a barrel of good, sweet meat and a little piece of tainted meat, not larger than a peach, in the center of it, it will not be three months before the whole barrel of meat will be spoiled, if you do not clean out the lump of bad meat that has lost its saving prin– ciples. So wicked men and women in a Ward or in a Quorum can do much mischief. They inoculate death in the community.

Paul, in speaking of the tongue, says, “It sets on fire the whole course of nature.” It inoculates hell into the people. A sister comes into your house, and you think she is almost an angel, she can smile so sweetly. Do you not know that the Devil can smile just as well as a Saint? You cannot know persons only as they are proved.

God bless you and this whole people in the east, west, south, and north. My prayer is—God bless these valleys, and the mountains, and the fountains of life in them.

How good it is to reflect that the day has come in which we have declared our independence. This we have done because the Lord God has said it to his servant Brigham. We are independent of those troops and those poor, miserable, ungodly scoundrels that they call civil officers. What civility, to come here to preside over us with 2,000 troops! With them it is, “God damn the Mormons—God damn Brigham Young. We will kill him and Heber C. Kimball, and we will seduce and debauch every woman in the City of Salt Lake.” The Lord has said to brother Brigham, “Say to them, before all Israel, in my name, They cannot come in here.”

I am glad and can shout, Hallelujah! Praise be to the name of our God! And peace be to that man or woman that steps forward and sustains the weight in this operation. And that man or woman who revolts against the Priesthood of God and takes the opposite course, may God Almighty curse them, that they may go to hell, where they belong. These are my feelings.

I am thankful this is a goodly land. I never was in a better. I appreciate it, and I appreciate these mountains and valleys, and the red men of the forest. May God bless them, and, let the old Nephite Prophets and Patriarchs and servants of God stir them up and turn their hearts to the house of Israel in these Valleys, and he will do it; and the United States cannot buy them. God Almighty has got them by the bit. What? Israel? Yes. Although they are as a wild horse, he can lead them the same as you can a tame one.

We shall prosper; we shall prevail with all those who cleave to the Church and kingdom of God; only do as you are told, and you need not trouble. See how the Lord is watering the earth. It will be wet down three or four feet, and he will continue to do it, and it will be like a pool of living water; and he will cause the earth to produce, and we shall be blessed, and God will sustain us; and he will sustain those that sustain his people.

Instead of sending out two, three, or five thousand men, let us pick out a thousand, and they will stand against the United States. If God is with us, who can prevail against us? Why do not the women go to work and make up hats and caps for their husbands, and help them, and not suffer them to spend three dollars for a hat for a child three years’ old? Let us make our own knives and forks, and everything else that we use; and let every man be diligent at home or in his shop about his employment.

Brother Brigham says the soldiers cannot come here. Then we should say the same. He says they will be confused. Let us all pray that they may. Be kind to each other, and take good care of everything in your possession. Do not waste anything, nor abuse your horses. A man that is abusive to his animal is apt to be the same to his wife or child. There is nothing in the spirit of love that will kill or destroy unnecessarily— nothing that will lie or oppress, for that comes from the spirit of destruction.

The spirit of hypocrisy professes to be my friend today, and then tomorrow will go and speak against me. This should not be among us. Let us go to from this time henceforth and be one, and God will bless us. When you go visiting your neighbors, preach these things to them, and speak the truth continually, and lie not.

I go visiting sometimes. I was out on a visit yesterday. You invite me to visit and talk; but half the family will go to cooking the night before, and cook all day until suppertime, and then they are too full to talk or hear, and we start home before the rest of the family has anything to eat; and they cook up everything they have, or expect to have for a year to come, figuratively speaking. I would rather have a piece of bread and go into the canyon with one or two of the brethren and talk about the things of God.

Last Monday, the Congress of the United States commenced its session, and no doubt they will remember us. I want you should pray for them. Pray for the President of the United States; pray for the Senate and the House of Representatives; pray for the Speakers of each house, and pray for all men in authority, especially those who are opposed to Israel and who are planning for our destruction. I want you to pray good prayers for them, that they may fall into the dilemma they want to put us in. You need not pray anything more than that; for, I swear to you, they will get a bellyfull.

