By Elder George A. Smith, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, General Conference, Oct. 8, 1865.

It is somewhat of an undertaking to address so large an assembly. I bear my testimony to the truth of the restoration of the everlasting Gospel and this Work which God has commenced in these latter days.

It has been the earnest desire of my heart, from the time I received the ordinance of baptism in 1832, to be able to fulfil my duties as a Saint, and to perform those things which were required of me as an individual—to watch over myself and keep out of mischief; that I might be prepared, when my work is accomplished on the earth, to inherit the blessings and glory of that King in whose service I am enlisted. I presume that a large proportion of the Saints have kept these things in mind, though I am astonished when I reflect upon the great number with whom I have been acquainted that are not now to be found, and of whom we have no report only that they have gone off this, that, or the other way.

This reminds us of the parable of the sower that went forth to sow, as described by our Savior; some of the good seed fell among thorns, and they grew up and choked it; some fell by the way side, and the fowl, gathered it up; some fell upon stony ground where it had not much depth of earth, and it came up quickly, and when the sun was up it was scorched and withered away; and some fell upon good ground and brought forth thirty, sixty, and an hundredfold. This is the substance of the parable, and the kingdom of God in the last days is certainly very much like unto it.

Among the great number who have entered into the fold of Christ, by baptism, few have remained faithful to the present time. There were men among us whose hearts were faint—who felt that it would not do to gather here, because, peradventure, it was the greatest undertaking of any age. To attempt to settle a whole people, situated as we were, in the midst of a howling desert a thousand miles from supplies, was too great an undertaking in the eyes of many, and they dared not risk it. It required faith, courage, energy, daring, and perseverance, almost beyond description, to lead a people into the heart of the great American desert and establish settlements. We now see travelers arrive here by stage, who are proud of the achievement of having crossed the Rocky Mountains. It required a people full of faith, energy, and devotion to the cause of God, and a willingness to abide every counsel given by the servants of God, to come here; and also required a large amount of faith, patience, energy, self-denial, and long-suffering to stay when they got here.

I presume it was over three years after we came before a score of men in the valleys ever believed that an apple, peach, or plum could be grown here, and when the few men who had the faith and the determination to set an example began to produce their peaches, plums, and apples, and exhibit them, many opened their eyes with astonishment. Who on the face of the earth would think that at an altitude of four thousand four hundred feet above the level of the sea, and in latitude nearly forty-one, and near the southern limit of the isothermal line, such nicely flavored, delicate fruit could be raised!

We came to this land because it was so desert, desolate, and Godforsaken that no mortal upon earth ever would covet it; but as Colonel Fremont reported that at the mouth of Bear River, in the early part of August, his thermometer stood at 29 degrees Fah., three degrees below freezing point, which would kill grain, fruit, or vegetables, our enemies said, “You Mormons may go there and welcome,” chuckling to each other over what seemed to them our annihilation. We had been driven several times; our homes had been devastated both in Missouri and Illinois; we had been robbed of everything, and some came here with the little that they gathered up from the smoking ruins of their habitations. The priests sent compliments to each other rejoicing that those “Mormons” (who had been making the people acquainted with the principles of the Gospel by teaching them that the Bible meant what it said) had gone into the heart of a desert, never more to be heard of, for the Indians would destroy and grim want would consume them. The newspapers recorded the joy and gratification felt at the utter end of “Mormonism.” Governor Thomas Ford wrote as follows in the title page of his History of Illinois—“An account of the rise, pro– gress, and FALL of Mormonism.” Notwithstanding, however, the many drawbacks and difficulties encountered in the shape of drouth, crickets, grasshoppers, and the cold, sterile climate, the Spirit of the Lord was hovering over the Great Basin; as linguists tell us the Spirit of the Lord brooded over the face of the waters anciently, so it brooded over the Great Basin and the climate became genial and soft. I never was at the crossing of the Sevier River in summer, for seven years after our settlements in Iron County had been established, without experiencing frost; and now the Sevier valley produces luxuriant fields of grain and vegetables in the season thereof, in every place where the water has been taken out from the mouth of that river to the head of it, nearly nine thousand feet above the level of the sea. Who has done this? God and the Saints have done it! The Saints have had faith and walked over the land with the Holy Priesthood upon them and blessed and dedicated it to the Lord, and have labored according to the counsels of God, and the work has been accomplished.

To have told the Mountaineers ten years ago that grain could be raised in the upper valleys of the Weber, where they encountered heavy frosts every month in summer, would have incurred their ridicule; but the genial influence of the Spirit of the Almighty has softened the rigor of the climate, and the flourishing counties of Morgan and Summit are the result.

In 1853, an expedition went out from Provo City after some Indians that had stolen stock. They went up the Provo River and encamped near where the city of Heber now stands, in the middle of summer. On their return they reported to me that they were nearly frozen, and that much of the wild vegetation was killed by the severity of the weather, and that it would be useless ever to attempt to raise grain there. I suppose that Provo valley, this season, with all its losses, will raise not less than thirty thousand bushels of grain and vegetables. With a little reflection we can readily perceive that the Lord God of Israel has blessed these mountains and valleys, which have been dedicated and set apart by His servants for the gathering together of His people and the establishment of His latter-day work upon the earth.

Go to Pottawatomie, Iowa; Nauvoo, Illinois; or Kirtland, Ohio, and ask for apples and peaches, and you will find them few and far between. In February, 1857, I visited my former field of labor in Western Virginia, and inquired of an old friend for fruit; his reply was, “My peach trees are all killed, and I have not been able to raise any peaches for six years.” Have you any good apples? “Not an apple that is fit to eat; our trees are all diseased, and many of them have perished.” This condition of things was very general. It is so wherever the Saints have lived and been driven away—their glory has departed to return no more, until the land is dedicated and consecrated to God and occupied by the Saints.

We had to produce the necessaries of life from the ground, for we had not the means to send abroad eleven hundred miles to purchase. In a short time after the Pioneers settled this country, some twenty-five thousand pilgrims to the land of gold passed through this Great Basin; a large portion of them came here destitute, and they are indebted to the inhabitants of these settlements for the preservation of their lives.

California is indebted to the Latter-day Saints for its present greatness. We opened its gold mines, explored its country, explored and made the three principal roads leading there, and ran the first ship load of Ameri– can emigrants into the port of San Francisco, then called Yerba Buena. We are the men that developed the resources of the Pacific Coast, and then we fed those tens of thousands passing through to that land, who would have starved and perished on the deserts had we not provided them with bread while they traveled the roads we made, to go to the mines.

The passengers on board the ship Brooklyn not only brought to the Pacific Coast their valuable library, but a printing press, which they established at Yerba Buena—now San Francisco, and from which was issued the California Star in 1847-8. We are the Pioneers of the great West. The Latter-day Saints established the first printing press in Western Missouri, the Evening and Morning Star, published at Independence in 1832-3, and the Upper Missouri Advertiser, in 1833, by W. W. Phelps. After the destruction of the printing office by the mob, the press was removed to Liberty, and was for years used to print the only newspaper printed west of Booneville, Mo., excepting the Elder’s Journal, published for a short time in Far West.

We were the Pioneer settlers of Western Iowa, making the road and bridging the streams from the vicinity of Keeosaqua to the Missouri River, nearly three hundred miles. We established the first paper at Council Bluffs, published by Elder Orson Hyde, entitled the Frontier Guardian, in 1848-9 and 50.

The Omaha Arrow, published by Joseph E. Johnson, was the first paper published in Nebraska, who subsequently published the Huntsman’s Echo at Wood River.

We introduced the culture of wheat and fruit in Western Missouri and Iowa, improved agriculture in California, and developed the resources of these mountains, making the roads and showing men how to travel them safely.

While all this has been done for our country, and we have comparatively tamed the savage and held in check his wild and bloodthirsty nature, that the inhabitants of the world could travel across the deserts without being robbed and murdered, we have been the subject of vile scandal, simply because our religious views were different from those of the hireling clergy who occupy the pulpits of Christendom. We taught that men should preach the Gospel without purse or scrip—preach it freely; and a man who depended upon a congregation for a salary by which to obtain his black coat and fit-out, was ready to denounce preaching without purse and scrip as a heresy; why? Because it would reduce him to the necessity of going to some useful calling, instead of making merchandise of the Gospel, which God has made free. It endangered his bread and butter; and thus priestcraft has raised a constant howl that the Mormons were leagued with the Indians. Why? Because we crossed the plains and the Indians did not rob us. The reason the Latter-day Saints crossed the plains and the Indians did not rob them was, they organized their companies, camped in order, kept up guards, treated the Indians with kindness and respect, seeking no quarrel with them, and passed right along. When the Indians look down from the hills on one of our trains and see it camped, they know it is a “Mormon” train; they see a nice corral, and a guard out with the cattle who are carefully attending to their duty. When they come up they get a kind word. When night comes the “Mormons” kneel down to pray; they do not blaspheme the name of God. The Indians see all this and conclude not to interrupt that company, for they might get hurt—the “Mormons” having always provided their companies with sufficient arms for protection. That is the way the Latter-day Saints travel through these mountains uninterrupted. How is it with others? They would organize a company on the frontiers, travel a while in that condition, quarrel who should be captain, and divide into five or six squads; and by the time they got to the Sierra Nevada there would be only two families together, and they would divide their wagon and make it into two carts, and separate, if they were not afraid of the Indians. This way of scattering presents a temptation to the red men which is really very hard for them to resist, for these plains cannot boast of being safer than the streets of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, where millions are expended to pay police to guard and protect the property and lives of white men from the depredations of white men.

We can but have a deep feeling of sympathy when we realize the grievous afflictions that have befallen our common country. We look at the cause. When the Latter-day Saints organized their first settlements in Missouri—when they undertook to lay the foundation of Zion, although there was no charge which could be brought against them for violating any law, constitutional or moral, yet, because they introduced a new system of religion, the hireling clergy, the priestcraft of the world, arose against them to destroy them. As Governor Dunklin, of Missouri, said, “There are ample provisions in the Constitution and laws of the State to protect you, but the prejudice is so great among the people against you, that it is impossible to enforce these laws.” There is a great deal said about the origin of the trouble between the North and the South; some said it was the almighty negro; but the fact is, the people did not respect the Constitution of our country; for the Latter-day Saints were driven in violation thereof from Jackson County to Clay, and from Clay to Caldwell and Davis counties, and then from the State of Missouri to Illinois, and from Illinois to the Rocky Mountains, robbed and plundered of their property, their women ravished, their leaders murdered, and there was not a solitary man arose to enforce the laws or the Constitution in our defense. When the President of the United States was applied to, all he would say was, “Your cause is just, but we can do nothing for you.” As soon as the Saints had found a shelter in the Rocky Mountains, this feeling of lawlessness went rampant throughout the Union. Men despised the statutes and the laws with which they were bound, and it was mob upon mob, army against army, until the whole country has been deluged in blood and creped in mourning. When will the nation repent of these follies and maintain those institutions God has introduced for the perfection of mankind? When will they hold the Constitution sacred and inviolable, and seek no longer to prostitute it for the destruction of the innocent? Until this is done they may expect to see sorrow and woe, which will increase upon their heads until they shall repent.

Brethren, we should consider these things within ourselves. We commenced to make our settlements here under these circumstances, and here we have found a shelter. It has been a home for the oppressed, and a shelter to everybody that desired rest. The weary traveler has had a chance here to refresh himself and enjoy the blessings that are to be enjoyed in these valleys, and no man’s rights have ever been trampled upon.

It is true we have had a species of animals pass through here that Alfred Cumming, in imitation of General Zachary Taylor, used to call “Camp poicks,” newspaper reporters, who, Cumming declared, prostituted not only the body but the soul, by selling themselves for a penny-a-line to lie; publishing their lies to the world as scandal upon the heads of the Saints. They come here and drink of the mountain water, partake of fine potatoes, and turnips, and luscious strawberries, and feast upon the fruits of the valleys—the products of our industry—and then go off and defame the people, and try to get armies sent here to destroy the Saints. We care very little about these things; but when that species of animals appear among us, we look upon them as we do upon a serpent; we calculate they intend to bite, and all we ask of them is, to do as they generally have done, tell such big lies that nobody in their right senses can believe them.

We have had another class of animals in the shape of Federal Officials. We have had fifty-eight of them, part of whom came here and conducted themselves like gentlemen; but we have had one thing always to consider, with one or two exceptions—very honorable ones—they have scarcely ever sent anybody here that could get a place anywhere else. If they could get an appointment in any other Territory, or a magistracy in the District of Columbia, or a clerkship in a Department, or the appointment of a weigher or gauger in the Custom House, they would never come to Utah. Coming to Utah was the last thing and the last place for a man perfectly desperate for the want of an office. As the Secretary of State said when he sent Perry E. Brochus here to be judge, he had to send him somewhere to get him “out of the way;” and when he would not stay here, he was immediately sent to New Mexico.

We have generally known what the qualification of men was, and un– derstood it precisely when they came. Their qualification generally was that they had performed some dirty work for some successful politician. A few that have come here have done as well as they knew how, with a mediocrity of talent—that is, if they had bright talents they seldom displayed them; and the majority of them come in here, open their eyes (putting one in mind of chickens just come through the eggshell, when they get a sight of the light for the first time), and exclaim, “There are awful things here! Tremendous things here!” and they begin to make reports, and print and publish them, go off to California and write for a year in succession there, drawing their salaries to report how things are in Utah. All these things we have had to encounter; but our industry, our economy and prudence, our loyalty, and our firm and determined adherence to the Constitution of the United States, have carried us through the whole of it.

The administration of President Buchanan brought the power of the Government to bear against us. The traitor, General A. S. Johnston, was sent with what was then called by Secretary Floyd the best appointed army that was ever fitted out by this Government since its formation. General Scott issued orders to keep the troops massed and in hand, the supply trains to be kept with the main body of the army. The newspaper press of the country asserted that this army was to cause the blood of the Elders and Saints to flow in the streets of Great Salt Lake City. The mails being stopped, and the ordinary sources of communication closed, it was supposed the “Mormons” would be ignorant of the movements until the army came upon them like a thunder cloud. The Governorship was tendered to a number who were unwilling to come out with a formidable army, but were willing to come without. Benjamin McCullough, of Texas, declined the honor on the ground that a confirmed old bachelor ought not to interfere with polygamy. Colonel Alfred Cumming accepted the office, and his appointment was hailed with general acclamation by the enemies of Utah, as he was considered a man of desperate character, who had on one occasion compelled even Jeff. Davis to apologize. When Governor Cumming arrived here and investigated the matter, he was satisfied that the Administration had been duped, and he made official reports to Washington that the charges against the Saints were totally unfounded, and the Administration let the whole matter fizzle out, and Uncle Sam, the generous old gentleman, had to submit to his pocket being picked to the tune of about forty millions of dollars—the cost of the Utah expedition.

The lies upon which the Administration had acted were, that we had driven the judges from the country, had burned the Utah Library and the records of the courts of the Territory. When the matter was investigated it was discovered that the judges had gone off to the gold mines, where they could get some feet, or on other speculations, where they stayed until their time was out, not forgetting, however, to draw their salaries. The Library and court records, never having been disturbed, were found all right.

I have been truly astonished at the character and conduct of a large portion of the Government officials we have been brought in contact with. One of them, Governor Harding, was presented by the grand jury of the 3rd Judicial District of the United States Court as a nuisance, and he was removed by Mr. Lincoln’s Administration immediately after.

Whenever a bill is presented before Congress to benefit the people of Utah in any way, it is generally referred to a committee, and there it dies. What is the reason? There is not a man in either House of Congress that dares to record a vote calculated to favor the people of Utah, for the mass of the inhabitants here are “Mormons.” It is admitted that we have established ourselves in the desert under the most trying circumstances, making a half-way house for travelers between the Mississippi and the Pacific, rendering it safe to establish mail and telegraph lines; but the member who would record a vote in favor of this people in any way, the first thing he would hear would be his denunciation in every pulpit of his district by the black-coated gentry, and that would make his political grave. I sympathize with that class of men, as many of them otherwise would be willing to extend the same privileges, donations of land to settlers, means to erect public buildings, open highways, and sustain schools, as to other Territories.

We have never had one dollar from any source to aid in the cause of edu– cation. We have built our schoolhouses, hired our school teachers, paid the school bills for our poor—have done everything that has been done in education, without one dollar of encouragement from the parent Government. I have been astonished at this. I suppose it is the policy of the Government to extend the facilities of education, but it has not been done here; not one solitary dime has been received by Utah, while millions upon millions have gone into the treasuries of other states and Territories for school purposes from the Federal Government.

This is the freest people on the face of the earth. By a faithful observance of the laws and Constitution of our country, and by obedience to the principles of our holy religion, we can enjoy the greatest amount of freedom.

The foundation has been laid, and the building will be erected upon it. God is at the helm, and no power can destroy his kingdom.

May God bless us, and enable us to fulfill our high destiny, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks made by Elder George Q. Cannon, in the Bowery, General Conference, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 8, 1865.

I appreciate very highly the privilege that I have this morning, and that I have had during this Conference, in meeting with the Saints; it is the first Fall Conference I have had the opportunity of attending for sixteen years. These are, indeed, precious privileges which God, our Heavenly Father, has given unto us; these opportunities which we now have of assembling ourselves together and dismissing the cares that press us from week to week and month to month, casting them aside to concentrate our minds and our thoughts upon the things of His kingdom, devoting our attention to those heavenly principles which have produced so much happiness and peace in our midst. It is good for us to thus devote a portion of our time to the worship of our God. I do not know how the Conference felt; but, for myself, after the vote was taken yesterday to continue our Conference a week or a month if it were necessary, or as long as the servants of God should feel inclined to continue it, I experienced a great relief in my feelings; I felt that that restraint was removed which had, to a certain extent, oppressed us, with the view of hurrying through the business and getting done by this evening. I thought that it was right, and I felt a spirit of freedom that I had not experienced before, and I presume that all the Saints felt alike on this subject. There is nothing more important for us to attend to than that which we are engaged in today. We cannot think of anything that is of greater importance to us, as individuals and as a people, than this service. It is a delightful work—a labor of love that our Heavenly Father has guaranteed unto us the privilege of performing. The organization that we now behold, the wonderful fruits and results which have attended us from the beginning, and that are so delightful to contemplate today, have all sprung from the service that we are now engaged in. We may devote time, as it is necessary we should, to the labors of this life—to plowing, to sowing, to harvesting, to building settlements, to accomplishing the labors that devolve upon us of a temporal character; these labors are important and necessary, but they are no more necessary than those that we are now engaged in; they are no more necessary than that we should assemble ourselves together frequently to listen to the word of God, to be instructed in the principles of life and salvation by those who have been our fathers in the Gospel.

It is necessary that we should examine ourselves, bring ourselves to the light of truth, to learn whether we are taking the right course: like the mariner, when he returns to port, he compares his ship chronometers with the correct time on shore, to see whether they have been keeping true time and are in good condition to enter upon another voyage, to enable him to obtain his bearings correctly, that he may not lose himself when he is on the trackless ocean. We can come to Conference in this manner and examine ourselves like men returning from a mission after an absence of years among the nations. They come back desirous of comparing themselves with their brethren in Zion, saying, like Paul of old, that they have indeed not run in vain; ascertaining for themselves that the Spirit that they have been possessed of, and the course that they have taken, are the Spirit and course that their brethren in Zion have been possessed of and taken. There is a great deal of profit to be derived from associations of this character. It is necessary that we should be brought very frequently to a sense of our condition, of our dependence upon God, of our relationship to him, of the obligations that rest upon us as his children, and servants, and handmaidens. We cannot do this as we should when we neglect opportunities like this; but, when we come together and our hearts are filled with prayers and anxious desire before God for his Holy Spirit to be poured out upon us, we then can see if we have erred, if we have gone astray, if we have done anything wrong and displeasing in the sight of our Father. These things are brought to our minds, and we see ourselves in the light of the Holy Spirit, we renew our strength before the Lord, and our determinations to go forth and serve him with greater diligence and faithfulness in the future than we have done in the past.

There is a mine of wealth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that is yet comparatively undiscovered by us. We see the world around us digging here and there, and wandering over valleys and mountains in search of hidden treasures; they spend their days and nights in searching for those things and in planning by what means they can obtain them; but we have, in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ which has been revealed unto us, an inexhaustible mine of wealth that is eternal. There is room for us to continually exercise every faculty of our minds and of our bodies in searching out the deep and inexhaustible riches of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which has been committed unto us. We have already partaken to some extent of this wealth; we already have realized to some extent its richness, its abundance; and what we have already obtained of it should be an incentive to us to be still more diligent and persevering in seeking with earnestness and faith unto God to give unto us of his power, and more and more of his Spirit, and of that wealth which He alone possesses, that we may go on increasing in eternal riches on earth to be prepared to enjoy them throughout eternity. That man is truly rich, whatever his worldly circumstances may be, who improves the opportunities he has, and who seeks with all diligence to obtain all the blessings that pertain unto the holy religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There are those, however, whom I have met with, who profess to be good Latter-day Saints, who seem to be satisfied with the profession of their religion, who seem to be satisfied with the fact that what is called “Mormonism” is superior to everything else that is taught among men. I presume they are of that class of whom President Young has spoken—men who have been compelled to bow in submission to the truth, because they could not contradict nor gainsay it; and that they have become connected with this system has seemed to be enough for them; but is it enough?

In one sense it ought to be enough for us to know that we have received the truth and be satisfied with it, yet we should continue to seek with energy and with faith to partake of those blessings and of that power which our Father and God has to bestow upon us. If we would seek to be possessed of these things with the same diligence the world seeks for earthly riches, there is not a soul within the sound of my voice but what will be refreshed, filled, and satisfied with the blessings God will bestow upon him or upon her. It is a characteristic of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to not be easily exhausted; on the contrary, it is always attractive. You hear it today, as you heard it thirty years or thirty-five years ago, and it possesses as many charms and as many attractions now as then; repeating it does not wear it out—does not make the subject threadbare—does not deprive it of its interest; but, on the contrary, its interest increases as years roll over our heads; as they pass by our interest in the work of God, and our love for it, and our appreciation of its greatness, increase. In this respect it differs from everything else we know of; it satisfies every want of man’s nature. Is there a want you can think of, is there anything, in fact, connected with man’s existence here, spiritual or temporal, mental or physical, that the Gospel of Jesus Christ does not satisfy? If there is, I have failed to discover it. It comprehends everything; it gives light and it gives intelligence, it gives wisdom upon every department of human life, it satisfies every longing desire of the soul.

