Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Third Ward Meetinghouse, Salt Lake City, Sunday Evening, June 21, 1874.

I am here in this Ward, especially to talk to you, my brethren and sisters. I think I have been here only once before—at the dedication of this house. I have a few things to say to you, which I hope and expect will be received and appreciated according to their merit.

Perhaps quite a portion of this little congregation have left their homes, their friends, the lands of their nativity for the Gospel’s sake, for the sake of their own salvation and that of their families and friends who would go with them. I will appeal to the experience of my brethren and sisters who have received the Gospel, and ask them this question—Is not the Gospel dearer to us than anything else and all else on this earth? I think I can answer for all Latter-day Saints, and say, “Surely it is.” We hope for life, salvation and exaltation; we have the privilege of the Gospel and the ordinances of the house of God, while the inhabitants of the earth, with the exception of comparatively a very few, have not as yet availed themselves of this privilege. We preach the Gospel to the people, but they are so erroneously traditionated and so ignorant with regard to the facts pertaining to the revelations and will of God to the children of men, that they turn aside from it and think it no evil in so doing. They are so educated that they can neglect the Gospel, and feel measurably justified. This is an item of experience that we could bring before ourselves and others more fully than, perhaps, it would be prudent for me to spend the time to do this evening. But the Gospel to us is all in all. To know the will of God, and do it, is the happiest life that intelligent beings, the children of our Father in heaven, can live. There is no other condition in life that produces the same amount of good feeling, peace, happiness, joy, comfort, contentment and intelligence that the service of the Lord will bring. If a person is very poor and the love of God is within him, he feels rich and happy, and can measurably do without food, that is, longer and better than they can who do not have this experience of the love of God within them.

The person who enjoys the experience of the knowledge of the kingdom of God on the earth, and at the same time has the love of God within him, is the happiest of any individuals on the earth. We, who believe in and have obeyed this Gospel, look forward with the anticipation of obtaining a great amount of knowledge and wisdom. When we embraced the Gospel, the spirit opened up to our minds the fact that the wisdom, the knowledge and the power of God would increase in the midst of the Saints. This is our experience: I, knowing for myself, what the Spirit of the Lord brings to the understanding, testify what it reveals to others. The same spirit that is given to me, to enlighten my mind, is given to others; the same that is given to you I have received, consequently I speak from personal knowledge, from that which I have experienced and understand, and that I live in; and they who live in and enjoy the spirit of our holy religion can testify to this.

There is a portion of this congregation who are young, and know but little about the United States, or about the people there; and there is a large percentage of our community who know nothing by experience of the outside world. Ask them if they know anything of California? No. Anything about the States? No. Did you not come from England? No, but my parents did; consequently they have not experience. They have lived here, they have grown up with us. We have brought them up cheerfully and kindly, and instructed and taught them, and they have enjoyed the spirit of life and of wisdom and knowledge. These children who have been born here in the New and Everlasting Covenant, do not seem to realize this. This is for the want of experience, which they will obtain in future life. But those of experience, those who have left their homes and their all for the sake of the Gospel, are capable of judging better about these matters.

Now we, as Latter-day Saints, hope for salvation; we are living in anticipation of eternal salvation. We have left our homes and everything for the sake of our religion. Many women in our community have left their husbands; many men have left their wives and children; young boys have left their parents and brothers and sisters, and young girls have come away, and left all. They had friends, homes, plenty, parents, brothers and sisters; yet when the spirit of the Gospel came upon them they were so enamored with it, and it gave such light, knowledge and intelligence, that they were willing to forsake all, and follow with the Latter-day Saints for life eternal. This is the case with quite a portion of our community. We all, then, started for life and salvation, and we still have no other object.

Now, my brethren and sisters, I wish to ask—Do we not anticipate further knowledge, wisdom and blessings, and further communications by the spirit of the Lord, further de– monstrations and further witnesses, revelations, knowledge, etc., in this kingdom? We do, every one of us. We ask the question again, Do we expect that we have already become perfect, and that we are prepared to be numbered with the sanctified, and that we are now prepared to be gathered with God’s elect, and that, if we were to hear the voice tonight—“Behold the bridegroom cometh”—we should be numbered with the wise? Do we anticipate this? If we do we are wrong, for we are not prepared. We have passed through a great many scenes, we may say, of tribulation, though I would have all my brethren understand that I do not take this to myself, for all that I have passed through has been joy and joyful to me; but we have seemingly sacrificed a great deal, and passed through many scenes of trial and temptations, no doubt of this. We have had to suffer temptation more or less, and we have taken the spoiling of our goods joyfully. I have, myself, five times before I came to this valley, left everything that the Lord had blessed me with pertaining to this world’s goods, which, for the country where I lived, was not a very little.

Well, we have passed these ordeals, and we are still going along. Now have we profited by all that we have, passed through and experienced, so that we really do consider that we are sanctified and prepared for the celestial kingdom of God, or do we believe that there is something more yet to be done? Why, all hearts reply—There is still understanding in this kingdom; every heart echoes—We expect to learn more, we expect to receive more, we are not yet perfect, we are not complete in our stature as men and women in Christ Jesus. Now I will just ask, right here—Shall we ever be learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth? No, I say we shall not, but we shall come to the knowledge of the truth. This is my hope and anticipation, and this is my joy. The Latter-day Saints, as a people, in many respects are shortsighted, we are but babes or suckling infants in the Church and kingdom of God, comparatively, and especially since we have been in these valleys. We have enjoyed peace and plenty here; we have been blessed in our families, and in our flocks and herds, and in our fields and crops, and we have gathered around us the comforts, and even the luxuries of life, and some, to a small extent, wealth. Now, in the enjoyment of all this is the kingdom of God first and foremost with us? I can say, taking as a people, that our hearts are too much on the things of this life. We are, perhaps, too skeptical in our feelings, with regard to the things of the kingdom. We gather, as we anticipate, mental strength, and we think we are capable of judging where we are not capable of judging, and the riches, or the good things of this life, I cannot in reality say the riches, but a little of this world’s goods, sometimes blind the mind and becloud the spirit of a person. I can appeal to the experience of my brethren and sisters, aged and middle-aged and youth, and even to the children. Go to the child, and what does its joy consist in? Toys, we may call them, something that produces, as they think, pleasure; and so it is with our youth, our young boys and girls; they are thinking too much of this world; and the middle-aged are striving and struggling to obtain the good things of this life, and their hearts are too much upon them. So it is with the aged. Is not this the condition of the Latter-day Saints? It is. Well, now, take us as a people, we anticipate life eternal; we think we are the best people on the earth, and we think we have sacrificed more for our religion than anybody else, though in my belief, and in this respect I probably differ with most of the Latter-day Saints, for the simple reason that God, our Heavenly Father, in his religion, does not require men and women to suffer as false religions do. Take the religions of the heathen, and false systems of religion generally, and they require sacrifices that the Lord does not require. The Lord has offered his sacrifice in the character of his Son; but he does not require us to sacrifice our children or ourselves as the heathens sacrifice to their gods; consequently our sacrifices and our sufferings are not to be compared with those of the heathens. There are professing Christians in our midst, who are so strict in their religious notions that they would rise in the morning at five o’clock, and walk miles, if necessary, rather than miss their religious services; and they are those who are so zealous that they would measure the soil from here into old Jerusalem with their bodies if they could, to pay penance, as they call it. God does not require any such sacrifice as this; neither does he require any of these sacrifices which involve the shedding of blood or the loss of life. Such things do not belong to God’s religion, they come through sin and transgression. Perhaps they who show such manifestations of their faith strengthen it and do themselves some good. All that is required of us is to sacrifice our feelings and to overcome the adversary by subduing the lust within us for anything but the kingdom of God on the earth, the glory of God, and the salvation of our friends and families and of the human family from first to last; that our whole souls may be devoted to the building up of the kingdom of God on the earth, and for the salvation of those who sleep, who died without the Gospel. We want to sacrifice enough to do the will of God in preparing to bring up those who have not had the privilege of hearing the Gospel while in the flesh, for the simple reason that, in the spirit world, they cannot officiate in the ordinances of the House of God. They have passed the ordeals, and are beyond the possibility of personally officiating for the remission of their sins and for their exaltation, consequently they are under the necessity of trusting in their friends, their children and their children’s children to officiate for them, that they may be brought up into the celestial kingdom of God. All that the Lord requires of us is a perfect submission in our hearts to his will. The Latter-day Saints say at once—“This is correct, certainly it is right that we should have no other object and aim in our feelings and affections but to do good and to promote the kingdom of God on the earth.” But the weakness of man is such, the humanity with which our spirits is clothed is so frail that we are liable to be overcome. These tabernacles are dull, subject to sin and temptation, and to stray from the kingdom of God and the ordinances of his house, to lust after riches, the pride of life and the vanities of the world, and these things are prone to be uppermost in the minds of all; old and young, even Latter-day Saints. The infant wants his toys, the children want nice dresses, and this is correct; and when we understand how to rightly use the things of the world, there will be the most beautiful children in Zion that ever lived on the earth. But we wish the wealth or things of the world; we think about them morning, noon and night; they are first in our minds when we awake in the morning, and the last thing before we go to sleep at night; and we dream about how we shall do this, and how we shall obtain that, and our minds are continually lusting after the things of the world. Is not this too much the case with the Latter-day Saints?

I will ask this question of the few who are here—What think ye, my brethren and sisters of experience, you that have enjoyed the light of the spirit, you that can see the travail of the Saints, do you think that this people called Latter-day Saints are traveling in the path that they should go in? Do you think that they offer their oblations and sacrifices to the Lord as they should? What do you think about it? What is the general expression through our community? It is that the Latter-day Saints are drifting as fast as they can into idolatry, drifting into the spirit of the world and into pride and vanity.

You read in the revelations given to John on the Isle of Patmos, concerning the latter days, that a voice was heard crying to the Saints in Babylon—“Come out of her, O my people, be not partakers of her sins, lest ye receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven,” etc. Has this voice been heard? Yes, the Latter-day Saints have heard it. Has the angel flown through the midst of heaven and delivered the Gospel to the children of men? Yes, we believe all this. Do we believe that the Lord sent his messengers to Joseph Smith, and commanded him to refrain from joining any Christian church, and to refrain from the wickedness he saw in the churches, and finally delivered to him a message informing him that the Lord was about to establish his kingdom on the earth, and led him on step by step until he gave him the revelation concerning the plates? Yes, this is all correct. Did Joseph receive these revelations? He did. Did the heavenly messengers come to Joseph, and commit to him the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood? Yes, we believe all this. Did they commit to him the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood? Yes. This is all correct, we believe all this. Did the Lord speak from the heavens through Joseph, commanding his people to gather out from the wicked before the scourges—sickness, pestilence, wars, bloodshed, and the various calamities spoken of by the Prophets and Apostles, should pass over the nations? Yes, we believe the Lord has called upon the people who received the Gospel to come out of Babylon, to separate themselves from the wicked and to stand in holy places preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man. All Latter-day Saints believe all this; then I say, if we do believe it, let us act up to and be true to our faith and to the knowledge that we have of God and his kingdom. This is what is required of us.

We have passed from one thing to another, and I may say from one degree of knowledge to another. When Joseph first received the knowledge of the plates that were in the hill Cumorah, he did not then receive the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, he merely received the knowledge that the plates were there, and that the Lord would bring them forth, and that they contained the history of the aborigines of this country. He received the knowledge that they were once in possession of the Gospel, and from that time he went on, step by step, until he obtained the plates, and the Urim and Thummim, and had power to translate them. This did not make him an Apostle, it did not give to him the keys of the kingdom, nor make him an Elder in Israel. He was a Prophet, and had the spirit of prophecy, and had received all this before the Lord ordained him. And when the Lord, by revelation, told him to go to Pennsylvania, he did so, and finished the translation of the Book of Mormon; and when the Lord, in another revelation, told him to come back, into New York State, and to go to old Father Whitmer’s, who lived in a place opposite Waterloo, and there stop, he did so, and had meetings, and gathered up the few who believed in his testimony. He received the Aaronic Priesthood, and then he received the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and organized the Church. He first received the power to baptize, and still did not know that he was to receive any more until the Lord told him there was more for him. Then he received the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and had power to confirm after he had baptized, which he had not before. He would have stood precisely as John the Baptist stood, had not the Lord sent his other messengers, Peter, James and John, to ordain Joseph to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Then, after some of the brethren had been out preaching, he had a revelation that they should go up to the Ohio. I knew of them, though I was not acquainted with them before they went up there. They were seen by some of my family, my father saw and conversed with them. Then the way opened for a large gathering in the State of Ohio. Parley P. Pratt, Oliver Cowdery, Samuel Peterson, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, and a few others, went up there and preached the Gospel, and they came among the members of the society called Campbellites, formerly mem– bers of the Close Communion Baptists, their leader’s name being Alexander Campbell. This man preached the doctrine that baptism was for the remission of sins, and that split the Church; but when the brethren came to these societies and taught them, not only baptism for the remission of sins, but the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, they believed it, and were baptized for the remission of their sins, and received the laying on of hands for the Holy Ghost, and then received other ordinances.

Then the Lord revealed to Joseph to go out to the Ohio, and he went up; and after he went up he then understood and was taught of the Lord to send men to the west to hunt out a place for the Center Stake of Zion. They went according to the revelations that Joseph received, and finally Joseph went up to meet them, in Independence, Jackson County, Mo., on the borders of the Lamanites. You can read all this in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Then he had not received all at this time, and at the time that Zion’s Camp, as it is called, went up to Missouri, in 1834, so far as I am aware, Joseph had never received any intimation as to there being a Patriarch in the Church. On our return home from Missouri, my brother Joseph Young, while conversing with me, asked if it would be right for our father to give us a blessing. Said he—“I feel just as though I want my father to give me a patriarchal blessing.” When we reached Kirtland we talked with Joseph on the subject, and he said, “Certainly,” and finally we appointed a day, and brother Joseph, the Prophet, came to where we met and ordained my father a Patriarch, and he was the first man ordained to the office of Patriarch in the Church, and he blessed his children; and soon after this Joseph ordained his father a patriarch and his father called his children together and blessed them. Then Joseph had another revelation, that a record should be kept, and when this was revealed to him, he then had his father call his house together again, and blessed them over and a record was kept of it. This is to show you, and especially those who have no experience in the Church, how the Lord has led this people along, led them along, led them along.

We were driven from Missouri after Joseph went up there, and we came to Nauvoo, and the Twelve went to England. While we were in England, I think, the Lord manifested to me by visions and his Spirit, things that I did not then understand. I never opened my mouth to any person concerning them, until I returned to Nauvoo. Joseph had never mentioned this, there had never been a thought of it in the Church that I knew anything about at that time. But I had this for myself, and I kept it to myself, and when I returned home and Joseph revealed these things to me, I then understood the reflections that were upon my mind while in England. But this was not until after I had told him what I understood. I saw that he was after something by his conversation, leading my mind along, and others, to see how we could bear this. This was in 1841; the revelation was given in 1843, but the doctrine was revealed before this; and when I told Joseph what I understood, which was right in front of my house in the street, as he was shaking hands and leaving me, he turned round and looked me in the eyes, and says he—“Brother Brigham, are you speaking what you understand—are you in earnest?” Says I—“I speak just as the Spirit manifests to me.” Says he—“God bless you, the Lord has opened your mind,” and he turned and went off.

About this time came a revelation concerning baptism for the dead. I know that in my traveling and preaching, many a time, I have stopped by beautiful streams of clear, pure water, and have said to myself, “How delightful it would be to me to go into this, to be baptized for the remission of my sins.” When I got home Joseph told me it was my privilege. At this time came a revelation, that the Saints could be baptized and rebaptized when they chose, and then that we could be baptized for our dear friends, but at first it was not revealed that a record should be kept of those who were baptized; but when he received an additional revelation to that effect, then a record was kept. Hundreds and thousands, I suppose, were baptized before any record was kept at all, and they were baptized over, and a record kept of the baptisms and the names of the administrator, those who acted for the dead, and of the dead, and of the witnesses. You can read in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the letter that Joseph wrote when he was away from home in regard to having witnesses at these baptisms. I relate this to show you that the Lord did not reveal everything at once; but I need not dwell on this any longer.

I will now say to my brethren and sisters, the Lord, in the first place, commenced to bring the people together upon the ground of union and oneness; but they could not bear this. You can read, on page 161, of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, a revelation given to the Colesville Branch. Leman Copley had a tract of land that was to be given to the Saints, and they were to build up a stake of Zion until there was another place prepared for the Center Stake; but he apostatized and the people went away. Before this the Lord revealed to Joseph, that the people would gather out from Babylon, and establish the kingdom of God upon the principles of heaven. They went up to Jackson County, Mo., with this in their faith, and with the express understanding that when they got there, everything was to be laid at the feet of the Bishop, not at the feet of the Apostles, as they did anciently. Then, you know, they sold all they had, and brought their substance and laid it at the feet of the Apostles. The revelation given through Joseph was to lay all at the feet of the Bishop, who was to distribute it among the people, according to the revelation given for that purpose, for their benefit. But they could not bear this, consequently they were driven from Jackson County, and assembled again, some in Caldwell, and some in Davies County, and finally they were driven from the State. This was in the fall of 1838. I recollect, in Far West, Joseph, talking upon these matters, said—“The people cannot bear the revelations that the Lord has for them. There were a great many revelations if the people could bear them.” I think it was the eighth day of July, 1831, Joseph had a revelation that the people should consecrate their surplus property for the building of the Temple there in Far West, for the support of the Priesthood, for the paying of the debts of the Presidency, etc., which I could give an account of, for I was present when it came. Joseph was doing business in Kirtland, and it seemed as though all creation was upon him, to hamper him in every way, and they drove him from his business, and it left him so that some of his debts had to be settled afterwards; and I am thankful to say that they were settled up; still further, we have sent East to New York, to Ohio, and to every place where I had any idea that Joseph had ever done business, and inquired if there was a man left to whom Joseph Smith, Jun., the Prophet, owed a dollar, or a sixpence. If there was we would pay it. But I have not been able to find one. I have advertised this through every neighborhood and place where he formerly lived, consequently I have a right to conclude that all his debts were settled.

We will now pass on. You know the history with regard to our leaving Nauvoo. Now I have it in my mind to ask the question of the Latter-day Saints—Are they in earnest? Do they mean what they say, when they say they believe that brother Brigham Young is the legal successor of Joseph Smith, the Prophet? We believe in Joseph the Prophet; he sealed his testimony with his blood, consequently we can, with impunity, believe on him a little better than if he were living. When he was living, his testimony was not in force upon the people as it is now. But is brother Brigham the legal successor of brother Joseph? This people, called Latter-day Saints, by their acts, by their voting, say they believe he is. Well, we will admit the fact. I have a little to say, then, and shall come back to former days with regard to the duties of the individual who leads the kingdom of God on the earth.

In all ages of the world that we have any knowledge of, when there was a people on the earth whom God acknowledged as his people, he has invariably dictated them in spiritual and in temporal things. This question was agitated year after year in the days of Joseph. The first two Bishops in the Church—Edward Partridge was the first—I was well acquainted with him, and Newel K. Whitney was the second—questioned the propriety of Joseph having anything to do with temporal things. Joseph would argue the case with them a little, and tell them how things were, and bring up Scripture to show them that it could not be otherwise—that it was impossible for the Lord to dictate people unless he dictated them in temporal affairs. The very first act after believing is a temporal act. After I hear the Gospel preached and believe it, I go down into the waters of baptism, which is a temporal act: it is an act that pertains to my will and my body, I will that my body shall go down into the water and be immersed for the remission of my sins, consequently I have to go to the Elder who taught me the Gospel, the spiritual portion of the kingdom, and apply to him to administer this temporal ordinance, and he has to do it; having taught the doctrine he officiates in the act, and you will find it through life, every circumstance, in every case the man that dictates the spiritual kingdom of God, must dictate the temporal affairs, it cannot be otherwise. I say this to you, because the idea in the minds of a few of the people is—“Brigham ought not to meddle with temporal affairs.” They said so to Joseph, and they said so much about it, that I went into the Temple at Kirtland, and challenged the men who were querying on this, to prove or bring up one instance where God did not manifest his will concerning temporal things whenever he made known his will to the children of men for establishing his kingdom on the earth. They always came to the floor; they had to do it, there was nothing else for them; it prostrated every person. There were William E. McLellin, John F. Boynton, and Lyman Johnson, who belonged to the Twelve, Frederick G. Williams, second counselor to Joseph, and two-thirds of the High Council all talking about this, and I went into the Temple and just challenged them to show wherein the Lord ever conferred upon any man in the world the power to dictate in spiritual affairs, that he did not in temporal affairs? They could not do it. I told them they could not draw the line between the spiritual and the temporal. All things were created first spiritual, and then temporal. Everything in the spirit world was presented as we see it now, and this temporal earth was presented there. We were in the spirit world, and we came here into this time, which is in eternity, nothing in the world only a change of time and seasons allotted to a change of being that makes it time to us. It is in eternity, and we are just as much in eternity now, as we shall be millions of years hence. But it is time measured to finite beings, and it is changeable, and we call it temporal, while the fact is it is all spiritual in the first place, then temporal, then spiritual, and made immortal, consequently you cannot divide them. I say this for those to reflect upon who think that there is a difference between temporal and spiritual things. I do not say, for I do not know, that there any such here.

