A Discourse by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, January 10, 1858.

While I meet with the Saints in this Tabernacle, and partake of the sacrament with them, especially with such a large body of people as there are here in these valleys of the mountains, it leads my mind in a train of reflection and thought concerning this work in which we are engaged; and whether I think of it long or short, I have the same feelings and come to the same conclusions; and I say within myself, It is the work of God, and it is marvelous in my eyes.

There is a marked difference between the work of God and the work of men or the work of the Devil, and that difference is manifest in the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There is one characteristic connected with the work of God that has been manifested in its establishment in these last days, as in all former periods, and that is, that whenever the Lord has attempted to establish his Church and kingdom upon the earth, he always makes use of instruments whose peculiar circumstances in life will naturally lead them to acknowledge the hand of God in all that is manifested unto them. You have the example of all the Prophets from the days of Adam; and as far as we have any knowledge of them, they were nearly all men of low degree and of humble birth; and the Lord has ever given them his Spirit to enlighten their minds, and to qualify them for the work assigned them. Men of this character have stepped forth and obeyed the Lord in various ages of the world, and they have given him the credit for what has been accomplished. This has been very clearly manifested in our own day.

Thirty years ago the 22nd day of last September, the angel of God delivered unto the hands of Joseph Smith the plates containing the record from which the Book of Mormon was translated, in which is recorded the history of the ancient inhabitants of this country. Joseph Smith was a man of humble birth, and in one sense of the word he was poor and illiterate; and to look at things naturally, it looked strange that the Lord should undertake to build up his Church and kingdom with such a feeble instrument. To some this may look a very small matter, but the work was great, and here was an honest soul, and the Lord made choice of that soul to give unto him the knowledge, the blessings, and the glory associated with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, which should lay the foundation of the Church and kingdom of God in these last days.

What did that angel tell Joseph Smith when he gave him the plates? The vision of his mind was opened, and the angel showed unto him the condition of the nations of the earth, and said, “This record which I now commit unto your hand contains the words of life—the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Lord is now about to establish his kingdom upon the earth. The world are in darkness; the Gentiles have departed from the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they have forsaken the light, the glory, and the power of the Priesthood of the Son of God, which was given to and enjoyed by the Gentile nations when Israel was cut off.”

The Lord promised Joseph Smith, at this early age, that if he would obey his commandments and hearken to the voice of the Holy Spirit, he would make him an instrument of bringing about this great work, that the Church may be brought out of the wilderness of darkness and error, and my name glorified among men.

The words that this record contains shall be preached to every kingdom, tongue, and people; and whenever this doctrine is preached, your name shall be had in honorable remembrance among the virtuous, the holy, the righteous, and those who desire to do good: but the ungodly will vilify your character—hold up your name to ridicule and scorn, wherever the sound of this Gospel goes, even to all nations.

The Lord also told Joseph Smith, in the commencement of this work, as you will see by the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that he was laying the foundation of a great and mighty work and kingdom, which should be the kingdom of God, and it should not be thrown down, but stand forever: but you cannot now comprehend the extent of it. The mind of the Prophet was opened by the spirit of revelation, so that he could see and comprehend a great deal; but he required the Spirit of the living God—the inspiration of the Almighty to rest upon him continually to qualify him for the great duties that were constantly increasing upon him; and the same Spirit is required by any man in this kingdom, whether he be old or young, rich or poor, to enable him to bring about the work of God, or to do anything that is of as much consequence as the upbuilding of this kingdom.

The Prophet was repeatedly told of the importance of the work in which he was engaged, and was commanded to obey the voice of God in all things; and then he was told that all that had been promised should be fulfilled. The Prophet saw the chains of darkness that were binding the souls of men; and although at that time he had not received the Priesthood, yet the Lord manifested himself to him in various ways and at many times before he was ordained, or before there were any baptized into the Church. In process of time—namely, on the 15th day of May, 1829, he and Oliver Cowdery received the Aaronic Priesthood, and according to commandment they baptized each other. Then on the 6th day of April following, the Church was organized, and the work of God established on the earth, no more to be rooted out of it.

What must have been the feelings of the Prophet, when the moment he began to unbosom his thoughts, and to tell what the Lord had done for him, the Christian world began to mock and deride him! The Devil opposed him, wicked men opposed him, and there was a spirit among the people to kick against the work of God; and there were whole communities that were opposed to the doctrine of administration of angels; and, consequently, his path was rugged and thorny. Sometimes he would come across individuals who would listen to his message and would receive his testimony. This made his soul rejoice, to see that there were some persons who would receive the words of eternal life.

True, in the commencement, this Church was small; and I frequently reflect upon what has come to pass in the world since God spake to Joseph the Seer; I also look at what has taken place with this people; and I can clearly see the fulfillment of the word of God spoken by the angel to Joseph before the Church was organized. The angel foretold the very scenery that I behold today; and from that time to the present, this people have been fulfilling what the angel told the Prophet would come to pass, after he gave to him the plates containing the record of the Book of Mormon. We are daily working for the fulfillment of those things that were predicted from twenty-five to thirty years ago. These very things that we are now witnessing, both in relation to our friends and our enemies, are in fulfillment of those promises made in the commencement of this work.

The Prophet’s heart was made glad, while he lived among us, in beholding the signs of the times; and there are many here today who remember the early days of this Church and kingdom. Some of the first Elders in this Church who went up to Kirtland to see the Prophet were made to rejoice in his society. The Saints who were gathered together were so few that they might all have been put in a small schoolhouse; but wherever the Gospel had been preached, some few had been brought to a knowledge of its truth, and occasionally a few had been gathered up to Kirtland—perhaps one of a family, and two of a city.

When brother Brigham and brother Joseph Young went up to see the Prophet, they found him chopping wood; for he was a laboring man, and gained his bread by the sweat of his brow. They made themselves acquainted with him. He received them gladly, invited them to his house, and they rejoiced together in the Gospel of Christ, and their hearts were knitted together in the spirit and bond of union.

Those of us who gathered to Kirtland, in the early days of the Church, can remember the scenes which happened in those days. I well remember the time when I first met with the Saints in Kirtland: it was in the spring of 1834. I had never joined any Church previous to hearing this Gospel, and the first sermon I ever heard was preached by brother Zera Pulsipher, one of the senior Presidents of the Seventies, and my heart was made glad. I embraced the Gospel, for I knew it was the first Gospel sermon that I had ever heard in my life. I was baptized by brother Pulsipher; and shortly afterwards brother Parley P. Pratt came along to gather up the warriors of the Lord to go up and redeem Zion.

I was deeply engaged in business at the time, but I felt that it was my duty to do all I could for the cause of truth; and when brother Parley came up, I felt resolved to volunteer. We called a meeting; and when brother Parley got up and said he was weary with traveling, and did not want to say much, but he would talk a few moments (and when he got through it was about twelve o’clock at night; in fact, he had preached about half the night), my feelings were such, when he got through, that if all the gold in the world had been presented to me, I could not have been hired to stay at home. I went with brother Parley through Jefferson County to the North, and then immediately prepared to go to Kirtland. I started to Kirtland on the 11th day of April, 1834, and arrived in Kirtland on the 25th day of the same month. I then for the first time had an interview with the Prophet Joseph. He invited me to his house. I rejoiced to behold his face and to hear his voice. I was fully satisfied that Joseph was a Prophet before I saw him. I had no prejudices on my mind against him, but I expected to see a Prophet.

My first introduction to him was rather singular. I saw him out in the field with his brother Hyrum: he had on a very old hat, and was engaged shooting at a mark. I was introduced to him, and he invited me home with him.

I accepted the invitation, and I watched him pretty closely, to see what I could learn. He remarked, while passing to his house, that this was the first hour he had spent in recreation for a long time.

Shortly after we arrived at his house, he went into an adjoining room, and brought out a wolfskin, and said, “Brother Woodruff, I want you to help me to tan this;” so I pulled off my coat, went to work and helped him, and felt honored in so doing. He was about going up with the brethren to redeem Zion, and he wanted this wolfskin to put upon his wagon seat, as he had no buffalo robe.

This was my first introduction to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the great Seer of this last dispensation.

I was not there long before I heard him talk about going to Zion, and it did my soul good to hear him speak of many things concerning Zion, the gathering of Israel, and the great Latter-day Work; and I felt truly satisfied with what I saw and heard.

I recollect that in the evening after I got there, several of the brethren came in and talked with brother Joseph, and asked what they should do, for they had not means to bear their expenses from there to Missouri. Brother Joseph said, “I am going to have some money soon;” and the next morning he received a letter containing a hundred and fifty dollars, sent to him by sister Voce, of Boston. I don’t know but she is in the congregation today.

I have felt to rejoice exceedingly in what I saw of brother Joseph, for in his public and private career he carried with him the Spirit of the Almighty, and he manifested a greatness of soul which I had never seen in any other man.

The reason I speak of these things is because I want to refer to this congregation and to this people generally as they have passed along; for truly it has required a stretch of faith to be enabled to comprehend the accomplishment of all that has been done for the last twenty-five years. The Lord said by revelation in an early day, “The harvest is ripe, and any man that desires in his heart to preach the Gospel, and will thrust in his sickle, he is called of God.”

The Elders that are called in this Church, you can notice in them the spirit and disposition to preach the Gospel and redeem the people from sin, tradition, and error. At the commencement of the Church, the Lord gave revelations to the Church and to individuals, through the Prophet, to tell them what to do—be baptized, ordained, go on missions, and anything that was required at their hands; and hence you can see in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants revelations given to Martin Harris, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, the Whitmers, and many others, calling them to go forth and preach the Gospel to the world. In those revelations are promised many great and glorious things, and the pattern is given and the foundation laid for a great and mighty work—a work not to be accomplished in ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years, but a work that embraces the gathering together of all things which are to be saved, both in heaven and on earth, and the establishing of the kingdom of God, to remain forever; and the Lord said, You are laying the foundation for a great and mighty work. But we did not understand or comprehend its extent. He called upon us to go forth and warn the world of the judgments to come, and to call upon them to learn the ways of righteousness, and to walk therein; and what has been the result?

Every man that has embraced it, whose heart was honest before God, has been inspired by the Spirit of God; he has been ready to engage in the work, to shoulder the knapsack, and go forth and preach this Gospel to all people whenever an opportunity presented itself; and the first Elders of this Church did preach diligently and faithfully, and many received the word with gladness and rejoiced in the truth.

Finally, brother Heber C. Kimball was called to go to England, as you learn by the Church history; and he laid the foundation of a great work, as the angel declared to Joseph should be the case.

The words of life that were engraven upon those plates have been preached to almost all nations; and have not the people had an opportunity of hearing? They have, in a great degree; for the servants of the Lord have been inspired to go forth and bear a true and faithful testimony to the nations of the earth, and the isles of the sea, and have preached unto them the Gospel of Christ; and what has been the consequence? The words of the Lord have been fulfilled to the very letter; for wherever this Gospel has been preached there have been hypocrites, the wicked and ungodly, and there also have been the honest and the meek of the earth; and whoever have received this testimony, been baptized for the remission of sins, and received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, have had their minds enlightened, and they have looked forward with an eye of faith to see the fulfillment of what God has promised.

Have we, as a Church, been disappointed in anything? No, we have not; but the Lord has fulfilled his promises in relation to the things of his kingdom.

The Lord has chosen men like Joseph and Hyrum, the Smith family, and the Twelve Apostles; and they have been humble men in this Church and kingdom; and almost all the officers have been called from the laboring class, from the plough, from the hammer and the anvil, and from nearly every occupation; and their words have pierced the honest in heart, for they have had all the power, blessings, and knowledge which the Lord has given unto them, and they have given the honor and glory to God. I will venture to say there is no people upon the earth who have been picked up as we have been, for we have been gathered from all religions and sects.

The Elders have gone forth teaching and baptizing the people; they have laid their hands upon the sick and healed them, cast out devils, and had power to do all those things which the Lord has promised unto believers. Wherever the people have received the truth, the signs have followed—the lame have been made to walk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see; fevers have been rebuked, and the elements have been subject to the Elders of Israel. Where is there a man who has gone out to preach the Gospel who has not been constrained by the Spirit to warn the people, as messengers of salvation, of the judgments that are coming upon the earth?

We have been called upon to warn all who came in our way, including kings, rulers, the rich, and learned, as well as the poor and humble. It is true that the Lord might have enlightened the minds of the rulers, the rich, and learned, and chosen them to have performed his work in the establishment of his Church upon the earth. But he never has seen fit to work through that channel; but he has ever chosen the poor and humble as his messengers upon the earth.

There is another thing which I desire to allude to, and that is the very excellent discourse we have heard today, and the testimony of the servants of God in relation to our present position. The opposition that we have had and the persecutions we have passed through have been alluded to by brother Taylor, and all those matters are in fulfillment of what the angel told brother Joseph; and as long as Satan rules in the world, this spirit of mobocracy will manifest itself, even until the scenery shall be wound up, and until He who holds the keys of the bottomless pit shall bind him with a chain, cast him into the pit, and shut him up, and put a seal upon him.

We expect this. It is what we are looking for; and yet we, above all people, have reason to rejoice. We have reason to rejoice in Him who stands at the helm, and who has nourished and sustained this kingdom from the beginning. The God of heaven has never forsaken this work, but he has ever backed up his servants, and opened their way before them.

How the soul of the Prophet rejoiced when he beheld the work of God spreading abroad in the earth, the truth received by the children of men, and the promises of God verified to the letter in the gathering of the Saints, and a way prepared for the establishment of Zion upon the earth.

We have had the holy Priesthood conferred upon us, and the power of God has surrounded us, so that we have been preserved thus far from the hands of our enemies in the midst of the many circumstances in which we have been placed. Those things should increase our faith before the Lord, and give us confidence in his promises, and it should inspire our hearts to diligence in the fulfillment of every duty required of us.

The Lord says, in the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, that this Gospel shall be preached in all the world; and he commands his servants to call upon all nations to repent and obey the voice of God—to receive the Gospel and the words of eternal life. He says—

“Lift up your voices and spare not. Call upon the nations to repent, both old and young, both bond and free, saying: Prepare yourselves for the great day of the Lord; For if I, who am a man, do lift up my voice and call upon you to repent, and ye hate me, what will ye say when the day cometh when the thunders shall utter their voices from the ends of the earth, speaking to the ears of all that live, saying—Repent, and prepare for the great day of the Lord? Yea, and again, when the lightnings shall streak forth from the east unto the west, and shall utter forth their voices unto all that live, and make the ears of all tingle that hear, saying these words—Repent ye, for the great day of the Lord is come?

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

“Behold, verily I say unto you, that these are the words of the Lord your God. Wherefore, labor ye, labor ye in my vineyard for the last time—for the last time call upon the inhabitants of the earth. For in my own due time will I come upon the earth in judgment, and my people shall be redeemed and shall reign with me on earth. For the great Millennium, of which I have spoken by the mouth of my servants, shall come. For Satan shall be bound, and when he is loosed again he shall only reign for a little season, and then cometh the end of the earth. And he that liveth in righteousness shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and the earth shall pass away so as by fire. And the wicked shall go away into unquenchable fire, and their end no man knoweth on earth, nor ever shall know, until they come before me in judgment.” (Doctrine and Covenants, sec. xiv., page 131.)

I look upon these things; I reflect upon our Government in the manner which has been referred to today; I look at the liberal laws and Constitution that exist in our land, upon which our Government is founded; and yet, in the midst of all this, we have not had the privilege of enjoying our rights, or worshipping God, or enjoying our religion, without persecution and oppression. The Lord has frequently given us revelations upon these things, and he has spoken concerning our Government and Constitution, and he has said—“Ye are justified in maintaining the Constitution and laws of the land, for they make you free, and the Gospel maketh you free; and you shall seek to sustain good and wise men for rulers, and whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of evil.” Do you blame the Latter-day Saints? Can the Lord, can angels, or can anybody blame the Latter-day Saints for rejecting such cursed, corrupt scoundrels as we have had here? The laws of Heaven command us not to uphold and sustain men, except they are good men, who will sustain the Constitution of our country; and we are fulfilling the revelations in this respect as in many others, and we are carrying out the requirements of the Constitution of the United States.

We have fulfilled the law of God, and we have always been willing to receive and respect all good and wise men in carrying out the laws and Constitution of our country.