Before the Gospel reached you, my brethren and sisters who have received it since you were of mature years, there were wants that existed which now no longer exist; there were long– ing desires which you indulged in, and which were ungratified by that which you could obtain from the world, that are today gratified to their fullest extent; there is no desire of your heart, there is no feeling of your soul, that cannot be satisfied legitimately and consistently with your nature in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You know how you were, those of you who embraced the Gospel in Babylon—you know how you were when the Gospel found you; there was, to quote a familiar expression, an aching void within you. There were desires of your soul, or of your spirit, which could not be gratified by the chaff and husks fed unto you by the so-called teachers of the day; there were aspirations for knowledge, for truth, and for God, that nothing could satisfy; you sought in vain for their gratification; you searched on the right hand and on the left, you inquired here and there, but you could not get the knowledge you needed; there was no one who could give you the satisfaction you yearned after; but no sooner did you hear the truth, no sooner did you hear the sound of the everlasting Gospel, and the voice of a man endowed with the Priesthood, than you felt that you had found the pearl of great price, you felt that the desire of your heart was about to be gratified, and that if this religion proved true, if these statements and testimonies could be relied upon, then that which you had so long sought for and desired was within your grasp.

Men may strive to repress these yearnings and desires after knowledge, as priests and teachers do today throughout the earth; they may ridicule and deny their existence, but there is that within us, as children of God, which speaks louder and has more force, potency, and effect than the traditions of our fathers or the teachings of our former priests and teachers ever had; there is the voice of nature, there is the voice of heaven in our hearts, which calls for revelation from God, which calls for knowledge, which calls for certainty, which calls for something that is tangible and that can be relied upon, and which man with his man-made systems and with his fooleries, cannot gratify nor supply by any means in his power. We hear men constantly talk about the delusion that exists here, and about the folly of men seeking for revelation and knowledge from God. The man must be an idiot who talks so; he who makes such assertions does not understand the human character. If he had studied himself he would have seen that there was something within himself which claimed more than that which man can give—that there was a voice within him which demanded and called loudly for truth—tangible, reliable truth—something that could be understood and that came from God. If this were not so, why do we see so many men running hither and thither after knowledge, after spirit rappers, astrologers, fortune tellers, and phrenologists, to tell them their fortunes and reveal something relating to the future; they will do anything that will give them any idea of their future. These may be the perversions of the feeling, yet you see the manifestations of this want cropping out in various forms all over the earth, among every people, and even among the heathen. When it is not governed by truthful principles, it is found running astray, and leading men and women astray who are guided by it.

Wherever human nature exists, there is found a desire for the knowledge of truth, a want of that which pertains to God and to eternity, and this want or desire cannot be repressed. There is no power on earth that can repress it; men’s traditions may stifle it; but when the spirit is allowed to operate freely and unrestrained, it breaks through all these barriers, and brushes aside these cobwebs to seek for truth—pure truth as it comes from the Eternal; and when it once obtains a taste from the fountain of truth, and can drink freely, it is refreshed, and the one great desire of the heart is satisfied. This is as it has been with us, my brethren and sisters; hence the contentment that prevails through our valleys and settlements; hence the peace that is to be observed in our families. Peace broods over Zion; there is life and buoyancy in the hearts of the children of Zion. Why is this? It is because we have received that which we have desired; because we are living in harmony with the laws of our being; it is because the wants of our nature are being gratified through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If there be any among us who are not satisfied, if there be any among us who are wandering hither and thither, looking for something that they do not have, they are the ones who have committed sin and transgression; they are the ones who have grieved the Spirit of God; they are the ones who have forfeited their claims upon God for his Spirit and his love, and they go with their souls unsatisfied, seeking for contentment but finding it not. If there be any among us who are thus seeking, they form a class that is distinct from the faithful, humble Saints of God who live their religion and work righteousness.

It should be a cause of thanksgiving and gratitude with us that God, our Heavenly Father, in the abundance of his goodness and mercy has revealed unto us his everlasting Gospel; that in his kindness he has sent his Holy Angels from the heavens, with the truth, and the power, and authority to administer the truth, and the ordinances per– taining to the truth, unto the inhabitants of the earth. Yes, God in his mercy has visited our planet, where darkness reigned, where confusion and ignorance had spread their dread consequences, and all were like the blind groping for the wall, when the voice of God sounded from the heavens and broke the long silence that had existed for so many generations. Brother Brigham has said that, in his young days, when he looked at the inhabitants of the earth he was reminded of an ant hill in a state of excitement, with the ants running hither and thither without aim or purpose. Now, this was the condition of ourselves and fathers when the sound of the everlasting Gospel came to the earth. The inhabitants of the earth were running hither and thither, and there was no one to guide them, no one to control them, no voice to be heard among the children of men saying with authority, “Here is the way, walk ye in it;” there was none to say, “Thus saith the Lord;” not a voice inspired of God, to be heard from pole to pole, from east to west; but all were ignorant, all were confused, all were dark. But since the Gospel has been restored, since it was received by Brother Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and preached to the people, and they listened to the testimony of God, what a charge has taken place in the character of some portion of the population of the globe since that time.

There are principles and qualities that have been and are being developed for the last thirty-five years, that were supposed to have no existence among men; it was supposed that they had disappeared, that they never would be restored again. The key of knowledge through which the Apostles wrought such wonders in the days in which they lived was no longer to be found among men; but as soon as the Holy Priesthood was restored to Joseph Smith—for he received the power and authority from heaven, and through him the principles of heaven were restored to the earth—then what a change we behold! From the midst of the chaos that existed, order has been produced; from the midst of the strife that everywhere prevailed, union has been brought to light; from the midst of confusion and war, peace has been established; and we see qualities developed now in the midst of our fellow men which we supposed never could have existed again. What is this attributable to? Says one, “It is attributable to imposture and delusion.” So they said in the days of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; but, let them say as they please, we enjoy these fruits; for, whereas we lived in strife, we now live in peace; whereas we lived in confusion, we now live in the midst of good order; whereas we lived in ignorance, we now live in the midst of knowledge, we bask now in the light of eternity, in the rays of that light which surrounds the throne of God our Heavenly Father, and our souls are satisfied, and we can rejoice and be glad, and thank God from morning until night for having bestowed upon us his everlasting truth. Why should it not be so?

We are taught to believe that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to every soul that believes. Salvation from what? “Oh,” says one, “salvation to our souls.” It is the power of God unto salvation—the salvation not only of our spirits, but of our bodies. In ancient days it saved the Jews, the Greeks, and the Barbarians from error, from evil of various kinds, and it will in like manner save us. In heaven, we believe, it produces order, peace, and happiness; and we expect, when we leave here, to go to a sphere where, under the influence of the Gospel, every good quality of our nature will be developed. Why should we not receive, by the application of those heavenly principles to us and our lives here on the earth, the same results? They have produced them in days gone by, they are producing them now, and will continue to produce them as long as we live in accordance with them.

Now, my brethren and sisters, there is nothing left for us to do but to be faithful to that which has been revealed unto us. The evidences which we have received are of that character that we will be under the heaviest condemnation unless we live agreeably to the principles God has given unto us. We cannot plead, as many can, that we are ignorant; we cannot make excuses of this kind, for we are not ignorant; we are in the enjoyment of knowledge. We never went to prayer in our lives, in secret, and supplicated God in faith for the blessings that we needed, that we did not receive the desires of our hearts, and we arose from our knees feeling that God was with us, and that his Spirit and power were near unto us, and resting upon us. There never was a time, from the day that we became Latter-day Saints to this day, that we have asked in humility and meekness for any blessing and have had to arise from our knees dissatisfied and empty; but we have always received those blessings that have been necessary for us when we have asked in faith. What a blessed and glorious privilege is this! When we are in trouble, in the midst of affliction, and harassed by our enemies, we can go unto Him, who is the Author of our being, unto Him who created all things, who has the power to control our enemies, and pour out our souls in prayer and in supplication, and feel that the record has been made, that the incense of our hearts has ascended acceptably unto God, and is treasured up there, and held in remembrance by his Holy Angels in his presence. What a glorious privilege is this that we have, as a people and as individuals, no matter how bowed down in sorrow, no matter how deep the affliction that may be around us, this is an unfailing source of strength that God has given unto us, and to this may be attributed the wonderful preservations that we have experienced from the beginning.

How diligently our enemies have sought to destroy us, to destroy the Holy Priesthood from the earth and kill the Lord’s anointed! How often has it seemed that they were just upon the point of closing upon us, when it seemed that no earthly power that could be exerted could save us from destruction! To whom shall we attribute these wonderful deliverances which we have experienced? Shall we attribute them to mortal power? Oh, no; we have learned too well how weak and futile is mortal power. But what is it attributable to? To the faith that God has implanted in us through the revelation of the truth unto us. It is attributable to his having rent the veil of darkness that has covered the earth and revealed himself unto us. It is attributable to His having opened up the channel of communication between Himself and us. Yes, there is a channel of communication between this people, the men and women who compose this people, and the throne of our Father and God; and our prayers have ascended acceptably in His ears, and they have been registered on high, and they will be answered in their time. There never has been a prayer offered up in faith, meekness, and humility, from the day this Church was founded until now, but has reached the ears of the Lord, and is registered in His presence, and will be fulfilled, sooner or later, upon the earth we inhabit, upon our posterity, and upon the wicked who have afflicted us. Is not this a glorious consolation? Do not your hearts swell with gratitude and thanksgiving to God when you reflect upon this? It has been as a wall of strength surrounding us; it has been greater than the munitions of rocks and the lasting hills that have been reared like a mighty bulwark around our homes. The prayers of the faithful servants of God, which have been exercised from the beginning in behalf of Zion, have been a tower of strength. Shall we call ourselves Latter-day Saints, and fail to appreciate and make a right use of the privileges and blessings which our God has given unto us? If we do, we are unworthy of them; and if we continue to do so, the privileges and the blessings which we may enjoy will be withdrawn from those who do so and given to those who appreciate them, and who are more worthy of them. You may depend upon that, as surely as you may depend that night will come in the course of a few hours when the earth has performed its diurnal revolution.

If I were to ask you today, my brethren and sisters, what you would take for your standing and your privileges as Latter-day Saints, is there anything that you could name? Is there anything on earth that would be sufficient in your estimation to induce you to barter off the standing you have in the Church of God and the privileges you enjoy as members of his Church? There is nothing. You would say, if the wealth of the world were to be laid at your feet in exchange, you would spurn it as a thing of naught. But Satan does not tempt us in that style; he knows better. He understands our nature more perfectly than this. The experience he has gained in the past has enabled him to understand the best way of approaching the human heart, how he can best beguile us and insidiously lead us astray by temptations that are most effective. If a man who was in the enjoyment of the Spirit of God one year ago had been told that yesterday, on the 7th of October, a trifling temptation would be presented to him of a certain character (and that at the time he would think contemptible) and he would yield to it, he would be astonished; he would scarcely believe it. “What! Will I barter the wealth that God has given me, the wealth of the Gospel, the wealth of freedom which is contained in it? What! Will I barter the joy, peace, and happiness that I now have for so contemptible a temptation as that? Will I do it? No; I will not.” Yet the year passes away and the 7th of October comes to hand, the temptation is presented, and the man who thought himself so impregnable in the truth, and thought that he could not be tempted and seduced from it, falls a victim, and to what? To the wealth of the world? No; but to something that is so truly contemptible, mean, and low, that it is a matter of astonishment to everybody who knows him how he could be overcome by it.

By this we see the power of Satan, the knowledge of Satan, and his cunning. He understands the avenues through which he approach us best; he knows the weaknesses of our character, and we do not know the moment we may be seduced by him, and be overcome and fall victims to him. Our only preservation is in living near to God, day by day, and serving him in faithfulness, and having the light of revelation and truth in our hearts continually, so that, when Satan approaches, we will see him and understand the snare that he has laid for us, and we will have the power to say, “O no; God being my helper, I will not yield to it; I will not do that which is wrong; I will not grieve the Spirit of God; I will not deviate from the path that my Father has marked out for me; but I will walk in it.” Can we do this without the light of the Spirit? No; we cannot see where the path upon which we have entered will lead to; we cannot tell what the results will be; but when the light of the Spirit of God illuminates our minds and we are enlightened by it, we plainly see the results; and if we do not see them at the time, the Lord soon reveals them to us, and shows us that if we continue to take that course we will grieve his Spirit and fall victims to the adversary.

As I said in the beginning of my remarks, there is wealth in the Gospel of Jesus Christ of which we have little knowledge today. There is an eternity of truth and knowledge, principle after principle, law after law, until every quality of our nature, of that Godlike nature which we have inherited from our Father and God, shall be fully developed; until we shall be made capable of associating with God and angels through eternity. The Gospel that has been revealed unto us contains the principles that will bring this about. As we progress in it we will receive additional knowledge, additional light and intelligence, and our souls will be more and more satisfied. I rejoice exceedingly in this, I thank my God for it, because my soul is satisfied in this Gospel, and I know it would not have been anywhere else. I know there is every good thing for us if we will live the religion of the Lord Jesus.

There is this difference between God and Satan in the treatment of mankind. Satan is perfectly reckless as to what the consequences may be of anything he may give to the children of men. He will heap temptation upon temptation before them, give them honor, riches, and position, and, if necessary, he will give them revelation. What for? To damn them. He does not care anything as to what may become of them; but he offers them all he can control without judgment or discrimination. God does not do so. What is the course God has taken with us from the beginning to the present time? Is there a parent in the congregation who has watched as carefully over his children as God has over us? Is there a parent in the congregation who has withheld improper blessings as carefully from them as God has from us? He has watched over us tenderly and kindly, giving us a blessing here and a blessing there, a revelation here and a revelation there, a precept here and a precept there, as we could bear them, developing our experience, and knowledge, and our wisdom, leading us gently and safely in the path that will bring us into his presence. This is the difference between God and Satan; but I can only give you a little idea of it. Our Heavenly Father is a loving and a kind and beneficent Parent. He, himself, has trod the path we are now treading. He is familiar with every step of the road, with all the meanderings of this life; for he has had the experience in it. He knows how to guide us and how to time his blessings to our wants; and when you feel impatient and dissatisfied because he does not give you more than you now have, and when you are afflicted and bowed down in sorrow and pain, let the reflection enter into your hearts to comfort you, that our Father and God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, trod the path we are now treading, that there is no affliction and sorrow that we are acquainted with, or can be, that the Lord has not already had an experience in; and he knows our condition, he knows what is good for us. If we need a gift and a blessing, he knows when to bestow it upon us. This ought to comfort us; it ought to cause us to rejoice and be glad, and our hearts to be filled with thanksgiving continually before the Lord our God for his abundant mercy and kindness unto us his children.

Can we think of anything that would be good for us, or that we ought to possess, that Satan can offer unto us, that we will not obtain if we are faithful? Will he present unto us a good outfit by going to California or to any other place? If we are only patient, and abide our time, and serve God faithfully, he will bestow on us far more than that. There is no good thing that may be presented to us that we cannot obtain in the Gospel. We may let our minds range over the earth and think of the greatness and glory possessed by kings and potentates, these things are all embraced in the Gospel as a reward for the Saints, who will enjoy even greater blessings than these through their faithfulness. We talk about kings and nobles, and we have admired their glory; but the day is not far distant when there will be thousands of men in Zion holding more power, and having more glory, honor, and wealth than the greatest and the richest of the nobles of the earth. The earth and its fulness are promised unto us by the Lord our God, as soon as we have the wisdom and experience necessary to wield this power and wealth. Shall we not be patient, then, and diligent when we have so much assistance given unto us? Shall we not plod unwearingly and unmurmuringly forward in the path God has marked out for us, when we have the help, the comfort, and the consolation which he gives us day by day?

We are not working for that which is in the distance, and toiling for the reward that is far removed, and that we have to look forward to; but we are receiving our reward as we go along, even the rich blessings of heaven, day by day and hour by hour, and we rejoice in them; and if we are houseless and friendless—that is, so far as the world is concerned—we have within us a wealth of comfort and joy that the world know nothing of; they cannot give it, they cannot take it away, for it comes from God. Why should we not be encouraged, then, under these circumstances? If the Latter-day Saints conduct themselves so as to receive condemnation, their condemnation will be most severe, for they have light, they have knowledge, they have blessings the superior of which no other people that we have any account of ever received in the same length of time on the earth. Well, I rejoice in these things. I do not wish to occupy your time any longer. My prayer is, that God will bless you and us all, and enable us to appreciate the great salvation he has committed unto us, for Christ’s sake. Amen.

Remarks made by Elder George A. Smith, in the Bowery, General Conference, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 7, 1865.

It is with very great pleasure that I have listened to the instructions and counsels of my brethren at this Conference. In fact, the season of Conference is a period of reflection with me. It is eighteen years ago yesterday when the first October Conference was held in this valley under the shade of a hay stack, and it served an abundant means of shading all that attended. As we are here assembled now, it would require an extensive hay stack to create a shade sufficient to accommodate the assembly, and there is but a very small representation here from the settlements of the Territory, though there are considerable numbers from some of them—trains of fifty or sixty wagons loaded with persons to attend Conference. Those of us who are in this city, and who have not had the privilege of traveling through the settlements, can form very little comprehension of the extent, strength, and population of the Territory, and of the amount of labor, toil, and the results of that toil and labor which are progressing throughout.

President Young has devoted a large portion of his time since last Conference, associated with a number of Elders, in traveling and visiting the Saints. He has visited, perhaps, one-half of them, after traveling about eighteen hundred miles. Our Territory is said to be sparsely set– tled, but our location renders it necessary that wherever a settlement exists it shall be of considerable size, in order to carry out the necessary arrangements for protection and cultivation. It is seldom that a small settlement can do this successfully. I have been pleased with the suggestions offered by President Hyde in relation to the better cultivation of the soil; for when we go to the expense of taking out water, of keeping up dams, making requisite canals, repairing tunnels and smaller ditches and water sects, it would seem really sound policy that every foot of land thus watered, in order to make it effective, should be cultivated in the best possible manner. If the Lord had seen proper to send rains from heaven to water our lands sufficiently and gratuitously as in other places, we might spread over the land and cultivate the soil without so much labor on our part. If the suggestions which have been made are duly considered and applied throughout the Territory, the result will be the production of from one to three times more of the necessaries of life on the same area.

So far as the unity of the people is concerned, I have felt to rejoice the past season; I have accompanied the President this summer, except when on his last trip to Cache Valley, during which I was on a journey to the South with Elder Amasa Lyman. We held twenty-four meetings. It is really an expressive and singular incident that we live to visit so many climates inhabited by Saints in so short a time. We passed near the snow region in July, went directly into a semi-torrid zone to see the effects of all the changes in this variety of climate, thermometer at Washington 110 degrees in the shade, all within our own borders. Our settlements may be compared to a thrifty tree, throwing out annually a new growth more extended and more vigorous. While President Young and company passed on south, Elders F. D. Richards and A. M. Musser took another direction through the new counties of Sevier, Piute, and Kane, through a chain of new settlements never before visited, only in part, by some of the Twelve, visiting on their route some 600 families. It is really astonishing to reflect that such an extent of settlements have been thrown out. We have been gratified very much with the efforts and exertions made by our brethren who were sent on missions to our cotton region in opening and enlarging the settlements there. They have met with many difficulties of which their northern brethren have very little conception. The soil along their streams in many places is composed of such loose material that it is almost impossible to carry a water ditch through it for irrigation, the soil of the banks dissolving in the water like sugar in coffee; dams are washed away by frequent bursting of clouds. You may take the best fields in the vicinity of St. George, and the annual expense of keeping up their canals and dams for irrigation has been 15 dollars per acre, and yet the courage, energy, perseverance, and diligence of the brethren have not failed, but they continue to construct dams, and contend with the natural obstacles that lie in their way to the permanent improvement of the country. This perseverance, which will eventually bring forth an abundant supply of the needful staples which can be successfully produced in that climate, is very commendable; to support themselves by producing their own breadstuff is true political economy. Notwithstanding the number of mechanics sent there, they have not sufficient to supply the wants of the people. There are many towns without a blacksmith, plasterer, mason, or carpenter. A considerable number of these could find employment and make themselves good homes in many of the southern settlements. We would direct the minds of the brethren to this item.

There is much land that can be cultivated in wheat with flood water that cannot be made to produce cotton, in consequence of drouth later in the season. The raising of bread this year has not interfered to any great extent with the culture of cotton, the supply of which has been greater than last year; and two-thirds of breadstuff necessary has been produced to supply the inhabitants, the other third must be brought from the north. Many vineyards have come into bearing, and extensive new vineyards have been planted, and the efforts at cultivating more breadstuffs have proven successful; and if the brethren continue their efforts, an ample supply will be produced for home consumption without materially lessening the breadth cultivated in cotton and vines. While my brethren are contending with these obstacles I sympathize with them, and rejoice when I see them victorious. As I passed through the mineral lots in St. George I saw their barren aspect, and saw the men working on them to conquer those combined chemical elements which eat up everything that grows, and though the rocks and fences of sandstones were dissolving before them, yet men are conquering this soil and making it produce. Nearly three-fourths of all the fruit trees planted in St. George have been unsuccessful, yet the place is looking like the Garden of Eden, showing that perseverance, faith, and energy will conquer everything. It is a delightful and pleasant locality. I name these things because we are interested in them, and wish the brethren to realize that those brethren on that mission have spent the accumulated property of many years, and many of them are successful; some are yet struggling to make a start, and it is with them as the old adage has it, while the grass grows the cow starves; but they are not discouraged; their eyes look bright, their spirit is determined, and I was pleased to hear Elder Snow speak of the good spirit they felt, and that they were determined to overcome. A people possessed of such great energy, aided by the ready cooperation of their brethren in the north, are bound to conquer that desert, and not only make it blossom as the rose, but make one of the most delightful regions of the earth. I would suggest to all persons who go there to fulfil what is required of them, and not forget that it is necessary to carry the staff of life with them, that those that are there, and those that are going, may be provided with ample supplies of bread; it is better to have a little over when the next harvest comes than to go two or three weeks without bread. May the blessings of God be upon Zion, and may her cords be lengthened and her stakes strengthened, that she may be blessed continually with that wisdom, knowledge, and intelligence that guide the head and inspire the body. We are improving in everything; we must continue to improve until the light of life shines throughout the whole earth; for our business is to be like a city set upon a hill, or a candle set upon a table, to illuminate the earth, and bring all to a knowledge of the truth, life, and peace. May God enable us to be so is my prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Elder Orson Hyde, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, General Conference, Oct. 7, 1865.

By the request and permission of my brethren, I have the pleasure of rising up in the midst of the Saints to say a few words to them this morning. I feel very thankful to the Lord our God that I still have a name and a place among his people, that I am permitted to meet with them in General Conference, to speak of the goodness of our Father in heaven, and to join in worship with the general assembly of the Church of God. We are favored, truly, with fine weather; this is not only a great blessing to us, but it is a great blessing to our friends and brethren who are journeying on the plains to join us in our localities here.