Now we come to our present condition. You know the past. These children who were born in this city or Territory, know what they can remember, and many of them are old enough to have many reflections and can see and understand a great many things; but the older ones know that this people have drifted just as far as they can without a reformation. Every spiritual mind knows this. I will now say to my brethren and sisters, that while we were in Winter Quarters, the Lord gave to me a revelation just as much as he ever gave one to anybody. He opened my mind, and showed me the organization of the kingdom of God in a family capacity. I talked it to my brethren; I would throw out a few words here, and a few words there, to my first counselor, to my second counselor and the Twelve Apostles, but with the exception of one or two of the Twelve, it would not touch a man. They believed it would come, O yes, but it would be by and by. Says I, “Why not now?” If I had been worth millions when we came into this valley and built what we now call the “Old Fort,” I would have given it if the people had been prepared to then receive the kingdom of God according to the pattern given to Enoch. But I could not touch them. One would say, “I am for California,” another one, “I am for gold,” and I am for this and I am for that; and some used their influence in trying to persuade others to go to California. They said—“You can’t stay here, you can’t raise anything here, it is too cold, too frosty, these mountains are not fit to live in, this is not the place for white people, let us go to California and get some gold,” etc.

Now I am going to tell a dream that I had, which I think is as applicable, to the people today—the 21st day of June, 1874, as when I had it. There were so many going to California, and going this way and that way, and they did not know what they wanted, and said I—“stay here, we can raise our food here, I know it is a good stock country, a good sheep country, and as good a country for raising silk as there is in the world, and we shall raise some of the best of wheat. There stands a man—Burr Frost, and there is Truman O. Angell, who were present at the time. Said I, “We can raise all we want here, do not go away, do not be discouraged.” That was when the pioneers came; the next year, it was California, California, California, California. “No,” said I, “stay here.” After much thought and reflection, and a good deal of praying and anxiety as to whether the people would be saved after all our trouble in being driven into the wilderness, I had a dream one night, the second year after we came in here. Captain Brown had gone up to the Weber, and bought a little place belonging to Miles Goodyear. Miles Goodyear had a few goats, and I had a few sheep that I had driven into the Valley, and I wanted to get a few goats to put along with the sheep. I had seen Captain Brown and spoken to him about the goats, and he said I could have them. Just at that time I had this dream, which I will now relate. I thought I had started and gone past the Hot Springs, which is about four miles north of this city. I was going after my goats. When I had gone round the point of the mountain by the Hot Springs, and had got about half a mile on the rise of ground beyond the Spring, whom should I meet but brother Joseph Smith. He had a wagon with no bed on, with bottom boards, and tents and camp equipage piled on. Somebody sat on the wagon driving the team. Behind the team I saw a great flock of sheep. I heard their bleating, and saw some goats among them. I looked at them and thought —“This is curious, brother Joseph has been up to Captain Brown’s and got my goats.” There were men driving the sheep, and some of the sheep I should think were three and a half feet high, with large, fine, beautiful white fleeces, and they looked so lovely and pure; others were of moderate size, and pure and white; and in fact there were sheep of all sizes, with fleeces clean, pure and white. Then I saw some that were dark and spotted, of all colors and sizes and kinds, and their fleeces were dirty, and they looked inferior; some of these were a pretty good size, but not as large as some of the large fine clean sheep, and altogether there was a multitude of them of all sizes and kinds, and goats of all colors, sizes and kinds mixed among them. Joseph stopped the wagon, and the sheep kept rushing up until there was an immense herd. I looked in Joseph’s eye, and laughed, just as I had many a time when he was alive, about some trifling thing or other, and said I—“Joseph, you have got the darndest flock of sheep I ever saw in my life; what are you going to do with them, what on earth are they for?” Joseph looked cunningly out of his eyes, just as he used to at times, and said he—“They are all good in their places.” When I awoke in the morning I did not find any fault with those who wanted to go to California; I said, “If they want to go let them go, and we will do all we can to save them; I have no more fault to find, the sheep and the goats will run together, but Joseph says, “they are all good in their places.”

This will apply precisely to what we are doing at the present time. We are trying to unite the people together in the order that the Lord revealed to Enoch, which will be observed and sustained in the latter days in redeeming and building up Zion; this is the very order that will do it, and nothing short of it. We are trying to organize the Latter-day Saints into this order; but I want to tell you, my brethren and sisters, that I have not come here to say that you have got to join this order or we will cut you off the Church, or you must join this order or we will consider you apostates; no such thing, oh no, the Saints are not prepared to see everything at once. They have got to learn little by little, and to receive a little here and a little there. Since we commenced to organize at St. George, I have not had a feeling in my heart but to say to those who cannot see this order—Try and live your religion; get the Spirit of the Lord and keep it; humble yourselves before the Lord and get his Spirit; ask the Father in the name of Jesus to open your minds and let you see things as they are, and you will delight in it. And I say to all those who wish to receive the Order, come along and we will organize you, and we will do the very best we can for you. It is true that some who are in the Order talk very foolishly to those who do not feel to come into it; they throw out some very unbecoming expressions. This is entirely wrong. It is not called for, it is not needed, and it will not do the least good in the world. We must manifest and show to our brethren a purer life than we have heretofore. I will say to you, who want to be organized in this Order, we will not take one red cent from you, but the Lord will add to you riches and honor, if you will take counsel. As we have said from the beginning, we do not want a man’s farm, we do not want his gold and his silver, and nothing in the world but just his time. We want to dictate the time of the Latter-day Saints, to show them that we can come into the Order of God, and that we will be that people that the Lord has said with regard to temporal things. Speaking of the Latter-day Saints, the Lord has said—“I will make you the richest people on the earth,” and he can do it just as well as not, if we have a mind to let him. It is the time of the people we want to dictate.

I will branch off to another thread of the subject. Here is a brother who says, “Why, yes, you may have some of my property, or even take it all; but I want to be a man for myself; I do not want to be dictated; I want to preserve my own freedom; I do not want to be a slave.” What an idea! It is from the enemy, and because a person has not the Spirit of the Lord to see how things are. There is not a man of us but what is willing to acknowledge at once that God demands strict obedience to his requirements. But in rendering that strict obedience, are we made slaves? No, it is the only way on the face of the earth for you and me to become free, and we shall become the slaves of our own passions, and of the wicked one, and servants to the devil, if we take any other course, and we shall be eventually cast into hell with the devils. Now to say that I do not enjoy the volition of my own will just as much when I pray as I would to swear, is a false principle, it is false ground to take. You take the man who swears, and he has no more freedom, and acts no more on his own will than the man who prays; and the man who yields strict obedience to the requirements of Heaven, acts upon the volition of his own will and exercises his freedom just as much as when he was a slave to passion; and I think it is much better and more honorable for us, whether children or adults, youthful, middle-aged or old, it is better to live by and better to die by, to have our hearts pure, and to yield strict obedience to the principles of life which the Lord has revealed, than be a slave to sin and wickedness. All that the Lord requires of us is strict obedience to the laws of life. All the sacrifice that the Lord asks of his people is strict obedience to our own covenants that we have made with our God, and that is to serve him with an undivided heart.

I say this because I want you to understand our position. I am the director and counselor to this people for building up the kingdom of God on the earth. I am the one who will tell what shall be done, and how it shall be done, and any man who deviates or says that there is any design in connection with the United Order other than to put the people in a condition and situation to be better and freer, and in which they will enjoy more of the blessings of heaven and earth than they can out of it, does not tell the truth. You all know that it takes intelligence to enjoy. Persons in good-health enjoy their food. Why? Because they have sensibility and nervous feeling. Take that away and they would be like that stovepipe. Cut a hole in that, and put therein a nice beef steak, plum pudding, or a sweet cake, and would the stovepipe enjoy it? No. Why? Because it, has no sensibility. We enjoy because we have sensibility. Promote this sensibility, seek to get more and more knowledge, more wisdom, and more understanding, and to know the things of God. He is the author of life and of all joy and comfort; he is the author of all intelligence and of all good to us; then become satisfied to obey him, and seek to get more and more of his nature, and learn more and more of him. This will give us greater sensibility, and we shall know how to enjoy, and how to endure. I say, if you want to enjoy exquisitely, become a Latter-day Saint, and then live the doctrine of Jesus Christ. The man or woman who will do this will enjoy and endure most; and if they will be humble and faithful they will enjoy the glory and the excellency of the power of God, and be prepared to live with Gods and with angels.

We want to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. I do not know but I am spending more time than I should, but I must say some things more. This Third Ward is not organized. I do not know when it will be. We asked your Bishop, and he did not feel exactly prepared to enter into the Order. We know the reason why. Will he be prepared? Yes. I want to prophesy that he and his Ward will be prepared by and by, and I hope my prophecy will be fulfilled. He does not see things as quickly as I do. I will tell you what my position has always been. Before I embraced the Gospel, I understood pretty well what the different sects preached, but I was called an infidel because I could not embrace their dogmas. I could not believe all of Methodism; I could not believe all of the Baptists’ doctrines; there were some things they preached I could believe, and some I could not. I could not fully agree with the Presbyterians in their doctrines, nor with the Quakers, nor the Catholics, although they all have some truth. As far as their teachings were in accordance with the Bible, I could believe them, and no further. I was acquainted with the creeds of nearly all the various sects of dissenters in America, for I had made it my business to inquire into the principles in which they believed. I was religiously inclined in my youth, but I could not believe in their dogmas, for they did not commend themselves to my understanding, though a child I had attended their camp meetings, and had seen what they called the power of God. I had seen men and women fall, and be as speechless and breathless as that stove before me. I had seen scientists hold the lightest feather they could procure at the nostrils and mouths of females to see if a particle of air passed to or from the lungs, and not a particle was discernable. When a child I saw all this, but I could not believe in their dogmas. I could not say the people were not sincere in their faith and acts, but it was all a mystery to me. I was not old enough, and did not understand enough to decide. In the days of Joseph, when the revelation came to him and Sidney Rigdon, while translating that portion of the New Testament contained in the 29th verse of the third chapter of John, in reference to the different degrees of glory, I was not prepared to say that I believed it, and I had to wait. What did I do? I handed this over to the Lord in my feelings, and said I, “I will wait until the Spirit of God manifests to me, for or against.” I did not judge the matter, I did not argue against it, not in the least. I never argued the least against anything Joseph proposed, but, if I could not see or understand it, I handed it over to the Lord. This is my counsel to you, my brethren and sisters, and if I were sure my prophecy would be fulfilled, I certainly would prophesy that all here, who profess to be Latter-day Saints, will come into the holy Order and rejoice in it. And if you do not feel to come into the Order, assist those who do, and do not say anything against them. You who come into the Order, do not lisp anything against those who do not; if you feel right you will not have the least feeling against them. Come along, for, as I have said, if I do not find more than fifty men in the kingdom of God who will go with me to organize the Church and kingdom of God more perfectly, I shall go ahead. What for? More knowledge, wisdom, and perfection in the management and control of our temporal affairs. This is what I calculate to do, and I am going to do. Ask me if I am going into the Order with all that I have? Yes, as I told them in a meeting not long ago, I am going in with hat, coat, vest, pants, shirt, boots, and all I have. And if the question is asked, If your family do not go into the Order, what are you going to do with your property? I am going to seal it up to the kingdom of God, for I do not mean that the enemies of the kingdom shall have a penny if I can help it. I want it to go to the kingdom of God, I want it appropriated for the salvation of the human family, to build Temples, to sustain the families of the Elders who go abroad to preach; I want it to be used for the good of the poor and for the establishing of truth and righteousness on the earth. That is all it is for; I have no pleasure in it, I have no delight in it, it is nothing to me; I want everything that the Lord places in my possession, my time, my talents, every ability I have, every penny that he has committed to me to be used to his glory, and for the building up of his kingdom on the earth. I have nothing but what he has committed to me. What do you say to that, Jacob? Is that right? It is exactly. There is not a man here who has got his sight, hearing, taste and smell, but he is indebted to the Lord for them. The Lord gave us everything we possess, whatever ability or talents we have; our Tabernacles and all we enjoy, are the gifts of the Lord, and all should be devoted to the promotion of his kingdom on the earth, and I mean that mine shall be, the Lord being my helper.

I do not want to say to this Ward, you must come into the Order, or we shall not fellowship you, for we shall fellowship you if you do not. A short time ago, I said to those of this Ward who intended to be organized, go to the Eighth Ward and organize with them, but it was a misunderstanding, that I had dismissed Bro. Weiler from being Bishop here; and if anybody else understood so, I think they are mistaken. He is your Bishop still, and I charge him now in God’s name, not to trifle with the sacred things of the kingdom of God, or to throw cold water on them; if he does he will be left dark, and finally apostatize. I say to you Bishop and to the brethren and sisters, be faithful, live so that the Spirit of the Lord will abide within you, then you can judge for yourselves. I have often said to the Latter-day Saints—“Live so that you will know whether I teach you truth or not.” Suppose you are careless and unconcerned, and give way to the spirit of the world, and I am led, likewise, to preach the things of this world and to accept things that are not of God, how easy it would be for me to lead you astray! But I say to you, live so that you will know for yourselves whether I tell the truth or not. That is the way we want all Saints to live. Will you do it? Yes, I hope you will, every one of you. I say to the Bishop, here, go along and do not contend against the things of God. You and your counselors are disposed to argue in regard to the United Order. There should he no argument in this case; the Spirit of the Lord is the only thing that can enlighten our minds, and give us a knowledge of the things of God. No earthly argument, no earthly reasoning can open the minds of intelligent beings and show them heavenly things; that can only be done by the spirit of revelation. I testify this to the Latter-day Saints, and I feel to say God bless you, peace be with you. I have not come here to scold you, or anybody else. I am sometimes very rough in my language to the people, and I give them a rough scolding, but I do not wish any evil to the individual, it is to his wrong acts. If a person does wrong I am for exposing that, and chastening the perpetrator if he persists in it. I want wrongdoers to refrain. Now, I say, brother Jacob, teach the things of God. Do not have a doubt about this any more than about baptism, nor say a word against it. How many are there in this Church who are now wavering and shaking because they have spoken against the ordinances of heaven, and especially against that ordinance which God has revealed for the exaltation of the children of men in celestial marriage? Hold that as sacred as your own soul: if you cannot see the beauty and glory of it, and feel it in your own hearts, say nothing against it. This earth was placed in the hands of Adam and his sons, and he is the Lord of the earth; the male portion of the human family are the lords of the earth, and they are full of wickedness, evil and destruction, and especially in their acts towards the female sex. But God will hold them accountable. The fact is, let the pure principles of the kingdom of God be taught to men and women, and far more of the latter than of the former will receive and obey them. What shall we do with them? They want exaltation, they want to be in the great family of heaven, they do not want to be cast off, then they must be taken into the families of those who prove themselves worthy to be exalted with the Gods. Who is it that cannot see the beauty and the excellency of celestial marriage, and having our children sealed to us? What should we do without this? Were it not for what is revealed concerning the sealing ordinances, children born out of the covenant could not be sealed to their parents; children born in the covenant are entitled to the Spirit of the Lord and all the blessings of the kingdom. I know that our children, universally, have the Spirit of the Lord, and when they get old enough to judge right from wrong, if they turn from the good and promote evil in their hearts, then will be the time they sin.

Now, I say to you, brother Jacob, teach the things of God, and do not trifle with this; do not argue about this at all; if you do not see and understand, stand still and see the salvation of God. Labor and help those who wish to go forward, and the Lord will bless you in it. He will open your minds and give you light and understanding, and you will be far happier than the wicked. How blessed are you when you are for God and none else! Then you are ready for whatever he reveals. How sweet you can sleep! Your dreams are pleasant and delightful, and the days, weeks, months and years pass away easily and joyfully, you are so happy.

I pray God to bless you, Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered at the Opening of the Adjourned General Conference, held in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, May 7, 1874.

I do not expect to be able to speak much during this Conference, but I make a request of my brethren who may speak, to give us their instructions and views for or against this general cooperative system, which we, with propriety, may call the United Order. If any choose to give it any other name that will be applicable to the nature of it, they can do so. A system of oneness among any people, whether former-day Saints, middle-day Saints, eleventh hour of the day Saints, last hour of the day Saints, or no Saints at all, is beneficial; but I wish the brethren to give us their views for and against union in a family, whether that family consists of the parents and ten children, or the parents, ten children, fifty grandchildren, or a hundred and fifty great-grandchildren, and so on until you get to a nation. I ask of my brethren who may address the congregations, to give us their views for and against union, peace, good order; laboring for the benefit of ourselves, and in connection with each other for the welfare and happiness of all, whether in the capacity of a family, neighborhood, city, state, nation, or the world.

We see the inhabitants of the earth, as individuals and nations, struggling, striving, laboring and toiling, everyone for himself and nobody else; all are anxious to bless their own dear selves. If you will permit me I will quote an anecdote in illustration of this trait of character among the human family. A man, in asking a blessing upon his food, prayed, “O Lord, bless me and my wife, my son John and his wife, we four, and no more. Amen.” If we have generosity of feeling sufficient to pray for blessings upon a fifth person, or upon a whole family, neighborhood or community, all the better.

We are not entering into any new system, order or doctrine. There are numbers of organizations of a similar character, as far as they go, in our own country and in other countries. Our object is to labor for the benefit of the whole, to retrench in our expenditures; to be prudent and economical; to study well the necessities of the community, and to pass by its many useless wants; to study to secure life, health, wealth, and union, which is power and influence to any community; and I ask my brethren, while addressing the people during this Conference, to take up these items of everyday life. It seems to be objectionable to some, for the Latter-day Saints to enter into a self-sustaining system, and the probability of our doing so causes a great deal of talk. If we were infidels, any other sect of Christians, or neither Christians nor infidels, but mere worldlings, seeking only to amass the wealth of this world, nothing would be thought or said against it. But for the Latter-day Saints to make a move to the right or to the left, to the front or to the rear, a suspicion arises directly in the minds of the people. I will say to the inhabitants of the whole earth, that the Latter-day Saints are going to work to sustain themselves, to do good to themselves, to their neighbors and to the whole human family; they are going to labor to establish peace and good order on the earth, just as far and as fast as they can, and to prepare them for a happier world than this.

Talk about it, cry about it, deride it, point the finger of scorn at it, we care not, we are the servants and handmaids of the Lord, and our business is to build up his kingdom upon the earth, and let all the world say what they please, it matters not to us. It is for us to do our duty.

Now let me present one little matter. Here are brethren from all parts of the Territory, to represent the different branches of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We find our brethren in various parts of the Territory are in possession of a little land; take a man, for instance, who has got a five acre lot. He wants his team, he must have his horses, harness, wagon, plow, harrow and farming utensils to cultivate that five acres, just as though he was farming a hundred acres. And when harvest comes; he is not accommodated by his neighbors with a reaping machine, and he says—“Another year, I will buy one,” and this to harvest five acres of grain. Take the article of wagons among this people, we have five where we should not have more than two; and the money that is spent needlessly by our people for wagons would make a small community rich. Again, take mowing and reaping machines, and we have probably twice or three times as many in this Territory as the people need. They stand in the sun and they dry up and spoil, and this entails a heavy waste of property. We may take also the article of harness for horses. If this community would be united, and work cattle instead of horses, they might save themselves from two to five hundred thousand dollars yearly. Is this economy or wisdom? A few years ago we raised our own sweet; but when the railroad came it brought sugar to us very cheap, and where is our sorghum now? There is hardly any raised in the whole Territory. The people say—“The sugar is so cheap.” Suppose sugar was only one penny a pound, and you had not that penny and could not get it, what good would it do you? None at all. If cotton cloth can be bought for fifteen, ten, or six cents a yard, what does it profit a people if they have not the money to buy it? It does them no good. When they have the ground to raise the cotton, and the machinery to work this cotton up and make the fabrics they need, they can do it, money or no money. And so we go on from one thing to another, and we would be glad if our brethren, in their remarks, will give us their views and instructions on these points, and the bearing they have had upon the people in the past, and how they will affect them in connection with the United Order which we are now seeking to introduce.

If any man, merchant, businessman, or anybody else has anything to bring forward to show, as they think, that the United Order will militate against the interests of the community, we invite them to speak it freely, and give us both sides of the question. We are for the best, we are for the right, for that which will accomplish the greatest good to the greatest number. I shall now give place for others to speak.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 3, 1874.

It is nearly time to close this meeting, but I desire to speak a few words. I have very much that I wish to convey to the Latter-day Saints, but I can only say, in as few words as possible, a little at a time, upon a few subjects which I wish to lay before the Saints. First, looking upon the Latter-day Saints, the inquiry within myself is—Do you know whether I am leading you right or not? Do you know whether I dictate you right or not? Do you know whether the wisdom and the mind of the Lord are dispensed to you correctly or not? These are questions which I will answer by quoting a little Scripture, and saying to the Latter-day Saints what was said to the Saints in former times, “No man knoweth the things of God, but by the Spirit of God.” That was said in the days of the Savior and the Apostles, and it was no more true then than it is now, or than it was in the days of the Prophets, Moses, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, Adam, or in any and every age of the world. It requires the same manifestations in one age as in another, to enable men to un– derstand the things of God. I have a request to make of each and every Latter-day Saint, or those who profess to be, to so live that the Spirit of the Lord will whisper to them and teach them the truth, and define to their understanding the difference between truth and error, light and darkness, the things of God and the things that are not of God. In this there is safety; without this there is danger, imminent danger; and my exhortation to the Latter-day Saints is—Live your religion.