The members of the Legislature here will assemble tomorrow morning, at ten o’clock, with our Governor at our head. It is the best legislative body there is upon the face of the earth, because they hold the Priesthood, and there is no person there only those who hold it—the leading men of Israel. Pray for that Assembly. There are forty-nine men of us—the representatives of this whole Territory, to make laws for the government and protection of the people. But when those men have made a law, our Governor can veto it in a moment. He is the head of the department to make laws to protect, sustain, and uphold the kingdom of God in all the world. If a law is made to protect me, it equally protects you and your wife and children. Now, I want to know if there is a man or woman here who is not interested in that? I mention this that you may pray that they may make laws such as the Lord would approve, if he was here himself. Those who feel in favor that our Governor continue, and to uphold and sustain him, with the Legislature and everything else that is good, rise up on your feet.

[The whole congregation arose.]

God bless you, and bless our Governor, with everything connected to him. Amen.

A Discourse by Elder John Taylor, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 6, 1857.

Having been called on this morning to address you for a short time, I arise with very great pleasure to do so; for I always love to meet with the Saints, to gaze upon them, and to contribute my mite in offering instructions to them, so far as the Spirit of the Lord shall give me utterance. I conceive that, without the aid of his Holy Spirit, we as Saints can do very poorly either as speakers or as hearers. For, unless the Spirit of the Lord directs and guides us, we are all of us in a very poor position indeed. In fact, it is very difficult for any of us to understand really and positively what would be for our best good without its aid. In the world they know comparatively nothing about this. They call evil good, and good evil. They call darkness light, and light they call darkness.

Mixed up as we have been with the Gentile world, and having formed our habits and customs among them—having been accustomed to feel as they feel, to reason as they reason, and to associate with them, it is sometimes very difficult for us to understand what would really be for our benefit and advantage, whether pertaining to this world or to the world which is to come.

I presume as we obtain more of the Spirit of God—as we receive faith and intelligence that flow from him and the revelations that he imparts and will continue to impart to those who are faithful, we shall begin to understand things in a very different light from what many of us at the present time understand them. Even in temporal things there is a great difference among men in regard to their judgment, capacities, reasoning powers, and their comprehension of justice, equity, the rights of man, the duties that we owe to each other, and the various responsibilities that devolve upon us. But when we come to contemplate the things of God, the end of our existence, our origin, the position that we occupy in relation to our families, to each other, and to the Church and kingdom of God, it is very difficult sometimes for us to understand things correctly in relation to the position of the world, to the things that have been, to the things that are, and to the things that are to come—to the purposes of God in relation to the human family, and how these purposes will be best advanced. We shall find, in reflecting upon all these matters, that there is a very great difference between the reasoning of the human family upon these matters and the plan that God would adopt for the accomplishment of his purposes and for the bringing to pass the things that have been spoken of by the holy Prophets since the world began.

There is not a position that we can occupy in life, either as fathers, mothers, children, masters, servants, or as Elders of Israel holding the holy Priesthood in all its ramifications, but what we need continually is wisdom flowing from the Lord and intelligence communicated by him, that we may know how to perform correctly the various duties and avocations of life, and to fulfil the various responsibilities that rest upon us. And hence the necessity all the day long, and every day and every week, month, and year, and under all circumstances, of men leaning upon the Lord and being guided by that Spirit that flows from him, that we may not fall into error—that we may neither do anything wrong, say anything wrong, nor think anything wrong, and all the time retain that Spirit, which can only be kept by observing purity, holiness, and virtue, and living continually in obedience to the laws and commandments of God.

There was a people to whom one of the ancient Apostles said, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things and need not that any man should teach you: because of the anointing that dwelleth in you, which is truth, and no lie.”

When men obey the Gospel with pure hearts—when they are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and have hands laid upon them for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and they receive that Spirit and live in obedience to the dictates of that Spirit, it will bring things past and present to their remembrance, lead them into all truth, and show them things to come. This is part and parcel of our belief.

