Discourse by Elder C. W. Penrose, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, on Sunday Afternoon, Aug. 17th, 1879.

There are a few minutes remaining, which I am requested to occupy; and while doing so I earnestly desire that I may be inspired by the spirit that gives light and intelligence to the human mind and makes plain the things of God, so that what I may say to you may be profitable and edifying.

I rejoice very much that I have the privilege of living upon the earth, at the time when God has commenced the great work spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world began; when the times of restitution have commenced; when God has begun to restore to the inhabitants of the earth, the doctrine and principles which were revealed to the people anciently, by which they were brought into communion with the Father; when the holy priesthood, or the authority given from God to man to act in his stead, has been restored to the earth; when the gifts and blessings which were enjoyed by the ancient Saints have also been restored; when the knowledge possessed by the ancients of the manner in which God could be approached so that they might learn of him, has also been made manifest to the Latter-day Saints; in the day when the great work which will prepare the earth and the inhabitants thereof for its Prince, its rightful lawgiver and King, has commenced upon the earth. I rejoice and thank God with all my heart that I am identified with this people, that I have received the spirit of this work; that I have been able to understand these principles and doctrines and that I have cast in my lot with the people who are engaged in the work of preparing themselves for the coming of the Lord.

The times of restitution which have been alluded to this afternoon by Brother Morgan, and which the Apostle Paul speaks of in the words which have been read in your hearing, are of the very greatest importance to all people, who live upon the earth to understand. Every prophet by whom God has spoken since the world began has had some foresight in regard to this work. When we take up the Bible we find all the prophets whose words are recorded therein speaking of the great work of God in the latter days; of the great day of the Lord; of the time when righteousness should prevail, and iniquity should cease; of the time when misrule should be cast down, when the kingdoms of this world that have ruled in unrighteousness should lose their grasp upon the children of men, and in the place thereof the kingdom of God should be established; of the time when the curse which was placed upon the earth in the beginning should be removed, and when instead of the thorn and the brier should spring up the fig tree and the myrtle tree; of the day when the animosity between man and man and between mankind and the brute creation, should be taken away; when the lion and the lamb should dwell together; when the spirit of destruction should cease and the Spirit of the living God prevail over the face of the whole earth, and the way be prepared for the coming of its rightful ruler, “He whose right it is to reign” and who will rule “from the rivers to the ends of the earth;” of the time when that wicked one “who tempted our first parents in the beginning, who introduced evil and death into the world, and who has ever since made it his aim and object to usurp the control of the earth, shall be bound, and with all his hosts be banished from the earth and this whole creation be rid of his influence, and when the Spirit of God will be poured out upon all flesh. This period has been foreseen and has been alluded to in much plainness by many of the prophets upon the eastern hemisphere and also upon the western continent; their words were recorded and have come down to us through the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

The spirit which God has been pleased to pour out upon us in some degree opens our minds to a com– prehension of these same things. When we take up the Bible or the Book of Mormon and read of the restitution to come, we can see it as the prophets saw it; for the same spirit that rested upon Isaiah and Jeremiah and upon Nephi and Moroni and others of the prophets that lived upon this continent, rests upon the people of God in these latter days. The same evidences are open to our vision, and we know as sure as we know that God lives that the day is close at hand when those events spoken of will transpire upon the earth.

We are living in a time of great wickedness, of great corruption and evil of numerous kinds; they are widespread upon the face of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof have turned from the Lord in a great degree, according to the Scripture which has been quoted: “They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and broken the everlasting covenant.” God has withdrawn himself from the children of men. Darkness has covered the earth and gross darkness the people. While they boast of living in an age of Gospel light, they are really and truly shut out from communion with the Lord. No prophet’s voice is heard in their midst; no seer discerns the things of God; no angel from the courts of glory bears a message of glad tidings to man. The heavens are as brass over their heads. They have no answer when they pray, or rather when they say their prayers, for it may be truly said of them in the words of the Lord through Isaiah, they “draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precepts of men.” “Therefore,” says the Lord, “behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid,” while to the weak and despised and poor of the earth whom God has gathered from the nations he has revealed his will and the precious things of his kingdom; and they are preparing themselves for the great events that are to transpire in the near future.

God has commenced the great work of restitution of all things by restoring the Gospel in its primitive simplicity, and every principle and ordinance belonging thereto, with the authority and power to administer therein. Every man that has lived upon the earth in past ages, who has held the keys in any dispensation of God’s mercy to man, has come down from the place whence he has gone, and restored those keys; they have all brought their priesthood, their authority, and the spirit and power belonging thereunto, and ordained living men to the authority which they themselves held. And the reason why we know this is true, is because God Almighty has made this manifest to every humble soul who has bowed in obedience to this Gospel. Our testimony does not depend upon Joseph Smith; it does not depend upon Brigham Young; it does not depend upon John Taylor, or upon the council of the Twelve Apostles, which is now the presiding quorum in the Church. I pin my faith to no man’s sleeve; I am a believer in the Scripture which says, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm.” I obeyed this Gospel because I believed it was true, through reading the Scriptures, which I was taught from my early childhood to believe in. When the sound of the Gospel reached my ears I believed; and having bowed in obedience to its ordinances, I received a testimony for myself of its truthfulness, and that testimony has never departed from me. I know by the power and gift of the Holy Ghost that God lives. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. I know by the same Spirit that God Almighty has sent his angels in these the last days to Joseph Smith and others, for the purpose of commencing this work of the restitution of all things. I know that work has begun to be ushered in. I know that the power of God is being manifested on the earth, that the same power which rested upon the former-day Saints, rests down upon the Latter-day Saints. I know that the former-day ordinances have been restored, and the spirit and the power thereof. I know it for myself, because I have experienced it and realized it. I know there is a way to approach the Eternal Father and learn of him. I know that those who seek aright in the way appointed, find an answer to their prayers, and that the promise made by the Savior is true: “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” And in bearing my testimony to the truth of these things, I say what most of this congregation know, and what the great majority of the people throughout this Territory could testify to, as well as thousands more who are scattered upon the face of the earth, who are longing to gather to these mountain vales: We have not come here for the mere purpose of enriching ourselves in gold and silver, in flocks and herds, or houses and lands, things which perish in their handling, but to become rich in the imperishable things of eternity, which we can obtain here in the way appointed of God, and about which the world know nothing.

People wonder why it is that the leaders of this people are still upheld by the unanimous voice and vote of the Latter-day Saints, and why it is that we have faith in them and cling to them, in spite of all that is said against them. They do not understand the secret spring that moves this work. The power that unites and guides us does not rest in any man or any set of men, neither in this wonderful organization, but in this eternal, unerring Spirit which God has shed forth in our hearts through obedience to the Gospel, by which we can approach Him and learn of Him for ourselves.

We have gathered to these mountains that we may aid in this great work of restitution. We are building these Temples that the Lord may come and restore further powers and keys and knowledge pertaining to the holy priesthood, which has been held in reserve, for we have as yet only received the droppings of the shower to come; we have but received a few things compared with what remains to be revealed. There is not a principle nor a blessing referred to in these Scriptures, which has been enjoyed by the Saints of any former time, but what the Lord our God will restore and bestow upon his people of the latter times, the times of the restitution of all things. This doctrine of celestial marriage that creates such a stir in the world, is only one of the doctrines believed in and practiced by the ancients, and that, too, under the immediate sanction and direction of the Almighty, that God has com– menced to restore in the latter days. The Lord has restored that in connection with other principles, and it is a truth which this people can testify to, whether others believe it or not. God is the author of it, and if men choose to fight against the Lord, let them fight; it is God and them for it. I bear my testimony that God Almighty has revealed this doctrine of celestial marriage, or marriage for eternity, including the doctrine of plurality of wives. He made this manifest to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and has revealed it to thousands by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. But these are only the beginnings of things. We have come here to learn of God’s ways and to walk in his paths. “Our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no profit.” They have been fed upon husks, while the kernel was not with them. They have been taught by the traditions of men; they have been led by theologians who knew not God, who could not describe him or explain his laws to the people, for they knew not of Him themselves, and how could they, when according to their own admissions the voice of prophecy had ceased, and God would no more speak to the children of men.

We have come out from the traditions and false theories of our fathers, and gathered here that we may learn of God. And God has organized his Church, and we are receiving line upon line and precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, for our profit, to prepare us for the things to be manifested in the future. And if we would only live up to the things that He has revealed to us; if we would be as pure and virtuous, and honest and upright, and conscientious and patient, and long-suffering and charitable as we are commanded to be in the revelations the Lord has given unto us in these latter times, we would be better prepared for the great things yet to be unfolded. If the people called Latter-day Saints desire to receive further of these great things which have been kept hid from the world for generations, let them live up to the principles already revealed—let them be Saints in very deed. As they have come out from the world bodily, let them be separated from the world in spirit. Let them be temperate, chaste and true; let them be honest and honorable with all men; let them live up to their agreements and fail not to keep their promises one with another, always remembering, with due regard, their sacred covenants and solemn obligations to the Lord. And thus they will come up near to Him, and as a natural consequence the Lord will draw near to them, his Spirit will be upon them, and God will fight their battles and overcome their enemies, and break off every yoke. For the Lord is nigh at hand and not afar off. He has commenced the great work of restitution, and will roll it on to its consummation. He will restore every power and every gift and grace, every key, revelation and inspiration that has ever been enjoyed by the ancient Saints. Is that all? No, my brethren and sisters, it is not all; for after God has restored everything that has been lost, He will, in this dispensation, reveal things kept hidden from the foundations of the world. He will reveal them “to babes and sucklings,” to the children born in Zion who are heirs to the holy priesthood, trained up in the way they should go, not trained up as some of our children are, but in the way God has appointed. As we are living in these momentous times, it behooves us to be what we profess to be—Saints. We are called to be Saints; whether we are Saints or not is another thing. Many are called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen? Read the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; find out your own weaknesses, your own failures, your own omissions as well as commissions. Find out wherein you have ceased to do that which you ought to do, and have done that which you ought not to have done, and repent. Repentance is needed to be taught to the Latter-day Saints as well as to the world; for we are called with a holy calling, and if we do not live up to our professions, it were better we had never made them. Let us return to the Lord, and the Lord will return to us; his Spirit will he manifested in our midst to a still greater degree, and His gifts and blessings will abound. Our sick will be healed as in times past. We have seen the sick healed instantaneously. The lame have been made to walk, the dumb to speak, the blind to see and the deaf to hear, by the power of God through the administrations of the servants of God. The gifts of tongues, prophecy, dreams, faith, discernment, and every gift and blessing spoken of in the Bible as having graced the primitive Church, have been enjoyed by the Latter-day Saints in this latter-day Church, and we are witnesses thereof. God has been near to us, and we have felt his presence in our public assemblies and in our private abodes. Peace has reigned in our hearts, and we have felt like praising Him with all our souls for His goodness.

Now the Lord will be still nearer to us if we practice our religion and be Saints in very deed; and our own eyes will be open to discern the work of God among the nations. We have already begun to comprehend the purposes of the Almighty. God’s hand is over all, and he will smite down the oppressor and break every yoke. He will destroy the tyranny that still exists in the world, and the way will be open for the servants of the living God to go to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, as messengers of the truth and to gather out the seed of Israel, and the work of God will roll forth, and every effort of our enemies will only tend to accelerate its progress. There are societies formed here to oppose this work and to bring trouble upon us. What have their efforts so far amounted to? Those that have concocted their schemes to misrepresent us and to bear false witness against us and to malign us, how much have they accomplished? They have been the means of helping to kill one faithful youth, who, in common with many of his brethren, was engaged publishing to the world the principles of our religion. And besides this, they have been the means of inciting mobocrats to drag a few inoffensive aged people from their homes and beat them nearly to death, because of their belief. Let those plotters look upon their work and see what they have accomplished! How much satisfaction these ladies, these “Christian” ladies and gentlemen must have in their labors! How much will this do to stop the progress of the work of the Almighty? Not anything at all; it will only tend to roll it on to its consummation and final triumph. The Lord will so overrule in behalf of his people as to turn the intended evil into good. Their efforts to overthrow “Mormonism,” as they term it will simply advertise our cause all over the world; attention will be drawn to our Elders who are traveling throughout the world preaching the Gospel, and they will be the better able to bear their testimony and gather out the honest. They may fight this work as they please; they may malign and stigmatize this people, and heap all manner of reproach upon them; they may imprison and even kill the bodies of some of its most faithful advocates, but the facts still remain that we are engaged in the work of restitution; that God has commenced it; that God is with us, and will remain with us as long as we are true to him as his servants; and no power on earth or in hell will stop his purposes. The nations of the earth are in his hands; the governments of this earth he considers as a very little thing, and by and by he will laugh at their calamity and mock when their fear cometh. The kingdoms of this world, with all their pomp and glory, will, in the own due time of the Lord, be humbled in the dust and be broken to pieces; and then will come the kingdom of our God, and he whose right it is to reign will rule from pole to pole and from shore to shore.

But let us not cherish animosity in our hearts against those who are plotting against us. While we stand up for our civil rights and the liberty to which we are entitled by virtue of the Constitution of the United States, and stand firm, shoulder to shoulder, in vindication of our religious rights, and help to maintain for others the rights which we claim for ourselves, let us not cherish anger, or animosity, or revenge, in our hearts. But let us take the words of the Lord Jesus Christ for our guide, and try to be patient and long-suffering, even as God is. And the Lord will fight our battles, and those who fight against us by and by will be brought to shame and confusion as they always have been. And let those who love to lie about the Latter-day Saints, lie on; there is a place prepared for them, and we will leave them in his hands. Ye who wish to lie, lie on! Do your work, fill the mission you are engaged in as did Judas of old; but as for us, we will serve the Lord; we will keep his commandments; we will battle with the evils in our natures, entailed upon us through the errors of our forefathers; we will learn to govern ourselves and our households in the fear of God, and while we are engaged in battling with evil and corruption God will be on our side, and who shall prevail against him? “A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.”

Now, we are here in the valleys of these mountains to aid in this great work of bringing to pass the restitution of all things; let us take hold of the truths revealed to us and practice them in our lives, that we may become a holy people unto the Lord, faithful, true, honorable, upright, chaste and pure, fit for the companionship of the angels. And the Spirit of the living God shall have free course among us and the gifts of the Gospel will abound; truth will prevail and our enemies will be confused. The time is not far distant when God will sweep the earth, as with a besom of destruction, of all that rebel willfully and intentionally against him and his work; he will cleanse the earth from pollution and establish righteousness thereon. Men shall then be found beating their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more, but every man in every place shall meet a brother and a friend. And this same spirit of peace will also produce a change upon the brute creation, according to the words of prophets who lived centuries ago, and the earth itself will be blessed, the curse be removed therefrom, and he whose right it is to reign will come and rule in the midst of his people.

I have occupied sufficient time. I thank God, as I said in the beginning, for the privilege of being a Latter-day Saint; I thank God for the privilege of being here in the valleys of these mountains, helping to bring forth this great work of restitution. And by the help of God we will cleave together as a band of brethren and sisters, to serve the Lord our God no matter what may come. Amen.

Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, Aug. 3, 1879.

I wish to make a very few remarks on the present occasion; and I desire that order and quietness may prevail.

We are met today on what may be termed a very sorrowful occasion. We see before us the body of a murdered man, cut off in the bloom and flower of his youth, with brilliant prospects before him of a useful and glorious future. It is sorrowful to reflect that men in a land of liberty, a land that boasts of its enlightenment, its religious liberty and its liberal institutions, should be guilty of imbruing their hands in the blood of an upright honorable man because he dared to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience and to teach his fellow man the ways of life. It is a sorrowful reflection to feel that liberty is only a name and that protection and even equal rights, is only a figment, an exploded theory; and we may say, how has the glory of this nation become sullied! How has the fine gold become dim! How have the high and noble principles that inspired the founders of this nation, in whose breasts burned the spirit of freedom been desecrated, and those glorious principles for which they battled been trailed in the dust. And what a miserable showing we have before us of the efficacy of those sacred principles for which the founders of those institutions battled and died. It is sorrowful to reflect upon it. And on the other hand it is a matter of pride to Latter-day Saints to see one of our youth firm and unshaken in the principles of our holy religion, and ready to maintain them in the midst of fanaticism and hate even unto death. Pride, indeed mingled with sorrow. Pride to see the heroism of the dying martyr, and poignant grief for his loss, and more especially have we met here to sympathize with his parents, the family and friends, and to mingle our tears with theirs, and to reflect that although he died, he died with the harness on, he died battling for the principles of the everlasting Gospel; he died maintaining those eternal truths as they have emanated from God our heavenly father; and that having died he still lives and is numbered with those who are beneath the altar, crying, how long, O Lord, holy, just and true, wilt thou not avenge us of our adversaries? He has gone. Peace be to his ashes. I would rather by ten thousand million times be lying where he is than be in the position of those who imbrued their hands in his blood, who, wherever they may be cannot help seeing and feeling the horror of their fiendish act—their hellish deed, and they will go down to the grave execrated as murderers and men who have no friends or hope either in time or in eternity.

That young man has gone where others have gone whom I have seen leave this earth under circumstances of a very similar nature. I was with Joseph and Hyrum Smith when they were killed; and then, their murderers tried to dispatch me too, and came very near doing so. They shot at me and hit me a number of times. But I am here yet; I suppose my time had not come. That is all right, however. They have gone, and this our brother has followed, and that is all right too, so far as he is concerned. His father here, I have been acquainted with for upwards of forty years; and his son, whose remains now lie before us, was born in this city; he is one of our boys. He received, as has been stated, the truths of the everlasting Gospel; he believed them with all his heart and advocated them, going forth as a messenger of life clothed with the Spirit of the living God. But this generation does not like the truth, and indeed the generations have been very few that have not rejected the truth when it has been proclaimed to them. Stephen said in his day, “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them, which showed before of the coming of the just one of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.” They lauded the dead prophets, but killed the living ones.

Many of the people today are actuated by the same malignant feelings, not knowing what spirit it is that incites them to fight against and feel inimical to the principles of the everlasting Gospel. And were Jesus here today, appearing as he did before, meek and lowly as the Savior of the world, preaching the same doctrines, there would be as loud a cry by the professed Christians throughout this land as there was in the land of Judea by the Scribes and Pharisees: “Crucify him, crucify him! let him be crucified,” and there are many in our midst today who would imbrue their hands in our blood, as those murderers in Georgia did in the blood of this young martyr, if they dared do it.

God has committed to us the principles of truth, and has commanded us to proclaim them to the ends of the earth, and regardless of consequences and in the name of Israel’s God we will do it and let all Israel say Amen. (The vast congregation, as with one voice, responded, “Amen.”) We are not scared of bonds, imprisonment or death. A few days ago they were talking about putting me in prison because I chose to decline to betray a trust committed to me by this people, and turn over to them certain properties entrusted to my care. I said, You may take me to prison, gentlemen; I am ready, but I am not ready to forsake my principles, I am not ready to betray my people, I am not going to barter away my honor nor the things that God has communicated to me and that his people have vested in my hands. I can afford to go to prison if you can afford to send me there; I can stand it if you can. These are my feelings.

