Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, made in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, May 12, 1861.

Brethren and sisters, after the congregation receiving so much instruction, I feel that I shall make my remarks very brief. It is truly good to sit and hear the word of the Lord, and it is truly a good thing to believe in it; but it is still better to practice it.

I have reflected today, as I frequently do, with regard to the mercy of God and his loving kindness to the children of men. The positions that the children of men occupy with regard to the difference there is in the minds of men on the subject of religion and the character of God is an important one. I have considered the responsibility that rests upon men in regard to these things. There seems to be very few that really have faith in the Lord God of our fathers. If we judge them by their works, we must certainly come to this conclusion. It is certainly a great blessing to this people that they have faith in God and in the promises of our Heavenly Father.

Truth is one of the attributes of the Almighty, and what he promises he will fulfil. Now, if the children of men believed this, they could save themselves a great deal of trouble. If those who embrace the Gospel could have confidence to abide in the truth, they would escape many trying scenes through which the wicked will have to pass. The trouble that awaits this nation, and that other nations have had to pass through in various ages that are past, has been because they have had no confidence in the Lord. They have not obeyed him, but have turned from him—rejected the counsel given to them. It will be precisely so with this nation when their afflictions begin to come upon them, for the Lord will be avenged. We can now see the words of the Lord and his Prophets fulfilling before our eyes.

This is a peculiar generation—a singular time in which we live. There seems to be a great deal of the word of the Lord fulfilling in our day and age of the world. We profess to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in what we see around us, and I trust we do it in our hearts. We have read, many years ago, the promise contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants concerning the nation in which we live. The Lord said, in the early rise of this Church, in speaking of this land, that we should hear of wars abroad; but at the same time we should not know the hearts of the children of men in our own country. And the commandment was to his people to prepare themselves to stand in holy places when the indignation of the Almighty should be passing over the earth. We now see these things coming to pass. They are plain and clear before our eyes. We have a part fulfilled; and as truth is one of the attributes of the Almighty, everything that he says he will fulfil. The promise is to the whole world—“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; and he that believeth not shall be damned.” This promise is sure; and if the Lord fulfills in one instance, he will in another. He will save the people if they will obey him; and if they do not he will not save them, but they will have to reap the reward that is due them for their works.

I consider that it is a blessing that I have the opportunity of believing in the Gospel and in the word of the Lord. I believe in them, and rejoice to know that they are true, and that they will be fulfilled. I bear my testimony to the truth of this Gospel. I also testify that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Lord. I know this as well as I do that I exist. I know by inspiration and by the revelations of Jesus Christ and the manifestations of the Spirit of God from year to year and from time to time. I likewise see around me the fulfillment of prophecy, and this tends to strengthen me, and also every Latter-day Saint. The Scriptures tell us that there is a spirit in man, and that the inspiration of the Almighty giveth it understanding. It is upon this principle that we become acquainted with the truth, and the power of the Gospel which we have received. The principles of eternal life are manifested unto us by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost; for that Spirit rests upon us—it influences our minds; and if we watch those teachings, having within us the right feeling, we shall comprehend things clearly as they are. We can see the Lord speaking to the nations and vexing them in his hot displeasure, and still many eat, drink, and are satisfied, and do not appear to be as energetic and active as they might be. It is our duty to be alive and wide awake to the times, for the things that are transpiring are joyful, because in them we see the accomplishment and fulfillment of the predictions of the Prophets of God that have lived in this generation. The things we are experiencing now are attended with salvation, and are preparing us to magnify our callings and fulfilling the object of our creation upon the earth.

I always rejoice in seeing my fellow men come to a knowledge of the truth by obedience to the Gospel as taught by the servants of the Lord. When men have gone forth in the waters of baptism, and received the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, they receive the same truth, the same light as we have received; and thus we become of one heart and one mind, and follow out the inspiration of the Holy Ghost which attend his Gospel. In preaching the Gospel and administering the ordinances of the Lord’s house, the Spirit of inspiration of heaven accompanies those who officiate, that it will remain ever with them, if faithful, in all the duties of life.

When I hear the brethren speak of the dealings of God with the present generation, I perceive that their minds all run together. The record which they bear is one; they all agree in their testimony; they are one in stating that the work of the Lord our God will prevail over all its enemies. But it is a calamity, as we look at it naturally, for the generation in which we live, that the Gospel is preached and by them rejected; in consequence of which the Spirit is taken from them, because they follow the devices of their own hearts and their wicked imaginations. They follow the devices of the Evil One, and they spread it broadcast, as it were, the cross which brings death and destruction, which brings sorrow and mourning; and this is the case with many in the present day and age of the world. There is not a man today that has the Spirit of the Lord, and that is faithful in his calling, but what can see the state of things both in and out of the Church. He can see them with his eyes, and hear them with his ears, and they can see the hand of God thrown over this people today.

I rejoice in the blessings that the Lord gives, and I feel that we ought to be faithful. If there is anybody who is blessed of the Lord, it is the Latter-day Saints; and if there is anybody upon the earth who is and should be willing to obey counsel, it is the Saints of the living God. We have reaped the benefit of it for years, and we know that it brings forth joy, peace, and consolation to the souls of men; and we would certainly be very foolish to turn away from the only source that will bring us joy, salvation, and eternal life. To do this, we should have to turn our backs upon the only friends we have, and shut up the only source from which we draw the blessings we have in this life.

The world really do not know what they are doing; they don’t comprehend what lies before them; they judge after the hearing of the ear, and while calamities will overtake the wicked, as the Lord has spoken, we have something to hold onto and to rely upon. We have seen the hand dealings of the Almighty with us; we have learned his promises. Has he broken his promises to his people? He has not; he has been faithful and true. I firmly believe that we shall partake of all the blessings of the kingdom of God by obeying the counsel of those set over us, for I know that God has established a government to control, to guide, and to dictate; and we shall not find so perfect a government as this in any part of the earth, for it is the government of heaven.

I desire that we may have power and a disposition to live faithful today, to do right, to obey counsel, that whatever we are told to do we may unite together and do with all our hearts. If there is strength anywhere, it is here. If it does not exist here, it does not exist anywhere. There is no spirit of friendship in the world; it has taken the wings of the morning and flown away from many of the nations, and the blessings of the Lord are being withdrawn in a great measure from the nations of the earth. The people have no disposition to obey that which is right, or give the servants of God an opportunity of preaching the truth for the salvation of fallen man. Those who despise those blessings and privileges will find that the consequences and reward will follow.

I feel thankful that we are here in the valleys of the mountains; and I rejoice that we are at peace, and not obliged to fortify Great Salt Lake City, as the people are obliged to do in Washington; nor is our President compelled to flee to Canada to save his life. We are safe and in quietude. The enemies of this kingdom do not understand the spirit and power of the Gospel. It is a spirit and a power that they cannot cope with, and it is so with all the sectarian world. We have the privilege of lying down and of rising up in peace; we have the privilege of bowing in our families in peace, and getting up and speaking our sentiments, and none to make us afraid.

These are great blessings that we as a people enjoy. I bear my testimony that these things are true and faithful. You know these things as well as I do, and every man who lives his religion knows it. The Lord is with his people, and this kingdom will spread abroad. And when the Lord has destroyed the wicked, there will be room for Zion to spread herself abroad, and to rebuild the waste places thereof. Then all things spoken of in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants will be fulfilled. It is good to reflect upon these principles, for the promises will be fulfilled, whether we believe them or not.

I pray God to guide us, that we may be prepared to partake of eternal life and salvation, and share in all the benefits of the Gospel of Christ, and of the Holy Priesthood which has been revealed to us in our day and generation, which I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, made in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, August 26, 1860.

Brethren and sisters, we are blest above all other people upon the face of the earth, not only temporally, but spiritually. I consider any people blest of the Lord to whom he has revealed the Gospel of Jesus Christ—to whom he has given the holy Priesthood and authority to administer in the ordinances of his house. That people are greatly blest, far above their fellow men, who do not enjoy this privilege. I consider this to be our position today: we have the privilege of walking in the light; we have the privilege of comprehending and knowing the truth—of knowing the way to be saved and exalted in the presence of our Father and God. We are in a position to know his mind and will, through his servants the Prophets. The Lord has given unto us teachers and inspired men— men who are inspired by the Spirit and power of God—clothed them with truth, and endowed them with wisdom to teach us at all times the path we should walk in. This is a great blessing, whether we realize it or not.

The Lord looks down upon our work and considers our ignorance, and so do those holy beings who surround his throne; but yet we know enough to do our duty, magnify our calling, and fulfil the object of our creation. And any man or community who have the Gospel of Christ, the holy Priesthood, and the power of the Holy Ghost that we have, possess a great advantage over the world; for they do not comprehend—they do not see nor understand the things that await them: they do not understand the dealings of God with them in any respect. It is not so with the Latter-day Saints; for as long as they continue to receive the truth, their minds are opened to understand the character of the day and age in which we live, and all those trying scenes that are approaching us; the veil is taken from off the face of the earth, and we see things, to some extent, as they are.

We have received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and the veil of darkness, of doubt, and fear is taken from our minds, and we can see clearly where to go and what to do; and we feel that our spirit is right—that we are acceptable before the Lord our God, and are the subjects of his blessings.

When sitting here and listening to the words of the servants of God, I reflect day by day on the things of God that are revealed to us, and I am inevitably led to the conclusion that there is no people upon the face of the earth enjoying such great blessings as the Almighty has bestowed upon us. The heavens are full of blessings, and the Lord is willing to bestow them upon us. The hearts of the servants of God are full of blessings, comfort, and edifying words for the Saints. Then it is certainly our duty to make a right use of the knowledge we have received, and to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all things. We should try to gain wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, and from the experience we are having while in this great school. This would stimulate us to action; and inasmuch as we do this, and walk in the light of truth, we shall be satisfied, and continue to do as we have been taught. By pursuing this course in our connection with the work of God, we are enabled to drink of that well of water that springs up into everlasting life.

I do not believe that any man in the world who has power, wealth, influence, and a good understanding of things, is satisfied with the present confused state of the world, either religiously or politically; neither do I believe that a man who does not know God or the principles of eternal life and salvation—a man, for instance, that has come to an understanding of the world, and that has received the benefits of civilization, as understood by the great mass of Christendom—I do not, I say, believe that such a man is or can be satisfied. I can readily believe that the professors of religion are not fully satisfied in their minds and feelings, unless they have partaken of that life which is made manifest by the gift and influence of the Holy Ghost. And we have an abundance of evidence to prove that the world are not satisfied with their condition—not even those that are seeking the pleasures of life. We frequently hear them complaining of the state of affairs at the present time.