We have pleaded with the Government, we have pleaded with the President, and we have pleaded with the Senate of the United States to send us good men. Brother Taylor has told us they will not do it; and why? Because they are not good themselves, they are not virtuous, they are not holy, and they will not acknowledge the hand of God at all, but seek to overthrow the blessings and spirit of that rich legacy bequeathed to us through the blood of our fathers—the Constitution. Here is where I consider that our nation and the whole people of the United States are under condemnation. It is because they have a Constitution and laws of government which the people control, for they elect their own officers; for all citizens have the right to vote for their Governors, Presidents, and officers in general; and hence they come under condemnation.

[Blessed the sacramental cup.]

The whole people have a vote in the selection of their officers; and if they appoint wicked men for their Governors and for their rulers, and then those rulers go to work and rule unrighteously, tyrannize over the poor and humble, and sacrifice human life to satisfy their wicked ambition; at whose hands will the Lord require the blood of the innocent? He will require it of those who elected the officers; for the responsibility does not rest alone upon the Presidents, or Governors, or Judges, but it rests in a great measure with the people who placed them in power, when a nation becomes corrupt, and appoints corrupt and wicked rulers, and sustains them in their wickedness.

When Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered, the greater part of the people rejoiced in it, and would remark that it was a pity the Smiths had died in the way they had; but it was a good thing they were out of the way. Governor Ford said, when speaking to the brethren in Nauvoo, that almost every man he talked with would say it was a pity the Smiths should die under the pledged protection of the Governor of the State; but yet they were glad they were dead. Will not God require an atonement at the hands of such men?

Inasmuch as we have trusted in the Lord, and have found him true to his word, why should we not trust him now? If the harvest was ripe twenty or thirty years ago, surely it is ripe now; for the Elders of Israel have gone forth to the nations, and the people have rejected their testimony.

The more I look at the words which the Lord has spoken concerning our enemies, and especially those of this nation, the more I become satisfied that they will not escape the judgments of the Almighty, anymore than the Nephites of old did, or any of the other nations who have rejected the message sent unto them by the God of heaven. This nation is ripe in iniquity, and the destroying angels are at their doors; and I am as sure that the scourges will follow as I am that the servants of God have borne a true and faithful testimony unto them. I know what the consequence will be of the world rejecting the truth, for I have the testimony of Jesus and the Spirit of God within me; and therefore I say, Let us look well to our ways, remember our covenants, our duties, and our prayers; and I do hope and pray that the Elders in Great Salt Lake City will not, in the midst of their recreations, neglect their prayers or their duties before the Lord, nor permit anything to stand between them and the building up the kingdom of God.

“Mormonism” is just as good as it was a year ago. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is as good as it was a year ago, or as it was in Kirtland or Nauvoo; and it is our privilege to continue to increase in blessings, glory, power, and virtue from this time henceforth and forever; and therefore I say, Brethren and sisters, let us lay these things to heart, and let us look at them as they exist before us. Let us read the revelations of God, and give heed to the teachings of the living oracles, and have faith in their promises, that we may thereby have the Spirit of God to enlighten us and to guide us through this probation.

The Presidency of this Church are good men; they are filled with the Spirit of the Lord continually—with the spirit of teaching—of counsel; which, if we follow, will lead us on to eternal life: therefore we are blest and saved when we obey their teaching.

We have our leading men and our Governor, all of whom have proceeded out of the midst of us. Our judges, our wise men, and our rulers are those that have come out of the house of Israel; and this is a blessing and a privilege that Israel have not enjoyed for many generations. We see that the Elders have gone forth and labored for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God, and for carrying out the purposes of our heavenly Father, and for the accomplishment of the great work of the latter days.

We have the greatest reason to be thankful of any people upon the earth; and we should realize that as we have been preserved heretofore, so we shall be hereafter; and though the United States, and though all Europe and hell may make war upon us, yet, if we listen to the counsel that has been given, the blow will be warded off; and whatever we may be called to pass through will be for our salvation, exaltation, and glory.

I pray the Lord, my heavenly Father, to grant us his Spirit, that we may prize our blessings, keep our covenants, and continually have his favor, and continue humble and faithful; and that he will pour out those judgments upon the wicked, proud, and the rebellious which they desire to inflict upon the people of God; which may the Lord grant, for Christ’s sake! Amen.

A Discourse by President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, December 27, 1857.

You have all heard what has been said, and the design thereof has been to show you your situation.

There is not much profit in all the teachings that are given from this stand to a person who simply hears the sound and does not partake of the spirit and intent of that instruction; but the profit is to the man who heareth the word and observeth and receiveth the Spirit and power of God.

I bear my testimony to what has been said today, for it is good; and everyone that heareth and observeth what has been said by brother Brigham, brother Woodruff, and brother Snow shall be blest; for it is life to all who receive it, because truth is life.

If we treasure up those principles, and they adhere to us—that is, to the fountain of life that is within us, how can there be otherwise than a growing and increasing in the knowledge of God? It is upon the same principle that wheat increases, and upon the same principle that every kind of vegetation increases. How does wheat increase? It is because the element or germ of life is in the wheat. If the germ was not in each kernel, of course it would not increase.

If there is a fountain and the root of truth within us, then other principles of truth will adhere to them and connect themselves to that fountain that is within us. What will be the result in such a case? The fruits of righteousness will appear. A man has got to have the saving principles of life within him continually. If they do not dwell in him, he is not in a saveable condition, for there is no way to save a man only to plant within him the principles of life; for in the absence of those principles, he is like salt that has lost its saving power, and thenceforth is good for nothing.

You know that salt will not save meat when it has lost its saving principles, and it is just so with us: when a man sins to that degree that he rejects the truth and the principles of righteousness, he is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

So it will be eventually in the United States. After the truth is all gathered out, you will find that the rest will be destroyed. I do not mean that the land will be destroyed, but I refer to the wicked inhabitants, and the earth will be emptied, according to the words of the Prophet. Why will this be so? Because there are no saving principles there: the saving principles are with this Church, and there is no salvation in the absence of those principles.

I dwell upon these things because I wish every man to listen to them, and I want them to watch and nourish every word, and to cherish them as you would a crop of wheat. Let nothing come in between you and the word of God, and then you will do well and prosper.

I have got just such a wild notion in me, if you please to consider it so, that I believe we can raise everything that is raised in every other part of the earth. Why do I believe it? I believe it because I have got the Priesthood: it has been given to me and to you, and we are made saviors of men upon Mount Zion.

Well, then, if we have got the seed and principles of life within us, upon the same principle that the earth imparts nourishment to vegetation, we can impart life to others; and if we can save a man, upon the same principle we can save a woman and everything that is upon the earth. What do you go to work here for? I go to work to produce vegetables, grain, and all things that I and my family need, and I dictate my children, and show them a course for them to pursue.

We have dedicated this sacrament to the Father and to the Son, that the saving principles of life may be in it, and that, in partaking of it, we may become sanctified. We bless the water as well as the bread, and ask God to sanctify it and fill it with life and the principles of salvation. Do you not think that God can bless this land, so that we can raise anything here, as easily as he can bless the bread and water? Yes, he can. What makes me believe these things? It is because the people generally do not believe them; and they show by their works they do not. But I endeavor to prove by my works that I am a believer in these very doctrines which I am teaching to you.

The individuals who believed that it was not possible to raise fruit here have no currant bushes, no apple trees, no apricot trees, no peach trees, no plum trees; in fact, they have not got any fruit trees at all, from the fact that they did not believe that fruit could be raised; and their works have shown their faith. They have got most excellent faith, in their way, but it does not produce any fruit.

Those same individuals now believe that we can raise fruit up here in brother Brigham’s garden, and brother Heber’s, and brother Carrington’s, and those men that live up here on the poorest land there is in the valleys; and we certainly do produce some of the best fruit that is produced in these mountains. I never saw better peaches in my life, nor any larger ones, nor any that were more full of juice. Do you think I have got any dried peaches? Yes, I have got enough to last me two years, and I presume that brother Brigham has, and a great many others. How were they produced? They were produced by our actually going to work and raising the trees and nourishing and cherishing them.

I will ask some of you mothers a question, and you that deal in poultry. You know we have hens, and they lay eggs, and we have geese, and turkeys, and all other kinds of fowls; but they might lay eggs from now till doomsday, and if they did not keep those eggs warm, and nourish them, they never would produce a chicken; no, never. Do not you all understand that?

If you say you cannot raise fruit on that low land, I wish to say to you that I know better. All the reason why they have not raised fruit in the lower parts of the city is because they have not planted the trees! Upon the same principle, the people of San Pete said they could not raise fruit. It was because they never set out an apple tree, and for several years they never planted a cucumber, a watermelon, nor a squash, and of course they never raised one. I presume brother Snow will bear testimony to this. Some said they had faith; but their faith never produced watermelons, squashes, cucumbers, nor anything else. Now, works will produce faith, and works will produce good trees and good fruit.

We dedicate and consecrate the wine or water that we partake of in the sacrament, and we also dedicate the bread to the Lord; and it should be just so with everything: it should all be dedicated to the Lord; and upon all that we do and put our hands unto, we should ask his blessings. We should never meddle with anything on this earth that we cannot lay our hands upon and bless and dedicate and consecrate to the Lord, that it may be for the accomplishment of what it is designed, and produce the very effects that we desire.

I could talk about a great many simple things of this kind, but you laugh. When I talk about such things as cucumbers and watermelons, many laugh, and I hate to be laughed at when I am telling the honest truth and speaking of the simple things of the kingdom of God.

Bless you, this world was made out of small things. I was small, indeed, when I was in the loins of my father Adam; I must have been very small, and so must you, for you were all there: but here I am, a grown man, and, perhaps, nearly as large as Father Adam was. Perhaps I am not so large: I may have become degenerated; but be that as it may, I know that I am here.

Brethren, go and dedicate your gardens, and when you get a tree that you want to set out, dedicate the ground, the root, and the elements that you are going to place around it, and ask God to fill it with warmth and with power to vegetate. Dedicate the seed that you are going to put into the earth, and then dedicate the earth, and nourish it when it springs forth, especially in a cold soil; and do not say that it cannot be quickened, for I say it can. There can be substances such as bones, ashes, lime, old hats, and old boots and shoes, and everything that you can get into it will tend to quicken it; and why will this be the case? Because you have asked God to bless it, and because you have put works with your faith. By pursuing this course, you can produce apples and peaches on the low as well as on the high lands. Do I believe that the character and course of this people will cause the earth to produce things that require a warm climate? Yes—the earth will be like the people who inhabit it; and it is the duty of us all to go to work and practice accordingly.

Can you produce flax in this country? Can you produce it, unless you go to work and put in the seed? Can you produce wheat, unless you plough the land, put in the seed, and then irrigate it? Do I believe that this land will produce cotton? Yes, just as well as the land down in the southern country: God can change the climate for the benefit and salvation of his Saints.

There never was an ear of corn raised here till we came, and nobody would believe that we could raise any. Bridger offered brother Brigham a thousand dollars for an ear of corn raised in the valley. The mountaineers had not confidence enough in God to put the seed into the earth; but we have almost produced anything that we have tried, and there has been cotton raised up north in this valley. Bless you, it is colder up north than it is here. Can we raise madder here? Yes, every one can raise it in their gardens, and it can be raised as easily as your beds of flowers. I cannot remember the names of them; but it can be raised upon the same principle that your flowers are raised; and so can silk, only the tree is first raised, and the worm eats the leaves of the tree, and then produces the silk. I am going to talk about home manufacture, and I cannot get my mind upon anything else. You may take a hundred men who have got a hundred wives only, and let me tell you that not fifty years would roll around before they would revolutionize the whole world, if they were men of the right stripe. Why would they do this? Because they would be filled with the power of God, and the very earth that they walk upon would be quickened by them, and the mountains, the sage plains, and the pools of water would feel their power. If it were necessary, those men would control them just as much as Moses did when he struck the rock with the rod that God gave to him, and through the gift and power of God that was in Moses the rock was rent, and the water gushed forth.

Why was this miracle performed? Because it was necessary for the salvation of the children of Israel. Is it necessary that miracles should be performed now? Yes, it is necessary that the Lord should hear us and help us; and he will hear us and bless us, if we are humble and faithful; and he will bless the earth and all that dwell thereon; he will bless our herds, our flocks, our wives, and our children; and they will increase in proportion to our righteousness. These are my feelings in relation to these matters.

Brethren and sisters, let us go to work, everyone of us, and cultivate the earth; for it will not hurt any member of a family to assist in these things: it will not hurt the sisters to assist in making gardens; no, it will not hurt your delicate hands any more than it did in England. I know, and can now see hundreds that worked in the fields with their nice, delicate hands, and their striped petticoats, and it did not take above three yards to make one of those petticoats. I have seen you with your nice shoes and your bed gowns, or some would call them sacks, and your nice aprons tied around, and the apron would cause every pucker just as well as if they had been made in the dress.

This is home manufacture! It is a common occurrence, just as much so as it is for one day to follow another. Why cannot you pursue that course, just as you did in England, in Illinois, in Missouri, or in the Southern States, or in Massachusetts and in Vermont? Did the ladies work there? Yes, they did; they used to sow the onion seed, and then weed the onions, and attend to them, and bring them to maturity; and why is it not as well to do that now as to have to go into it five years hence, as brother Snow has been speaking of?

When the United States muster their forces, and the Devil combines his forces against us, then God will combine his forces against them. But we do not want women to go out and fight, but we want them to stay here and raise everything for our comfort and consolation. We can pursue a course that will make this whole land bring forth. You can have fruit on the low land as well as on the high; you can have fruit at San Pete as well as here. Why, brother Snow will acknowledge that they raise as good pumpkins there as we do here; but they never did till they had faith to plant the seed. Are they going to raise fruit there? Yes, they are; and if the ground is cold, they must stimulate it, but not with whiskey, for that will cost too much.

I intend to take a course to worship God acceptably, and I never saw greater necessity than there is at the present time for us to live our religion and be one; and this is not anything new with me, for I have seen it all the time. Then let us go to with our might and do all things that are required at our hands. Let us make all the cloth we can, and raise all the flax we can; and when we have raised it, let us make that into cloth, and then we shall be able to make every woman shine with homemade clothes, when they come into this congregation with their beautiful wool and linen dresses on, and their bonnets made out of straw that has grown on their own land. I have been thinking about this matter two or three days, for I have some straw on hand, and I have been thinking of advising my women to braid up the straw and have my boys’ hats made before the hot weather comes. I would rather see them do that ten thousand times than to see them go to parties, and then half the boys get drunk. That is not home manufacture, but that is death and destruction to this people.

Now, sisters, go to work and braid your straw, and have it ready when the summer comes. This whole people might have their heads covered with their own home-manufactured goods, and then they would not have to go to those stores and buy hats that are not worth a dime apiece. Suppose the boys were out two years, would not the sisters have to do some of these things then? Is it not better to have things of our own make than to give the merchant a dollar or two for them, and then not have them half so good?

Sisters, gather up the rags—those little fine pieces that you have throwing about, and sew them together, and make nice petticoats and aprons for the little girls, coverlets, &c., and then teach them to do it for themselves, that they may hereafter make good wives. I can tell you there are not one-half of the women that are fit for wives when they are married. They have not been instructed in home manufacture, and some of them have scarcely learned to wash the dishes properly or to take care of things about the house; and the young men are just as bad.

I am not talking to you, young women—I am talking to those that are married; for they ought to be instructors of those that are young. How long would it take a little girl to sit down and make herself a nice petticoat and to pick up some nice pieces to make herself an apron of? But you women who have not got anything to wear did not think of these things. You are now ready to say, “We have not got anything to wear; we have not got any patches, and therefore cannot make any patchwork.” Well, then, tear up your dresses and make some, for that is what a great many of you do. My desire is to stir up your minds to reflection in my simple way, that you may go and attend to some of these matters.

I do not care about the army over at Bridger, and in fact I have scarcely thought of them—at least not for a week past. Will they trouble us? No, they will not, not so as to root us up from this time henceforth and forever, provided we do right. When you are doing those things that I have been speaking of, you are keeping the commandments of brother Heber, the Twelve, and your Bishops. My mind is upon these things; I am led to them, and I will talk about them.

In our first start here, it was almost impossible to get any man to start a tannery, and now we have a great many. I have this from our shoemakers; and I feel to thank God that the gate is shut down, that a deal of the leather that is made here is the best, and that we cannot get their miserable stuff here any more. The Lord will now bless our labor; he will bless the fruits of the earth, he will bless our tanneries, he will bless our sheep, our flocks, and everything we undertake to handle and manage; and that is not all, for we will bless those things too, and we will dedicate and consecrate them to God, and we will ask God to fill the earth with the resurrecting power; for life is the resurrecting power, whether it is little or much, and it is that power which brings forth vegetation: it is the same power which brings forth food and raiment; and by the same power we shall be brought forth in the morning of the resurrection, only there will be more of it in exercise.