The same feeling exists in our midst that laid that young man low. Men may clamor for our property; they may clamor for our blood just as much as men have at any other time: but in the name of Israel’s God Zion will go on and prosper; the principles of truth will prevail; the things that God has committed to us we will bear off triumphantly, God being our helper, and there is no power in this land, nor in any other land, nor on this side of hell nor in hell itself that can prevent it. If we will cleave to God and do our duty and purge ourselves from unrighteousness and live our religion and keep His commandments, Zion will arise and shine, and the glory of God will rest upon her. And when this nation and other nations shall crumble to pieces, Zion and the glory thereof will extend from nation to nation, and it will continue to spread and grow until the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ, and every creature in heaven and on the earth will be heard to say, Blessing and glory and honor and praise and power, and might and majesty and dominion be ascribed to Him that sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb forever. In God is our trust. He will sustain his Israel. Our course is onward; and purity, virtue, truth, integrity, the laws of God and equality to all men is our motto, and protection to every honest man under all circumstances. We are friends of God and the friends of humanity. Like Brother Cannon, I do not mourn over the departed dead. He has gone to associate among an honorable band who dared during their lifetime to do their duty, and who battled valiantly for the cause of truth. Here is Brother Rudger Clawson, who was with Brother Standing when he was shot. The mob threatened his life and leveled their guns to take it. He calmly folded his arms and looking his adversaries in the face told them to shoot. But they did not do it. God preserved him, that’s all. Here is Brother John Morgan, who has labored and traveled extensively in that region of country. He and Brother Standing as one of his co-laborers had preached the Gospel and succeeded in baptizing a number of people. This had aroused the feeling of opposition in the hearts of some, and the reason they were opposed to these things was because people believed the Gospel, and they did not want them to. That’s all. Did they hurt anybody? No. Are they honorable men? Yes. Did either of them interfere with the rights or privileges of anyone? No. For what then was this young man killed? Because he dared to believe in God, and dared to proclaim that God had revealed himself in these latter days as he did in former days. Because he dared to tell the people to repent of their sins and be baptized for the remission of them, promising all that would do so that they should receive the Holy Ghost. What a great crime for him to die for! That is what I am sorry for. I am sorry to see that vindictive and revengeful spirit existing among mankind. We have very different feelings from this, as our history from the beginning abundantly proves. David, you know, on a certain occasion, feeling angry with the people by whom he was surrounded because of their wickedness, prayed that God would send them to hell quickly. Jesus, while suffering the agonies of death, exclaimed, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” How much better the latter is than the former. Let us cultivate that spirit. But while we do that, do not let your enemies think you are asleep; but woe to those men who fight against Israel. In the name of Israel’s God, they shall be wasted away, and you may write it down and see whether it comes to pass or not. And let all Israel say Amen. (Again the congregation responded, “Amen.”) But Zion will arise and shine, and the glory of God will rest upon her.

Brother Standing (the speaker turned and addressed himself to the father of the deceased, who was seated on the stand) it is right you should mourn; it is right that you and your family and friends should be sorrowful and possess those feelings of sympathy; but your son has gone to prepare a place for you that where he is you may be also.

What do you propose to do? To do good to all men as far as they will let us; but to prevent them from robbing us and interfering with us, as God gives us power; and maintain our rights, the rights of freemen, the rights that God has committed to us, and honor our priesthood and calling and still go to the ends of the earth and proclaim the unsearchable things of the kingdom; gather together the honest in heart from among all nations, build temples and administer in them, honor the Lord our God and keep his commandments; and by and by, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and come forth, that young man, with Joseph and Hyrum Smith, whom I saw butchered by a mob, while under the protection of the law—under the protection of the Governor of the State, who pledged his honor and the faith of the State to me and to Dr. Bernhisel, that if we would go there without any arms, that we should be protected; and soon after we had complied with his request, these men were murdered in cold blood. These are things I am personally conversant with. Well, what of them? They are gone to mingle with the Gods, so has Brother Joseph Standing. Brother Standing, (addressing the father of the deceased) do not be troubled, your son is all right. I am glad to see the care that has been manifested by Brothers Clawson and Morgan in regard to getting the body of their fellow laborer here that we might have an opportunity of paying the last tribute of respect to this our departed brother, who was faithful to the end, and who will receive a crown of light and glory among the Gods in the eternal worlds.

Brethren, let us be faithful to God, let us live our religion, keep his commandments, treat everybody well even all men who do right; treat them well and be kind and just to them whether of your faith or not; but do not allow those miserable miscreants that exist in our midst to have dominion over you. We must maintain our rights—rights that are guaranteed unto us by the constitution of our country and which God has given to us; and if we do this he will stand by us. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Geo. Q. Cannon, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, on Sunday Morning, August 3rd, 1879.

I will read a portion of the 23rd chapter of St. Matthew, commencing at the 34th verse:

“Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.”

There is another portion of Scripture which I will read. It will be found in the 6th chapter of the Revelation of St. John:

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

Very unexpectedly I have been called upon to make a few remarks to you this morning. Naturally I would prefer to sit still and to reflect upon the sad event that has called us together. It is plain from the reading of these passages of Scripture that you have heard, that innocent blood—the blood of the servants of God, of the prophets, of the wise men, of the scribes, all those who have the testimony of Jesus, who are the bearers of the word of God—when shed wickedly, remains as a heavy debt to be atoned for at some period by the inhabitants of the earth. Also that in the days of John the Revelator, one of the apostles of the Lord, in the visions which he saw it was made manifest that there were yet more lives to be offered up for the cause of truth before the blood that had been shed could be avenged upon those that dwelt upon earth. It doubtless seemed strange to the inhabitants of Jerusalem when Jesus said unto them that all the righteous blood that had been shed in past generations from the blood of righteous Abel to Zacharias, son of Barachias, should be required of that generation. There were reasons for this which he well understood. There are reasons existing now and that will continue to exist and operate, why the blood of those who have been slain for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus in ancient days, should be avenged upon some generation in the future, from the time that John spake and wrote the revelation he had received. Jesus said when he was upon the earth: “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather than light.” They were held to a strict accountability after light was revealed. The generation in which he lived were held to a stricter accountability than any preceding generation, because he himself, the Son of God, was in their midst, performing mighty works, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom in its purity and in its power, and communicating unto them the mind and will of heaven. Every generation who have the privilege of hearing the pure Gospel of Jesus preached in its fulness are held to a similar accountability. Their position is different to that of the generations who do not have that privilege. The generations that intervened between the time that Zacharias lived and the coming of the Son of Man in the flesh, were not held to the same strict accountability as the cotemporaries of the Savior. Why was this? Because they did not have the truth in its fulness revealed unto them; they did not have the prophets and apostles and righteous men in their midst to communicate unto them the will of heaven, as the generations in which the Savior lived had; and for the same reason the generations that have lived since the death of the Savior, and since the visions that John the Revelator had, are not held to the same accountability as this generation, unto whom the fulness of the everlasting Gospel has been revealed. When God communicates his mind and will unto his children by the medium of angels, by the medium of prophets, by the medium of holy men whom he has raised up, those who hear that testimony, those unto whom that message is communicated, are held to a strict accountability to obey the same or be held in great condemnation for their rejection of it. If you will read the history of God’s ways of dealing with the children of men throughout all ages, you will find that it is invariably the case that judgments and calamities, the fiery indignation of the Almighty, always follow the rejection of his truth, when that truth is proclaimed by his authorized servants, such as are apostles and prophets. If Nineveh had not heard the voice of Jonah, the Ninevites could not have been held to the same accountability as those to whom the word of the Lord had been proclaimed; and when prophets arose in the midst of Israel, prophets whom God raised up to declare his word, when the children of Israel repented of their sins and obeyed the warning voice of the servants of God, then the blessings of God always followed their obedience. But on the other hand, when the children of Israel rejected the testimony of the servants of God, when the prophets preached in vain, when they testified and warned the people without the people obeying their testimonies or their warnings, then invariably the judgments of God followed, his anger and indignation were kindled against that people or generation, it rested down upon them and in many instances to their destruction.

This is our position today. In this respect the Latter-day Saints occupy a unique position in the midst of the inhabitants of the earth. Men wonder very frequently at the testimonies that we bear. They express surprise that a people so few in number as we are, should imagine that there is so much importance attending the testimonies that we bear, or the Gospel that we preach. But it is a remarkable fact, abundantly sustained in the history of God’s dealings with the children of men, that he does not hold mankind guiltless because there are only a few who are the oracles of truth in their midst and who have the authority to proclaim that truth. If there was but one prophet on the face of the earth, and he had no followers, but stood alone in the midst of the nations of the earth, his warnings would be followed by terrible results if they were disregarded by those who heard them. The Lord does not look upon men according to their numbers; the importance of his work and his dealings with the children of men is not to be measured by the number of those who adhere to the principles that he proclaims. When Joseph Smith stood alone, when he had only two or three followers, and he declared unto those by whom he was surrounded that God had spoken to him from the heavens, that God had revealed the everlasting gospel in its ancient purity and power, that God had sent his holy angels to him, and that those angels had laid their hands upon his head, and upon the head of Oliver Cowdery, and ordained them to the everlasting Priesthood, his testimony was as binding upon those who heard it as if millions of men had testified to the same truths. His testimony was binding from the moment that he commenced to bear it to those by whom he was surrounded, and the accountability of the people who listened to him and heard his voice, and heard his testimony, began from the moment that he opened his mouth and bore testimony of these things. And so it has been from that day unto this, wherever the Elders of this Church have gone and have borne testimony to the inhabitants of the earth respecting the work that God has commenced—from that very moment the condemnation of the generation commenced if they did not obey these testimonies and warnings. This seems to some minds scarcely what it ought to be, that is, it seems to many that we attach too much importance to what one or two men might say, when we assert that condemnation follows their testimony; but there is this to be considered connected with the testi– mony of God’s servants in ancient days, as in the days in which we live: God has not left the inhabitants of the earth without a witness, God has not left them without some testimony which they can obtain to assure them that the words of God’s servants—that is the true servants of God—which they hear are from him. When he called Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and when he sent his angels to lay their hands upon their heads to ordain them to that priesthood which had been withdrawn from the earth, he also sent his Holy Spirit to accompany their words and to seal the testimony with power upon the hearts of all that were honest, and who prayerfully sought for a knowledge from God concerning the truth of their words. When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery laid their hands upon other men’s heads and ordained them to the same priesthood which they had received from heaven, God confirmed the ordination by bestowing the Holy Ghost upon them, and when they went forth and proclaimed the truth, the Holy Ghost accompanied their words, and those who were desirous of knowing from God respecting the truth of their testimony had the opportunity of receiving a knowledge direct from heaven that it was of God, and on this very account condemnation commences because light hath come into the world, and when men reject it they reject it because they love darkness rather than light. God does not hold people accountable for that which they do not know, or that which they have not had an opportunity of knowing. Where there is no law, there is no transgression. Transgression commences when the law is received and men reject it. What is the duty of the inhabitants of the earth when they hear a man stand up and proclaim in the power and authority of the priesthood, and in all solemnity, that God has spoken from the heavens, that God has revealed the everlasting gospel, that God has established his church in its ancient power and in its ancient purity, that God has endowed man to go forth and administer in the ordinances of life and salvation as in ancient days. What is the duty of the inhabitants of the earth under such circumstances?

Situated as the world is today, there is no voice from God. You travel throughout the whole of Christendom and there is an unbroken silence reigning between heaven and earth; no voice to disturb the solemnity of eternity. Go visit all the different churches, and all the ministers of the various denominations, and talk to them who profess to be the followers of Jesus Christ; ask them, “Do you know anything about God? Has God communicated his mind and will to you?” And the universal answer from all sects is “No, revelation has ceased, God no longer speaks to man; we depend upon his written word in the Bible for our knowledge of God. We are divided into sects, we are split up into parties, we have all our own way of worshipping God, but there is no voice from God, there has been no revelation from God to disturb the silence of ages, since the death of the Apostles, and our knowledge concerning the plans and purposes of God is derived from the Bible.” This being the case, then, what is the duty of the inhabitants of the earth when a man comes as Joseph Smith did, and as the Elders of this Church are doing, proclaiming the truths which I have alluded to? Why, they being in ignorance of God, they having no revelation from God, they not having heard the voice of angels, they being split up into parties and sects, and divided and quarreling respecting the points of doctrine which Christ revealed—they being in this position should humble themselves and ask God, in the name of Jesus, and in mighty prayer to reveal unto them whether the testimony of those men who come with this new revelation be true or false. That is the duty of every living soul upon the face of the earth who hears the testimony of God’s servants concerning this truth, and there never has been, from the time that Joseph Smith made his first proclamation until this day, the 3rd of August, 1879, a time when a man who took this course did not receive a witness from on high, the testimony of Jesus Christ, that these truths, proclaimed by the servants of God are divine and from heaven. Wherever the Elders of this Church have gone and lifted up their voices in humility, in meekness, calling upon the inhabitants of the earth to repent—and they have gone to many lands and spoken in many languages—and the people have repented and sought unto God in the name of Jesus Christ for a testimony of the truth, there has never been a single instance where they have failed to receive that testimony; not one. Who have rejected this gospel? The indifferent, those who would not take the trouble to investigate it, those who would not take the trouble to bow in submission before the Lord and ask his testimony concerning it, those who thought it beneath them, those who have been too proud, or too rich or too well situated or who, for some other reason, have failed to take any interest in this work; these are they who are not members of this Church and who have failed to obey this gospel when they heard it preached in its simplicity and its purity amongst the nations of the earth. Well, now, will this generation escape condemnation? I say unto you, nay. There will be a heavy condemnation fall upon this generation because of their inattention to these things. Judgments and calamities will be visited upon the inhabitants of the earth in consequence of neglecting the word of God written in the Scriptures, and also the word of God to his servants in these days. The Prophet Joseph Smith, his brother Hyrum, and numbers of others have been slain. What for? Why, said the mob who killed him, because they could not reach them by law. They were brought before courts, Joseph Smith particularly, as you all know, from time to time, but they failed to find any cause of condemnation against him, and at last his blood was shed. He sealed his testimony with his blood. Like other apostles and prophets, he laid down his life as a witness before God and before all men of the truth of the testimony that he bore. Others have done likewise.

We have met here today on this mournful occasion to pay the last rites, to offer the last testimony of respect to the remains of one who has in like manner laid down his life for the truth, one of the many who have been slain for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God which he bore. Was there anything wrong in the testimony that he declared when he lived? Was it wrong to call upon men to repent of their sins, to be baptized for a remission of them, to have hands laid upon them for the reception of the Holy Ghost? Was it wrong to entreat men to forsake sin and to lead better lives, to be more pure, more holy, to live near unto the Lord, to seek knowledge from God, to contend for the faith that was once delivered to the Saints? If these things were wrong, then our brother, whose remains are before us, was guilty of wrong. This was the extent of his offense and no more. He endeavored to persuade men to lead purer, holier lives, and proclaimed that the days of God’s judgment was near at hand. He went forth to declare these principles, filled with zeal, filled with good desires, exemplary in his life, pure in his conversation, the admiration of all who knew him, the joy of his father’s household, an example to all his associates of the same years, and even to those older than himself, a young man of whom we all had great hopes, whose future we thought was bright. In reading his letters, in listening to the accounts of his labors, in hearing from his co-laborers, we could not help feeling gratified. We indulged in bright anticipations for his future, not because of his birth, not because his parents were rich, not because of any extraordinary talent which he possessed, not because of any earthly advantages, but because in his youth he humbled himself before God and attained a knowledge concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and burning with zeal, he had a heartfelt desire to proclaim the great truths which God had revealed to him, to a fallen world and tried to save the children of men from the pit into which they were likely to be engulfed. The same spirit that animated the breast of the Savior, animated the breast of Joseph Standing, that is, he had a portion of that same spirit. He did not count bodily fatigue anything, he did not count toil anything, he did not take into consideration his health, the feebleness of his frame; none of these things had weight with him. He did not think how, by staying at home and attending to his business, he could benefit himself and receive worldly advantages; none of these things were thought of, but the very moment he was called to go from home he dropped everything, although in somewhat feeble health and although he had already filled an honorable mission, he felt it his duty to go when he was called, to go without purse and without scrip, without hope of earthly reward, putting his trust in God, laboring with unselfish zeal for the salvation of his fellow men, and thus he labored until he fell a victim to the ungodly hate of those who knew him not, who understood not the objects for which he labored, and the purpose which animated his noble heart.

Who shall mourn today? The Latter-day Saints? No. Who shall mourn today? The family and friends of Elder Joseph Standing? No. It would be difficult and it would not be right that we should repress the natural emotions of our hearts, that we should stifle those natural affections; it is right and proper that we should shed sympathetic tears, allow the heart’s affection to flow out in this manner and receive relief by the tears that are shed. But there is no cause for grief today in this Tabernacle. A servant of God who has occupied a faithful position, who has been true, who has been upright, who has been blameless, has fallen a victim—a victim to that hate that the adversary of souls seeks to instill into the hearts of all the children of men who will be led and guided by him, and the men who have to mourn today are those who have been guilty of this foul deed. The land that ought to mourn is the land that has been drenched with his blood. If the Governor, the Judges, the Legis– lature, and the other officials of the State of Georgia feel as they should they will not rest satisfied until there shall be atonement made, and the guilty wretches who took part in this great crime shall have been brought to justice. But it will be a most extraordinary thing if such shall be the result. Not but what I believe the Governor is an upright man, and, so far as I am acquainted with him, would do everything in his power to punish these murderers; but there are other influences at work that are stronger than the influence of the Governor, there are prejudices harder to conquer than anything else that can be met with and there are hundreds, and probably thousands of people who think that in killing the “Mormons” they are doing God’s service. Shall we hate them for this? No; they are to be pitied. Men who indulge in such feelings carry with them in their own breasts their punishment, and they will experience a still more severe punishment before they get through.

My brethren and sisters, when we embraced this Gospel, those of you who were old enough to comprehend it, doubtless took into consideration all the consequences that might follow; those who were not old enough, or who have been born in the Church have had experience enough upon these points to see and understand what the results of the espousal of the truth are likely to be. It cost the Savior his life. It cost the greater portion of his apostles their lives. It cost every prophet almost that has lived his life for proclaiming the truth. It has cost the best blood of this Church and this generation to lay the foundation of this Church. We have been mobbed, we have been driven, we have been persecuted, we have been hated, our names have been cast out as evil, there is no crime, there is no evil of which men could be guilty that we have not been accused of, and we all know how falsely and with how little foundation we have been charged with these things. This is part of the results that we have to meet in espousing the truth. The man that holds his life dear, that values it more than the truth is unworthy of the truth. If we value house, if we value lands, if we value good name, if we value property, if we value self, if we value even life itself more than we do the truth we are unworthy of the truth. But God has given unto us the truth; it is worth more than all else beside. He has revealed himself to us. When we pray to him we know that he hears us. When we ask him for a blessing that we need we have the testimony from on high that he hears our prayers, that he is willing to answer and grant unto us the righteous desires of our hearts. These things compensate for the loss of all other advantages; we have this consolation which our persecutors do not have.