Man possesses a spirit that must endure forever—a spirit that comes from God; and inasmuch as he is not fed from that same source or power that created him, he is not and cannot be satisfied. I can say, from my own experience, that although I sought for the truth diligently, I was never satisfied until I heard the fulness of the Gospel proclaimed by the Lord’s chosen servants. I had no inspired man to say, “This is the way, walk ye in it.” It is true that I could read the Bible; I could pray and to some extent know what was right and proper for me to do—at least so far as moral religion was concerned. I enjoyed a portion of that Spirit which in those days would lead a man to do good to his fellow man, but of course I had not the knowledge of God. But in these days, when the holy Priesthood is restored to us, we have no excuse for saying that our minds are not satisfied, for the blessings are given to us; they are within our reach, and it is your privilege and mine to enjoy them.

I feel to rejoice greatly in the blessings of the Gospel that are given to us, and that we can behold so visibly the hand of God in his dealings with this people. He has fought our battles and given us the victory.

We are all sensible of our imperfections; but, notwithstanding these things, the Lord has been true to his word; he is fulfilling his word, and has been doing this from the beginning. When I look at these things, my heart rejoices, and I feel to give thanks to the Lord and to aid all I can in the building up of his kingdom. We can enjoy the true comforts of the Holy Ghost. We should honor our calling and be true to the covenants we have made. If we attend to our duties and walk humbly before the Lord, we shall be satisfied with life and with the manifestations of the goodness of God unto us.

Let me advise you, brethren and sisters, to improve in everything that is good, perform every duty devolving upon us, and we shall have much joy and consolation at the close of this probation in knowing that we have done the best we could—that we have acted up to the best light we had. It certainly must be a satisfaction to us to know that we are building up the kingdom of God—to know that we are seeking to overcome the powers of darkness, and all evil that prevails upon the face of the earth, in our day and generation. This Gospel has been offered to the present generation—it has been offered to the Christian world, and almost all the nations have heard it in some way or other, and they now have the privilege of receiving it or rejecting it.

This people have received the word with joy and gladness, and many of them have brought forth fruit to the honor and glory of God, and have been valiant in the cause of Jesus Christ. They are friends of God, friends to themselves and to their fellow men. But when men reject the Gospel, the gifts, the promises, and blessings that are presented and offered unto them, they come short of their duty and are under condemnation.

The Lord has said by the revelator John, in speaking of this work, that at the hour of his judgment he would send an angel, who should fly through the midst of heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, crying with a loud voice, saying, Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judgment is come. The Almighty has in this way warned this generation, and told them what the result of rejecting the Gospel of Christ would be. Still many in the world have sought to destroy this work from the earth, as well as those who have been its advocates.

Scores and hundreds of the Elders of Israel have been faithful and true to their integrity, and for this they will have their reward, while the wicked will perish. I do feel thank– ful that so many of us have cleared our garments of the blood of this generation; and I rejoice that we are located here in these valleys of the mountains. I do not know that I could be in any better place than this. We are shut up in these chambers of the mountains in fulfillment of the words of the Lord, and he has led us all the time—he has marked out our course and directed our footsteps. Brother Joseph Smith, brother Brigham, and all our leaders have been inspired from the beginning to give counsel and to do those things that have been required of them; and they were led here by the inspiration of the Almighty, as much so as Moses or any others who have held the Priesthood. President Young prophesied the deliverance of this people, and his words were backed up by the testimony of the Holy Ghost, when, to all human appearance, there was no arm could save us, and we were delivered by the power of God. If we live our religion, we shall see more manifestations of the goodness and power of God.

It is our privilege to follow the dictates of the Spirit of the Lord, and to have it for our guide and companion; and by doing this the blessings of the heavens will be upon us as fast as we are prepared to receive them.

I know that the Devil seeks to overthrow this people, and it seems that the powers of darkness have to a great extent prevailed in their attempts to control the hearts of the children of men. For many generations the powers of darkness have had almost universal sway; but I thank God that I have lived to see the day when the kingdom of God has been set up on the earth, and that it is no more to be thrown down forever. Men with wicked hearts may seek to pull down the cause of truth, but all their efforts will be in vain, for the blessing of the Almighty is upon his Saints, the inspiration of the heavens is upon his servants, and they will overcome the powers of temptation and of the Adversary. It is verily true that we have a warfare to engage in, for Satan seeks to engage in one with us, with our children, and with all the rising generation—the hope of Israel and of the Prophets and Apostles of this kingdom.

I feel that the time has come when we shall prevail, and I rejoice in it. I feel that the Lord is going to bless this people abundantly. The minds of the Saints are expanding, and they are coming to understanding. This certainly should be the case as we advance, for the Lord will make a short work in the last days; and there is but little time, if I may be allowed the saying, to have the words of the Prophets fulfilled.

There is a good spirit here. The righteousness and truth and the power of God are now prevailing over the wickedness of the profane and the iniquity of the depraved, and the power of the Devil is fast giving way and losing its hold on this people. The power of God is in the ascendant, and the faith of the Saints holds the powers of darkness at bay, so that they cannot carry out their evil designs in the midst of Zion. This is a consolation to me, and my heart rejoices in these things, and I can say truly that I feel happy and comfortable, and I pray that the Lord will sustain and uphold those that are set to lead us. The Lord is their guide, and there is not a man or woman in Israel but who knows that they are governed and controlled by the power of God, if they are living up to their privileges.

Israel was not always led with the same degree of clearness and understanding that we enjoy in our day. This is a great blessing to us, and we ought to be faithful and full of thankfulness. I feel happy in saying that I know our leaders are upheld by the prayers of the brethren and sisters, not only in this Territory, but throughout the world. This is right, and just as it should be; for it is our duty in our secret places, in our family prayers, to remember the Lord’s anointed and chosen servants, and we should not only pray for them, but for each other, be full of faith, prayer, and confidence, and manifest our faith by carrying out the counsel that is given by the leaders of this people. Yes, brethren and sisters, it is a good day and generation in which we live. It is a good time to worship God and live faithful to our religion; and this is a most splendid place, in these valleys of the mountains, for us to live and improve. We are blest with good land, with water, and timber; and here we have the privilege of saving our children, and this is a great blessing unto us. If we set a good example before our children, and try to instruct them from their childhood to maturity—teach them to pray and to honor the Almighty—teach them those principles that will sustain them in the midst of all trials, that the Spirit of the Lord may rest upon them, then they will not easily be led astray. Good impressions will follow them through life, and whatever principles may be presented, those good impressions will never leave them.

I have long been satisfied that the Devil was making great exertions to drive a wedge in between parents and children—trying to inspire and instil into the minds of the sons and daughters of the Saints these corrupting notions that will prevent them from following the footsteps of their fathers and mothers; but this cannot be done! The sons and daughters of this people, if we do our duty, will be held by the strength and in the name of Israel’s God.

I have looked upon this matter a great deal, and I have concluded that there never was a generation of the people upon whose shoulders rested greater responsibilities than rest upon this people and than must rest upon their sons and daughters. If this be true, how important it is that we should be wise fathers and mothers, and that we should act wisely, in instilling into their youthful minds all those principles that will lead them to that which is just, and to carry out in their lives the principles of righteousness and truth. Many of our children have not had experience in the world; they know nothing of the scenes and corruptions that are among the wicked; they do not realize their present positions, nor the blessings conferred upon them by their parents having obeyed the fulness of the Gospel.

We who have gained experience see the darkness and abominations that are in the hearts of men; but our children, not being able to contrast the evil with the good, cannot see and realize the blessings they enjoy in being under the influence of teachers in Israel. I do not refer to their parents alone, but those who lead and govern in the midst of Israel.

I have felt for a long time, and I think I have realized to some extent that the duties resting upon us are very great, and that we ought to strive to improve in wisdom and knowledge and in the principles of government, in order that we may know how to be fathers, mothers, and saviors, and learn how to be counselors and how to preside, not only in our own family circles, but wherever we may be called to act. It is a great thing to know how to act so as to gain the feelings and affections of our families, that will lead them in the path wherein they may be saved. This is a study and a work that should not be laid aside by parents, nor by the Elders in Israel.

Many times we may consider business so urgent that it must crowd these things out of our minds, but this should not be. Any man’s mind that is open, and who looks forward to the work that lies before us, will see and feel that the responsibility that rests upon him concerning his own family, and especially in the rearing up of his children, is very great.

We want to save our children, and to have them partake of all the blessings that encircle the sanctified—to have them receive the blessings of their parents who have been faithful to the fulness of the Gospel. We do not want them to go through all the routine of false doctrines and erroneous systems that we have had to wade through in our generation.

This is the way we feel in regard to our present position, and I feel that God will bless us, inasmuch as we strive to improve and listen to counsel. It is our duty to pray before the Lord, and to teach those principles whenever we have an opportunity. And I feel to thank the Lord, and to rejoice in seeing as many as there are willing to listen to the counsel of their parents; for I realize that when they are called upon to act in their priesthood and ministry, they would be ready and willing to listen to the counsel of their brethren, and thus they will be the means of saving the rising generation.

I pray that the Lord may bless us and give us largely of his Spirit, that our minds may be clear to see and comprehend this great work. This kingdom is but yet a very small stone, comparatively speaking. It is not yet a great mountain, neither has it filled the whole earth; but, as the Lord lives, it will. This is how I feel; and I sincerely desire that we may have our minds opened upon the subject of the building up of the kingdom of God. In this we shall have joy, no matter whether in prosperity or adversity. So long as we do our duty, the Lord will protect us, and the powers of evil will have no dominion over us, but our hearts will be buoyant and we shall rise step by step in wisdom, knowledge, and power, until we shall be able to build up the temples of our God. “Behold, the law shall go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” This law he intends that we should receive to prepare us for the coming of the great bridegroom. In both our temporal and spiritual labor we should seek to know the mind and will of God concerning us. We should have the Spirit of the Lord with us continually, and our meditations should be righteous and holy before the Lord.

We cannot go to reap our crops and worship the Devil one day, and then the next go into the Tabernacle or Temple of the Lord and worship him. That is not our religion; it does not admit of this. We cannot feel justified in such conduct; but if we live our religion, the blessings of Almighty God will be with us, and he will multiply them upon our heads.

I hope and pray that each and all of us may do this—that we may seek to sustain each other, and those whom the Lord has placed over us; which may God grant, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Discourse by Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, April 22, 1860.

I always feel much pleasure in addressing a congregation of the Saints when I am inspired by the Holy Ghost, for then I can be of benefit to those who hear.

I realize that, until the Priesthood was restored to the earth, we had no way of knowing the truth in relation to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is true there were a great many anxiously seeking to know the Lord, but there were none that were able to give them the comfort and consolation they desired.

If a person goes without food for twenty-four hours, we all know that that individual will become very hungry; and it is precisely so with those who hunger for the principles of eternal life. While we enjoy the Spirit of the Lord, we shall find that there is enough and abundance to feed every human soul.

I have never seen the day or the hour that I was not susceptible of being taught by my brethren, neither have I ever seen the time that I thought I knew all the principles of the Gospel; and I can truly say that I feel as much edified today in contemplating the things of God as ever I did in any hour of my life. We are all dependent upon the Lord, upon his Holy Spirit, and upon the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, for instruction, for light, and knowledge, such as is calculated to edify, encourage, sustain, and aid us in magnifying our callings in this life.