First and foremost, brethren and sisters, I will say that, on Thursday evening I arrived in this city from the south—from my field of labor. As I came near the borders of the city I came in contact with a very disagreeable smell, arising from the decomposition of some animal that had been hauled out on the outside to remove the nuisance from the city. When I passed a certain line I entered the city and beheld shady trees and fruit trees laden with fruit, and experienced with delight the agreeable odor from the ripening fruit. The contrast was as agreeable as it was great. It immediately occurred to my mind that our brethren who are crossing the plains might come in contact with dead bodies that had been removed from among the Saints, I mean dead as to the spiritual life of God in them, for they must of necessity come in contact with these ere they could reach the city of the Saints. I believe that the evil things that could be said of the Saints are said around the borders, and those that are coming here to find a home have these things to encounter, that are quite disagreeable, and it requires not a little perseverance and faith to force their way through and to arrive here untarnished by the evil that meets them on the way. But when they can come with the Spirit of the Lord—with the spirit of the Saints in them—they forget all those disagreeable things on the borders, and their minds are charged with a heavenly influence, when they find themselves among the Saints here in peace and in truth.

Five years ago, the 10th of last June, I left this city to bestow my labors in another part of the heritage of our God, in the county generally known as that of Sanpete. At the time I went there, there were six efficient settlements, the largest of which would not exceed 125 or 130 families. According to the ability which the Lord has given me, in connection with my brethren who have been laboring more or less with me, the industry of the Saints, and the blessings of the Lord, the settlements have now increased to fifteen in number. They advanced southward until it was deemed expedient and necessary in the Legislature of last winter to organize two new counties, namely, the Sevier County and Piute County. The land in these counties that is susceptible of cultivation is mostly occupied with settlements, which, in several places in these new counties, are quite large.

We have had some difficulties to encounter, and all those who are acquainted with the establishment of new settlements in new localities, are not ignorant that there is always more or less difficulty to contend with; especially when they are so remote from what may be termed headquarters, or from the sources of aid and succor. We have enjoyed, generally, very good health; we have had some little sickness among children, and several have died.

There is a good deal of ambition among our people to cultivate a great quantity of ground, the result of which is, that we cultivate our lands poorly in comparison to what we would if we were contented with a smaller area, and would confine our labors to it. We have found some difficulty with regard to water, and complaints have been made about a scarcity of water in many places, when, indeed, I suppose the Lord has apportioned the water to the amount of land he intended should be cultivated. I do not think that these things are passed over unnoticed by Him without some kind of arrangement or calculation. He understands perfectly well what the elements are capable of producing, and how many of His people may be established here or there with profit and with advantage. I have labored most industriously since I have acquired a little experience myself, to induce my brethren to direct their energies upon smaller tracts of land; for I have noticed where men would attempt to raise a crop off forty acres of land, that they could not get their crops in in season, and frequently the frost came early and destroyed a great portion of them. This is bestowing our labor for that which does not profit. Now, would it not be better to confine our energies to a small tract of land, put in our crops in due season, have ample time to do it, do it well, and then it would only require one-half or one-third the amount of water to mature them, and they would mature in advance of the frost?

I do not know how it is in other sections of the country, but I presume it is more or less with them like the circumstances I will relate. I have known men, single handed, attempt to raise twenty-five and thirty acres of grain when it is more than any one man can well do; the result is, they find themselves troubled to get the water; they run from break of day until dark at night, wearing themselves out, and with all they can do they cannot bestow that attention upon their fields which they need, and they only get from eighteen to twenty bushels of wheat to the acre. When men have confined themselves to ten acres of land, having plowed it well the season before, all the foul weeds killed out and the soil left clean, the seed sown at an early day in the Spring, and put in in good order, I have known such fields to produce from forty to sixty bushels of good plump wheat to the acre. Besides, when fields are so cultivated, less water is used; the necessary labor can be performed without being hurried, and a plentiful harvest of golden sheaves reward the toil of the laborer.

This season, in all probability, our crops will fall short of other years some thirty thousand bushels of wheat, by reason of the early frosts. While I regret this loss, I am happy to say that there is plenty of good wheat in the granary, or in the Egypt of Utah; and I think the loss this year, through early frosts, will aid very much in enforcing the principles which I have endeavored to advance, namely, to confine our labors to smaller tracts of land and put in our crops in good time; that while they are growing luxuriantly and yielding bountifully, filling our bins with golden grain we are not worn out with toil before the days allotted to us to live are expired; but we still have our strength, time to build comfortable houses for our families to live in, barns and sheds, and to prepare shelter for our stock.

I find the longer we live in these valleys that the range is becoming more and more destitute of grass; the grass is not only eaten up by the great amount of stock that feed upon it, but they tramp it out by the very roots; and where grass once grew luxuriantly, there is now nothing but the desert weed, and hardly a spear of grass is to be seen.

Between here and the mouth of Emigration Canyon, when our brethren, the Pioneers, first landed here in ’47, there was an abundance of grass over all those benches; they were covered with it like a meadow. There is now nothing but the desert weed, the sage, the rabbit bush, and such like plants, that make very poor feed for stock. Being cut short of our range in the way we have been, and accumulating stock as we are, we have nothing to feed them with in the winter and they perish. There is no profit in this, neither is it pleasing in the sight of God our Heavenly Father that we should continue a course of life like unto this. Hence, in my labors I have exerted an influence, as far as I have been able, to cultivate less land in grain and secure to ourselves meadows that we might have our hay in the time and in the season thereof, shades for our stock, barns, and stables for our horses, and good houses for our families, where they may be made comfortable and happy, and that we may not be everlasting slaves, running, as it were, after an ignus fatuus, or jack in the lantern, following a false light, but that we may confine ourselves to a proper and profitable course of life. I do say, that a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesses, nor upon the vast amount he extends his jurisdiction over, but it consists in a little well cared for, and everything in order. When we confine ourselves and our labors to small tracts of land, we shall then find time to do everything that is necessary to be done; but if we branch out so largely in plowing, sowing and reaping, we have no time to make necessary improvements around our homes and in our cities; in fact, we have so much to do that we can do nothing at all.

Now I speak of these things, my brethren, not because I think that they are the most edifying to you, but I speak of them because I consider that a temporal salvation is as important as a spiritual one. It is salvation in every respect that we are laboring to obtain, not only to make ourselves comfortable and happy, so far as the physical energies of the body are concerned, but, also, that the mind should not constantly be on the strain day and night. There should be a little time for relaxation and rest to both body and mind, that while our bodies are resting the mind may be fresh to plan and arrange for our personal comfort and how to make everything snug and tidy around us. How much more agreeable is life when everything is in order and good regulation is maintained in and around our homes and cities. This is what I have endeavored, in my weak way, to instil into the minds of the Saints. In some instances I have been successful, and where men have adopted the course I have suggested, they have invariably borne testimony in its favor. I would rather have half a dozen cows in the winter, and have them well taken care of, than to have twenty and have fourteen of them die for want of feed and proper attention, which would leave me only six. I would rather only have the six to begin with, then I would not have the mortification of seeing so many suffer and die. In the present condition of the ranges, we cannot indulge in the hope of raising such large herds of stock as we have done heretofore; but we have got to keep about what will serve us, and take care of them well; then we can enjoy ourselves, and we are not the authors of misery to any part of creation.

We are trying to get into this way; it is a slow operation, and it seems that men’s inordinate desire for wealth and extensive possessions is hard to overcome. They hate to be limited; they think their fields are not large enough for their strength; but it is a good thing to have a little strength on hand all the time, and not let out the very last link, because there might be an emergency that would really require it. If we drive a pair of horses all the time at their utmost speed they are soon worn out; and if you want to make a trip very speedily, you cannot do it, your animals are run down, you have not husbanded their strength, and they are not capable of performing the journey you wish; whereas, if they are properly driven, judiciously fed, and their strength properly husbanded, when you want to make a sudden dash you have the power to do it. We are not unlike, in this respect, to other portions of the animal creation. Perhaps I have said enough upon this subject.

We have had our difficulties to encounter in the south; it has not all sunshine and fair weather with us, but we have got along as well as we could. Perhaps that is saying too much, it is saying a good deal; I do not know that I dare say it. I look back frequently upon my past life and find many places that I think I could have bettered; but were I to live my life over again I do not know that I could do any differently. I will, however, let the past take care of itself, and for the future seek to do the will of God and keep myself in subjection to it.

I have no objections to men obtaining wisdom and learning from books, whether old or new; that is all right and good enough; but I consider it is better to have the Spirit of God in our hearts, that we may know the truth when we hear it; and not only know it when we hear it, but be capable by that Spirit of bringing forth things that we never heard. I feel that it is our privilege, brethren and sisters, to have this principle dwelling within us; and when I see men laboring through books, ancient and modern, to find but little that is good, I am reminded of those who run over forty acres of land in a superficial manner, and only reap a little, when a small quantity of land, well watered and well cultivated, would be sure to yield a rich harvest.

I want to speak a few words now in relation to our position. We look back to the days of Abraham, and we consider him to be a great man. Truly, he was a great man; he was among the first of great men in this world, according to our limited know– ledge. There were great men before his day, but we are not so well acquainted with the revelations given previous to his time, nor with the men that lived before him, as we are with Abraham, and with the revelations given to him and to prophets subsequent to his time. The Lord called him away from the worship of idols, telling him to separate himself and go into a land He would show him. He was guided by that Spirit that always guides aright, so he came into the land of Canaan. The Lord told him to look “northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.” The Lord promised to make him a great ruler, a prince, and the father of the faithful. I want to ask the Latter-day Saints if the field is not wide enough, and if it is not the good will of our Father in heaven, to make Abrahams of every faithful man of God that lives on the earth at this day? If it is not according to the loving kindness of our Heavenly Father to bless every faithful man of God as he blessed Abraham? It seems so to me. Abraham had several wives, and he had children. Is not the same blessing extended to us? That if Abraham was to be a prince and a ruler, and his posterity become numerous, may we not, if faithful to our God and to our covenants, be as Abraham? Shall there be any end to our posterity? May they not be as numerous as the stars in the firmament, and as the sands upon the seashore? Abraham may be in advance of us; he lived in an earlier period; but we are following up in the same track. Although we may not be called upon to yield up an only son, as Abraham was, yet, may we not enjoy through faithfulness the blessings, and honors, and privileges that he did? I see nothing in the way of it. I believe it is according to the goodness, and generosity, and loving kindness of our Father in heaven. Now, the Jews boasted that they were the literal descendants of Abraham; and, notwithstanding their unrighteousness, stubbornness of heart, blindness of mind, and unbelief, they considered themselves heirs to all the promises made unto Abraham, and a distinguished and honored people. Jesus came to them, and taught and instructed them, and would have saved them, but they would not allow him to be their Savior; hence he said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” The Savior began to reason with them on one occasion; they answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him,” etc. Now, they are the people to whom the promises were made, of whom it is said they should be remembered forever, and that too with loving kindness and favor. It was understood that they would be chastened if they went astray, but the Lord would always remember them on account of their fathers.

They that are the children of Abraham do the works of Abraham. What did Abraham do? The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and the voice of the Lord was heard by him, and when the Lord commanded him he obeyed; when he was commanded to offer up his only son, his darling Isaac, he prepared to do so. Abraham, no doubt, felt all the sympathies of a kindhearted father, but still the voice of God to him was paramount to all things else, and he laid his son upon the altar and was about to slay him; and while the knife was aimed at the life of the lad, showing that Abraham was fully bent to do the will of God, and follow out the instructions given him, an angel’s voice from on high said, Abraham, spare thy son; I have tried and proved you; now I have the evidence that you will not withhold anything from me; there is a ram in the thicket, take him and offer him up instead; and Isaac was accepted in a figure and was saved. Abraham went on in obedience to the requirements of Heaven and faltered not. Now, then, if we will do the works of Abraham, we are the children of Abraham. The natural seed of Abraham rejected the offers of mercy, and it was said of them, “Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them.” Again, Paul says, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh.” Their true line of connection with Abraham was broken because of unbelief, and Heaven regarded it no more. But here is a new institution, hence, says Jesus, except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, and except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. To be born again is necessary to be a child of Abraham—to be a child of God. We are to be born of water and of the Spirit. What will the Spirit do for us if we give place to it and allow it to act according to its office in our own bosoms, and oppose it not, doing nothing to grieve it and to paralyze its force and influence upon our systems? Will it not create us anew in Christ Jesus, making our flesh, blood, and bones anew, creating the whole creature anew, being born from above and sanctified unto God? It seems so to me. It was said to Jesus, “Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.” But he answered and said unto him who told him, “Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” I do not know that I understand the exact meaning of the word sanctification, it is a very commonly used word; what I understand by it is, that the sanctifying influences of the Spirit of God is that influence which purges us from everything that is worldly, selfish, and contrary to the mind of God: and the creature who is sanctified can say, “Our Father who art in heaven,” because he is born from above. Now, the presumption is, if a child is born to me, that that child inherits my spirit—my nature—by virtue of his birth and “being begotten by me.” If we are, then, begotten of God and born of his Spirit, we inherit the qualities of the Deity himself. Then may we not all become Abrahams? It seems to me that the Almighty can furnish territory enough, room enough: for He is not limited: and this world and all other worlds are subject to him. He controls, governs, and manages them, and they are to provide ample room for the existence and increase of His faithful children.

I do not pretend to understand the secret springs that are subject to the Almighty’s touch, but suffice it to say that I know they exist, and that He can touch them aright; and that if we will serve Him and honor Him and keep His commandments, He will touch them every time in our favor. I do not feel that the kingdom of God is going to be overthrown, that the wicked are going to prevail against it. I would have great mercy upon the wicked, so far as they will repent and obey the Gospel; but if they will not repent and obey the Gospel, if they will love unrighteousness and practice it all the day long, they cannot be acknowledged as the children of God, but will be accounted enemies of the Most High, and will be overthrown.

I wish to put the most charitable construction upon the purposes of all men. When the army was sent up to Utah under Johnston, their design was to overthrow the “Mormons” in these valleys; for they considered our religion a dangerous error, though this was not their manifest and avowed reason. They, however, did us no harm, and that great army, the flower of the United States, was broken to pieces and scattered hither and thither. They exhibited to all men and to the heavens their purpose, but God saved his people. What did they get for their reward? Look at the fields of Virginia and Tennessee. Look on the battlefields in the South that have been drenched with blood; the nation has been clothed with mourning, sorrow, and wretchedness, and this is their reward for seeking to fight against God and to overthrow his kingdom. Do they look at it so? They do not. And they will spurn this testimony as they would the testimony that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, was armed with the Spirit of God, and carried life and death on his tongue. The nation has had a bloody war and a sore time of suffering, and many a heart will ache and be filled with sorrow after this day; it will take a long time to heal up the deadly wound it has inflicted upon the nation, a long time to cure up the sore, and while it is being cured up in one place, I have thought there is danger of it breaking out in another place. The whole organization of the nation has been infected with a disease that seems to be incurable: perhaps it may be cured, but I cannot say how this may be. Is the trouble ended? I do not apprehend that it is; they may cry peace and safety, but I do not think there is a good foundation for it. If they will provoke further calamities, after the severe reproof that has been given, further calamities will come upon them.

It is perfectly right to look at things as they really are. Here is, perhaps, a million of men to be disbanded that have been accustomed to live not by agricultural and mechanical pursuits, but they have been accustomed for the last few years to live by destroying the fruits of the ground and the productions of mechanical labor; by destroying men, women, and children, and laying towns and cities in flames, and they have had joy in the work of their hands. When this multitude of men are turned loose, are they going to adopt their former course of industry? Some may, but I fear the majority of them will not; the great mass of them have learned to do otherwise, and they are like so many firebrands scattered over the land.

When I was young I used to read about a day that should burn as an oven, and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble. I then had an idea that a sheet of fire would come down from heaven and burn up the ungodly; that the sun would be darkened and the moon turned to blood and the stars fall from heaven. I look at things in another point of light now; I now consider that the elements, the agents of destruction, are right here to accomplish that work, and the revelations of God will be fulfilled; for God has put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and they shall make the whore of all the earth desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire. That great day of burning is beginning; we have had a few drops before the shower; it will wax worse and worse, and men will continue to deceive and be deceived until the earth shall be burned up. The word of the Lord is, “Come out from her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and receive not of her plagues.”

In conclusion, let me say that I know this is the work of God, I know it to be the truth of heaven, I know that Joseph is a Prophet of the Most High God, and I know that he gave the mind and will of Heaven to the world in the days of his mortal life. I know that President Brigham Young is the man now chosen of God to guide the destinies of this people, and I say, May the Lord bless him, and those that are connected with him, and those that listen to his counsel; and may the blessing of God be upon all Israel, and His wrath and indignation be upon all that hate Him, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, General Conference, Oct. 7, 1865.

It is good to meet together as we are met on the present occasion. It is good to speak on the goodness of God, and it is pleasant and instructive to hear; we enjoy a privilege that is not possessed by any of the inhabitants of the earth except ourselves; it is a privilege which, when properly understood by the Saints, they will esteem to be greater than any other earthly blessing that can be bestowed upon them. We assemble together in a different capacity from that of any other people; we meet here as the representatives of God upon the earth. Yet occupying the high position that we do, blessed as we are with the light of truth, with the Holy Priesthood, with the fulness of the everlasting Gospel; in possession of light and intelligence that is not imparted unto others, but of which they are ignorant, we stand emphatically as God’s elect, as His representatives on the earth; at the same time, there is mixed up with us a great amount of weakness, infirmities, and follies, and we need continually the aid, teaching, and protection of the Almighty God to govern, guide, lead, and direct us in the right path.

As I before stated, we stand in a different position to the Almighty and to the world from that of any other people. To us God has revealed his will; He has opened the heavens to us; among us He has organized the Holy Priesthood, and revealed those principles which exist in the eternal world; of us He has made messengers of life and salvation, to us He has communicated his law, and from us He expects obedience and a ready cooperation with Him in bringing to pass those great events that must transpire in the building up and establishment of the kingdom of God in the last days. The Lord is anxious to do us good, to enlighten our minds, to inform our judgment, to unfold unto us His will, and to strengthen us and prepare us for the great events that must transpire in these last days. He is desirous to show us how to save ourselves, how to bless ourselves, temporally and spiritually, intellectually, morally, physically, politically, and in every possible way that He is capable of bestowing his blessings upon fallen humanity. He is desirous to perform a great work upon the earth, to bring about a great revolution among men; to establish correct principles of every kind, and to make the earth and the inhabitants thereof fulfil the measure of their creation, and prepare all that are capable or worthy to receive everlasting life and exaltation in the celestial kingdom where he dwells. He is desirous of making use of us as his instruments in the development of this great work in which He has engaged.

We have been in the habit of reading the words of the prophets in relation to the establishment of the kingdom of God, and what they have said, and the Spirit, by which they were inspired. We have reflected a good deal upon what the Lord would do in relation to establishing correct principles upon the earth in the last days. We have read about these things, and we have believed them in part; and as the Spirit of God has beamed upon our minds, lately we have been enabled to comprehend more fully some of the things that the prophets in ancient times wrote about, but of which they understood very little, and we can only understand them as we are taught; we can only comprehend the designs of God as he reveals them to us; we can only understand our duty as the Spirit of God makes it manifest, either through the Elders of Israel or by the revelations of God to ourselves, or both.

It is in vain for the Elders of Israel to teach the principles of truth unless the people are prepared to receive them; and it is vain for the Lord to communicate his will unto the people unless the people possess a portion of his Spirit, to comprehend something of that will and the designs of God towards them, and towards the earth upon which they dwell. Nor can the Lord work with them unless they are prepared to cooperate with him in the establishment of his kingdom upon the earth.

There are a great many things of which we speak that seem to be very simple, and very unnecessary, in the estimation of some, for us to talk about. We have heard in this Conference reports from different parts of the Territory about their crops, about the way the land is cultivated, about the kind of improvements the people are making, about the prospects that lie before them for sustaining themselves with all the common necessaries of life, etc. And some people think that we might, when we convene together, talk about something else—about something which they would designate as being more spiritual. We meet together as men of intelligence, as men possessing natural wants, who have natural bodies, which bodies have to be clothed, to be fed and provided for; we meet together as rational individuals and as heads of families, who have children growing up that need, in the first place, to be instructed in the common laws of life, and in those things that are necessary to promote our common well-being. The first thing that devolves upon all human beings, so far as I can comprehend it, is to provide a way for their own sustenance. One of the very first commandments that God gave to Adam was, when He placed him in the garden, He told him to dress or till it, so that he might be able to provide for his necessities. The fiat of the Almighty, at the time when Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden was to him, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread;” that we cannot avoid. By this inscrutable law we are compelled to attend to some of the first necessary affairs of life, or to go without bread and necessarily die. Consequently, when we talk about land and posses– sions, an inheritance, etc., we talk about things that are some of the first necessaries pertaining to human existence. We live by breathing the air that God gives us, by drinking the water that He causes to flow for our sustenance, and by cultivating the earth in order that we may partake of the products of the earth. This is one of the first duties pertaining to man, and hence when we meet together to form new settlements as part of the body politic—as part of the kingdom of God, it devolves upon all of us always to ascertain how we can sustain ourselves in the position in which we are placed. Hence, when we hear of any difficulties, such as we have heard of in the south at various times, and from other sources, pertaining to the existence of man, it causes a thrill of feeling to go through the whole of the people that form part of the kingdom of God; for if one member of the body suffers, they all suffer with it; and if one member of the body rejoices, the rest rejoice with it. When we hear from the south, as at the present time, that they are raising their bread, and that there is every reasonable prospect of them being enabled to sustain themselves, we feel comforted by the report. When we hear from the north of the destruction made by the early frosts, and yet, notwithstanding this disaster, of the prospects that lie before them, and the encouragement that they hold out to us of the prosperity of their settlements there, and that they will be able to provide for themselves, we feel comforted thereby, and feel thankful to the God of Israel that He is providing for and taking care of his Saints.

We believe that the kingdom of God is a temporal kingdom as well as a spiritual and eternal kingdom, to use this expression according to our comprehension; and when men are deprived of the common necessaries of life, and have not wherewith to sustain themselves, they have but very little time to attend to religious matters, and they cannot be of much benefit to their brethren in helping to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth. But when, on the other hand, we see that the Saints are blessed in the north, in the south, in the east and in the west; when we see them industrious, persevering, diligent, and using all lawful measures to provide for themselves, and their families, and those that depend upon them; and when we see them cultivating the Spirit of God in them and living their religion, cleaving close to the Almighty and drawing blessings from his hand, then we acknowledge the hand of God in all things, and feel to bless the name of the God of Israel. Every one of these things is of great importance to the Saints of God, and we feel interested in all these matters. Are they prospering in the south? We acknowledge the hand of God in it. Is the climate tempered in the north? We acknowledge the hand of God in it. Do the rains descend upon our parched land and cause it to bring forth luxuriantly? We acknowledge the hand of God in it; and so we do in everything that we see, and in everything that we have to do with; for we read “that the wrath of the Almighty is kindled against none but those who do not acknowledge his hand in all things.”