The Prophets who have preceded us have been slain generation after generation; they have passed away. The Savior and his apostles likewise passed away, the work, the foundation of which they laid, having been overcome and destroyed by the adversary from the face of the earth. They foresaw that for a long time ahead, apostasy would follow their labors and administrations, and a sorrowful thing it was for them to contemplate: but in our case it is different. We live on the threshold of a new era; the work that God has established in our day shall never be given to another people. The priesthood which God has restored, the authority by which men can ad– minister in the ordinances of God—that priesthood shall never be taken from the earth. Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, David Patten and other martyrs may fall, Brother Joseph Standing among the rest, their blood may be shed, and the blood of others yet living may yet be shed to confirm the testimony that has been borne, but though this is the case, there is this to console us who live, to console us in contemplating the future for ourselves and our posterity after us, and it is that there is no power on earth, nor in hell that can destroy the church that God has established, nor obliterate the priesthood from the earth again as it was obliterated in ancient days. It was necessary when this Church was started that angels should come to restore that which was taken away, the everlasting priesthood, but there will be no future necessity for this. We are at the threshold of a thousand years of peace, we are engaged in laying the foundation of that work which shall stand forever, not only the thousand years but as long as time shall last and as long as the earth itself shall endure. This is the consolation we have that our predecessors did not have, and we can rejoice in the contemplation of the glorious future of this work. As for Brother Standing, no hero could wish to die a more glorious death than his. He will be crowned among the glorious army of martyrs, as one who was willing to lay down his life for the truth without shrinking, without fear, without faltering when the time came. He has borne a noble and untiring testimony all the time to the truth of God, and there is in store for him a glorious crown along with those who have been alike faithful in this work.

That his companion, Elder Rudger Clawson is alive and in our midst today, is due to the wonderful providence of God. My belief has been that had the mob commenced their whipping they would both have been killed. The death of Brother Standing doubtless saved Brother Clawson’s life.

I pray God the Father to comfort your hearts, to pour out the spirit of consolation and peace upon the family and upon all the friends of the deceased. I pray for his enemies and for those who have shed his blood. I would not do them any harm if I could. There is not in my bosom, nor should there be in the bosoms of the Latter-day Saints who have the true spirit of the Gospel resting upon them, a feeling to revenge. We ought to be and I think we are, far uplifted above such feelings, and if we do not have we should have the feeling which Jesus had when he was upon the cross and led him to say, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” They had treated him with the greatest ignominy, treated him as if he had committed the greatest crime, but in his dying hour he could implore the blessing of his Father upon them. And so we may upon those who seek to destroy this work. They think they are doing God service; they are actuated by a spirit of which they know nothing. They are to be pitied, they are to be mourned over, and the day will come when, as we comprehend the sufferings of those who did these deeds, our souls will swell with pity and compassion and sorrow for their wretched condition. I pray that the Spirit of the Gospel may rest down upon all of us, and that the peace of heaven may be and abide in all our hearts, which I ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Geo. Q. Cannon, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, July 27th, 1879.

There is a little time remaining, which I am requested to occupy.

The theme of the Gospel is one that can be dwelt on for a great length of time and yet not be exhausted; for according to the views of the Latter-day Saints the Gospel embraces all truth, and there is no truth of any nature or name, whether it be scientific, or moral, or religious, that is not comprehended within the scope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, those who embrace the Gospel, as has been said, start upon the path of progress, the end of which no one can see; it is not given to human beings to comprehend; it extends into eternity, and comprehends the wisdom and power and the knowledge of eternity. It has often been remarked respecting our meetings in this Tabernacle, by persons who have not been accustomed to our form of worship and our method of instruction, that we very frequently dwell upon a great many subjects that other people do not deem appropriate to the Sabbath. There is a reason for this; it is found in the fact which I have stated—that the Gospel of Jesus Christ comprehends all truth; and therefore everything necessary for the promotion of a man’s happiness, for the enlargement of his views and his mind, and for the development of all his being, physical and mental, everything of this kind should be treated upon at the time and the season when it is needed. I do not, myself, value a religion that confines its teachings to the Sabbath, that does not enter into the everyday life of those who profess it. Such a religion people may put on as they do their Sunday apparel, and wear to the meetinghouse; and when the day passes, doff it as they do their apparel, and assume their everyday practices. But the religion of Jesus Christ should be taught and practiced by those who believe it, every day of the week and in all the pursuits of life. And in this respect I sometimes think that we, as Latter-day Saints, come short of doing that which is incumbent upon us. We allow our religion to be too theoretical, and do not practice it to the extent that is required by the teachings of the Gospel. It is very well for us to come today and listen to the discourse we have heard, and rejoice in the spirit of it; but if we do not take with us the principles which are taught, and apply them in our lives, our visit today to this Tabernacle would be of very little profit. It is for this purpose that the Gospel has been revealed, it is for this purpose that it is taught, it is for this purpose that the Holy Ghost has been promised and poured out, that those who receive it may become better men, may become better women, may become more pure, that the evil that seems to be natural to us in consequence of our fallen condition, may be overcome and uprooted, and put away from us. Will those who believe and practice the Gospel be dishonest? Certainly not. Will they take advantage of their neighbors? Will they tell falsehoods concerning their neighbors? Will they indulge in slandering and tattling and backbiting? Will they be envious, or filled with malice or jealousies? Not if they practice the Gospel; not if the spirit of the Gospel rests down upon them will they do any of these things. If they do, they will be checked in their feelings, the Spirit of God will reprove them, and if they live as they should, when they bow down at night to ask pardon for the acts of the day that have been improper in the sight of God, it will bring to their remembrance, and show to them in plainness where they have come short on these points, and they will have the spirit of repentance, and will seek to put such things away far from them. In this way they will progress. Now, this is not required of us on this day alone—the first day of the week, the day of worship set apart for us to come together; but it is required on Monday, and on Tuesday, and so on until Saturday. This work of self-improvement, under the influence and power of the Gospel and Spirit of God, should go on every day we live, and it should be a constant subject of thought with us when we rise in the morning and lie down at night: Wherein have we come short of obeying the principles of the Gospel? Have I done any injury to my fellow man? Have I grieved the Spirit of the Lord? Have I neglected some duty? Have I said that which I ought not to have said? Have I done that which I ought not to have done? Have I been just, have I been merciful, have I been upright? Have I allowed any thought, any feeling to enter my heart concerning my neighbor, concerning some of my associates that I should not entertain? If I have, then it is my duty, if I believe the Gospel and desire to practice its principles, to repent of that, to confess it.

There was a time when God required of his people the sacrifice of animals. They brought their animals and they were offered up as sacrifices, and they obtained the remission of sins by that method. This was required under the law of Moses; it was required until the coming of the Son of God, until he made his great sacrifice for man. But what does God require of us? Is it that we shall bring animals and offer burnt offerings unto him? No, he does not make that requirement of us today, but this is the sacrifice required of us: he asks us that we shall come to him with broken hearts and with contrite spirits. If we do he will accept of us, our offerings will be like the offerings of Abel, acceptable in his sight; but if we go to him as Cain did, our offerings will not be acceptable to him, and he will reject them. But if you and I and all who profess to be the followers of the Lord Jesus will bow down before him with humble hearts, each of us with a broken heart and contrite spirit, what will be the effect? Why, we will confess our faults to him, because they will be plain in our sight, we will see ourselves in the light of the Spirit of God, and the spirit of repentance will rest down upon us. Suppose we bow down before him because it is the custom to do so, in a formal manner, worshipping him with our lips while our hearts are far from him, repeating by rote certain sentences we have learned, and to the use of which we have become accustomed, will such an offering be acceptable in the sight of God? Certainly not. He desires that those who worship him shall worship him in spirit and in truth, and that they shall confess their sins not only to him, but, where they have wronged each other, to one another. It is my duty, if I have wronged my brother, to go to my brother and confess and ask his forgiveness. If I wrong my sister, it is my duty to do the same. If I do wrong to my God, it is my duty to bow down before him in humility and confess in contrition of spirit the wrong I have done and beseech him in the name of Jesus to forgive my sins. And this is a duty that rests upon us as Latter-day Saints.

These are some of the practical parts of our religion, and, as I have said, not to be practiced today alone, today, the first day of the week, the Sabbath, but to be practiced tomorrow, and to be carried out in our lives, in our daily intercourse one with another; to be meek and lowly in heart, seeking the Spirit of Jesus, willing to suffer wrong rather than do wrong; not to be rude, not to be harsh, not to be unfeeling, or unkind in our intercourse with our families, but to carry with us the spirit of meekness and of love, that when we enter our homes we shall be welcomed with gladness, our children shall delight in our visitations as they would in the visitation of an angel if they knew one was coming. How many are there of the men in this assembly and of this Church who, when they enter their houses, enter with scowls on their faces, bringing all their cares with them, intruding upon the serenity of their families, making their presence disagreeable to all, instead of going in with gladness and peace and carrying with them the consolation that should attend their presence always? Their wives are perhaps fretful from overwork, their nerves affected by the toils of the day, or the heat, causing them to be in an irritable mood, and when the two come together under such circumstances they produce friction, bad feeling and offenses follow. Is it a man’s duty, or right, or privilege, to carry his cares into his family and disturb the peace and serenity existing there by relating his troubles? Certainly not. When his foot rests upon the threshold of his door, no matter what his difficulties, or perplexities may be, he should enter with the spirit of peace in his heart and with the love of God burning within him. If there is irritability existing, his presence should be soothing to every member of his household, and particularly in talking with his children, they should feel the influence of his presence; and if there should be any improper feelings existing, they should be calmed as disturbed and ruffled water is by pouring oil upon it. A Latter-day Saint! Think of the nature of the name. A Saint of God! Why, he should be next to an angel; the most perfect of the human family. He should be per– fect in his sphere, as God is perfect in his sphere. He should be free from fault. If he have a fault he should seek daily and hourly to correct it, and not rest satisfied as long as he is aware of the existence of a fault until he conquers it, pleading with the Father in the name of Jesus for strength to overcome his weakness, for power to put it away, carrying with him the spirit of love, the spirit of serenity, the spirit of peace, that when he appears in society, no matter where he may be, all who come in contact with him may feel his influence and feel purified and strengthened by his example and by his words and by his very presence. And this is what God designs we should be as Latter-day Saints. Tattle about one another; backbite, slander and speak evil of one another; are such things proper for Latter-day Saints? No. They should be banished from our society and from our households. Our children should be taught better. When they speak evil of anyone they should be checked and told if they cannot say something good concerning their fellows, to say nothing. Instead of finding fault there should be charity, which covers a multitude of sins. Instead of looking at the faults of others, they should be taught to look at their own faults. And they are numerous enough; we have plenty of them to keep us occupied closely all our time, with all the prayer and all the faith we can exercise before God. Our own faults, our own sins, our own shortcomings are sufficient to occupy our entire attention, without thinking about those of our neighbors, or ever speaking about them. Those who bear the priesthood have the right, and it is their duty to administer reproof and to point out faults; but it is for the members of the Church to look to themselves. Let any member of the Church who thinks he has plenty of time after attending to his own faults to attend to his neighbor’s, examine himself; let him bow down before the Lord and ask for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon him, so that he can see himself in his true light; and if he does not arise satisfied that it will take all his time to correct his own weaknesses and follies it will be very strange.

Then, are we honest one with another? Do I do to my neighbor in my dealing with him as I wish him to do to me? If I do not, then I do not carry out the principles of my religion. If I take advantage of his ignorance, of his inexperience or of his circumstances—it may be he is in a strait place, and he is compelled to do something that he would not do if his necessities did not press him, do I perform my duty to him as a Latter-day Saint! If I take advantage of him, then I do not treat him as I would like to be treated if our positions were reversed. Does the spirit of greed enter into my heart, and I think “Now, here is an opportunity for me to make something, or getting the advantage;” if it does, then I am not a Latter-day Saint in that respect; I do not carry out the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I fail in being that which I profess to be, and I have cause to repent truly and sincerely, and ask forgiveness of the Lord and my brother.

This work of self-improvement, under the power and influence of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is a work given to each of us. It should be the great work of our lives; it should be the chief thought of our hearts. There is nothing greater. Brother Stayner remarked that if he could be the means of saving only one soul, how great his joy would be. Yes, that is true. And if that soul should be himself alone, his joy will be great. But if he should be the means of saving another soul, his joy would be still greater. But the greatest work we can do is to so live that we ourselves shall be saved, that our own acts shall be correct, and our will and desires and passions be brought into subjection to the will of God. There is no work that I know of so great and important to me as this. A man may perform a mission; he may do innumerable good works; his name may be heralded throughout the Church and to the nations of the earth, and the people may accept it as that of a great and mighty man; but if that man does not conquer himself and live in strict accordance with the principles of the Gospel, his position will only increase his condemnation. Far better is the condition of the humble, the obscure man, the man unknown out of the limited circle of his immediate associates, who is without fame, but who does live his religion, who practices the principles of the Gospel as they are taught by the Lord. Far better is the condition of that man than the other, if he does that and the other man neglects to do it. This Gospel of our’s is a practical Gospel. It is not like our Sunday apparel, to be put on today and put off tomorrow; it ought to be carried with us in all the transactions of life, applied to everything we think, we say and do, and always be remembered by us. And then what sort of people will we be? We will be people whom the Lord will delight to bless; and who will have his Spirit and power resting down upon us. And no matter how much we may be maligned and spoken evil about, we shall have the consolation of knowing from the Lord that we are right, that we have done that which he requires, and that we have his blessing and his approval. This is worth more than everything else that can be brought about. With the experience I have had in my life I would rather have the grace of God, the sweetness and happiness, the blessing and comfort of his Spirit and be in poverty as great as that of the wild Indian of our mountains than to dwell in palaces and revel in luxury and ease without that grace and Spirit. I have tested this to my entire satisfaction, tested it under circumstances when I have proved that a man can be as happy as an angel—that is, as happy in his sphere, in doing the will of God in the midst of poverty and difficulties. It is not these external circumstances that are the sources of happiness. Of course it is right and proper we should take care of the bodies God has given unto us, just as much as our spirits, that they should be kept clean, that our clothing should be comfortable and our habitation suitable. God has given unto us wisdom and power to do this, and he has placed the elements around us, and he would condemn us if we did not use them for our comfort and blessing. But they are not the only things needful. You may pile up money until you fill this Tabernacle and its possession would not make a man happy. You may give men carriages and horses, houses and lands and everything of this character, but unless there is the spirit of happiness within them they would not be happy. The man who lives near to God who has the Spirit of God, be he ever so humble, is a happy man; and without it, there is no true happiness.

It should be our constant study to live so that the Holy Spirit will always dwell with us, that when we arise in the morning our minds and our hearts may be as clear as the sky when there is no cloud in it, that we feel at peace with God and man. It should be the aim of every one professing to be a Latter-day Saint not to leave his chamber in the morning until he comes out feeling that spirit of peace, with his brow unruffled with care, with a consciousness of having communed with God and that he knows his standing with him. When he leaves his chamber having that spirit, he will diffuse joy and gladness throughout his entire household. Should anything occur to disturb the serenity of a Latter-day Saint he ought to step aside and ask God in the name of Jesus to remove it and to pour out the spirit of peace and consolation upon him to fill his heart. At night too, the same Spirit of peace should be sought for. The thoughts, the words and the actions of the day should be reviewed, and forgiveness of wrong should be sought for, then a man can retire in peace; and then if God in his providence should call him home during the night he would feel at peace with Him and with all men. In this manner we should live, and if we do not live in this way we fail to be what we profess to be.

That God may help us so to live, is my prayer, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Geo. Q. Cannon, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, on Sunday Morning, July 20th, 1879.

I am greatly pleased this afternoon at having the opportunity of meeting with the Latter-day Saints, and of listening to the testimonies that have been borne by Brother Staines in relation to this work. I, also, have been absent for some length of time. Upwards of 34 weeks ago I left this city to go east; I have been back twice during that period for a few days, and it is a great pleasure and I may say a delight to me to have the opportunity of being here to listen to the instructions, to the singing, and to partake of the Spirit that prevails in this Tabernacle; to me it is the spirit of home, it is the spirit of peace, and I have more delight and satisfaction in mingling with the Latter-day Saints than I have under any other circumstances. They are my people. Their religion is my religion. Their God is my God. Their future is the future in which I hope to share. If they be prosperous I hope to be prosperous. If they have adverse circumstances to contend with I expect to share in them; and it is this knowledge of which Brother Staines has spoken that prompts these feelings to which I refer.