We need not enter particularly into the great mysteries of the kingdom of God in order to be edified. A man may preach upon the first principles of the Gospel, and he will find enough in them to instruct the people and edify himself in the things of God. Those principles are plain; they can easily be comprehended when pre– sented to the children of men as they are revealed from heaven. But, as plain and simple as they are, for eighteen hundred years the world was almost destitute of a knowledge of the truth and of the Holy Ghost which is poured out to lead mankind in the way of truth. From the time of the great falling away, which took place in the early part of the Christian era, up to the present time, the world have been ignorant with regard to the first principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is true that professed Christians have had the examples of the Prophets and Apostles from their childhood up, as laid down in the New Testament; and yet they have been far from the truth, and did not know the correct way of worshipping God. It has been a mystery to you and to me that we have never been able to unravel or to find out by our own wisdom the true knowledge of God; but the very fact that generation after generation has risen up and established systems and organizations, all professing to be according to the plan of salvation, and yet opposed one to another, until they have raised up scores of churches, all differing on points of doctrine, proves that there has been something out of the way.

We know that we have the Gospel of Christ that has been revealed from heaven in this generation, wherein are taught faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins, and that obedience to those doctrines will bring all things to our remembrance, and thereby enable us the more perfectly to do the will of God while we dwell here in the flesh. As the Scriptures have informed us, “There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth it understanding.” I do not know that I can explain to you the reasons for the great difference we see in mankind relative to the principles of truth, but it has been so in every age of the world; and when the Gospel has been preached, the honest in heart and meek of the earth have obeyed and been sustained by it, and they have been enabled to pass through many scenes of trial and to endure the persecutions that wicked men have devised to afflict the people of God.

The faithful have always had a positive knowledge that what they were doing was right and acceptable to the Almighty, and that they have been sustained in passing through scenes of trial by the gift and power of God. They have realized that it was better to sacrifice their lives for his kingdom than to live and enjoy the riches and honors of this world for a season. This principle sustained the ancient Saints in all their afflictions; it sustained them in the den of lions and in the fiery furnace; and although they frequently sealed their testimony with their blood, they were comforted and consoled in looking forward to the time when the earth would enjoy her sabbaths, and the Saints enter into their rest.

The Jews marveled and wondered at the Savior, for they saw that he was filled with light and truth. They had eyes to see, but they saw not. The Savior laid before them the principles of truth; he came to them and undertook to convert them; but he wept over them when he saw what would be the consequences of their hardheartedness, and how the Jewish nation would be overthrown and the people scattered among all nations, if they rejected the doctrines he presented to them. He informed them what would be the result of their disobedience, and told them that the judgments of God would fall heavily upon them. He portrayed to them the oppressions and torturings with which they would be afflicted—foretold the destruction of the temple, that it would be thrown down, and that there would not be left one stone upon another. The majority of them mocked his sayings, and finally succeeded in putting him to death; but yet all that he foretold the Jews has come to pass. The predictions of Moses also concerning that nation have been literally fulfilled, and that too in such a plain, pointed, and unmistakable manner that it seems almost impossible for a man to be a disbeliever in the dealings of God with the Jewish nation.

Peter, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, and the Apostles generally warned that people; but they spurned the servants of God and turned unto their idols. The Apostles were inspired by the Spirit of God; they enjoyed the gifts of the Holy Ghost; but the great mass of the Jewish nation hardened their hearts and would not listen to the words of life. I might say the same in relation to the present generation. The Church of Christ is organized precisely as it was in the days of the Apostles, and we are living in the day and age of the world when the righteous blood that has been shed upon the earth will be avenged on the disobedient, because they reject that Gospel which would save them and enable them to assist in the great work of the redemption of the dead. The Gospel has been again restored by the administration of an angel from heaven, whom the revelator John saw in vision when on the isle of Patmos; and when describing it, he says—“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.” (Rev., 14th chap., verses 6, 7.)

Did you ever know the Lord to bring his judgments upon any nation, from the days of Adam in the garden of Eden until the present time, before he had warned them of their sins? No; the Lord has always warned the people before he has punished them for their wickedness. He warned Sodom and Gomorrah before he sent destruction upon them, and he has done so in every age of the world. In this generation the Almighty has raised up a Prophet who has organized the kingdom of God, and thousands of the Lord’s anointed have been inspired by the same Spirit to proclaim the words of life to the people. And who cannot foresee the judgments of God that await this generation? After the testimony of the servants of God, the judgments that have been spoken of will be poured out upon the wicked. Every man and woman who lives up to the principles of the Gospel can see by the same Spirit—they can understand by the things that are written in the Scriptures, and by the revelations of God that have been imparted unto us, and that are before the world, that these things are hanging over the nations.

We have before us the example of the antediluvian world: they were hardhearted and unbelieving, and would not believe until it was too late. The inhabitants of Jerusalem did not believe that they would be surrounded with those dire calamities that afterwards befell them.

In looking at the judgments of the Almighty that we have witnessed and have been called to pass through, we see plenty to arouse us and cause us to be diligent in the discharge of our duties. The heavens are full of judgments that are ready to be poured out upon this generation, and the Lord has as many ways in punishing the wicked as he ever had in any previous dispensation. We witness the power of God made manifest by day and by night, and we ought to realize the necessity of being obedient to all the requirements of Heaven.

The Elders of Israel have gone forth and borne a true and faithful testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they have been assisted by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. Our Prophet and Elders have been filled with good desires for the people and have gone abroad and tried to bring mankind to a knowledge of the truth. Our President has cast his mind abroad over the world, and in his meditations he has planned for the welfare of the human family, and yet the wicked have desired his life, and thousands have despised him because he has reproved them for their wickedness, and advocated righteous principles, and called upon them to repent of their sins and be baptized according to the order of God.

The Prophet Joseph was inspired to lay the foundation of the Church and kingdom of God. Before that time the masses of mankind were in darkness—the professors of religion were deceived in regard to God and the things of his kingdom. If the Lord had not sent forth his servant Joseph, the Devil could never have wrought upon the hearts of the children of men as he has done; but because the Prophet was laying the foundation of that great work which the Lord had determined to perform in the last days, the hearts of the children of men were stirred up to roar against the Lord’s anointed. But the truth was bound to prevail, and for the accomplishment of this object the Prophet labored day and night.

I know that Joseph Smith was a good man, a Prophet, a Seer, and Revelator, and that he sealed his testimony with his blood, that the nation that was worthy might receive their reward. There is no principle revealed in this generation but those which are known by the Almighty to be for the salvation of his creatures. The spirit of warfare that is manifested in these days has existed in all ages when the Priesthood was upon the earth. There was always a war between light and darkness, God and the Devil, Saint and sinner, correct principles and false doctrines. We ourselves have a warfare with the evil propensities of our nature: we have already had to meet a warfare outwardly. In some instances there has been a physical contest, and our enemies have sought our destruction from the beginning. That warfare will continue until Satan is bound and iniquity swept from the earth. We need not suppose that we shall have peace, for there will be no peace to the righteous until he reigns whose right it is to reign. It is in this generation precisely as one of the Prophets foretold it should be—“Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.”

Thousands and millions of the sectarian world are in this condition, and will be led to use this or similar language. The honest among them will get their reward, and it will be far superior to anything they have anticipated. It is true they entertain many false doctrines, but let us remember that we believed false doctrines and were surrounded with the traditions of our fathers before we heard the fulness of the Gospel. When we heard its principles taught, we admired and received them for the truth’s sake, and rejoiced in the blessings that followed our obedience.

We have now got a warfare to endure; we must war against every evil principle until we can learn to do right in all things. This is the spirit we must learn to cultivate day by day. The knowledge we have of the Gospel will assist us in doing this.

There is one particular feature connected with the preaching of the Gospel: You may send out a thousand Elders and they will all teach the same doctrines; they will all labor for the building up of the same Church; they will be united; for their faith, their doctrines, and the organization of the Church have all been made known unto them by the revelations of God: hence they will see eye to eye in regard to the principles of the Gospel. Supposing a thousand ministers of different denominations were to be sent out into the world, it would be very different with them from what it is with the Elders of the Church of Christ: they would not be so united or so harmonious in their sentiments. Our union and oneness of sentiment constitutes one of the prominent beauties of the organization of the kingdom of God.

There was never any other Gospel taught to the old Prophets excepting that which is now taught to you and to this generation; neither was there ever any of the children of men saved upon any other principle than that which is now presented to the people. The Church of Christ always had in it Prophets, Apostles, and Patriarchs; it was always blest with the gifts of inspiration—power to heal the sick and to perform such miracles as were necessary for the salvation of the Saints.

If you were to meet with Father Adam, with Seth, Moses, Aaron, Christ, or the Apostles, they would all teach the same principles that we have been taught; they would not vary one particle. This Gospel is everlasting in its nature and unchangeable in its character. It might be urged that the house of Israel had the law of carnal commandments; but that only acted as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ, because they would not receive a celestial law. They had the Priesthood of Aaron for a series of years amongst them; but the old Apostles, Prophets, and Saints were saved by the Gospel, and not by the law of carnal commandments.

I want to say a word about our present position. When we first received the Gospel, we professed to rejoice in its principles and in the blessings which followed our obedience; and should we not continue to rejoice and be diligent in the work of the Lord—yea, even more so today than we did when we first received it? When a boy begins his education at school he begins at the first rudiments, and continues to progress step by step. It is so with the student in the study of the everlasting Gospel. There were not many principles revealed to us when we first received it, but they were developed to us as fast as we were capable of making use of them.

I well remember the first sermon I heard. My conviction was that I had learned more about God and the things of his kingdom than I had learned in all my previous life. I believed the Gospel then, and I not only believe it now, but I know it to be true. Since then I have received much valuable instruction through the revelations of God that have been made manifest; and I have never yet heard a principle set forth, but I have been able to see beauty and glory connected with it.

The subject of the vision that was given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon was alluded to by brother Young and others during our Conference. In reference to that, I wish to say that when I first read that vision it swept away a veil that had been around me all my life; it opened my understanding and shook off my shackles. There was something in it so different from the old sectarian notion—something that swept away the idea of one heaven, one hell, and that those who do not go to one place must go to the other, and that all in heaven have an equal glory, and all in hell an equal misery. There always appeared something very inconsistent connected with the doctrine of future rewards and punishments as taught by modern divines; but when I got hold of the vision, I saw more light, more consistency, and Godlike mercy and justice than I had ever seen in my life.

I refer to these things to show how the veil was taken from my eyes, and how I was made to comprehend that every man is rewarded according to the deeds done in the body. I then saw there was something to encourage a man to be true and faithful, and to be filled with integrity; while, on the other hand, it was made manifest that it would not pay a man to do evil. Every man gets the reward he earns by his labors. We can see this every day of our lives. You never saw a man who had partaken of the blessings of the kingdom of God, and then turned against the Lord, and would do wickedly and blaspheme the name of the Deity, but what the Spirit of God would withdraw from him and leave him miserable. The hand of God always overtakes such a one, evil lies in his path, and he is tormented by day and by night. We have seen this during our experience in this Church.