We are gathered together here as a peculiar people; we differ, as I stated before, in almost every respect from the world of mankind with which we are surrounded. The Lord gives to them seedtime and harvest, summer and winter, and pours the rich blessings of heaven into their laps; He gives them mechanical talent and ingenuity; He inspires them with a knowledge of the arts and sciences; He has been pouring upon them the rich blessings of intelligence and of plenty for ages, but they do not acknowledge his hand. Men boast of their own intelligence, of their own wisdom, of their own power, might, and understanding—this is a general rule, with but few exceptions. They feel a good deal like the king of Babylon did when in his pride he rose up and said, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built? Have I not done these things by my wisdom, by my intelligence, by my power and might?” With us it is different. We are indebted to God for the first rays of light and intelligence that ever beamed upon us. Who among us knew the first principles of the Gospel of Christ until we heard them from the Elders of Israel? There is not a man among us that did; there is not a man in existence today that knows them, only as they have been communicated to him from God. Who told us that it was right to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins? Who taught us it was right to receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands? Who taught us that it was right that there should be an authority given by God to man to enable him to officiate legally in His name, and that everything in the shape of religion upon the earth was spurious and not of Him? It was communicated to Joseph Smith by the opening of the heavens, by the ministering of Holy Angels, and by the voice of God. Until that voice was heard, until these communications were made known, the inhabitants of the world were wrapped in ignorance; they knew nothing about God nor the principles of eternity, nor the way to save themselves nor anybody else.

We have nothing to boast of in this particular. I do not speak of these things by way of boasting, but I speak of them to acknowledge the hand and mercy of God towards us as a people. What would a man give in exchange for his soul? We are told that a man will give all he hath for his life; what will he give, then, in exchange for his soul, or has he anything to barter for it? What is it that hath loosed us from the shackles of ignorance, error, superstition, and folly with which we were bound? It is the light of heaven, the revelations of God, the ministration of the Holy Priesthood that has imparted to us intelligence in relation to these things; without this it is impossible that we could follow anything in relation to them. Who is there in the world that understands anything of God, or his will? They cannot be found; they know nothing of Him. It would be needless to talk about the folly of many of their priests, and their ideas and notions in relation to these matters. What do they know of God? They tell us he is a spirit. What else? That He is without “body, parts, and passions.” Some tell us that He sits on the top of a topless throne, etc. It is not necessary to enter into these matters; we know them, and we do not wish, at the present time, to reflect upon them. I am simply reflecting upon my own ignorance as one of them. When I was among them I was a teacher, and what did I know? Simply nothing. I knew nothing of God, of the principles of eternal truth and life, and I could not find anybody anywhere that knew any more than I did. I am indebted to “Mormonism,” to the light of truth, to the revelations of God, to the administrations of the Holy Priesthood, for all the knowledge, and light, and intelligence that I may possess in relation to these matters; and this is the case with all of us; we were all unacquainted with God, with the Holy Priesthood, and with the way to obtain eternal life; and the same ignorance that becloud– ed our minds, previous to the opening of the heavens to Joseph Smith, and the coming forth of the fulness of the Gospel through him, beclouds the rest of the world at the present time. They know not where they are going to, nor where they came from. I used to ask myself sometimes questions like the following—Who am I? Where did I come from? What am I doing here? What is the object of my existence? Who organized the world, and for what purpose was it organized? Could I answer them? No; and nobody else could answer them for me; for they know nothing about these things—neither priest, nor philosopher, nor statesman, nor any man that I could associate with, could unravel these questions; they could not tell the whys and the wherefores in relation to some of these simple things that have been given to us.

The Gospel, we are told in one place, is “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus,” and “it hath made us free from the law of sin and death.” We are told in another place that it is “good news and glad tidings;” but, if we comprehend it correctly, the Gospel holds the keys, through the Priesthood, of the mysteries of God; the Gospel “brings life and immortality to light;” and wherever it exists, in whatsoever bosom it dwells, whoever has engaged in the propagation of the Gospel, has a knowledge of life and immortality; it is that which unveils the heavens, and without it men are ignorant in relation to the future, and of that salvation of which they talk so much. The Gospel places men in communication with the Lord, so that they can understand something of God, and something of His law, and without the Gospel they cannot understand anything about Him; and hence some will think one thing about Him and some another. Whoever has possessed the Gospel, whether in former or in latter times, it has brought life and immortality to light, to them; it shows men who they are and what they are; it shows them something about God; and it was said in former times that, this is life eternal to know God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. Without the Gospel it would be impossible for men to have any knowledge of God, or of Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. Hence, when Jesus asked the question of his disciples, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” they answered him, “Some say thou art Elias, and some say thou art Moses, and some that thou art one of the prophets risen from the dead.” “But whom say ye that I am?” Peter answered, “Thou art the Son of the living God.” Jesus said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven; and thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

How did Peter know that He was the Christ? He knew it by revelation; he had the Gospel, and the Gospel brings life and immortality to light, and reveals unto the human family the existence of a God and their relationship to him. We are indebted to God for light, for the intelligence we enjoy, for the knowledge of the Gospel that is placed within our reach.

Now let us proceed a little further in relation to these matters. God is desirous of benefiting us, and for this reason he has revealed unto us his will; for this reason he has opened the heavens and communicated with us. God is desirous of establishing his law, his authority, his kingdom, his dominion among men. He is desirous to be obeyed by the human family, and to have them submit to his teachings, to his guidance, and to his direction. He is desirous of establishing correct principles among mankind that will do them good, that will bless them, that will exalt them, that will prepare them to fulfil their destiny upon the earth, and the first step that he has taken is to impart unto them, through obedience to the principles of the Gospel of Christ, the Holy Ghost, and only through that can they comprehend God or his laws. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God; and except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” We sometimes feel a little indignant at the actions of men around us; we think that they act strangely, and so they do. We think that they are very full of prejudice, and so they are; we think that they are very wicked and show a very malignant spirit toward us, and are desirous to injure us, and we have often been astonished at this when we have been abroad in the world; we have seen very honorable, high-minded men and women that fear God and work righteousness, and yet there is an array of prejudice and persecution against them that would almost astonish us. What is the matter? They do not see things as we see them; there is a thick veil over them; they are something like the people that Jesus spoke about in his day, when he prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” They know not the light and intelligence of the Holy Ghost, and, consequently, they do not understand our position, and they are led by other influences they know nothing about. They do not see the kingdom of God, nor can they. I do not care what their wisdom is, nor their intelligence; I do not care what school they were taught in, or who was their teacher; I care nothing about the extent of their capacity, reading, or intelligence acquired or possessed; unless they have possessed the Spirit of the living God, they cannot comprehend the affairs pertaining to the kingdom of God. Well, but are there not many very honorable and high-minded men in the world that are not Latter-day Saints? Yes; but they do not see the kingdom of God any more than Nicodemus did when he came to Jesus by night. We stand upon a different platform from what they do, and we have to make many allowances for their conduct and actions towards us. They do not understand our designs, nor what we are after. Why are we gathered together? Because God has called us and we are willing to obey him; because God sent a message to the nations of the earth, and we possessed a portion of the Spirit of God; and when the Elders of Israel came forth to teach us the words of life, as Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and they know me,” etc., the word of life was sown broadcast among thousands, and millions of the human family arose and believed it at first, as much as you and I did; but the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the influences with which they were surrounded, choked the precious seed, and it could not bring forth fruit. These influences, more or less to the present time, prey upon our minds and darken and benumb our feelings, and interpose between us and our Heavenly Father.

What is it that we are aiming at, and who are we seeking to injure in the world? Who have been injured by us? There is no man living who can speak the truth and say he has been injured by this people. He does not exist; and whenever they make statements of that kind, you may brand them as liars. Who have we interfered with? What people have we deprived of their rights? Among whom have we sown the seeds of sedition or injury of any kind? Have we gone to the North or South and interfered with any of the Territories or States surrounding us? No man that tells the truth can say so, for we have never done it; we have no need to do it; it is not in our hearts to do it; we cannot do it while we live our religion. The Lord is trying to teach us, if he can, and we are trying to teach each other, if we can; so that we may be elevated and exalted in the scale of intelligence, morality, virtue, honesty, and truth; and with regard to anything and everything that tends to exalt and ennoble the human mind. This is what we are after, and what the Lord is desirous to make of us.

We emanated from Him; we are His children, and not only His children temporally and spiritually, but we are united to Him by covenant to serve Him; we have covenanted to serve Him in baptism; we have covenanted to serve Him in our endowments, to keep His commandments, and walk according to the laws of life.

The Lord is desirous to root out error from among us—from me, and from you, and from all of us; to tear away error, and superstition, and vice, and vanity, and folly, and pride, and evil of every kind; to show us the beauty of holiness, the excellency of truth; to show us every principle that is calculated to build us up, and bless us with life and health, and our posterity after us, worlds without end.

And what does the Gospel show us? It shows us who our Father is; it shows us our relationship to Him, and to our earthly father; it shows us our duty towards our children, our duty towards our wives, and wives their duty towards their husbands; it enters into all the ramifications of human existence.

As God is our Father, and the organizer of these bodies, and of this earth on which we live, He wants to teach us all, principles that will be calculated to exalt us and exalt the earth on which we live. If anybody has any fault to find with us in any part of the world, it is that we seek to fear God and work the works of righteousness; and if we cannot be swayed from the principles of truth by any power under heaven, our society is ignored.

How often has it been told us, “Gentlemen, if you would only lay aside your religion and become like us, and live as we do, then we will all be good neighbors together.” How often have we had to listen to such stuff and nonsense; like them, serve the devil, commit iniquity, go down to darkness and the shades of death, and live and die without God and without hope in the world, as they would have us to do, and die and be damned. God forbid, we will not do it. (Amen.) Our desire is to serve God; we know the ways of life, for God has taught them to us. We know in whom we have believed, for God has revealed it to us. We know the Gospel is true, because the Gospel has made manifest itself to us, and we feel satisfied with regard to the course we are taking, and God being our helper, we will pursue it to the end. God is our friend, and we are the friends of God.

It was said this morning that we might all be Abrahams. Abraham was the friend of God; we are the friends of God, and if we are not his friends, he cannot find them on the earth; if we are not his friends, he cannot find friends who dare do as we do—who dare cleave to the truth in the midst of shame, obloquy, persecution, and reproach. But we still live, and the truth still lives, and the kingdom of God still exists; and when the kingdoms of the world crumble to pieces and “become like the chaff of the summer threshing– floor, and no place found for them,” we shall still live; for we have within us the seeds of eternal life, and no man can take them from us.

We have begun to live forever, and feel to rejoice and be glad under all circumstances, and to sing “Hallelujah, for the Lord God omnipotent reigned, and will reign, until he hath put all enemies under his feet.” We are striving to help God to do that which he desires to do; and what is that? It is to benefit mankind.

How often have we heard President Young, President Kimball, and others say to the people, “Why not go to work and plant orchards, it is a very little thing to talk about; why will you not make good fences, and make good gardens, and build good, comfortable houses, and try to make yourselves happy and comfortable.” We now see the fruits of these things, and we begin to eat the fruits of our obedience to those instructions and to realize the benefit of them: our fields teem with plenty, our peach trees, and apple trees, and plum trees are laden down with fruit, and we possess the good things of this earth in abundance. Is there any harm in all this? We are taught, also, to love one another; there is nothing bad about that. Husbands are taught to love their wives, and wives are taught to love their husbands, and children to obey their parents; these are good principles, and they have been taught to us all the day long. We have been taught to pay our tithing, that we might acknowledge to God that we are his people, and that if he gave us all we ask, we might give one-tenth back to him, and by that act acknowledge his hand. Does the Lord care about these things? No. Yes. No. Yes. Yes. No. He does not care about them, so far as they benefit Him, but He does, so far as they develop perfection in the Saints of God, and show that they acknowledge his hand as the author and the giver of every blessing they enjoy. One of the prophets says, “The gold and the silver are His, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.” If you want gold, you will have to go a little further away from here. People think it is strange that the “Mormons” do not develop the gold in these mountains; but those who understand the mind of God, understand that he has a protecting care over his people, and that we are in his hands, and that he will sustain us.

That we do not develop the gold in these mountains is not strange to the Saints of God. He has wisely planned for our sakes in a thousand ways. We can remember the time when we could not raise peaches to eat, and it was a doubt whether an apple tree would grow or not. Now go and look at your orchards; there is not a better peach growing country in the world than this. How is this? God has blessed the elements for our sakes, and also the earth; but let the Saints leave this place, and it would return again to its wilderness condition; the wicked could not live here; they could not live here before we came, and they could not if we went away; consequently, if any of them think that they could by any means or stratagem drive us away to possess themselves of our property, it would not do them one particle of good if they got it, for God blessed it for our sakes. He blesses the land for our sakes.

It is hard sometimes to realize this. What does the Lord say to ancient Israel in one place? “Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He sware unto thy fathers: And He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware to thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.” “The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.” Then the curses are enumerated that should come upon them if they forsook the Lord their God and observed not his statues. While the children of Israel obeyed the Lord their God the land abounded in wine, corn, and oil, and they vanquished their enemies. When they departed from God and disobeyed his laws, those calamities which were promised them through disobedience fell upon them to the very letter even to this day. Their temple was destroyed, and not one stone left upon another, as the Savior told, and the ground upon which it stood was plowed up by the Romans in search for gold which they expected to find there.

It is sometimes hard for us to realize that we are in the hands of God, and that he controls, and manages, and guides our affairs. This is the thing we wish to understand, and wish the people to understand that our confidence is in Him. People talk sometimes about what they are going to do with the “Mormons,” and the rumor flies that we are going to be rooted out, destroyed, and overthrown. We shall, when God says so, and not before. The Lord knew in former times how to put a hook into the jaws of the enemies of Israel, and he knows just as well where to place it today. The nation in which we live and all nations are in the hands of God; and so are we, and our enemies cannot help themselves nor avert the destiny that awaits them. He will accomplish his purposes towards them, and they cannot help it, and towards us, and they cannot help it. Then we are all in the hands of God, like clay in the hands of the potter, to be molded, and trained, and fashioned according to the designs of God and according to his will.

As it regards any of those outside influences, we need not fear in relation to them; we need not fear anything they can say and do, for they can do nothing but what God permits. He will let them wander about on Ham’s Fork, and live on mule flesh for a while; and they were a little independent about things and would not take a little salt when we sent it to them; did they harm us? Did they destroy us? No. Why? Because God would not let them. He controlled them, and He now controls and governs kings, and rulers, and magistrates, and generals, and officers, and authorities, though they may not know it; but He says unto them, as He said to the waves of Jordan, “Hitherto shalt thou go, and no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.”

We are in the hands of God, and we are trying to do the things God requires of us to do, and that is, to establish his kingdom and his laws—his government. Where do we get the laws of God from? We get them by revelation through the medium He has appointed; and if we keep these laws, the blessing of God will be with us, His Spirit will attend us, He will bless us in all our endeavors, and we shall bring to pass the great designs of the Almighty that have been spoken of by the Holy Prophets. It is for us to keep the commandments of God, whether they refer to temporal or to spiritual things; whether they relate to this world or to the world to come. We should seek to know God and cleave unto him, carry out all his purposes, and he will lead us in the paths of life.

I am glad that the Spirit of the Lord rests upon the President and people at this Conference. We are here to talk about these things, to preach, and sing, and pray, and commune with one another and with the Lord, and to try to get full of the Spirit of light, that we may go from this Conference and communicate it to others.

May God help us to do his will and keep his commandments, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Remarks by President Heber C. Kimball, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, Oct. 6, 1865.

Brethren and sisters, may the very peace of our God be upon you, upon all Israel, and upon all those who love our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in all the world.

The more we grow in the Spirit of the Lord Jesus, the more are we inclined to extend the blessings of our God to all men, women and children who love Him. We are called to a very exceeding high calling, namely, to be messengers of life and salvation, holding the Priesthood of the Son of God for the redemption of the world. What manner of men ought we to be? Of all men upon the earth our morality should be the best, and our light should not be hid under a bushel but should be on the top of a bushel to be seen of all, that our good works may be known, and that by our good example we may influence others to do good and to trust in and serve God. Every man can exercise an influence for good or for evil in his sphere, and in the circle wherein he moves.

How often people justify themselves in doing wrong because Mr. or Mrs. So-and-So did so; or in conducting themselves like foolish persons in imitation of somebody’s foolish example! People generally are disinclined to acknowledge their faults and forsake them, but this we ought to do, purely because we love the right, doing it independently, and in defiance of the evil customs and examples with which we are surrounded. Every man ought to receive the truth wherever he finds it. Some would rather receive the truth only from the First Presidency and the Twelve; but we should acknow– ledge it, let it come from what source it may. Every person should learn to govern himself and live in this world so as to secure life everlasting; and to do this, we must identify ourselves with our Father and our God, being grafted into Him by the ordinances of the Gospel, and through faithfulness being conformed to His image, partaking of His heavenly nature, as the graft which is put into the roots of a tree partakes of the sap and nature of the tree, bringing forth the fruits of righteousness, drawing nourishment, life, and strength forever from the great source of all life and good. There is no other way for us to identify ourselves with God. Being baptized into Christ we put him on and become one with Him, as he was baptized into His Father and became one with His Father; and thus we are all one in Christ Jesus. We are made one with the Father and the Son by observing His word, His law and His ordinances.

If I were to commit an impropriety, another person would not be justified in doing the same thing. If I violate the law of God I shall be condemned and will not escape upon the plea that somebody else did the same. Every man must answer for his own sin. It is true we have our weaknesses. How? I am afflicted with rheumatic pains, or the infirmities of old age, or I am naturally consumptive, etc. These are weaknesses of the flesh; but may it be termed a weakness when men willfully violate a plain, well-known law of God? The Lord requires nothing of His creatures which they cannot perform. We are subject to the weaknesses of human nature, but they are not crimes, neither should they stand in the way of our doing all the good in our power while we live in the flesh, and as little harm as possible. It is a sin to break any of the commandments of God. When a person bears false witness, it is a sin; or when a person steals, it is a sin; and these sins must be accounted for, either in time or in eternity, by the person who commits them.

We have come to this Conference from all parts of the Territory to be reminded of our duties, and to obtain strength in the worship of the Lord, and we are a good-looking people, and greatly blessed of the Lord. Our happiness consists not in the possession of earthly wealth so much as in the possession of that Spirit which it is our right to obtain and cherish.

The short sentence, “Do right,” embraces a great deal, and extends over the period of man’s life, embracing all his daily duties. It is right for us to build that Tabernacle; it is a work which all the people of the Saints in these mountains are engaged in; and the more faithful we are in paying our tithing, these public works will progress the more vigorously. We all know what the word of the Lord is on the subject of paying tithing, and the use to be made of the means thus collected, namely—to build temples and tabernacles, and to establish the kingdom of God generally. The Israelites built a tabernacle in the wilderness wherein they deposited their holy things, which were afterwards removed into the temple at Jerusalem. When our temple is completed, it will be used for the administering of the holy ordinances of God; it will be for the use of the Priesthood to give endowments to the people. It is just as requisite that that temple should be built as it is that we build houses for our wives and children to dwell in, because the service of our God is not so acceptable to Him in a temporary place of worship when His people can make a permanent one after the pattern which is pleasing to Him. Let us pay our tithing faithfully, and when we do that there will be no trouble in making any public improvement we desire to make; we can bring out the rivers and large streams of these valleys into canals for the purposes of transportation and irrigation, and become enriched by the facilities which these mountain streams offer unto us.

This is the headquarters of Zion, and the law shall go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The Lord gave the law through Joseph when he was here, and now he gives it through President Brigham Young. The law shall go forth from Zion unto all nations, and the word of the Lord is, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” All who will not comply with this call will be damned. The Elders who have faithfully fulfilled their missions, warning all men who came within the sound of their voices, have identified themselves with the Savior, and with the Father, and with the Holy Ghost; and the Holy Ghost will abide with all such if they continue faithful; and herein consists the authority and power of every faithful servant of God in this and in all ages of the world.

When a man revolts against the work of God and against the counsels of his servants, and will not be subject to the Holy Ghost which dwells in him, he commits treason against God, and against his authority on the earth, and neither the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Ghost will take up their abode with such a man, and he may bid farewell to the guidance of good angels.

We should so live that we can have the spirit of truth sufficiently to judge between truth and error, between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not. It is every man’s right so to live, for a people that are informed and intelli– gent are much easier led and directed in the truth than a people that are untaught and ignorant. It is for the purpose of instructing the Saints that we need the Temple and Tabernacle erected; and thanks be to God that he acknowledges our labors in the small house we are now using for the purpose of giving endowments; and those who keep their covenants made in that house will reap the blessings promised to them; while those who look upon their endowments as a light thing, and trifle with the things of God, will meet with desolation which they cannot avoid; but in doing so they are deceiving themselves and will bring upon themselves sorrow and wretchedness, and finally destruction.

To be a Saint is an individual work, and it is out of the power of God, angels, or men to make a Saint of a man who is determined to be a sinner. If a man will revolt against God and his authority on the earth, he has a right to do so, as much so as Lucifer had a right to turn away from his Father and God. Men are damned or saved by acting upon their agency, in receiving or rejecting the revealed truths of heaven. The majority of the members of this Church are the very elect of our God. There are some that are not so good, who care not for God, for His servant Brigham, for Heber, nor for the Twelve Apostles. But the day will come when the Lord will choose a people out of this people, upon whom he will bestow his choicest blessings. Think of the great numbers who were baptized into this Church when the Work first commenced in England, and how few there are who have stood to this day—“many are called, but few are chosen.”

Notwithstanding this sifting out of the unfaithful, the Lord has got a chosen people in these valleys of Utah, and He desires them to become self-sustaining, and fully able to control the trade and traffic of these mountains for their own profit and advancement. In view of this we wish our brethren to import their own merchandise, establish stores in their towns and cities, and trade with one another, and thus keep the wealth which we create among ourselves, making every effort in our power to bring about the redemption of Israel, and the great Work of our Father and God. This may be the means of destroying some through the deceitfulness of riches; but Jesus Christ will save all whom the Father hath put in his power to save, and great efforts will be made by the wicked one to destroy, if it were possible, the very elect; but as Jesus Christ hath said, “My sheep hear my voice, and will follow me, and a stranger they will not follow.”