If there is any peculiarity about what the world calls Mormonism, or that which we term the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as taught by his Church, that I admire, that I love, that causes me to feel thankful unto God; it is the peculiarity which reference has been made by Brother Staines, namely, that William C. Staines, or George Q. Cannon, or any other man or woman however humble, who is connected with this Church, has a right, according to the promises of our heavenly Father, to receive revelation from him when needed. I would not give much for a religion, the revelations of which were confined to two, three, four, or perchance twelve men. It would not recommend itself as the religion of that Being who is the Father of all, who has created all, and who has placed us all here upon the earth as his children. This feature to which I refer is one of the most delightful characteristics of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Brother Staines has referred to the Prophets Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and to others who have stood in prominent places in this Church, who have re– ceived revelations from God; and who imparted these revelations to the people. Of what value, of what special value, would these revelations be to those to whom they were imparted through the medium of these men, unless they had some means of testing their truthfulness? What a terrible condition we should be in if God, in his providence, were to confine his knowledge in that way—if we were required, as some imagine mankind are required, to submit to the teachings of their fellow men and to accept and practice them because those men say they are from God! Imagine the condition of the Latter-day Saints if this were the case! Imagine the condition of the whole world if one man stood prominent, or three men, or twelve men, or fifteen men, stood prominent, receiving revelations from divinity and conveying these revelations to the children of men, with the requirement that those who received them should submit to them as the voice of God, and the people themselves be destitute of any means of testing the truthfulness of these revelations, except so far as they might appeal to their reason and to the sense of right that is begotten in them! Now, a great many people who are not acquainted with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the teachings of that Church—and I do not know but some who are members of that Church—imagine that this is the nature of the organization of the Church of Christ, and that this is the manner in which knowledge is conveyed to the people, and in which the requirements of the people are submitted to by the people. Why this Church could not stand, could not have endured the trials and afflictions and the opposition to which it has been exposed, one hour if that were the case. It would fall to pieces, there would be no power, no cohesive power, to hold it together. The strength, the power, the cause of the perpetuity of this work, the marvelous character of its operations throughout the nations of the earth, the wonderful attractiveness of this Gospel, the secret of its great success in foreign land, preached by illiterate men, consists in the fact that God the Eternal Father, reveals his mind unto every honest soul who humbly seeks for it. Not to one man, not to three men, not to apostles, not to bishops, not to high priests, not to seventies, not to elders alone, but to every humble soul who in sincerity, and with a broken heart and contrite spirit, bows himself or herself in secret before the throne of the great Eternal, and in humility asks, in the name of Jesus, for a knowledge to be imparted to him or to her whether it is the truth he or she has heard. This is the secret of the success of this work. This is the cause of its wonderful power and the attractiveness it has for the hearts of the children of men. This is the reason that illiterate men, going forth bearing testimony of these things, have been so successful throughout all the nations of the earth where they have been, and it is this that draws them, as we have been told this afternoon by Brother Staines, by thousands from foreign lands and causes them to come to this land and to assimilate with those already here; until we have in this Territory of ours, throughout these valleys running north and south, east and west, a people unexampled, and, in many respects, unlike every other people that we know anything about. Why, in this last company, which came in a few days ago, the members of it spoke some seven languages. I remember a company of Saints leaving Liverpool while I was there, the members of which spoke nine different languages. They were Latter-day Saints gathering up from various lands, some from Switzerland, from France, from Great Britain, and from the various nations of Europe, all coming together, singing the songs of Zion in their own languages, bearing testimony that God had revealed to them in their own language the truth of this, the everlasting Gospel. With such a spirit they come to these mountains, they scatter among the people already here, they become homogeneous. We have here a oneness of feeling and purpose, a oneness of spirit, and a oneness of sentiment and of heart, that you may look for in vain elsewhere throughout the whole earth. I sometimes think we overlook those great and glorious blessings that God has given to us. We overlook too frequently the spirit of oneness that has been poured out upon this people. Men ask for a sign; they say, “Where are the evidences of the divinity of the work you believe in? You say that you preach the Gospel of Jesus; you say that you are the people of God.” Why, could there be any greater evidence given of the divine character of this mission than is witnessed in the effects of this Gospel upon the people who embrace it? We are led to expect that heaven is a place of unity, a place of love; that there is no quarreling, no litigation, no strife in heaven; no man warring against his fellow men, no man exalting his creed and his ideas as superior to the creed and the ideas of his neighbor; all dwelling in peace and in love. That is the idea of heaven that has been taught to us in the Bible? Anything else would not be heaven; any other kind of place could not be heaven. Is it not reasonable to suppose, then, that if the spirit of heaven rests down upon a people, that they will be united, that they will love one another, will die for one another, if necessary? Why, certainly. If I were to start out today in search of the Church of Jesus Christ, if I did not know of its existence upon the earth, I would expect to find a people united together, a people who loved one another, and who brought forth the fruits of the Gospel of Jesus as he taught it. I would expect to find a people who gave an exhibition in their lives of those heavenly truths taught by Jesus when he was upon the earth. And until I found such a people I would despair of finding the Church of Christ. Men might perform miracles before me, and say a great many wonderful things unto me, but unless I could find a people with the love of Christ in their bosoms, united together as the heart of one man, a people who loved one another, I do not think I could, with the knowledge I have, recognize them as the people of Christ, or as the people of the Church of Christ. For the evidences that they were that Church it would not be in profession alone I would seek. It would not be in their Sunday service alone. It would not be in the sermons that were preached in their tabernacles, or meetinghouses, or churches alone. It would not be in any of these things alone that I would seek, but it would be in the fruits of the Gospel as I found them exhibited in their daily life, in their conversation, in their associations, one with another. If I found a quarrelsome people, if I found a people fighting one with another for their rights, if I found a people taking up weapons of war against each other, no matter by what name they were called, no matter how high-sounding their professions, I would say, these cannot be the people of Christ; these are not the fruits which the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ brings forth. But if I found a people who were humble, meek, lowly, willing to endure wrong rather than do wrong; if I found a people persecuted for righteousness sake; if I found a people of whom all men spoke evil, though their lives were not evil, though their conduct was humble and pure and they were disposed to love one another and dwell together in peace, I would begin to say, here are some of the signs, some of the fruits of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I must stop here. I must examine into this matter. I must look after these people, and see whether they are the people of whom I am in search. If I were to come into this valley of Salt Lake and find a people professing to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were I trusted to report I would be inclined to say they cannot be the people they profess to be. Why? Because all manner of evil is spoken against them. Is there any crime in the black catalogue of crime of which they have not been accused? Is there any evil which people can perpetrate with which they have not been charged and declared guilty? If I were to be disheartened by reports, I need only stop in Salt Lake City, or in Utah Territory, to have that feeling; but if I remembered that those in Christ Jesus are sure to suffer persecution, and that “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?”—I might, if I bore that fact in mind, stop and examine further. If I looked around me and inquired concerning the Latter-day Saints, I would probably find that they did not drink liquor, did not get drunk; I would probably find they did not take the name of the Lord in vain, did not go to law one with another, but were averse to it, and were in favor of promoting peace, and that because of this they offended lawyers, judges and others. If I were to look at the material aspects of the city, I would find a beautiful city, laid out and planned with wisdom, laid out by somebody who knew something of life and what was proper for society. If I made further inquiry I would learn that a few years ago, before the advent of so-called civilization in the midst of the Latter-day Saints, that from the Idaho line in the North to the Arizona line in the South, there were no liquor saloons, no drunkenness, and profanity was punished; but in every settlement and in every house, throughout the length and breadth of the land, prayers ascending morning and night to the God of heaven, on behalf of themselves and their children, and on behalf of the honest in heart throughout all the nations of the earth. If I happened to be there when a company came in, and in mingling with that company asked what brought them to this land, I would be told in Norwegian, in Swedish, in Danish, in German, in Italian, in Welsh, in English, in Polish, in Dutch, in French, that each of these men and women had obeyed the Gospel as it was taught to them by the Elders who had been sent to them, and that in answer to prayer they had received a testimony from the Almighty for themselves that they knew this was the Gospel of Christ, that they were commanded of God to gather out from the various nations, and that in response to that commandment they had come out and were here. These would be the things that would be told to me. If I were to inquire among them respecting other matters, I would find that they believed in this book (the Bible) in its entirety, not a part, not in isolated parts of this book, some parts of this book, some parts separated from the rest, but in its entirety, in its doctrinal parts. I would find that they believed that God was the same today as he was yesterday, that he is a God of revelation, a God of truth, a God who could hear and answer prayer. I would find that they believed in the organization of the Church as it was in ancient days, God having first set in the Church apostles, prophets, teachers, etc. I would find further that they were contending, as James commanded the Saints to do in his day, earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints, a faith by which the mighty works concerning which Paul speaks in the 11th chapter of his epistle to the Hebrews were accomplished. I would find that they were contending for this faith that they believed in the signs following them that believe; that they were contending for them, contending for that faith; and teaching their children to exercise it to the greatest possible extent. Now, where else upon the face of the earth could I find a community teaching and practicing these things! I have been, in my time, a somewhat extensive traveler. I have mingled with a great many people, in a good many lands, and I confess to you today, I have never seen a people who answered this description, except the Latter-day Saints. I do not say this out of vanity, or by way of boasting, because this Gospel is intended for every person, not only for those who are Latter-day Saints today, but for every honest man and woman throughout the face of the whole earth. This Gospel of the kingdom has to be preached to all nations, and then will the end come. It is not, therefore, with any feeling of pride because of these being the doctrines believed in and practiced by the Latter-day Saints that I allude to them in this manner, but because God, in his infinite mercy, has revealed the Gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, because it is taught again by divine authority. How could you account for it in any other way? Tell me, if there be philosophers or wise men here. Men say it is delusion, men say it is imposture, men say that the building up of this system is the result of fraud. Most extraordinary results of fraud, if this be fraud! Men going out without purse or scrip, as in ancient days, and preaching the everlasting Gospel, baptizing people, and the spirit of unity and love resting down upon them, accompanied by the Spirit of God, which testifies, as we have heard this afternoon from Brother Staines, as it had testified to him, that this is the Church of Christ, that this is the Gospel of Jesus which they have embraced. People may think, people may talk about the delusion of the Latter-day Saints. Why, to believe that these results which we see are the product of fraud, or imposture, would require far more credulity than faith to believe them to be from God. Where is there a peculiarity of the ancient Church that is not possessed today by the Latter-day Saints? Can one be mentioned? Can a doctrine or a principle be mentioned that was contended for in the ancient Church, that is not contended for and sought after today by the Latter-day Saints? Were they persecuted? Then it is quite certain we can claim a blessing, if it so be that persecution brings blessings. Were their names cast out as evil? Then we can claim with them the same results, if blessings attend any such thing. “Oh, but,” says one, “they were good people, the Apostles in ancient days were good people, but you Mormons are a very wicked people.” Why, do you imagine that if they had considered Jesus a very good man, a very holy being they would have crucified him between two thieves? No. The populace, when Pilate wanted to have him forgiven because of the feast of the passover, cried out: “No; release to us Barabbas, the murderer, the vile person. Let him be released, but crucify the Christ; let his blood be upon us and our children.” They were willing to risk the consequences, because they believed him to be a vile impostor. Do you think that Peter and Paul, one of whom was beheaded, and the other of whom was crucified with his head downward—do you imagine that in killing them the Romans thought they were killing good, innocent, pure men? Certainly not. They were hated just as much as we are hated. Of course they thought they were doing God service, as many think they are doing God service today in persecuting the Latter-day Saints. They thought they were doing the world some good by ridding the earth of such impostors as Peter and Paul. Their eyes were blinded to their goodness and to their virtues. Such things were hidden from their sight. They could only say they were deluders of the people, that they led people astray, and as impostors were worthy of death. And so it is throughout this Territory. The virtues of the Latter-day Saints are not perceived. Our temperance, our frugality, our perseverance, our industry, our union, and all the qualities that have made this wilderness blossom until it is the admiration of every visitor, the joy of every traveler—all these things are obscured, and with many people lost sight of, before the idea, imagined by very many, that Brother Brigham was a vile impostor, that all those who have been associated with him are no better, and that it would be doing God service to destroy them from the face of the earth that the people who are deluded by them might be free from the influence which they wield over them. Oh, generation of blind—I was going to say fools, but shall I use such a phrase? But is there not evidence sufficient before the eyes of this generation of what has been done in the past, in the persecution of righteous and holy men, in the killing of them, in the shedding of their blood, that men cannot learn that there is such a thing as a man being a good man, a virtuous man, a pure man, and yet be maligned by the enemies of purity and virtue, as in the days of Christ? This generation will have a great deal to answer for in consequence of this thing. As Latter-day Saints, we have been accused of every crime. It has been told of us that we were ready to commit murder at any time, in order to serve our own ends, that we were ready to shed the blood of the innocent, and that this feeling to destroy life existed among us, when at the same time, throughout these wild mountains and secluded valleys life has been more safe, property more secure, than in the streets of the best managed cities in the Union. There never has been a day since we came beyond these mountains that travelers could not pass from the North to the South, and from the East to the West, and through all parts with perfect security. There never was a day, when the Latter-day Saints lived alone in these valleys, that a woman would be insulted either by word or by gesture, night or day, whether an old lady or a young lady, in traveling from one end of our Territory to the other. Can this be said of us today? Certainly not; but it was the case a few years ago throughout these valleys, and let me say to you it will yet be the case.

I sometimes think that if we were one-twentieth part as bad as we are accused of being, it would be very unhealthy throughout this country for a good many who are now unmolested. I know this, that no other community would have born one-twentieth part the insult and injury that we have submitted to so quietly. What has caused us to do it? Is it because we are incapable of feeling, or that we do not understand our rights, or that we do not want them, that we suffer ourselves to be imposed upon? No, it has not been because of these things. Our bosoms have burned, probably, with the fire of indignation, as much as any people on the face of the earth could under such circumstances. What has retained us? Simply the knowledge that these men are ignorant, and I believe that the Latter-day Saints have partaken of that spirit which Jesus had when he hung upon the cross. It has been somewhat in that spirit that the Latter-day Saints have acted. It would have been easy for them to have acted otherwise had they chosen to do so. It may be said they were restrained by fear. It has not been through the fear of man, but the fear of God has restrained this people. It is far better for us to suffer wrong than to do wrong; it is better to endure evil, ignominy, shame and per– secution than to turn and practice any of these things ourselves.

I am looking for a great change to take place in our circumstances. The nation of which we form a part looks with more interest upon us as a people than upon any other part of the United States. There is no people, no community, within the confines of our Republic concerning which there is so much interest felt as the Latter-day Saints. Men’s eyes are directed towards us. I believe we are becoming better understood. The completion of this railroad, which was supposed to be the death knell to Mormonism, the discovery of these, mines, which we ourselves rather disliked, those things that many supposed would be the means of destroying this people, have now been in operation for years, and with what result? With this result, so far as my observation extends—a better knowledge concerning this people, and the circumstances which surround us; a more extended knowledge of our land, and all the difficulties we have had to contend with. I have remarked this in Congress myself, that whenever I want to accomplish anything in connection with our Territory, I always find men who have been here and who have seen for themselves and formed their opinions accordingly, ready to do anything in reason that I ask. Intercourse has had the effect to remove prejudice. There are people in this country who fear us. The very fact that they do fear us by their refusing us our rights, not only shows that they do not understand us, but it is a recognition on their part of our power; and as such we should accept the denial of these rights to which we are fully entitled. Governors, judges and other officers are sent here, in the selection of whom we have no voice whatever. Even if they were all honest, patriotic, fair and just men, their selection without our voice is an injustice, but which no people can bear better than we. We are, however, learning lessons which will be of immense importance to us in days to come; for as sure as the sun shines, as sure as God lives, so sure will this people called Latter-day Saints become a governing people. It is an inevitable consequence in the very nature of things. We possess all the elements to make a strong, mighty, governing people. There is therefore a great future in store for us, and to prepare us for that future it is necessary that we should pass through the furnace of affliction, that we should feel the hand of oppression, and that we should feel the effects of injustice, so that when it shall become our turn, as undoubtedly it will in the very nature of things, we shall know, by the treatment we have received, how to temper justice with mercy, to extend to others that which has been denied unto us, and the value of which we have well known. You cannot keep down a people like this. I do not say this to flatter you, because you have many faults. We know them, and I do not think we are afraid to tell you your faults, and to tell our own faults. But a people possessing the qualities of the Latter-day Saints must grow and become powerful. Union is strength. Love will prevail, it is a great power on the earth, and added to this there are integrity, frugality, temperance and virtue—for there is virtue in this land—there is chastity here. In these mountains, amongst this people called Latter-day Saints, if virtue is not cherished next to human life, it is because people are not living up to the teachings they have received. If man is not as virtuous as woman, then it is because man has not profited by what he has been taught. Do you think that a daughter should be expected to be more virtuous than a son? Do you think that the girls of a family should be more chaste than the boys? Certainly not. One of the greatest crimes, the greatest, with the exception of the shedding of innocent blood—and it is a doctrine that is taught by the Latter-day Saints, and should be taught by every man in his household—that can be committed, is the seduction or defilement of the weaker sex. There can be no greater crime committed, except the shedding of innocent blood, and people thus taught, what will they be? Why, if they observe such teachings, they will be strong, vigorous and mighty. Can you repress such a people? Will the sending of a few men to prison for breaking the law of 1862 destroy this work? Will the entering of a suit against the executors of the estate of the late President Young, or the Trustee-in-trust of this Church destroy this work? Why, the men who say so have failed to read history. They do not understand anything connected with human progress and with human powers, if they flatter themselves with such opinions as these. All these things intensify the people, they add to our strength.

As to plural marriage, in dealing with that great question, as it is called, if I had been anxious to extinguish or repress it, I would never have allowed it to have received the attention it has done. There has been a complete misconception as to the best method of dealing with this question. Why, this ancient practice, practiced by a few people in these mountains, has been lifted into national importance. Mormonism has become famous, because of the practicing, by a portion of the people, of this doctrine, until the whole earth resounds with the talk of “the Polygamy of the Mormons,” as though the Mormons were half the people of the United States. In fact, if they numbered twenty-five millions instead of two hundred thousand, they could not have received more attention. This is a grand mistake in statesmanship on the part of those who want to put down Mormon doctrines. If men understood statesmanship they would let the question pass, but instead of that they are determined to give us world wide notoriety, to uplift us before the world, and by their foolish acts make people suffer as martyrs for that principle. Most unwise. It reminds me of an incident mentioned in Macauley’s history of England. He drew a contrast between the policy of James the Second and his successor, William. You all know that James was looked upon as an old impostor, and that ultimately he was expelled from the throne. There was a Bishop in James’ day who seemed very anxious to attain some object, and he annoyed the king so much that the king got it into his head that the Bishop wanted to be a martyr, and, said James, “I am determined he shall be one.” Macauley contrasts this policy with that of William under similar circumstances. William was a wise ruler, and there was a man who did something similar to him in his day, and acted offensively, as the Bishop did to James, his father-in-law. He, too, seemed anxious to be a martyr, and, said William, “I am equally determined he shall not be gratified.” In this we see the difference between the statesmanship of the two kings; and a true statesman, dealing with the question of polygamy, would let it alone severely. If he wanted it exterminated he would not take George Reynolds and send him to prison and make him a hero, instead of a felon. Such a proceeding only had the tendency to make people cling to their faith and be willing to suffer for it. If plural marriage be divine, as the Latter-day Saints say it is, no power on earth can suppress it, unless you crush and destroy the entire people. But supposing it is not divine, as many people say it is not, supposing that it is not of God, do you not think the forty millions can afford to let it alone? If their position be true do you not think they are safe to do more among the 200,000 people who believe, and a portion of them practice it, by moral force than by persecution and violence? I think so. Now we will see which is the best policy. I do not believe in being defiant. Men that marry more wives than one should be able to bear the penalty of it if there be any attached thereto, or they should not take them. A man that enters this Church ought to be able to die for its principles if necessary, and certainly should be able to go to prison for them without crying about the matter. If you are sentenced to prison for marrying more wives than one, round up your shoulders and bear it like men and no murmuring about it; prepare yourselves to take the consequences. We know that for the Gospel in ancient days many laid down their lives with joy, that the great Captain of our salvation was crucified, and that nearly all the prophets perished by violence. If we expect, then, to be one with them, and inherit the same glory that they do we should be prepared to endure the consequence of adhesion to, and our advocacy of the truth; and so we should in regard to every doctrine we have embraced. We have embraced certain doctrines. They are unpopular. Still if we are men we will be prepared to endure all the consequences, whatever they may be, and make no fuss about them. But I am trespassing on your time. May the Lord bless you, fill you with the Holy Ghost, and keep you a holy people, and enable you to overcome all evil, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Discourse by President John Taylor, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, July 6th, 1879.

I have been very much interested in listening to the remarks made by my brethren both this morning and afternoon. And I feel with the aid of the Almighty, like making a few remarks myself.

We are living in a peculiar day and age of the world, in a time that has been spoken of by prophets, seers, revelators and apostles, by men who have been inspired by the Spirit of the living God and who comprehended the purposes and designs of God in relation to the world on which we live; in relation to the people who now live upon it, to those who have lived upon it in the various ages of time and to those who will live upon it, and who have had a general conception and manifestation of the various events that should transpire associated with what is termed in scripture, “the dispensation of the fulness of times,” in which God would gather together all things in one, whether they be things in the heavens or things on the earth. As a commencement of this operation he has communicated his will again to man, and by revelation of that will, by the opening of the heavens, by the ministering of holy angels and by the voice of God have we had revealed unto us those great and eternal principles in which the interests of a world are concerned, past, present and future.

We have had a good deal spoken unto us pertaining to the Gospel of the Son of God and the power and blessing associated therewith, as well as arguments advanced and scriptures quoted to show the various manifestations of the Spirit of God in other ages. But the Gospel itself is a principle of revelation, and without revelation we can have no Gospel; for we are emphatically told that life and immortality are brought to light by the Gospel; that through its influence men are able to comprehend the position and relationship they sustain to each other, and to God, to the past, to the present and to the future and can alone comprehend the final destinies of man. The Gospel is a living, abiding, eternal principle. And hence when John on the Isle of Patmos wrapped in prophetic vision gazing upon the events that should transpire in the latter days, saw, among other things, “another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell upon the earth,” not a new Gospel, not some new theory or principles or dogma; but the everlasting Gospel, as it had existed with the Gods in eternity—the medium through which God conveys intelligence to the human mind; the principle by which Gods are governed and all nations controlled, the everlasting Gospel.