What is the reason we do not always comprehend things right? Because, in many instances, we give way to temptation. We let our old prepossessions, feelings, and influences, by which we have been governed heretofore, predominate over the Spirit of God, and we fall into error and darkness; and “If the light that is within us becomes darkness, how great is that darkness!” It is not enough, then, that we are baptized and have hands laid upon us for the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is not enough even that we go further than this, and receive our washing and our anointings, but that we daily and hourly and all the time live up to our religion, cultivate the Spirit of God, and have it continually within us “as a well of water springing up unto everlasting life,” unfolding, developing, making manifest the purposes and designs of God unto us, that we may be enabled to walk worthy of the high avocation whereunto we are called, as sons and daughters of God to whom he has committed the principles of eternal truth and the oracles of God in these last days. It would be found very difficult for any individual left to himself to do right, to think right, to speak right, and to fulfil the will and law of God upon the earth; and hence the necessity of the organization of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, of the properly organized Priesthood, of the legitimate channel, check, bounds, laws, and governments that the Almighty has introduced into his Church and kingdom for the guidance, instruction, protection, welfare, upbuilding, and further progress of his Church and kingdom upon the earth. As in a school it requires a man more competent to be a teacher than those who are taught, so in the Church of God; and hence the various grades and positions of the Priesthood. When a President, Bishop, or those having authority live up to their religion and cleave unto God, it is expected by us at all times that they will comprehend things under their immediate jurisdiction—things that they control, know the wants of the people and the best course for them to pursue, better than the individuals they teach; and this extends throughout all the various ramifications of the Church of God, from the First Presidency down. And indeed, between the First Presidency and the Lord of Hosts there is a regularly organized channel through which the blessings of his kingdom flow unto his Saints, when they are found in obedience to his laws.

It is something like the streams that water our city. At first they come out in large streams from the mountains; then they are divided off into sections, which spread and diminish into smaller sections: but they all flow through the legitimate channel.

How could any of you water your gardens, if the City Creek should be stopped? It would not only stop the leading channel, but all the little channels. We are made thus to depend upon one another in the order and kingdom of God. Where is the necessity of all this? Because of the things I first mentioned. But have not we all the Spirit of God? We ought to have. Well, then, can we not all understand? Yes, if we live our religion, we can understand the various duties that devolve upon us as individuals—as fathers, mothers, and children, or as Elders of Israel. We can understand those several and distinct duties to a certain extent; but we cannot lead the Church and kingdom of God—we cannot point out the path for it to walk in. Why? Because that does not belong to us. It belongs to the head. One of those little streams that you get to water your garden cannot supply all this city. No: but it can supply your garden, if it flows through the proper channel.

Suppose that little stream should say, “I am independent of the fountain,” would it be so? You know it would not. It is like the branches of a tree and the root and stock of a tree. The branches flourish on a healthy stock, and one little twig on the outside, with a few green leaves upon it and a little fruit, is very productive, beautiful, and pleasant to look upon; but it is no more than a portion of the tree. It is not the tree. Where does it get its nourishment from? From the root and the stock or stem, and through the various branches that exist on the tree. It is only a small portion of the tree. It is all the leaves, twigs, branches, stem, and roots that comprise the tree. The branches do not support the tree, the root, or the stem; but the stem supports the branches, and the roots the stem; and it is through that that life and vivacity flow to the branches.

As a Saint you say, “I think I understand my duty, and I am doing very well.” That may be so. You see the little twig: it is green; it flourishes and is the very picture of life. It bears its part and proportion in the tree, and is connected with the stem, branches, and root. But could the tree live without it? Yes, it could. It need not boast itself and get uplifted and say, “How green I am! And how I flourish! And what a healthy position I am in! How well I am doing! And I am in my proper place and am doing right.” But could you do without the root? No: you bear your proper part and position in the tree. Just so with this people. When they are doing their part—when they are magnifying their calling, living their religion, and walking in obedience to the Spirit of the Lord, they have a portion of his Spirit given to them to profit withal. And while they are humble, faithful, diligent, and observe the laws and commandments of God, they stand in their proper position on the tree: they are flourishing; the buds, blossoms, leaves, and everything about them are all right, and they form a part and parcel of the tree and conduce to its life, health, symmetry, beauty, and general appearance.

But if we do not magnify our calling, what then? We become like withered branches. And what is done with them? A good gardener will cut them off, because they disfigure the tree: they are not pleasant, lovely, and beautiful to look upon. But does the most flourishing branch in the tree sustain the tree? It helps to do it; but it is not the tree: it is dependent on the larger branches, through which the sap or nourishment flows until it comes to the little twig and fruit on the outside of the tree.