All who profess to be Latter-day Saints will not be saved in the celestial world, for they cannot abide the celestial law, but all will attain to the glory which they can abide. Every righteous thing that we do in this mortality is a rudimental lesson in the celestial law of our God. Let us go to with our might, mind, and strength to abide the celestial law, as it shall be revealed to us from time to time, until we can abide its fulness, that we may ultimately be introduced into the presence of our heavenly Father to dwell with him for evermore. Whatever the Prophet and President of the Church tells us to do that we should do, for he is directed by the unerring Spirit of the Almighty to counsel this people. We are connected with him in the Lord, and we talk and pray together upon all subjects concerning the progress of this people; and it is for him to decide, and give the law to Israel; and all who do not abide it must suffer the consequence of their disobedience; and all those who obey it will obtain the blessings which are promised to faithfulness and obedience.

I desire to do right and to bring about that which is good. I have no other desire in my heart than to make all the acts of my life praise God. When I go into a ballroom I can there contemplate upon the things of God and praise Him in the dance. Virtue cleaveth to virtue, and light to light, and if we receive them they will have a place in us. I shall, the Lord being my helper, try to be a Saint and live my religion. I have come to this Conference with a determination to hear the word of God and be a Saint. We are blessed of the Lord now more than all the people upon the face of the earth, and we ought to be faithful to His commandments every moment of our lives, for we owe all we have and are to His beneficent bounty, and all should be devoted to His interest, or in other words, to our own interests by devoting all to the building up of His kingdom.

No man has a right to commit sin, nor to intrude upon the rights of his neighbor. It is our privilege to do right, to serve God and keep his commandments, and follow faithfully the counsels of President Brigham Young in all things. The world is mad at what they call the one-man power, but they need not find fault with the “Mormons” for this, when the same thing is so faithfully upheld almost everywhere. For instance, the General Government sends a Governor to the Territory of Utah; the Territorial legislature can make laws and this one man can veto every one of them, making them of none effect. Brigham Young will always exercise an influence over this people for good, and I am going to help him, and the Twelve Apostles will help him, and so will all the faithful Saints of God in all the world. We shall prosper, and God will bless all this people for the righteous’ sake that dwell among them, for there is just as good a people here as ever did live in any part of the earth, according to their blessings and privileges. God has his elect here, and he is gathering them from the four quarters of the earth; and like a net that is cast into the sea, he gathers good and bad, that out of the multitude which he brings over the sea in ships he may gather His chosen people.

Thirty years ago the whole Church was under condemnation because they had neglected the new and everlasting covenant, even the Book of Mormon and other revelations God had given to them, and they were driven by their enemies, for they were under condemnation at that early day of our history. How is it with us now? There are scores of this people who never look at those books. The Book of Mormon is the ensign which God has lifted up to the nations in the last days, and we are not justified when we in our feelings neglect or forsake it. I take much comfort in reading those books which the Lord has given us through Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon was written by the Spirit and power of God; the man that will read it faithfully will be filled with light and with truth. We should hold everything in reverence that God has revealed in the latter-day and in former days; but that which is revealed for us more nearly concerns us.

This Church and kingdom will prevail; it is the kingdom of God, and he will bear it off, and there is no power on earth nor in hell can stay it in its progress from this time henceforth and forever. Amen.

Given by President Brigham Young, to the people of Box Elder and Cache Counties, Aug. 1-10, 1865.

I wish to present some counsel unto to the people on the subject of their temporal life and point out to them what is their true interest in regard to merchandising. I would propose to the brethren that they keep their grain until they can get money for it, then put that money into the hands of business men, and let them purchase goods with it, which the people can freight themselves, and thus let every ward in the Territory supply themselves from abroad with what they really require; by so doing, the people will have the handling of the means which the Lord has given them, and the greater portion of it will not go into the pockets of speculators to enrich and fatten strangers, but the large profits, which they have made and carried out of the country, will remain here to improve the country, and to improve our condition as a people. We sell our grain to the merchant, and receive our pay in goods. The grain he has bought of us, he sells to the army, or to mail contractors for a greatly increased price, which affords a large profit upon his goods, and upon the wheat which his goods have bought, and all this he gets in money.

Let the past ignorance and folly suffice us, and instead of giving away our strength for naught, let us enjoy the full benefit of our labors ourselves. Why not appoint in every ward of the Territory a good business man, who is filled with integrity and truth, to make contracts for the people of the ward, and let the convention prices be the rule or not sell? Why not draw money for our grain and spend it ourselves, instead of allowing those who have no interest with us to handle it for us and pocket fortunes which we should enjoy and lay out in redeeming the earth and in building up the kingdom of God in all the world? We can do this if we will.

We have yet much to learn, and we are learning little by little, and I do think that we shall yet come to understanding in sustaining ourselves, building up the kingdom of God, renovating the earth, keeping our enemies from our midst, sanctifying ourselves and the earth, that the latter may be finally celestialized to dwell in the presence of our Father and God. If we could all see and understand things as they are, we would heap up the riches of this world. What for? To gather the poor from among all nations, and buy out every foot of land that is for sale upon the continent of America. We should be the most industrious and the most economical of any people upon the face of the whole earth. We should waste nothing, but make everything in some way or other minister to our wants and independ– ence. Everything which we use to feed the life of man or beast, not a grain of it should be permitted to go to waste, but should be made to pass through the stomach of some animal; everything, also, which will fertilize our gardens and our fields should be sedulously saved and wisely husbanded, that nothing may be lost which contains the elements of food and raiment for man and sustenance for beast.

Time is allotted unto man wherein to labor and perform his work under the sun; if our time is properly employed and judiciously divided to our varied duties and labors, each man and woman performing his or her part faithfully, the land would be filled with real wealth, and there would be an abundance of means to prosecute every labor and every private and public improvement which we desire to make for our own comfort and convenience and that of our friends and neighbors and the community at large. Were we to pursue this course faithfully, and continue so to do, eternal permanency would be added to the general peace and freedom which we now enjoy, and we never would be brought into bondage again in any respect by the power of the enemy, but we would continue to live and serve the Lord until the earth would be sanctified and the saints inherit it forever and ever.

A few words upon the subject of example; and these I speak particularly to my brethren, the Elders of Israel, yet they will apply to all classes of mankind. It is a rule with me, and always has been, to request nothing of the people that I am not willing to do myself, to require no obedience of them that I am unwilling to yield. Experience has taught me, that example is the best method of preaching to any people. It is written—“Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, the scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.” If we teach righteousness, let us also practice righteousness in every sense of the word; if we teach morality let us be moral; let us see to it that we preserve ourselves within the bounds of all the good which we teach to others. I am sure this course will be good to live by and good to die by, and when we get through the journey of life here, what a consolation it will be to us to know that we have done as we have wished others to do by us in all respects. This is my doctrine.

Let us, as teachers of righteousness, not only teach the whole law of God, but do it ourselves. And when we pray, let us not ask our Heavenly Father to do that for us which we would not help Him to do were it in our power. When our brethren, who have the cause of God at heart pray, we invariably hear them ask Him to cleanse the earth from sin, and sanctify it and prepare it for the Lord to dwell upon. While we thus pray, we should be employed in sanctifying ourselves first, and then in redeeming and sanctifying the earth, for this the work we are called to perform, aided by the Almighty. We pray the Lord to preserve the righteous and to let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, and “O Lord defend thy people and fight their battles.” We should be prepared and be as ready and willing to defend ourselves as we are that the Lord should be ready and willing to defend us. We should be as ready and willing to fight our own battles as to have the Lord fight them for us. We should be just as willing to exercise the ability God has given to us to clothe ourselves, to build comfortable habitations for ourselves and our families, as He has been willing to bestow that ability upon us. We should be just as willing to learn to govern and control ourselves, and to abide in the truth, as we are to have the Lord assist us in doing so. When we fully perform our part, the Lord will not be backward in performing all that He has promised, if He should have to waste away and utterly destroy nations and kingdoms to do it.

We all believe that the Lord will fight our battles; but how? Will He do it while we are unconcerned and make no effort whatever for our own safety when an enemy is upon us? If we make no efforts to guard our towns, our houses, our cities, our wives and children, will the Lord guard them for us? He will not; but if we pursue the opposite course and arrive to help Him to accomplish His designs, then will He fight our battles. We are baptized for the remission of sins; but it would be quite as reasonable to expect remission of sins without baptism, as to expect the Lord to fight our battles without our taking every precaution to be prepared to defend ourselves. The Lord requires us to be quite as willing to fight our own battles as to have Him fight them for us. If we are not ready for an enemy when he comes upon us, we have not lived up to the requirements of Him who guides the ship of Zion, or who dictates the affairs of his kingdom.

The Lord has promised to provide for His Saints, to feed them and clothe them; but He expects them to plough and plant, sow and reap, and prepare their bread from the increase of the soil. It is just as reasonable to suppose that He will raise our grain and fruit for us while we are sunning ourselves, or lying in a state of inactivity in the shade—that He will grind our wheat and make it into cakes for us—as to expect that He will fight our battles when we will not make a motion towards preparing for self-defense against any enemy that may approach us. We cannot expect that the Lord will fight our battles if we sell our powder and lead and arms to the Indians, and leave ourselves unarmed and defenseless. If we do this, He will leave us to ourselves to suffer for this great neglect, as we should have to suffer for want of bread, if we did not take the proper precautions to raise it from the ground when it would be in our power to do so. If we wish to preserve ourselves from suffering cold in the winter, it is expected that we build houses and provide fuel. Now, the Lord will not do this for us, when we have the material all around us and the strength to perform the labor required. If we wish to keep our cattle from perishing, it is necessary to lay up fodder; the winter may be severe or it may be mild; but in taking the precaution of laying up fodder, we are prepared for either a mild or a severe winter. The Lord has endowed us with ability to gather from the elements around us every material which is necessary for food, raiment, and shelter. We know how to raise sheep, and how to manufacture their wool into cloth. We know how to raise flax, and cotton, and hemp, and silk, and how to make them contribute to our comfort. We know how to raise grain and fruit in abundance, and what to do with them when we have raised them; and we hope to know how to use weapons of defense as well as any other people or nation, if ever necessary, which I hope and pray will never be necessary. We should always be willing and ready to obey every good and wholesome law, whether it be to arm ourselves as the law directs, to train in the ranks, to labor with our hands, to preach the Gospel, to pray or to pay tithing; for those who obey in all things will enjoy the spirit and blessings of the kingdom of God in time and in eternity. Those who refuse to do their part for the maintenance of the public peace and the public security are not worthy of the fellowship of the Saints, and should be severed from the church.

It is required by the laws of the Territory of Utah of every male citizen from eighteen to forty-five to be armed and equipped and ready for any duty he may be called upon to perform as one of the militia of the county; and if any refuse to obey the laws of the land, I would try them before their bishops for that as readily as I would if they were to refuse to pay a just debt; and if they would not repent, I would sever them from the church, and give them over to the laws of the land. I do not know that there is one person in the Territory who would refuse to perform military duty; there are strangers in our midst; but I very much doubt if one could be found who would refuse to do military duty.

I look upon the Saints with delight; they are my pride; they are my glory; in fact, this is the family that our heavenly Father has selected as His chosen children, although many may yet leave it and go away; but here are my fathers, my mothers, my sisters, my brothers, here are my friends and associates, and here is my joy. I have never desired to be in any place only where the Saints live; I have never desired to associate with any other people. I know that we must become of one heart and one mind in all things, to fulfil the requirements of heaven in the building up of the kingdom of God upon the earth. We enjoy ourselves in our public amusements, but our greatest joy is to meet, as we have now met, to instruct each other in the principles and faith of the holy Gospel, that we may increase in faith, in knowledge, in understanding, and in the power of God to obtain all that is for us, and to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth as Jesus Christ did when He was upon the earth.

Prepare to die, is not the exhortation in this church and kingdom; but prepare to live is the word with us, and improve all we can in this life that we may be the better prepared to enjoy a better life hereafter, wherein we may enjoy a more exalted condition of intelligence, wisdom, light, knowledge, power, glory, and exaltation. Then let us seek to extend the present life to the uttermost, by observing every law of health, and by properly balancing labor, study, rest, and recreation, and thus prepare for a better life. Let us teach these principles to our children, that, in the morning of their days, they may be taught to lay the foundation of health and strength and constitution and power of life in their bodies. Let us teach them good manners, orderly conduct and good behavior in every respect; and as soon as they can understand what you mean, teach them to be strictly honest, truthful and virtuous, that they may grow up in Christ, their living head. Some of the brightest spirits who dwell in the bosom of the Father are making their appearance among this people, of whom the Lord will make a Royal Priesthood, a peculiar nation that He can own and bless, talk with, and associate with.

I wish to present before the people the subject of a telegraph wire through our settlements. It is a subject which is worthy of our attention, and an enterprise which, when completed, will be of immense benefit in many ways to our country. This work we can do almost entirely within ourselves. We can get the poles from the mountains, and plant them; the wires and insulators we shall be under the necessity of importing from abroad, and for which we must pay money. We can sell our grain and get the money. The freighting we can do ourselves.

Cache Valley should be strong enough to poll three thousand votes, and the people are well able to sustain a printing press. I think that sufficient news could be collected in Cache Valley to make a small sheet interesting, and I have no doubt talent sufficient to produce communications both instructive and amusing. I would also recommend the establishment in Logan of a machine shop for the general good of the people in this and the neighboring valleys.

We know the Gospel to be true by the spirit of revelation, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save by the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but by the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” It is our privilege to live so as to know the voice of the good shepherd for ourselves, and to understand the will of God concerning us as individuals. When we live so as to enjoy the glory of our religion, then is our life a happy one, and our hope is bright that we shall secure to ourselves life everlasting in the presence of our Father and God.

The religion of Jesus Christ is a matter-of-fact religion, and taketh hold of the everyday duties and realities of this life. When people go to meeting in the so-called Christian world, they expect to hear the sayings of Jesus Christ explained and enlarged upon and dressed up and polished by the learning of men to make them fit for the ears of the professors of the 19th century; or, they expect to hear some of the dark sayings of the ancient prophets expounded, and how the Lord used to manifest himself to the people in the days of old, and how He spoke to them, and gave them dreams and visions and wonderful manifestations, and what a delightful thing it was for them to gather out from the wicked world and be organized by Him, and how they enjoyed themselves in their social capacity, and what good times they all had in ancient days; and thus they extol the ancients to the heavens, tell of the doings of Adam, of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham, of the patriarchs, of the prophets, of Jesus and His Apostles; and go on to tell about the resurrection, and describe the mysteries and joys thereof on the one hand and the torments of the damned in that lake of fire and brimstone and bottomless pit to which they are to be consigned on the other, and who are going to have their hair sheared off, who are going to have their fingernails taken out, who are going to have their eyes dug out, and who are going to have their blood spilled, and their spirits spilled, etc. At the close of such a meeting the exclamation heard on all sides is, what a glorious meeting we have had, what a glorious sermon we have listened to; when I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for the whole of it as to the amount of real practical good it does the people, more than in a moral point of view.

When people are hungry they need substantial food; when they are thirsty they need substantial drink. Moses’ smiting the rock would not have benefited the people in the least, if water had not gushed out. It is the duty of the true minister of Christ to instruct the people of God how to get their food today, and to teach them by precept and example how to become an independent nation. How long shall we have the privilege of sending to New York, St. Louis, or other places to buy our goods? Babylon will surely fall. It may be said that we shall always be poor without commerce, we shall always be poor with it, unless we command it; and unless we can do this, we are better without it. Instead of sending our wealth abroad to purchase artificials, why not try to make them ourselves; or do without them? Why not continue our endeavors until we can manufacture cotton cloth as fine as these children are wearing today? Why not raise flax and prepare it with care, and continue our efforts until we can make linens of every description and quality? This home industry should be persevered in from year to year with the view to our ultimate independence of a foreign market. This is our duty. It is true we do not do it. Instead of our young ladies letting the time hang heavily upon their hands, or instead of being engaged in some useless and profitless employment, they would enjoy much more real peace of mind to be engaged in the production of some useful material of some kind, it may be of silk, of linen, of woollen, of straw, or of artificials and ornaments manufactured from paper, feathers, or other material produced at home.

Every effort of this kind made by our sisters has its weight in the struggle which we should all make to cut ourselves entirely loose from any dependence upon those who have no other aim in view but our final dismemberment as a society, and our utter overthrow as a people. The Lord requires this of us; it comes within the pale of our duty; and in addition to this, to live—for it is the first and foremost of all He requires of us—so that we shall know the voice of the good Shepherd always; to live so that we shall know the truth when we hear it, and our hearts shall say amen to it. If there are any who have never heard the Gospel until today, and wish to know how to serve God, begin by repenting of your sins, and by being baptized for the remission of them, and receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and ever after live so as to be able to say, “my conscience is void of offense towards God and man.”

The Lord rules in the heavens, and does His pleasure among men. I will here say, as the Lord lives, if this people will be faithful in the performance of every duty, they will never come upon a field of battle to fight their enemies. There is no man among them who trifles with the counsel given to him to be armed and equipped and ready for any emergency but what has lost the spirit of God more or less. If the Saints neglect to pray, and violate the day that is set apart for the worship of God, they will lose His spirit. If a man shall suffer himself to be overcome with anger, and curse and swear, taking the name of the Deity in vain, he cannot retain the Holy Spirit. In short, if a man shall do anything which he knows to be wrong, and repenteth not, he cannot enjoy the Holy Spirit, but will walk in darkness and ultimately deny the faith. Every good and wholesome law we should obey strictly, and do it with a good and honest heart. If we will pursue this course, the Lord Almighty will put hooks in the jaws of our enemies, and lead them whithersoever He will.

It is far better to die in a good cause than to live in a bad one; it is better to die doing good than to live doing evil. To the Saints of latter days who do their duty to the best of their knowledge, I promise peace; but I have no promise of God for those who do not do their duty. When I speak of our duty it applies to all, male and female. It is the right of the mother who labors in the kitchen, with her little prattling children around, to enjoy the Spirit of Christ, and to know her duty with regard to those children; but it is not her duty and privilege to dictate to her husband in his duties and business. If that mother or wife enjoys the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, she will never intrude upon the rights of her husband. It is the right and privilege of the husband to know his duty with regard to his wives and children, his flocks and his herds, his fields and his possessions; though I have seen women who, I thought, actually knew more about the business of life than their husbands themselves did, and were really more capable of directing a farm, the building of a house, and the management of flocks and herds, etc., than the men were; but if men were to live up to their privileges this would not be the case; for it is their right to claim the light of truth and that intelligence and knowledge necessary to enable them to carry on every branch of their business successfully.

It is the right and privilege of every Elder in Israel to enjoy the Holy Ghost, and the light of it, to know everything which concerns himself and his individual duties, but it is not his right and privilege to dictate his superior in office, nor to give him counsel, unless he is called upon to do so, then he may make suggestions; and if the people of a ward are living in the faithful performance of their several duties, their faith and their prayers will be concentrated before the Lord, in the name of Jesus, for and in behalf of their bishop, that he may know his business and be made fully capable to fulfil the duties of his calling to the honor of God and the salvation of the people. Wherever a man is ap– pointed to preside, he should preside in the dignity of his office, and be able to discriminate between his duties as a presiding officer in a branch, he being a high priest we will say, and the duties of the bishop. I am gratified to say that such a thing does exist in the midst of this people that one man can preside as a president and another as a bishop, in the same ward, and not quarrel with each other; each one has the privilege for himself of knowing his duty by the revelations of the Lord Jesus Christ. And if all presidents and bishops were inspired by this spirit, they never would have any difficulty, but they would see eye to eye. It is the duty and privilege of the Twelve Apostles to have the Holy Ghost for their constant companion, and live always in the Spirit of Revelation, to know their duty and understand their calling; this is also the duty and privilege of the First Presidency of the church.

In the setting forth of items of doctrine which pertain to the progress and further building up of the kingdom of God upon the earth, and the revealing of His mind and will, He has but one mouth through which to make known His will to His people. When the Lord wishes to give a revelation to His people, when He wishes to reveal new items of doctrine to them, or administer chastisement, He will do it through the man whom He has appointeth to that office and calling. The rest of the offices and callings of the church are helps and governments for the edifying of the body of Christ and the perfection of the Saints, etc., every president, bishop, elder, priest, teacher, deacon and member standing in his order and officiating in his standing and degree of priesthood as ministers of the words of life, as shepherds to watch over departments and sections of the flock of God in all the world, and as helps to strengthen the hands of the Presidency of the whole church. A sister who receives the gift of tongues is not thereby empowered to dictate her president, or the church. All gifts and endowments given of the Lord to members of His church are not given to control the church; but they are under the control and guidance of the priesthood, and are judged of by it. Some have erred upon this point, and have been led captive by the devil.

Whenever there is a disposition manifested in any of the members of this church to question the right of the President of the whole church to direct in all things, you see manifested the evidences of apostasy—of a spirit which, if encouraged, will lead to separation from the church and final destruction; wherever there is a disposition to operate against any legally appointed officer of this kingdom, no matter in what capacity he is called to act, if persisted in, it will be followed by the same results; they will “walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled; they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.”

In all our daily pursuits in life, of whatever nature and kind, Latter-day Saints, and especially those who hold important positions in the kingdom of God, should maintain a uniform and even temper, both when at home and when abroad. They should not suffer reverses and unpleasant circumstances to sour their natures and render them fretful and unsocial at home, speaking words full of bitterness and biting acrimony to their wives and children, creating gloom and sorrow in their habitations, making themselves feared rather than beloved by their families. Anger should never be permitted to rise in our bosoms, and words suggested by angry feelings should never be permitted to pass our lips. “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” “Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous;” but “The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.”

All that we possess and enjoy are the gifts of God to us, whether they be in earthly substance, physical constitution, or mental power; we are accountable to Him for the use we make of these precious gifts, and it is the imperative duty of all the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve to pay their tribute to Him who has created all things, and who is now pouring from the heavens instructions upon the people that they may know how to live here and return again into His presence. It is not our privilege to waste the Lord’s substance upon the lusts of the flesh, nor to devote one day of time to vanity and sin, or to any employment which will tend to death. We are willing to acknowledge that we receive all our blessings both temporal and spiritual, from the munificent hand of God; but we are not always willing that He should advise us how to use His blessings, when they are in our hands, in the best possible way to build up His kingdom on the earth. O, consistency, thou art one of the fairest jewels in the life of a Saint. We ask God to bless us with houses and lands, and possessions, chariots and horses, etc. When we plough our fields, and sow grain and plant vegetables, we pray to the Lord for good crops, to give us a great increase; and when we have gathered in the abundance which He has sent us until our barns are full and there is no room for more, then we ask no odds of the Lord, and are impatient and rebellious in our feelings, when dictated and advised as to how this fullness of the Lord’s blessings should be disposed of for the individual and general good of the community. This remark will not apply to all; but when the word of the Lord comes to the people, which it does all the time, every man and woman professing to be Latter-day Saints should say amen, and then straightway fulfil it to the letter.