This principle has been referred to as being a personal thing in which every body that is brought in contact therewith and obeys its requirements is made a participator and becomes one of the vast multitude that has existed, does exist and will exist in seeking to carry out the purposes and designs of God in relation to the welfare, happiness and exaltation of the human family. Therefore, the relevancy of the remarks we read, such as we have heard today, calling upon the people to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and they should receive the Holy Ghost. Who? Those who repent, those who believe, those who obey, those who are governed by the principles contained in the Gospel of the Son of God. And what should that do for them? Take of the things of God and show them to them, and bring them into communion with the Lord Jesus Christ and with the Father and into communion with the holy angels and prophets who lived before, enjoying the same Gospel, the same light, the same intelligence, the same spirit and the same power; that they might be one with each other, one with the ancient apostles, prophets, patriarchs and men of God who have lived in the different ages; one with the Lord Jesus Christ, operating together for the one great purpose of Jehovah pertaining to the welfare, happiness and exaltation of the world and the people thereof. And hence, say the scriptures, you have all been baptized into one baptism. And what else? You have all partaken of the same spirit, as Jesus says, “that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and they in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” And hence those who have obeyed the Gospel—although in many instances they do not comprehend it in all its bearing, and very few do, in fact we only see as through a glass darkly, see in part, know in part, prophesy in part, and comprehend in part until that which is perfect shall come and that which is in part shall be done away, that we may all then see as we are seen, and know as we are known. But although we have not arrived at that condition, yet all who have received the Holy Ghost through obedience to the laws of God and the ordinances thereof, administered by men holding authority, know for themselves not only that this is the work of God, that this is the church and kingdom of God and that we are engaged in establishing and bringing to pass the things that have been spoken of by the holy prophets since the world was. They know at least that they have passed from death into life, the Holy Ghost bearing witness thereof. That is the case of every individual who has lived his religion, keeping the commandments of God. They realize this and know it for themselves, and consequently it is, as has been referred to, with every one a personal thing. That principle is not for somebody else; it is for ourselves, and if we follow the leading of that spirit and grieve not the Spirit of God, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption, that spirit will grow and increase in us, and we shall add to our faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge brotherly kindness, to brotherly kindness charity, and so forth; increasing in every good word and work until we shall see as we are seen and know as we are known. This is to be brought by the Gospel of Jesus Christ—the everlasting Gospel.

Now this is a personal thing, it belongs to each one individually to every man, to every woman, to every boy, to every girl who has arrived at the years of accountability. If they are living their religion and keeping the commandments of God they have the Spirit of God within them that bears witness unto them that they are the children of God, even heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now then, we come to other things. This eternal principle of which we speak is not to be confined to ourselves alone. It reaches out and seeks to bless, and while being blessed it seeks to communicate the same to others; it seeks to advance and promote the welfare of humanity in all conditions in every sphere and among all people, just as God does, for it emanates from him, and he is the God and Father of us all not only of the Latter-day Saints but all other people; but having committed to us the true riches of eternal life, he expects us to communicate the same to others. And hence in former times he said unto his disciples, “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.” Also “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” But he has prepared men for the accomplishment of this work. In former times, both on this continent and the continent of Asia and other places, he communicated with men himself, organized his church, established his priesthood, endowed men with authority, placed them in positions and gave them power to act; and they became priests of the Most High God, the dispensers of salvation to a fallen world, and the medium through which he communicated intelligence and knowledge of himself, his laws, and of his eternal purposes pertaining to the human family. And hence, in former times, he said to his disciples, “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you;” go ye forth then and proclaim these tidings to all people. And what else? And take care also of the flock of Christ, watch over my sheep. And hence, when he said to Peter on a certain occasion, after he had manifested his weakness and infirmity, “Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?” He saith unto him, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” He saith unto him, “Feed my sheep.” A second and a third time he asked the same question. A second and a third time he was answered in the same way. One thing was to spread forth the light of truth, to preach the Gospel, to unfold the principles of eternal truth; and then when people had received the first principles of the Gospel, to teach them and more fully instruct them in the principles of eternal life. And hence the necessity of the priesthood. And what is that? The rule and government of God through the medium of which men whom he selects and chooses, which he has done in the different ages of time, are duly authorized and qualified to proclaim his will and administer his ordinances. There is more than one priesthood spoken of in the scriptures. There is one especially associated with the Gospel which Paul speaks of as being without beginning of days or end of years; or, rather, he speaks of a man, Melchizedek by name, who was without beginning of days or end of years, and he abides a priest forever. Some people have thought that he was a very singular kind of character, without father and without mother. However, that is very easily comprehended when you are made acquainted with the principle. In the Levitical priesthood, they had to prove by the records that they were literal descendants of Aaron and of the tribe of Levi, before they could be admitted to the priesthood. But speaking of this, the Melchizedek priesthood, he said it was without father and mother. It is an organization independent of these considerations, and those who have it abide priests continually, and administer both in time and eternity. What, does it continue so long? Yes. How do you know? By the revelations of Jesus Christ. For your information I will take the scriptures for it, and examine for a moment some principles there developed.

I find that when Jesus was upon the earth, he, on a certain occasion, took Peter, James and John with him to the top of a mountain; and he was transfigured before them, and Moses and Elias appeared before them. And Peter said: Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias.” For whom? “One for thee.” Who else? “One for Moses.” What was Moses doing there? “And one for Elias.” What was Elias doing there? Where did these strangers come from, both having existed generations before. They held the priesthood in time. Moses preached the Gospel in time, and Elias did the same thing; both of them held the priesthood, and now they come to administer to Jesus; having existed in the eternal world, they come again to earth and administer to him and to Peter, James and John on the mountain. Why? Because they held the everlasting priesthood, that administers in time and eternity.

I again turn to the Bible, and find in the Revelation of St. John there was a great and mighty personage presented himself to him, arrayed in glory, magnificence and power. And John fell down to worship him. Said he, “See thou do it not.” Why? Who art thou? “I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus.” I am one of thy fellowservants, the prophets that lived upon the earth, that ministered in time and operated as thou art now doing, seeking to carry out the will of my Father; having held the priesthood and ministering therein in time, I am now continuing to administer this everlasting priesthood, which is associated with the everlasting Gospel. Well, so much for this. We will let it pass.

Now then, what is the position we occupy? We have had the same things restored to us through Joseph Smith, by the revelations of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, and Moroni and Mormon, and Peter, James and John, and John the Baptist and others who communicated the same and revealed things pertaining to the priesthood they held, and conferred authority upon him, and he upon others, to administer in regard to these great and eternal principles. And hence we have our church organized upon this basis, our presidency, our apostles, our seventies, our high priests, our elders, our high councils, our bishops and their counselors, our priests, teachers and deacons, and all the various organizations of the church and kingdom of God. What else? The edifying of the body of Christ. Edifying the body of Christ? Yes. Go and preach the Gospel to all nations. What then? Gather them together. What then? Says the prophet Jeremiah, “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family and bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding,” and “edify the body of Christ,” that they may be prepared to fulfill their destiny and magnify their calling on the earth. But what then? We go to work to build temples. What for? That we may administer therein. For whom? For the living and for the dead, that as the scriptures say, “Saviors may come up on mount Zion, and the kingdom be the Lord’s.” And that by gathering together a nucleus of people from among the various nations of the earth, we may be under the influence of the Spirit of the Lord, united together in one and through the medium of the holy priesthood and our union and communion with God, we may go to work and operate with the apostles, prophets, patriarchs and men of God who have lived in the different ages of the world, and with God and with Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant that we may operate with them in the accomplishment of the purposes of God pertaining to the salvation of the living and the redemption of the dead.

These are some of the works that we are engaged in and expect to be engaged in, and expect to carry out, and to do the things that God requires at our hands, and we expect God and the holy angels and the priesthood behind the veil and all heaven to be on the side of Israel, and all hell to be opposed to us; and we will risk the consequences under any circumstances.

We talk about the Saints; are they good people? Yes, many of them are very good people. And the balance of them? Well, some of them are sinners; some of them the meanest of men you can find anywhere. How is this? It is exactly in the way the Scripture says. I think it says: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind.” And so it is among us, and so it has been and so it will be. If we take the history of the ages past, it has been precisely so. The very first start we read that Adam had two sons, one Cain, and one Abel. Abel was a man that feared God, but Cain did not. That is like some of us here. Some of us fear God, and some of us do not; and those who do not always consider they are injured or oppressed, or there is always something wrong; they labor under an immense amount of difficulty; but the good folks sing, Hallelujah, hallelujah, the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth, and will reign until he puts all enemies under His feet; and they feel peaceful and rejoice in the Lord of hosts. Cain thought he was injured because the Lord did not accept of his sacrifice, and he thought his brother had something to do with it, and his jealousy prompted him to slay him, and he did so. That was rather a bad start when you come to look at it. According to the Bible, there were only two of them; and the wicked man was left to represent what? Outside of Adam, God’s creation on the earth, for at least one hundred and thirty years, except that Adam had other sons. That, however, we will not talk about today. Well, the Lord came along after a while, and, says he, “What have you been doing? Where is thy brother Abel?” He replied, “I do not know anything about him, I am not my brother’s keeper.” Says the Lord, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground; and because thou hast done this thing, I will set a mark upon thee, and thou shalt be a vagabond upon the earth;” and so will every man be who fights against Zion; and if anybody does not believe it, let him try it, and he will find out before he gets through that there is a God that rules in the heavens, and that he is all the day long crying, “Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” And said he on another occasion, “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea.” This is how I read the Bible.

I find in tracing out the scriptures, that from the beginning there have existed two powers—the powers of light and the powers of darkness; that both these things existed in the heavens before they came here, that the powers of darkness were cast out, and thus became the devil and his angels. This antagonism, then, existed before, and it is necessary it should exist. It is necessary men should be tried and purged and purified and made perfect through suffering. And hence we find men in the different ages that have passed through trials and afflictions of every kind, and they had to learn to put their faith in God, and in God alone. Such was the wickedness and corruptions of men in the early ages that it was necessary that God should sweep the face of the earth by a flood, in order that men might be deprived of their power to do evil.

I have heard some people say that they thought it was very hard for God to do such a thing. I think it would have been very cruel on his part if he had not done it. Why? Because man is a dual being, associated with time and eternity, being in possession of a spirit as well as a body; and as God is the God and Father of the spirits of all flesh that ever did exist or will have a being on the earth, it was necessary under certain circumstances, that he should operate in his judgment upon the wicked whenever they should become as corrupt as they did at that time. Why so? For God is the God and Father of the spirits of all flesh and all flesh at that time had corrupted itself. And would it be just for those unborn spirits to have to come and inhabit bodies of those unclean and corrupt people and have to suffer the judgments of God? No, it was not just; and it would be very reasonable for them to say, “Father, look at that world of people; see their crimes, their degradation, their iniquity, their theft and robbery, their murders and whoredoms and every kind of evil; they have left the good and have gone to the bad, and the imaginations and thoughts of their hearts are evil; Father, is it proper that we should have to go there and inhabit such low, fallen, degraded bodies as they possess, and thus not have a fair chance upon the earth?” “No,” says he, “it is not; and I will destroy them and raise up another people.” And hence, he destroyed them. But was the spirit of antagonism to God extinct by this act? No, it still continued to operate. We find, for instance, that in the days of Job the sons of God met together before the Lord, and that Satan was among them. This may seem strange, that the devil should be permitted to move among the sons of God, but nevertheless it was so. And the Lord conversed with him, asking him if he had considered his servant Job, who was a perfect man, etc. “O yes,” Satan remarked, “I know all about him; but allow me to have a rap at him. Job does not fear God for nought. You have made a hedge around him and fenced him in; under those circumstances who would not serve God? I would if you would serve me so.” “You may try him,” says the Lord. The devil took his leave; and the next thing we hear of is a series of troubles that befell this good man. We are told that the Sabians and Chaldeans, as they do here sometimes, fell upon his oxen and camels and took them away, and that they spared not the herdsmen, but slew them with the edge of the sword. This report had no sooner been made to him when another followed, representing that fire had fallen from heaven and destroyed his sheep and their herdsmen, save only the one who brought the intelligence. And while he was speaking, we are told that another messenger arrived, informing his master, Job, that while his sons and daughters were feasting in their elder brother’s house, a great wind from the wilderness blew up and smote the house until it fell, killing the young men. But withal, Job’s integrity was not shaken. “Naked,” said he, “came I unto the earth, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, and blessed be the name of the Lord.” Again, there came a day when the sons of God assembled together before the Lord; and the devil also presented himself. And the Lord said unto Satan, “Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him to destroy him without cause.” And Satan answered the Lord, and said, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his backbone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.” And the Lord said unto Satan, “Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.” Then Satan smote Job with boils, from the crown of his head to the souls of his feet; and he set his friends upon him, and they accused him, and his enemies taunted him, and finally his wife came along when he was in this miserable condition, and said, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God and die.” But Job answered and said unto her, “Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” This was his feeling; and it is pleasant to feel that way after all—much better than the other way. He said further: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” And why? Because he had the everlasting gospel. What! Job had the Gospel? Yes, to be sure he had. How do I know? Because the Gospel brings life and immortality to light; and he had a knowledge of that. And hence he says, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.”

That is the kind of feeling he had; that is the kind of feeling we want to possess, and feel that God is ours and we are his, and that we are associated with his Church and his kingdom, and are doing his will and carrying out his purposes upon the earth. And it is all the same with us then, whether in peace or war; nobody need have any trembling in the knees, for no power can harm the Saints of God if they continue to be followers of that which is good. The Psalmist says, “Surely the wrath of men shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” He will turn and overturn, until ultimately the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and his Christ; and he will rule forever and ever. Whilst those that set themselves and run against the bosses of Jehovah’s buckler, shall find that they have God to cope with, and that they are but potsherds of the earth, and that they will wilt and wither and die and be damned. There is no power on earth that can hurt Israel as long as they shall be found doing what is right, obeying the commandments of God, keeping their covenants and preserving themselves in purity and honor before him.

God bless you and lead you in the paths of life, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Discourse by Elder George G. Bywater, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, June 29, 1879.

We are assembled here this afternoon as a congregation of worshippers; we have come together to worship God according to the dictates of his word; according to the revelations of his divine will, as it has been made known to the people of the Latter-day Saints. We represent a faith, a spiritual constitution, an organization of ideas which incorporates our sense of duty, our duty to our God and our duty to our fellow men. This is not a new occasion; this is not a new announcement. We have existed as a people in the midst of the nations of the earth for a third of a century. Our doctrines are not new, our principles of which these doctrines are composed, are not of the 19th century; they are not the outgrowth of the intelligence of this age; they are not the products of that intellectuality which is by many regarded as the biggest standard of advancement, as the most elevated platform of thought. Our principles are from eternity to eternity. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the name commonly applied to the religion we profess, was preached aforetime unto Abraham; was revealed unto our fathers, the ancients. Many of its fundamental principles, several of its divine ordinances and very many of the hopes that inspired and caused to heave with heavenly emotion, and delight the bosoms of the purest men and women of this age, or of ages preceding this of ours, were principles that had been re-revealed in ages and dispensations gone by. But we claim to have received this Gospel in the dispensation in which we live as a new revelation; not new principles, but a new revelation of old principles, of ancient doctrines, of institutions that the greatest benefactors, philanthropists and humanitarians that ever graced the human race, were more or less made familiar with. We are here today, beloved friends, as the result of the operations of the ministry of this Gospel, as a people occupying this section of country called the Territory of Utah. We are fruits, we are results of the ministry of reconciliation brought forth through the mission of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness and primitive purity in the day and age in which we live, and to us as a people when we thus address each other and reiterate these truths in each other’s hearing, we are not an– nouncing that which we do not understand, but we simply do so to remind each other, to stir up our thoughts, to put into activity our reflective powers and calling forth those intellectual energies which are awakened by the revelation of these principles of life and immortality in the development of our faith, and to stir up our minds, that they may become more pure and to bring to our remembrance things that are past, as well as cause to pass before our minds the circumstances, the duties and the incidents of the present, and thus carry with us the history we are creating, and produce by the combined action of our past and present labors those results which the Gospel in its entirety and its power and influence exercises over the heart of man in bringing to pass that human regeneration so long spoken of by the prophets; so long ago sung of by the inspired psalmist and the songsters of Israel, which should characterize the features, that would mark the development of God’s purposes in this humanity, in this great mass of intelligence, which he has created and given a conscious existence to upon the earth.

In speaking in this manner, my brethren and sisters, I desire to do so as making a few preparatory remarks to what may be said by my brethren who may follow after me, as I shall not occupy your attention but for a limited portion of time this afternoon. I wish to say, however, in addition to what I have already said with reference to the character of the Gospel, that we need not look to any other source for an evidence of the divinity of the mission in which we are engaged, the divinity of the revelations which have been entrusted to us in this dispensation of the fulness of times, for an evidence of its divine character and heaven-born nature, or for the proofs of its practical result as to ourselves. We can, my friends, examine our own experience; we can review, each individual one of us, the several chapters which each day’s acts, conversations and the results of our labors as individual members of this body ecclesiastical and of this Church militant, and see what have been the fruits which these principles have borne in our lives, and moreover see how far we have conformed to those conditions upon the blessings of the second birth, the regeneration of the human heart under the inspirations of the spirit of the Lord have been vouchsafed, and see whether our professions are professions merely, whether they are simply wordy acknowledgements or whether we preach those most practical of sermons in the actions of our lives, in the practices of our everyday conduct, so as to verify the correctness of our testimony and to justify our friends and ourselves in the conclusion that we are honest and sincere in the worship of the Lord our God according to the revelations of his will.

Brethren and sisters, we have received revelations from God, the unbelief of the world respecting those revelations to the contrary, notwithstanding. We have received those glorious truths pertaining to the regeneration of man, pertaining to his further development and to his final and complete redemption; or, in other words, to use, perhaps, language more familiar to some minds, the more perfect development of man. We have received those glorious principles; we have accepted them in the simplicity of our hearts as truths from God, and we have realized in our individual experiences that our testimony is true; that the principles we have embraced are true; that they have verified themselves in our experiences and verified the promise made by our Redeemer in the declaration to his disciples: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” Our principles are simple; they are perspicuous; they are clear; they are self-evident: they become self-evident to every mind capable of perceiving the relation which these principles bear to our conditions of life, including the physical and mental.

The plan of human redemption, which we call the Gospel of the Son of God, is composed of principles and doctrines that are pure, that are in perfect harmony with every want of our natures, with every rightful desire, with every legitimate unfoldment of our being, physical or mental, material or spiritual, whichever terms we choose to select to express the materiality or spirituality of our being. I repeat, that the Gospel of the Son of God contains every provision and is enriched with every quality, is endowed with every element necessary to the perfect enjoyment of all the powers of man and of all the capacity with which he is endowed for the development of his power and intelligence.

