Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the Twentieth Ward Meetinghouse, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Dec. 3, 1876.

The following passages of scripture were read—The 24th chapter of Isaiah, from the 1st to the 6th verses, and from the 17th to the 23rd verses; the 6th chapter of Revelation, from the 12th to the 17th verses; the 34th chapter of Isaiah, from the 1st to the 4th verses; and the 13th chapter of Isaiah, from the 6th to the 13th verses.

Elder Pratt then said—I have read these passages, not with the idea of selecting from them any one passage, but more particularly to impress upon the congregation the fact that something must take place which never has been fulfilled.

Since the day that Isaiah lived and prophesied among the people, you will admit, with me, that there never has been a universal destruction of all the wicked and the transgressors from off the face of the earth. There have been scores of millions of sinners upon the earth since the utterance of this prophecy to the present time, but the wholesale des– truction spoken of has never taken place. You will all admit with me also that the signs which are to appear in the heavens, about the time of this universal destruction of the wicked, have not yet taken place. We are told not only that the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, but the stars shall refuse their shining. If only the sun were to be darkened, the heathen nations, that could not account for it, might say it had reference to some great eclipse, such as has occurred in different ages; but when they find that all the stars of heaven withhold their light, and there is not even so much as a glimmer of light, and the sun too becomes as black as sackcloth, they cannot impute it to an eclipse, for an eclipse would not destroy the light of the stars that are scattered over the concave of heaven. We are also told, in connection with this, that the earth is to be afflicted as well as the heavenly bodies; it is to roll to and fro like a drunken man, the mountains are to be broken down, and the whole earth is to be dissolved. No such thing has ever taken place since the day this prophecy was uttered; it is therefore yet to be fulfilled.

Again Isaiah in the 40th chapter has said that “every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” Such an event as that has never occurred, for we have many mountains in all parts of the earth, and the valleys are not yet exalted, neither are the rough places made smooth. We are told that not only are the mountains to be broken down, and the valleys exalted, and the rough places made smooth, but the earth itself is to be dissolved. This agrees with the prophecies of the Psalmist David. He was permitted to see the great day of the coming of the Lord, and has described it, in many of his psalms; among other things which he says shall take place, is that the hills should melt like wax at the presence of the Lord. They of course will fall down by the force of gravity, and fill up the valleys; such an event has never taken place since the day the prophecy was uttered.

We are told also in another place by the Prophet Isaiah, how that the servants of God in those notable days should call upon the name of the Lord, saying, “Oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down that the mountains might flow down at thy presence. As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations might tremble at thy presence,“ which prayer shall be answered.

Another thing is spoken of, besides all these changes that I have named. There will be a great removal of certain portions of the earth. “The earth is moved exceedingly,” as contained in the 19th verse of the 24th chapter of Isaiah, and in the following verse, still referring to the changes that this earth is to undergo, it reads, “And shall be removed like a cottage.” We are still further told in the same chapter that “the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down,” etc.; that is, many portions of the earth which now lie buried will be thrown to the surface, and many portions which now are the upper crust of the earth will be turned under.

The earth is now divided into continents and islands. We may ask, are these to change their location? The answer is, yes. The Apostle and revelator John, in the 6th chapter of Revelation, tells us that he saw, in vision, after the opening of the sixth seal, among other remarkable things, that “every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Such islands as Great Britain will change their location, as well as those of the Pacific Ocean and all others in like manner; and I have no doubt there will be a vast change between the location of continents and the location of the great oceans and seas at that time. The earth will doubtless be rolled back to the position it formerly occupied. We read that there is to be a restitution of all things spoken of by the mouth of all the holy Prophets. If the earth is to be restored to its former condition, as it once existed soon after the creation, then, so far as continents and oceans are concerned, there will be a restitution of those portions of the globe, as well as many things not mentioned in prophecy.

These passages which I have read occurred to my mind principally after I came to this house. I had nothing particular to present to the congregation, nothing studied or prepared. I prefer to depend upon the spirit of the Lord to direct me when engaged in preaching the Gospel, and my mind seems to be directed to the great events that are to transpire in the overthrow and destruction of the wicked nations—the great events to transpire in which the sun will become black as sackcloth, and every star withhold its light and cast themselves down as the falling of figs from the fig tree, all of which will be very remarkable in their nature.

The Prophet Joel says, “it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come,” etc. Do you suppose, my brethren, that the Lord would have inspired such men as the Psalmist David, the Prophets Isaiah, Joel, John the Revelator, as well as many others, to speak of events of this description, which were to take place in the latter times, if no such thing would transpire? No, certainly not. These things too are so frequently alluded to that we cannot have any dubiety upon our minds in regard to the design of the Lord.

I have no doubt a great many changes have taken place upon our globe since that great change wrought upon it at the time of the creation. There certainly was a great change wrought upon it then, for we are told that when the Lord organized the earth it was enveloped in a great ocean of water, there being no dry land in sight. But the Lord, by his power and word, or, in other words, by his immutable laws, caused that the waters should be gathered together into one place, and hence the dry land appeared. I do not suppose that this change was effected in the twinkling of an eye; I believe the Lord has certain established laws by which he accomplishes his wonderful works pertaining to all his creations. How long this submerged earth had an existence before the Lord commanded the great deep, that enveloped the whole surface of the same, to be removed, is not for me to say; no one can tell how many years, or thousands of years, or how many millions of years, this earth may have existed in the form of partial or imperfect organizations before this great event happened, of which Moses gives an account. The periods mentioned in the history, as recorded in the 1st chapter of Genesis, are represented as beginning with the evening and ending with the morning. Seven such periods are mentioned. How long these periods, called days, were, I cannot tell; it is very evident they were not governed by the rotation of the earth on its axis, because the sun did not give light during the first three days or periods. It was on the fourth day that the Lord caused the light of the sun to shine upon this little speck of creation. But there were three days prior to that, when the sun did not shine upon the earth. What then was to distinguish between the light and darkness we of course cannot say. There was an eternity of past duration, before the period, called “the first day.” The materials we, as Latter-day Saints, believe existed from all eternity, the materials had no beginning; they were not created.

There is one particular to which I wish to call your attention. The ocean seems to have been gathered by itself, when the dry land appeared, and whether or not there were any islands at that period of our globe’s history, we are not informed. You might inquire—What has occasioned two great continents and two great oceans intervening between them, and how are we to account for the appearance of islands and seas as they now exist? These are the results of other changes since the days of the organization of this earth, as proclaimed by Moses. The flood, no doubt, produced some changes on the surface of our globe, but still I do not believe, for a moment, that it could have produced the changes we now see. So far as the location of the different islands and continents is concerned, we descend to a period since the flood. In the days of Peleg, we are told, the earth was divided. This is a very short historical notice of a very marvelous event. If we had the whole account of this occurrence precisely as it transpired, it would certainly be extremely wonderful. Supposing that the one great antediluvian continent, which must have existed prior to that time, were to be divided by several thousand miles of water, would not that be a most wonderful event?

It may be enquired, what natural laws could have performed such an event? I do not pretend to say that any regular, uniform laws exist by which it was accomplished; but there are laws, perhaps, that finite man does not comprehend and fully understand, which might occasion the division of the earth. The Lord has under his control all the laws of nature, whether uniform or not. It is just as easy for the Lord to cause water to stand up as perpendicular walls, instanced in the case of the children of Israel crossing the Red Sea, as it is to cause these waters to settle to their common level. What causes water to find its level? It is the power of God, and nothing else. We give it the name of gravitation; but the power of gravitation is nothing more nor less than the power God exercises upon the elements, producing uniform laws.

Has the Lord no other laws in operation but the law of gravity? Yes, he can cause the law of gravity to be in subjection to other laws. For instance, a certain man was cutting down wood with the Prophet Elisha when his axe fell into deep water, to all appearance lost; and the man was somewhat exercised about it, because the axe was borrowed. The Prophet, understanding the nature of certain laws higher than that of gravitation, exercised the power of the Priesthood with which he was endowed, commanding the iron to swim, and it did so.

Again, on another occasion, the Prophet Elisha, knowing that he must succeed the Prophet Elijah in the ministry, and that Elijah was about to be translated and taken to heaven, asked of him a certain favor before he ascended, namely, that a double portion of his (Elijah’s) spirit might rest upon him. Elijah said in response, “Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou seest me, when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.” It pleased the Lord to grant unto Elisha his desire, for he beheld the Prophet ascend to heaven in a chariot of fire, drawn by horses having the appearance of fire. He then took the mantle of Elijah, that fell from him, and with it he smote the waters of the Jordan, saying, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” And they parted hither and thither, and Elisha went over on dry ground. Here, then, we perceive a power greater than gravitation.

As we have already observed, when the children of Israel had passed over the Red Sea, the waters were thrown up like walls on either side of them; the Lord caused the same waters to flow down upon their enemies, totally destroying them.

Again, while Israel was journeying in the wilderness we are informed that they came to the river Jordan, and that as the Priests who bore the ark of the Covenant touched the water with the soles of their feet, the waters rose up in a heap, and all Israel passed over on dry ground.

From these simple testimonies we have shown that God controls the laws of nature. Again, the fact of the Prophet Elijah being taken up to heaven, records another instance of the laws of gravitation being overcome by a more powerful one. Again, the ascension of Jesus, after he had commissioned his disciples to preach the Gospel to all the world, was another instance of the law of gravitation being overcome by the power of God. Then let no person suppose that all the great events that will hereafter transpire upon the surface of land and sea, have got to take place by reason of some slow progressive changes, occupying hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of years, according to the ideas of modern geologists. Can they show the way the Lord can govern and control these things, bringing about events, in the course of a very short time, that perhaps would take millions of years to accomplish by the mere progressive changes, such as are recognized by geologists? How easy it would be for that same power to be made manifest, in commanding the great ocean to leave its present bed and to gather together in the polar regions in our globe. One may ask, What would hold them there? They now occupy the common level surface as near the center of gravity as they can, and sustain the centrifugal force exercised by the rotation of the earth on its axis. If they should be rolled back, whence they came; if a great equatorial continent, in one continuous belt, encircled the globe, and the two polar regions were covered with oceans, what would hold them in their position? It might be done without infringing particularly on the laws of gravitation. How easy it would be for the Lord to compress the polar regions of our globe, and cause the equatorial regions to rise higher, so as to balance the polar waters, and retain them in the arctic and antarctic regions.

It may be objected, that should such a condition exist, even though we should admit the power of God in thus dividing the waters, and giving us an equatorial continent, yet this would not protect the inhabitants of the equator from the burning heat of the sun, and it would be utterly impossible for the inhabitants of the earth to inhabit the equatorial region, if this should be the case. How easy it would be for the Lord to alter the position of the earth’s axis, giving it a greater inclination to the plane of the ecliptic, so that the two tropics should extend thirty-five or forty degrees north and south of the equator. What effect would this have? It would have the effect of giving greater heat to the poles, and also of giving less heat to the equator.

The earth will be shaped into the form best adapted to the occupation of a higher order of beings. Now, children of mortality occupy this globe. In some portions of the earth we suffer extremes of heat and cold. The Laplander has guarded against this in his snow house, while the people of the torrid regions have to guard against intense heat. And there is much suffering by the inhabitants of the earth, in their present state of mortality, from the extremes of heat and cold. But in relation to the great event I have named, I have no doubt but what every motion and arrangement that the Lord will cause to take place upon the surface of our globe, will have a tendency to prepare it for the habitation of beings of a higher order of intelligence than those who now occupy it. In testimony of this, we will refer you to some few passages of Scripture. The inhabitants of the heavens, who now reside in the presence of God the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ, do not always expect to reside there; they have anticipations as well as we. And they expect to receive another place or location than where they now reside. Have you not read that peculiar passage contained in the 5th chapter of the Revelation, in relation to the inhabitants of heaven? The Revelator, John, heard them sing a new and beautiful song, about the unsealing of a certain book—“Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth,” etc.

What! The inhabitants of heaven coming to reign on this earth? Yes. Some of you may say, “I should not think that heavenly people would want to leave the presence of God and the Lamb, where all is peace and happiness, where there is no sin to mar the peace of that blessed abode. I should not suppose that they could anticipate joy in coming back to this earth.” But the earth is to undergo a change in which it will be sanctified and made glorious when the sinners are destroyed. When the Lord performs what I have read to you, namely, that the inhabitants of the earth are to be burned up, and few men left; and all the armies of the wicked slaughtered. And when the prediction of Isaiah is fulfilled, that the slain will be from one end of the earth to the other, and the earth changed in its position, and a beautiful climate introduced, and all the dry ground made habitable, and the rough places made smooth, the valleys raised, and the mountains leveled down, I think they will then delight to come here. Because this is their old home, where they once lived. “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”

How will they reign? Will they come here as spiritual personages without bodies of flesh and bones? No. There will be a resurrection, and when these great events take place on the earth, which are so clearly predicted by so many of the ancient worthies, who held communion with God, the graves will give up the righteous dead. The Saints who were heard singing that new and beautiful song, even the spirit of the just, will come from the celestial paradise to claim their resurrected bodies, no more to be subject to death—they will be immortal and eternal. They will have intelligence in proportion to that exalted condition of their spirits and bodies, and the earth will be adapted to them as a dwelling place. This is the reason why these changes are to take place.

Geologists say it would take some millions of years to effect any changes of the earth in regard to the location of its continents and islands, and a great number of intelligent readers are inclined to this belief. But there is a God who will disappoint them all, who will show forth his power, causing the earth to rock to and fro like a drunken man; a God whose power is able to cause the mountains to be cast down, and the valleys to come up. When it rains upon the exalted valleys, it will wash down the rich soil upon the rocky mountains which have sunk beneath, making them fertile; and thus the whole surface of the earth will become a fit abode for man in his improved and perfected state, whether immortal or mortal.

“Do you think,” one may say, “there will be mortal beings living on the earth, when these heavenly hosts come?” Yes, and they will dwell together. What, people not subject to sickness, or to sorrow, or punishment, people whose bodies are celestial and immortal, who will endure in their bodies to all eternity! Will they mingle with mortal beings? Yes. Have we any Scripture to sustain us in this? Yes. Our Savior was immortal when he arose from the tomb, his body of flesh and bones was no longer sensitive to pain; it was a glorified, immortal, and eternal body. Could he mingle with the children of mortality? Yes, for on a certain occasion the Apostles, doubtless thinking the Savior to be dead, went to their nets, their former pursuit. But Jesus knowing their hearts, went to the seashore and there made a fire. By and by he called them to land, and they came. He took a fish and broiled it on the coals, and gave it to them to eat, and he ate with them. He was immortal, they were mortal. Was there any perceptible difference between the appearance of the Savior on this occasion, and his disciples? No; he did not permit his glory to shine forth, as he did on the Isle of Patmos, when John received his heavenly manifestations. His glory was withheld, and they had no difficulty in looking upon his person.

I have no doubt there will be a certain degree of the glory of the immortal beings withheld from the children of mortality, during the whole period of the millennium. Kings and priests will come here to reign, and will mingle freely among their children of whom they are ancestors. And those who are mortal can receive instruction from those who are immortal, that will prepare them for the time when the earth is to undergo a still greater change. The children of mortality will need this preparation in order to live when this earth is burning up, which is to be its final destiny.

When Jesus comes, the events that I have named will take place. The earth is destined to pass away; after these immortal beings have dwelt upon it for one thousand years, after Jesus has been here reigning as King of kings and Lord of lords, and people have become familiar with him and all the ancients, by and by the earth will be burned up. You may inquire, “What is the use of burning it up?” I tell you my reason why I suppose the earth will be burnt up. It has been cursed by reason of the fall. In the early ages God said, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow thou shalt eat of it all the days of thy life,” etc. That curse has not been fully removed to this day, the earth has groaned under wickedness. Its inhabitants have had to suffer all the inclemencies of a rigid climate or the intensities of heat and cold. Millions have thus suffered for many thousands of years, all in consequence of the curse that came upon this creation. This curse is not all to be removed at once, it will be removed, in part, during the Millennium. The curse will not occupy the whole face of the earth to the same extent during that time as it has during the days of wickedness. But so great has been the curse that God decreed that it should suffer death like unto man; it cannot escape it, the change must come, the final change, which is equivalent to death itself. The Prophet Isaiah speaks of the earth dying: “And they that dwell therein shall die in like manner.” As it shall die, so shall all who dwell upon it. When shall it see death? Not until after the Millennium, after the reign of righteousness for the space of one thousand years; after, too, “the little season,” during which period of time Satan will be loosed out of his prison. It will continue in its temporal state with a portion of the curse upon its face, until the devil shall gather together his armies at the end of the thousand years, when he will marshal them, bringing them up on the breadth of the earth, and compassing the camp of the Saints and the beloved city. Then the Lord will make the final change; then the last trump will sound, which will bring forth all the sleeping nations; they will come forth with immortal bodies no more to be subject to temporal death. They will come forth from their sleeping tombs, and the sea will give up the dead which is in it. The graves of the wicked will be opened, and they will come forth; and a great white throne will appear, as recorded in the 20th chapter of Revelation, and the personage who sits on it is described. Jesus comes then in his glory and power, in a manner far greater than has ever been manifested on this earth before; so great will be the glory of him who sits upon the throne, that from before his face the earth and the heaven will flee away, and no place shall be found for them.

Will not that be a greater change than casting down the mountains, etc., which is to take place at the beginning of the Millennium? The earth is to be burnt by fire, returning to its original elements. It does not say there shall be no place found for the elements, but there shall be no place found for the organized world. Like ourselves, the organization of the mortal body will cease, it will be finally dissolved, and the elements of which it is composed will be scattered in space; but that same God that controls the laws by which it exists now will in due time, and when he sees proper, speak to these elements, and by his Almighty power they will again come together, and be formed into a new earth, as is clearly portrayed in the 21st chapter of St. John’s Revelation. The Apostle not only saw the heaven and the earth pass away, but he saw “a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”

How do you suppose this new earth will be made? Do you suppose the Lord will go away into the immensity of space, and gather together new materials and command them to be organized? No, he will take the same materials, the elements which will have been dissolved by fire, and he will command them again to be reorganized, adapting the resurrected creation to the condition of the inhabitants that will occupy it. It will then be far more glorious than it will appear, during the thousand years of rest; it will then be reorganized by Almighty God in the most perfect form, so that it shall be capable of eternal and everlasting endurance, no more to be dissolved, no more to suffer from the action of the elements one upon the other, as has been the case with this earth, during its temporal existence. But it will continue to all eternity, and who are to inhabit it? The Saints who have before lived upon it, during the seven thousand years of its temporal existence.

Have we any account to sustain us in this? Yes, for after John saw the new heaven and new earth, the next thing he tells us of is the population of the new earth. “I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away.”

The earth then will be made new, immortal, eternal in its nature; and holy beings that John saw come down in this holy city will be its inhabitants. No more death, no more sorrow, etc.; in other words, this earth, this creation, will become a heaven. The heavens that exist now are innumerable to man. God has from all eternity been organizing, redeeming and perfecting creations in the immensity of space; all of which, when they are sanctified by celestial law, and made new and eternal, become the abode of the faithful former inhabitants, who also become immortal, through and by celestial law. They are the mansions referred to by the Savior—“In my Father’s house are many mansions.” In other words, we may say, In our Father’s dominions are many mansions. They are not like mansions built by men, they are worlds of greater and lesser magnitude. The first grade are exalted, celestial bodies, from which celestial light will radiate through the immensity of space.

We are anxiously praying to dwell in the presence of God the Father, when we depart this life. Where will it be? He will dwell with man upon the earth. Will this confine him to this earth? No, not any more than the kings of the earth are confined to their palaces, or the city in which they may dwell. They have the right to visit the different portions of their dominions and even any parts of the earth. So will God our Eternal Father, when he selects this earth as a habitation, make it as one of his dwelling places, but he will have power to go from one celestial world to another, to visit the myriads of creations, as may seem to him good.

In thus referring to the changes that the earth must undergo we might ask, Are we living now so as to be prepared for all the dispensations of God’s providence? Are we prepared to receive our inheritance upon this earth, when it shall be made eternal? If we keep the celestial law which God shall give to us; or in other words, if we are born first of the water by baptism, and then of the spirit by the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, and if we continue to walk in this spirit in newness of life, being new creatures before the Lord our God, and becoming sanctified by the celestial law, even the law of the Gospel, we will then be prepared to inherit this creation, when it shall be made new, and sanctified, and become immortal.