We should dedicate all those things to the Lord, with our bodies, our houses, our furniture, the earth that we cultivate, and the seed that we put into the earth; and we should bless the shovel, the hoe, the spade, the sheep, the horses, the cattle, the cows, and all that we possess; and then will not God multiply them unto us? Yes, he will, and we shall get heavier fleeces of wool and more of them. What! Can he bless the fleece? Yes, he can, as easily as he blesses the sheep.

I recollect being in England, in the town of Chadburn, Lancashire; and while there I felt as if my whole system was alive; I felt quickened by some unseen power. Brother Hyde was with me, and he knows that it is true; and I felt to pull off my shoes. We pulled off our hats, for we felt such a sacred and holy feeling. I told brother Joseph about it when I came home; and said he, “Brother Heber, that place was dedicated by one of the old Prophets, and it will always be filled with the spirit of life.” Does not that prove that we can bless the earth? Yes, it does, and we can; and you may call me crazy if you like; and I will say, Bang away, but that does not make me crazy. You may call me visionary, if you please; and I wish to God you were all visionary as those holy men were who dedicated those places in the days of Jesus and the Apostles. They are holy places, and they will be held sacred even as Jackson County; and there is not a man living there but at this day has the spirit of fear upon him and expects that he will have to march some day; and, to this day, no man has ventured to cultivate or build upon the Temple Block. Joseph the Prophet dedicated that land, and they feel the effects of that dedication; and the blessing will remain there, and all hell cannot get it off; and I shall yet see the day that I will go back there, with brother Brigham and with thousands and millions of others, and we will go precisely according to the dedication of the Prophet of the living God. Talk to me about my having any dubiety on my mind about these things being fulfilled! I am just as confident of it as I am that I am called to be a savior of men, and no power can hinder it.

If we do not receive these things, it is because we do not live for them. I want to do everything by the power of God and the inspiration of his Spirit. When I get a new wife, I always dedicate her to God, and this is the way I have done for years. I also make a practice of dedicating my children to the Lord, that they may grow up in his wisdom and increase in his power.

These are little things; but you need not laugh about them, and nobody but fools would laugh; for these things are our very existence.

I want to know of every man and woman, if you were going to place a sacred thing anywhere, and you were to put it in an unholy vessel, whether that vessel would not make it impure? Yes; and it will become unholy because of that cursed thing. If it is the most holy thing in existence, it will become corrupted by coming in contact with unholy things.

I am preaching these things to my brethren and sisters, that they may know, if they have not dedicated and consecrated their children to the Lord, that it has to be done. But you may inquire, “How shall we do it?” You will have to do it as brother Brigham and others have done when in Nauvoo. We had to take our children and wash and anoint them, and place the birthright and father’s blessing upon them in the house of God, and then have them sealed to us; and you will have to do just so.

If you do not take the right course to raise up a holy seed unto the Lord, but jangle and contend one with another, your children will not have so good a chance to get the blessings of celestial glory; but, in proportion as you bring yourselves into subjection, your children will receive the blessings of heaven.

Just as soon as spring opens, I am going to work to put into the earth every kind of seed, and I want my wives to take an interest in these things, in raising the flax and making the cloth. They take a mighty interest in wearing the cloth when it is made; and if they will do these things, the day will come that we will be as rich as we can desire in all things that this earth produces. Our Governor will be rich, and there is not a man on God Almighty’s earth that will begin to compare with him: he will swallow them all up in riches and blessings.

I am opposed to your nasty fashions and everything you wear for the sake of fashion. Did you ever see me with hermaphrodite pantaloons on? [Voice: “Fornication pantaloons.”] Our boys are weakening their backs and their kidneys by girting themselves up as they do; they are destroying the strength of their loins and taking a course to injure their posterity.

Now, just look at me. I have no hips projecting out; they are straight down with my sides. I am serious myself, although I can smile and laugh when I am serious; but these ridiculous fashions I despise, and God knows I despise anything that will tend to destroy the lives of my sisters. What is your existence worth to you? It is worth everything to your posterity; and you ought to consider their interest as well as your own.

There is not a woman in this congregation but would be as straight as I am, if she did not destroy her shape.

Bless your souls, I am talking about home manufacture. I was speaking about it last Sunday, and I would not have said a word about it now, but there were a good many who felt disposed to ridicule brother Lorenzo D. Young’s remarks; therefore I have spoken as I have. I want to know if some of them were not tried by what he said; for some of them were talking about cutting enough off their dresses to make frocks for babies and sending it to him. I wish they would send it to me—I would show them what I would do with it.

Some of you are taking a course like that of the Gentile world—namely, to weaken and destroy the human family, and they are going down to death as fast as they can. Shall we follow in their tracks? Some of them have come up into the tops of the mountains for the purpose of introducing their corrupt and damnable practices and customs.

You may take all such dresses and new fashions, and inquire into their origin, and you will find, as a general thing, they are produced by the whores of the great cities of the world—London, New York, and from Paris, and from all the Gentile cities. Now this is true, gentlemen, and brother Brigham, brother Taylor, and a great many others can bear witness of it.

There is a new fashion that our boys have got hold of, and Spanish bits and bridles, and then with their hermaphrodite pantaloons they look ridiculous. I will speak of my own boys, for they are like the rest, and have to take things rough-and-tumble as they come in this mountain life—to go into the woods, take hold of a lion’s beard, and tell him to stand still: their backs are like the women’s; they are cut nearly in two with these cursed fashions, so that they have but little strength left in them.

I understand those officers out yonder have got a good many women with them, and I do not believe there are twenty in the whole camp but what are whores, and they designed to come here to set you a pattern and to moralize this community. I say, Will they not feel pretty straight by next spring? I think they will feel considerably cooled off by next spring, and I have an idea that by that time they will feel disposed to quit their prostitution; and if they do not go away, we will make them march pretty quick. Those soldiers cannot rule ever us, nor their civil officers either, for they are the meanest of the corruption of the world. It makes me angry, but I will not sin about it; but I feel displeased at such things.

We shall prosper from this time forth. Now you may mark it, and you will see that those who will do right will prosper. I will tell you, if we cannot take a course to put iniquity out of our midst, and if men will take a course to demoralize themselves, we will draw the line and divide the evil from the good, and we will have those who corrupt themselves stay at home and let the pure in heart go out to war. And this is not all: I am opposed to any man’s going into these mountains to stand between us and our enemies that will get drunk. We do not want any man there but what we can lay our hands upon and dedicate to the Lord; and we do not want any there but who will do that which is right in the sight of God and man; but we want men that will pray and keep their covenants sacred. In short, we want men that are ac– ceptable in the sight of God: they are the men we want.

We want the home manufacturing men; and away with your trash and nonsense, for I am sick of it. I do not say but I have some traditions about me, for I know that I have; but I wish they were off far away. My desire is that I may do everything that is right from this time forth and forever; and I feel, as I heard brother Brigham say, a few days ago, that I am as independent of those little, nasty, wicked spirits as God is upon his throne, when I am right myself; and so is every other man.

It is true that we are the best people there are on the earth. But still there are a great many things I do not like to see; and one is—when men get up a party, I do not like to see drinking whiskey the very first thing that is introduced, and especially to go so far as to pollute themselves. Some of you might say, “Brother Kimball, your boys have been doing the same thing.” If they have, I do not fellowship them in that; but I disfellowship them for so doing, and so does brother Brigham and every other good man. I do not care whether it is a son or a wife that does wrong—I will not fellowship them in that wrong, for I am not partial. I care just as much about the English as the Irish or the Americans, and I guess I manifest it pretty well.

If you cannot obey those you have seen, how can you obey those you never saw? You never will see those whom brother Brigham and his brethren represent, unless you first obey those that you see every day. We are God’s representatives; and if you want to know whether you will ever go into the presence of God, I can tell you that you never will, unless you learn to obey your brethren. Then live to sustain the authorities of this kingdom by your works, and we shall live scores of years.

Brother Brigham never will die by the hand of an enemy, neither will I, nor any of you, if you will do your duty. Brother Brigham is just as secure as the roots of a tree, if every limb performs its duty. I tell you it is hard to tell things just as a man has them in his mind. For my own part, I have not got the language.

Now, if you are determined to destroy yourselves, I am perfectly willing, providing you do not destroy the fruit of your loins; but many of you are taking a course to destroy that by your ridiculous fashions.

Now, suppose that any of you were to take a tree and tie the limbs in a strait place, so that they were obliged to remain in it, will that tree be as thrifty as those that are loose? No, it will not; and if you do not believe it, go into my garden, and you will there see trees with the limbs crossing each other at various angles; and the consequence is that they are gnarly or diminutive in size, and very inferior in appearance, and perhaps they will never produce any fruit.

Do not desire your children or your children’s children to stop their growth, and do not you take a course to render them impotent and imbecile. I am talking to you, ladies; and then, again, I am talking to you, gentlemen, that wear those hermaphrodite pantaloons.

May the Lord God bless this people, and bless his servant that leads them; and I bless everything that sticks to him; and the blessings of salvation shall be with you; for I promise you these things in the name of Israel’s God. Amen.

A Discourse by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, December 27, 1857.

It seems to fall to my lot to occupy a few moments this morning; and I feel to say that this is a blessed place, and that this is a blessed people, and that they are partaking of a great many blessed things.

If the Latter-day Saints could prize and comprehend the blessings that are given unto them, and if our minds were enlightened continually by the Holy Spirit, we should feel ourselves blest and comprehend that we are made partakers of the greatest blessings which the Lord imparts unto the children of men—I may say far greater than the rest of our fellow creatures who now inhabit this earth.

The Lord says, Whosoever are quickened by a portion of the celestial spirit and abide a celestial law, they shall inherit a celestial glory; whosoever are quickened by a terrestrial spirit shall inherit a terrestrial glory. I realize this, and consider that the Lord has revealed unto us the celestial law; that is, he has given unto us the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and has given us a knowledge of the principles of eternal life. The Lord reveals truth unto the children of men; by which truth we are to be qualified and prepared for exaltation. Truth has been presented in its simplicity, so that it might be comprehended by the sons of men.

As I reflect this morning upon the condition of the human family, and consider how differently we are situated from the masses of mankind, I do feel that we ought to be grateful to our great Benefactor. There are millions of the human family who assemble in various houses, in cathedrals, churches, and chapels for the purpose of worshipping God; but is there one of those numerous congregations who come together with an understanding of the truth, except there be some Latter-day Saint Elder who is called to preach to the inhabitants of the earth? Do they come together understanding the principles of the same Gospel, the same plan of salvation, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in a way and manner to make them one?

Now, God could not make a people one with so many kinds of faith and such a multiplicity of doctrines, diametrically opposed to each other, as exist in the world. But we are a blessed people: we have the principles of union and oneness with us; and by carrying them out, they bind us together and make us one.

It is upon this principle that the Latter-day Saints are blest and made free. We are delivered in a great measure from those troubles and perplexities, false doctrines, the darkness, the error, and superstition by which our minds have been beclouded, until the light has made manifest unto the children of men that they were in darkness; for this was the case with us all. Until the light came, we were groveling in the dark, in a great measure. Though we might be honest, and we might be actuated by the best and holiest feelings, yet, until the fulness of the Gospel was revealed, the world were like the blind groping for the wall. We had no Apostles—no Prophets; we had no inspired men to rise up and tell us what to do to be saved; and we had to go through with all that trouble, misery, and darkness to which the children of men are subject while living under false doctrines, false traditions, and false teachers.

I have frequently remarked in my life, and I was sincere in the sentiment in saying that I would rather take a six months’ tour in the Penitentiary than to go through with a six months’ conviction and conversion in the sectarian world, according to their order of doing business. Let any man go through the ordeal of six months’ conviction and conversion in the Presbyterian Church, and then be made acquainted with the true plan of salvation, and he will feel about as I do upon the subject.

Read the history of any man, and read his experience in the religious world, and you will find that it is worse, as far as the affliction of the soul is concerned, than as long a time in the Penitentiary. We will take a Presbyterian revival. A man is called by the sectarian excitement to get religion. He goes to the clergy—I do not care whether it is in a synod or in any other place; but suppose that he has a great desire to seek after the plan and principles of salvation, and he applies to the clergy, they will tell him like this—You must surrender yourself to the Lord. He goes to work to pray and fast, and he is faithful and diligent in trying to give his heart to the Lord; but he is still in trouble, and he goes to the priest and informs him of his situation; and the priest tells him all the time—You must give your heart unto God; you must be willing to be damned and to suffer all things for the sake of Christ. The minister still pleads with him to submit himself to God; but he does not tell him the first step which he ought to take in order to have his sins forgiven and obtain salvation, but tells him continually that he must do it—that he must give his heart to God. The result is that the man mourns and weeps, and by-and-by he thinks that he has committed the unpardonable sin, and he gets so that he thinks it is the worst sin that he can commit to pray when going through these feelings and this trial.

I have read the history of many strong-minded men; and besides this, I know my own history and experience: I know the way the children of men suffer in attempting to give their hearts unto God; and, as I have said, as far as the feelings of the children of men are concerned, it would not be grieving their feelings any more in bearing the reproach of their neighbors to be sent to prison for crime, than some men have endured in getting religion.

What is the reason of all this? It is because they have not the same law—because there is not any man inspired to rise up and teach them the way to be saved—no Apostle to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, in the midst of these trials and tribulations, many of you can remember how many nights and days you have spent in suffering and distress, trying to give your hearts to God. And when you have been called into the circle of ministers, have they not called upon you again and again to come to the anxious bench and get religion? I can well remember it, although I never joined any church at all until I joined the Latter-day Saints; but yet I attended meetings, and I have been called upon day after day and night after night to give my heart to God, so much so that I would get mad to be told to do a thing so many times that I was all the time trying to do; for I had a desire to do that which was right, but did not know how to take the first step; and those who taught could not tell me how.

Now, had there been an Apostle there to have said, “Go and repent, be baptized for the remission of your sins, and then I will lay my hands upon you that you may receive the Holy Ghost, which will lead and guide you into all truth; it will enlighten your mind in relation to the principles of eternal life, and it will show you things past, present, and to come;” how easy this would have been, providing a man inspired of God had been there.

In relation to these things, this people are truly blest; but the world are in worse darkness than they were before Joseph Smith received revelation from heaven. They have gone into thicker darkness, for the Gospel has been offered to the children of men—to the most of the Christian nations during the last twenty-five years, and in a great measure they have rejected it; but before the light came to them they did not know what to do, for the world were bound up in ignorance, darkness, and by false traditions, false principles, and false teachers who gave unto the children of men their erroneous opinions for doctrines of salvation.

We are liberated from these things: the cloud of darkness is taken from us, and the light of eternal truth has begun to shine upon our minds.

Some of this assembly have embraced this Gospel in foreign countries, and many of us in this our native land; and now we have all come together to hear preaching, exhortation, and receive instruction in the things of God, and we have come expecting to hear the truth; and in this we have not been disappointed, for we do hear the truth from this stand. We have been taught the pure principles of virtue and righteousness by the servants of God.

The knowledge we have received has taken from us those troubles of mind and soul and those distressing feelings which were occasioned by those false doctrines and traditions that were implanted in our minds in early life, and that have caused us so much suffering in days that are gone. Then, I say, it is a great blessing that God has given unto us the celestial law—the principles of the Gospel that will lead to celestial glory and eternal lives.

The Lord has for years past been continually revealing the simple principles that will bring us back into the presence of our heavenly Father, and which will give unto us a place in his celestial kingdom, if we abide a celestial law.

We can all see the effects of the establishment of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, and we perceive that the effects of the Gospel are very different from false tradition and from sectarian absurdities that deluge the world. The requirement is that men shall abide the celestial law of God, in order that they may be quickened by that power and be united by those principles with the Apostles, and Prophets, and all those beings who have been quickened by it in ages that are gone, and dwell in the light and presence of God, and be forever in the society of the city of Enoch and our brethren who have gone before us, and who have been made perfect by the same Gospel which we have received.

If we were to go into the celestial world, we should then be actuated by the spirit that predominates there, and have continually with us those principles by which we should be governed. We have got to possess the same spirit and principles in this world, and we have got to abide a celestial law here, and be united upon the principle that unites the people of God who dwell in his presence, in order to get the same glory that they enjoy.

These are the principles that are taught us from day to day, and we must learn to carry them out, and we must lay aside our selfishness and all false principles that we have imbibed and that have been taught us from our infancy, in order that we may obtain the blessings and power of God.