In speaking upon this subject, my brethren and sisters, we are led to the further consideration of the eternity of our being; we are conducted thereby into premises which spread out on the right and on the left; we are guided in our reflections under the inspiration of principle—for every truth possesses its own principle of life, its own quality of power, its own characteristic energy, and whenever that truth is received by a sentient being, by a conscious being, by a being possessed of consciousness of the quality of the ego feeling, and when the complement of his intellectual faculties are not impaired; when they are awakened to a beautiful exercise by the laws of thought, by the force of principle, by the impress of objects, and when the man is awakened as a thinking intellectual being, he is unavoidably open to receive a portion of the inspiration which they inherit; and the more advanced he is, the more elevated he becomes in the plane of intelligence, the greater will be his susceptibility and capability to receive of that inspiration; and the more he indulges in the contemplation of the higher and loftier aims of life, the more value he attaches to every principle of morality and virtue, to every principle of revelation from God, to truth of every kind and more especially those truths that have an immediate bearing upon his present condition, as well as those truths which affect his future state.

There is much of the knowledge that has been conferred upon the family of man, there is much of that intelligence and understanding which man has been brought into possession of that we cannot use immediately in regulating our affairs socially, or in any other work in the structure of society. But the principles to which I am now directing your attention; the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, are fundamental principles; they are cardinal elements, they are the foundation stones, if you please, of the great superstructure of humanity; they reach the fundamental conditions of its being; they possess the virtue of delving down into the most intricate recesses of our natures and of causing to well up from our inmost natures those qualities and excellencies, those virtues, those deeds which are praiseworthy and of good report, and command veneration, those deeds which have adorned the lives of all men who have made themselves benefactors to their race, and who have shone as the reformers and regenerators of society. No matter by what name they have been called, if they have done good in any capacity or sphere; if society today owes anything to the past, to the great motor force that has affected the interests of humanity or guarded the conditions of its welfare, or has directed its energies in any degree to produce a condition that is desirable in the history of our race, we owe it to that class of men, we owe it to men that have been firm and true to their convictions of what was right; we owe it to men who have stemmed the current of popular prejudices or who have dared to row against the stream of popular opinion; we owe it to men who have sacrificed the good will of those who were floating with the tide of popularity, and to men who have stood firm and true and inflexible to their convictions of right. Have there been such men? Yes, my brethren and sisters. I rejoice that through the sable darkness, that through the almost impenetrable clouds that intervene between us today and the ages of the past we can see glimpses, scintillas of light that illumed time, and I revere and honor the memories of such men who did what they could to fulfil the purposes of their Great Creator, the Father of the human race, and the Creator of all things that are. I honor their memories. If they were not in the possession of so much truth as those who followed them; if their philosophy was not as sound, and if in their theo– logy there were greater incongruities, yet it must be remembered that they were not so far advanced as to be able to perceive their errors, and if they were devoted and sincere in the course they pursued, living up to the best light they possessed, I, for one, cherish with fond remembrance the memories of such people.

But there is a very anomalous mental state existing in the midst; of the human family, which is not a new one, however. It is the constant battle that is being waged by antiquated theories and principles, which are perhaps established in the hearts of the majorities, whenever a new truth is introduced to the world; whenever a principle that has not been recognized distinctly as such has not entered into the constitution of their own religion, philosophy, politics or science. Whenever a new truth is introduced, the stubborn and inflexible conservators of antiquated notions and ideas are unwilling to widen the area of their thoughts, and extend the boundary of their reflections still outward. And it is refreshing when we discover one here and there the world over entertaining the sensible views expressed in the language of Humboldt, the German naturalist: “Weak minds complacently believe that in their own age humanity have attained to the culminating point of intellectual greatness, forgetting that by the internal connection existing among all natural phenomena, in proportion as we advance, the field to be traversed acquires additional extension, and that it is bounded by a horizon, which incessantly recedes before the eyes of the inquirer.” How forcibly true, how substantially correct are these words spoken by this noble man, one of the brightest minds of the 19th century! Are we able to extricate ourselves from these thoughts, from this dwarfed condition of ideas? No, I fear not. And is it not as true today as it ever has been, that whenever an individual or a community of individuals introduce into the world any principle or doctrine which they conceive to be in the most perfect accord with the principles of truth already revealed, they are sure to be met with the same old cry; the same weapons of warfare that are strewn around over the battle grounds of the ages are eagerly clutched by some of the sturdy veterans who will grab at anything—infidel, skeptic, heterodox, fanatic, immoral, and it matters not what the odium attached to such words may be, as long as they think they can be used to arrest the progress of truth, of principle, of doctrine which has not been incorporated in their views.

We talk about our progressive enlightenment; we talk of our advancing intelligence; we speak eloquently of the march of intellect, and yet we are free to condemn every effort that is made by the world’s most staunch advocate of human progress, in feeling after the foundation of society, in feeling after the foundation of faith, in seeking to determine the soundness or the unsoundness of principles, and if we discover that our fathers ate sour grapes, and we their children have had our teeth set on edge, we wish to administer some panacea to remove the difficulty, to change the elements that are sapping the foundation of that society which we are trying to build up, and supply its place with elements of a homogeneous texture, of a more durable fiber, and reconstruct it upon the basis developed by the principles of the everlasting gospel, which brings life and immortality to light, and we are confronted with the cry of “fools,” “fanatics” and a very great number of uncomplimentary terms. But I have long ago, my friends, come to the conclusion that there is a great deal said when there is a very little meaning to be drawn from what has been said in relation to these men. They are “as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.”

We, as Latter-day Saints, have embraced the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What is that Gospel? It is faith in God; it is an avowed confession of the existence of a Deity, that there is a supreme intelligence that not only governs, but built the universe, the great architect of the heavens. We believe in his existence; that he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him. We believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, his only begotten son, who came into the world in the meridian of time to announce the message of mercy, who proclaimed principles of eternal truth, who made known the conditions whereby mankind could attain salvation, could elevate himself by the means provided in this great scheme of man’s redemption from his low estate, that he might ascend the ladder that Jacob saw, having its feet placed upon the earth and its top reaching to heaven, whereby he might climb round after round, receiving line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until he shall become a perfect man in Christ Jesus our Lord. We believe then in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. We believe in the gospel he received and the principles of that gospel which have been handed down to us by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the four historians who compiled the history of his ministry and recorded the principles he taught. We believe them to be eternal truth; we believe them to be essential to the salvation of mankind. We believe in repentance of all past sins; a genuine and sincere repentance—not a professed repentance, but a repentance which need not to be repented of; a repentance which brings forth fruits meet for repentance, namely a forsaking of sin, a forsaking of every evil habit of which we have a knowledge of their being evil, turning away therefrom and seeking to the Lord our God with full purpose of heart, adorning our lives with his doctrine, with his sacred precepts and principles, believing that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and before honor is humility.” We believe in baptism for the remission of sins and in the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost.

Now, we believe all this and much more. Our doctrines have been before the world for many years. Our Church works contain a very full and clear exposition of our views in relation to our faith, in relation to our principles affecting our life here and hereafter, and yet we discover, my friends, that we are unpopular, that we are not to be included among the Christian elements of society; we are considered Pagans, heathens, outlaws, barbarians, an immoral and reprobate race. And let me ask, how was it in the days of Jesus, this great prototype of human perfection, this great master-teacher of the purest of all truth? Our Christian ministers today speak eloquently from the pulpit to their congregations, telling them that there is no name given under heaven whereby man can be saved but the name of Jesus; and yet when men go forth as our Elders do, declaring in all soberness that they have the message of life and salvation revealed from the heavens, which is the power of God unto salvation to all that believe and obey, and ask these men permission to preach to them and their people the Gospel of the meek and lowly Jesus, this same once despised Nazarene, in their pulpits or lecture platforms, and they at once express themselves fearful least we should inoculate them with this dreadful contagion. What do we preach? The selfsame principles that Jesus taught. We do not take it as expressive of a high and lofty mind to be combative, to court discussion, but we are at the defiance of the unbelieving world to prove one principle of our fundamental doctrines, revealed to us in this age by Joseph Smith, or by Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world, that is not in perfect harmony with the highest conceptions and the most pure natures the world ever had, and is not in perfect consonance with the declarations of holy writ. We have had men contradict us, we have had people tell us that we are duped and led astray, but their simple assertions are of no weight or value unsupported by legitimate argument. Our doctrines are biblically pure, they are doctrinally sound according to the embodiment of divinity contained in this most ancient of books, called the Bible; not only our first principles, but all other principles pertaining to it, including our social institutions, which is the great bone of contention with the moralists of our day. I dare not permit myself to talk upon this question at the present time. I am so thoroughly disgusted with the rottenness and the canting hypocrisy of society, and with the infidelity of its social relations, and with the entire degeneracy of the morality of our age, to talk upon this subject, particularly with men who have jumped at conclusions and who have reached them without measuring every step they have taken, without analyzing the elements of the doctrines they call in question; but we can say in meekness of heart and in confidence, without hypocrisy and without a zeal that is not in accordance with knowledge, but with a zeal that is being fanned into a glow that becomes honest men, that we know our doctrines are of God and the whole world who oppose its principles lie in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.

I feel grateful, my brethren and sisters, that we have a religion that is self-sustaining; that we have a faith whose foundations are God and heaven, whose bulwarks are immutable, indestructible truths. We may fight them as did the ancients; our enemies may fight those doctrines as did the unbelieving Jews, and the surrounding unbelieving Sadducees and Pharisees, and the various discordant faiths, during the ages that are past; but truth, like the diamond, is unchangeable in its nature, it is unbedimmed in its own eternal luster. You may heap upon it the odium of grosser materials; you may endeavor to conceal it from the gaze of the world or cover it up in reproach, it is a diamond still, and like truth, it will one day triumph and conquer, and roll forth in its own, naked and unborrowed luster and brightness and vindicate its own claims. So it will be with the truth of the Gospel we have embraced. We have received it from God, and we have but one thing to fear. I am not afraid of the prejudice of the world; I am not afraid of the influences that are and might be brought to bear against us by people and communities or the universal world who are opposed to the progress of humanity, who are stereotyped in their views, who make no advancement in that path of the righteous which shines brighter and brighter unto the perfect day; but I fear more for our own neglects, our own selfishness, our own yielding to the depravities of human nature, our own backslidings from God and the covenants we have made, than anything else. I have no fear of the final triumph of truth; I do not shake or tremble while contemplating the results of the great work which the Lord has recommenced in this dispensation, which is one of the many dispensations which have preceded it, for God will so conduct the issues of his work, the labors of His Priesthood, the operations of His ministry and the final consummation of His purposes as to cause to be torn asunder all false systems, false politics, false religions, false philosophy and false bonds and obligations of society; and in the place thereof he will fill the earth with true and correct knowledge. Then every man in every place shall meet a brother and a friend; then no man shall have need to say to his brother, Know ye the Lord, for all shall know him, from the least to the greatest. This will be the final result; this will be the finish, the consummation of the purposes of Jehovah in perfecting the earth and the sanctification of his children who dwell thereon. They shall no more see as through a glass, darkly, but face to face; becoming heirs with God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ to a kingdom and government in which dwelleth righteousness and peace. This will be the final triumph, fight it who may.

I will conclude my remarks, thanking you for your attention, and feeling pleased for the opportunity of expressing my feelings with regard to the great, latter-day work. Let us carry out the oft-repeated precept of President Young, which he reiterated in our hearing: “Brethren and sisters, live your religion;” “Fear God and keep his commandments; this is the whole duty of man.” And then we shall learn one day that all things work together for the good of them that love God; that truth is mighty and will prevail. And that this may be the result of the experience of each and every one of us, is my prayer, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Discourse by Elder C. W. Stayner, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon, May 25th, 1879.

In rising to address the congregation this afternoon, a brief passage of Scripture is suggested to my mind, as the basis for such remarks as I may make. It is the latter part of the seventh verse of the fourteenth chapter of the Book of Revelation, and reads as follows: “and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Believing with the ancient Apostles that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation; but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost,” and that “all scriptures were written for our profit and learning that we through faith in them, might have hope.” I am firmly convinced that the words of the text have a profound significance; for although it is acknowledged that the sacred writings contain the most sublime language, and furnish the most poetic quotations, still I do not believe that those holy men sought to round off their sentences, simply for the sake of the music they would afford to the ear of the reader; but that beneath all the poetry and sublimity of the language, there is a beautiful meaning to every sen– tence recorded, involving the most important truths for the benefit of mankind. In order to reach clearly the correct significance of the passage we have read, let us first consider by whom it was uttered, and inquire into the circumstances under which it was recorded. History tells us that the venerable Apostle John who wrote the Book of Revelation, was sentenced by the Emperor Domitian of the Roman Empire, to be scalded to death in a cauldron of boiling oil; that this cruel sentence was carried out as fully as it was in the power of men to execute it. The cauldron of oil was heated to boiling heat, and the great apostle was submerged in the scalding fluid, but through Divine interposition he was delivered like Daniel from the “lion’s den,” and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the “fiery furnace,” by the power of that God, whom he served and obeyed; so that he suffered no harm and simply looked like he had been anointed. The cruel Emperor was so enraged at this wonderful deliverance, that he instantly sentenced the doomed Apostle to banishment on the Isle of Patmos. While in exile in accor– dance with this sentence, St. John was made the happy recipient of the most wonderful visions of things to come to pass in the future history of the world. Enwrapped in heavenly vision he beheld, among other important matters, an “angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation and kindred, and tongue and people, Saying with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come:” and then the words of our text, “and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” Thus then we find this text was the enunciation of an angel; and as the time when this angel was to come is plainly shown to be at a most important crisis of the world’s history, “the hour of God’s judgment,” it may well be supposed he did not waste time in poetic fancy or simply the elegant rounding of periods, but that every word he uttered carried with it a depth of meaning, and was in every way calculated to impress those to whom he was sent, with the importance of his message. What then was his reason for using this particular language? Why did he not close without uttering the last words? Or why did he not call the attention of earth’s inhabitants to some other peculiarity of the Divine greatness? First because it is customary with the Lord and his angelic messengers to generally give some reason for the requirements made by them; God is ever willing to show his children why we should obey his commands, we find his doctrines reasonable; his requirements reasonable, and his revelations reasonable; hence the angel added by way of reasonable argument, “and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” But why did he not call attention to some of the great things in the unseen world; why not refer to the hosts of heaven or the majestic glory of God, as he sat upon his throne; or any others of the numerous existences that create joy or wonder “behind the veil?” No doubt, because the angel could see prophetically that when the time should arrive for him to deliver his heavenly message, at the hour of God’s judgment, the whole world would have reached what may be called a scientific age, an epoch of “Materialism” a time when the universal scientific thought would be centered on that which was material in its character; and that people would be more devoted to searching out the matters of the visible world, than the hidden mysteries that lay beyond the veil. Hence he called attention to the things which were most engrossing their thoughts. He saw that men would reach, as they have done, some conclusions concerning the planetary bodies, and establish some theories, the correctness of which has in certain instances been proved, as particularly shown in the precision with which eclipses are predicted, that frequently occur within a minute, and even a few seconds of the time designated. Although men have discovered comparatively little with regard to such matters, and even in our own solar system are at a loss in some things, still enough has been discovered to create wonderment and inquiry as to the origin of the worlds that “roll upon their wings” in the firmament, and I believe I shall be endorsed by the highest scientific authorities when I say that they acknowledge the existence of a master intelligence that organizes, sustains and controls the universe. But who or what that power and intelligence is, they do not comprehend, neither can they without he should reveal himself unto them. But when the inquiry arises as to who is this organizer the voice of the angels comes ringing down the cycle of time, “Worship God, who made the heavens,” for, as the Psalmist gives it, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” How charming it is to contemplate the beauty of the heavens, and then think of the discoveries that have been made; concerning light, for instance. How wonderful it is! To think that light, traveling, as scientists assert, from the sun to the earth in eleven minutes, a distance that would occupy a cannon ball twenty-five years in transit; and yet, notwithstanding its velocity, it is so composed as not to harm in the least degree the tenderest of animal or vegetable substances; the minutest plant—the most delicate flower is blessed by its influence, and not in the least injured by the rapidity of its motion. How is this accomplished? By the particles of which it is composed being so minute as not to offer any resistance to the slightest substance. And yet a single sunbeam, which no one can paint or define, looking so innocent and colorless, is found to consist of seven colors, and will penetrate the deepest darkness and reveal all existing objects in their proper and actual form and color. The beneficial effects of the sun’s light cannot be too highly appreciated, and, in contemplating its blessings we are constrained to “worship God who made the heavens.” Let us now consider the earth; take for instance the atmosphere which we breathe and by which we are sustained. We find it in a pure condition originally, but we ascertain that it is rendered impure by being breathed. Through passing through the lungs it becomes so highly carbonized that it is unfit for our use; the large infusion of carbonic dioxide it receives through the process of respiration, renders it poisonous to men and animals; but strange to say it is then in the most proper condition to nourish the life of the vegetable kingdom. Plants thrive on it, and vegetation generally, receives its chief nutriment from that impurity which animals could not endure. Scientific experiment has proved that a sprig of mint placed in a bottle of air rendered impure by respiration or putrefaction, will so absorb the impurity, and nourish itself on the unwholesome carbonic acid gas, as to again render the air sufficiently pure to sustain human and animal life. Thus we find that the atmosphere which would otherwise become unfit to sustain our lives, is purified, and at the same time is enriching us through the medium of the vegetable creation, from which we derive much of our support and sustenance.