If we are not thus prepared, where shall we go? God is the author of many creations besides those that are celestial. He will prepare a creation just adapted to the condition of such people—those who are not sanctified by the Gospel in all its fullness, and who do not endure faithful to the end, will find themselves located upon one of the lower creations, where the glory of God will not be made manifest to the same extent. There they will be governed by laws adapted to their inferior capacity and to the condition which they will have plunged themselves in. They will not only suffer after this life, but will fail to receive glory and power and exaltation in the presence of God the Eternal Father; they will fail to receive an everlasting inheritance upon this earth, in its glorified and immortal state. Therefore how careful the Latter-day Saints should be in order to merit the association of the happy throng whom John heard singing that new song. We desire our inheritance on this earth as well as they. If they could rejoice in anticipation of receiving an inheritance on the earth, how much more can we who know comparatively nothing of the joys of heaven, when our globe will be glorified, a fit habitation for immortal, glorified beings.

Let us keep the commandments of the Most High; let us so order our lives that we can have a claim upon the Father, looking forward to that period of time when these mortal bodies, which must slumber in the dust, will come forth from the grave, fashioned after the likeness of his most glorious body, to inherit the same glory with him. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Nov. 12, 1876.

I am pleased to see so large a company assembled together, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather; it shows to me that there is an interest in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to their future salvation. We, as a people, have passed through many scenes trying and afflicting to our natures, which we have endured because of the anxiety of our hearts to obtain salvation. People who are sincere will manifest their sincerity in undergoing great tribulation, if necessary, for the sake of being saved. This mortal life is of small consideration, compared with eternal salvation in the kingdom of the Father. There is nothing pertaining to the things of this present life that is worthy of being named, in contrast with the riches of eternal life. Jesus, in speaking upon this subject when he was on the earth, asks this question: “For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” There is nothing so precious, nothing of so great importance, as that of securing, in this life, the salvation of our souls in the world to come. Far better is it if we can gain salvation by passing through various scenes of affliction and persecution in this world, than to give way to its pleasures and vanities, which can only be enjoyed for a season, and afterwards lose that eternal reward which God has in store for the righteous.

It is true we look upon our future reward in quite a different light from the religious world generally. We look for something tangible, something we can form some degree of rational conception of, having a resemblance in some measure to the present life. But how very imaginary are the ideas of the religious world! I do not now refer to the heathen world, but to the enlightened Christian nations, the two hundred million of Christians now existing on the earth. If you ask these people about the future state of man, some will give you one idea and some another, all more or less, perhaps, differing from each other, but in the main they all agree, namely, that it is a state entirely spiritual, that is, unconnected with anything tangible like this present life, an existence which cannot be conceived of by mortals.

You may think I am misrepresenting our Christian friends. I will therefore say that for many years now I have been engaged, more or less, in the study of religion, and have therefore read quite extensively the ideas of the religious world. I have not accepted the ideas of a few individuals belonging to the various sects, but I have appealed to their standard writings, their articles of faith, which are adopted by the various religious bodies and known as their creeds. For instance, in the articles of faith of a great many of the religious sects, an idea like this is set forth—that there is a Being who is entirely spiritual, called God, and that Being is described as consisting of three persons, and these three persons are without body, without parts and without passions. Such is the God that is worshiped by the Methodists—a people whom I highly respect, and whose meetings I attended in my early youth more than those of any other religious denomination. The three persons that compose this one God are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, all of whom are said to be without bodies or passions; and in connection with this, one of the cardinal doctrines of their faith, they tell us that one of this holy Trinity, namely Jesus, was crucified, dead and buried, and that on the third day he arose again from the dead and ascended into heaven.

When I was a boy, attending the Methodist meetings, I, as many now do who are of maturer years, accepted sincerity for truth. But when I grew to manhood my attention was called to this article of faith; I tried in all earnestness to comprehend it, but could not, and cannot to this day. It is one of those incomprehensible things which cannot be grasped by the human mind. You, my hearers, try now with me for a few moments to comprehend, if you can, a being consisting of three persons, and these three persons without any body, parts or passions. I had been taught, when studying the exact sciences, that everything that existed was composed of parts, that there could not exist anything as a whole unless it existed as parts. I could not, therefore, understand how it was that one of these three persons could be crucified if he had no body; how it was possible and be consistent, with reason, for him to lay down his body—something he never possessed—and arise again from the tomb, taking up that same body. This is indeed a mystery!

Now it so happens that the Scriptures do not teach anything so absurd, so irreconcilable and so contrary to our senses. This is a man-made doctrine, the creation of uninspired men. The Methodists did not originate this doctrine—it existed and was widely believed in before the days of the good man, John Wesley.

The Latter-day Saints believe that there is a true and living God, that this true and living God consists of three separate, distinct persons, which have bodies, parts, and passions, which belief is in direct opposition to this man-made doctrine. We believe that God, the Eternal Father, who reigns in yonder heavens, is a distinct personage from Jesus Christ, as much so as an earthly father is distinct in his existence from his son. That is something I can comprehend, which I conceive to be the doctrine of revelation. We read about Jesus having been seen, after he arose from the dead. Stephen the Martyr, just before he was stoned to death, testified to the Jewish people that were standing before him at the time, saying, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.” Here, then, the Father and Jesus, two distinct personages, were seen, and both had bodies. We find numerous other authorities bearing out this same idea. I do not intend to dwell upon this subject, because the greater portion of this congregation understand the scriptural view of this subject; hence it is not necessary to speak lengthily on it. We may, however, say a few things with regard to the passions of these personages.

It is declared, as part of the belief of the Methodists, that God is without passions. Love is one of the great passions of God. Love is everywhere declared a passion, one of the noblest passions of the human heart. This principle of love is one of the attributes of God. “God is love,” says the Apostle John, “and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” If, then, this is one of the great attributes of Jehovah, if he is filled with love and compassion towards the children of men, if his son Jesus Christ so loved the world that he gave his life to redeem mankind from the effects of the fall, then, certainly, God the Eternal Father must be in possession of this passion. Again, he possesses the attribute of Justice, which is sometimes called Anger, but the real name of this attribute is Justice. “He executeth justice,” says the Psalmist; also, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne.” Justice is one of the noble characteristics of our heavenly Father; hence another of his passions.

We have it recorded too in this sacred Bible, that God was seen by ancient men of God. Jacob testifies as follows: “for I have seen God face to face.” I know that there are other passages of Scripture, which would seem to militate against this declaration. For instance, there is one passage which reads, “No man hath seen God at any time.” This is in direct contradiction to the testimony of Jacob. The way I reconcile this is that no natural man can see the face of God the Father and live, it would overpower him; but one quickened by the spirit, as old father Jacob was, could look upon God, and converse with him face to face, as he says he did, he must have seen a personage, a being, in his general outlines like unto himself; man, as Moses informs us, having been created in the image of God.

We might refer to many other passages of Scripture, bearing on this subject. The Prophet Isaiah saw God; he saw not only the Lord, but a great congregation in connection with him, so that his train filled the Temple. He is always represented by those who have seen him as a personage in the form of man.

Having cited a very few evidences, let us inquire into the character and being of God, the Eternal Father. We are the offspring of the Lord, but the rest of animated nature is not; we are just as much the sons and daughters of God as the children in this congregation are the sons and daughters of their parents. We were begotten by him. When? Before we were born in the flesh; this limited state of existence is not our origin, it is merely the origin of the tabernacle in which we dwelt. The mind we are possessed of, the being that is capable of thinking and reflecting, that is capable of acting according to the motives presented to it, that being which is immortal, which dwells within us, which is capable of reasoning from cause to effect, and which can comprehend, in some measure, the laws of its Creator, as well as trace them out as exhibited in universal nature, that being, which we call the Mind, existed before the tabernacle.

But says one, “That does not look reasonable.” Why not? Do you not believe that the Spirit will endure forever? O, yes. You may ask, what becomes of the spirit, separated from the body of flesh and bones, when this body lies in the grave? Has it life and intelligence and power to think and reflect? Let us hear what was said by those who sat under the altar, who were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held, as seen and heard by John while on Patmos. “And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost time not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” The Lord tells them that they should “rest yet for a little season.” These faithful servants of God are anxiously awaiting the time when the Lord will avenge their blood? Why? Because that will be the time when their bodies will be redeemed, they look forward with great anxiety to the time when they shall be again identified with the fleshly tabernacle with which they were known and distinguished while on the earth—hence this prayer.

Here we find another and further existence for the spirits of men who exist in heaven, who are capable of thinking, of using language, of understanding the future, and of anticipating that which was to come. Now, if they could exist after they leave this tabernacle, while the tabernacle lies moldering in the dust, why not exist before the tabernacle had any existence? Was it not just as easy for an existence to be given to spiritual personages before they took possession of bodies as it is for them to exist after the body decays? Yes, and these are our views, founded upon new revelation; not the views of uninspired men, but founded upon direct revelation from God.

Where did we exist before we came here? With God. Where does he exist? In the place John denominated heaven. What do we understand heaven to be? Not the place described by our Christian friends, beyond the bounds of time and space, for there is no such place, there never was, nor ever will be; but I mean a tangible world, a heaven that is perfect, a heaven with materials that have been organized and put together, sanctified and glorified as the residence and world where God resides. Born there? Yes, we were born there. Even our great Redeemer, whose death and sufferings we are this afternoon celebrating, was born up in yonder world before he was born of the Virgin Mary. Have you not read, in the New Testament, that Jesus Christ was the firstborn of every creature? From this reading it would seem that he was the oldest of the whole human family, that is, so far as his birth in the spirit world is concerned. How long ago since that birth took place is not revealed; it might have been unnumbered millions of years for aught we know. But we do know that he was born and was the oldest of the family of spirits. Have you not also read in the New Testament that he is called our elder brother? Does this refer to the birth of the body of flesh and bones? By no means, for there were hundreds of millions who were born upon our earth before the body of flesh and bones was born whom we call Jesus. How is it, then, that he is our elder brother? We must go back to the previous birth, before the foundation of this earth; we have to go back to past ages, to the period when he was begotten of the Father among the great family of spirits. He became, by his birthright, the great Creator. God, through him, created not only this little world, this speck of creation, but by him the worlds were made and created. How many we know not, for it has not been revealed. Suffice it to say, a great many worlds were created by him. Why by him? Because he had the birthright, he being the oldest of his father’s family, and this birthright entitles him, not only to create worlds, but to become the redeemer of those worlds, not only the redeemer of the inhabitants of this our earth, but of all the others whom he created by the will and power of his Father.

But says one, “By that expression one would infer that other worlds have fallen as well as our own, having doubtless been placed in a state of temptation, and if so it would be fair to presume that there was a Garden of Eden to each of these worlds, containing all kinds of fruit, among which was the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and that they became fallen precisely in the same manner as ours did, and consequently they would need a redeemer; and, therefore, the people of these worlds would be redeemed and saved according to their diligence and faithfulness in keeping the commandments of God?” Have you not read in the first chapter of Genesis of two persons appearing on this earth before man was made, when one who was God, said to the other, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness?” Does not that bespeak a pre-existence of another personage besides the Almighty? And have you not read too in the same chapter that “God created man in his own image; male and female created he them?” When? It is said to have been on the sixth period, or, according to King James’ translation, “on the sixth day.” Do you mean to say, we were all in existence on the sixth day? Yes. But on the seventh day, we are told in the following chapter, “there was not a man to till the ground.” Is it not very singular that all should have an existence on the sixth day, and on the following day there was not a man in existence to till the ground? Why not? Because man was not yet placed in this temporal creation, but he had an existence then in heaven, where we were begotten. You and I were present when this world was created and made—you and I then understood the nature of its creation, and I have no doubt that we rejoiced and sang about it. Indeed, the Lord put a very curious question to the Patriarch Job, apropos of this. He said to him, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundation of the earth?” Where wast thou, “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Supposing Job to be living now, and this same question put to him, and supposing too, that, instead of answering it himself, he were to seek to the learned Christian world for enlightenment on the subject, what do you think would be the nature of the answer he would receive? It would be, in effect, “Why, Job, when the Lord laid the foundation of the earth, you had no existence, for you were not born.” Why did not Job so answer the Lord? It was because he understood something about man’s pre– vious estate. He was wise in making no reply to the Lord, for doubtless he felt himself unable to do so. But we find that Moses understood the subject, for at the time the children of Israel transgressed, he and his brother Aaron fell upon their faces before the Lord, and Moses, pleading with great power and faith in behalf of the children of Israel, used these words, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh,” etc. He understood that God was the Father of our spirits, and he addressed him as such. I think too that the Apostles in ancient days must have had an idea of the pre-existence of man, judging from a certain question which they put to the Savior. It is said that “as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?”

Let us now consider this question in connection with present modern ideas, and we shall at once perceive how utterly foolish it will appear. To state the question fairly in other words we might say, Master, was this man born blind because he had sinned? The very nature of this question would indicate, to those even who do not believe in the principle, that this blind man had an existence before he was born into this world, and that he was capable, too, of committing sin. To show yet more clearly that the principle of man’s pre-existence is founded on biblical authority, I will quote you part of the Savior’s prayer to the Father, just prior to his crucifixion—“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Here we find Jesus actually referring to the time he dwelt with his Father before he took upon himself a body of flesh and bones. He also says, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but, the will of him that sent me.” He came down from the presence and abode of his Father. On another occasion, while addressing the Jews, he says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” He was, in fine, the first-born of every creature, and consequently the eldest of our Father’s family.

If, therefore, it be now admitted that our elder brother had a previous existence with the Father, why should it be thought unreasonable that the rest of the family should have a pre-existence as well as the Firstborn? He was born according to man in the flesh, and why not his younger brethren have a similar birth with him in the spirit?

But now this carries us back still further, and invites us to ascertain a little in relation to his Father. A great many have supposed that God the Eternal Father, whom we worship in connection with his Son, Jesus Christ, was always a self-existing, eternal being from all eternity, that he had no beginning as a personage. But in order to illustrate this, let us inquire, What is our destiny? If we are now the sons and daughters of God, what will be our future destiny? The Apostle Paul, in speaking of man as a resurrected being, says, “Who (Jesus) shall change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like unto his glorious body,” which harmonizes with what John says, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him.” Our bodies will be glorified in the same manner as his body is; then we shall be truly in his image and likeness, for as he is immortal, having a body of flesh and bone, so we will be immortal, possessing bodies of flesh and bones. Will we ever become Gods? Let me refer you to the answer of the Savior to the Jews when accused of blasphemy because he called himself the Son of God. Says be, “Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If ye called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scriptures cannot be broken.” This clearly proves to all Bible believers that in this world, in our imperfect state, being the children of God, we are destined, if we keep his commandments, to grow in intelligence until we finally become like God our Father. By living according to every word which proceeds from the mouth of God, we shall attain to his likeness, the same as our children grow up and become like their parents; and, as children through diligence attain to the wisdom and knowledge of their parents, so may we attain to the knowledge of our Heavenly Parents, and if they be obedient to this commandment they will not only be called the sons of God, but be gods.

In the 1st verse of the 14th chapter of Revelation, we are told that John saw one hundred and forty-four thousand persons standing with the Lamb upon Mount Zion, and they had a peculiar name written in their foreheads—even their Father’s name, him whom we call, in our language, God. Then there will be written upon the foreheads of these hundred and forty-four thousand this insignia, the Father’s name and they will be gods; and they will associate with him as do the Father and his Only Begotten, that is, the only son begotten in the flesh.

From this we can draw the conclusion that God, Our eternal Father, who is a spiritual being, has a body of flesh and bones, the same as his children will have after the resurrection.

Says one, to carry it out still further, “if we become gods and are glorified like unto him, our bodies fashioned like unto his most glorious body, may not he have passed through a mortal ordeal as we mortals are now doing?” Why not? If it is necessary for us to obtain experience through the things that are presented before us in this life, why not those beings, who are already exalted and become gods, obtain their experience in the same way? We would find, were we to carry this subject from world to world, from our world to another, even to the endless ages of eternity, that there never was a time but what there was a Father and Son. In other words, when you entertain that which is endless, you exclude the idea of a first being, a first world; the moment you admit of a first, you limit the idea of endless. The chain itself is endless, but each link had its beginning.

Says one, “This is incomprehensible.” It may be so in some respects. We can admit, though, that duration is endless, for it is impossible for man to conceive of a limit to it. If duration is endless, there can never be a first minute, a first hour, or first period; endless duration in the past is made up of a continuation of endless successive moments—it had no beginning. Precisely so with regard to this endless succession of personages; there never will be a time when fathers, and sons, and worlds will not exist; neither was there ever a period through all the past ages of duration, but what there was a world, and a Father and Son, a redemption and exaltation to the fullness and power of the Godhead. This is what Jesus prayed for, and he did not limit his prayer to his Apostles, but he said, “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.”

But says one, “Does not that oneness mean one person?” No; Jesus meant that those who believed in him through his servants, might be able to come up to that fullness and glory and power and exaltation which he inherited, even to the fullness of the celestial glory, to be crowned with God the Eternal Father, and with his Only Begotten, to be made equal, as it were, with them, in power and dominion; agreeing with some modern revelations God has given through the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said all they that receive this Priesthood, that is, those who receive the testimony of the servants of God, they receive me; and whosoever receives my Father, receives my Father’s kingdom; whereupon all that my Father hath shall be given to him. This is a glorious promise, to be joint heirs with the Son of God in the inheritance of all things, even the fullness and glory of the Celestial world, their bodies eventually to become glorified, spiritual bodies of flesh and bones, the same as God the Father.

Before the earth was rolled into existence we were his sons and daughters. Those of his children who prove themselves during this probation worthy of exaltation in his presence, will beget other children, and, precisely according to the same principle, they too will become fathers of spirits, as he is the Father of our spirits; and thus the works of God are one eternal round—creation, glorification, and exaltation in the celestial kingdom.

How many transformations this earth had before it received its present form of creation, I do not know. Geologists pretend to say that this earth must have existed many millions of years, and this assertion is generally made by men who do not believe in God or the Bible, to disprove the history of the creation of the world, as given by the Prophet Moses. We will go further than geologists dare to go, and say that the materials of which the earth is composed are eternal, they will never have an end.

What is meant by creation? Merely organization. In six days, we are told, God created this world, also every living thing that then existed. Did he create any of these things out of nothing? Did the materials then originate? No, there is no Scripture to be found within the lids of the Old and New Testament, or Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or in any of the revelations of God, ancient or modern, that even intimates such a thing, for such was not the case; but go to the creeds of men and you will find these things taught. I was taught them in my youth; they were instilled into my young mind, and of course I believed them. But as I matured in years and thought, especially after I began to study the Hebrew language, I learned that the material of which this earth was made, always did exist, and that it was only an organization or formation which took place, during the time spoken of by Moses.

How many transformations this earth passed through before the one spoken of by Moses, I do not know, neither do I particularly care. If it had gone through millions on millions of transformations, it is nothing to us. We are willing, for the sake of argument, to admit that the materials themselves are as old as geologists dare to say they are; but then, that does not destroy the idea of a God, that does not destroy the idea of a great Creator, who, accord– ing to certain fixed and unalterable laws, brought these materials, from time to time, into a certain organization, and then by his power completed the worlds that were thus made, by placing thereon intelligent and animated beings, capable of thinking and having an existence; and then again, for various reasons, he destroys their earthly existence, until finally he exalts them from their former condition, and makes them celestial in their nature.

This is the destiny of this globe of ours; it will eventually attain a state of organization that will no more be destroyed. When? After God has fulfilled and accomplished his purposes, after it has rested from wickedness one thousand years, during which time Satan will not have power to tempt the children of men, during which time the faithful will reign, as kings and priests on the earth in their resurrected bodies, when, too, the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be in possession of the Saints of the Most High; not only in the possession of those who are mortal Saints, but also in the possession of those who are immortal Saints, appearing as they will in their resurrected bodies, rising up as rulers, as kings and priests, upon the face of our globe.

A government administered by such men will be one that can be depended on; in that respect it will be very different from the political nations of mortal man. Then there will not be the contention we now have, for all things pertaining to the government of God’s kingdom will be conducted in order and on the eternal principles of righteousness.

The Twelve Apostles who were called by Jesus, and who ministered in his name while they tarried on the earth, will sit upon twelve thrones hereafter, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. There will be nothing intangible or etherial about these thrones, they will be just as real as any kingly throne of the earth. And the Twelve Apostles will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel for the space of a thousand years, having, as they will have, their celestial bodies, and they will eat and drink at the table of the Lord. He will be here also, he will be King of kings, before whom all must bow, all must acknowledge his power—and that will be for the space of a thousand years.

By and by, when the time comes for this earth to die—for there has been a great deal of wickedness here—Satan will be loosed to go forth again to deceive, for there will still be some of the Saints mortal, who will be subject to temptation, and even Satan will not only try to deceive the mortal Saints, but he will gather together his armies around the camp of the Saints.