It is different with us from what it is and will be with the children of this people. As one of the old Prophets said, speaking of the gathering in the last days, when they would come together, wake up from their drowsiness, get to understand principle, and see their true position, they will say, “Surely our fathers have inherited lies, and things wherein there is no profit.” And it is truly so; for we can already say that our fathers have inherited lies, and we have inherited many of their traditions.

Until we heard the fulness of the Gospel, we were filled with traditions and false doctrines; and the teachers of the day did not instruct men to walk in the same path, but they were continually teaching something that would divide men in their feelings, and that would produce as many different creeds and schisms as there were sects in the world; and hence we have all the evils attendant upon that course of life.

This puts me in mind of a circumstance that happened when I was preaching in Kentucky. I preached upon the first principles of the Gospel, and at the close of my discourse I gave the privilege for anyone to ask questions or to make remarks, if they felt so disposed. A gentleman arose, and I noticed that a great many of the congregation began to laugh; and I afterwards learned that the gentleman was an infidel, and hence the congregation were disposed to make fun of him. He said, “I will not detain you long, but I wish to state to this large congregation that Mr. Woodruff has taught me more this evening than I ever learned in my whole life before. From my boyhood I have been searching into religion; and when I have asked a minister in relation to the way of life, he would point me to the way he was walking himself; then I would ask another, and he would point out a different way; and I might have asked a hundred, and they would all have pointed out a different road, and they would tell me that I must be born again. I observed men who were said to be born again, and one class of men who were said to be born again would take one way, and another would take quite a different road; and I always marveled at this, for I did not see any sense in men taking different roads to lead to the kingdom of heaven. But now this man, Mr. Woodruff, has told me the truth, and shown me the reason they took so many different roads after they were born again; and the reason is, because they were all born BLIND.”

This in reality is the case, for many of us have been born again according to the traditions of our fathers; but those that keep the celestial law and obey the principles of the Gospel of Christ, you never find them taking different roads. There is but one right road, and it is a straightforward one; and the principles and rules that govern you in that path are simple and easy to be understood. This is the path for us to walk in, and I consider that we are greatly blessed in having learned the true way and in being delivered from that yoke of bondage that has chained us down with error, false doctrine, and false teachers.

This I count one of the greatest blessings that God has given to the children of men, to have the plain truth pointed out to them. You look at the religions of the day, and see their confusion and the mystery that hangs around them: you may present the truth to them as plainly as you can, and so simply that an intelligent child might understand, and still they cannot comprehend it. You ask a man among them about the character of God, and about his attributes, and what can he tell you? They will preach about God, about the Son, and the Holy Ghost, long sermons, to prove that those three personages are one; and when they get through, they know nothing about it, and conclude it is a great mystery.

Where is the man or woman that comprehended anything about God or about eternity until Joseph Smith revealed the fulness of the Gospel? I could read of those things in the Bible which we now believe in and receive; but I was surrounded by the traditions of the world and could not comprehend them.

We are now taught, from time to time, the plain principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the plan of salvation—the way to live in order to have the approbation of our Father in heaven. Is not this a blessing above all blessings? If this people could comprehend their blessings, they never need have an unhappy moment. If this people could comprehend the position they stand in and their true relationship to God, they would feel perfectly satisfied, and they would realize that our heavenly Father is merciful unto us, and that he has bestowed great and glorious blessings upon us.

When we consider that we can come into this Tabernacle and sing, pray, preach, exhort, and bless, and that there is no sheriff standing at our doors with writs to arrest us, we may consider these things as blessings from the hands of the Almighty; for they are such.

As brother Brigham, brother Heber, and many others have said, there is not a man that is capable of entering into the celestial kingdom of God who is not willing to receive the instructions of his brethren and abide the law of God. There is not a man in this kingdom, who has got the right spirit within him, but who thanks God for the mountains and for the five hundred miles of sage plains that lie between us and the homes of our enemies.

The hand of God has been visible in bringing us here, and it has been visible with us all the time, as far as we have taken the counsel that has been given us. These are truths that cannot be disputed.

I feel comfortable and truly thankful in my mind for the blessings bestowed upon us, and I feel to pray that we as a people may increase in the knowledge of God and of the laws of his kingdom, and in the knowledge of all those principles that lead to glory, to exaltation, and eternal lives, and that will lead us back to our Father in heaven. The troubles of the children of men are very numerous, but a great many of them are borrowed. I believe two-thirds of the troubles of men are borrowed. It appears to be a natural gift, or it seems natural to us to borrow trouble; and it is a good deal so with our blessings: we look forward to some future time when we are going to enjoy great and glorious blessings, but our blessings are at the present time. This is the time that we should enjoy the blessings that God has given us. We should rejoice today, and be happy today, and feel to thank the Lord for the blessings that he has put into our hands; and as to borrowing troubles, we should let them all pass; for it is sufficient for us to pass through troubles and trials when they are upon us; and if we pursue this course, we may escape a great many imaginary, trying, and perplexing scenes.

Many of us have expected trouble this winter from enemies; and it did appear as if trouble was inevitable, to look at things naturally. We may look at things as they may approach us next summer, and we may expect that our enemies will seek to destroy us; and in fact I do not doubt but that it is now in the hearts of the children of men to concoct schemes for our destruction; for we know they desire to have this people blotted out of existence. They have not the Spirit of God, but they are in worse than midnight darkness; and the consequence is, they do not delight or desire to see anybody live upon the earth who will serve God and carry out his purposes. They are afraid of the power of true religion and of the consequences that must necessarily arise; and hence they feel to say in their hearts, There shall not a kingdom be upon the earth that belongs to God.

This is the feeling of our enemies; for they are stirred up by Satan to root out every principle of righteousness and truth from the earth. Can they do this? No, they never can. Why not? Because God reigns, governs, and controls the ship of Zion, and he has established the principles of eternal truth upon the earth, and they do dwell in the hearts of the children of men, and they will bring forth fruit to the honor and glory of God. We do know and understand that this kingdom will not be given to another people; for it is established with a promise never to be given to another people: but, with the light of the Holy Spirit, we shall subdue our enemies and overcome every obstacle. It is our duty to be continually increasing in faith, that we may be enabled to call upon the Lord with acceptance, and that we may stay our enemies and hedge up their way; and let us pray for them, and let us continue to believe that, if we do as we are told, we can accomplish whatever we are united upon; and be assured that the Spirit of God will not lead us to unite upon anything that is evil.

We know it is right to establish a kingdom of God upon the earth, and we know it is right to establish in the hearts of men the principles of life and salvation which God has revealed through Joseph the Prophet.

If we will do our duty and listen to those that are set to lead us, we shall find that the hand of God will be over us for our good, and it will be against those that are planning for our destruction; and God will strengthen and uphold this people until the day comes for the kingdom of God to spread itself abroad, and until the law of God is issued forth from Zion. We shall find that this will be the case; and inasmuch as we have these privileges and this faith, as Saints of the Most High, we should prize them and lay hold of them with one united heart, and not consider that the battle is to the strong or the race to the swift; for the Lord holds the destinies of all, and we are in his hands.

I do feel thankful to see the spirit of peace and the spirit of cleansing here at home. I am thankful that I see the time when wicked men do not delight to dwell here in Utah, and I do feel that the righteousness, the conduct, and the acts of this people in general will be such that it will be a hot place for wicked men.

It is our duty to live in this manner so that we can ferret out iniquity wherever it exists. Men that come here to seek for our gold and silver find that it is now too hot for them. The day has now come that they cannot bear the burning heat of Zion, and I am glad of it; and I also hope that we may still increase, for there is still room for more improvement. We speak of improvement, and truly there has been a great improvement in the midst of this people; but there is still room for great advancement to be made, for many of us are still a long way short of being prepared for the celestial kingdom and of having the reward promised to celestial and exalted beings.

There is great room for every man to labor and to improve his life, that he may be prepared to meet our Father in heaven and to enjoy the same glory that those participate in who are heirs to the celestial kingdom of God. Notwithstanding these things are before us, I fear that we do not sufficiently appreciate them; but we must learn to so order our lives that we shall be ready at any moment to respond to any and every call that may be made upon us.

We feel at home here, and we feel that this is the place for us; and my constant prayer to God is that we may not only enjoy, but that we may prize the privileges that are afforded us—prize the day that we live in, and the City of Great Salt Lake where we dwell.

Those who have been here for years past do not realize the difference that there is between this place and the world; but I can tell you that, with the wicked, it is one continual scene of blasphemy and of every species of wickedness that is calculated to lead the mind down to death and to lead men and women from the way of life, and from the holy Gospel of Jesus Christ, and from everything that is calculated to produce holiness and purity in the human mind.

The power that predominates here has a tendency to lead us in the path of virtue and rectitude and to unite us together: it will lead us to obey the law of heaven and to carry out those principles that we are taught day by day. In this way we can do right and have the approbation of our heavenly Father; and then he will preserve us from all our enemies, whether they be few or many; and though the whole world be arrayed against us, the Lord will as sure preserve us and make a little one a great nation as he delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage; and this kingdom will become, as Daniel has seen it, a great mountain, and fill the whole earth.

These and all the blessings and promises which he has given will be fulfilled in their time and in their season; which may the Lord grant for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Evening, November 29, 1857.

What we have heard from our President is most heavenly, and it is truth. We many times say it is “God’s truth.” I want to know if there ever was any truth that was not his? Now, just reflect and see if ever there was a truth that we received or heard, or if there ever will be, except what is God’s truth. No—there never was; for truth proceedeth from him.

Those ideas are according to my feelings—my desires, and they are according to the Spirit that has been given unto me. I have sought in my simplicity to produce the most simple things that I possibly could, to show this people the propriety of becoming one. You know I have brought up the apple tree, the peach tree, the grape and all the variety of vines, the cucumber, the watermelon, and every other simple thing, to show unto this people that we have to become like those vines and those various bodies which I have men– tioned—like unto the apple tree, for instance, which is a corporate and independent body, just as you and I are independent, inasmuch as we act in concert with the truth and with the personage that produced us.

Did God produce us? He did, and every son and daughter of Adam upon the face of this earth; and he produced us upon the same principle that we produce one another. And so it is with the fruit of creation.

The ideas advanced by brother Brigham about the manufacture and conducting of gas afford a good illustration of the operations of the Holy Ghost through the Priesthood. The place where the gas is manufactured may be called the fountainhead; then, by a power at headquarters, it is carried by pipes and propelled through every avenue, even to the extremity of the city.

When that gas is conveyed to a city, it gives light. It is so also with the Holy Spirit. There is sufficient of it to be conveyed to every man and woman according to their necessity; for Jesus says that every son and daughter that cometh into the world receiveth of his light, and it proceeds from headquarters.

I have spoken upon these things before, not using this figure in particular, but upon the same principle.

A Bishop has power to dictate and control his Ward, even as he is dictated by those over him. When a family or that portion of the city who receive their light from him, reject that pipe, or that authority, they reject the authority, or the pipe, that conveys the light to them. It is so with the Seventies and also with every Quorum in this Church.

There are seven Presidents of the Seventies; then there is one man that presides over the six. Are the six to be subject to the first of their number? They are; for he is the head of that limb; and if the six reject that man, they reject the authority or the pipe that conveys light to them.

If the Quorums of the Seventies reject their limbs or Presidents, who are, even to the seventieth Seventy, connected to the main limb of the Seventies, they also shut off the light which would flow to them. Whom are the Seventies amenable to? They are amenable to the men that preside over them; and it is so with every department of the Priesthood, from the authority of the Apostleship down to that of the Teacher.

“What a strange doctrine,” says one, “that we should be taught to be one!” I tell you there is no way for us to prosper and prevail in the last day only to learn to act in union.

As to the holy Priesthood and the government of this Church, I can say that we shall, as a people, prevail in the name and by the authority of Jesus. If we will take this course and be one, we shall rule the house of Israel, and everything on the earth will be subject to us. This is the doctrine that has been taught us all the time.

I will acknowledge that I am sometimes eccentric. There is no man who has not, at some periods, eccentric feelings. These feelings correspond with the feelings of this people; and I believe and know that they control me in my speaking, or else I should not say a great many things that I do. I have heard brother Brigham say a great many times, “Why, I have spoken thus and so, and I believe that the people feel as I have spoken.”

To be eccentric in speaking means to occasionally depart from the point of argument—to run off to the east and then come back—to run off to the north, to the south, to the west, and return again to the center. This feeling is in every man at times, and the Elders who speak from this stand have to speak so as to answer the queries and dispositions of the people, otherwise they would talk right in a beeline.

Am I afraid that we shall be overcome? No, I am not. I never have, to my knowledge, had a feeling in my heart, from the day that I came into this Church unto the present time, that this kingdom would be overcome; neither have I now. But there are people here; and a people will grow out of this people that will stand forever.

I never was more joyful in my life than I am now. I thanked my Father this morning, I thanked him last night, and I thank him every day of my life that the time has come when he has said to his servant the Prophet, “Shut down the gate, and never—no, never admit those men here who would take your life and the lives of the brethren, and seek to lead my people to destruction.” Am I not glad at this? I am; and that man or that woman who is not glad is not blest—is not a Saint. Those who do not rejoice at this time are not living their religion.

[President B. Young: “They are all glad.“]

Some say there is no tea in the stores, and that is verily true. There is no coffee, factory, calico, satins, silks, thread, needles, bonnets, nor any luxuries; and I am glad of it.

Have we needlemakers here? Yes; we have men here who can make the finest needles as well as the largest and the best, and every kind of cutlery, and every kind of satin, just as good as there is in the world.

Can we make linen? Yes. Why can we not make linen just as well as they can in England? I have seen some of the sisters now before me in the old countries, throwing the shuttle, weaving cotton, linen, silks, satins, ginghams, woolen plaids, &c., &c. You can do it here as well as you could there.

Can we make sugar here? Yes, just as good as ever was made in the Southern States. Can we raise hemp? Yes—just as good as ever grew.

Brother W. C. Staines raised some Chinese sugar cane on brother Brigham’s lot down here. There was about one of those Chicago wagon boxes full of stalks: I suppose one of them will hold 25 or 30 bushels. He sent that down to brother Hugh Moon’s, and he made 14 gallons of as good molasses as ever came from any portion of the world. Brother Brigham did not expect that it would make over three or four gallons.

If we can make molasses, by boiling it a little more, we can make good Muscovado sugar. I have got beet molasses by me now of last year’s make, and at the bottom of the keg it is good grained sugar.

It is like unto making maple sugar. I know how to make it; I know how to boil it, make it into molasses, and into sugar; and these men who are now sitting on the stand, and who have lived in the United States, all know how to make maple sugar. The boiling and cleansing is all the art there is in it. The sooner we go to work to produce these things the better, for we have got to go without tea, coffee, and tobacco until we raise them. I see no chance only for us to go to work as we have been instructed.

Years ago, in the days of Joseph, the Lord gave a revelation instructing this people to produce what they wanted for their own use by their own labor; and you have been taught it from that day to the present time, and the Lord has brought us into these mountains to bring to pass these very things, that we may become a free and independent people. To produce these things ourselves is necessary for our temporal and spiritual salvation.

You say you are going to work to cache up your grain, and so am I. I am going to work to raise a better crop next year than I have this, and I am going to work to make boxes to put it in; then I will dig holes and cache them, and the next year after that I will do likewise. And how long will it be before we shall have seven years’ provisions on hand, if you all do likewise?

A great many do not know the meaning of the word cache. Well, Cache Valley up here—almost the first company that passed through there, afraid of being overtaken by the wintry storms, cached some of their articles, and the mountaineers cached their furs; and from these circumstances, Cache Valley took its name; for they dug holes and buried their substance, and this is caching.

I am going to begin to collect all the wheat I can, flour it, and put it in good, dry boxes; and if it is well pressed down, I think it will keep longer than wheat: besides, the mice will not then be able to make such ravages upon it.

When we have done all this, shall we put it in the ground? No. Put it in your granaries, and have it ready for caching. We shall not cache our substance until it is considered necessary.

It is the duty of the Bishops to plan for the people in their Wards. Let every Bishop take a course to design for his people. This is the way for them to do, and this is their calling; and in so doing they will be blest, and this whole people will be sustained, and God will bless us and will hold our enemies; yes, he will hold them a great deal easier and far more secure than you can hold a horse with the Spanish bits. He is not going to let this people be overcome, if we do as we are told from time to time. Let us do as we have been told here today—lay aside our foolishness, our vanity, and bad habits, and I just know that all will be well.

Suppose I yield to the practice of drinking liquor, one draught gives me a greater thirst for another; my appetite increases as I nourish it, till by-and-by, I will want it regularly, and I am finally overcome. Let a man do an evil today, and the temptation will be stronger for him to do it tomorrow.