Among all intelligent beings upon the earth there is a great mistake in regard to dispensing to others the knowledge they possess. In the political world, right here, and through our government and other governments, there is a great desire in each and every one, who is prominent and influential, to manage their political affairs by and with their friends, and to keep their enemies from knowing anything about them, which creates a party feeling, and parties promote distrust and jealousy, which lead to discord and strife. Such is also the case in the financial world. In our trading and trafficking we wish to confine the knowledge of our business in as small a limit as possible, that others may not know what we are doing, lest we should lose our good bargains and fail in our schemes.

It is more or less the same in the religious world. We wish to know a great deal, and do not want our neighbors to know as much as we do, but wish them to believe that we know it all. This trait of character is very common, both here and through the whole world. We all wish to know something that our neighbors do not know. With scientific men you will often find the same trait of character: “My studies and my researches are beyond those of my neighbors; I know more than they know; I treasure this up to myself, and I am looked upon as a superior being, and that delights me.”

I say to the Latter-day Saints, and to all the world, this is all wrong. We are here upon this earth as the children of our heavenly Father, who is filled with light and intelligence, and he dispenses that to his children as they can receive and profit by it, without money and without price. Is not this a fact? It is. Go to every department of life, to the mechanics, to the manufacturers, to those learned in all the arts and sciences, throughout the world, and not one of them possesses an item of knowledge or wisdom but what has come from God, the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge. The idea that the religion of Christ is one thing, and science is another, is a mistaken idea, for there is no true religion without true science, and consequently there is no true science without true religion. The fountain of knowledge dwells with God, and he dispenses it to his children as he pleases, and as they are prepared to receive it, consequently it swallows up and circumscribes all. This is the great plan of salvation; this is the “bugaboo” that the Christian world hoot at so much, and which they call “Mormonism”—it is the Gospel of life and salvation.

Confidence is lost in the hearts of the nations of the earth. Confidence is lost one towards another, among the religious sects of the day; confidence is lost in the scientific and mechanical world; in the financial and in the political world, and it must be restored. I make this statement, and there is not a scientist or divine on the earth who can truthfully controvert it.

There is a great deal being said and rumored about what we are teaching the people at the present time with regard to being one in our temporal affairs as we are one in the doctrine that we have embraced for our salvation. I will say to you that erroneous traditions at once begin to present themselves. Why we have received these traditions, those who reflect, read and understand can pass their own decision. You cannot find a sect anywhere that strictly believes in the New Testament. Read over the sayings of the Savior to his disciples, those of the disciples one to another, and of the people, with regard to being one; and then bring up the fact that they believed in this doctrine, and that they taught and practiced it so far that the believers sold their possessions and laid the proceeds at the Apostles’ feet. Now, what is the tradition on this point? To sell your houses, your farms, your stores, your cattle, and bring the means and lay it down at the feet of the Apostles, and then live, eat, drink and wear until it is all gone, and then what? Do without? Yes, or be beggars. Our traditions lead us to this point, and that throws us into a dilemma, out of which we know not how to extricate ourselves. To the Latter-day Saints, I say, all this is a mistake; these are false ideas, false conclusions. I am here to tell you how things are, and, as far as necessary, to tell you how they were, and then to tell you how they should be, and how they will be. To begin with, we will unitedly labor to sustain the kingdom of God upon the earth. Shall we sell our possessions, have all things in common, live upon the means until it is gone, and then beg through the country? No, no. Sell nothing of our possessions. True, the earth is at present in possession of the great enemy of the Savior, but he does not own a foot of it; he never did, but he has possession of it, and they say that possession is nine points of the law, and it seems to be so. Well, if I have a foot of land that I have dedicated and devoted to my heavenly Father for his kingdom on the earth, I never dispose of that. I have owned a great deal of land, and I now own a great deal of land in the United States, and I have never yet sold a foot of it. I say to the Latter-day Saints, keep your land, dedicate it to God, preserve it in truth, in purity, in holiness; pray that the Spirit of the Lord may brood over it, that whoever walks over that land, may feel the influence of that Spirit; pray that the Spirit of the Lord may cover our possessions, then gather around us the necessaries of life. Dispose of nothing that we should keep, but continue to labor, praying the Lord to bless the soil, the atmosphere and the water. Then we have our crops, our fruit, our flocks and herds to live upon, to improve upon, and then go on and make our clothing, build houses, improve our streets, our cities and all our surroundings and make them beautiful; beautify every place with the workmanship of our own hands. Keep what is necessary, dispose of what we may have to dispose of. To whom? To those who are operating in our mines to develop the resources in our mountains, and to all who have need. By such a course the wasting of our substance, as has been too much the case, will be stopped; and when we labor, let our labor count something for our benefit. We ask concerning the rich, Do we want your gold and your silver? No, we do not. Do we want your houses and lands? We do not. What do we want? We want obedience to the requirements of wisdom, to direct the labors of every man and every woman in this kingdom to the best possible advantage, that we may feed and clothe ourselves, build our houses and gather around us the comforts of life, without wasting so much time, means, and energy. And instead of saying that I shall give up my carriage for the poor to ride in, we will direct the poor so that every man may have his carriage, if he will be obedient to the requirements of the Almighty. Every family will have all that they can reasonably desire. When we learn and practice fair dealing in all our intercourse and transactions, then confidence, now so far lost, but so much needed, will be restored; and we will be enabled to effectually carry out our operations for the friendly and profitable cooperation of money and labor, now so generally and so injuriously antagonistic.

It has been said that, a few evenings ago, in the 20th Ward, I made use of the expression that the cooperative stores would be used up or spoiled; if I did use such an expression, it must have been in connection with others to qualify it. The question was asked, “What are you going to do with the cooperative stores?” “Why, use them up,” and some of the brethren got the idea that the destruction of these stores was intended, because, to many, the idea of using a thing up, is to destroy it; but this was not the meaning I wished to convey. But I say swallow them up, or circumscribe them or incorporate them, from time to time, in more extensive cooperative plans. By way of comparison, suppose a rope with seven strands, and someone is suspicious of its strength and we add a thousand strands, to it, who then can suspect its strength? Now, comparing our present mercantile and stock-raising institutions, our factories and everything else we have in cooperation, instead of weakening this cord of seven strands, we throw around it a thousand other strands, and weave them in to strengthen it, is not the first cord swallowed up? Yes, it is, in one sense, used up, we cannot see anything, of it; and so we shall make our additions of thousands of strands to every cooperative institution we have established, and, instead of having a few of the people sustain this parent cooperative store, or the ward store, we will have the support of the whole people. That is the difference; can you understand it? How careful we should be in the use of language, to prevent, so far as possible the drawing of false conclusions, and the going abroad of erroneous impressions.

This is a comparison with regard to our cooperative stores and every cooperative institution we have; we expect that the whole people will support them and give them their influence; that the whole people will work for the whole, and that all will be for the kingdom of God on the earth. All that I have is in that kingdom. I have nothing, only what the Lord has put in my possession. It is his; I am his, and all I ask is for him to tell me what to do with my time, my talents and the means that he puts in my possession. It is to be devoted to his kingdom. Let every other man and woman do the same, and all the surplus we make is in one great amount for accomplishing the purposes of the Lord. He says, “I will make you the richest people on the earth.” Now, go to work, Latter-day Saints, and make yourselves one, and all needed blessings will follow.

I will now briefly notice a trait in the Christian world in regard to their continually misrepresenting us, which they most emphatically do. Wherever we go they misrepresent us. They do not stop to reason, or for the introduction of good sound logic. They do not stop to know their own minds, and to ask themselves questions with regard to facts as they exist, but are wholly uninfluenced by their erroneous traditions. We Christians are divided and subdivided, but we all believe that there are good people among all the sects of the day. As a “Mormon” or Latter-day Saint, I believe this just as much as any sectarian believes it, but I do not believe it as the sectarians believe it. We all believe that good people do live and have lived among the Christian sects. Says one, “My father was a good man; or, My mother or my sister was a good woman, my brother was a good man, my neighbor was a good person; they lived and died believing in their several faiths; some of them holy Catholics, who died shouting and rejoicing that the time had come for them to be released from this tenement of clay. Others were good Protestants, and they rejoiced and were exceeding glad when the time came for them to lie down and rest their weary bodies, and they were happy.” Now, I, speaking as one of the Christian world, when a man says to me, “Unless you are born of the water and of the spirit you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,” reply, “My dear friend, my father and my mother were just as good Christians as ever lived on the face of the earth, and they died as happy as they could be, and their souls were full of glory. Tell me that they have not gone to heaven! It is all nonsense, it is folly; I do not believe a word of it; you must be one of those deceivers that the Savior taught should come in the latter days.” This erroneous tradition is planted in the bosoms of the Christian world, and from this they take the liberty of saying that the doctrine preached by the Latter-day Saints cannot be true, for if it is their fathers and mothers are not saved. Would you not like to know the truth on this point, O Christian world? Yes, yes, the honest ones would; I cannot say so much for the bread and butter Christians; but when you meet an honest person, he says—“I wish I knew the truth about this. Our beloved brother and father in the Gospel, the father of the Methodist Episcopal Church, John Wesley, was he not a good man? Tell me that he is not saved!” The Christian world cannot endure such an idea. “John Knox not saved! and thousands of others not saved!” They cannot endure the thought. I can say to them of a truth, but it will need explanation, there is not one of these men who lived according to the light that he received, and up to every blessing God bestowed upon him, but what is happier today than he ever expected that he could be. But the Christian world imbibe the idea that, if these good men, who have died, have not gone into the presence of the Father and the Son, and are not in the kingdom of heaven, they must be in the depths of hell. This is folly in the extreme; but the Christians do not know how to comprehend this, how to understand the words of life. I can say this for all good people, I do not care where they lived and died, they will be far happier hereafter than they ever conceived of while here. Do you think that the good Chinaman and Hindoo will be saved? Yes, as much as the Methodist. But erroneous tradition prevents the Christian world from seeing and understanding this. They ought to stop and reflect, and ask the question—“Do we understand the Scriptures when we read them?” I say that they do not, if they did they would see that we have the words of eternal life, and would receive our teachings with joy. I have not time to fully explain this, but I can say that this erroneous tradition palliates, in a measure, the conduct and views of the Christian world when their prejudices arise like towering mountains against these poor Latter-day Saints.

We shall labor and go forward, as long as we live, to redeem the world of mankind. This is the labor the Savior has undertaken. The earth was committed to him by the Father, who said, “My Son, go and redeem the world and all things upon it; pay this debt, and your brethren, who believe on you and who are one, as the Father and the Son are one, will be co-workers in this great and eternal work, until all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, that can be saved, will be saved in a kingdom of glory,” and all will be saved, except the sons of perdition.

Can the Christian world understand this? No. There is not a priest in the pulpit, nor a deacon that sits under the pulpit, but what, if he knew the facts as they are, would give glory to God in the highest, that he lived in this day and age of the world, and thank the Father that he has revealed his will from the heavens.

I thank you for your attention, brethren and sisters. I have detained you a little longer than I intended to do. God bless you.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Meetinghouse in Nephi City, Juab County, Saturday Morning, April 18, 1874.

I am thankful that I enjoy the privilege of meeting with the Saints here this morning. While I attempt to speak, I pray that I may have the spirit of the holy Gospel, and have strength to proclaim its teachings to my own and to your satisfaction. I also pray that you may give strict attention. This prayer is offered to you, my brethren and sisters. Pray for the Spirit to open your minds, enlighten your understandings, strengthen me, and so help me, that I may speak the words of truth to you, and that your hearts may be prepared to receive them.

My remarks this morning I design as a text for my brethren and sisters to speak and act upon. We have not come to you with any new doctrine, nor with a new Bible, not by any means. Yet the doctrine we are now preaching, in order to bring about a union among the Saints, seems to be about as new to them as the preaching by the Elders when they first came to their several neighborhoods and called upon them to hear and obey the first principles of the Gospel of Christ. I can say, with all thankfulness and gratitude, that we have never seen the day, from the time we first became acquainted with Joseph and the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth, when the hearts of the people were so well prepared to receive the greater blessings of the kingdom as they are now. We are happy in saying this, for it is true; this is encouraging, and fills me with hope and consolation, that, after laboring and toiling with Joseph, and since his death, to unite the Latter-day Saints, this is the first time that we have seen that we can bring their hearts into a union. This should be encouraging to each and every Latter-day Saint, and should teach us that the Lord is merciful to us, that he still remembers us, that he is still feeling after us, and that he is sending forth his voice—the voice of his Spirit, into the hearts of his people, crying unto them—“Stop! Stop your course! Cease to bring in and build up Babylon in your midst.” It is the duty of each and every one of us to reflect upon the office and calling we possess, and see whether we are doing the will of the Lord, and, if we are not, we should stop and begin anew to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth.

I will now read a portion of Scripture from the 14th chapter of the Revelation of John, beginning at the 6th verse: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” I will also read from the 18th chapter of Revelation, commencing at the 4th verse: “And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.”

I will ask the Latter-day Saints, Do we, as a people, believe that the angel referred to in the 6th verse of the 14th chapter of John’s Revelation, has flown through the midst of heaven, that he has been to earth, called upon Joseph, delivered the revelations of the Lord, restored the Priesthood, &c.? Do we, as Latter-day Saints, believe that this angel has been to earth, and that he has committed the Gospel unto the children of men? We certainly should not be here today, if we did not believe this, and that, too, with all our hearts. This is the answer given, for himself and herself, by every Latter-day Saint, “We believe, most firmly, that the Gospel has been revealed in these last days unto and through Joseph Smith the Prophet; that the Priesthood and its keys were bestowed upon him, and through him upon others; and that the proclamation has gone forth to the nations of the earth—’Come out of her, my people,’ &c., as mentioned in that portion of Scripture contained in Revelation, 18th chap. and 4th verse.”

Has this proclamation been heard by any of the inhabitants of the earth? Yes, the Latter-day Saints most assuredly believe that this Scripture was fulfilled in the rise of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. By and by the cry will be, as prophesied by John the Reve– lator, “Babylon is fallen.” This is in the future; but this people believe that the voice of the angel has been heard, calling upon the honest in heart in every nation, to come out from confusion and discord, and from the transgressions of the children of men. The cry has come to them—“Separate yourselves from sinners and from sin.” If we, as a people, had not believed this, we should not have been here this day. “Be not partakers of her sins, lest ye receive of her plagues, for her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” This we believe, consequently I have to say to the people, we have not come with any new doctrine; we have believed this ever since we were baptized for the remission of sins. Have the people come out from the nations? Yes. Have we separated ourselves from the nations? Yes. And what else have we done? Ask ourselves the question, Have we not brought Babylon with us? Are we not promoting Babylon here in our midst? Are we not fostering the spirit of Babylon that is now abroad on the face of the whole earth? I ask myself this question, and I answer, Yes, yes, to some extent and there is not a Latter-day Saint but what feels that we have too much of Babylon in our midst. The spirit of Babylon is too prevalent here. What is it? Confusion, discord, strife, animosity, vexation, pride, arrogance, selfwill and the spirit of the world. Are these things in the midst of those called Latter-day Saints? Yes, and we feel this.

I now ask my brethren and sisters who enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, if we have not traveled as far as we should travel on this road—the high road to destruction, the great highway, the broad gate through which so many pass? The gate is wide, the way is broad, and many there be that go in thereat; and many calling themselves Latter-day Saints are scrambling to see how quick they can get in. The spirit of confusion is in the midst of this people, and we have traveled this road just as far as we can travel it and be Saints. Is this the experience of the Latter-day Saints? I can answer that it is; and now, that the Lord is moving upon his servants to bring the Saints to a oneness, there is a spirit resting upon them, and if you talk with them, they will say, at once, “Yes, this is right, we must be one. This is the doctrine that Joseph taught, and the revelations that were first given through Joseph were for the Church to gather together. We were then commanded to come out from the wicked and to consecrate what we had, lay it at the feet of the Bishops, receive our inheritance, improve thereupon, and be one—be as the family of heaven upon earth.” This is the spirit of the people, and they say: “Thank the Lord, I have prayed for this for years and years. I have looked for and expected it, and I am exceedingly thankful it has come.”

I will now quote another portion of Scripture, which I think you are pretty well acquainted with, if you read the Bible. It is one of the last petitions that the Savior presented to his Father in heaven, while he was upon the earth—a short prayer which he made on behalf of his disciples. He had but very few, for, notwithstanding his many miracles and wonderful works, very few seemed to cling to and have confidence in him at all times and under all circumstances; but there were a few who wished to and who did remain with him until his death, that is, they stood a little way off; they said—“We are going to see what they are going to do with him.” But before Peter denied him, and before he was taken by the soldiers, he offered a brief, simple prayer to his Father. He had been talking with and exhorting his brethren, and showing them the necessity of living according to the faith that he had taught them, and he offered up this petition—“Father, make these my disciples one, as we are one, I in thou, thou in me, and I in them, that we may all be one; and I pray not for these only, but for all who believe on me through their testimony.” This is a simple prayer. Did he who offered it mean anything, or did he not? If he meant anything, what did he mean? How much did he mean, and how did he calculate his disciples to construe this short prayer in their lives, in their walk, faith and practice after he was taken from them? How far, how much and wherein did he want them to be one? Can any of you show to us exactly what he meant? If you say he meant that everyone who believed on him should be one in their belief, that is sectarianism. Take the mother Church—the “Holy Catholic Church”—and the prayer of its members is that all may be Catholics: “Father, I pray thee to make the people all holy Catholics.” This is the faith and prayer of the Catholics, and the meaning they give to the petition of Jesus. The same with the Calvinists; and when they present themselves before the throne of grace, the burden of their petition is—“I pray thee, Father, make these people one as we are one; influence them to leave the Catholic Church, to revolt and come out from that wicked mother, that wicked harlot, that wicked Church, and declare themselves believers in that pure and holy doctrine that God has decreed all things that take place.” Go to those who believe in the doctrine of free will, which, you know, comprehends many of the so-called Christian societies of the world, and they come up with a double and twisted storm—“God Almighty, make them all Methodists! Yes, let’s all be Methodists.” I pray thee, Father, to take away the veil from the minds of this people, that they may see it is free grace and free will! God be praised, let’s all be Methodists.” This is how the sectarians explain and define the meaning of that memorable prayer of the Savior that his followers might be one; and you will excuse me for my manner of illustrating it—I did this to illustrate facts just as they are.

Did Jesus mean this, or did he not? Had he any allusion whatever to one here on the right, and to another on the left, each crying—“Lo! here is Christ, and lo! there is Christ, He is not yonder?” And another one pointing this way, and another that way, and so on to every point of the compass? What does all this portray before the mind of the rational being, the philosopher, one who has the spirit of revelation, and who understands the words of life and has the keys of life to the people; and to all who believe in the revelations of the Lord Jesus in the latter days? Confusion upon confusion, discord, strife, animosity, vexation, perplexity, warring to the knife and slaying each other. Oh, the number of Christian wars there have been upon the face of the earth! We can very readily and truthfully say that true Christians—the members of the true Church of Christ on the earth—never take the sword unless to defend themselves.

Brethren and sisters, we want to understand what the Savior meant when he prayed that his disciples might be one. One in faith? Yes. One in doctrine? Yes. One in practice? Yes. One in interests? Yes. One in hope? Yes, and all concentrated in the kingdom of God on the earth and the establishment thereof, the fulfillment of the Scriptures, the gathering of the Saints, and the salvation of the inhabitants of the earth. This is the oneness and the union the Savior meant. Let me here ask the question, Did the Savior design that we should be one with regard to faith in him, repentance of sin, baptism for the remission thereof, the imposition of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, the gifts and graces of the Spirit of the Lord, that there might be in the Church first Apostles, then Prophets, pastors, teachers, helps, governments, diversities of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of discernment of spirits; also the gift of faith, so that if poison be administered it should not hurt the believer; and if there should be a necessity to take up serpents, it should be done without danger? Yes, all this is included in the oneness prayed for by the Savior; and some of the gifts I have enumerated have been witnessed by most of us. I myself have seen rattlesnakes handled as you would handle a piece of rope. I remember one night, when going to Missouri, in the year 1834, I was spreading our blankets on the tall prairie grass, which was pretty thick and heavy, that a rattlesnake was under my hands and warned me of his presence by his rattles. I called to one of the brethren who was helping, and turning back the blanket said to him—“Take this snake and carry it off and tell it not to come back again; and to say to its neighbors do not come into our camp tonight, lest some one might kill you.” He took up the snake and carried it off several rods from the camp, and told it to stay away, and to tell its neighbors not to come into the camp, for they might get killed if they did. Many such circumstances have transpired in the experience of the Elders of this Church; but we need not stop to relate them, for it is well known that the gifts of the Gospel are in this Church, such as healing, faith, speaking with tongues, discerning spirits, prophecy, &c., and I need not dwell upon them now.