Then another time comes, when a great white throne will appear, and he who sits thereon will be glorious in his majesty and power, from before whose face the earth will flee away and no place be found for it. Will he annihilate it? No, not a particle of the earth will be annihilated, not a particle of the earth was ever originated, consequently not a particle of it will go out of existence; but it will flee away to its original element, in the same manner as the human body would were it burned at the stake. The elements would be diffused among original matter, so with the elements of our earth when it undergoes its change. John was not satisfied with only seeing the earth pass away, but he saw still further, even until he beheld a new heaven and a new earth, for, said he, the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. Again, he testifies further, saying, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.”

This creation, when made new, will be inhabited by immortal beings, who will no more be subject to death, consequently there will be no more pain or sorrow, nothing to mar their peace or to prevent them from entering into the fullness of happiness and joy.

This, I say, is the destiny of this earth, and the Lord has told us that the time is nigh at hand. In other words, this is the last dispensation, and we are preparing for the work of the Millennium. When the thousand years are passed, the earth will be made new—it will then become a heaven, the habitation of the former and Latter-day Saints, as well as all they who prove themselves faithful who will be born during the Millennium. How long will they inhabit it? Forever.

When I was a boy, nineteen years old, I first saw Joseph Smith; I attended a Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on the 2nd January, 1831. At that Conference the people desired him to inquire of the Lord for them —they were anxious to know his mind and will. They were at that time comparatively few in number, not being more than two hundred. Joseph Smith sat down at a table, and received a great revelation, which is now contained in this Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Part of it, in relation to a land of promise, reads as follows—“And I will give it unto you for the land of your inheritance, if you seek it with all your hearts. And this shall be my covenant with you, ye shall have it for the land of your inheritance, and for the inheritance of your children forever, while the earth shall stand, and ye shall possess it again in eternity, no more to pass away.”

When I sat and heard that revelation, as it was uttered by the Prophet Joseph, and written by his scribe, I thought to myself, that is a very curious doctrine for I had not then learned that this earth was to become our future home and heaven, and I did not think Joseph Smith knew it. But it seemed so curious to me to bring myself to believe that the Lord was going to give us part of this earth, to possess it, and our children after us, while time should last, and to retain it through all eternity, never more to pass away. This was so different from anything I had been taught—I was utterly confounded—to think that my Father in heaven would come and live here on this earth! But when I came to read the Bible on this subject and found how numerous the passages were promising that the Saints should inherit the earth forever, I was perfectly astonished that I had never thought of it before. “Blessed are the meek,” says the Savior, “for they shall inherit the earth.” The meek have been driven into the dens and mountains of the earth, having had to hide themselves up from their persecutors, while the wicked, the proud and the haughty have inherited the earth. Yet here is a promise that the meek shall inherit this earth, which all of course would readily admit has never had its fulfillment. Then again I was still more confirmed of the truth of this doctrine when finding other corroborative passages. David, for instance, in his 37th Psalm, says, “The wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell thereon forever.” I go back to the Books of Moses, and there ascertain that the earth is promised to the Saints forever. I came to the Acts of the Apostles, wherein the martyr Stephen, in answering the charge of blasphemy, tells of Abraham, how he came to leave his own country, and how that the Lord had promised him a land for an inheritance which “he would give to him for a possession, and to his seed after him,” and yet he never possessed any of it, “no, not so much as to set his foot on,” and this same promise was confirmed to Isaac and Jacob. And when I read in the Revelation of John about the new song that he heard them sing in heaven about their coming back to the earth (Rev. v, 9, 10), I was fully confirmed that the new revelation was from God. One portion of the song which John heard the angels sing was, “For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth.”

How very plain it is when we once learn about our future heaven. We do not have to pray, according to the Methodists, for the Lord to take us to a land beyond time and space, the Saints secure abode. How inconsistent to look for a heaven beyond space! The heaven of the Saints is something we can look forward to in the confident hope of realizing our inheritances and enjoying them forever, when the earth becomes sanctified and made new. And there, as here, we will spread forth and multiply our children. How long? For eternity. What, resurrected Saints have children? Yes, the same as our God, who is the Father of our spirits; so you, if you are faithful to the end, will become fathers to your sons and daughters, which will be as innumerable as the sands upon the seashore; they will be your children, and you will be their heavenly fathers, the same as our heavenly Father is Father to us, and they will belong to your kingdoms through all the vast ages of eternity, the same as we will belong to our Father’s kingdom.

He that receiveth my Father, says the Savior, receiveth my Father’s kingdom, wherefore all that my Father hath shall be given to him. It is a kind of joint stock inheri– tance, we are to become joint heirs with Jesus Christ to all the inheritances and to all the worlds that are made. We shall have the power of locomotion; and like Jesus, after his resurrection, we shall be able to mount up and pass from one world to another. We shall not be confined to our native earth. There are many worlds inhabited by people who are glorified, for heaven is not one place, but many; heaven is not one world but many. “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” In other words—In my Father’s house there are many worlds, which in their turn will be made glorified heavens, the inheritances of the redeemed from all the worlds who, having been prepared through similar experience to our own, will inhabit them; and each one in its turn will be exalted through the revelations and laws of the Most High God, and they will continue to multiply their offspring through all eternity, and new worlds will be made for their progeny. Amen.

Discourse by Elder John Taylor, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Nov. 5, 1876.

In meeting together on Sabbath days we assemble generally for the purpose of renewing our spiritual strength by partaking of the emblems of the broken body and shed blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, communing with our own hearts and reflecting upon things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and of speaking and listening to those things that have a tendency to enlighten our minds and establish us in the faith, to increase and confirm our hopes, and to enable us to press onward with avidity, confidence, and renewed determination in the path which the Lord has marked out for us to travel in.

As Latter-day Saints, we occupy a singular position in the world. Our views and ideas, theories and faith, doctrines and ordinances are in many respects different from those which exist abroad, and from those which many of us have been educated in. We have become Latter-day Saints in obedience to strong convictions, which have been forced upon us by the Spirit of the living God, and through the teaching, testimony, and evidence that have been brought to bear upon our minds by those who visited us and imparted to us the principles of the Gospel. In this respect we differ from a great many of the religious sects.

When Protestantism started, it did not come with a revelation from God, nor did it profess any direct authority from him nor any communication with or from him. It protested simply against certain errors which existed in what was then called the Catholic Church. The Reformers did not propose to introduce any direct communication from God, but simply to correct certain prominent abuses that they considered had crept into the church; and those men were considered heretics by the church they had left.

Since that time a spirit and feeling of a similar nature have existed more or less among other peoples. If we examine the ideas and acts of Luther, Melancthon, and some pro– minent reformers, we find that a great many sects and parties have since then taken the same liberty with their creeds and formulas, which they took with their mother church; and they have generally used the same kind of argument, namely, if it was right and proper for the first reformers to protest against the doings, acts, ordinances, and proceedings of the church which had by them been considered heretofore as the only Christian Church, and to protest against the acts of its Priesthood, and the doings of the people, it was proper also for other reformers to arise and correct those first reformers on many doctrines, views and principles that they may have entertained. This kind of spirit having been inaugurated and adopted, like leaven, it has worked, increased and spread, until great numbers of sects and parties have appeared through Christendom, all claiming the same rights that the first reformers exercised, in correcting what they believed to be wrong and unscriptural.

With us, Latter-day Saints, it is very different. We have never claimed any affinity or connection with, or professed to derive any power or authority from, any of the parties, no matter what name they may bear, nor to any of the Dissenters who have separated themselves from them. We have never professed an adherence to any of those principles that have been promulgated by others. The origin of our faith is that God has spoken, that, in the midst of conflicting opinions which prevailed with regard to him, he has thought proper to settle that question once and for all by the revelation of his will to the human family. Hence, we as Latter-day Saints have based our faith upon these revelations, given originally to Joseph Smith, and taught by those who have been ordained and set apart by him, and who have gone forth as messengers to the nations of the earth to proclaim not what somebody else said in former times only, not to make known what other men have done in other dispensations alone; but to reveal to the human family what the will of God is concerning them. This is the position we occupy as Latter-day Saints. If we have any ideas of a God, we have obtained them through these revelations, if we have a worship which is accepted of God, it is because the Lord has dictated as to its form and manner; if we have a Priesthood, it is because some of the ancient Priesthood who existed heretofore on the earth and now administer in the heavens, have come and conferred, upon man on the earth, this authority; if we have ordinances of any kind, it is not because other people have received these ordinances through whom we have obtained them, but because God has revealed them to us direct; and if we have various officers in the Church, it is not because we have copied after any other church or people, but, because God has told us what his order is, what his law is in relation to these matters, and the proper manner of government to conduct and direct the affairs of God upon the earth. It is in short the revelation of the will of God to man in these the last days.

Now without any kind of circumlocution, these are some leading prominent features of our faith. Predicated upon these the quorums of Priesthood associated with our Church have been established, which are the First Presidency, the Twelve Apostles, High Priests, Seventies, Elders, Bishops, Priests, Teachers, Deacons and Patriarchs, with all the various organizations that exist in the Church and kingdom of God. All these were given not by the wisdom or intelligence of man, nor were they instituted according to any pattern that elsewhere exists upon the earth at the present time, nor based upon any faith promulgated by any body of divines, by any scientific or literary associations, by any system of theology or philosophy, on any plan of any kind introduced by man’s wisdom; but they were introduced by the Almighty according to the revelations of God to us, for our guidance and direction in all of our affairs in life, to prepare us to accomplish not our own will, but the will of our Father in Heaven; not to carry out any ideas of our own but the ideas, intentions, commands and directions of the Almighty, that we might gather together from the nations of the earth those who are willing to listen to the principles of eternal truth, and form a grand nucleus in the valleys of the mountains, which should grow, increase, and spread under the guidance and direction of the Almighty, until the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ. This is really the thing we have engaged in, and we are indebted to him for his direction and instruction from its first inception to the present time, and we shall be thus indebted, from this time henceforth and forever, for the guidance, instruction, teaching and protection of the Almighty to enable us to consummate the work which he originated and organized.

It matters not to us what the opinions of men may be pertaining to these matters. God has given us a mission to perform, and in the name of Israel’s God, and with his assistance, we will try to do it. The ways of God, the plans and designs of the Almighty, have never been very congenial to the feelings of human nature, or to the waywardness of the human family. Whenever God has made known his will to man in any age of the world’s history, there has always been a spirit of antagonism which has prevailed more or less against it. This same opposition exists today, and has done from the first organization of this Church; and I will say it will continue to go on and increase and become more intensified in proportion to the growth and spread of the principles of truth. We sometimes think we have had a great deal to contend with. It is true, we have had a little, but we might have had more. Those who have made themselves acquainted with the sayings of the holy Prophets contained in the word of God, as made known on the continent of Asia, as well as on this continent, and the prophecies which have been given through the medium of Joseph Smith, in relation to this same subject, are very well aware that the Church is comparatively in its infancy, and so also are the persecutions of those who are opposed to it. We have been in the habit of reflecting on the position of the nations, for instance, and upon the calamities which must overtake them, overlooking perhaps the various powers which are to be brought against God’s people. These have assumed at various times different shapes; at first, organizations merely operated against Joseph Smith, then persecutions arose in small towns and villages against those who believed in this modern Prophet; then it followed us into States, then we had to endure exile from different counties in Missouri, and afterwards from one place to another, until finally we had to evacuate the State. We then found ourselves assuming a little more importance in Illinois, and we learned too, that as we increased there in strength and importance, so proportionately increased opposition to us and to the principles we advocated until we had to pledge ourselves to leave a large and beautiful city and an extensive district of country, and then we came here to these valleys of the Rocky Mountains. Since then antagonism has presented itself in a variety of forms, through United States officers, military and civil, until it culminated in the United States sending out an army against us. Since then they have adopted every kind of method that man’s ingenuity could invent to harass and annoy us and to interfere with our civil, social and religious rights, and with our interests, peace, and prosperity.

Is this the end? No, for if the Scriptures be true we have not got through yet. We have not yet built up the kingdom, and consequently the struggle is not over; nay, it has hardly commenced.

Nor are we alone in the dealings of God with the people in this dispensation. The Jews will have to perform quite a role in these last times. They also will have to endure a large amount of trials, persecutions, and difficulties, which have yet to come upon them. They will in due time be gathered together to their own lands like we are gathered here; and nations will go up against them, and then too will certain nations come against us; but we have not yet got through with the United States. In relation to events that will yet take place, and the kind of trials, troubles, and sufferings which we shall have to cope with, it is to me a matter of very little moment; these things are in the hands of God, he dictates the affairs of the human family, and directs and controls our affairs; and the great thing that we, as a people, have to do is to seek after and cleave unto our God, to be in close affinity with him, and to seek for his guidance, and his blessing and Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in the right path. Then it matters not what it is nor who it is that we have to contend with, God will give us strength according to our day. There is no question in the hearts of all good Latter-day Saints about the future destiny of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth; that with them is a settled fact. Neither does it concern them what this man or the other man may do, it makes no particular difference. God has a certain object to accomplish, and he will do it in his own way and in his own time. He holds the nations as dust in the balances; he will manipulate them and their affairs as he pleases, and they cannot help themselves; he will also manipulate the affairs of the Latter-day Saints, having his watchcare over them, as he ever has had over all his people. If we are found to be willing and obedient, and on the Lord’s side for right, for truth, and integrity, for virtue and purity and holiness, adhering to the principles of truth and the laws of life, then God will be with us, and he will sustain all those who adhere to these principles; for be it remembered that these are the principles we profess to believe in, and those who are not governed by them he will move out of the way; they will drop down on the right hand and on the left as many have done before, and the pure and virtuous, the honorable and upright, will go forth from conquering to conquer until they shall accomplish all that God designs them to do on this earth; and when they get through he will supply their places with others, who will also take hold and roll forth the kingdom in all its majesty, until the things spoken of by all the holy Prophets be fulfilled; and hence in relation to these matters we cannot change the fiat of Jehovah, which has gone forth, nor alter his decrees.

He has designed to gather together his people into one, and his spirit into one, and his power into one. The Scriptures say that God will gather together all things, whether they are things in the heavens or things on the earth; he will gather them all into one, and his people will be gathered into one, and his word will be gathered into one, and hence, “The Nephites shall have the words of the Jews, and the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the Ten Tribes, and the Ten Tribes shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.” And he will go on and accomplish his purposes in his own way, and no man can stay his hand. We may think we can, we may think we can do this thing and that thing according to our own caprice, and theories and judgment; but God will frustrate and entirely overthrow all that is based upon the principles of truth, and carry Israel through triumphant.

We are starting in on some things for the accomplishment of this object. The spirit of God has been operating upon President Young, to try to get us united in temporal affairs. We make sorry blunders about it sometimes. I have sometimes thought we are slow to understand, and very slow to perform; but still we are doing a little, and progressing a little here and there in these things, and our feelings begin to be drawn out a little, as the Indians say [pointing to a small piece of his finger] about so much. We begin to think there is some meaning in it, and that it is binding upon us, and those who do not do much keep up a thinking; if we only continue to keep up thinking and praying as well as doing, we will get at it by and by, and get into a better position than we now occupy.

It is a good deal with some of us in relation to some of these matters as with the man who cried out, “Good Lord and good Devil,” for we don’t know whose hands we are going to fall into, and would, perhaps, like to make friends with both; we manifest a little of our own way, a little of the way of the Gentiles, and a very little of the way of the Lord.

Now, if I understand my religion aright, if I understand the Scriptures and the operations of the Spirit of God, we have got, as a people, to come to this—let us know the will of God, and we will do it, no matter where it strikes, what interest it may come in contact with, or whose views it may overturn. That is my idea of “Mormonism,” as I have learned it. I consider that God is at the helm. We have not dictated or found out anything belonging to the problem we are working, not a man among us; all we have received comes from God. If I understand anything concerning these things, it is that the word of God is law and must be obeyed. If we want to be good, faithful Latter-day Saints, we have got to be willing to submit to the will of God in all things. We must feel as was once exclaimed on a certain occasion by the ancient Israelites, “The Lord shall be our Judge, the Lord shall be our King, the Lord shall be our Ruler, and he shall rule over us.” That is the way I figure up these things; and if this was not so I would not give anything for our religion, or our religious ideas. I do not think that any of us can regulate, manage or conduct any of these matters, unless God be with us. And I will tell you another thing, God will not be with us unless we are one. Says Jesus, “That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.” “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” And the oneness will not consist in each one of us seeking his own interest, his own emolument, and to extend his own ideas and influence; but in his seeking the interest and welfare of another, the establishment of Zion, that the welfare of all may be cared for and reached, both among the living and the dead in all time and eternity. This is the way I have been taught to regard these things. God is not setting up a kingdom for you, or for me, or for any individual person.

There are a good many points connected with these things when we come to reflect upon them, which are of a good deal of importance to us. How shall we arrive at them? Firstly, by getting right ourselves; in our spirits and feelings one towards another; in upholding and sustaining correct principles and correct authority, and as a community in being governed by the Lord our God. How can I expect to be blessed of God if I do not conduct myself as a Saint of God? Can I expect his Spirit? No. Can I expect to have the sweet whisperings thereof to lead me in the path of life, if I trample under foot his precepts? No. What then? There are a great many other things. I will tell you of one which I have noticed lately that prevails to quite an extent among us. I find a great many among the Latter-day Saints who are a good deal like those spoken of by Peter, “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.” Jude the Apostle, referring to the same thing, says, “Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”

Now, as good Latter-day Saints, let us look at some of these things calmly. Have we got Bishops in our Church? Yes; but I was going to say, who the devil cares about Bishops? You do not say it exactly like that, but you think it sometimes, don’t you? Then we have the Twelve Apostles. Well, who cares about the Twelve? Then, we have the First Presidency. Well, who cares about them? If we go a little farther, it will be, Who the devil cares about God? It will certainly lead to that, if we continue to pursue that course. Are our Bishops all perfect? No. Are the Twelve? No; I wish they were. Are the First Presidency? I hope they are. Are the Saints perfect? I wish you were. We are all surrounded by weaknesses and infirmities. I acknowledge I am, and I think I could so speak for some of my brethren, but I do not propose to confess their weaknesses. Notwithstanding all the blessings conferred upon us through the Gospel we have received, we, all of us, have “the treasures in earthen vessels.” I suppose that God has given us these infirmities that no flesh might glory in his presence, but that we might all feel our littleness and weakness, realizing every day that we need to pray just as the Lord taught His disciples to pray, saying, “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;” let me reverence thee and thy name! “Thy kingdom come.” O God, let these principles, that dwell with thee in the heavens, grow in my heart, and let them spread and expand until the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God, and until the kingdom of God shall prevail. “Let thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on the earth as it is done in heaven;” that there may be a people who will listen to thy law, and be governed by thy behests. “Let thy will be done on earth as it is done in the heavens.” O Father, I am a poor, helpless, frail creature, “lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil,” for I need thy help. “Give me this day my daily bread, etc., and deliver me from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.” Do not we all need to offer up this prayer every day? I do not think it would hurt us to do so.

Then there is another principle connected with it—“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Do you constantly think of that? We get down upon our knees, and many of us think we are pretty decent fellows; but there is brother So-and-so, he does not do exactly right, and I do not like him very well, and I have been talking about him a little, for he has done me an injury, and I would like to have full retribution; but, O God, won’t you forgive my sins? I will, says the Lord, on condition that you forgive your brother and only on that condition. “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee: leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.” When this law is complied with, then we can say, forgive our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us. In our present condition, if the Lord were to answer our prayers, many of us would not be forgiven. If we want the entire people to be good Saints, let us be good Saints ourselves. Let him that says to another, “You must not steal,” steal not himself. You that teach your brother not to speak evil of his neighbor, do you refrain from doing it yourself? One of the Apostles says that each one should prefer his neighbor to himself. We surely have not got that far yet, at least I do not think we have. Some, who think themselves pretty good people, would like to get another man’s money or property, but they would not like to be operated upon in the same manner, and then they allow themselves to think they have the favor of God in such things. This is a grievous mistake, for we are required to love our neighbors as ourselves. Because one man is more talented than another, he should not use that talent to take advantage of his brother, and then expect that God will approve of his actions, for he will not do it; he never did, nor ever will. We should operate for one another’s interest, having sympathetic feelings for each other. We are supposed to be brethren in the Church and kingdom of God, knit together by the indissoluble ties of the everlasting Gospel, not for time only, but for eternity. Hence all our operations should be for that end, founded on the principles of righteousness and friendship.