We calculate to continue to visit and preach to the Saints until all shall see eye to eye upon this matter, and become of one heart and of one mind in all things, and become perfectly united in building up the kingdom of God upon the earth, and wipe out wickedness from the world. I thank God that I now live in a community where I can live from one year to another and not hear the name of God blasphemed, and all the butter and eggs and flour that the people take to Bannack and other places would not hire me to be obliged to listen to it. All may not feel as tenacious on this point as I do; some care not how much the names of God and of Jesus Christ are blasphemed in their presence, if they can only sell their butter and eggs; or, “only give me a dollar for your breakfast or dinner, and I care not how much you swear and curse in my house and in the presence of my family.” I would not hear the name of God blasphemed as some who profess to be Latter-day Saints do for all the gold that has been taken from the mines of California.

May the Lord bless His people. Amen.

Given by President Brigham Young, to the people, on his visit to Utah, Juab, and Sanpete Counties, in June and July, 1865.

The Latter-day Saints in these mountains are growing in grace and in favor with God and his servants, and we feel to bless them as parents, as children, as schoolteachers, as musicians, as singers, as Elders in Israel, and as Saints, in all their employments and honest pursuits. As soon as the people spread out from Great Salt Lake City to form a new settlement, we have visited them to instruct and encourage them; in this we feel satisfied that we have done our duty. We are still traveling from settlement to settlement, and have great joy in visiting and talking to the Saints, and in blessing them. When I leave home to visit the Saints, I leave all in the hands of God, and would not swerve from the fulfillment of my duties as a preacher of righteousness, and as the leader of this great people, if it should save my property from being burnt to ashes. This has been my course from the beginning.

It gives us great joy to see the public manifestations of welcome which the people give everywhere. The little children who take part in these demonstrations, dressed in their best, receive impressions they can never forget; time cannot wear them out; they are impressions of respect and honor to the leaders of Israel. It is a duty we owe to our children to educate and train them in every principle of honor and good manners, in a knowledge of God and his ways, and in popular school education. I am happy to hear the little children sing, and hope they are also learning to read and write, and are progressing in every useful branch of learning.

I feel happy; I feel at peace with all the inhabitants of the earth; I love my friends, and as for my enemies, I pray for them daily; and, if they do not believe I would do them good, let them call at my house, when they are hungry, and I will feed them; yea, I will do good to those who despitefully use and persecute me. I pray for them, and bless my friends all the time.

We are now located in the midst of these mountains, and are here because we were obliged to go somewhere. We were under the necessity of leaving our homes, and had to go somewhere. Before we left Nauvoo, three Members of Congress told us that if we would leave the United States, we should never be troubled by them again. We did leave the United States, and now Congressmen say, if you will renounce polygamy you shall be admitted unto the Union as an independent State and live with us. We shall live anyway, and increase, and spread, and prosper, and we shall know the most and be the best looking people there is on the earth. As for polygamy, or any other doctrine the Lord has revealed, it is not for me to change, alter, or renounce it; my business is to obey when the Lord commands, and this is the duty of all mankind.

The past of this people proves that we are better able to take care of ourselves than any other people now living. This fact stares the world in the face. When we first came to these mountains, as pioneers to develop their resources, we were poor, and had been scattered and peeled by our enemies, yet our trust was in God. We are now not only able to feed ourselves, but to feed thousands who travel through our settlements, and give them protection from the savage foe who otherwise would have infested this region and made it dangerous to travel. We must watch and pray, and look well to our walk and conversation, and live near to our God, that the love of this world may not choke the precious seed of truth, and feel ready, if necessary, to offer up all things, even life itself, for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. We must not love the world, nor the things of the world, until the world is sanctified and prepared to be presented to the Father with the Saints upon it; then they will inhabit it forever and ever.

We are living in a country where we are subject to be endangered by aggressions from a savage foe, and I would advise the people to dwell together in cities, and not in a scattered condition. When men and women cannot live together in a community, close enough for self-defense, it denotes a lack of fellowship and friendship, a lack of those brotherly and neighborly feelings which should exist in the bosoms of all true Saints. When I see men and women inclined to withdraw from the community, and children from their parents, I know that there is a spirit of alienation in them which they should not possess. There are persons who say they believe in Joseph the Prophet, in the Book of Mormon, in the gathering of the house of Israel, in the building up of Zion, and in all the blessings promised to the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth; but they do not like to be quite so nigh their neighbors; they want to be off on one side, from under the influence of city regulations, and from under the eye of their Bishop. When I see this feeling manifested, I fear those persons have never felt that brotherly feeling that belongs to the spirit of our religion; if they ever did have it, they certainly do not possess it when they entertain such desires. I would like to see a disposition manifested to live close to the meetinghouse, or to the schoolhouse, where the Saints can attend the public worship of God and can send their children to school, where they can live so that their children can associate together and form lasting friendships, that may serve them for good in a day to come, and where they can pass the dreary winter months in associations with people who are informed, and are capable of educating them in singing, in mathematics, spelling, and other branches of education; and when they want to recreate, that they can mingle together in the dance without having to go long distances through the snow and the cold; and that in the case of sickness or accident of any kind, they may be within the reach of sympathetic hearts and the hand of kindness and benevolence, being ever ready to receive kindness or to give it to their neighbors. Those who possess these desires manifest plainly the spirit of the Gospel.

This people are improving; they are improving in the cultivation of the soil, in the study of horticulture, both theoretically and practically, and in all matters that are calculated to multiply around them every substantial comfort of life. Yet we are im– perfect, we are weak, and we cannot see afar off, though I think we can see as through a glass darkly, and comprehend the outlines of many things; if we cannot see all the details, we can see the future of this people and the destiny of the nations. We should love the earth—we should love the works which God has made. This is correct; but we should love them in the Lord, as I think the majority of this people do; for what people would have done as this people have, were it not for the kingdom of heaven’s sake? They have forsaken their homes, and friends, and country to come up to these mountains to serve God and build up his kingdom on the earth.

We are doing well, notwithstanding all our failings and weaknesses; but the Lord would like to have us a little more diligent; he would like us to cleave a little more closely to the things of his kingdom, have more of his Spirit, and know more of him and of one another, that complete and perfect confidence may be restored. The confidence which should exist among all people is gone, and the wise men of the world are aware of this fact, but they are at a loss to know how to recover it. The Latter-day Saints alone know how to do this; they know how to sustain themselves and restore the confidence which has been lost. We are actually restoring this confidence. The people abroad who have confidence in our Elders, and in their testimony, are baptized in water according to the ancient pattern, and are born of the water, and are also born of the Spirit, and receive a testimony from the heavens for themselves. This is the only way in which confidence can be restored among men.

All men ought to understand that confidence is one of the most precious jewels that they can possibly possess on the earth, and when we have the confidence of a good man or woman, we never should allow ourselves to do an act that would in the least degree impair it. It is an absolute truth that the confidence of this people in the men God has placed to lead them is daily increasing, and the confidence of the heavens is increasing in us in the same ratio as our confidence increases in one another. It will not do to lie to and deceive one another; neither will it do to cease to chasten and reprove the people when it is necessary to do so. There is no people on the earth that can bear to be spoken to in the language of reproof, and have their faults laid open before them, as this people can. All who are in possession of the Holy Spirit of truth receive such reproofs as kindnesses, and are thankful. In this way we go on from truth to truth, and from light to light.

It is interesting to follow this people from the beginning of their existence—through all their drivings and persecutions up to the present time. It will be seen that they have steadily increased in numbers, in righteousness, and in power and influence up to this day. Note the increase of love, of joy, and of peace; our peace flows like a river: it is glorious. Hallelujah; praise the God of heaven, for He has spoken from the heavens and has called us to truth and virtue, and wishes to put into our possession the wisdom of eternity; this to us is a matter of great joy. If we will do right and seek the Lord with all our hearts, he will give unto us everything our hearts can desire. The earth is before us, heaven is before us, and the fullness of eternity is before us, and it is for us to live for all our hearts can desire in righteousness.

We have enemies; they are with us all the time, prompting the Saints to do wrong, that their minds may be darkened, and they be plunged into sorrow and grief. Are we ready to receive an enemy? We should be as ready to meet an enemy in one capacity as in another. Every time the enemy throws us off our guard, and we give way to temptation, he gains so much; he weakens us and strengthens himself; when we resist temptation, it strengthens the Saints and weakens the enemy. We should be ready for all emergencies at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances, meeting the enemy at the door, and not waiting until he takes possession of the house. We should at all times be well qualified by faith, by the power of the Holy Spirit of the Gospel which we possess, and be well fortified on every side—this we should do spiritually; this we should do temporally. If the enemy finds that we are prepared, he will be very apt to keep out of doors.

The earth is before us, and all the blessings of the earth. There is not a man who is called now to receive the blessings which pertain to the spiritual world, and the things of eternity, but what is first called to learn how to sustain his natural life here in this world. This life is worth as much as any life that any being can possess in time or in eternity. There is no life more precious to us in the eye of eternal wisdom and justice than the life which we now possess. Our first duty is to take care of this life; and in this duty we are, as a people, tolerably skillful.

I do not think that another community can be found anywhere more capable of taking care of themselves than are the Latter-day Saints. It is true that we do not raise our own tobacco: we might raise it if we would. We do not raise our tea; but we might raise it if we would, for tea raising, this is as good a country as China; and the coffee bean can be raised a short distance south of us. Our ladies wear imported silk, when in reality this is one of the finest silk countries in the world. The mulberry tree which produces the natural food of the silkworm, flourish on all our bench lands, and our climate is adapted to the healthy condition of the silkworm. I would recommend the planting and propagating of the mulberry tree as shade trees, and as ornamental trees; they also yield a great abundance of excellent fruit. Let our cities and gardens be adorned with trees that are both ornamental and useful. Our young ladies can be amused and profitably employed in feeding that useful insect, in winding and spinning their silk into sewing silk, and into yarn, which can be converted into silks and satins of the finest texture and quality; for we have in our community artisans who can do this work as well as it can be done in any country in the world. We can sustain ourselves; and as for such so-called luxuries as tea, coffee, tobacco and whiskey, we can produce them or do without them. When we produce our food and clothing in the country where we live, then are we so far independent of the speculating, moneymaking world outside, whereas, if we were to dig gold, and make this our business, then should we become slaves to the producers of food and clothing, and make fortunes for speculators and freighters; and instead of working to build up Zion and its interests, we should be laboring to build up Gentile institutions and Gentile interests. When this people are prepared to properly use the riches of this world for the building up of the kingdom of God, He is ready and willing to bestow them upon us. If the Latter-day Saints will walk up to their privileges, and exercise faith in the name of Jesus Christ, and live in the enjoyment of the fullness of the Holy Ghost constantly day by day, there is nothing on the face of the earth that they could ask for, that would not be given to them. The Lord is waiting to be very gracious unto this people, and to pour out upon them riches, honor, glory, and power, even that they may possess all things according to the promises He has made through His apostles and prophets.

I refer to this, having my eye particularly on the chastisement I gave the merchants last fall and spring Conferences. I said then, what I will say anywhere, for it is as true as the sun shines. Are our merchants honest? I could not be honest and do as they do; they make five hundred percent on some of their goods, and that, too, from an innocent, confiding, poor, industrious people. What do this people, who have been gathered from the manufacturing and rural districts of foreign countries, know about speculation? Nothing. Where they lived they worked by the day or by the week for so much, and then would buy so much bread and so much meat, &c., with their wages. Here, when they have a dollar instead of a farthing, they do not know what to do with it; but the merchants are ready to say give it to us for a piece of rag. If they do not repent they will go to hell. They have made fortunes out of the poor Saints. What do you think about them? I know how God looks at them, and I know how I look at them. They have got to devote the riches they have gathered from this poor people to the building up of the kingdom of God, or they and their riches will perish together. I mean this to apply to our merchants that are here, and to those who are scattered through the Territory. I am speaking of our Mormon merchants. When a Gentile merchant comes here he gives us to understand that he is here to make all the money he can out of the Mormons; we know how to take him; but when men come and say they are Latter-day Saints, brethren, Mormons, the people trust them as friends and are deceived and suffer through their avarice.

I like to see men get rich by their industry, prudence, management and economy, and then devote it to the building up of the kingdom of God upon the earth, and in gathering in the poor saints from the four corners of the earth; and I am pleased to say that our rich brethren are doing well. I have no fault to find with our brethren who are merchants, in regard to their deal with me as an individual; they are kind to me. I believe they would give me half they are worth, if I were to ask them for it.

The Lord will bestow riches and honor upon this people as fast as they can receive them and learn to take care of them in the Lord. We all have faults: fault could be found with our mechanics and with our common laborers, as well as with our merchants. Yet, notwithstanding all our faults, where is there as good a community of people upon the earth, or as good looking a one, or as wise and knowing a one as the Latter-day Saints in this Territory? Let us continue to improve until we are filled with the knowledge of the truth. We have yet much to learn. It is necessary that the people be taught how to live with each other, and enjoy each other’s society in peace, and in the light of the Holy Spirit of the gospel which we have embraced, that every minute of our lives may be a scene of peace. We should learn to live with our neighbors without contention, learning to do good to each other.

To build up the kingdom of God is our business; we have nothing else on hand. When will we see and understand the general principle of building up the kingdom of God on the earth? When shall we see the interest of the whole of God’s people sought by each person instead of an individual interest? The question in our minds ought to be, what will advance the general interests of our settlements and increase intelligence in the minds of the people. To do this should be our constant study in preference to how shall we secure that farm or that garden, or to saying, I want that house, and I do delight in that horse, and this carriage, &c., so much so that we cannot worship our God in public meeting or kneel down to pray in our families without the images of earthly possessions rising up in our minds to distract them and make our worship and our prayers unprofitable. Until a selfish, individual interest is banished from our minds, and we become interested in the general welfare, we shall never be able to magnify our Holy Priesthood as we should.

On tomorrow (June 27) it will be twenty-one years since Joseph Smith was killed, and from that time to this the Twelve have dictated, guided and directed the destinies of this great people. Can you not discern clearly that this kingdom grows? In a few years more those who composed the Church in the days of Joseph Smith will be found only one here and one there. It will soon be hard to find one who knew the Prophet Joseph. The kingdom has made rapid strides in advance, and prospered amazingly in the last twenty-one years. We have traveled abroad into the world—into the wide field—and have scattered the seed of truth broadcast, and gathered from the crude masses our brethren, our sisters, their children, and all those who have received the truth, and cemented them together by the power of the Holy Priesthood, into a great people. In this the hand of God is visible to all, in acknowledging the labors of His servants, and this people as His people. I can witness one fact, and so can others, that by paying attention to the building up of the kingdom of God alone we have got rich in the things of this world; and if any man can tell how we can get rich in any other way, he can do more than I can. We leave our business and our families and go out to preach the peaceable things of the kingdom, and pay attention to that, never thinking of our business or our families, except when we ask the Lord to bless our families in common with all the families of the Saints everywhere.

In my first administrations in the gospel, in the rise of this church when I went out to preach, I would leave my family and friends in the hands of the Lord, and I gave them no further thought, but my mind looked forward and my thoughts were, I am going among strangers, how can I present myself to that congregation to which I am going to speak this afternoon, this evening, or tomorrow morning; how can I draw their attention to the principles of the Holy Gospel, and engage their feelings to that degree that they will inquire about the truth and embrace it. I did not think about wife, children, home, native land or friends; but my thoughts were on the great work before me. This should be the state of our feelings continually. The prosperity of the kingdom is before us; we see it as we see one another in this congregation; we see the spread of the people and their increase. Thousands of children are born yearly in Utah; we have an immense immigration among us in this way; and still we are sending Elders abroad to gather in the honest in heart from foreign lands. Sixty Elders have gone out this spring, men of experience, character, ability, and good standing in society—men who can be depended upon.

The increase of our children, and their growing up to maturity, increases our responsibilities. More land must be brought into cultivation to supply their wants. This will press the necessity of digging canals to guide the waters of our large streams over the immense tracts of bench and bottom lands which now lie waste. We want our children to remain near us, where there is an abundance of land and water, and not go hundreds of miles away to seek homes. In these great public improvements the people should enter with heart and soul, and freely invest in them their surplus property and means, and thus prepare to locate the vast multitudes of our children which are growing up, and strengthen our hands, and solidify still more—make still more compact our present organized spiritual and national institutions. The river Jordan will be brought out and made to flow through a substantial canal to Great Salt Lake City. When this is done, it will not only serve as a means of irrigating, but it will form a means of transportation from the south end of Utah Lake to Great Salt Lake City. Thus we will keep laboring, and preaching, and gathering the people, and the Lord will keep blessing and sustaining us, until the land is full of Saints, and they begin to spread out, to hive forth, seeking for room to dwell, until the earth shall be full of the glory of the Lord and His Saints.

We are greatly blessed as a people. We have had peace here for many years. Today we are able to meet together to speak to each other, to strengthen and do each other good; and by forsaking our fields for a season, to gather together to worship our God, I can assure you that our crops will be better than they would be if we were to spend all our time in our fields. We may water and plant and toil, but we should never forget that it is God who gives the increase; and by meeting together, our health and spirits will be better, we will look better, and the things of this world will increase around us more, and we will know better how to enjoy them.

At Mount Pleasant, in San Pete County, an Elder wished to give out a notice for the brethren to water their wheat immediately, for it was suffering. I requested him to allow me to give out the notice for him, which he did; and I gave out the appointment, informing the saints that if they would place guards sufficient to keep their homes from Indian depredations, fires, &c., and the rest of the men, women, and children attend our meetings, I would promise them, in the name of Israel’s God, better crops than if they did otherwise. This was on Wednesday, and in the night there came a beautiful shower, and we continued to have showers, until at Manti, on Sunday, we were under the necessity of suspending our meeting in the Bowery, and repairing to the meetinghouse; the earth was thoroughly soaked, and vegetation was refreshed, and the people were satisfied. I notice this incident merely to show that if we will do our duty, and be faithful to our God, He will never be backward in dispensing His mercies liberally to us.

We should spend a portion of our time and means in training our children, and a most effective way is to do it by example. If we wish our children to be faithful to us, let us be faithful to God and to one another. If we wish them to be obedient to us, let us be obedient to our superiors. Parents should manifest before their children all that they wish to see exhibited in them. Whatever a husband requires of a wife, or of a child, in obedience, in meekness, in submission, manifest before them all that you require of them. Example is better than precept. When we present precepts they should correspond with our own example.

I say to fathers, mothers, and to the whole Priesthood of the Son of God, if we expect to sanctify ourselves and the earth upon which we tread, we must begin that work in our own hearts; let them be pure and holy, and devoted entirely to the service of God, then will the earth become sanctified and holy under our feet; we shall begin to spread abroad and enlarge our borders with greater power when we can conquer ourselves and be able to exercise a good influence over our friends and neighbors. We do many wrongs which we would not do if we knew better, and so it is with our children. You may remember it and lay it to heart, and if you wish, write it in your journals, that some of the best spirits that have ever been sent to earth are coming at the present time, comparatively speaking.

Solomon said, “He that spareth his rod hateth his son,” but instead of using the rod, I will teach my children by example and by precept. I will teach them every opportunity I have to cherish faith, to exercise patience, to be full of long-suffering and kindness. It is not by the whip or the rod that we can make obedient children; but it is by faith and by prayer, and by setting a good example before them. This is my belief. I expect to obtain the same as Abraham obtained by faith and prayer, also the same as Isaac and Jacob obtained; but there are few who live for the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob after they are sealed upon them. No blessing that is sealed upon us will do us any good, unless we live for it. Whereas, if we are faithful, there is nothing which is calculated to please the eye, to gladden the heart, to cheer and comfort the body and spirit of man, everything in the heavens, with the fullness of the earth, its pleasures and enjoyments, with perfect health, without pain, with appetites made pure, all this, and more that has not yet entered into the heart of man to conceive, the Lord has in store for His children. This earth, when it shall be made pure and holy, and sanctified and glorified and brought back into the presence of the Father and the Son, from whence it came at the time of the fall, will become celestial, and be the glorified habitation of the faithful of this portion of the great family of our Heavenly Father.

Abraham was faithful to the true God, he overthrew the idols of his father and obtained the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, which is after the order of the Son of God, and a promise that of the increase of his seed there should be no end; when you obtain the Holy Priesthood, which is after the order of Melchizedek, sealed upon you, and the promise that your seed shall be numerous as the stars in the firmament, or as the sands upon the seashore, and of your increase there shall be no end, you have then got the promise of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the blessings that were conferred upon them.

How many of the youth of our land are entitled to all the blessings of the kingdom of Heaven, without first receiving the law of adoption? When a man and woman have received their endowments and sealings, and then had children born to them afterwards, those children are legal heirs to the kingdom and to all its blessings and promises, and they are the only ones that are on this earth. Where is not a young man in our community who would not be willing to travel from here to England to be married right, if he understood things as they are; there is not a young woman in our community, who loves the gospel and wishes its blessings, that would be married in any other way; they would live unmarried until they could be married as they should be, if they lived until they were as old as Sarah before she had Isaac born to her. Many of our brethren have married off their children without taking this into consideration, and thinking it a matter of little of importance. I wish we all understood this in the light in which heaven understands it.

Those whom I once knew as little boys are growing out of my recollection; these young men know nothing but Mormonism. They are in some instances called wild and ungovernable; but these wild boys, properly guided and directed, will make the greatest men who have ever lived upon this earth; and I want them to throw aside their diffidence and come up and shake hands with me, and say, “How do you, brother Brigham,” for I feel warmly towards them. I say to our young men, be faithful, for you do not know what is before you, and abstain from bad company and bad habits. Let me say to the boys sixteen years old and even younger, make up your minds to mark out the path of rectitude for yourselves, and when evil is presented, let it pass by unnoticed by you, and preserve yourselves in truth, in righteousness, virtue and holiness before the Lord. You were born in the kingdom of God; it is to be built up; the earth has to be renovated, and the people sanctified, after they are gathered from the nations, and it requires considerable skill and ability to do this; let our young men prepare themselves to aid and do their part in this great work. I want you to remember this teaching with regard to our youth.

We are hated and despised as a people, and everyone who hates this people, hates the God of heaven; and when men lift their hands against the Latter-day Saints, they lift them against the Almighty. We are the men and women who will renovate the earth, redeem it, and restore all things through the strength of Him who has paid the debt for us, and who has been and is still willing to help us, and give unto us every blessing we need. Our religion is worth everything to us, and for it we should be willing to employ our time, our talent, our means, our energies, our lives.