Then think of the richness of our fields, of the mineral wealth in these huge mountains, of the beauties to be seen and studied in the floral creation, of the grandeur of earth’s scenery, and the capacity of the soil to support its wonderful population, think of what is on the earth’s surface, and consider what is discovered in its deepest recesses; and when the inquiry arises as to the originator of these blessings, and men of science and reflection ask who and what is the controlling power that bestows and regulates all these things, the loud voice of the angel comes down through the ages, “Worship God who made the earth!” Then there is the mighty ocean that covers such a large portion of our globe. Now, some people have thought that there was too great a proportion of our earth covered by water; but scientific men, who have thought deeply on this subject, declare that if there were any less, there would not be sufficient to furnish moisture for the fertilization of the land. Here, then, is an element prepared, from which, through the action of the atmosphere, the moisture is drawn up into the clouds, and, what is very wonderful, it is not emptied out in torrents, to ravage and destroy by its furious impetuosity, our fields and gardens, but is carried in the clouds as they are gently wafted by the wind, and beautifully distributed in grateful showers, to refresh and nourish the crops of the husbandman. Then, again, see the provision for preserving those large bodies of water, called seas, so that they may not become putrid and malarious; they are strongly supplied with salt, and thus turned into brine, which preserves the water in a wholesome state. Upon the surface of the seas are the vessels of the commercial world, laden with treasure, and down in those almost unfathomable depths are found endless varieties of the finny tribes, that delight to dwell there, and are so useful to man. The sea is their home, from the smallest specimen that floats near the surface, to the huge leviathan that lashes the ocean in his fury. They are perfectly adapted to live there, and the element is specially fitted to supply their necessities. Then, too, beneath its surface we discover beauteous and precious gems for the adornment of the person; providing even for the pleasures and fashionable tastes of “them that dwell on the earth.” And when we ask what intelligence and beneficent power has provided for our happiness, we still hear the voice of the angel as he cries, “worship God who made the sea!” There is still another branch of the subject to which we must briefly refer, and that is the “fountains of waters.” What can be more delightful than a fountain, or spring of pure water? Up in these glorious mountains which have inspired the Saints with a love of liberty, we can see and hear the rippling brook as it escapes from a bright, cold, pure spring in the nook of a canyon or the crevice of a rock! How is it formed and sustained? We find that through the process of evaporation before alluded to, moisture is drawn from the oceans and lakes up into the clouds; some of these clouds pass over the mountains, and deposit sheets of snow, and showers of rain in the canyons and on the mountain sides. These sink into the crevices between the rocks, and here and there burst forth in bubbling springs of fresh water which feed the rivulets and streams, and form the creeks that descend to the land in the valleys, then pass into rivers and finally return to the bosom of the oceans and lakes from whence they came, there to be again preserved till again evaporated. But one peculiarity we should notice here, and that is, the water in these springs is fresh and sweet, although the bodies of water from whence it is evaporated are salt. Here we live on the borders of the Great Salt Lake, yet did you ever notice any saline flavor to the springs and streams sustained by the evaporations from the lake? No, and yet this is a body of water having the strongest saline character in the world! What a glorious provision to have pure fresh water in constant supply! And how beautiful to contemplate is the present fertility of these valleys! When we look back to the time when those grand old pioneers set their feet on this soil, and realize its past barren, and condition, we are led to thank God, “who made the fountains of waters;” and we can see the literal fulfillment of his word through the ancient prophets, that he would “turn the dry ground into water springs,” and “make pools in the desert;” we see that “fountains of waters” have sprung up in unexpected places, to enable this dry and unpromising soil to yield an equitable return for the toil of the laborer; and we can now say that indeed the “Desert has been made to blossom as the rose.” In short it seems that “the heavens and the earth and the sea and the fountains of waters” have formed a grand combination to introduce their united evidences of the Divine existence—and the rich Divine dealings with mankind. Through the ages that are past every method consistent with the perfection of omnipotence, has been adopted to impress man with reverence for the Deity; angels from the heavens declare the glory of God, and the music of the spheres as they perform their wonderful course in the firmament, invite our attention to his glorious handiwork; God has written his being on the imperishable rocks, has recorded the existence of Deity in the granite mountains and among “the everlasting hills;” if we “go down into the depths of the sea, he is there;” and at his bidding, “fountains of waters” burst forth in fertilizing streams, to nourish the barren soil that it may bring forth its rich fruit for the sustenance of the Saints. Thus the heavens in their glory, the earth with its rich blessings, the seas upon which we ride, and the “fountains of waters” that supply us with an element without which we could not live, furnish us with a chain of material evidences, of the existence and goodness of the Deity, that cannot be successfully denied. But I would still fail in the performance of my duty this afternoon, if I should close without touching upon the subject of spiritual evidences that are furnished in such rich abundance from the very commencement of the world’s history to the time when God revealed himself to Joseph Smith, a young boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age, unskilled in the sciences, and unlettered in the learning of the world. God revealed to him not only the fact of Divine existence, but even how he became God; that it was through living up to correct principles, and by developing within himself every sublime sentiment that had its origin in truth. He taught him how the people “who dwelt on the earth” might also be thus exalted to be angels of God, and finally Gods themselves; how they could scale the ladder of intelligence step by step, till they finally overcame all evil, and sat down at the right hand of the “majesty on high.” Read and consider the beautiful prophecies in the Book of Daniel! Read his florid account of the wonderful visions given to him, of the method he was commanded to adopt in order that he might be worthy to receive them. How he was required to fast, “to eat no pleasant food;” to subsist on flowers and other innocent kinds of vegetation; and then ponder over his prophecies, and the prophecies of angels recorded by him, especially concerning the four beasts, which represented the four great kingdoms of the world, Babylon, the kingdom of the Medes and Persians, the Macedonian Empire, and the Roman power. Read his prophecies concerning the last days; and com– pare them with the writings of Gibbon and other historians whom while they denounced God and religion, and declared the prophets were impostors, actually recorded the most literal fulfillment of their glorious predictions; and it will be found by those prophecies and their recorded fulfillment, that Daniel and his colleagues were not simply writers of poetry for the amusement of themselves and their neighbors, but that they were ministers of God, chosen to warn mankind of the great things that should come to pass on the earth, long centuries after those prophets should be called behind the veil. God has painted the history of the world in the rich colors of prophecy, and mankind, under Divine Providence has sculptured its fulfillment in the marble of history. The two records are before us, and I am ashamed of the intelligence of the nineteenth century when I think that scientific men, and learned people can be induced to impute to those holy servants of God other motives than the advancement of God’s purposes in the earth. But I do not condemn the caviler by any means, or consign him to endless torments; no, I regard him as being of great use and of infinite importance to society; he, acting like the tempestuous elements, promotes a healthy condition of the atmosphere, and stirs up the great ocean of thought; this leads us to reflect and consider, and while investigating more closely the works of God, we are apt to come to right conclusions and be more firmly established in the principles of truth.

May God add his blessing, is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Remarks by Elder C. W. Penrose, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Afternoon May 25th, 1879.

I have listened with a great deal of pleasure, my brethren and sisters, to the remarks of Elders Stayner. There are a great many arguments which might be adduced from the material universe to establish the fact that a divine hand has formed the worlds; and I think there are few people, even in this skeptical age, who altogether repudiate the idea of a grand Creator of the universe. This is called an age of infidelity. It is a fact that there is very little real faith in God upon the earth. There is very little knowledge concerning God in the world, and there are some people who altogether repudiate the idea of the existence of a God; but I believe they are in number very few indeed. But while there are few who entirely reject the existence of Deity, there are a great number of people in the world who have no definite idea concerning God, concerning his ways, his dealings with mankind, or concerning the right manner of worshipping him and of learning from him.

In the text which Elder Stayner has read this afternoon, and from which he has made some very ex– cellent remarks, the command is given “to worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” In the explanation which has been given to us it has been made clear that the words which have been read in our hearing were to be uttered by an angel of God; they were to be spoken at a period in the world’s history, some time in the future of the day in which the Apostle John saw the vision referred to. In the 4th chapter of the same book (Revelation), and the first verse, you will find that having seen a number of events portrayed before his mind, John says: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.” All we read in that Book of Revelation, after the first verse of the 4th chapter, describes events to transpire after these things were seen. And if we take the trouble to read the whole of that book, we will find that John was shown the dealings of God with man, age after age, down until the time that this angel should come to the earth. Says the Apostle: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” (Rev. xiv., 6, 7.) According to this prediction, just before the hour of God’s judgment—that time which all the prophets of God have foreseen and prophesied of, just before the grand consummation, just before the time when the Lord should come to judge the quick and the dead—this angel was to come to the earth with the everlasting Gospel; and that Gospel was to be preached to every nation, and kindred, and tongue and people. Now, what does that presuppose? To every reasonable mind, that the people of every nation, and kindred, and tongue upon the face of the earth were destitute of that Gospel. For, if the Gospel was already there, already preached by any nation, kindred, or people, there would be no need for the angel to reveal it anew to mankind. And further, if there were people living upon the earth who did worship God aright that is, the true and living God, not the God of the heathen, not the God of men’s imagination, but the God that made the heaven and the earth, the sea and the fountains of waters—if people dwelling upon the earth were already worshipping that God aright, there would be no need of a heavenly messenger to leave the courts of glory to come to the earth to call upon them to do so.

Now this may be a rather startling declaration to make in the face of all Christendom, in the face of the hundreds and thousands of Christian ministers of the various Christian denominations, who spend their time, their talents and ability in preaching what they call and perhaps believe to be the everlasting Gospel; and in the face of the millions of the earth who think they do worship God and give glory to that Being who made the earth, and the seas, and the fountains of waters. But here is the text, here is the language of Scripture given by inspiration. We must believe the declaration to be divine, or not believe it at all. The Apostle John saw in the vision that at a certain time the angel was to come again to earth and reveal, or restore anew the everlasting Gospel, the true Gospel, by which alone man can receive a fulness of salvation in the presence of God the Father.

There are millions of people living today upon the face of the earth who believe that a divine hand formed this world, and that he is also the Creator of the universe; but they know nothing certain about that Being. Notwithstanding the boasted knowledge and intelligence of the 19th century, the world today knows nothing concerning this divine Being. While most of them admit the fact of his existence, yet at the same time he is to them as he was to the Ephesians to whom Paul preached on a certain occasion—an “unknown God.” If this is not the case, who is there that can tell us anything about him? What he is like? Where he dwells? What are his purposes with regard to the people of the present age? Which is the right way to approach him that we may learn to know him for ourselves?

We read in the Scriptures that in olden times men communed with this divine Being, that he walked and talked with men in the flesh, and revealed himself to them. But he is neither seen nor heard of men today, and what is even worse, none seem to know how to approach him to learn of him as his servants did in earlier times. But some will say, “We have no need of such communications now, for we have the writings of these men; they approached him, and they have written books containing his words which have been handed down to us; we have no need to approach God as they did.” But who can tell us how to read this Bible aright? These people who say they have no need of revelation do not agree as to what those prophets meant when they wrote these things. Take the minister of one Christian denomination, for instance, and get him into conversation with a minister from another Christian denomination, each of these men of course professing to believe that the Bible is a divine record given to us for our guidance in spiritual things; and in a very short time you will get them into a quarrel. Take, half a dozen men from half a dozen Christian denominations, each professing to be called of God to explain his word, and you will find that all of them have different views and ideas concerning that which the prophets wrote. Ask any one of these Christian ministers to tell you anything about God, and after exhausting his store of language in trying to do so he will wind up thus: “God is incomprehensible.” There is an attempt to describe God in the Episcopalian prayer book. We are told in that book, which contains the articles of the faith of that body of people, that God is three and yet he is only one; that there are three distinct personages in the Godhead, yet only one personage, and that this being is without body, without parts and without passions. Here, then, we have an imaginary being composed of three parts, who yet is only one without any parts. We are told further that one of these bodiless, passionless beings without parts had a body, and that he was a man in all points as we are, possessing like passions, but that he sinned not. This is a strange attempt at description of a divine Being. I do not wish to take up the time in further reference to these absurdities, you can read them in the Athanasian creed, and in the thirty-nine articles which all Episcopal ministers must subscribe to before they can receive “holy orders.”

We read in the Bible: “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head (when he prayeth), forasmuch as he is the image and the glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” (1 Cor., xi, 7) According to the Scriptures, when you see a perfect man, as far as man can be perfect in this imperfect condition which we now occupy, we see a being in the image of Deity. When Jesus Christ, who died that we might live, appeared on the earth, we are told that he was “the image of the invisible God,” and “the express image of his (the Father’s) person.” So much indeed, was he like his Father, that when one of his disciples asked him to show them the Father, he answered him saying, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,” giving us to understand that the Son inherited the likeness of his Father. Some read it to signify that he was the same person; but the Savior says again, “My Father is greater than I.” The words of Jesus to Mary in the garden are significant on this point: “Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God and your God.” And at the baptism of the Savior we find that the Holy Ghost descended upon him, and that the voice of the Father was heard out of heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased;” showing that there were three distinct substances—the Son coming up out of the water, the Father speaking from heaven and the Holy Ghost descending.

In regard to this divine Being. The Son is the firstborn in the spirit, the only begotten in the flesh, sent into the world to die for the sins of the world. How can the people of the earth learn anything concerning him? And which is the right way to worship him? Says the Catholic minister, “Here is the way, the only way.” “No,” says the Episcopal minister, “here is the way.” Says the Methodist, “No, you are both wrong, we have the true way.” Against these assertions the Baptist minister curers his protest, saying, “All these are wrong, ours is the way.” And so with all the various sects and parties that exist upon the earth. Let us bear in mind now that the angel spoken of by John was to come from heaven and call upon every nation and tongue to worship this Being, the true and living God. And not only call upon them to do so, but to bring the everlasting Gospel, by which man can learn of God and walk in his ways. And it is very evident what they would do, from the predictions of other prophets. We read in the writings of Isaiah, also in the writings of Micah, that in the last days there should come a people from all the nations of the earth, who should gather together in the tops of the mountains to learn of the ways of God and to walk in his paths. It seems, then, that the angel was not to bring his message for nought; there was to be a people among all these nations who would receive the message and who would respond to it; and in consequence of that response they would leave their homes and would come from the East and from the West, and God would “say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” And they would go up to the mountain of the Lord to be taught in his ways and to walk in his paths; that they might be prepared for the day when the “law of God would go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” And the work was to continue; for according to another prophet, the time shall come when “they shall teach no more everyman his neighbor, saying, Know ye the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord.” How shall this be brought about? “And they shall be all taught of God.” The Lord is to teach them; they are not to be taught by the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but as God spake to the people in olden times, so he is to speak to them in the latter times. He said he would raise up shepherds after his own heart, who should “feed them with knowledge and understanding;” not with speculative ideas, notions springing from their own minds, but with the truth from the true and living God, sent down from on high. Jesus, when upon the earth, made a remark very pertinent to this point; said he: “And no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, but the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” The inhabitants of the earth will never come to a knowledge of the true God, they will never know how to approach him, they will never know how to obtain knowledge and intelligence from him, unless they walk in the way his Son shall point out. He stands between us and the Father; he is the Firstborn, the Mediator, chosen from the creation of the world. He performed the work on the earth which he was sent to do. “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” He stands as a Mediator between God and man. When we approach God we must do it through the Son. Who can tell us how? We hear the cry, “Come to Jesus,” in every camp meeting. We are told by the preachers of every Christian denomination to “come to Jesus.” But how are we to come? The ways pointed out are different and various. I am reminded right here of a saying of the Prophet Jeremiah “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” “The old path,” what is that? The everlasting Gospel which the angel was to bring. “Enter ye in at the strait gate,” says the Savior; “for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” There is but one way into the sheepfold; he that climbs up any other way will be accounted as “a thief and a robber.” The angel was to bring the old way; that those who walk therein might find rest for their souls; but it appears the great bulk of the people would say, “We will not walk therein.”

I bear my testimony to this congregation, that in the times in which we live, which are just preceding the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, to accomplish all things spoken of, God, the Eternal Father, has spoken from the heavens by his own voice, revealing his Son, and has sent holy angels committing the everlasting Gospel to men who have been commissioned and ordained of God to go to all the world to preach it as a witness before the end comes. I bear my testimony that as soon as that Gospel reached my ears in a distant land, I received it and obeyed it. That is, believing in the truth thereof, I repented sincerely of my sins before God, and went humbly and submitted to the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins, receiving that ordinance from men ordained of God to preach this Gospel. That having been buried in the water in the likeness of the death of Christ, and raised again in the likeness of his resurrection, I received a witness from God that my sins were remitted. I bear my testimony this afternoon before God and angels, and before this congregation, that I received a remission of my sins, through the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, in obedience to his ordinances. The hands of the servants of God were laid upon my head, and I received the Holy Ghost—that same Spirit which God gave to the prophets, that same Spirit which rested upon John upon the Isle of Patmos, that same Spirit by which holy men of old wrote and spoke as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and that Spirit is the same yesterday, today and forever. It takes of the things of the Father and makes them plain to the human mind; it makes things past clear to the understanding of man, and it lifts up the curtain of futurity and shows things to come. It is the Spirit of prophecy, the testimony of Jesus; it is the light of God to the human soul. And as natural light discloses to the vision of men the objects of the material universe, without which none can discern them, so the Holy Ghost is the light of God which reveals to the spirits of men the things of eternal life, and without which men cannot understand the things of God. It is because of the absence of this divine light that the world lies in darkness in regard to their Father and God; this is why men, notwithstanding their learning, their scientific discoveries in the material universe, cannot comprehend the things of God. Man by searching cannot find out God. He can reveal himself to mankind, but must do it through the Son, and obedience to the Gospel of his Son is the only way of salvation. There is no other, and no name given under heaven whereby man can be saved but the name of Jesus Christ. A mere form of worship avails nothing; we must obey the commandments. “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.” This Gospel is restored to the earth, and everybody may know it for themselves. We are not dependent upon the words of Joseph Smith; we need not depend upon the Twelve Apostles who received their ordination under his hand. Every man and every woman and every child who have come to years of accountability can receive direct from the Lord, direct from the fountain of their being, a testimony by which they may know that he lives, that they are walking in his ways, and learn how they can approach him acceptably.

Some people may think that it does not matter how people worship, that God will accept of their worship, anyhow. But from what we read of His dealings in the Bible, we find it a matter of the greatest importance. Abel, for instance, offered to the Lord that which God commanded; Cain offered what he pleased to give. Abel’s offering was accepted, Cain’s was rejected. Cain slew Abel in consequence, and the spirit manifested by him has been perpetuated to this day. God has marked out the way by which he may be worshipped. He has ordained certain ordinances through which certain blessings are to come; and the blessings of God will not come except by means of the ordinances. Those who obey these in the way that God has ordained invariably receive the blessings; for spiritual laws are as fixed and unchangeable as are the laws of the material universe. No man expects to reap oats from sowing wheat. That which a man soweth, that will he also reap. If he sow to the flesh, of the flesh he may expect to reap corruption; if to the spirit, of the spirit life everlasting. By walking in the way that God has ordained, every man can know and receive for himself the testimony promised. And this people who are here inhabiting these valleys of the mountains knew for themselves before they left their homes in the old world, that they had received and obeyed the Gospel brought from the heavens by means of the angel described by the Apostle John, it was in obedience to the requirements of that Gospel that they left their homes to come here to learn more of his ways, to walk more perfectly in his paths, and to prepare themselves for the great day of the Lord that is nigh at hand. This Gospel is sent to prepare the way before his coming, to be preached “as a witness” that all mankind may know that God has sent it. How about the people who will not hearken unto it? They feel as Cain did when he learned that his offering was not acceptable—he desired to slay Abel; and this is the feeling that has been manifested towards the Latter-day Saints from the beginning. We have come out of the world, and the world hates us, and many seek to destroy us. What harm are we doing to the people of the earth? We have come away from them; we have sought the wilds of this once desert country that we might worship God according to the dictates of conscience, and we are here trying to serve him with all our hearts. We have many imperfections, but we are trying to obey the Lord in his appointed way; and because we have accepted this way, the way ordained of God, those who will not walk therein are stirred up to anger against us; they circulate all manner of evil reports concerning us and like the ancient Saints we are “everywhere spoken against.” They endeavor to stir up strife in our midst, and failing to divide us they gnash their teeth in anger, seeking to bring all kinds of evil upon us. But God will rule and overrule for the good of His people, and accomplish His ends and purposes.

In the midst of these trials we recognize the hand of God, as we see it in relation to the material elements which have been referred to this afternoon; just as much as we understand that there is a controlling hand which guides the destinies of the earth, which formed the planets, which put them in motion and arranged them in such perfect order that one world should not rush against another, and causing the whole universe in all its beautiful variety and adaptation to move in perfect order and harmony; as we recognize the Divine hand in these material things, the physical objects of the universe, so we can recognize it in spiritual things. We acknowledge God in all things; we know that he lives, that in him we move and have our being, that he is the same yesterday, today and forever, that he changeth not; that he communes with his children today as he did five or six thousand years ago. The God of Abraham is the God of the Latter-day Saints. As he guided and directed him and delivered him from his enemies, so the Almighty’s hand has been and is over us, and will continue to guide and deliver us, inasmuch as we continue to carry on his work.