We send our missionaries to almost every country for the purpose of preaching the Gospel and bringing their converts to Zion, and then we go to work and cheat one another. Is this right? No! Then let us repent of our wrong doing, and do right, and let the spirit of right find room in our hearts, and let it be diffused through our families. Let husbands love their wives, and be full of kindness towards them. Let wives study their husbands, and with kindness seek to make a heaven for them, that love and happiness may reign in our habitations. Let parents teach their children both by precept and example, the virtues of Gospel truths, that they may grow up in the love and fear of God, and that you may be the blessed of the Lord, and your offspring with you.

Let us then begin to treat our Bishops with consideration, and then they ought to treat us in the same manner. Saith Jesus to Peter, on a certain occasion, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” Do not every time they come near you, throw rocks at them; but feed the flock, over which you have the watchcare, with the bread of life, with the bread of intelligence and eternal truth; be unto them fathers, full of mercy, kindness and benevolence, and then they will love you, they will draw near you and sustain you, that is, those who are good will, and the others will naturally drop off on the right hand and on the left.

Again, we have our ideas of the rule of the Priesthood. Supposing you may think your Bishop does not do right; you are not always his judge about those matters; there are others who can judge him. Some of us are too much inclined to look upon these men as enemies, when really they are our friends. Should we feel that we are better than our neighbors? Rather let us try to do them good than injury. Some of us think that our Teachers are of very little importance. I will tell you how I regard them. If the Teachers do not come to visit me as often as I think they should, I do not like it very well. When they do come, I acquaint my family with it, call them together, and then tell our visitors that we are all under their jurisdiction, ready and anxious to hear from them the words of eternal life. That is how I feel towards the Teachers, and in the same manner I respect all the Priesthood in the various positions they occupy. Shall I assume to dictate to those who are above me? No, never. Will you? That is for you to say, not for me. It is well that we reflect upon these things, to pray for our brethren in the Priesthood, pray that the spirit and power of their office and calling may rest upon them and that they may be led, and be able to lead others, in the paths of life.

These are some of our duties, Latter-day Saints, and these are some of my feelings on these subjects. Let us then seek to do right, and take a correct and proper course in all things; and, if all things do not work always according to our ideas and notions, never mind, leave these things in the hands of God, he will direct and overrule everything for the welfare of those who do right. “No man can harm you, if you be followers of that which is good.” It is for us all to take a course that we may secure the favor and approbation of the Almighty, that we individually may be led by him, having his spirit always with us. Then if the Presidency be under the guidance of the Almighty, and God direct the Priesthood through them in all its ramifications, carrying out his will in the building up of Zion on the earth, then we shall be one with them and one with God. This is what we are after, and may God help us to carry out his purposes and designs.

In relation to the events to come, they will be developed just as fast as we are prepared for them, and I fear faster. Will God operate upon the Lamanites, and fulfill his word to the Jews? Yes. Will he gather the ten tribes? Yes. Will he establish his name and kingdom in the earth? Yes. Will he overthrow the wicked nations that fight against him? Yes, and he will continue to extend his principles and power “until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of his Christ.” God will have his laws honored, and in his time his decrees must be consummated, until every tongue confess and every knee bow to him who is the Lord of all. These are things which will most assuredly be accomplished.

God has given us our little labor to perform, which is associated with these matters. Let us go forth as men, in the humility and strength of our Father, and do the work he has given us to do, seeking continually in all earnestness for his blessing to guide us, and he will direct us in the path of righteousness, and by and by we shall overcome and triumph, and with the celestial spirits who have gone before, we shall join in singing, “Glory, honor, might, majesty and dominion be ascribed unto him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb, forever.” Amen.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at the Semi-Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Oct. 8, 1876.

I hope to be able to make myself heard by this large congregation. This moving of feet, whispering to each other, the crying of children and the noise made by those who are walking, are like the murmuring of many waters. When there is perfect quietness, I am satisfied that my voice can be heard all over this house, and no one who is blessed with good ears for hearing need miss a word. I should feel more satisfied if I could prevail on our brethren, when speaking from this stand, to speak directly in front, so that they could be heard as far as possible. Many of our experienced Elders, in their conversation to the people, turn first to the right and then to the left, and every time they turn either way, a portion of the congregation is unable to distinctly understand that which is spoken; whereas, if they were to speak directly to the front, the voice would divide and go equally to each part of the house, and all would hear. Whether I shall be able to continue my remarks to any length I do not know; I shall try, however, to use judgment in speaking, so as not to injure myself.

I will give a short text, to both Saint and sinner, and I think if we were to include ourselves among the latter and say we are all sinners, we would come nearer the fact than to class ourselves among the former, although we hope to be Saints, are trying to be Saints, and probably a great many of those who are called Latter-day Saints will yet become Saints indeed.

First, the philosophy of man upon this earth. This cannot be learned by studying the sciences of mankind, it is only understood by the revelations of God to ourselves. I will give you a part of my own visions upon this matter. Mankind is composed of two distinct elements; the first is a spiritual organization in eternity, the second is a natural organization on this earth, formed out of the material of which this earth is composed. Man is first spiritual, then temporal. As it is written in the revelations of God to man, all things were first created spiritual, and secondly temporal. That is, spirits were begotten, born and educated in the celestial world, and were brought forth by celestial bodies. By tracing this subject a little we might understand how this is brought about. The spirits before inhabiting bodies are as pure and holy as the angels or as the gods, they know no evil. This, their first estate, is the commencement of their experience.

These spirits I shall leave for the present, and refer to our first parents, Adam and Eve, who were found in the Garden of Eden, tempted and overcome by the power of evil, and consequently subject to evil and sin, which was the penalty of their transgression. They were now prepared, as we are, to form bodies or tabernacles for the reception of pure and holy spirits. When the body is prepared, at the proper time, the spirit enters the tabernacle, and all the world of mankind in their reflections and researches must come to this conclusion, for the fact is they can come to no other—that when the mother feels life there is an evidence that the spirit from heaven has entered the tabernacle. So far, this is the philosophy of our being. As has been said, in consequence of sin, the body is subject to sin, and it requires all the efforts and power that man can exert in order to resist temptation that this pure and holy spirit may bring into subjection the body, so that it may be sanctified by the Gospel or the law of Christ. The inquiring mind will ask, Why is this so? Simply that we may know good from evil; all the facts which you and I understand are by contrast, and all glory, all enjoyment, every happiness and every bliss are known by its opposite. This is the decree, this is the way the heavens are, the way they were, and the way they will continue to be, forever, and for ever. Never was there a time when evil was not in existence, but the time will come when this evil will pass away and be no more, so far as this world is concerned, and nothing will be able to endure, only that which is pure and holy, and Christ will destroy death and him that hath the power of death. This applies to this earth, and the ordeals which it passes through with those that are upon it until the winding-up scene.

But to return to this organization. We find a pure spirit inhabiting the tabernacle of the creature which is always prompting the individual to good, to virtue, to truth and holiness; all of which emanate from that source of purity from which this spirit came. And here the evil that came through transgression that is in this tabernacle, is warring with this pure spirit, it seeks to overcome it, and is striving with all its power to bring this spirit into subjection, into bondage to the law of sin. This is the warfare which Paul refers to when speaking of the “thorn in the flesh,” which is no more or less than the spirit contending against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit. This pure spirit will remain in a condition to receive the operations of the spirit of God, which has gone forth into the world, and which lightens every man that comes into the world, regardless of his condition, birth or education; the spirit of Christ lightens them all, and instructs their pure spirits, which are organizations in the germ and in their growth, to become independent beings, even sons and daughters of the Almighty; and it will continue to thus operate until this body, this sinful tabernacle, has warred against the spirit and overcome it to such a degree as to entirely subject it to the man of sin. And when the flesh attains this victory over the spirit, then is the time spoken of when man has sinned to that degree that, says the Apostle, “ye shall not pray for them, for they have sinned a sin unto death.” Then the spirit of the Lord ceases to strive with them, they no longer receive light, having passed the day of grace. Until then every man and every woman is on saving ground, and they can be redeemed from sin.

How is it that the Latter-day Saints feel and understand alike, are of one heart and one mind, no matter where they may be when they receive the Gospel, whether in the north or the south, the east or the west, even to the uttermost parts of the earth? They receive that which was promised by the Savior when he was about to leave the earth, namely, the Comforter, that holy unction from on high which recognizes one God, one faith and one baptism, whose mind is the will of God the Father, in whom there dwelleth unity of faith and action, and in whom there cannot be division or confusion; when they received thus further light, it matters not whether they have seen each other or not, they at once become brothers and sisters, having been adopted into the family of Christ through the bonds of the everlasting covenant, and all can then exclaim, in the beautiful language of Ruth, “Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God!” And the fact that we receive this Comforter, the Holy Ghost, is proof that the spirit in warring with the flesh has overcome, and by continuing in this state of victory over our sinful bodies we become the sons and daughters of God, Christ having made us free, and whoever the Son makes free is free indeed. Having fought the good fight we then shall be prepared to lay our bodies down to rest to await the morning of the resurrection when they will come forth and be reunited with the spirits, the faithful, as it is said, receiving crowns, glory, immortality and eternal lives, even a fullness with the Father, when Jesus shall present his work to the Father, saying, “Father, here is the work thou gavest me to do.” Then will they become gods, even the sons of God; then will they become eternal fathers, eternal mothers, eternal sons and eternal daughters; being eternal in their organization, they go from glory to glory, from power to power; they will never cease to increase and to multiply worlds without end. When they receive their crowns, their dominions, they then will be prepared to frame earth’s like unto ours and to people them in the same manner as we have been brought forth by our parents, by our Father and God.

I have often remarked that if the Latter-day Saints, and all the world understood the philosophy of their own being, they would bow in humble reverence to him who is the Author of our being and the author of all wisdom and all knowledge known among the children of men. It is very little comparatively that we do know, and but very little we can really comprehend. It is believed that our scientists and philosophers are very far advanced, and that wonderful progress has been made in the nineteenth century; but notwithstanding all the knowledge and power of philosophy which so distinguishes our age, who among our most learned can create as simple a thing as a spear of grass or the leaf of a tree? No one; this can only be done through the natural process; no one can organize the simplest particle of element independent of the laws of nature. When the philosopher of the age reaches that perfection that one can waft himself to the moon or to the north star, or to any other of the fixed planets, and be there in an instant, in the same manner that Jesus did when he ascended to the Father in heaven and returned to the earth again, then we may begin to think we know a little. When we shall possess the power and knowledge to cause heavenly planets to take their position, giving them their laws and boundaries which they must obey, and which they cannot pass, then we may begin to feel that we possess a little wisdom and power.

The great and grand secret of salvation, which we should continually seek to understand through our faithfulness, is the continuation of the lives. Those of the Latter-day Saints who will continue to follow after the revelations and commandments of God to do them, who are found to be obedient in all things, continually advancing little by little towards perfection and the knowledge of God, they, when they enter the spirit world and receive their bodies, will be able to advance faster in the things pertaining to the knowledge of the Gods, and will continue onward and upward until they become Gods, even the sons of God. This I say is the great secret of the hereafter, to continue in the lives forever and forever, which is the greatest of all gifts God has ever bestowed upon his children. We all have it within our reach, we can all attain to this perfected and exalted state if we will embrace its principles and practice them in our everyday life. How accommodating, how glorious and divine are the dealings of God with his fallen children! We have been called from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to the living God. By obeying the whispering of this Holy Spirit, which we have received by virtue of obedience to the Gospel, which prompts us to purge from within us all sinful desires, we can say we are no more in the world, but we are in Christ, our living head. The philosophy of our coming out from the world is the putting off the old man sin, and the putting on of the new man Jesus Christ. How is this to be done? After we believed the Gospel we were baptized for the remission of our sins—and by the laying on of hands we received the Holy Spirit of Promise and felt that “we shall be one.” I felt that I should no longer have need to keep a daybook and ledger in which to keep my accounts, for we were about to consolidate and become one; that every man and every woman would assist by actually laboring with their hands in planting, building up and beautifying this earth to make it like the Garden of Eden. I should therefore have no further occasion to keep accounts, I should certainly accumulate and earn more than I needed, and had not a single doubt but what my wants would be supplied. This was my experience, and this is the feeling of everyone who receives the Gospel in an honest heart and contrite spirit.

But how are we now? What is our present condition?

Are we one temporally? Just about as much as Babylon is. One says, “I am for the mines, I am engaged on my farm or my factory, I am so engaged in my mercantile business that it absorbs all my time, therefore do not trouble me, do not infringe on me.” And who are they? Generally they are men who, like myself, came here not only poor, but in debt. I was driven from my homes and possessions, five times stripped of my earthly possessions. When we arrived in this valley, we were in a destitute condition. Others came here as destitute as we were, but are now comparatively wealthy—how do they feel? They wish to do just as they please. Ask them if they believe that the law of God requires us to enter into a general copartnership in all our business relations, living and working together as one family? They will tell you, “No, I don’t believe any such thing.” Those of this class who are merchants will say, “I want to get rich, I will buy where I please, and will sell at a hundred percent, five hundred percent, or a thousand percent, if I can.” You may do so if you will, but your end will be lamentable. You count the men who have broken up their homes and gone in search of gold, and then count those who have carried out my advice, and you will readily acknowledge that the latter class is by far the better off, not only financially, but morally and spiritually. You, my brethren and sisters, who were poor when you came here, but who now, through the blessing of God, ride in your carriages and live in fine houses, enjoying all the comforts of life, as well as good health, and the society of friends, how do you feel? As for myself, I have not the slightest feeling in my heart that I own a single thing. What I am in possession of, the Lord has merely made me a steward over, to see what I will do with it. Now, my brethren and sisters, do you feel the same? If you do you will each enquire what is my duty? One duty is to go to work and build this and other Temples, and the other ones can be built long before we can finish this one. Shall we do so? I say we will. If we had reached that perfect state of unity which we should have long before this, and still hope that we yet shall, do you suppose we would ask a man to pay Tithing on ten bushels of wheat, or a hundred or a thousand? No, all that would be necessary under such circumstances would be to say, brother so-and-so, from you we want so much, and from another so much. “Yes,” they would say, “Take it. I have nothing. It is all the Lord’s, let it be used to do him service in the building up of his kingdom.” “What would you do, brother Brigham, if you were required to give up all your substance?” Just what I have always been willing to do. I would continue to do my duty and trust in God for the results; that is what I have done all my life. This, doubtless, seems foolishness in the eyes of the world, they cannot understand it, neither have they any means of understanding it, for “the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.” Before I embraced this Gospel I had studied the creeds of the Christian world. When I inquired of them with regard to heavenly things, why we came here, and the nature of the relationship we sustained to God and to heavenly beings, could I get any information? No, not the least idea. I once heard one of the leading Elders in the Episcopal Methodist Church undertake to explain to his congregation one of the simplest of things, namely, “What is the soul of man?” After he had labored for two long hours, having exhausted his language, for know– ledge he had none, he straightened back in the pulpit and said, “My brethren and sisters, I must come to the conclusion that the soul of man is an immaterial substance.” What a pretty thing to look at! Excuse me. As far as the spirit and feeling of many of these people are concerned with regard to morality, and their endeavors to send the Gospel to the heathen nations, it is excellent. And there are, doubtless, millions of just as honest people among the several religious denominations as are amongst the professedly Latter-day Saints. But they have not the Gospel, they are in darkness with regard to the plan of salvation, and their teachers are blind guides, totally unable to give the people the living word, the way of life. If they live up to the best light and knowledge they have and can get, they are safe, and in a saved condition. What is the sin of the ministry and people of the present Christian denominations? It is that light has come to them and they reject it. The condemnation of the Jewish nation was that light had come into the world, but they chose darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; so says the Savior. The same Gospel that Jesus taught to those who rejected him, is entrusted to us to preach to the whole world with the same consequences which must reach them at some time, in some condition.

We have been hunted and driven from place to place, and the wicked have sought our destruction, simply because we offer to them the light, the truth, the everlasting Gospel. Although we have been robbed of our homes and possessions, they have not succeeded in destroying us yet. Will they succeed? I think not. The Lord has said he would gather his people for the last time, which he is doing; he will not suffer that they shall be overcome, and the kingdom wrested from them as heretofore. Neither will he be mocked and derided when he comes this time—not because the wicked would not repeat the same treatment if they were permitted—but because he will come in judgment, taking vengeance on the wicked and on the ungodly, and with the besom of destruction the refuge of lies and all those who love and make lies will be swept from the earth, and few men will be left. If the Latter-day Saints do not desist from running after the things of this world, and begin to reform and do the work the Father has given them to do, they will be found wanting, and they, too, will be swept away and counted as unprofitable servants.

Latter-day Saints, go and take up a labor with yourselves, urge yourselves to the belief that the Lord is God, that his eyes are upon the works of his hands, that even the sparrow does not go unfed, nor a hair of our heads fall to the ground unnoticed. Labor with yourselves until you have confidence in God and in his revelations to us; become one in temporal things as well as spiritual things as fast as you can. Enter into the compact, the association we call the United Order, that we may commence to do the work we have undertaken to do.

Now, I will make a proposition, and you may have five years to do the work I am about to assign you. To the people of the Sevier Valley, Millard County, Iron County, Piute County, Beaver County, with Juab, Kane, Washington, and Sanpete Counties, I will say, Go to work and build a Temple in Sanpete. As soon as you are ready to commence, I will provide the plan. The ground is already selected. We do not ask whether you are able to do this; but ask yourselves if you have faith sufficient to do it, for we know that you are perfectly able to do it if you are willing, and do it inside of three years from next April. Then to the people of Box Elder County, the Malad Valley, Cache Valley, Soda Springs, and Bear Lake Valley, Rich County, and the people on Bear River, I say, unite your labor and commence as soon as you can to build a Temple in Cache Valley. Again, to the people of Weber County, Davis County, Morgan and Summit Counties, Salt Lake County, Tooele and Utah Counties, with the people east and west, I will say, Go to work and finish the Temple in this city forthwith. Can you accomplish the work, you Latter-day Saints of these several counties? Yes, that is a question I can answer readily, you are perfectly able to do it, the question is, Have you the necessary faith? Have you sufficient of the Spirit of God in your hearts to enable you to say, Yes, by the help of God our Father, we will erect these buildings to his name. There will be little money comparatively needed, it is nearly all labor, such as you can perform. If the people had paid their Tithing, and paid the hands employed on the Temple in proportion as I have done, that building would have been finished before now. But I am not obliged to build Temples for the people; this is our common duty, in order that all may have the privilege to officiate for themselves and their dead. How long, Latter-day Saints, before you will believe the Gospel as it is? The Lord has declared it to be his will that his people enter into covenant, even as Enoch and his people did, which of necessity must be before we shall have the privilege of build– ing the Center Stake of Zion, for the power and glory of God will be there, and none but the pure in heart will be able to live and enjoy it. Go to now, with your might and with your means, and finish this Temple. Why, for what reason? The reasons are very obvious, and you understand them.

A few words to the sisters—you mothers who are trifling with the ordinances of the house of God, and the blessings that are proffered to you, I will say that the time will come, if you persist in doing so, when you will mourn, and will be willing to give worlds, if you possessed them, for the privilege of living your lives over again. Some of you are treating with contempt the oracles of the kingdom of God upon the earth, and in the commission of this sin you trifle with your own salvation, as well as the salvation of your children. Repent, and turn unto God, and teach your children the importance of doing the same, and of the sacredness of the ordinances and the laws of God. It is the mother’s influence that is most effective in molding the mind of the child for good or for evil. If she treat lightly the things of God, it is more than likely her children will be inclined to do the same, and the Lord will not hold her guiltless when he comes to make up his jewels; he will disown all such when he comes to claim his own, and will say, Go hence, I never knew you.

The question may be asked, Are you going to discontinue to give endowments here? I think it is very probable that you will have to go where there is a Temple, or go without. In consequence of our having been driven from our homes, and because of our destitute circumstances, the Lord has permitted us to do what we have done, namely, to use this Endowment House for Temple purposes. But since, through the mercies and blessings of God, we are able to build Temples, it is the will and commandment of God that we do so.

I thank you for your attention. We will adjourn this Conference until the 6th day of April next, to meet at ten o’clock a.m., in the Temple at St. George. We intend to dedicate it then. We shall dedicate some parts this fall, and commence to work in it.

I feel to bless the people, and say, May Heaven be kind to you. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Lorenzo Snow, delivered at the Semi-Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Held in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Friday Afternoon, Oct. 6, 1876.