Let the Latter-day Saints be separate from the ungodly, and learn to live within themselves; and let us cease to give to them the proceeds of our hard toil for that which does not profit us. Any man in this church and kingdom who will cater to a Gentile for a little money will be poor in time and in all eternity. To those who plead poverty, and contend that they must take wicked and corrupt men into their houses to board them, etc., for a living, I promise poverty, unless they repent, and turn from the error of their ways. So long as we will fellowship unholy and wicked persons, so long God and angels and holy men will not fellowship us.

May God bless you as parents, as children, as Elders in Israel, as musicians, and as sweet singers; may He bless your houses, your barns, your fields, your flocks, and your herds, your cities and the ranges around them, the mountains, the timber and the waters, and greatly comfort you, and enable you to pursue the journey of life so as to land safely in the haven of eternal rest. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Bowery, Great Salt Lake City, June 18, 1865.

I wish the strict attention of the congregation, which is so large and widely spread under this low bowery that I fear it will be with difficulty that I can make myself heard by all. To persons who wish to understand and improve upon what they hear, it must be very annoying to only hear the sound of the speaker’s voice and not be able to comprehend its signification.

The gospel of life and salvation has again been committed to the children of men, and we are made the happy partakers of its blessings, and my sincere desire is that all may improve upon the words of life which have been revealed from the heavens in our day. It is written, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” All nations, tribes and communities of men worship something, it may be a stump, a stock, a tree, a stone, a figure molded in brass, iron, silver, or gold, or some living creature, or the sun, the moon, the stars, or the god of the wind and other elements, and while worshiping gods which they can see and handle, there dwells within them a crude and undefined impression of a great Supreme and universal Ruler whom they seek to represent and worship in gods made with their own hands; but where he is located, what his shape and dimensions and what his qualifications are they know not. The Apostle Paul found the city of the Athenians wholly given to idolatry; and they called him a “babbler,” because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. He disputed in the synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them who met with him; and standing, in the midst of Mars hill, he said, “Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.’ Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.”

The Athenians knew not what to worship, and it seems they were willing to worship a god unknown to them, very likely under the impression that he might be the true God, whom they had tried to represent no doubt in various ways.

Wherever the human family dwell upon the face of the earth, whether they are savage or civilized, there is a desire implanted within them to worship a great, Supreme Ruler, and not knowing Him, they suppose that through offering worship and sacrifice to their idols they can conciliate his anger which they think they see manifested in the thunder, in the lightning, in the storm, in the floods, in the reverses of war, in the hand of death, etc., etc.; thus they try to woo his protection and his blessing for victory over their enemies, and at the termination of this life for a place in the heaven their imaginations have created, or tradition has handed down to them. I have much charity for this portion of the human family called heathens or idolaters; they have made images to represent to their eyes a power which they cannot see, and desire to worship a Supreme Being through the figure which they have made.

There is a Power that has organized all things from the crude matter that floats in the immensity of space. He has given form, motion and life to this material world; has made the great and small lights that bespangle the firmament above; has allotted to them their times and their seasons, and has marked out their spheres. He has caused the air and the waters to teem with life, and covered the hills and plains with creeping things, and has made man to be a ruler over His creations. All these wonders are the works of the Almighty ruler of the universe, in whom we believe and whom we worship. “The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also giveth their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God.” “Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.”

All people are conscious of the existence of a Supreme Being: they see Him or His power in the sun, in the moon and in the stars, in the storm, in the thunder and in the lightning, in the mighty cataract, in the bursting volcano, or in the powerful and disgusting reptile, etc. He is also described by some as having no form, attributes, or power, or in other words, “without body, parts or passions,” and, consequently, without power or principle; and there are persons who suppose that He consists entirely of attributes universally diffused. Not knowing God they worship His works that manifest His power and His majesty, or His attributes which manifest His goodness, justice, mercy, and truth. According to all that the world has ever learned by the researches of philosophers and wise men, according to all the truths now revealed by science, philosophy and religion, qualities and attributes depend entirely upon their connection with organized matter for their development and visible manifestation.

Mr. Abner Kneeland, who was a citizen of Boston, and who was put into prison for his belief, in an essay which he wrote, made this broad assertion: “Instead of believing there is no God, I believe that all is God.”

We believe in a Deity who is incorporated—who is a Being of tabernacle, through which the great attributes of His nature are made manifest. It is supposed by a certain celebrated philosopher that the most minute particles of matter which float in space, in the waters, or that exist in the solid earth, particles which defy the most powerful glasses to reveal them to the vision of finite man, possess a portion of divinity, a portion of infinite power, knowledge, goodness, and truth, and that these qualities are God, and should be worshipped wherever found. I am an infidel to this doctrine. I know the God in whom I believe, and am willing to acknowledge Him before all men. We have persons in this church who have preached and published doctrines on the subject of the Deity which are not true. Elder Orson Pratt has written extensively on the doctrines of this church, and upon this particular doctrine. When he writes and speaks upon subjects with which he is acquainted and understands, he is a very sound reasoner; but when he has written upon matters of which he knows nothing—his own philosophy, which I call vain philosophy—he is wild, uncertain, and contradictory. In all my public administration as a minister of truth, I have never yet been under the necessity of preaching, believing, or practicing doctrines that are not fully and clearly set forth in the Old and New Testaments, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon, which we firmly believe to be the word of God to nations that flourished upon this continent many centuries ago, corroborates the testimonies of the writers of the Old and New Testaments, and proves these books to be true. They were given to us in weakness, darkness and ignorance; I will, however, give the translators of King James’ version of the Bible the credit of performing their labor according to the best of their ability, and I believe they understood the languages in which the Scriptures were originally found as well as any men who now live. I have in my lifetime met with persons who would persist in giving different renderings, and make quotations from the dead languages to show their scholarship, and to confuse and darken still more the minds of the people. To all such I have always felt like saying, there is the Bible, if you are capable of giving us a more correct translation of it than we have, it is your duty to do so. The Old and New Testaments have always answered my purpose as books of reference. Many precious parts have no doubt been taken from them; but the translation which we have, has been translated according to the best knowledge the translators possessed of the languages in which the ancient manuscripts were written, yet as uninspired men they were not qualified to write the things of God.

I believe in one God to us; as it is written, “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him,” and, “They were called gods, unto whom the word of God came.” I believe in a God who has power to exalt and glorify all who believe in Him, and are faithful in serving Him to the end of their lives, for this makes them Gods, even the sons of God, and in this sense also there are Gods many, but to us there is but one God, and one Lord Jesus Christ—one Savior who came in the meridian of time to redeem the earth and the children of men from the original sin that was committed by our first parents, and bring to pass the restoration of all things through His death and sufferings, open wide to all believers the gates of life and salvation and exaltation to the presence of the Father and the Son to dwell with them for evermore. Numerous are the scriptures which I might bring to bear upon the subject of the personality of God. I shall not take time to quote them on this occasion, but will content myself by quoting two passages in the 1st chapter of Genesis, 26th and 27th verses. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

I believe that the declaration made in these two scriptures is literally true. God has made His children like Himself to stand erect, and has endowed them with intelligence and power and dominion over all His works, and given them the same attributes which He Himself possesses. He created man, as we create our children; for there is no other process of creation in heaven, on the earth, in the earth, or under the earth, or in all the eternities, that is, that were, or that ever will be. As the Apostle Paul has expressed it, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being.” “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art or man’s device.” There exist fixed laws and regulations by which the elements are fashioned to fulfill their destiny in all the varied kingdoms and orders of creation, and this process of creation is from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus Christ is known in the scriptures as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, and it is written of Him as being the brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person. The word image we understand in the same sense as we do the word in the 3rd verse of the 5th chapter of Genesis, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.” I am quite satisfied to be made aware by the scriptures, and by the Spirit of God, that He is not only the God and Father of Jesus Christ, but is also the Father of our spirits and the Creator of our bodies which bear His image as Seth bore the image of his father Adam. Adam begat many children who bore His image, but Seth is no doubt more particularly mentioned, because he was more like his father than the rest of the family.

We bear the image of our earthly parents in their fallen state, but by obedience to the gospel of salvation, and the renovating influences of the Holy Ghost, and the holy resurrection, we shall put on the image of the heavenly, in beauty, glory, power and goodness. Jesus Christ was so like His Father that on one occasion in answer to a request, “Show us the Father,” He said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” The strongest testimony that can be borne to the minds of men is the testimony of the Father concerning the Son, and the testimony of the Son concerning the Father, by the power of the revelations of the Spirit, which every man who is born of woman possesses more or less, and which, if mankind would listen to it, would lead them to the knowledge of God, and ultimately, assisted by the ordinances of the gospel, into His presence.

If there is anything that is great and good and wise among men, it cometh from God. If there are men who possess great ability as statesmen, or as philosophers, or who possess remarkable scientific knowledge and skill, the credit thereof belongs to God, for He dispenses it to His children whether they believe in Him or not, or whether they sin against Him or not; it makes no difference; but all will have to account to Him for the way and manner in which they have used the talents committed unto them. If we believe the plain, broad statements of the Bible, we must believe that Jesus Christ is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world; none are exempt. This applies to all who possess the least degree of light and intelligence, no matter how small; wherever intelligence can be found, God is the author of it. This light is inherent according to a law of eternity—according to the law of the Gods, according to the law of Him whom we serve as the only wise, true, and living God to us. He is the author of this light to us. Yet our knowledge is very limited; who can tell the future, and know it as the past is known to us? It is a small thing, if we were acquainted with the principle. Were we acquainted with this principle, we could just as well read the future as the past.

The Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, who came in the meridian of time, performed his work, suffered the penalty and paid the debt of man’s original sin by offering up Himself, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended to His Father; and as Jesus descended below all things, so He will ascend above all things. We believe that Jesus Christ will come again, as it is written of Him: “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken from you unto heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go unto heaven.”

Strange as it may appear to many we believe that Jesus Christ will descend from heaven to earth again even as He ascended into heaven. “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.” He will come to receive His own, and rule and reign king of nations as He does king of saints; “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” He will banish sin from the earth and its dreadful consequences, tears shall be wiped from every eye and there shall be nothing to hurt or destroy in all God’s holy mountain.

In view of the establishment of the kingdom of God upon the earth by Jesus Christ, John the Baptist proclaimed, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight;” and, “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Jesus Christ sent His disciples to preach the gospel to every creature, to the king and the peasant, to the great and the small, to the rich and the poor, to the bond and the free, to the black and the white; they were sent to preach the gospel of repentance and remission of sins to all the world, and “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

The Latter-day Saints, this strange people as they are called, believe and practice this gospel; they believe that the acts of the creatures, in the performance of the ordinances, prove to the heavens, to God, to angels and to the good who are upon the earth—to their brethren and to those who are not their brethren in a church capacity—to those who believe and to those who do not believe, that they are sincere in their belief before God and man. Every doctrine and principle that is laid down in the Old and New Testaments for salvation, this people will persist in believing and practicing; and, for so doing, they have become a byword, and are wondered at by the orthodox Christians of the 19th century, who are truly astonished that anybody, in this enlightened age, should emphatically believe that the Lord and His servants anciently spoke the truth, and intended their words should be believed and practiced by all who desire salvation. It is our privilege, if we so wish, to disbelieve the words of God or a part of them; but we choose rather to believe all the words of God, and are trying to observe all of His precepts, to purify the Lord God in our hearts.

There cannot be found a people upon the face of the whole earth who are more perfect in the belief and practice of the gospel of Jesus Christ than are the Latter-day Saints, and there exists no people who are more easily governed. We have been gathered from many nations, and speak many languages; we have been ruled by different nationalities, and educated in different religions, yet we dwell together in Utah under one government, believe in the same God and worship Him in the same way, and we are all one in Christ Jesus. The world wonder at this, and fear the union that prevails among this, as they are called, singular people. Why is this? It is because the Spirit of the Lord Almighty is in the people, and they follow its dictates, and they hearken to the truth, and live by it; this unites them in one, and causeth them to dwell together in peace; and were it not for pettifogging lawyers and judges who are among us, a lawsuit would not be heard of in Utah from one year’s end to another. When many of these people come to Utah they are poor and houseless, but they go to work and labor away with all their might, without a murmur, under wise and judicious guidance, and in a short time they are able to gather from the soil, the water and the air, the essential and solid comforts of life.

When a lawyer comes into the church, if he happens to have a little common sense left, and will take to ploughing and cultivating the soil, there is a chance for him to make a man of himself; but if he follows his former customs and habits, the chances are against him, he may ruin himself, lose the Spirit of the Lord, if he ever possessed it, and go back into midnight darkness.

It is through the proclamation of the gospel that this great people have been gathered from their homes in distant parts of the earth. It is not in the power of man to accomplish such a work of gathering thousands of men, women, and children from different nations to a distant inland country, and unite them together and make of them a powerful nation. They heard the sound of the gospel, they repented of their sins, and were baptized for the remission of them, and received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands; this Spirit caused them to gather themselves together for the truth’s sake; they came here because the voice of the Lord called them together from the ends of the earth. They needed not to be persuaded to gather themselves together, for they knew it was the will of God by the power of the Spirit which they had received through the ordinances of the gospel. Here sits brother George D. Watt, our reporter, who was the first man to receive the gospel in a foreign land; there had not been a word spoken to him about gathering to America; but he prophesied that the land of America was the land of Zion, and that the Lord would gather His people to that land in the last days, and thus he prophesied by the Spirit of prophecy which he had received by embracing the gospel.

Wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, and the people repent, are baptized, and receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, that Spirit teaches them that America is the land of Zion, and they begin straightway to prepare to gather, and thus the Lord is building up His kingdom in our day. Were it not that I possess the Spirit of truth which reveals to me the purposes of God, it would appear to me a strange work and a wonder; but I can understand that the Lord is feeling after the inhabitants of the earth, and teaching the honest in heart the truth, and diffusing His Spirit among them, and offering to all men life and salvation.

If the message which the Lord is sending among the nations is rejected by them, they will crumble and fall, and cease to exist. The set time has come for the Lord to favor Zion; He is sending His servants to the uttermost parts of the earth to declare the truth to the inhabitants thereof, which they can receive or reject, and be saved or be damned. This is a hard saying—who can hear it? A gentleman asked the Prophet Joseph once if he believed that all other sects and parties would be damned excepting the Mormons. Joseph Smith’s reply was, “Yes, sir, and most of the Mormons too, unless they repent.” We believe that all will be damned who do not receive the gospel of Jesus Christ; but we do not believe that they will go into a lake which burns with brimstone and fire, and suffer unnamed and unheard of torments, inflicted by cruel and malicious devils to all eternity.

The sectarian doctrine of final rewards and punishments is as strange to me as their bodiless, partless, and passionless God. Every man will receive according to the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or bad. All men, excepting those who sin against the Holy Ghost, who shed innocent blood or who consent thereto, will be saved in some kingdom; for in my father’s house, says Jesus, are many mansions. Where is John Wesley’s abode in the other world? He is not where the Father and the Son live, but he is gone into what is called Hades, or paradise, or the spirit world. He did not receive the gospel as preached by Jesus Christ and His apostles; it was not then upon the earth. The power of the Holy Priesthood was not then among men; but I suppose that Mr. Wesley lived according to the best light he had, and tried to improve upon it all the days of his life. Where is the departed spirit of that celebrated reformer? It occupies a better place than ever entered his heart to conceive of when he was in the flesh. This is a point of doctrine, however, which I have not time to speak upon at large now, even if I had strength to do so.

The Lord sent His angel and called and ordained Joseph Smith, first to the Aaronic and then to the Melchizedek Priesthood, and Joseph Smith ordained others. He baptized believers and confirmed them and organized the church. The Lord revealed to him that order which is now in our midst with regard to our organization as a people, and there is no better among men. It is the government of the Lord Almighty, and we think it is very good. The Lord is again speaking to the children of men, who have opened their ears to hear, and their hearts to understand; He communicates His will to this people, although they may be ignorant and guilty of a thousand wrongs, and some will apostatize; yet we are the best people upon the earth, the most peaceable, the most industrious, and know the best how to take care of ourselves of any people now living who are not the people of God; and what we do not know God will teach us, and what we cannot do He will help us to perform, if we continue to do His will and keep His commandments; for in doing this we shall live, grow and increase in numbers and in strength, and I pray that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth, for without this we are nothing. To me it is the kingdom of God or nothing upon the earth. Without it I would not give a farthing for the wealth, glory, prestige and power of all the world combined; for, like the dew upon the grass, it passeth away and is forgotten, and like the flower of the grass it withereth, and is not. Death levels the most powerful monarch with the poorest starving mendicant; and both must stand before the judgment seat of Christ to answer for the deeds done in the body.

To us life is the sweetest of all enjoyments. A man will give all that he has for his life, yet it is compared to a span length, and is swift to its termination like the shuttle that passeth over the weaver’s beam. Even when denied the enjoyment of health and of worldly comforts and conveniences, still will men cling to life to the last. The kingdom of God secures unto the faithful eternal life, with wives, children, and friends, in glory immortal, and in eternal felicity and bliss. Life eternal in His presence is the greatest gift that God can bestow upon His children. This life is nothing in point of duration in comparison with the life which is to come to the faithful, and for that reason we say that in this life it is the kingdom of God or nothing to us. With the kingdom of God and the facilities it offers for an everlasting progression in godliness until we know all things as our Father in Heaven knows them, there is no life of greater importance than this life, for there is no life in heaven or on earth to the true followers of Jesus Christ that is not incorporated in His gospel. Those who reject the gospel, when it is proclaimed to them by the authority of heaven, cannot know the Father and the Son, and are cut off from the eternal life which this knowledge alone gives.

We are in the hands of the Almighty as a people, and He is able to take care of us. We entertain no antipathies against any person or community upon this earth; but we would give eternal life to all, if they would receive it at our hands—we would preach the truth to them and administer to them the ordinances of the gospel. But, it is said, you believe in polygamy, and we cannot receive the gospel from your hands. We have been told a great many times that polygamy is not according to Christianity. The Protestant reformers believed the doctrine of polygamy. Philip, Landgrave of Hesse, one of the principal lords and princes of Germany, wrote to the great reformer Martin Luther and his associate reformers, anxiously imploring them to grant unto him the privilege of marrying a second wife, while his first wife, the princess, was yet living. He urged that the practice was in accordance with the Bible, and not prohibited under the Christian dispensation. Upon the reception of this letter, Luther, who had denounced the Romish church for prohibiting the marriage of priests, and who favored polygamy, met in council with the principal Reformers to consult upon the letter which had been received from the Landgrave. They wrote him a lengthy letter in reply, approving of his taking a second wife, saying—

“There is no need of being much concerned for what men will say, provided all goes right with conscience. So far do we approve it, and in those circumstances only by us specified, for the gospel hath neither recalled nor forbid what was permitted in the law of Moses with respect to the marriage. Jesus Christ has not changed the external economy, but added justice only, and life everlasting for reward. He teaches the true way of obeying God, and endeavors to repair the corruption of nature.”

This letter was written at Wittemburg, the Wednesday after the feast of St. Nicholas, 1539, and was signed by Martin Luther, Philip Melancthon, Martin Bucer, and five other Reformers, and was written in Melancthon’s own handwriting.

The marriage was solemnized on the 4th of March, 1540, by the Rev. Denis Melanther, chaplain to Philip. Philip’s first wife was so anxious “that the soul and body of her dearest spouse should run no further risk, and that the glory of God might be increased,” that she freely consented to the match.

This letter of the great Reformers was not a hasty conclusion on their part that polygamy was sanctioned by the gospel, for in the year 1522, seventeen years before they wrote this letter, Martin Luther himself, in a sermon which he delivered at Wittemburg for the reformation of marriage, clearly pronounced in favor of polygamy.

These transactions are published in the work entitled, “History of the variations of the Protestant churches.”

Ladies and gentlemen, I exhort you to think for yourselves, and read your Bibles for yourselves, get the Holy Spirit for yourselves, and pray for yourselves, that your minds may be divested of false traditions and early impressions that are untrue. Those who are acquainted with the history of the world are not ignorant that polygamy has always been the general rule and monogamy the exception. Since the founding of the Roman empire monogamy has prevailed more extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence this monogamic system which now prevails throughout all Christendom, and which has been so fruitful a source of prostitution and whoredom throughout all the Christian monogamic cities of the Old and New World, until rottenness and decay are at the root of their institutions both national and religious. Polygamy did not have its origin with Joseph Smith, but it existed from the be– ginning. So far as I am concerned as an individual, I did not ask for it; I never desired it; and if I ever had a trial of my faith in the world, it was when Joseph Smith revealed that doctrine to me; and I had to pray incessantly and exercise faith before the Lord until He revealed to me the truth, and I was satisfied. I say this at the present time for the satisfaction of both saint and sinner. Now, here are the commandments of the Lord, and here are the wishes of wicked men, which shall we obey? It is the Lord and them for it.

I pray that the Spirit of Truth may find its way to each heart, that we may all love the truth more than error, and cling to that which is good that we may all be saved in the kingdom of our God. Amen.

Remarks by President Brigham Young, delivered in the Tabernacle, Great Salt Lake City, Sunday afternoon, May 15, 1865.

I will say to you, and wish you to inform your neighbors, that on the morrow I expect to start with some of my brethren on a short trip north. I do this lest some might suppose that we are going to leave you. If we would live according to our acknowledgments in the holy Gospel, according to the faith we have embraced, and according to the teachings we receive from time to time, we never would be in the dark with regard to any matters we should understand.

Much is taught the Saints by the Elders of Israel concerning their religion, the way we should live, how we should deal with each other, how we should live before God, what our feelings should be and the spirit we should possess. If we live according to our covenants, we will always enjoy the light of truth; and if we live faithful enough, we shall enjoy the blessings of the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion. In such case no person would turn either to the right hand or to the left, in consequence of the motives, the sayings, or the doings of this one or that one; but they would march straightforward in the path that leads to eternal life; and if others stepped out of the way, they would walk straight along. Without the power of the Holy Ghost, a person is liable to go to the right or the left from the straight path of duty; they are liable to do things they are sorry for; they are liable to make mistakes; and when they try to do their best, behold they do that which they dislike.

I mention my intended trip, because I do not want to hear, when I return, that Brother Brigham, or Brother Heber, or somebody else, “has slipped away”—that “there is something the matter”—“something that is not right”—somebody saying “there is an evil of some kind, and we want to know it;” “why don’t you come right out with it?” “If you do not come back so-and-so, we will leave.”

It was said here today, that very few have embraced the truth, considering the great number of the inhabitants of the earth. It can hardly be discovered where those few are. It is astonishing to relate facts as they are. The Elders go forth and preach the Gospel to the nations; they baptize the people—hunt them up from place to place; yet, if you take the names of those who have been baptized, have the one-fourth ever been gathered? No. Is not this strange? Do they keep the faith and stay in the midst of the wicked? No, they do not. The kingdom of God is living and full of spirit; it is on the move; it is not like what we call sectarianism—religion today and the world tomorrow; next Sabbath a little more religion, and then the world again; “and as we were, so we are; and as we are, so we shall be, ever more, amen.” It is not so with our religion. Ours is a religion of improvement; it is not contracted and confined, but is calculated to expand the minds of the children of men and lead them up into that state of intelligence that will be an honor to their being.