Brethren, let us take a course to keep the commandments of God, and do just as we are told from this time henceforth, and never cease our operations in everything that is good. Never let us cease our mechanical operations, and let us be diligent in cultivating the earth and accumulating everything we can think of that will be useful. If you will take this course, you will not be obliged to put for the mountains next year, nor the year after, and so on, if we will do exactly right.

I would prefer to go into the mountains, and see my family go there, and live on roots, wearing sheepskins, and goatskins, and dwelling in tents and caves, as the ancient Apostles did, rather than to see the troops of the United States come into this Valley, and to suffer, and see the sufferings of this people, as we have hitherto. [The congregation responded, Amen.] I have seen myself, with many of this people, broken up and driven five times, and robbed and plundered; and they have suffered in such a manner as I never want to see them suffer again.

I calculate, by the help of God, to do as I am told, to make preparations for peace and for war, for plenty, for hard times, and for every emergency—to arm myself and my sons with the armor of peace and righteousness, and then with the armor of death, and to carry the means of self-defense in one hand, and cultivate the earth with the other, and having the righteousness of Christ in my heart, and execute righteousness with the sword of the Spirit, temporally and spiritually.

Now, here is peace, here is prosperity, here is happiness, here is life, here is repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and the way to obtain eternal lives. Accept of it, if you please; and if you will not, you will suffer the consequences. I intend to take the right course, and to help to arm my boys and my brethren, and to do the best that I can for the welfare of the house of Israel.

You probably recollect what Jesus said to his disciples when Peter took up the sword and cut off the fellow’s ear: he designed to cut off his head, but missed it. Jesus said, “Those that take up the sword shall perish by the sword. If my kingdom was of this world, then my servants would fight.” Let me tell you, the kingdom that we are in is of this world and also of the world to come, and will stand forever; and we will fight, if our enemies come upon us to slay us—not only the men, but the women and the children.

Well, let us think of these things, and not get angry. I know that I am a stronger man when the Spirit of God is resting upon me than I am at ordinary times; and I know, when I get angry, that it makes me weak—it takes away my strength.

This is the way you feel; for that Spirit makes you mighty and powerful, and fear leaves you. Fear has torment, and torment makes a person weak, and vexes him, and perplexes him, because it is the principle of death.

Keep the Spirit of the Lord and learn to govern your tempers, just as a smith when he goes to work to make a knife or any other kind of edged tool. When he takes it from the fire, he almost always makes it harder than he wants it; and then he has to take the temper down again, until he gets it so that the edge will bend. It is better to bend than to break.

Let us make our passions bend, and become one with our head as every limb and branch pertaining to a tree becomes one with its head, and with the roots from which it springs. God bless you all! Amen.

A Discourse by Elder George A. Smith, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, November 29, 1857.

It is, as usual, with a degree of satisfaction that I arise before you this morning for the purpose of offering a few reflections, hoping that my brethren and sisters will exercise faith to that degree that I may be able to speak freely and communicate such sentiments as may be pleasing in the sight of our heavenly Father and a benefit to ourselves.

From my childhood, history has been a favorite theme. I have loved to read historical works; and for the little time I have been enabled to devote to reading in my younger days I acquired some general knowledge of what is termed “profane history,” but only a limited knowledge of what is termed “ecclesiastical history.” It did not please me to read the quarrels of the Popes and the cruelties that were inflicted by the dominant powers upon the weak. Those matters never pleased me so much as to read the movements of nations for the purpose of establishing dominion and extending empire; consequently, I am not prepared to speak as readily of the history of the religious world as I would upon that portion of history that is generally denominated profane—of the political conditions of different nations at different ages of the world.

A revelation given in the early history of this Church requires the Elders to acquire a knowledge of countries, of things present, of things to come, of things that have been, and so forth. In perusing the histories of Persia, Arabia, India, China, and the nations of modern Europe, I have felt myself more or less actuated in accordance with the instructions given in that revelation.

At the time I could not conceive why it was that the Lord required his servants to acquire a knowledge of those nations and of political subjects; but experience has taught me that he had in it a design of no little importance; for, from the time that the Gospel was first preached, baptism administered, and ordination first conferred the Priesthood upon the heads of men, we have been constantly and continually upon new ground. The officers of the country in which we have lived could never find a law to fit our case; they could never discover any law that would answer their purpose in relation to us.

There was one principle laid down by them, however, that was simple; and that was, that we had to be used up.

The most honorable of all the mobs that have ever been raised against us was that of Jackson County, Missouri; for they came right straight out and plainly acknowledged that the civil law did not afford them a guarantee against the “Mormons;” therefore they would drive them from their county—peaceably if they could—forcibly if they must.

From that day to this, our persecutors have been pretending to act under color of law so far as to hold men while they could be murdered. They would employ a few troops or a mob, under the pretence of legal authority, and hold men still while the assassin could do his work. This has been the course pursued by our enemies all the time up to the present hour.

Inasmuch as we observed the laws of God, we had no occasion to violate the laws of our country; and, as a matter of course, pretexts were sought in vain from the beginning to the end, and the hue-and-cry of treason has been raised from one end of the country to the other. Hence we see the importance of our Elders understanding the national force of laws of kingdoms, the laws of empires, the rules of nations, the relationship of institutions one to another, and the relationship of subjects to their rulers.

An old principle, laid down from the earliest ages of British jurisprudence, from which we received our national institutions, is that allegiance is that ligament or thread which binds the subject to the sovereign, and that, for this allegiance, the sovereign, by an implied contract, owes, in turn, protection to the subject; and the very moment that the Government withholds its protection, that very moment allegiance ceases.

This is as old as the British Constitution, and it is recognized as natural and eternal both in America and Great Britain; and you may trace this principle back through history to the earliest ages of man. The very moment a government ceases to protect its subjects, that moment they are at liberty to protect themselves.

Whenever national powers were exerted to crush the rights of their own subjects, then the right was founded in nature that they should stand up in their own defense; and the principle of self-preservation is in a greater or less degree binding, and it has been acknowledged from the earliest ages that all governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.

For something like a hundred years the kings of Great Britain, as you will see in King James’ translation of the Bible, claimed the title of Kings of Great Britain, France, and Ireland—a power which they could not exercise and maintain, so far as the kingdom of France was concerned; and finally, in the reign of George III, they saw fit to disclaim it.

The assumption of this right was a mere burlesque. Could they control the organization of France and regulate its internal policy? No—they could not. The only thing was to go to war, and then France could resist and sometimes menace the very existence of the British Empire, and yet the kings of England could claim to be kings of France. But were they kings of France? Not unless the people of France said so; for the people choose their kings to reign over them.

This system of claiming authority from some distant claim has been practiced, and is at the present time; and there is now an individual who claims to be king of France, who assumes that title—an individual who does not live in France: he is expelled, but yet he claims to be the sovereign of France. At the same time the people have, by their unanimous voice, placed Louis Napoleon upon the throne, and they carry out his decrees, while a fugitive claims to be king of France, but without the consent of the people, and has not power enough to pull an old setting hen off her nest.

Circumstances might change so as to throw Napoleon from his rather uncertain seat, and might place some other individual there; but no Government can exist there only by the consent of the people, or such a portion of them as is sufficient to awe the rest and preserve peace, union, and harmony.

Tyrants have attempted to resist this principle, and hence almost every man that has got into power has immediately gone to work to lay plans to conciliate the great and mighty sovereign people, and to perpetuate that authority in their families.

History shows us that some of the Roman Consuls attained power and wealth by their military exploits, and then assumed the title of Emperors and rulers over the commonwealth. We find that they assumed that title by the consent of the military power, and that they enlarged themselves by the aid of the military, till they finally gained the supreme power over the people.

All officers and authorities that depend upon the bayonet are very uncertain; hence very few of the Roman Emperors ever came to a natural death. They who hold millions in subjection by the sword are slain as tyrants whenever opportunity affords. These characters have not all the peace and happiness that might be wished for.

Rulers have assumed to control the people by the power of the bayonet, and many who have attempted to do so have fallen in the attempt, and many have fallen into political disgrace and been destroyed because they attempted to crush down the feelings of a free people. It was in consequence of this that the American revolution was brought to pass.

The American revolution was simply the result of attempting to coerce, by the point of the bayonet, measures that the people of the colonies were unwilling to consent to. The Parlia– ment wished to impose, without their consent, rulers, taxes, and laws which they themselves had no voice in making; and this brought about a revolution, which ended in establishing the present Government of the United States.

The Constitution of the United States was only a little enlargement of the freedom guaranteed under the British Constitution, our revolutionary fathers not thinking any other position or principle as safe or as good; and they made it to surround them with a degree of security, as their fathers did in the British Constitution, forming it somewhat after its model and style. Instead, however, of an hereditary King, they elected a President to hold office for four years; and instead of a House of Lords, they elected a Senate, composed of members or representatives elected by the several State Legislatures; and instead of a House of Commons, they elected the House of Representatives by an apportionment of the people; and in fact, the organization is very similar to that of the mother country. The President represents the hereditary Sovereign, the members of the Senate representing the States, and the House of Representatives the people of the United States, instead of having the members of the House of Commons who represent the property of the realm.

In tracing these things down, and examining and well considering them, they show us, as it were in a glass, our real position.

Now, I do not suppose that there was a man scarcely in the whole assembly who anxiously desired in his heart to move a thousand miles into the middle of a desert with his family, to live in this barren, desolate, cold country. I do not suppose there was an individual but would have preferred to inhabit the vacant prairies of Illinois, Iowa, or Missouri, than to have been under the necessity of wandering into a desert, surrounded by mountains, in the midst of sage plains, where nothing could be raised except by artificial irrigation.

We were willing to come here, simply because we were forced to go somewhere where we could enjoy our religion, which we could not do where we were. This is the principle that brought us here. This is the reason that we were willing to forego the ten thousand comforts that could surround us in the world, and come and turn the wilderness into a fruitful field. Of necessity, I say, we came here willingly, because we were forced to. There was no place else for the Apostles and Prophets to go to.

We petitioned the several States and also the United States for an asylum where we could enjoy ourselves; and all our petitions were answered with coldness and indifference, and there was not a place in the United States where a man that professed to be a Latter-day Saint could have peace. There was nothing but to be mobbed, driven, his houses burned, wherever he might be; and no governor, no legislature, no authority would extend any better prospect than the repetition of the murder, robberies, and persecution we had suffered in Missouri, and that we were then enduring in Illinois.

Under these circumstances we came here, and silently and quietly continued coming away from every part of the Union, and our friends from other nations flocked here from various parts, until we had conquered the desert, and turned the mountain streams, and caused vegetation to grow, and produced grain of considerable variety and of excellent quality. We had begun to make ourselves comfortable, and we had the prospect of peace, as there was nobody upon the face of the earth that would have inhabited this sterile country—a thousand miles from civilized society, where there were no inhabitants but a few naked, savage Indians, whom we cared for and befriended.

The gold fever broke out, and thousands of the gold miners from all nations passed through our settlements. We fed them, for they came here naked and destitute, and we enabled them to proceed on their way, or they would have starved to death in the desert. But although we did this, scarcely an individual desired to stay in this barren country. They could look around and then say, “You are a pack of damned fools to stay in this barren desert;” and they would ask, “Why do you stay here in such a barren country?” It was for something more precious than gold: it was for the privilege of worshipping God under our own vine; and it was with the greatest difficulty that we could raise a vine to worship under, and there was scarcely a tree grew in the valleys. Here we could worship, and here we remain, and what is the result? The moment that our settlements had extended far to the south and to the north—the moment that we were placed in a position that starvation did not stare us in the face, and that a man dare eat as much as his appetite craved, without thinking that he would have to go without tomorrow, that moment the great nation, of which we are a part, rich in gold and silver, powerful in numbers, wealth, and learning, place themselves in a position to annihilate us, to drive us from our homes in the fastnesses of the mountains.

Now, my brethren and sisters, we remember that all good governments are by the consent of the governed; we remember the old principle that allegiance is the thread which ties the subject to the governor; we remember the thread which ties the subject to the Government, and for which the Government owes the subject protection. I ask, Did the Government of the United States ever extend its protection to us? Did it protect us in Missouri? Did it protect us in Illinois? Did it protect us in Iowa? Did it protect us in Nebraska? No, never. We had to protect ourselves or perish and share the fate that lambs share in the paws of wolves. This is the principle as it is presented to us. Have they ever protected us in these mountains? No: we protect ourselves. We made the roads, we explored the country, and we have protected them whenever they passed here; and we have fed, clothed, and aided them on their journeying, and extended every kindness; but have they protected us? No; but they have stirred up the savages of the desert to destroy our weak settlements. This has been the result, and yet we have not been ten years upon this soil. We have not been scarcely able to acquire the comforts of life. A man has scarcely dared to eat as much as would satisfy his appetite. We had scarcely done this, I say, until they sent their armies by thousands to dragoon this people into subjection, with the avowed aim and object, as published in every paper that comes from the States, to deprive us of our religious rights, and to establish and inflict rights or practices which we abhor, and which we have moved a thousand miles to avoid. I ask them, Shall freedom depart? And, in the language of a Roman, I ask which you prefer—slavery or death? Shall they be left to trample upon the rights of free men? Who will not consider which is to be preferred—FREEDOM or SLAVERY? Shall this people be left to the mercy of men who come here with armies to enforce principles that are as degrading to us as degradation can be?

I presume, brethren and sisters, that there is but one feeling upon that subject. I presume that we are willing to dispense with our tea, with our coffee, our tobacco, our finery, and a hundred other comforts that we might have had, had we remained in the States as others have done, rather than be subject to this degradation and cursed dominion.

May God enable us to hold up our heads, and with all our might, mind, and strength, and our reliance in the Most High, live our religion and be prepared to inherit his glory, is my prayer. Amen.

A Discourse by Elder Amasa M. Lyman, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Nov. 22, 1857.

I can say, my brethren and sisters, in truth to my own feelings, that I have been gratified today in what I have heard. I have been edified; and, what is more, I feel that there is only one great reason why we do not realize more fully the blessings that would accrue to us, if we were sufficiently faithful, or as faithful as we might be to the principles inculcated in the remarks that have been made; and that reason is, we do not, to the extent that we might, “live our religion.”

We are not as perfectly united as we might be. I think that this is true. It is as certainly true as it is true that, if we could keep the law of God perfectly, we should realize a corresponding degree of happiness, peace, and affection in everything that should be made the subject of conversation or of thought, or that should become a matter of principle with the people. It is for us to cultivate that principle within us that should unite us together—that should cause our affections to be one, our feelings to be one, our interests to be one; for in this is our strength.

It may be truly said of us, as it is in the world, that we are united; and they say all the time that, whatever our leaders say or propose, we all go to work and sustain them therein. I would to God that it was true to a greater extent even than that to which our enemies may consider it to be true.

When we are compared with other communities in the world, it might be said of us that we are a united and happy people, for we enjoy a degree of union and the blessings resulting from that union that other communities do not enjoy. But this does not show that we do not fall far short of the perfect union that should cement the Saints of the Most High together.

If we could discover and be made sensible of any means by which we could become more perfectly united—more perfectly one, that would be a matter of importance to us. It would be of value to us, as it would lay a foundation with us for an increase of our intelligence; it would increase our chances of success—our chances of victory in the great struggle with the enemies of our God—with our foes within and our foes without. If we could but cultivate these principles with all our hearts, with all our faith, with all our souls, then our struggles would be barely begun when we should be able to rejoice in the enjoyment of victory.

“Well,” says one, “If we are influenced by the same Spirit—if we all do as the Spirit dictates, shall we not be one?” If all the people—the individuals that compose this community, were individually to be operated upon by the Spirit of God—were all enlightened by that Spirit that reveals the will of God, that makes known his purposes, and that imparts to the benighted soul an understanding of the purposes of the Almighty, so that we could appreciate them, there is no doubt in my mind but that the people would all see alike, and consequently act alike. But is this the case? With all our advantages—with all the instructions that have been given—with Heaven’s kindness in the continued, unremitting stream of revelation that has been poured out upon us for a score of years and more, have we become so enlightened—got understanding so that we all see alike, that we all understand alike? We have but to look and contemplate what we see exhibited around us to become satisfied at once that this is not the case with us as a people. If it were so, such admonitions as are called out from the Presidency of the Church would be uncalled for; they would be unnecessary; the people would not be admonished to be more united, to be more diligent and strict in remembering the principles and in practicing the instructions that are from time to time imparted unto them.