To me the principle of integrity is one of the greatest blessings we can possibly possess. He who proves true to himself or his brethren, to his friends, and his God, will have the evidence within him that he is accepted; he will have the confidence of his God and of his friends. It is a great and a glorious principle; it is something that gives you that assurance in your friends that you can trust your property, your life, your all in the hands of your brethren.

The Lord has said, “I will prove you in all things, even unto death.” How truly this has been fulfilled in this Church. Scores and hundreds of our brethren have laid down their lives in carrying out the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they have been hastened away from this world by their enemies, but they have maintained their integrity, proven themselves to be true and faithful before the Lord, and their spirits now mingle with the spirits of the just.

We should all seek to do right, try to perform our duties day by day to God and to each other, and put away everything that wars against the Spirit of the Lord.

I rejoice every day I live in beholding the signs of the times, in looking at the progress of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. The Lord has guided and governed us all the day long. We have every reason to be thankful for his goodness unto us, and we may rest assured that his blessings will be poured out upon us just as fast as we are capable of receiving and making a right use of them.

The judgments that are coming upon the wicked will cause the ears of the children of men to tingle and their hearts to quake. Do you think they realize those things? No, they do not; they are all in the dark: but it is just as Elder Pratt said during our Conference—after the testimonies of the servants of God will come those of thunderings, earthquakes, pestilence, famines and the sword. The Lord also says, by revelation, that when these judgments do come, when they are poured out upon the earth, “O, ye nations of the earth, how oft have I called upon you by my servants, by the ministering of angels, and by my own voice, and by famines, tempest, earthquakes, and pestilence of every kind, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not! Behold, the day has come, when the cup of the wrath of mine indignation is full, and it shall be poured out upon the disobedient.”

Remember these things, for the words of the Lord must be fulfilled. When a man who believes the Gospel reflects, he becomes satisfied that not one of those sayings will be suffered to return unto the Lord void, but he realizes that they will accomplish that for which they were sent. But a man who knows not God cannot realize anything about the calamities that are to come upon the earth. You might preach to him as long as Noah preached to the antediluvians; you might try till you were gray with old age, and you would try in vain to get him to understand the things of God.

If we had correct understanding, we should all see as the Lord does, and should understand how his purposes will be accomplished; but we are to walk by faith, and not by sight.

I feel to rejoice in knowing that the kingdom of God is established on the earth, and that it will spread itself abroad, become like a great moun– tain, and finally fill the earth. The words of the Lord will not return to him void; but whether he speaks by his own voice or the voice of his servants, those words will have their fulfillment.

Let us be faithful and adorn ourselves with the graces of the Gospel. There is nothing gained by doing wrong. Lying, stealing, blaspheming, drunkenness, backbiting, and denying the Lord Jesus Christ bring sorrow and remorse; they debase man who is organized in the image of God; but to do right, to obey the commandments of God, to be charitable and kind, brings joy and peace and the Holy Ghost, and an eventual exaltation in our Father’s kingdom.

May we all so live that we may be worthy to dwell in his presence in the world to come, and to participate in the fulness of that glory and blessedness promised to the faithful, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Blessed the sacramental cup.]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, December 6, 1857.

I esteem it a privilege at all times to join with my brethren in bearing testimony to the work of God. I am satisfied that we, as a people, have great reason to rejoice for the privileges and blessings granted unto us in these valleys of the mountains by our Father in heaven. We are in a great school; and it is a profitable one, in which we are receiving very important lessons from day to day. We are taught to cultivate our minds, to control our thoughts, to thoroughly bring our whole being into subjection to the Spirit and law of God, that we may learn to be one and act as the heart of one man, that we may carry out the purposes of God upon the earth. Yes, we are taught many principles which tend to our exaltation and glory, which could not be made manifest unto us only as they are revealed unto us by the inspiration of the Almighty, through the mouth of his servants the Prophets.

The principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are made plain to us by the figures and illustrations which have been made today, and which are made from time to time so plain that a child could not misunderstand—also to impress upon our minds our duties. Those principles are not surrounded with that mystery that shrouds the doctrines taught by the sectarian world.

We, as a people, have long been praying for the kingdom of God to come, and his will to be done on the earth as it is done in heaven. We have been taught this prayer from childhood; but neither we nor our parents understood what we were praying for, only we made a practice of uttering those words from tradition, and never understood the meaning until we were made acquainted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Since we have become acquainted with brother Joseph and the Gospel, we have looked forward with much interest to the day when the kingdom of God should be established upon the earth in the same light, power, and glory in which the Apostles and Prophets saw it by vision and revelation; and that all which God has promised concerning it should have its fulfillment.

During the last twenty or twenty-five years, many things have been prophesied; and the Lord, through his servants, has made many promises which have been revealed unto us concerning the blessings that are in store for us if we faithfully do our duty. I can say, with my brethren, that I rejoice that I am in these valleys of the mountains associated with the people of God a thousand miles from Christianity, civilization, and the fruits thereof—at least such as are now manifest throughout the Christian world; and I feel to prize this blessing and to acknowledge the hand of God in leading us here; for the hand of God has been plainly visible in delivering us from the hands of our persecutors and planting us in a land of health, peace, and safety; and the more my mind is enlightened by the Holy Spirit the more precious and glorious do these principles appear unto me.

I am satisfied that all is right in Zion. All is right with those who lead us. All is right as far as we do right. We have enjoyed many blessings during the past year. The Lord has in his mercy poured out his Holy Spirit upon us as a people, and there is a great change with the inhabitants of Zion during the past year. We were in a great measure asleep; and the Lord, knowing the things which lay before us, poured out his Holy Spirit abundantly upon our leaders, who called upon us to wake up, and the Spirit of God was poured out upon the people; and they have, in a great measure, endeavored to repent, forsake their sins, and unite themselves together to carry out the counsels of his servants. I have never seen the hearts of this people so united as during the past year. No person who has listened to the words of the Presidency of this Church during a few months past, and has seen the fulfillment of their sayings, but can clearly see the hand of God with them and his Spirit guiding them continually.

The day that many of us have anticipated, since we have been made acquainted with Joseph Smith and the Gospel, has begun to dawn upon us. The revelations of Jesus Christ are fast fulfilling before our eyes. We see the kingdom set up, and the time has come when the nation that has given many of us birth has entered the field as our open enemies and persecutors, and commenced an unhallowed perse– cution against us, with a determination to destroy us from off the earth. The same as cities, towns, counties, and states have done before them, they have united together to crush and destroy this people, and remove them, if possible, from the earth.

Ever since I have been made acquainted with the Gospel and the progress of this people, I have always believed that the United States would take this course, and, in a national capacity and under the form of law, seek to destroy the Church and kingdom of God from off the earth. For the light has come unto them and the Gospel of salvation has been offered unto them, and they have rejected it and killed the Prophets. Hence, the light and Spirit of God is taken from them, sin abounds, and they are filled with anger against all that is good. Their course is unconstitutional and contrary to every principle of law, righteousness, justice, judgment, and truth. In all our persecutions, our persecutors have had no just cause for pursuing the course against us they have, only they were stirred up by the Devil. Darkness, wickedness, and abominations of every kind are increasing in the minds of the wicked nations of the earth, because the Spirit of God is withdrawing from them. They have had the fulness of the everlasting Gospel offered unto them, but they have rejected it.

There has never been a set of men since the Lord made the world who have labored more diligently than the Twelve Apostles and Elders of this Church in preaching the Gospel to the world. They have rejected the message sent to them, revealed by an angel from God, which leaves them now under condemnation. Brother Joseph would have embraced the whole circle of the human family in the principles of salvation, if he had possessed the power. He had that greatness of soul never seen in the human breast, unless it was inspired by the power of God. That same Spirit has rested upon the present Presidency of this Church: they have labored incessantly for years to save the children of men. And what have we received in return from the hands of the Christian world? They have driven us from our homes and firesides, and smitten and robbed us of the rights that are dear and most sacred to man, until we have at last been driven from the borders of civilization, so called, unto the wilderness, by the nation that has given us birth, whose boasted freedom exists only in name. Here they expected we should perish; but we still live, grow, and flourish in these mountains, through the mercy and goodness of God, without the aid or assistance of our persecutors.

Our nation was under no condemnation in this respect until the light came and they heard the Gospel, rejected it, and cast out the Saints from their midst, slaying their leaders and depriving thousands of the Latter-day Saints, who were American citizens, of every blessing, right, and privilege guaranteed unto them by the constitution and laws of the United States. Many of our nation have been guilty of crimes, in their persecutions against us, that would cost the lives of presidents, governors, senators, legislators, and many thousands of men, if law and justice were executed in righteousness against them. I do not know what more they can do to fill up the cup of their condemnation than to carry out the course they have begun. There is more crime, wickedness, and abomination committed now throughout the United States, according to the population, in 24 hours—a thousand times—than there was thirty years ago. I do not suppose there has been a generation more wicked and corrupt than the present Christian world.

We have been told today that we are under great obligation to God, and that we ought to acknowledge his hand in all things. That is true. We had no knowledge of the plan of salvation until God revealed it unto us. We are dependent upon God and his servants for light and truth and blessings that are in store for us.

We are told that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. Daniel of old says this, and pointed out the establishment of that kingdom in the last days which should stand forever and not be thrown down. He also pointed out the effects which would follow. The Lord has already revealed great and glorious truths and principles concerning the government of the children of men in the establishment of his Church and kingdom upon the earth. Does it not require as much wisdom and revelation from God to govern the nations of the earth in a way to bring men into subjection to righteous laws, light, privileges, and blessings which they are now deprived of in the organization of temporal governments of the world, as is required in the spiritual government of the Church of Christ upon the earth? Where is that knowledge to flow from? The spirit to do men good and relieve the sufferings of mankind does not dwell in the breasts of monarchs, kings, presidents, and rulers among the nations of the earth at the present day; but sorrow, crime, poverty, tyranny, oppression, and starvation prevail throughout the world.

The rulers of mankind have not sought for the Spirit of God and the light of eternity to show them the responsibility they are under to Him who has raised them to power and authority and given them dominion over their fellow beings. They have not exercised their power and authority to honor God and redress the wrongs of the poor and oppressed over whom they preside.

The misery and evils which now exist throughout the world have got to be corrected, in a great measure, through the power of God, before the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of God and his Christ. It is a great and mighty work to establish the kingdom of God on the earth, that the law may go forth from Zion to rule the kingdoms of the world. The light, knowledge, truth, and wisdom to do this has got to come through the holy Priesthood, which is the government of God upon the earth.

Our temporal and eternal salvation is all connected and linked together, as we have been told today. The Lord has raised up unto us fathers, leaders, and counselors after his own heart: they possess his will, and they are leading the people to exaltation and glory. If we take their counsel, we shall receive all the salvation men can desire in time and in eternity. I thank God that I have lived to see the dawn of this glorious day.