We, the Latter-day Saints, profess to have received from God the fullness of the everlasting Gospel; we profess to be in possession of the holy Priesthood—the delegated authority of God to man, by virtue of which we administer in its ordinances acceptably to him; and we testify, to the whole world that we know, by divine revelation, even through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that he revealed himself to Joseph Smith as personally as he did to his Apostles, anciently, after he arose from the tomb, and that he made known unto him those heavenly truths by which alone mankind can be saved. This, as was remarked by President Wells this morning, is assuming a very important and responsible position, knowing, as we do, that God will hold us accountable for the disposition we make of this sacred trust which he has committed to us. As the Apostles appeared before the world, after they had re– ceived their commission from the risen Redeemer, to preach the Gospel of the kingdom to all nations, promising all who believed on their word, the Gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands, so we appear. As they by virtue of their commission, declared with all assurance, amidst persecution and opposition, the Gospel to be the power of God unto salvation to all those who believed and obeyed, so declare we. As they preached faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, baptism for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands, by those duly authorized, for the reception of the Holy Ghost, as being essential to salvation, so preach we. As they by the power of the Holy Ghost became witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the faithful bearers of his Gospel message to the whole Gentile world, so, by and through the same Holy Spirit, we have become witnesses of him, and, having been called by the same divine and holy calling, we therefore assume the same position.

Then, having assumed this position, we assume all the responsibilities of ambassadors of Christ, we become answerable for our individual acts, and for the manner in which we use the talents and ability the Lord has given us. Now the question is, do we sense our position, do we comprehend fully the nature of the work we have undertaken to consummate? I am sometimes led to believe that some of our brethren, Elders in Israel, are too ready and willing to shirk the obligations they are under by reason of their covenants, the faith they once possessed seems to be almost exhausted, and they appear to settle down into the quiet satisfaction of a mere nominal membership in the Church. There are others who think because their names are not very widely known, because they are perhaps only employees, occupying narrow spheres, that it does not matter much what habits they contract, or what kind of examples they set before their brethren. But then, if they held responsible positions, such as the Presidency of the Church, or a counselorship, or if they belonged to the Quorum of the Twelve, or were they President of the High Council, or of the High Priests or Seventies, then they would consider it important how they conducted themselves. Herein they manifest great weakness or gross ignorance, their lamp is either growing dim or they never sensed the position they assumed in taking upon themselves the responsibilities of the Gospel.

We are told in the parable of the Savior that the kingdom of heaven is as a householder who delivered his goods to his servants as he was about to travel into a far country. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one. The one that received the five talents went and traded, and made other five talents, doubling the portion that had been entrusted to him, and he also that received two talents went and gained other two. But he that received the one talent, went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. He doubtless considered that his responsibility was so small that he could not do much, and consequently he would not exercise a talent so inferior. Does not this apply directly to the condition of some of our Elders? Says one, “I am only a carpenter, or a tailor, or, peradventure, only a hod carrier, therefore it cannot matter much how I deport myself, whether I do or do not honestly discharge my duties in my humble sphere. But it would be very different if I were acting in some more responsible and prominent position.”

Stop, my brother; do not allow yourself to be deceived by such alluring sentiments. It is true you may only be a hod carrier, but remember you are an Elder in Israel, you are an ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, and if you are in the line of your duty you are in possession of that which the world cannot give nor take away; and you are held accountable to God for the honest use of the talent over which he has made you steward, whether it be large or small.

Again, you exert a certain degree of influence, and be it ever so small, it affects some person or persons, and for the results of the influence you exert you are held more or less accountable. You, therefore, whether you acknowledge it or not, have assumed an importance before God and man that cannot be overlooked, and from which you cannot be released if you wish to sustain the name you bear.

And what of the prospects of that individual? I say that if he honors his calling, and is found faithful to the trust reposed in him, his prospects for salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God are just as good as any other man’s. If he comprehends his position and lives accordingly, his prospects are equally good with any man that ever lived since the days of father Adam to the present moment; and it is just as important that he deport himself properly according to the sphere in which he walks, as it is that any other individual should, who may be called to act in a higher position; or, in other words, who may have been made steward over a larger number of talents. If the man of limited influence and small talents be not trustworthy and faithful in that which belongs to another, which may be committed to his charge, how can he expect ever to come in possession of the true riches, or even receive that which he calls his own? For mark well the language of the Savior bearing directly on this—“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

Therefore, let it be understood and always remembered by those who may be called to follow the humbler occupations in life, that it is absolutely necessary, for their growth and progress in the kingdom of God, that while acting therein they master the situation, that they establish and form a character and a living name, by which they may be known and distinguished hereafter among the sons of God. I respect the man occupying the humblest position, if he is faithful in the sphere in which he acts, and is truly an honest man; I deem him just as honorable as any person who may act in a higher position. The Lord does not require so much of the man who possesses but one talent, as of him who possesses more than one; but, according to that which he hath, so shall it be required of him. Let all, therefore, be encouraged, and seek to improve the talents they severally possess; and let him who may have the one talent use it and not hide it in the earth; that is, let him who may be endowed with little ability improve himself, and not complain because nature may not have been so propitious to him as to his more fortunate brother. Let us all be satisfied with our lot in life, and should it not be so desirable as we could wish, we should seek with becoming diligence to improve it, ever feeling grateful for our earthly being, and more especially for the Spirit of God we have received through obedience to the Gospel.

President Young has said from this stand, that the poor are often harder to govern than the rich. There are, doubtless, many brethren present today, who preside in our various settlements, that can readily corroborate the statement. This should not be so, for one of the important objects of the Gospel is to benefit the poor temporally as well as spiritually; and, therefore, of all other classes of people, the poor should be the most willing to be directed and governed. The Lord has ever been mindful of his poor; to them, while in their adverse circumstances, he has granted privileges which are withheld from the rich. The fact that the poor had the Gospel preached to them was one of the evidences of Jesus being the Christ, which he himself gave to the disciples of John in answer to the question, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” The poor have always been an especial charge of the servants of God, in all ages; and strikingly has this charge been sustained in this dispensation by President Young and his brethren. The Presidency of this Church have always been mindful of the poor, in donating themselves and using their influence upon others to assist in the gathering of the poor Saints from the various nations to this land; and upon their arrival here have caused homes and food to be provided for them until such times as they could provide for themselves; and they have constantly manifested a disposition to elevate the poor, and to protect them against that arbitrary power which peradventure might be used against them by their richer brethren.

The Gospel binds together the hearts of all its adherents, it makes no difference, it knows no difference between the rich and the poor; we are all bound as one individual to perform the duties which devolve upon us. “And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” Now let me ask the question, Who do possess anything, who can really and truly call any of this world’s goods his own? I do not presume to, I am merely a steward over a very little, and unto God I am held accountable for its use and disposition. The Latter-day Saints have received the law of the Gospel through the revelations of God, and it is so plainly written that all can understand it. And if we understood and comprehended the position we assumed in subscribing to it when we entered into its covenant through baptism for the remission of sins, we must still be conscious of the fact that that law requires us to seek first the kingdom of God, and that our time, talent and ability must be held subservient to its interest. If this were not so, how could we expect hereafter, when this earth shall have been made the dwelling place of God and his Son, to inherit eternal lives and to live and reign with him? Who shall say that the rich, or those that possess many talents, have any better hope or prospect to inherit these blessings than the poor, or those who have but one talent? As I understand it, the man who works in the shop, whether as tailor, carpenter, shoemaker, or in any other industrial department, and who lives according to the law of the Gospel, and is honest and faithful in his calling, that man is just as eligible to the receiving of these and all the blessings of the New and Everlasting Covenant as any other man; through his faithfulness he shall possess thrones, principalities and powers, his children becoming as numerous as the stars in the firmament, or the sands on the seashore. Who, I ask, has any greater prospect than this?

I remember reading an anecdote when a boy, of a man who, through his wisdom and patriotism, had gained great renown, but who, through envy, was assigned to a position which was considered very degrading. On entering upon its duties, it was said that he made this significant remark: “If the office does not honor me, I will honor the office.” Much difficulty would be avoided, and our condition and situation would be much more encouraging, if we all honored the office in which we are called to act. We are told that the Lord himself made clothes for our first parents, or, in other words, on that occasion, acted as tailor, also that Jesus Christ, was a carpenter. Now, the Savior must have been an honorable and honest carpenter, or he never could have merited the position he afterwards occupied. If we could get the bre– thren and sisters to see the importance of acting honestly and faithfully in their respective callings, much of the annoyances and troubles we now experience would be averted, and the work of God would roll on with redoubled rapidity, and all his purposes would be more rapidly and speedily accomplished; and besides, as a people, we would be better prepared than we now are for the dispensation of his will. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Again we are told, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him.” This spirit should influence us in all our dealings. If we all acted in keeping with its sacred whisperings, there would be little difficulty in the establishment and working of the United Order, for all would then be faithful in the performance of their several duties. But if, whether as tailors or carpenters, clerks or merchants, we prove unfaithful, “who,” says the Savior, “shall give you that which is your own?” On the same principle, if we as Elders fail to keep the covenants we have made, namely, to use our time, talent, and ability for the upbuilding of the kingdom of God upon the earth, how can we reasonably expect to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection, identified with the great work of redemption? If we, in our manner, habits, and dealings, imitate the Gentile world, thereby identifying ourselves with the world, do you think, my brethren, that God will bestow upon us the blessings we desire to inherit? I tell you no, he will not! In all our business occupations we must prove ourselves better than any other people, or we forfeit all. We must build ourselves up in the righteousness of heaven, and plant in our hearts the righteousness of God. Said the Lord, through the Prophet Jeremiah, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” This is what the Lord is endeavoring to do, and this he will accomplish in us if we conform to his will.

Then let us practice honesty and diligence in our various callings, seeking unity, and to cultivate the spirit of brotherhood financially as well as spiritually, that we may be in readiness, upon call, to go forth and build up the Center Stake of Zion, and prepare a house in which to meet the Lord our Savior and Redeemer.

May God bless you, my brethren and sisters, and enable you to act always as wise stewards over that with which you have been entrusted.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Sept. 17, 1876.

I am about to do the very thing I did not intend to do this afternoon, that is, speak to the people. I have absented myself from your meetings now for some time, feeling that if I came here my spirit would be drawn out to such a degree that I would perhaps be under the necessity of talking to you; I will venture, however, to use my lungs for a few minutes, and present a few words of counsel to the Latter-day Saints.

There is a Scripture which reads, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” This is as true a saying as there is in the Bible. And on one occasion Jesus said, “If any man will do my will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” Brother Geo. Q. Cannon, who has just spoken, has testified to the word. I have made these quotations to confirm and strengthen what he has said. There are people enough here to publish to the world that there is a man who testifies that he knows that God lives, who knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. I also testify to the truth of these things. I have proven to my satisfaction, according to the best knowledge I can gather, that man can be deceived by the sight of the natural eye, he can be deceived by the hearing of the ear, and by the touch of the hand; that he can be deceived in all of what are called the natural senses. But there is one thing in which he cannot be deceived. What is that? It is the operations of the Holy Ghost, the Spirit and power of God upon the creature. It teaches him of heavenly things; it directs him in the way of life; it affords him the key by which he can test the devices of man, and which recommends the things of God. The sayings which I have quoted I have proven to be true, and I bear testimony to them. The Latter-day Saints have done likewise. Not only the Saints who are present, and who gathered to Zion, but those of every nation, continent, or island who live the religion taught by our Savior and his Apostles, and also by Joseph Smith; they also bear the same testimony, their eyes have been quickened by the Spirit of God, and they see alike, their hearts have been quick– ened, and they feel and understand alike, and there are no disputations among them with regard to the doctrines of the Savior.

Men begin to apostatize by taking to themselves strength, by hearkening to the whisperings of the enemy who leads them astray little by little, until they gather to themselves that which they call the wisdom of man; then they begin to depart from God, and their minds become confused. But all who keep the faith are of one heart and one mind, and this testimony is so confirmed to all that we cannot be mistaken. If we ask the Father, in the name of Jesus, for such and such favor, and it be granted to us, should we not acknowledge God in this? If we hearken to the whisperings of the Spirit of God, we shall feel ourselves under obligations to do so. In consequence of our obedience to the will of the Father, we know for ourselves, and our knowledge is confirmed as we continue to apply the commandments of God in our everyday life.

Brother Cannon speaks of Christians. We are Christians professedly, according to our religion. People have gathered to themselves certain ideas, and laid them down as systems, calling them religion, all professing to believe and obey the Scriptures. Their religions are peculiar to themselves—our religion is peculiar to God, to angels, and to the righteous of time and eternity. Why are we persecuted because of our religion? Why was Joseph Smith persecuted? Why was he hunted from neighborhood to neighborhood, from city to city, and from State to State, and at last suffered death? Because he received revelations from the Father, from the Son, and was ministered to by holy angels, and published to the world the direct will of the Lord concerning his children on the earth. Again, why was he persecuted? Because he revealed to all mankind a religion so plain and so easily understood, consistent with the Bible, and so true. It is now as it was in the days of the Savior; let people believe and practice these simple, Godlike traits, and it will be as it was in the old world, they will say, if this man be let alone he will come and take away our peace and nation. Why? Because—“Shall I quote Scripture? If I do not, I will make a little.” Because it takes away their bread and butter, takes away their salaries; they become no longer able to impose upon the people, and to lead them blindly along, while they themselves feast and fatten upon the labors of these whose souls they profess a watchcare over. They say, “We shall be broken up, we shall have to raise our own wheat and potatoes, make our own butter and cheese, and we cannot bear it, and we will not, we’ll drive this religion from the earth.” This is really all the reason there is. A man rises up and says, “I understand the philosophy of a good many sciences, and I cannot believe as you Latter-day Saints do.” All your philosophy, even every iota of it which is true, belongs to the religion of the Latter-day Saints; and I say to all such, if you believe the truth, you believe just as the Latter-day Saints believe. It is said in this book (the Bible) that God made the earth in six days. This is a mere term, but it matters not whether it took six days, six months, six years, or six thousand years. The creation occupied certain periods of time. We are not authorized to say what the duration of these days was, whether Moses penned these words as we have them, or whether the translators of the Bible have given the words their intended meaning. How– ever, God created the world. If I were a sectarian I would say, according to their philosophy, as I have heard many of them say hundreds of times, “God created all things out of nothing; in six days he created the world out of nothing.” You may be assured the Latter-day Saints do not believe any such thing. They believe God brought forth material out of which he formed this little terra firma upon which we roam. How long had this material been in existence? Forever and forever, in some shape, in some condition. We need not refer at all to those who were with God, and who assisted him in this work. The elements form and develop, and continue to do so until they mature, and then they commence to decay and become disorganized. The mountains around us were formed in this way. By and by, when they shall have reached their maturity, the work of disintegration and decay will commence. It has been so from all eternity, and will continue to be so until they are made celestial.

Some of our scholars who have acquired a little smattering of knowledge rise up and say, “I am an infidel, I do not believe in God.” Well, then, as the Psalmist says, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” I make the application of the Psalmist. You do not know your right hand from your left. How do you happen to know that this (the right hand) is the right hand, and that this (the left) is the left hand? Simply because it has been handed down from parent to child until this day. Were it otherwise one might say, This (the left hand) is my right hand, and this (the right) is my left hand. Where did Professor Morse obtain his knowledge of electricity, and its application over the telegraph wire? He got it from the God of Heaven, who is the source of all intelligence; from him proceeds the knowledge of mechanism and of philosophy in all its phases.

What do men and women who turn away from the faith, as they occasionally do, turn to? To an empty sound, from a reality to a shadow. They reject a knowledge of the eternal principles by which the heavens are, were, and will be; they turn to the follies and weakness of man and yield to the influences of the devil, who, with the third part of the hosts of heaven, rebelled against the Father and was cast out of heaven. What is the ultimate result of this downward course which some are pursuing? The beautiful organization they now possess, will decrease in beauty, and continue to decrease until the elements of which it is formed dissolve and return to their original state, just like the action of these mountains, which, in their time decay, and return to mother clay. They who turn away from the Gospel of the Son of God, which we preach, turn away from the origin of all truth, from light into darkness, from wisdom to folly, until they are known no more forever; this is the end of apostasy. What has already become of those who, during our short existence as a Church, have come out against us, politically, judicially, or otherwise, those who have raised their puny arms to destroy the kingdom of God from the earth? They have become powerless, like the dew before the rising sun; they have vanished away, their names are almost forgotten; and if this is not the case with all, it will be. For Zion must be established on the earth, and God, in his power and might, will accomplish it, and none can stay His purposes. He will gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, and we will assist him.

I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the world; I have obeyed his sayings, and realized his promise, and the knowledge I have of him, the wisdom of this world cannot give, neither can it take away.

To you, my brethren and sisters, I wish to give a little counsel. And, here, let me say, that after I have revealed to you the mind and will of God concerning you, I am not held responsible for the performance of your duties. Cease your folly and wickedness, cease running after Babylon, and let your young people cease their Sunday and midnight excursions, and everything that savors of Babylon; for soon she must fall, she will pass away, the victim of her own wickedness, and it behooves you to watch and pray, lest peradventure you should be lost with her. I also say, Cease speaking evil one of another, and cease being dishonest. Masters, deal honestly and justly with those whom you hire, who are called servants. Servants, deal honestly and uprightly with those who employ you, who are called masters, that confidence and the spirit of brotherhood may be kindled, where now, in too many instances, the desire to take advantage exists.

We are making an effort, by way of petitioning the City Council, to close the drinking saloons that disgrace our city. How do the people feel about it? Are there any Latter-day Saints who would not lift up both hands against this evil and say, “God be thanked if we can stop the drunkenness in our streets?” No, not one. Are there any, whether “Mormon” or non-”Mormon,” who claim to have the fear of God in their hearts, but who ought to lend us their full support in suppressing it? No, not one. A gentleman, well known to you, told me that he had occasion to wait fifty minutes on one of our streets, near a beer saloon, and during that time he counted six women come out, three or four of them had either children in arms, or walking by their sides. What do you think of that, sisters? It is a disgrace to the name of lady. Is it any more a disgrace in woman than in man? Yes, because he is by nature coarser and more prone to such wickedness than she is. Woman is altogether of a finer nature, and has stronger moral inclinations; it is not natural for her to indulge in wickedness that man takes common delight in. It is a disgrace and a burning shame in an Elder in Israel to allow himself to become intoxicated; and further, it is shameful in an Elder to frequent and help sustain these saloons, these sinkholes of vice. How would the Savior, were he to come among us, regard such men who are supposed to be engaged in the work of building up Zion? It would be fair to believe that, as he disposed of the moneychangers who contaminated the Temple, by as he said, turning it into a den of thieves, so likewise the Elder, who would lend his influence to turn Zion into a den of drunkards and gamblers, should be cast out as one unworthy to be engaged in so important a work. The devil has sent his emissaries among us, some of whom come in the form of lawyers, doctors and ministers, and others as saloon keepers and gamblers, and as “gentlemen” whose politeness and affability are peculiarly striking. Their special mission seems to be directed to the young of both sexes, to decoy and lead them astray. To the young man they say, “Come, take a drink;” or, “Don’t be so unwise as to allow yourself to be governed by this one-man power; be free and use your liberty, let everybody know that you are a free man and that you have a mind of your own.” And turning to our girls—“Won’t you take a ride, young lady?” She thinks him so nice, he lets her drive. “O, how lovely this is, don’t I look pretty?” “Won’t you accept an invitation to a dance, to the Lake, or to the Gardens, etc.?” Such courtesies, when accepted, are the beginning of sorrow. There are but two roads, one is the way of life, glory and excellency, and crowns, and kingdoms, immortality and eternal lives; the other is drunkenness, debauchery, beautiful manners in the light, but shameful conduct in the dark. “O!” say they, “don’t you think we are wise? Why, we are very wise, we have studied and been to college.” Yes, I know the extent of your wisdom. I know, too, the road you are traveling; it leads down, down, down, until you become as nothing, returning to native element, and losing your identity—you are lost forever and forever. These are they who have sinned away the day of grace, and denied the Lord, who bought them.

As for supporting the one-man power, as the world term it, I can say that I never asked a man to vote for me, or to use his influence in any way to further my individual interests. All I have ever asked of the Latter-day Saints is, to do the will of our Father in heaven. And in this, as in all other things, you have the perfect liberty to do as you please. I can say, as was once said from this stand, God and one man are a great majority; and God and the Latter-day Saints who are valiant for the truth, and who live according to the revealed will are an overwhelming majority, and they will live and reign upon this earth when it shall be redeemed from its fallen condition, while their opponents will sink down to perdition.

Some of our young men rise up and say, “I don’t believe as my father believes, I can’t see it, and I shall do as I please.” This is your right, to do as you please, your free agency is given to you for that purpose. But while you avail yourselves of this liberty, which is so much abused and misunderstood, be careful that you do not defeat your own desires; for these words are as true today as they were when the Apostle Paul uttered them: “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.”