Now, while we cannot sufficiently comprehend the things of God by the Spirit of God to save us from error, and from mistakes, and from disunion, what shall we do? Why, let us humbly adopt the advice, or similar advice to that which is given by the ancient Apostle to his brethren in addressing them. He says, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.”

Now, I do not quote that Scripture to direct you to be overanxious to learn all that the ancient Apostles may have said that might be adapted to the Saints in that time and under those circumstances; but I want you to act in this as they were admonished to act in that time; and if you cannot judge perfectly by the portion of the Spirit of God that you possess, remember that you have a more sure word of prophecy that is imparted unto you from day to day, from Sabbath to Sabbath, from month to month, and from year to year, unto which you do well that you give heed. And the sequel will be, if you give heed unto it, that by-and-by the day will dawn, and the day star of experience, of heaven, and of truth, and of God, will arise in your own hearts, and the fountain of light and life will become established within you.

Well, then, until this is the case, adopt the maxim inculcated in the song of one of our poets, who writes—

“We’ll mind what Brigham says.”

Pay attention to the inspiration of the Almighty from those in whom it lives and dwells—in whom it is a living fountain, as it must be in you, individually, before you will be saved from sin. Let us remember, if we cannot comprehend, by the Spirit that is living within us, all the truth in relation to what we should do and how we should act as we travel along, that we should attend to their instructions, and do what they say. If they instruct us to pray, let us pray; and if they instruct us what to pray for, let us pray for that; and when the fountain of inspiration is opened within us and becomes a living part and parcel of ourselves, then we will know for ourselves and comprehend for ourselves, and the President of the Church will not have to say from day to day and from time to time, “Wake up from your slumber.” He will not have need to tell us of our diversity of sentiment and feelings. There should exist among us a perfect unanimity of feeling.

If we wait for the Spirit of God to do everything, what are we doing the while? We are idling away our time; we are neglecting to use the means placed within our reach for our benefit and improvement. God has raised up in his Church Apostles, Prophets, and Teachers—for what purpose? Simply that you might be instructed—simply that you might be taught and brought to the knowledge of the truth. What truth? Why, the same truth the Apostles and Prophets understand—the same truths that the Seventies, High Priests, Elders, and the servants of God comprehend. It is to bring you to the same inspiration—to the knowledge of God, which is eternal life.

This is all the purpose that is to be accomplished in all this labor. It is the object of these ordinances, the institutions of heaven, to bring us from our ignorance, our want of knowledge, our lack of understanding, to a comprehension of the truth; and when we are brought to that point and place, no matter if we are counted by thousands and tens of thousands, the blessings of the Gospel are ours, if we are united; for we all occupy the same ground, we understand the same truth, and we are all in the same relationship with truth and with God, which make us one. It causes us to feel alike, to think alike, and to act alike.

If this is the case when we pour out our supplications to the heavens, what will be the character of those supplications? They will all be marked with the same consistency: the same understanding of the truth will dictate them. Our will will simply be the will of our President. Well, then, what will we pray for? We will pray for nothing but what will subserve the cause of righteous– ness; we will ask for nothing but what is consistent with the principles of truth and our own advancement in the comprehension of those principles. Would we ask for anything that the heavens would deny? No, we would not. Would our prayers ascend up without hindrance? Yes, they would. For what reason? Because they were marked with union, with truth, with consistency, and righteousness; consequently, they must be acceptable unto our heavenly Father.

What is the reason our prayers are not all answered? The reason is simply because we ask for things that our Father in his wisdom knows would do us no good. They are not answered, because we should cause our Father to defeat himself, if he were obliged to answer all our petitions, all our prayers and supplications. To have our prayers acceptable, they must be consistent; we must ask for nothing but what is pleasing in his sight, in order that our Father may hear and answer our prayers; and in this way we receive that for which we ask.

Now, to gain this point, it is desirable, because of the advantages that we shall secure when it is once gained.

It is possible that it may be the case that some may think there are other matters of greater importance to us and that should possess a higher interest to us than for us simply to become united through the truth. But if there is anything of greater importance, it is something that I do not know—that I have not learned. Victory has been promised unto us, upon the condition that we do right.

If there are any things connected with our present circumstances that are, to some, more than usually alarming or exciting, I do not know any good reason why they should be so; for if the work with which we are connected is the work of God, as we feel, and as most of us are often saying that we understand it, why should we be more excited this year than we were last year? Why should we feel any more uneasy when there are a few United States’ troops in the hills than if there were not? This is no less the work of God for their being there. Our Father is as near to us—his care and his protection is as much over us and round about us as it was before; and it is no more so, unless we get a little closer by observing more perfectly his requirements.

I fear that if the clouds were now all dissipated and driven away, and if the sunshine of prosperity should begin to shine upon us, some would forget God and the duties they owe to him and to one another: I fear that we should forget the sacred obligations which we are under.

I have never seen any time since I have been connected with the Church when I felt as much freedom, as much liberty, or as much of the Spirit of truth—the blessings of freedom and peace that it inspires, as I have since I have known that our enemies have been in our borders. The reason why I feel this way I suppose to be because of the great blessings that are pending at the present time; and I suppose that which would be a reason for my feeling so well should be a reason for the same good feelings with all Saints, if they only possessed the same Spirit.

“Well,” says one, “Do you think that you are more holy than the rest of the people?” I do not know whether I am or not; but I am fortunate, at any rate, if it is any piece of good fortune to feel at ease and free from trouble and perplexity. Are you not troubled? No. Are you not miserable? No. I am not troubled nor miserable. Why? Because I am happy.

If the people all felt so, they would not be very much troubled about any– thing. I do not say that I feel to pray with any more interest, with any more earnestness, with any more zeal, than I did before we heard the news that this army was on its way to Utah. I am no more disquieted in my feeling; and why? Because it is a settled conviction with me that this is the work of God, and I have no idea that there will be any failure, only that which is on the part of the people. The only anxiety that I have is that I may keep myself firmly bound to “Mormonism”—to the car of the kingdom of God and the work of God; and if God rolls on his work, as we have been told he would, during the last few weeks, we shall soon see his kingdom spread and extend to an amazing degree.

As the Lord has said it is his business to provide for his Saints, I have the promise of being provided for, if I only so conduct myself as to merit the title of a Saint. As to the way and the means how it is to be accomplished, that is none of my business. Whatever the Lord wants of me, he will let me know, because, if I keep myself right and straight, I shall always be on hand to respond to the directions of those that lead me and dictate me, and who should direct my movements.

Well, then, I am happy; I am as easy in my feelings as I well could be, unless I knew something more to feel well about; and I expect, when I know and understand more, that my happiness will be increased; for I expect that I shall understand many things that are now no source of joy and pleasure to me, simply because I know nothing about them. But so far as I have a knowledge of truth, that truth makes me happy and contented; and if I can be contented, I feel as though I would like to see all the people contented. If you cannot feel contented by the spirit that dwells within you all the time, adopt the old Apostle’s maxim—“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts.” (2nd Peter, chap. i. 19.)

Listen to and carry out the instructions of brother Brigham, of brother Heber, and of all that speak the words of life and salvation unto you. If they tell you to go home and cultivate peace in your family, go and do it; and if they tell you to go home and cease your stealing, go home and be honest, and quit your stealing.

This is the way to be united; and if you will be honest and united, you will get the Spirit of God; and the more you have of the Spirit of God, the better you feel and the better you will act. Talk about people feeling well that act as mean as the Devil! It is nonsense. Does a man or woman feel well that will steal, that will traduce a friend, speak evil of a neighbor, and seek to stir up strife? No; they cannot. Does an individual feel well that will lie and cherish opposition to the advice, the counsel, and instruction that is given us from the Prophets that God has placed in his Church to rule and dictate us? If I were to judge others as I feel myself, I would judge that they could not feel well. Why? Because I feel well in acting with them—in saying amen to what they say. I feel and find the happiness that I enjoy by doing this, and no man or woman can find happiness in pursuing an opposite course; and if you are unbelieving, it is because you do not comprehend the truth with all your hearts—you do not understand it.

Well, how are you going to get better? Why, commence to do better. If you have indulged in lying, you know it is a sin; therefore, cease your lying. If you have stolen, quit it, and die unto sin. The reason you do not dwell in the life of righteousness is because you are not yet dead unto sin: the reason you do not live is because you are not dead; you are neither living nor dead.

You are instructed to pursue one course, and you will take another: you are instructed to subject yourselves to the will of Heaven, and you are all the time imagining and thinking, and something is in your minds that unsettles your faith and divides your affections. Hence, you do not enjoy the Spirit of truth to the extent that you would, if you would subject yourselves to the will of Heaven. Do as the men do who instruct you and lead you, and do it with your whole hearts. As the President said in reference to praying, do not hunt up any sentiments in your own souls; do not hunt up something to pray for when another is praying; but listen to the man who is mouth, and pray as he prays, and let your whole soul go out in the energy of his expression. Then what will be the result? You will become imbued with the same energy that he has; and if he feels well and is right, you will feel well.

Take this course, and the fountain of knowledge and eternal life will by-and-by be established within you. This is what we are seeking for. It is the rich boon of heaven that we are striving for; and why is it that we do not get it? It is here; it is all around us. We can look—we can travel to the place where it is. Why do we not enjoy it? Simply because you will not enjoy it. This is all the reason. How much do you enjoy? Why, all that you are willing and capable of enjoying—all that you prepare yourselves to enjoy—just all that you render yourselves worthy of in the sight of God; and if you would enjoy more, live better—apply your minds closer and closer to the principles of the Gospel.

If you live your religion in going to meeting on Sunday, live it also on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and every day and every night, until everything adverse to the truth is expelled from your household—until your family circle becomes a sanctuary where the Spirit of God abides—where it imparts its lifegiving influence to all that come within that circle.

If this were the case, it would constitute the Zion of our God. We should have Zion within, whether we were at home or abroad, or in whatever circumstances we might be placed.

“Why,” says one, “I suppose that I must do some great thing.” Let me tell you to try to do some small thing; and if you attend to the little things, when you become men and women in understanding and in the knowledge of the truth, it will be time enough for you to undertake the work of men and women in Christ.

How much can we do? If we were to be judged by our conduct and the course that we take, it would appear that our capacity is not very great; and if we do not know enough to attend to the simple instructions that are given to us here—if we cannot attend to things that are thus simple, how could we get along with greater questions, should they come before us? We have now as much as we know how to get along with and manage properly, without grasping after things beyond our present comprehension.

Brethren and sisters, I hope, and I not only hope, but am certain that, as a people, we shall adopt the principles that have been taught us, and practice them to so great an extent that our Father will accept of us—that he will not forsake us—that he will not turn his hand against us, but that it may be over us in mercy continually, and that victory, through his goodness, may perch upon the banner of Zion from this time forth and forever.

I want that we should be good enough—sufficiently meek and faithful before our Father and his servants, that we shall find acceptance with him continually. That we may be so wise as to pursue this course in our lives, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Remarks by Elder George A. Smith, Made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 15, 1857.

We have been very much interested, brethren and sisters, by the address of Elder Hyde; and no doubt the value of the sentiments advanced have been duly appreciated. As a people having a knowledge of the first principles of the Gospel of salvation, we are qualified above all others to appreciate the value of the truths of heaven when they are revealed to us. It is of the utmost importance that we divest ourselves of every corrupt and selfish principle and of every species of “covetousness, which is idolatry.” To live before the Lord with honesty is a matter of so much importance that it cannot fail to be duly appreciated by the Saints of the Most High.

Whenever these principles are presented before them, the contrast between the situation that we have hitherto been placed in and our present condition is also very striking, as has been shown us by the contrast drawn by Elder Hyde.

When we had to face the science, the learning, the eloquence, the skill, and the intellect of the entire world—a single handful of us against the whole world—God bore us off victorious. His hand has preserved us. His Spirit inspired us, so that the mighty were confounded, the eloquent were put to silence, and the learned were constrained to say to their fellow men, “Do not listen to it; do not read their books; do not hear them, nor go where they are. You may be deceived.”

In almost every instance, what has been by all philosophers and wise men considered the worst argument that ever was used has been resorted to—that is, brute force. You convince a man by brute force, and he is of the same opinion that he was before. You force a man to accede to your laws and rules, and his mind is only enslaved; and then, when it breaks loose, it is ten thousand times worse than if no brute force had been used. Notwithstanding this, the world cry, “Extermination and destruction.”

In looking over the papers that have been brought from the States, we find that a great proportion of them have been speculating on the cost of exterminating the “Mormons;” and there is one very uncomfortable speculation about it. One of them, in estimating the cost of a war of extermination against the “Mormons,” said, “We shall have to expend from fifty to a hundred millions, and then we shall have nothing to show for our pay but naked, barren rocks.” This is the condition of affairs; but it is a war of principle, and “Mormonism” must be exterminated, though it is not at all a profitable business.

Now, there never was a man, from the time that this work commenced, that ever made himself popular by opposing it; and in future, whatever may be their attempts, it will be the ruin of every man that undertakes it; and this has been the case with every man that has attempted to make such a speculation. It never did and never will pay political expenses.

The God of heaven has raised up this people. He has carried them, as it were, in his arms. He has cradled them in adversity and has brought them into these mountains; and here he wishes to nourish and preserve them. I never lift my heart to the heavens without praying to the Almighty to gather out of the midst of his people all those who do offend and work iniquity, and to gather out of the midst of Zion every corrupt heart—every man that will not turn from his sins, forsake his wickedness, and love the Lord his God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself.

Such a people will have the blessings of God: such a people can be protected by the Almighty: such a people cannot be overthrown by all earth and hell combined. Then let us be such a people; and if corruption exists in our hearts, let us cut it out; for I can tell you we shall be sifted as with a sieve; and while our enemies are endeavoring to destroy us and desiring to murder us, to exterminate us, to deprive us of our existence, to wipe us from the earth, to blot out the name of the kingdom of God, they are only suffered to crowd upon us that we may be tried and purified.

We should not desire the shedding of blood; but we are required by every law of nature, by every principle of righteousness, and by every constitutional principle upon the face of the earth, whether civil, political, or military, to defend ourselves and prevent our being broken up by others. This is a naturally inherited right, and God requires us to defend ourselves. And inasmuch as we have to defend our sacred rights, we should do it in the name of the Lord, with all humility, with a desire to sustain his kingdom; and, let what will come, trust in God for the result and be satisfied with it.

Elder Hyde, in drawing the comparison in reference to the millions of our enemies—to the great wealth that they possess, showed their advantages in numbers and wealth. But let me ask this question, Have they got a thing that the Lord did not give them? Have they got a solitary farthing that the Lord did not bestow upon them? If they use that which he has given them for evil, they will have to give a minute account of that stewardship.

The boasted national surplus funds are directly calculated to produce extravagant and unprincipled legislation, and will have a tendency in the end to strip them of funds and leave them in poverty, while the straitened circumstances of the Saints will only be the means of purifying, driving away, and scattering from their midst those who do offend and work iniquity.

I feel to rest satisfied that the Almighty will control all those things for the good of this people. The Lord has said it is his business to take care of his Saints. If you are taking care of a child and are rearing it up to manhood, you have to look after its education, correct its morals, regulate its conduct, and inflict punishment when necessary, that the child may realize the difference between good and evil—between doing right and doing wrong. Peradventure the Lord wishes to have a tried people, and he has determined to try the Saints sufficiently, and he will protect them in his own way. The Lord will apply the rod. Sometimes he has scourged the people of Israel in one way, and sometimes in another. Sometimes he has scourged them with pestilence, with wasting, and destruction, and sometimes with famine, or by delivering them into the hands of their enemies; and in all these ways he has scourged his people that they might know and realize that God is over them, and that he controls all things.

There was a sheriff that came to an old lady and said to her, “Well, old woman, I have taken your son Jim, and I have locked him up in jail, where he never will do any more mischief.” “Oh,” says she, “is it possible that Jim has gone to jail?” “Yes,” the sheriff replied; “I have put the little whelp where he never will do any more mischief; and I thought I would come and tell you what had become of him.” The old lady felt sorrowful and mortified at the bitter way in which the sheriff told it. “Well, Mr. Sheriff,” said the old lady, “I hope, when the Lord has punished poor Jim all that he deserves, that he will burn the rod!”

This is the sentiment that I have with regard to the means made use of for the purpose of punishing and sifting us, or turning those who are corrupt and causing them to flee away, or of waking us up to our duty. When the Lord gets through with them, like the old woman, I would be obliged to him if he would burn the rod. Doubtless he will look after this matter, if we do our duty. It is only for us to look to the right—to live our religion, and all will be well.