With regard to the dealings of the Lord with us this present season, President Young has been as calm and serene as a summer’s morning, and so have his Counselors; and that spirit in a great measure has been diffused among the people. When there was every appearance, outwardly, of our enemies coming upon us, the spirit with them has been all the time, “We do not believe we shall have to go to battle or shed the blood of our enemies this season.” This has been the feeling when, to all human appearance, it would seem that we should have to shed the blood of our enemies, or they ours. There is not such an example on history as the way in which our enemies have been stayed from fulfilling their hellish designs. It is the first time the American army has been stayed in their course. They got as far as Ham’s Fork, and there they stuck. We have heard read their gracious proclamation. Many of the brethren wonder that they have not wisdom enough to make out a decent document; but I do not wonder at it, for this whole people have prayed that their natural wisdom might be taken from them. I should wonder if they had wisdom to make out a sensible document, or one that would pass an examination.

The Lord so far has fought our battles and has proved his people. When men have been called upon to go out and lie in the path of the enemy, I have not known one instance of a man’s refusing to go. All have been willing to go and do as they were told. The Lord has proved you in this and has accepted your offering. The prayers of the Saints of God have been heard, and they will never fail of being heard and answered, if we do our duty; for we have a ruler who can do something for us, when our cause is just. I feel as brother Taylor said today: it matters not to me what the Lord designs of us; we should be passive in his hands.

When different opinions were expressed as to the course to be pursued this fall with our enemies, the Spirit has said to me at the time, “Be still and passive, and pray that wisdom may be given to President Young to dictate and lead just right.” There is where our prayers should center. We should continually call upon the Lord to inspire him with wisdom sufficient to lead forth the Church and kingdom of God unto exaltation, glory, and victory.

It is different with us to what it is with the world. We have a main channel through which to receive our light, knowledge, and blessings, as was beautifully illustrated by the President in the figure of the gas pipe. You may take the smartest men that talent and learning ever made, and put them in the Church of God, and they never can get ahead of their leader. Their wisdom would be turned into folly. Why? Because they are not called to lead. If a man has never learned a letter of a book, if the Lord calls upon him to lead the Church and kingdom of God, he will give him power to do it. We have had these lessons laid before us day after day, calling upon us to be united, and our hearts to become as the heart of one man, that our prayers and works may be centered to one point in carrying out the counsel of our head.

The Lord will lead President Young where he wants him to go. We know God is with him and has led him all the time; and he led Joseph while he lived. The Quorum of the Twelve may exhaust their talent and acquirements in exhibiting principle upon any matter which belongs to the head to reveal, and yet the Prophet has to point out the error and set us right. The whole Church may unite to carry out any point that ought to come through the head, and we could not effect it. It requires brother Brigham to tell us what is right and what is wrong in many things, because that is his place and calling. There is a perfect channel existing between the Lord and him, through which he obtains wisdom, which is diffused through other channels to the people. That we know. We have got to learn to bring this knowledge into practice.

Let this people go to work and sustain the head of this Church all the time, and let their prayers continually ascend in his behalf, that God may give him wisdom for our guidance; then, no matter if armies approach us, or all hell boils over. Let the people be perfectly passive in the hands of God, live their religion, and learn and profit by the daily lessons they receive; then you will find that glory, victory, and prosperity will abide with this kingdom.

I do not believe that any General, since the Lord made the world, has been the subject of more earnest prayers than General Wells has since he has been out in the mountains. He has been well sustained, and so has President Young. I hope we may increase in this until we arrive at perfection. Then you will see clockwork, perfect harmony, and the effects of it wherever it is manifest—whether it be in a Bishop over his ward, in the Twelve Apostles, in a President over a Branch of the Church, or in a father over his family. You will obtain blessings, by thus sustaining every man in his place and calling, which you cannot get by any other principle. But cross a Bishop, a Prophet, or a father over his family in their track, and you will see a friction immediately: you will see trouble, difficulty, darkness, and affliction; and nothing will go right. This is the principle that will save this kingdom and lead it forth to glory, victory, and salvation.

We have been driven and afflicted for 25 years, and gained an experience we now begin to profit by, that we might attain power to judge properly of contrasts and of right and wrong. Had President Young and this people remained undisturbed in Kirtland from ’34 till this time, we could not have gained the same experience we now have; therefore I believe the hand of God has been in all that we have passed through. The experience of the First Presidency of this Church has been very great. No man that lives has passed through the same school: hence their great knowledge and wisdom, aided by the inspiration of the Almighty.

I do not know what the intention of the Lord is as to us in the future, but victory is promised unto this people.

The kingdom of God is in the Valleys of the Mountains, and we enjoy its blessings. That should be sufficient for us. As to outward losses, they are of little consequence. The law of God is in the mouths of those who are set to lead us. If the Lord should give a revelation through them that would appear contrary to our traditions—our customs, or reveal new principles—things which have been hid from the foundation of the world, it should not try the faith of the Saints. The Lord has given revelations according to the capacity of the children of men.

If there was a point where man in his progression could not proceed any further, the very idea would throw a gloom over every intelligent and reflecting mind. God himself is increasing and progressing in knowledge, power, and dominion, and will do so, worlds without end. It is just so with us. We are in a probation, which is a school of experience.

It is a blessing to breathe the element that is in this place—to behold the unity of the people in trying to bring their wills into subjection to the will of the Lord their God. I am glad we are here, and our enemies where they are. Those of us who have been here for some ten years cannot realize the great contrast between Utah and the rest of the world. We hardly know how to prize our privileges. Were we placed in any of the large cities of the United States and Europe, we should hardly believe we were in the same world. The sounds of blasphemy are not heard in our streets: rioting, drunkenness, whoredom, rape, and murder, and the black catalogue of crime practiced in the Christian world do not meet the eye or salute the ear of the passerby in Utah. The contrast between the City of Great Salt Lake and the cities of the nations abroad, touching the order, decency, virtue, and moral character of the people here, cannot be told.

Having been made acquainted with the Gospel, we have been trying to improve ourselves. We have a good degree of faith in our leaders, and tried to follow the word of God from their mouths. We have improved in these things, and my prayer is that we may continue so to do and prize the blessings, privileges, freedom, and spirit and power of the Holy Ghost that are poured upon us in these peaceful valleys. We need not any longer thirst for the things that are in the world. We are the best off of any people. If there is any peace, safety, or salvation, it is here.

The day is not far distant when nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and State against State, and there will be sorrow such as never was among men. Watch the signs of the times, for we are living in an important age. The prophecies relating to our time are rolling in upon us. Are we prepared to meet them? It is important for men and angels to note the events of this age. We live in the commencement of a new era of the dealings of God with the world. The earth has been under the dominion of the Devil almost from its creation. But in our day the Lord has set up his kingdom, never to be destroyed.

The Lord has planted his Church and kingdom upon the earth in other ages; but those that undertook to maintain it were soon destroyed, through the power of wicked men and devils. Righteous men were not permitted to live upon the earth. Even the Son of God was not permitted to preach righteousness but a short time before he and his followers were crucified and slain. But the day has now come when he has begun to prepare the way that he may come and take possession of the earth himself, and reign King of nations, as he does now King of Saints. The day of the Devil’s power to prevail against the kingdom of God has passed away. The kingdom is within you, in the valleys of these mountains. Brothers Joseph, and Hyrum, and Willard, and Jedediah, and Parley, and a host of others who have gone behind the veil, are as much engaged in the establishment of this kingdom, and in our welfare as a people, as we are.

We should prize and not abuse the blessings God has put within our power, and improve upon the lessons we learn, and obey the teachings given to us, through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to the servants of God set to lead us. We have everything to encourage us. We are favored of God; and whom the Lord favors who can successfully oppose? Would President Buchanan have sent an army here to lay a foundation for our destruction, if the eyes of his understanding had not been darkened? No. If he had been enlightened by the Holy Spirit and could have foreseen the reward he will meet, he would sooner have suffered his blood to have been spilled; and it would have been better for him. The nation does not know what they are doing, nor comprehend the fearful results of the course they are pursuing. They are turning the last key to rend the nation asunder, and they will be broken as a potter’s vessel, and cast down as a nation, to rise no more forever. For whenever the rulers of any nation trample their own constitution and laws under foot, and oppress and destroy the weak, because they have the power and the people love to have it so, they sow the seeds of their own dissolution, and they will reap their own destruction.

We have nothing to fear. The Lord is with us, and will sustain and nourish his Church and kingdom, as he has done from the beginning. He sustained it when it was surrounded by the bowels of hell in Warsaw and Nauvoo, in Jackson, Clay, and Caldwell counties, when it was small as a mustard seed; and he can sustain it here when it is surrounded by the munition of rocks.

The heathen may rage and imagine a vain thing; but the Lord will hold them in derision and guide them as with a bit and a hook in their jaws, while his people shall flourish like a watered garden upon the mountains. All the promises of God will be fulfilled unto us. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation, and the Lord will hasten it in its time. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, September 27, 1857.

We are glad to see the brethren return home from their long missions or short ones. We are glad to greet them, to hear them talk, to see their faces, and to hear their testimony that the Lord has been with them. These things are a pleasure to us who remain here in Zion. There are a multiplicity of evidences that God is with this people, and that the Lord has been with his Elders, wherever they have been, from the beginning of this work.

There has been something peculiar connected with the Elders of this Church from the beginning. You may take the rest of the world, politically, temporally, spiritually, or any other way; and there never has been such an example in the eyes of heaven, earth, or hell as has been in the Elders of this Church, in preaching this Gospel to the nations of the earth. The hand of God has been in the work from the beginning, and it is in it yet; and the hand of the Lord has been with them to succor them all the time. The revelations given from heaven, through Joseph, concerning the Elders, have been fulfilled to the very letter.

There are many things that are consoling; and one is, to know that the Lord is with us—that he does reveal his mind and will in the ordinances of the house of God, and through the administration of blessings, whether by Patriarchs, or by the Twelve Apostles, or in the endow– ments. We find those blessings are fulfilled to the very letter.

The brethren today have spoken in reference to the blessings that are given to our brethren when they go out on their missions to the various nations of the earth. I remember the day very well when we blessed those missionaries that went to India and to Europe; and I must say that I never had such a variety of feelings as I had at that time.

In blessing brother Luddington, I recollect that I was mouth, and I well remember that I could see nothing but seas, waves, and storms. The seas appeared to be heaped up, and I knew that he was going to see storms and be exposed to troubles and dangers. But there was one thing that we did bless those brethren with that I rejoice in, and that is that they should return home again.

Well, our words have all been fulfilled to the very letter, and this gives us consolation. If we go forth, and have the Priesthood and Apostleship upon us, the Holy Spirit of God, though it may not be visible, does dictate to us; and it is so in ordaining: it is so in going to battle against the nations of the earth, who have given their consent to the shedding of the blood of the Prophets.