I will now ask the question, where is the individual who can draw the line and show us that, when Jesus prayed that his disciples might be one, he meant a oneness only in spiritual things, and that it was not to extend to temporal affairs? Will any of you draw the line and tell us? For I am certain that I have not wisdom enough to define the line between spiritual and temporal things. I know nothing about faith in the Lord, without works corresponding therewith; they must go together, for without works you cannot prove that faith exists. We might cry out, until the day of our death, that we love the Savior, but if we neglected to observe his sayings he would not believe us. We have his own words to prove this. There were a great many who pretended to think considerable of him while he was here in the flesh; but he said to his disciples—“If you love me, keep my commandments.” This was the proof he demanded, then works and faith went together. The same principle holds good with parents and children. If any of you have a child which says—“I love you, mamma, Oh, I love you dearly;” you, to test the sincerity of the child’s professions, say: “Well, then, my child, you will desist from doing that which displeases me. Come here, and I will give you a little work to do;” or, “I wish you to sit down on that chair, and let that crockery alone;” or, “Do not tear up that cloth, my daughter; if you love me, come and sit down by my side.” “Oh, I love you dearly,” says the little girl, but she keeps tearing up the cloth, or sticking pins and needles into the flesh of the other children. “Mamma, I love you most dearly.” “Well, then,” says mamma, “you must not afflict or give pain to your sister, or your brother; you are naughty to do so, and you must stop this mischief.” But the child continues her naughtiness, still declaring that she loves her mother, though she will not do one thing her mother wishes her to do. Such a child needs chastisement; if soft words will not answer, severity must. Is not this a fact? You have older children who profess to be very fond of you; they will say: “Father, I think everything of you,” and yet they will take a course that is grievous, annoying and disagreeable, and quite contrary to your feelings and wishes. Will a father believe the professions of such children? Not much, I think. To use another comparison: Suppose a young lady dearly loves a young gentleman, who states to others that he is equally as fond of her, and would be very glad to express to her his feelings, but he never calls to see her; now though he may declare to others how much he loves her, the young lady will say—“I do not believe a word of it, for I know that he would make it known to me, if he did.” He might declare until doomsday, that he loved her, but, unless he told her so and proved it by his works, she would say—“That is all folly, he does not mean what he says.” Neither will you or I believe that anybody loves us and wishes to promote our joy and comfort, so long as that person acts contrary thereto; neither will Jesus. And unless these Latter-day Saints stop now, and go to work and prove by their acts that they are the disciples of the Lord Jesus, He will spew them out.

We have gone just as far as we can be permitted to go in the road on which we are now traveling. One man has his eye on a gold mine, another is for a silver mine, another is for marketing his flour or his wheat, another for selling his cattle, another to raise cattle, another to get a farm, or building here and there, and trading and trafficking with each other, just like Babylon, taking advantage wherever we can, and all going just as the rest of the world. Babylon is here, and we are following in the footsteps of the inhabitants of the earth, who are in a perfect sea of confusion. Do you know this? You ought to, for there are none of you but what see it daily; it is a daily spectacle before your eyes and mine, to see the Latter-day Saints trying to take advantage of their brethren. There are Elders in this Church who would take the widow’s last cow, for five dollars, and then kneel down and thank God for the fine bargain they had made.

I have come to this conclusion, which I have preached for years and years and years, and Joseph preached it up to the time of his death, that the people must leave Babylon and confusion behind them, and be the servants and handmaidens of the Lord; they must be His family. They have gathered out from Babylon, and they must prepare themselves to stand in holy places, preparatory to the coming of the Son of Man. I have been watching and waiting, just as steadily, and as earnestly and faithfully as ever a mother watched over an infant child, to see when this people would be ready to receive the doctrine, or the first lessons or revelations given when the Center Stake of Zion was first located to consecrate their property, and be indeed the servants and handmaidens of the Lord, and labor with all their hearts to do His will and build up His kingdom on the earth; and I have never seen the time when we could organize one little society, or one little ward; but, thank God, the time has come, the Spirit of the Lord is upon the people.

Is it a new doctrine to us that God’s people should and must be one in everything? It is an old doctrine; shall I say it is as old as the hills, as old as the mountains, as old as this world? Yes, I can say it is as old as my Father in heaven; it is an eternal doctrine; it is from eternity to eternity. Ask yourselves the question, Do you expect to go to heaven when you depart this life? “Yes, yes, I am going to the Paradise of God; I am going to dwell with the Saints of the Most High in the presence of the Father and the Son.” How many interests will there be there? How many locations, or central places of deposit for the affections, labors and wealth of all who dwell there? All in one, all for God, all for his glory and his kingdom, and the extension of his dominions through the immensity of space, kingdoms on kingdoms, every heart and every breath, every voice and every eye, and every feeling for the glory of God. Then ask ourselves—Is the Lord going to have a Church upon the earth? Is the Lord going to have a kingdom on the earth? Certainly, Daniel saw this in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, and gave a description, or rather a hint, in regard to the establishment of that kingdom, when the kingdoms of this world would be handed over to the Saints of the Most High, and they would possess the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom forever and ever.

Are we going to enter into the kingdom? Are we going to be prepared for the coming of the Son of Man? Are we going to be prepared to enter into the fullness of the glory of the Father and the Son? Not so long as we live according to the principles of Babylon. Now we are every man for himself. One says: “This is my property, and I am for increasing it.” Another says; “This is mine,” Another: “I will do as I please; I will go where I please and when I please; I will do this, that, or the other; and if I have a mind to raise grain here and take it to market and give it away, it is none of your business.” It will be said to all such persons, who profess to be Latter-day Saints—“I never knew you; you never were Saints.”

Now I wish to give you a little of our late experience with regard to the Savior and his doctrines. We have organized in this United Order, commencing at St. George. A thousand thoughts rise in my mind, looking at the subject generally. “St. George! Are you going to send me down to St. George? Why, it is like sending me out of the world!” But I must not talk about this: suffice it to say that St. George is one of the most beautiful places on this little farm—this world that we occupy—this little farm of the Lord’s, one of the choicest places on the face of the earth. I see more wealth in that small place than in any other location, of its size, in this Territory, or in these mountains; and I always have.

We have organized a small Branch there, or, rather, I may say a tolerably large one. I preached a good deal in St. George. It seemed to be the only place we could begin our work; they were the only people we could organize; but we did organize there. God designs to make the people of one heart and one mind from Monday morning to Monday morning again, and that everything they do on the earth shall promote His cause and kingdom, and the happiness and salvation of the human family. “Well,” said they, “we do not understand; we believe we ought to be one, and that we ought to go into the order of Enoch. We understand very well that Enoch was so pure and holy that his city was taken, and the saying went abroad that Zion is fled. This we believe as firmly as you can.” Then some others would say, “There will not be one ward organized after the brethren go over the rim of the basin.” We organized every ward or town south of the rim of the basin, and left them in tolerably good working order, so far as they had advanced. The only trouble with them was, “they did not understand.” They would say, “It is right, and the Scriptures tell us about it; but we do not understand the mode of its operation.” One man came to me, an old “Mormon,” whom I have known over forty-two years, just as we were organizing and said—“Brother Brigham, I have preached for you all the time. I did the same for brother Joseph. Brother Joseph preached this doctrine; is it not strange that the people do not see it?” “Then,” said I, “you are ready to put down your name?” His answer was—“I will think about it.” You do not fully understand your own faith, nor the doctrines you preach to the people, if you do not understand this doctrine; and are not as ready to enter it as you would be to lay down this mortal body and enter heaven if God should call you, or to do any other duty. Suffice it to say, God will establish this order on the face of the earth, and if we do not help Him, others will, and they will enjoy the benefits of it.

When we came this side the rim of the basin, we found the people more willing than south of the rim of the basin to come forward and organize, for they felt that we have traveled as far as we can on our present road, without going to destruction. One Bishop wrote to me—“Please come and organize us. I am glad you are coming this way, we want to be organized. I know that we have to consecrate to somebody, and I would rather consecrate to the Lord than to the devil. We have to consecrate to one or the other, and very soon too.” He is a very good Bishop; he is full of the spirit of this work, and cannot keep from talking about it.

We now want to organize the Latter-day Saints, every man, woman and child among them, who has a desire to be organized, into this holy order. You may call it the Order of Enoch, you may call it co-partnership, or just what you please. It is the United Order of the Kingdom of God on the earth; but we say the Order of Enoch on the same principle you find in the revelation concerning the Priesthood, which, to avoid the too frequent repetition of the name of the Deity, is called the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. This order is the order of heaven, the family of heaven on the earth; it is the children of our Father here upon the earth organized into one body or one family, to operate together.

As individuals we do not want your farms, we do not want your houses and city lots, we do not want your horses and your cattle, we do not want your gold and your silver, nor anything of the kind. “Well, then, what do you want?” We want the time of this people called Latter-day Saints, that we can organize this time systematically, and make this people the richest people on the face of the earth. If we are the people of God, we are to be the richest people on the earth, and these riches are to be held in God, not in the devil. God tells us how we may accomplish this, as plainly and as surely as he told Joshua and the people of Israel how to cause the downfall of the walls of Jericho. They were to march around the walls once a day for seven days, then seven times in one day, and the last time they went round the walls they blew their horns with all their might, and down fell the walls of Jericho. We do not understand all about this, if we did, we should understand that it was as simple as any of the acts of the Lord: as simple as being baptized for the remission of sins. We want now to organize the people. Says one—“Don’t you want my money and my goods?” We want you to put them into the kingdom of God, into the vaults that are prepared, into the archives, the safe, the institution, to help to increase means for the kingdom of God on the earth. And what are we to have when we enter this order? What we need to eat, drink and wear, and strict obedience to the requirements of those whom the Lord sets to guide and direct; that our sisters, instead of teasing their husbands for a dollar, five dollars, twenty-five dollars, for a fine dress, bonnet, or artificials for themselves or their daughters, may go to work and learn how to make all these things for themselves, being organized into societies or classes for that purpose. And the brethren will be organized to do their farming, herding and raising cattle, sheep, fruit, grain and vegetables; and when they have raised these products, every particle be gathered into a storehouse or storehouses, and everyone have what is needed to sustain him. But the people will stop going here, there, and yonder, and saying—“I am after the gold,” “I am after the silver,” or this, that and the other. They will stop this folly and nonsense, for they have already impoverished themselves too much by taking so unwise a course. Looking at matters in a temporal point of view, and in the light of strict economy, I am ashamed to see the poverty that exists among the Latter-day Saints. They ought to be worth millions and millions, and millions on millions, where they are not worth a dollar. Should they spend their means in folly and nonsense? No, not a dollar of it, but put all into the general fund for the benefit of the kingdom. Organize the brethren and sisters, and let each and every one have their duties to perform. Where they are destitute of houses, and it is convenient, the most economical plan that can be adopted is to have buildings erected large enough to accommodate a number of families. For instance, we will say there are a hundred families in this place who have not houses fit to live in. We will erect a building large enough to accommodate them all comfortably, with every convenience for cooking, washing, ironing, &c.; and then, instead of each one of a hundred women getting up in the morning to cook breakfast for father and the large boys, that they may go to their labor, while the little children are crying and needing attention, breakfast for the whole can be prepared by five or ten women, with a man or two to help. Some may say—“This would be confusion.” Not at all, it would do away with it. Another one says—“It will be a great trial to my feelings, if I am obliged to go and breakfast with all these men and women. I am faint and sick, and do not eat much, and I want my breakfast prepared in peace.” Then build side rooms by the dozen or score, where you can eat by yourselves; and if you wish to invite three or four to eat with you, have your table, and everything you call for is sent to you. “Well, but I do not like this confusion of children.” Let the children have their dining room to themselves, and let a certain number of the sisters be appointed to take charge of the nursery and see that they have proper food, in proper quantities and at proper times, so as to preserve system and good order as far as possible, that a love of order may be established in their youthful minds, and they learn how to conduct themselves. Then let there be good teachers in the schoolrooms; and have beautiful gardens, and take the little folks out and show them the beautiful flowers, and teach them in their childhood the names and properties of every flower and plant, teaching them to understand which are astringent, which cathartic; this is useful for coloring, that is celebrated for its combination of beautiful colors, &c. Teach them lessons of beauty and usefulness while they are young, instead of letting them play in the dirt, making mud balls, and drawing the mud in their hats, and soiling their dresses, and cultivate their mental powers from childhood up. When they are old enough, place within their reach the advantages and benefits of a scientific education. Let them study the formation of the earth, the organization of the human system, and other sciences; such a system of mental culture and discipline in early years is of incalculable benefit to its possessor in mature years. Take, for instance, the young ladies now before me, as well as the young men, and form a class in geology, in chemistry or mineralogy; and do not confine their studies to theory only, but let them put in practice what they learn from books, by defining the nature of the soil, the composition or decomposition of a rock, how the earth was formed, its probable age, and so forth. All these are problems which science attempts to solve, although some of the views of our great scholars are undoubtedly very speculative. In the study of the sciences I have named, our young folks will learn how it is that, in traveling in our mountains, we frequently see seashells—shells of the oyster, clam, &c. Ask our boys and girls now to explain these things, and they are not able to do so; but establish classes for the study of the sciences, and they will become acquainted with the various facts they furnish in regard to the condition of the earth. It is the duty of the Latter-day Saints, according to the revelations, to give their children the best education that can be procured, both from the books of the world and the revelations of the Lord. If our young men will study the sciences, they will stop riding fast horses through the streets, and other folly and nonsense which they are now guilty of, and they will become useful and honorable members of the community.

I have been very much interested of late with regard to the studies and researches of the geologists who have been investigating the geological character of the Rocky Mountain country. Professor Marsh, of Yale College, with a class of his students, has spent, I think, four summers in succession in the practical study of geology in these mountain regions. What is the result of his researches? There is one result, so far, that particularly pleases me. There are some here who know a man by the name of John Hyde, from London, formerly a member of this Church, who apostatized and went back; and his great argument against the Book of Mormon was, that it stated that the old Jaredites and, perhaps, the Nephites, who formerly lived on this continent, had horses, while it is well known that horses were unknown to the aboriginal inhabitants of America when it was discovered by Columbus, and that there were no horses here until they were imported from Europe. Now, since Professor Marsh and his class began their investigations, they have found among the fossil remains of the extinct animals of America no less than fourteen different kinds of horses, varying in height from three to nine feet. These discoveries made Professor Marsh’s students feel almost as though they could eat up these mountains, and their enthusiasm for studying the geology of the regions around Bridger’s Fort was raised to the highest pitch. In their researches among these mountains they have formed the opinion that there was once a large inland sea here, and they think they have discovered the outlet where the water broke forth and formed Green River. Here in these valleys and in these ranges of mountains we can follow the ancient water line. This discovery of Professor Marsh is particularly pleasing to us “Mormons,” because he has so far scientifically demonstrated the Book of Mormon to be true.

Here is the kingdom of God; do you want to enter into it, or not? Do you want the future blessings of this kingdom, or do you not? Have your choice; but whomsoever you list to obey, his servants you will be, whether it is Jesus or the devil; please yourselves, have your choice. But all know we cannot serve two masters acceptably; if we love one, we shall hate the other, and if we hold on to one, we shall despise the other. We must either be for the kingdom of God, or not. But we shall organize this holy order here before we leave. We give the invitation to all of you to come and get organized. Let us be one; let us carry out the order that God has established for the family of heaven.

God bless you.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at Franklin, Cache County, Thursday Evening, September 4, 1873.

We have taken you a little by surprise, brethren and sisters, in coming in to your town today. This is in consequence of its being so stormy where we have been, and we thought we would not venture to drive from Soda Springs through to Logan in two days. By taking more time, we thought we would have an opportunity of stopping in the settlements and having meetings. I will talk to you a few moments, then I will retire to my rest, and not stay here during the meeting. I feel very wearied; but I was quite unwell when I left home, and our journey has been quite fatiguing.

The remarks that I shall make to you this evening will be upon the salvation of the people. There are a few ideas that I will relate to you, that the brethren and sisters should understand. There are many of the ordinances of the house of God that must be performed in a Temple that is erected expressly for the purpose. There are other ordinances that we can administer without a Temple. You know that there are some which you have received—baptism, the laying on of hands, the gifts of the Holy Ghost, such as the speaking in and interpretation of tongues, prophesying, healing, discerning of spirits, etc., and many blessings bestowed upon the people, we have the privilege of receiving without a Temple. There are other blessings that will not be received, and ordinances that will not be performed according to the law that the Lord has revealed, without their being done in a Temple prepared for that purpose. We can, at the present time, go into the Endowment House and be baptized for the dead, receive our washings and anointing, etc., for there we have a font that has been erected, dedicated expressly for baptizing people for the remission of sins, for their health and for their dead friends; in this the Saints have the privilege of being baptized for their friends. We also have the privilege of sealing women to men, without a Temple. This we can do in the Endowment House; but when we come to other sealing ordinances, ordinances pertaining to the holy Priesthood, to connect the chain of the Priesthood from father Adam until now, by sealing children to their parents, being sealed for our forefathers, etc., they cannot be done without a Temple. But we can seal women to men, but not men to men, without a Temple. When the ordinances are carried out in the Temples that will be erected, men will be sealed to their fathers, and those who have slept clear up to father Adam. This will have to be done, because of the chain of the Priesthood being broken upon the earth. The Priesthood has left the people, but in the first place the people left the Priesthood. They transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broke the everlasting covenant, and the Priesthood left them; but not until they had left the Priesthood. This Priesthood has been restored again, and by its authority we shall be connected with our fathers, by the ordinance of sealing, until we shall form a perfect chain from father Adam down to the closing up scene. This ordinance will not be performed anywhere but in a Temple; neither will children be sealed to their living parents in any other place than a Temple. For instance, a man and his wife come into the Church, and they have a family of children. These children have been begotten out of the covenant, because the marriages of their parents are not recognized by the Lord as performed by his authority; they have, therefore, to be sealed to their parents, or else they cannot claim them in eternity; they will be distributed according to the wisdom of the Lord, who does all things right. When we had a Temple prepared in Nauvoo, many of the brethren had their children who were out of the covenant sealed to them, and endowments were given. Then parents, after receiving their endowments, and being sealed for time and all eternity, and they have other children, they are begotten and born under the covenant, and they are the rightful heirs to the kingdom, they possess the keys of the kingdom. Children born unto parents before the latter enter into the fullness of the covenants, have to be sealed to them in a Temple to become legal heirs of the Priesthood. It is true they can receive the ordinances, they can receive their endowments and be blessed in common with their parents; but still the parents cannot claim them legally and lawfully in eternity unless they are sealed to them. Yet the chain would not be complete without this sealing ordinance being performed.

Now, to illustrate this, I will refer to my own father’s family. My father died before the endowments were given. None of his children have been sealed to him. If you recollect, you that were in Nauvoo, we were very much hurried in the little time we spent there after the Temple was built. The mob was there ready to destroy us; they were ready to burn our houses, they had been doing it for a long time; but we finished the Temple according to the commandment that was given to Joseph, and then took our departure. Our time, therefore, was short, and we had no time to attend to this. My father’s children, consequently, have not been sealed to him. Perhaps all of his sons may go into eternity, into the spirit world, before this can be attended to; but this will make no difference; the heirs of the family will attend to this if it is not for a hundred years.

It will have to be done sometime. If, however, we get a Temple prepared before the sons of my father shall all have gone into the spirit world, if there are any of them remaining, they will attend to this, and as heirs be permitted to receive the ordinances for our father and mother. This is only one case, and, to illustrate this subject perfectly, I might have to refer to hundreds of examples for each case.

With regard to the heirship, I cannot enter into all the matter to– night. The subject would require a good deal of explaining to the people, consequently, I will pass over it at present. I can merely say this, however, that we see that the Lord makes his selection according to his own mind and will with regard to his ministers. Brother Joseph Smith, instead of being the firstborn, was the third son of his father’s family who came to maturity, yet he is actually the heir of the family; he is the heir of his father’s house. It seems to us that the oldest son would be the natural heir; but we see that the Lord makes his own selection. There are some inquiries now with regard to officiating in ordinances, which I wish to answer. Some brethren here are anxious to know whether they can receive endowments for their sons or for their daughters. No, they cannot until we have a Temple; but they can officiate in the ordinances so far as baptism and sealing are concerned. A man can be baptized for a son who died before hearing the Gospel. A woman can be baptized for her daughter, who died without the Gospel. Suppose that the father of a dead son wishes to have a wife sealed to his son; if the young woman desired as a wife is dead and have a mother or other female relative in the Church, such mother is the heir, and she can act in the sealing ordinances in the stead of her daughter. But if the young woman desired as a wife have no relative in the Church, to act in her behalf, then the mother of the young man can be baptized for her, and act as proxy for her in the sealing ordinances. We can attend to these ordinances now before the Temple is built here; but no one can receive endowments for another, until a Temple is prepared in which to administer them. We administer just so far as the law permits us to do. In reality we should have performed all these ordinances long ago, if we had been obedient; we should have had Temples in which we could attend to all these ordinances. Now, the brethren have the privilege of being baptized for their dead friends—when I say the brethren, I mean the brethren and sisters—and these friends can be sealed.

For instance, a man and his wife come into the Church; he says, “My father and mother were good people; I would like to officiate for them.” “Well, have you any other friends in the Church?” “Nobody but myself and my wife.” Well, now, the wife is not a blood relation, consequently she is not in reality the proper person, but she can be appointed the heir if there are no other relatives—if there are no sisters, this wife of his can officiate for the mother; but if the man has a sister in the Church, it is the privilege and place of the sister of this man, the daughter of those parents that are dead, to go and officiate—be baptized, to go and be sealed with her brother for her father and mother. If this man and woman have a daughter old enough to officiate for her grandmother, she is a blood relation, and is the heir, and can act; but if there is no daughter, the man’s wife can be appointed as the heir.