This is a fit similitude of the Church and kingdom of God. We are cemented together—united in the bonds of one common covenant. We are part and parcel of the Church and kingdom of God which the Lord has planted on the earth in the last days for the accomplishment of his purposes and the establishment of his kingdom, and the bringing to pass all those things which have been spoken of by all the holy Prophets since the world began. We all stand in our proper places.

While we magnify our callings, we honor our God; while we magnify our calling, we possess a portion of the Spirit of God; while we magnify our calling, we altogether comprise the tree; while we magnify our calling, the Spirit of God flows through the proper channels by which and through which we receive our proper nourishment and are instructed in things pertaining to our welfare, happiness, and interest pertaining to this world and the world to come.

But as it is very difficult to enter into all the minutia pertaining to a tree, a shrub, or herb, so it is difficult to enter into all the duties, responsibilities, and influences brought to bear and weigh upon the Saints of God and upon his Church and kingdom on the earth. For instance, the tree requires water and good soil to nourish it; it requires congenial atmosphere and the hand of the pruner sometimes, in order to keep it right. So does the Church and kingdom of God. There are various influences that are brought to bear on it, in order that it may flourish and grow. How can we grow, as a Church and kingdom, unless we are taught of the Lord through some medium that he has appointed.

Who is there that can rise up and tell the destiny of this Church and kingdom? Who is there, for instance, that can point out the bearings and the operation of the soldiery that are now on our borders? Who can tell the Lord’s design in relation to these matters, and why it is that we are thus situated? Why we are called upon to resist them, few as we now are? Could not the Lord control it otherwise? He could. Has he not the hearts of all men in his keeping? Could he not roll them back very quickly? Yes; or he could cause them to come on here. Why is it that he has allowed them to come to a certain distance, and kept them there, placing them like some of you mothers sometimes do, when you hang up a rod, that the children can see it, and that you can point to when they are naughty?

Why is it that we have been driven and afflicted and persecuted, and our names cast out as evil, and that we have had to endure so many privations, sufferings, toils, and hardships for the last twenty years? Who can solve these questions? Who can enter into the secrets of the Most High and unravel the mysteries that dwell in mind of Jehovah?

Who can tell why these things are brought to operate as they do, and why we are placed in those peculiar circumstances in which we so frequently find ourselves as we travel through this veil of tears? Does that belong to the little twigs and branches? No. It may be a secret in the mind of the great God which is not fully developed unto us. We may comprehend a part of it, and realize in some degree the position we occupy and the dealings of God towards us; but who can tell it in its full bearings? Who can comprehend the end from the beginning? Who can see what the Lord designs towards us as individuals and towards us as a people? Or rather and more directly, who can tell what he has destined concerning his Church and kingdom upon the earth—when and how and by what means it shall progress, whether by affliction or prosperity, whether by passing through scenes of trouble and difficulty, or by elevating us and giving us peace and the prospect of a great deal of good according to our ideas of things?

Who can tell what means the Lord may make use of to benefit you or me? Does it remain for the outside twig or the little stream flowing from the fountain to unravel these matters? No. Who can point out the position we shall take in a Church capacity, in the capacity of the Priesthood, in the capacity of heads of families, in a military capacity, or in any other capacity, in relation to all these matters?

It needs a great controlling, directing influence to sustain, govern, direct, enlighten, and dictate. It needs that every branch of the tree and every twig should be in its proper place, and should receive that nourishment from the proper source, and that spirit, and that intelligence, and that direction which God has ordained according to all the laws of nature and that is interwoven in all his transactions with the human family—that there should be a great directing, controlling influence to guide and direct his affairs.

Furthermore, why is it that there is so much confusion in the world—that we have imbibed so many incorrect principles while living among them, which we find is so difficult to rid ourselves of at this time? It is because men have not been under that influence and power, but every man has done that which he has considered to be right, without any respect to the great fundamental principles of government and the laws that ought to regulate and control the human family. This has been one great cause of the calamities that have afflicted the world in a social, in a family, and in a national capacity; for nations, like individuals, have all corrupted themselves, have forsaken God, and have never been under the great governing influence that ought to regulate and control the affairs of the world.

And why is it that we sometimes feel so much of the spirit of rebellion in our bosoms and the spirit of independence, falsely so called, and feel so desirous to pursue our own course, and a latent principle within us which is so reluctant to render obedience to the laws of the kingdom of God?