Brother Brigham feels calm and serene as a summer’s morning; and in his desire to save Israel he wishes to save also the lives of our enemies, if possible. Why is he so calm and steady? It is because God is with him; and though armies are approaching and ready, apparently, to swallow up this people, yet he and his brethren feel calm, and the Lord reveals unto them, by the Holy Spirit, how to govern and control this people. They have had a long experience in proving the Almighty God, who holds the destiny of the Saints and the sinner. And has he ever failed us? No, never.

Some of our brethren have told their trials here today, and they have said that they have not done much; but the greatest work they have done has been in saving themselves. But this is not all they have done. They have done something else; they have accomplished the purposes of God in India—as much so as though they had baptized every king and queen in those islands: they have literally fulfilled the revelations of Jesus Christ in carrying the Gospel unto them, because those nations could not have been left without excuse and the earth prepared for the judgments of God, if those Elders had not gone and preached to the people of those nations. No matter if they had not have baptized one, they are as much justified as we who first went to Herefordshire, England, and baptized twenty or thirty priests in a day. They have fulfilled the commandments in carrying the Gospel to the nations.

It is no testimony to me that a man is not faithful, because he has not baptized numbers of princes, lords, governors, and kings; not at all. The Lord has sent them there: he has tried them and put them in strait places; but has he left them? No, he has not. Has he not brought them forth? We have had the testimony of brother Musser, who is here; and we see that it is the hand of God that has been over them, and we are glad of it; and we do not expect that the Lord will send the Elders out there again until they have other missionaries and messengers that they cannot stone, tar, or feather, but messengers that will come with their sharp sickles: then they will find that they have messengers that they cannot conquer nor overcome.

I feel to rejoice in these things and to know that the Lord is at work with this people. We are living in a fast age—an age fraught with great events, and every day is bringing to pass more of the predictions; and more revelation is being fulfilled in one year, now, than has been fulfilled in centuries before. We are living in a day when that flood of revelation is coming to a focus; and that focus we stand in, and we are seeing it fulfilled day by day.

The wicked rage and the heathen imagine a vain thing; and they say, “Let us go and take a prey and a spoil; let our eye be upon Zion, and let her be defiled.” But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel. God will work for us and defend us, if we do our duty, and Zion will soon be free. We will not suffer the oppressions of our enemies as we have done.

You need not fear: all we have to do is to be passive in the hands of the Lord, and follow the counsel of our leaders, and not be particularly anxious that the Lord should reveal to you or to me his mind and will and intentions concerning our present difficulties; but pray earnestly that the Spirit of the Lord may be upon those men who stand at the head. All we have to do is to live our religion; and when the Presidency say, “Come here,”, or “Go there,” let us be on hand to obey, and all will be right.

Let the people be quiet and pray that God may reveal his mind and will to those at the head. We may have our ideas of what we should do in this or that case; but there is no man so well qualified to lead, govern, and direct for the salvation of the people as that man whom God has appointed. We have as good leaders as we need. There never was a better leader given to Israel, nor one more capable of leading this people to salvation, than Brigham Young: he is filled with the Spirit of God day by day. If the United States make war upon this people, the Lord will hold them responsible for it, and the measure they mete will be measured unto them again; and if they are ripe and the cup of their iniquity full, they will be shattered to pieces—their union broken up and destroyed. They will be visited with thunder and lightning and hail and the judgments of God; and every man that will not draw his sword against his neighbor will be obliged to flee to Zion. They are sending their armies here to destroy us; but I ask none to weep for Utah or spend their sympathy for us—not even my relatives or the priests, the doctors, lawyers, or editors; no, not even one soul—from the President of the United States down through the whole nation, who have given consent to our death; for they will have plenty to bear themselves, and they may save their weeping for themselves and their children. The Lord will teach them that their proud looks and haughty feelings will be laid low. It is right to pray and it is right to keep our powder dry. Pray for the Presidency of this Church—pray for them to have the Spirit of revelation. We have never seen a day when “Mormonism” was taking such a stride as it is at the present time. They may come over the Plains singing their songs about what they will do when they get to Utah; but many of them will find a place in hell before they get here.

There have been many truths taught here today. Many who have been here for years do not know or realize the great blessings we are enjoying in these valleys of mountains. Our granaries are filled with bread and we enjoy peace and the comforts of life. We come to the Tabernacle of God and associate with holy men, and we should be holy ourselves: if we are not, it is our own fault.

You have all the blessings which the celestial kingdom and laws of God impart unto men on the earth, while the Gentile nations have suffered ruin, wickedness, and abominations of every kind to increase in their midst until they are ripe for destruction. Do they not thirst for the blood of the Saints and every man who is righteous? Do they not delight in wickedness? They are full of wrath and anger, and they are ripe for the damnation of hell. Yes, the nations of the earth are ripe today.

Then we should be faithful and diligent in all things committed to our charge. Even though the Lord has suffered some of the brethren to go through strait places, in days which are past and gone, and he may still call us to go through strait places, yet he will sustain us when we trust in him.

The Lord has suffered some of our Prophets and Apostles to be martyred; and what for? That the cup of the iniquity of the nations might be full and that his servants might be crowned heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ to a martyr’s crown.

Through the persecutions of the enemies of truth, many of the Saints have been worn out; but, as a body, the kingdom and people have been led off as victorious conquerors. We stand now and hold the keys of the American continent; we stand in the strong chambers of the mountains; and can the Lord God give us the victory? He can and he will, and he has been preparing us for this by pouring out upon us his Holy Spirit, uniting the people who have been willing to repent and forsake their sins; and I hope we shall continue faithful to the end.

I am glad, and my soul rejoices in these things, and I believe that the people are ready to shoulder their guns and walk into these canyons and line them from here to Fort Bridger in defense of the Constitution of the United States and the rights which both the laws of God and man guarantee to us.

We have had to stoop to our enemies heretofore and bear many things from them worse than death; but if there is anything that gives us joy and consolation—at least, I can speak for myself—it was when I heard the brethren say, “You are free, brethren—you are free; and you may prove yourselves before God and men that you are willing to defend yourselves against tyrants and oppressors.”

When I heard this, I was full of joy; and who would not be? Who would not rather die than bow down to the yoke of the enemy? It would sweeten death to a man to know that he should lay down his life in defense of freedom and the kingdom of God rather than to longer bow to the cruelty of mobs, even if the mob have the name of being legalized by the nation.

I thank God and I rejoice that this people are determined to be free from mobocracy and oppression, and that they are determined to have peace, if they have to fight for it; and if the yoke is ever put on again, it will be by ourselves: and I say, God bless this people and the missionaries that have gone to the nations—no matter whether they have baptized one or a thousand, if they have done the will of God.

Notwithstanding the lightnings may flash, thunders roll, and earthquakes bellow, the Lord will extend his hand over his servants and protect them as he has done those that have returned unto us. And the Lord will remember our brethren that are on the Plains; and let us remember them in our prayers, that the Lord may be on our side; and let us be on hand and be ready at any and every call, and the kingdom will spread abroad, and it will smite the image not only on the toes but on the head; which may God grant for our sake. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 9, 1857.

It is a pleasure to me, and I presume it is to all the brethren who have lived in the midst of this people during the rise and progress of this Church and kingdom, to see the sons of the Prophets stand before the people as they have this day and hear their words while bearing testimony of the work of God.

I well remember the time that our young brethren who have addressed us were called on their missions, and they, in connection with brother Grant, brother Ellsworth, and others, met at my house one evening to receive their blessings under the hands of the Twelve Apostles. When they had received their blessings, they were called upon to speak their feelings—most of them, I suppose, for the first time in their lives. True, they had sat under the teachings of the servants of God from their infancy. When most of them had expressed their feelings relative to going on a mission to England, brother Joseph A. Young said, “Brethren, I will tell you my feelings when I come home.” We have heard from him since he came home. His feelings have been expressed much to our edification. That remark sounded well to me, and truly it has been very edifying and interesting to me to hear the speeches which have been made by all the young brethren since they have returned. The spirit they manifest shows to me that the blessing and spirit of their fathers are with them; and I realize that the Spirit of the Most High is in them, and that ere long they will become mighty men in Israel, and will have to bear off this kingdom and shoulder the care and responsibility of it, when their fathers are resting in the grave or leaning on their staffs for very age.

There is Parley Pratt, Jun., who has just spoken. I remember the day of his birth very well; for his mother died the day he was born, and I attended her funeral. Now he has grown to be a man, and I rejoice to hear him bear testimony of the work of God in connection with the other young brethren. It does my soul good to see them coming on to the stage of action. I realize that the kingdom of our God, of which we are members, is only in its infancy, although we look upon it as being great, compared with what it has been.

It commenced like a small mustard seed, but it has gradually increased until the birds begin to lodge in its branches; and yet it is but small, compared with what it is to be. We have had many symbols and figures presented to our minds to illustrate the growth and increase of the kingdom of God; and I will here say, in respect to its being like the comparison made by Daniel, it answers the figure very well—only, instead of its rolling downhill, it has come uphill into the tops of the mountains; and I do hope and pray that it may continue to grow and increase in strength and in power, that when it rolls downhill it may go with mighty power and accelerated speed, that it may not require so much toil, labor, and fatigue to carry the kingdom from the mountains as it did to bring it up.

I have no fears in regard to the increase of this kingdom, and I may also add that I never had any, only so far as concerned the weaknesses and frailties of mortality. I hope we may all pursue the course laid down for us by the servants of the Lord; for, if we do this, I know that we shall be safe in this world, and secure happiness and exaltation in the world to come.

There are a few thoughts that I wish to present to the congregation touching one principle that has been alluded to by the brethren—namely, in regard to following the instructions and counsels of those who lead us. I have reflected much upon this subject, and I contend that there is one principle by which the Lord leads his servants, and if we are faithful, they will lead us in the way of life; and inasmuch as we have faith to believe in their instructions—in the teachings of the Holy Spirit through them, we are always in the safe path, and shall be sure of our reward.

You take a shepherd, for instance; and, according to the ancient practice, we learn that they always went forward and prepared the way, so that there could be no danger in advance but what the shepherd would learn of in time to save the sheep. If they are allowed to run by the shepherd, the wolves are apt to catch them and destroy them; and the very moment that men in this kingdom attempt to run ahead or cross the path of their leaders, no matter in what respect, the moment they do this they are in danger of being injured by the wolves.

This is a subject upon which I have thought a great deal; and I have gained a little useful knowledge, during my experience, by watching the conduct of men; and I have never in my life known it to fail, that when men went contrary to the counsel of their leaders, either in the days of Joseph or brother Brigham, they always be– came entangled and suffered a loss by so doing.

Now, whatever I might have obtained in the shape of learning, by searching and study respecting the arts and sciences of men—whatever principles I may have imbibed during my scientific researches, yet, if the Prophet of God should tell me that a certain principle or theory which I might have learned was not true, I do not care what my ideas might have been, I should consider it my duty, at the suggestion of my file leader, to abandon that principle or theme. Supposing he were to say the principles by which you are governed are not right—that they were incorrect, what would be my duty? I answer that it would be my duty to lay those principles aside, and to take up those that might be laid down by the servants of God.