I believe in the one-man power. Who is that man? Our Father in heaven, God, the eternal Father, who is in all, knows all, and who made all that is in heaven, and who brought this world and all its living creatures into existence. He is the supreme “man.” I serve, believe in and wish to obey in all things. It is my right and privilege to thus believe, and all who choose to differ from me have the privilege to do so. I want to continue in that course that will secure to me an exalted salvation. What, to be near to the Lord? I do not know, nor do I upon this point give myself any trouble. It is pure and righteous principles I seek, and we must associate them with our everyday life until they become part and parcel of our existence; for this brings us happiness, no matter where we are. It is a pleasure for a person to drink good cold water when extremely thirsty; but when he has satisfied himself, the extent of his enjoyment is realized, and so it is with all our natural blessings or pleasures. But how different with regard to the principles of eternal life! Of them we drink and drink again, and still we thirst for more. These are the principles which alone can make us happy—without them we are miserable in time and will be through all eternity. God bless you. Amen.

Discourse by Elder George Q. Cannon, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Sept. 17, 1876.

It is a great privilege that the Lord has granted to the Latter-day Saints, to assemble together in peace and quietness, as we do this day, to worship him and partake of the Sacrament in commemoration of the death and sufferings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; it is a privilege which I, as an individual member of the Church, appreciate, and I desire always to do so.

When I reflect upon the many efforts which have been made to deprive us as a people of our liberties and our rights of worship, I cannot help feeling that, of all the people who live upon the face of the earth, we should be the most grateful, and should witness to our Father and God, by our devotion, that we appreciate the kindness and mercy he has manifested to us. It seems strange that in this time of religious toleration and freedom, there should be a call for such sentiment as this. In a land like ours, it might be thought that everyone would have a right to worship God according to the dictates of his conscience; but this has not been our experience. Yet the Lord has preserved us, and has defeated the machinations of the wicked—has preserved our rights and liberties, and granted to us very many privileges. Are we, as a people, sufficiently alive to the importance of these privileges? Do we live in a manner that agrees with the revelations that the Lord has given to us, to the requirements which he has made upon us? These are important questions for us to answer.

I met with the Sunday school children this morning in one of the Wards of this city, and while speaking to them I remarked, what I may remark here (taking the Bible in his hand), There are no people of whom I know anything in Christendom who believe the Bible, and are willing that their children should be taught all of its principles in their entirety, as do the Latter-day Saints. There is no principle set forth in the Scriptures that the Latter-day Saints do not incorporate in their faith and practice. I related to them a little of my experience. I remember when I was a child I read the New Testament. I inquired of my father if there were any Apostles then upon the earth, or if there were any people who had the gifts which the disciples of Jesus possessed? His reply was that he knew of the existence of no such people. I could not understand it; to my mind, as a child, there seemed to be as great a necessity for the power of God then, as there was in those earlier days. I can recall nights when I thought of the blessings which former generations enjoyed, and felt to grieve that I could not live in a generation when there were Apostles who had the power of God. I thought then I would have been willing to endure the persecution and difficulties which they had to encounter for so glorious a faith.

This is an advantage we have above every other denomination with which I am acquainted. We believe the Bible in its entirety—that God is the same today as he was yesterday, and as he ever was—that he is as willing now as ever to bestow his blessings upon man, if man will prepare himself to receive them. And if there be an absence of faith and power, and of heavenly gifts, God our eternal Father cannot be accused of partiality in withholding them from this generation.

Do we as a people sufficiently bear in mind that God requires us to live so as to receive and enjoy, to the fullest possible extent, the gifts and graces which he has to bestow upon his faithful children? I think, sometimes, we are like other people in this respect—we are very liable to grow careless, to become willing to allow the time to pass along without any particular effort on our part to improve ourselves, to increase in godliness and the power thereof. We have the human disposition to be at ease in the enjoyment of the earthly comforts by which we may be surrounded. In this respect human nature has been the same in all ages, and hence it has almost become proverbial that for a church to prosper it must be persecuted, and its members placed in constant jeopardy. But with the knowledge God has given to us this should not be the case. It should be a pleasure, a source of constant delight to us, as Latter-day Saints, to keep all the commandments of God, to seek and contend for that faith once delivered to the Saints, by which they accomplished such mighty works.

I have said that I greatly desired to live when Apostles were upon the earth. Are there not hundreds of this congregation who have felt, in various times in their lives, before they heard the sound of the everlasting Gospel, that they would traverse this earth, and undergo all manner of hardships, if they could only have the privilege to behold the face of a man of God, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus? What would they not have given to hear words of salvation from such a man, a man who had authority to teach and to administer the ordinances of the Gospel? Doubtless there are hundreds present who at various times in their lives have felt this, having grown up amid contending sects. I am satisfied that there are hundreds here who felt in their hearts that there was no sacrifice they were capable of making, which they would not have gladly made, to have had the privilege they now enjoy. They are now numbered with the Church of God, and have a knowledge of this through the power of the Holy Ghost, and the enjoyment of its gifts and blessings. And yet you talk to these men and women today, and what are their feelings? A number of them feel as zealous and warm in the work of God as they ever did. But many, doubtless, have become careless. These blessings have become common because of the ease with which they have been obtained, and indifference is the result. Yet are they not just as valuable today? Is it not just as desirable today for human beings to know that a man has authority to administer baptism, and that God will recognize the administration? Is it not a great blessing to have the reality as it was to anticipate it? Certainly it is! The authority which God has restored to the earth empowers man to go into the waters of baptism, and then baptize his fellow man for the remission of sins, God sanctioning the act. This is as great a blessing as it ever was. The fact that there are numbers of men upon the earth thus authorized, does not make the blessing more undesirable. Because there are thousands of persons now living on the earth who have received of the blessings which were to follow those that believed and obeyed the Gospel, does that in the least lessen their value? I certainly think not; they are just as desirable today, and should be valued by every human being who has any appreciation whatever of the things of God. The authority to administer in the ordinances of the house of God, to say, “Thus saith the Lord,” to counsel, instruct, warn, and reprove, is peculiar to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in this respect we are different from all other people. While this is so, we do not exclude any others from partaking of these benefits. We also—to use a phrase already adopted—we also were Gentiles, in ignorance concerning this Gospel at one time, that is, the bulk of us were. Therefore, while we claim for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this power, we do not claim it as belonging to us and ours exclusively, but to be diffused from this Church to all the inhabitants of the earth so fast as they will receive the doctrines of Jesus Christ and have faith to obey them. And this is glad tidings of salvation to all people—glad tidings of salvation in this age of unbelief, which might be said to be an age of universal darkness and ignorance concerning Jesus Christ. There is scarcely a man to be found who knows anything about God, and who believes in the literal resurrection of the body. Even ministers, as well as members of the various denominations, are in this condition. It is a great blessing that at such a time as this there is a people upon the face of the earth who testify, in all solemnity and boldness, before God, before angels, and before men, that God has spoken from the heavens, that he has broken the silence that has reigned for ages over the world, and has once more communicated his mind and will to man; that in this age these “glad tidings” have been communicated from the heavens by the ministrations of holy angels and the voice of God himself.

Now this is the message of glad tidings which the Latter-day Saints have to bear, not to themselves and their children alone, but to all the inhabitants of the earth, and to every nation and kindred, tongue and people, that God lives, that Jesus lives, that the same powers exist as existed anciently, that the same Gospel is powerful to salvation today as it was eighteen hundred years ago, that the Holy Ghost exists, and that men can receive it by taking the course pointed out by the servants of God anciently. Who would not be gladdened by such a message, if they could believe it to be true? Would not ministers rejoice in it? Would not the people? Would not all the inhabitants of the earth rejoice and praise God, if they could believe such tidings as these? The fact that they do not believe them does not lessen their value, their truthfulness, nor their importance. There are those who do believe them, they are found in these mountains, they are Latter-day Saints, but called “Mormons” by those who do not choose to give them their proper name; and they differ from every religious sect and denomination in Christendom. Their belief is that God has revealed himself to man in the day and age in which we live, has restored the everlasting Gospel, the Holy Ghost, and the gifts and graces thereof. I do not believe there is a man in Christendom, nor in heathendom, nor upon the whole face of the earth, however wicked he might be, who would not in his secret heart be thankful if he understood and knew these things for himself; but there is that unbelief and hardness of heart, there is that power the adversary exercises over the children of men, which blinds their eyes and beclouds their understanding, making the things of God appear unreasonable to them; until it becomes fashionable for men of education to think it necessary that they should doubt the existence of God, and of Jesus Christ, and the atonement, because, forsooth, they cannot comprehend the plan of redemption in all its details. Because the resurrection cannot be understood by them, they must deny the truth of the resurrection and doubt and deny the truth of the atonement and mediation of Jesus Christ. This is fashionable in these days. Yet here is a people, and I rejoice in it, who do believe in God, who testify that they know God lives; that they know that Jesus is the Savior of the world; that they know that the Holy Ghost is poured out upon men who obey and do his will; who now testify that they know that God bestows his gifts and blessings upon man as he did in ancient days. To me it is exceedingly interesting to know that there is a people in these mountains who cherish this faith, notwithstanding their weaknesses and failings, and notwithstanding some of them turn away from the truth and become aliens to the covenants of Christ. Notwithstanding all these things, still there is a people who do have this faith; who cherish it, and who seek to teach it to their children after them.

But it is important for us that we should look well to our ways, whether we appreciate the blessings God has bestowed upon us, and put them to a proper use, or not. How can we know that Jesus is the Christ, and that he lives? How can any man know it? I have many times in my life been inquired of by intelligent men upon this point. “You say that Jesus lives, how do you know it? You say there is a resurrection of the body and that you know it. How do you know it?” It is only a few weeks ago that a gentleman of superior abilities and excellent culture, a man for whom I had formed considerable attachment, said, “I would give all the world, if I had it, to know what you say you know. You say you know God lives, you say you know that Jesus is the Savior of the world, you say there is a literal resurrection of the body. I do not know these things, I cannot find out anything about them. My reason cannot be satisfied with the principles offered to me in favor of these ideas.” And he thought I ought to be a most happy man to have such a faith. I told him that he could have it by taking the course God had pointed out. Can any of us know these things by reading the Bible, or by hearing our fathers say so? No, the information derived from such a source is only a matter of belief. The Muhammadan believes in the Koran, and that Muhammad was a true prophet, because his parents teach him so. And shall the believer in Jesus Christ, and in his atonement base his faith upon no better foundation than this? The heathen believes his doctrine and teaches it to his children. Belief alone is not sufficient. We must know, if we ever get eternal life. “To know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent, is life eternal.”

What difference is there between Christians and Muhammadans upon this point? The Christians believe that Jesus is the Christ, because the Bible says so; the Muhammadans base their belief in Muhammad, because their fathers and mothers tell them he was a prophet and the Koran is true. Jesus says—“If any man will do his (the Father’s) will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” He also says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” His Apostle Peter says—“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost.” This was the promise, and through it every minister claiming to be authorized to represent the Gospel can be tested. He who is a minister of Jesus Christ has the right and authority to make certain promises to believers, and these promises heaven will fulfill and man cannot. If a man come forward professing to be a minister of Jesus Christ, promising the believers that they should receive the Holy Ghost by complying with certain conditions, and the promise fails in its fulfillment, what evidence has such a one that the minister is sent of God? None at all. But if a man come, saying, “The Lord has sent me forth; I have been called, commissioned and ordained, and have the authority to go forth and call upon the people to repent and be baptized, and if they do so they shall receive the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands;” if the people, after obeying the requirements, do receive the Holy Ghost, they then have a testimony that he is a man of God. This, when received and retained, is an ever living, ever present witness. It is in this way that the Latter-day Saints know that this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ; they know that Jesus is the Savior of the world because they have received the promised blessings. But will the reception of one item of knowledge alone save us? No. We must grow from faith to faith, from knowledge to knowledge, cultivating and cherishing the knowledge which our Father has given us until we arrive at power and receive gifts we do not now enjoy. This is the privilege of the Latter-day Saints. It is not a knowledge based upon some past experience, but to know today, to have a living faith within, by communion with God, by having our prayers answered. This latter is one of the best and surest evidences man can have. When he is in difficulty, when in danger, he can go to God, and ask him to grant him the deliverance he needs and he receives it.

Of what value is religion, unless this blessing can be enjoyed? I care not how much piety people may affect, if they do not have their prayers answered there is not much real, live faith connected with their religion. This is a good test for us. Do we live in such close communion with God, day by day—not in the remembrances and reminiscences of the past, but living in the knowledge of today—that we can go to him asking in the name of Jesus, and receive an answer to our prayers? That is a test of fellowship with God and of Gospel truth. This ought to be the experience of everyone every day we live, not, as I say, dealing in the remembrance of past favors, not something we received when we joined the Church or during some subsequent time, but because of favors we receive and enjoy today. This is happiness which the world cannot give nor take away, that makes a man happy in the midst of his enemies. Like Daniel he may be cast among wild beasts, or like the three Hebrew children he may be thrown into a fiery furnace, still he is happy and can praise his God. Our religion cannot be laid aside, as we would our Sunday garments, and be forgotten until the following Sunday. It is a religion that enters into our everyday dealings with man, of parents with children and children with parents, we carry it in our entire lives and we exhibit it in the fruits of our lives, dealing kindly and mercifully, justly and honorably one with another, administering the words of consolation to those who are afflicted, enjoying the spirit of it when we get up in the morning and through the day, until we retire at night. This is the way to live, and for this purpose God has revealed the Gospel. Anything short of this is not true religion. The man who does not so live, does not enjoy the blessings God is willing to bestow upon him. You have tested this, you Latter-day Saints who have been members of this Church since its early rise. Were you not happy when your enemies were persecuting you, when you were driven from your homes? Were you ever more happy than when upon the plains, trusting entirely in the providence of God, traveling like Abraham did, not knowing whither you were going? And were you not happy when you came here in the midst of privations? Certainly you were. Happiness was in your hearts, and gladdened your countenances. Why? Because the peace of God was within you, it rested upon you and you rejoiced in it. For this purpose religion, as it is called, is revealed. What is religion? Does true religion make man different from what he is naturally? Yes, it can do so if his nature is defective; if he inherit bad passions, improper appetites and wrong inclinations, it enables him to subdue them. Some suppose it is sinful to be merry, to dance or to witness amusements. Young people, especially in the world, often say, “I don’t want to be religious; I’ll put it off until I get old; I want to enjoy myself.” These ideas have their origin in false traditions. There is nothing that affords real happiness except in keeping the commandments of Jesus Christ. Our holy religion incorporates every blessing man can enjoy; there is no good thing you can desire in righteousness that is not incorporated in the religion of Jesus Christ. God, who created us, knew the wants of our being, and therefore, adapted the Gospel to our natures.

It is generally thought that “Mormonism” is going to the wall because men and women leave the Church. It has often been said, let fashion be introduced and ministers be sent here, let mines be discovered, and other agencies be brought to bear, and the problem of “Mormonism” would soon then be solved. I have no doubt that many people who are called Latter-day Saints have succumbed to drunkenness, and perhaps to other vices. But does this affect the truth? Is that any evidence that “Mormonism,” or the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is to be overthrown? Not in the least. I cannot share in the gloomy apprehensions that some are disposed to indulge in respecting the future of this people. I think there never was a time when the prospects of the future of the Church were better than they are at present. I do not anticipate disaster. I expect men will fall away; this has been the case always, and as long as the adversary has power over the children of men it will continue to be so. I thank God that certain men have a disposition to leave this Church, and so draw the line between those who are serving the Lord and those who are not. I mourn that men should be so unfortunate; but when I see the work of cleansing going on it is an evidence to me that the body of the Church is healthy. We are being brought in contact with the vices of the world, and if Latter-day Saints cannot retain their faith in the midst of these things the sooner they become disfellowshipped the better for the Church. If, however, we can endure all things for the sake of the Gospel of Christ, if we can maintain the faith valiantly, in prosperity as well as in adversity, then is our faith grounded upon the rock. It would make no difference to such people if there were five thousand liquor and gambling saloons in our city, they would be unmoved and undisturbed by such things. God will have a tried and chosen people, even as gold is seven times purified; if, therefore, there be any dross about us it will be taken away. If persecution will not do it, it is very probable the Lord will use other agencies to bring about the same purpose, so that the end will be accomplished.

I bear testimony that this is the work of God. I know, as well as I know I live, that God raised up Joseph Smith and bestowed upon him knowledge and power and enabled him to organize the Church of Christ in its primitive purity, as it exists and flourishes today, in these mountains. I know also that he has bestowed the same power and authority upon his servant Brigham, and I know, too, that the people who will obey his counsels will be blessed, as they always have been, and that the anger of the Lord will be enkindled against the people unless they do obey him, because the Lord has set him to guide and to lead the people. To lead the people blindly without knowing themselves whither they are going? No, certainly not. When the President of this Church gives counsel, it is the privilege of the Latter-day Saints to know, for themselves, by the testimony of Jesus within them, that such counsel is right, and no higher testimony can be given any man than this. It is the privilege of all to know whether this is the work of God or not, according to the Savior’s promise, which leaves the world without excuse. It is a matter of great importance for a man to testify before God and angels that these things are true. If he be an impostor, then the responsibility of that man is dreadful; if his testimony be true, then those who hear and reject it assume greater responsibility. That God may help us to stand pure and unspotted before him, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Aug. 26, 1876.

A little upwards of forty-six years ago, the Lord our God, through the administration of holy angels, organized his Church in the State of New York, and called men to the ministry, commanding them to go forth as missionaries, and preach to the people of the United States. They, in obedience to the command, went forth in their weakness, commencing their labors in the State of New York, and succeeded in baptizing believers, and organizing branches of the Church. From that day to the present, the Lord has been with his servants, and with the people who have embraced the message they proclaim.

In connection with the establishing of this Church, the Lord inaugurated the Gathering, which is peculiar to the dispensation in which we live. This work of gathering of the people, has continued for forty-six years, and we can behold its results—a people settled throughout these mountain valleys, numbering a hundred and fifty thousand.

I have often reflected upon the early prophecies that were given through our Prophet, Joseph Smith, whom the Lord called to organize his Church in this last dispensation, and have often marveled at their literal fulfillment. I will refer to some of them.

It is well known that the Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith, from certain plates which he discovered, deposited in a certain hill, anciently called Cumorah, which is situated in Ontario County, State of New York, having previously been shown the place in open vision. This book was translated, and its first edition of five thousand copies was published, before the organization of this Church. It was stated in that book, that a Church should arise, and the people who should embrace the Gospel which it contained, should be gathered together into one body. For the fulfillment of this, I have only to refer you to the people, the body of this Church, inhabiting these mountain vales. This prophecy also speaks of the extent of this future work—it should not only be preached to the people of this American Continent, but it should be proclaimed to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, under heaven, and the gathering should be from all these nations.

An impostor may prophesy, but he cannot fulfill his own prophecies. If Joseph Smith was an impostor, as the world say he was, how could he know beforehand of the rise of this Church, and that the Gospel would be preached in all parts of this nation? Still more, how could he know, that it would go to every land, and be proclaimed throughout every nation of the earth, and even to those inhabiting the islands of the sea? Has this been fulfilled? All you have to do is to make yourselves acquainted with the fact. You will find that the Gospel mes– sage has been carried out by our missionaries to the nations of Great Britain and Ireland, to France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the countries of Scandinavia, to Austria and Russia, to Asia and Africa, to Australia and the island of New Zealand, and the various islands of the South Pacific Ocean, as well as to the Sandwich and Society Islands. Among all these nations, this work has gone in fulfillment of prophecy, published before there was any Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Joseph Smith, therefore, so far as the fulfillment of his prophecies is concerned, has so much to establish the divinity of his mission.