I want to say a few words with regard to other operations. In the law that the Lord has revealed he requires obedience. I do not know of one ordinance but what there are laws connected with it, and they cannot be disregarded by the Saints and they be blessed as though the laws were observed. We are required to believe in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior; we are required to repent of our sins; then we have the privilege of entering in through the door of baptism and going into the house of God. There is another commandment that the Lord has given—it is that they must have hands laid on them that they may receive the Holy Ghost and the gifts and graces that the Lord has for his children; but if we are not baptized, we are not entitled to the other blessings. If we do not believe in the first ordinance we cannot receive the second. If we do not go forth and be baptized for the remission of sins, we are not entitled to the Holy Ghost and its blessings through the law or the requirements of heaven to the children of our Father. Now, as to the requirements, we will ask, “Do you know the law? Should you keep the law?” Yes, certainly you do know by the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which is for us, and the New and Old Testament; these are a foundation and contain the first laws that have been given. We have them now in our possession. Then the Book of Mormon contains the same. The Book of Mormon contains the same plan of salvation that the Lord requires the world to listen to, and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants is given for the Latter-day Saints expressly for their everyday walk and actions. Now, for instance, the Latter-day Saints are required to go to meeting on Sunday. How many are there that come to these meetings and repent of their sins, confess their sins and partake of the Sacrament of our Savior and testify by these acts that they are actual believers? Do we keep the Sabbath, brethren and sisters? Do we deal justly one with another? Those things are required of us. Do we walk humbly before our God? Do we permit ourselves to speak evil of the anointed of the Lord. Do we permit ourselves, brethren, to take the name of the Lord in vain? It is certainly written that we should not do it; that we should not falsify, lie, cheat, etc. Now all these requirements are made of us. We are required to pay Tithing, we are required to deal justly one with another and be honest in our dealing; and all these requirements which I need not repeat over to you, you read and you understand them. Now are we entitled to the blessings of the house of God if we keep the commandments he has given to us? Yes. If we observe his precepts and do them, are we entitled to these blessings? Yes. Are we entitled to them if we do not keep the commandments? No, we are not. Brethren go and get their endowments, and they get a recommendation so as to go into the house of the Lord. Now you go to the Bishop and enquire strictly as to some of these brethren: “Does such a brother pay his Tithing? Is he faithful and industrious?” “Well, no.” “Is he honest in his dealings?” “Well, I guess he means to do right.” “Does he always speak the truth?” “Well, I cannot say that he does exactly.” “Does he drink liquor?” “Well, yes, sometimes he does. Yes, I think he does, although I never saw him drunk.” “Does he take the name of the Lord in vain?” “Well, I don’t know, I have heard that he does swear sometimes.” “Does he quarrel with his wife?” “I don’t know; I understand, how– ever, they do not live very happily together.” This man probably wants another wife. Is he entitled to these blessings? He pays a little Tithing, perhaps, but he says he is going to pay it in full; and the Bishop says: “He has been teasing me a long time for a recommendation.” “But why did you give it to him?” I will answer this. “I had to give it to him to get rid of him, so that he won’t tease me any more.” This is the answer. Now ask yourselves, my brethren and sisters, is he entitled to the blessings that the Lord has for his faithful children?

Be faithful and obedient to the few words that I have said to you, with regard to the ordinances, etc., and what we can do and what we cannot do. I said but a few words, but they are enough.

I will say to you, may the Lord bless you—peace be to you. I am glad that I am able to be here; there are others here who will speak to you. I will tell you honestly I do not feel well; I do not feel pleased; it is not gratifying to me when I hear of those who profess to be Latter-day Saints, living short of their privileges and duties; but when I hear of men and women living up to the privileges that the Lord has for them, it endears them to me, and I delight in them; and I can say that I continually pray for the Latter-day Saints, that the Lord will bless and preserve us, that we may be saved in the kingdom of God. This is my constant prayer, and I say God bless you. Amen.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery, at Paris, Oneida County, Idaho, Sunday, August 31, 1873.

The Gospel of life and salvation that we have embraced in our faith, and that we profess to carry out in our lives, incorporates all truth. We frequently testify to each other that we know that this Gospel is true; and as I have a great many times said to those that listen to my conversation, upon the principles of life and salvation, I believe this work, I believe this Gospel, I believe this doctrine, that is brought to us through the Prophet Joseph, in these the latter days, in this our time, for the simplest, plainest and most palpable reason that can be given. “What is it?” Why, because it is true. The Gospel that I have embraced comprehends all truth. “How much of it is true?” All of it. “How much does it embrace?” All the truth that there is in the heavens, on the earth, under the earth; and if there is any truth in hell, this doctrine claims it. It is all the truth of heaven, the truth of God, the life of those that live forever, the law by which worlds were, are, and will be brought into existence, and pass from one degree or one state of being to another, pertaining to the exaltation of intelligence from the lowest to the highest state. This is the doctrine that the Latter-day Saints believe, whether they realize it or not. Well, now, upon apostasy. What have the Latter-day Saints got to apostatize from? Everything that there is good, pure, holy, godlike, exalting, ennobling, extending the ideas, the capacities of the intelligent beings that our heavenly Father has brought forth upon this earth. What will they receive in exchange? I can comprehend it in a very few words. These would be the words that I should use: death, hell and the grave. That is what they will get in exchange. We may go into the particulars of that which they experience. They experience darkness, ignorance, doubt, pain, sorrow, grief, mourning, unhappiness; no person to condole with in the hour of trouble, no arm to lean upon in the day of calamity, no eye to pity when they are forlorn and cast down; and I comprehend it by saying: death, hell and the grave. This is, what they will get in exchange for their apostasy from the Gospel of the Son of God. This is their reward, and it is foolishness, not merely nonsense; a person can have a little nonsense and pass it over; but this is foolishness. There is not a particle of good sense about it; no light, no intelligence, nothing that is ennobling, elevating, cheering, comforting, consoling, that produces friends, or anything of this kind. I call it foolism; I do it this time, consequently we will not talk anything about apostasy.

When people receive this Gospel, what do they sacrifice? Why, death for life. This is what they give: darkness for light, error for truth, doubt and unbelief for knowledge and the certainty of the things of God, consequently I consider it to be the biggest piece of foolism that can be hatched up, imagined or entertained, or followed out by any human being, to leave this Gospel for what they will receive in exchange. So much for apostasy.

Now a few words, my brethren and sisters, with regard to our position. There are many in this Church who have been with it a long time. This Church has been traveling for many years. The time that this Church has been traveling exceeds the time of the children of Israel in the wilderness.

[At this point the water for the Sacrament was blessed.]

I will give you a word of counsel here with regard to consecrating the bread and the water, which I want the Saints to remember. When you [addressing the Bishops and Elders] administer the Sacrament, take this book [the Book of Doctrine and Covenants] and read this prayer. Take the opportunity to read this prayer until you can remember it. You cannot get up anything that is better, and not even equal to it; and when you read it, read it so that the people can hear you. This is what I wish of you; it is what is right, and that which the Spirit will manifest to you if you inquire; and if you cannot commit this prayer to memory, the one that is given by revelation expressly for consecrating the bread and the wine, or water, if the latter be used, take the book and read until you can remember. If I were to come here next Sabbath, and see you breaking bread, would this, that I am now mentioning, be thought of? The people have various ideas with regard to this prayer. They sometimes cannot hear six feet from the one who is praying, and in whose prayer, perhaps, there are not three words of the prayer that is in this book, that the Lord tells us that we should use. This is pretty hard on the Elders, is it not? If they could remember one thousandth part of that which they have heard, it would have sanctified them years and years ago; but it goes in at one ear and out at the other—it is like the weaver’s shuttle passing through the web.

Now I am going to tell you some more things, and how long will you remember them? Until you get home? Perhaps there are a few who will remember a few words of counsel that I shall give to you. I am here to give this people, called Latter-day Saints, counsel to direct them in the path of life. I am here to answer; I shall be on hand to answer when I am called upon, for all the counsel and for all the instruction that I have given to this people. If there is an Elder here, or any member of this Church, called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who can bring up the first idea, the first sentence that I have delivered to the people as counsel that is wrong, I really wish they would do it; but they cannot do it, for the simple reason that I have never given counsel that is wrong; this is the reason. This people, called Latter-day Saints, have been laboring now over forty years. Forty-three years last April, the sixth day, this Church was organized. People have been coming into it, many have gone out of it, many have died in the faith; but there is quite a number in it that are now living who have held on to it from the beginning, and they have been striving to increase in their knowledge, to enlarge their faith and their comprehension of the principles of eternal life; but it is slow progress. I wonder if there are any particular sisters here who have lived humble and faithful, to whom the Spirit has manifested that their progress and advancement are slow: “That by the Spirit that I receive from the Lord, the Spirit that is given to me at times, I can see that we are far in the rear of what we should be, and we have not come up to that status of perfection and purity that the Latter-day Saints should reach.” Are there any sisters who have experienced any such thing? Are there any Elders who can bear witness to these things? I expect there are. I expect there is any number of sisters in this Church who can bear witness to this, and testify that the people called Latter-day Saints are very tardy in the practice of the things of God.

Now with regard to the blessings. There are blessings that the Lord proffers to his people. Has he any conditions? This is the question. The blessings that the Lord wishes to bestow upon his people in the latter days, as he did upon them in former days, are they proffered to the people on any conditions whatever, or is it the voluntary act upon the involuntary people? Are they given to us whether we want them or not? Whether we will enjoy them or not? Or whether we will profit by them or not? How is this, Latter-day Saints? Is this the way the Lord does? You and I understand this. Every blessing the Lord proffers to his people is on conditions. These conditions are: “Obey my law, keep my commandments, walk in my ordinances, observe my statutes, love mercy, preserve the law that I have given to you inviolate, keep yourselves pure in the law, and then you are entitled to these blessings, and not until then.” Now, is this not the fact? I leave it to you. You have the Old and the New Testament, from which we can learn doctrine. You have the Book of Mormon to read, from which we can learn doctrine. You have the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, which is more especially necessary to this generation. It does not contain different doctrine to the Book of Mormon and Testaments. It is explanatory of these three books, corroborates the doctrine that is taught in them, and points out the path for this people to walk in today, so that we may not err, but know how to order our lives from morning till evening, from evening till morning, from Sunday morning till Sunday morning again, from New Year to New Year, and every day of our lives. The doctrine that the Lord has taught us and given to us through his servant Joseph, points out the path for us to walk in, and, while walking in this path, we do not lose sight of one iota of the Gospel, but you must hold it secure, and always keep it before you by preserving those laws and ordinances, and continuing to hold them precious. If the Saints will do this, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, the Spirit of our Father and God will enlighten their minds and bring to their remembrance things that transpired in the past, and things to come to pass in the future, and they may lay a foundation for everlasting life and eternal lives in the celestial kingdom of our God. You may obtain these blessings by keeping in mind and observing the principles, doctrine, and the laws and statutes that are delivered to the people of God for their edification, for their perfection, for their comfort and consolation, to prepare them for entering into the celestial kingdom. If any profess to live in the observance of these principles, and do not enjoy the spirit of revelation, they deceive themselves. No person deceives the Lord. Every individual that lives according to the laws that the Lord has given to his people, and has received the blessings that he has in store for the faithful, should be able to know the things of God from the things which are not of God, the light from the darkness, that which comes from heaven and that which comes from somewhere else. This is the satisfaction and the consolation that the Latter-day Saints enjoy by living their religion; this is the knowledge which every one who thus lives possesses.

These are the books, the Old and New Testament, the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and we take all that has been said to us by the Spirit of Truth, bring it together, live to it, and this brings us into a condition that we have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and the people of Christ are cleansed from all sin, walk in the light and no more in darkness. We have received in the first place the first ordinances pertaining to the Gospel that Jesus introduced, that have been sent to the earth for the salvation of the children of men. Before the ordinances are performed, however, the people hear the name of Christ declared; Jesus is preached to the people; faith springs up in the hearts of the people. We the people believe. The Spirit of Truth bears witness to our spirits that this is correct. This is the Christ; he is the Savior of the world; and we begin to have faith in him; and when we begin to have faith in him, and believe on him, and the Father who sent him, we begin to look around ourselves and say: “Why is it that we saw nothing so familiar and perfect years ago? All this is so familiar and plain and simple. How is this? They that declare Christ to us, are they ready to teach us?” “Yes, certainly.” “Do you believe?” “Yes.” Do you wish to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?” “Yes.” “Do you wish to enter into his family?” “Yes.” “Do you wish to belong to this quorum of disciples?” “Yes.” “Is there anything for me to do to get there?” says the candidate. “Yes, certainly,” says the Elder. “Well, what is it?” “To go down into the waters of baptism, this is the first ordinance, and be baptized by one having authority.”

Well, now, this people have received all this. They have been convicted of the truth, they have believed the truth, they have repented of their sins, they have received baptism for the remission of their sins, and the next ordinance or blessing—the laying on of hands, so that they may receive the Holy Ghost. What accompanies this Holy Ghost? I have been telling you: it brings to our remembrance things past, present, and future, and dwells upon the things of God. Here are the ordinances, and we have commenced to obey them. We have the promise of receiving blessings if we hold on to the faith, and not turn away from this principle; and although temptation may present itself to us, we will resist it, and we will cling to the things of God, and believe on his promises, and will ask the Father in the name of Jesus to help us to overcome these temptations, and we will free ourselves from this darkness; we will break the chain of doubt and unbelief, and we will emerge into the full faith of the Lord Jesus. When temptations come to you, be humble and faithful, and determined that you will overcome, and you will receive a deliverance, and continue faithful, having the promise of receiving blessings. What are these blessings?

There is a variety of blessings; a different blessing being probably given to one, two, three or four of this congregation. Thus, one will have faith to lay hands upon the sick and rebuke disease, and drive it from the person afflicted. Many may receive this blessing of faith, the gift of healing. Some may receive faith to the discerning of spirits; they can discern the spirit of a person, whether it is good or evil. They have such power, that when a person enters this congregation they can tell the spirit of such person; then they have received the gift of discerning of spirits. Some may receive the gift of tongues, that they will get up and speak in tongues, and speak in many other languages beside their mother tongue, the language that they were brought up in, that they were first taught, and be able to proclaim the Gospel of life and salvation that all men could understand it. These are the blessings; but others might receive the gift of prophecy, get up and prophesy what is to befall this nation, what will befall this or that individual, and what will befall the different nations of the earth, etc. Now, after naming some of the blessings, I want to come to something else, and draw a line for the Latter-day Saints to walk up to.

Suppose that we hear the name of the Savior declared to us, that he is the Savior of the world, and by his death atoned for the sins of every man, and we believe that this is the fact; but instead of inquiring, “Is there anything for me to do? is there any labor for me to perform?” when we get home we sing and we say, “I thank God, and I am satisfied.” When the Elder says, “You must be baptized for the remission of sins,” and we say, “Oh no, we have received the Spirit of Truth, there is no need of baptism. We have received all that is necessary. The Spirit of Truth is given to us; we acknowledge the Savior, and we rejoice in him, and we will not be baptized for the remission of sins;” are we entitled to have hands laid upon us for the reception of the Holy Ghost? No; every one comes to this conclusion. Suppose that we make ourselves satisfied with what we have received, and we can say that Jesus is the Christ—“Yes, I believe he is the Christ; but I don’t see the use of any of these ordinances,” are we entitled to the Holy Ghost? No. Are we entitled to faith to heal the sick? No. Are we entitled to receive the spirit of prophecy? No. Are we entitled to the gift of speaking in, or the gift of the interpretation of tongues? No. Are we entitled to the gift of the discerning of spirits? No. Are we entitled to any power or blessing that the Lord has promised to his disciples: that if anybody administered poison to them, it should not harm them, and if their pathway were marked in the midst of serpents, they could take up serpents and they should not hurt them? Are we entitled to this protection? What is the answer of the Latter-day Saints? My brethren and sisters, answer this question in your own minds. Are we entitled to the blessings of the holy Gospel unless we obey the ordinances thereof, and all the commandments and laws and requirements that are laid down for us to obey? Now I know that every Latter-day Saint will come to the same conclusion that I do—that if we did not obey, we would not be entitled to any of these blessings from our Father. There is not a Latter-day Saint but who comes to the same conclusion as myself—that we would not merit, we would not be entitled to, we could not claim at the hand of our God those blessings that he has promised through obedience to his Word. Could we be called the people of God? We would be in the path of disobedience. We would be in the path that leads to death. We would be in the broad road that millions are walking in to death. Now, every one of us comes to this conclusion.

This people I say are very tardy. I will ask you a question, and I will let you answer it in your own minds, for you know, and I am satisfied that the answer I shall give will satisfy the Saints. Can we stand still, receive so much pertaining to the blessings of the kingdom of God, receive so much knowledge, just so much wisdom, just so much power, and then stop and receive no more? How is this, Latter-day Saints? Your answer will be precisely like mine—I can answer with you all. This people must go forward, or they will go backward. Will all answer this question the same way? Will the same conclusion be in the mind of every Latter-day Saint, that this work is a progressive work, this doctrine that is taught the Latter-day Saints in its nature is exalting, increasing, expanding and extending broader and broader until we can know as we are known, see as we are seen? That is the answer of the Latter-day Saints.

We will say we have received a great deal; very much instruction have we received. But there are keys to open up other ordinances which I will mention. Do you recollect that in about the year 1840-41, Joseph had a revelation concerning the dead? He had been asked the question a good many times; “What is the condition of the dead, those that lived and died without the Gospel?” It was a matter of inquiry with him. He considered this question not only for himself, but for the brethren and the Church. “What is the condition of the dead? What will be their fate? Is there no way today by which they can receive their blessings as there was in the days of the Apostles, and when the Gospel was preached upon the earth in ancient days?” When Joseph received the revelation that we have in our possession concerning the dead, the subject was opened to him, not in full but in part, and he kept on receiving. When he had first received the knowledge by the spirit of revelation how the dead could be officiated for, there are brethren and sisters here, I can see quite a number here who were in Nauvoo, and you recollect that when this doctrine was first revealed, and in hurrying in the administration of baptism for the dead, that sisters were baptized for their male friends, were baptized for their fathers, their grandfathers, their mothers and their grandmothers, &c. I just mention this so that you will come to understanding, that as we knew nothing about this matter at first, the old Saints recollect, there was little by little given, and the subject was made plain, but little was given at once. Consequently, in the first place people were baptized for their friends and no record was kept. Joseph afterwards kept a record, &c. Then women were baptized for men and men for women, &c. It would be very strange, you know, to the eyes of the wise and they that understood the things pertaining to eternity, if we were called upon to commence a work that we could not finish. This, therefore, was regulated and all set in order; for it was revealed that if a woman was baptized for a man, she could not be ordained for him, neither could she be made an Apostle or a Patriarch for the man, consequently the sisters are to be baptized for their own sex only.

This doctrine of baptism for the dead is a great doctrine, one of the most glorious doctrines that was ever revealed to the human family; and there are light, power, glory, honor and immortality in it. After this doctrine was received, Joseph received a revelation on celestial marriage. You will recollect, brethren and sisters, that it was in July, 1843, that he received this revelation concerning celestial marriage. This doctrine was explained and many received it as far as they could understand it. Some apostatized on account of it; but others did not, and received it in their faith. This, also, is a great and noble doctrine. I have not time to give you many items upon the subject, but there are a few hints that I can throw in here that perhaps may be interesting. As far as this pertains to our natural lives here, there are some who say it is very hard. They say, “This is rather a hard business; I don’t like my husband to take a plurality of wives in the flesh.” Just a few words upon this. We would believe this doctrine entirely different from what it is presented to us, if we could do so. If we could make every man upon the earth get him a wife, live righteously and serve God, we would not be under the necessity, perhaps, of taking more than one wife. But they will not do this; the people of God, therefore, have been commanded to take more wives. The women are entitled to salvation if they live according to the word that is given to them; and if their husbands are good men, and they are obedient to them, they are entitled to certain blessings, and they will have the privilege of receiving certain blessings that they cannot receive unless they are sealed to men who will be exalted. Now, where a man in this Church says, “I don’t want but one wife, I will live my religion with one,” he will perhaps be saved in the celestial kingdom; but when he gets there he will not find himself in possession of any wife at all. He has had a talent that he has hid up. He will come forward and say, “Here is that which thou gavest me, I have not wasted it, and here is the one talent,” and he will not enjoy it, but it will be taken and given to those who have improved the talents they received, and he will find himself without any wife, and he will remain single forever and ever. But if the woman is determined not to enter into a plural-marriage, that woman when she comes forth will have the privilege of living in single blessedness through all eternity. Well, that is very good, a very nice place to be a minister to the wants of others. I recollect a sister conversing with Joseph Smith on this subject. She told him: “Now, don’t talk to me; when I get into the celestial kingdom, if I ever do get there, I shall request the privilege of being a ministering angel; that is the labor that I wish to perform. I don’t want any companion in that world; and if the Lord will make me a ministering angel, it is all I want.” Joseph said, “Sister, you talk very foolishly, you do not know what you will want.” He then said to me: “Here, brother Brigham, you seal this lady to me.” I sealed her to him. This was my own sister according to the flesh. Now, sisters, do not say, “I do not want a husband when I get up in the resurrection.” You do not know what you will want. I tell this so that you can get the idea. If in the resurrection you really want to be single and alone, and live so forever and ever, and be made servants, while others receive the highest order of intelligence and are bringing worlds into existence, you can have the privilege. They who will be exalted cannot perform all the labor, they must have servants and you can be servants to them.