In the first place, it is because of our early associations—of our former habits of thought and reflection. In the second place, it is because we do not cultivate sufficiently the Spirit of the Lord, which, if we did, would show unto us the right way and enable us to appreciate the privileges we enjoy. It is, perhaps, one of the hardest things for those associated with the Church and kingdom of God, or for the human family, to render obedience to the laws that regulate that kingdom and to the Priesthood which God has placed in his Church to govern it. Why? Because of our former associations and habits, and because of the power of the prince and power of the air who rules in the hearts of the children of disobedience, and goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

We are apt to look at things in too narrow a compass, like a little twig on the end or furthest branch of a tree. It is very flourishing; its buds and blossoms are very elegant and fragrant, because it is in a healthy position. But then it would be very foolish for that little twig to say it knew all about it, when you could not cut it from the tree a single day but it would wither and die, and all its beauty and fragrance would depart.

Have we any light, any intelligence, any knowledge? Have we advanced in the principles of truth communicated to us? Yes. How did we get our intelligence? Tell me, ye wise men of the world—you that have mixed with the world and have studied their laws, principles of government, usages, habits, and customs, and have made yourselves familiar with their erudition. What do you know of the relation and fitness of things, of the position man occupies to his Maker? What do you know in relation to yourselves as individuals? What do you know in relation to the purposes and designs of God? What do you know about the first principles of the Gospel of Christ? I do not think you know anything about them. If you do, you are wiser than men I have come across in my travels through the world. Just as that little twig is indebted for its life and vigor to the tree, so are you indebted entirely to the Lord for the light and intelligence you have received on every subject. You are indebted to the Spirit of God for your wisdom and intelligence, as much as the little twig is indebted to the tree for its vitality, leaves, buds, and fragrance.

If that is the case so far, how much more will it be so in the future? Who is there that can contemplate the mind of God and unravel the designs of Jehovah? Who can foretell the destiny of the human family? Who can point out the path that we as a people shall walk in? Who shall say, in regard to any of the dealings of God with us, that this is right and that is wrong—that such a thing is for our benefit, and another thing is for our injury? Who can mend, alter, or change these events, and make them better than they are? If we cannot tell all these things, let us be reminded of another thing—never to find fault with things as they transpire—with things that we cannot improve. Some of us may say, “Well, it is a little hard that we should be placed as we are at the present time; and if we had been in Egypt, it might have been better with us. However, if we were now in Egypt, we could not say we were eating the leeks and onions, for we are now eating them. Our enemies are on the outside. But we might say we are thrown into awkward circumstances. We have had to go out in the inclement season of the year to face a foe, because of our religion; and if we had been somewhere else we might have avoided it.” You might, and you might have not: that would altogether depend on circumstances.

If you had been among those fellows out eastward, you would have been worse off a great deal. I would rather be in our position than be in theirs. “But the future!” say you: “How do we know but next spring they will come in here and swallow us completely up?” Brother Brigham says, “We shall have to be greased first.” And there is no grease on their cattle to do it at present. What do we know about these things? I speak so that we may reflect upon them. “We would a little rather those men were away somewhere else.” I do not know that I would. I feel, notwithstanding our inexperience, and the many blunders we make, and the various evils many of us fall into, that we are the best people under the face of the heavens, and that God has called us, and set us apart, and placed his name among us, and given unto us the oracles of God to reveal unto us his mind and will, that by us he may establish his kingdom on the earth.

In relation to anything that has or may transpire, I feel that we are in the hands of God, and all is right. “But we would like to have whipped those fellows out”—so say some of us. “We would like to see them turn tail too and go off their own way.“ But I would not, because the Lord would not. I feel perfectly easy that I am in the hands of God, and everything I have; and so are you. We are his people, and he is our God, and his Spirit dictates, rules, controls, and governs; and while we do right, and keep the commandments of God, and live up to our privileges, we have a right to claim the Spirit of God and live in the enjoyment of it every moment of our life.

As it regards his kingdom and purposes, I would rather risk his judgment and plan than my own. I feel myself so incompetent, and I believe you are the same, and know so little about the future designs of God and his purposes pertaining to the human family, and what will most conduce to our individual welfare and to our welfare as a people, that I do not want to put my hand to steady the ark.