Let us refer still further to the prophecies contained in the Book of Mormon. We read in that book, that not only a Church should arise, etc., but that the blood of the Saints who should embrace its faith, should cry from the ground to the God of heaven, against the inhabitants of this nation. How unlikely a thing to be fulfilled! Here, upon this land, is one of the most free governments given to man, bestowing upon all, civil and religious liberty. In other lands, persecution existed in consequence of men’s religious convictions; here all religious societies enjoyed the freedom of religious liberty to the fullest extent. If an impostor were going to prophesy, would he not be most likely to predict something that would suit the popular feeling of the people, something that would naturally come to pass? But for him to prophesy that the blood of the Saints, who were yet unconverted, should cry unto God for vengeance, against a people who glorified in their freedom, who could believe it? The people said such a thing never could come to pass; Joseph Smith must be an im– postor. But how long was it before this met with its fulfillment? History shows that three years after the rise of this Church, the Latter-day Saints, numbering some twelve hundred persons, were settled in Jackson, one of the western counties of Missouri, where they possessed flourishing homes, which they had made out of the lands they had bought of the United States Government, and which they had paid for, and where, in consequence of their having preached the ancient Gospel, which had been restored to the earth through the ministration of angels, they met with serious opposition, insomuch that they were finally driven en masse from their possessions, their homes were torn down and destroyed, their animals were shot down as you would shoot the wild beasts of the forest, their hay stacks were burned, and their corn fields despoiled, and many of the Saints were also shot dead by the hands of their persecutors. What for? Was it because they had committed crimes that merited this treatment? No, their court records do not show a single instance of our people having broken the laws. Was it polygamy? No, for the principle of plural marriage was not known among us then. They said, “You proclaim that God is a God of revelation. We do not believe it. You say that God has reorganized his Church on the earth, according to the ancient pattern. We do not believe it. We do not wish such doctrines, we do not wish our families corrupted by believing in them, for prophets, and new revelation, and miracles are all done away with; therefore you must leave us. We have pledged ourselves, our lives, and all we possess, to drive you from our midst.” Perhaps you strangers may think I am telling you that which is false. It is written and printed by our enemies, and forms part of history; and it furnishes another testimony proving the divine calling of the boy who was inspired of the Lord to translate that book.

After we had again established ourselves in a new country, and built up a beautiful city, and when all was peaceful and prosperity attending us, this same Prophet, on assembling the Elders of this Church on a certain occasion at Nauvoo, told us that we would have to flee to the Rocky Mountains for safety. The fulfillment of this prediction is apparent to all. I might mention scores of others, and in no instance has that man uttered a single prophecy that either has not already been fulfilled, to the very letter, or will not have its fulfillment in the due time of the Lord. I will mention another prophecy, which was printed in several languages, and published among the various nations in whose languages it was printed, which was twenty-eight years reaching its fulfillment. The Lord revealed to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, that there would be a great rebellion between the Northern and Southern States, commencing in the State of South Carolina, and that it should terminate in the death and misery of many souls. This, as you all know, has been literally fulfilled. When I was a boy, I traveled extensively in the United States and the Canadas, preaching this restored Gospel. I had a manuscript copy of this revelation, which I carried in my pocket, and I was in the habit of reading it to the people among whom I traveled and preached. As a general thing the people regarded it as the height of nonsense, saying the Union was too strong to be broken; and I, they said, was led away, the victim of an impostor. I knew the prophecy was true, for the Lord had spoken to me and had given me revelation. I knew also concerning the divinity of this work. Year after year passed away, while every little while some of the acquaintances I had formerly made would say, “Well, what is going to become of that prediction? It’s never going to be fulfilled.” Said I, “Wait, the Lord has his set time.” By and by it came along, and the first battle was fought at Charleston, South Carolina. This is another testimony that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the Most High God; he not only foretold the coming of a great civil war at a time when statesman even never dreamed of such a thing, but he named the very place where it should commence.

I have not time now to notice any others. I wish, however, to say more particularly to the strangers present, that God informed us immediately after the organization of this Church, that this Gospel should be preached first to the nations of the Gentiles, and then the Lord would call in his servants and give them a special mission to the scattered remnants of the house of Israel, that are among the Gentile nations. You have not heard of our trying to convert the Jews. Why? Because God has decreed and determined that he will fulfill the times of the Gentiles first, in accordance with ancient prophecy. When that time arrives, the Lord will have prepared some of the Jewish nation to receive the Gospel, and then they will gather to their own land, and rebuild their city upon its former site. You doubtless will remember those words of the Savior referring to the Jewish nation, which can be found in the 21st chapter of St. Luke—“For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.” How and in what way will the Lord fulfill the times of the Gentiles? There must first be a revealed message, a Gospel message, sent to them. The preaching of this message is referred to in the 14th chapter of Revelation, by the Apostle John, who in vision saw the angel in the act of bringing it to the earth. And we are told it was to be preached to all nations which may be said to be composed of the two peoples known as the Gentiles and the Jews. But the Lord has said that “the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” Jesus came to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but they rejected him, and the Apostles were moved upon to say, “Lo, we turn to the Gentiles;” and they did so, the Jews having proved themselves unworthy of eternal life, “and the kingdom of God shall be taken from you,” says the Savior, “and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.” The Gentiles, to whom the Gospel was to be given, received it, and the gifts and graces of the Church, which were before enjoyed by Israel, were now manifested among the Gentiles. But behold, they corrupted themselves, after having received the kingdom, and Paul perceived the decline of their faith, which was the beginning of the great “falling away,” which he, in his second epistle to the Thessalonians, said must be before the day of the Lord came. Also in the 11th chapter of Romans, Paul speaks of the Gentiles who had received the Gospel as the wild olive tree, having been grafted into the tame olive tree, and cautions them in this language—“Because of unbelief, they (Israel), were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” This, with other prophetic warnings of a similar character, was disregarded.

I will refer you to another ancient prophecy contained in the 4th chapter of the second of Timothy—“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables;” and who, he says, in the previous chapter, shall “have a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.” It seems, then, that this people, whom Paul speaks of, were to have a form of godliness; they were, in other words, to be a pious people, professedly a very religious people, but were only to possess a form, lacking all power; to be destitute, therefore, of Apostles and Prophets, miracles, etc. How long was the people to continue in this state? John informs us that this state of things would continue a long time; that, instead of the Church, another great power should arise, to be called “Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots, and abominations of the earth, presenting in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and filthiness of her fornications; which should be drunken with the blood of the Saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” And this power was to prevail against the Saints and destroy them. How long was it to exist? Until another angel should fly through the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to commit to the earth, with power to again administer its ordinances. To whom is the angel to bring the Gospel? The Scriptures say, the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. The Gentiles were the last to receive the Gospel in ancient times, but on its restoration by the angel in the last days, they are to receive it first, and then the Jews. But before the Jews receive it, the following words of the Savior must be fulfilled—“Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,” when the Gospel again will revert to that people. What do you think will bring about the fulfillment of the times of the Gentiles? It must be the promulgation of the Gospel, which the angel brings, which is to be sounded in the ears of the Gentile nations; all those receiving it are to gather out from this spiritual wickedness called Babylon the Great, because God has decreed her downfall. The overthrow of Babylon is spoken of in connection with the bringing of the Gospel by the angel, who declares also, “the hour of his judgment is come.” Judgment upon whom? First, upon the Gentile nations, when their times are fulfilled. In what way? By visiting upon them famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes; nation rising against nation in war, etc., until the Gentile nations are overthrown. Or, to speak in the language of John, who declared that after the angel shall bring the Gospel, another angel shall follow, crying with a loud voice, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; she is fallen like a great millstone, cast into the depths of the sea, and no more place found for her.

How long will it be before the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled? This is a question I cannot fully answer. It will be in the generation that the angel comes. Forty-six years have already transpired, since the Lord sent his Gospel message to the Gentile nations; and for upwards of forty years the Saints have been gathering out from the midst of Babylon, in fulfillment of another prophecy of John—“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Remember, strangers and all, that this gathering of the people was not to result from a cunningly devised fable, or the natural scheming of man; but it should be in consequence of new revelation—a voice from heaven, commanding the people to come out from those nations where the Mother of Harlots has her seat. For it is written in the Revelation of John, that the great waters upon which the millions called Babylon sit, are nations, and multitudes, and tongues, and people. “Come out of her my people.” Why? That ye be not partakers of her sins. How great are her sins? “Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Come out from Babylon, lest you be made partakers of her plagues. Death and mourning, lamentation and distress, will be visited upon all the inhabitants of the earth. But blessed are they who come out from Babylon, for they shall stand in holy places and not be moved, having kept the commandments of the Most High.

But if you Latter-day Saints who have received the message of the everlasting Gospel, and who have, in obedience to the voice from heaven, gathered out of Babylon, if you pollute yourselves by turning again to the vanities, wickedness, and corruptions of the people from whose midst you have been delivered, then, says the Lord, “Behold, judg– ment shall begin at the house of God,” it shall begin with you Latter-day Saints, and then will go forth to the nations and kingdoms of the earth, weeping, wailing and lamentations among all people, which will come to pass just as literally as that foretold by the Prophet Joseph Smith, concerning what should take place between the North and the South.

These plagues named in John’s revelations, will take place literally—“The Lord God will curse the waters of the great deep, and they shall be turned into blood.” “The sea shall become as the blood of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea shall be destroyed.” And the time will come, when the seven angels having the seven last trumps will sound their trumps literally, and the sound thereof will be heard among the nations, just preparatory to the coming of the Son of man; and all the judgments foretold by John, which are to succeed the sound of each of the seven trumpets, will be fulfilled literally upon the earth in their times and seasons. And the wicked will gnaw their tongues for peace, and will curse God, wishing to die because of their pain. These are they who repented not when the gospel was preached to them, and who became hardened in their iniquities, which were overflowing, in order that God might visit them according to all that had been spoken by the mouths of his ancient Prophets.

What will become of the Latter-day Saints? When the judgments shall have ceased, which will be visited first on the house of the Lord, they who remain will spread forth, increase and multiply; and they will build upon this continent a great and magnificent city, called Zion, or the New Jerusalem. And they will build a Temple within that city, upon which a cloud will rest by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; and upon all the assemblies of the people of Zion the Lord will create this glorious appendage, and will shed forth his loving kindness. This is the destiny of Zion, as foreseen by Isaiah and David, and many of the Prophets who have predicted concerning her.

Says one, I will wait to see if God will do these things. But peradventure, while waiting, you may be cut asunder, and your portion appointed among the unbelievers, where there are weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Woe unto them who wait to see if God will really fulfill the prophecies of his servants, and who repent not of their sins! But, blessed are they who repent as soon as they hear the sound of the message, and who turn unto the Lord their God with all their hearts, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, which bears record of the Father and the Son, and they shall be prepared for the dispensation of his providences, and hail his coming with great joy. The people of the antediluvian world waited one day too long; they waited until the flood came, when it was too late, and they were swept away, eight persons only escaping. The Savior, speaking of his second coming, said—“As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is re– vealed.” Did the Lord raise up a Prophet and warn the antediluvians by new revelation? He did: and he did the same in the case of the people in the days of Lot. Will he do the same prior to his second coming? He will. He is doing it by means of his Gospel; revealed for the purpose of saving all who receive it, who gather to a place of safety, as Noah and those who believed his message did. But the day will come when the Lord will not spare any who remain in Babylon; that will be, however, when this prophecy of Isaiah is completely fulfilled—“I will gather them from the east, and from the west; I will say to the north, give up, and to the south, keep not back; bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth, even every one that is called by name.” All this is to take place in the very dispensation in which the angel should bring the Gospel, which is the dispensation of the fullness of times. The Apostle Paul also refers to the same great event, in the following language: “That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth; even in him.” It is the purpose of God then, not to confine the gathering to earthly Saints alone. “What,” says one, “are immortal beings coming down from heaven to live on this earth?” Certainly, and thus fulfill numerous prophecies in the Scriptures; one of which is, “They shall reign on the earth.” Who are these persons? They are they whom John heard singing in heaven about it. They said, “Thou hast redeemed us out of every nation, kindred, tongue and people, and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” What a glorious song! While we are singing about going to heaven, all heavenly beings are singing about coming back to earth to live and to reign. Why? Because this is their inheritance, they have been made worthy through the blood of the lamb, and their Redeemer will be their King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and to his dominion there shall be no end. When this takes place, then will be fulfilled the saying, that all things which are in Christ, both in heaven and on earth, shall be gathered together. The wicked, too, shall be gathered, but in bundles ready for the burning.

Marvel not, therefore, Latter-day Saints, that you have been exalted out from among the Gentile nations! Marvel not that the Lord has said to the North, give up, and to the south, keep not back, bring my sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth! Marvel not at the Savior’s parable of the gathering of all kinds of fish and bringing them to the shore! By and by, angels will come among the Latter-day Saints who have been gathered from the nations, and they will pluck out one here, and another there, putting them into their place. The separation of the fish will take place; the bad will be cast away, while the good will be reserved in vessels for the Master’s use.

May the Lord who has redeemed us from among the nations bestow upon us the rich blessings of his kingdom, which he has decreed to bestow upon his people in the latter days! And may this people spread forth on the right hand and on the left; may they enlarge the place of their dwelling, and stretch forth the curtains of their habitation, until they shall become a great mountain, as the Prophet Daniel has predicted, and fill the whole earth, until the kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom, under the whole heavens; shall be given to the Saints of the Most High God! Amen.

Discourse by Elder Orson Pratt, delivered in the New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, Aug. 20, 1876.

We have heard, this afternoon, the testimony of one of our young brethren, Elder Mathoni Pratt, who has just returned, rejoicing in the truth, from his first preaching mission abroad.

When speaking of his late experience, my mind was carried back to the days of my youth, when, at the age of nineteen, I went forth to the world to preach the great principles embraced in the faith of the Latter-day Saints. I, too, felt my weakness, being then very timid and bashful, never having been accustomed to public speaking. But the Lord, in whom I placed my trust, gave me strength according to my faith and perseverance, to proclaim the truth to the people. The Holy Ghost, which had been given me, brought to mind the Scriptures of eternal truth, in the very moment needful to present them to the people. Passages which I had merely read, in my early school days, came as vividly to my mind as though I had committed them to memory. This was in fulfillment of a promise of God to all his faithful servants. The Lord, through new revelation, has commanded his servants, who go forth as missionaries in this last dispensation, to take no thought before– hand what they shall say, for it shall be given them in the very moment what they shall say. This has been verified in very deed in my experience. Sometimes, in consequence of my weakness, I would take forethought upon some few subjects, but after rising to express these things to the people, they would be taken from me.

There are many promises which God has made to his servants in these latter times, and in connection with these promises he has given many commandments which we are required to observe and keep. One of these commandments, given to his missionary servants in the year 1832, reads as follows: “Verily I say unto you, let no man that goes forth to preach my Gospel, from this hour, take purse or scrip.” We therefore went forth, as the ancient Apostles, taking no thought for the morrow what we should eat, or what we should drink, or wherewithal we should be clothed. For, said the Lord, consider the lilies of the field, they toil not, neither do they spin, and the kingdoms of this world, in all their glory, are not arrayed like one of these. There was another promise made in connection with these commandments: “They who go forth without purse or scrip, and are faithful in all things, shall not be weary in mind, neither in body, limb, nor joint, neither shall they go hungry or athirst.”

This is another great promise which has been verified upon me to the very letter. I have gone to foreign nations, without one farthing to either procure food or a night’s lodging, and God has opened up my way, so that I have lacked no needful thing. This is not only my experience, but the experience of thousands who have also tested, in like manner, the truth of this promise. In the early rise of this Church, I sometimes had to sleep out in the open air, the same as our Savior had to do, as he said, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” And so it hath been with many of his latter-day servants. Yet we experienced no particular inconveniences by being obliged to sleep at night on the ground; neither have we suffered when calling on the people from time to time, as servants of God, to obtain food, any more than Elijah did, when he fasted forty days, or Moses when he was forty days and forty nights without eating or drinking. There was a power over and in those ancient servants of God, that satisfied the cravings of the appetite, in passing through such circumstances, and such power was not withheld from us.

After the Lord told us how to go forth to the world with this Gospel message, he said, He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth my Father; and he that receiveth my Father, receiveth my Father’s kingdom. He also said, He that rejecteth you, and your words and testimony, rejecteth me; go away from him and cleanse your feet with pure water, and bear testimony of it to your Father, and return not again to that man or house; and whatsoever village or city you enter do likewise. And another great promise, made in connection with this, is that every soul that believes on your words, and is baptized in water for the remission of sins, shall receive the Holy Ghost, and these signs shall follow them that believe. In my name they shall cast out devils, heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, and the tongue of the dumb shall speak; and if any man administers poison to them, it shall not hurt them.

The promise, therefore, unto all who receive this Gospel, is that they shall not only receive remission of their sins, but they shall also receive the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands; a promise which God alone can fulfil. Suppose this Church was an imposition, and this Gospel message not divine, would not the people who have rendered obedience to its requirements have proved it long ago to be false? Certainly they would, and the message itself, with its advocates, would have died away and come to nought. Would they have continued, as many have done, for over forty years in this Church; and would the people, numbering in this Territory about one hundred and fifty thousand, have gathered as they have done from nearly all the civilized nations, to the great interior of this continent, if the promises made them through this Gospel had not been fulfilled. No, you might have preached and promised, but it would have been of no effect. There is a vast cloud of witnesses, not only these of this congregation, but I speak of the entire people.

Do you know, Latter-day Saints, that this work is true? You do. How do you know it? Not merely because the men who proclaimed it told you it was true. How then do you know it? You know it by virtue of your obedience to the message; you have done the will of the Father, and you have realized the fulfillment of the promise; so that it is not a matter of guesswork, of mere opinion; you know beyond a single doubt that it is the work of the living God.

Suppose an impostor was to undertake to preach this Gospel, offering the same promises to believers, which of course would not be ful– filled. Do you not therefore see that it would be impossible to gather such people together from the different nations? But, when the promises are realized, the people receiving something they never before experienced, when those effects are strictly in accordance with the words of God, then they have a testimony that cannot be denied. But says one, “We hear people belonging to the different Christian sects and denominations say that they receive the spirit of God; you say the same. How are we to judge between you and them?” I would answer in the language of the Apostle John, who, in the first verse of the fourth chapter of his General Epistle said, “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” The true spirit imparts signs to all believers. Do the Methodists, the Baptists, the Presbyterians, or any of the Christian sects receive a spirit of this kind? Do they lay their hands on the sick, and are the sick healed? If they do then they are true believers; but if they do not, it shows that they have been deceived. Do they even profess to have these signs? No. Why? Because they know they are not in possession of them; and in order to excuse themselves with a view of making everybody believe they are true believers, they say these signs were only to follow the servants of God in the first age of Christianity. Let us examine carefully the written word, to see whether this is so or not. Jesus, as is shown in the 16th chapter of St. Mark, commencing at the 15th verse, said to the Eleven Apostles, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. 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.” Were the believers here referred to confined to certain individuals? No, this Gospel message was to be preached to every creature in all the world, and the promise was to everybody that believed and obeyed. Some argue that when the Gospel was first introduced, it was necessary that these signs should follow the believers, in order that all the world might be convinced of its divinity; but that when the Gospel had been fully established, by signs and wonders, they were no longer needed. This is believed in and accepted as truth by the great majority of the Christian world. This being the case, I have often wondered why there were not more infidels in the world, than we have a knowledge of. Because a man inclined to infidelity might say, “If you do not believe in one part of the Gospel, what use is there in my believing any of it? If you can take upon yourselves the right to do away with a part of the Gospel, why may not I do away with the whole of it?” The signs which the Savior promised should follow believers are just as much a part of the Gospel as salvation itself is.

But how shall we “try the spirits?” I do not know of a better and surer way than to follow the word of God. In ancient times hands were laid on the head of the baptized believer and the Holy Ghost was given, and it produced certain effects, insomuch that when the hands were taken from the heads of the individuals thus blessed, often times they would speak with other tongues, and prophesy, foretelling future events, etc. And the effects of the Holy Ghost were so miraculous and manifest that a certain sorcerer, named Simon Magnus, doubtless thinking it would be a great acquisition to his catalogue of wonders, offered the Apostles money, if they would empower him to perform the same. But Peter said unto him, “Thy money perish with thee; repent of this thy wickedness,” etc. “For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” There was a power attending the demonstration of those men of God, in ancient days, that left no doubt in the minds of those who experienced it; they knew that it was a power not from man.

After the Lord had commissioned the Elders of this Church, some forty-four years ago, to preach this Gospel to all nations, he promised that to those who would believe and obey their words, should be given power to do many wonderful works, they should open the eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf, and the tongue of the dumb should be made to speak, and the lame man should be made to walk, etc. Has this promise been fulfilled, Latter-day Saints? Yes, you know it has been literally fulfilled. You yourselves when living in a scattered condition, in places where the Gospel found you, have laid your hands upon the heads of your little children and others, who were sick, and, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by virtue of the holy Priesthood, you have rebuked the sickness, and you have seen the sick restored to health. You have also witnessed the deaf restored to their hearing, and the blind receive their sight. By these and other manifestations of the power of God, you knew that we were the servants of God, and that our message was divine. The world say that Joseph Smith was an impostor. I would ask, Can there be any more effectual means of detecting an impostor, of determining the truth or falsity of his profession, than for him to make to public promises of this kind? If he were an impostor, the signs spoken of would not follow believers, and the power to perform these wonderful works would not be given to those who obeyed his words. Do you not know, strangers, that an impostor would carefully avoid giving such unmistakable proofs of his impositions? Yes, he would be as cautious as the Methodists, and the rest of the so-called Christian denominations, for they do not even profess a belief in them, much less to declare themselves to be in possession of them. But the fact that these signs do follow believers, that this power does exist, is testimony sufficient, and it is a testimony to all the world, that this Gospel message which we preach is divine, and that God is able to do today the same as he did anciently; and you, Latter-day Saints, are witnesses concerning these things.