The female portion of the human family have blessings promised to them if they are faithful. I do not know what the Lord could have put upon women worse than he did upon Mother Eve, where he told her: “Thy desire shall be to thy husband.” Continually wanting the husband. “If you go to work, my eyes follow you; if you go away in the carriage, my eyes follow you, and I like you and I love you; I delight in you, and I desire you should have nobody else.” I do not know that the Lord could have put upon women anything worse than this, I do not blame them for having these feelings. I would be glad if it were otherwise. Says a woman of faith and knowledge, “I will make the best of it; it is a law that man shall rule over me; his word is my law, and I must obey him; he must rule over me; this is upon me and I will submit to it,” and by so doing she has promises that others do not have.

The world of mankind, the world of man, not of woman, is full of iniquity. What are they doing? They are destroying every truth that they can; they are destroying all innocence that they can. Priest and people, governors, magistrates, kings, potentates, presidents, the political world and the religious world, are on the highroad to eternal misery. There are exceptions. There are honest persons wherever there is an honest principle. If the men of the world would be honest and full of good works, you would not see them living as they do. And the women are entitled to the kingdom, they are entitled to the glory, they are entitled to exaltation if they are obedient to the Priesthood, and they will be crowned with those that are crowned.

When Father Adam came to assist in organizing the earth out of the crude material that was found, an earth was made upon which the children of men could live. After the earth was prepared Father Adam came and stayed here, and there was a woman brought to him. Now I am telling you something that many of you know, it has been told to you, and the brethren and sisters should understand it. There was a certain woman brought to Father Adam whose name was Eve, because she was the first woman, and she was given to him to be his wife; I am not disposed to give any further knowledge concerning her at present. There is no doubt but that he left many companions. The great and glorious doctrine that pertains to this I have not time to dwell upon; neither should I at present if I had time. He understood this whole machinery or system before he came to this earth; and I hope my brethren and sisters will profit by what I have told them.

Now we have been administering the sacrament here to the people, the bread and the water. It is to refresh our minds and bring to our understanding the death and sufferings of our Savior. Is there any commandment with regard to this matter? Yes, there are laws concerning it. You take this Book [the Book of Doctrine and Covenants] and you will read here that the Saints are to meet together on the Sabbath day. It is what we call the first day of the week. No matter whether it is the Jewish Sabbath or not. I do not think there is anybody who can bring facts to prove which is the seventh day, or when Adam was put in the garden, or the day about which the Lord spoke to Moses. This matter is not very well known, so we call the day on which we rest and worship God, the first day of the week. This people called Latter-day Saints, are required by the revelations that the Lord has given, to assemble themselves together on this day. How many go riding or visiting, or go anywhere but to meeting, on the Sabbath day? It is probably not so here, but in Salt Lake City, as a general thing, Sunday is made a holiday for riding and visiting, &c. In this commandment we are required to come together and repent of our sins and confess our sins and partake of the bread and of the wine; or water, in commemoration of the death and sufferings of our Lord and Savior. I will ask the Latter-day Saints if you are entitled to these blessings unless you keep the Sabbath day. Now, what do you say? Why, every Latter-day Saint would answer we are not entitled to the blessing of partaking of the emblems, or symbols, of the body and the blood of Christ unless we observe his law. All the Latter-day Saints will answer this question with me, just as I do, because it is right. There is a great deal delivered to this people; they have received a great deal—those blessings pertaining to being baptized for the dead, celestial marriage and many others, and they should value them, and live so as to enjoy them.

There has been considerable said here with regard to the law of Tithing that we received years and years ago. Now, I venture to say, that if we except some very poor men and very poor women in the Church, who think they have paid their mites promptly and punctually, there is not a man that has paid his Tithing. Now, this may sound strange; for some think they have paid pretty well. To draw this matter out and show you how I feel upon the subject of Tithing, I have not time. But I will say a few words about some things that have been alluded to by my brethren who have spoken to you. The Lord requires one-tenth of that which he has given me; it is for me to pay the one-tenth of the increase of my flocks and of all that I have, and all the people should do the same. The question may arise, “What is to be done with the Tithing?” It is for the building of Temples to God; for the enlarging of the borders of Zion; sending Elders on missions to preach the Gospel and taking care of their families. By and by we shall have some Temples to go into, and we will receive our blessings, the blessings of heaven, by obedience to the doctrine of Tithing. We shall have Temples built throughout these mountains in the valleys of this Territory and the valleys of the next Territory, and finally, all through these mountains. We expect to build Temples in a great many valleys. We go to the endowment house, and before going, we get a re– commendation from our Bishop that we have paid our Tithing. We wish it was so. I do not want to accuse the brethren; but if your consciences and my conscience does not accuse us, why, I will not accuse you. When you give a certificate or letter for a man to have a woman sealed to him, and he full of sin and iniquity, is not such a certificate false? If we inquire of such, “Do you want to have another wife sealed to you?” “Yes.” “Where is your wife?” “Why, she has left me.” “Why? Because you are so full of the devil that she cannot live with you, and the Bishop will give a certificate for you to get another.” They also want to be baptized for their dead friends when they have not paid their Tithing. I do not want to accuse anybody; but I do not think this to be right. If the Lord will receive the people, if the Lord will accept of their labors, and will honor and bless them, and say that their officiating for their dead friends shall be sealed in the heavens and it shall be recorded by his angel, and in the day of the resurrection it shall be accounted unto them for righteousness, I am willing, I have not a word to say against it.

Now, then, we have received these ordinances, the doctrine the Lord has revealed for the salvation of the dead; the doctrine that we have received for the exaltation of men and women, which I could tell you a great deal about if I had time; but there is only a little time and I want to say a few things to bring your minds directly to our present condition. You read in the Doctrine and Covenants with regard to the building up of the kingdom of God, the order of Enoch, &c. I am anxious in my feelings to get the Latter-day Saints to begin where the Lord wanted them to begin, when he commenced to build up this kingdom; that is that we are to submit ourselves to the direction of our Bishops, or men who shall be appointed, who shall dictate them in the things pertaining to life, so that they may be the means in the hands of the Lord of accomplishing the work that he requires at our hands. I had it in my mind to ask if we are not a slow, tardy people; but I would like to see the order of Enoch introduced. If I had the privilege that was legal, the legal right, I should have had some of the brethren and sisters organized together and bound with bonds that cannot be broken; but I cannot do this at present; for we desire to commence this on a foundation that cannot be broken up and destroyed.

Brethren, if you will start here and operate together in farming, in making cheese, in herding sheep and cattle and every other kind of work, and get a factory here and a cooperative store—I have been told there is no cooperative store here—get a good cooperative store, and operate together in sheep raising, storekeeping, manufacturing and everything else, no matter what it is, by and by, when we can plant ourselves upon a foundation that we cannot be broken up, we shall then proceed to arrange a family organization for which we are not yet quite prepared. You now, right here in this place, commence to carry on your business in a cooperative capacity. In every instance I could show every one of you what a great advantage would be gained in working together; I could reason it out here just how much advantage there is in cooperation in your lumbering and in your herding. You have men here, I suppose, who have had an arm shot off; they cannot go into the canyons and get out wood. Ano– ther, perhaps, has had a leg cut off; he cannot run here and there like some of you; but he can do something; he will make a first-rate shopman, and at keeping books, perhaps, he will be one of the best. He cannot take the scythe and mow; he cannot attend to a threshing machine; he cannot go into the woods lumbering; he could not herd well—but he could go into the factory, and he can do many things. Well, we can do this and keep up cooperation, and, by and by, when we can, we will build up a city after the order of Enoch. And I will tell you, women will not be let into that city with Babylon upon their backs, nor men either. But we will make our own clothing, we will make our own fashions, we will do our own work. I can take fifty men who have not a cent, and if they would do as I would wish them to do, they would soon be worth their thousands, every one of them. We desire to go into this order. In it we would not lack means, we would always have something to sell, but seldom want to buy. This will be the case if we make our own clothes, &c.

Another thing I want you to observe in all these settlements, and it is one of the simplest things in nature; I want you to be united. If we should build up and organize a community, we would have to do it on the principle of oneness, and it is one of the simplest things I know of. A city of one hundred thousand or a million of people could be united into a perfect family, and they would work together as beautifully as the different parts of the carding machine work together. Why, we could organize millions into a family under the order of Enoch. Will you go into the cooperative system? Will you pay your Tithes? Will you take care of your hay? Bisbops, will you take care of the Tithes? I have scarcely seen a good stack of Tithing hay until within the last two years. Is this right, to let hay that is brought in as Tithing go to waste? “Well, but,” says one, “I don’t know what to do with it.” Go to work, and put it into a shape that it will last one year, five years, ten years; it will be wanted by and by. There is about sixteen thousand dollars, I learn from the trustees, of unpaid Tithing, in this valley. Go to work and build a meetinghouse, and then schoolhouses. Go to work and start some schools, and instead of going to parties to dance and indulge in this nonsense, go to school and study; have the girls go, and teach them chemistry, so that they can take any of these rocks and analyze them—tell the properties and what they are. I don’t suppose there is a man here who can tell these properties. The sciences can be learned without much difficulty. Instead of going “right and left, balance all, promenade,” go to work and teach yourselves something. Instead of having this folly, I want to have schools and entertain the minds of the people and draw them out to learn the arts and sciences. Send the old children to school and the young ones also; there is nothing I would like better than to learn chemistry, botany, geology, and mineralogy, so that I could tell what I walk on, the properties of the air I breathe, what I drink, &c.

I will say to you, my brethren and sisters, I bless you. I bless you according to the Priesthood that I hold and the keys thereof. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. Now will you live your religion? We had some talk yesterday about your President; I pray you, Mr. President, under brother Rich, to live your religion; and I pray the Saints to live their religion, and I do ask from day to day, in the name of Jesus Christ, and I direct the Latter-day Saints, to live their religion, and I pray you in Christ’s stead to live your religion so as to enjoy the spirit of it. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery, Logan City, Sunday Morning, June 29, 1873.

I say to the Latter-day Saints, that the only reason why we do not take up the subject and enter into the organization of Enoch, or a city of Enoch, is simply because we have not yet been able to find every item of law bearing upon this matter, so as to organize in a way that apostates cannot trouble us. This is the only reason. It is a matter that I am paying particular attention to, with some of my brethren, to see if we have skill enough to get up an organization and draw up papers to bind ourselves together under the laws of the United States, so that we can put our means and labor together and join as one family. As soon as we can accomplish this, and get an instrument that lawyers cannot pick to pieces and destroy, and apostates cannot afflict us, we expect to get up this institution, and enter most firmly into it.

Yesterday and the day before I had considerable to say to the Latter-day Saints, reading the dark side of the page. I will say here, I am not discouraged with regard to this latter-day work, I am not discouraged with regard to the Latter-day Saints. If we were to pick and choose today, we should find a large majority of the people called Latter-day Saints, who are ready and willing, with open hands and pure hearts, to enter into the Order of Enoch, and to live and die in this Order. This is my faith concerning the people at large, consequently I am not discouraged. But there are some who need chastening. We cannot call names, this will not answer. We cannot tell a man that he is going to apostatize, but we can chasten him as a member of the Church, not as an individual. In this capacity, while in public, we do not take the liberty of chastening an individual. But we can say to the brethren and sisters, we are encouraged. “Mormonism” is onward and upward, the Gospel that the Lord Jesus has introduced in the latter days is enjoyed by many, and it is our life, our joy, our peace, our glory, our happiness, our all; and when we come to the trying scene, as some call it, of sacrificing our property, and putting it together for the good of the community, I do not expect the brethren will receive any more trials than they have heretofore, I do know whether the sisters will.

Brother George Q. Cannon says the sisters have borne a great deal. So they have, but if they could only stand in the shoes of their husbands who are good, true and faithful, they would know that they are by no means free from perplexities. Just fancy a man with two, three, or half a dozen of his beloved wives catching him on one side, and before he can take three steps more, catching him on the other, and “I want this,” “I want that,” and “this is not right,” and “that is not right,” and so on; their minds just pulled to pieces. I say if the hair is spared on their heads they may consider that they have got blessed good wives. I have as many wives as many other men, and I keep my hair yet. But as to trials, why bless your hearts, the man or woman who enjoys the spirit of our religion has no trials; but the man or woman who tries to live according to the Gospel of the Son of God, and at the same time clings to the spirit of the world, has trials and sorrows acute and keen, and that, too, continually.

This is the deciding point, the dividing line. They who love and serve God with all their hearts rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; but they who try to serve God and still cling to the spirit of the world, have got on two yokes—the yoke of Jesus and the yoke of the devil, and they will have plenty to do. They will have a warfare inside and outside, and the labor will be very galling, for they are directly in opposition one to the other. Cast off the yoke of the enemy, and put on the yoke of Christ, and you will say that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. This I know by experience.

God bless you.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery, Logan City, Saturday Afternoon, June 28, 1873.

I have a little temporal matter which I wish to lay before the brethren—something pertaining to our work here for the benefit of the inhabitants of this valley and other places. It is concerning this railroad. I wish to speak of this today. We should pass it over, probably, if it were left till tomorrow. I wish the brethren to take into consideration the benefits that are now and which will be derived by the building of this railroad. Another item I wish to lay before the brethren is the putting a road through what is called Bear River Canyon, this side of Cottonwood, where the railroad will go. If this could be crowded through, I am told it would be a saving of about fifteen miles of travel and climbing some very severe points of the mountains. If the brethren will take hold, under the direction of someone who may be appointed or who is already appointed, of the grading of the road, it would be quite an accommodation to the travel from here to Soda Springs. Get the railroad graded as far and as fast as possible to carry us on. We would like very much to hold some meetings north, and we would rather get into a car and go where we wish than to be traveling along through the dust day after day, consequently we wish to hurry up this matter as speedily as possible. The arrangements will be entered into by those who have the railroad in charge, but I thought I would ask the brethren, inasmuch as they wish to travel north, occasionally, to do themselves and the rest of us the kindness to get a ride upon a pretty good track. We wish to go to Bear Lake Valley, over into Rich County, but how shall we go? I understand that this road up the Logan is impassable, and that the dugway road is very bad. We have some settlements already on the Soda Springs route, and shall probably have more, and if we could have the accommodation of traveling on a pretty fair level road we should be very thankful. I shall leave this and other matters with you, but I would urge the necessity of building the railroad as far north as the iron can be obtained. I understand there is enough now coming to go from here to Franklin, and perhaps a few miles beyond. When this is completed, the traveling and freighting to the north will probably go over this line, and the business of the people here will be increased and the value of the property will be enhanced, and you will advance in proportion to the abundance of your improvement.

Another item which I wish to urge upon the people is the building of this meetinghouse. We have a bowery here, which is very comfortable to meet in this warm wea– ther, but when it is windy, stormy, cold or wet, the people should certainly have a house to meet in, instead of being out of doors. This, of course, will require labor. If we were to go into details with regard to labor I think we could show very clearly that the time that is given to us here is not altogether well spent. We might make a great many improvements to benefit ourselves, and be none the poorer, but it would increase our wealth. I think this is apparent to every reflecting mind. Every improvement that we make not only adds to our comfort but to our wealth. I wish the brethren to consider this. Not that I wish to take anything from the minds of the people of the good things that we have heard since we have been together, and especially from brother Taylor, who has just spoken. I would not like to take a thought or reflection from the minds of the people concerning those good things pertaining to the kingdom of God. But recollect that brother Taylor, in his remarks, brought the spiritual and the temporal together. They always have been and always will be together, and by our labor we show to the heavens that we are willing and obedient servants and handmaids. This gives us a claim to the blessings which our Father in heaven delights to bestow upon the faithful. By our works our faith is made manifest, and by them shall we be judged, and justified or condemned. Then let our works be such as will justify us and tend to the building up of the kingdom of heaven upon the earth. If we do this, brethren and sisters, we shall prosper and increase.

We were talking yesterday about the blessings of the people. It appears to me that they have little idea of the blessings which are in their possession. Still I am sensible that a great many realize and are very thankful for them, and they wish to improve their time to the best advantage. But take us as a people and how strange is the course we pursue! How inconsistent, inconsiderate and vain are the acts of the Elders of Israel. Is this the fact? Yes, cooperation was referred to by brother Taylor. The man or woman who is opposed to this is opposed to God. So said brother Taylor. I say that they who are opposed to cooperation are opposed to heaven, to their own welfare, to the welfare of their neighbors, to truth and to everything that is good. The least thought or act of an individual who is or can be called a Saint, that militates against a oneness of feeling and action amongst the Saints is opposed to everything that is heavenly and good. We do not wish to cooperate in mercantile affairs only, but we wish to bring the minds of the people to consider the benefit of uniting and laboring together, to make this long and strong pull all together, of which brother Taylor spoke. This is an expression that Brother Joseph Smith frequently used concerning the oneness of the people. If the Latter-day Saints were to take a course to alienate their fellowship and feelings one from another, each one saying, “This is my pile, and I am working to increase it,” we should then be in the position, referred to by brother Franklin D. Richards this morning, of the man who said that all the world belonged to the Lord, excepting the little piece of land he had bought and paid for. How inconsiderate, inconsistent and unwise, is such a course as this! If we are not one, we are not the Lord’s. We cannot do his will, nor be his disciples unless we are one. We must have the same faith and feelings for the building up of the kingdom of God, and for the salvation of ourselves and others, jointly, together, or we shall fail in our attempts to accomplish the work which the Lord has given us to do. We should consider all these matters. Now take hold with union and bring the rock, lumber, and all other material that is necessary, and let the mechanics go to work and put up this meetinghouse.

I do not know who has charge of the building of this store here, but I am very sorry it does not loom up a little faster. I would like to see this store finished, the meetinghouse built, the railroad completed through here, our roads built through the mountains; I would like to see your farms fenced up, and to see good buildings in this and other towns. Improvement belongs to the spirit and plan of the heavens. To improve in our minds, to increase in wisdom, knowledge and understanding, to gather every item of knowledge that we can in mechanism and in science of every description, respecting the earth, the object of the organization of the earth, the heavens, the heavenly bodies—all this is of Heaven, it is from God; but when a person or a people begin to dwindle, to lessen and to take the downward course, they are going from heaven and heavenly things. You have seen this illustrated in those who leave this Church. You have known men who, while in the Church, were active, quick and full of intelligence; but after they have left the Church, they have become contracted in their understandings, they have become darkened in their minds, and everything has become a mystery to them, and in regard to the things of God, they have become like the rest of the world, who think, hope and pray that such and such things may be so, but they do not know the least about it. This is precisely the position of those who leave this Church: they go into the dark, they are not able to judge, conceive or comprehend things as they are. They are like the drunken man—he thinks that everybody is the worse for liquor but himself, and he is the only sober man in the neighborhood. The apostates think that everbody is wrong but themselves.

Follow the spirit of improvement and labor. All the capital there is upon the earth is the bone and sinew of working men and women. Were it not for that, the gold and the silver and the precious stones would remain in the mountains, upon the plains and in the valleys, and never would be gathered or brought into use. The timber would continue to grow, but none of it would be brought into service, and the earth would remain as it is; but it is the activity and labor of the inhabitants of the earth that bring forth the wealth. Labor builds our meetinghouses, temples, court houses, fine halls for music and fine schoolhouses; it is labor that teaches our children, and makes them acquainted with the various branches of education, that makes them proficient in their own language and in other languages, and in every branch of knowledge understood by the children of men; and all this enhances the wealth and the glory and the comfort of any people on the earth. But take the other course, and they become like our savages—they soon forget what they have learned, have no taste for acquiring knowledge, and lose all their ambition and desire for improvement. For instance, look at the Jewish nation. Here are the tribe of Judah in our midst. Do you ever recollect any of them building a house? Think of it, look around now, and try if you can find any of the sons of Judah so lost to themselves as to be guilty of making any improvements. I speak ironically. They will bring something to you and sell it to you, and get your money if they can, for they are every one of them merchants; but can you find one of them that tills an acre of ground? Search the world over, and you will find but few Jewish agriculturists, although there are millions of Jews scattered through the earth, and many of them occupying important positions in the learned world; but they are not producers, they are all consumers. The land of Judea has fallen into disrepute, and it has become a desert, just through the apostasy of those who once inhabited it, who had the oracles of God among them. This is the fact. Let the Latter-day Saints neglect their labor, and they will soon find that they are declining in their feelings, tastes and judgment for improving the elements of the earth; hence we say, improve, be industrious, prudent, faithful, make good farms, gardens and orchards, good public and private buildings, have the best schools, &c. The world give us the credit of being the most industrious people on the face of the earth; they say that the Latter-day Saints in Utah have done more than any other people ever were known to do in the same time. It is the little union that we have in our midst that has given this impetus to our prosperity. But we have not enough union, we have not enough of the spirit of improvement amongst us. You will see men occasionally here who, so far as the spirit of improvement goes, are like some old “Mormons” who lived in the days of Joseph. That is, their bodies breathe, and they move and have a being; but they died when Joseph died. There has been no spirit of progress or improvement in them since. As far as regards gathering and organizing the elements, and making the earth beautiful, these old “Mormons” have no taste for it, and they see nothing, hear nothing, and know nothing, only they knew Joseph. Say they, “Oh, I was acquainted with Joseph, I knew brother Joseph.” Ask them, “Are you going to build a house?” “Well, I don’t know; I don’t know as I care anything about having any better house.” “Well but your house is full of bed bugs.” “I know it is pretty bad, but still it is as good as I am, and I don’t think I shall try to build.” They died when Joseph died.