I will say, “It is the Lord, and let him do what seemeth him good.” If he has a mind to let the Devil send up one thousand, ten thousand, or five hundred thousand men against us, all right. I was going to say, Who the devil cares? We are in the hands of God. And while we are willing to do his work and fulfil the duties that devolve upon us, it is his business to take care of his Saints. He has said it is, and I feel like saying amen to it.

I want to learn what my duty is, not only for one day, but every day, and then to try to do it. This is a feeling we ought all to have, as I understand it. A great work has to be established on the earth.

We read and talk about things and reflect upon what the Lord is going to do. He is going to build up his kingdom, and all kingdoms, powers, and dominions will be brought into subjection to the kingdom of our God; and “every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

These are very nice words, and the prospect is very pleasing indeed. But, the question is, Can we acknowledge the hand of God? Can I acknowledge his dealings with my family? If you reflect back, some of you were in better circumstances than you are now: you were better clad and provided for in many respects. While you reflect on this, and find that you have many hard things to cope with, can you say, “It is the hand of God; let him do as seemeth him good?” If you have to go out into the cold storms and snow, and if your wives are troubled about it, you sisters, can you say, “It is the hand of God, and let him do as seemeth him good?”

Can you feel that you are the children of God, associated with his kingdom, and that it is one thing to talk about a thing, and another to do it? Can you feel that you are willing to do your duties, magnify your callings, submit to whatever the Lord places upon your shoulders, and say, “It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good?” If we, who profess to be Latter-day Saints—we, who have taken upon us the name of Christ—we, who have been baptized in his name for the remission of sins and had the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost—who have received our washings, and anointings, and teachings from the mouthpiece of Jehovah—we, who have lived under the sunshine of the light and intelligence that flowed from the mouth of God—if we, who have partaken of so great and precious privileges and blessings, cannot do these things, how long will it be before every creature in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth will be heard to say, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him,” &c.? It is necessary for us to reflect upon these duties and responsibilities, and try, each one of us, so to live, act, move, and obey, and so to fulfil the laws, commandments, and ordinances of God, that in every position we occupy we shall move along like a well-organized piece of machinery, or like a tree whereon every branch, stem, leaf, twig, and blossom will be found to flourish, that we may all magnify our God and flourish before him.

Do you not think the Lord will take care of his own tree or people? And do you not think he will do just what is right? Some of us would have liked to have killed a lot of those soldiers. I would, if the Lord had said so; and if he did not want it, I did not. It is rather a dirty business anyhow; and if he has a mind to use some other means and let them wiggle themselves out their own way, I have no objections to it. I would rather go out in the canyon and live on bread and beef than go to work at killing men. If the Lord can make use of us in that way, it is all right.

I do not remember having read in any history, or had related to me any circumstance where an army has been subjugated so easily, and their power wasted away so effectually without bloodshed, as this in our borders. If this is not the manifestation of the power of God to us, I do not know what is. Has any man’s life been lost in it? No—not one. It is true our brethren have been fired upon; but their balls failed of doing the injury that was expected. Our brethren were told not to retaliate, and they did not do it. Where is there such a manifestation of the power of God?

Suppose you or I had had the dictation of this matter, we should have been firing clear away on the Sweetwater, and killed a lot of them before they got here. It was not we, then, that directed this matter. No. Who was it? Why, it was those who are placed over us; and those very things that seemed hard for us to do at that time have really accomplished one of the greatest things that history has yet developed. The power of God never was made more manifest.

Where did it take place, and how? Out of the fountainhead. It flowed through the stem of the tree: it came from City Creek Canyon, to go to one of our former figures, and through the proper channels. My judgment would have said, “Go and kill them off,” long ago. I should have said, “Holloa, here!—150 men drive those teams in here that are on Ham’s Fork before the soldiers arrive, and then we will kill off the scoundrels by piecemeal.” And that would have been the judgment of most men: it would have been according to natural reasoning. But God does not see as men; he reasons not as man. Although we may partially comprehend our individual duties, we do not understand how to regulate the Church of God. It needs the regular organization and the Spirit to direct through the proper channels; and hence the result of these events that are manifest now before our eyes.

Would you like the soldiers away? I do not know that I would; I do not care anything about it. Perhaps the Lord may have hung them up there, like the mother hangs up the rod and points to it. Does the mother want to hurt the child? No. Neither does she want to be continually scolding. The Lord may not be angry at us, but he does not want us to be continually disobeying his authority and going contrary to his law.