Look at the people who are here—the few that have gathered—and then look back at the branches you came from. How many have gathered? Where are the rest of those who composed these branches? It is true that occasionally one will remain and keep the faith for many years; but circumstances are such in the world, that they eventually fall away from it, if they remain there.

It was truly said here today, that the spirit we have embraced is one, and that we will flow together as surely as drops of water flow together. One drop will unite with another drop, others will unite with them, until, drop added to drop, they form a pond, a sea, or a mighty ocean. So with those who receive the Gospel. There never was a person who embraced the Gospel but desired to gather with the Saints, yet not one-fourth ever have gathered; and we expect that a good many of those who have gathered will go the downward road that leads to destruction. It seems hardly possible to believe that people, after receiving the truth and the love of it, will turn away from it, but they do.

Now, brethren and sisters, proclaim that Brothers Heber and Brigham, and some others, will be gone for a few days; though I do not promise to preach to you when I come back. I do not intend to preach while I am away, but I expect to attend meeting when I return; so that you can see that I am with you in readiness to meet the requirements of my calling. This should satisfy you about my being absent for a few days.

I expect to be absent, some time from now, for quite a while. I do not say I will be absent, but I expect to be. I expect to take the back track from here. When we came back from the south, I told the brethren this. When we shall go is not for me to say. If the people neglect their duty, turn away from the holy commandments which God has given us, seek their own individual wealth, and neglect the interests of the kingdom of God, we may expect to be here quite a time—perhaps a period that will be far longer than we anticipate. Perhaps some do not understand these remarks. You are like me, and I am like you. I cannot see that which is out of sight; you cannot see that which is out of sight. If you bring objects within the range of vision—within the power of sight—you can see them. These sayings may be somewhat mysterious to some.

Some may ask why we did not tarry at the Center Stake of Zion when the Lord planted our feet there? We had eyes, but we did not see; we had ears, but we did not hear; we had hearts that were devoid of what the Lord required of his people; consequently, we could not abide what the Lord revealed unto us. We had to go from there to gain an experience. Can you understand this? I think there are some here who can. If we could have received the words of life and lived according to them, when we were first gathered to the Center Stake of Zion, we never would have been removed from that place. But we did not abide the law the Lord gave to us. We are here to get an experience, and we cannot increase in that any faster than our capacities will admit. Our capacities are limited, though sometimes we could receive move than we do, but we will not. Preach the riches of eternal life to a congregation, and when the eyes and affections of that congregation are like the fool’s eyes, to the ends of the earth, it is like throwing pearls before swine. If I can actually reach your understandings, you will know just what I know, and see just what I see, in regard to what I may say.

Take the history of this Church from the commencement, and we have proven that we cannot receive all the Lord has for us. We have proven to the heavens and to one another that we are not yet capacitated to receive all the Lord has for us, and that we have not yet a disposition to receive all he has for us. Can you understand that there is a time you can receive and there is a time you cannot receive, a time when there is no place in the heart to receive? The heart of man will be closed up, the will will be set against this and that that we have opportunity to receive. There is an abundance the Lord has for the people, if they would receive it.

I will now lead your minds directly to our own situation here, leaving the first organization of the people, their gathering, etc., and come to our being now here. Some have been here six months, some one year, some two, some five, some six, some ten, and some seventeen years this summer. Now, I will take the liberty of bringing up some circumstances and sayings to connect with the ideas I wish to present in regard to our wills, dispositions, opportunities, etc.

It was said here today, by Brother William Carmichael, that he had proved a great many of the sayings and prophecies of Joseph to be true, and also the prophecies of Heber and others. Now you, my brethren and sisters, who have been in the habit of coming here for the last ten, twelve, or fifteen years, have you not been told all the time, at least as often as once a month, that the time would come when you would see the neces– sity of taking counsel and laying up grain? It has been said that Brother Brigham has prophesied there would be a famine here. I would like to have anyone show me the man or woman who heard Brother Brigham make that statement. I did not make that statement; but I have said you would see the time when you would need grain—that you would need bread. You have seen that time. Brother Heber said the same thing. But you never heard me saying the Lord would withdraw his blessings from this land while we live here, unless we forfeit our rights to the Priesthood; then we might expect that the earth would not bring forth.

We have had a cricket war, a grasshopper war, and a dry season, and now we have a time of need. Many of the inhabitants of this very city, I presume, have not breadstuffs enough to last them two days; and I would not be surprised if there are not seven-eighths of the inhabitants who have not breadstuffs sufficient to last them two weeks. Has the Lord stayed the heavens? No. Has he withdrawn his hand? No. He is full of mercy and compassion. He has provided for the Saints. No matter what scarcity there is at present, He gave them bread. If they go without bread, they cannot say the Lord has withheld his hand, for he has been abundantly rich in bestowing the good things of the earth upon this people. Then why are we destitute of the staff of life? Comparing ourselves with our substance, we might say we have sold ourselves for naught. We have peddled off the grain which God has given us so freely, until we have made ourselves destitute. Has this been told us before? Yes, year after year.

How will it be? Listen, all who are in this house, is this the last season we are going to have a scarcity? I will say I hope it is, but I cannot say that it is, if the people are not wise. Some sow their wheat, and after the Lord has given one hundredfold of an increase, they sell that at one-fourth of its value, and leave themselves wanting. The last time I spoke upon this subject I tried to stir up the minds of the people regarding it; I want them to reflect upon it.

At our Semiannual Conference last fall, the Bishops were instructed to go to each house and see what breadstuffs were on hand. Why? “Because the time is coming when they will want breadstuffs.” It comes to my ears every day that this one and that one is in want. “Such a one has had no bread for three days.”

What was told you last harvest? “Sister, you had better get a chest, or a little box, for there is plenty of wheat to be had—it is not worth a dollar a bushel—and you had better fill your box with it.” “Oh, there is plenty of it; there is no necessity for my emptying the paper rags out of my box, or my clothes out of the large chest where I have them packed away; my husband can go and get what he wants at the tithing store.” They would not get the wheat and the flour that was then easy to be obtained, and now they are destitute. Why could they not believe what they were told? They ought to have believed, for it was true; and in all these matters, the truth has been timely told to the people. And here let me say to you, that instead of our having plenty here, with nobody to come to buy our substance—to purchase our surplus grain—the demand for what we can raise here will increase year by year.

Are we going to live our religion—to be the servants and handmaids of the Almighty? Are we going to continue in the faith, and try to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth? If we are, the prophecies will be fulfilled on us. We shall have the privilege of seeing the blest, and will be blest.

I look at things as a man looking philosophically; I look at things before us in the future as a politician, as a statesman, as a thinking person. What is going to be the condition of this people and their surrounding neighbors? Do we not see the storm gathering? It will come from the northeast and the southeast, from the east and from the west, and from the northwest. The clouds are gathering; the distant thunders can be heard; the grumblings and mutterings in the distance are audible, and tell of destruction, want, and famine. But mark it well, if we live according to the holy Priesthood bestowed upon us, while God bears rule in the midst of these mountains, I promise you, in the name of Israel’s God, that he will give us seedtime and harvest. We must forfeit our right to the Priesthood before the blessings of the Heavens cease to come upon us. Let us live our religion and hearken to the counsel given to us.

And here let me say to you, buy what flour you need, and do not let it be hauled away. Have you a horse, or an ox, or a wagon, or anything else, if it takes the coat off your back, or the shoes off your feet, and you have to wear moccasins? Sell them and go to the merchants who have it to sell, and buy the flour before it is hauled away. Why did you not buy it when it was cheap? There is a saying that wit dearly bought is remembered. Now buy your wit, buy your wisdom, buy your counsel and judgment, buy them dearly, so that you will remember. You were last fall counseled to supply yourselves with breadstuffs, when flour could have been bought for whistling a tune, and the seller would have whistled one-half of it to induce you to buy. Why have the children of this world been wiser in this day than the children of light? Have not there been Saints enough before us for us to learn by their experience, and revelations enough given for the Saints now not to be in the background? It is mortifying that the children of this world should know more about these things than the children of light. We know more about the kingdom of God. Take these young men, sixteen or eighteen years old, or these old men, or some who have just come into the Church, and let them go into the world, and, with regard to the kingdom of God, they can teach kings and queens, statesmen and philosophers, for they are ignorant of these things; but in things pertaining to this life, the lack of knowledge manifested by us as a people is disgraceful. Your knowledge should be as much more than that of the children of this world with regard to the things of the world as it is with regard to the things of the kingdom of God.

Take your money or your property, brethren and sisters, and buy flour; or shall I hear, tomorrow morning, “I am out of bread?” Why not go down street and sell your bonnets and your shawls, sisters, and not wait? “Why, some good brother will feed us.” But that good brother has not got the flour. “I am not going to buy any; I will trust in the Lord; He will send the ravens to feed me.” Perhaps the faith of some people is such that they think the Lord will send down an angel with a loaf of bread under one arm and a leg of bacon under the other—that an angel will be sent from some other world with bread ready buttered for them to eat; or that it will be as was said of the pigs in Ohio, when it was first settled; it was said the soil was so rich that if you hung up one pound of the earth two pounds of fat would run out of it, and that pigs were running through the woods ready roasted, with knives and forks in their backs. My faith is not like that.

A brother told me, when speaking of the rotation of the planets, that he could never believe that the earth did rotate. Said I, “do you believe that the sun which shone today shone yesterday?” “Yes.” He had not faith to believe that the earth turns round, but He believed that the sun moved round the earth. Now, said I, take your measuring instruments. If the earth rotates upon its axis each given point upon it moves 24,000 miles in twenty-four hours; while, if the sun goes round the earth, it must travel over a circle, in the same time, of which 95,000,000 is about the semidiameter. He had not faith to believe that the earth could turn on its axis in twenty-four hours, but I showed him that he had to have millions and millions more faith than I had, when he believed the sun went round the earth.

My faith does not lead me to think the Lord will provide us with roast pigs, bread already buttered, etc. He will give us the ability to raise the grain, to obtain the fruits of the earth, to make habitations, to procure a few boards to make a box, and when harvest comes, giving us the grain, it is for us to preserve it—to save the wheat until we have one, two, five, or seven years’ provisions on hand—until there is enough of the staff of life saved by the people to bread themselves and those who will come here seeking for safety.

Will you do this? “Aye, maybe I will,” says one, and “maybe I won’t” says another; “the kingdom that cannot support me I don’t think of much account; the Lord has said it is his business to provide for his Saints, and I guess he will do it.” I have no doubt but what he will provide for his Saints; but if you do not take this counsel and be industrious and prudent, you will not long con– tinue to be one of his Saints. Then, continue to do right, that we may be His Saints; sow, plant, buy half a bushel of wheat here, and a bushel there, and store it up till you get your five or seven years’ provisions on hand.

The war now raging in our nation is in the providence of God, and was told us years and years ago by the Prophet Joseph; and what we are now coming to was foreseen by him, and no power can hinder. Can the inhabitants of our once beautiful, delightful, and happy country avert the horrors and evils that are now upon them? Only by turning from their wickedness and calling upon the Lord. If they will turn unto the Lord and seek after him, they will avert this terrible calamity, otherwise it cannot be averted. There is no power on the earth, nor under it, but the power of God, that can avert the evils that are now upon, and are coming upon, the nation.

What is the prospect? What does the statesman declare to us? What does he point us to? Peace and prosperity? Brotherly kindness and love? Union and happiness? No! No! Calamity upon calamity; misery upon misery.

Do you see any necessity, Latter-day Saints, for providing for the thousands coming here? Suppose some of your brothers, uncles, children, grandchildren, or your old neighbors, fleeing here from the bloodshed and misery in the world, were to come to you. “Well, I am glad to see you; come to my house; come, uncle; come, grandson; come, aunt; I must take you home.” But what have you to give them? Not a morsel! “The country was full of food; I could have obtained it for sewing, for knitting, for almost every kind of work; I could have procured it a year ago, but it grated on my feelings to have it offered to me for my work. I am sorry to say I have nothing in the house, but I think I can borrow,” when you ought to have your bins full, to feed your friends when they come here.

It is not our open enemies who will come here. I told the people last year that the flood and tide of emigration were conservative people, who wished in peace to raise the necessaries of life, to trade, etc.—peaceful citizens. What do they come here for? To live in peace. Were they those who robbed us in Missouri and Illinois? No.

The time is coming when your friends are going to write to you about coming here, for this is the only place where there will be peace. There will be war, famine, pestilence, and misery through the nations of the earth, and there will be no safety in any place but Zion, as has been foretold by the Prophets of the Lord, both anciently and in our day.

This is the place of peace and safety. We would see how it would be if the wicked had power here, but they have not the power, and they never will have, if we live as the Lord requires us to. (Amen, by the congregation.)

Buy flour, you who can; and you, sisters, and children too, when harvest comes, glean the wheat fields. I would as soon see my wives and children gleaning wheat as anybody’s. And then, when the people come here by thousands, you will be able to feed them. What will be your feelings when the women and children begin to cry in your ears with not a man to protect them? You can believe it or not, but the time is coming when a good man will be more precious than fine gold.

It is distressing to see the condition our nation is in, but I cannot help it. Who can? The people en masse, by turning to God and ceasing to do wickedly, ceasing to persecute the honest and the truth-lover. If they had done that thirty years ago, it would have been better for them today. When we appealed to the government of our nation for justice, the answer was, “Your cause is just, but we have no power.” Did not Joseph Smith tell them in Washington and Philadelphia, that the time would come when their State rights would be trampled upon?

Joseph said, many and many a time, to us, “Never be anxious for the Lord to pour out his judgments upon the nation; many of you will see the distress and evils poured out upon this nation till you will weep like children.” Many of us have felt to do so already, and it seems to be coming upon us more and more; it seems as though the fangs of destruction were piercing the very vitals of the nation.

We inquire of our friends who come here, the emigration, how it is back where they came from. They say, you can ride all day in some places but recently inhabited and not see any inhabitants, any plowing, any sowing, any planting; you may ride through large districts of country and see one vast desolation. A gentleman said here, the other day, that 100 families were burned alive in their own houses, in the county of Jackson, Missouri; whether this is true is not for me to say, but the thought of it is painful. Have you, Latter-day Saints, ever experienced anything like that? No! You were driven out of your houses, I forget the number, but you were not burned in them. I have said to the Saints, and would proclaim it to the latest of Adam’s generation, that the wicked suffer more than the righteous.

Why do people apostatize? You know we are on the “Old Ship Zion.” We are in the midst of the ocean. A storm comes on, and, as sailors say, she labors very hard. “I am not going to stay here,” says one; “I don’t believe this is the Ship Zion.” “But we are in the midst of the ocean.” “I don’t care, I am not going to stay here.” Off goes the coat, and he jumps overboard. Will he not be drowned? Yes. So with those who leave this Church. It is the old Ship Zion, let us stay in it. Is there any wisdom in all doing as we are all told? Yes.

While Brother Woodruff was talking about the notable text given by Brother Hardy to a gentleman in England, when speaking of the Mormon creed, I thought I could incorporate a very large discourse in the application of that creed. “To mind your own business” incorporates the whole duty of man. What is the duty of a Latter-day Saint? To do all the good he can upon the earth, living in the discharge of every duty obligatory upon him. If you see anybody angry, tell them never to be angry again. If you see anybody chewing tobacco, ask them to stop it and spend the money for something to eat. Will you stop drinking whiskey? Let me plead with you to do so. And if the sisters would not think it oppressive, I would ask them to not drink quite so much strong tea. And if I make an application of these remarks in my own person, it is my business to point out these things and to ask you to refrain from them. It is the business of a Latter-day Saint, in passing through the street, if he sees a fence pole down, to put it up; if he sees an animal in the mud, to stop and help to get it out. I make such acts my business. When I am traveling, I stop my whole train and say, “Boys, let us drive those cattle out of that grain and put up the fence.” If I can do any good in administering among the people, in trying to have them comprehend what is right and do it, that is my business, and it is also your business.

Let us preach righteousness, and practice it. I do not wish to preach what I do not practice. If I wish to preach to others wholesome doctrine, let me practice it myself—show that example to others I wish them to imitate. If we do this, we will be preserved in the truth. We wish to increase; we do not wish to become aliens to the kingdom of God.

When people’s eyes are opened and they see and understand how heinous it is to turn away from the truth, were they to reflect, and ask, “Shall I ever leave the faith? Ever turn away from the kingdom of God?” it would make them shudder; there would be a chill over them from their heads to their feet; they would feel to say, “No, God forbid!”

It was said here this morning that no person ever apostatized without actual transgression. Omission of duty leads to apostasy. We want to live so as to have the Spirit every day, every hour of the day, every minute of the day; and every Latter-day Saint is entitled to the Spirit of God, to the power of the Holy Ghost, to lead him in his individual duties. Is no one else entitled to it? No. But this wants explanation.

Here, perhaps, is a good Presbyterian brother, a good Baptist brother, or, perhaps, a good Catholic one. Are they entitled to that degree of the Spirit of God that we are? No; but they are entitled to light. And there is one saying I heard here today that I will repeat—Whenever anyone lifts his voice or hand to persecute this people, there is a chill passes through him, unless he is lost to truth and the Spirit of God has entirely left him. He feels it day and night; he feels the Spirit working with him. And the Spirit of the Lord will strive, and strive, and strive with the people, till they have sinned away the day of grace. Until then, all are entitled to the light of Christ, for he is the light that lighteth every man who cometh into the world. But they are not entitled to receive the Holy Ghost. Why not, as well as Cornelius? That bestowal of the Holy Ghost was to convince the superstitious Jews that the Lord designed to send the Gospel to the Gentiles. Peter said, well, now, brethren, can you forbid water to baptize these, seeing the Lord has been so merciful to them as to give them the Holy Ghost? And he baptized them; and that was the opening of the door of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

I pray the Lord for you; I pray for you to get wisdom—worldly wisdom; not to love the things of the world, but to take care of what you raise. Try to raise a little silk here; you know we are raising cotton. Try to raise some flax, and take care of it. Try and make a little sugar here next fall; I understand that article is now fifty cents a pound in New York. As war is wasting the productive strength of the nation, do you not think it becomes us to raise sugar, corn, wheat, sheep, etc., for the consumption of the old, the blind, the lame, and the helpless who will be left, that we may be able to feed and clothe them when they come here? We will feed and care for them, for there are thousands of them who are good people, who have lived according to the best light and truth they knew. And by-and-by the prejudices that exist against us will be wiped away, so that the honest can embrace the truth.

I do not want “Mormonism” to become popular; I would not, if I could, make it as popular as the Roman Catholic Church is in Italy, or as the Church of England is in England, because the wicked and ungodly would crowd into it in their sins. There are enough such characters in it now. There are quite a number here who will apostatize. It needs this and that to occur to make some leave. If “Mormonism” were to become popular, it would be much as it was in the days of the early Christians, when no one could get a good position unless he was baptized for the remission of sins; he could not get an office without he was baptized into the church.

Suppose this Church were so popular that a man could not be elected President of the United States unless he was a Latter-day Saint, we would be overrun by the wicked. I would rather pass through all the misery and sorrow, the troubles and trials of the Saints, than to have the religion of Christ become popular with the world. It would in such case go as the ancient church went. I care not what the world thinks, nor what it says, so they leave us unmolested in the exercise of our inherent rights. Take a straightforward course, and meet the jeers and frowns of the wicked.

Unpopular. “Oh! dear, how they are despised and hated, those ‘Mormons!’” Did not Jesus say that his disciples should be hated and despised? Said he, “They hate me, and they will hate you also.” Has it ever been otherwise? He said, emphatically, “In the world ye shall have persecution, but in me ye shall have peace.”

What is proved by people’s leaving us, before the heavens, before the angels, and all the prophets and holy men who ever lived upon the earth? You will see every man and woman, when they once consent to leave here, I don’t care what name they are known by, whether Morrisites, Gladden Bishopites, Josephites, or any other ite, they make friends with the wicked—with those who blaspheme the holy name we have been commemorating here this afternoon, and they are full of malice and evil. Whenever any person wants to leave here, the thread is broken that bound him to the truth, and he seeks the society of the wicked; and it proves to everyone who has the light of truth within him, that this is the kingdom of God, and that those who leave are of Anti-Christ.

Be steadfast, always abiding in the truth. Never encourage malice or hatred in your hearts; that does not belong to a Saint. I can say in truth, that with all the abuse I have ever met, driven from my home, robbed of my substance, I do not know that a spirit of malice has ever rested in my heart. I have asked the Lord to mete out justice to those who have oppressed us, and the Lord will take his own time and way for doing this. It is in his hands, and not in mine, and I am glad of it, for I could not deal with the wicked as they should be dealt with.

My name is had for good and evil upon the whole earth, as promised to me. Thirty years ago Brother Joseph, in a lecture to the Twelve, said to me, “Your name shall be known for good and evil throughout the world;” and it is so. The good love me, weak and humble as I am, and the wicked hate me; but there is no individual on the earth but what I would lead to salvation, if he would let me; I would take him by the hand, like a child, and lead him like a father in the way that would bring him to salvation.

Would we not rather live as we are living than to become one with the spirit of the world? Yes. Do not be anxious to have this people become rich and possess the affection of the world. I have been fearful lest we come to fellowship the world. Whatever you have, it is the Lord’s. You own nothing, I own nothing. I seem to have a great abundance around me, but I own nothing. The Lord has placed what I have in my hands, to see what I will do with it, and I am perfectly willing for him to dispose of it otherwise whenever he pleases. I have neither wife nor child, no wives nor children; they are only committed to me, to see how I will treat them. If I am faithful, the time will come when they will be given to me.

The Lord has placed it in our power to obtain the greatest gift he can bestow—the gift of eternal life. He has bestowed upon us gifts to be developed and used throughout all eternity—the gifts of seeing, of hearing, of speech, etc.—and we are endowed with every gift and qualification, though in weakness, that are the angels’; and the germ of the attributes that are developed in Him who controls, is in us to develop. We can see each other, hear each other, converse with each other, and, if we keep the faith, all things will be ours. The Saints do not own anything now. The world do not own anything. They are hunting for gold—it is the Lord’s. If my safe had millions of gold in it, it would be the Lord’s, to be used as he dictates. The time will come when those who are now dissatisfied will not be satisfied with anything; but the Saints who live their religion are and will be satisfied with everything. They know the Lord controls, and that he will control and save the righteous.

May the Lord help us to be righteous and to live our religion, that we may live forever. Amen.