I heard it mentioned here, I think, this morning, that we all knew the character of the Latter-day Saints, and the difficulties and persecutions they have passed through. It came into my mind at that moment to ask this congregation how many of them knew Joseph Smith, the Prophet, just to show what “Mormonism” has accomplished in twenty-eight years. I believe I will do myself the favor, and gratify myself so far as to ask those of my brethren and sisters now present, who were personally acquainted with Joseph Smith, to raise their right hands. (A very few hands up.) There is a few, but very few, not above one to twenty, and perhaps not more than one to fifty in this congregation who ever saw Joseph Smith. Now if I were to ask the boys and girls, and all the young folks present, although your Sunday schools are not here, who were born in these valleys, to raise their right hands, I will venture to say that we should find that more than half this congregation have been born in these mountains. What do they know about what we passed through in Illinois, Missouri, Kirtland, or New York State? I will give you one item. I lived close by where these plates were found. I knew that Joseph found them, from outward circumstances that transpired at the time. I shall not take time to relate but a little of the delicate, kind, benevolent, Christianlike, I will say anti-Godlike feelings of the priests and of the people who professed Christianity at the time that Joseph organized this Church. The very first thing that was circulated was this—“Did you hear that Joe Smith and his followers got together last night, blew out the light, stripped themselves stark naked, and there they had the holy roll?” This was the story started by the priests in the neighborhood where the plates were found. In the Branch where I lived, we had not met together three times before our beloved, kind, anti-Godlike Baptist priests and people declared that we made a practice of meeting together, stripping stark naked, and there having the “holy roll.” A great many of you do not understand this term. It came from the shaking Quakers. I shall not attempt to relate here the conduct attributed to them, but from that sprang the peculiar phrase I have mentioned in your hearing this afternoon. In a very short time we were all thieves in the estimation of our so-called Christian neighbors. Said the priest to a beloved sister—“Sister, did you hear of such a man, he was a member of our church a few days since, but he has joined old Joe Smith?” Joseph was then twenty-one or twenty-two years of age, but it was “old Joe Smith.” “Sister, did you hear that such a brother stole a lot of chickens last night?” Says the sister, “No, can it be possible?” “Well, they say so,” says the priest, and he himself had fabricated the entire story. This sister would tell it to another, and it would go all through the neighborhood that such a man, who only a few days before had been considered by them as good a brother as they had in their church had become a chicken thief. But you cannot mention any crime that this people called Latter-day Saints have not been accused of committing by their so-called Christian neighbors; and these stories would generally commence by the priests whispering to some sister—“Did you hear of such and such a thing?” That was enough, all that was wanted, it became a solemn fact by the time it passed the third mouth. Now what do the great majority of Saints know of these things? Nothing, for they have been born since our arrival here. I need not relate much of my experience in this work, although I have had a pretty large one. But it is not particularly profitable to me or to anybody else to relate it. Sometimes it is very well to relate circumstances that have transpired, to show to the rising generation what we have passed through and what we have had to contend with.

Now, if the brethren will take hold and perform the labors devolving upon them, they shall be blessed in them. They will increase in health and in wealth. The Lord will bless the people in proportion as they bless themselves. If they are faithful in following every requirement, they will be blessed in their families, and no other people on the earth that we know anything about are blessed in their families and posterity as the Latter-day Saints are now. Visit town after town in this Territory and let the Saints turn out their children neat and clean and what can be said of them? The Lord blesses them in their families. Let them drive up their flocks, and what will be said of them? The Lord blesses their flocks in their folds. See them upon the plains, they are blessed there more than any other people. Then look at their harvests and their gardens and orchards, and they are blessed therein more than any people we know anything about. They are blessed in everything they put their hand to. The climate of these valleys has been modified and mollified for their sakes. When we first came here, neither an apple nor an ear of wheat could have been raised in this valley. But is there a finer valley than this now in these mountains? No. Is there a finer place for people to live in on this continent? No. There is not.

If the people take a course to bring the blessings of heaven upon them, they will increase in everything. If they refuse obedience to the holy Priesthood, they will dwindle and go into unbelief and apostasy; they will be contracted in their views and feelings; the fruit trees will begin to refuse to bear fruit; our flocks will begin to refuse their increase, and our fields will refuse to bring forth their crops. I will just make this statement with regard to the country the plates were taken from, from which the Book of Mormon was translated. I have helped to harvest wheat there, that yielded fifty bushels to the acre, or from twenty-five to sixty bushels. For thirty years past, they have not raised twenty bushels to the acre; for twenty years past they have not raised fifteen bushels to the acre, and now, in that country, which once was not surpassed by any portion of the globe for raising fruit and wheat, not an apple is raised without a worm in the center. They have been so for twenty or thirty years. Their apples are good for nothing. Send them to England as they did forty or fifty years ago, and they are not marketable; they will bear no price in comparison to good fruit. Five to ten bushels of wheat to an acre now. Their peaches have gone, their apples have gone, their plums and their pears have gone, and that land eventually, unless this government and the people of the government take a different course towards the Gospel that the Lord has revealed in the latter days, will become desolate, forlorn and forsaken. That is the country I was brought up in, and with regard to its products, I know about as much as any man that lives.

Now, brethren and sisters, if we wish the blessings of heaven upon us, let us be faithful to our covenants and callings, faithful in paying Tithing, in keeping the word of wisdom and in building Temples. The Tithing is for the building of Temples. Suppose we build this meeting house here with Tithing. If the people will give us one-tenth part of that which is due on their Tithing, we shall have all we need to build their meetinghouses, schoolhouses, and Temples. This may seem strange to some, and perhaps I look at Tithing different from others, and consider the law of Tithing different from what others would look at and construe the meaning of the words concerning the Tithing that the Lord requires in the latter days. I will sum it up and tell you what my views are. Here is a character—a man—that God has created, organized, fashioned and made—every part and particle of my system from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, has been produced by my Father in heaven; and he requires one-tenth part of my brain, heart, nerve, muscle, sinew, flesh, bone, and of my whole system, for the building of Temples, for the ministry, for sus– taining missionaries and missionaries’ families, for feeding the poor, the aged, the halt and blind, and for gathering them home from the nations and taking care of them after they are gathered. He has said, “My son, devote one-tenth of yourself to the good and wholesome work of taking care of your fellow beings, preaching the Gospel, bringing people into the kingdom; lay your plans to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves; direct the labors of those who are able to labor; and one-tenth part is all-sufficient if it is devoted properly, carefully and judiciously for the advancement of my kingdom on the earth.”

What little wealth I have got, I have obtained since I have been in this Church. What I had when I came into the Church I gave away to my friends. I had no family except two children. I can hardly say that either, for when I came into the Church I had a wife, but in a very few months after I was baptized I lost her, and she left me two little girls. I gave away what I had, and I started to preach the Gospel. I was obliged to do it, for I felt as though my bones would consume within me if I did not, consequently I devoted my time to preaching. I traveled, toiled, labored and preached continually. My own brother Joseph, and myself, were together a good deal of the time, until we went to Kirtland, to see the Prophet, and the next year moved up. This is the way I commenced, and when I gathered with the Saints I was about as destitute as any man that ever gathered to the gathering place; and that summer brother Joseph called the Elders together and gave them the word of the Lord never to do another day’s work to build up a Gentile city. I have never done a day’s work, nor an hour’s work, from that time to this, to build up a Gentile city, but I have labored continually to build up the cities of Zion. God has blessed me with means, and he has blessed me with a family. I made a statement yesterday, which I can make again with all propriety—that in my judgment it would take more than I have got to pay my back Tithing, and I have got as much, probably, as any man in the Church. The Lord has blessed me; he has always blessed me; from the time I commenced to build up Zion, I have been extremely blessed. I could relate circumstances of so extraordinary a character in regard to the providences of God to me, that my brethren and sisters would say in their hearts, “I can hardly give credence to this.” But my heart has been set in me to do the will of God, to build up his kingdom on the earth, to establish Zion and its laws, and to save the people; and I can say truly and honestly that the thought never came into my mind, in all my labors, what my reward will be, or whether my crown would be large or small, or any crown at all, a small possession, a large possession, or no possession. I do not know that I shall have a wife or child in the resurrection. I have never had any thoughts or reflections upon this, or cared the first thing about it. All that I have had in my mind has been that it was my duty to do the will of God, and to labor to establish his kingdom on the earth. I do not love, serve or fear the Lord for the sake of getting rid of being damned, nor for the sake of getting some great gift or blessing in eternity, but purely because the principles which God has revealed for the salvation of the inhabitants of the earth are pure, holy and exalting in their nature. In them there is honor and eternal increase, they lead on from light to light, strength to strength, glory to glory, knowledge to knowledge, and power to power; and the opposite reduces any individual or any nation on the earth to imbecility, ignorance, slothfulness, and to the loathsome state of degradation in which we see some of the inhabitants of the earth now. It is purely for the love of holy principles that will exalt the people, that we may receive and gain more and more, and keep receiving forever and ever, that I serve the Lord, and try to build up his kingdom.

And when we get through this state of being, to the next room, I may call it, we are not going to stop there. We shall still go on, doing all the good we can, administering and officiating for all whom we are permitted to administer and officiate for, and then go on to the next, and to the next, until the Lord shall crown all who have been faithful on this earth, and the work pertaining to the earth is finished, and the Savior, whom we have been helping, has completed his task, and the earth, with all things pertaining to it, is presented to the Father. Then these faithful ones will receive their blessings and crowns, and their inheritances will be set off to them and he given to them, and they will then go on, worlds upon worlds, increasing forever and ever.

Now, brethren, what do you say, will you do as I want you to? Will you take hold and build this meetinghouse, get this road through and make a little more improvement, and say we will have no idlers in our midst, but that every day, every week, every month, shall be devoted to something that is useful to ourselves and to others? If this is our feeling and our determination we shall be blessed. I feel to bless you. I pray for you continually. I never cease to pray for the Saints. I pray the Lord to inspire the hearts of his people, so that the good may not fall away, but that they may be preserved in the truth, and that they may learn and understand it more and more, until their affections are so wedded to God and his kingdom on the earth, that the revelations of Jesus Christ may be in them like a well of water springing up to everlasting life.

Now, I can say, God bless you, and I pray that you may be blessed; but I pray you to bless yourselves. Brethren and sisters, let us bless ourselves, by doing the will of God, then we are right.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery, Logan City, Friday Afternoon, June 27, 1873.

I am very much gratified for the privilege of coming to this place to see the faces of the Saints, to speak to them and to greet them as a brother and a friend. If we could see and understand things as they are, if we could have the veil withdrawn from our eyes and behold the things of eternity, and the connection and relationship that we sustain to the eternal worlds, and to heavenly things, our minds would be very much inspired to speak, sing, pray, listen attentively, meditate upon and contemplate the wonderful things of God. A great deal is said to the Latter-day Saints concerning our religion, which does in reality incorporate and circumscribe the whole life of man. We need teaching. We are like children with regard to learning. If we could understand the effects of the fall or of sin upon intelligence, we would see that its tendency is downward, that it is retrograde in its nature. The things pertaining to life are of the opposite character—they are exalting, increasing, multiplying, gaining, receiving a little here and a little there—our minds and under– standings expanding by that which we learn by reading, by the seeing of the eye and the hearing of the ear.

The Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the revelations which the Lord has given to his people in the latter days, contain a great deal about the kingdom of God on the earth. We have also histories of the kingdoms established by the children of men. From these we learn that a great many changes have taken place owing to the revolutions that have occurred in the past and which are still in progress. From our own conclusions on these matters there is one fact of which we are sensible, and understand to a certainty—namely, that purity preserves, sustains and increases, while sin and ignorance, in all their horrid forms, have just the opposite effect. We need only look at the nations of the earth for confirmation of these ideas. We need not go far; we may look at the aborigines of our own country. Why are they in their present condition? There are reasons for this. They, just as much as we, belong to the human family—the highest class of intelligence there is upon the face of the earth. Why are they in their present degradation? We see them as they are, we see the nations as they are. Take the Jewish nation, why are they as they are? Is there a cause for it? There certainly is. We have had a short account from brother George A. Smith about the land of their fathers; we can draw our own conclusions as to the causes which have brought about the present condition of that land and of the descendants of the ancient worthies to whom it was given. In the nations of the earth at the present day we see imbecility, slothfulness, and I will say ignorance with all its attendant crimes and debauchery, prevailing among the masses of the people. There is a reason for all this. The time was when nations, now unknown, which once flourished upon the eastern continent, were intelligent and full of the spirit of thrift and industry. Who can tell us why they have passed away and are forgotten. Brother George A. told us this morning, that the place where the great city of Babylon stood, or where it is supposed to have stood, is now an inaccessible swamp and a desert. Where is the Babylonish nation? We know nothing about it. Where are the nations of Israel? We hardly know anything about them, with the exception of the tribe of Judah and the half tribe of Benjamin, which remain scattered among the nations of the earth, desolate and forlorn. They have been hunted down with dogs, and the time has been when it was perfectly lawful in some nations for every Christian child who was disposed to do so to, stone a Jew while passing through the streets; and it is not long since they were not permitted to own a foot of land in any of the Gentile nations. This is not so now. But what was the cause of all this? Their history is not lost, neither are they, and the simple reason they are not is because they were the chosen of the Lord, they were to be held in remembrance by our heavenly Father. A remnant of the people of Israel are to be saved, and they will yet be gathered together. But other nations that existed before the flood, and many before the days of Jesus, where are they? Who knows anything about them? They are lost as far as history is concerned; and many people since the days of the Savior have been blotted from the remembrance of man.

Here are a people dwelling in these mountains who profess to be the Saints of the Most High, the beloved of the Lord. They have received his Priesthood and its keys, the keys of Government, and the plan of the government of the heavenly hosts, as far as man is capable of receiving this divine, celestial and holy law. When we contemplate the course of the Latter-day Saints, we are almost led to inquire what will be their future history. It is true that we have hopes different from those who have lived before us, but let this people, called Latter-day Saints, be blessed for twenty years to come as they have been for twenty years past, and the Lord not take them in hand, but let them take their own course as they have done, and as they are now doing, although we consider ourselves quite obedient and willing, and we like to know the mind and will of the Lord, but let us, I say, go on for twenty years to come, in the same ratio as for twenty years past, and who among us would hearken to the counsel of God? Let the old stock—those who have lived in Babylon and who have had their trials in the wicked world, pass away, let them he taken out of the midst of the Latter-day Saints, and the young growth that know nothing of the world be left to themselves, to follow the promptings of their own wills, and what would be their condition? Would we not see Babylon to perfection? Would we not have all that the wicked world could desire in our midst, and we delighting therein? Think of this, and draw your own conclusions. Still we say, without boasting a bit, that we are the best people there is. This is my decision. I say that we are the best people there is upon the earth, and we have nothing to boast of, not the least in the world. Who is there that hearkens to the will of God, or heeds his voice? Who is there, on the face of the whole earth, outside of this people, who know the mind and will of God, or that seek to do his will? It may be said that the whole Christian world are trying to serve the Lord. It is true that many of them confess him with their mouths, and draw near to him with their lips, but what is their true condition? Are their hearts bent on doing the will of the Lord, or are they far from him? Suppose that Peter, whom the Christian world think so much of, and whose history is contained in the Bible; or James, or John, or either one of the eight who have written and testified to the New Testament, or either one of the twelve Apostles chosen by the Savior, or Jesus himself, were to come to the Christian world, and were to go into their synagogues, or into the places of worship they have erected, and which they call after St. James, St. Mark, St. Paul or St. Peter, do you think that any of these personages would be permitted to proclaim their doctrines in those buildings? No, not one, and if there were a priest or divine who, after hearing the doctrine of Jesus proclaimed, should say, “I see no harm in this doctrine, it is Bible doctrine,” the majority of the people would say, “We do not want you for our public servant if you permit this man to enter the pulpit and proclaim his doctrine.” This is all the proof necessary that they would not receive Jesus and his Apostles in this day, with all their boasted professions of love for his name and doctrine. If they would receive Jesus they would receive an Elder of this Church when sent to preach the Gospel to them; if they had been willing to receive an apostle of Jesus Christ, they would have received your humble servant. But this we need not talk about.

What will be the history of the nations of the earth now existing? Just as fast as time and circumstances will permit they will be blotted out of existence, and will be forgotten and known no more on the face of the earth. This would be the fate of the Latter-day Saints if they were to persist in following the inclinations of their own hearts, for according to that which they now make manifest, pride, arrogance and covetousness are increasing in their midst; and any people or nation that gives way to these evils curtails the measure of its existence, and will soon be blotted out, and will be known no more forever. Can we believe all this? Read the history of the world and you will find that when God has blessed a people and placed his name upon them, and they afterwards became disobedient, the whole catalogue of curses pronounced by him upon his unworthy children, have come upon them and they have been blotted out. Those who do not profess to know anything of the Lord are far better off than we are, unless we live our religion, for we who know our Master’s will and do it not, will be beaten with many stripes; while they who do not know the Master’s will and do it not will be beaten with few stripes. This is perfectly reasonable. We cannot chastise a child for doing that which is contrary to our wills, if he knows no better; but when our children are taught better and know what is required of them, if they then rebel, of course, they expect to be chastised, and it is perfectly right that they should be.

Brother George A. gave us a little this morning with regard to the law of Tithing. What was the cause of the first, or one of the first, curses that came upon Israel? I will tell you. One of the first transgressions of the family called Israel, was their going to other families or other nations to select partners. This was one of the great mistakes made by the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they would go and marry with other families, although the Lord had forbidden them to do so, and had given them a very strict and stringent law on the subject. He commanded them not to marry among the Gentiles, but they did and would do it. Inasmuch as they would not do what be required of them, then he gave them what I call a portion of the law of carnal commandments. This law told them whom they might and whom they might not marry. It was referred to by the Savior and his Apostles, and it was a grievous yoke to place on the necks of any people; but as the children of this family would run after Babylon, and after the pride and the vanity and evils of the world, and seek to introduce them into Israel, the Lord saw fit to place this burden upon them. And another great neglect and infringement of the law of God by the children of Israel was in relation to their Tithes and offerings. The law of Tithing was revealed in very early times to the people of God; but they failed to observe it, and the Prophets whom God sent to Israel declared that they had transgressed the laws, changed the ordinances, and broken the everlasting covenant. Covenants were made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but their descendants broke them. They would not observe but they would transgress the laws which God gave unto them, and they continued to do so down to the days of Malachi. The Lord, through this Prophet, declared—“This whole nation have robbed me.” I also declare that this whole people, called the Latter-day Saints, are guilty of the same sin—they have robbed the Lord in their Tithes and in their offerings. What would the people like? Do they want to know what is done with the Tithing. If the Lord requires one-tenth of my ability to be devoted to building temples, meetinghouses, schoolhouses, to schooling our children, gathering the poor from the nations of the earth, bringing home the aged, lame, halt and blind, and building houses for them to live in, that they may be comfortable when they reach Zion, and to sustaining the Priesthood, it is not my prerogative to question the authority of the Almighty in this, nor of his servants who have charge of it. If I am required to pay my Tithing, it is my duty to pay it. If the question is asked—“Brother Brigham, do you pay your Tithing?” I can answer with all propriety in the negative. I have never paid my Tithing, and if I turn to the right, left, front and rear, I shall seek in vain for a man in this Church who has paid his Tithing strictly. There is no man who has paid his Tithing. I have watched the thing closely, and according to my understanding of the literal meaning, spirit and intent of the term, I am compelled to come to the conclusion that there is not a man or woman in this Church who has paid his or her Tithing; and I do not know of an individual in this Church who has means enough to pay his back Tithing if it were required of him. I have not; it would require more means than I have now in my possession for me to do it. Perhaps I may be asked what is my excuse. I do not know that I have any. I can say, that in the days of Joseph, when my circumstances were very straitened, I never had $500, $100, one dollar, fifty cents or twenty-five cents, but what, if it were wanted, it went, as free as a cup of water from a well—Joseph was welcome to it. Was I tried in this? Yes, for many and many has been the time in my poverty, when if I had a dollar or fifty cents in my possession I have thought, “I can buy a pint or a half pint of molasses for my children to sop their bread in,” but it was called for, and it went as free as the water of the river here would be to a thirsty person. And as for my time, from the day that I entered this Church until now, I have paid no attention to any business except that of building up this kingdom. The question may be asked, “Do you not attend to your own private affairs and business?” Yes, when I can, but I do not know that I have ever spent one minute in attending to business belonging to Brigham Young, when the business of the Church and kingdom of God on the earth required his attention. Yet I would not say that this is any excuse for not strictly paying my Tithing. I have paid a great deal of Tithing, more perhaps than any other man, or any other ten men who were ever in the Church, and yet my Tithing is not paid. But I pay Tithing, and when the grain upon my Farm is ripened, or the cattle upon it are matured, I say to my men, “Be sure and pay the Tithing on whatever we have raised.” But in some instances I have found that it was neglected.