I have seen men in the days of Joseph bring up principles, and read, and teach, and advocate theories, when the Prophet would say, “It is not right to do so: they are not true.” Those men would still argue, maintain their position, and they would write in defense of their theories when the Prophet condemned them, and they would say, “We have no faith in your theory, nor in the system you present.” The very moment a man does that, he crosses the path of the servant of God who is set to lead the way to life and salvation. This is one thing that the Elders should carefully avoid. The fact is, there are a great many things taught in the building up of this kingdom which seem strange to us, being contrary to our traditions, and are calculated to try men. Brother Joseph used a great many methods of testing the integrity of men; and he taught a great many things which, in consequence of tradition, required prayer, faith, and a testimony from the Lord, before they could be believed by many of the Saints. His mind was opened by the visions of the Almighty, and the Lord taught him many things by vision and revelation that were never taught publicly in his days; for the people could not bear the flood of intelligence which God poured into his mind.

How was it in that day in reference to many things that were taught and practiced? All was not revealed at once, but the Lord showed the Prophet a principle, and the people acted upon it according to the light which they had. All the perfection and glory of it was not revealed at first; but, as fast as it was revealed, the people endeavored to obey.

I will bring up one thing which will show that the position I take is correct—viz., baptism for the dead. When that was first revealed, we rejoiced in it; and, as soon as we had an opportunity, we began to be baptized for our dead. A man would be baptized for both male and female. The moment I heard of it, my soul leaped with joy; for it was a subject in which I felt deeply interested. I went forward and was baptized for all my dead relatives I could think of, both male and female, as did others; but, afterwards, we obtained more light upon the subject, and President Young taught the people that men should attend to those ordinances for the male portion of their dead friends, and females for females. This showed the order in which those ordinances should be administered, which ordinances had before been revealed, and shows us that we are in a school where we shall be constantly learning.

This revelation, in connection with the revelation and vision concerning the three glories, gave me more joy and consolation than any revelation I ever read, and I had a great desire to obey it.

I was taught from my childhood that there was one heaven and one hell, and was told that the wicked all had one punishment, and the righteous one glory—that the greyheaded sin– ner, who had spent his days in wickedness, debauchery, and murder, would go to hell to suffer everlasting torments, and that the youth but sixteen years of age, who had not been religious, would go to the same hell, suffer the same kind of torment and for the same length of time, and that Jesus, and the Apostles, and all men who had suffered death for the testimony which they bore for the kingdom of God and the works of righteousness would have the same glory and no more than the Presbyterian deacon in Kentucky with his hundred negroes, who had never made a sacrifice in his life, but had been full of this world’s goods, but he was a professor of religion.

I never did believe a word of this doctrine a day since I was born, and I am sure that I never did before; and when I read the vision and was taught the principle of the baptism for the dead, it enlightened my mind and gave me great joy. It appeared to me that the God who revealed that principle unto man was wise, just, and true—possessed both the best of attributes, and good sense, and knowledge. I felt He was consistent with both love, mercy, justice, and judgment; and I felt to love the Lord more than ever before in my life. I never was satisfied with the doctrine taught by the sectarian world upon this subject in my life, and hence I felt to say hallelujah when the revelation came forth revealing to us baptism for the dead. I felt that we had a right to rejoice in the blessings of Heaven. I felt, when I first learned of the justice of God in relation to his rewarding all men according to their deeds, that such a God was reasonable; and I felt I could worship such a God; and I was just so when I heard of baptism for the dead.

There are thousands and millions who never had the privilege of being baptized for themselves, and hence never ought to be punished for not obeying a law which they never heard. How did we feel when we first heard the living could be baptized for the dead? We all went to work at it as fast as we had an opportunity, and were baptized for everybody we could think of, without respect to sex. I went and was baptized for all my friends, grandmothers, and aunts, as those of the male sex; but how was it? Why, by-and-by, it was revealed, through the servants of the Lord, that females should be baptized for females, and males for males; but the full particulars of this order was not revealed till after the days of Joseph: therefore this shows an advance in the building up of the kingdom, the gathering of Israel, and the warning of the nations of the earth.

You will see an advance in a great many things; for the Lord will open the mind of brother Brigham and lead him into many principles that pertain to the salvation of this people; and we cannot close up our minds and say that we will go so far and no farther. This we cannot do without jeopardizing our standing before God.

With regard to crossing the path of any man who may be appointed to lead us, I will say we never should do it; and I do not care what our feelings and views may be upon the subject as far as our traditions and education are concerned. If God has anything to reveal, he will reveal it to that man who stands at the head. Now, here is the quorum of the Twelve Apostles: we cannot bring forth a new revelation for the guidance of this people while the First Presidency are here; for there is no other plan, no other system by which to guide and govern men in this kingdom, only that which has been established by the revelations of God in the order of His church and kingdom; and that is, for the head to lead, counsel, and govern in all dispensations in which the will of God is revealed to man.

I wish to say a few words to the missionaries—to those who are going abroad to preach the Gospel of Christ. I want to give you a word of exhortation and counsel, brethren: that is, whenever you are in doubt about any duty or work which you have to perform, never proceed to do anything until you go and labor in prayer and get the Holy Spirit. Wherever the Spirit dictates you to go or to do, that will be right; and, by following its dictates, you will come out right.

We shall be brought to many places during our career in the ministry among the nations of the earth, where we may consider a certain course of procedure to be right; but, if we do not know, it will be better for us to go before the Lord, and ask in faith that we may be instructed in the way of life.

I will take the liberty of saying that it is your privilege, brethren, to get the mind and will of the Lord in relation to your duties while abroad among the people; and it is also the privilege of the whole people who are called Israel to obtain the revelations of the Holy Spirit to guide them in every duty in life. Whatever position a man may stand in, it is his privilege, as a Saint of God, to enjoy this blessing; and a man who understands himself will not move without the operations of that Spirit to lead him.

Brethren, as the order of the day is short sermons, I will not detain you longer; but I will say that I am happy to be with you, and my soul does rejoice in the things of God; for I feel that I have been fed in my mind, not only today, but yesterday, and all through the Conference; and I do feel that we of all men have the greatest reason to rejoice; for the Lord has committed into our hands the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the way of life and salvation. We can walk into this Tabernacle and our places of worship, and sing, and pray, and preach, and praise the Lord, with none to molest us. We can plant, and build, and eat, and inherit those things which God has given us, in peace and quietness. For these things we should feel thankful, and feel in our hearts to acknowledge the hand of God therein.

The truths and revelations which have been made known unto this people, for their salvation, and exaltation, and glory, and for the salvation of all men, both the living and the dead, are of great value and worth unto us—and unto all men, if they would receive them. We are the only people to whom this holy Gospel, Priesthood, and covenants have been committed in our day; and we shall be held responsible for the use we make of them. Then we should be diligent and faithful in offering this great salvation unto the children of men, and in building up Zion and the kingdom of our God. We should also be careful to strictly obey the voice of our Heavenly Father and the voice and counsel of His servants who are set to lead us; which may the Lord enable us to do—which I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, April 8, 1857.

I will say to my brethren and sisters that I count it a blessing and a privilege to occupy a few moments this morning in bearing my testimony and expressing my feelings to you; and I hope what little I may say may be dictated by the Holy Spirit, for I have lived long enough in this world to know that I can neither edify myself nor the children of men without the Holy Spirit.

I have a few thoughts upon my mind, which I wish to present. Since I have attended this conference, I have listened attentively to the teachings, counsels, reproof, corrections, testimonies, and subjects which have been given to us by the servants of God.

It brings to mind the days before I heard “Mormonism.” I have spent hours, and days, and nights, among the rocks and in the forest, praying to Almighty God to enlighten my mind, and lead me in the paths of rectitude and duty, and that he would let me live to behold a people he could own, who did receive the revelations of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, the principles and covenants which the ancients received and enjoyed.

The Lord revealed to me that I should have this privilege, and I have lived to see the Kingdom of God set up: it is before me today, in this tabernacle, and all the blessings of the Priesthood, and all the covenants, and all the power necessary to lead a people into salvation is here today.

I want to say in answer to my feelings, that as I realize the Kingdom of God is here, I realize also that we have a leader to it. We live in a great and important day and generation, we live in the midst of the mighty work of God, in a time when he has stretched out his hand to accomplish that great and mighty work, in fulfilment of the word of God, written in the volume of revelation which points to our day.

Any man who has a particle of the Spirit of God can see that there were great things to transpire in our day. We are in our alphabet: there are but a few of the works of Almighty God that have yet been declared in our ears in comparison to that which is to come. No man is qualified to stand at the head of the house of Israel, to carry out the great purposes of our God, unless he is inspired by the Almighty all the time. We have such men at our head. Joseph Smith was of that class. From his childhood, or from the time the angel rent the veil of eternity and showed him the record of Ephraim, until the day of his death, he was led by the hand of God. No man had any business to say unto him, Why dost thou so? He was a shaft in the hand of the Almighty.

It is not less so now with President Young, who stands at the head of this people; for he does point out the way in which this people should walk. Who is going to take hold of the Ark and steady it for him? No man. President Young has the right to make use of my name or yours before the people, by way of correction. It is not our business to call him to an account for it. He has a right to correct, reprove, and guide us, and he has had to do so all the day long; and he has been a father to this people continually. I have been acquainted with him, and traveled with him for many years; and I will say, I have felt many a time to thank God that he has given to us fathers, as leaders and teachers, who have been filled with mercy and compassion, and with the words of eternal life.

I have wondered many a time in my life how I have passed along so smoothly as I have. I have felt that I have been worthy of correction in a good many things; yet I desire to pursue a course whereby I may become justified. I have my weaknesses, errors, and follies, and can see them by the light of the Holy Spirit.

There is nothing I have ever done in my life that was wrong but what I have been sorry for. I know President Young is endowed with the power of God, and so do you know it; and I know he can discover weaknesses in many of us, and he corrects us for our good. The reproofs of a friend are far better than the kisses of an enemy.

With regard to correcting the Twelve, or anybody else, I am glad, when we are corrected, to see the brethren kiss the rod. We have to learn to build up this kingdom before we are prepared, as polished shafts in the hands of the Lord, to stand up and magnify our calling as Apostles of Jesus Christ. There is nothing that President Young brings forth for this people to carry out but we are all interested in, whether we understand it or not.

Should I, or any man in the kingdom of God feel for a moment to object to President Young’s handling or controlling gold or wealth for his own benefit, or the rolling of the kingdom? No, we should not. I wish he had his millions, for he has clearly manifested before our eyes, from the beginning until now, his talents and gifts as a financier; and we all know he has been profitable to the Church and kingdom of God, to Zion, and this whole people. It matters not to me whether it is in building a Temple, establishing a Carrying Company, or anything else that is presented for the accomplishment of the purposes of the Lord and the building up of his kingdom, and the gathering of Israel; we are equally interested in it, and should go to with our might, and carry out the work assigned us.