I know that this is the work of God, and that he will sustain his servants; and if we will love truth, though few, compared with our enemies, we shall have light, life, power, and dominion, while our enemies will lift up their eyes in hell, where there is no water. May God prepare us for all that we have to encounter, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Patriarch Isaac Morley, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, November 8, 1857.

I am in hopes that what I do say will be dictated by the right guide, as brother Heber says. I do not wish for any other. It is difficult for me to communicate my ideas, though I do not make this statement because I wish to apologize or to excuse myself from any duty.

I think I realize with you, brethren, the situation that we are in and the circumstances that surround us. Every reflecting mind will rest his thoughts and attention upon our present situation; and if we have in us the light of the Holy Ghost, we shall believe it is all right. This is my conclusion, and I presume it is the conclusion of most of you.

If we, as individuals, are right before God, all will go well with us and the Lord will prosper us. I do not think that the reform that we have undertaken and that is undertaken with this community is done with. I find that it becomes me to concentrate my mind daily and hourly upon the grand things that lie before me.

As to the enemy that is come up to destroy or curtail us in any of our blessings, I care but little about them. It makes me think of the past, when my mother used to have a rod over the mantelpiece for me to look at. I think we have got one that we can look at, and it is where it can be used; and probably if it is used, it will be used to our advantage.

If we can prepare our hearts and our lives, we need not fear anything about our enemies. The greatest fear is that I shall not sustain and carry out correct principles in my own bosom. I believe that our grand object is to have all things right within. If we do this, we shall do well.

We are taught in one place to “pray without ceasing,” and watching is as necessary as prayer. I am of the opinion that we can correct our thoughts so far as to know and understand what our motives are and what our affections are placed upon. If our minds are wandering to the nations of the earth, what will it benefit us? The grand place for our operations to begin is in our bosoms, and to see that our minds and bodies are influenced by those principles that pertain to light, life, and immortality.

There are great attainments in reserve for the faithful of this people. I believe that we may enjoy even more peace and satisfaction than we do now, which may be obtained by prayer and watchfulness. We should reflect upon the covenants and obligations that we have made unto God and before our brethren. There are many keys in those holy covenants whereby we can derive comfort.

Obedience is the grand key whereby this people are to be exalted; and I sincerely believe that the Presidency are comforted by the obedience that is rendered to their requirements.

It is the mind that makes the man; and if that mind is centered upon correct objects—if it cultivates and cherishes them, that mind is improving. There is no time nor circumstances through which we may be passing but there is opportunity for improvement. I learn this daily. And there are no hours that pass but there are opportunities for our advancement in the principles of exaltation.

I believe that reformation and union can be carried to a greater extent than they have been. If there is a love for the truth in the people, it will be manifest in true plainness and true honesty: our yea will be yea, and our nay will be nay. The Scriptures say, “Whatsoever cometh more than this is evil;” but true plainness and true honesty is what we want.

If we are not advancing in light, we are either standing still or going backward. The great principles that we are to be governed by dwell in simplicity; they are easy to be understood by any and all who will apply themselves.

The condescension of Heaven is great: there can be no greater condescension than is manifested to us. We have attained our heirship. We know there is such a principle as well as we know there is a God.

Baptism for remission of sins and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost are as simple as anything can be. All the great fundamental principles of salvation are simple. We can comprehend and understand them—we can increase and grow by the power of them.

In adding to our faith, it is necessary that we should add virtue first, then knowledge; and these we should cultivate daily and hourly.

Brethren, I intend, as far as I have power, to instruct by example. Without it, I would give very little for all the precepts that are or can be set forth in a family or abroad among the people.

May God bless you, is my prayer, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Orson Hyde, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, November 1, 1857.

Dear brethren and sisters—I arise to address you for a short time this day. I shall be as brief as possible and detain you but a very short time.

The last Eastern mail, I think, brought me a pamphlet or tract written by Elder Orson Pratt, of Liverpool, England. Subject—“Gathering of the Saints and building up the kingdom of God.” The whole matter is handled in a masterly way, free from blind obscurity, unchecked and unrestrained by fear, and untrammaled by the religious or political dogmas of the age. It is the product of a clear head, of a strong heart, and of an unflinching hand. In short, it is Heaven’s eternal truth. I do exceedingly regret having mislaid it, for I would like to send it to Senator Douglas, with a request that he read it faithfully before he applies the knife to “cut out the loathsome ulcer.” Having read it, then, if he shall be disposed and able to cut, cut away and carve up to suit his own peculiar appetite and that also of his friends. Will some person having said tract or pamphlet be kind enough to mail it to Honorable Stephen A. Douglas, Washington City, D.C.?

But, let all men, however, know, that if what the honorable gentleman calls the “loathsome ulcer” be cut out according to his views and suggestions, the United States will be cut off from being a nation, and her star of empire set, and set in blood!

The “Mormons” can hardly be made to believe that the United States intend to set in good faith towards them until they hang the murderers of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and punish the murderous incendiaries that killed our men and burned our grain and houses on Green Plains, Illinois. Nor yet, until they punish Missouri and cause the wrongs of the Saints in that State to be redressed. Whenever the United States Government shall begin its work of justice, at that end of the “Mormon” question it will find it not so vexed nor yet so knotty as many complain of its being. And moreover, such a course pursued by the Government would tend to convert the “Mormons” to the belief that sincerity, good faith, and evenhanded justice towards them were the paramount considerations and rules of action of the Federal Government.

A few officials, so notoriously corrupt that they became frightened at their own shadow, ran away, having greatly feared that what they justly merited might come upon them. An army is raised at their instigation to force them back upon us again, or some others, not the men of our choice, and to aid them to punish us for alleged crimes which they have trumped up. But it will be hard for the “Mormons” to bring their feelings to accept any federal officers at the point of the bayonet or at the cannon’s mouth, nor yet while troops are about them or on their borders. The contest appears very unequal, it is true; yet a wasp may worry a bear; and God, by his providences, has sometimes overthrown the strong by the agency of the weak. In that God do we hope for succor and trust for strength and deliverance.

When we were driven from Missouri and Illinois, leaving all our property, except what little we could take in the hurry, there was no army sent to reinstate us, neither to punish our persecutors. Then thousands of our men, women, and children were forced away from their homes at the point of the bayonet, at midday and at midnight, in the burning rays of a scorching sun, and in the gloomy shades of a wintry night. Our judges, magistrates, and civil and military officers were all forced to go, and no army was sent to reinstate them or to punish the persecutor and the oppressor. Oh, ye rulers of the land, look at your injustice! When the innocent cried to you for help—when the persecuted for conscience sake implored your fatherly interference, and, with tears of blood, said to you, “Help us, lest we perish,” you then said that our cause was just, but you had no power. But now that the wicked and guilty profligate cries to you to protect him in his corruption and force him upon us contrary to our wishes, you find yourselves invested with all the power necessary to urge an unhallowed warfare against the very people whom you refused to protect. O Lord God Almighty, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, I ask thee to let the arm and sword of thy justice interpose, and decide this matter according to thy righteousness, and get to thyself honor and a name that shall never be forgotten.

It may be said that sovereign, independent States are different from a dependent Territory. This is a door through which many specious technicalities are sought to be introduced in justification of the present action and former neglect of the General Government. But “Mormons” care nothing about such technicalities. They hold the Government responsible, and so also does the God of nations and of armies. Therefore, however strongly it may be urged that the General Government’s intentions are good towards us, this singular people will not believe a word of it until said Government shall redress their wrongs in Missouri and Illinois. Whatever explanation may be given to the present movement of troops for Utah is immaterial. It will stick to the present Administration, in its true light and character, like the mark of Cain, Nero, and Herod—a religious persecution against an innocent patriotic people who know their rights and dare assert them! Though every “Mormon” in America should be slain, it will only add to the enormity of the present Administration.

As well might we be made to believe that the student could solve every problem of Euclid, who had never learned simple addition, as to believe the Government our impartial friends while they decline to redress our wrong. The conduct of the “unjust judge” towards the “poor widow” might raise the blush of shame upon our national cheek, if the nation possessed as fine sensibilities and as much discernment as that “unjust judge.” He saw that his own peace, ease, and happiness depended upon his avenging the “poor widow.” And if the peace, ease, and happiness of these United States, in future, do not depend upon their redressing “Mormon” wrongs (though they may not fear God, neither regard man), then the Lord does not speak by me. The nation will soon find out whether “wrath and indignation come upon the people in the shape of earthquakes, thunderings, and lightnings, tempests—the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds; and all things being in commotion, while fear comes upon all people.” The nations may have occasion to consider the treasures of hail and snow reserved for the last days—even the day of battle for the contro– versy of Zion. They may yet learn that the nation and kingdom that will not serve Zion shall perish; yea, that such nations shall be utterly wasted.

The prophetic glass before the eyes of the ancient Seers brings the rays of Jehovah’s power to a focus on this earth, in these our days. For kings and rulers to manage their responsibilities in these critical times is an affair which no servant of God, truly enlightened, covets or desires. It will soon be known who are guilty of treason and rebellion against the only true Sovereign of earth and heaven. It may be necessary for the alien enemies to establish a precedent in relation to treason. Then the judgment with which they judge may be dealt out to them in equal measure, pressed down, &c. Woe unto the world because of offenses! They must come to try the Saints and to establish a rule by which the Saints, in turn, may judge the ungodly.

The kingdom and government of God are the only legitimate jurisdiction that ever did exist. And other kingdoms and jurisdictions stand before God in the same light that many divorces stood in the days of Moses, “For the hardness of your hearts, Moses wrote you this precept; but from the beginning it was not so.” For the hardness of men’s hearts, God has suffered them to exercise temporary jurisdiction. But does this temporary jurisdiction authorize them to oppose him when he begins to take to himself his great power and to reign? No. The little stone cut out of the mountain without hands will roll and fill the whole earth, while the great image will be broken and fall, and the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God. Now, therefore, O ye kingdoms of this world, resist the decree of Jehovah, if you can and if you will. Fall upon this little stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and be broken, if you wish. But know ye that the way of the transgressor is hard, and his final cup is bitter. God bless the meek and pure! Amen.

A Discourse by Elder George A. Smith, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, November 1, 1857.

Our Father who is in heaven has placed us in this world in the present generation, and has placed before us laws and principles by which we may obtain exaltation and celestial glory.

In the acquisition of any department of science, the laws thereof must be ascertained and the application properly made, or it is not in our power to become acquainted with its branches, so as to master it and realize the benefit of its effects. So, also, in entering into the kingdom of the Most High God, we enter by a door preparatory; and, to all those who have been traditioned in the false religions of the present age, this door seems to be but little understood.

I have watched the movements of persons coming into the Church of Christ from sectarian churches for many years, and I discover that they are almost entirely enveloped in a kind of cast-iron shell; and it is with the greatest of difficulty that they divest themselves of it—of their prejudices and traditions. It is the work of years; and although many come into this Church while young, without an extensive knowledge of sectarian principles, yet such is the force of tradition, even in them, that they have to stop, consider, and question whether principles are really true and received from a proper source, or whether they are false.

There is a feeling in the human breast to reverence something. We find it among the untutored savages; we find it among what are denominated the heathen nations—among those who are considered pagans, bowing down to worship images, the workmanship of their own hands.

I had the pleasure, while in the States, of being subject to the Sabbath-keeping rules of the railroad company. I wished very devoutly to have the privilege of spending my time with the Saints in Saint Louis: but, to avoid traveling on the Sabbath, the railroad decree had gone forth that we should not leave Chicago; so, on the Sabbath, I went to Saint Mary’s Cathedral for the purpose of hearing a Catholic discourse.

I was there gratified by hearing a very eloquent gentleman explain the reason why the paintings, crucifixion, and emblems of this kind are used in the Catholic churches. He said that it was not understood with them that a person bowing before a likeness or a picture of a saint did so with the intention of worshipping that saint or picture; but that the design was to inspire in the heart of the worshipper a disposition to emulate the virtuous deeds and good actions of that saint. Hence, said the orator, a portrait of the Virgin Mary, placed in a proper position where females, especially the young, can come before it and offer their adorations, inspires in their minds chaste and virtuous ideas, holy thoughts, pure principles, and ardent desires to live as perfectly, to be as humble, and to observe the laws of righteousness as fully as did the virgin whose picture they stand before.

I bring this up simply to illustrate the principle upon which the Catholics answer the objections raised by the Protestant world against the use of images, &c., in their churches, thus accusing them of idolatry.

There are reasons well known to every reader of history why pictures were introduced into the Catholic churches. Although they assign for this the reasons given by the eloquent gentleman in St. Mary’s Cathedral, Chicago; yet they were not originally used in the Catholic churches nor in any of the Christian churches previous to their becoming mixed with Romanism.

When it took its origin, the empire of Rome was both a religious and a political institution: its emperors and senators had attached to them sacred authority; and their religion embodied within it the power, perfection, and consolidated union of the pagan institutions of that age, which consisted in a series of systems of idolatry.

Hence, by order of the government, temples were dedicated particularly to their god of peace, to be opened in the time of peace and to be shut in the time of war; temples were also dedicated to the god of war, to be opened in time of war and closed in time of peace; for at certain times the gods of peace and plenty were to be invoked; at other times the god of war was to be courted.

The Christian religion silently advanced until it became a power to be courted by men who thirsted for dominion. When Constantine got possession of the throne, the empire had become to a considerable extent Christianized, and it became necessary to do something to consolidate the feelings of the whole. To destroy idols entirely would be taken with a bad grace by the higher order of the Roman people. In order to meet this difficulty, Constantine substituted pictures instead of idols. Instead of the statue of Minerva, he had the picture of the Virgin; instead of a temple dedicated to Jupiter, a church dedicated to St. Peter; instead of a statue of Apollo, a likeness of some of the Apostles, or of some saint or personage, imaginary or real; thus completely co-mingling the Christian religion with idolatry. Then men started up to assign reasons for this, and these reasons were presented in the eloquent style of the address I heard in St. Mary’s Cathedral.

Heathen and pagan idols are built for the same purpose. You ask the priest of a heathen temple if the real intent is to worship that stone or that image of gold, silver, brass, or iron, and he would tell you that it was only a representative of something—that you could not see the real god, and the image was introduced as a substitute.

Among the early inhabitants of the world who rejected the true religion, many began to pay their adoration to the sun, moon, stars, &c. These soon adopted personages that they considered would represent the objects of the adoration. Hence, we find Jupiter is represented as the king of gods, or as the god of thunder, more particularly—the thunder, representing his weapon, being the most powerful agent they had any idea of; and his image or statue was worshipped by the early inhabitants of the earth as the representative of that power. There was generally attached to these deities an idea of terror.

In studying the principles of mythology held by the Greeks, who are considered the most classical people of early ages, we discover that to almost everything they associated the idea of terror; hence, when a man passed from this world to the next, they considered it necessary to place a little change in his coffin to pay his passage across the river Styx. They had a personage named Charon, who, in their mythology, operated as ferryman; and the very moment the spirit of the dead crossed the river, it came in contact with a dog, Cerberus, with three heads, and, instead of hair, covered with snakes: that dog answered as watchman to keep the departed spirit from returning to the abodes of men.

The human imagination was tortured to bring up the most hideous pictures. In following these imaginations, they had a variety of detail; and in these we find that scarcely any two writers agree. The Greeks were about as united in the worship of their gods as the Christians are who profess to worship Jesus. They went in, however, for worshipping all the deities, and some of them to a great extreme.

For instance, go to Athens, in the day of its glory, as did the Apostle Paul, and you might see the statues of all the gods of the ancients; and, among the rest, an altar to the “unknown God.” There was a God they did not know; but they were determined to hit every case and be prepared to worship everybody, like the man in a storm at sea—it was good Lord and good Devil with him, for he knew not in whose hands he should fall: therefore, to be sure that they worshipped all, they set up an altar to the unknown God, that, if they should fall into his hands, they could claim that they had worshipped him; and that is about the sum and substance of the so-called Christian worship of the present age.

You may go into any society of people, almost, and ask them what they worship, and they would as soon tell you they worship the unknown God as not. You may take up their creeds, and they give it out that they worship a God that has neither body, parts, nor passions, and yet has three persons. Their ideas are so perfectly confused, and their knowledge so supremely ridiculous on this subject, as to make it clear to those enlightened by the Holy Ghost that they are entirely ignorant and totally in the dark on this matter. They must have made their creeds without thinking whether the words composing them had meaning or not.