Suppose we were to say to this people, “Will you pay a little Tithing?” “Yes, we will pay a little Tithing.” How much would you be willing to pay? Will you pay one dollar to a thousand that you owe of back Tithing? If you will, we shall almost have more than we know what to do with. If you pay up a little of this back Tithing, I am going to make a proposition. Take the people of this one valley, and they are far better able to build a Temple than the whole of the Saints were when they lived in the Eastern States. The Saints did not begin to be as able to build a Temple then as the people of this single valley are now. My proposition is, if you will go to work and pay up some of your back Tithing, we will build a Temple up here on the hill; we can select a beautiful site for one there. We calculate to build many Temples, and we will have one here if you agree to my proposition.

If we had a few score thousands of dollars now, we should like to send for the poor. I am sent to from this town, Mendon, Hyrum, Wellsville, and from almost every settlement in these mountains, by parties who have friends in the old country, saying, “Brother Brigham, can you send for my friends? I will send a hundred dollars; will you put four hundred to that and send for my friends, there are only five of them?” This may appear strange, but people dwelling in almost every town in this Territory, are beseeching me continually to send for their friends. I tell them I will send for all I can. My general practice has been to pay two thousand dollars a year to help the poor. I gave only one thousand this year; but if the people, every year, will give in proportion to what I give, we can bring the scattered Saints here by scores of thousands. I do not ask the Latter-day Saints to do that which I do not do, I never did, and as old as I am now, I expect that if I should see a wagon in the mud, my shoulder would be first to the wheel to lift it out. When money, goods or time has been wanted to help to roll forth the work, I have taken the lead all the time and said, “Come, brethren, do as I do.”

But with regard to Tithing, this people will be cursed unless they stop their nonsense, unless they cease running after the fashions and folly of Babylon, and put as Tithing that means which is uselessly spent. How long would it take the Lord to cause the waters of every stream that runs into this valley to sink down into the earth, and to make the valley as dry as the Holy Land is today. It would take him but a very short time. He could open up the veins of the earth—the earth is full of them, and it would want only a little change to open them, and cause the water of every stream in this valley to sink deep into the bowels of the earth. How long would it take him to pass is word, and for his angels to come here and say to the clouds—“Gather no more moisture to shed forth the dews and the rains on the face of the earth?” All he would have to do would be to send an angel to perform a little meteorological and chemical change, and the clouds would gather no more moisture, and no more rain would fall on the earth. Where would your trees be then? What would become of your gardens? What would become of the forage on the mountains that our cattle and sheep feed upon? It would be dried up, become dust, and be blown into some other country, and the rocks would be left bare, as they are in some of the eastern lands. All this could be done very easily. Now we are in plenty, in the very heart of the luxuries of the world. There is no place in the world where they are enjoyed in greater profusion than they are here. Go into boasted France, with its forty millions of people, and out of this large number not more than eight millions enjoy the luxury of eating meat; thirty-two millions out of the forty, it is said, never taste it from year’s end to year’s end. Go into Italy, and the proportion of those who never taste meat is far greater than it is in France. Compare the condition of the people in some of the German States, and in any nation on the face of the earth that we know anything about, with that of the people in this Territory, and I will say that the people of these mountains wallow and revel in luxury, wealth and independence more than any other people on the face of the earth, and yet we have not a dollar to pay Tithing! We have to pay the public hands now a certain proportion of money, and store pay, which is money, but ask the people to pay us a little money Tithing, and they tell us, “We haven’t got any.” The cry from Cache Valley is, “We have no money.” It is not so. I will venture to say that if a fine circus were to come into this town, and stay four nights, they would take away from five to ten thousand dollars in cash, and go to the next town it would be the same. I am now telling the hard side of the question, painting the evil side of the Latter-day Saints. I recollect, a few years ago, there was a fine circus came to Salt Lake City. I took it into my head, a few days before it arrived, to say to some of the Bishops—“Can you raise us so much money on Tithing? Can not you pay something, Bishop?” Said one, “I have not a dollar in the world.” I would meet another, and ask him the same question, and I asked them in a way that they would not mistrust me, but they could not raise a dollar, and I suppose that they would have been willing to have laid their hands on the Bible and sworn that they had not a dollar in the world. On the day when the circus came on to the Eighth Ward square, I took the liberty of going there, and I watched who came, and I found that some of these very men who said that they had not a dollar in the world, paid out ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five dollars to let their families into that circus. They lied before God, holy angels and the whole heavens, before the servants of God, and unless they repent they will have their portion in hell. You need not wonder to see men apostatizing who have been in the Church thirty or thirty-five years. They have been in the habit of lying to God, to angels, to themselves, and to their holy religion. Ask them for a little Tithing, and their answer is”No, we have not anything.” What do you suppose the Lord thinks about such men? He thinks they will have their portion with the disobedient. This is the unfavorable side of the picture. Not but what there is a great many, and in fact, the greater portion of this people, if they can know the mind and will of God, will do it. They are told it from day to day and from time to time on a great many subjects. Both here and throughout all the settlements of the Saints we have preached the Word of Wisdom, and the necessity of letting the fashions of the world alone. We give you the truth of heaven on the subject—we give it to you just as it is in heaven, or as it is written there concerning the Saints on earth. With regard to Tithing, we give you the truth just as it is written in heaven, and just as you will find it by and by. What object have I in saying to the Latter-day Saints, do this, that or the other? It is for my own benefit, it is for your benefit; it is for my own wealth and happiness, and for your wealth and happiness that we pay Tithing and render obedience to any requirement of Heaven. We cannot add anything to the Lord by doing these things. Tell about making sacrifices for the kingdom of heaven. There is no man who ever made a sacrifice on this earth for the kingdom of heaven, that I know anything about, except the Savior. He drank the bitter cup to the dregs, and tasted for every man and for every woman, and redeemed the earth and all things upon it. But he was God in the flesh, or he could not have endured it. “But we suffer, we sacrifice, we give something, we have preached so long.” What for? “Why, for the Lord.” I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for the man who feels that he is making sacrifices for God. We are doing this for our own happiness, welfare and exaltation, and for nobody else’s. This is the fact, and what we do we do for the salvation of the inhabitants of the earth, not for the salvation of the heavens, the angels, or the Gods.

These are a few of my thoughts, and a few items for the people to receive and hearken to. We have come here to talk to and instruct you, and to put our faith and our work with yours. Our united purpose is to labor to build up the kingdom of heaven on the earth, and to overcome every sin, all wickedness, and the power of Satan, until the earth is renovated, purified, sanctified and glorified. Amen.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 25, 1873.

I have a few remarks to make to those who do not understand the doctrine of the Latter-day Saints. Forty-three years have passed away since this Church was organized in Fayette, Seneca County, in the State of New York; and for over forty years, according to the ability which God has given me, I have traveled and preached enough to extend this Gospel to the door of every hamlet on this continent if the people had been willing to receive it; yea more—I have taught the Gospel of life and salvation to the human family sufficiently, if all had been honest to receive it and willing to carry it to their neighbors, to evangelize the whole earth, and there need not have been, today, one person, heathen or Christian, ignorant of its principles. But now, I learn from day to day, from week to week and from time to time, that very many people in our own land do not understand our doctrines, and I am frequently asked the question, while conversing with people, “Do you believe the Bible?” “Do you receive the Bible as the word of the Lord?” “Then, you acknowledge the Bible?” &c. This astonishes me, and the cause of such questions being asked I leave every person to judge for himself, just as I do with regard to the course of the children of men in other matters, such as truth, error, religion, politics, &c. If we were to inquire of strangers, who have lived twenty, thirty, forty, fifty or sixty years on the continent of America, and even in the United States, how it is that they do not know better than to suppose that the Latter-day Saints reject and do not believe in the Bible, they would reply, “We do not know, only we have heard so.” If you go to the professed infidel, of any class, and ask him, “Do the ‘Mormons’ believe in the Bible?”—“Why yes, I have heard them preach, and they believe the Bible more than the whole Christian world do.” Well, where and through whom does this influence come, which leads people to believe to the contrary? I will not spend time to answer this, but I will say, that the Latter-day Saints believe more of the Bible than any other people that live on the face of the earth that we have any knowledge of.

What does the Bible teach us with regard to the Christian religion, faith in God, and in his Son Jesus Christ, who was sent in the meridian of time to redeem the earth, and all things pertaining to it? I will not take up the negative side of the question, or tell what others believe; but let me tell what we believe. In the first place, I will take up the sayings of Jesus to his disciples on a certain occasion. Said he, “Go ye therefore into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned.” I shall not attempt to go into the meaning of this saying in every particular—time will not permit—but suffice it to say that he that believeth and is baptized will be saved, and he that believeth not will be cast off. What promise did Jesus give to his disciples when he sent them out, two by two, to preach? What inducement was there, when the Savior was upon the earth, to believe in him and his doctrine? We can all read; it would take too much time to tell. His disciples went out and preached without purse and scrip, and when they returned, they testified to Jesus that they had lacked for nothing. Jesus promised to those who believed, powers and advantages which unbelievers could not enjoy. We read of certain men and women in Samaria, who had been taught the Gospel under the authority of John the Baptist, but they had not received the Holy Ghost; and we are told that certain Apostles went down from Jerusalem to lay their hands on these Samaritan believers. There was a man called Simon, a sorcerer, who had bewitched the people, and seeing that the power which the Apostles bestowed upon them, by the laying on of hands, was far above his power—although he could deceive, betray and frighten the people, and do many things just as the magicians of Pharaoh’s court did when Moses went to deliver the children of Israel; said he, “I will give you money if you will bestow that power on me.” The Apostles said to him, “You and your money perish together.” The Apostles laid their hands upon those persons who had been baptized to John’s baptism, and they received the Holy Ghost. Believers in those days had the power which Jesus promised. They might take up serpents, and they would not bite them; if they drank any deadly thing it would not hurt them; if they laid hands on the sick, the sick would recover. They spake with tongues, they prophesied, they had the discernment of spirits, and all the various gifts of the Gospel of Christ; and all of these were beyond the reach of the sorcerer, yet he was far in advance of the common people in powers of deception. But Jesus promised his disciples more than any man could possess by the spirit of divination. When we consider this and realize, if we can realize, that, through the restoration of the Gospel in our day, all these gifts can be again enjoyed, it is worthy the attention of every person on the face of the earth who is capable of receiving truth for truth, light for light, and intelligence upon intelligence.

Let me hasten along, and refer to the organization of the ancient Church. According to the testimony of the Apostle, God set in the Church, firstly Apostles, secondly Prophets, thirdly Teachers, then Pastors, and so forth. You strangers may ask your divines, when you return home, what they believe about God setting in the Church Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Teachers, helps, gifts, divers kinds of tongues, and so on, for the perfecting of the Saints, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, until all come to a unity of faith and knowledge in Christ Jesus our Lord; and let them answer the question, then you can judge who it is that throws dust into the eyes of the people, and is continually telling them that “the Latter-day Saints deny the Bible;” “the Latter-day Saints are a bad people;” “the Latter-day Saints are aliens to the government;” “the Latter-day Saints are rebellious.” Ask the divines, “Do you believe in prophesying, do you believe in Apostles, in baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and in the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost? Do you believe in breaking bread continually, as Jesus commanded his disciples at the last supper, when he brake the bread and blessed it, and blessed the wine and gave it to all to eat and drink, saying, ‘Do this until I come again, for I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom?’” What do the world—Christian, Jew and Pagan—believe about these things? Inquire for yourselves. We Latter-day Saints believe in Apostles and Prophets. We believe in the Melchizedek Priesthood and in the Aaronic Priesthood, which God bestowed upon his servants long ago. Moses had all these doctrines and both these Priesthoods in his possession, and also the organization of the Church; and with all his power he strove to bring the children of Israel to a knowledge of the Gospel, but they would not have Christ.

I pause here. I was brought up a Christian, very strictly, and was taught to read the Bible, consequently it is natural for me to believe it—it is according to my traditions, and also from the spirit of revelation from God unto myself. In all my teachings, I have taught the Gospel from the Old and New Testaments. I found therein every doctrine, and the proof of every doctrine, the Latter-day Saints believe in, as far as I know, therefore I do not refer to the Book of Mormon as often as I otherwise should. There may be some doctrines about which little is said in the Bible, but they are all couched therein, and I believe the doctrines because they are true, and I have taught them because they are calculated to save the children of men.

It is said by the Christian world, by governments, philosophers, statesmen, politicians and ministers, that there is no harm in believing anything if we do not practice it. But let me ask how can we believe in Jesus Christ—taking his own words for it—unless we do the works that he did? Go and read his words for yourselves—“He that believeth in me will do the works that I do.” Did he not say this? How then can we believe in him without doing his works? Did he inspire his Apostles? Did be inspire him whom we call St. Paul? Did he inspire John upon the Isle of Patmos? The Christian world will not deny that he did. While John was upon Patmos, he had many visions and revelations. He compiled these after he returned from the island, and left them in the possession of his friends; and the Council which compiled this book—the Bible—brought his revelations into the catalogue of sacred books. If you will read the Book of Revelation, you will find that John predicts many things regarding these latter days. He saw the conduct and doings of the seven angels; and then he says, “I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth, Saying, ‘Fear God, and give glory to him; who made the heavens, the earth, the seas and the fountains of waters.’”

By reading the Bible we find that the Gospel is contained not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old. Moses and the Prophets saw and predicted the apostasy of the Church. They saw that the Lord would strive with the children of men from time to time, that he would deliver to them the truth and the Priesthood; they also saw that through the wickedness of the people they would change his ordinances, break the covenants, and transgress his laws, until the Priesthood would be taken from the earth, and its inhabitants be left in apostasy and darkness.

But how are we to understand this angel referred to by John, when he comes along? This is an important question. How, in the language of Scripture, are we to know the voice of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a stranger? Can any person answer this question? I can, it is very easy. To every philosopher upon the earth, I say, “Your eye can be deceived, so can mine; your ear can be deceived, so can mine; the touch of your hand can be deceived, so can mine; but the Spirit of God filling the creature with revelation and the light of eternity, cannot be mistaken—the revelation which comes from God is never mistaken. It is the spirit of truth, and it testifies of Jesus, of his Father, of the things which God has done for the children of men, and that which he is now doing. No man upon the earth can be mistaken when he sees by the eye of revelation, when Jesus shines upon his understanding by the light of his Spirit. Now, then, how are we going to know the voice of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a stranger? Take the words of Jesus. He says, “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me, a stranger they will not follow.” Why? Because they know not the voice of a stranger. When an individual, filled with the Spirit of God, declares the truth of heaven, the sheep hear that, the Spirit of the Lord pierces their inmost souls and sinks deep into their hearts; by the testimony of the Holy Ghost light springs up within them, and they see and understand for them– selves. This is the way the Gospel should be preached by every Elder in Israel, and by this power every hearer should hear; and if we would know the voice of the Good Shepherd, we must live so that the Spirit of the Lord can find its way to our hearts. I have said to the Latter-day Saints, many and many a time, and I say to them now, live your religion, that the Spirit of God may be within you like a well of water springing up to everlasting life. Suppose I were to give way to the spirit of the enemy and leave the spirit of the Gospel, then, if you were not prepared to judge between the voice of the Good Shepherd and the voice of the stranger, I could lead you to ruin. Be prepared that you may know the voice when it comes through the servants of God, then you can declare for yourselves. “This is the word of the Lord.” My caution and counsel to the Latter-day Saints, and to all the inhabitants of the earth is—“Live so that you will know truth from error.”

But do all the Latter-day Saints live so? Oh no, they do not. Many fall into error and finally leave the Church. They are led away far from the truth. They become subject to the ten thousand spirits that have gone forth into the world, and they are deceived in this, that and the other thing, and like the rest of the world, they do not know how to govern themselves. They are deceived in their own organization and with regard to themselves; and there is no man that can know himself unless be knows God, and he cannot know God unless he knows himself. The children of men give heed to the deceiving spirits that are abroad, and that is the cause of the ten thousand errors, wrongs, sins and divisions which are in the world, and for this reason the multitude are unable to distinguish between the voice of the Good Shepherd and the voice of the stranger. But I will say that if the Lord has not sent that angel of which John speaks, he will send him as surely as we live.

Let me refer to another saying of John: After telling about the angel flying through the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel to be restored to the children of men, he tells us in his eighteenth chapter and 4th verse—“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.’” This was a proclamation to God’s people. Israel is dispersed among all the nations of the earth; the blood of Ephraim is mixed with the blood of all the earth. Abraham’s seed is mingled with the rebellious seed through the whole world of mankind, and John saw that a command would go forth warning the righteous to flee from Babylon, and that command was, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, that ye receive not other plagues, for her sins have reached to heaven,” and so forth. This is a stumbling block to the religious world of Christendom. They cannot see the necessity of the gathering, they claim that believers in Jesus can live their religion and serve the Lord as well scattered as gathered, and that, in time, by the preaching of the various sects, the world will be evangelized. The Latter-day Saints believe that all their efforts in this direction, in the future, will be as they have been in the past—useless; and that the so-called Christian religion is a failure, so far as evangelizing the world is concerned. Let the world of mankind look at Jerusalem for an illustration of its effects. In that city various Christian sects have their places of worship, and many make yearly pilgrimages to the places made sacred by the life, death and burial of the Redeemer. Do these Christians in Jerusalem manifest that love, meekness and forbearance toward each other which always characterize the true servants and followers of the Lord Jesus? No, for if it were not for the Turkish soldiers they would massacre each other every day. That is the effect the principles which they profess have upon them. And everywhere, throughout the Christian world, it amounts to little more. Its leaders and professors cry, “Come to Jesus, Come to the Lord,” and do this and do that, but where do we find such things taught in the New Testament? They are not there. Who among the writers of the Scriptures declares that God has taken Apostles and Prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers governments and helps from his Church? Not one. Is there any declaration or revelation in modern times to the effect that God has taken the gifts out of his Church? No. Men have left them, they have wandered from and forsaken the fold of Christ, they have transgressed the laws and they have changed the ordinances of his kingdom for the laws and ordinances of men; and they have broken the everlasting covenant which God, in early ages, made with his creatures.

Let me say to my hearers, not that I wish to take up the subject of Celestial Marriage, that if you will search the Scriptures, you will find that the first curse which came upon the children of Israel, as recorded in the writings of Moses, was for marrying out of their own families; and then the Lord, after seeing the hardness of their hearts in despising his law and his covenants, gave to them a law of carnal commandments, and told them whom they might not marry. By reading the Scriptures you will find that the Lord commanded the children of Israel to live by themselves, and not to mix their seed with the unholy, ungovernable and rebellious seed of the world. The Lord used to give wives to the children of men, but the people say, “We do not know about that now, we hardly think it will answer.”

How are we going to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. Do you think it is a manual labor? Do you think it will become a political kingdom? Ask the kings on their thrones, ask potentates and statesmen if they believe the Bible. If they do, they must believe that the day will come in which God will revolutionize the earth, to that degree that the “kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ.” If they ever do, there must be a heavy labor to perform, and that labor is upon the Saints of God, and they must enter into it with heart and soul. It will be both a manual and a political labor, for all will be brought into subjection to the law of Christ, that he may come and reign on the earth, king of nations, as he does king of Saints.

These subjects could be taken up one by one, and it could be shown from the Scriptures, precisely the position that will be taken and the course that must be pursued. I have labored faithfully over forty years to convince the children of men that God rules in the heavens and that he will rule upon the earth. Suppose that he ruled today, would society be the worse for it? What think ye? Is there a heaven? Is there a heaven of heavens? Is there a dwelling place for the Gods and the angels? Do you think they have their political quarrels there? Do you think they get up different ones whom they will run for their king, governor, or president? Do you think there is an opposition ticket there? What do the political, financial and Christian world think about these things? Do you think that a few capitalists lock up all the means there and make hard times, so that the people cannot get a dollar? Do you think there is any backbiting and false swearing there? Do you think they have courts with unjust judges and packed juries there? No, every person who believes in the Old and New Testaments, will say that it is a place of perfection, a place where all have their rights; a place where there is perfect peace and happiness, and all join with one heart and voice in ascribing honor, praise and glory to him who sits on the throne, and the Lamb. This is the effect of God’s rule and government. Would the inhabitants of the world be in a worse condition than they are now if the Lord were ruler of all the earth? Oh, no. All will join in wishing for perfection, and in desiring a state of society in which there would be no jars, no contentions, no poverty, no poor, but all prepared to go into the highest and most refined society. This is the belief and doctrine of the Latter-day Saints. Learn everything that the children of men know, and be prepared for the most refined society upon the face of the earth, then improve upon this until we are prepared and permitted to enter the society of the blessed—the holy angels that dwell in the presence of God, for our God, because of his purity, is a consuming fire.

I have spoken longer than the time allotted to me. I can say God bless you. I pray the people—Saints and sinners upon the face of the whole earth—to hearken to the truth. Open your hearts to the conviction of the Holy Spirit upon you. I pray that you who have received the truth may live in it and abide by it, that you may enjoy the blessings of it and be prepared for the fullness of the glory of God, that will yet be revealed. I exhort those who do not believe, to listen to and receive, little by little, the instructions which God will give, until all the inhabitants of the earth are prepared for Jesus to come and reign in their midst.

God bless you, Amen.