Many things will be made manifest unto us, and our labors will have to extend through many channels, ways, and means, before the way is prepared for the coming of the Son of Man.

I feel thankful to God that his hand is over us. He has guided, controlled, and delivered us from the hands of our enemies.

We may thank the Lord that we have a man among us who has got the Holy Ghost enough to reprove sin, whether among his wives, or his best friends, or worst enemies. What would become of this people, were it not so? We would go to hell. No man can govern his steps, control his life, and correct his errors, if there is not somebody inspired by the power of God to lead in this matter.

There is a just cause many times for reproof and correction; and it is a good sign to me when we are reproved. It shows there are redeeming qualities in this people. When President Young wants anything of us, I care not what, let us respond to his request. We have to build up this kingdom by union and faithfully following those men set to lead us, or else we will be scattered. The blessings of God will be taken from us, if we take any other course.

The Presidency, in their remarks here, have referred to the hatred of the wicked against us. Jesus says, “I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hate you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own: but because I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hate you.”

Look at the world; they are divided on every point; there is hardly two men or women united in matters of government or religion. Send an Elder of this Church to proclaim to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and you will see the devils in hell united with the priests and people of Christendom to oppose him. They know they are wicked and weltering in their own corruptions and abominations. But here comes a man to proclaim to them the word of God. Why do they oppose him? Because he has the testimony of Jesus Christ, and is sent of God. Do the world believe we have a false religion, that we are deceivers, and have not the true faith? No: they are afraid that what we preach is too true; they are afraid of our union in the Valleys of the Mountains. It has more terror in it to the kings of the earth than any other subject that has been revealed to man in this generation. They are afraid God is with this people—that he controls them.

The same feeling exists among the nations now as anciently, when the Jews said, He (Jesus) will take away our place and nation, if he is let alone. This should be a testimony to all the world, when they see the spirit of division increasing upon almost every subject. They cannot unite upon any subject, only in opposing the Latter-day Saints.

I feel to say to my brethren and sisters, Let us make up our minds to do right, and let our union increase, and truly follow the men God has set to lead us. There is where our salvation lies.

Some of us have been in a measure reproved and corrected. Well, what of it? No doubt we deserved all we have got and more. We should not boast over each other because one man is reproved today; you may receive the rod of chastisement tomorrow.

Let us prepare ourselves, so that, in whatsoever we are corrected, we may be passive in the hands of the servants of God, and thank the Lord; for whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son and daughter he receives.

When I get through, if I can only find myself associated with the Twelve Apostles of the Latter-day Saints and with this people, I will be satisfied. If I can steer my way through this life, and have a place with you, it is all I will ask.

I pray the Lord to bless you and me, and more particularly the Presidency of this Church, and clothe them with the power of God and with salvation, that their hearts may be filled with joy, light, and truth. And may this people rise up and humble themselves before the Lord, and take the counsel that is given to them, that we may be well educated in the things of God, and be obedient children in treasuring up their teachings and carrying them out, that we may be saved in the kingdom of God; which is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Wilford Woodruff, Delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, March 22, 1857.

When any of the Presidency of this Church, or of the Quorum of the Twelve, or any of the Elders rise in this stand to speak, this people look unto them, and expect they will enjoy the Holy Spirit sufficiently to say something that will edify them. The people almost unanimously look for this. I will say, on the other hand, that the Presidency, the Twelve, and the Elders who preach in this house expect that the people will have the Spirit of the Lord, that they may come to understanding; and this is just as much required that they may comprehend what is said unto them, as it is required of the brethren who speak, to teach doctrine, principle, truth, and the revelations of Jesus Christ. When the minds of the people are quickened and enlightened by the power of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, that they can appreciate and prize the principles of eternal truth and the revelations which God has given through his servant Joseph, or the things which he has revealed during the past winter through the mouth of his servants unto the inhabitants of this city, or those which he has revealed unto the inhabitants of the earth, then they are prepared to be benefited by those blessings which are poured out upon them. Any of you that have experienced this blessing—and I presume that all have at times—have been astonished at certain periods of their lives that there has been such a difference in their minds. I know this is the case with myself, and I presume it is with others. There have been times that the vision of my mind has been opened to comprehend the word of God and the teachings of his servants. The vision of my mind has been opened and quickened by the power of God and the gift of the Holy Ghost, so that when I have sat here and heard the Presidency and the servants of God teach the principle of righteousness and the word of God unto us, I have felt the force, the power, and the importance of these eternal truths which they have presented unto our minds, while at other times the same truths may have been taught, but they have passed off without making the same impression upon my mind.

We have, as brother Franklin says, spent an interesting time the past winter. Much truth has been spoken: men have been inspired by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost to teach us the things of God; and this I consider to be a matter of great importance to the people. I consider it important that we labor to obtain that Spirit, to have it increased upon us, and carry it with us, that when we hear teaching our minds may be prepared to receive it. Why is it that this Gospel of the kingdom has been preached to the world for twenty-five years, and that there are but so small a number of the children of men who have received those truths, been governed by them, and suffered them to govern one single act of their lives? It is because their minds have been darkened and have not valued the Gospel, or considered the consequences of rejecting it. It is true we have a large congregation here today, and that there are a few thousands in these valleys and throughout this Territory. Yet compare them with the masses of mankind, and how few they are. I am not capable of making a calculation to say whether there is one to five or ten thousand who have embraced the Gospel. One of the old Prophets said that there would be one of a city and two of a family. This has been fulfilled in many instances. When the Elders proclaimed the Gospel unto you; those of you who are here received that word, meditated upon it, so much so that you have been willing to forsake all that you possessed and come to Zion. The seed has produced good fruit; it has caused you to come to Zion; but there are millions of the masses who heard the Gospel, but they have hardened their hearts and darkness has taken hold of their minds, and hence they have rejected the Spirit of God which has striven with them: they, in acting upon their agency, have given way to seducing spirits and rejected the Gospel of Christ, and consequently the Spirit of God has been withdrawn from them; and because of this the Lord has been taking his Spirit from the nations of the earth. We see the fruits of it. It needs no argument to prove a truth so visible.

I will now say that inasmuch as many of us have received the Gospel and gathered with the Saints of God, it is important that we labor today—that we live under the influence of that Spirit, that it may continue to increase and to govern us in our acts among the children of men. Now, when a man has the Holy Spirit and hears the plain, simple truths of salvation, they appear more valuable than all else besides, and he is ready to sacrifice everything of a temporal nature to secure himself salvation; but when people’s minds become darkened, they lose the Holy Spirit and the value of that Gospel, and they do not realize the privilege and the honor of being associated with the Saints of God in these valleys of the mountains, neither do they maintain their allegiance to their Heavenly Father, and honor his name upon the earth, or prize their association with those that bear the holy Priesthood, and therefore they go into darkness. Why has the word reformation ever been named in Zion? It has been because we did not labor to keep within us that holy principle of life, that our minds might be quickened day by day, and receive and prize those truths delivered unto us. Now we marvel and wonder when we are enlightened by the Spirit of God and the revelations which he has given unto us; and when we are aroused to a sense of the importance of these things, we then see the effect and the bearing they will have upon us—not only the fitting of our minds to go into the world of spirits, but to prepare us to meet with our Father in heaven. Now, we should live in that way and manner that the Holy Spirit will dwell with us, and so that we may be prepared to receive those truths which are daily delivered unto us by Presidents Young, Kimball, Wells, or any other man who rises up here to speak unto us the words of life. We should give attention to what is said. As brother Kimball says, the man who speaks to you from this stand is the center, and we should give him our attention, prayers, and faith; and if we do this we shall receive out of the abundance of his heart those things which will benefit us. It should be our chief study to treasure up the words of life, that we may grow in grace, and advance in the knowledge of God, and become perfected in Christ Jesus, that we may receive a fulness, and become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.

The revelations of Jesus Christ teach us that the Savior was born in the flesh; and the Father said that He did not give him a fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace until he had received a fulness, and was called the Son of God because he did not receive a fulness at first. We in like manner should seek with all our souls to grow in grace, light, and truth, that in due time we may receive a fulness. The Lord has a great many principles in store for us; and the greatest principles which he has for us are the most simple and plain. The first principles of the Gospel which lead us unto eternal life are the simplest, and yet none are more glorious or important unto us. Men may labor to make a great display of talent, learning, and knowledge, either in printing or preaching. They may try to preach the mysteries and to present something strange, great, and wonderful, and they may labor for this with all their might, in the spirit and strength of man without the aid of the Holy Spirit of God, and yet the people are not edified, and their preaching will not give much satisfaction. It is the plainest and the most simple things that edify us the most, if taught by the Spirit of God; and there is nothing more important or beneficial unto us. If we have that Spirit dwelling with us—if it abides with us continually, enlightening our minds by day and by night, we are in the safe path; and when we have finished the work of the day, we reflect upon it and are satisfied with it, feeling that it is approbated of the Lord. It is our privilege to live in this way, that all our time may be spent so that we have a conscience void of offense towards both God and man. When we reflect on the day that is past and see wherein we have done evil, we should labor to improve and to advance in the things of the kingdom of God. I feel that in order for us to prize the gifts of God, the blessings of the Gospel, the privilege that we have of building tabernacles, and of living here in peace, and kneeling down in our family circles in peace, having in our society the Prophets of God, men filled with wisdom, who are capable of leading us to salvation, and of leading us into the paths of life, who do teach us the principles of truth, which will lead us back to our Father and our God—I say, when we consider these things we ought to prize our privileges as Saints of the Most High. Brethren, we must invariably have the Spirit of God with us, that we may ever be kept in the line of our duty.

I feel to exhort you in regard to these things, that we may prize those blessings which God has given unto us, and pursue a course wherein we may be justified of the Lord. Now, if we attempt to do anything that is not right, the Spirit of the Lord will not approbate us, but we shall feel condemned. The Lord has blessed us during the past winter; He has poured out upon us a great amount of knowledge, wisdom, and treasures, that we ought to prize. Now, as the spring is coming upon us, and as we turn our attention to the plough and to cultivating the earth, if we forget our prayers, the Devil will take double the advantage of us. We have renewed our covenants by baptism, and we have received great blessings from the Lord, and much of the Holy Spirit has been shed abroad among this people. And, as brother Richards has said—and I consider the counsel right—we should not only reprove ourselves when wrong, but we should reprove sin wherever we see it, whether in ourselves, in our streets, or in our quorums. We should always show our disapprobation of those that are wrong—that are sinful and wicked.

I do not feel, this morning, like occupying a great portion of your time, but I do feel that the Lord is gracious unto us, and that we should prize above all things upon the earth the words of eternal life that are given unto us. As long as we are governed by the Holy Spirit, our minds are strengthened, and our faith is and will be increased, and we shall labor for the building up of the kingdom of God. And I pray that our hearts may be inspired to magnify our calling and the holy Priesthood, and honor God, keep his commandments, and live our religion, which I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.