When I was 18 years of age, I was sent on a mission preaching the Gospel. I called one Sabbath to see a friend of the Baptist persuasion. The old gentleman wanted I should go to the Baptist meeting with him. As I had no appointment until evening, I went with him. I had not been there a great while before he made an effort to have them let me preach. They, however, did not feel disposed. Their minister was gone, and one of the deacons got up and read an old-fashioned, close-communion, dry chip-and-porridge sermon; and besides the deacon being a miserable, poor reader, I was not very much interested.

When the meeting was dismissed, the deacon came up to me, and asked me where I lived. I told him; and I in return enquired of him what church that was. He said it was the Church of Christ. Said I, “What Apostle built it?”

“The Apostle Paul,” he replied.

I said I was not aware that Paul had been in this country preaching and building up churches.

“Well,” said he, “it was built up upon his doctrine.”

“Indeed,” said I: “what Apostle presides over it?”

“We don’t have any in these days.”

“Then it is not the Church of God.”

“Yes, it is,” said he; “Apostles and Prophets are done away.”

“Not so,” said I; and I drew out the New Testament and read, “God hath set in his church first Apostles,” &c. “Now,” said I, “the very fact of there not being Apostles and Prophets in your Church proves that it is not the Church of God; and I don’t want anything to do with it.”

Says he, “You are a strange fellow: I never thought of that before.”

I told him to read the Scriptures, and said, “You may forever read such sermons as you have been reading today, and they will keep you blind. Unless there is a principle in the organization of the Church inspired from the Almighty—unless there is an authority that is governed by the power of God and his Spirit, men might just as well worship dumb idols, the fancy gods of the ancient heathen, or the pictures of the Catholics, as to go to meeting or perform any other kind of worship. If you undertake to go to any place, you have got to take the right road: you must start right. If you start wrong, you are sure to come out wrong; and the further you go in a wrong direction, the further you are off the starting point.”

I have heard it said, in the course of my travels, that if persons think they are right, they are right—that if persons are only sincere, all will come out well. That may answer for people to talk about who know they are wrong, and are trying to carry themselves into the idea that it is just as well to be wrong as right. But if we wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, we have to enter by the door; for, says the Savior, “I am the door: by me, if any man enter in, he shall have life.”

But suppose you enter through somebody else; where has the idea originated that there is the least possible prospect of coming out right from starting wrong? Suppose a man should start to the States, but instead of that he makes his way into the Western desert, saying, “It don’t make any difference which way I go;” what would be the result? He would wander in the desert and perish. Suppose a man, in attempting to serve the Lord, by mistake should serve the Devil; is the Lord going to reward him for serving the Devil? Not at all.

When Joseph Smith commenced to proclaim to the world the truth, the way of life and salvation, in the manner he was inspired of the Lord to do, every religious denomination, Protestant, idolater, or what not, the moment they heard of it, commenced a dismal howl of, “False prophet! False teacher! Imposture! Deception!” &c. Why? Because there was a light directly from the Almighty; a man had come forth that taught in the name of the Lord; a personage bore testimony of the plan of salvation, that would actually overthrow, dissolve, use up, annihilate, and destroy everything that did not come from God.

“Well,” says the old priest, “if this goes abroad, what will be the result? The people will see the light, the true doctrine, and they will quit coming to my meeting and paying me for preaching; and I cannot grunt and groan over them and play the hypocrite with them any longer; and I shall have to go and get an honest living: I will therefore stir up the people to kill and destroy the man.”

This was the spirit and design of every one over whom the spirit of the Devil had dominion. The very instant the first message of truth began to be proclaimed to the children of men, all the devils in hell and all the devils on earth and the spirits of demons were stirred up, and went to work at once to frustrate, destroy, and overthrow this work.

“Where did you get your authority?” say they.

By the inspiration of the Almighty the holy Priesthood was conferred, and we were ordained to the Apostleship and Priesthood to go forth and preach to you the plan of salvation. Where did you get your authority?

“It came down from the ancient Apostles, through the Church of Rome, and by the way of the Waldenses,” says the Baptist, or by the way of the Reformers.

But were not those reformers expelled by the Church of Rome?

“Yes.”

If they, then, had their authority from the Church of Rome, that Church must have had the power also to divest them of that authority. If we admit that the Romish Church had this power and authority, we must go back there to find it; and if we take that testimony, it proves that all the reformers have no authority.

The Baptists attempt to show that their authority came through Waldo. Who was this Waldo? He was a merchant, and hired a man to translate for him the four books of the Gospel. He went to preaching without any inspiration, revelation, or light from heaven: he had only the light which he could discern from the translation made by an excommunicated monk. He was zealous and doubtless honest in his intentions, but without the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, Priesthood, or authority from God.

Now, as I said before, if you start wrong, you will be wrong all the way. Without a messenger from God, without the revelation of the Most High, it is all folly and useless to attempt to follow the Savior. It is written, “If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

The Savior said, “If any man will be my disciple, let him take up his cross, and follow me.” You may follow all the men and devils in the world; but, unless you follow Christ, you cannot be his disciple; and the more men and devils you follow, the worse you are off.

When we talk about following Christ, we hear it said that we should believe in him with all our hearts, repent of our sins, and be baptized for the remission of them. Before the Savior commenced his mission on the earth, he went to Jordan to be baptized, that he might set an example for us to follow. Take any other track, and you go wrong. The right track is the only plan, the only design, and the only intention that can bring us to the enjoyment of salvation; and it is not only in starting right that salvation depends, but when we start it is necessary to continue to the end.

Now, it is plain and reasonable to me why it is that the nations of the earth seek to destroy the Saints. They pretend that the Bible is their platform, and it condemns them on every page, both their doctrines and practices. In order to maintain their false systems, they have created a kind of aristocracy, called Priesthood, who are hired to explain away the sayings of the sacred book. By this means, having itching ears, they have heaped to themselves teachers to turn away their ears from the truth unto fables.

These false teachers have a strong hold on the minds of the people; the rulers bear rule by their means, and most of the people love to have it so. If anybody comes to change this order of things, almost every man is up in arms against him. They are so perfectly organized that it takes but a few devils to keep them in subjection.

This makes me think of an old Chinese fable. A man traveling through the country came to a large city, very rich and splendid; he looked at it and said to his guide, “This must be a very righteous people, for I can only see but one little devil in this great city.”

The guide replied, “You do not understand, sir. This city is so perfectly given up to wickedness, corruption, degradation, and abomination of every kind, that it requires but one devil to keep them all in subjection.”

Traveling on a little further, he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying to get up the hillside, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse-looking devils.

“Why,” says the traveler, “this must be a tremendously wicked old man! Only see how many devils there are around him!”

“This,” replied the guide, “is the only righteous man in the country; and there are seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path, and they all cannot do it.”

The Devil has these Christian Priests and the whole world with them so perfectly at his disposal, that it only takes a very few devils to keep them all in subjection; and the whole legion of devils have nothing to do but look after the “Mormons” and stir up the hearts of the children of men to destroy them—to put them out of existence.

If you will examine the public prints of the United States for the last two years, you will find in them the most bloodthirsty articles, cruel declamations, and awful imprecations, originating from the pens of religious priests and their dupes. Say they, “If we talk with the Mormons on principles of religion, the Bible, of course, sustains them; if we talk with them on human rights, those principles sustain them; if we talk with them on the Constitution and laws of our country, these sustain them; if we talk with them on the dealings of God with man, they get the better of us; and our only way is to try and destroy them from the earth.”

This is the spirit that is being stirred up in the hearts of the children of men. There have never been in reality but two kingdoms on this earth—the kingdom of God and that of the Devil; or, I will say, those who are willing to observe the prin– ciples of truth and those who are not. The latter array themselves against the Saints.

A gentleman, with whom I came in contact while at Washington, made this objection against “Mormonism.” Talking about the institution of plurality of wives, said he, “It never will answer; it will break up all the whorehouses in the country; for women would not abide in such establishments and sustain them, if they could only have respectable and comfortable houses. This polygamy system will smash up that (Christian) institution altogether.”

The spirit of opposition to “Mormonism” takes hold of the king on his throne, the president in his chair, and all those would-be sacred priests—those holy hypocrites who stir up the hearts of the people to seek to overthrow the work of God. High and low, great and small are united in one grand union for the destruction of the Saints of God, though they be deadly foes on all other questions.

To endure this hatred—to be cursed, despised by his friends, jeered at by his neighbors and all who ever knew him, and to be set down as a poor, cursed, worthless, good-for-nothing “Mormon” fool, requires a courage in any man or woman who will step forward to receive the pure principles of this Gospel, that is a stranger in the heart of the greatest warrior that ever faced an enemy on the battlefield.

It is the animosity of the Adversary that fills the hearts of the children of men to overflowing, so that they desire to destroy the Saints—so that they are filled with anger, violent wrath, and indignation. But they know not the reason of these things.

Go and ask a Christian priest why he wants to put down “Mormonism;” and if he would honestly acknowledge the truth, he would say, “It will upset our trade, and,” as the gentleman said in Washington, “it will destroy our peculiar institutions.” The politicians say, “If the Mormons adopt the principle that honest men are to come into power, and they succeed with that principle, we shall be rooted up and our means of gain be taken from us.”

You understand that a petition was sent from the Legislature of this Territory, begging of the President of the United States to send no more damned scoundrels here, but to send good men. Then, it went on to tell him, if he did not send good men, we were not going to have them. It was considered by Congress and the great men of this Government as one of the greatest outrages, and equivalent to treason, because we said we would not receive the cursedest scoundrels that could be scraped from the very scum of the earth, and bow down to them and lick the dust of their feet.

We are right in this matter, whether we act as Saints of the Most High God or as citizens of the Republic of the United States. There could not be a greater outrage committed on any community than to place over them, contrary to their choice, corrupt demagogues to rule their destiny. The idea of forcing these corrupt dogs on a community to rule it is what I call dogmatism.

I am not very familiar with the dictionary, but I will tell a story that will illustrate my meaning. A fine fellow, who considered himself smart, had married a learned lady, and he felt very proud of her learning and education; and in order to be on a par with her, he used many very pretty words, and, now-and-then, one he did not understand the meaning of himself. On one occasion he used the word dogmatism improperly. Says she, “My dear, what is the meaning of that word?”

He drew down a hard face and said, “Dogmatism, dogmatism, my dear—why, it is full-grown puppyism.”

I do consider that to undertake this kind of measure is full-grown puppyism, whether it is to exterminate men for their religion or to annihilate them from the earth for political motives.

Every human being has rights; and it is a true principle, in all governments upon the earth, that governors should rule by the consent of the governed. But there is not a people on the face of the earth that I know anything about, except the Latter-day Saints, that are actually governed in this way. In our government, all our movements are by the unanimous consent of the governed; and we are the only people on the earth that observe this constitutional principle. Other people may try to do it to some limited extent.

When men are placed as rulers and governors to control the destinies of any people, they must do it by the consent of that people, or it is unlawful, unconstitutional, unjust, unholy. God himself does not rule the children of men upon any other principle. “You can serve me, live under my dominion, observe my laws, if you choose,” says the Lord: “if not, you may serve the Devil and reap the reward that follows.”

I forgot, however, that I was preaching a religious sermon when I ran off into politics; but I have had my head a little charged with politics of late; and consequently, when I undertake to preach, it is natural for me to shoot off in that direction.

We, as a people, have to depend, to a great extent, upon the policy we adopt. We have got to respect ourselves, at least, if the world will not respect us. It will not be many years until the world will understand that when they speak of us we are to be respected. They will realize, feel, and understand this more and more.

To be sure, we have submitted to them, suffered our houses to be burned, and ourselves to be driven from our homes; we suffered our friends to be murdered, and we have fled into the wilderness: for 20 years we have fled before our enemies. But it is a long road that never has a turn. The day will come when our enemies will flee before us. There must be a change. Although they may despise us, let them remember—an old adage has it—that despised enemies are dangerous.

The time will shortly come when it will be considered better policy for men to stay at home and mind their business than to be marching a thousand miles to murder the “Mormons.” The day will come when it will be considered more for the health and happiness of the human family to let the “Mormons” alone.

Brother Hyde, in addressing us this morning, spoke very strongly about cutting out an ulcer. When any man goes to cutting off a member of his body, he mars it. If he only chops off his big toe, he cannot hop quite so good as he could before. So, when the Government of the United States—our dear uncle, whom I have always been so afraid of, chops off one member of the great confederacy, the work of dismembering begins.

Peace has been taken from the earth, and there is little or no confidence among the children of men; and while all the devils in hell and all the priests upon the earth are at work to unite for the extinction of the kingdom, it is in the mountains, pursuing the even tenor of its way, every man minding his own business. But, confusion will increase in the midst of the wicked—those who are our enemies, and, as says the revelation, “the wicked will slay the wicked.”

The Lord says it is his business to take care of his Saints. The safest place on the earth is in Zion. If you were in the city of New York, San Francisco, St. Louis, or in any of those great cities, and had 10 dollars in your pocket, a valuable penknife, or a gold watch, and should happen to be walking in the streets at night, you would be under the necessity of keeping a constant guard, peradventure your life should be taken for the property in your pocket. Policemen are not of much use. If you place two policemen in a street, there will be four robberies; if you place four, there will be eight robberies: they nearly all colleague together, and no man that is decently dressed can lie down or walk the streets in safety or quiet in any of those cities without risking his life almost as much as he would in facing an enemy on the battlefield.

These are solemn truths: they are what I have seen. Somebody is after a stranger every moment he is in the streets, to rob him. Is it so here? No. This is the safest place on this earth; and as we learn more righteousness, divest ourselves more and more of selfishness, and become more and more instructed in the intrinsic value of earthly substance, compared with eternal riches, the principle of safety will increase and the Millennium will actually commence with this people.

There is yet in the hearts of our people, although the reformation has done a great work, a spirit of selfishness. We have got to divest ourselves of this principle; we have got to become so perfectly stripped of it that we will love the Lord our God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves, that our hearts will not be set upon our own property or upon the property of others, so as to covet the things that pertain to this world, and that, with our whole soul, mind, and strength, we will desire to serve the Lord our God—that we would just as soon set fire to our own dwellings, sacrifice our property, and flee into the mountains, to dwell there in dens, caves, and holes, as did the ancients, as dwell in palaces and enjoy the soft raiment of kings.

Every man and woman should cultivate in their hearts a desire to love the Lord, keep his commandments, and appreciate the spirit and the freedom of the Gospel and the privilege and blessing of the fulness of the holy Priesthood more than all the treasures upon the face of the earth.

Do you recollect that when the children of Israel were invading the land of Canaan, to drive out the Canaanites and inherit the land, in some instances they coveted the property of their enemies? In one instance, an individual stole a wedge of gold and a Babylonish garment. Because of this, God was offended and suffered Israel to be driven before their enemies. Let us not be caught in this snare, but cast out from our hearts every principle of covetousness, and let our desires be to serve the Lord.

If our enemies will let us alone, we are rich enough, and can enjoy all the comforts of life that we need to make us healthy and happy, and we will spring forth a mighty people. If they do not let us alone, God will preserve us and reward us for all the sacrifices we have to make. Covet not anything that is theirs; let not our spirits desire it, but in all things do as we are counseled, and pray God for wisdom, knowledge, and intelligence to live righteously, soberly, and be devoid of idolatry, to be prepared to dwell as Gods and reign and have dominion in our time and season.

Had it not been for the faith and works, the union and exertions of the Saints, we might this day have had our streets paraded with the martial forces of our enemies. But God has blessed us for our faith and exertions—for our willingness to listen to the counsel of him whom he has appointed to direct us, to be our father and counselor in Israel. Because they have to spend their time in the mountains, some men may feel as though it is a waste of both time and labor to no good. Others say, “We have been robbed so many times of our homes, and so many of our friends murdered, we would now like to draw the sword and slay our enemies.” If it had not been for this principle in the breasts of many, I do not believe our enemies would ever have crossed the South Pass.

I believe, if we, as a people, were of one heart and mind, and would place ourselves in the right position before the Lord, and ask him for what we need, that we never would have any serious annoyance from our enemies. But it is a great labor to place the whole people in this position.

I believe, for the time the work has been progressing, that the people of Enoch’s city were not more united than are the inhabitants of these valleys. I believe the greatest work has been performed towards bringing the children of men back into the presence of God, since Joseph Smith commenced to preach the Gospel to this generation, than ever was since the creation. It requires all our faith and watchfulness to continue the work and roll it on fast enough to keep out of the way of our enemies.

If there are any among us who have not obeyed the Gospel, now is a good time for them to repent of their sins: or, if there are any who have not renewed their covenants, now is a good time for you to repent of your sins and be rebaptized for the remission of them; and let it be our whole intent and only desire to serve the Lord our God all the days of our lives. May the blessings of Israel’s God rest upon us, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.