Suppose Uncle Sam should rise up in his red hot wrath, and send 50,000 men here—[President Brigham Young says his own fire would burn him out]—who of us can tell the result? I speak of these things that we may reflect. Who can tell what will come next? Who knows about the future? You see the position we are placed in—that we are dependent on the Lord and on his counsel, and all that we can do or say will be according to that from this time henceforth and forever. Zion begins to rise, her light being come. The glory of the Lord is rising upon us.

Will the law of God go from Zion, and his word from Jerusalem? Will he rebuke strong nations afar off and manifest his power through his Priesthood? How, when, and in what manner will these things be brought about? Who can say? Do you not see that we are just as ignorant today in regard to many of the events that pertain to the kingdom of God as we were on the day we were baptized? At the same time, we were then ignorant in relation to many principles that are now plain and familiar to us. And so it will be from this time forward. It needs a guiding hand—a man filled with the Spirit of God, and not only that, but the Lord to communicate with, that he may comprehend the designs of God and lead forth Israel in the paths they should go.

What shall we do, then? Shall we begin to fret, and whine, and grunt, and groan about this and that, and because we think things are in a very bad fix? We ought to feel that we are in the Church and kingdom of God, and that God is at the helm, and that all is right and will continue to be. I feel as easy as an old shoe.

What if we should be driven to the mountains? Let us be driven. What if we have to burn our houses? Why, set fire to them with a good grace, and dance a jig round them while they are burning. What do I care about these things? We are in the hands of God, and all is right, Brother Brigham says we are used to it, and we shall not feel it hard.

Brethren, we are eternal beings and are associated with eternal principles: we are in the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, and that kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and we are bound by and associated with eternal principles: we are beginning to live forever, and are acting not only for time, but for eternity. And as our minds expand and the things of God unfold themselves unto us from time to time, we shall see the fitness of things and the wisdom, guidance, and protection of Jehovah, just as much as it has been manifest unto us in the events that have lately transpired. And if we go to sleep or die, it is only the starting point to live forever.

We have got within us the principles of eternal life. If our bodies shall crumble into the dust, we shall move in another sphere and associate with other intelligences that are connected with the same kingdom and government, and continue to live and roll forth the purposes of God. And if we should have a war and a few things like this, never mind: who cares? Just grin and bear it. Do right and cleave to God, and all will go off well.

These ideas lead us to reflection and to consider the designs of God; and if we are faithful, they will tend to purify us. No trouble for the present is joyous, but grievous; yet it yields the peaceable fruits of righteousness to those who are exercised therewith; while we look not at the things that are seen, but things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

How many evil propensities yet remain in our bosoms! How prone are we to depart from the right path! How liable are our spirits to rebel against the order and government of God! How many feelings are in us that do not accord with those principles that dwell in the bosom of Jehovah and cannot associate with those intelligences that are associated with him in the eternal world! How necessary it is that we should have faith, teaching, instruction, and a whole train of events to keep our minds awake to the subject of our existence as eternal beings, that we may honor our calling on the earth, honor our God, fulfil our destiny, to prepare us for a celestial exaltation in the eternal world! Do you not see the necessity of these trials and afflictions and scenes we have to pass through? It is the Lord who puts us in positions that are the most calculated to promote the best interests of his people. My opinion is, that, far from these things that now surround us being an injury to us and the kingdom of God, they will give it one of the greatest hoists that it has ever had yet; and all is right and all will be right, if we keep the commandments of God. What is the position, then, that we ought to occupy—every man, woman, and child? Do our duty before God—honor him, and all is right. And concerning events yet to transpire, we must trust them in the hands of God, and feel that “whatever is is right,” and that God will control all things for our best good and the interest of his Church and kingdom on the earth. If we live here and prosper, all right; if we leave here, all right; and if we have to pass through affliction, all right. By-and-by, when we come to gaze on the fitness of things that are now obscure to us, we shall find that God, although he has moved in a mysterious way to accomplish his purposes on the earth and his purposes relative to us as individuals and as families, all things are governed by that wisdom which flows from God, and all things are right and calculated to promote every person’s eternal welfare before God. May God bless you and guide you in the way of truth continually. Amen.