Having examined the message that these missionaries proclaim, let me speak a little upon another subject. If you now travel over the broad face of the Christian world, and ask the several Christian sects if they have inspired Apostles in their church, who receive revelation as they of old did? The answer will be positively no. Why do you not have them, are they not part of the Gospel? Hear what the Lord has said upon this subject through the Apostle Paul—“God hath set some in the Church, first Apostles, secondarily Prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.” And these are members of the body called the Church. Yet you say you have not the first member necessary to constitute the body. God has certainly set in his Church Apostles. Where are they, and where are their revelations? When there happens to be some difficulty on points of doctrine among you, do you go to the ministers you profess to have, requesting them to inquire of the Lord concerning the matter? Oh no, you say, the canon of Scripture is full, and there is to be no more revelation. No wonder, then, you have not the first officer of the Church; he would be to you a superfluous member, if there is to be no more revelation. But how do you know this? Has the Lord ever said that the time would come when he would have no more inspired Apostles in his Church? Says one, My minister says so. I would advise you to go to your minister and ask him where he obtains his evidence to prove that the canon of Scripture is full. You will find that he will appear dumb, because no man can put his finger upon a single passage of Scripture proving such an assertion. Perhaps some have tried to believe it, by quoting certain verses from the last chapter of the Revelation of the Lord to St. John, when on the Isle of Patmos; I have had them quote it to me. You will recollect that John, while on the Isle of Patmos, ninety-six years after the birth of Christ, received wonderful revelations, the Lord commanding him to write them. He wrote them on parchment, and upon the closing up of the scroll the Lord says, “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book.” This is often quoted, per– haps without knowing or considering that John, after his release from Patmos, as history informs us, wrote the Gospel of St. John. Supposing that John was questioned on this point, how do you think he would have explained himself? He would have said that that caution had reference to the book written on Patmos. He would have said further, that the caution was against man’s adding, but that God has the right to give to his people line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, and there a little, book after book, yea, even ten thousand revelations, or more as he may deem proper; and he never pronounced a curse against himself, but that man has not the right to add a single word. The same language may be found in the book of Deuteronomy, which of course has a direct bearing to the five books of Moses, without any reference whatever to the succeeding books of the Bible. May not the same objection be just as consistently raised against all the books of the Old and New Testament which follow the last book written by Moses, containing the same caution, as against the new revelation of today? Surely the people who lived in and after the days of Moses might just as consistently have objected to receiving any further revelations from the Lord, because of the caution referred to appearing in the Book of Deuteronomy, as the people of today have for objecting to receive any new revelation, because the same caution appears in the last chapter of the revelation on Patmos. Both have reference to particular books only, and it is absurd and folly in the extreme for men claiming to have any knowledge of God, and the great plan of salvation to interpret it otherwise. And it can be for no other reason than to attempt to cover up the state of apostasy which the whole world is in, that causes the ministers of the various sects to quote this passage as they do.

There is another passage of Scripture which I will refer to, in connection with this; it reads as follows: “When Christ ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. And he gave some Apostles; and some, Prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,” etc. It is acknowledged that you have not Apostles as part of your Gospel. Let us inquire further. Have you got Prophets? No, you assert there is to be no more Prophets. Have you workers of miracles or healers of the sick? No. Have you discerners of spirits, or speakers with tongues, or do angels minister to you? No, you assert that these are all done away. Do you not know that all these constitute the body of the Church of the living God, and that all these are necessary to form the whole, so that one part or member cannot say to another, “I have no need of you?” What then have you got? You reply, We have teachers and pastors. Then you consider that you have the body of Christ among you? You reply, “O yes; we are the Church of Christ.” Who authorized you to do away with these essential parts of the body or Church of Christ? Have you not been instructed of the Lord through the mouth of his Apostles, that “If all were one member, where were the body?” If pastors and teachers are the only members you have, how is it possible that the body can exist among you? The Apostle, in thus comparing the human body complete with all its members to the body or Church of Christ, said—“The head cannot say to the foot, I have no need of you,” etc. By what principle of right, therefore, can the legs or feet, which may be said to represent pastors and teachers, say to the head, which represents the Apostles, “I have no need of you?” You say you have only a couple of the members of the body, and that you have received no further revelation from God, the canon of Scripture being full, authorizing you to do away with the other members. Where then is the Church organization as established by the Savior? Nowhere, among the sects, upon the whole earth, neither has it been for many generations past. You say, we are uncharitable. We are only comparing your church organization with that of the Bible. We are told to “Try the spirits,” and I know of no better way than to do so by the Word of God. Remember that he who dwells in the heavens will judge you by his words in the great day of judgment. You pastors and teachers, you who profess to be authorized of God, how will you feel in that great day, when you shall appear before him to be judged out of the books? When you hear him declare that he placed in his Church, first Apostles, then Prophets, etc., and when he shall ask you the reason why you did away with them, how will you feel, what will you say? Your only answer can be that “we did away with them, because they were unpopular, and because we had not faith sufficient to obtain revelations ourselves, and in order to hide our apostasy we said they were no longer needed.” Remember, all ye, the testimony of the Savior—“My words shalt judge you in the last day.”

The Lord has restored his everlasting Gospel, with all its gifts and blessings, and in all its fullness, and has called men and commanded them to publish it among the inhabitants of all the earth. Judge ye whether it be the Gospel, or whether it be a man-made system. If it be false, prove it to be so; bring forth your strong reasons; otherwise lay your hands upon your mouths, and let your tongues be dumb. There may be imperfections in some of the people who represent this Gospel, for the wheat and tares are to grow together until the second coming of our Lord, when he will separate them; but there are no imperfections in the Gospel; it is perfect so far as God has seen proper to reveal himself to the human family. Will an imperfect system save the people in any part of the world? No. If the Gospel we preach is not true, there is certainly among you none true; and we, therefore, are only one among the others; for we know they are not true, because the written word testifies against them. But we present to you a system which is perfect, and which we know to be true, because the promised signs follow the believers.

This Gospel must be preached to all peoples everywhere, fulfilling the prophecy of John the Revelator, contained in the 14th chapter of Revelation. Judge ye whether that day has come or not. We declare that the angel referred to there has flown, and we bring forth the evidence of the witness who saw and conversed with him. And we are commissioned of God to carry the Gospel to all nations under heaven, bearing testimony that it is the eleventh hour—the last time that God will ever send laborers into the vineyard. We testify that when this Gospel is preached faithfully to all the world, then will the end of the wicked world come; then shall the Son of Man come, sitting upon a white cloud, as predicted in the same chapter. Then woe to the nations that reject this warning message, for they shall be visited with consuming fire, and all that shall be found doing wickedly shall be burned up. This is the dispensation of the fullness of times that should come in the last days, gathering out the Lord’s elect from the four winds of heaven; a dispensation of the Lord’s judgments spoken of in connection with the flying of the angel in the midst of heaven; and these judgments are nigh, even at the door. Amen.

Discourse by President Brigham Young, delivered at Logan, Cache Valley, Sunday, Aug. 15, 1876.

I think it is pretty well understood, by my brethren and sisters, that my labors, as a public speaker, are somewhat limited, compared with what they used to be.

The first season the Twelve went on a mission as the Twelve Apostles I became acquainted with the father of brother William Hyde, who has just addressed you. Brother Hyde, deceased, was then a boy. He with his father’s family gathered with the Saints; he went to Missouri and returned to Illinois, and got married. And this afternoon we have heard one of his sons speak to us. It is forty years this summer since I first knew the father of this young man. For three years previous to this I had been engaged preaching the Gospel, and the Spirit of God would rest down upon me to that degree that, if I did not open my mouth to preach to the people, it seemed as though my bones would consume within me, consequently I used to preach long and loud.

For forty-three years I have been more or less engaged preaching to the people. My talking organs are now pretty much exhausted, but my general health is good, even better than when I was a young man. I never felt better than I do at present. I have lungs enough to serve me to preach a hundred years, providing the talking organs of my stomach were correspondingly good.

I came here to rest, to get away from much talking. Since being here, I have been waited on by the Indians who are passing through, and I have had to do a good deal of talking to them, besides having to converse with the brethren.

I sometimes feel that I can hardly desist from telling the Latter-day Saints how they should live, but my talking organs will not permit me to say as much as I wish to. The Celestial Kingdom of God is worth seeking for, and there are times when I see the importance of the people living their religion that I almost feel to cry aloud and spare not, if I had the strength to do it. When I consider the greatness of the kingdom of God, and the privilege afforded us of becoming heirs to God our Father, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ our elder brother, and then sense the condition of the Latter-day Saints, I do not wonder that the question was asked of the Savior by his disciples: “Who, then, can be saved?” There are very few of the children of Father Adam and Mother Eve, who will be prepared to go into the Celestial Kingdom. Those who prepare themselves here, below, through obedience to the Gospel, receiving through their faithfulness the keys of the Priesthood, and sanctifying themselves through the truth, they are preparing themselves to become the sons of God. If we become the sons of God, we shall be joint heirs with Jesus Christ to all the inheritances that the Father hath prepared for the faithful. But there are few of all the human family that will ever attain to this highest state of glory.

We have a work to do just as important in its sphere as the Savior’s work was in its sphere. Our fathers cannot be made perfect without us; we cannot be made perfect without them. They have done their work and now sleep. We are now called upon to do ours; which is to be the greatest work man ever performed on the earth. Millions of our fellow creatures who have lived upon the earth and died without a knowledge of the Gospel must be officiated for in order that they may inherit eternal life (that is, all that would have received the Gospel). And we are called upon to enter into this work.

The Latter-day Saints who turn their attention to moneymaking soon become cold in their feelings toward the ordinances of the house of God. They neglect their prayers, become unwilling to pay any donations; the law of Tithing gets too great a task for them; and they finally forsake their God, and the providences of heaven seem to be shut out from them—all in conse– quence of this lust after the things of this world, which will certainly perish in handling, and in their use they will fade away and go from us. We, as well as the whole world of mankind, know that our time is short, our days but a span. And yet we lust after this filthy lucre, the world’s wealth. It matters not how much of this world’s goods a man may possess, his few days soon expire, and he sleeps with the fathers. To him his riches are no more; it was only seeming wealth. We cannot expect to receive real wealth until we receive the riches of eternity, which are eternal. Those riches will not be committed to us, until we shall have filled our measures here, having done all the Lord requires of us, towards perfecting ourselves, and assisting him in the work of the salvation of the human family. Not until Jesus shall present all things to the Father, saying, I have completed the work thou gavest me to do; here are the results of my labors. Then, and not until then, can we possess real riches, true riches, eternal riches.

How vain it is in man to allow himself to think that he can make himself happy with the pleasures of this world. There is no lasting pleasure here, unless it is in God. When men leave the kingdom of God, their lives are filled with bitterness, their thoughts are full of fearfulness, and they are sorrowful, day by day. They may tell you they are happy. But when you probe them, and find out the inmost recesses of the heart, it is a cup of gall; they are not happy. They may seek, to the uttermost parts of the earth, for happiness, but they find it not. Where is happiness, real happiness? Nowhere but in God. By possessing the spirit of our holy religion, we are happy, in the morning, we are happy at noon, we are happy in the evening; for the spirit of love and union is with us, and we rejoice in the spirit because, it is of God, and we rejoice in God, for he is the giver of every good thing. Each and every Latter-day Saint, who has experienced the love of God in his heart, after having received the remission of his sins, through baptism, and the laying on of hands, realizes that he is filled with joy, and happiness, and consolation. He may be in pain, in error, in poverty, or in prison, if necessity demands, still, he is joyful. This is our experience, and each and every Latter-day Saint can bear witness to it.

There has been much said with regard to our becoming a united people, living together in what is called the United Order. One man rises up here, and another there, saying “The Lord does not want my property; it is brother Brigham, or it is the Bishop,” and don’t feel disposed to enter into this organization. This, I admit, is partly true; the Lord does not care anything about his property. Who made the earth, and the riches thereof? To whom does the earth belong? “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” Do you suppose that the Lord cares anything about a man’s farm? Nothing at all, for the whole earth is his. At his command it is gone, and the man who claimed possession of any part of it, knoweth not whither it has gone. But what does the Lord want of his people? It is written in this Bible, and is said to be the words of the Lord, “Son, give me thine heart.” Without it, you are not worth anything; with it, he has your gold and silver, your houses and lands, your wives and children, your all.

I have taught from the stand in this place, and in other places, for years, the necessity of our becoming one. I can say to the Latter-day Saints, you have never heard brother Brigham make a demand for your property. All I want is to see this people devote their means and interests to the building up of the kingdom of God, erecting Temples, and in them officiate for the living and the dead, and be instruments in the hands of God of bringing up from their graves those who have slept without having had the privilege of receiving the Gospel, that they may be crowned sons and daughters of the Almighty. We do not want your property, we want you. When we all become one in faith and in spirit, we shall be one in our acts, having the kingdom of God at heart. And the inquiry will be from the brethren, “What can I do for my fellow creatures? Can I be the means of saving a soul? Can I do anything for my friends who have slept without a knowledge of the truth, or can I do anything for those who are living in foreign lands? Yes, I can.” These should be the sentiments of our hearts, and this is required of us.

Many of us have spent considerable of our time in preaching the Gospel at home and abroad, and in otherwise assisting to establish the kingdom of God upon the earth, and we are still engaged in this work. We have donated towards the deliverance of the poor from foreign lands, bringing them here, where they have the privilege of being taught further in the plan of salvation, and where they can assist more materially in the establishment of Zion in the earth.

Many of the poor, after having been brought here, relieved in many instances, from the depths of pover– ty, no sooner do they become the possessors of a little means, than they lift their heels against the Gospel. This is painful to the Latter-day Saints, who rendered them assistance; it is grieving to God who delivered them. Still, it is our duty to send the Gospel to all nations, and to continue to donate means to gather out the poor. The Lord will save a few, all that will accept salvation according to the design which the Lord has devised. He has made the plan, not us. It is not the conception of man. It was the Gods who sat in council together—they planned it and now offer it to us. Will we accept of it?

There are only two churches on the earth—only two parties. God leads the one, the devil the other. As soon as a man hears the Gospel preached and becomes convinced of its truth fulness, he is tempted of the devil, who, whenever there is an opportunity, suggests doubt for his reflection. If he entertain these doubting influences, it is not long before what he believed true becomes a matter of conjecture. Another may receive the Gospel, travel and preach it faithfully, feeling in his heart to exclaim, “Glory to God in the highest!” having no other motive than to do good to his fellow beings. By and by he perhaps is left to himself; he now begins to question himself, saying—“I wonder if I really was right?” This single doubt is perhaps the beginning of his apostasy from the Church. In the days of Joseph, people were inclined to turn away from the faith and go into apostasy, as much as they do now in proportion to our numbers, and I have sometimes thought more so. You allow the devil to suggest to you that I am not leading you right, and allow that thought to abide in your hearts, and I will promise you that it will lead you to apostasy. You allow yourselves to doubt anything that God has revealed, and it will not be a great while before you begin to neglect your prayers, refuse to pay your Tithing, and find fault with the authorities of the Church. You will be repeating what apostates all say, “The Tithing is not used aright,” etc. There is a feeling that sometimes prompts me to ask, “Did you ever pay any Tithing to me that I kept? If so, let us be informed about it.” God has so blessed me with regard to things pertaining to this world, that if it can be shown that I ever received the benefit of any man’s Tithing, I am able to restore it a hundred fold. This perhaps is a little levity in me, but I indulge in such things sometimes.

When brother Joseph was alive, he appointed me to appraise property in the Nauvoo Temple. On one occasion, a saddle was brought in; it was valued at two dollars, and being in need of a saddle I used it. Brother Joseph, too, once sent me the half of a pig which weighed ninety-three pounds. And while preaching in Boston, I received two and a half dollars in Tithing, which I also used and reported to brother Joseph. Otherwise not a dime of the Tithing did I ever use in the days of Joseph; and since his day the right to dictate the use of the Tithing belongs to me, and I have used what I thought was necessary, but I have no knowledge of using one dollar of Tithing money for my own purposes. Though after these statements I will say that I dictate the Tithing very little. Neither the Bishops nor my clerks ever ask me anything about it, they do what they please with it. I do not care what is done with it, if it be rightfully and properly used. They are perfectly welcome to use my Tithing in common with yours; the Lord will hold them responsible for its use. If my brethren whom I employ to take care of and raise my stock, do as I wish them to do, they pay my stock Tithing. No man in this Church pays his full Tithing. I do not pay mine, but I pay as much as anybody; and I never inquire what is done with it.

When we neglect any one of these duties, the enemy says, “I have made so much ground.” If the devil can induce an Elder to drink a little, he is not satisfied with this triumph, but says to him, “Your wife and children know it, don’t pray tonight.” The Elder says to his family, “I feel tired tonight, we won’t have prayers.” The enemy says, “I have gained another point.” You indulge still further, and you will find other excuses. Your head is not right, your heart is not right, your conscience is not right, and you retire again without praying. By and by, you begin to doubt something the Lord has revealed to us, and it is not long before such a one is led away captive of the devil.

You Elders of Israel, do you not see the necessity of an advance? Do you not see that we have traveled just as far as we can, without adopting the revelation the Lord gave at Independence, Jackson County, namely, that “the property of the Saints should be laid at the feet of the Bishops, etc., and unless this was done a curse would befall them?” They refused to do it, and the consequence was, they were driven from their homes. Unless we obey these first revelations, the people will decline in their faith, and they will leave the faith of the holy Gospel. Do the Elders sense this? Yes, a great many of them do—also a great many of the sisters. Were it not for the faith and prayers of the faithful ones, this Church would have been given into the hands of our enemies. It is the faith of the Priesthood, who cling to the commandments of the Lord, that holds the people where they are. Supposing you were in a state to say, We will do what is required of us. It would be enough for me to say, It is your duty to finish that house (the Tabernacle) without delay, and it would be done, every man doing his part cheerfully. But, instead of that being the case, we might apply to brother John for his team: says brother John, “It is very hard of you to ask for my team. I have only the one span, and I don’t see that I can let you have it.” Brother John keeps his team; but if he could have had faith sufficient to obey the request, the Lord would have blessed him with two teams. But because he keeps it, that is his all, and very probably, will remain his all. Again, say the Priesthood, “I want your house.” “Take it.” “Your garden.” “Take it.” Says one—“Do you feel so, brother Brigham?” Precisely so, I want to entertain no other feeling. I have nothing but what, if the Lord requires, it must go freely. He can take nothing more than is already his. I say, take it, I will trust in him for more. This is the only safe ground to walk upon. It is the only way by which we can secure eternal life. Jesus says, “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads to life eternal,” but which the New Translation made, that leads to “the lives,” and few there be who find it. But wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be who go in thereat.

The Lord would like to see us take the course that leads unto the strait gate, that we might be crowned sons and daughters of God, for such are the only ones in the heavens who multiply and increase, and who frame and make and redeem worlds. The rest take an inferior kingdom, where this privilege is denied them. This the Lord has made known unto us through the Prophet Joseph; it is published and so plainly written, that we can read and understand for ourselves. It is for us to choose whether we will be sons and daughters, joint heirs with Jesus Christ, or whether we accept an inferior glory; or whether we sin against the Holy Ghost, which cannot be pardoned or forgiven in this world, nor in the world to come; the penalty of which is to suffer the second death. What is that we call death, compared to the agonies of the second death? If people could see it, as Joseph and Sidney saw it, they would pray that the vision be closed up; for they could not endure the sight. Neither could they endure the sight of the Father and the Son in their glory, for it would consume them.

The Lord gives us little by little, and is ever willing to give us more and more, even the fullness; when our hearts are prepared to receive all the truths of heaven. This is what the Lord desires, what he would delight in doing, for his children.

These are only a few reflections, when we take into consideration our Christian religion, for it incorporates every act of a person’s life. We never should presume to do anything unless we can say, “Father, sanction this, and crown the same with success.” If the Latter-day Saints live so, the victory is ours. There are a great many who want to live so, and I say God bless all such. Amen.