Now I say that all people may receive these blessing if they will walk in the narrow way. But they must believe in Christ, and repent of their sins by putting them away; they must be baptized in a proper way; they must receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands of men ordained and authorized of God, which Spirit will bring them en rapport with the Lord; and then if they will seek the interests of his kingdom they have a claim upon his blessings, and in proportion to their righteousness before God, so shall their communion be. But although they are baptized and confirmed members of the body of Christ, yet, unless they continue to walk before God, continue to be taught of him, continue to obey the divine word, they will not enjoy much communion with the Father. But if they strive to “live by every word that comes from the mouth of God,” their minds will become more enlightened, the Holy Ghost will increase within them and their path will grow brighter and brighter, even to the perfect day. God will speak by his Spirit direct to their hearts; and when he reveals anything through his appointed servants, every word will find an echo in the hearts of those who have received this Spirit, and the people will see eye to eye, for they will become united as one, as a band of brethren and sisters, to roll forth the purposes of God, to prepare the way for the feet of the Lord Jesus.

I bear my testimony to what has been said by Brother Stayner and the Gospel of Jesus Christ which the angel has brought, and pray God to bless this congregation, that all who are here, may be able to learn of him and walk in the good old way, that they may know how to worship and obey the true and living God, even him who made the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters, and finally come into his presence and be crowned will a fulness of his glory. Amen.

Discourse by Elder Aurelius Miner, delivered in the Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, on Sunday May 11th, 1879.

The young brethren who have spoken this afternoon, and who have so recently returned from missions to England, have told us something about the Gospel they were sent to preach. By way of a continuation of the remarks which have already been made, I propose to ask this question: “What is the Gospel?” The Apostle Paul declares the answer in the following language: “It is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Believeth what? Believeth that God is; that Jesus Christ died and rose again, and opened the way, provided the means and devised the plan whereby man may be delivered from the power of evil. This Gospel, then, being the power of God, it is the power by which God acts. If we secure salvation we shall have to obtain that power ourselves, in order that we may overcome every obstacle which stands between us and eternal life. Christ said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit down with me on my throne.” Then if Christ exercised the power of this Gospel, and it was by that power that he overcame the principle of evil, which has ever existed and which ever will exist in some form upon some of the creations of God, we must in like manner and by like means accomplish for ourselves the same result. In this struggle he conquered; in obedience to certain principles he acquired power by which he overcame and attained to eternal life. This principle comes to us as the same means to gain the same end. But what are these principles which, if we adopt them, and practice them in our lives, will enable us to attain to this exalted position and power? These brethren have told you that they are made manifest in the teachings of the elders of Israel. How do we know this? Ministers of other denominations will tell us that they have the truth, the way and the life; that they preach the Gospel, the word of God to the people. But they propose different plans, teach different systems. One will teach us one system, another a different one. If you go into the old country especially you will hear it upon the streets, “Only believe in Jesus and you are saved.” Other systems hold that it is all free will and all free grace on the part of God and ourselves. Another sums up the doctrine in this form: “You will and you won’t, you shall and you shan’t, you will be damned if you do, you will be damned if you don’t. It makes no difference on the part of the individual what he thinks or believes, so far as appertains to his salvation.”

Why this difference in the religious world? God is not the author of confusion, or of conflicting doctrine and principles. Go into the scientific world, if you please, and range through the field of exact sciences, and what do you find there? If I were to ask the enlightened people of all nations what is the product of 2 multiplied by 2, they would all tell me 4. Why? Because the answer is understood to be correct; they have been taught it and they have demonstrated it in the practical operations of life. There is no dispute, then, that 2 and 2 are 4 the world over. Why this universal declaration of this one truth? Is it not because all have been taught a correct principle? That they have all been taught the same doctrine, and that those who have taught them have been inspired by the same sentiment, the same truth? But suppose I should find some who were teaching that 2 and 2 are 3, or that 2 and 2 are 6; I would at once say, Some of you are wrong, all cannot be right, certainly not. What would be the conclusion in our minds? That some had been taught imperfectly; that those who had been taught that 2 and 2 were 3, or 5, had been instructed by teachers who did not understand the principles they essayed to advance. And the conclusion would be correctly drawn that there were systems of error being taught, and that all were in error except those who proclaimed the doctrine that 2 and 2 are 4. This figure of 2 and 2 are 4—3-6, may be appropriately applied to the teachings of the religious world; for we find one class who profess to be the teachers sent of God, who declare to us one set of principles, another class who declare another set of principles, or doctrine, diametrically opposed to the first; we find a third opposite to both; and continuing our research until we traverse the entire globe, we find that there are several hundred different denominations professing to worship God according to his laws, all differing more or less in their doctrines, discipline and forms of worship. There being but one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, we discover that some have been and are teaching a doctrine that 2 and 2 are some number other than 4. That some are preaching something that is not “the power of God unto salvation,” but a system embracing the doctrines and precepts of men. Such a system is devoid of the power of God, and is not that system which will bring salvation to the human soul. It is not that system which will impart to individuals the knowledge of the true God, and of his Son Jesus Christ. It is not that system which will bring man up from the condition of sin and error to the great plan of righteousness, and truth. A system revealed from God alone can accomplish such results. But where can we find these principles of the Gospel, this power of God revealed to mankind, if it be revealed at all, that men may know that 2 and 2 are 4 for themselves, that they may know that the power of God is unto salvation unto all that believe and obey. It is written in this Bible, and we sometimes refer to it as authority to those who do not comprehend the higher law, or rather have not understood that law of which this book is but the exponent. Just upon the same principle that I may ask an individual what is the product of 2 multiplied by 2, and he tells me 4. But if I were to ask him to demonstrate the 42nd proposition of Euclid, he would answer me that he knew nothing at all about it. This is simply a higher law, an advanced principle of knowledge; the plan by which the power of God is obtained is a progressive system in its enunciated principles and doctrines. With this system we go on from step to step, as Paul declares the “righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith;” or in other words, that the power of God was and is increased upon himself by his obedience to an eternal law, and this became the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus Christ also, in obedience to this eternal law, obtained that power by which he triumphed over sin and all the opposing powers of evil, and attained to his exalted position at the right hand of God. Practicing these same principles and law, we obtain salvation and power to become Gods, even the sons of God. And in observing these principles and laws, we but follow the advice of Paul which he gave to the Saints in his day: “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.” What, humanity attain to the dignity of the God? Yes; if we are the sons of God, why not attain to something of the honor and dignity by inheritance with our Father? But how shall we do this? This Gospel, which these brethren have been teaching in distant lands, points out the system which brings to us this power of God. And what is it? It is said that to those who believe it it will become the power of God unto salvation. And what do you mean by salvation? Deliverance from the power of sin, which is death, and thus attain to eternal life. How shall we triumph over the power of death? By believing in Jesus Christ; believing that he is, and that he is the rewarder of all that diligently seek him. How can we hear except there be a preacher, and how can that individual preach except he be sent of God? And if he be sent of God, will he not proclaim unto us the doctrine of God? Will he not proclaim the doctrines of Christ if he be sent of Christ, and is taught of him? But if he be not sent of him and taught of him, then he takes the honor unto himself, and is unworthy to be called an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, an ambassador of heaven bearing the words of eternal truth. But how may we know these things? We know that 2 and 2 are 4, this fact is demonstrated in our daily transactions. How may we obtain this power of God, which shall be unto us salvation? By doing the will of the Father, by following diligently the instruction of the Apostle Peter, given on the day of Pentecost: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” And he further says, “Save yourselves from this untoward generation.” What did he tell them to do? To repent. They already believed in Jesus, for he had preached Christ to them, and they were pricked in their hearts and they cried out, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter did not tell them to come to an anxious seat to be prayed for. No, there was a work for themselves to do. What do you mean by repentance? Forsaking all evil, turning away from all unrighteousness; “Let him that stole steal no more;” let him that was drunken drink no more, etc.; overcome all your sins by righteousness and obedience to the law of God. Repent, then, every one of you. What, all these good men who had come up to Jerusalem? Yes, a new dispensation had now been ushered in. “Repent.” What else? “And be baptized every one of you.” What for? “For the remission of sins.” Is there no other way, Peter, by which we can get our sins remitted? He has not declared any other; if there were he ought to have told them, for they asked him a most important question, and he preached by command of the Savior and was taught of him for forty days prior to his ascension, and it is to be presumed that Christ gave to him, in connection with his fellow Apostles, every particle of instruction they needed, for he cannot be accused directly or indirectly of leaving his work half done. For, says Christ, What more could I have done that I have not done? He gave them all the instruction needed to go forth as teachers and ministers to all nations and peoples. After Peter told these people what to do, what fulfillment of promise was to follow obedience to his instructions? “And ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” That is the promise, is it? Peter, have you not made a mistake? Have you been telling us that 2 and 2 are 4, or that 2 and 2 are 6? He has told us the truth presumedly. How may you know? Oh, says one, the promise was only to the Apostles and those to whom they preached. But the promise was not confined to them; it was an extended promise, “And to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” How many has the Lord called? Read the 1st verse of the 50th Psalm: “The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.” Read also the 17th verse of the last chapter of Revelation: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Are not you, my hearers, as well as the whole of mankind, included in this general call? The promise is, then, to you. “But supposing I do come in obedience to the testimony, borne by these young men this afternoon, how shall I know for myself that I shall have done the will of God?” I answer, do the things that they say and you shall know whether the doctrine they preach be of God or whether they speak of themselves. For know ye that if the promise be not fulfilled to you, the Lord speaks not by them or by anyone else. If a promise has been made by the Great Jehovah to the children of men upon certain conditions, and those conditions be performed upon their part and the promise be not realized, then know ye that the God of heaven never made that promise. But said Christ, they did not believe him in his day. And they asked him how they should know whether the things he taught were true or not. He told them to do the things which he commanded. And you, my friends, can know in no other way. This is a practical work. Is there no theory about the Gospel? Yes; but the theory is worth no more than the theory of anything else; it is the practical part we want, that which brings benefit and blessing; that which comes like the old Yankee to the man who fell from his horse and broke his leg. Said some of the spectators who had gathered around, I am very sorry for this man, he has a large family and their only support will now be taken away from them. The old Yankee, it will be remembered, said, I am sorry for him just ten dollars, how much are the rest of you sorry; and handed over the money. That ten dollars was worth more to the injured man than all the sympathy in the universe. And if the Gospel does not come with blessing and benefit, with intelligence, power and exaltation to the human family, it is of no practical benefit; and if of no permanent benefit it is not worth our time to meddle with. So the Latter-day Saints may feel sorry for the poor people in England, whose deplorable condition has been described to us this afternoon by the brethren who have just returned from missions to that country; but if they do not put their hands in their pockets and assist them to the extent of their means their sympathy will not amount to a hill of beans. The Savior gave and observed this form of doctrine, and if he taught not a correct system let us do away with it altogether; for if he is not the author of our salvation, who is? There is no name given under heaven whereby man must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ, and if we do not preach the form of doctrine he taught where shall we find it?

What is the promised result of obedience to this counsel of Peter ? “You shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” What shall be the result of the reception of that spirit? Christ told his disciples that it should bring all things whatsoever he had said to them to their remembrance. And was it to bring to memory only the things which had been heard? Or was it to reach back into the vista of the past and unfold to us some knowledge of our pre-existent state? Why not, since the spirit comprehends from the beginning to the end? But is that all it was to do? He also said that it should lead us into all truth. Then we have the great teacher who teaches by the spirit of revelation that 2 and 2 are 4 in every part of the known world, and to all people. You have the same teacher now that taught you in England or Russia or China or America, or wherever the human family exists, that spirit will lead you into all truth; and if we are in possession of that spirit we will be taught the same doctrine and the same principle and will all tend according to our faithfulness to the same degree of exaltation. Thus shall you know that God lives, thus shall you know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And this by the revelation of that spirit which shall lead and guide you into all truth. What else can it do? It shall show you things to come; and if you were peradventure to declare any of these things you would become a prophet. This would be a terrible thing, to become a prophet! But Moses said when Joshua wanted him to rebuke certain ones and forbid them from prophesying in the camp of Israel, after asking him if he was jealous for his sake, “I would that all the Lord’s people were prophets,” because it would imply that they had obeyed this form of doctrine, that they were living in constant communion with the Holy Ghost, it would be to argue that they were living according to the doctrine of John when he said “Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.” How shall they know that Jesus is the Christ? Only by the testimony of the Holy Ghost. For, says the Apostle Paul, “No man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” Did Paul tell the truth or not? No man can say knowingly that Jesus is the Christ but by the power and revelation of the Holy Ghost; and no man ever obtained this knowledge in any other way, or ever will. It is the plan God has designed, and if we would come unto him we must do so in his own appointed way. We must run the race that is set before us, and not attempt to prescribe the rules of the racetrack ourselves. Let us therefore so run that we may gain the prize at the end of the race. In order to secure this we must conform to the ordinances of the Gospel which comprise this testimony which is given by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is the spirit of prophecy; and he who has the spirit of prophecy has the testimony of Jesus. Then mankind may ridicule the idea that prophets are no more upon the earth; it is tantamount to saying, “that we know not God and are without hope in the world.” And who can know the Father but by the revelations of the Son, and he unto whom the Son may reveal him?

It seems then that this Holy Ghost is full of intelligence, full of knowledge, full of power, and is the acting minister of God throughout all the dominions of the great Jehovah. That spirit reveals to man that Jesus is the Christ, and Christ reveals the fact of the existence, power and glory of his Father. And this is the order. And how shall we know this fact? By rendering obedience to the ordinances, and then you can know it for yourselves. It is no great trouble; a little cold water will not hurt any of you. I presume there are many in this congregation who have been buried in the water of baptism when the ice has had to be cut, and they will tell you that by obeying these simple forms of doctrine they have received for themselves, by the laying on of hands of the Elders, this Holy Ghost, and that it has borne record to them of the Father and the Son? Is not the experiment worth trying? Is not the prize of sufficient value to induce you to sacrifice the follies of the world to put on Christ? Shall we not run the race that is set before us? Shall we not do and perform the acts which bring unto us the power of God?

But is this power acquired only by acts or words? Let us see what the Savior says. You remember that a certain man brought his son who was possessed of a devil to the Savior that the Savior might cast the devil out as the Apostles had failed to do so. The Savior, it will be remembered, gave them a severe rebuke upon that occasion saying in substance. How long shall I be with you as a teacher and you be so thickheaded that you will not learn these principles which I teach from day to day? How long shall I suffer you to be my disciples, and how long shall I have to be with you as your teacher before you learn these things? Bring the boy to me. The father obeyed and by that power which had been developed in Christ by obedience to law he commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the tabernacle of the boy and to depart from him and it obeyed him. The disciples felt the rebuke, and when opportunity presented itself they asked the Savior why they could not cast out the evil spirit. And Jesus answered and said unto them, “because of your unbelief: for verily, I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place: and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” What? I have heard ministers say, yes you can remove mountains by utilizing a lot of Chinamen. But shall we thus curtail the power of faith for it is a principle of power and not simply a volition of the will. It was by the power of faith that God created the heavens and the earth? And if God could by the power of faith organize these vast planets which revolve in most perfect order through space, if, I say, that he could do this by the power of faith, how great a portion of that power would it take to remove the Wasatch range? Not a very large proportion. Said the Savior to his disciples in answer to their inquiry: how be it this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Then we have a clue from the declaration of the Savior himself as to how this power is obtained. To believe only? No. Belief only would be worthless; belief followed by works under the direction of the holy spirit which is the power of God brings forth the power of faith. Have you Elders of Israel found yourselves in the same condition as these disciples, when called upon to perform a similar act, and if you have did you know the reason why? Learn the answer from the lips of the Savior. Do you fast and pray according to the ordinances of this system, through which the power of God is obtained? If you have not, then your ministrations were in vain because you failed to comply with the conditions. Are the promises to men in an individual capacity? In one sense, yes, in another, no. When the conditions prescribed are complied with, then the fulfillment of the promises must be forthcoming, for God cannot lie. Is it the individual that acts then? No. He is simply the representative; it is the ministering servant of God who acts, not in his own name but in the name of his principal, by virtue of the power behind the throne. Just the same as the Judge upon the bench or the Police upon the street. Do they act in their own name? No, but are representatives of a power from whom they hold their commissions. So they who minister in the holy ordinances of the Gospel, minister not in their own name, but by virtue of the authority of their commission. For how can men preach the Gospel except they be sent, and sent of God to declare his Gospel, so that, their words may be the words of God to the people? Then the exhortation of the Elders of Israel is, repent every one of you, and be baptized for the remission of your sins and the promise is that you shall receive the Holy Ghost, which will lead and guide you into all truth; it will bring things past to your remembrance and it will show you things to come. It will enlighten your minds and will lead you step by step, giving line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. But owing to the weakness of the flesh and the weaknesses of our fallen natures that are ever present with us, we learn slowly. But by perseverance in the warfare against sin we continually increase this power within us, which though gradually developing will ultimately become in us a principle of revelation and prophecy, sufficient to enable us to hold converse with God and to receive wisdom and knowledge from the great fountain of intelligence. The Gospel does away with all narrow contracted feelings; it widens the range of thought as well as ennobles the mind; it makes us feel that God is our father, that the world is our home and that mankind are our brethren, all the sons and daughters of God; and I am not benefited by crushing you nor you by crushing me, but that we are only exalted in the scale of being by acts of intelligence and goodness; and that as we increase in knowledge so do we increase in the power of God.

The government of God upon the earth is denominated as his priesthood, as is declared by Paul in his letter to the Romans, is the power of God made known and that which may be known of God is manifest in them who hold this priesthood, for God hath shewn it unto them. The knowledge of God comes then through the priesthood which has been established upon the earth; and the salvation of the human family through the administration of the ordinances of this Gospel by the power and authority thereof. His knowledge comes to us with an assurance which is stronger and more convincing than the seeing of the eye, the hearing of the ear and the handling of the hand put together. For it is as Paul says, the sure word of prophecy, which is more satisfactory evidence to the human mind than all other evidences combined. And it comes to us with such convincing power that it cannot be gainsayed. And hence these young Elders stand up and say they know the things to be true whereof they testify by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. And they tell us that they have obtained this knowledge by obeying this simple form of doctrine, which is so plain that a wayfaring man need not err therein if he sets his heart to do the will of God. Are they narrow, contracted in their feelings? If so why do they spend their time in going forth to labor in the vineyard of the Lord without compensation, except that which comes from God and the satisfaction of knowing that they are doing the will of Heaven? They preach not for hire nor divine for money but go forth and preach the everlasting Gospel to all, calling upon the people everywhere to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins, promising them in the name of him who commissioned them, that when these requirements are compiled with in all sincerity they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, which shall give them to understand and know for themselves that 2 and 2 are 4, that God lives, that Jesus is the Lord; all being taught by this Spirit will know and understand alike. Ignorance will depart and knowledge will increase and abound and to all there will be but one Lord, one faith and one baptism. Amen.